♪ i'm haunted by the promises i've made

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

[There is a teenaged boy on the Plane who might look familiar to some, though different. The biggest difference between him and the one they knew is that his hair is short and scraggly, ending at the base of his neck instead of his hips, and it's fanned out slightly in the back, as if it doesn't quite know what to do with all that extra weight gone. He looks confused, and he keeps his fingers entangled in the back of his hair as he explores the area. As far as he can remember, he's only been here once; he talked to a woman, and then he left... only to come back again, wanting to find answers to the numerous questions he has.

He finds the kiosk soon enough, and after some failure and annoyed muttering and wondering why Guy likes stuff like this, he goes for the audio version of the guide. Of course he barely understands it, and he's just about to wonder where the play back button is when he reaches the part about the "mass murderers".

The words make him pale, and he feels his chest seize with crushing guilt. He takes a few steps back, glancing left and right as if to look for something.]

I-I don't think I should be here... [He frowns, the discomfort transforming into determination. He doesn't have time to be feeling like this.] Right, I need to get out of here. St. Binah's in danger!

[... Now, where's a door. If a kiosk can be here, surely a door can too, right?]

Comments

1/3

[promisedsomeone.livejournal.com]

[He should have known. He should have known this would happen. Of course. Of /course/. The people running this place had it out for him. He should have known, from Meredith's cold smile. Her emotionless warning.

He should have known.]

2/3

[promisedsomeone.livejournal.com]

[Invisible, unseen, and utterly nonexistent-- a ghost of the Plane-- Asch drifts closer to his replica. It's different to see him from the outside like this. Usually Asch just peeks into his head, spies on his thoughts. It's not a place he likes to be, but it has its uses.]

Hey! Replica. Listen to me!

[Being in this state is frustrating. He kicks the kiosk, but he doesn't expect much of a result-- and he gets none. But maybe if he concentrates on the link...

He makes a face of disgust, but reaches out to touch Luke's arm anyway.]

3/3

[promisedsomeone.livejournal.com]

[-- and that's when he practically trips and falls into Luke's head.

Well, this is new. He can see everything, and maybe if he tries, he can get Luke to move, too. But that's not really his intention right now.]

(You can't even work a simple kiosk? You're more of a defect than I thought.)

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

[Luke hadn't heard a single thing until he... feels a presence. It's different from when Asch connects to him; there's no pain, it's just... an odd feeling, like a chill just ran over his body.

And that's when Asch's voice speaks to him, echoing just as if they were speaking over the link... but without the terrible pain. Luke frowns and raises a hand to his temple anyway, pressing against it to concentrate on the voice.]

Asch? [He speaks out loud, still unused to speaking through the link, and he'll ignore that jab. He did get the kiosk to work, thank you very much, but he's heard enough.]

[promisedsomeone.livejournal.com]

[Now that he's settling in, the presence should feel warm and familiar, though always with the threat of being cold suddenly, like any ghost. But Asch is actually putting his energy into this, and his energy is never icy, only his voice and his eyes.]

(Who else would it be? This is the only way we can communicate right now, so you'd better pay attention. I'm not repeating anything.)

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

[Just as Luke should be warm and familiar to Asch by now as well, perhaps even with a sense of someone being right there by his side. He isn't sure why Asch is talking to him now; He'd only recently cut off communication with his replica and told him that he didn't have time to "play" with him anymore. Did he need something?]

Okay... What is it?

[promisedsomeone.livejournal.com]

[This isn't bad. A lot better than drifting around and being yelled at by other ghosts. If not for the link, Asch would have mistaken Luke for one, too.]

(I need to know what happened at Akzeriuth. Every detail that you can remember.)

[He doesn't give a damn if it's painful to talk about. He NEEDS to know.]

1/??

[explains]

[Guy is minding his own business, right? Just taking a break on the Plane to do some reading. Stepping out of the Library at just the right time to see Luke interfacing with the kiosk, to hear Luke's voice and that's about when coherent thought basically ends for a moment or twelve.]

2/3

[explains]

[He isn't prepared for this. He should be, but he isn't. Searching Eldrant, refusing to acknowledge... Anything. Even talking about it here, hearing Luke had been here once. It had all seemed a little unreal in that way you know is true, but seems removed, not quite reality. But there Luke is--not Asch, but Luke. And Guy doesn't know what to do. He doesn't even know what to think. Hell, he can't even be sure what he's feeling.]

[For all he's professed, clung to, the idea that Luke would come back, beyond all reason... This still feels impossible.]

[He's happy. Somewhere he knows he's happy. Ecstatic. Completely numb with shock. Elation. Apprehension. And it hits him that he's overjoyed, and yet he isn't allowed to be, shouldn't be. Because Luke is here and this isn't home. And that can mean a lot of things but all of them really hurt.]

Done

[explains]

[His body moves on its own, his brain still too numb to deal with implications and the emotions this brings. It's too much to deal with when Luke is right there.]

[He should treat it casually, he should approach it carefully and he should confirm when Luke is from first. These are all things that cross his mind rather distantly as he walks with purpose towards the redhead. These are all things he ignores when he reaches out silently, grabbing Luke by the shoulders and tugging him into a fierce hug. Not rough, exactly, but a little uneven, a little more forceful than necessary, as if afraid Luke might dissolve under his fingertips if he doesn't gather the kid into a hug quickly enough.]

[He can't form words, so he just stands there for a minute, not caring that this will, most assuredly, confuse the hell out of Luke whatever time his friend his from (hell, it even occurs to Guy this might not be his Luke, and he just can't bring himself to care). His expression, hidden from the redhead, is pained. Luke is solid. Real beneath his fingers, and Guy has no idea what to do now. What he should do now. What he wants to do and what he needs to do are completely different, and it's not fair.]

dammit guy 1/3

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

[Luke's still trying to find a way out of this place. He turns, his back to Guy, not even realizing he's there at first, searching for some kind of door. He got here through a door, surely he can get out the same way, right? Tear's probably waiting for him... Jeez, if he can't even get out of here...]

2/3

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

[Then he turns and he sees Guy walking towards him, a sense of purpose in his stride. Luke thought he might run into Guy soon, considering he left Asch to come back for him... But here? Now? How did Guy get here? Not to mention that the expression on Guy's face is not what Luke's expecting - he can't even tell what it is.

It honestly kind of frightens him a little. He ends up taking a step back just as Guy reaches him, the action out of his control, and even with that there's nothing he can do beyond it, because Guy's taking his shoulders and pulling him into a fierce hug.]

3/3

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

[There were so many reservations he had before this, regarding his eventual meeting with Guy. For the past seven years, Guy wasn't taking care of Luke. He was just... caring for a replica. A mere replica... Is that really what Guy wanted to come back to? And Luke had regarded him as a servant - a close one, but... And it seemed like only hours ago that Luke had mentally pushed Guy away, considering him one of them.

How could he...

But his reservations crumble, at least slightly, when Guy pulls him into that hug. After everything that happened, with the fall of Akzeriuth and learning that he was a replica... no one had hugged him like this. Sure, he had hugged himself while on the Tartarus, but that was nothing compared to this. And Guy was embracing him, and with his hair cut there was no way he could mistake him for Asch.

He came back... even for a replica who'd done so much wrong.

Luke's face scrunches into an expression of pain, not because of the force of the hug, even if it was a little too tight, but because of... everything, Guy here and hugging him and him needing such a thing and being a replica - everything -]

Guy -

[He reaches up to grab at the vest on Guy's back and press his face into his friend's - yes, his friend - shoulder. Maybe he shouldn't act this way, maybe he had to shape up and get to St. Binah, but... for a moment, he just wants to act his real age, as much as he'd like to deny it.]

[explains]

[Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Guy isn't sure if the mental tirade is for himself or Luke. Probably himself. But he holds his friend and stares at nothing, at stars, for a while. Too tired and angry at the Plane to think. He rests his hand on the back of Luke's head, his mind honestly blank. There is a lot he should be thinking, a lot he needs to ask, or say, or not say. This is the wrong way to greet Luke and he doesn't give a damn.]

Hey.

[He closes his eyes.]

Luke.

[Luke shouldn't be here. Not another test subject, not another things making Guy want to change the past so badly... It was hard enough before, but now with Luke right here he wants to demand details of Luke's timeline, tell him everything, make sure things change, make sure...]

[And what if he did? What if he didn't? His fingers tighten at the back of Luke's neck, involuntarily, his frustration too much. He forces himself to relax, but he needs to compose himself. That seems almost impossible right now. And words Jade's said keep haunting him, making him want to flinch when he considers which false expression to wear. Did you ever smile like this at Luke as well, or did you have another expression for the innocent you wanted to slaughter?]

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

["Hey. Luke."

Those words make Luke opens his eyes a little, a blurry image of Guy's shoulder and the stars behind it the only thing he can see. He called him Luke... Even though everyone knows that's not who he really is.

Asch should be Luke. Not him... the replica who stole the name from him. If he could just give it back...

It makes him ache, and even though he wants to be held for a little longer, he releases Guy's vest, realizes his hands are shaking as he does, and ducks his head. His forehead brushes against Guy's shoulder, and he leans back, but with his friend holding him the way he is... It's impossible to step back without forcefully pushing him away, and... he can't do that. He just can't.]

I'm... I'm not Luke. [I'm not the one you were supposed to serve. I'm not the one you thought you were friends with. I'm not Luke.]

[explains]

[That tells him a lot. Just those words. I'm not Luke. So. This is probably a result of Asch's meddling. Or maybe it's just coincidence. He doesn't know or care, really, at this point. He raises his hand from the back of Luke's head to the top of it, forces a smile on his face when all he wants to do is scream at the Machine. Or Van. He ruffles Luke's hair instead, smiling fondly.]

[He drops his hand on Luke's shoulder and leans back to get a look at the redhead. And this feels so familiar. They've been through this before. Guy has, at least. What did he say back then?]

Jeez, I don't need you talking like Asch too.

[He wants to punch himself for repeating the words. For pretending.]

1/1 bitches

[clinical]

[Oh. It's Luke. And he has changed.

With the timing, Jade wonders. It's possible. But it's possible not. Little point speculating without further data, so he sets that quietly aside.

Still, his hair has been cut. He must have met Asch by now.]

Luke. I certainly didn't expect to be seeing you.

[It's surprisingly easy, Jade decides. Luke's hair is cut, he has met Asch, and he is on his way to becoming somebody Jade considers a friend. It means one thing to Jade: there is no way that Luke can be saved.]

1/1 too fuck yeah

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

[That voice makes Luke freeze and turn to look at the source. Right... Jade. The last time he saw him, Jade and everyone else had pushed him away and went with Asch. He's certainly surprised to see him here, a place that Luke still believes must be connected to Yulia City somehow despite the guide talking to him.

And he certainly deserved to be pushed away.

But he's here now, and he has important things to do. Luke covers the shock and hesitation, and instead he frowns a little.]

... Yeah. You got a problem with that?

cannot be tamed

[clinical]

Not particularly.

[Yes. Yes, he does have a problem with it. Something Luke doesn't even understand. It hurts, but not so much that Jade can't ignore it, and every step of it becomes easier.

To clarify the issue, Jade would simply ask Luke to remind him what happened at Akzeriuth. Cruel, perhaps, but Jade has to know. In this case, however, that question might not even amount to much; Luke had been simple to understand but hard to predict at this moment. Tear probably would have a better estimation about whether or not Luke's explanation would actually give Jade the information he needs. Inevitably, the cruel path of interrogation is likely unprofitable.

Now why is that disappointing? He has no real desire to hurt Luke. So why is it that he much prefers to be cruel?]

[A question for another time. He had business to attend to, and this was one case where delegating Guy was very likely the most idiotic thing he could choose to do.] I'm from a point further in long in history than you are. It's currently ND2019 for myself, Guy, Emperor Peony, and Dist. Any information we give you or changes we make to your history could potentially destroy a chain of all Auldrants in the multiverse, if Asch hasn't accomplished it already, so be careful with what you learn here if you don't want even more blood on your hands. Some leakages are to be expected, but that's no excuse to be careless. It's possible you are from a version of Auldrant alternate to my own; either way, the Jade back in your world likely has no idea of this place. I'd suggest you don't talk about it to him or any of the others unless you're certain they're able to come here.

Do you understand that, or should I repeat myself?

[He had wanted to be cruel, and now he is just cold. Jade isn't certain why he's acting like this. Perhaps it's to keep congruity with the Jade Luke has at home, but that seems like no more than excuse. He suspects there is another reason. He'll work it out later. For now, he'll endeavour to be more neutral.]

CAN'T BE TAMED

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

[It's all a lot of information that Luke can't exactly process. There are so many other things on his mind right now - St. Binah, Akzeriuth, the knowledge that no one did anything about the fall of Hod, the way Teodoro blankly stated that St. Binah would not fall despite the evidence that it would...

And now Jade is saying that he, Guy and Peony come from the future?

...

Who the heck was Peony eve - oh... oh, that's right. The Malkuth emperor... He remembers now.

Luke's eyes narrow, and he frowns with confusion. He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out instead of a hushed start of a word. After deepening his frown, he tries again.]

How is that... How did you come from the future? How am I even talking to you now?

[clinical]

[Jade gets that mildly annoyed look. You know the one. The one where someone wants him to explain things, and Guy isn't there to do it for him.] I'd suggest you take a written version of that guide and review the information carefully.

[youidiots.livejournal.com]

[With everything that's just happened, seeing Luke here is very unexpected... and maybe not quite wanted.]

... Luke? What are you doing here?

[A quick pause, as their timelines don't quite synch up yet...]

... what did you do to your hair?

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

[Luke whirls around to face Tear, equally surprised to see her. The last time he saw her, she had gone off to receive... something about information on everyone in the world. Not that he'd be in there -

Enough of that. If Tear's here, that must mean she's finished, and he took too long. He raises a hand to run it through his hair, ending at the place where he cut it, and gives a sheepish smile.]

S-Sorry, I -

[Only to widen his eyes and let his hand slowly fall from its place at her next question. How could she not know? She was right there...]

I... I cut it. You were there...

[youidiots.livejournal.com]

[Oh. More timeline stuff. She's had her fill of that for a long time with everything that's happened.]

You're from a different time point than I am. Maybe that's for the better...

[promisedthem.livejournal.com]

Different... Tear, what are you talking about?

[He just saw her. How could she be from a different time?]