realityshifted | (no subject)

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tales of symphonia (d1) aster

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[There's a new arrival on the plane. One wearing a lab coat. Some of you might recognize him, as he looks identical to Emil Castagnier, but he doesn't give any indication that he knows what's going on.]

I was...

[There's a pause as he scans his surroundings. Is he going to freak out? Have a panic attack? Suddenly bust into Ratatosk mode screaming about injustice? Nope.]

This is amazing! If only I could bring the equipment from Sybak in here, then maybe I could figure out the properties of this place.

[He's staring directly at, what he thinks, is the ground now and taps his foot against it once. Then again. One more time a bit harder. He can't see anything distinguishing it from anything else.

Aster tries to walk quickly towards-well, he tries walking and trips over himself.]

Whoa!

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[—not for Marta...

His mouth forms a tight line, his eyes growing cold like death. In a flat, deep voice:]

[Aster stands back up just in time to feel eyes against his back and hear a voice. A familiar voice he can't place.]

Ah, sorry. Are you talking...

[He stops mid-sentence the moment he lays eyes on the person. It startles him and surprise registers on his face immediately. He can't figure out what to say. He's too busy staring at himself. A mirror image standing right in front of him.

What kind of place is this?]

Who are you?

[The question tumbles out of his mouth before he can stop it. Before he can think it over and clearly assess what's happening. He doesn't sound accusatory or scared. Aster doesn't even respond to the anger, but he hears it and it keeps him standing in that one spot.]

[Definitely not another Emil. He's met a few versions of the Doctor in his time, but he's never met someone from Sylvarant or Tethe'alla here that he recognized.

Of course, by that logic, it might not even be Aster at all but some other thing that looks just like him, with an entirely different history and personality.

It doesn't matter.]

Emil Castagnier.

[His gaze never wavers. Curiosity wars with frustration, but resignation wins, permeating every sharp angle of his body and roughening his voice. In the moment he set eyes on Aster, all of his own self-doubt came to light.]

You're Aster.

Edited 2011-04-19 04:48 (UTC)

[Both his first name and surname are unrecognizable to him. Aster didn't expect much from a name. He would remember a face that looked so much like his own. It was curiosity, and politeness, perhaps meant to decrease the tension.]

Emil Castagnier. We haven't met before, have we?

[It's a fact, not a question. One he has no doubt about.]

How do you know my name?

[His lips curl into a brief, humorless smile.] We have, in a sense. [Every time he looks in the mirror... every time he looks at the birthmark... it's the same one that was on the video.]

Everyone keeps calling me your name. I've been to Sybak. I've followed your footsteps for how long?

And now you're here. [He moves, footsteps quiet and slow as he circles Aster. Closer and closer, like prey.] ... We really do look alike.

[Sybak?

Aster keeps his eyes trained on Emil's form as he circles, careful to always have him in his sight. There's no fear on his face; no sign that he's uncomfortable despite the situation. Instead, he's thinking up solutions and reasonings.]

I can see why they would mistake us based on our appearance.

[If he 'followed his footsteps' there is only one he left behind. That was his research. Regardless of whether he died, his research would remain there.]

Are you trying to learn about Ratatosk?

[That's amazing. Most people are spiteful or intimidated by Emil, but Aster isn't budging an inch.

Not that he expected any less.]

Ratatosk, the Centurion's Cores... you. They're all connected.

[He doesn't offer himself as a piece of the puzzle. That's readily obvious.]

[None of this is adding up. This person, Emil, obviously knows quite a bit about him if he's talking about the centurion cores as well. But the connection? Aster's still trying to figure it out. That rough voice, their similar appearances, the talk about Ratatosk.

Ratatosk.

Aster watches him with a studious expression, eyes occasionally falling to his scarf, wondering if there's a hidden mark underneath.]

You said you visited Sybak, correct? If you're following in my footsteps-what are you trying to accomplish? To restore the balance of mana?

[Maybe. Maybe not. They should compare scars when Emil doesn't know how to use a sword.]

Hmph. That's right. Ratatosk is sleeping, and as long as he's like that, the world's mana will continue to spiral out of control.

[Note: 'sleeping', not just legitimately pissed off at the world that betrayed him.]

[Hold on Emil. Aster immediately speaks up.]

Ratatosk is awake.

[This conversation is forcing him to relive a rather painful moment as he thinks back to that moment. Standing next to Richter, pleading for the summon spirit's help and-]

Ratatosk awoke the centurions as well. The world was...

[Now his voice grows quieter and he glances to the side, trying to recall every single moment, every exchanged word.]

What?

[There's no way that Tenebrae is lying to him... right? Emil forges on, heedless of Aster's hesitation and realized sorrow.]

That's not possible. If he was awake, then the world wouldn't be in such a crisis and we wouldn't have to hatch the cores!

How do you know, anyway? I thought researchers were supposed to read books all day.

[The last Aster knew, Ratatosk was awake and filled with anger. He had woken up the centurions to restore balance and then kill everyone. The way Emil is talking about hatching the cores. What happened?

Of course, Aster isn't aware of what Richter had done moments after his death.

If the centurions are asleep then something had happened. If they're revived, will they try to wipe out everyone? Aster needs more time.]

My research required me to find Ratatosk along with a colleague. We read books, but we had to test out our theories.

[He looks back to Emil. His face devoid of any hesitation that might have previously been there.]

Are you sure the cores are still dormant?

... Hmm. [He thinks he knows who that colleague might be. Either the woman he kicked into a portal, or that redheaded annoyance his coward self always fawns over.]

All but two of them are awake. Is there a problem?

[Okay.

Breathe Aster breathe.

His mind is going a million miles an hour. Emil still has two cores left. He doesn't exactly answer his question, though it's easy to imply there could be a problem from the way he sounds. Emil said earlier they had to hatch the cores. There's two left.

But how is he doing that? That was something Ratatosk controlled. If he was asleep then...

Aster's not trying to make it sound like an interrogation, but it could very well come off that way. He has a barrage of questions and only one person who can answer them.]

I need to know exactly what you're doing. How are you hatching the centurions?

[Assuming Ratatosk's asleep like he said.]

Edited 2011-04-20 00:00 (UTC)

Do you?

[He has a lot of questions, too, and he's decided to dodge some of Aster's if it comes down to it.]

Why does it matter how they're hatched? They're better off with us. The Church of Martel will blow up half the world if they get their hands on the cores.

Let me rephrase that. How are you hatching them if Ratatosk is asleep?

[He knew tensions were high because the worlds joining together, but bad enough to have the Church of Martel go to those lengths? That's unacceptable. It looks like the situation has escalated quite a bit. He needs to know everything Emil does before he can figure out how to go about this.

How long has it been?]

And what's the state of the world right now? What is The Church of Martel doing? And The Vanguard?

[And where is Richter?]

Borrowing his power. What else? He can't wake up unless we hatch all of them. [He folds his arms, stopping his circling for once just so that he can study Aster from where he is.] Why should I care? The Vanguard is trying to kill us, too.

... Shouldn't you know all of this?

[Aster hates not being able to understand something. This is one of those moments. Everything feels chaotic and uncertain. The initial excitement he felt looking around the plane has vanished; now all he can think about is the world he left behind, the people he cared about, and this mirror image of a boy who was following the same path he made.]

I...

[died. He doesn't know anything because the day he tried to save the world was the day his life ended.

Aster steps towards him.]

Emil, there's something I have to tell you about Ratatosk.

[He can't let him make the same mistake; he can't stand by and let humanity be wiped out, but will he believe him?]

[He keeps his face straight. He knows Aster is dead. Richter killed him. And if Emil's really Aster, then that's where those memories keep coming from.

He doesn't know anything about Ratatosk, though. Just how far in did Aster get?]

What?

When we met Ratatosk that day and asked for the centurions to restore the balance of mana, Ratatosk agreed, but was going to eradicate mankind as well.

[Ahahah as if Richter would kill him. Your world is about to get more complicated.]

[Anyone else would've been extremely shocked at this news, but Ratatosk stands there blankly. Eradicate... all of mankind? Why should he-- no, that's not right, it's not it's not it's not.

It's not right... to think that. And why would Ratatosk say that, either?]

Don't be stupid. He's not a demon lord or anything like that.

[Aster isn't surprised by Emil's reaction. The research clearly shows centurions are the path to restoring mana and Ratatosk is behind that salvation. But he knows what he heard, he remembers the anger behind Ratatosks' words.

Also did you just call him stupid?]

I never said that. He's a summon spirit, but one that was...angry.

Edited 2011-04-20 05:38 (UTC)

Why would he be angry at us? We're practically doing his job for him!

[This conversation is all sorts of ironic.]

I don't even know if you're from my world. Ratatosk is definitely asleep, and the Centurions were, too. At least until we started our journey.

[... Tenebrae. Emil can talk to him later, if he still feels disturbed by this.]

Edited 2011-04-20 07:14 (UTC)

DONE

1/3

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/edits forever

/MAKES ASTER'S LIFE HELL

GDIT EMIL

/EVIL LAUGHTER

/POUTS!!!

:]]]]

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