wildsaber | 01 ♪ video/action ♪ wake up sleepyhead!

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01 ♪ video/action ♪ wake up sleepyhead!

[The feed shows a nice view of absolutely nothing. There is, however, the sound of someone spitting. Very lovely. He just woke up with a mouthful of dead rotting leaves. His day is off to a great freaking start, that's what.]

Ugh, nasty! Ow--... ow... ow. [Don't let the nonchalance fool you. He's realizing he's alive. Taking in a deep breath, and letting it out.

He's alive.

... And also FREEZING COLD. But wait until he finds a way home! This is impossible, but maybe-- just maybe--]

Hahah... jeez, it's c-c-cold. Am I in K-Keterburg or something?

-- Hey, what's...

[And here's when he brushes the journal off. Hello, there's a half-naked redhead getting up close and personal, and turning it upside down, and then shaking it out a bit. What is this strange and mystifying technology? It sure as hell isn't his journal.]

Weird.

[Feeling something tickle his shoulder, he reaches over to brush it off. And then he notices the wings, red with gold tips just like his hair. He has wings. This is not a drill. Luke drops the journal in favor of screaming like the grown man he isn't.]

W-what the hell is going on!?

[NO LUKE DON'T PULL ON THOSE--] —OW! [Yeah, that hurt more than anything else in his life. Now he's curled up over his knees again, trying not to cry. He almost blacked out there.]

G-guess they're real...

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A fair amount. But from what I've been told about the years before I arrived here, they've gotten better as time has moved on. Their biggest fault lies in never knowing how much we can trust them, since they've done little to gain that trust in the first place.

[There's a bitterness in his voice that he's trying to suppress, but it may very come out anyway. Back on Auldrant, Ion wouldn't have been able to say he ever truly hated anyone. That wasn't exactly true anymore.]

It wouldn't be entirely accurate to call them an enemy, though it would certainly be a stretch to consider us equals as allies.

[... Wow, Ion never even talked about Mohs like that. Luke blinks, but doesn't say anything about it. After all, they're in the same situation and Luke is pissed too.]

Why keep us here like this? It's not like we're a threat to them.

[Not unless they made it so.]

We've been told part of it is because the world outside of the enclosure isn't safe. And from what little we've been allowed to see outside, that much appears to be true. [That is, there is truth in how dangerous the outside world is -- the iffy part is whether or not they're truly safe here. It's hard to believe that to be the case following the invasion this past summer.]

[But the third-party still isn't really a topic Ion is comfortable talking about, so Luke will just have to hear about them from elsewhere.]

Unfortunately, the larger truth seems to be that we're here for them to test their experiments, using a technology they call shifts. They're not always bad, but... they are something of an unpleasant fact of life here.

[Awkward would be a better word to describe them. So much awkward.]

But still...

[He doesn't push, thankfully. However, the mention of experiments makes Luke's expression darken.]

They're experimenting on people?

Yes. Though as far as experiments go, they're rather unorthodox. To be honest, I'm not sure I even fully understand how it is they're able to do some of the things they do.

[He's not even sure the malnosso fully understand how it is they're able to do what they do. If they did, there wouldn't be as much need to experiment, right?]

In the past, they've been able to do things like temporarily changing a person's age or gender, turn people into animals, or cause them to suddenly appear and disappear in various locations throughout the village. At the very least, they never last more than a week, and are usually more embarrassing than dangerous.

[Like that time Ion turned into a girl for a week and no one noticed. That was fun.]

That's...!

[That kind of stuff should be impossible, but he's in a whole other world. Alive. With wings.

He can definitely suspend disbelief for a little while.]

... Ugh. At least I know what to look forward to. If I ever see one of these guys, I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind.

I'm sure you're not the only one who feels that way.

[Even Ion shares that sentiment, to a certain degree.]

But even with the experiments, life here isn't so bad. All of the villagers here are so kind, and I've been able to meet so many people who I would have never gotten the opportunity to meet otherwise.

[Not to mention, he's alive here. But hopefully that's implied.]

[Yeaaah, Luke's in the same boat. He's not sure he can say it just yet, but...]

If we could just break their control somehow, I think it would be a lot better. But... that's not really something we can do right now.

...no, perhaps not.

[Though there's still a lot more to the situation -- things Ion knows it wouldn't be wise to say over the journal, where the Malnosso can see their conversation.]

I know it's an awful lot to take in, but it should get easier over time. At the very least, I'm sure some things will be easier to explain in person.

[You know, once Guy gets there and drags Luke back to House One so they can ~~have a tearful reunion and hug it out~~ discuss manly things in a manly fashion.]

Yeah... [He runs a hand through his bangs, briefly tugging them away from his face.] One thing at a time, right?

[He smiles then, just letting it sink in that Ion is back. Ion's back, he's safe and alive, and he's just the way Luke remembered. Except maybe a little taller but he doesn't know that yet.

Whatever. Second chances all around.]

I'll be there soon. Then we can catch up or... something.

I'd really like that. [It might also help it to sink in more once they actually see each other again -- for both of them.]

I'll see you when you arrive here, then.

[Which basically means he'll be waiting around House One's living room for Luke to get there, trying to read a book or something to distract himself. He's really missed having his replibro around okay.]

[When Luke appears, he's been accosted by the clothing fairy, wearing some approximation of a big white coat and a pair of shoes. It's a good thing, too. He's somewhat dirty, having basically been rolling around in mud and snow for those first few minutes of his new life.]

I'm back, [he calls out as some kind of hello. He can barely believe it himself. He drops the jacket on a nearby chair so he's topless again; his wings are poofy and impatient at being pinned, and they tickle his arms a little. He rubs his hands along his arms to warm them, and that's when he sees Ion sitting there like he belonged.

He hesitates. Now it's really sinking in. All of his long-since-swallowed grief and guilt wells up at once, clamoring up his throat and making it impossible to speak-- only stare.]

[Luke won't have long to look at Ion sitting there on the couch, because as soon as he hears Luke's voice, he's on his feet and headed towards the door.]

[The changes in Ion are far more pronounced in person -- he's traded a good deal of weight for a few extra inches of height, making him only just a little bit shorter than Luke while giving him that lanky-teenager appearance. Not to mention Luke's probably never seen Ion dressed so casually before ~~#npc problems~~. But the smile on his face is still very much the same one he always had back on Auldrant.

[Luke's not the only one at a loss for words -- somehow everything Ion can think of just sounds silly or cheesy. What do you say to a friend who last saw you when you were dying in his arms?]

...hello, Luke. It's... really good to see you again.

[Luke is happy, it's in his eyes, but he's also incredibly moved. Tears well up even though he doesn't ask for them. Thankfully, it's not as bad as it was earlier.]

Ion!

[This time, he can greet Ion with a big smile, even if it hurts a bit at the edges. This is way better than meeting in the afterlife. He takes a step forward and pulls his friend into a tight hug, his face immediately going for Ion's shoulder. He's warm and solid and real. He isn't going to disappear in Luke's arms anytime soon.]

[Ion's breath hitches in his throat when he's pulled into a hug, and for a few seconds he doesn't even seem to react. But as realization sinks in, his arms move to return the embrace. He even takes care not to brush against Luke's wings, well aware of just how sensitive they are for new arrivals.]

[As much as he feels he should say something, he can't seem to find the words. And certainly, even if he had them, they'd only get caught in his throat. Ion never really cried much back on Auldrant, but at a time like this, even he can't help but get a little choked up right now.]

[They'll probably be hugging it out for a little while here, but Ion certainly doesn't mind. They've got lost time to make up for, after all.]

[His fingers tighten in the back of Ion's shirt, beneath his wings. While he's not hugging tight enough to hurt, there's something undeniably clingy about the way he's holding his friend, like he won't let anything touch him. If he's trembling a little, it's not really a big deal.]

I-I thought I'd never seen you again.

[Ion can feel it. It was a familiar sort of hug, and it made him all too aware of the fact that Luke was the one hugging him like this. That slight waver in his voice feels like a vice grip on his heart.]

I know. I'm-- [Sorry. He almost says it. And maybe before, he would have done so. But he catches himself; he shouldn't apologize for dying.] I know. I... I missed you.

[If anyone should apologize for dying, it's this big baby right here.]

I missed you too, [he sniffles, remembering those times he sat alone wondering what he should do. Wondering if Ion ever felt like he did, knowing his days were numbered and yet not turning away from what was to come.] I never got to thank you... for everything you did for us.

You never had to thank me, Luke. It made me happy to be of help to you. To all of you.

[Far happier than he even realized at the time, beyond simply wanting to be useful to everyone. He knew better now.]

That's what friends are supposed to do for each other, right?

[He can't help but feel like he caused this because he thought of Ion as useless, once. It was really just Luke projecting, he kind of knew that now, but still... but still.]

Yeah, but... [He's still tearful, and he tries to fix this before loosening his grip on Ion.] That's not right, somehow. You're my friend, but not just because you helped me.

[Even though Ion had helped him from the beginning.]

I think you saw the real me before anyone else did. [That sounds like a good answer. He's satisfied with that.]

The real you... [It's probably not too much of an exaggeration to say that's the truth. Even before he set out to change, Ion had always liked Luke. And there was far more to their friendship than just Ion helping Luke and the others. Luke had helped Ion as well -- perhaps even more than he realized.]

[His own grip on Luke hasn't lessened, almost as though it was only now starting to sink in just how much he had missed him.]

...you know, I never had the chance to thank you either. To thank you for everything you did for me, even before you knew I was a replica too.

[Luke is a little surprised at being thanked, and his cheeks flare up in a familiar way.]

Y-you really shouldn't...

[He lets out a breath, his tone more than a little self-deprecating.]

I was mean to you. When you needed help and you didn't feel well, I was so-- so awful.

[Ion just shakes his head. No, there was much more to it than just that.]

There may have been times when that was true. And maybe you were a little rough around the edges when we first met. But even back then, everything you did always felt so honest. You weren't afraid to hold back and be who you were.

[The very opposite of Ion, who spent so much time trying to be someone else and tracing the original Ion's footsteps that he had hardly known who he was at times.]

And even after you learned you were a replica... you may not be exactly the same now as you were back then, but you were still you. If I hadn't met you, I might have never realized something like that was possible for a replica. To just be yourself, and exist as someone more than just a replacement for someone else... you're the one who helped me begin to see that.

[It's a little like what he said to Asch. To Van. It's strange hearing his own ideals said to him. He stares, wide-eyed, and then he feels the tears start to prickle again. He ducks his head, embarrassed all over again, rubs furiously at his eyes so he doesn't make Ion any sadder.]

I-I guess so. [He feels lame, only being able to respond with that. He tries to find something else to say instead.] I feel like I'm still finding myself, most of the time... but I'll take your word for it.

[It doesn't make him sad at all, though he can feel his own eyes stinging just a bit. On the contrary, the smile on his face only widens at Luke's words.]

I don't think anyone really stops searching for that. Sometimes I wonder whether or not what I've found is the truth... even with all the time being in Luceti has given me, I still have my own doubts as well.

But I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It just takes time to figure out.

[And if there's anything in Luceti they have an overabundance of, it's time.]

Edited 2014-04-16 22:00 (UTC)

01 ♪ video/action ♪ wake up sleepyhead!

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[video] > [Action]?

lights! camera! [action]!

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/WOW LATE FOREVER HI

I AM HERE!!!! /RIPS OFF SHIRT ... PUTS IT BACK ON

/just drowns in replica feelings

/gurgles

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