dissonates | [Action]

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[After a few days of Deep Thought following this little encounter, Asch has finally resolved himself to go back home. He's packed his things, cleaned up, done a few repairs to make the apartment somewhat presentable after he tore it to bits during the Halloween ordeal, though he's sure it'll end up fixing itself anyway. Finally, sometime in the morning, he heads out and makes his way to House 5.

Depending on where the occupants are, he'll be looking for Guy, Luke, and Natalia- starting with their rooms, one by one, and then moving on to the rest of the house and outside if necessary. He's been thinking a lot - probably too much for his own good - and he's tired, but more than that, he's tired of just running away.]

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[And Asch was right outside his room at the same time, so when the door opens and Luke comes barrelling out, there's a sudden Luke-to-Luke collision.]

What the-!?

Edited 2010-11-10 06:10 (UTC)

Gah-!

[And Luke staggers backwards, wondering how in the world a wall suddenly appeared right outside his door. Is Guy that desperate to keep him inside?

But upon looking and seeing Asch... Luke's eyes widen, and he has to stare in shock for a moment. Once he gets over the shock, though... Sorry Asch, you're the nearest person, so you have to deal with another Luke-to-Luke collision as he launches himself forward for something similar to a tacklehug.]

Asch!

[Asch flails helplessly, grimacing in irritation as his back hits the floor. Immediately he's struggling, trying to wriggle his arms free to shove Luke off.]

Let go of me!

You're back! You came back!

[Asch said something- He's not really sure of what, but he heard his voice, and it wasn't in his head! Luke grins and lets go, pushing himself back to a sitting position.]

Asch, I-I can hear again! Just barely, but- I heard you just now!

You can? [Asch resists the urge to shove - not a good start to the conversation he's already resolved himself to have - and sits up.] How barely is barely?

[Luke gives a rather blank look at first, and while he didn't quite hear the question, he still answers. He manages to read the word "barely", and he got the gist from that.]

You sound really far away, and I couldn't understand everything you said, but- It's really coming back!

[Asch stares at him for a long moment, studying his expression. ...Yep, he still looks confused. He pushes himself to his feet, turning away, raising his voice so it's a bit louder for Luke.]

I'll come back later, then.

[It sounds a bit like an echo, but he still heard every word. Luke blinks, then stands up quickly.]

W-Wait! Were you looking for me?

[He's raising his voice a bit, too, if only so that he can hear himself. Upon realizing this, he glances away.]

We can write if you want to...

I'm not writing this, are you joking? [Uuuugh, he knew he should have waited. This is such a hassle.] Just tell me when your hearing's fixed properly.

[Nnngh, even with his hearing starting to come back, he's still useless, isn't he? Luke's pretty desperate to prove that he isn't, though.]

If you just... talk a little louder than normal, I can still hear you!

And have the entire house hear what I have to say? No thanks. [Dreck he is trying to dismiss you, why are you not cooperating 8|]

[Because he does not want to be dismissed 8(

But... he sighs. Asch is right; it'd be terribly inconvenient to have them talk while his hearing's only just starting to come back. Way to make a momentous occasion suck, Asch.]

I... Okay. I'll tell you.

[Yeah, he's good at that, you know. Asch watches him for a moment, looking almost hesitant before he finally speaks up again.]

...It's good that it came back.

[Well, that makes Luke jerk his head up in surprise. Normally, Asch would say some other scathing remark and then walk off, right? At least, that's what Luke was expecting.

... But they're getting better now, right? That's what he told Guy, and Luke did call Asch a friend, and he still means it. So... Maybe this isn't so bad.]

... Y-Yeah. It really is.

It's good that you came back. [Luke still isn't sure why Guy and Asch... broke up (that's still SO weird), but it must've been bad if Asch wanted to avoid it for this long and Guy only asked about him.]

I-I'm... here if you need me. Okay?

[...Ugh, this is why he hates doing nice things sometimes; the surprise when it does happen only serves to irritate him. He shrugs off the offer - he can't talk to you if you can't hear him, so anything he has to say will have to wait anyway.]

You should find Guy. He'll be happy.

[Luke nods, though he hesitates before he walks past Asch and starts to jog down the hall to find Guy. A tacklehug for him and a tacklehug for Natalia later and a good night's rest later, Luke spends the day outside, just listening for sounds and being glad that he's here and starting to get well. ... Which is strange for him, considering he's usually in a state of wondering if he's better off not living at all. But just this once, he's really enjoying it.

... Until Guy hunts him down, anyway (and zips up his jacket again, stupid Guy). By the time he's back, though, Luke can hear better and better, and when it's late at night again, he stops in front of Asch's door and lifts his hand... only to hesitate and let it drop by his side. What did Asch need to talk to him about? Why him? Couldn't he talk to... to Guy, or Natalia? They'd probably be a lot more useful than he is on whatever Asch wants to talk to him about.

Still, Asch sought him out specifically, and he doesn't want to just deny it. So, he takes in a breath and knocks on Asch's door, and he can't help smiling a little when he hears the sound of it. It's still not as loud as it used to be, but Luke's sure that it'll come back by morning.]

Asch?

[At the knock on his door, Asch looks up from where he's been writing some notes at his desk, his eyes narrowing slightly at the sound of Luke's voice. After a brief hesitation, he does respond, even if it's in part unwilling. He asked for this, so no backing out now.]

Come in.

[No backing out now. Right. Luke tells himself that too before he opens the door and lets himself in. He takes a moment to glance around Asch's room - he doesn't get to be in here often, so he likes to see how he decorates his room - before he focuses on Asch.]

You... wanted to talk to me?

[Asch jots down the end of his last note before setting down the pen and facing Luke. He studies his replica for a moment before nodding his head.]

Shut the door. This isn't for anyone else to hear.

[And he watches; to see if Luke really hears him, to get a feel for whether or not he can explain himself properly without Luke missing a crucial word (or more).]

[And Luke shuts the door obediently. Asch's voice doesn't sound like an echo from far away now; more like he's standing further away than he should be. Luke heard every word clearly - it's just a little fainter than he'd like for it to be.

He isn't really sure what to do right now - stay standing, which is a little more comfortable at the moment? Sit down somewhere? Where?]

[Asch makes it a little easier for him, gesturing him to come closer. That ought to at least ensure that he hears everything clearly, since it looks like he really can hear now. There's an extra chair at the desk, and the bed is also free; Luke can sit wherever he wants, since it's pretty clear that Asch doesn't care.]

[He'll take the chair; the bed feels a little too personal and all. That, and it's slightly closer, so maybe he can hear better, too. Once he's seated, Luke keeps his hands in his lap as he glances at Asch.]

So... what is it?

[...Okay. Here goes. He can do this.

...

Probably.]

I need you to correct me when I call you replica.

Correct you? But...

[... What? Luke's been so used to the name that he never even thought about correcting Asch. Besides... it's what he is, right?]

You heard me. If I call you replica, correct me. Tell me to call you by your name.