[Accidental Voice]

[dissonates]

[There's two voices- one is obviously Asch, and the other is too muffled to hear.]

-ing out to investigate. I told Natalia to stay inside; you should do the same.

[A pause.]

...I am not sick. I already rested enough.

[Pause.]

I'm not a kid, so stop acting like my mother.

[...]

Wh- you are not "as good as she is", shut up!

[Pause.]

Goddammit, Guy.

Comments

[prismshards]

[ No worries! Your replica is the super glue and duct tape of your heart! He can be messy and tacky and a little hard to handle, but he'll never let you down. ]

Then try telling me for a change! I can't, and wouldn't, go prying into your head just so I can understand you!

[dissonates]

[And once he gets attached you'll never get him off. Cuuuuurses.]

It's none of your business! [...Hold the phone.] What do you mean, "can't"? [Something's not right.]

[prismshards]

[ You'll be stuck with his smiling face beaming up at you, much like he is with that blasted cheagle. ]

Then what are you complaining about?! [ Arrrgh! You're so frustrating! Stupid original. ] I never figured out how to open our connection from my end. If I had, maybe I would have been able to do something for you. I really am a failure...

[dissonates]

[He could always start calling you "Thing". That's a small step up from dreck.]

...You're not him.

[prismshards]

[ Or worse: Dreck Thing. The best of both worlds. ]

"Him"...?

[dissonates]

[He'll add it to his oh-so creative list of "Insults for the replica".]

You don't live here, do you? You're not really from Luceti.

[prismshards]

[ Maybe someone will gift Asch with a thesaurus for Christmas. ]

--oh. No, I guess I'm not. The dead don't really have a place to call home. Damn.

[dissonates]

[That is a brilliant idea.

And that one little comment manages to shatter Asch's calm.]

Then what does that say about me?

[prismshards]

[ He can even chuck it at unruly replicas.

Whoops. He must have hit that "Do Not Touch" red button. ]

What do you mean? You said you live here, right?

[dissonates]

[They even live in the same house so he could make it a daily ritual very easily.]

I live here, yeah. That doesn't mean I'm alive in Auldrant.

[prismshards]

[ Go about it the wrong way though and people might get funny ideas. ]

O-oh! I'm sorry! I didn't- I thought that you meant-- Then.. are you sure I'm not your replica?

[dissonates]

[Besides the fact that the act in and of itself is funny?]

You're a replica. But it looks like there's more than one of a lot of people in this world, now. Dammit, what the hell is going on...?

[prismshards]

[ Just keep in mind that by tossing it, you lose your ammunition. ]

Well I know that. So this isn't how it usually is around here? It's almost as busy as Baticul!

[dissonates]

[There's always the "pounding headache" technique.]

No. Normally there's only a few hundred people around here, and during the start of every month we get maybe fifty newcomers at most. This is extreme.

[prismshards]

[ But that's cheating! ]

Makes sense why you wanted Natalia to stay inside. You might end up losing her in a crowd of this size. Heck, we could get lost in this sea of strangers!

[dissonates]

[Like he cares about playing fair.]

I wouldn't worry about not finding you.

[prismshards]

[ One day that'll come back to haunt him. Possibly soon. ]

Thanks heaps. Not interested in trying to get along even after all we've been through and kicking the bucket, huh?

[dissonates]

[BUT THIS IS NOT THAT DAY.]

You idiot, if you get lost I could just open the connection and find you.

[prismshards]

[ Wait. What. What is this. You've broken his brain, Asch. ]

...you'd really do that for me?

[dissonates]

[...The concept of breaking an already-defective replica is alien to Asch.]

...I-I never offered! I just said I could!

[prismshards]

[ ...that's a very valid point. Though right now the recalled replica is positively beaming. ]

But you never would have even thought about it before.

[dissonates]

[Goddammit, you're not supposed to be happy! You've learned his deep dark secret- he's actually nice on occasion, now.]

You don't have to look so damned smug about it.

[prismshards]

[ How can he not be when you're not kicking his ass or cursing his existence? This is a dream come true! Sort of. Don't worry, Asch. Your secret is safe with him. ]

I'm not! Or I'm not trying to, anyways. I just... no, never mind.

[dissonates]

[Rrrrgh. Inward stewing is a go.]

What now? [He finds your happiness suspicious.]

[prismshards]

[ You're cute when you're frustrated, you know that? ]

..I'm glad you've been able to do some growing too.