Iiii don't own Tales of the Abyss!!! I hope everyone is enjoying it, as bloody slow as I am... Sorry if this chapter is a smidge short, ehehe
"It's none of your concern, replica." He snapped back, still holding a grudge even after all the events of before.
"Oh, but it is, Asch." Jade remarked, stepping forward as he pressed his glasses back against the bridge of his nose, the red-head turning his glare onto him in the process. "You see…We would like to know exactly what you're doing to the Sephiroth. As helpful as I'm sure it is; there could be some drawbacks to your work that you haven't thought of yet."
"Yes," added Tear, "Shutting down the Sephiroth could be one thing—but reversing the fonon activity in order to increase the product is another—"
An impatient grunt escaped his throat as he tossed his head to the side, not wanting to deal with Luke's party now. He wanted to finish with the Sephiroth fast enough that they wouldn't screw it up with their own theories. If, in truth, what he was doing really did affect Auldrant negatively, then he would immediately take the blame and fix it again. It was no problem for him to accept mistakes—it had never been a problem, unlike another red-head.
"Booo, talk about rude!" Anise pouted, crossing her arms tightly. "If you're doing something bad, don't go blaming anyone else in the end! It'll be all on you!"
Luke seemed to flinch at her words, glancing over at the youngest girl with rather sad eyes. He may want to remember what he had been responsible for, but it certainly hurt even when she used the example against someone else "Anise…"
"You don't think I know that? I'm not stupid, like some people." Asch's teal eyes shifted back to Luke with a barely audible growl, his own companion catching the sound with an uncomfortable switch of her footing. How did the replica manage to reunite with everyone, while Asch was once again dumped in a place where no one knew he still existed? It had been a lucky break after a while, perhaps, but the initial return to Auldrant—alive and well—was one of shock, pain, then the return of his bitter anger. He was the original; didn't he belong here more than his copy? Shouldn't Lorelei have taken the fake back, even if Asch had died prior to the end of Van? Luke was obviously important to many people—but it would have been Asch had he never been created, right? Perhaps even a thousand times more—as Luke had the dragging, selfish attitude about him before the destruction of Akzeriuth. Yet, not one of his companions truly turned away from him. It disgusted him—even now, a couple of years after he had even died—how much Luke meant to so many people.
And Asch, probably meant barely anything to two.
Lorei, still clutching his cloak behind him, dared not move, hoping the new company was friendly—though the way they spoke seemed to confirm that, despite some smart remarks. If she poked her head out from behind him, however, it might get attention he wouldn't want to be stuck with. The curiosity was beginning to build up within her at hearing the benevolent tone in the voices though, hard as she tried to remain still. She could feel some tension emanating from Asch, her head dropping slightly with dread. He could very well end up abandoning her in a flurry of rage if the others infuriated him enough…
"I'm not going to waste my time with you. Perhaps I'll explain once I'm finished." He finally said, though the "perhaps" he used in his sentence a rather obvious "I'll never".
"Well, if you won't tell us, then," Natalia began, smiling a little when Asch shifted his gaze back to her instantly. "Then…maybe we could join you."
"Natalia," Guy warned quietly—stomped on the foot in the process by the princess. "Oof!"
"You can leave us in the dark for as long as you want—just let us help you! I'm sure it must be tiring to be all alone." She held out her arms invitingly, as if she expected him to run forward and embrace her.
Not in front of the replica, he wouldn't. Definitely not in front of the little brat or the colonel either. Not on his life.
"Tiring?" I'm not alone though. The former God General turned his head slightly to glance behind him, down at the child. Not this time around. After a moment, Natalia's words struck at his memories—not to mention his quick temper; his eyes, tone and words directed towards Luke rather than her, never her. "You have no idea."
With a saddened wince, Natalia stepped back, though she stared stubbornly at her childhood friend. Guy made his own attempt to comfort the princess with a hand on her shoulder—she only smiled half-way, eyes still on the red-head.
The replica seemed to step back at his original's gaze, dropping his head slightly at the same time as the princess' movement. Asch, I'm—
What do you want? A small voice inquired.
…Asch? Are we…still connected?
Why are you bothering him? You'll just make him angry and leave…
"Him"…? Wh—!! Wait a minute—
"You're not coming with me. I don't need help from any of you." Asch stated firmly, beginning to turn away. "Just get out of here—None of you better follow—!"
"And what of your little friend there?" Jade interrupted, making the curiosity of his party rise, while Asch's dread flourished into a garden of frustration. He gritted his teeth together, fully aware that the colonel would have been the first to notice anyway.
"Friend?" Anise repeated, leaning over to see what Jade was talking about.
Lorei froze as she felt a bunch of eyes being directed towards her, her mouth dropping open with a quiet gasp as Asch's cloak slipped out of her hands. With nothing to hold onto and no sight to battle that of the party members, she felt rather frightened, climbing to her feet quickly in an attempt to find the brooding red-head she met in the first place. His breath was crowded over by the volcano's constant noise though—along with the breathing of the others.
She tried her luck in getting him to come back. "A-…Asch!"
"Who is that?" Natalia asked aloud, getting a response from Guy, who simply shrugged.
Tear seemed rather captured by the girl's childish face, smiling lightly as she walked up slowly to kneel down by her. "She's adorable…"
"What are you doing in Mount Zaleho?" Luke, confused by her presence, sat down next to Tear to stare at her as well. "Your hair's the same as mine and Asch's…And your eyes…"
Lorei leaned back a bit from their voices, though she wasn't entirely sure how far or close they were. Asch!!
Hold on. Just hold on for a little while.
"Colonel," Tear called out behind her, "Come look at her. I think something's wrong."
"If I were being crowded around by so many strangers, I'd feel a bit invaded as well." He remained standing, though he leaned over the child to glance into her eyes—which stared off to another dimension. She tried her hardest, it seemed, to try and direct them to the sound of his voice. Her blank gaze was nearly locked on his throat. Instead though, if she did have sight, she would have been staring off into the brightly colored stalagmites of the volcano. "…Especially if I were blind,"
"Blind?" Once again, Anise repeated her friend's words, looking up at him incredulously. "You can't be serious! What's she doing here then??"
"Perhaps you should ask her if you're so nosy." Jade shrugged with a smile. "Though I wouldn't guarantee an answer from her,"
"Guys, guys," The blonde man said, sighing rather hopelessly. "She's scared out of her wits—it's scary enough to meet new people as a kid, even worse when you can't even see them."
"That's right." Natalia agreed—glancing up to where Asch walked off—back towards the passage ring. "We must introduce ourselves properly! It's only fair for the poor thing…"
The child responded with a stubborn silence, crawling on her hands backwards, since all of their voices were apparently in front of her. She honestly didn't care if they were friendly or trying to be nice or whatnot. Asch was who first found her, and she intended to stick with him—even if she had to crawl blindly on all fours to find him.
"Where are you going?" Lorei gasped as someone grabbed a handful of her clothes, pulling her back—Anise's voice being the one that spoke. "C'mon! Asch isn't worth the energy, don't concern yourself with him. He would probably just leave you behind anyway!"
"Anise!" Natalia yelled. "Don't talk about Asch in that way! I won't allow it!"
"Calm down, both of you." Tear scolded them, gently pulling the girl out of Anise's grip.
"What's your name?" The voice of Luke asked quietly—much closer than she had heard him last time; he must have leaned over to whisper to her ear.
"…" At first, she didn't want to answer at all. Amiable as they sounded, they seemed to be something of a negative issue with Asch. What if he didn't let her go with him because she befriended this party?
Then again, if he did still let her go and they ended up separated somehow, she could get help from them…They seemed resourceful enough, or acted that way.
"Well?" said the voice of Jade. "We're waiting, O Nameless One." There was humor in his voice; she had a feeling his face had some cynical smile.
"Um…It-It's Lorei. My name is Lorei Gaia."
"I'm Luke fon Fabre." His voice had something of self-loathing within it—or perhaps just a lack of confidence. Nice, but wary of words, as if he had made some mistake before. She nodded in reply.
"My name is Tear Grants," a voice of soft but firm resolution greeted. She spoke militarily, similar to that of the vocals Jade used. It sounded as if her title was longer, but formalities weren't required.
"Just names," Lorei mumbled. "I don't care what else you are." Not like she would really know what it was, honestly.
That seemed to suit Jade, though at the same time, he had to cut himself off out of force of habit. "Jade Curtiss." So far, she liked his voice the best—she could hardly pinpoint his exact mood or feeling even within. Yet it was rather calming, as if she was usually supposed to give off a smile at his words.
"The name's Guy." He was certainly friendly, yet his voice was distanced a bit further than Tear's. Brotherly, Lorei guessed was the tone.
"I am Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear." Even as much of a mouthful as it was, Natalia was unused to taking out princess. The blonde smiled at the thought. Lorei found her voice suitable for leadership, but rather poor in force; but she must make it up in times of anger.
"Anise Tatlin!" The last girl said dramatically, the enthusiasm in her voice making it sound like she'd be giving off a friendly pose in the process.
"How did you get down here?" Luke asked, staring down at the strange girl while she turned her head this way and that—trying to find the exact location of his voice. "Are you hurt?"
"N-No…I'm okay." She mumbled while shrinking backwards, still trying to find Asch through just listening for his breath—unfortunately, she forgot that everyone else could breathe too. "I came here…with Asch. He said he found me in Shurrey Hill."
"Is he being polite?" Natalia asked, her tone filled with concern. Lorei only nodded, stumbling to her feet.
"I—I want to find him. Where is he?"
"I think we should let her." Guy said aloud. Luke glanced to him in surprise.
"Wouldn't it be better if she stayed with us? I mean…"
"Yeah! Asch would ditch her and be mean and order her around!" Anise retorted, crossing her arms.
"Anise!" Natalia yelled, making Lorei wince at the sudden shift in volume. Angry at the group's strange cruelty, the princess stood, resolutely grabbing the small girl's hand in hers. "Lorei, I'll take you to Asch."
"Natalia!!" Luke protested, standing up quickly as she marched towards the passage ring.
"Luke, everyone, please stay here. I will speak with Asch and return Lorei to him." With a curt nod, she turned on her heel to continue walking—followed by a stumbling Lorei.