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 Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:55 pm
Days dragged by at a painful pace that translated hours into weeks. It had not yet been as much as a week since Natalia's and Asch's explanation, but already anger and indignation were ebbing away from the explanation's recipient. Luke had expended himself in aimless rants and violent displays of swordsmanship, and all that remained within him was weariness, confusion, and, paramount to all else, doubt.
Doubt in himself that he could no longer trust anything he thought he knew about his past.
Doubt in his pokemon that they perceived him as a fraud and that Mieu's loyalty was out of deception.
And especially, doubt in his friends that they would leave his side for Asch's.
Without a hint of hesitation, Natalia had bluntly told him that she took Asch's word over his own. Without remorse, she plainly declared that she trusted Asch's story without any other proof. When contested, she simply explained that Guy would say all the same.
He had been sent to question Guy if he insisted on challenging Asch's words. Luke had used it as a chance to escape the small dining hall, but he had made a distinct effort to avoid Guy as much as possible thereafter. He had no desire to hear another of his closest friends tell him that his existence was a lie.
The park was where Luke usually went to pass his time, be it to train himself or his pokemon or simply to relax in a fresh environment, but he would be found at the park, and he did not want companionship - truthfully, not even his own. He sat on the long pier that reached out into Camphoreon's winter sea, his arms propped on his lap and earbuds pressed into his ears. Green eyes reflected the dim light of the mp3 player in his hand, and his gaze purposely avoided meeting that of his reflection in the water's surface.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:09 pm
Even when he tried to, Guy could not push the worry from his mind. He only caught a glimpse of what had happened during the Valentine's Day celebration in the park between Luke, Natalia, and Asch, but he could hazard a guess as to what occurred, and he only imagine what Luke must be going through if his assumption was correct. Not an hour passed by when Guy didn't wonder where Luke was and if he was okay. He had no way of knowing the condition of his friend without seeking him out, and unfortunately, Guy had nowhere to start.
As he thought about it, Guy started to wonder if he should even search for Luke at all. One part of him hoped that Luke would find him instead, but the other knew that Luke would never go to him if what Guy assumed was true and Natalia and Asch told him the truth. If Guy knew Luke at all - which he was fairly positive that he did - Luke would disbelieve and deny everything he was told and simply run away from the truth.
That, and Guy was feeling more than guilty about the truth he had learned himself. It should have been him that told Luke about this entire fiasco first. It should have been the very first thing that he did. But no. He had to have been stubborn. He had tried to keep it hidden away, and now Luke was probably at the breaking point. Just what kind of friend was Guy to do such a thing?
In a feeble attempt to calm himself down and collect his thoughts, Guy decided that he ought to take a long walk by himself through Camphoreon. When he said 'himself,' he had meant it; he had given Anonymes the direct order to stay behind with the rest of his Pokemon, and despite the affectionate Pokemon's protests, he did not disobey. Thus, for the first time in a long while, Guy spent the entire afternoon wandering on his lonesome, thinking about Luke and what he would say when - or if - he ever found him. By the time the sun had begun to make its slow descent into the embrace of the horizon, Guy had come up with a grand total of nothing, much to his frustration.
Finding himself on the boardwalks at the edge of the city where civilization met the untamed sea, Guy saw a single silhouette shaded against the backdrop of water and sky sitting at the edge of a long pier. Even from the far distance, Guy could recognize the chopped red hair of his oldest friend. Before he rushed forward to see him, Guy hesitated for a moment. What would he say to Luke? What would Luke say to him? How on earth would he explain himself? Guy took a deep, calming breath and approached Luke, throwing caution to the wind. He stopped a few meters away and stood in contemplative silence. A long moment passed before Guy had found his courage and his voice.
"... Hey, Luke."
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 4:38 pm
The occasional sound of footsteps was neither foreign nor unexpected, and Luke had come to ignore them, by and large. As the song in his ears faded to its end, however, he could not fail to notice the sound of movement coming to rest so near to him where it usually continued into the silent distance. It was at this point that Mieu or Tenebrae would alert him to another's presence, were they not in their pokeballs. But they were, and he had no intent to release them for something so petty. His thumb wandered to pause his mp3 player as another song began, and he waited to see what would develop from the unknown situation.
The voice that eventually came visibly startled him, as though he would jump to his feet and brandish his weapon or push past the new arrival to seek new isolation or turn to the ocean for its refuge - but he did none of this. The only additional movement he made was to duck his head further downward. When he answered, his voice was listless. "Hey."
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:28 pm
Guy could see that he had startled Luke, and he immediately felt a pang of guilt tug at his heart. The guilt was quickly replaced with a deep pain as Luke did not instantly respond to his greeting. Instead, it appeared to Guy that Luke just sank further into his solitude. Luke's mono-syllabic answer only proved to frustrate Guy. Why wasn't Luke talking to him? Why wouldn't he let Guy help?
Setting his teeth, Guy forced himself to calm down. Years of having to deal with Luke's tantrums had taught him that getting angry and yelling would do little good. Carefully controlling his voice, Guy spoke up again tentatively. "...How are you feeling? Have you... talked to Natalia lately?" Guy wasn't even completely sure if Luke was listening at all, but he hoped that asking about Lady Natalia would prompt him to at least give a full response to his query. Surely Luke would know that all Guy wanted to do was help him.
Somehow, the current situation had brought back old memories for Guy; memories of the days years ago in the Fabre manor, when a much younger version of Guy would soothe and talk to a child Luke as the boy fought and protested over something that had upset him. Remembering such times made Guy feel older than ever, and it hurt him to think how differently his life back then would have been had he been servant to the old Luke... to Asch, rather. The thought of all of those times, both happy and sad, being different because of a different Luke... Such a thing was incomprehensible. Guy hoped that Luke realized that.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:41 pm
The questions drew a brief anxiousness that momentarily bordered on panic. Luke knew Guy, and he knew that a lying 'fine' wouldn't satisfy the older swordsman, given the circumstances. He shuffled and arranged words on his tongue before finally giving a response, "Sorta tired. I've been training a lot." And in fact, that was somewhat true - save for the fact that the reckless swordsmanship he had been practicing as of late was much closer to a nonverbal form of scream therapy than it was to legitimate exercise.
The question of his contact with Natalia was delivered with a hesitation that Luke understood to mean that Guy knew what that conversation would have been about, if they had in fact had it. It was, however, the exact question Luke had sought to avoid in keeping his distance from Guy. He lied remorselessly, "No."
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:13 pm
The fact that Luke was at least somewhat talking to him let Guy relax a little bit, but he did not let down his offensive. He could not help but give a small smile as Luke mentioned his training. "Ah, you have, huh...? It's good to hear you've been training, I guess. You always work your hardest when it comes to making yourself stronger, it seems. That's pretty admirable." Guy was pretty sure that the 'training' was just Luke letting out his anger and frustration, but he wouldn't let Luke know his suspicions.
As Luke denied speaking to Lady Natalia, Guy lowered his eyes and sighed. He folded his arms across his chest. "Luke. I've known you since you were a little kid. I know when you're lying to me." Even besides that, Guy had seen Luke with Lady Natalia and Asch at the park, so he knew for a fact that they had at least been in the same vicinity, and Guy knew Lady Natalia enough to know that she would talk to Luke at any chance that she got.
"Please, Luke," Guy continued. "I only want to help you, but I can't do that if you don't tell me anything."
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:34 pm
Guy's claim of admiration was met with a noncommittal hum. He knew there wasn't anything particularly admirable about hacking splinters off a tree or chopping air until he felt faint from the exertion, but let Guy say what he would about it. His words had only been an excuse anyway.
Luke visibly tensed at Guy's words. His earliest memories of the older male were full of affirmations that they had already been friends for years. Bitterly he wondered if their friendship would have developed the same way if it had not been expected of him. He did not realize the foolishness of this curiosity; it was difficult not to question every aspect of his life in a similar manner.
He breathed a sigh that was nearly soundless, pulled up his knees with his arms folded, and set his chin upon his wrists. "What do you want me to tell you?"
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:57 pm
Guy rolled his eyes and exhaled lightly. It was always a struggle to get a concise answer out of Luke whenever he was upset or when he was in one of his sulky moods. In a way, Luke was still as much of a child as he was when Guy was first taking care of him. Bitterly, Guy assumed that that would have been after the alleged kidnapping when the old Luke - no, Asch - disappeared to be replaced with the Luke that sat before him now. Guy had to force himself not to see Luke in that light, however - Luke was his friend, not Asch. That was how it was; that was how it would be.
Slowly, Guy walked up to Luke and sat down beside him. Instead of looking at his younger friend, Guy gazed out at the vast ocean before them both. He was silent for a short while as he stared at the waters' colors shifting and changing as the sun made its inevitable descent. "Well, to start, I want you to at least tell me how you're really feeling, because, from my vantage point, it looks like you're really upset." He pulled his legs in so that he sat cross-legged, and he rested his elbows on his knees. "Next, I would like to know exactly why you're upset - whether it was from something that Natalia or whoever said, or from something else."
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 7:27 pm
Luke turned his face opposite from Guy as the other swordsman took a seat beside him - if only to prevent Guy from affirming his suspicions on Luke's emotional state from the expression in his features. Another spell of silence preceded his response.
"I'm just pissed," he said, a shrug in his tone that was absent from his posture. It would have been true a few days prior, but as things stood, Guy's was the more accurate appraisal. "Because... I saw Asch the other day, and I couldn't get Vahy'n back." The same quasi-truth he had given Rosie. It was not a deception, though, that he was unhappy about that. It just wasn't the most significant issue plaguing him.
The longer Guy remained in his company, however, and the more sincere his concerns sounded, the more hopeful Luke was. But was it okay to hope? What if Guy was just lying, the same as his own parents had for so long? Luke probably wouldn't even notice if he did. Was it worth the risk?
Maybe it was, if only barely.
"Just... Natalia doesn't even mind that Asch is a criminal... you know?" Testing the waters, as it were.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 7:59 pm
Blue-green eyes flickered towards Luke as the young man began to speak again, then they were cast downward again to stare into the water beneath them. Guy listened in attentive silence as Luke slowly began to elaborate on his torrent of emotions. In his mind, Guy doubted that anger was the only thing on Luke's mind, but it was better than nothing, and they seemed to be off to a good start at the moment.
Guy nodded and idly ran a hand through his wind-swept hair. "Yeah, I can understand that completely. I can't tell you how angry I was with myself during that contest disaster when I couldn't stop him. I only managed to slow him down a little." At least he was able to do that much, in hindsight. Stabbing someone in the shoulder would be enough to make them remember it.
...A alarming thought suddenly came to Guy's mind. He had stabbed Asch, who was, in essence, Luke: in other words, his former master. Guy had stabbed his master.
With a furious vehemence, Guy eradicated that thought in its entirety. Asch wasn't his master. The Luke sitting next to him was. He needed to damn well remember that!
Bringing himself back to the here and now, Guy found a small, fleeting comfort as Luke continued speaking to him. Them two sitting together, talking about their troubles and ailments... It was as if nothing had changed.
The mention of Lady Natalia's infuriating passiveness made Guy groan, and he rested his forehead against the palm of his hand. "Ugh. Trust me, I know. It infuriates me, too," he agreed. "It's like she doesn't even care that he stole Vahy'n at all. Does she even know that it was Miss Rosie's Pokemon?" Guy closed his eyes, as if trying to shut out everything that had happened.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 8:20 pm
"Yeah..." It frustrated Luke that he hadn't been there, but it had to be even more frustrating to have been there and been unable to stop it. "And the b*****d's so sure of himself. Pisses me off," though there was no anger in his tone beyond a bite of bitterness - and that primarily because he was having such a hard time feeling confident himself. What was he working so hard for if he couldn't do anything about the reason he'd started working hard in the first place?
Guy's groan drew a small, unseen smile in sympathy. "She knows," he confirmed. "I told her. Didn't seem to matter much to her, though." He compressed slightly, as if making an effort to withdraw without physically withdrawing. Hesitation punctuated his words and muted them when they finally came once more, "She's taking his side, isn't she? It doesn't matter whose pokemon he steals, because he remembers everything I don't." It was difficult not to sound hurt, betrayed - but he gave it his best shot nonetheless.
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 3:53 pm
Guy raised an eyebrow in quiet surprise when he learned that Lady Natalia did indeed know who Vahy'n truly belonged to, and he scowled angrily. "So, what, she just doesn't care? I thought that she was friends with Miss Rosie! Geez..." He rolled his eyes scornfully and cast his gaze aside, appearing like he was glaring at some unseen person down the docks. "I can't even imagine how Miss Rosie must feel..." he said quietly to himself.
Guy's burning frustration quickly cooled and he grew somber as Luke voiced his doubts of Lady Natalia's loyalty. As Luke spoke, Guy began to realize how hurt he must have been because of all of this. Guy was sure that Luke felt like his entire world was crashing in around him, and he had no one to turn to. Guy knew that feeling all too well, and it pained him to have his best friend go through the same horrible thing.
Placing a reassuring hand on Luke's shoulder, Guy turned towards him. Worry was written all over his face. "Don't start blaming yourself for this, Luke. It's not your fault. It's no one's fault." He tried to sound as convincing as possible, even though he doubted his own words. "I'm... not sure what's going to happen with Natalia, but there's one thing you can be sure of: I'm on your side." A small, friendly smile formed on Guy's lips, the smile he always gave whenever he was comforting his best friend. "I always have been."
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Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2012 5:40 pm
"We'll get Vahy'n back somehow," Luke said, his tone lacking the full confidence implied in his words, "whether Natalia cares or not." It wasn't something that could just be let go, and even if Asch insisted that the effort was futile, and even if Natalia protected him in spite of that, they would surely find a way to fulfill their ambition. They had to - that was how justice worked.
The sudden hand on his shoulder drew the briefest flinch, as if he had forgotten Guy were sitting next to him despite being in conversation with him. He listened silently, taking in all of what was said and remaining still and soundless for a while yet. Eventually, he dared to turn his gaze toward Guy, and the kind expression his friend wore offered worlds more reassurance than even the words he chose in comfort. One of those words, however, caused the slight faith to falter, and Luke reiterated it with a faint skepticism, as if subtly drawing to attention a known fallacy, "Always?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:59 am
Guy nodded in agreement with Luke's determined words. "Yeah... I'm sure we will get her back." If Luke's persistence had anything to say about it, it was almost assured that they would find a way to retrieve Vahy'n. It was just a matter of waiting for the right moment, and in Guy's experience, waiting and patience weren't exactly Luke's strongest point. They would find a way, though. One way or another.
Luke finally turned to face Guy, and as his green eyes met Guy's blue, for the briefest of moments, Guy faltered. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely honest with that. A new wave of guilt washed over his head as Guy remembered back so many years ago, back when he was still a foolish child - back when his only ambition was to kill the person he so willingly served. It pained him to this day to think of doing something so despicable.
As he thought about it more, however, Guy came to realize that, if he had managed to kill Luke when he had the desire to, he only would have killed the one now called Asch, not the Luke sitting beside him. It was this Luke that had become his friend instead and made him change his mind.
"...Always, for as long as I have known you," Guy finally replied, choosing his words carefully. He breathed a large sigh before continuing. "Yes, there may have been a point in time when I was close to Asch, but I never got so close as to become real friends with him, unlike you." Pausing, Guy turned his gaze away from Luke's as he stared out into the ocean for a few seconds, then he turned back, looking Luke in the eyes. "Luke, you've been my best friend for seven years now. My loyalty lies with you, if you will have it."
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Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:42 pm
Luke didn't want to be placated so easily. There was a part of him that felt like a child for it, as though he had been throwing a tantrum over would be served for dinner and the chef changed all the plans simple because it was easier to appease him that way. If it was that easy, it just felt empty. And if it was that easy, then what had he been so worried about in the first place? A larger part of him resented himself for doubting Guy when those doubts were dissolved so effortlessly. He couldn't reject feelings of guilt when even he could see that the fault lay with him for avoiding his friend so avidly. If he accepted Guy's words just like that, what did that make him but cruel and foolish?
He did accept them, though. In spite of all uncertainties, it was true that he and Guy had known one another for seven years, and it was true that they had grown to be best friends over that time. It was so true it was almost painful, and he could do nothing less than accept it. He turned forward and, overwhelmed by all his shame and gratitude, raised a concealing hand to his face to contain everything.
"Thank you, Guy." It was a terribly rare account of sincere appreciation, but it was, for once, an honest and accurate portrayal of Luke's feelings.
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