hisguardian | Tanagura Inbox

[Oh Yulia please don't mention those holidays again. Just the memory has her turning a little red faced and looking down. Ion wasn't the only person she unexpectedly kissed during that week, after all. Really, waking up with a naked Peony wasn't the most embarrassing thing that happened.]

U-Uhm! More or less... [She walks over to the couch and takes a seat, keeping her hands neatly rested on her knees.] You said you needed to talk about something?

[It wasn't the worst thing for him, either. The worst was unquestionably molesting Jade in an alley. Seems like everyone from Auldrant would like to pretend the whole holiday never, ever happened!

Though he did kind of enjoy being a wolf until the morning.

Peony pours them both some tea, settling about a foot away from her and taking a sip himself first.]

I do. You've taken Ion in, right?

[She reaches out to take the cup -- until Peony's question hits, and her face turns red all over again. Things between her and Ion have been pretty awkward since the day she more or less coerced him into being her pet... and she's still not really over how she acted that day.]

...did he tell you about it?

You did, sort of. You told me not to let Ion see me on the way out that day... and he's not in Midas anymore, either. Which is good. His health is bad, it's too cold for him there.

[His gaze lowers.]

But having someone as your pet can have consequences, too. Legally, if you upset the wrong person, he can be punished in your place. That's why I didn't take him in myself - I've made people angry.

[...she did mention that, didn't she. But even so, she's surprised Ion wouldn't have just told him about it after it happened. Unless he was embarrassed? And if so, not even Arietta would fault him for it if he was, all things considered.]

I... I know it's not as simple as letting him stay with me. I wasn't really thinking when it all happened... But I'm going to protect him! No matter what it takes.

[No matter what it takes, huh. A part of him had been hoping that hearing there might be consequences would gently dissuade her from keeping Ion by her side and sending him back to Midas so that he could comfortably continue his lie without hurting her, but he knew that it wouldn't really work out that way. All she'd wanted for quite some time now was to be with him. It's not something she would give up easily.

Honestly is almost definitely better in the end, even if it feels like the end of the world at the time.]

...because he's the Fon Master?

[He knows that's not all there is to it.]

Our titles don't hold meaning, here. I do believe all of us sharing a world binds us together, though - no one here is going to understand what we've gone through better than we do. No matter who we might have been back home.

[Peony pauses there, watching her carefully and gauging her reaction.]

W-What? That's not it at all! [Her reaction to that is swift, and it's probably good she wasn't holding her cup because she might have even dropped it with the way she jumps.]

[But she catches herself, and settles back into her seat.]

I don't care if Ion is the Fon Master or not. He's done so much for me. When I was alone, he let me stay by his side. He taught me everything... and it made me so happy to be his Fon Master Guardian!

[She smiles fondly. Back home, she wouldn't be able to talk about this with a smile. But now, Ion was by her side again. So these memories don't have to be bittersweet.]

[Ah. That's not what he was trying to get at - but he can keep going all the same.]

You're a good girl, Arietta. I would feel the same way. Being alone is... the worst. I don't want that for you, and I know Ion doesn't either. We want you to be happy.

[Peony takes a deep breath. This isn't something he can ease into. It's like he's poking his toe into a freezing pool of water and jerking back repeatedly. If he doesn't take the plunge, he'll chicken out just so she can keep on smiling.]

Lies don't make anyone happy, though. That's why I think everyone should be honest with you. ...Ion's a good kid, too. He truly is - he's one of the kindest people I know, and I'm certain the only reason he hasn't talked about this with you himself is because he doesn't want to hurt you. So before I continue, do you think you can try to only be upset with me, here?

[Arietta doesn't like the direction this is taking. And it shows on her expression and in her demeanor, both of which steel quickly. It probably doesn't help that she's no doubt had similar conversations in the past -- conversations with people who insisted they knew what was best for her.]

[So naturally, she's not going to answer his question. She can't make a promise like without knowing anything.]

...what are you talking about?

[That lack of an answer is noted. At the very least, he'll need to get a promise from her that she won't hurt Ion before she leaves. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't slightly intimidated. Yes, he's bigger than she is and they're at a close enough distance that he could get a hand over her mouth and stop her from casting, but she's still a dangerous fonist and he doesn't want to make an enemy of her. At least he can't turn back now. With his voice as steady and soothing as he can make it, he forges onward.]

I'm talking about Ion. The Ion here is a replica, Arietta.

[There's no point in dancing around it. He'll just have to try and handle whatever comes of the truth now that it's out.]

...what?

[You'd think Peony just grew a pair of cheagle ears with the look Arietta is giving him right now. It takes a minute for what he said to sink in -- and even when it does, it only brings up more questions than answers.]

[In the back of Arietta's mind, a nagging feeling she's had since she got here starts to flare up. But she pushes past it, her expression growing more severe as she leans towards Peony.]

What are you talking about? What do you mean he's a replica?

Edited 2015-03-09 07:28 (UTC)

[If nothing else, Peony is good for a conversation like this because he doesn't back down and he doesn't lose empathy for the person he's speaking with. Jade could have delivered this news to her just as easily, but he would be cold as ice and she would probably try to kill the messenger if she even believed him. Ion would have had trouble getting the words out. Among the people from Auldrant they have here, he's the only one that can do this in any sort of timely manner.

Now he just has to hope she doesn't try to kill this messenger, too.]

You know what replicas are, don't you? You've met both Luke and Asch, after all. Ion is the same; he's a replica of the original Fon Master Ion. You could consider them like twin brothers... but Ion doesn't have the memories of his original, just like Luke.

[Her expression grows more and more worried as he goes on, vital pieces of the puzzle still missing. What did this mean? If Ion was replica, what memories did he not have? What did this mean for her? For them?]

That's... but Ion would have told me if he was a replica!! He treats me just the same as he always--

["Yes but that would require me to become your pet, Arietta."

"What's wrong with that? That's what you used to call me!"

"...When was the last time I called you that, Arietta?"]

[At the time, she didn't think anything of the question. She was afraid she had insulted him, because she had insinuated he would become her pet instead. But what if he was asking because he didn't know? Replicas are replacements, but... they don't have any memories. Luke replaced Asch and became Luke. But what did it really mean to replace someone?]

[There's a question burning in the back of her mind, but she doesn't want to ask. She's terrified. She doesn't want to accept it.]

...no... no, that can't be, he's... he's still Ion, isn't he!?

[Peony reaches out to place his hand on top of one of hers, though he'll draw back if she flinches away from him. It's just impossible for him to not reach out physically when she's so clearly distressed, even if the words that he's saying are the cause of it.]

He's Ion, but he's not the same as your Ion. He's still that kind, sweet boy that's so afraid of hurting you that he hasn't been able to say any of this. To be born a replica and told that you're a replacement for someone else, yet never being able to really do it because you aren't them, not really - I'm sure it's very painful.

[Please, please let her not be angry with Ion.]

[Oh, she jerks away all right. But unfortunately, feeling empathy for Ion-who-might-not-be-Ion-but-is-still-Ion is not where her mind is right now.]

[Especially not after he used the words "your Ion".]

....what happened to him? What happened to Ion? The Ion I knew? Why... did they need to make a replica?

[Asch needed to be replaced because of Van's plans. So where did Ion fall into this? Was he just one of the replicas made in accordance to Van's plans to remake the world?]

[How long has he been lying to her...?]

To have a puppet acting as the Fon Master, I imagine. They did use him to open all those seals. Thankfully he didn't turn out to be quite so easy to manipulate as they thought.

[It's a miracle, really. A two year old replica managed to find a will of his own and ended up being key in stopping the whole fiasco they'd created him for in the first place.]

...even in my position, I don't know the exact details of what happened to the original Ion. Daath keeps its secrets well.

[Managing to keep the fact that the whole of the land was floating under wraps for so long is a testament to that.]

It is known that he's always been sick, though. I'm sorry.

[Peony lowers his head, despite the fact that it puts him in a vulnerable position.]

He didn't make it.

[Arietta can't just take news like that quietly. Her eyes brim with tears as she gasps, shaking her head. And though Peony may not know the details, he's told her enough for her to piece things together.]

[Things start falling into place, and through the pain, a great number of things start to make sense. This is why Ion was so cold to her. It's why he sided against her and stood with the same people who killed Mommy.]

[It's why she wasn't allowed to be with him, in what must have been his final days, when he was so sick and bed-ridden that he wasn't allowed to have visitors. She lost her position as Fon Master Guardian as soon as he recovered. It all made sense now.]

[And it was like losing him all over again.]

No... no, no...!! No, Ion, he can't... h-he can't be...!!

[And then the tears start to fall, and they just can't stop.]

[Despite the fact that she'd pulled away from him before, he can't stop himself from reaching out again now and attempting to draw her head to his chest. Grieving, crying alone so desperately - no one should have to do that. If she gets angry with him for it, then it's fine.]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry...

[And because he didn't actually know the original Ion and he knows nothing of him, that's something he can say with all his heart.]

[She lets him pull her in as she sobs, practically screaming through the tears. For as much as everything became more clear, it also became more painful.]

[The person she cared about more than life itself is gone. He died two years ago, and she didn't even know. She couldn't do anything for him in the end -- she couldn't even be by his side.]

[He promised her he wouldn't leave her alone again. He promised he would tell her if something ever happened to him. He promised her.]

[But... was he really gone? If he was gone, then who was the Ion living in her apartment? The Ion she fought for, died for, and mourned with every fiber of her being? He was... still Ion, wasn't he?]

[A replica was just a replacement, wasn't it?]

[But even as she thinks this, the thoughts just don't align with how she feels. It didn't make any sense. Why did things have to turn out like this? Why now, when she was finally happy...!?]

[She tries to say something, but her words get lost in her sobbing, muffled by Peony's shirt.]

[How many times has this poor girl had to lose Ion from her point of view, now? It's almost like torture. At least this strike was the final blow - the truth.

His heart breaks for her as she wails earnestly, crying so hard that he doubts she even fully registers his presence at the moment. Even so, he strokes her hair and holds her close, wanting her to at least know that she isn't alone. Someone that she's essentially just met doesn't come close to the person who took her in and taught her everything and shaped her view of the world, but it's surely better than screaming into a lonely abyss.

Peony does hear that she's trying to say something, but he doesn't prompt her to try and out with it again until her sobbing calms down (if it even will before she just cries herself into an exhausted sleep). For now, it's best to let her absorb what's been said without poking and prodding.]

[The crying goes on for a long while, and it's only once the sobs have grown soft that she finally starts to push away.]

[But when she does, it's harsh and sudden -- she shoves herself away from Peony, looking up at him with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. And there, hidden behind that veil of tears, is a look of contempt. Though whether it's truly meant for Peony or not is hard to say.]

Why... why didn't anyone tell me!? I-I... I couldn't do anything... a-all this time, everyone was lying to me...!! [Her hands curl into fists.] Even you!!

[Of course, he doesn't fight when she pushes herself away from him. It's a real struggle to not try to dry her tears, though. Seeing someone hurt so deeply rubs him raw, too - that empathy is one of his greatest strengths and one of his biggest weaknesses.]

Ion... was just afraid. Everyone in Van's group planned to replace the world with replicas anyway, so they might not have thought to. But you're right. Regardless of the why, we still did it. It was wrong.

[It was wrong. Those words take away some of the bite to her anger -- she's never had someone tell her that before. After all, not once did those murderers show any remorse for killing Mommy. They didn't apologize for killing Ion either. But Peony... did he feel bad about it? About lying to her?]

[She sniffles between sobs, rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve.]

...you lied to me. You told me you were my friend... but you never even told me you were the Emperor! [A fact she learned from Ion -- could she even still call him that?] I... I-I trusted you!

[There's a little hesitation, but since she seems just a bit calmer he reaches into his pocket and takes out the handkerchief he had ready in case she started crying to hold out to her. It's not good for her to rub at her sleeves like that, she'll get them all slimy like Saphir when he was a boy.]

I said it before, didn't I? That our titles don't mean anything here. I try to not tell people here who I am back home, because... honestly, I wish that I weren't a lot of the time. But that was wrong, too. I'm sorry. You aren't just another person here, you were born in Malkuth. I should have said something. Still - I really do mean it, you know. I want to be your friend, and if we can all go home together, I want to stay together. Even Liger.

[She actually reaches out for the handkerchief for a moment, but stops just short of grabbing it. She doesn't have a lot of experience with people wanting to be her friend. And right now, Peony is one of the few people from her world to treat her so kindly, and like an equal. Aside from Ion, the only people who ever treated her that way did so out of fear or subordination.]

...I-I don't know if I can trust you again. And Ion... [She tries to take a calming breath, but it's still shaky and edged with tears.] W-What am I supposed to do now?

Tanagura Inbox

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)