behappyhere | I gotta know 'till then [Closed]

I gotta know 'till then [Closed]

[She arrives near the top of a place that is both mountain and city, big enough to be a world in its own right. There's a castle nearby, and lots of large houses surrounded by nice walls. Fountains, gardens, that sort of thing.

She thinks she knows where this is. She thinks she remembers Asch telling her once about it. Baticul? In either case. She needs to find him. Make sure he's alright and let him know that she's all right.]

Hey!

[She turns quickly to see two of the normal Kimlascan Guard (not the White Knights, though she wouldn't know the difference either way) approaching her, sounding none-too-happy.]

What are you doing up here? This area isn't for common rabble.

[Xion hastily takes a step or two back, keeping an eye on the pikes they have half-lowered in her direction. It's not a threat yet, but it's a warning. She holds up her hands. Worst came to worst she could just bolt (or fight, though she was still getting her feet back under her and it'd probably make a bad impression regardless), but for now these guys are the only way she can find out more about where she is.]

I- I'm just here looking for someone important to me.

[The guards look at each other skeptically, until one scoffs]

Chances are they aren't allowed up here any more than you are, girl.

How did you get up to the Royal Quarter?

[This is going south, fast. Xion takes another few steps back.]

It's not-! I mean... if I came here, he's here. I wouldn't have come here if he wasn't.

[It's sort of hard to explain the whole concept of heart connections to a world that works under an entirely different belief system and science of How Things Work. ASCH IF YOU'RE AROUND, SOME INTERVENTION MIGHT BE NICE.]

======================

[The streets of Inaba were blanketed with snow. School was out, so there was more than the usual number of pedestrians wandering the streets, though many of them were rushing to their destinations, owing to the biting chill in the air.

Others, meanwhile, are pausing and staring at a rather unusual sight: a girl, looking not much older than 15, wandering about the Inaba Shopping District in very ill-fitting clothing. She's wearing a very close-fitting, floor-length black coat, with matching boots and gloves, and not much evidence of very warm clothing underneath it. Indeed, she looks very cold, arms wrapped tightly around herself and shivering.

Still, she's a girl on a mission, and she's not going to let conditions not near as bad as those in the Tower at times stop her. She's asking those she meets about a friend of hers, a boy with silver gray hair. Yu Narukami.

Some of them recognize the description, and a few of those know exactly who she means. But nobody can tell her where he is for sure, at the moment. He did tend to be a very busy person, after all...

She keeps going though. She's obviously in the right place, and she has to meet somebody eventually.]

======================

PLACEHOLDER FOR IENZO

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[Fortunately, Asch happens to be going between the manor and the castle at exactly that moment - it's something of a balancing act, because most of the work that needs to be done is in the the castle, but his family insists on him keeping his rooms at the manor, at least for now. He doesn't object to it as much as he would have at another time, in another universe. In fact, it's kind of nice, most of the time, as least as long as he doesn't have to spend too many of the hours there with Luke. Things in that department are still fairly awkward, even as they both work their way towards health.

The commotion near the gates and the lifts draws his attention immediately, however - a few short months of noble living don't erase seven years of military wariness, much less the shorter-calendar year and a half of the Tower. At first, he's almost content to let the guards do their jobs, much as it takes effort to not get involved, to not try and do everything himself.

But then he hears the voice protesting, and he crosses the courtyard in a sprint, case of papers only not forgotten because it's held over his shoulder by one strap. Xion might even be able to see him over the shoulders of the guards before he speaks up - there's just enough fluff to his hair to stick up.]

Actually, she's looking for me.

[Even if that's not true, and she came here by accident looking for someone else, it's still the best thing to get her out of trouble now.

The guards startle, both helmed heads going over their shoulders at the voice; they step aside just enough to reveal the rest of Asch, in clothes that are the same general style as his old uniform but far different in color and detailing. The longer tunic is a deep blue, verging on purple, and the undershirt beneath has sleeves to his wrists not contained by gloves - indeed, he's not wearing gloves at all - and his boots are similarly of a reasonable style, cuffs just below his knees. The whole thing has a bit of gold embroidery to tie it together at the cuffs and bottom hem of the tunic, and the belt is likewise worked with a bit of gold.

And it actually is gold, if the way it flashes in the sun as Asch folds his arms it any indication. The guards take another step away from Xion and each other, even as they give him little bows and point their weapons back at the sky.]

Master Luke!

[Asch's frown increases, very slightly, at the wrong name, but he doesn't bother with a correction.]

We weren't aware you were expecting guests!

I wasn't, but most of my guests are unexpected. Get back to your posts.

[One of the guards glances back to Xion, but it's clear Asch isn't going to explain anything to them, so with another bow, they scurry off. It's only then that his posture relaxes, with a slow exhale, and the near-glare frown he's already known for among the house staff softens.]

It's good to see you awake again.

His name is Asch!

[Xion calls the reprimand at the guards' retreating backs, a frown on her features. They've been dismissed though, and know better than to respond. Meanwhile, she has the actual reason she came here right in front of her. She turns, frown turning to a grin before she flings herself forward in a hug.

She hadn't been sure she would, at first. She knew he wasn't as great with hugs. But there's a lot of relief in that gesture. Maybe he can feel it]

Asch! You're okay!

[She lets go after a few moments, a little bit of concern worming its way back into her expression]

I got your letter.

[He's still not great with hugs, but his mother has been forcing him to practice. So his arms actually rise around Xion and squeeze her shoulders in return for a moment before he lets go. A+ attempt, at least by his standards.]

And so are you.

[He sounds glad, relaxed. It's hard to not have worried about her, too, but his frown comes back a little at the mention of the letter.]

All went well, but this isn't really the place to talk about it. Come on.

[On that note, he'll start to lead the way towards another set of gates, off to the side of the square - gates flanked by a pair of guards in somewhat different armor, who don't even blink at Asch leading a strange guest in. They're far too used to Luke's guests appearing out of nowhere, less literally than in this case.

At least the servants here seem to know his name, if the chorus of "Welcome home, Master Asch" from the maids just inside the doorway is anything to go by.]

[Of course she follows. He was why she'd come here, after all. As she follows though, she's all eyes, curiously peering at everything, now that she's not looking for him. She'd heard him talk about his world a fair bit, and now she was getting to see it.

The guards may not blink, but the maids do. Xion thinks she can hear whispering behind her as they move almost out of earshot. She's not sure what to make of it, glancing back at them, but ultimately lets it pass. Instead she takes a circle around, staring at the different decorations in the manor's atrium.]

This... is your home?

[It's... different. Different from the Tower, or the manor back in Twilight Town... or really any place she'd called or thought of as "home" up until now.]

It's the manor, [Which really isn't an answer, without the context of his life till now.] but I'm not exactly used to calling it home again, yet.

[Compared to having seen the rest of Auldrant, it does feel small in some ways, in the same way the Tower felt small and stifling, especially in the beginning when there were so many fewer floors.

Asch lets her look for a few minutes before leading her off to one of the manor's several smaller sitting rooms. It's clearly a place that he's taken for his own use, although Xion isn't likely yet to recognize the signs in the luxury of the pillows set up against the window bench or the chaise lounge across the room. She might, however, recognize it in the beanbag chair snuck into a corner piled high with books, if she catches on that the thing isn't native to Auldrant. There's a couple of chairs, too, high-backed but comfortable.]

Go ahead and get comfortable - your timing is good. Father is away in Belkend for at least another week -

[There was a formality in his voice, the nobility speaking to a guest, but it quickly drops out in his next comment.]

So no one here is likely to care about either of our manners.

[And so with that, he slides the case of papers off his shoulder to drop them beside the chaise and takes a seat.]

[She does notice the beanbag chair, because even if she doesn't recognize that it's not native to Auldrant, it certainly doesn't look native to this room, with all of it's luxury and finery.

She ends up picking one of the chairs, settling into it and... still looking around curiously. Though his comment makes her smile wryly.]

That's probably good.

[She's getting the feeling that she sticks out like a sore thumb around here, between the whispering maids and the guards who stopped her outside.

She turns her attention back to him eventually, looking him up and down. He certainly... doesn't look too different from when she saw him at the Tower. Maybe even a little better? It's hard to tell.]

So... it worked, I guess? The plan you were talking about in your letter?

[She does stick out like a sore thumb, though it's mostly her clothes. Black leather isn't a common thing in itself, and wearing a full coat of it definitely marks her as an outsider. It's probably lucky that she did leave the little tower close enough to the manor that few people saw her.]

It worked. [He raps a bare knuckle on the edge of the low table in front of him.] Pure Seventh Fonon, but more importantly, there's no apparent separation, at least for now.

[Or at least not any meaningful separation - there's been a slow cycle of fonons between him and Luke since the second half of the operation, the one that used the same data to give Luke another body, another chance. They were both replicas now, in effect, which bothers Asch far less than it might have before the Tower.]

I'm still working on regaining my strength, since the weakened body I had was the only one we could draw the data from, but there's been no complications so far.

[And Lorelei keep it that way :l]

[Xion shifts a little bit uncomfortably in her seat when he starts getting into the more technical details of it. She's a fast learner, but a lot of the concepts still give her the feeling that she's only really half-grasping them. She's got the basics of how Asch's world works, but up until now, it's been more of a theoretical knowledge.

The Tower made... stuff like that generally complicated. With a mix of so many different 'how things work's from different universes.]

I still... don't really get all of it, I think. But I'm glad you're okay.

[She's still smiling]

If there's anything I can do to help, let me know. I mean... I'm still sorting things out back home. But I'll do what I can.

[He can give her a book. He can give her like eight books. Including an atlas.

Ironically, it's roughly the same way of escaping death that gave them new bodies at the Tower, although a body of Seventh Fonons is a lot more real than one of wireframe and glamour. More comfortable, too, in a strange way, although not least of that is the security of having hyperresonance ready at hand again if he should need it.]

I doubt there's really anything an outsider could do at this point. Most of what needs to be done right now is political, or paperwork that no one else can do.

[Well, technically Luke could do it, since the legal system hasn't yet processed them as separate, but Asch is fairly sure his replica can't forge his signature on all the things it needs to go on.]

That said, a lot of it is travelling, and you're welcome to come along.

[He'll show you the world, shining, shimmering, splendid - oh crap the Disney is infectious.]

[Oh Light don't talk politics to the replica child. If Xion knew exactly what politics involved, she'd probably have gone a shade or two paler. As it is though she just shakes her head ruefully.]

Yeah... I don't think I'd be too good at that stuff.

[The traveling though, gets her eyes to light up a little bit. Seeing the world of one of her friends/surrogate family?]

That'd be fun. I mean- I'm gonna come to visit anyway. And there may be times where it'll be better for me to disappear for a bit.

[She only wishes - for his sake - that she'd be able to take Roxas with. But that's not possible. The only thing she could really do was make it so nobody in her universe needed to worry about her being in Organization hands. Which... if she wasn't even in her own universe, she could hardly be in enemy hands, could she?]

[He can't exactly blame her. Most people didn't have an instinctive joy of politics from the day they were born. Somehow, being a weird child with a very weird life has resulted in Asch being a mostly normal adult. Mostly.]

Idiot guards aside, you're welcome here any time. Even if I'm not around, I'm sure Mother would be glad to have you.

[Yes that's right there's more adoptions coming, Xion.]

[Speaking of which]

Wait... your mom?

[SUDDENLY NERVOUS. Of course his mom is here. How did that possibility never occur to her?]

[Really, it's the male relatives she should be concerned about.]

She's been ill since before I was born, and usually doesn't travel any further than the castle.

[Which, yes, means she's here now. Asch does notice the nerves, and softens up a little.]

Mother is the gentlest person I've ever known, from any world. [Not that there were many of them who were gentle at all in the Tower, but.] You can meet her today, if you like.

[She'd gotten so used to the small little network of people she knew and was familiar with, both in the Tower and back home. Now she has the prospect of meeting another, someone she wants to make a decidedly good impression upon. (As opposed to the guards where ultimately she didn't care one way or another).]

Wh- I...

[She ducks her head shyly.]

Okay... yeah. If... if you really think it'll be okay.

You'll be fine. She already knows about...

[Vague handwave, gesture at where the collar used to be. You get the idea.]

She's the one I left letters with, in case... Well, in case of a lot of things I don't have to worry about anymore.

[In a small town like this, it wasn't that long before word spread of a strange girl in all black leather looking for someone who until the past spring had been just the exchange student who'd arrived at likely the worst time during the serial murder case. Especially when Ai was talking very loudly about it as she passed by him at the riverbank.]

"Yeah, a floor-length black leather coat. Who in their right mind would be out shopping in costume, Kou? And didn't he head back to the big city, anyway?"

[...He had half a mind to tell her it likely wasn't a costume, but that wouldn't get him anywhere fast.]

Wait, did you say a black floor-length coat?

[Ai paused, putting a hand over the receiver.]

Yu-kun?! [Blink blink.] Er, well, yeah. Couldn't be NEARLY that warm, with how it stuck to her skin. Don't tell me you actually know that girl?

I do. Do you know where she is?

I don't know where she may have gotten to, but last I saw her she was looking for you back near the shrine--

[And like that, he took off with a nod of thanks and a quick "Talk to you later, Ai-san!" He wasn't really one to keep friends waiting, especially special friends like those from another world entirely. The fact she was probably freezing in her usual clothes didn't help those priorities, either (how Teddie managed to not wear a coat until December last year - for them - he had no idea).

So who knows, that search likely won't be so long?]

--

[Luckily for Xion, someone who may know where he is was just saying goodbye to the shopkeeper in front of Tatsumi Textiles. A little girl in a light pink winter coat and longer hair blinks as Xion asks someone else. That description... was it-?]

You know Big Brother...?

[She wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but this girl knew her big brother so it had to be okay!]

[Xion was a little startled, and a bit confused at first, except.... no, she'd met this girl, hadn't she? In the Tower? She kneels down a little - arms still wrapped around herself pretty tightly - so that she and Nanako are more on a level.]

Yeah. We met... a while ago. I heard he was here.

[Trying to keep her story simple and uncomplicated. Since she... doesn't know enough about this world to make a good cover story.]

Do you know where he is?

Edited 2014-12-26 21:20 (UTC)

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I gotta know 'till then [Closed]

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is forced to reuse this icon bc LOVES MOMMA

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and now I'm stuck on the account with literally ONE smiling icon aside from aschbrows

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