XX1: A Familiar Unknown

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

[There's a seemingly familiar young, red-haired soldier stepping forward from the midst of the Plane. He is unarmed but battle-ready with brows furrowed and stern gaze still locked ahead on an unseen goal. Hiding uncertainty with hardened eyes and set jaw, he takes another step forward while studying his surroundings.]

Dammit.

[What he once thought illusion is now a disorienting reality in tangible form both before and around him. He feels like he knows it; his eyes flash with recognition because he's seen bits and pieces of this before. Especially that 'inconspicuous' shop he's seen time and again.

Then, he turns around quickly, spinning on the balls of his feet. Something's behind him--at least, that's what he thinks.]

Who's there!? Come out!

[Even unarmed, he's a force to be reckoned with. He might not be stuck in that trap in Auldrant, but this could just as easily be another one.]

Comments

[ex_oneiromancer912]

[She knew something had been off about him. He shouldn't go about unarmed.] If you need to borrow a sword, I will lend you one.

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

I was going to take one from one of the soldiers-- [But he's here and no longer there, for now.] --but won't decline if you have one available.

[He takes a brief, cutting moment to decide that he at least needs to know who is assisting him.] Who are you?

[ex_oneiromancer912]

Morgana. [From under her cloak, she draws a sword of fine steel and offers it to Asch, hilt first.] You needn't return it; it's only a borrowed sword, not my own.

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

[He takes the weapon with a firm grip, studying its blade before testing its weight and feel. Asch gives a satisfied nod before placing it in the scabbard at his left side.]

When did we--or you and Asch--first meet? [He doesn't want to believe there is another aside from himself. Having a replica is frustrating enough as it is, and there's no place in need of any more scions of Lorelei.]

[ex_oneiromancer912]

[It is a little awkward a question, but for his sake, she answers.] When I first arrived here, he warned me a little of the place. We came to know each other a little better in an experiment.

[...She'll... leave out the details of that experiment for now.]

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

...so you mean he was already here before you? [That's mildly perturbing. So it has to be another him, right? He's never been here before. Only now does Asch choose to consider these experiments he's been hearing about. But he remains quiet as he lets it sink in for processing.]

[ex_oneiromancer912]

Yes, though I do not know for how long. I have been here... perhaps six months. I cannot say with certainty.

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

You've been mentioning experiments. Where do they occur--in this place, or other worlds as well? What kinds of effects do they have on the subjects?

[ex_oneiromancer912]

They can occur in both places. Once we were robbed of our native languages and made to only speak and understand other tongues. But there have been times where it seems our worlds were transformed, and others where people have changed in shape or ability. It seems that they are reversed, in time.