(Untitled)

[faterecanted]

Who: mirrorbirth, cakeblocked, and faterecanted
What: Best Worst arrival luck ever
When: 9/9
Where: CH2, Floor 1, Apt 5
Summary: Asch and Luke never expected to see him again. And Van certainly never expected to wake up in their shower.
Rating: PG13 for attempted murder and ~inappropriate shoulder touching~

Comments

[mirrorbirth]

[Generally, noises in the apartment don't catch his attention much anymore- with an active pair of animals around the place (neither of which seem to get along very well) and Luke adding to the company (so very talkative) he's learned to ignore it for the most part. But he knows to keep his ears open for certain things, particularly the mention of certain people. Especially when it comes time for the arrival of New Feathers.

So when he hears Luke shout Master, Asch abandons his lunch preparation in favour of grabbing his sword and charging for the bathroom. He'd heard the door lock, but that doesn't mean much to him; his shoulder is hunched in just the right way to break the lock open. Van. Van could be here. No locks could possibly keep him away from this.

Unfortunately he doesn't expect the door to open just as he reaches it, so he enters the bathroom with a snarl of "MOVE, YOU STUPID-" - which is all the time he has for words before he crashes right into his very startled replica, sending them both tumbling to the floor in a pile of identical red hair and discomfort. With a sword and more than a little rage on top of that.]

[cakeblocked]

[Very startled indeed; Luke had expected to run out and call for Asch, not to feel his original crash into his back and make them both sprawl out on the floor. There's not much Luke can do from there - with Asch on top of him and himself dazed from what just happened, all he can do is wince and wait for the world to fling back into place. At least he's trying to get back up, with his hands braced against the floor as if he'll spring back up and rush out to grab his own sword once his senses return.

Yes, Van, these are your students.]

[faterecanted]

[It would be Asch. It would be Asch, with a sword and murderous intent. Normally, this would be a minor inconvenience, but he is not really in the mood to deal with Asch's temper tantrums at the moment.

He is also not in the mood to be stabbed.

Thankfully, the two of them are in fine form today, and stabbing looks to be a remote possibility. And stabbing is going to stay a remote possibility. Tear isn't the only one with a lullaby in their arsenal.]

[mirrorbirth]

You bastard, get out of- ...nngh... [Asch manages to get halfway upright before he starts to tilt sideways instead of standing, struggling to stay at least on his knees by using the sword as a bracer and the wall for extra support. Stubbornly he tries for a last-ditch effort to unsheathe the sword and stab it in Van's direction, but he barely gets it halfway free before he loses his balance and slumps over once more, submitting - however reluctantly - to the power of Yulia's hymn.]

[cakeblocked]

A-Asch... [It figures that Asch is still the first thing on his mind even under the power of Yulia's hymn. Normally the sound of Van's singing voice would calm Luke, but now he wants to fight against it, to get Van out of their apartment and, most of all, away from Asch. He pushes himself up and gets one leg under him, even though his limbs feel like lead, and he reaches out to try and grab Asch's shoulder just as his original slumps over -

Which proves to be a mistake, as he loses his balance and falls forward. As if he's making one last effort to fight, Luke reaches his other hand out, and it brushes against the edge of the tub just as his vision darkens and fades under the power of the hymn.]

[faterecanted]

[As soon as they're down, Van confiscates that sword. Once it's in his possession, he takes a moment to watch them. Just a short one.] There's no need to keep doing this.

[Foolish boys. If only they would listen...

But his moment passes quickly, and then he realizes he'll need to work fast, to find useful items and leave before- ...or... Or to make them listen to him, at least once more. He'll need something to bind them with, to start.

It's when he's lifting Asch off the floor, the hymn still on the tip of his tongue, that he notices a book which must have been in the shower with him. A book with his name on it. He'll come back for that, after he's got the replica taken care of as well. Now... where to put them?]

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch comes to not long after, and his first instinct to rub his forehead, still stinging from its unpleasant collision with the floor. And that's when he notices he can't move. The bastard tied him up...! Cursing inwardly, he glances around, first for Luke, then for Van. The replica's nearby in the same situation, and Van... well, he's keeping his mouth shut, just in case Van is otherwise occupied. Maybe they can figure out some sort of escape plan.]

[cakeblocked]

[Luke wakes soon after Asch, and he comes to the same conclusion much in the same way that his original does. His cheek ached from falling, but he couldn't rub it like he wanted to. What -

He was tied up! Van must've...

Luke pushes himself up against the bonds for a second before he realizes that they're too tight to get loose that way; just as expected from Van. His head darts as he looks for the two of them, first Asch, then Van. His eyes automatically widen a little when he sees Van, though he manages to tear his gaze away enough to glance at Asch, and to reach out through their connection to give him the mental equivalent of a nudge. If they wanted to get out of this situation without Van knowing, they'd have to speak through that.]

[faterecanted]

[Van doesn't get any satisfaction out of their reactions. Fear and anger are to be expected, after coming to tied up. He'd rather it wasn't necessary, but Asch was always difficult, and even the replica was becoming so.

While he waited for them to awaken, he'd learned a couple things about his situation. The book was full of messages from other people -- people who clearly expected them to be responded to. And they all seemed to have wings. Those were definitely not there before.

He hides his annoyance at this reasonably well -- someone had done something to him, without his knowledge or consent -- and instead regards them both with a level gaze.] I would release you, Asch, if I trusted you to not attack me.

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch glowers quietly at Van for a long moment, debating his options. Not that he really had any right now besides "cooperate and be released" or "don't cooperate and stay tied up all day". Neither of those were particularly appealing.

His gaze shoots briefly in Luke's direction, irritated by the mental poke, then reluctantly - and quietly - opens the link. It's a sad fact that they have little choice here.

"I don't feel Lorelei's power. He must be from before he fell into the core."

Either that, or the Malnosso have the power to remove something as powerful as Lorelei... which is pretty scary. Message sent, he returns his attention to Van.]

You want information.

[cakeblocked]

[Luke doesn't glance at Asch as he says that message - Van might realize what they're doing if they keep looking at each other while sending messages. For the thousandth time, he's thankful that Asch hasn't made the connection painful for the past few months. But Luke does frown, though it looks more like a cringe than anything. So... his master is from before Luke and his friends...

And so, he was once again the poor, pitiful replica. Of course, he was always that way in Van's eyes... And now he's tied up, leaving him vulnerable to whatever Van says.

As much as he wants to lock eyes with Van and look at him with defiance in his eyes, he can't help turning his head away a little, as if in an effort to get away from it all. Instead of the bite he wanted to show, he only has hesitant hope instead, hope and fear.]

Right... You just got here, didn't you?

[It's more of a statement than a question. Really, he just wants to know what Van has found out so far, now that he's been here for... however long Luke and Asch were out.]

[faterecanted]

So it seems. [Van moves to stand behind Asch, where he can rest his hands on the boy's shoulders, and also where he can look at Luke without Asch seeing. Asch has attacked him twice in a short length of time. Playing them against each other would be delicate work. The replica was inferior, but perhaps for the moment it would be best to keep his options open.]

What do you know? [The question is accompanied by a look towards Luke that is as sharp as it is falsely fond, and also a squeeze of Asch's shoulders that is only just too hard to be affectionate.]

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch's shoulders are stiff when Van touches them - and he might notice that they're broader than they used to be if he's inclined to notice such things. There's a ripple of anger that crosses into the link, and Asch's hands work carefully against his restraints, searching in vain for any weakness in the knots. He's not expecting to find any, however- Van is too careful. He's always too careful. Which means they're yet again on their own. A restrained hyperresonance could do it, but at this point Luke is probably too close for it to be worth the risk.

So... for the moment, they'll have to cooperate.]

You've been kidnapped. Welcome to Luceti. [His tone makes his intent clear- see how it feels, and more obviously, you're not welcome here.]

[cakeblocked]

[The anger that rippled through the link is mirrored and sent right back at Asch, as the hands on his shoulders makes Luke look sharply up at Van. For once, probably for the first time ever, Luke's eyes flash with restrained defiance and anger as they meet with Van's. For once, Luke doesn't think about what Van's thinking, how he'll measure up to him. He just wants him to get away from his original.

For a few seconds he doesn't speak, and when he does it's a lower tone, as if trying to hold back from shouting.]

That's right. It doesn't matter how hard you try, either; you can't get out of here. None of us can.

[Despite his words, his hands clench tightly from behind him. He can't believe he's speaking to his own master like this... Months ago he never would've been able to. What changed...?]

[faterecanted]

[That Asch is so angry is to be expected, but the replica... Van doesn't move, though he does ease his grip on Asch's shoulders -- ease, but not release.]

Abducted [Honestly, Asch. Only children are kidnapped.] by who?

[Then he shifts his attention to Luke, although it's doubtless uncomfortable attention to have.] Too tight, Luke? [And when he says 'Luke', his tone doesn't sound even a little like 'trash'.]

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch remains still, trying to remain settled despite the persistent touch. It's taking every ounce of calm to keep from trying to escape the man's grasp, chair and all. He can deal with this. Van isn't going to push him around anymore. For once, he and Luke are united in something.

"Stop doing that, replica. It won't help us if you keep trying to make him angry."

Though it's unlikely that anything Luke says will anger Van; the commandant tended to be more amused or dismissive of the replica's behaviour.]

All we're told is that a group known as the Malnosso are in control of this area, and a barrier is keeping us inside. [He pauses, then adds-] This isn't Auldrant.