fourteen | oo34 [ voice // action ]

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oo34 [ voice // action ]

[ Today is a big, big day for Xion. Though she'd planned to do ... what she's about to do ... from the start, her original plans had never included the journal. Not on Valentine's Day!

But strangely enough, she seems to have forgotten there's any inherent risk to using the journal today... and since it's such a big day, she wants to be positive she'll catch him. So early in the morning, before school, she'll toss this filter up. ]

( Filtered to Luke | Locked 100% )

Hey, Luke...? Could you meet me outside after school? I have-- um... I wanted to talk to you.

[ She'll leave it at that, and not wait for a reply -- or even look for one later. It's too nerve wracking! Instead she'll fidget herself through her school day, doing something rather unusual for her -- paying exactly zero attention in all of her classes. She's a little too busy playing out in her mind all the ways this can go horribly, terribly wrong.

... and maybe, just maybe, the one way it can go right.

Yes, today is a day Xion will be making repeated and valiant efforts not to blush.

Anyway, after school, true to her word she'll be waiting not far from the entrance to the building, fussing with the bag she's got strung over her shoulder. She keeps reaching into it, to fiddle with something in there... but she doesn't take that something out.

She looks very nervous, and a little flushed. Do feel free to bother her. ]

(ooc; HEY GUYS - EVENT MUSIC! SING ALONG!

ps this post will require sending time and space off a cliff but that is totally okay. will get to backtags slowly, hooray for next two days off! happy valentine's day!!)

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[ of course he winces. of course. she's not happy, but ... well, there isn't much to be done for it now. except...

she brings her hand back to it, looking up at him. ] Can I? [ help. ]

[Tear had already done some healing work today, so Luke shouldn't really need it...

But it might make him feel better anyway, even if it doesn't make the wound hurt anymore.] Sure, go ahead.

[ Make him feel better? How about make her feel better? Nngh...

Still subdued, she'll cast a wordless Curaga -- overkill, but it soothes the anxiety she feels -- the bright green glow of it bursting around her hand and his arm before fading.

She lowers her hand once more, again adjusting the flower pot, and searches his face for a moment. ]

... who were you sparring with, anyway?

[Make them both feel better, then! The green light surprises Luke - it looks about the same color as the healing artes of his world, but it's still different. And, indeed, the worry over Asch and even the lingering pain in his arm recedes, though the gash really does need time to heal. It fades a little more, but it's still visible.

And her question... Oh, jeez. He was hoping this wouldn't come up... Even he's confused about it, and he doesn't want to smear a bad opinion of Asch for Xion. He struggles with the question for a moment; it'd be so easy to just say "a friend", a nameless person, a friendly spar that got a little out of hand, because that tends to happen a lot even with the most careful of people. But the more he thinks about doing it, the worse he feels; he doesn't want to hide things from Xion. At least, not the little things.]

... Asch. But it was an accident.

[ her expression is something of a wonder. it is certainly an expert exercise in restrained emotion. Asch is ... Asch is complex. whether she's entirely aware of this fact or not ... she can't hate him. not now. that possibility is gone -- or maybe it never existed. he claimed Replicas ought to have souls. Saix would never do that. but Asch's way is also ... dark, bent in, a little suggestive of violence.

was it really an accident?

of course, she has literally nothing to justify that thought -- other than a quiet fear, and memories of Asch's disdain. as is so frequent of her, her assumptions are off the mark ... even though the conclusions she makes from them get startlingly close to the truth.

she wants to voice her doubts, but ... it's probably not worth it. after how Luke reacted the last time she talked about Asch... she doesn't want to bring up something so touchy, so potentially damaging. especially not today.

instead she tries a smile, a faint one, and nods. ] Okay. Come on, let's head to your room. I'd like to set this down. [ shifts the flower pot a little, to indicate. ]

[Aaah... good, she didn't pursue it. But that smile... How many times has it been on his own face, when he'd try to be okay with something that clearly bothered him?

Dammit. He should've worn longer sleeves.]

All right. [Luke lifts his arm, hesitates, then lets it rest across her shoulders - thank you, it'll be okay, I know what you're feeling. After that, he'll lead her to his room, and to try and lighten up the subject, he smiles as he gestures lightly to the pot of flowers.]

Do you know what those are?

[ makes a tiny noise and leans against him. she's aware he probably saw through her forced smile, but doesn't particularly care. it's easier on both of them to avoid the issue. but she'll smile a little more genuinely at his question, looking down at the flowers, then back up at him. ]

Not really... I don't know much about individual kinds of flowers. What are they?

They're called iris unguicularis. I always thought the name was too long... like the person who named it was just trying to impress someone.

[Pause. But that's unimportant so:] The great thing about it is that it blooms during winter! It freezes if it gets too cold, but once it warms up a little, it'll be normal again. It needs a lot of sun, but it actually likes to stay dry, so you don't have to water it too much! Maybe once or twice a month... Just don't let it try out completely. Try to plant it somewhere that gets a lot of sun! It likes growing in long grass, too; that's why I put some of that in there with the flowers.

[... He kind of rambled on there, didn't he. Eh heh. Let's just. Scratch his cheek a little as he reaches his room and opens the door for her.] Heh heh... Uh... I just thought you might like looking outside in the winter and seeing some flowers in bloom.

[ .... what. what was that?! what was that outpouring of detailed botanical information?!? gosh. sparkly eyes right here. figuratively, at the least.

well. you are rewarded for your dorkiness with a major blush as she looks down at the flowers she's carrying, honestly quite impressed. he put all that thought into it... just for her? gosh... she should have gotten him more meaningful chocolates or something...

(how do you make chocolates meaningful?!)

either way, she seems quite pleased. ] Maybe I'll get one of the boys to help me put a flower box outside my window... I'd really like that! Thank you, Luke.

[ now that they're safely in his room, Xion'll move over and set her little pot down on Luke's bedside table. it'll be so much easier to hug him with both arms free, after all-- I mean.

of course, now that they're in here, she'll take proper notice of the flowers on his own windowsill, and move over to them. ]

What kinds are these?

[And Luke was just checking those plants over, too. The one she indicates to, the amaryllis, lies in full, red bloom, and Luke smiles a little as he goes back to feeling the soil around his aloe vera.]

That's the amaryllis. They're really easy to bloom; they're kind of one of those all season flowers. It doesn't really matter which season you plant it in - after about eight weeks, they'll grow into this.

It's so pretty! [ a little delighted. she'll gently touch the petals, appreciating the silky feel, before turning and ... actually looking around the room. the first time she was here she was more focused on the very sick boy inside it than the room itself.

she'll eventually settle on a ... particular detail, giving the music box Luke keeps a curious look, but before she gets there she'll look back at him. ]

Where did you learn all of this, anyway?

Back at home in Auldrant, one of the servants at the manor is a gardener. His name's Pere... I told you about how I've been locked up there most of my life, right? The maids, knights and servants were the only company I had, though Natalia visited me sometimes...

[... Nngh. He'll pause a little, but then keep himself going.]

It gets kind of boring when you've got nothing to do, you know? Father didn't like it, but I'd talk to Pere a lot. He'd tell me about all the different kinds of plants he took care of, and even some he didn't. [He chuckles a little as he says the next part:] I didn't really pay attention at first, but once I realized just how beautiful all those flowers are, and that he was the one that made them that way... Heh, I kept asking to have some of my own.

[ Father...

Lost in thought for a moment, Xion moves over to his bed and takes a seat on the edge, briefly swinging her legs and looking up at the ceiling as she thinks. ]

Hey, Luke? [ finally looks down at him, her expression one of innocent curiosity. ] What was it like, having parents? Or at least... growing up with them, I guess.

[ she's wondered, from time to time, but always found it a little awkward to ask of real people. after all, it was normal for them to have families... or at least to've had parents of SOME sort, even if they never knew those parents for very long. but she was built... created like a doll. a doll has no family... and of course, Sanji does come to mind, but she didn't "grow up" with him -- she never had anything even like a parent back home. Axel, though dispenser of All Wisdom as far as Xion and Roxas were concerned back then, was more like a teacher, though kind of a grudging, confused one.

so the question is purely innocent. there's no jealousy or anything behind it, she's just ... always wondered. ]

What's it like?

[... Hmm. That's... kind of a difficult question for Luke. His father was rarely around except to scold him, having purposely distanced himself thanks to the Score, and his mother, bless her, she tried... but she was sick so often that she just couldn't be there a lot of the time.

Thus, he runs his thumb lightly over one of the aloe vera stalks as he thinks about the question. What was it like?]

It's... secure, I guess. At least, back when I didn't know what I was. It's nice, growing up and knowing they're there to go to if you hurt yourself, or if you just... have something you need answering. [Even though that was mostly Guy who did that... Still, Luke gives a faint smile.] Mother used to kiss whatever scrapes I had and told me there was no medicine more powerful than that. I didn't get it at first...

[He pauses, letting the smile fall away and the stalk fall away from his fingers.] But... I'm not their real son. They found that out not long ago, too...

[ she listens to the first part of his explanation in silence, just ... smiling a tiny smile. huh. Kissing your scrapes... is that what moms do? It sounds nice...

then, of course, he moves on, and her own smile fades. oh dear. after a quiet moment, she gets back to her feet and moves to stand beside him, letting him know she's there by letting their arms lightly touch. she watches him for a moment, expression somber, but ... ]

... what did they do?

[Luke glances at her, acknowledging that she's there... And leans to the side just a bit, to feel a little more of her against him. It's nice, having her there, knowing that she could understand...]

They... took some time to think about it. After that, it just... wasn't the same. Father got even more distant, and he... [Completely cut off contact with his friends, ordered him to only associate with royalty. But Luke isn't sure if that's the result of finding out he was a replica, it's just... something that upsets Luke to this day.]

Mother, though... She seemed to get over it pretty well. She even said I could come back home anytime I wanted to. [Which still marvels Luke - she knows he's a replica, a fake of her son... Yet she'd still welcome him with open arms?]

[ she leans right back against him, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought. her next words are musing, almost like she's talking to herself ]

Your mother... really said that to you? She sounds like a really good person... [ letting a Replica come home. gosh. Xion will reach for his hand, and interlace their fingers. ] ... it's nice, isn't it? To know there are people who care about us and accept us, even though... [ tilts her head back to give him a gentle, understanding smile, and squeezes his hand lightly. ]

Mmhmm. [To both his mother saying that and to the people accepting them. Luke squeezes her hand and looks down at her with that same smile. They both know what it's like, just how... amazing it is to be so warmly accepted and cared for. Not many people can understand what that's like... but they do.

... And for a moment, Luke's caught up like that. Xion's always looked very nice to Luke, but right now, with the way she's smiling at him, the way she's leaning against him and holding his hand, he just wants to...

Just acknowledging the thought breaks the spell, and he leans over to press his nose to her hair and let out a deep breath, hiding a furious blush. Did he just think- He can't do that!]

[ ... gosh. sudden Luke in her hair.

what was that all about? ]

[ oh well. she certainly doesn't mind. she makes a quiet, contented noise and shuts her eyes. with warmth ]

Hey.

[While she's trying to think of what that sudden move was about, Luke loosens his hold on her hand and brings his arms up to wrap them around her shoulders. He may still be recovering from dodging something very, very embarrassing, but... it's nice here. Just leaning against her and hiding in her hair.]

Hm?

[ she laughs, one arm resting on his chest while the other sneaks its way up, so she can gently card her fingers through his hair. ]

Nothing, really. I just like being close to you, is all.

[ ... notblushing. but it's true! she loves being held like this. it makes her feel safe. ]

... Heh heh.

[Aaah, that makes him blush even more. But he moves from his place in her hair to her shoulder, giving a big smile as he holds her a little closer.]

I like keeping you close, too. [...] That was really corny, wasn't it?

... yeah, it kinda was. [ laughs. ] That's not so bad, though. You know what's really corny?

[ she shifts a little in his embrace, so she can bring her arms back down and wrap them around his waist, content to lean her head against his shoulder and shut her eyes. ]

... I kinda wish we could stay like this forever.

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