Luke fon Fabre; Appointments

[fabrecation]

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Used for one-on-one conversations/meetings, messages, gifts, or any back-tagging. I hope to use this way more than I probably should. B)

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[silversnowfall]

I won't stay long. You need your rest. ...But I thought you might want to hear how Natalia is doing.

[fabrecation]

[... It hurts to turn his head fully thanks to his broken collarbone, but he still does it as much as he can, a cringe on his face because of the pain that flares up.]

How... How is she?

[silversnowfall]

Better than she was the day after she returned. She still can't speak, or move well, but she's been out of bed for a little while with help.

...Don't move if it hurts, Luke. [She sounds unbelievably worried.] I speak to Saphir on a regular basis, I'm used to talking to someone's wings instead of their face.

[fabrecation]

[At her words, Luke does slowly move his head again, to rest it against the pillow. And after a moment, he pulls together the words to say to the news.]

That's... good.

[It's not much. But it's just hard to think when there's a space in his mind that dark and lonely and cold and painful.]

[silversnowfall]

She is worried about you. ...She heard you shouting.

[There's no blame or necessary guilt in it. Luke's arm and shoulder are injured, so her impulse to reach over and pat one or the other has to be curbed.]

I hope to be able to go back and tell her you are also recovering.

[fabrecation]

[He isn't sure how to feel about that, or what to say to it. He frowns for a moment, good arm shifting under the pillow, before he speaks again.]

Does... she know?

[silversnowfall]

She knows that you and Guy are each in a clinic, and...that Asch is with the Malnosso.

[Even though Luke isn't looking at her, Nephry averts her eyes. It feels...wrong, to not tell her everything. Disrespectful of her strength. But in her condition it could have made her worse, so they didn't give her all the details. Just the necessary ones.]

[fabrecation]

[His body tenses at that. Asch is...

Luke can see the sword plunging through Asch's shoulder and blood spraying towards him -

He squeezes his eyes shut and presses his face into the pillow, trying to will the images out of his head. The sword, the wound, the blood, the look on Guy's face - or lack of it at least, on Asch's, the frantic thoughts he received from him -

When he tries talking again, his voice seems heavy, a little shaky.]

Is Guy okay?

[Ion had told him as much, but he still has to know. Yesterday and today he's tried writing Guy's name to ask if he's all right, if he'd come over, if they could talk. And he hasn't gotten a response. It scares him quite a bit.]

[silversnowfall]

I haven't been to see him yet. Given his...trouble with proximity to women, I thought it might be best not to do that to him if possible.

[Something about which she has only heard stories, that. When Guy rescued her from her destroyed house he seemed okay with it.]

If you'd like, I'll come back here after I do visit him. ...According to Ion he'll be fine, but shouldn't be up and about for a few days.

[fabrecation]

Please.

[He has to know if he's okay. Not just physically. He can only imagine the pain Guy must feel, or... what he thinks he feels. Luke isn't really sure.]

[silversnowfall]

All right.

...Can I get anything for you? [Talking about what happened does not seem high on Luke's list of preferred activities.]

[fabrecation]

[There's only silence, and tension in Luke's shoulder as if he just gripped his hand into the pillow.

Because the first thing that popped into his head at her question was "Asch".

But... there's no way anyone could get that. He couldn't visit him, couldn't sit with him, couldn't contact him through their ruined fonic link. Luke couldn't say he was sorry. Couldn't check on him, couldn't...

And it hurt to think these thoughts.]

[silversnowfall]

[No, she can't get him that. No one can. The tension in him is visible and it makes Nephry's heart ache.]

Luke...if you want the company for a while, I will stay, in silence if that's better for you.

...And if not, it's all right to ask me to go.

[fabrecation]

It's fine.

[He doesn't want to be rude. Even if he does want to be alone, he knows how these people must feel. His friends. Seeing him wounded and depressed like this...

So he ought to at least let them stay. Even though he just wants to be alone until Asch returns.]

[silversnowfall]

[She stays a few minutes more, calm in the quiet and wanting Luke to have the chance to say anything if he feels the need.

But she can tell when she has, in effect, overstayed her welcome. Standing, she tries to pat his arm instead of his shoulder, hoping it will hurt him less.]

Luke? Is there anything you'd like me to tell Natalia?

[fabrecation]

[Thankfully, it doesn't hurt. The sensation isn't felt as much as it ought to be, but it at least makes his fingers curl just slightly, as much as they can with such a heavy injury to his shoulder.

He's silent for a moment, and it seems like he might not even answer. But...]

Just... focus on getting better. We'll see her again.

[He, Guy... Asch.]

[silversnowfall]

All right. I'll tell her that.

[As much as she wishes she could comfort him, she gets the feeling that the attempt would come off as shallow, and futile. So she says a quiet goodbye and heads to the door to go back home.]