08 [Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

[Filtered to Hubert, Sophie, Richard, and Pascal | 50% unhackable]

Lambda's gone.

[/Filter]

...I'd heard of it happening before, but this is the first time it's personally happened to me... What... [There's a hint of hesitation and sadness in his voice.] ...What exactly happens to someone who's sent away from here?

Comments

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[He just stays silent, waiting for Richard to give him an answer.]

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

[Richard doesn't know what to do. No matter what he answers, someone is going to end up hurt in the end. He doesn't want Asbel to get hurt for him, but... won't it be better to let him be happy, at least for a while?]

... if that is what you truly want.

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[--! Did he really agree...?]

Ah... Thank you, Richard!

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

[Ahh, there's that smile. Richard will endure whatever pain he has to as long as Asbel keeps smiling like that.]

No, thank you. After all, you're the one who vowed to protect me.

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[Knowing someone else still depends on him relieves him.]

Ah, well... I'm just doing what feels right to me...

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

[And yet it makes Richard feel even worse, because it just further convinces him that he's weak.]

That's exactly why you're stronger than I am.

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[He shakes his head.] I can only be strong... Because my friends are strong.

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

[And again Richard is silent. He can't bear to tell Asbel that he really isn't that strong at all.]

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[He'd tell you you're full of shit, Richard. Just in... Asbel terms.

His gaze shifts downward, towards the ground. The awkward silence reminds him there's a reason he's here.]

...Richard, there's... actually a reason I came to see you.

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

[... that does not sound good at all, and the expression on Asbel's face isn't helping that atmosphere.]

Did something happen?

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

...He's gone.

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

Who is?

[Although he has a sinking feeling that he knows exactly who Asbel means.]

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[There's a long pause. The others might not have been affected that much, especially considering how little time they had spent with him, but... Richard was different. He knew Lambda better than anyone...]

... ... ...Lambda...

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

Lambda is...

[That's a good thing, right? That means he won't have to be experimented on again, trapped in a body he had no say in... Richard should be glad about this, so then why does it hurt so much?]

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

...Yeah. [Even though Lambda won't have to be experimented on here anymore... They have no clue what lies ahead for Lambda on Efinea.]

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

... I see. Thank you for telling me, Asbel.

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

...Of course, Richard. If anyone needed to know, it was you.

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

Will you be all right...?

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

...Yeah, I'll be fine. [He'll cope, in time.]

...Will you?

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

It's far better for Lambda to be safe in our world than it is for him to be here and experimented on again.

[Which isn't really an answer, but shhh.]

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

...Yeah, it is. [It doesn't make it any better, though.]

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

At least this way we know he is safe back at home as well.

[... but that pain in his chest isn't from his wound.]

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

[...Richard's trying so hard to stay strong... Asbel has to be strong too. For both their sakes. He forces a smile.]

...Yeah, I'm sure he is. Lambda won't have to suffer on Efinea like he would here. [It's an awkward smile.]

[Action]

[ledbythewind]

In a way, he's the luckiest one of us all, getting to go home first. I'm almost envious of him for that.

[A year is a long, long time away from home, longer than Richard has ever been away before.]

[Action]

[drawnbythesword]

...Yeah. Maybe he'll find some happiness there now...