GODLY AUDIENCES: LUKE FON FABRE

[divus]

Comments

[dupelicate]

[Ambition winking into existence is so sudden and surprising that Luke actually yelps, jumping back with his hand on his sword—before he's suddenly and forcibly being dragged along.

Several spectrums of emotion fight superiority of expression on his face and lips, but dumbfounded confusion seems to win out long enough for him to splutter out:] What? Why?!

[does he look worried? he is worried. still, he hasn't resisted the drag at any time.]

[divus]

[luke's acting like guy.......... hah

anyway, she drags him all the way up to the beauty salon. once they're inside, she roughly closes the door behind them and spins to face him, putting her hands on her hips. her stance is aggressive.]

I need to say I'm sorry!

[...but her words aren't?]

[dupelicate]

[Luke, for his part, backs into the door, but doesn't try to wrench it open or anything. Maybe he's used to being trapped.]

Okay! Forgiven!

What are you even apologizing for?!

[divus]

[her hands stay where they are, but she looks off to the side. it's a peculiar mix of aggressive and bashful.]

...for last week. When you... you know. When you summoned me.

[dupelicate]

Oh.

[he stares for a moment, thoughtfully.]

...You beat me to it.

I was working up the nerve to apologize to you. Io--Piety was even offering to come as back-up, so you didn't beat me up too bad.

[divus]

[Her gaze snaps back to him.]

Ion said I was going to beat you up?!

[...]

I mean, Piety did?

1/2

[dupelicate]

No! No way! I just thought it was really li--I just thought it might--I didn't know what was going to happen!

[what a terrible save]

[dupelicate]

...Piety just said it might be a good idea for him to come along... probably so I didn't say anything stupid. [or to translate what he did say. considering Ambition's reaction at the trial, the possibility of a misunderstanding was... a real threat.

...]

So, are we going with Piety or Ion? Just so I know.

[divus]

...

[she's just going to ignore that part for the sake of not getting mad]

I mean, either one works. We just have to be careful not to slip up in front of other people. [...like she totally did, repeatedly, at the trial? lol.]

[dupelicate]

[no beatdown was received, so by and large... success!

he beams.]

I can do that.

Anyway—seriously, apology accepted. But... I'm sorry for pulling you in like that, too.

...It must've been a real shock.

[divus]

...it was surprising. I thought you were going to call Ion again.

[


and so did this mod. in fact, i even saw the notif in the inbox and was about to be like "danielle! ion's up!" but then they told me to actually read it]

[dupelicate]

...I was going to. [he scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment.] But... people were talking about your power and everything, and you were one of the gods on the vote... someone told me I should maybe see if there was someone else people needed to talk to.

And... you were there when Fortune... [he trails off, shifting gingerly against the door. Ambition had been the last piece.]

[divus]

...

[Ambition shifts from foot to foot, clearly a little uncomfortable.]

It's hard to believe that's the last time anyone saw her. [Other than, like, her killer.] ...how are you... uh, dealing with that?

[dupelicate]

[He raises his shoulder, and drops them on the exhale, suddenly inspecting the floor.]

...I just have to hope the gods get to come back, too.

[and not think about how she died.]

What about you guys? None of you must be very happy, either.

[divus]

It's like Disorder said... someone has to do their jobs.

[Still, Ambition seems a little fidgety.]

I think we were all more upset last week. None of us really got along with Ruin. [she huffs.] She was a violent maniac, so like... we really all are better off without her.

I'm just glad you caught the person who did it. They won't be going after anyone else now.

[dupelicate]

I never really talked with Ruin—I just heard a lot of rumors. [enough that he never felt bad about not talking to her.] Still... no one deserves that, no matter what they think. [this, he says with a lot more confidence and heart. he really believes it.]

I wish we could've found the other... actors too. Whoever they are. I don't know if we're out of the woods yet.

[divus]

If it helps, I'm pretty sure she was dead before the monsters got to her.

[it probably doesn't help.]

We're not going to be out of the woods until this is over. Even ignoring Fortune and Ruin's killer, there have still been people killing you guys every week. What re you going to do about it?

[dupelicate]

[his expressions says that it clearly doesn't. still, the attempt at comfort is noted, and appreciated nonetheless. Ambition really is okay.]

What am I going to do about it? [he sighs, leaning against the door a little more, resisting the attempt to slide down it in despair.] I don't know. I mean—look at what everyone else has tried already! [Yu, Ray, Ishikirimaru...]

If there was something only I could do, to stop all of this? I'd do it in a second.

[divus]

Hey.

[She takes one hand off her hip and moves forward to reach out in an attempt to tilt his chin up.]

Stop looking so sad, it doesn't suit you.

[dupelicate]

[it works—caught off-guard, his chin tilts up, rising effortlessly with Ambition's finger.]

--Uh.

[blush rising to his cheeks, Luke's mind blanks, save for one thought:

Ambition was a girl.]

S-Sorry...

[divus]

...

[DROPS HIS CHIN LIKE A HOT COAL AT THE LOOK ON HIS FACE TBH]

Someone I admire once told me that nobody's useless. So, like, use your brain a little. You can figure out something that only you can do.

[dupelicate]

[without the expressive keys, he misses Ambition's reaction, caught instead on her statement, color still highlighting his cheeks.]

...Something only I can do.

[...]

...There was a couple things like that, back on my own planet, but... they were all based on who I was—or maybe, who, and what I was made from. I'm not sure I have anything like that, here. [there was no call, for example, for the neutralization of all miasma through self-sacrifice, or the saving of the world through self-sacrifice...]

I'm just me.

[divus]

[she is not any good at pep talks. she's going to try anyway. why are you making her give a pep talk? you're killing her, luke.]

Okay, fine, you have no self-confidence. Whatever. But do you really think we'd have asked you to come here if there really wasn't anything that you could do?

Have some faith in us if you're not capable of having faith in yourself.

[she's the worst.]

[dupelicate]

[weirdly, it's conversely... super-encouraging. nostalgic, even. somehow, there was nothing quite like being backhandedly told you were worth something. it was usually more reliably true than the straight-faced statements.]

...Thanks, Ambition.

[and he means it.]

So, any tips on where I can start? If I'm going to be useful, I mean.

[divus]

[WHY IS HE THANKING HER

NO

she probably looks really surprised behind her mask, but it's not like Luke can tell, since it's covering her face]

The way you've been using your power hasn't been bad at all. [...] Except for the part where you got me when I wasn't expecting it. You're giving us a chance to say things that normally only our hosts would be able to say.

[and to ask questions of the suspects that they normally wouldn't be able to ask]

Who else would have even thought to do it during a trial, even? They'd probably just do it in private.