distressedude | 012 ~ [Action]

[Anise hadn't even been gone a full day yet and Ion already didn't know what to do with himself. It hurt to look across the hall and know that the room was empty. It hurt knowing he wouldn't see Anise's smiling face as she cooked breakfast in the morning. It hurt knowing he wouldn't get to spend another day with her around the village. It hurt knowing he still had so many things he wanted to talk to her about, things he needed to say to her, and now he couldn't.]

[Too many things were hurting and he didn't know how to handle it. He'd never felt something like this before.]

[And the only thing he could think of right now was to try not handling it. He needed time. This was different from the kidnappings; he may not have been able to know when, but he always knew she would come back eventually. And he would be there waiting for her. Now? He wasn't sure he could wait. Naturally, the thought that he might never see her again had already crossed his mind. Even if she were brought back to Luceti, he could be sent back before then...]

[He needed to get his mind off of things. Even if just for a day. Even if just for an hour.]

[Which is why Ion will be making his way around the village today, first stopping at the library and trying in vain to lose himself within the pages of a good book. Or a few books. From there, he wanders the areas around the plaza for awhile, perhaps grabbing something to eat at one of the restaurants despite his lack of an appetite. Eventually he'll give up on this and settle for walking the paths of the village until it gets too cold to do so anymore. By the time the sun has set, he'll be sitting on the front porch of House 1 and looking up at the starry sky, still not quite ready to head back inside.]

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[It takes Ion a moment or two before he seems to register that someone said his name, and another moment before he realizes that person was Luke. He turns to face him and... well. Luke should know him well enough to be able to tell what his mood must be like.]

Luke... it's good to see you.

[Not even an attempt to smile.]

[Yeah, Luke can't manage a smile back, either. This is the first time someone close to him had been sent home, and back-to-back at that... And he couldn't believe what Asch had said, that it basically just gets easier. Luke can't imagine this getting easier...

He can tell how Ion's feeling, too. The fact that he's not even trying to smile tells Luke just about everything. He walks closer to Ion until he's a few feet away.]

... Yeah. I just needed some fresh air... I guess you needed it, too.

Edited 2011-02-13 07:39 (UTC)

[He nods. It seemed like both households were having their fair share of problems right now, weren't they? Natalia left just a day earlier. Was it a coincidence? Or would more follow...?]

[He stares down at the ground for a few moments, not looking up when he speaks.] ...Luke, would you mind walking with me for a little while?

[Luke can't help thinking the same thing. Who'd be next, he wondered... But no, it had to be a coincidence. It still didn't stop him from being afraid of what might happen.

So, the offer makes Luke nod slowly.] Sure... I wouldn't mind at all.

[There was a ghost of a smile on his face as he glances up at Luke, but just as quickly he turns to start walking. There was a part of him that wanted so badly to talk to Luke, but... what about? The last time they spoke, Ion was the one who ended the conversation.]

[...he never did get a chance to talk about that with Anise, did he?]

[Now that they're walking side-by-side, Luke might notice Ion isn't going very quickly, and it doesn't seem like it's just because he feels like walking slower. He'd been at this all day, after all, and after wearing himself down so much the day before, the stress was starting to show.]

[Luke notices this about the third time he has to stand still and wait for Ion to catch up, and this was when he was already walking kind of slow. Once this happens, he lets out a little sigh and puts his hands on his hips, tilting his head slightly to emphasize his next offer.]

Why don't we walk to my house? It's warmer in there.

[As long as they stay in the living room, it might be like Natalia didn't leave.]

[And every time Luke stopped to wait for him, Ion would mumble a small apology when he caught up. He'd been the one to ask to walk together; the least he could do was keep up the pace...!]

[While Luke's offer is tempting given the cold temperature, Ion knew he didn't want to be at home right now... Luke probably didn't either.]

...are you sure?

Yeah, come on! I'm freezing.

[That's not really true. Luke isn't even shivering; he's just fine. But if it can get Ion inside where it's warm and where he can rest, then that's fine with Luke. Without waiting for a reply, Luke turns to lead the way again, back to his home.]

[Someplace warm would be good. Even though he's pretty cold himself, Ion had planned to stay out the rest of the day like this; he'd probably wind up with a nasty cold at this rate.]

[But, with a silent nod, he follows behind Luke just the same, this time trying a bit harder to keep up than before. By the time they get there, he'll look a bit more tired than before.]

[Good thing his home isn't far away. Luke opens the door and heads inside, though he keeps the door open so that Ion can follow after him.]

Here we are. [Home sweet home... except not, though it's getting slightly easier.

Once he sees how tired Ion is, Luke goes around to rest a hand on his back and lead him to the couch.] You should sit down...

[Ion closes the door behind him with a small sigh, relieved to be somewhere warm but still feeling a bit worn down. As nice of a distraction as it had been, walking out around in the cold hadn't been a very wise idea.]

[Once he's sitting down, he takes a few deep breaths before managing a smile - more for Luke's sake than his own.] Thank you, Luke. I'm sorry for inconveniencing you like this...

Ah, it's no big deal. [It's much warmer in here, so Luke takes off his coat and drapes it over the couch. He leans on the back of it, then, and glances at Ion.] It was getting really cold, anyway.

It feels like it's been a little colder than usual. Although that could just be me... [He glances over at Luke and right away his eyes fall on a certain wound on Luke's arm. He frowns.]

...Luke, what happened to your arm?

[Yup, it was totally just Ion. Luke blinks, then glances down at his arm before he waves his hand dismissively.]

It's nothing, I was just... in a spar. And I made some stupid move, that's all.

A spar? With who?

[~~So he can know whose ass to kick, obviously.~~]

[Dammit, Ion, why do you have to be so nosy. D| Luke glances away and looks down at the couch instead.]

Asch... It was an accident.

[It's what he tells himself, anyway.]

[Luke, the fact that you even feel the need to mention it was an accident speaks volumes... but Ion won't press on that. Instead, he gently reaches for Luke's arm.]

Here, let me see that for a moment.

Huh? ... Okay. [He holds out his arm a little bit for Ion. Tear's already working on fixing it, though...]

[Ion looks over the wound for a moment before placing his hand right above the skin and summoning healing artes. Although he manages to heal most of it, he stops abruptly before he's finished. He feels a bit light-headed, but tries to ignore it for now.]

I'm sorry... I couldn't heal all of it, but hopefully that should feel a little better now.

012 ~ [Action]

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[Action] I could've sworn I tagged B\

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[Action] GOD SARAH WHAT IS YOUR DEAL /stares at own week old tags

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