[Video]

[mirrorbirth]

[It's early afternoon. The journal flies open and turns on abruptly in mid-air, a blast of resonating energy having blown it away from where it had been placed. As it flies, a few flashes of red, white, and black are visible, and when it lands, Asch and Luke are in the distance, swords clashing, the rec center just beyond where they're fighting.

Comments

[Action]

[cakeblocked]

[Luke had not seen this coming at all. One minute the two of them sparring, then there was that familiar light and Asch's yell, and that feeling of his fonons being stressed, the thing that had knocked him out last time this happened.

All Luke could think was "Not again..." before everything went black

[Action]

[cakeblocked]

's not like I can help it...

[Uuugh. What a pain...

And indeed, this pretty much goes on until they reach the shore. Once Luke can get to the point of walking up to drier land, he shuts the journal regardless of who he's talking to, drops it to the sand, and just falls onto his stomach. Finally. Land. Man, and he promised to take Xion here sometime soon...]

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

[Oh sure, he's tired. All he had to do is half-drown. Asch had to swim them both back!

Not that he's paying any attention at all to Luke. As soon as they're on shore he rolls over, his arm lifting to shield his eyes from the sun as he tries to catch his breath. Damn but was that ever bad luck.]

[Action]

[cakeblocked]

[You try half-drowning in salt water and not be exhausted! 8|

Luke tries to catch his breath too, though he has to shut his mouth, swallow and lightly clear his throat to try and get that parched feeling out of his throat. They do have to get up some time... but Luke would rather just lay here for a while. Nice sand. Nice land.]

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

[He did half drown trying to keep you out of the water you dumb dreck 8|

Once he feels like he has enough air to breathe properly, Asch pushes himself upright, brushing sand out of his hair and clearing his throat of some of the saltwater that had splashed in. He glances sidelong at Luke after a moment.]

Are you still alive?

[Action]

[cakeblocked]

[Luke nods at first, then attempts to push himself up, only to wince and pause once he's bent his back a little and rest his forehead against the sand. Ow, ow... It's no wonder, since he landed on his back, but ow...]

I'm... I'm okay. [He doesn't want to look too weak in front of Asch, after all.]

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

[Yeah, sure you are. Asch scoffs quietly and starts twisting his hair to drain some of the water out of it.]

Dammit... I dropped my sword out there.

[LUKE WHY DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO SWIM ugh what a pain.]

[Action]

[cakeblocked]

[And it just now occurs to Luke that he dropped his own sword, too. He lets out a groan and shuts his eyes. Man...]

Mine's gone, too.

[Slowly, he starts to straighten out, though he lets out a hiss once he gets to his knees.]

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

[Asch curses again, under his breath this time, and smacks his fist against the sand. Great, just great, now they're stuck in the middle of nowhere and they're unarmed. It's true that he still has his fonic artes, but he'd much rather take any kind of wildlife down with a blade. Easier to work with when he's surprised.]

...We need to get back.

[Action]

[cakeblocked]

[Now to attempt to stand. Luke presses one hand against his back as he does so, and he asks through clenched teeth:]

How? Walking? [Luke would rather camp out for the night or something to recover, even knowing he fails at it. Not to mention he's never really been to the ocean before, so he doesn't actually know which way the village is.]

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

Don't be stupid. Walking would take days, and we don't have the supplies. There's supposed to be a teleporter. [He lifts a hand to point towards the small stone fort in the distance.] It was installed over there.

[Action]

[cakeblocked]

[Finally Luke straightens out, and he lets out a sigh, then a wince as his wings give a painful twitch. Ow, he landed on those too, didn't he... No wonder his limbs tingled unpleasantly.

He looks at the fort when Asch gestures to it, blinks, then looks at him to ask something that's probably common knowledge before he even realizes it:] Really? When'd we get a teleporter to the ocean?

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

It was announced a few months ago. [He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time, but with the beach being such a focus of attention for the villagers these days, it being so new to everyone, it was only a matter of time before the memory of its mention became important.

Pursing his lips, he pushes slightly against the ground to test his strength, then halts as he feels his muscles protest. Not yet, then. Instead he reaches out to retrieve Luke's journal, flipping through it.]

Sounds like we didn't kill anyone with that hyperresonance. Good.

[Probably using too casual a tone there, but oh well.]

[Action]

[cakeblocked]

Oh...

[It figures that Asch wasn't ready to stand yet - he did all of the work. Luke would flop back down beside him if he felt like working to stand up again, and with everything aching so much, he's not really looking forward to that.

Once Asch says that last part, though, Luke takes a step back in shock, only to grimace. It helps with what he protests, though.]

Don't say it like that! If we killed anyone, we...

[Action]

[mirrorbirth]

We didn't. You shouldn't dwell on what-ifs. [He'd never had time for that sort of thing back home, and god had it ever been tempting sometimes. What if he'd never been replicated, what if he'd been rescued, what if he'd just called to his family-

You can waste your life away with thoughts like that.]

[Action]

[cakeblocked]

... Right. [Figures that Asch was right about these things. Still... Luke feels this isn't really a matter they should treat lightly. If they were a little closer to the village... He has to wonder if the rec center is still standing.

And now he's tired of standing, so he'll fall heavily to his knees, take a moment to wince and bear the pain, then look up at Asch.]

Thanks.