sparkstrikes | empatheias IC contact. (archive)

[Seriously, Machina's still feeling more than a little raw from Selenium. But it's that which compels him to check in on Lightning. He's been trying to let her have her space but it's been a month. He doesn't know what it's like to lose a spouse like Snow did, but he does know how it feels to have a sibling taken away from you. And frankly, he's still terrified that Izana could up and vanish at any time.]

Lady Lightning?

[Just like any other bit of contact someone makes via the crystals to reach out to her, it startles Lightning enough to make her stop what she's doing. It's been a whole year and then some, and she still hasn't grown used to it... what happened to good, old fashioned phones?

She clears her throat before she opens the communication, her voice free of any malice.]

Yeah? What do you want?

[...and please stop calling her Lady Lightning, Machina.]

[He's tried just thinking it! Only it blurts out anyway.]

I...

I wanted to see how you were.

[This was dumb, wasn't it? It made sense in his head, but now he feels awkward about bringing it up.]

[There's nothing dumb about it. Although Machina can't see it, Lightning smiles to herself. It would be a lie to say that she didn't appreciate people reaching out to check on her, especially after everything that's happened in the house in the last month or so.]

I'm alright.

[It's not entirely true, but it's not all that false either. Frankly, she has no idea how she feels right now.]

You got the news too...

Yeah, I did. Lord Snow told me.

[Of course, Snow also was blaming himself and that hardly seems a thing to bring up. Not really Machina's news to share.]

Do you need anything?

[Because he desperately wants to help, but has no idea how he can or what to say.]

[That's a good question... does she? Lightning doesn't really know herself.]

No. I'll be fine, with time.

[Maybe that's all she needs, some more time. She thought there was more than enough of that to go around here, but she was proven very, very wrong, and quickly, too.]

Do you need anything? This seems sudden.

Not really. That holiday was...

[Yeah no, he doesn't want to talk about bits rubbed raw by Selenium.]

...

...

...it would have been different if Izana weren't here.

I should apologize, though.

[Even if Machina can't see it, he certainly might be able to hear the eyebrow raise in her voice.]

Apologize to who? Your brother?

[Because as far as she knows, there's nothing for him to apologize for to Lightning.]

No. To you. And Snow.

[But not Noel. Never that jerk.]

I was trying to find a way to keep Lady Serah and Izana here, but I haven't come up with anything conclusive yet. And now it's too late.

You don't have to apologize for anything.

[It's given firmly, leaving little room for debate.]

We've all been trying, but haven't found any answers. But thank you... for that.

[Lightning has a feeling admitting that might not have been as easy for someone as Machina, but she appreciates it all the same. The fact that he cares enough about Serah to do that speaks volumes.]

[It's not wholly altruistic, not truly. Machina has a very vested interest in making sure that Izana doesn't go back. At least, not without a contingency plan in place.]

I'm not giving up on it. But I'm going to work harder with Apple to try to find a way to change history. Especially now.

[Wait, rewind. Something in what he's said makes the pit of Lightning's stomach turn uncomfortably.]

Change history? What do you mean?

Apple has a theory. Since people from here from different points in time, maybe it's possible to return to a different time. If we can figure out how to do that, we can change the past. I can stop Izana from being deployed and killed. Maybe I can even warn my country that an attack is coming and prevent the war totally.

We could stop Lady Serah from dying.

[Her stomach makes an uncomfortable turn again, and she grimaces, letting the silence between them linger a little bit longer. With a very audible and loud sigh, her face appears in the connection, and she looks very unamused.]

I don't think that's a good idea.

Why not?

[It's a genuine question. Not a hint of his typical belligerence. Not argumentative. Not even a touch of surly grump. He appears earnest enough but his tone is edging towards calm. At least he's not afraid that disagreeing or having a different opinion will inevitably end with a broken friendship anymore.]

[She thought the whole "don't play with time" warning was a universal thing... Not even the gods gave Lightning the power to bend time that much at will and even her own ability to do so is limited...]

There's nothing good waiting at the end for anyone who tries to mess with time. Trust me.

I do trust you. But, if there's a chance, I have to try. I can't sit back and do nothing at all.

[If there's any kind of hard evidence about this, he'll respect Light's judgment call. Otherwise, it's full steam ahead, consequences be damned.]

Then don't.

[She's not sitting back and doing absolutely nothing either. Lightning hasn't exactly made it public knowledge that she's been looking into the hows and whys of people coming and going the way they do, but this? This isn't the answer she would ever seek.]

But you know what'll happen if you mess with time, Machina. We all do.

[Machina would most likely feel 100% differently about this whole conversation if he knew he's had his life reset over six million times. Or if anyone had told him outright what killed Lady Serah. But no, he doesn't know what happens if you mess with time and...]

...why do people keep saying that? Isn't changing a bad past a good thing?

[If there was a way for Machina to feel a long, debilitated sigh over a connection, this is it.]

Sure. You can change the past, but then what? You've got no control over the consequences it'll have on the future. It's a ripple, all across the timeline. Change one small thing, and thousands of other things change, too.

[Oh yeah, he can feel the sigh. It's still strange to get emotions and not just voices or words but there we have it. Not that he understands fully why this is a bad thing. After all, the point is to change things. How could that go wrong? ~~Other than Machina's historical knack for Bad Life Decisions.~~

He lapses silent, genuinely listening and thinking about what she's saying. Not diving in on his emotions and stopping to think things through before acting isn't something Machina does often. But he's trying. But his frustration and feelings of helplessness are probably leaking through anyway.]

[If they are, Lightning makes no comment on them. She realizes she might have sounded a little harsh, especially with the accompanying sigh, but this isn't something she takes lightly, nor should he.]

Machina.

[It's firm, to try and grab his attention back from the silence he's fallen into.]

Do you think that if I could change everything that's happened, I'd be sitting here talking to you right now?

[Well when she puts it like that...]

Not a chance.

[He sighs in frustration, hands pressed into the sides of his head.]

Great. So it's back to square one.

Right.

[Well, she's glad he's at least listening to her... maybe there's still some hope for you after all, Machina. Her tone and features soften.]

What made you think you could do something like that, in a place like this?

Because there's something weird about people coming and going. Izana died almost a year before I got here. But Apple is from her mom's future. Something or someone is pulling us in and out of time. Whatever or whoever it is... if they can do it, shouldn't we be able to?

empatheias IC contact. (archive)

voice 2/1

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