015 [Written/Voice]
[The handwriting that suddenly appears is very sloppy, but still somewhat readable. It's a combination of being drugged, having messy handwriting in the first place, and having a cast on his arm to have to work around.]I don't really remember what happened, so I'll try to write what I can here
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She didn't see, or hear from him, the day she got back, so she assumed he hadn't been returned after all. Which really only made her MORE worried. If they'd taken him away, even in the holding cells ... what for?
.... well. Perhaps it was for this. He sounds different. His .... his hair.
It's long.
... what ... what did they do to him? Has he -- ....... is this even the same boy? For all she knows ... for all she knows, if this is Luke from before he cut his hair, then maybe .... then maybe he went home. And came back like this.
The thought makes her stiffen and she has to shove it aside or risk more panic. She still has yet to completely shake off the feelings of yesterday. ]
... You're ... you're Luke, right? [ ... ah. It hurts just to say. ]
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And people keep calling his name like they know him, or they've been listening to him. It's been driving him up the wall.]
Yeah, what do you want now?
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Nearly. She holds it together, though the look on her face is just a wonder. If one defines "a wonder" as "muddled heartbreak." She knows he can see her through the journal and is trying to decide how much she cares. In the meantime, she does not really look at him and answers very quietly. ]
I don't want anything. Except ... to help you, if you'll let me.
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D-Don't make that face, okay?! I could... use some help, I guess.
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For the first time, she actually looks up at him. Through that little picture. She feels the sudden, powerful desire to see him in person at the exact same time as she has the thought that seeing him would be an absolutely terrible idea right now. She really would start to cry, and he doesn't need that. He's probably confused enough. ]
... okay. [ She tries a smile. It doesn't last very long. She still looks pretty upset. ] What have you been told so far?
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He glances at her, then makes a face and pulls his knees up, staring up at the rain with a scowl. The cast is still on his arm, though it looks like a part of it is chipped away thanks to him trying to hit it against something in an attempt to get it off.]
I'm in some dump called Luceti, I can't get out of here, it's not Auldrant, and I've got wings that hurt if you pull on them. Is there anything else I should know?
[He doesn't sound particularly curious, though. More annoyed than anything, and as if he knows there's a lot more that he needs to know. He's not sure if he wants to hear it or not, but it does feel a little like he's being kept in the dark.]
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She notices the cast -- and opens her mouth to ask about it, remembering what he was saying about it before .... -- only to shut it again when she realizes he'll want to know why she's asking.
She's silent for a long moment. ]
... V -- Master Van isn't ... he's not here. Um ... you'll need to find a place to live. [ ... he can't stay with Asch. Not now. Aside from the fact that Asch will probably murder him ... what if he finds out-- so suddenly? But-- ... she's going to have to wait and see if Asch even replies to this...
Without realizing it, she's begun to bite her lip. She swallows her anxiety and speaks again. ] Your clothing should be in the village. There's a store. When people first arrive, sometimes the Malnosso take their things and put them in that store. But you'll be able to find everything before too long.
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... Except when he thinks about it. And he raises his eyebrows, and his gaze snaps to the journal.]
You know Master Van? ... Wait, why are you calling him Master?
[He's his only student! He should be...!
The rest of what she says is only half-registered. He'll have to simmer down a little before it really hits.]
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You remember that journal entry you started to write? Anyone else with a journal like yours could see all of that. You called him Master Van, didn't you? [ She shakes her head. ] So I thought I should call him that too. Anyway, I've been here for a long time. If anyone with that name had ever been here, I'd probably know! That's all.
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It seems as if the hackles he raised have suddenly lowered, as his shoulders lose their tension and his frown lessens a little. That's right... He did write about Master Van, didn't he? He's still a little foggy, so he'd forgotten.]
You've been living in this place? [Were he more coherent and feeling less like a wet dog, his tone would be harsh, as if wondering how in the world the girl can live in a dump like this. Since he isn't those things, though, he just sounds a little dull. He's tired of it all. And just tired in general.]
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[ ...
"You're not just memories, Xion. Not anymore. You're... way more than that.
You're Xion."
There is a ring, on a chain around her neck. Its weight is suddenly extraordinary.
She rushes on. ]
And ... you can learn a lot from this place. I learned more here than I think I ever knew back home. So ... it's not all bad. I promise. Is ... is anyone coming to get you?
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He rubs at his face. Damn it, he doesn't want to hear any of this. He just wants to wake up and be at the manor again, and train with Master Van, and let Guy watch, and be bored all day... If this is what the outside world is like, then Luke would rather stay safe within the manor.]
I've learned enough already! I just want to go home!
[He frowns as the other part of her question hits him.]
... I think a couple of guys are coming to get me. And a dragon. And they're sure taking their sweet time about it.
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--wait, a dragon? That has to be Hiccup and Toothless... and someone else? ]
It takes time to get around here. The village is kinda big, and the area surrounding it is huge! And you have to walk everywhere... [ ... except for her, anyway. This feels like a lot of lies, somehow. She sets the journal down so that she's no longer in the image, and ... reaches for the chain around her neck, pulling it up and off. She pools chain and ring in the palm of her hand with an impossibly sad look on her face while she continues to talk. At least he can't see her now. ]
Just be patient, okay? They'll make it there before too long. Maybe I can tell you some other things about this place in the meantime.
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Then again, he lives in the manor and he's been wanting to get out for years. Maybe it's something like that. This place is a dump and all.
He lets out a barely audible grumble over the fact that he has to walk everywhere; his feet already hurt from walking all over twigs and rocks, and though it didn't hurt at first (and upon feeling them, he realized his feet were a lot tougher than they were just a little while ago), now they ache. And he still has this stupid cast...]
Why'd they put this cast on me? It's stupid! I can't even move my arm or anything!
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I don't know. Who knows why they do the things they do? The Malnosso ... they're awful, cruel scientists. They like to experiment on us.
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[There's some shuffling noises as Luke gets fed up enough to stand and walk away from the journal. brb Xion, there's now a banging noise as Luke tries once again to hit his cast against a large rock in an effort to get it off.]
You - stupid - thing - get - off!
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