[Fourth Proclamation] Review List of Prohibited Books.

[bloodreign]

[Anyone working the graveyard shift or otherwise skulking about may notice a brief flicker passing across the library windows. That's because this sanctum of knowledge has a late-night visitor who has taken great pains to choose an hour when the vicinity should have been vacated.]

[Inside, Asch tucks his lantern into a recess in the wall to partially contain the puddle of light now draping across multiple shelves and sets to work. He's never been allowed an opportunity to thoroughly research this particular subject before - certainly, it's not something Asch would read in the company of others. But now that he's been afforded some privacy, he sees absolutely no reason to continue putting it off. It's not as if he's ashamed or anything.]

[When he finally locates the section in question, Asch pulls down the first hopeful-looking title he comes across and flips it open. In fact, within a few minutes he has browsed several volumes and moved on to reviewing a list of what appear to be symptoms:]

Food Aversion

Dizziness & Fainting

Nausea

Mood Swings

Headaches & Back Pain

Constipation

Missed Menstrual Period

[...And so on. The rest of which clearly do not apply to him.]

[One may also find him asleep at a study table bright and early the next morning. It's clear he dozed off while reading, as a two-page spread currently serves as an unintentional head pillow.]

Comments

[mysterical]

[She watches him very carefully. He's as bad as Luke at keeping things off of his face. Or maybe it's because she can read Luke and could nearly always read Van that she's able to read Asch so well...]

I'm still unsure how I got here, but I've tried everything I can think of to go home. I have no plans to stop looking for a way to return to Auldrant, but I won't let that consume me.

[And, you know, Tear's pretty smart. You and Natalia are so obviously still into each other. It's a reasonable assumption.]

Of course. I wouldn't go around telling anyone your personal business.

[bloodreign]

[Asch is a little out of practice. He wasn't expecting her to guess correctly on the first try either. Nevertheless, he'll have to grant her the benefit of a doubt. Threats wouldn't aid him in this case.]

[He glances back in Tear's direction, fixing her with a look.] ...Good.

There's a group of people here working on a solution. You might speak with them about returning home. [He crosses his arms.] As I understand it, they're looking for able fonists.

[mysterical]

[Asch has never intimidated Tear, so his look is swiftly ignored. She'd keep the information quiet out of deference to her friend.] Is she doing well? I would like to see her, if you think it wouldn't be too much for her.

[She gives him a tiny smile.] It's nice to hear that you think I'm an able fonist, Asch. Who are the people of this group?

[bloodreign]

[Either way, the melodist's sensible approach, rather than garnering ire, has an almost settling effect. Asch has kept the whole situation under lock and key for months. He hasn't even gotten to talk to anyone about it at length, save Natalia. That Tear isn't the type of person to tease or make a huge production out of it helps tremendously.]

She's been fine. I have no doubt she'd be delighted to entertain guests, however Natalia isn't here.

[He glances towards a window, his expression unreadable.] Or maybe I should say that my wife isn't.

[He turns his attention back to Tear, apparently untouched by the smile, although he does incline his head by some small degree in what might be a nod.] As for the group, all people you know in one form or another. Jade, Guy...I suspect Luke will be butting in once he catches on.

1/2

[mysterical]

Your wife? So...

[That's a bit of a blow. Of course she knew that Luke was going to fade away, die. It shouldn't have effected her so much.

Luke's passing would only have strengthened Asch's body, allowing him to be hale and healthy once more.

But that would only happen once Van had been defeated.

It would take a weaker woman than her to cry, but it's a near thing for her even.]

Congratulations, nonetheless.

2/2

[mysterical]

Do they have a regular meeting place? I will contact them there if that's the case.

[She needs air. To get away from Asch.]

Miscommunication ahoy.

[bloodreign]

[Asch may catch a glimpse of something not quite right about Tear's reaction. Does that mean she thought that all this was happening back then? Back before he died? Scandalous the thought.]

[Asch clears his throat quietly.] ...You didn't know.

[He should've kept his mouth shut. Somehow the knowledge that he and Natalia were officially together always seemed to result in some sort of a hang-up. First with Luke, now with Tear. It didn't make a great deal of sense to him, seeing that it was barely even real news.]

Not that I'm aware of. But if you don't mind talking to Jade, he frequently haunts the library. No one would object if you wanted to wait up for him.

Re: Miscommunication ahoy.

[mysterical]

[It takes a moment to pull herself together.]

I was aware that you and Natalia were engaged as children. It makes sense if you survived that the two of you would be married. [She can't deal with the implication that it would have on Luke. While Natalia might have been able to pick between them, there was no choice for Tear.] Again, congratulations on both occasions, Asch. I wish you both well.

[She keeps her eyes blank, hollow as she listens to him talk about the others.] I will just return at a later time then. If you'll excuse me.

[bloodreign]

[He definitely missed something here, and he knows it. Asch's eyes narrow slightly as he studies her. Tear is a soldier; she's hard to crack. Only something deeply important to her would put a dent in her armor.]

[Survived...]

[That's a strange way of putting it.]

[Then he considers another conversation, not long ago. Jade asking him specifically whether or not Luke had lived.]

...If this has something to do with Luke, you should know that he also survived.

[mysterical]

H-how?[She'd had that discussion with Jade. She knew what was going to happen to Luke, how the final battle was probably the last thing he would be able to do before the fonon separation was a problem, especially with Asch right there in front of her.] How is that possible?

[bloodreign]

[Considering he wasn't there for most of the goings on in Eldrant and has only gotten a brief summary courtesy of Luke himself, Asch doesn't have a detailed explanation on hand. Instead he opts for a word that shouldn't reveal too much of what happened while also explaining everything - in its own way.]

Lorelei.

[Auldrant's own anomaly and trump card. The seventh fonon itself.]

[mysterical]

[That word is like a smack to the face and a relief at once. Lorelei. Of course the Seventh Fonon would attempt to keep the parts of itself that it could alive even if the aggregate sentience fell into a slumber of sorts when it was released out into the fonbelt.

She reached out a hand on the nearby bookshelf to stabilize herself for a moment.]

And do you- have you seen Luke recently?

[bloodreign]

[He'll find something else to look at. So she can have at least partial privacy for a few moments.]

That depends.

You said Noir explained the situation - there's more than one "Luke" living in town.

[mysterical]

Y-yes, she did explain that this place managed to pull different versions of the people we know here. [There's a small smile as she remembered how the other woman described this particular version of Asch.

She wants to ask him if he knows if any of them are close enough to her version of Luke, if any of them have been looking for her. But, she can't do that to him. She remembers how Asch resented his replica's very existence, how they'd butted heads every time they met each other. It would be cruel to ask him, wouldn't it?]

I guess that I'll just have to look until I find them then.

[bloodreign]

[Asch nods, crossing his arms. Fortunately for all parties involved, he's completely oblivious to the embellished rumors Noir has been spreading about him.]

That shouldn't be a problem. Since arriving, I've run into Luke a couple of times. Both different people.

[He speaks with a certain frankness, but there's no malice behind the words.]

Finding someone in particular will be more difficult.

[mysterical]

I am my brother's sister, Asch. Dogged persistence is something the Fende line knows well, as I'm sure you've realized by now.

[bloodreign]

[He looks up.] ...Yes. I'm well aware of that fact.

[He did spend seven years in her brother's care, after all.]

[mysterical]

[She hasn't forgotten the wrongs that Van has done to Asch, Luke, Guy, herself, Sync, Ion, and many others.]

If I had known what he was doing sooner, I would have tried to stop him, you know.

[She was just barely nine when Van kidnapped the redhead before her, but already she'd developed a strong sense of justice. Nothing about what Van did to others was right.]

[bloodreign]

[It's a familiar sentiment in all honesty. If he'd realized sooner what Van was planning, he would have found a way to keep Luke from ever setting foot in Akzeriuth. Then maybe all those people...]

Look, that doesn't matter. [And what's she trying to say anyhow?] What's important is that we find a way out of this place. I seriously doubt I'm the only one who has things to get back to.

You do too, right?

[mysterical]

[She realises that she's not the only one who feels that they should have stopped Van sooner and is more than willing to let the blame lie where it should, with her brother and his subordinates.]

Yes, I suppose we all do. [A battle against the last member of her family. The loss of the only boy she's ever loved. A world on the brink of destruction. The death of a friend that she feels partially responsible for. These are the things that await Tear back on Auldrant. The things she cannot escape, no matter how much she wishes she could.

She gives him a pained smile that doesn't reach her eyes.]

I'll go find the others and leave you to your reading then, Asch. It was...['nice to see you' would be a bit of a lie, but it wasn't completely unpleasant either.] ...interesting speaking with you for longer than two sentences.

[bloodreign]

[Natalia, his child. A struggling replica settlement, would-be assassins, rebels, and a divided court. His own to-do list is a mixed bag, though perhaps not as emotionally draining as Tear's.]

[Asch nods curtly.] ...Just don't get used to it.

[He turns away to straighten any reading materials still left on the desk.] Good luck.

[mysterical]

[That one line is so much like Asch that she can't help but smile.]

Of course not. You have more important things to do, right?

[However, the well-wishing was a surprise.] Th-thank you. You too.

[bloodreign]

[Asch doesn't even bother looking up. Just nods again almost imperceptibly and continues whatever he's doing at the desk. It seems like a dismissal.]

[Though he probably will inquire with Jade sometime later to see whether Tear ever spoke with him or not. Just because he's involved in the home-going experiments as well.]