distressedude | Appointments Post

Me? [He looks up, blinking in surprise.]

...I suppose I'm not quite sure how I should feel. I don't know Arietta very well, after all. [A pause.] Although... I do wish I had gotten the chance to get to know Ion a bit more. I think we would have gotten along well. We were rather similar after all.

[...]

...aside from... the obvious.

Edited 2012-05-12 13:42 (UTC)

Maybe he'll be back someday.

...maybe. Though I wonder if it's right to hope for something like that. For someone to be brought here and forced to live under the Malnosso's authority, even if... it means a second chance at life.

I think that's better than having no life...We can't really know for sure, but...I think anything's better than dying.

[And "dying" is just what his original had gone back to. How much longer did he have -- 5 months? Maybe 4? -- until his time on Auldrant ran out? Then he would die. Just as Sync and himself would die two years down the line, though under very different circumstances.]

[Ion... he had wanted to live, hadn't he? He wasn't a replica. He was never intended to be anyone's replacement. He had a reason to live. Surely he would have wanted to stay here, where he could be by Arietta's side forever, right?]

...t-that's right.

[How odd. He didn't mean to stutter like that, but that's how his voice came out. His shoulders are shaking too, but he's not cold.]

[It isn't until he feels something running down his cheek that he realizes he's crying.]

[Anise had been looking down at her lap, not comfortable with meeting Ion's eyes when discussing such sensitive topics. But at the tremor in Ion's voice, she looks up again.]

Ion, you're...

[She doesn't know why Ion is crying, but what matters the most right now is comforting him.]

[There's no hesitation. Without stopping to think, Anise reaches over and hugs Ion tightly.]

[Ion's breath hitches when he feels Anise's arms around him. The tears don't stop, even as he leans into the hug and weakly wraps his arms around her as well.]

[The only other time he's ever cried in front of Anise was when Sync "died" before their eyes. The pain of seeing someone who shared the same existence, but was unable to deal with the card they'd been dealt in life... "like losing a brother," as Natalia had put it. And that was someone he barely knew.]

[This was different. This was someone who, essentially, was the reason he born at all. Someone whose death hadn't been a thing to mourn, but just a part of life. The start of his own life. He had been a face, a figure, that he was only meant to emulate. Someone who was replaceable. It was only in Luceti that Ion had finally begun to see past that, knowing now that neither he nor his original were replaceable. No one could truly replace the original Ion for Arietta, just as no one could truly replace himself in Luceti.]

[And no one could replace his original for Ion, either. Although he barely knew him, there was so much he still wanted to say to him. So much he wanted to talk about, to learn about him, and maybe someday, they could have become friends...! Even knowing that maybe, maybe, he could come back... it hurt. It hurt knowing there was no happy ending waiting for him. It hurt knowing Ion may, in fact, never see him again.]

[It hurt knowing there would be no one to mourn him on Auldrant.]

[He tries to murmur a soft apology -- for losing his composure, perhaps -- but it drowns in a choked sob, cuing the arrival of more tears. And yet he stays quiet; if she weren't so close, she probably wouldn't even know he was crying without looking at him.]

It's okay, it's okay, I'm here.

[Even now, the thought of Ion crying on her shoulder is a strange and frightening concept. Ion is always calm. Naive, yes, but collected and serene.]

[And...This is the first time she ever had anyone crying on her shoulder. Nobody in the Order liked her enough for that, and Luke and the others aren't very prone to showing any sadness. Having Ion here, trusting her enough to let his guard down so far and relying on her for comfort, feels like a heavy responsibility.]

[Anise doesn't know what to say, so she keeps quiet and gently strokes Ion's back in soothing movements, trying to express what she can't through words.]

[Perhaps this was a good thing. A sign of how far Ion's come since his arrival in Luceti. On Auldrant, it took him two years before he could even acknowledge that he was sad, and beyond that, it was the only time he ever cried. Even when he died, it was with a smile. But with his time in luceti, he's become more prone to acting on his emotions, and even sometimes loses himself to them.]

[And as much as it may feel like a step backwards, reacting almost like how a child would, he knows that's not the case. Perhaps it only feels that way because he never got past that first step back home. It's a normal reaction to cry when you're sad. For a replica, even something as seemingly basic as this has to be learned.]

[But really, perhaps this was a good thing for both of them. For Anise to see a side of Ion she's never seen before. A more vulnerable side. For as much as Ion seemed to trust anyone and everyone, there were very few people he could trust enough to wear his emotions of his sleeve like this in front of them. And after everything they've been through together, Anise was definitely one of those people.]

[It's only once his breathing becomes more regular that he feels strong enough to finally pull back from the hug, taking a few moments to wipe his eyes with another soft apology. His eyes are red and his cheeks still streaked with tears, but at least he's calmed down enough that he isn't shaking.]

[Another minute or two passes by before he takes a deep, calming breath, and then speaks. He keeps his eyes focused on the ground in front of him.]

...I'm sorry. I think this past week just finally caught up with me... and I don't think being sick has helped matters much either. [He steals a quick glance at Anise, his cheeks reddening -- from embarassment, mostly -- before looking back down.] ...thank you. For being here for me, Anise.

N-no problem. [It's the first time she's been thanked for something like this, and she isn't sure how to respond.]

Are you okay?

[He's silent for another moment before nodding.]

...yes. Or at least, I will be.

[He looks down at his shirt, still resting in his lap, before hastily throwing it on over his shoulders and letting his wings poke through in the back. Once he's got it buttoned up, he sits there and stares at the floor again. No doubt his face is also still red from his fever.

...though I think it would be best if I tried laying down again. With the way I've been today, I don't think I'll be feeling well anytime soon.

[Less awkward now that the conversation is flowing again, back onto familiar territory.]

Yeah, you need rest. Get better soon, okay? Do you need a glass of water before you sleep again?

I think that would be nice... it might help bring my fever down a little as well.

[Plus while Anise is gone, he can get himself more situated in bed again... and then probably end up falling asleep before she even gets back. Sleepy fon master is sleepy.]

Sure, I'll be back in a minute. ♥

[She returns a few minutes later, but...]

[Welp, Ion is asleep. ~~C-cute...~~]

[With a fond little grin, Anise places the glass by his bedside table, and quietly leaves again, shutting the door behind her.

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