abyssdressing | (no subject)

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[Today, Abyss DR, you'll find one small child plopped down in the middle of a pathway. He blinks and squints in the sudden sunlight, then turns his head away to try and block it out, not realizing that raising your hand to do so would accomplish the same thing. Once he dares to open his eyes again...

He looks confused, then scared. Of course, he's not sure what that uncomfortable feeling is that seizes his chest and makes the beating in it increase its speed, but he knows that it's unpleasant, and it makes him want to get away from whatever's causing it.

Where was he, anyway? This was bright with colors and shapes he's never seen before, not the dark, muted walls of the castle. He shouldn't be here, right? He was told to wait. Well... dropped to the floor and continuously pushed down every time he tried to follow that man until he got the message, anyway. But that message still rings clear - he needed to stay there. And he's not there anymore.

So, he's going to try to scoot and drag his way to a space between two buildings. It doesn't look as bright, so it's practically the same thing, right? Still... where was he?]

[[OOC: Hi everyone! Luke is as new as I am to this place, and not only that, but he's only about... oh, an hour or two old. Have fun with that!]]

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[ooc; ♥]

[He isn't sure what he expected, although he's fairly certain the silent staring wasn't it; however, that does make him consider at least one explanation for the situation. He tries a slightly modified approach, just to be sure. Keeping his face as passive as he can - if not ~~strangely~~ almost smiling gently - he continues to speak, a little more soothingly this time.] You don't have to be afraid; I won't hurt you. [You're just a bitty little kid, after all.

Asch holds out a hand to him but doesn't move closer; if the kid is afraid or unsure, he figures it's best not to crowd him. And that's especially true if his suspicions are correct. Luke does look about that age...]

[The man spoke again, but what was he saying? He can't tell. It just sounds like one long noise to him with occasional breaks - he himself hasn't even tried using his own voice yet. The words get no reaction...

But the action does. His gaze moves to the man's hand now, and his expression turns more and more curious by the second. He even raises his head to get a better look. That's the same as... He loosens his grip on his arms to glance down at one of his owns hands: yes, it looks just like that.

Spurred by wanting to know more about this small discovery, he scoots forward enough to press his hand against the other man's, though there were a few points of hesitation - if he moved, would the scary man come back? shouldn't he stay here? what if this man didn't want him to move? - in his little trek, but now that he's touching hands...

They're different. This person's hand was bigger, like the other man's... He shifts to settle on the ground more comfortably, then reaches his other hand out to feel along the other man's, bending and gripping his fingers with the gentleness of someone trying to figure something out.]

[His smile turns a little more fond at this, just letting Luke play with his hand; if nothing else, he figures that will probably help him learn a bit. He's going to keep talking, keeping that soothing tone the whole way, just to try to keep Luke calm and maybe instill a sense of safety for him, even though he's pretty sure now that Luke doesn't understand any of it.] It's alright; I'll protect you. You don't have to be afraid here, Luke. No one will hurt you.

[And now he offers his other hand to Luke, as well.]

[There goes that sound again, but... strangely, he doesn't find it so intimidating or bothersome. It's a comfort, actually. He still inspects the larger hand, though he pauses and glances up at the man once he starts talking. The way his mouth is moving, the sound coming out of it... Is that what it's for? Sound?

He frowns just a little, enough to make it seem like this is one of the times he's done so, as he thinks about this. If this person can do it... and if he has his same shape, shouldn't that mean that he can, too?

He opens his mouth... but no sound comes out. How did that man do it, then? He leans his head forward a little, just trying to get some kind of sound out:]

A-Ah... [It's very quiet, but it's there. That's right... He had made noise before, when that scary man had dragged him so roughly to the spot he was supposed to stay in - he had cried and screamed. This is much different, though... and a sound he made willingly at that.

And now that the other hand has been offered to him, he quickly forgets about making noises and takes the other hand, pulling it closer to the other so that he has easier access to them both. This is so interesting... At one point, he even presses the palms of both their hands together, just to marvel over how similar they are.]

[Asch smiles encouragingly.] That's it, Luke. You're doing just fine.

[He has to admit, it is a unique experience, seeing Luke from so soon after his creation; on one hand, there is such a stark contrast to what he remembers from his first time seeing his own replica as well as from when he met Luke again later on. On the other, he can't help but draw comparisons between this Luke and his son - of course, Luke is much bigger than a baby, but he still needs to learn in the same way.

That smile of his remains as Luke continues playing with his hands and he almost - almost - laughs when Luke moves his hands together.

While Luke plays, however, Asch takes a moment to survey the spot Luke had chosen for himself: stone walls, all within the shade. He frowns at this, knowing it is similar to the abandoned Choral Castle, although perhaps not quite as rundown. He can't help but think that is a terrible area for a child to grow accustomed to - he should know, after all - so he shifts back ever-so-slightly, hoping to coax Luke to follow him with small movements so he can be somewhere brighter and more full of life.]

[When the man moves, he does, too, just to try catching up and keep toying with the hands offered to him. He barely even realizes they're moving... at least, not until he realizes that it's not so dark anymore.

He stops his playing to look around, and he squints in the sunlight and brings his head down again, bringing his hands away to push himself back into the darkness. No, no, he wasn't supposed to be in the bright light; if he moved from his spot, that scary man would just come back...]

[Asch moves one of his hands so it's behind Luke's back.] Shh, it's okay, Luke. Don't worry; it's safe for you to come out. I'll protect you. [He keeps his other hand offered to the tiny little replica, trying to appear as gentle as he can manage to avoid scaring him. He won't force Luke forward, of course, but he doesn't want him to retreat, either.]

[He almost jumped from the hand on his back, before he realized that it was this person's. Not that scary one... In fact, he didn't see him show up at all. ... Was he gone? He had closed his eyes for a little while; did the scary man disappear when he did that?

And this man was so different, and the world outside really was so bright, so... pleasant compared to before. He's still scared, of course he is, but his curiosity and his desire to get away from the place with such bad memories is even greater.

Slowly, he drags himself forward again, squinting and turning away from the light once more until his eyes stop hurting, and then raising his head up enough to look left and right. No scary man, right?]

[No scary man. Asch brings the hand away from Luke's back and uses it to shield the kid's eyes so it's not too bright for him.] That's better. [He gives Luke another small, encouraging smile, his other hand still held out for him.]

[It takes a long moment for him to understand that nothing's going to hurt him if he keeps moving. The smile and the hand being offered to him helps, but he still keeps looking around - ah, that man's using his hand to shield the light, isn't he...? Huh.

Finally, he steels himself and scoots forward enough to take Asch's hand with both of his own. He doesn't play with it, not yet; he just wants something to hold on to. For some reason, it's... nicer, safer that way.]

[He nods his head when Luke grabs onto his hand.] That's it, Luke. You're doing a great job. [Yeah, he knows the kid doesn't understand, but he figures the encouraging tone might help him out a bit.] You're a fast learner, aren't you?

[He's almost tempted to shift the hand shielding Luke's eyes to ruffle his hair, but he doesn't just yet; he doesn't want the light to hurt the little replica's eyes, after all.]

[He stays right there for a little while, and he gradually pulls Asch's hand closer until it's right near his chest. It's okay, it's okay...

After that, though, his eyes adjust, and with a small amount of hesitation, he lifts a hand to push Asch's away from his eyes. He still squints - it's still so bright compared to before, especially with the white snow... but he looks all around: at the sky, the snow, the buildings, really seeing them for the first time instead of trying to escape from them.]

[He starts to draw his hand back to try to help Luke move a little farther forward.] It's better in the light, isn't it?

[Meanwhile, he holds his other arm out, kind of in an open embrace sort of way; it's inviting ~~which is so weird to think of in relation to Asch~~ with the intention of encouraging Luke to come closer and maybe hold onto him to help with his balance. That way there'll be less risk of him getting hurt while he takes in his surroundings.]

[Good thing he did that ~~as strange as it might seem coming from a dude like Asch~~, because he nearly lost his balance just from Asch moving his hand back. On pure reflex alone, he moves closer and takes that invitation by holding onto Asch's shirt, which helps him out tremendously.

Everything looks so... big. For a while, he thought that the castle he was in was the whole world, but this... This is so much bigger than that world he was in. He tips his head back to stare up at the sky with a clear gape - there are even birds, which look like dark spots to him, flying through it. What is that big blue thing?]

[This just causes Asch to bring his arm around Luke in a light hug to further ensure his balance.] That's the sky, Luke.

[Suddenly, he realizes he should probably at least help the kid understand that by "Luke," he means him. So he lightly pokes at the tiny replica's nose with his free hand.] Luke.

[Sky...] Ss... S-Sg...

[And then he pokes his nose. The gentle action makes him blink, scrunch his nose, and let go of Asch's hand to rub at it. Well, that felt weird. Nice, but... weird.

... Now what did he say again? With his hand still over his nose, he glances up at Asch again. Care to repeat that?]

[And he lightly taps him again.] Luke. That's your name; Luke.

[At first, he doesn't understand. Luke? What's that supposed to mean? And why does he keep tapping him? This time around, he does an odd little pout, the first one he's ever done, and pushes at the hand to get it away from him. Figures that he wouldn't want to be bugged too much.]

[And then he realizes.

"Luke". And the touching...

If the big blue... blue above them is the sky, then is he... Luke?

His eyes widen with understanding, and he pulls his hand back to himself again. That's what... who he is, isn't it? Luke... Luke.

At the same time, he isn't quite sure if he's got it right. So, he taps his own chest and looks up at Asch, as if to ask if he's really indicating that he's "Luke".]

[Asch nods in response.] That's right - you're Luke. [Don't mind Asch, he's just feeling a bit of fatherly pride for Luke right now because Luke's proving to be such a fast learner.]

[He's still not really sure, but since Asch doesn't look like he's disapproving... then he - Luke must be right. Sounding it out seems much harder than "sky", though.

He looks down at the snowy ground and frowns to himself, trying to form his mouth to sound out the L. But... "L" is already hard. How did Asch do it again? He couldn't really see... But he'll still try.]

Eh... uh... Uu... [Ugh, this is hard.]

[Don't worry, kiddo; he says it again for you, much more slowly this time, drawing out each different sound so you can watch his mouth while he forms them.]

[Luke looks up at him once he says the name again, staring intently at his mouth to see how he's forming his lips, how he's moving his tongue, every little thing he needs to know. That still looks hard... But he'll still try again, his grip on Asch's clothes tightening as if he's looking for some kind of support for this.]

Uh... U-Uh... Eh-L-Ll... [... DID YOU SEE THAT HE DID IT. Luke's eyes go wide again, and he tries once more, showing a bit more confidence now.] L-La-Lll-Lu... Lu!

There you go; you're getting it, Luke. [Yeah, this time? This time, Asch doesn't hold back from ruffling Luke's hair a bit.]

[... What

was

that.

Luke pauses in his attempt to sound out the "K" to freeze, then slowly reach up towards his hair. Seriously, what was that? It felt... kind of nice. Kind of rough, but... as a boy with a ten-year-old body, he can't help but like that. So, he has to giggle a little. Do it again, ~~not!dad~~ man!]

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