Ouin's Family Heirloom

[petapetakapu]

Who: Jade, Luke
Where: Ad Libitum HQ (Ouin)
When: Daytime
Why: Jade is working on restoring an automaton.  Luke happens to be visiting.
Warnings: None? Uh. Excuse my fail.

Comments

[ariseandresound]

Leave it to Luke to choose that exact moment to practically stumble in through the front door. The trip to Ouin had been something of a wild boar chase - uh, you know, without the boar. Even after arriving, he'd had to wander back and forth through the city a few times before someone had given him clear directions to the guild building.

Things in Blessenwood had been busy, to say the least, and it seemed like chores and requests would continue to pile up... Luke didn't exactly mind, even if some of the jobs were kind of stupid and a pain. But he'd needed to get away from the farming town for a bit because there were several things on his mind that he couldn't shake any longer.

One of them was needing to talk to Jade. Luke had met up with his other friends - Ion, Anise, Tear, even Asch (if Asch counted as a friend). He'd heard Jade was one of the guild leaders but had never quite managed to bump into him. Aside from that, Jade was, well, Jade - and still a little intimidating in Luke's eyes, despite him being a genius troll and an almost-father figure.

The other was Luke's blood fonons. Based on everything that everyone had told him, he should have disappeared. And yet, here he was alive and well so far as he could tell. Had the same thing that brought Ion and Asch also gotten a hold of him? Or was it something else?

Maybe Jade would have an idea. He'd created fomicry, after all. Jade who had finally extended a hand to him. In friendship? In trust? It was hard to tell for sure what went through the colonel's mind. Luke tried to convince himself he was worrying for nothing,

The redhead glanced around curiously. What he saw was a familiar man in uniform and a big... metal snake?! Well, whatever.

Luke drew in a breath, closed the door softly behind him, and strode on into the room, peering at the unusual fon machine.

"So... who's your new friend?" he asked in an easy way, offering Jade a friendly smile despite his nerves.

[petapetakapu]

That voice. What was Asch doing in Ou--Luke. As soon as Jade glanced up to acknowledge the boy, he found his eyes fixated on the visitor. That certainly wasn't Asch, though he had heard of the negativity taking that form a year go. Asch, however, would probably never be caught dead in that jacket.

"My, a visit from the Goodwill Ambassador. To what do I owe this honor?" he replied in a distracted voice as his gaze fixated on the familiar face. So Luke had cut his hair that way. To be honest, had expected a louder, more aggressive entrance. Not that he could complain. That would make him like his visitor, now wouldn't it...in most cases, anyway.

"I'm afraid the locals took the smaller automaton and left this one for Ad Libitum," he explained while poking his glasses back into place. "I suppose you could think of it as a mascot, once it's functional again...Guy didn't happen to join you, did he?"

As much as Flynn could pass as Guy's twin, the two did not necessarily share all of the same traits. Jade glanced again at the toolbox, then back at the newcomer. He was forming an idea of some sort, but he kept it hidden behind a poker face.

[ariseandresound]

If it had been Asch, he probably wouldn't have been examining the automaton with a look of confusion mixed with amusement at that very moment either. What did they plan on doing with this thing anyway? Scaring off little kids?

Luke managed a laugh at Jade's question. Same old Jade...

"...Heh. Some mascot. I'm not interrupting anything too important with this 'automaton' fontech thing, am I? They said you were a guild leader, and that I could find you here, so I thought..."

He trailed off. What had he thought? Maybe he should have sent a message ahead of time. Oh well, he was here now. Jade was probably busy with guild stuff, but maybe he could spare a minute or two. Nothing wrong with checking in, right?

"Huh?" Luke blinked. "Uh, no. I haven't heard anything about Guy being in Atlas. Was he before?"

Luke fidgeted slightly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. "Anyway, about the reason I'm here. You remember what you said... after you told me to get examined at Belkend, I mean. It's about fonon separation."

[petapetakapu]

How this was turning out to be an unexpected visit. Taking advice from him without complaint? The bespectacled soldier could have shed a tear, though he suppressed the urge. Really, the comment about fonon separation had caught his attention. Last he had checked, Luke had been completely ignorant about replicas, let alone something like fonon separation. With the recent actions of the God-Generals, Jade had suspected that the revelation would happen at some point, but this was not the sort of reaction from Luke that had played out in mind. What in Auldrant could he have missed?

"...No, not that I'm aware," Jade replied with a hint of distraction in his voice as he kept his eyes peeled for that elusive tool, still uncertain of this seemingly improved Luke. "It was wishful thinking."

Experience with Luke suggested that the boy would be more likely to kick the golem out of frustration rather than actually be of assistance. Not exactly his ideal choice of a guest while dealing with machinery. However, he shifted his concern to more pressing matters, abandoning the snake to give Luke his full attention.

"Yes...I suppose no doctor in Atlas would be familiar with that subject," he replied with a calculating look on his face. "Ion came to me with a similar question about a year ago. The mana counterpart of the seventh fonon differs enough that it should halt fonon separation."

Oh, how he had failed if even Luke knew that secret about him, which appeared to be the case at this point...He continued to watch Luke for a while, finally adding, "Please, don't take this as license to be reckless. The Fon Master's circumstances differed from yours, from what I understand."

Who knew what would happen if Luke disappeared in Atlas. To be honest, he had no interest in explaining his disappearance to the Duke and Madam Fabre if something became of their spoiled beloved son.

[ariseandresound]

"Guy probably would've come running if he were here." Luke mused. "You know how he gets about fontech - nobody'd be able to keep him away from it."

He was started to wonder if maybe he really was being a nuisance, but that's when Jade turned to him. Luke forced himself to quit shuffling, and let his smile dissolve into a more serious expression.

"Well, yeah. Nobody from outside Auldrant seems to know anything about replicas. But what's this 'mana counterpart' for the seventh fonon? I remember them talking about mana before, but what's the difference between that and fonons?"

Luke blinked, cocking his head slightly to one side. 'From what I understand'... Was it just him or was something...? No. Had to be his imagination.

"Reckless, huh?" Luke was known for his recklessness, and he could do little more than scratch his cheek in embarrassment and break eye contact. "What counts? But anyway, if the mana or whatever has stopped it, then I should be okay for now, right? Or... does that mean I shouldn't use my hyperresonance until we know more?"

[petapetakapu]

Hyperresonance? And here he thought Luke could barely manage everyday terms. Funny how things changed while he was away. Luke had already demonstrated he was not as far in the dark as he once was. Whether all of this was...for better or for worse, however, had yet to be determined. Oh, but this progress should have made him proud enough to weep. If he could.

"...Yes. It would be rather alarming if people in Atlas knew about fomicry," he responded with a glint of light reflecting off of his glasses. "As for hyperresonance, you should be fine, but, again, don't be reckless. Use that ability sparingly."

...Oh, the idea of Luke using a hyperresonance did not sound very pleasant. Regardless of what he had learned, he and Tear had caused an accidental hyperresonance. What's more, Luke struck him as one of the least capable people of maintaining control over that ability. All the more reason to discourage him.

All of this information, of course, gave him only small fragments with which he could connect the dots. However, he would never oppose confirmation. Abandoning the golem to give Luke his full attention, the wary colonel mustered a friendly facade.

"So, Luke, it's been a while, hasn't it? Care to share what you've been up to?"

[ariseandresound]

Luke involuntarily tensed up. He'd told Ruca a bit about replicas, but he wasn't from Atlas. As long as the native people didn't find out about fomicry or what it involed, then it'd be okay, wouldn't it? Wasn't like Ruca was the type to run his mouth, and Luke had finally accepted who and what he was. He didn't want to have to lie about the reason he and Asch looked alike.

"Yeah, okay. There really hasn't been a reason for me to use it again, so that shouldn't be too hard." Luke fell silent for a moment and then sucked in a breath and continued, "Though I was thinking maybe it could help...?"

The redhead cast a cautious glance back in Jade's direction as if waiting for advice on the matter. He didn't know a lot about Atlas, and even Luke thought his plan was a little crazy. But if he used second-order hyperresonance and if Asch helped and if they found out more about mana and the Negativity and where it was gathered...? Maybe? No?

Luke still hadn't learned to decipher with 100% accuracy whether or not Jade's friendliness was a facade. He was still tired from the journey, and so took it at face value, and that easy smile returned. "Mhm! Not since Eldrant. You can probably already guess, but I joined Ad Libitum. The others and I've been doing quests for Blessenwood. I finally got another sword, so I left them and came to find you."