Sniping the sixty-fifth target.

[haroicsacrifice]

[ voice ]

--this still working?

[The device shuts on and off a few times. For a moment, it switches to video, revealing this scene. Then it's back to voice.]

See? We aren't so trapped. We can still communicate. That's important, isn't it?

[More loudly:]This is Lockon Stratos of the Curse Brigade, calling off this effort to rescue those trapped

Comments

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[worthier]

I should have known it wouldn't be so simple.

[He's still taken aback by how real it had looked-- Veda, a machine impossible to duplicate, is identical to this vision right down to the background streams of accurate data. It's enough to almost anger him, adding insult to injury now that he knows the connection wasn't terminated, but stolen. If these surroundings are all drawn from memory, though... he isn't surprised at all. There is a frustrated sigh, barely audible, before he shifts closer.]

All they can do now is continue guarding the perimeter.

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[worthier]

[Allowing himself a moment to rest, Tieria sits, leaving enough space for Lockon if he decides on joining. That he's comforted by those words, despite everything, is something he would never admit.]

Shouldn't it disturb you? If my suspicions are right, this may be related to what happened for you. And your family.

[He doesn't mean to bring it up, but it's something he has to know on the off-chance there's anything he can do.]

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Disturb me?

[It's only then that he realizes that Tieria has figured out where they are, or at least what it looks like.]

No, it's not a problem. I--

[And then Tieria has to add that last bit. And your family. Lockon hasn't had the chance, for most of his time in the City, to take time out to treasure his grief and his anger. He doesn't mind, really, that he'll never be able to visit the grave again--better to know that he'll be with them, when he does move on from here--but he does mind, he realizes belatedly, that he's less in control of where and how he expresses his pain.

His expression goes blank as he fights to keep control of himself and not show the sudden ache he feels. He presses one gloved hand against the smooth wall and holds it there tightly.]

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[worthier]

[So he'd been correct, after all. For once, Tieria wishes he wasn't. Unsettling as it is, seeing Lockon so affected, he has to fix the situation he knows he just made worse.]

Lockon, I didn't want to remind you this way.

[That's not sufficient. Lowering his head, he moves to get up.]

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[A sudden stab of guilt joins the grief and frustration Lockon is fending off. The moment he sees Tieria start to get up, he pushes away from the wall and turns. It's a good thing, in a way, that the room is so small. He barely has to move before he's sitting on the bench next to Tieria, first pushing him back down to the bench and then hugging him close with one arm. For the moment, he's grateful that their relationship has changed, become more complicated, recently. He can touch Tieria more, and that means he can offer more comfort.]

Don't talk like that. It's not your fault, how I feel. Anyway, I knew what this place was. I just didn't want you worrying about it.

[Change the subject, change the subject--]

How did you figure it out? I didn't think you knew much about that kind of thing.

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[worthier]

[Caught very much off guard, there isn't a great deal Tieria can do about the sudden movement but obey and seat himself again. He begins a slight protest, and then comes the hug. There is part of him that wants not to be outdone, reciprocating-- which means his own arm tentatively draping around his waist. Lockon deserves comforting, too, because he is just as human.]

Don't try to pretend on my account, Lockon. Your reaction was clear.

[A pause.]

My knowledge on the subject is limited, but I have visited a cemetery before. I wanted to see you.

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[The reciprocation startles Lockon, and he just barely manages to keep from drawing away in surprise. Somehow, it hadn't occurred to him that Tieria would ever take initiative like that. It's a good thing, though, isn't it? He smiles, to show he approves--

And that smile fades to blank surprise with Tieria's next statement.]

Tieria...

[Tieria is so warm against him, and he's so grateful for that warmth. For the reminder that the people he cares about are alive and have a future to go to, and he does not.

If he's going to be thinking that way while holding Tieria, he realizes, he owes him an explanation of some sort. He can't put it off any longer.]

What I did wasn't fair to you. The way I left...I'm sorry.

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[worthier]

Was that acceptable?

[Noticing how Lockon moves in response, Tieria starts a little as well. He is now at the point where body temperature barely registers anymore, and even if it had, he'd concentrate on maintaining warmth instead.]

You're not the one at fault. No matter what, I will make sure you stay with me. To guide me.

[Still, his eyes shut for a moment.]

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Uh-huh. That was fine.

[Tieria can tell Lockon, It wasn't your fault, all he wants, and Lockon will still know the truth, now. At the same time--]

I'd do it again. You know that, too. You're starting to know a lot about me. Is it all right if I tell you a little more? I don't know if it will help guide you, but you deserve to know.

[He leans a little closer, tips Tieria's head towards him so he can rest his chin on it. It's a kind of preemptive apology for what he's about to say.]

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[worthier]

... Yes. At the same time, you know I will continue to stop history from repeating itself for as long as possible.

[Even if, as a result of all this, he grasps the urge for revenge. Slipping a more conventionally human phrase in was no accident-- he hopes Lockon noticed. Then, his gaze turns more attentive, maybe thankful.]

I would like to learn everything you can share.

[After all, the rules regarding their past were done away with some time ago. Willingly, he leans further. In here of all places, up goes his heart rate again.]

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[Lockon smiles, just barely, at that human turn of phrase.]

You can do it when it matters, Tieria. I trust you.

[Maybe that'll soften the blow of what he's about to say--]

Once I knew for sure we weren't really back home, I was relieved. I don't want to go back. I don't want to have to live again.

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You should. It was you who made me this way.

[It's only half-sarcasm, though that's impressive in and of itself coming from him. Of course, what follows is much more sober, and anyone can plainly see he needs to prepare himself.]

Lockon, I already felt that you never planned on coming back alive. But why wouldn't you use another chance, if you had one?

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[At first, that hint of levity draws a smile from Lockon. Then the meaning hits him, and he has to turn away. At least he only turns his head--he's still holding Tieria, still letting himself be held. On the one hand, the knowledge that he shaped Tieria so much is a salve to him (and a little bit attractive in a strange way). On the other...he was sure at the time he was doing the right thing, but some of the behavior he's seen from Tieria here has made him doubt.

That, he tells himself, is one of the reasons he has to tell Tieria these things. So Tieria can know what ways he shouldn't learn from Lockon.]

It's more like why would I.

[It's not an easy thing for him to explain. So he settles for something simple, something he knows will only make Tieria wonder more. It's all he can say for now.]

I don't think I could find it in me to change enough.

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[worthier]

[Indeed, he takes on a pretty obviously confused stare at that, trying to evaluate the meaning until Lockon speaks up again. Now he just seems pained, and is.]

I don't understand. When Celestial Being was rebuilt, we all changed. To think you would be incapable of doing the same... it isn't fair.

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[He looks back in time to see that pained look on Tieria's face, and it hurts him too. More than that, it frustrates him. Why couldn't Tieria have these feelings for someone other than him? Setsuna, maybe, or Feldt, or anyone else who could change and be with him in the future.

But it's Lockon instead, and as confusing as it is, he can't entirely regret it.]

I didn't want to change. I just wanted to kill that man and protect Lyle's future. I've done all I can, so there isn't a reason for me to go back.

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Your brother was worth surviving for, was he not?

[But Tieria can't say the last part is a feeling he has no concept of, with a strange relief at being able to empathize regardless of how inappropriate.]

I've experienced that sentiment before. After I faced the UN for your sake and the plan's, my mission was complete. It did not matter whether I lived or died.

[Ah. Best to clarify in case he worries--]

Now I know that if I go where you are before the proper time, you will most likely be upset. There are still many things I have left to do.