021 ~ [Voice]

[distressedude]

[Even with the month of February coming to a close, the weather has still been rather cold. But that didn't stop spring from trying to make its way through, and even now, one could see the start of buds on trees around the forest. Appropriately bundled up for the weather, Ion rests at the foot of the largest tree in the cherry tree grove just north of the village. Taking in a long, steady breath, he absentmindedly opens his journal. When he speaks, it doesn't even seem like he's addressing the journal at first. His voice sounds distant; he's had a lot on his mind lately.]

I wonder what it would be like to live in Luceti longer than I lived back on Auldrant... so far. [Those last words are added rather hastily, like an after-thought. There's a wistful smile on his face.] Thinking about it used to make me feel sad... now I'm almost not sure what to think. It feels like the longer I'm here, the greater the chance is that I might start to forget things about home. The sound of the city bustling to life in the morning. The way the sun shines off the fonbelt in the sky at sunset. The faces of all the kind people I've met...

[He trails off before smiling a little more brightly.]

But I guess it really hasn't been all that long. [Two years in Luceti. Almost a year back on Auldrant. Nearly a quarter of the time he's been alive.] Besides, there are things here that I never want to forget as well...

[He trails off and looks off into the distance. The only sound for a few moments is that of birds chirping overhead. Aburptly, he looks back down at the journal.]

Ah. I think I lost track of where I was going with this. I'm sorry for rambling.

Comments

filtered voice;

[distressedude]

[Oh, it comes crashing down all right. The first thing he does it check for a filter -- oh, thanks for that -- and the second thing... is to stare.]

How do you know about that?

[He speaks quickly, too quickly. He has a good reason to be worried about this, and he's not quite thinking yet that perhaps it would be better than Sync not know why.]

filtered voice;

[trashed]

I wasn't as dead as you guys thought I was.

[God Generals are cockroaches okay? He was brought back. He hadn't wanted to be, but he was chilling in the core by himself one minute and then was brought back by Van the next. His usefulness hadn't been over yet, especially with the Fon Master dead.

He impersonated you too, Ion! Isn't that sweet of your replibro? Manipulation of your loli, etc etc etc.

He's such a great person.]

[Voice]

[distressedude]

So you survived... [Somehow. Maybe the details of "how" aren't important -- maybe they are -- but he's filled with one part curiosity and one part dread. Ion had never asked the others about the future. The closest he ever got was a discussion with Dist... but even that brought only more questions than it did answers.]

[This was no exception. Sync had said it quite clearly in their last conversation: he's not alive anymore back home. And that wasn't the sort of thing Sync would lie about. What could he possibly have to gain from it?]

[He takes a moment to steady his voice. What would Sync do if he knew how desperately Ion didn't want Anise to find out about what happened? To beg Sync not to say anything would be foolish. And as much as Ion wanted to think he could someday get along with Sync... he can't trust him. Not yet. And certainly not with this.]

But if that's the case, then... what happened to you?

[Voice]

[trashed]

Of course I survived. [Just falling down extremely high places never kills anyone in this game, Ion...

But seriously. Sync figures Ion doesn't particularly want it waved around either, considering how everyone seems to be from different times. Ion probably regretted dying, after all.]

I wasn't done being useful. [He hadn't actually "died" until then. At least that's what he thought, anyway. Something had decided he was useful enough to be brought here too.] And what about you? They just let you die. Some so-called 'friends'.

[Voice]

[distressedude]

That's not true.

[His voice is calm, but strong, against such an accusation. Sync can say all he wants about Ion, but he's not going to back down against things said about the people he cares about.]

What happened to me wasn't their fault. It wasn't anyone's fault.

[Voice]

[trashed]

Was it? Did they even try to save you?

[Sync why do you try to make Ion mad...]

...Even though that annoying Tatlin girl was upset. [Names, what are they.]

[Voice]

[distressedude]

Of course they tried to save me.

[He's not even touching that Anise remark. It's one of the few things that probably could make him angry, and he knows better than to show that it got to him. Though, off-screen, his hand may have tightened into a fist.]

But they didn't make it in time. Of course, even if they had...

[He trails off. There's only one other person he's ever explicitly told about how that sentence ends. And he's not sure whether he wants Sync to be included in that circle.]

[Voice]

[trashed]

A good job they did of that.

[He notices Ion ignored it, and he'll probably bring it up again...later.]

Even if they had?

[Was he so bent on being a martyr?]