[ lost ]

[sacredashes]

[Asch makes a rare appearance. Rather than talk about his problems like everyone wants him to do, he is the bearer of a distraction. There's something shiny in his hands. The printed side looks like this. Clearly it is witchcraft, and that's what he's chosen to investigate today.

He addresses the Plane at large in his usual forceful, mildly offensive way.]

Hey, you. Tell me. [He waves the CD.] What's this thing supposed to be? It looks like a fon disc, but nothing can analyze it.

[He's sure it's from someone else's world, and that makes him uneasy. Maybe someone here will recognize it. It's worth looking into, anyway.]

Comments

[sacredashes]

[He flinches when she apologizes. Maybe that's not the reaction she was expecting, but it's the one she gets. The more she talks, the more frustrated he gets and he's not even sure exactly /why/ it frustrates him, but it does.

He faces her sharply.]

Stop it! No one asked you to apologize for something you couldn't control. It was an experiment-- and I don't need you thanking me, either. [Even if he was the one who entered the trial...]

[ex_oneiromancer912]

[Predictably, Morgana snaps back.] I wasn't apologizing or thanking you because I was asked. It is your due and I will give it whether you take it or not!

[She takes a step closer.] They were fears, were they not? What they turned us into. We became what we were afraid of. Are we not responsible for our own fears? Are we not driven into dangerous and even evil acts by them? I did not choose that for myself, but it was part of myself and my responsibility. So I will apologize and I will thank you and don't you dare try to tell me I cannot.

[sacredashes]

[Oh. She is suddenly much closer than he would like, but he stands his ground (if not leaning back a little). Because damn it, she is so /entitled/ and it reminds him of someone and she needs to learn that he's not-- not what she keeps grooming him to be. It's just not going to happen. He is of noble blood, but none of that matters anymore.]

I -- don't-- care! It's in the past and it can't be changed. If you want validation for your guilt, bother someone else!

[ex_oneiromancer912]

[She stares at him for a second, cold fire, and then she lifts up her head.]

Now you've insulted my honour. [She takes off her glove and throws it to the ground before him.] A duel. If I win, you let me apologise. If I lose, I will retract it.

[sacredashes]

[... That is... not a gesture he has seen before. Read about, maybe.

Did she really just challenge him to a duel? /Him/? Now isn't the time (he never has enough time) and the only person he's even remotely interested in fighting right now is Van.

His eyes narrow slightly, and he looks away.]

Don't be ridiculous.

[ex_oneiromancer912]

I wanted to strike you, but a duel seemed more on level with the pig-headed stupidity you're so eagerly showing off at present. You're free to turn and walk from me, but it's time you realized there's nothing you can do to force me away.

[Because that's what he does so well (or so she sees it), with the bristles in his words and the spikes he thinks are armour. He has tried it on her before, and she has a Pendragon's blithe confidence that it's what he's trying now. She will not be pushed.]

[sacredashes]

[He gives a not-so-subtle, frustrated sigh.]

I don't want to fight you!

[He is so terribly socially awkward and he doesn't even know where to begin. There is a queen who is remotely interested in his well-being and he just doesn't have the time to deal with this.

He picks up the glove, shakes it out, dusts it off, and holds it out for Morgana to take. When he speaks again, he manages to keep his voice down.]

... I was never mad at you. And I don't have time to worry about things that happened a long time ago.

[Part of him is sure he deserved it, anyway.]

[ex_oneiromancer912]

[She takes the glove, looking at him, and then slips the glove back on.] You are on the Plane, where all time stops. You have some time.

And... thank you. [So, does that close that argument? She thinks so. She hopes so. Asch can be so impossible sometimes that it can be hard to know.]

[sacredashes]

[He runs a hand through his hair.] If I do, I don't want to waste it on stupid things. [At least she's not apologizing again. His cheeks flush and he turns away again.] ... whatever.

[That's probably a victory. And it's not like he's taken off the sash yet.]

[ex_oneiromancer912]

[Morgana sighs, quiet and soft, and links her hands together in front of her.] If you find an answer to your query, please pass it on. I'm now curious myself.

[sacredashes]

[He nods. Sometimes it's better just not to fight over every single tiny thing.]

I'm going for a walk.

[That's about all the warning Morgana gets before he takes off toward the library.]

[ex_oneiromancer912]

[Morgana restrains a sigh, more for herself, and decides not to follow. She has pushed enough for one day.]