[closed]

[cantic]

Date & Time: Earlier today, as soon as the power goes out.
Location: A random hallway
Characters: Tear Grants & Asch
Summary: Asch and Tear are separated
Warning: Abyss spoilers?

They'd heard commotion and left to investigate, convincing Asch to join them.

Then the power had gone, the message had broadcasted, and suddenly Tear found a door sliding swiftly shut between Luke and them. The words of the broadcast don't even register with her. Her heart is in her throat and Tear can't think rationally. All she can remember is looking over her shoulder at Luke, his back to her, as she left him behind on Auldrant; all she can think of is Van melting away into nothing before her eyes, and Jade telling her Luke is already dead, and Luke's scared voice telling her he doesn't want to become just a memory. Now Jade is gone, and Luke-- Luke….

"Luke!" Tear cries out, floating forward in zero gravity to pound on the door. "Luke, are you still there? Luke!"

Comments

[iciclerain]

"Tear." This was not something Asch had expected from her, and not something he thinks either of them can afford. He drags himself to a stop and settles his feet to the floor. He'd never thought holding still in lesser gravity would be harder than moving in it, but here he was. He's glad he'd at least held on to the hair ties he'd grabbed during the zombie attack.

"Tear!" Asch bounces forward and lands lightly beside her, reaching out to rest a hand on her shoulder. "Tear, we have to go. Worry about him later."

[cantic]

She's better than this, better than this...this panic overtaking her mind. Tear has always been about mastery and control; it's sustained her for so long. But even the best armor can only take so much damage. She can feel herself trembling.

"Even the best soldier isn't immune to fear," she remembers Major Legretta telling her, "and there are a lot of things on the battlefield to inspire terror. Just take a deep breath and count to ten. It will pass. Don't let your heart rule your head, Tear."

Still trembling, Tear takes a deep breath and counts to ten.

When she's steadied herself, she swallows down shame. "You're right. I'm sorry."

[iciclerain]

Tear's reaction concerns him, a lot, but Asch doesn't think there's much he can do about it. In the grand scheme of things he doesn't know Tear that well. She'd been the only one (apart from Luke) to refuse to travel with him after Akzeriuth, and his interactions with her otherwise had been scarce.

Still...

"There might be another way around." It's not much, but maybe it'll help.