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(no subject)

Who: Asch and Luke
What: A fonic link talky-talk.
When: Right now 8| and... beyond. Or something. IDK HOWEVER FAR IT GOES
Where: ~~House 5~~ Community building 1, room 1 :|b
Summary: Asch contacts Luke via the fonic link to check on him while he's kidnapped. Things aren't going so well.
Rating: PG at most.

It's been a few days, and a long enough wait that Asch is starting to feel concerned- at least, as concerned as he ever gets when his replica is involved. He's been getting odd twinges of something lately, some sort of after-effect of whatever was happening to Luke. It hadn't bothered him much at first, but over time the niggling feeling had gotten worse, and he's had enough. Even with everything that's been going on in the village, that sort of distraction is going to weigh on him more and more.

Finally he decides to investigate- he locks himself in his room, kneeling in the center of the floor, and focuses on Luke, opening his fon slots and mentally calling out to the replica he knows should still be linked to his own mind.

"Luke. Can you hear me?"

[ooc note, if anyone cares: the location change was due to a change in circumstances that happened after this began, but played out after. DERP. The apartment chosen is the first empty one Asch found- that of a recently idled character.]

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[Explosions. Nails dragging along a chalkboard. An animal screeching. Something crashing. A building crumbling. A scream high enough to make crystal crash. Static and howling and a high pitched sound and- and sounds Luke didn't even identify-

Luke's nails tore at his ears, having finally forced his wrists free from his bonds only half an hour earlier. After a while he felt something wet and sticky against his fingers, but he couldn't even feel the pain against the thundering agony in his head. It sounded as if they were right beside his ear drums, making them hammer relentlessly against his mind and give him the worse ache of his life.

Now, another sound joined it, and a voice. Luke was so frantic and out of his mind that he didn't even recognize it, only registered it as yet another noise added on to everything else echoing in his head. His throat had run raw a long time ago, so he could only scream out in his mind while his voice cracked uselessly;]

"GET me OUT oF HERE!"

[Asch jerks instantly, the intensity of Luke's response startling him to the point of nearly falling over. He leans forward, hands pressing against the floor to balance himself, the link between them wavering for a moment before he tries it again. There's no room for gentleness here, not when Luke is so violent.]

"Wake up, you dreck, and stop screaming in my ear! It's me!"

[The voice rang out again, this time stronger and more recognizable. Luke's eyes flew open, and he presses his palms tightly against his ears. The noises still raged on, but he knew that voice. His response is still loud, as if trying to be heard over all the noises that makes him squeeze his eyes shut and jerk his head to the side and arch his back, but it's definitely not as intense as before.]

"Asch?!"

[Ah, that's better. Still loud and annoying, but less crazed than before. He can work with this.]

"Good, I got your attention. Focus on my voice instead. What the hell is going on?"

[Asch's voice kept fading in and out, but Luke tries his best to stay focused on it. The other sounds make him flinch and writhe, and he still keeps his eyes screwed tightly shut, trying desperately to hear that Asch is saying.]

"There are NOISES loud ones and I CAN'T-"

[...He can't focus, right. It figures. That means this'll take more work than it usually does. Asch straightens up again, opening his fon slots a little more and pushing on the link, forcing his own mind deeper into the foreground of Luke's mind. The more of his mind he pushes on Luke's, the quieter his replica's surroundings should become. That ought to give them the sort of environment they need to really communicate.]

"Listen, listen! You have to concentrate. Open your fon slots, like you're doing a hyperresonance."

"I CAN'T-"

[But no matter how much the Malnosso prepared for this and tried to isolate Luke's mind from everything except the disruptive sounds, it seems they still couldn't break the power of a fonic link. The noises around Luke grow quieter, and although they're still loud, it still causes him to relax just a little and merely clench his fingers around his ears, digging in and feeling the cuts he made along them. An extra bit of pain gives his body something else to focus on, giving Luke's mind more coherency to pay attention to Asch.]

"My fon slots...?"

[That's right. Like a hyperresonance, just like he said. A noise like a metal grinding and breaking against each other resounds through his head, but Luke clenches his teeth and tries to shove it aside to open up his fon slots, tries to feel for fonons in the air, going through that exercise once more.]

"I think I g-got it!"

Edited 2010-10-28 08:26 (UTC)

[...There. As soon as Luke has the level of focus Asch required, he gives their link one final, forceful shove, and if all goes well, the noises - and the Malnosso facility entirely - should fade away, leaving Luke in a quieter, more peaceful dream-like state, where only he and Asch are the sounds either one can hear.]

"...Can you hear me now?"

[Luke's body jerks one more time before it relaxes against the cold floor completely. There are still noises, but they're far, far away now, giving Luke the relief he'd been searching for. Soon enough, all he hears is Asch. Luke stays quiet for a while, breathing hard and reveling in the peace that came over him.

His limbs are hurting and starting to feel stiff and numb - they'd been moving against everything thanks to the noises, even with his wings cracked. But he knows that once Asch withdraws, he'll have to move again. He can't just not with all that noise...

Finally, he responds.]

"... Y-Yeah."

[Asch relaxes a little, exhaling shakily and slumping back against his bed. That took way more effort than it used to. Stupid power cap. But now that they're properly connected, he can deal with Luke, rather than the noises.]

"How long has that been going on?"

[Luke can only hope that the Malnosso don't notice him suddenly not struggling against it all. His concentration wavers at the thought, but he takes in a deep breath to calm down and focus.]

"... I don't know. A couple of days? Maybe more...? I don't know how long I've been here."

Edited 2010-10-28 09:30 (UTC)

[........Okay, that's ridiculous. Enough is enough.]

"I'm getting you out of there, now."

[Luke's surprise can be heard right through his voice, although it fades to uncertainty.]

"You will?! But... Everyone keeps saying we can't get people out of here."

"I'll do what I can. Just keep focusing on me and don't fight. This might take a minute."

[And it'll definitely take a lot more effort; it was easy enough after their fight in Yulia City, but with their power so heavily suppressed in Luceti, it's not going to be such a simple task.

He doesn't speak again or give any directions, only continues to pull on the link, dragging Luke further into the isolated gray area that lies between their minds. Luke might feel himself being urged further and further away from his body and closer to Asch's presence.]

[This had happened so quickly in Yulia City that Luke didn't even know what happened until he found himself staring through Asch's eyes. It's honestly a creepy feeling, slowly disconnecting from one's body like this and growing closer to another. Luke almost fights it, almost tries to get back to his own, but he forces himself to relax and keep focusing on Asch.

His body gives one last jerk before it goes still again, lying on its side as if in a deep sleep. And for a moment, Luke can see this. He sees the scratches and cuts on the sides of his head made from his own nails, the unnatural angle his wings are sticking out, and how tussled and messed up his hair and clothing are. But it doesn't last for long, for after some hesitation, he forces his "arms" out, pushing away from his body and towards Asch's presence.

Everything becomes a blur and darkens until he vaguely feels himself slumped back against a bed.]

"... Asch?"

[Definitely harder this time, but ultimately worth it. Now that Luke's more closely connected to him, he shouldn't feel any side effects of whatever the Malnosso might be doing to his body. They might have to deal with consequences later, but at least the replica won't go crazy in the meantime.

He remains seated for a while, resting to regain his strength. Pulling Luke's mind from such a distance wore him out, and he doesn't want to look weak while Luke is watching.]

"...I can hear you. I'll keep you here until they send you back."

[His head and wings - his entire body doesn't ache anymore, and there's certainly not a loud ringing in his ears anymore. Luke can't move - only see and hear and feel through Asch, but that's all right. Anything would be better than going back there.

Besides... Now he has a better chance at getting closer to Asch without being brushed off or insulted. Well, he'll probably be insulted, but still.]

"You... You saved me. ... Thanks."

[Speaking of brushing off- Asch scowls slightly, though there's no replica in front of him to scowl at. He'll feel it anyway. More or less.]

"Don't make a big deal out of it. If I hadn't, you would just be a bigger pain when you returned."

[Sure. Still, Luke accepts this and tries not to let a snort be heard. He's feeling so grateful and happy that he doesn't even take that as something said out of malice.]

"I'd probably whine a lot more, huh?"

Edited 2010-10-28 10:25 (UTC)

"No doubt." [Luke's grateful emotions are almost embarrassing, so Asch does his best to ignore them.] "...It's best if the others don't find out about this, replica. Don't do anything to draw attention to it."

[Luke may not be able to nod, but he still tries to get the feeling of it across. The thought of Guy shaking Asch and demanding to talk to Luke is kind of scary, after all.]

"Got it. I'll be quiet around them!"

[He's trying to be sincere, but he knows as well as Asch that he probably won't be able to do it.]

[Considering Luke wasn't able to keep himself quiet at all last time they did this - even when Asch told him to shut up - Asch isn't about to hold his breath and hope for it. But whatever; he made his bed and he's going to lie in it with minimal bitching, if possible.]

"...And don't bother me too much either, or I'll send you back!"

[Which was an empty enough threat - even he wasn't that cruel - but it's not like he can say it aloud.]

"O-Okay, okay, I'll try not to bother you!"

[Even if the threat was empty, going back to that hellhole is the last thing Luke wants to do. And now that he actually knows what's going on, he might be a little quieter. Maybe.]

[...Okay, a jittery Luke would be even worse than an annoying one, so he should probably cut it out. And it's time to get off the floor, so he finally pushes himself back to his feet.]

"I should warn you, there's something strange going on in the village. If you see anything weird, don't be surprised."

[Is Asch okay? Luke won't respond until Asch is on his feet and steady, just in case he needs some concentration. If he had hands, he'd set them on his shoulders and make sure he's all right, but alas... all he can do is leave everything to Asch.

Once he's sure that he's okay, he'll speak up.]

"The village...? What kind of weird things?"

Edited 2010-10-28 21:03 (UTC)