[Action]

[dissonates]

[Missions suck as much as, if not moreso than, the drafts. Asch has decided this. It's not just that he'd been sent on an uncomfortably-outnumbered solo mission, it's not just that his health problems had reared their ugly heads in the middle of it and nearly gotten him killed, it's not just he'd had to rely on luck and skill to keep him alive with zero ability to heal himself despite being a Seventh Fonist.

No, at this point, mostly? It's the fact that once it's all over, and the Malnosso saw fit to send him back to the village, he finds himself floundering underwater.

Bastards, is his second thought, since his first is a string of expletives that would do a sailor proud. Thankfully he's only a couple of feet or so from where his feet can touch solid ground, so within a minute he's slogging towards the shore, soaking wet and pulling seaweed from his hair. Damn. Bastards.

Not that the shore is much better. There's apparently something going on - the usual love experiment, no doubt - and he's managed to get dumped right in the middle of it. They probably did that on purpose. He can't do anything while soaked as he is, though, so his first order of business is to get changed. There isn't much selection, but within a few minutes he's got his uniform hung out to dry and is wearing a suit and a long, dark blue bathrobe. It's humiliating, but it's better than freezing to death back in the village.

Since he has to wait for his clothes and hair to dry in the sun, Asch will be hanging around the beach area, available for chatting, fruity goodness, and whatnot. Come and bother the cranky one! (He is unaffected by the normal love stuff, btw.)]

Comments

[fabrecation]

So? You don't have to be a kid to race, you know!

[He grips Asch's hand a little longer before he lets it go to start running. He does look behind him after a few steps to see if Asch is following suit or not; he'll either speed up or slow down depending on which it is.]

[dissonates]

[...His replica. Is such. A brat.

Asch watches him for a moment, then, with a quiet huff, he pushes himself to his feet and takes off at a run after Luke. Better get your ass in gear, replica, because he's catching up now.]

[fabrecation]

[He's actually running! AAAAH

That gets Luke to grin, then turn ahead and RUN. The sand makes it a little harder to run, and Asch is a much higher level and thus his AGL stats are much better but he will still give it his all! Maybe since they're original and replica, their speeds will be pretty much the same, too...!]

[dissonates]

[Well, considering Luke had a nice head start, it'd be safe to assume they reach the hobbit holes around the same time. It takes some effort to catch up, though, so Asch is breathing hard when his hand hits the door, turning around to lean against it.]

Give me more of a warning next time, dreck...

[Still said without any venom or anger, though. Just amused weariness.]

[fabrecation]

[Once his own hand hits the door, Luke leans over to rest his hands against his knees, panting a little to catch his own breath. He's not as worn out as Asch, but he still had to run up hill at full speed. Once he hears that, though, he grins up at him and slowly straightens himself up.]

H-Hey, I did! I told you I'd race you.

[dissonates]

Aren't you supposed to say something like "ready set go" before starting a race?

[Seriously, even a seven year old ought to know the rules of such games.]

[fabrecation]

[Rules shmules, you're talking to the guy who cheats at hide and seek.]

Well... [SIGH.] Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll do it next time.

[Except not. ANYWAY, he pushes open the hobbit hole to find... several things, actually! There's a piano near the back that Luke immediately sees, along with various food and drink on a table. Cake, both vanilla and chocolate, and both of their favorite teas, a plate of chicken, and other things that they both enjoy. There's a few books, too, sitting on a pile of pillows and just waiting to be read. What else is there?]

[dissonates]

[Asch peers in after him, brows lifting. It looks surprisingly cozy for a Malnosso-designed mountain hole. There's a few candles lit here and there to give the place a fresh scent, and a cushy looking couch, but otherwise little else. The smell alone is enough to get Asch through the door; is that vanilla he's smelling?]

What's the point in all of this?

[fabrecation]

[Luke follows in after, closing the door behind him. He's looking around in mild awe; he wasn't expecting something like this to be in a mountain. The smell alone is enough to send him wandering over to the table, though his sights are on everything else.]

Was this always here? [Mmmm chicken - wait.] Is this stuff fresh? [He peels some of the skin back on the chicken - yup, it looks good.

Smells good too.

...

...

NOM.]

[dissonates]

[Replica, what the hell are you doing, wandering in and eating something you don't even- OH MY GOD THAT SMELLS AMAZING he needs to try some right now. Swiping some skin for himself right now.

....

Yep, nothing quite like fresh-cooked, crunchy chicken skin.]

[fabrecation]

[Luke grins, though more in the fact that they're sharing something they both like than amusement, and he plops down as he pulls some food over - they even got his favorite tea, sweet!]

This stuff is amazing! [SERIOUSLY NOT EVEN THE BEST COOK IS CAPABLE OF THIS.]

[dissonates]

[This is weirding him out... but whatever, Asch sits down with him, setting the kettle to boil. May as well enjoy it while it's here.]

We're placing an awful lot of trust on them, eating this.

[He says as he helps himself to more chicken...]

[fabrecation]

Yeah, we are...

[He says as he pulls over a bowl of strawberries and begins to munch on a few.]

... This stuff's still good. Really good.

[dissonates]

Don't mix meat with fruit, dreck, that's disgusting.

[Still spoken with no malice, though, chewing idly on another piece of chicken skin. This is literally the most perfect chicken he's ever tasted. How the hell did they make it so good?]

[fabrecation]

It's not that bad.

[His is said without any malice either, just a mere stating of facts. And really, these are also the most fantastic strawberries he's ever had. How can all of these things be so good?

He kind of just wants to stay and eat. But he also keeps glancing at the piano. Oh, he never gets to practice much these days, what with the arrangements at Seventh Heaven... And his fingers are just aching to play.]

[dissonates]

[Asch takes another bite of the chicken and gets up to explore a little while he chews. Is that a dresser over there? Hmm, maybe they've stored something important in h-

....

There's a sketchbook and some charcoal.

....

Bwuh... how did they...]

This room is getting more suspicious the longer we stay in here.

[So why is he not bothered about it?]

[fabrecation]

It really is... [Luke doesn't seem all that bothered, either. He stands up, a bowl of strawberries in hand as he wanders over to the piano. He stands before it, just. Examining it for a moment. This is suspicious. This might be a trap.

...

But he doesn't seem to care much, as he sits down at the bench and sets the strawberries beside him. He tries out a few practice notes, and he can't help shutting his eyes. Wow, the tuning of this piano is even better than the one at Seventh Heaven...

He glances back at Asch. There's a... small memory, from before, when they were brothers. Maybe... Maybe Asch will remember.

So, Luke looks forward, takes in a breath, and begins to play a song.]

[dissonates]

[It only takes a couple of chords, and Asch does remember. Normally he might be irritated by how easily the memory comes to mind, actually, but right now the music only brings to mind nostalgia, and the very faintest traces of a smile. So Luke still plays it. He doesn't remember how he composed it, but he does know that it's his.

He's not a music fan. Not at all, not with the memories it brings. This memory, though... it's okay.

He listens for a little while, not breaking the sound with movement or words. Then he quietly pulls the sketchbook and charcoal from the drawer, returning to the couch. He looks at Luke, then down. Then at Luke again. Pauses.

And then he starts to draw, letting the music guide his hand.]

i made this icon just for you

[fabrecation]

[In the times Luke played this in the past, in the memory where Asch would sit next to him and listen to him play, he'd mess up a couple of times. Maybe go a little slower than intended. He remembers how Asch would scoff, yet ruffle his hair and tell him he'll get it.

Now Luke plays it without skipping a note, nor straying from its intended pace. Even the more difficult part is played with expertise, as if Luke has been practicing this and piano playing in general for quite a while. Even though Van's started working at Seventh Heaven, it still hasn't stopped Luke from visiting on occasion to play the piano. Sometimes this song will come up, and it always takes him back to that time.

It was nice, being brothers... Being as close as they were.]

o rly I made this sketch just for you too

[dissonates]

[It's well-played. Asch nods to acknowledge this, still not speaking; the idea of interrupting the song just feels wrong, now. Maybe it's the music that's making him feel so at ease now, which is unusual, or maybe it's the fruit, or maybe he's simply in a good mood today. Either way, he's content. He might even be smiling a little by the time Luke's done playing.

When he's finished sketching, though, he ends up with a piece a little something like this albeit with more skill and detail due to mun fail: simple, technical, not particularly lively, but with more heart than most of his human sketches have. It's more akin to the work he'd done when coached by Miyabi, only this time he'd done it himself.

...Huh.]

omg i feel so honored *w*

[fabrecation]

[When Luke finishes, he simply sits at the piano for a moment and shuts his eyes, hands still hovering over the keys, unwittingly providing Asch with the perfect pose for last minute sketches.

He then opens his eyes and turns to look at Asch with a smile, though his eyes widen a little with curiosity when he sees what Asch is doing.]

Hey, what're you drawing? [Time to get up to GO SEE~]

YEAH WELL YOU SHOULD

[dissonates]

[Asch doesn't respond for a moment, just finishing up, and then turns the book to face Luke, glancing away in disinterest.]

The only thing in here that I can draw, obviously.

[He doesn't do shitty still life, okay, FOOD IS BENEATH HIM]

/FLAUNTS ALL HER LOVE

[fabrecation]

[Luke stops midstep as he sees the picture. Sure, Luke's pretty much the only thing Asch can draw in the room, but... well, he still wasn't really expecting that. So, he looks surprised for a moment... before he gives a sheepish smile and lifts his hand up to run through the back of his hair.]

You... [You drew me? Playing the piano?] ... You're getting a lot better. [Because he knows Asch doesn't enjoy redundant questions.]

..... /FLIPS, IT'S ANNOYING NOW

[dissonates]

[Asch lifts a brow at his surprise, then glances down at the sketch again. An improvement? Eh, maybe. He hasn't put much thought into his skills (or, occasionally, lack thereof) or whether or not he's gotten better at it. After a moment he tugs at the corner of the sheet and tears it free of the sketchbook, offering it out.]

Take it, if you want it. I don't.

/SOBS

[fabrecation]

[And again, Luke's mildly surprised. But he gets over it quickly this time, enough to smile, shake his head, and sit down beside Asch to take the sketch, just holding it in both hands for now.]

All right. ... Thanks, Asch. I'll keep it somewhere. [Likely somewhere right in the open, at that.]