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 Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 7:28 pm
The sound of splintering wood filled the otherwise quiet outskirts of Camphoreon as the sharp blade of a sword crashed repeated into the the side of a large tree. Luke fon Fabre - Luke fon Fabre, and damned if anyone was going to tell him otherwise - wielded his weapon in blind rage against his motionless, blameless adversary. Mieu watched a ways in the distance, his ears down and his eyes doleful, as his beloved master lashed out against nothingness. He had tried fruitlessly to pull his human from his actions but had been unceremoniously kicked away and warned against approaching again.
The events of the previous day still echoed freshly in his memories. Asch's accusations, Natalia's affirmations - it had to be some elaborate joke, and apparently Guy was in on it too. Luke's expression only soured further; he was making a point of avoiding Guy for the time being. Maybe if the older swordsman got fed up enough with it he would come clean about the whole ruse.
An unfortunate spray of splinters were knocked away from the trunk with a decisive blow, drawing a startled wince from the observing Flareon. They couldn't seriously expect him to believe a story like that, and the fact that he believed it anyway was what pissed him off the most.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:24 pm
She honestly couldn't say she though anything could be wrong with this day, couldn't imagine that for the time there were people hurting, people angry and upset.
Most of all she couldn't ever imagine one of those people might even be one of her friends.
No, Rosie was having a pretty good day, her spirits were high, the step of her pink and white riding boots was lively and smooth, and there was a gentle song drifting gently along her lips.
Her Valentines day had yielded some exciting surprises, and new experiences, and of coarse this made her very excited. She would have told every one of her friends about her day, and the man she had met.
A Ponyta trotted briskly next to her, holding his flaming head up high, and wearing a similar sparkle of happiness in his eye that Rosie had.
The grass under his hooves dulled the sound of his walk, as the pare made their way up the sloping hills toward a popular training aria.
It was here that Rosie got a sign that there might be something wrong... when she came up along the flats where a stretch of trees grew around the rim on the fields her blue eyes caught sight of a familiar red haired boy.
There was excitement at first, happy to see her friend. but it didn't take her long to recognize from the aggressive action he was taking on the trunk of the tree, that he was not in the same good mood as Rosie was.
Rosie's song stopped, her eyebrows arching in concern as she strode forward with a more cautious step, glancing down at Mieu as she stopped next to the Flareon.
"... Hey. Luke?" Rosie spoke blinking at the amount of damage was already caused to the tree.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:34 pm
Mieu detected Rosie's approach - that was the reason he was free of his pokeball after all, for the sake of keeping an eye on their surroundings - and rose to his feet, circling the girl with careful movements and a mewling "fieuuu." Rosie was a good friend of Luke's; maybe she could get him to calm down...
The boy heard his name and paused mid-motion, his arm and the sword that extended from it lowering to the ground slowly. His shoulders rocked from the force of his breath, and his free hand raised to his chest to still the weary pounding of his heart. At length he managed to relax his posture, and he turned slightly, regarding Rosie with a sidelong gaze that was indeed quite devoid of all those good feelings with which she had arrived.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 8:59 pm
Rosie spoke a gentle greeting to Mieu, opening a hand so that her fingers could gently touch the Flareon's fluffy mane of fur as he circled her, but her attention wasn't taken off of Luke for very long, blinking twice as he stopped swinging his sword, and seemed to relax a little.
His body tried to anyway.
The blond didn't say anything at first, not sure what she should say, not with this heavy feeling in the air.
As he finally turned, her lips parted slightly when the confirmation of his pain was shown through his features, through his green eyes.
Her friend was not okay.
Mouth only opening wider along with her eyes as if to say something, but she prompted instead to walk past Mieu, and over to the red head.
Pastin hung back with Mieu, ears fanning forward as he watched the trainers, glancing over to the other fire type with a confused whinny.
"I've never seen you like this before."
The last couple of strides she took to ward Luke were quick before she stopped just at the boy's side, her brow furrowed in concern.
"Luke, is everything okay?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 9:11 pm
Mieu looked up at the Ponyta and dipped his head in silent greeting. Unfortunately there wasn't much explanation he could offer; he hadn't seen whatever it was that had upset his human so much. That was the most painful part of it all.
Luke grimaced at the words, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. He drew in a breath, held it silently, then expelled a shuddering sigh. "Yeah, sure. Just fine," he lied bitterly.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 9:22 pm
The lie of course wasn't bought by Rosie, if the growing look on worry on her face was any indication.
Blue eyes flicked quickly over his body language, down to his sword, then back up at him.
Rosie shook her head, reaching a hand up as if to try and touch his arm.
"Whats wrong?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 9:39 pm
It wasn't a fantastic lie - even Luke knew this, and in a sudden fit of frustration he raised his blade again, rearing it back and heaving it against the tree with a shout. As if all his anger had been lodged by that strike, he faced Rosie with a much more level expression, "Sorry. I saw... well... the guy who stole Vahy'n. Yesterday, at that whole Valentine's whatever-it-was. I just... wasn't able to get her back." A more believable lie, perhaps because it was at least partially truth this time.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 10:03 pm
Her hand slipped away when he moved to life his sword again and slammed it against the tree.
She refrained from taking a step back, even though her hand snapped back to her chest with his outburst.
Eyes darted, alarmed to the sword, then back to Luke who was talking again.
This time he didn't just brush off the question, but actually gave an answer that only seemed to make Rosie fall even more quiet with shock.
Her face flushed with a mixture of emotions, despite trying her best to keep a level, and calm demeanor.
"...Asch was...?" She said after a moment, letting a few more seconds pass before she spoke again. "He didn't try to hurt you did he? or your pokemon?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 10:12 pm
Asch. It didn't matter what insane stories he told nor how true or untrue those stories were, he was Asch, he was their enemy, he was nothing but a thief. The reminder was a double-edged blade, however, as it stirred up recent memories in its own right. He clenched his jaw in uncertain anger, his mouth a firm line. As soon as he opened it to speak, he just as quickly shut it, rethinking what it was he wanted to say. What did he want to say, though? He didn't want to say, nor even think, anything if he could at all help it. That was why he was standing out here in the first place, swinging his sword as though it would kill him to stop.
"No," he finally answered, "...he didn't hurt anyone." He ducked his head slightly downward, frowning still. "Sorry."
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 10:43 pm
She watched him with quiet uncertainty, Though the mention of Asch's name reminded the trainer of the cold pain and bitter loneliness of the Rocket's actions against her and her friends.
Hating to even think what fate might have befallen her most precious Vahy'n.
She didn't forget, couldn't forget the face though... the man looked like Luke, just like Luke.
With stonier features, darker, longer hair, and more distant, older eyes. More bitter then Luke.
Luke could look angry, he could look unhappy at times, but his eyes were never as hard as she had seen Asch's eyes.
And now, she stood here, realizing that probably for the first time Luke had actually been face to face with the man that looked nearly identical to him.
She didn't know who Asch was to Luke, but she could imagine how jarring it might be to see someone who was a practical mirror image of you, doing things you were openly and morally against.
If she was in Luke's place, she would be terrified.
When he apologized Rosie shook her head, lifting her face up a little more and gave him a sad smile.
"I think I should really be the one that's apologizing to you..."
She reached a hand up, tucking one side of her hair behind her ear, letting out a nervous breath.
"You know, when I first met him, I though he was you... I noticed there was something off, but I didn't stop to think-" she shook her head. "and to this day I'm still so embarrassed that I could have ever let myself be so carelessly blind."
And she did look ashamed, so much so that she had to turn her eyes away from Luke's staring instead at the hacked up tree.
"When you two are so completely different..." her face fell.
"I think your brave for what you did Luke, I can't say I know very many people who would stand up to him like you did, like you always do."
Still, she wasn't able to look back at him, just staring at the tree.
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:07 pm
Rosie's preface surprised and confused Luke, and for the duration of her explanation these were the emotions that controlled his expression. Recognition settled in their place as she came to her admission, and his features softened. He wasn't terribly shocked that she had had such an encounter; after all, he had only recently been mistook for Asch himself. "There's nothing wrong with that," he said. "Of course we'd be confused for each other, when we look so much alike." His tone was suddenly acrid and hateful, though the feeling was fleeting. When he spoke again, it was with a solemn pain that indicated a topic he very much did not wish to broach.
"Hey, so..." He paused, green eyes searching the area as if they would find some universal answer, and when he continued he did so at a pace that increased as he continued, his thoughts stumbling after the words to catch and expel them before they escaped, "...if someone just came up to you and said, like... that you were raised in one great big lie, and that your name's not what everyone has called you all your life, and all your friends backed them up even though they were just a stranger, how would you answer that?" He breathed out the long breath that he had started to hold midway through, and he amended his question in a quieter voice, "Would you believe them?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:45 pm
It was something she had always felt so horrible for, especially now that Luke had had his own encounter with Asch.
One of her friends.
He didn't seem upset by it, and this caused her to shift her eyes quietly back at him.
He wasn't disappointed in her, but there was the fact that they looked like that he made clear burned him up.
She didn't know if he knew why they looked so similar, she didn't hear anything about that.
But when Luke continued, in a very strange kind of drawn out question that he seemed to be keeping very vague. Rosie had to stop and re-think about when he had just asked her before she could figure out just what he was saying.
"A lie?" She repeated quietly.
"Life experiences are real... what you learn from them is real, and makes every one of us into unique individuals..." she tilted her head. "Regardless of what anyone else says, even friends, that's not something anyone can take away from you, that's what we decide, as individuals."
She watched him carefully, before taking a small step forward, "Did... someone say something to you? Did Asch say something?"
Did this have anything to do with what Asch's connection was to Luke? Since of course that was always the mystery... why did they look alike?
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Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2012 12:15 am
The mention of life experiences drew a small, humorless laugh as Luke realized how recently his life experiences actually began. His memories were limited to wandering the manor endlessly, reading books that held no interest, practicing with a sword... Minor everyday nothings that accumulated into an even greater nothing; this was what drove the restless noble away from his home in the first place. Everything before that was a story that he been told about himself - and an untrue one at that, apparently. For all he knew even the reason he had Mieu by his side was construed.
"I guess I'm glad I came to Kodo then," he murmured absently. At Rosie's question, he stepped back and leaned against the damaged tree, disregarding the possibility of the splinters catching in the threads of his coat. "He said a lot of things," he replied. "Him and Natalia." He bit at his lip, struggling between his desire to hear Rosie validate that Asch's words were crazy talk and his fear that she would just affirm it the same as Natalia had.
"Sorry," he said again, his expression severe. "Sorry I couldn't get Vahy'n back... Sorry she was stolen in the first place. Just... sorry there isn't a thing I can do about my own damn brother!" He moved suddenly, jerking his sword into motion and stabbing the tip into the ground to finally, if not explosively, free his hand of it.
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 11:26 am
Her head tilted gently, not able to shake that his mood wasn't lifting up, even though she was offering a small, encouraging smile.
A smile that faded when she heard about Natalia, and about Asch... Luke's... brother.
Her eyelids rose a little more as her head jerked up.
"... brother." she said, just barely as her lips formed the words.
that would explain it really, why they looked so similar, and with Luke acting the way he was right now, she couldn't blame him for being upset. Family was personal, family was supposed to be supportive and there for each other.
Rosie bit her lip, her brow furrowed in sadness as she shook her head.
"We're all doing our best Luke, you are doing your best. Its not your responsibility when Asch does something bad so please don't apologize, You and the others have done more for me then I could have ever dreamed of."
She paused, watching Luke quietly for a couple of awkward seconds. "... When did you learn that he was your brother? Do you really know for sure?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:59 pm
Even if it wasn't his responsibility, he still felt responsible. He remembered lectures from his childhood about how his own actions reflected on those of his entire family, warnings about how the way he presented himself at social events could impact his father's political career. How was he supposed to simply detach himself from the fact that his own family was involved in crime and violence? Could the efforts he made in support of Rosie and his other friends really make up for Asch's choices? Luke did not think so, and it was frustrating, but he knew full well the futility of challenging Rosie's bright optimism with his own more self-critical beliefs, and so he did not verbally respond to her encouragement.
Her question raised the flag of ire once more, though he forced it to his hands to clench into tight fists. "Yesterday. Seemed like Natalia wanted me to know," he answered curtly, almost fiercely and bitterly. "...I can't know for sure by myself. When I was little, there was an incident with some kidnappers," unless that was a lie as well, "and I don't remember anything from before that, not about my family or about myself." There was a surging tide of melancholy that overcame his disposition at the thought. His friendship with Guy, his meeting with Mieu, his own name... Were they really all untrue? "The circumstances are... kind of weird..." He wasn't even sure if he understood it well enough himself to endeavor an explanation.
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