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[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[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!]]

Comments

[scionofhispower]

[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.]

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[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.]

[scionofhispower]

[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.]

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[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!

[scionofhispower]

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.]

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[... 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!]

[scionofhispower]

[Have a bit of kind laughter as he ruffles your hair again, Luke.] You like that, huh?

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[He's doing it again! Aaah, and it feels so nice! Luke laughs this time and ducks his head, reaching up his hands to grab at Asch's in a playful attempt to get it away from his hair. It's an instinctive reaction, really.]

[scionofhispower]

[He doesn't put up any resistance as Luke grabs at his hand, just watching him as that fond smile settles back onto his lips. He could really get used to having an itty bitty adorable replica around.

But first, now that he has Luke preoccupied with laughter and playful indulgence, Asch takes a better look around. It wasn't to say he had let his guard down entirely - seeing such a young Luke made him suspicious that Van might be around - but his first priority was to help the child recognize he would not harm him. It's much easier to ensure someone's safety that way and avoid any negative reactions, after all. Besides, he hadn't sensed any menacing presence or anything else that might indicate the area was unsafe.

Now, however, he was checking to make sure his instincts had been correct, eyes searching the shadows and the rest of the surrounding area. His inspection put any concerns to rest, however. Luke had definitely arrived alone.

Unfortunately, this also meant he had no one to raise and care for him. As, essentially, a newborn, that was a problem.] Luke.

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[Luke had grabbed onto Asch's hand and nearly toppled backwards, saved only by the arm hugging him lightly. Still, he laughs, though it soon fades into giggling, then silent curiosity as he plays carefully with Asch's fingers, though he marvels over his own voice and the sound that came from it. What was that...?

But his musings are cut short by his name being called. Not right away, it's still a new word to him, but once he realizes it's his name being called, Luke pauses and looks up at Asch. Yes, what is it?]

[scionofhispower]

[He moves his hand forward again so Luke can have an easier time playing with it, considering just how to go about this. He knows he should get Luke to shelter - it's still pretty cold out, after all - and that he should get the kid some better clothes, but it's not like he can just say that; Luke wouldn't understand it.

After some thought, he pulls Luke very slightly closer. Not fully, but hopefully enough that the boy will understand what he means.] Come here, Luke.

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[It is quite cold, isn't it? Good thing he didn't arrive earlier in the year, otherwise he probably wouldn't be able to move.

Regardless, there's pressure against his back, pushing him closer to Asch. Thankfully, it's an easy message to understand, even if he doesn't know the words except for his name, so he scoots forward until he can lean against Asch's chest and let out a quiet little sound. It feels nice here. Much warmer.]

[scionofhispower]

[Asch holds him close to keep him warm, just letting Luke get a little more comfortable with him.]

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[This is a much different feeling than he's had for as long as he's been alive, even though it's only been a couple of hours at most. Still, it's... security. He's being held, the first time he's ever been held, and it's so much better compared to what the scary man had done: dragged him down the dark hall, not even caring that Luke couldn't even move to keep up, pushing him down by the shoulder when he finally let go of him and said something strange in a quiet, yet threatening tone: "Stay here".

Don't mind the itty bitty replica just snuggling a little closer to ensure that the secure, safe feeling stays with him. He rather likes it.]

[scionofhispower]

[Considering Asch has half a mind to adopt Luke, he's just fine letting him snuggle; in fact, he rubs Luke's back lightly to make him feel a little warmer and more secure.]

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[That definitely helps; it's still cold, of course, but at least it's warmer here, and safer too. It takes a long moment of getting used to that feeling before Luke looks up at Asch, eyes a little wide as if he just remembered that Asch had said his name earlier. Was there something he wanted earlier?]

[scionofhispower]

[Now he has a small problem; he doesn't know if picking Luke up will frighten him, but he figures it's the best way to get him somewhere warmer. He settles on speaking to him soothingly while he carefully picks Luke up] It's okay... just trust me, Luke. I'm going to bring you somewhere safe.

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[Despite all of Asch's hard work to make sure Luke trusted him, this action still makes Luke freeze up, hold onto Asch tighter and make a few panicked and confused noises. He left the ground - He left the ground, what in the world was going on?

The soothing talk, at least, manages to make Luke not burst into tears right then and there, and instead he just hides his face against Asch's shoulder.]

[scionofhispower]

Shh shh shh, it's okay, Luke. I'm not going to hurt you. [He adjusts his hold so one hand can rub Luke's back to try to calm him down and reassure him.] It's okay.

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[Slowly, thanks to all of that, he begins to relax. The hands gripping tightly into Asch's clothes loosen a little, and the tension begins to fade. It certainly helps, knowing that someone's there and rubbing your back like that.

Besides, Luke is brave. He's brave! He can totally deal with being up in the air like this... though he still doesn't get just how he's up there yet.

So, he bravely lifts his head away from Asch's shoulder to see what everything looks like from this height, bravely ducks it back down with a little noise... then courageously brings it up again, shyly and with a need to observe everything around him.]

[scionofhispower]

[Oh, Luke; you're making Asch smile again. And maybe he feels a bit of pride when he notices Luke is trying to gather his courage to look around and take in his surroundings. He tries to walk without jostling the child in his arms too much so he can just observe everything. They pass by a some trees - some evergreens and others without their leaves - as Asch carries Luke toward a building. For now, he wants to try to get some warm food together for Luke. Then he'll deal with getting better clothes for him.]

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

[Whoa whoa whoa whoa, now they're moving! The initial movement makes Luke squeak and lower his head again, though after a few steps, he raises it up again and looks over Asch's shoulder, first staring at the spot he dragged himself to when he arrived, then down at Asch's legs. Is that how he's moving? His legs? Luke kicks his own feet lightly as a result, trying to mimic the movement a little.

When the trees are noticed by him, he leans his head way back to look up at them with a big gape on his face. They were so... huge! Not as big as the sky, but still! And some of them were even different colors!]

A-Ah? ["What are those?", he asks.]

[scionofhispower]

Hm? [He looks at Luke for a moment before he seems to realize what the kid is looking at.] Trees. Those are trees, Luke.

[repliderp.livejournal.com]

T-T... Ch... Chees. [... Eh, close enough. The "tr" sounds too hard right now. Luke still doesn't know what they are, but he does know the name, so he smiles and reaches up toward the leaves. He learned something new!] Chees!

[scionofhispower]

That's right, trees. [Asch makes a mental note to try to make sure he shows Luke the trees once spring has arrived; he'll probably like them even better then.

Meanwhile, he's reached the door that leads into the kitchen. Which means they're that much closer to Luke getting a nice, warm, Asch-cooked meal.]