Comments | rivelatalogs: I just want to be at Châteaubriant tonight. [EVENT

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I just want to be at Châteaubriant tonight. [EVENT - OPEN TO ALL]

Mar 05, 2008 00:31

WHO: The Queen, and all her guests.
WHAT: The ball.
WHERE: Châteaubriant Ballroom, within the queen's castle.
WHEN: Today, all night.

EVENT - THE FIRST BALL
Châteaubriant Ballroom.

( The gates that lead up to the castle were open early that morning. )

Ω sawada tsunayoshi, Ω hinamori amu, Ω kagura, Ω johnny c., Ω lambo, Ω demyx, Ω peter petrelli, Ω sora, Ω ruby, Ω hitachiin hikaru, Ω rosa farrell, Ω sam winchester, Ω npc - immaculada, Ω cho hakkai, Ω peony ix, Ω jade curtiss, Ω schuldig, Ω daisya barry, ! main plot, Ω fon master ion, Ω noda megumi, Ω naminé, Ω yuffie kisaragi, kuja, Ω sync the tempest, Ω balthier, Ω cloud strife, Ω lenalee lee, Ω farfarello, place - castle, Ω red-haired shanks, Ω brad crawford, event - châteaubriant ballroom, Ω luke fon fabre, Ω rhode kamelot, Ω asch the bloody, Ω cain highwind, Ω kanda yuu, Ω gregory house, Ω claire bennet, Ω aerith gainsborough, Ω cross marian, Ω hitachiin kaoru, Ω bela talbot, Ω naoe nagi, Ω roxas, Ω selphie tilmitt, Ω van grants, Ω okita sougo, Ω dean winchester, Ω fujioka haruhi, Ω chomesuke, Ω lust, kurama/minamino shuuichi, Ω hayato gokudera

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Re: [Closed to Asch] not_about_logic March 5 2008, 22:51:57 UTC

This was the only clothing he'd ever worn for ceremony, and though it grated on his nerves-already frayed to the snapping point after his meeting with Van, which had given him much to think about and little faculties with which to process those thoughts-he was forced to make himself presentable. His gloves, black, were bulky over the bandages wrapped around his hands. His palms were still stiff and sore and he held them awkwardly by his side, where they throbbed dully, aching sharp and sudden from time to time.

If the replica thought that Asch was staying any longer than the amount of time needed to get some information and get out, then he was mistaken as always. What an idiot he was! And yet, his words from the day before had haunted Asch since the moment he'd read them. The replica was different. As always, it was Asch's greatest hope and greatest fear that the replica would be able to stand on his own. And here he was, standing on his own, in the shadow of a tall column. On his own.

The architecture, Asch thought, was nothing like they had at Daath or at Baticul. High buttresses, dramatic light, ornate couches, guests-strangers-filtering in and out. And the replica, waiting for him. Wearing the same thing.

It was insult to injury, lemon juice on old wounds. He would have clenched his fists but he wasn't going to risk the replica seeing him wince.

At least he'd been able to keep the replica waiting. There was a jittery, nervous energy that surrounded him-Asch noticed this as he noticed everything the replica did, every last detail, with a ferocious obsession matched only by the same attention paid to Van. Their one-time master. Who was here. Asch wanted to talk about it, but they had hashed it through enough on the journals, although Asch would never, perhaps, be able to hash it through enough. He'd tried to speak to Van, but Van had only given him further reason to doubt his actions.

The replica had no reason to doubt. The replica could do what Asch couldn't. Now, more than ever, he was certain of that. He would push the replica as far as he could, just as- Just as Van had done to him.

He cleared his throat, announcing himself like a true gentleman. The only way he knew how. Not looking at the replica anymore, his eyes narrowed and his jaw hard.

[Closed to Asch] fonfabrulous March 6 2008, 01:09:19 UTC

Luke jumped slightly, unable to help himself, banging his elbow against the column he’d been leaning against. “Asch!” Asch.

All the words he’d been reliving in his head all night, everything he’d written to Asch, came floating up to the surface. He’d gone too far, and he knew it. He’d made threats, but they’d been threatening each other as long as they’d known each other. This had been different. This had been Luke-telling Asch what it came down to. Making the difference between them as clear as he possibly could. If Asch sided with Van, then they were enemies. It was as simple as that. He’d as good as drawn a line in the sand. Then Asch had written… That thing, and Luke was confused all over again.

Was that what he’d been trying to get out of him, all along?

Luke clenched his jaw, knowing full well that his confusion would show on his face despite his best attempts to the contrary. He wished he could be more like Asch, who always hid what he was thinking so effectively that it was all Luke could do not to crack his head open just to see what the hell was in there once and for all.

He wanted to ask if Asch was all right, but he stopped himself. The question had never resulted in more than defensive anger, as though Luke had insulted Asch’s competence simply by asking after his health. Instead, Luke tried to look him over, as surreptitiously as he could, worry and jealousy burning a battle together in his stomach. Asch had met with Master Van. He’d returned relatively unscathed, too, which must have meant that what Luke had thought all along was true-Master Van had always wanted Asch to join him, and never Luke. Van would never accept an inferior replica.

Still, even as the familiar feeling of inadequacy settled over him, there was something different beneath it, sharp and real like the edge of Asch’s sword against his neck. He wanted Van’s acceptance more than anything.

But he didn’t need it.

“So, um,” he tugged at his gloves, staring at Asch’s shoulder. They were the same height, but for whatever reason it always seemed like Asch loomed over him.

"You want to go in?"

He didn’t have any idea what people were supposed to do at these things. Elegant string music drifted into the hall from the ballroom. Various people filtered in and out, some of whom Luke recognized from their little portraits in the journals. At least there was food.

Re: [Closed to Asch] not_about_logic March 6 2008, 01:22:57 UTC

Maybe the replica didn't need it. But Asch did. Asch sized him up, gaze narrowed around a slight curiosity. If you could say one thing about the replica, it was that he was always changing. You could never predict him. Another reason why he was better for the task of defeating Van--even Van, who had created him, couldn't possibly have known him. The replica didn't yet know himself.

It could work against him. It could work for him. Asch had staked so much on it already that he had to trust it, despite all he shouted, despite all he protested, despite all he said. The worst part about him was that he refused to depend on anyone. Not since Van--

Not since Van.

"You had the plan," he snapped, jaw tightening, expression hardening, locking the replica out. The moment of thoughtfulness had disappeared, leaving only his unforgiving, unreadable features behind. The last thing he was going to do was let the replica see him waver. The replica needed an example. "So what was it."

Re: [Closed to Asch] fonfabrulous March 6 2008, 01:50:43 UTC

I thought you could use a night out, Luke didn’t say. Maybe he would have before, before Van showed up, and things hadn’t seemed so vital, so near. Now he felt just a little bit too raw for jokes. He didn’t want Asch to turn around and leave just because he’d said something stupid. Not when it had taken Luke so long to get him here in the first place.

"I thought we could look around," he said, indicating the expansive ballroom, with its high, arching ceiling. He hadn’t seen anything like it before, not even in Baticul. "There are guards all over the place, so she must be in this castle."

The truth was, he didn’t exactly have much of a plan. He worried at the fingertips of his gloves, plucking them loose and pulling them tight again. He’d asked Asch out of instinct, of wanting and needing to have someone with him in order to investigate things. The 'looking into things' excuse had come later, when Asch had brought the mystery woman to their rendezvous, effectively cornering any chance he had at honesty. Well. Maybe it was too late for that now, anyway.

On impulse, Luke slipped his arm through Asch’s, pulling him into the ballroom proper.

"Come on," he said, quietly.

[Closed to Luke] not_about_logic March 6 2008, 02:09:37 UTC

Maybe they would have had more of a chance if Van hadn't come. But now Van was here. And Van had made everything clear--or perhaps he'd complicated things further--explaining things, as he always did, in riddles and obfuscations, never quite letting Asch know what it was he wanted or what he needed, what Asch could give him.

The difference now was that the replica no longer wanted to give it to him, but Asch was still stuck in the middle, that liminal space between boy and man, between servitude and freedom, between original and replica. The replica had found his way out, and Asch might have--might have--accepted the gloved hand that he was still half-heartedly offering, if it had just been the two of them, trying, however miserably, to hash things out.

The opportunity was lost now. Asch was weary, and he was tired of fighting. On top of that, he was just tired.

And now the replica was touching him, grabbing him, pulling him along after the irresistible tide that was the new Luke fon Fabre. "What are you--" Asch began. "Replica," he hissed, dragged into the ballroom, where the lights were bright and there were so many damn people.

Re: [Closed to Luke] fonfabrulous March 6 2008, 03:02:30 UTC

“Wow,” Luke breathed, taken aback at the sheer volume of the space, the lights and the music and the smells of the food. He wished he’d brought Ion along too, just for the pastries. He’d have to wrap some up in a napkin and bring them back to the inn for him. Besides, Asch was uncomfortable enough as it was, and Luke didn’t want to subject Ion to any of his misguided rage. Not that it was misguided-it was just that-he couldn’t always direct it at Luke, and other people got caught in the crossfire.

He glanced sidelong at Asch. From this close, it was easy to see how tired he was, how pale. Had he really been training all that time, by himself?

There was a moment-there was always a moment-when it became impossible to ignore physical proximity. It had happened with Tear multiple times, a gesture without thinking, on impulse, and then all of a sudden becoming uncomfortably…aware. Of what was happening. So it was with Luke’s arm through Asch’s, something he’d done on a stupid whim, only now he was noticing it and he didn’t-exactly-know what to do. Because to be honest, he didn’t want to pull away. He’d never been this close to Asch without the God General threatening to kill him, and Luke was so curious, there were so many things he wanted to know that he couldn’t get out of Asch by asking.

“So, uh, are you hungry?”

[Closed to REPLICA] not_about_logic March 6 2008, 17:00:37 UTC

"I thought we were here to do work," Asch growled, low enough that no one else would hear and have cause to look over--the last thing he do was want to draw attention to him, to them together, in the crowd of fellow attendees--but loud enough that the replica would know Asch wasn't his friend, wasn't accepting this so easily, and wasn't going to have fun.

Food would only distract the replica from getting down to business. Asch hadn't come in order to be wooed in this stupid attempt of the replica's to make him see how things could be. He was here because they had to work together--because maybe with two of them they could actually be one whole person on this damn island.

With a bandaged hand, he managed to push just slightly at the replica's hand. Not so close. What the hell was he thinking? What was he trying to achieve?

"We've just got to look for the queen," he muttered. "In case you've forgotten the purpose of this--" He made a disgusted face to illustrate.

[Closed to Asch] fonfabrulous March 6 2008, 20:50:18 UTC

"I didn't forget," Luke snapped, losing his calm veneer for a moment. It was hard to keep it up so constantly, when Asch seemed to make a point of pressing all his buttons at once, as hard and as often as he could. Being around Asch was like sensory overload for all his emotions. Whatever he was feeling, it was always too much of it.

"She's supposed to be a kid, right?" He let go of Asch's arm as soon as he felt the push, not wanting to press his luck further than he already had. That Asch was here at all was already well beyond what he'd expected. "I figure we look for a girl who's talking to that House guy, we'll probably have our man. Uh--girl, I guess."

Asch probably wasn't hungry.

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