Day 46: Sun Room

[human_sponge]

Peter woke up suddenly, his body twisting in the bed and then forcing him to catch his breath in pain. Pain, which was coming from his middle because of the thing that had scratched him last night, and after that

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That was a pretty annoying announcement, Luke decided, as he was ushered away from the cafeteria into the sun room by the same nurse who had greeted him when he woke up. It was the first time he heard one all the way through and without the grogginess of sleep getting in the way, and he counted himself lucky for having managed to skip the majority of the past ones. Somehow, it was worsened by the fact that he was being forced to leave where he was and head to a different room. He wanted to stay by Guy's side and talk about other things-like maybe encourage Guy to talk about the different machines here-but it didn't seem like a good idea

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Sync wanted to die.

It wasn't a thought primarily induced from the pain he was feeling, but that wasn't to say that it didn't contribute to the final product. No, these thoughts weren't new at all, and yet he never seemed to reach that point. It was as if fate itself was mocking his hatred for life, refusing to give him that he wanted more than anything simply because he didn't appreciate what he already had.

But what was there to appreciate when he was already born a failure?

Green eyes slowly opened, lingering thoughts of his dreams dissipating when the pain finally hit him in full. The God-General gritted his teeth, but other than that he showed no outward discomfort. There were more important things to worry about, to painfully swallow and digest like everything else in this damned prison. The very thought of 'last night' made his blood boil, features contorting into a snarl for those few seconds. As much as he refused to believe it ever happened his injuries proved him otherwise, sending shocks throughout his body when he

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It was really amazing how already simmering frustration could bubble over so quickly at the sound of one person's voice. Though it was the same as Ion's, Sync had a way of melding his voice that made him very uniquely him-it was the sole reason why, he imagined, that they hadn't been able to figure out his identity sooner. Then again, Asch and Luke didn't sound terribly similar, as Asch had a way of making his constant irritation noticeable. In a way, though, Luke wished Sync sounded-or rather, was-Ion, because he missed him. That was unfair, but given what Sync had done to his friend, he didn't feel that it was an entirely displaced notion. Ion wouldn't hurt anyone, but Sync-he was different, like all the God-Generals, and unwilling to let go of his past bitterness.

As it was, Luke wasn't very good at hiding the fact that he was irritated by the sudden appearance of the God-General. He carefully laid down his journal and glared at Sync, teeth grinding hard at the sight of him. He killed Guy. Though he hadn't been there, the fact

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For a brief moment there was a trace of surprise in Sync's features as he stared the replica down, the latter's expression perfectly mimicking that of Aschs's. It was no surprise that his presence was often scowled at, because he could say with confidence that the feelings were certainly mutual. Yet this was the first time he'd ever come across Luke since he arrived, so he was a bit of a conundrum. It was strange; Asch had always been easy to spot in a crowd, and this bastard's hair stuck out even more so than the useless God-General. However, the latter's words threw him off for a moment, before it was all gone in a flash

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So that was why and how it happened. Guy had been forced to take on Sync on his own. It surprised Luke that Sync was even powerful enough to take down Guy, but Luke remembered how he felt the night before. Guy had indicated that he was the same way-but by that standard, shouldn't Sync be the same way? Still, it made him uneasy to think of his friend having to fight on his own. He didn't exactly understand why Guy hadn't been strong enough to take down Sync, but Luke concluded that it must have had something to do with being caught in a bad place

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It seemed as if Luke was full of surprises today, enough to make him as bad of an eyesore as Anise for a brief period. Of all things the latter had to say, it was the one thing that caught the God-General completely off guard.

Guy told me first thing this morning.

His smirk had completely disappeared from his face, replaced with one of shock, mind blanking as if he'd been stuck by something. However, as if realizing what he was doing, it wasn't long before Sync's expression twisted to one of amusement before laughing. It wasn't loud enough to bring forth any unwanted attention, but it was just as condescending as anything else.

"That's a good one!" Just how stupid was Luke to make him believe that his words actually held any sort of weight? It was bad enough that Luke was actually trying to defend the bastard, but to act like Guy actually told him everything himself? It was no surprise that the replica didn’t bother to even acknowledge the redhead’s questions, far too immersed with what was more important

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The hunch was correct. It turned out Sync hadn't known, which left Luke rather relieved that he was able to deliver that news. Perhaps the wiser approach would have been to leave Sync believing, but he wasn't much for that kind of complicated strategy-and again, there was a note on the board that would have contradicted it. He liked being able to wave this in Sync's face. Truthfully, it probably should have been Guy who had the opportunity to reveal it, but somehow this was better. Putting the God-General in his place right away was satisfying, what with how he had killed his best friend and all.

"Yeah, he was dead," Luke agreed. "And that's something I won't be forgetting anytime soon." It wasn't a matter of saying that he wouldn't forgive, but forgetting-that was more important. It wasn't like Sync would forget where he came from; it wasn't like he would completely drop the part where he had died by their hands. This wasn't something Luke saw as retribution, though, and he knew that most of the God-Generals wouldn't see it that

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Like I care if you don't forget.Even though they weren't said, Sync made sure that his words shone in his eyes. The replica before him was nothing more than a steppingstone, a nuisance that tied him to his responsibilities back in Auldrant. He honestly doubted that Luke would be smart enough to keep his distance, but it wasn't like he expected much in the first place. While Sync knew full well that his stay was still short, so much has happened in Landel's that it was no surprise he didn't bother to put forth the effort to even acknowledge Luke as a threat

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For Luke, it wasn't difficult for him to notice the uncanny-and very annoying-similarities between Sync and Asch. They both chose from what he said to respond to, choosing to simply disregard the rest because it got a little too personal. Giving answers, giving him satisfaction-he knew it was too much to ask, but it didn't remove that little twinge of nagging feeling at the fact that they were like that. It was impossible to try to reason with any of them, even the most rational, even if they had their reasons and Luke understood them.

"It'll be different next time," Luke said, but he had a feeling that Sync would just ignore this, too. "I'll be there by his side, and you won't be as strong as you were before." His tone was flat as he spoke, uneasy, revealing that Sync was getting to him in some way. Not because he feared for Guy-though a part of him did-but because of the aforementioned willingness to go around what Luke said and respond to only what he wished to respond to

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The effort Luke put forth in order to rile Sync up was met with an uninterested scoff, green eyes grazing over Luke's head as if he was paying attention to something else. It was obvious that the replica's words meant nothing to him, just like his existence altogether. While they didn't directly affect each other, it was the redhead's sheer stubbornness that kept their plans from running as fluidly as he would've liked, and for that seeing him alive was unforgivable.

"So you really were here before." Sync's smile had disappeared by then, his tone making it seem like talking to Luke was nothing more than a chore. He glanced back down at the other replica, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly as he continued.

"Where were you when you were here then? Where were you when your friends actually needed you?"

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He tried to hold on to that enthusiasm and ease he mustered up, but it was difficult with the next line of questions that Sync chose to deliver. That was right: Where had he been? If he had a promise to deliver, why wasn't he here for his friends before? Luke knew he should have been there, that if he was so willing to take down this institution, why didn't he fight harder before? If the theories that Guy related to him were correct, it was still easy to manipulate him, to make him think he was someone he wasn't. It meant he really hadn't grown as much as he would have preferred, that he couldn't hold on to his right to exist.

But doubting himself was probably what Sync wanted. Making him wonder about who he was like as this "Brandon"-assuming that was who he became-would only make him slip further in his resolve. Luke fell silent while he mulled over this, remembering how strong he had been when he went up against Master Van that final time. Even if the man's intentions were in line with their own, his intentions and his approaches

[ran_on_empty]

Sync's gaze didn't waver when Luke finally mustered up the courage to look at him again, expression remaining passive as he listened to the replica's words. However, he wasn't aware that a dramatic monologue was necessary to answer his question, and it wasn't like he particularly cared if Luke was trying to convince himself that he was actually useful. He said it himself, didn't he? He didn't know where he'd been, so what was stopping him from making the same, fatal mistake again