[FIN] Mama's Boys

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch was pretty much in the same boat with Luke on the matter. He would deal with it when the time came. But he did glance over at his twin, watching him send a message to Natalia anyway. Well... that should take the edge off at least.

After a few moments of thought, he then remembered that his own twin had a similar condition to their mother's. And he did have reason to suspect not all was right with Luke either. However, he was a bit loathe to bring it up should he look too concerned or something. How to do this...

"How's your health anyway?"

Sounding rather aloof.  

[Suudonym]

Luke didn't respond to the aloofness overtly, though he did process it with the slightest thoughts of annoyance. "I'm fine," he said, choosing to ignore the fact that a large portion of his luggage was constituted by prescribed medication. "Better than I was, at least." That much was relatively true, given he had spent the majority of his days prior to the surgery feeling tired, sore, and ill. Not that he wasn't still quite tired and sore, but at least now such symptoms were because of a gradual recovery rather than decline.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch sighed again and turned around so that his back was leaning against the railing, arms folded. "When are you going to figure out that you're a pathetic liar?" He wasn't that stupid.

With Asch having turned around, Tyke was now on the same side that Luke was. And the green eyed Zorua stared at Luke with a tilt of his head.  

[Suudonym]

"I'm not lying," he said defensively, perhaps even a bit indignantly. "I mean comparatively. I've been a lot worse." When all was said and done, he simply hated speaking of himself like the invalid he had become. If he spoke relatively, though, he could almost call himself healthy. He wasn't dying, at least, though that manner of thought renewed worries of his mother. He met the Zorua's green eyes with his own as it regarded him, recalling it from a time in the past when they had battled. This, too, retrieved bitter memories, returning him to thoughts of his lost Flareon. There really was no such thing as pleasantness as of late.  

[BlackPidgeot]

"Hmph. Right. Whatever." Asch said, clearly not buying it but deciding to just let it drop. He had to put up with this guy for the next however long. And he didn't want to be fighting with his brother in front of their mother either. So again there would be silence from Asch's end. So much for conversation. He was never very good at pleasantries.  

[Suudonym]

Well, that was the end of that conversation then. Luke sighed lightly. Talking to his brother always felt like treading on eggshells; he never knew what exactly would be contested or met with anger or irritation. Surrendering, he moved himself into the ship's cabin, locating the small breakfast table that was set out for the early boats. The remainder of the day was spent idly, listening to music in times of isolation and awkwardly tolerating Asch's company whenever they intersected. He had forgotten just how long the boat's course lasted. By the next morning, it finally arrived in Grande Ile's port, disembarking in the brothers' destination of Devoirue.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Well it wasn't like Luke was exactly cooperating with that conversation. So it wasn't entirely his fault. Asch just skulked around the ship the entire time. Avoiding his brother for the most part so that he could keep to himself and his own thoughts.

He was there at the front of the ship when the island and the city came into view. His green eyes affixed on the view that he hadn't seen since he was a child. A skyline that had most certainly changed from the memories he still had.

He still didn't speak to Luke as they left the boat, stepping out into the city. Eventually on a sidewalk, followed by his Zorua, Asch paused and looked around. Realizing he had no idea where to go. He didn't recognize anything.  

[Suudonym]

It had been a while since Luke had seen Devoirue, but certainly not so long as it had been for Asch. Luke, familiar with the landscape from his visit over the summer, took point in their expedition, advancing through the seaside area of the city at an average pace in the direction of the manor. No words came to mind, and he the proximity to their destination invigorated his anxiety over their mother's condition, so he moved forward with a wordless glance towards Asch in trust that he would follow. (He wouldn't admit that it was nice to finally be able to do something that his brother couldn't.)

Eventually they would come upon the city's upper residencies, grand buildings reserved for the habitation of Grande Ile's nobility and political figures, and amidst the soaring architecture was a building that had remained unchanged throughout the years: the home of House Fabre. As the boys approached the manor's main gate, the guards stationed there would take notice, "Young Master Lucien! We were told to expect you. And," the guardsmen regarded Asch in momentary surprise or unease, "Young Master Luke." Obviously their parents had explained at least a few details - probably their father's work upon Luke's positive response that they would come as quickly as possible. The boy ducked his head slightly at the name that was so difficult to understand as his. He would tolerate it, though, if that was how things were going to be while they were here.  

[TRHQ Yuri Lowell]

Following wordlessly, Asch looked around the city as they walked, taking in the sights. As they drew closer though, things started to become more recognizable. Changed over time for sure, but memories started trickling into his mind that he had thought were buried and forgotten. His face also became more and more stoic as they went. So that when they were standing in front of the gate of the manor, he just stared at the guards with a straight face.

Yes, there was a slight twitch of the fingers of his left hand as he was referred to by his given name. Just as uncomfortable, if not more so, with this as Luke was. Tyke hid behind Asch's boot, peering up at the guards with flattened ears. He didn't like the feelings that were exuding from any of them.

"We've come to see our mother," Asch spoke with an authoritative tone. Despite having been gone for so long, he obviously expected to be treated as if he hadn't. With that he merely brushed past the guards and walked towards the front door. He knew his way from here.  

[Suudonym]

Luke offered a passing pleasantry to the guards as they passed, following his brother inside. The interior hall was staffed by a few of the house's maids, one of which blinked startledly - likely taken aback by the similarity of the two boys despite having been told of them - before curtseying, "Young Masters, I've been instructed to bring the both of you to the Lady upon your arrival. If you'll please follow me." She offered another small curtsy before turning to lead the way through the manor, guiding the boys through their home more as a formality than a necessity. In the hall before their parents' room, she paused before the large wooden doors and pushed them open quietly, announcing the arrival of "Young Masters Luke and Lucien." The chamber was dim, the thick curtains pulled across the windows to invite relaxation. A large, plush bed stood in the center of the room, a chair pulled to its side and occupied by the house's lord. Upon the sheets lay their mother, breathing gently in slumber and apparently only faintly aware of her husband's hand on hers. Red hair splayed across the pillows, framing her gaunt and pale face, and she did not seem to stir in response to the intrusion.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch tried to pretend that this didn't bother him. Walking into a house that he hadn't seen in almost a decade. He looked straight ahead as he walked down the familiar halls, but his eyes did tilt a little to look at the things around him. Trying to ignore the stares from the manor's staff as the two of them passed through, following the one maid.

His face remained unreadable as they went. And while it appeared as if he was confidently walking towards his parent's room, his mind was screaming for him to turn and run back the other way. He wasn't sure if he could do this. But he had to.

When they reached the double doors of his mother and father's chambers, Asch finally hesitated. Standing stock still in front of the doors as he caught a glimpse of his mother in the bed and his father next to her. He didn't move for several moments, his body rigid and his fists clenched at his sides.

Tyke, who had been following, stopped and looked up at Asch with blinking eyes. "Zor?"

At the announcement of his sons, Lord Fabre rose from his seat to see the two figures in the doorway. The man looked tired, his expression solemn but slightly apprehensive.

"Boys, come in."  

[Suudonym]

Though Asch didn't react outwardly, Luke had enough perception to know that his brother was likely feeling plenty anxious. He had felt such anxiety himself when he had returned, and he had only been away for around a year. Nonetheless they forged forward, standing before the darkened room behind the door the maid opened. Luke nodded his head in acknowledgment at their father's invitation, sparing a brief touch on Asch's shoulder and an expression that attempted to offer some reassurance; assuaging all apprehension was an impossible feat, he realized, but he at least hoped to take the edge off of his brother's hesitation.

Luke crossed the room quietly, taking up a place beside the bed his mother occupied. It looked as though she suffered in her sleep, and Luke tensed his hands lightly as he watched, reluctant to wake her. It was a scene at once familiar and unfamiliar, relatable and terrifyingly distant. "What's wrong? Is she okay?" he asked in a murmur. He had survived his own ordeal, after all. Certainly his mother could recover as well.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Asch glanced at his brother momentarily at the touch upon his shoulder. He was slightly surprised, but again hid it rather well. He let the other walk in before him before coming in as well. His gaze meeting with that of his father's. He kept his distance, letting Luke ask the questions and just quietly standing aside.

Having made eye contact with Luke, the real Luke, their father was at a loss for words upon seeing his lost son. Thus the man turned his attention to Lucien and he sighed softly.

"Her condition has worsened. Unfortunately, we didn't catch it in time." He let those words hang in the air for a moment before leaning towards the sleeping woman on the bed, touching her shoulder gently. He didn't wish to wake her, but there was no telling if they would have another chance to speak with her. Time was short.

"Suzanne, our sons are here."  

[Suudonym]

His father's words were hardly the reassurance Luke had hoped for, and his hands tightened on the fabric of his jacket. His mother had always been fragile, prone to illness from the slightest of worries, but he made it sound as though she didn't have a hope - and that was simply impossible, wasn't it?

He watched, nearly holding his breath, as his father gently roused her from her pallid slumber. The woman's green eyes fluttered open dazedly, turning first to her husband that had spoken to her and then to the two boys standing in his vicinity. Her voice came in hushed tones when she spoke, despite the smile that bloomed upon her features, "Lucien, and Luke… You're my Luke, aren't you? My son…" She lifted her hand to rest above the sheets, turning it palm up in a small gesture to beckon her lost son closer to her side.  

[BlackPidgeot]

At the beckoning, Asch's features softened a little and he stepped forward. His fears and anxiety starting to drain away as he came to his mother's side.

Their father moved aside to make way for his firstborn, and instead came to stand next to Lucien. He had nothing to say to the youngest of the twins at the moment, and thus just stood there in solemn silence and watched.

"Yes mother," Luke said as he knelt down on one knee beside the bed. She looked so pale, thin, and gaunt. While Suzanne had always been frail, now she was just a mere shadow of the woman that he remembered.