dissonates | [Written

[The message, tossed on the journal some time in the early afternoon, is short, carefully scripted, and with the camera concealed to keep it anonymous. He has no intention of dealing with the aftermath unless he absolutely has to.]

Luke fon Fabre and Xion have returned to their respective worlds.

[A short while later, another message is sent privately, though not so anonymously:]

[Private to Buffy and Jack (Horner)]

I won't be at the bar tonight. Close it if you want, work the shift yourselves, I don't care.

[After that, he's in the wind. First he goes out into the woods to where Luke was when they last spoke, to check for any signs of what might have been left, then to Luke's apartment to scour the place; he returns with a necklace, a ring, the Jewel of Lorelei, and a lot of hollow feelings.

After that, it's off to the Battle Dome, where he'll spend the next several hours destroying every simulation he can come up with, working his way through several of them one after another. He'll only stop once in a while when, in the midst of his fury and frustration, his body decides it's had enough; his heart seizes up, protesting the way it's being overworked. It's yet feeling the relief of that fact that for the first time in years, the weight of Luke's presence, their connection, no longer exists. His dissonance has been halted but he honestly wasn't prepared for how it would make him feel.

He won't be home for a long time.]

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Fuck! I was planning to score tonight!

[Audible and not really meant for Asch. Just him complaining out loud.]

That's quite the heavy claim. Yet I wouldn't put much stock in anonymous messages. They're extraordinarily unreliable, after all.

Don't listen to him. [ huff. you are such an ass, horner. ] I got you covered, Asch. Take as long as you need. Hell -- take more. Take as long as you want, too.

[ and that's all that's said, really. it's not like she could ease the tragedy with words. and asch has never been an open individual. although she's been no recent stranger to loss, she knows they all handle it differently. so if asch needs to bolt and assume his own personal version of a crash position? so be it. ]

[It's only video because that's the first button Ralph pressed. He sure as heck wasn't going to write out his first response. Instead, the video feed collects the image of a giant fist punching into the journal, as well as the resulting sound.]

What do you mean, Xion went home!

[ Even if she can't be sure who left the message, Asch is the first person Rapunzel worries about after the shock of what's written wears off. Her heart was aching. Luke had been one of her best friends, and someone she loved very much. Xion she didn't know as well, but she remembered how they had dragged Asch to the masquerade together and what a sweet memory that evening was. Now, the memory made her feel like crying, but she didn't. Not now. She could cry later. Now, she would be strong, like Asch had been for her.

She goes to his home first, but doesn't find him there. Chest tightening, she headed for Luke's apartment next, and lo and behold, she spots Asch leaving the building on her way there.

She doesn't say anything. Just stops in her tracks, watching him carefully. ]

[It's a good thing this entry is written, because it would have taken far more than hearing it just once for the news to really sink in. As it as, Ion's already been sitting there in shock, reading the words and just... not believing them. The worst part is knowing he has no way of proving it, save for one method: and after a few minutes of choked silence, he attempts a filter -- and it breaks the moment he sets his pen to the pages of the journal.]

[He doesn't respond -- what was there to say? After another long silence, he eventually just closes his journal and lets it fall to the ground from the side of his bed.]

[w o w he knew this guy was shallow, but seriously?]

If you're expecting sympathy, you'll be sorely disappointed.

...Thank you.

[He wishes he knew what else to say, honest. But there aren't really words to describe how he's feeling right now. Still, it's good to have someone halfway understanding about it.]

[you

goddamn

troll]

Believe it, or don't. I don't care.

[Asch isn't giving up his identity, so he just carries on writing as if it never switched.]

It means exactly how it sounds. She returned to her world.

[He's still lost in thought and reeling somewhat from the empty apartment he'd found, even though he'd known it would be- Luke's presence in the back of his mind was gone, completely erased, leaving an empty hole. He's already wondering if a fonic seal would be a decent way to deal with that particular gap, and that's how Rapunzel finds him outside the apartment building: a little puzzled, a little desperate, a little bit like he's in pain. And when he spots her watching him, he stops as well, but doesn't speak.

Honestly, he doesn't know what to say.]

Understand that I make this offer with the full knowledge that you probably want nothing to do with it but -- just in case you do wanna talk with a person who might be me? My ears are here. We've all been around this block a few times.

Hey, if you had a hot date, you'd feel the same way.

[ She can feel the heartache all over again at the sight of him. She still didn't understand the bond between Asch and Luke, but she knew whatever it was, it was important. And she knows a pained heart when she sees one.

She takes a few steps closer to him. ]

...Asch?

The both of them... huh? That's almost poetic.

[Even if they aren't going to the same place. And he's got no idea of Luke's fate, but from what he knows of Xion's, her's isn't all that happy. Really, the timing is more of a farce than anything, which is probably why a twisted smile is on his face even as he says this. It's easier to smile]

[After a moment he has to look away, uncomfortable about being discovered when he's not in a great spot, mentally or emotionally. He didn't really know any of Luke's neighbours, so he'd been hoping to get in and out without anyone noticing.

Damn.]

...They're not here. Why are you?

That won't be necessary. It's been five years, I'm well accustomed to dealing with departures.

[Not that every departure involves a presence in his mind being violently ripped out, but hey, he's dealt with worse. More or less.]

[And Ralph just keeps on jamming at the video button]

Who is this? Did you send her back? She better be okay back there!

Hardly. "Hot dates" aren't a priority for me.

It wasn't at the same time, but if nothing else it was convenient.

[For them, anyway. Or maybe just for Luke- he didn't have to deal with living here without her, after all. This is much better.

For Xion... not so much.]

[ She took a calming breath, reminding herself that she needed to stay strong for him, and everyone else that would miss Luke and Xion. She could worry about her own feelings later. ]

I wanted to make sure you were alright.

[ so is she, she thinks, but she still likes to talk about it. but that argument is not for today. ]

I can...respect that.

[Poor abused journal, it doesn't seem to be helping.]

Don't be an idiot.

[And don't shoot the messenger, sheesh.]

Alright?

[He feels like scoffing; his respect for her is all that keeps him from doing it.]

I'm fine. I'm glad he's gone. My life will be infinitely quieter without that idiot around.

If that's really true, you'll keep your concerns to yourself.

[It's curt, and probably unnecessary when she came to his defense, but he can't help feeling snippy. It's just his way.]

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