[FIN] Mama's Boys

[Suudonym]

Luke never before wished so much for the ability to control when bad news surfaced in his life. The call came early in the morning - at an hour that couldn't even properly be described as morning - from, unexpectedly, his father. The man's voice had been grave as he spoke of the illness that plagued his wife, a dry and hollow tone that had already given up on the hope for recovery. The request to return home, ideally alongside his brother, to be at her side was received with nothing short of incredulity, but Luke nonetheless agreed. It was early enough, at least, to make all necessary preparations to leave in time to catch the first boat to Grande Ile. One such preparation included sending a message to Asch: Father called saying Mother's extremely sick. He wants us to come home. I'm boarding the morning ship to Grande Ile. An indirect invitation for his brother to join him.

The ensuing morning indeed found Luke waiting at the dock for the announcement to board, a small luggage case beside him - a duffel would have easily sufficed, but he was technically still within orders to avoid any kind of unnecessary lifting. He sat restlessly on one of the benches placed for the convenience of passengers such as himself, scanning the boardwalk for the too-familiar figure of his brother.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch had awoken to the fact that he had a message. Upon reading it, the blood had drained from his face as he immediately knew what this implied. At first he was inclined to not believe it, and he was about to send some sort of nasty reply back... but didn't.

Instead, he didn't answer at all, and immediately went to his direct supervisor to explain the situation and acquire excused leave for an undetermined period of time. Once that was arranged, Asch quickly dressed in his Grande Ile attire and packed a few meager things. In his room, he stared at his sword long and hard as it was leaning against the wall. However, he decided to leave it behind.

While it was barely dawn, the agent would ride toward Camphoreon upon the back of his black Rapidash, Urging Havoc to run as fast as he could go. Luke would hear the clamoring of hooves as his twin rode the dark Pokemon up towards the docks. Bringing the Rapidash to a hault, Asch cast a muted glare down at his brother.

"If this is a joke. I'm not laughing."

Yet there was something in his voice that knew this couldn't be a joke, and yet he kinda hoped it was.  

[Suudonym]

The prospective passengers milling about would part to grant the Rapidash unhindered passage, and Luke autonomously rose from the bench in response to his brother's arrival. It was more of a relief than he would admit to see that Asch had accepted the invitation, if only for the selfishness that he wouldn't have to face the situation alone. He replied to Asch's glare with a level expression, though his tone was less sure, "Yeah, me neither." All they could do now was wait for permission to board, their only solace the fact that boarding began shortly after dawn during normal hours of operation.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch stared back at his brother for a moment before finally dismounting from the Rapidash. The Pokemon snorted and pawed the pavement, giving Luke a more harsh look than his master had. However, the fire type soon disappeared into a pokeball as Asch went about purchasing a ticket.

When that was done, he wound up standing near his twin with arms folded and waiting for boarding. There was nothing but tense silence from him. He didn't know what to say, or that he wanted to say anything at all.  

[Suudonym]

Ordinarily Luke likely would have been put off by the abrasive acknowledgment of the pokemon, but he didn't really have enough emotional investment to spare for that today. He regarded Asch with a similar silence when his brother returned to await the boarding announcement. There wasn't really anything to say - not that plenty hadn't happened since they had last shared a vicinity, but it wasn't really the time to make small talk. It became even less the time to make small talk when the speakers in the surrounding area crackled to life, announcing that boarding for the ship bound to Grande Ile had commenced. Luke moved to start towards the gates, sparing a glance towards Asch. He assumed they were more or less traveling together, after all.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Luke had assumed correctly. When the announcement to board was given, Asch didn't bother looking back at his twin and walked towards the boat next to him. Honestly, a few years ago he never would have dreamed or even considered walking side by side with his brother anywhere. Or being anywhere near him. But things had since changed, and this situation was no casual outing either. This concerned the both of them. Like it or not, they were family.

Stepping onto the boat, Asch looked around for a moment. While he kept a passive face, a moment of terror inwardly struck him. He hadn't been home in... a very long time. If it wasn't for his mother, he wouldn't go back. That was the only thing that spurred him on.

Letting out a sigh, he picked a place along the railing and leaned against it, looking rather distant as he stared towards the ocean in the direction of Grande Ile. He also took a moment to release another of his Pokemon, Tyke. The Zorua blinking as he appeared and looking around the ship.

"Zoooor?" he asked, wondering what was going on. Why were they on a boat?  

[Suudonym]

Luke wasn't exactly thrilled about returning home either, though for him it was more because of the circumstances under which the trip was occurring. He was beginning to lose faith in the idea that good things could happen, but he didn't want to face the situation so pessimistically. Quietly he took a place near Asch, watching as he released the Zorua as it was released and took in its surroundings. "Mother will be happy to see you," he said at length.  

[BlackPidgeot]

When Luke broke the silence, Asch wasn't quick to respond. His eyes tilted down slightly as he looked at the water below. Which started to stir as the ship's engines roared to life in preparation for departure.

"I don't know what to say to her," he admitted finally.

Tyke's ears tilted back as he listened, then scurried up to Asch's shoulder to perch there. The little dark type looking over at Luke and then back to his master.  

[Suudonym]

"Anything," he replied, resting his hands lightly on the rail as the boat slowly lurched into motion, sounding its departure. "Or even nothing at all. I'm sure she'd be more than happy just to have you there with her." He knew their mother well: her doting tendencies, her gentle and loving nature, her propensity for dwelling on things past. There was simply no circumstance under which she would be any less than thrilled to see her lost son.  

[BlackPidgeot]

It was easy for him to say, but then... it was just that simple wasn't it? Asch still had doubts fluttering about like butterflies, but he tried to push them away. Again he went silent, barely even hearing the horn of the boat as they began to leave Camphoreon's harbor. This was it, wasn't it? There really wasn't any turning back at this point. Not that he would, but well. It was still strange to think about. He had been avoiding all aspects of his past life these several years, and now he was heading back like a prodigal son.

Sensing his master's conflicted feelings, Tyke curled up on Asch's shoulder and whined softly. He didn't really understand what was going on, but the melancholy tone between the two was obvious.  

[Suudonym]

"It'll be fine," he assured quietly, unsure of what else he could say. He knew their parents primarily blamed themselves, after all, but he simply wasn't sure of what Asch was expecting that made him so adverse to the reunion. Nervous, certainly, but his previous continued objections to returning were somewhat baffling.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch had his reasons, but unfortunately he wasn't planning on sharing them any time soon, if ever. He quietly accepted the reassurance however. Not brushing it off as he might have done in any other situation. However, silence reigned again for several minutes as the boat was now sailing into the open waters of the ocean.

His eyes then widened slightly in sudden realization and he looked over at his brother finally.

"Where's Natalia?"  

[Suudonym]

Luke blinked briefly in mild surprise at the query, then lowered his head slightly as he realized the implications. "I didn't contact her," he said, a faint guilt to his words. "I was kind of panicked. But I'm sure the house contacted her family, and they probably got a message to her." It had been the middle of the night when the call had arrived, after all, so in all likelihood the relay had probably occurred only recently - or would very soon. Either way, it was a little late for her to join them on the ferry; she had quite literally missed the boat.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch let out an exasperated sigh as he put his hand to his forehead in clear irritation. However, he couldn't be too upset with Luke. He had only thought about it just now himself. Plus he was right. Natalia would find out some way or another.

But he too knew the implications and they would probably pay for it later for not telling her right away. Or letting her join them on the boat. But well, it was a bit late now.  

[Suudonym]

Though Natalia's retaliation certainly wasn't anything to look forward to, it wasn't really the most ominous thing looming on the horizon at the moment either, and Luke readily took up a "cross that bridge when we come to it" perspective. She would surely find her way somehow, but just to cover himself a bit he extracted his pokedex from his pocket and keyed out a message indicating the rough details of the situation, apologizing for forgetting to contact her, and noting the time of departure for the next ship bound to their destination. At least she couldn't say that neither of them had said anything at all that way.