dissonates | [Video]

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[It's early afternoon. The journal flies open and turns on abruptly in mid-air, a blast of resonating energy having blown it away from where it had been placed. As it flies, a few flashes of red, white, and black are visible, and when it lands, Asch and Luke are in the distance, swords clashing, the rec center just beyond where they're fighting. Occasionally they'll exchange commentary, but none of it seems to filter in.

The resonating noise continues, though, and as their swords clash one more time, it seems to grow even louder than before, until finally one shout rings clear-]

Pull back you dre-

[And before he can even finish, an explosion of light flares between them, and two identical cries of alarm are the only sound that filters through that eerie resonance. The light spreads, flaring outwards and sending the journal flying backwards, cutting off the feed.

The light is probably visible to most of the village as a single beam of light flying up towards the barrier and disappearing from sight. And there is a nice big crater in the forest just south of the rec center, where pretty much anything in that location - trees, bushes, grass, whatever - has... pretty much been decimated. A journal bearing Asch's name on the cover is sitting in the grass just outside of the crater, looking pretty ripped up and charred. The scene overall probably looks pretty dooming, especially since neither of the redheads are anywhere to be found.

[ooc: most responses will come from Luke, though Asch will chime in as well when he can!]

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[ Of course, there are more important things to worry about, so she shoves the thought away for now. The message she writes back comes pretty promptly. ]

Yeah, of course. But I need to know exactly where you are. By the way, I have your journal. [ While he replies, she's going to also flip to the Guide so she can pull up a map. ]

[HEY, HEY, it's not his fault their alphabet has no X in it. And he's oblivious to her issues with it anyway, so-]

Do you know the fort on this side of the mountains? We're right outside of it. It's where the tunnel ends.

[ Right, right, okay, checking the map, and.... ]

Okay. I think I've got it. Should I bring anything? [ Written sloppily, as she is already distracted and going to get what supplies she can grab quickly ]

[Asch glances sidelong at himself, then at Luke, and... well.]

Towels.

[That might help a bit.]

[ Please. She already has them, and is quickly stuffing them in a large shoulder bag. She makes it back to the journal, only to shake her head and jot out a quick note ]

Got some - will be there soon

[ After which point she quickly makes her way back out. It'll take her a minute or two to settle on a starting location for the portal -- but outside their apartment building is the best spot she can think of on short notice. To save time, she portals her way there, then ... pauses, gathering herself. Then, with a deep breath, she shuts her eyes and opens a portal to the spot she remembers from the map -- the spot Asch described.

At that same moment, Asch will see an oval of swirling darkness appear about ten feet away. Xion will appear a few moments later, her bag over her shoulder. ]

Edited 2011-05-21 00:48 (UTC)

[Message received, Asch heads back into the fort, stuffing the journal into his hand and dragging Luke away from his machinery abuse to wait for Xion outside. He's never seen the darkness corridors before, so he's watching it pretty intently as it appears. He'll leave it up to Luke to greet her.]

[Awww, and here he was sure kick #20 would get it working!

Luke has, however, seen the portals before, since he and Xion had gone through them before. He's a little nervous, considering the last thing he heard from her, but once she appears...

He might feel terrible, and like he'd done something very wrong, but he still has to smile and take a few steps toward her.]

Xion...

[ As soon as she sees Luke, she falters a little. Not because of him precisely but ... after a moment, she gestures with one of her hands, and the portal behind her closes with a wisp of darkness. This might take a few minutes, and she doesn't want to scare anyone who might be going in or out of their building...

Once that's done, she just watches Luke for a long moment before she works up a weak smile. ]

Hey. [ A beat, then ] Um -- I brought towels. [ She takes her bag off her shoulder and sets it on the sand before her. ] ... Asch's journal is in there, too.

[Asch is very much aware of the awkwardness of the atmosphere, he just. Doesn't particularly care. Stupid jittery replicas. He steps forward to retrieve a towel and his journal from the bag, setting the latter down to start drying himself off. The other two are free to deal with their problems as much as they like in the meantime, because unless something really stupid catches his attention, he probably won't care much.]

[God Asch, not all replicas are stupid. Luke just happens to be one of them.

That hesitation of Xion's just makes Luke's fears rise more, and he lowers his head and glances away. He knew it. He was stupid. He's a stupid boyfriend, and now Xion doubts him and can't trust him and why didn't Asch leave him out there -

No, no. His thoughts can't spiral down like that... Xion stayed by his side even when he told her how he killed thousands upon thousands of people. Surely she won't leave just because of this?

He glances up at her before he darts his gaze away again.]

... I'm sorry.

[ Xion ... watches Asch for a moment, brow furrowed, because -- really? He's so casual about it...

Of course, then Luke speaks, and she looks back to him. Her brow ... remains furrowed, and she frowns. But it's not an angry frown.

Deciding that if Asch SO OBVIOUSLY does not care then she doesn't either, she closes the distance between her and Luke, ducking her head, trying to get him to look at her. She lifts a hand -- as if to reach up to his face -- but the motion stops halfway. ]

... it's okay. [ ... even though it's obviously not. ]

[Luke is pretty used to Asch acting like that, so he doesn't even look at him. In fact, fortunately for him, he's not looking at Xion either, so he can't see that frown on her face. He does notice her hand - and he lifts his own, though it hangs in the air for a second... before he takes her hand in his.]

No, it's not okay. I told myself I was going to be honest with you, and... [He shuts his eyes.] I just... I don't like to talk about that.

[ .... that's no real excuse. He knows it, and she knows it, and everyone knows it, and she keeps frowning, though she doesn't remove her hand from his or anything. Softly ]

I know you don't. But from the first second I saw that light, Luke ... it was pretty obvious what must have happened.

[ There is a hint of reproach in her tone. Just a hint, nothing more. ]

I just ... please, tell me the truth next time, okay? [ She assumes there will be a next time, yes. And she glances at their hands, and .... her frown fades into something more ... worried, more concerned. Almost ... upset. ]

Edited 2011-05-21 05:15 (UTC)

[But it is the truth. Luke will avoid and avoid and avoid if the topic approaches something he keeps locked up inside - he'd do it to Guy, he'd do it even to Tear. It's a hard habit to kick himself out of, even for Xion. Even now, Luke's shoulders are tense. What if they had killed someone, or blown up a building? Yuri had assured him that no one was there and that the place would fix itself... but what if? What if their power destroyed more? Asch was right; it really wasn't right to dwell on the "what if"s. Luke already feels sick.]

Mm... All right. [He'll do his best. For her, at least. He finally glances up at her - and sees that look on her face.]

... Did I screw up?

[ ... she looks up at his face.

Abruptly it all comes rushing back to her -- everything she'd felt in those few black minutes before Mewtwo's arrival, before she heard his voice...

The endless, aching fear that maybe he'd....

Her expression collapses, and abruptly her eyes well up. Overwhelmed, she quickly shakes her head. ]

I just... [ her voice is high, and soft, and a little thick. ] ... I was so scared. All I found was this crater, and you were just gone and... [ Her shoulders jump. Oh, not again... ]

[... Oh. Yeah, to... anyone who might not know what all hyperresonance can do, that it can warp people away...

He tightens his grip on her hand as he steps forward and pulls her into a one-armed embrace, his head leaning against hers.]

... We're all right. Really. [Yeaaah best not to bring up that he nearly drowned.]

[ To her credit, she does not cry. She threads her fingers through his, tightly, and wraps her other arm around his waist. She stays there for a moment, forehead to forehead, then shifts positions slightly, burying her face in his neck so she can press closer to him. He's warm -- and still soaking wet -- he smells like the ocean -- and he's alive. Holding her. Thank goodness... ]

[Luke lets go of her hand to hold her with both arms, and he rests his chin on her shoulder, shuts his eyes and smiles a little. It was... okay. He didn't screw up - not too badly, at least. Not as bad as he was thinking. And Xion was here, and she's not afraid for him - them anymore.

... Oh, jeez, he's still wet, isn't he? And now she's all wet, too... Still, he'll hold her until she pulls away.]

[ She does, eventually, pull away, now with a calm little smile on her face. She obviously feels much better.

The front of her dress is damp now from where she was pressed against him, and she smooths her hands over it a little self-consciously, but she doesn't really care that much. ]

Come on. I should get you two home.

[Asch has been in the background ~~skipping stones~~ ~~building a sandcastle~~ ~~drowning himself to escape the sap~~ wringing and airing out his clothes, so he's in the middle of dragging on an open tunic as they pull apart, catching his attention.]

Are you finally done?

[Luke gives her one last smile, also feeling much better, and takes his attention elsewhere to notice Asch ~~stripping OH GOD~~ airing out his clothes. ... Ah, that's right, he should... probably dry off, too.

He swallows for the umpteenth time, and he can't help coughing afterwards. Uuugh, he needs some water or something... even though he isn't sure why, considering he just had a bunch of water forced down his throat. Once he's done, he heads over to grab the second towel and ruffle it through his hair.]

Yeah, we're done. [And he lifts his head again-]

Edited 2011-05-29 01:29 (UTC)

[... And notices those scars on Asch's chest. They're huge and ugly, and it makes Luke stop what he's doing and stare with wide eyes.

He didn't have those scars.

What happened to Asch?]

[ Xion just steps back to wait, hands clasped behind her back. Though that cough is a little bit of a concern... he was just out in the ocean. Maybe he swallowed some water. She doesn't think too much of it.

In fact, she glances back out over the water while she waits, only turning back when Luke speaks--

--and gets that look on his face. Her eyes widen oh so slightly, and she looks between him and Asch, startled. ... is there ... something strange, here? ]

[Since Luke doesn't show any notable reaction, Asch finishes fixing his shirt and slings the towel over his shoulder, heading over to them.]

We need another portal to go back, right? Show us how to use it.

[Luke's even slightly pale over this. They weren't... recent, but... Those had to be horrible wounds. As if...

... But calling attention to them would only cause a fight, and he doesn't want to drag Xion in the middle of it. So, he swallows again, clears his throat and looks away, ruffling his hair again, though slowly and almost mechanically. He'll just... try to pretend that he didn't see that for now. Pretend things are okay. Yeah... They had to get back. Not be distracted by this.]

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