melodiesoflife | to spit out the hateful, you're willing and able--

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to spit out the hateful, you're willing and able--

WHO: Luke and you?!
WHAT: Waking up......... and uh. other stuff? ~~YES THIS IS VERY LATE/BACKDATED AND I AM VERY SORRY~~
WHEN: We'll just say almost the entire month of November?!
WHERE: various places (see prompts)

-new beginning-

At first, he hadn't known if any of it was real.

To wake up and find himself with a talking animal by his side (that wasn't Mieu)... Well, he thought it was some case of him having hit his head really hard, or something. But, hours after walking around and discovering that it was all too real to be some kind of weird... hallucination? He was left trying to come to terms with all of it.

Naturally, one of the main concerns, was how his friends and family were. Where they were, was another question. If he'd been somehow spirited off to a strange, new planet, what about his friends? They hadn't been too far away, so it was possible... right? Ugh, the whole thing was way too confusing. He could feel a headache coming on.

His thoughts mainly drifted to Tear -- there were things he had... really wanted to tell her, yet... hadn't. For a number of reasons. It was as he started letting his mind dwell on a number of regrets, he could be found wandering near a hospital. His eyes drifted up to it, curiosity becoming very apparent. Yulia helpfully informed him that it was a place where heroes can be found in what she called... "Crystal Stasis" ...?

Maybe he should go see what she meant by that...

-new discoveries-

Figuring out how those apparent... "Job Classes"... work...

That was proving to be just a little annoying, since there were so many. While he appreciated that he was given two from the start, he wasn't so sure he... liked them. What the hell was a Ghostbuster, anyway? And the Vampire one was annoying, since it was only fully useful at night. So, he was going to be seen musing over something with quite a bit of mental effort.

He wanted to try getting new Job Classes, but the question was...which ones?

Weeks later, it would be possible to find him either checking out the weapons store, item store, chocobo farm... He wanted to learn the world as quickly as possible, but there was also the matter of him generally being restless. He was worried about the fact that he hadn't freed Lorelei yet... and well... another him had been in Crystallis for over a year. How long...would he be stuck there? More importantly, though...

Did he... truly even want to go back?

-~~not actually~~ new home-

When he first arrived in his new home (according to his own knowledge), he hadn't really expected anyone else. He hadn't asked ...Yulia... (seriously, the name had been part of the reason he'd thought it was all a weird dream, or something) about possible roommates. Not that he was used to living alone, but there was the fact that he'd arrived alone.

The female moogle (the name was as strange as the animal herself) didn't seem fazed by there being someone else standing there, though.

She seemed happy to see the person...and pink moogle. Hell, the cheerful, blue creature even waved and greeted the pair, "Hello! My name's Yulia, and this is Luke, kupo! My master and I were assigned to live here, as well... So, I hope we can all get along~!"

"Uh..." Luke was far from as cheerful as her, but he did smile and sort of jokingly say, "Heh... Guess I don't need to introduce myself. Anyway, I'm new to this place."

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Today was supposed to be a simple trip to the item store in preparation for the upcoming expedition to Mysdia—after some of her experiences in travelling to foreign lands, Tear wasn't going to take any chances this time around. Part of her goal was also finding as much material as she could about cartography, given what some of the people she knew would be doing while on the continent.

But seeing Luke as soon as she walked in hadn't been factored into her plans. While it was true that they didn't see each other frequently, it occurs to her in that moment just how long it had been since they last spoke with each other.

Had she taken a few more moments to observe him, she wouldn't have been so hasty with her question. And perhaps she would have recognised that he might just as easily ask the same of her own change. "Luke? When did you cut your hair?"

When he looked at her, it might be similar to how some would... greet a ghost, perhaps. His expression froze in place, which included his mouth. It was practically hanging open as he outright stared. As green eyes took in that face - a face he'd seen within that...crystal - he very slowly began stepping toward her.

"Tear... you're-... You're not-"

Mid-sentence, his arms would be practically flinging themselves around her. He pulled her close, cherishing the warmth that was proof that she was right there. She wasn't frozen in time. Tear was okay!!! A heavy exhale released, as did a very small chuckle of relief. When he pulled back, he was actually beaming a little, "I'd thought you were-...well..."

Looking to the side, his expression dimmed. He... actually never heard her question. That was what someone might view as an ironic fact, considering his own question, "Huh...? Uh... Tear, what happened to your hair?" A pause was given as he tilted his head just a little, and then: "I mean... It looks great on you! But... what brought that on?"

As ready as Tear usually was, Luke had perhaps moved a little too quickly for her to keep up properly from the moment he had looked at her with such a face. He hadn't even given her enough time to figure it out or say anything about it, furrowed brow quickly becoming a surprised blush when she suddenly found herself wrapped in his familiar warmth. The most she could manage was a sharp exhale of surprise, arms lifting up of their own accord to almost wrap around him, but not quite. She was still too stunned to do much else, trying to figure out what he meant with his half-sentences.

Though the colour dusting her cheeks still lingered when he pulled back, the melodist still tried to regain some of her composure before beginning to answer those questions. And from the sound of it, there would be many.

"Th-thank you..." Though she wasn't one to stutter often, their entire exchange so far had caught her off-guard even as she reached up to just touch one of the choppy locks between her fingers. The sincerity of his compliment was appreciated and assured that the blush would last a little longer, even as she casts her gaze downward. "It... Simply put, it was an accident, from when we went to Flence."

For a moment, he'd savored it. The embrace was comforting for various reasons, his muscles relaxing ever-so-slightly against the opposite frame. He noticed the blush, and just a hint of fondness swelled within his chest. Of course his words had been genuine; she was one of the most beautiful women he'd come to know. Not just for the outward appearance, either; he'd grown to appreciate basically every part of her he'd seen throughout their travels.

Questions were piling on by the second, honestly. There were still things he wanted to tell her, too... but those things would wait. For a while, considering the direction that their conversation was heading. The way she looked down gave him a slightly bad feeling.

So, he wouldn't be explaining the unfinished sentences just yet... since he was going to focus on her words quite a bit, "Wait... An accident? What kind of accident? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Perhaps she had said it a little too quickly, but it felt important to reassure Luke of that right away. As if to further emphasise her point she shakes her head slowly, closing her eyes and exhaling quietly. Enough time had passed that she was more or less accepted it, but there were still moments when she would brush a hand through her hair or try to push it back only to realise it was no longer the same length. After a lifetime of keeping it long, some habits would still linger for a while.

This was also a conversation they would have had eventually, therefore it was better to get it over with as clearly as it could be communicated. Opening her eyes again, she looks up to meet his eye with as much a neutral expression as she could muster.

"During the expedition in Flence... I'm afraid I was careless, so I found myself under the spell of one of the monsters. In the battle that followed... this was the state it ended in."

The way she seemed to be outright forcing herself to seem so... indifferent towards that incident... There must have been more to it than she was letting on. If there was anything he'd learned about Tear, it was that she was the type to always act just fine, even when she was hurting. It had taken Guy pointing that out... that one time when she'd been holding back her tears... for him to take the time to learn it.

But... he'd come to realize just how deep that ran within her.

She really was a soldier through and through, wasn't she? But, that didn't stop her from having feelings, damn it! Frustration surfaced in the form of him firmly taking her upper arm in one hand, and then giving her a look that did nothing to conceal worry and skepticism, "Look, you don't have to pretend that's all there is to it... If you don't want to talk about, then just say so. I know you hate feeling weak, but... you can trust me."

Maybe there was more to it than just the fact that he felt she was holding back. Hell, with the craziness of arriving in a new world and just now seeing isn't... a crystal, it was probably just him overreacting. It's with that thought, he shook his head and offered her a small smile.

"Sorry," he muttered looked to the side, hand releasing her and slowly moving to his own hip, "I think I'm just tense from... well, everything."

A soft 'heh' slipped free right after those words. He looked back to her as several questions continued lurking within his mind. After the pause, he finally asked, "Mind if I ask what the expedition was... for? What kind of place is Flence, anyway?"

Her first instinct was to yank her arm out of his grip, and there is in fact the slightest twitch for a split second before she stops herself. His look of worry was met with narrowed eyes, but that too softens once he finishes speaking. It wasn't as if she could fault him for being suspicious no matter how much it still bothered her, and that was all there was to it.

When he releases her she simply crosses her arms, though her expression has fallen back to a more neutral one. "Being tense isn't always going to be a valid excuse. But if you want to know..."

Were she not focused on keeping her composure, she might have come off as miffed as she went into her explanation. "Flence itself is an independent state that seems determined to stay out of the affairs between other nations, though some would claim it has the best food in all of Crystallis."

... Not that Tear had any time to try and enjoy that, since her mind was otherwise occupied during that entire trip. "Heroes were asked to investigate the strange happenings in a mansion by the Flence Neighborhood Association, and that was why we were there."

"I know..."

His tone didn't hold any bite. With a wry smile, he shook his head, "It's no excuse. I shouldn't push you right into talking about anything. This is... technically the first time we're seeing each other in this world, so I should give it at least a little time..."

...Right?

Never mind he had a weird feeling that had him wanting to dive into talking about a lot of things. Things that had weighed on him before they'd stepped foot on Eldrant... things that had passed through his head as he spoke to her after that final battle against Van... Things he had wanted to say, but never braved... because he thought it would be better to spare her. It was all still there, unmoving. A ball of frustration was resting in his chest, threatening to coax him into just coming out with it, already.

But he had to focus.

It wouldn't be right to detour from what she was saying, just because of his own personal feelings. That would be...selfish, right? His head tilted just a little at the last sentence out of her mouth, "Strange happenings? Like what?"

"... Put simply, there were ghosts and a number of related monsters." So go on ahead and laugh Luke, or be stunned; she had actually tried to brave that little fear of hers and may have actually come back worse for it. But more importantly than that, there was the need to focus yet again on his strange wording. Whether Luke wanted her to or not, there was no ignoring the fact that this time he believed it was their first time meeting, when she very well knew it wasn't.

She allows herself a moment to breathe in quietly, as if to grant herself the strength to confront whatever answers may follow her words and desire for clarity. At the same time, she takes one more look over him to better prepare herself—because it dawns upon her that it wasn't just his hair that was different now.

The fact of the matter was that upon closer inspection, it became clear that he was... younger. Some of the scars she had noticed before were gone, and there wasn't that aura of tiredness to him as there was before. In fact, he seemed more like... the way she remembered him, watching his back as he ascended those stairs just ahead of her.

"... Maybe it is the first time for you, Luke. Maybe you don't remember when I met you the first time..."

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to spit out the hateful, you're willing and able--

new discoveries - 17th

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/ironically uses the icon with the longest hair

one of my favorite icons too lmao

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