dissonates | [Written...? / Action, May 20th and beyond]

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[Written...? / Action, May 20th and beyond]

[It starts with a hum.

It's quiet, barely perceptible, like a fruit fry buzzing away in someone's ear. Across the village, it starts flickering to life in the mind of one Luke fon Fabre, miles away, awake and unaware and waiting for it.

The hum becomes a whisper. Wordless noise. An echo of something that used to be alive and loud and binding. Intrusive, almost, and yet not- because something missed, needed, eagerly and anxiously awaited is rarely unwanted.

The whisper becomes words, messy and jumbled and confused, a thought process born of desperation, fear, pain, loneliness. The words of the dead, or the dying, or the living. Of all three at once.

I'm here.

imhereimhereimherereplicaimherewhereareyou

help me

Alive. Alive.

And calling for him.]

[It's much later - after he's found, after he's awake and aware of his new situation - that Asch finally touches the journal. He toys with the controls, flips through the pages quietly, listening to everything that's open to hear. It feels... startlingly normal. Just your average day in Luceti. Life does go on without you- but then, he knew that long ago. This is nothing new.

...Well, almost nothing. It's hard to do much of anything when you can't see the world you're used to seeing around you. Not for the first little while, anyway. By touch and trial-and-error he finds the camera eventually, and he scribbles out a bit of nonsense in what he thinks is the entry area that almost looks like words, he sends out a few misfired comments to complete strangers, and in the end he thinks the entire journal system isn't nearly user-friendly enough. Eventually he gives up and sets it aside, leaving it open. Just. Listens.

It's not much. But for the moment, it'll do.]

((ooc: okay so here's the deal- Asch is back from the dead and blind. He'll be in the clinic for a while while he gets used to it, so feel free to use this post as a catch-all in case people want to visit/stumble upon him for the entire week. His scribble entry is also sort-of posted with a slightly-obscured picture, so if you'd rather use the voice function to bug him, feel free |D Word will probably get around that he's back one way or another.

Luke may or may not be with him depending on the time of visit; more often than not, he will be ~~attached at the hip~~ keeping an eye on Asch and helping him to see. He might also be asleep or taking a break. Feel free to specify; if he is there, he probably won't speak much (to save Kukki's inbox and to simplify things), so it's just a matter of whether or not your character will be seen.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...Hn... [Well. He won't say no.] Bring something to eat with you. The food here is miserable.

[Or he's just cranky and he needs an excuse to get himself some company. Either way.]

[Close enough.]

Sure sounds like it. What are you in the mood for, Mr. Asch? I was thinking about picking lunch up on the way, since I doubt you'd want to eat my cooking.

To be honest, I'm getting tired of it myself.

[There are only so many things you can do to a sandwich and anything else is too much trouble to bother with outside of special occasions. Thus the Luceti version of take-out. Now where's that key?]

You need to learn how to cook, then.

[Seriously what good is a servant/pilot/lapdog if he can't make a decent chicken parmesan. Speaking of which-]

Bring something with chicken in it. No seafood. Otherwise I don't care.

You're right, I guess I do. Throwing ingredients together on a piece of bread doesn't really count, does it? Well, there's something to think about...

[~~O-ouch... Not like you mentioned chicken parmesan when I volunteered for this job, Mr. Asch. Geesh!~~ You can bet he'll be trying his hand at real cooking before too long.]

[Key obtained.] Okay! I should be there in about ten to fifteen minutes.

...Hm. [Asch ponders saying something more, but quickly realizes that he has very little else to respond with, so he merely nods and flips the journal shut to wait quietly for Ginji's arrival. By the time his pilot shows up, he'll have officially gotten so bored that he's trying to teach Tsuae how to fetch and has discovered that the equation of blind man + flying bouncy ball + idiot feline does not equate to a good time.

To his credit, though, nothing is irreparably broken. ...Yet.]

[Ginji makes an effort to be prompt. In about fifteen minutes there'll be a knock at Asch's door and Ginji will poke his head inside while trying to balance a couple of paper bags.] Mr. Asch? It's me.

[Soon enough, his attention's inevitably drawn to the game of "fetch". It's probably best not to ask about the cat or the ball rebounding off random surfaces, but you can't blame a guy for wondering.] Though, if I knew you already had company, I would've brought extra food.

He's fine, he takes care of himself.

[Or rather he assumes as much; there'd been food left for him and the window is open, and he has yet to complain that he's hungry. If there's one thing that this cat is good at, it's begging for food.

For Asch's part, he is pointedly not looking at Ginji.]

[Somehow typical. That the cat and the owner would both be independently-minded.]

[He shoulders the door shut, sets one of the bags down, and walks over to Asch with the other one. There's something kind of off going on here. It's not unusual for Asch to avoid eye contact, but that's when he's in a mood and doesn't want to be bothered, or when he's trying to sleep or doing that deep-thinking thing that he does sometimes. Unless he's feeling a lot worse than he let on over the journal...]

Here you go. It should still be pretty warm since I asked them to make it fresh.

[Asch hesitates briefly, turning his hands in his lap so that they're palm-up, and for a moment it seems like he's staring down at them. But, well- "here you go" means nothing to him. He sees nothing, feels nothing in his hands. Ginji could be offering out the food and he'd have no idea.

Ugh, this is the worst. He turns to face Ginji properly, the paleness of his eyes and the way they never seem to focus on anything showing more clearly now.]

The penalty for my death is that I can't see. You'll have to- [-help-] ...be more direct.

[Penalty? As if Asch hasn't already suffered enough! Ginji's quiet for a moment as he absorbs this new information. He isn't particularly bothered by Asch's eyes, but he can only imagine how frustrating it must be for someone so used to relying on their vision to get things done. And how hard it probably is for him to admit (or not admit) he can't manage it all on his own right now.]

[It's for that reason that Ginji doesn't let the silence hang for long. He leans forward to place the bag into Asch's open palms and will hold it there until Asch takes it himself.] Do you mind if I pull up a chair?

...The people at the restaurant were nice enough to bag everything so it'd be easier to carry. There's a chicken wrap in there with vegetables and cheese, some potato crisps and a piece of fruit. I just asked for water, but I could hunt down a cup of tea or coffee easy enough if you'd rather.

[That independence is why he's holding himself together right now- as much as he can in his condition, anyway. He's been telling himself it could have been much, much worse. He can defend himself like this, somewhat. He can move about on his own. He's not helpless. He's just... not used to accepting so much help.

He takes the bag as soon as it touches his hand, shaking his head calmly at Ginji's first question as he prods the bag. Sounds like a simple enough meal to eat without making a mess of things, which is a relief. One of the hardest things he's discovered thus far is trying to eat without actually seeing where the utensil's going. It's embarrassing to do when other people are around. He manages to get his fingers around the wrap first. That should be easy enough.]

...This is fine. I don't need anything special.

[Ginji don't you just love having a thankless job.]

[Seeing that Asch is handling the rest on his own, or so it seems for now, Ginji goes to fetch a chair and the other bag, taking care to skirt around the cat. He sets the former down close by but not too close. He knows well enough by now that Asch likes his personal space, after all.]

Maybe not, but everyone has preferences, don't they? Take Uncle Aston. He can't start the day without at least three cups of black coffee, no sugar, no cream. [There's the squeak of a chair taking on additional weight and the rustle of paper. Hope you don't mind him digging in, Asch. A pilot's got to eat, too. He'll be sure not to talk with his mouth full, though, because that'd just be plain rude. Otherwise he's not too worried.]

Who else has stopped by?

[Well. Actually, it's kind of refreshing not having to run through all the thank yous and your welcomes.]

[Asch listens closely to the sounds Ginji is making- more than words, he tries to follow each movement and action, brows furrowing slightly as he works his way through the sounds to match it with what Ginji is doing. It's... tricky, but he's slowly getting the hang of it. Only once he's content with it does he start to work on his own food. Still awkward, still a little messy, but he's managing.]

Luke's been here several times already. The doctors checked on me, but I'm not injured, so there's no point. Xion, too.

[Not exactly a big flood of well-wishers, but he likes it that way anyway.]

[There isn't too much variation. The crackle of the wrapper every now and then, an occasional light tap-tap of rubber against the floor - boots, not going anywhere. (It's just weird not to be running around on errands or adjusting a rudder pedal.) Ginji doesn't say anything for a little while, glancing over to make sure that Asch is actually eating. That and he doesn't want to bring up any hard or uncomfortable topics. Asch's blindness, that rainy day... and he won't even pretend he can keep up with the confusing tangle that is Asch and Luke's relationship.]

I see. [There's an audible smile at that - that Asch hasn't been stuck with himself the whole time.] Can't fault the doctors for doing their job, though.

But you know, it's kind of a shame that Ms. Noir and the others aren't around. They'd be able to liven things up.

[Well, he's not alone there. Even Asch can't make sense of what's going on between he and Luke half the time. It changes day by day.]

Tch... if they were here, no doubt there'd be no end to the mockery.

[The mockery that is actually teasing, but he doesn't have to acknowledge that.]

[Well, it is true that said "mockery" usually managed to push his buttons. Not that it's difficult to do or anything...]

Mockery? Don't know if I'd go that far. I mean, I'm pretty sure the only reason they gave you a hard time was to see how you'd react, Mr. Asch. Otherwise why would they have bothered hanging around for so long? [After Asch quit paying them, even. Not like there was any promise of that IOU being fulfilled, either.] They like you.

Besides, it seems like it'd be boring to sit up in the clinic all day.

It is boring. [That, he has no problem agreeing with.] I'm just doubtful that they'd be the right people to fill the void.

[Good people, true. Criminals, a little crazy. But good, in their own way.]

Then why are you? [Sitting up in the clinic, he means.] You said you weren't injured. [Which should mean he could go home if he wanted to. Granted, it's kind of wet out today, but it'll be nice weather eventually.]

[There's another squeak from the chair and a scrape of fabric when Ginji retrieves the two drinks.]

Maybe not... [Hmm... The right people to fill the void...] How about Princess Natalia, [A pause, then he adds more quietly.] is she doing any better?

[Asch scoffs quietly, not replying for a moment as he takes another bite. He's getting better at this eating blind thing; what a relief.]

It's not as if going to my house would be any better. When Van was living there I told everyone to avoid visiting. His going back hasn't changed that.

[Nooo, he's not bitter at all, he doesn't want the replica's stupid friends visiting him, okay!?]

[Questions he'd dodge with the greatest of ease, that daring young man on the flying trapeze!]

[Ginji blinks at that. It's just an amateur observation, but Asch isn't making a whole lot of sense to him. So the house is boring, but he told the others to leave him alone, and now that...General Van...is gone it's still boring and no one visits. Or he doesn't want them to? But why would he not want them to if it's boring? Maybe just certain people. Maybe he's sore because General Van isn't there anymore. Or maybe he's actually lonely.]

I'd visit you anyway.

[Asch is forced into a brief silence by this - not because he's surprised by the offer, really, since that's just how Ginji is - but because it's logical for Ginji to be the one to do it. Ginji has no quarrel with Van, not really (arguably the death of his grandfather, but as far as Asch is aware, it was Legretta who struck the killing blow anyway), nor with Arietta. Or any of the God-Generals, if more were to arrive and join their awkward little household. If anyone were to visit, it makes sense for it to be the pilot.

"This isn't about logic."

Heh. And his own words come to mind, making him shake his head. It isn't the same. It's never the same.]

I'm not... looking for pity visits, Ginji.

[It's not an accusation, not really, but one couldn't call it a concern, either.]

[Ginji's calm manner doesn't even waver; the answer is unsurprising coming from Asch. However, he can't help but notice there still hasn't been a flat-out, direct N-O, no. If there had been, he'd just have to honor the fact that Asch wants to be alone. Since there hasn't, he can at least keep talking. Besides, what's the difference between this visit and any other?]

Well, that's a relief since I don't believe in making pity visits, Mr. Asch. I go to see my friends because I want to.

Like now.

[Or when they ask him to bring food.]

...As long as we're clear on that.

[He doesn't want any... misunderstandings. Yeah, let's call it that. But that's basically as close to a "yes, it's okay" as Ginji is ever going to get. Hopefully that's good enough.]

Don't worry, we're clear on it. [No making fun of, no feeling sorry for. Just like Grandfather used to insist he wasn't old and didn't need anyone to check up on him every five minutes to see whether he'd keeled over dead yet. ("I've still got plenty of mileage left!") Ginji smiles to himself and shakes his head, figuring Asch at least can't see him do it. Otherwise it might be misinterpreted as "mockery".]

How's the wrap?

...It's good, actually. [The one good thing about today, so far. ~~Besides Ginji visiting~~ He'll take his miracles in very small packages, thank you very much.] That's... the worst part. Finding things that are easy to eat.

[It's not really the worst. Most frustrating, perhaps. But even that small confessions is almost too much for him, the words somewhat forced from his mouth. He hates admitting his own weaknesses.]

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