Luke sat slouched in his chair as he stared listlessly at his bowl of noodles and shuffled them around with his fork. A bean sprout flopped over the edge and landed limply on the table.
"Luke," Asch reprimanded quietly and Luke picked it up with his fingers and flicked it at him. It didn't even make it half way. Asch sighed as Luke pushed the dish away to cross his arms on the surface and rest his chin on them.
"How long are you planning to brood?" Asch asked, his fork hanging loose in one hand as he braced his elbows on either side of his bowl.
"I'm not," Luke denied and Asch scoffed.
"You are," he insisted. Luke didn't reply, turning his head to stare determinedly away from him instead. Asch watched him, lazily swinging his fork over his bowl, the contents mostly eaten. Aside from the silence, there were no outward signs but Asch could feel the turmoil that brewed in Luke's mind along with the apprehension and utter fear.
"Alright," Asch bowed his head and closed his eyes briefly, scarcely believing what he was about to do. He dropped his fork with a clatter and pushed away from the table. There was a flicker of question though Luke refused to act on it, ignoring him completely when he took both their bowls away. He was unprepared for when Asch nearly took the chair from under him.
Luke squawked loudly, his palms slapping the table before that was too far away and he threw himself back into his seat in order to not end up on the floor. "What the hell?" he shouted, glaring up at Asch as he came around to his front.
"Shut up," Asch gripped the arms of the dining chair and ignored the tensing of Luke's shoulders, "you listen to me because this is the only time I'm going to say it. You can't afford to bottle this up anymore. Staying silent and hoping it'll blow over has never worked and it never will. All it does is burn bridges and close doors that need to be open and we can't have that, especially not now.
"We've been here for four days. Four days where the world has continued to turn and we've been here hiding because you couldn't pull your head out of your ass and actually talk to someone. So no, nothing's going to happen unless you step up and do it yourself and whether you want to or not, you need to talk about this. This is your first step and as much as it pains me to admit it, I'm your only option so I'm going to do my damnedest to see you through this alive despite how much you don't think you deserve it." Luke's face twisted and Asch could feel the denial building.
"But I-"
"But you do," Asch cut him off with a hard shake that had the legs of the chair scratching noisily on the floor, "I've seen your mind, I've heard your thoughts! I know exactly what you feel and it's so frustrating to watch you beat yourself up over this when I don't even like you!"
"Then why do you even care!"
"Because despite what you seem to think, I don't want to see you dead!" Luke's eyes grew wide and the thought that had spurned his statement faltered and faded as he leaned back against his chair. Confusion replaced it along with snippets of memories and beneath that still lurked a layer of fear. Asch pursed his lips and straightened, resisting the urge to cross his arms.
"Look, I get it," he continued, quieter than before, "I don't really have the best track record where you're concerned but at this point, neither of us have a choice. Something is going on out there, larger than any of us ever expected and we both need to be alive in order to see it through. Going with the spirits isn't going to solve anything. The lands are still going to fall and Van will still go through with his twisted plans. The world won't stop just because you're dead. No, the only purpose it would serve is to make everything monumentally harder so I'm not going to let you throw yourself away even if I have to stand with you to do it."
He paused, letting the words settle between the both of them. He realized, with the vague sense of wonder that filtered through, that while it had been unexpected it was also entirely true and he couldn't bring himself to feel too upset with the prospect of travelling with his double. Asch sighed and pulled another chair over, before dropping heavily into it.
Wasn't that a thought, travelling together. After all that time avoiding each other.
Luke sat forward in his seat, lips parting for words that neither of them knew how to say.
How do you explain the moment when your entire world turned on its side and didn't look to be going back?
Asch shook his head; they'd talk about that later. There were more important things to talk about, namely, "Those things, they want, no," he shook his head again because their focus on Luke was too pointed for mere want, "they need you for something and I need you to tell me what."
And the fear was back, discordant and twisting as Luke's breath hitched. Asch waited, even as Luke's hands clutched at the fabric of his trousers and the silence between them grew longer and longer. Luke's gaze dropped to the floor and his lip pulled between his teeth, clearly conflicted. Asch frowned and after another long moment where Luke slowly seemed to curl inwards, he realized there was a reason for the dull throb that was growing at his temple.
"Stop it," he ordered with a slight mental shove and refused to react to the flinch that resulted, "don't shut me out. If you can't say it, then show me." It took a moment but Asch was aware when the emotion started to trickle back through and it quickly grew into a wave of anxious uncertainty as Luke pulled his legs up and pressed his face into his knees. Asch's frown deepened. This wasn't going to work at all.
He pulled his chair closer so his knees were brushing Luke's toes and laid his hands over trembling arms before bowing his head to the point where he was practically leaning against his replica. He closed his eyes and focused on their connection and the mess of emotions and muddled thoughts that flowed between them.
'You need to calm down.'
Luke's hand twitched and the flow twisted and slowed.
'Trust me.'
Fingers stretched out and clutched at the fabric of his borrowed shirt. Careful hope began to weave through.
'I'm not going anywhere.'
He held his breath, waiting.
'...Promise?'
'...Always.'
And then, as if a barrier had dropped, he heard with startling clarity the mocking calls and whispered taunts that lurked in the far reaches of Luke's mind. Asch listened with dawning horror as Luke audibly groaned and seemed to pull him closer.
'They're always there. I thought they'd gone but they found me again and they keep calling and calling and they won't stop. I've tried shutting them out but then they sing and that just makes everything hurt.'
"Wait, sing?" Asch opened his eyes and pulled away a fraction as Luke let his feet drop to the floor on either side of his knees. He gave a single tense nod and the distant cackling was blocked by an echo of a song.
"I don't-" Luke gritted his teeth, 'the only thing I can make out is 'Child of Sound'. The rest is a haze and it hurts to listen to.' Asch leaned back a bit more and Luke seemed to follow though his shoulders were hunched as if he was in pain. Asch tightened his hold on Luke's arms.
"Luke, does your head hurt?" He got a groan and a nod in response and Asch had to wonder why?
What the hell was going on?
The errant thought earned him strained laughter and he huffed.
'It's 'cause,' Luke flinched, his eyes squeezing shut and his nails digging through Asch's shirt, 'they've actually started singing now. Everything h-,' he gasped and Asch felt a chill as everything from Luke's end seemed to white out aside from the lilting lyrics from the spirits.
"Right," he swallowed, suddenly finding it hard to speak. The voices hadn't been blocked, only morphed. "We need to get this sorted out. Come on." Luke's grip had gone weak and he had no problems gathering the other into his arms. A question filtered through the static and he gritted his teeth in frustration. 'Stop that, you fool, you're going to break something.'
The singing faded into jeering laughter as Luke gasped into his shoulder.
'I just thought... Maybe...'
'Chances are that if you can't understand it then I won't be able to either.'
'...I guess.'
'Mmm.' With that thought, Asch moved, finally standing in order to bring Luke to the bedroom. His head lolled on his shoulder though he did make an effort to hold on as Asch carried him like child. The God-General snorted at the mild indignation that Luke presented him with.
"Tough shit," he rebuffed, "we need to get this done."
'Just... what are you planning on doing, exactly?'
"Not sure yet," he shoved the door open with a foot then went over and all but dropped Luke atop the bed. He groaned a bit as Asch climbed in with him, not arguing when he was pushed and pulled into lying on his side.
'So even you can do things on the fly. Who knew?' Luke watched him through one eye, lips twitching into a strained smile. Asch scoffed and tugged the sleeve of his shirt over his hand to wipe away the layer of sweat that had built up on Luke's brow.
"This whole situation is because I 'did things on the fly', as you say," he let his hand rest between them and Luke let out a soft laugh, "imagine what would've happened if I hadn't gone after your stupid ass."
"I'd probably be dead." There was a thin level of humour in his voice as he tried to keep the mood light but Asch's frown was immediate and the look in his narrowed eyes made Luke look away, his gaze darting to the window over Asch's shoulder. "Right," he cleared his throat when his voice cracked, "shutting up now."
Asch grunted and pushed aside the image that had formed of Luke lifeless in the hand of the spirits, ignoring the bitter taste in the back of his throat as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for a task that was sure to be draining then reached into himself for the power that Van had craved. It came easily to him, warm and familiar as it washed through his core and he relaxed even further in the wake of it. Then it grew, expanding beyond him in a way that left him breathless as it stretched for the bridge that he had built for Luke.
He let it go and the energy seemed to surge, echoing with a sense of purpose and Asch realized as Luke gasped beside him that beneath everything, there was an essence he couldn't put a name to. It was grand and wholesome and once he was aware of it, it was all he could see. Every strand was laced with an emotion as it circled them in a sea of gold.
'Lorelei,' the name was whispered but it didn't lessen the awe that filled Luke's voice and Asch found himself looking at him in mild confusion.
'What?'
Luke shrugged, 'It's Lorelei. Who else could it be?'
Anything, logic dictated, because Lorelei's existence was a myth, not proven. But as Asch considered the gathering of seventh fonons within them, the beginnings of a hyperresonance and the essence that didn't belong to either of them, it occurred to him that Luke didn't have such boundaries on him. He didn't have the lessons drilled into him on what was fact and what was fiction and it left him with the ability to make such wild conclusions.
'You really think...'
'Of course,' he fell silent at the surety in Luke's tone, 'I can't hear him but... it feels familiar. Besides, listen.' And Asch did, wondering what he was supposed to be listening for then paused, caught up in the growing sense of joy as Luke almost seemed to vibrate next to him.
'Oh,' he realized, his eyes widening and Luke barely containing his excitement, 'they're gone.'
They were completely gone.
And Luke was laughing, his hands reaching for Asch's and Asch let him, still trying to figure out what exactly had happened. Luke danced around him, every bit of the child his age implied and Asch allowed himself to be spun around once before forcing Luke to either stop or let go with a mild flicker of irritation. Luke laughed it off, too happy to even consider getting upset with him and proceeded to run off and dance with himself.
Now why did that seem familiar?
He watched, slightly puzzled as Luke twisted on his heel and grinned at him, his arms spread wide. Huh. With a sigh, he wandered over and Luke waited patiently for him, swinging lightly on his feet.
'Stop thinking so hard,' he said once he was closer, reaching up to tug lightly on a lock of hair to which Asch swatted away, 'there's nothing to figure out.'
'You really think Lorelei did this.'
'Well, it's not like you did. You only called him up.' Asch raised a brow, reluctant to believe but unable to come up with a plausible reason that didn't seem as outlandish as or even more so than Luke's.
"Asch." He blinked and suddenly he was in their bedroom again, surrounded by a fading gold light and wondering when he'd become so unaware of where he was. Luke was staring at him, green eyes wide as he watched him with an emotion he couldn't describe. He shifted, pressing closer if anything and tightening his hold on their joined hands and when the hell did that happen? "Thank you."
He blinked again, lips parting in surprise. Then Luke beamed and Asch shoved away, rolling off the bed and he tried to keep the sudden flush in his cheeks from rising.
"Aww, Asch," Luke almost whined, reaching out for him as he straightened his clothes and just as his fingers brushed the hem of his shirt he stalked away. Luke called after him, failing in holding back his laughter – not that he wanted to and Asch ignored him in favour of leaving the room entirely. Maybe he'd do laundry as he waited for Luke to calm down.
The seventh fonon is euphony. That was not.
Jade's words seemed to echo around them, lasting in their minds far longer than they did in the air. Guy's hand hovered, hesitating in actually pulling Jade back and Loren's lips thinned. He took a deep breath, mentally commanding the fonons surrounding him to disperse. They left slowly, as if reluctant and disappointed and he almost felt guilty enough to let them gather back but under Jade's stare, he didn't dare.
Something wasn't right.
"I'm not sure what else to tell you," he said and gently removed his hands from Anise's grasp before heading towards the rest of them. Jade hummed, the tone disbelieving and his sharp gaze speculative. Loren met it briefly, long enough to know that Jade wasn't about to press any further before he turned his gaze towards Tear.
"Are you alright?" The glow around Natalia's hands faded as he kneeled next to them. Tear nodded as she cleared her throat then smiled at him.
"I'm fine," she assured, "just a little winded." And with nothing else glaringly obvious, Loren could only accept what she said as truth.
"Here," he offered his hand as Natalia pulled away and Tear accepted it, the three of them rising to their feet in near unison. Anise stepped up beside him, a gel held out for Tear to take which she did with a thankful nod.
"We need to get more supplies if we're gonna go any further," she advised and that seemed to be the signal that let everybody relax, if at least slightly.
"She's right," Natalia agreed, splitting off to retrieve her bow from the floor, "I have a couple of apple gels and a miracle gel left and if the any of the creatures below are like that one, we're going to need a full stock."
"Right," Guy nodded and stretched his arms above his head, "since we're going back, why don't we rest for a bit once we get up there?" He let them fall back with an easy sigh, "I don't think anything else is going to come out of there anytime soon."
"Uh, I'm not sure if you missed it, but that thing," Anise's arm raised and her finger pointed straight towards the beast, "came out as soon as the seal broke. What if something else is lurking down there just waiting for us to leave?"
"Then we're just going to have to take that chance," Jade said, glancing at her briefly as he adjusted his glasses by the bridge of his nose, "besides, I'm sure Ion would appreciate a small nap before we take on what the rest of this place has to offer." And then they were all focused on him and the Fon Master bowed his head in apology.
"I'm sorry," he smiled, face pale and Guy quickly stepped aside as Anise pushed through to wrap her hands around Ion's.
"No," she shook her head, dark hair flying wildly, "you have nothing to apologize for. You need your rest." Ion gave her a weary smile and Loren suddenly remembered Anise's words back in Sheridan when she called him out on his own illness. That, coupled with Ion's knowledge about him, made for a rather chilling picture.
Oh.
"Mieu! Are we going back?" The cheagle popped its head out of the bag at Anise's hip and Loren jumped, still not used to the fact that it talked. Tear's hand dropped on top of it, her fingers rubbing tiny circles on its head.
"Yes," Tear nodded, "it's safe to come out now." Loren stared as it chirped and climbed her arm, proceeding to make itself comfortable on her shoulder under her hair.
"Come on," Guy beckoned towards the ramp, "everybody could use a break, I think." Everybody except himself, Loren thought amidst the murmurs of agreement as they followed his lead. His heart beat steady in his chest and his breath came easy, a strange though not unwelcome contrast to his usual countenance.
He ended up in the middle of the group as they climbed the slopes, right next to the Fon Master whose entire being seemed to droop with exhaustion. He wanted to ask, wanted to hear how it had happened and why. He wanted to know when the original Fon Master was switched out for a replica because once Loren connected the dots, it was so painfully obvious that was what he was.
But he stayed his tongue and kept his thoughts to himself, focusing instead on the fonons that followed him at a distance and the song that resonated between them.
Something wasn't entirely wrong, either.
Let your tune flow free...