[001]

[raisedroyal]

[Natalia looks around herself cautiously and adjusts her quiver strap. Only moments before she had been following behind Luke and the others as they made their way through the desert, and now they have all seemingly left her! Luke... wouldn't abandon her, would he? Certainly not after he had promised! ...Unless perhaps in his eagerness to join up

Comments

...I'm sorry.

[fonicfraccion]

[It was kind of hard to miss that loud screeching, even if he didn't have much better hearing. He sighed faintly, following the sound of the princess's voice, emerging behind her.]

Natalia, there is absolutely no reason for you to bellow like that.

[Sorry, but if you were expecting a long haired whiner... you're out of luck. You're getting a short haired creeper with a weird bone mask on his face.]

It's okay, bro.

[raisedroyal]

[Natalia spins around on the heels of her feet, readying herself to nock an arrow before she realizes the person who spoke is indeed Luke.]

Luke! [She frowns up at him, but lowers her voice (and the bow) this time. Luke was always one to speak his mind, but she doesn't precisely appreciate his word choice just now.]

'Absolutely no reason'? Then perhaps you could explain why you left me behind. I thought we had reached an agreement...

[Her eyes dart back and forth across his face, taking him in. Finally her eyebrows crease in confusion.] Luke, what are you wearing? This is no time to be masquerading around, not with things as they are.

^^;;;

[fonicfraccion]

[Luke couldn't keep the amused smirk off his face as he leaned back against a tree, folding his arms over his chest. The tree creaked softly in protest... maybe because it was old, not because Luke pressed back against it harder than he intended. That would be silly.]

My apologies, Princess, but you'll have to put whatever important thing you were in the middle of on pause until the multiverse decides to return you to your place in the fabric of reality.

[raisedroyal]

[Well, in either case, Natalia is less worried about the tree than she is the young man who gave her such a fright. And just what is he up to anyhow? Not only is he refusing to take off that ridiculous costume, but he's behaving quite strangely.]

Luke...? [She frowns, clearly not sure what to make of this situation.] What are you saying and what precisely do you mean by this 'multiverse'?

[A note of worry.] Are you ill?

[mixolydianmode]

[ How perfect! Luke here is from just before Zao. Though with dressing room development, so there's a chance he won't be such a brat! ]

Agh, shut up already!

[ ...or maybe not. ]

[raisedroyal]

[Yes, well. Dealing with this once is one matter, dealing with it twice consecutively is just plain rude. And (un)fortunately, there's no confusion attached this time, because Luke is certainly both looking and acting as he should.]

[She turns in his direction, a scowl clear on her features and her hands on her hips in a clear expression of indignation. A/N: not the arte.]

Luke! Is that any way for you to be speaking to your fiancée? Do you have any idea how worried I was?

[mixolydianmode]

[ Now that Luke's had a moment to think about it, he just blew his chance of escaping without a lecture. Dammit. Not that he would have let Natalia here on her own. But if his brain-to-mouth filter had been working, he could have stuck with a simple "Over here". ]

[ Instead it's time to face the wrath of Natzilla. Which he does by staying well out of her reach and sulking. If Natalia could use Indignation, everyone would be screwed. ]

Yeah, well, you didn't have to go hollering! All that'd do is attract monsters!

Natzilla can use it. She can.

[raisedroyal]

[Sorry, Luke. That's not good enough for her. She was very concerned, and to hear nothing but complaints right now... it's simply unacceptable. Aren't they supposed to be in this together? Aren't they destined one day to rule Kimlasca together, not as individuals, but as a team?]

And just how would you have known where I was if I hadn't raised my voice? [She heaves a sigh, and backs down just a little. After all, this is Luke; she doesn't want to remain angry with him.] There don't seem to be any monsters present, but if we had remained split, who can say what might have happened to one of us!

surewhynot

[replacednoble]

Don't compare me to that idiot.

[There's certainly a redhead in the direction she's demanding at, but it's certainly not a Luke.

And he's glaring at the insult. For as she would soon learn; he considers being called "Luke" a very bad insult.] Just what's your problem Natalia? Did you confuse us for a moment and actually speak about what you really wanted? Because you're not leaving here any sooner than I am.

yay

[raisedroyal]

I...! [Natalia blinks suddenly, completely caught off-guard. She was certain Luke had been there only a moment before. Now she finds herself facing down that man. The one who kidnapped Fon Master Ion. The one who bears an eerie resemblance to Luke. She hesitates, and it's only after a moment that she manages to straighten up and regain some of her dignity.]

You're Asch the Bloody, are you not? One of the Six God-Generals who serve the Order of Lorelei.

[Cautiously, because very little of that made any sense to her. Why should he be speaking to her in that way?]

What business do you have with me?

[replacednoble]

[Asch stares a moment. She's either developed amnesia, or the time thing he'd been told about. He's not pleased about this, and can't keep it to himself since she has no idea where they are. His expression drifts from angry to calm. Only she would ever get something like that.]

That's right. [a beat] I don't have any, I guess. You don't know where you are, do you?

[raisedroyal]

[It's a rather drastic change, and one Natalia can't help noticing. It's also impossible to mistake his dislike of Luke. It was clearly present back at the factory as well. Curious.]

[Curiouser still that he has no need of her. Thankfully this admission rules out the possibility of Asch being her kidnapper. Even still, she's not entirely sure she can trust him.]

Oh? That isn't how it sounded to me at all. But in answer to your question, I know that our current location isn't where I was only moments ago.

What do you know of this phenomenon? I believe you mentioned something about being unable to leave.