[FIN] The Same Old Song

[Suudonym]

Communicating with the clinic, of course, had been the first task upon his return to Kodo, as much of a hassle as it was. Even with those all-important medical records in hand, all their talk was of scheduling meetings and consultations. He'd gotten away with nothing more than an assortment of medicines and a set of instructions for their usage. It was something, at least. It was better than being told there was nothing they could do. He had half expected to be told they needed something else after the records, sent on some unending fetch quest. It was fortunate that that was not the case.

There was more yet to be done after that, though: There was the request of his parents that he had promised to fulfill. Luke scrolled through his recently received messages, pinpointing the one from a nameless contact. He selected it and typed out his note:

Meet with me. I have something of yours.

The boy waited in the church where he had previously been trapped by torrential rain, half-seated against the back of one of the pews. On the floor beside him was a black case, and at his shoulder was a small yellow creature that floated interestedly in the air. He sort of worried that Asch would recognize the Mew and try to steal again, especially given that he had yet to properly catch it himself, and warned the pokemon that it should make itself invisible. As of yet, however, it didn't seem to have any intent to comply.  

[BlackPidgeot]

He hadn't expected to actually get a message from his brother, but he'd left the option open just in case. After all, he wouldn't have bothered contacting him that one time the way he did, if he didn't want to be contacted ever for anything. But still, it drew a raised brow as he saw the message. Okay, fine, whatever. Asch didn't reply, didn't even ask where it was he wanted to me. He had a feeling, a hunch, that he knew where to go.

Dressed in his dark, Grande Ile attire, Asch passed through the door with barely a sound. He stands at the back of the church, looking at the back of his brother as he sits in the pew.

"What do you want?"

There's no dreck, no insults, just a simple demand. His tone is as hard as ever, though.  

[Suudonym]

Lorelei's ears tilted forward, and it suddenly flitted behind the pew to take refuge in its shadow. Luke watched with only a very brief curiosity; it didn't take much to tell what had prompted the Mew's behavior. At least the thing had the sense to know when to make itself scarce, even if it wasn't going to listen to commands.

Asch's appearance was expected, and Luke found himself oddly unsurprised that his brother had arrived without requesting information about the location. He leaned away from the pew, reaching down to take the black case in hand. "I brought you a souvenir," he said, holding the item up in presentation, "from home."  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch had seen a flash of yellow, but that was it. He paid it no regard and instead was focused on his brother as he made his announcement and held up a familiar black case.

There was an odd look of surprise on his face as he realized what it was. A bit taken aback by the whole thing. He didn't move any closer though, not yet.

"You went back to the manor?"  

[Suudonym]

"Didn't have much of a choice," he replied vaguely. He shifted the weight of the case so that it rested in his hand at his side. The expression on his brother's features clearly indicated that he knew what it was. "Mother asked me to give this to you."  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch didn't move, the man staying frozen in place. He looked at the case as if he would leap out and bite him. But his eyes visibly softened, just a little bit, at the mention of their mother.

Wait a minute. That meant. Fire flashed in his eyes.

"You -told- them about me?"  

[Suudonym]

If Asch's eyes were filled with fire, then Luke's were of water. He titled his head slightly askance, "It was kind of a major part of the whole argument against them telling me I was you." Well, even if it hadn't been, he would have said as much anyway. It was too cruel to let someone believe their son was dead when he was known to be perfectly alive. "They were really upset that you thought they replaced you. You were always telling me to go home, but you're the one that needs to talk to them more."  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch put a hand to his forehead in exasperation and sighed, muttering, "Idiot." This was really annoying. He passed a glare at Luke when he continued.

"No, I'm not going back. It would have been better if you hadn't said anything."  

[Suudonym]

He frowned slightly, "Wow, that's pretty harsh." He was quiet for a moment as he separated himself from his own point of view and attempted to observe the situation from Asch's perspective. Hm. "I didn't tell them what you're doing now, you know." He could understand not wanting them to know about stealing pokemon as a member of an organized crime organization. He didn't tell them about the man he had slain himself, and that was even justifiable. "It's not like you have to tell them everything. Do you have any idea how happy they would be just to see you again?"  

[BlackPidgeot]

Hmph. He said nothing to that part about it being harsh. Yeah it probably was, but he had his reasons. However, green eyes flicked back to Luke when he mentioned not telling them anything. Well... that's a relief at least.

"And then what? Have them convince me to stay so that I can take over as House Fabre's heir? That's not happening. You're the one that should be there, not me."  

[Suudonym]

Asch's use of the word 'convince' was almost amusing. As if anyone could persuade him to do something he didn't want to do. It would take no less than outright brainwashing.

"It's not like they can force you, right?" he said, shrugging. "They asked me to stay, and I told them I had things to do in Kodo. They understood and let me come back." And what a relief that they had. Being confined to the manor again was one of his biggest anxieties about the visit. He lowered his gaze slightly, "Honestly I feel kind of bad. After all their worrying and preparing, both of their heirs wound up disappearing on them," he frowned, "and if you really can't, or really don't want to, or whatever it is, I'll probably go back there some day - but not until I'm sure I could handle it properly." Forget politics; simply sitting patiently in one place for a few hours was already asking a lot of his limits.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch goes eerily quiet, but doesn't look at Luke. He.. couldn't really argue with that. Much anyway. It was really unfortunate that all of this happened, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"You will go back. I'll make sure of it. No matter the cost." This said in a bit of a murmur, until he realizes that he actually said it aloud, and looks annoyed with himself.

Heaving a sigh, he walks forward and grabs the case out of Luke's hand. Walking past his brother and moving to a pew where he sets it down. His hands hover over the case for a moment, hesitant, until he finally flips open the clasps and pulls up the lid. His eyes behold the rich ruddy wood of a glossy violin. It was in perfect shape, just as he remembered it. One of much better quality than the one he had back at the base.  

[Suudonym]

He raised an eyebrow in a mild confusion at the words. Maybe the 'probably' was a little too half-hearted for Asch's taste. Too bad, because Luke didn't want to commit to it yet.

He lifted the case slightly to offer it as his brother approached, then turned and leaned his elbows against the backrest of the pew to watch it open and reveal its contents. It was a very pretty instrument, kept in perfect condition. "Aren't you glad they never let me touch it? I would have broken it for sure."  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch's eyes rose to meet Luke's.

"Hmph, and I would have to kill you if you had." The tone of his voice not making it clear whether he was joking or actually being serious.

His attention going back to the instrument, he picked up the bow and a small amber colored block of rosin. Rubbing it against the long silky strands of Arcanine fur, which obviously haven't seen use in a long time. Once that's done, he sat down the bow and picked up the violin itself to tighten the strings.  

[Suudonym]

"I'm sure you'd never have found out," he said, shrugging. Not that it mattered one way or another. The violin was safely in its owner's hands, right?

It was somehow surreal to see the violin and its various elements in a place that wasn't its storage place in the manor. He'd had glimpses of the instrument before, but he'd never seen it maintained or played. It was something that had always fascinated, as did most things with a relation to music.