tvk | [001. Action / Voice] // I have a feeling we're not in the desert any longer.

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natalia luzu kimlasca-lanvaldear

[001. Action / Voice] // I have a feeling we're not in the desert any longer.

[It has taken Natalia approximately twenty minutes to confirm that she has, after all, been left behind. "Separated" is perhaps a little easier to accept, what with the foreign city she has unexpectedly found herself in - this one inhabited, not merely ruins. The temperature has also plummeted from uncomfortably hot and dry to cold and blustery. (Winter in the Zao Desert?)]

[She stands in the shadow of a building, out of the wind, trying to work the strange fonmachine (or whatever it might be, Guy isn't around to ask) into submission. If one of the others dropped it, perhaps she can figure out where they might have disappeared to. If the Six God-Generals lost it, then perhaps it will reveal to her why Fon Master Ion has been kidnapped and where their closest stronghold might be. Where to go.]

[The results of this struggle are what finally come across the network.] Beep! Beep! Bnnn...! BEEEEP!!

Oh, honestly! If you're going to be this difficult, at the very least you might-- [There's a muffled sound. A sneeze.]

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[Oh thank goodness.] Luke!

[...Wait.]

[Why would Luke be calling her "Princess Natalia"? He never calls her that, and quite frankly, most of the time she's lucky to get an "augh" in greeting. Luke simply isn't that formal.]

[But this is obviously her Luke. After all, who else could it possibly be? There's no one. No one except perhaps...]

No. You aren't...

...You're Asch the Bloody of the Six God-Generals.

[The slickest.]

[Asch couldn't hide the twitch at being called 'Luke', but her further response made him pause. He didn't know what to expect to be honest; he didn't know how he reacted to her in Luke's past, if they had any interaction at all. But the use of his full title made him think she didn't know who he really was.]

[...at the moment, that was fine with him.]

Yes. [A pause.] Bless you.

It's because of the dust.

[Saying "thank you" feels a bit strange, seeing as this man is supposed to be her enemy(? at the very least he kidnapped the Fon Master from within her own borders). Still, there are a lot of things about him that are strange. How does he know she's the princess - were her attempts at hiding the fact too flimsy? And why does he hate Luke so much? It seems unlikely that they even know each other.]

[Right now neither accusations nor personal questions are going to help, though.]

Do you happen to know what's become of the others? Fon Master Ion, your companions, and my own...

I've heard this is the work of an unknown power and therefore that neither the Grand Maestro nor the Oracle Knights are responsible.

I haven't seen the other God Generals, or most of your companions since before I arrived here.

[A pause, putting pieces together in his head. The way she said that, it was like she expected him to know where the Fon Master was. If that was the case, then she was from before him in their timeline, which... made absolutely no sense. He distinctly remembered Natalia being there when Luke and the others rescued Ion, not to mention being at Akzeriuth as well. Whoever was responsible for their being there, they were able to somehow manipulate time as well.]

Luke was here, but I haven't seen him for some time. If he hasn't been returned to our world, then he should return eventually.

Then... [Things just continue to get more and more puzzling. Luke was here, and yet Asch speaks as though there was no further conflict - at least nothing severe. He also speaks of returning when that woman from before told her it was impossible.]

[None of this is adding up quite right. The only two things she can gather are that she needs to find Luke, and that Asch isn't currently a threat. If anything, he's being helpful. Unless, of course, this is all some elaborate ruse.]

Where was it that you last saw him?

We were walking back to our rooms together. He's across the hall from me.

[A pause; he didn't really think it was appropriate, but seeing as Luke wasn't around to do it, and he didn't trust any of the other idiots around here with someone as ~~precious~~ important as Natalia, it didn't look like he had a choice. He let out a faint sigh, before continuing.]

All of us that arrive here are provided with rooms. If you give me your location, I can show you to the hotel.

Oh? That's surprising. [Luke and Asch walking together...? Now it almost sounds as if the two of them are good friends. How mysterious. It isn't so much caution, as it is curiosity which finally causes her to ask.]

Why are you helping me? Not that I don't appreciate the offer, of course but... [Well. There doesn't seem to be much benefit on his end. The God-Generals are not precisely known for their charity and goodwill, either.]

...It isn't something I would have expected.

Edited 2012-01-23 15:03 (UTC)

[Well, that confirmed it. She didn't know who he was, which meant she also didn't know what Luke was. Damn, that was going to be a pain in the ass whenever Luke decided to show his stupid face again.]

I'm not your enemy, princess. I never was.

[A pause.]

Turn on the video. I should be able to tell where you are by your surroundings.

... [Not quite the sort of answer Natalia had in mind, but she gets the feeling that Asch, at least, is telling the truth. Though she's not sure of his motives, there doesn't seem to be any benefit from lying to her. Not if they're truly trapped here, away from Auldrant, as she's already been told.]

[She'll trust him for now. After all, Asch's reasons for kidnapping Ion in the first place are still unclear, and he hasn't really done them any harm. For all she knows, he's simply been following orders from his superiors.]

All right. This may take a moment.

[She stares down the phone, trying to determine just which button it was that made moving images come up. At some point (or other) one of them works.]

[Somehow, he managed to keep a straight face as she popped up on the screen. It... it was just so wonderful to actually see her again that he had to stop and take her in for a moment. Thankfully it was a brief moment, and he cleared his throat.]

All right... I think I know where you are. I'll be there in a moment.

[Throat-clearing is normally done when one wishes to speak or when one disapproves of something they've seen, so Natalia assumes the sound was meant to be chiding. She's well aware of what an untidy state she's in, but there is little she can do about that. What she can do is offer help. After all, Asch is going out of his way to fetch her. It would reflect badly on Natalia if she sat around waiting to be found.]

[She glances up at the buildings, and the video feed wobbles as she turns the phone and points it down the street to show the most conspicuous landmark.]

There's a building at the end of the street with a spire, just past a row of lights.

That's fine. I'll be there shortly; don't move from that spot.

Very well. I won't go anywhere. [Her words are slightly clipped. Rude much?]

[Nevertheless, Natalia doesn't stray. She takes a seat on the wall behind her, checking her provisions. Only three arrows - not much room for error. Her bow. And... that's all. She doesn't have any healing gels or any other useful items on her person. She must have misplaced them.]

[He didn't mean to be rude, really, but... well, he knew Natalia had a healthy curiosity. He doubted that changed over seven years.]

[He arrived sometime later, dressed fairly casually, with a... was that a metal pipe? Yes, yes it was. Still, Asch managed to look cool, confident, and grumpy... pretty much on par for the course for him. He stopped before her, inclining his head politely.]

Princess.

[Natalia still thought it rude, if only because she doesn't know any better. And though her curiosity hasn't diminished in the least, she's not yet prepared to ask about the pipe. What purpose could it possibly serve?]

[But it's the nod that saves her. Perhaps she'd been staring. It's certainly difficult not to, up close, when this person looks so very much like her fiancé. So... very much.]

[Natalia inclines her head in return - just enough so that it cannot be mistaken as an insult to someone of his station.]

Commander, was it?

Shall we be going? I've been told that strange things happen after dark.

[...it was weird having Natalia call him by a title rather than by name, even after all this time. He kept his face neutral out of sheer force of will.]

Just Asch is fine.

Yes, let's get going. It's better if you don't go outside at night until you're accustomed to this place.

[He reached a hand out to her, offering to help her stand up.]

[Just as planned.]

In that case, feel free to call me Natalia. I don't expect there will be much use for proper formalities in Prospero, and besides, it might cause a commotion if the others discover I'm a princess.

[Natalia blinks at the hand doubtfully. She would accept it under other circumstances, but after exploring Zao Ruins, absorbing details about her abduction, and now this... needless to say she's still adjusting.]

Because of the shadows?

[She wasn't taking his hand. He should have expected it really, given the point in time she was from, but he still visibly flinched. Asch was mentally swearing at himself in the next second; dammit, it was because of his Shadow. He didn't think about these things until his stupid Shadow had to throw it all out in the open for him to actually hear. When it was just a tiny voice in his head, it was so much easier to deal with...]

[He let his hand drop after a moment.]

Yes. Though our abilities were taken from us, we were given something else to help fight the monsters at night. Until you find out how to summon yours, it's better if you stay inside at night.

[How many times has she heard that one? "You will stay here", "This is no place for a princess", "You can't come with us", "Go home!". It hardly has the desired effect on her. She stands determinedly.]

You needn't worry. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself. [If only confidence were a viable substitute for skill.]

But what's this "something else" and how am I supposed to find it? [And could it have something to do with the other people she's spoken to who mentioned that there were people who could "summon" them? Can she now be summoned?]

[Asch shook his head.]

I don't doubt that, but I don't have very good control over my own abilities, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to protect you well enough if you get in trouble.

[He moved to the side so they could start walking before it got too late.]

This... power is with us, in us, always. They're called Persona, and they reside in our souls until we call on them.

At least, that's how mine explained it to me.

[He paused a moment, letting out an awkward noise.] ...I know it sounds crazy.

[Since when has it become his duty to protect her? But Natalia lets it go, taking the hint, adjusting the bow on her shoulder, and moving forward to fill the empty space beside Asch, walking.]

Persona... [She considers the word.]

On the contrary, it sounds exciting. Like one of those old tales in which people are possessed by a wandering spirit or by the collective consciousness of one of the elements.

After all that's happened recently [and by that she means the past few minutes.], it would have to be something quite remarkable to be deemed crazy.

[Have an inquisitive princess. I hope you like questions, Asch.] What are they like?

Edited 2012-02-03 17:33 (UTC)

[He didn't even realize his slip up, and probably would have kicked himself if he had. He didn't want to get too friendly with Natalia; it would be too cruel to her if they all ended up back at Auldrant. But even after all this time, he couldn't shake how he felt about her, and it was bugging the hell out of him.]

They're different for each person. [He paused, considering.] Mine is... dark. It looks like death itself. Luke's is the opposite.

[Of course. He's just realizing this, and realizing the irony of it.]

[If Asch's was dark, then Luke's must be light. Which made sense, of course, though it seems a bit ironic that two people who look so much alike should have opposing Persona. Especially when they fight using the same sword techniques.]

I see... [Thoughtfully spoken, since now Natalia is wondering what her own special power might look like. The ideas range from the sensible to the whimsical and wild. Maybe it will be something truly exciting.]

Do you suppose it reflects your time as a soldier with the Oracle Knights? [Well, they must have less than pleasant obligations some of the time, despite Daath's position as mediator. Slaying monsters and bandits, perhaps. For her part, Natalia's unaware that there was any slip up at all. If this person isn't her enemy, then she should at least learn a little bit about him, otherwise conversation will (continue to) be awkward.]

[001. Action / Voice] // I have a feeling we're not in the desert any longer.

[Voice] 1/3 This is going to be a trainwreck isn't it.

[Voice] 2/3 By the way Asch I am so sorry.

[Voice] 3/3 And done.

[Video] 'Trainwreck' doesn't quite describe it well enough. XD

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