fourteen | oo49 [voice] BACKDATED TO THE 6TH

[ The feed cuts in with the journal's camera staring at the dark sky. It's dim now, in the gray lifeless world that exists after the sun sets but before night truly falls. There's no person to be seen, though briefly a shadow passes over the camera - someone's hand.

There is the sound of crying, audible still over the soft patter of slow rain against the pages. It is at once gasping and muffled, with the very obvious quality of someone trying very hard not to cry and just failing.

Xion's trying. Really she is. Really she knows that he'll be back in a week, that it will be fine, he'll be healthy, they'll be able to move on. Finally. But the months since Luke's kidnapping all the way back in February - since she confronted him and he finally confessed to her in April - have been long, so long, impossibly hard and terribly dark. It is no relief that his death has finally come to pass. It's just the curtain fall on what has been one of the worst periods of her whole, short life. ]

Luke is...

[ She chokes, then coughs, trying to clear her throat and stop the tears. Her voice shakes, but doesn't crack again. ]

Luke fon Fabre is ... is dead. He'll be back... he'll be back in a week.

Maybe I shouldn't have said this. But it's not fair, is it? [ Her voice warps, thick with the tears in her throat. ] The people who love him should know.

I'm sorry.

[ The journal shuts. ]

(ooc; Xion won't be replying to this post, largely, outside of a handful of people she especially feels she wants or needs to speak to. However,

relinquishing might be hopping around replies a bit more.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Oh, it's a name Ikki knows - Luke had given her his whole name, the Luke who wasn't Nomi's Luke, and he'd talked about airships, and magic, although she'd never once seen his face on the video screen. Ikki's memory has always been good - once she learns something, she tends to retain it, although there's so, so, so much she doesn't know. People's names, people's faces, those are amongst the most important things to remember.

And then it's followed by that news, and Ikki remembers, really vaguely, the very few funerals she'd been to when she was little, littler than now. She knows what death and dying is, and she remembers everything people have said about the things that are bad here, but it hadn't occurred to her one of those things was happening to that boy.

He'll be back, though. That's - is that a good thing? Ikki's not sure, but she's glad to hear that, although she's still just staring at her book. ]

...I'm sorry. Mister Luke's really nice.

[The response comes from a different voice entirely, although the slow patter of rain in the background of the feed shows he's at least outside. Whether the young girl could guess that Guy was with Xion or not was up to her.

He can't help but let a little more life into his voice at the innocent honesty of her statement.]

He is, isn't he...? Glad you think so.

He'll be home again soon.

Yep. He talked to me the other day 'bout things. I'm glad he'll come home to you soon.

[ after a pause ] By the way, make sure you're wearing a raincoat, 'kay? So you won't be sick next week when Mister Luke gets back. 'Cause if you don't bundle up in rain you get sick. It's true!

[Oh how a child like this could understand what Luke still occasionally failed to grasp... There's a grim little chuckle.]

Hah, it's true. He wouldn't be too happy... Don't worry, though, I remembered to dress for the rain. I don't think being soaked to the bone helps anyone.

[...]

So what did he talk to you about?

[ firmly ] Good! You should have tea, too. Mommy always makes us some if we're out in the rain.

Oh! It was the last thing he wrote, about how to spend your time. And then we talked a little about airships, 'cause he asked how I could fly, and he told me we could learn magic here, and I learned his name.

Yes, ma'am. Doesn't sound like a bad idea at all, actually. Your mother must be pretty kind, taking care of you like that.

[He pauses for a moment. The last thing Luke wrote...]

You know, when he comes back... you should ask him to show you some of that magic. He's pretty good at it.

Yep! She definitely is! She's at home, but she's the best mother ever.

[ a pause on this end, as she has to tamp down some excitement. ] D'you think he'd mind?

[Such admiration... Keep talking, sweetie, you're like a little bit of sunshine on this very gloomy day.]

I don't think he would mind, as long as you made sure to ask. He can be a little shy about it.

I'll ask! I'll ask really nicely. [ Ikki has to stop, remembering she...has no actual idea who she's speaking with. ] I'm Ikki.

Good plan. I don't think you'll have any problem.

[He chuckles again, letting his voice soften a little.]

Nice to meet you, Ikki. I'm Guy.

It's nice to meet you, too, Guy! If you stay outside a long time, you can let me know, and I can bring you tea, too. If you need! 'Cause I know how to make some.

[ It's Guy's conversation with the girl that convinces Xion to say something. Normally she wouldn't've bothered, sweet though it was--

But Ikki seems like such a nice girl. ]

... he is. ... thanks.

[ This voice is quieter, so Ikki's tone softens, too, and she doesn't actually say too much. ] You're welcome.

[ ... ]

How did you meet him?

On the journals. He said that when he felt better he'd [ a pause, because she hadn't realized then that he was dying ] teach me magic.

[ ... felt better. He'd lied to this girl?

This .... little girl.

Oh, Luke. ]

... magic, huh? What kind?

A special kind that you can learn here!

The filial spirits... I know. I know all about them. I... [ ... she what? She keeps losing her train of thought. It's very strange, holding a somewhat normal conversation in the wake of Luke's death. ]

I don't really know anything about them. [ She's only really speaking because she's being spoken to - not that she doesn't want to talk, but she's hesitant about upsetting these people, who knew Luke much, much better. ]

But he took my house number and said he'd be by later.

... I could teach you too. If you want. ... maybe ... when he comes back.

I'd like that. [ She's being one hundred percent sincere. It sounds interesting, and besides, she liked talking to Luke. ] I'm Ikki, by the way.

oo49 [voice] BACKDATED TO THE 6TH

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