Huh?

[a_gentle_boy]

[phone]
[Oh OK so.  That just happened.  ...Lucas listens a little blankly to the announcement before blinking a few times to himself.]

So, um.  I'm... kind of... still here... So don't worry!  ...I mean, not that it's really that important, and there are probably a lot of other people who are really gone, but.  ...Is there someone else named Lucas

Comments

[badend_replay]

[ Rika flinches when she hears the call. Because how dare that imposter do something like this? It tears at her sadness more to have the fake try to fool her. It tears the cute little mask of Furude Rika right off of her face, leaving nothing but the low-voiced Frederica Bernkastel. ]

Shut up!

[a_gentle_boy]

W-What?!

[Holy crap that's the first time anyone's ever said that to him. Lucas stares stunned at the phone for a few moments before recovering himself.]

Who... Who is this? Why would you say that?

[badend_replay]

It's enough that they're all gone... it's enough to know they would do this! We don't need you pretending to be him! I don't need a fake Lucas, I won't replace my friends like this!

[ I'm sorry, she's being kinda mean... ]

[a_gentle_boy]

I'm not pretending; it's not --

Is this about the pods from before? I promise, nothing like that happened at all! They just got the list wrong, I think.

[badend_replay]

Shut up, shut up! If people are going to disappear then let them be gone! Don't send fakes, don't tease us like this..! I'm sick of your games, Mayfield, I'm sick of it! I'm sick of this...

[ Her yelling begins to fade into a sob. Rika begins crying like Furude Rika would, unable to speak anymore under the weight of her sobs. ]

[a_gentle_boy]

[Something about that crying seems vaguely... familiar. Lucas isn't psychic that way, but he has a great empathy for his friends, and he knows whoever this is, despite the voice being unfamiliar, is someone he cares for.

Except this time, he has no idea what he can say.]

I... don't understand.

But if it's that talking to me is hurting you somehow, then... please stop. Please stop crying.

1/2

[badend_replay]

Nngh... Lucas...

It's not you. You don't upset me at all. I don't care about you. Just give him back. Give my friends back, you... you...

[ Her voice trails off again. It's pointless. Why would the fake listen to her pleading anyway? ]

2/2

[badend_replay]

[ She breaths in... regaining her self control long enough to bury her sadness. ]

You're right. Talking to you is painful and annoying.

Just give up. You're only making a fool of yourself.

[a_gentle_boy]

I think I do that a lot, but it's nice to hear it in person from someone.

[Lucas will very slowly move to put the phone back before he has a final thought.]

O-Oh, um. If I'm really gone... I mean. If your friends are really all gone... They'll be back soon, right? Mayfield doesn't do things permanently.

[badend_replay]

[ From a fake that seems to be mocking her. Saying her sadness is silly and pointless and maybe hinting that this time it is permanent. ]

Don't say that... don't say it like that! They will be back. They wouldn't leave us like this, you'll see..! [ And then hangs up so she can go cry somewhere. ]

[a_gentle_boy]

[Lucas will just stare at the phone for a few moments after he's been hung up on. ...He could almost swear that when she'd been crying... that was Rika.]