abyssdressing | [First Proclamation] Restrict wine consumption.

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[First Proclamation] Restrict wine consumption.

[Tap, tap, tap. That's the sound of gloved fingers drumming on the stone surface before him.]

[Asch had known better, yet for some reason he'd ignored his gut instinct. There must have been something in that wine - drugs, poison, maybe even extracts from those damned Great Rugnican death caps. Whatever the case, he's clearly hallucinating. He was in the throne room just seconds earlier, and now... this! No, he should have just declined attendance, no matter how much of a slight it would have been! But of course, even as Asch runs these things over in his mind, he knows it doesn't matter and he couldn't have skipped the banquet anyhow. Not with the way things have been lately.]

[He isn't sure why he's here, can't determine what's wrong, and it's absolutely vexing. His head's perfectly clear, he's not running a fever - he can walk in a straight line. Well, whatever - there's no use in standing around mulling over impossibilities. At least a dozen guests are waiting for him, and if he doesn't show up where he's supposed to be very soon, Asch can name a few people who are going to be very upset. The thought of that kills any soothing effect being outside might've otherwise had on him.]

This has got to be the most pathetic...

[The most pathetic thing. How does anyone lose a castle?]

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[Asch simply snorts. Considering he's already lost, that isn't much of a joke, Luke.]

[But he'll take whatever this is - (a pep talk? B|) - at face value. There's a reason he appointed (the other) Luke as goodwill ambassador, after all. One that had absolutely nothing to do with the fonic link and everything to do with him being the best man for the job. Because Luke understands the importance of human life and...]

[Cooperation.]

...Not everyone thinks like you do. It's hypocritical to sit a known killer on a throne when all people want is stability and peace; you can hardly blame them for having complaints.

But they love Natalia. All except for a handful of bigots on the council. And even they won't be so quick to forget everything she's done for them. [Asch shifts his attention back towards the porch. What's that even supposed to mean? He's 'happy' for him.]

Fonology notes... You think a fonic arte's responsible for teleporting people here?

Edited (Oops. Yulia Road is kind of a...) 2012-10-16 21:36 (UTC)

[ Oh. Good point. 8( ]

[ Hearing Asch call himself a killer earns a wince from Luke, and yet she fixes a defiant stare on him. Prepare yourself for the mother of all pep talks, Asch. ]

Everyone can work together to change their minds! You aren't some person that ran around killing people for fun or profit. They'd have to be plain idiotic to not understand that you're part of the reason they're even alive! Okay, so you were part of the Order and might have done a few things that were less than admirable when judged alone. But nobody is perfect. We've all made poor choices at some point in our lives. They should - need - to accept that you risked your life for them! For everyone! Unless you've done something stupid that I don't know about or their problem is really your standoffishness and jerk attitude, then they've got no right to complain!

[ Ah, feels good to get that out. If only she could have said all that to those stuffed shirts and given them each a solid punch in the face. Maybe Asch can figure out how to go between worlds and she'll have the chance to give them a piece of her mind. ]

[ Her wonderful daydream is interrupted by Asch's question, though, and she blinks. ]

Actually, I hadn't thought of that. I was just thinking there might be a way to rework a spell or something in reverse to send you back. Asch was the one who started researching various artes, but he- [ Nope nope nope. That train of thought is off-limits. It has to be, otherwise the pain will never go away. Luke stops with her hand on the doorknob to give Asch a final onceover. ] You better not be a maniacal tyrant trying to take over with cheagles either, okay?

[Oh good grief. What are you, his counselor?]

[Asch shakes his head.] No. I'm not about to let other people bumble around trying to improve my image. If they've already made up their minds, no amount of talk is going to change that fact. Let them form their judgments based on action, not the words of strangers.

And you can stop talking like you know what happened while I was with the Order. "A few"? You don't have even the slightest idea what it was like! [It's more of a reprimand than an argument, really. Asch glares back sharply, eyes narrowing.] So, just how long have you been waiting to say that?

[After what may or may not be a tense moment, Asch breaks eye contact.]

It's like this. Assuming these things are actually happening, there's got to be some kind of interference at work. I'd be willing to bet it relates to the seventh fonons here.

[Luke's being suspicious again. Asch frowns.]

Fonic artes are Jade's area of expertise, not mine. But if you're going to show me those notes, I suggest you explain what happened.

...And whatever you're hiding, while you're at it. Otherwise I can't guarantee a complete absence of tyrannical acts. You didn't want me going inside earlier, yet you had to hurry off to finish something. What's that about?

[ More like a morale shoulder angel with a foul mouth, but close enough. ]

[ As much as Luke wants to argue that there's nothing wrong with having their friends as character witnesses or whatever official term it is, Asch seems as set against the idea as those are against him. She'd just be wasting her breath. And his remark after stings. Any details she doesn't know is only because (her) Asch never went into what he'd been through! It wasn't like she hadn't tried to find out, tried to be there if he needed someone to talk to... ] I'm not so stupid that I can't put two-and-two together. Van had you all to himself in Daath; he didn't have to put up a guise like he did at the manor! Besides, I know you well enough. You're not the type to hurt innocent people.

[ At least that's what Luke is banking on. By no means has she forgotten the possibility of her friends showing up with only the barest similarities to those she knows. Were she more like Jade or Tear, everyone would be seen as a potential threat. Yet she can't. That just isn't her nature. Which is why she huffs, folding her arms across her chest. ] For years to say it to your face. [ Her and Asch had had a conversation like this one, though it wasn't exactly in person. ]

Considering who shows up here most often, I guess we can assume the 'interference' has to do with Lorelei. Or is him. It. [ Do fonon sentiences even have genders? ]

[ Asch's thinly veiled threat is met with a low growl as Luke rests the tip of her fingers on her sword's hilt. ]

A smart guy like you should be able to figure out what happened on your own. But if you can behave yourself, then I'll explain. This is my home and my business. Nobody -least of all you- is going to hurt what's precious to me.

[Asch scoffs, a bitter note rising from the back of his throat. That's only the beginning of the things he witnessed, the things he endured. But despite more time having passed, more time to come to terms with those seven years, Asch still has no intention of discussing the finer details of his life in Daath.]

...Tch! More like naive. The good in people isn't always the side that wins out, you know. And even good intentions can be twisted. [Luke knows all this. He won't bother elaborating. Instead he makes a vague dismissive motion with one arm.]

So stupid you waited years to speak your mind, though. You could have said it to my face about a thousand times over. Unless you've never looked into a mirror.

Hmn... [Asch only has a brief moment to ponder that theory, before it's interrupted by the growl.]

[Well, this is interesting. There is without a doubt something in that house of the utmost importance to Luke. Something...no, Asch can't imagine him getting all defensive - willing to start a fight even - over a thing. Someone?] As long as your business isn't a threat to anyone else here, you have no reason to to be concerned. After all, you're the one who just said I'm not the type to hurt innocent people. Isn't that right, Luke?

[Asch makes no move for his sword nor bothers switching into a guard stance.] Stand down. You won't be needing the sword.

[ Luke's faint hope of Asch divulging what horrors Van had wrought is gone with his wave. Why did they have to be tight-lipped about it? Doesn't that just make it hurt worse? Still, curiosity and concern are both discarded in favor of common sense for once. It'd be plain foolish to get Asch riled up, then invite him in. If he even wanted to after her spiel. ]

Your face is your own, just as the one I have is mine. Saying it to a mirror would mean nothing. [ It doesn't make a lot of sense, but who needs logic. The point is that she hadn't been able to tell Asch directly and that's what she needed. Maybe what they both had needed for a long while: the chance to share their grievances and overcome their differences. ]

... [ More than anything else Asch has said, the use of her name mollifies Luke most. Sure, he'd called her by that name a few times on Auldrant, but those occasions were few and far between the barrage of insults. Even her Asch resorted to 'replica' when angry. Her posture relaxes bit by bit until, after a curt nod, Luke pushes open the door and steps inside. ]

No loud voices. It's bad enough having Mieu chattering nonstop. [ Should Asch follow her in, Luke will see that the front door closes before heading towards an adjacent kitchen. On the threshold she hesitates, trying discreetly to get a look up the stairs while keeping Asch in sight. ] You can sit wherever you'd like. Want some coffee? There's tea but I think Mieu got into it.

[Because it's painful enough on its own without flinging everything out in the open to a stranger who doesn't even trust him. Whom he shouldn't be trusting either. It's as simple as that.]

[Asch can think of just a few problems with Luke's statement here. Since it's kind of always been his face, they're kind of both the same faces, and--oh yeah, Luke kind of got his whole entire body for that matter, and not just a lookalike. Except this one shrank it for some reason.] You do realize I wasn't actually suggesting you start up a conversation with a mirror.

[Cautiously, Asch follows Luke through the doorway of the house, eyes sweeping from one wall to the next as if to take in every detail. He's not even sure what he should be expecting. More cheagles?]

...No, thank you; that won't be necessary. [Hope you can handle the reappearance of manners, Luke. Asch pauses briefly. He hates the damned seating arrangements game, but after a moment he finally walks over to a chair that seems neither too comfortable nor too stiff, one that isn't too close or too far away, one that only seats one person. This, apparently, is where he'd like. Asch claims it temporarily, folding arms and legs, and not bothering to set his sword aside. He can't get too relaxed.]

Of course I do. They're worse conversationalists than you. [ Whether she means that as a joke or not is entirely up to Asch's discretion. ]

[ As for the house... It's about what most might expect to find for a place on the outskirts of town with a few notable exceptions. In typical Luke fashion there's a number of swords lying around - on a bookshelf here, top of a cabinet there. Given her height, she has to stretch to get a couple down. One dustier corner of the room has been deemed an office of sorts. And yes, there is more cheagles. Lots more. Wooden blocks decorated with cheagles and two different alphabets, prototype wind-chimes, dozens of scribbles featuring the sacred beast, and misshapen plush things (some with only one eye or half a mouth). A particularly threadbare yellow one stares at Asch from its perch on an end table alongside his elbow. ]

[ The Fabre manor this is not. ]

If you say so. You don't need to worry about me poisoning you. Pouring a drink isn't quite as confusing as cooking. [ In the meantime Luke fetches this morning's coffee from the kitchen and collects several notebooks off a bookcase on her way back through. She lingers a moment at the desk, still uncertain. Asch had been reasonable thus far but there's no telling what might or might not set him off. Though she honestly can't see him flipping his wig over a history not his own. She adds one last book -the thickest yet- to her pile and flops onto the sofa near Asch, offering the papers to him. ] These are Asch's notes on hyperresonance, Lorelei, seventh fonon manipulation, different usage of artes, and my studies, in that order. The last probably won't interest you since I'm still learning the basics spells.

...Right. And you're positive you aren't planning anything with the cheagles?

[If this is Luke's business...it's remotely disturbing and seemingly bordering upon obsession. Asch recalculates his earlier remark as he gives the nearest cheagle (what the hell is up with that thing?) a critical look. So long as they don't start mieuing loudly or bouncing around the room he'll...tolerate it. But you can't expect much more from him. Luke picks some strange fetishes.]

It wouldn't have been the first attempt someone's made to poison me. We'll leave it at that. [Besides, there are still plenty of ways to botch coffee.]

[Asch accepts the pile of papers, browsing through them in an almost methodical manner. Well, someone's been a busy man, not that he'd expect any less of "himself". Luke would be right about Asch's lack of interest in someone else's studies, though - they don't seem relevant at the moment. But something else catches his attention. There's an uncomfortable tightening in Asch's chest, and he may look a little uncomfortable.]

Seventh fonon manipulation, what for?

[ The question baffles Luke for a second until she surveys her home more closely. Okay. That is a lot of cheagles. And here she thought she'd only made a few... Ah well, no chance to stash them away now. Better to go with the flow. If she treats this like a normal occurrence then maybe it won't seem so bizarre to Asch. ]

Oh! It's just that they're easy to make being all head and ears, and he likes them for some reason I can't begin to understand.

[ Though Asch's comment about poison not only cuts off her teasing real quick, but warrants a panicked look in his direction. Someone had actually tried to poison him? To kill him? Luke's fingers clench around the coffee mug with enough force for her knuckles to pale. Leave it at that... How could he expect her to ignore the fact someone tried to assassinate him? Not that either of them could do much about it right now. ] ...sorry. That was a lousy joke, huh? Whoever pulled a stunt like that better pray he doesn't show up here. I'd give him a taste of his own medicine- literally!

[ She could go on and on about turning said person into a pretzel or training dummy, but if Asch wants to drop the subject, then she can oblige. Anyway, it was the research he had come here for. The other Asch's notes go into detail on how to draw in larger amounts of seventh fonons, artes that could be used to shape them within certain specifications, and how to maintain the desired shape. There's also what seems to be a (confirmed?) theory that in order to make something living, material from a similar specimen would be needed. Perhaps that's why Luke grows quiet and pulls her legs up to her chest, hugging her arms around them. ]

...after you died, I freed Lorelei like you asked. I'm not sure if it was his presence that set off the big bang or Eldrant's destruction, but the rest of my fonon separation happened in a matter of minutes. We -you and I- fell into the core where Lorelei explained that your body was reclaiming the data Van had extracted so it would be whole again. So I asked him for a favor, if he could: filter out the part of you that flowed into me at your death and redirect to your body, where it belonged. He did. That left nowhere for my fonons to go except up into the fon belt, but I didn't care if it meant you'd have the second chance you deserved. [ Now seems like a good place to pause in case Asch has questions, and she needs a breather if the tremble in her voice is any indication. ]

['He'? Surely not the other Asch. The comment earns Luke an inquiring glance from Asch over the top of the current page before he resumes his study of the other redhead's research.]

Clearly, seeing as they're overrunning your house.

[There's a vague "hmn" as Asch shuffles through the next couple of documents. He may see fit to address the poison issue later (he'd hate to be in anyone's debt, least of all Luke's), but for now his focus is almost entirely on absorbing as much information as he can. As a result, much of Luke's reactions serve as little more than background noise.]

[Until...the replica's tone changes completely. It's the same effect as if the lighting in the room had suddenly dimmed. The story is familiar at its core, if varying and largely backwards. Asch listens without comment as he browses the last little bit; what's been written down seems only to compliment what has been said. Finally reaching the end of the stack, the one dealing in Luke's elementary studies of fonic artes, Asch sets the whole thing aside on the table next to the balding plush. He eyes it again distractedly, before propping his chin on the back of one hand and turning his attention back to Luke. The replica looks about as lousy as he feels.]

But that wasn't good enough, so he started doing research to find a way to bring you back. Not just in essence, but physically. That's why he needed to figure out how to manipulate seventh fonons into a set form and have them maintain their shape.

Edited 2012-10-18 19:41 (UTC)

The worst part is most of what we've made is upstairs decorating his room. [ That should answer any questions Asch might have about the number of dubious quality cheagle items; when saddled with an unlimited amount of time and resources, Luke is quite... handy. ]

[ Her response was mainly to bring some levity to the conversation, not that it helps when the way Asch speaks as if he had been there or came up with the idea himself makes her blood run cold. Their eyes meet long enough to make her flinch before she turns away. Had he not pried through their connection she could almost swear this was her original being a bastard for fun again. But it's not. Asch isn't here. ]

It wasn't perfect, but he did a wonderful job for attempting the impossible.

[ Luke blindly feels for the nearby table to set down her coffee mug, missing a couple times until she finds her target. She shouldn't be so surprised. There was bound to be others out there who had endured something similar, especially when they're technically the same people. ]

I'm assuming that's how you're alive to be Kimlasca's ruler and why you're not so hostile towards your replica?

[As far as Asch is concerned, this is the last little piece of the Lukealike puzzle that he doesn't understand at all. "We" meaning Luke and the other Asch? That still doesn't account for whose room it is. Not Luke's, not Asch's - someone else's? Who would be living here with them? For that matter, why were they living together in the first place? Convenience? Maybe this "he" was in no state to take care of himself? Someone injured in battle, someone young or otherwise handicapped? No, it has to be someone important - that much had been made clear.]

[He doesn't comment on the other's Asch's success. What's he supposed to say to that, anyway? He wouldn't call it "wonderful". While he's somewhat amazed that Asch managed on his own, and can hardly begrudge him for wanting to drag his replica back, it's still too much like what Van was trying to do to sit well with him. And too similar to his own condition to say anything about that, either. Hating what the other Asch did would be the same as hating what his Luke did, and the same as hating himself. And he's tired of hating himself.]

[He guesses he got most of it right, though. Asch watches Luke's fumbling about in silence, doesn't say anything at all until the coffee mug comes to rest on a solid surface.]

No, not exactly. But between what you've said and what's written here, it isn't difficult to begin filling in the blanks. [But it did help with fitting the pieces of Luke's tale and Asch's notes together. Asch's expression is neutral, or about as neutral as it can get, considering his natural expression and the slight pallor of his face.] My story isn't the same as his.

[ Well that undermines her brilliant theory on why they were able to form a fon slot connection and how it was that Asch isn't dead. When she musters up the nerve to look at him again, a new idea strikes her. Could he not know how or why he's alive? Except that doesn't make sense either when he'd just denied their pasts being the identical. ]

So what happened to you? Everybody knows you've got one hell of a poker face, but you didn't say a peep when I mentioned your death earlier. And you - my Asch, at least - is the kind of person who'd push until he found answers if he had any questions.

[ Meaning that he had died at Eldrant wasn't a surprise unless he'd mellowed with age, and somehow found a way to rein in his emotional outbursts. Not an entirely ridiculous concept, but still unlikely as Asch doesn't seem much older than her. What if... nobody had told him because something was wrong? Was that it? Could he be sick? It'd explain why he's so eager to return home. Luke twines her fingers together, her expression changing from morbid curiosity to concern. Maybe she ought to come right out and ask.

Not that she has the opportunity to: Mieu comes hopping downstairs right then, taking them two at a time. He pauses at the landing but doesn't utter a single sound. Only after he uses Asch's lap as a springboard to reach Luke does the cheagle burst into a chorus of chirps accompanied with enthusiastic gesticulations. She raises an eyebrow at all commotion like she's listening - then squashes him down in place. ]

Would you stop that! We're trying to talk and I've told you before to just write what you want to say!

It's like this: the Luke I know is notoriously bad at keeping secrets. You've already offered answers to half of my questions and handed over a pile of notes that must've taken years to compile. Not only that, but you've as much as said you're hiding someone important to you upstairs. Unless you'd rather be interrogated at swordpoint, I hardly think this requires any pushing.

[Still not yelling, but Luke's worried expression is slowly grating on his nerves. It's bad enough he's got people back home flailing around whenever something goes wrong. The last thing he needs is a whole other set of "concerned friends".]

That's because--

[--Holy cheagle.]

[Asch grits his teeth, his last nerve snapping neatly in two as Mieu scrambles up his leg and dives at Luke.]

[That. Does. It.]

[Asch rises to his feet, a vein pulsing on the side of his head and the gleam in his eyes spelling M-U-R-D-E-R.] Cheagle! If you don't shut up right now, I'll roast you myself!

For what it's worth, the notes are copies. [ Very meticulous copies she made herself. Feeling chastised for her carelessness as usual, Luke shifts uncomfortably in her seat and finally releases Mieu. Even this Asch she just met has her pegged. ...okay, maybe she had relaxed too much when his poking at her mind gave the impression that he was her original. But she hadn't said a word about Aidan. If anything, she'd expected Asch to assume Mieu was the "he" she had be referencing. ] And I'm not-

[ Asch's shout sends both the replica and cheagle scrambling to use the other as a shield, though Luke has the obvious advantage except that holding him up in front only leads to Mieu clinging to her face. While there's no more high-pitched chattering, Luke spits out a few choice curses that are muffled by fur until she manages to pry him off. ]

S-sorry! You're sorry too, right, Thing?!

[ That'd be a solid nod affirmative. Pleasedontroastandeathimmisteraschhetastesterriblereally...! ]

[Maybe getting up so quickly wasn't such a great idea in retrospect. Asch shoots the both of them another glare for good measure, before sinking back into the chair, looking weary.]

...Tch! Whatever. That's hardly the point! Am I wrong in guessing you've been living in this house for more than a few months' time?

[Asch's research, all the cheagle crafts, the fact he refers to this place as his 'home'. And no, Luke hasn't mentioned Aidan, but somehow Asch can't imagine he'd use a word like "precious" to refer to the annoying bundle of fur now clinging to him. Or worry about Asch hurting Mieu when he's already been whacking him over the head and twirling him around by the ear. And the fire from before - it's not there. Not at all.]

[Asch, ironically, still hasn't the slightest inkling about the most basic difference between the two Lukes, however.]

...I'm well aware of my own death. After freeing Lorelei, it and my replica made a deal. The first part was Lorelei's own doing. Since Luke's body was deteriorating rapidly and I was already dead, it transferred Luke into my body. But that idiot couldn't leave well enough alone. He asked Lorelei if there was any way to bring me back too.

Edited 2012-10-20 21:52 (UTC)

[ Asch's little outburst was certainly an efficient way of getting both owner and pet's attention, that's for sure. It might have put them on edge, but it's also gotten them to stop bickering like children. Luke casts a nervous glance at the stairs before deigning to answer the question. Understanding cheagle babble was pretty much impossible for her, yet she knows that Mieu's excited chattering is a good indication that nap time is almost over and if she's honest, the idea of Asch meeting their son is terrifying. ]

No, you're right. We've been here for several years. The last I saw of my Auldrant was the house Asch had near Chesedonia.

[ Luke shifts her attention back to Asch when there's no indication of someone joining them. His explanation doesn't sound so different from what they went through, only him and his replica's places were switched. Maybe. It's hard to say without more information. ]

So if Luke got your body... That must mean the body you've got right now isn't a normal one. Is it also made up of seventh fonons? [ Her eyes drift up and down him, looking for some telltale difference. If it's not, then what the hell is it? There's no way his replica would have used somebody else's corpse, right? ]

[Asch raises an eyebrow. Chesedonia? He'd once considering making that a base of operations after breaking from Van. Returning to Daath would've been too risky- but, of course, he hadn't been able to carry out that plan at all.]

...Enough seventh fonons were already present; it was entirely possible in theory. Of course, there was still one major problem. Despite my continued "existence", I'd already transferred a part of myself into something else. Even with a body, there wasn't any way what was left could connect to - much less reclaim - that other part on its own. It wouldn't have even known it needed to.

[He's not even watching Luke anymore. Asch grips the arms of the chair a little more forcefully than necessary, the undercurrent one of self-disgust.]

Essentially, the result was a blank slate. No memories, no powers. Just a living being without an identity.

[ Great (and similar) minds think alike, after all. Luke purses her lips and nods more out of politeness than understanding. There's too many vague 'its' for her to completely grasp what he's talking about, though she assumes the "something" a part of Asch went to was his Luke, and that wording doesn't sit well with her at all. He'd better not be stuck on the same opinion with all they'd been through. Somehow she controls her ire up until the loathing edge in Asch's voice drives her to jerk forward and latch onto his forearm. ]

If you're talking about a replica, then of course it wouldn't have an identity! Nobody is born with a preset personality. We only become our own person after experiencing and learning things for ourselves!

[ Without letting go, Luke crouches down to try looking Asch in the eye. She's still somewhat miffed at his earlier comment and yet how can she blame him? From the sound of it he was faced -once again- with a replica of himself. ]

You're still you, though. Even if you're missing parts of yourself or aren't in the body you were born with, you'll always be Asch.

[Asch doesn't pry his arm away, but his head does lurch backwards. Combined with the expression on his face, he might've just dropped his hand into a vat of scalding water.]

You don't get it do you? In order to be brought back at all, the part of myself that still existed separately was transferred into a body made out of seventh fonons. I couldn't remember anything! I didn't know who I was. I was no different from a replica.

[Asch refuses to meet Luke's eyes, instead turning to glare randomly at an unrelated something without even truly seeing it.] Don't lecture me - I know what you're thinking! But if you had hated replicas for as long as I did, you wouldn't like it either!

It was better to lose everything and know what had been lost than to feel that something was missing and have no idea what it was.

How can you still not get it?! There's nothing wrong with being a replica! All it means is that we came into this world differently than most and that we share our appearance with someone else! Would you loath having a twin?

[ Lecturing Asch on replicas is probably not fair or the best idea, but he's struck a nerve, hard. And like him she can't just let things go. Luke's grip on him tightens to match the tension in her voice, only abating when she releases him to stand up again. ]

If the part that bothers you is not knowing who you are, then fine. We can leave it at that. I'm not the person I was, either, so I have some idea of what it might have been like for you. But if being similar to a replica is your reason for being upset--

[ Then... Then what? Nothing she says will change his mind. Countless times she had tried in the past; Asch -her Asch- had to take the first step on his own, even if it was due in part to her persistence. ]

...you're fine now, aren't you? Isn't that what matters most?

[Okay, Luke, okay. He'd prefer to keep that arm so long as he's got it. Only when the pressure becomes very uncomfortable does Asch make any move to pry it away.]

[And the truth is yes, yes he would. If he had perceived that twin or any other person to have taken precious things away from him, Asch would have despised them. But it isn't replicas he hates so much. Not the replicas themselves. It's that they were created as substitutes, and as with the replica army - created carelessly and mindlessly. No one should have to live with being replaced, and no one should be born with nothing - no one to call family and nothing in return but scorn from the people like himself who hated them for so long.]

I said 'did' you insufferable idiot!

[Because he's not going to sit here and explain any longer than he has to. He makes a sound which might be affirmation, or it might not be. "Fine", he may be, but it doesn't change the nagging thoughts in the darkest corners of his mind that there's something less than authentic about himself.]

...And if you're asking about my memories, then you'd be correct in assuming they've been restored to me.

[ It's always struck her as ironic that they (her and Asch, even Van) could be so close to agreeing on certain issues, yet there's always a slight difference that keeps them from seeing eye-to-eye, be it about replicas or their methods for saving Auldrant. Such differences seem pointless now. That along with worry is why instead of getting riled up at being insulted, Luke sinks back down in front of him. ]

Sorry. I can tell you've got your memories, but what about the rest of you? Is your- [ No, that's the wrong way to phrase it when she just got done going on a tangent about replicas (and those with artificially made bodies) not being different. Luke reaches out to let her fingers brush over Asch's, fear only dissipating once she's felt the tension in his muscles for herself. ] Are you alright? You don't feel sick, do you? My Asch's method of creating a body had some flaws, so there's still problems from time to time...

[ Mieu watches the pair from his place on the floor where he landed after Luke's grab threw him for a loop. His ears stay pinned against his head for the majority of their shouting match but abruptly shoot upward around 'idiot.' They twitch and bob as he looks from Luke to the stairs for instruction, but as she takes no notice in her preoccupation with their guest, he scurries off back upstairs with only a brief pause halfway up to stare at Asch. ]

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