Dayshift 43: Waiting Room / Lobby 1 [4th Shift]
It'd been nice to talk with Subaru, if only to see that the young man was faring a little better than before. He seemed to have the worst luck and unfortunately, there wasn't always someone there to protect those that needed it the most. As he passed the Sun Room, there was still no sign of a post from Ururu either. Things didn't look promising
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When she entered the lobby, there weren't many people around, and Anise immediately spotted Sync sitting way off in a corner. He had a visitor, too? That was a surprise. He didn't really have any friends, did he? What was even more surprising, though, was what the nurse did next: she led Anise straight to him.
"Why don't you take a seat next to Stephen here? Your visitor will be here soon."
Anise just stood and stared at the boy for a moment, then whipped her head around to snap at the nurse. "Wait, why him!? Can't I wait somewhere else?" The last thing she wanted was for Sync to be there when her parents came.
"Why, so your visitor can talk with the two of you," the nurse replied with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Now, don't be shy. The two of you are friends, aren't you?" The woman gave her a light push towards the boy, then turned and left to attend to her other duties.
Anise didn't make a move for the chair.
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"Come on, Anise. I promise I won't do anything embarrassing this time." Of course, the moment both nurses left them the replica's expression transformed into something more sinister. It was only then that he leaned back, eying her form up and down before sneering.
"After everything that happened last night I'm surprised you're still alive, but it must be easy when you don't have to babysit anyone."
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Anise could only think of one person, but she didn't want to believe it.
Sync's comment earned him a sharp glare from the girl. Bastard. How could he say a thing like that!? Well, actually, Anise knew full well how he could. He just didn't care. Getting upset was exactly what he wanted from her, so she tried not to indulge him, turning her head away quickly and putting on a haughty front. "Hmph! Looks like I managed better than you did, anyway." She saw bandages on his hands, at least. He definitely didn't get through unscathed.
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"Anyway, I wonder who they're bringing in," He began in a more casual tone this time, leaning back further into his chair and stretching. "I hope it's Arietta. I can't wait to see the look on your face when you see even more people whose lives you've ruined and killed mercilessly."
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He clutched his gifts to said organ, feeling it beating frantically. He hadn't seen the two of them so long; would the air between them still be as sweet as it was years ago? Though he loved both his brother and his... his girlfriend (he still became slightly flustered at the word!), he wondered if either of them faulted him for being on the outside. Would he be able to handle their anger, if that was true?
... of course. He loved them. And he wouldn't fault them for their anger - his heart already weighed heavily, knowing that even he would not be able to help them as the doctors here could.
"This way, Charles," his escort smiled, gesturing to the large, foreboding door. Giving an encouraging smile, she opened the door for him, pushing lightly against his back. He hoped they would recognize him - his hair had gotten longer, and he had become accustomed to tying it back into a ponytail, with two rather stubborn strands curving along his cheekbones, small green clips at his scalp to keep them still. The end of his two-sizes-too-big hooded sweater covered his jeans almost to the knees, the ends frayed and strings hanging where he plucked them in idle thought - which he did even now.
Turning his face away from the woman's smile, his eyes darted along the lines in the floor, flickering over the tiles until they settled on his brother, then his girlfriend, and back again.
"Hello Stephen, hello Dolores," Charles smiled at the two of them; despite his previous fears, seeing them had brightened his eyes, alleviated his apprehension. Feeling slightly nervous, he pushed back a loose bang from his face. "It's nice to see you again."
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That was the plan, at least, but Sync's next blow hit too hard to ignore. It wasn't like she could even argue it, either. Anise knew full well that it was her fault that Arietta was dead. But Sync didn't have to be such a jerk about it!
"Shut up! Just--" Anise abruptly stopped herself when she noticed someone approaching, not wanting any nurses to hear them fighting. The person walking their way wasn't a nurse, however. The anger faded from her face as she watched, quickly recognizing the boy who approached them. His hairstyle and clothes were kind of weird, but there was no mistaking his gentle face.
Ion.
Anise moved to say something, but Ion spoke first, using those names to greet them, and immediately she was silenced. That's right. They'd gotten to him. She knew that from the moment she saw him, but that didn't make it hurt less to actually hear it with her own ears.
"Ion..." was all she managed to get out, still too stunned to say anything else.
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The sneer on Sync's face didn't waver in the slightest as he waited for Anise to haughtily respond back. She was way too sympathetic, way too dramatic and pathetic to let the dead go just like that.
However, even before the latter began to speak the God-General caught sight of something through his peripherals. He tilted his head slightly, looking passed Anise and towards the thing that shocked them both to silence. The teen blinked once, testing to see if the ugly thing before him was actually the real thing. Yet, even if they were decked in such a ridiculous outfit, Sync knew that he could never mistake that naive look for anyone else's.
Ion.
Even if he was silent the darkening expression that captured his face was more than enough to explain how he was feeling. Anise had been all but forgotten at that point, and Sync's words pierced through the air like an arrow.
"Why aren't you dead." It wasn't even a question.
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He'd never know. And if he was better for her... than he could accept that.
Their fantasies are an escape from the real world, a doctor had told him when he had accompanied them to their first visit to the hospital. Some part of their minds just can't handle it, so they create a world that they can understand. Those words had cut him apart; even as the words left the man's mouth, Charles immediately knew that their sickness had to be through some fault of his own.
"I can't die yet," Charles replied, with an air of calm. He laid out the two gifts in front of him, fixing a blue bow on a gift wrapped square of yellow polka dots on a white background. The second gift was a bouquet of pink plumerias, small, bright flowers with a cheery orange center. Tied around the middle of a bouquet was a red ribbon, which strapped a small box of choolates to the green, crinkly paper wrapped around the flowers' stems. He pushed the flowers and chocolates to Dolores, watching her face carefully with a smile. "Not while both of you are still here. I'm sorry, Dolores... these are to make up for all the dates we missed, that we could have gone on. I hope you can forgive me for missing them."
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Then again, Ion probably knew that getting upset would just encourage him. Letting her own temper get out of hand wouldn't help. Reluctantly, Anise finally took a seat, making sure to keep a wide space between herself and Sync.
Ion had been carrying something with him, but it wasn't until he set them in front of her that Anise could clearly see what they were. A bouquet of flowers... and a box of chocolates!? But that was the kind of gift a lover would give! But that was just like Ion, wasn't it? He was probably just too naïve to realize the usual implications behind gifts like those...
Or so Anise thought, until the boy mentioned dates. "D-dates!?" the girl sputtered. With Ion? Did that mean they were...? No way. That was too weird. She and Ion couldn't be...
Anise wanted to protest, but faced with that gentle, affectionate smile, what could she say? If she tried to tell him there was nothing like that between them, it would probably hurt his feelings, and it would ruin the little time they had together. But playing along meant lying to him. Anise had promised herself that she wouldn't lie to Ion anymore.
"I-I mean, there's nothing to forgive," she stammered, taking the gifts into her arms and looking down at them. "I'm the one who should be by your side, but right now I can't... so if anyone should be apologizing, it's me." None of that was a lie, at least. Still, Anise could feel her cheeks getting hot. Even though she was saying those things as his friend and guardian, to Ion, they were the words of a... of a girlfriend. At least, assuming this wasn't all just a big misunderstanding on her part. That was possible, right? After all, her and Ion being like that was just... impossible! Wasn't it?
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Flowers? Chocolates?
"Dates? Are you kidding me? She killed you before you could even think about getting that far." Once more, Sync didn't bother to beat around the bush, chuckling lightly when Anise tried to answer back. He didn't know why she was following along with these lies; he never expected her to stoop so low as to take advantage of him like this.
"You're really lucky, you know. No matter how many times you use him he'll forgive you no matter what."
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"But I never died, Stephen. I'm right here, don't you see? I've visited so many times... have you forgotten all of them? The first time, Mother and Father even came with me. Isn't me standing here breaking down the life you thought you lived?" Though he normally remained passive, he couldn't help but wonder if this imagined death was what had pushed Stephen over the edge. It felt almost selfish to think that way, but they had been inseparable just a small while ago! How could their relationship become so completely warped?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to get upset," Charles quickly apologized, this time pushing the yellow-wrapped box towards his brother. Charles didn't know if the food Landel's Institute served was of a good quality, but he thought his brother might enjoy a lunch their mother had made for them, time and time again - a tuna sandwich, potato salad, and a small disposable thermos of home-brewed iced tea. The meal was arranged neatly in a small plastic box; the gift-wrapping had just been a way to make it more special. Charles was really glad that the nurses had said it was okay to give him food... maybe the familiar flavors would bring his wiped memory back?
"I know Mother's gone, but I thought I'd try to recreate what she used to make for us. I hope you enjoy it."
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Anise kept her gaze low, not quite able to bring herself to look Ion in the eyes. Sync was right; she didn't deserve any of this. Not the gifts, nor Ion's kindness. It was really weird, wasn't it? Anise always wished she could go back and undo what she had done, and now that Ion was back and her betrayal had even been forgotten... it didn't feel right.
Of course it didn't feel right. It was a lie; that was why. Even a happy lie was still just a lie.
The girl's head snapped up when he mentioned a mother and father. Ion had parents? Maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising. If he was convinced that he wasn't a replica, then of course he would have parents in that fake life. Anise wondered what they could possibly be like, even if it was possible that they were just a false memory, and not even actual people.
Growing up with a family, living a peaceful life, having a girlfriend, and not suffering through betrayal and death... Could it be that Ion was happier with this life than he was with his real one? That thought was more painful than anything else.
Anise watched quietly as Ion revealed his present for Sync, bracing herself for what she was sure would be a bad reaction. Ion had to know this wouldn't end well, right? He was way too kind and patient for his own good.
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"My name is the only thing that's mine and mine alone. I won't let you soil that by calling me something else."
But Sync wasn't stupid. They were obviously doing all of this to work him up, and he'd be damned to admit it was working. It was this mindset that finally forced him to relax, that murderous expression replaced by a more apathetic look as he looked down at the box Ion offered him.
"I don't have a mother," The God-General answered bluntly as he rudely snatched the box away and set it on his lap. He knew lashing out at Ion would have consequences, and so Sync did the next best thing.
The replica didn't bother to take the wrapping into consideration, lethargically tearing off the paper and popped open the plastic box. His eyes never left Ion's face as he picked up the handmade sandwich, taking a large bite before spitting the piece back out and into the container.
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"I'm sorry if the lunch isn't good, Mother never really showed me how to do it correctly. It took a while to even make something edible," he chuckled. Once his laughter died, the eyes that were watching Stephen became serious, darkened by the light frown touching his forehead. "But Stephen, you're claiming to own a false name. You're Stephen. And I'm Charles," he pointed to his girlfriend, "And she's Dolores. And we've all known each other since we were very young. Our lives were peaceful; why would you want to replace them with lives where you only knew violence and death?"
"And Dolores," he turned to her, the frown lightened only minutely, "You remember our years together - in a way. Why don't you remember the truth? Our first dance... our f-first kiss... don't you recall any shred of those memories?"
After a moment of silence, the boy covered his face with his hands. He hadn't meant to voice all of his worries! There was a reason he had remained silent on them for so long - but every visit was harder, shattering his heart a bit more. Though optimistic to the core, he would often have his dark moments, wondering if the treatment was even working, if they ever would get better. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. Please forget I did."
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Anise watched him argue with the tiniest bit of sympathy, although that shred of new-found respect was soon forgotten once she saw his disgusting and insulting display. Even if Ion wasn't completely himself, it still made her blood boil to see him get treated that way. "Sync!" she snapped angrily, despite knowing it was useless. Ion wasn't going to stand up for himself, though, so somebody had to say something.
It hurt to listen to Ion tell them about the experiences he remembered that just couldn't have happened. A first dance, a first kiss... Anise had never actually been kissed by a boy before. It was weird to try and imagine Ion being the first. And with how much all of those false memories seemed to mean to Ion, part of her wished she could say she did remember some of it...
But Ion was wrong.
It was hard to tell herself that, especially when it was clear that he sincerely meant everything he was saying. Ion was almost never wrong, and Anise was usually the one who stood by him in everything he said. But she couldn't do that this time. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't remember those things. They never happened.
"Ion, I'm sorry... I can't."
Above all, Anise refused to call him by that fake name. She didn't care if he protested; she wouldn't do it. Ion had been so happy when she assured him she would still call him Ion, back when she first learned he was a replica... It would be a serious affront to him to suddenly take that back. Anise was going to honor everything she said to him, even if he didn't remember those conversations.
The girl was looking down again, feeling guilty for being unable to say what Ion wanted her to, but she looked up in concern when she noticed him cover his face. It was heartbreaking to watch Ion suffer because of her, and she felt like she ought to say something. "You don't have to apologize. I... I know how you feel. It's hard for us here, but it's been hard for you too, right?"
They probably both felt the same way, after all. Both wishing that the other could remember the time they spent together, their real lives, their real names... Even though they were right in front of each other, it felt like there was a wall between them. It was a horrible feeling.
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Ion was absolutely useless to him in this 'world'. At least on Auldrant he served some kind of purpose as the Fon Master, but now he was nothing more than an eyesore, a painful reminder of the life he didn't have because he was deemed not good enough. The fact that he continued to rub salt into his wounds, claiming that the miserable life he lived was just a lie and that he'd actually been happy at some point, was enough to break away any kind of restraint he held.
And yet he still remained quiet when Anise tried to reason with Ion, but that may have been because he muted her presence out, instead focusing on the perfect opportunity to strike.
I'll kill him.
Without any warning Sync suddenly lunged at the replica, wrapping his hands around Ion's neck and digging both thumbs right into his throat. The plastic box that was once sitting on his lap had now clattered onto the ground, its contents haphazardly spilling out all over the floor.
"Would STEPHEN do this?!" The God-General laughed out, slamming the latter's head into his chair in the process.
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