XX7: The Dissatisfying Ending [Video - Accidental]

[stupidgenes]

[The communicator switches on from the vantage of someone's belt. It has a view of a white jacket, interspersed with glimpses of someone's dark tabard and white apartment walls.

The first voice is weary but light in tone.] I can't believe we sailed that far just to end up where we started... [Luke sighs heavily and drops his luggage to the floor.] Florian! We're back! ... Huh. Maybe he's at the restaurant.

Yeah. [He says it all quick and terse, and then there's a loud thud as Asch dumps his packs on the floor as well. Then, there are the shuffling sounds of unpacking as he silently fumes. It's a short while before he finally speaks again.] After going through all that… here we are again.

I can't believe it. [His voice is filled with bitterness.]

Asch... [Luke stands there with his backpack in his hands, feeling incredibly useless. This is not a new thing for him. His fingers tighten, and then he tries to summon up some optimism.] ... I'm sorry. But we have an idea of what's out there now, and we all made it back in one piece. It could have been a lot worse.

I know that! [Asch snaps as he rises to his feet.] You easily could've died for absolutely no good reason. The party would've been left without the leader who coordinated this, and then we still wouldn't have found a way back home!

[Luke faces his original, frowning in return. Haha, it probably sounds like Luke is arguing with himself.] So we didn't find a way home. What's important is that we know that we can escape. If something really bad happened to the City, we wouldn't have to be trapped here along with it. It doesn't have to end here... and neither do we.

Escape to where!? We sailed across an ocean and found 'land' that was actually someplace back in the City! How is that an escape!?

[Suddenly, the device slides from its holster and crashes to the floor. This is when Asch kneels to check it and discovers it posting.]

Dammit!

[OOC: chosenfake is red; stupidgenes is silver.]

Comments

[action]

[chosenfake.livejournal.com]

That's not all there--

[He watches Asch pick something off the floor. His mood sours even more.]

... Was that recording?

[action forever]

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

WHY ISN'T THERE A WAY TO GET RID OF THESE THINGS!? [He scans the communicator functions once again to find there's still no way to delete these posts once they're made.] IT WAS--DAMMIT!

[Asch angrily chucks it to the floor, and it bounces once before clattering a little ways from his feet.]

[chosenfake.livejournal.com]

Ugh, just great. [Luke runs a hand through his hair.] This wasn't how I wanted to share what we found. [And he's sure a bunch of people will be mad that he didn't tell them about his condition. Maybe they won't... talk to him about it. Maybe. Hopefully.

Fucking hell.]

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

Why do these things just turn on by themselves anyway? [Asch isn't yelling nearly as loud as he was just a moment ago, but it's still pretty much an outdoor voice. He sweeps down to pick up the device; it seems perfectly fine.]

[chosenfake.livejournal.com]

[Luke is used to it.]

Same reason they never seem to break no matter how much you throw them around.

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

[Asch groans. It's not like he keeps all their dirty laundry behind closed doors, but the communicator's random decision to air whatever it pleases gets on his nerves. It always seems to pick the most inconvenient times--he's completely thrown off his discussion with the replica.

That doesn't necessarily mean he's going to give up on that, though.]

I know that you felt like you had to try. That was fine. [He doesn't want to have to spell this out again but can't seem to understand why his replica is so dumb about it.] But I already told you about what part of the plan was stupid.

[chosenfake.livejournal.com]

[Asch can be stubborn and dumb about things, too. Luke is quiet for a moment as he tries to fold up a blanket. Was it in thirds or fourths...?]

I know. [He makes a ball out of the blanket instead, since he can't seem to get it to lay flat.] Next time I want to leave the City, I'm going to find a different way.

[He lowers his head.]

Hahah... I never thought that I'd make you worry about me.

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

Who said anything about worrying about you?

[He peeks at his replica and only winds up feeling even more exasperated about everything. Then, he continues with his unpacking and groups things for efficiency when he gets around to putting things away.]

[chosenfake.livejournal.com]

Mm.

[A noncommittal noise at best. He's too tired to argue anymore. He just wants to get out of his stinky traveling clothes and sleep. And while he won't call Asch out on something like that, he feels it. Every time he tries to doubt it, Asch gets up in his face and practically beats it into him. Funny way of showing he cares, but it's Asch. Luke has to learn, too. He has a lot to learn.

He hefts a bag of dirty clothes over his shoulder.]

You can take the first shower if you want.

[stupidgenes.livejournal.com]

... It's fine. I'll go after I finish this up.

[Asch just wants to finish up as much as possible. Granted, it's not like he sleeps much better than the replica, but he could leave the lighter stuff for after he's all clean and done for the night.]