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tampered2009-04-27 02:31 am
innovatorgps.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2009-04-27 02:31 am
Log; Complete
When; April 25th, evening [following Regene's entrance]
Rating; PG
Characters; Anew [![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
innovatorgps] & Lyle [irresoluteness]
Summary; With the arrival of another Innovator, and the inevitable questions that follow on his heels, who, what, how, two who remain mostly unknown to those they know need to just run. Just for a little while.
Log; There had always been the possibility, of course, that one of them might appear in this place, in this City that was both altogether wondrous and terrible. Of course the possibility existed, because had she herself not arrived, dead and gone, and an Innovator both? Yet even knowing the possibility... there was a difference between knowing something may happen, and thinking it will happen.
Regene Regetta... Anew hadn't had as much experience with him as the others had, as her twin had, and yet she knew sparse things- name, appearence, inclinations. Of course she did- Anew also knew the tightening in her chest to see him show up on the City's network, to see their reactions, one by one, all of the people she'd come to know, only to come here and have half and more not know her-
Anger. Confusion. Denial. And what did she feel?
Regret?
To think that it all might crumble in an instant, this fine little existance, with the carefully excluded information of Anew Returner is dead, of Anew Returner is an Innovator- It wasn't even that she feared telling them, so much as she didn't think they needed to know, to be burdened with things like that when they didn't have the memory to understand it.
But what hurt the most, to her, was to see Lyle's pain, so raw and open when confronted with one of those who had association with her destruction. Sitting and staring at that screen, that told her Regene was here, another Innovator was here, and feeling that sinking, tight feeling- that was what stood out to her most, that was what she felt the most pain for.
>>>
If it were the others finding out, he wouldn't have minded; however, finding this disruption while his brother was sitting there cheerfully speaking with him was enough to send him over the edge. Lyle's rage was only contained in the fact that he was over a network and incapable of communicating face to face with Regene. He could go out and find him. Somewhere in the City, the Innovator was standing, searching for a place to live. Somewhere in the City, Lyle could see him from a distance, set up a rifle, and pull the trigger. With the rage fueling him, he wouldn't lack the resolve. He couldn't.
And he would keep doing it. That was what he convinced himself of.
Yet, for some reason, he couldn't garner the resolve to leave the apartment. Perhaps if Anew wasn't there, he would have found the strength to do so. He couldn't be sure. As he balanced a line between certainty and uncertainty on this, he didn't know which way he'd go. Neil's words rang true in this instance, at least: even Lyle had confronted the fact that killing the Innovators would be following his same, painful path. The path Lyle himself judged so heavily.
So he stayed. The screen was closed, but Lyle had escaped to the window. He wasn't leaving, but perhaps he would see the purple head of hair moving along the building. Perhaps he would be able to find the rifle in time to point it and shoot it. But it was important to note that he was standing and observing with a tired smile on his face, as he didn't want to forcibly remove Anew from her screen. There was no rifle, when he could have easily grabbed it already.
Lyle, of course, was conscious of all of this. And a part of him hated it.
>>>
... Let's get off the network for a while. He was searching for something, out side that window. Something Anew feared would bring him only satisfaction of the moment. She'd said it, hadn't she? Killing them- it wouldn't bring her back. Killing Regene even, of all the possible ones to blame, couldn't hold as much as some others, if she had to point the finger. Revive Revival, the one who was of the same design as she. Ribbons Almark, who denied her in that last moment the one thing she wanted most- just to take his hand.
Anew didn't even close the window, she just left it, and as always, her feet carried her to him, fingers and palm reached him first, pressed against his back, so pent up with that rage and indecision, over this thing that had happened to them, to all of them- but to him most of all. Tieria... he didn't even know the truth yet. Marie would know him, but not have that situation to her name. Fingers, then palm, followed by both her arms, around him tight, her cheek against his shoulder.
"Let's get off the network for a while." She murmured. If her grip on him was a bit tighter than normal, a betrayal of her own fear and misgivings that she'd discarded in favor of his own... she wouldn't acknowledge it. Not now.
>>>
Lyle's eyes closed as he raised a hand up and pressed his fingers against the clear glass. The feeling of her against him--it was something he could enjoy. Like this, she felt almost warm, with the shirt he was wearing between them. Outside, there were only the faintest hints of the rain that had passed on the ground. Otherwise, the City resumed its normal activity, without any sign of a curse or confusion in its future. But perhaps it was because there was always a sign. No matter, because little games played by wannabe Gods weren't enough to daunt Lyle. He feared the presence of Regene more, and how it could negatively affect Anew's newfound life.
"Haha, that's right, Anew." His words came out strained, with enough ounce of vague cheerfulness that it made him seem like he believed in them. He didn't turn toward her yet, enjoying the feeling of her pressed against him.
"Remember when I offered for us to run away?" he asked. The words at the time were a blatant lie, but now ...
Now things were different. Now there was no Federation, no actual Celestial Being. He couldn't tell what he wanted more, but in his heart, he could only answer that it was Anew. The rest, he couldn't be sure. And if he had no resolve, then what purpose would there be in finding one?
It wasn't as if his assistance was accepted as thoroughly as it could be. To the others, he was the fourteen-year-old boy who never cried correctly when his family died, who struggled to stay strong and look to the future, because in his past laid the bad intentions of his perfect brother and his imprinted feelings.
>>>
"I remember." She did. All of her memories mixed together, false ones, implanted and designed to aid her in a mission, real ones, suppressed, until that mission culminated, and those she considered even more real, the memories of a life led as a human woman, as Anew Returner in Celestial Being, not her memories as an Innovator, not the ones that gave her all that knowledge she'd never worked for. Of course she remembered.
The strain in his voice had almost made her wince, as it was, even she couldn't deny that her hold on him tightened, to what seemed almost too tight, to her, and she eased, just a little.
"But I also remember you didn't run away with me." Where his was strained, hers was calm, at least on the surface. She didn't try to sound cheerful, or even hopeful just yet, because she didn't believe in her ability to convince- not him. He'd know. Just like she did.
"Because I decided to stay, instead."
>>>
"You would have come back human," he murmured. Still not turning, still enjoying this conversation from this angle. Eventually, he would look her in the eyes, allow her to see the false smile and how much it seemed to be hurting his face. Regene's words also got to him. He would know better than any about their humanity, wouldn't he? But Lyle knew Tieria, knew Anew--despite their issues, despite everything, they were just as human as him. A creature like Regene would have no say in that, even if he was indicating that there was a power over him. A power that could hurt Anew, that could make her act in a way she would never act, putting his life in danger.
"I think I'd like to run away now." Running was such a theme in his life. But he always insisted it was for a future, rather than the past his brother sank into.
>>>
No need to say it- she would have. She'd have returned as one, and gladly. Glad to be born an Innovator, because without such, her life would not have progressed as it had, but she would just as gladly leave that existance behind, to be human, with him. No need to say it, but she nodded, felt the fabric of his shirt against her cheek, the edge of her lashes, eyes closed.
He wanted to run, and could she blame him? When really, if she were honest, there was a desire for it in her own heart. That was human, wasn't it? Because running... was it easy? Was it hard?
Depended on whether you were running from or towards.
"I don't mind running right now." Right now, because she grounded them. They'd have to return, she'd have to return. "Anywhere- we could go anywhere."
>>>
"I'd like to show you Ireland. Even where my parents died, they manage to keep a beautiful memorial. I'd like you to meet them and Amy. Wouldn't it be nice to come lay flowers with me? I'd like to do it now. And we could go to the coast, and look out over the ocean." His words were softly spoken, making his chest (and therefore back) just vibrate a little. "Mother ... father, Amy, they would have liked to know I landed a girl like you. Even Neil can't say he's managed that." The mention of his brother didn't even bring out the sharp tone as usual; it was just as soft as the rest of the words.
"But I guess we can't, huh, Anew? We just have the City, but the beach will have to do. I've never seen you in a bathing suit. It might be nice. We can find a place to stay, away from here, for at least a little while."
Lyle was realistic, because he knew they'd have to come back. They'd have to explain, but maybe, just maybe, they could get away with no explanation. That'd be nice, wouldn't it?
>>>
"I'd love to see it." What she didn't love to see was him like this, this pain, and this anguish. It echoed in his skin, in her own chest, too, listening to him. Hadn't she asked him, about his family? Before all of this, before Innovators and before it all came crashing down. - Only to get built back up, for a time, a time encased in this City alone.
"You can tell me all about it-" Anew couldn't bear to stay there anymore, just against his back, letting go of him to slip in front of him instead, between him, and the window that taunted so, with the possibility of seeing the hair a darker shade than her own pass by.
"At the beach." That hand of his pressed against the glass, she retrieved it, curling her fingers over the warmth of his skin, smiling a little softly. "We can stay away a while- can't we?" Anything, in that moment, just to make him smile without so much pain.
Even if she'd been glad, to know that even if she had to die, he would still live- It still hurt her to see the pain she'd left him with, that in their world, he'd have to struggle through without her.
>>>
The feeling of her skin against his startled him, bringing forth a sharp intake of breath. Lyle knew she would feel it, knew that she would make the connection, but they wouldn't speak of it--not anymore. He willingly curled his fingers against hers, savoring the feeling of her, if not the feeling that her existence brought forth now. It was uncomfortable, but he would deal. He was dealing, because it was the only certainty he had.
He loved Anew.
"We don't have to tell them anything. Celestial Being doesn't exist here." For Lyle, it was a lie. Mere days before--hell, even mere hours--he was vying for the same reliance on him that the future's Celestial Being had provided. Even as a spy, they savored his presence and his knowledge, understanding that his connections could aid their fight in the world. And now--he was held back by his brother. Even if there was that desperate longing within him to have Neil see him as an equal--because, maybe then, he would be a little less perfect and a little more understanding--he still resented him. And it wasn't like Neil made it difficult for him to do so.
"We'll just savor our time here, because this is where we belong." He paused, finally turning toward her. "Thank you for coming to me Anew, so we could finally do this together."
And then there was the smile. The way his face didn't look like he was doing anything but faking. But it wasn't the bitter, half-joking look he commonly held in communal situations. In a way, he looked as if he was half-crazed but still tender, holding on tightly because he knew any second, any second, he could lose everything.
He knew, after all, from experience.
>>>
"We don't have to." She would allow him that, of course- because they didn't have to. They didn't, and yet... it didn't sit well with her, made an uncomfortable, heavy feeling settle in her breast beside the weight of this one sudden thing.
"But they'll ask," Without saying, yes, the dull chill in her skin that hung between them but didn't need mentioning any longer. It was a fact, just a thing that became true- the price to pay to have her back.
"And even if it's not our Celestial Being... I think we still belong." She smiled back at him, more tender than his, but only because she had less of that desperation showing, and more concern for him.
"Even if they don't remember right now," Her fingers ran over his knuckles, over the tops and in the dips between, a repetitive, distracting motion, "Some day, they'll know us."
Her voice had taken that low cast to it, gentle and yet, so sure.
"... It's not fair, for Regene to be the one to-" But she shakes her head a second, there, cutting herself off before her voice cracked, or eyes betrayed her. Not fair, for the other Innovator to give them versions of the events- no chance for her to defend herself, or offer herself to their mercy...
>>>
But he hadn't yet. It was something peculiar Lyle had been able to notice. Right now, though, he wasn't thinking of logic. All of his strength and mindset was focused on smiling for her, on seeming like he was all right. However, he was a logical individual usually. Though he had his self-righteous side and his mistakes, he could face the facts. Them being the ones to explain, to defend their story--the others would have to accept it, just as they accepted Soma Peries (Marie Perfacy) into their lives, despite her original placement with the HRL.
"We'll figure that out later," he assured her, but the tone behind his words betrayed him. Lyle didn't know anything at all.
He pulled her toward him, arms wrapping around her while his head tilted forward. Lyle's mouth brushed over her ear, and he said, "Let's get going. ... Let's go see the beach." Leaving so soon. He was certain of this need to run, because he didn't know when his brother would show up.
An empty apartment would be enough. He didn't need Neil checking his pulse, too, to see if he was lying all along.
>>>
No, he hadn't. Not yet. But his words echoed in her ears, the private conversation still illuminated on her monitor. The ability to be silent on it- she could. But like she felt compelled to explain herself to the others, no, more than that, Anew didn't ever want to keep anything from him, not even for a moment.
"He asked me how I survived- if I did." Soft, barely above a whisper, because she almost doesn't want to say it anyway. It shatters the moving on, stalls them in the past, but she still has to say it.
"..." Her arms echoed his, wrapped round, fingers tangled up in his shirt. The fact that Lyle wasn't sure... it didn't bother her, because she wasn't sure, either. That was it, wasn't it? It didn't matter how lost you were, as long as you were lost together.
"Let's go." But her voice has finality in it when she says that. Let's go, he says, and she's glad to go, even if she'll need return in the end. Just a little while... couldn't it be the same for just a little while?
>>>
In a way, Lyle had ruined that for her. They could have kept up the lie, but he didn't know. He didn't know that Regene was questioning such a thing. A simple lie, but he was seeing red too much to change his mindset, to do anything but gun after Regene, seeking his location so he could do that literally. That revelation didn't occur to him yet--but it would. Later. For now, he sought no response to those words, revealing his own mistake in the matter. He didn't see a need.
Lyle pulled back just enough to kiss her, his tongue brushing out against her bottom lip before he stepped back the rest of the way. His hand slipped over hers, and he started to pull her toward the bedroom. Not to hold her, to kiss her, to take comfort in her as if this was the most natural thing in the world.
But to run away. That, for him, was natural. It wasn't avoiding the future, he told himself. It was avoiding the past, and what happened to her, who she was--the fact that she died--was all the past.
By running, they only had the future to hold on to. Before he passed through the threshold of the bedroom, Lyle threw her that same smile, close-mouthed with his eyes filled with that same desperate warmth, as if he truly believed this more than anything in the world.
Rating; PG
Characters; Anew [
innovatorgps] & Lyle [irresoluteness]Summary; With the arrival of another Innovator, and the inevitable questions that follow on his heels, who, what, how, two who remain mostly unknown to those they know need to just run. Just for a little while.
Log; There had always been the possibility, of course, that one of them might appear in this place, in this City that was both altogether wondrous and terrible. Of course the possibility existed, because had she herself not arrived, dead and gone, and an Innovator both? Yet even knowing the possibility... there was a difference between knowing something may happen, and thinking it will happen.
Regene Regetta... Anew hadn't had as much experience with him as the others had, as her twin had, and yet she knew sparse things- name, appearence, inclinations. Of course she did- Anew also knew the tightening in her chest to see him show up on the City's network, to see their reactions, one by one, all of the people she'd come to know, only to come here and have half and more not know her-
Anger. Confusion. Denial. And what did she feel?
Regret?
To think that it all might crumble in an instant, this fine little existance, with the carefully excluded information of Anew Returner is dead, of Anew Returner is an Innovator- It wasn't even that she feared telling them, so much as she didn't think they needed to know, to be burdened with things like that when they didn't have the memory to understand it.
But what hurt the most, to her, was to see Lyle's pain, so raw and open when confronted with one of those who had association with her destruction. Sitting and staring at that screen, that told her Regene was here, another Innovator was here, and feeling that sinking, tight feeling- that was what stood out to her most, that was what she felt the most pain for.
>>>
If it were the others finding out, he wouldn't have minded; however, finding this disruption while his brother was sitting there cheerfully speaking with him was enough to send him over the edge. Lyle's rage was only contained in the fact that he was over a network and incapable of communicating face to face with Regene. He could go out and find him. Somewhere in the City, the Innovator was standing, searching for a place to live. Somewhere in the City, Lyle could see him from a distance, set up a rifle, and pull the trigger. With the rage fueling him, he wouldn't lack the resolve. He couldn't.
And he would keep doing it. That was what he convinced himself of.
Yet, for some reason, he couldn't garner the resolve to leave the apartment. Perhaps if Anew wasn't there, he would have found the strength to do so. He couldn't be sure. As he balanced a line between certainty and uncertainty on this, he didn't know which way he'd go. Neil's words rang true in this instance, at least: even Lyle had confronted the fact that killing the Innovators would be following his same, painful path. The path Lyle himself judged so heavily.
So he stayed. The screen was closed, but Lyle had escaped to the window. He wasn't leaving, but perhaps he would see the purple head of hair moving along the building. Perhaps he would be able to find the rifle in time to point it and shoot it. But it was important to note that he was standing and observing with a tired smile on his face, as he didn't want to forcibly remove Anew from her screen. There was no rifle, when he could have easily grabbed it already.
Lyle, of course, was conscious of all of this. And a part of him hated it.
>>>
... Let's get off the network for a while. He was searching for something, out side that window. Something Anew feared would bring him only satisfaction of the moment. She'd said it, hadn't she? Killing them- it wouldn't bring her back. Killing Regene even, of all the possible ones to blame, couldn't hold as much as some others, if she had to point the finger. Revive Revival, the one who was of the same design as she. Ribbons Almark, who denied her in that last moment the one thing she wanted most- just to take his hand.
Anew didn't even close the window, she just left it, and as always, her feet carried her to him, fingers and palm reached him first, pressed against his back, so pent up with that rage and indecision, over this thing that had happened to them, to all of them- but to him most of all. Tieria... he didn't even know the truth yet. Marie would know him, but not have that situation to her name. Fingers, then palm, followed by both her arms, around him tight, her cheek against his shoulder.
"Let's get off the network for a while." She murmured. If her grip on him was a bit tighter than normal, a betrayal of her own fear and misgivings that she'd discarded in favor of his own... she wouldn't acknowledge it. Not now.
>>>
Lyle's eyes closed as he raised a hand up and pressed his fingers against the clear glass. The feeling of her against him--it was something he could enjoy. Like this, she felt almost warm, with the shirt he was wearing between them. Outside, there were only the faintest hints of the rain that had passed on the ground. Otherwise, the City resumed its normal activity, without any sign of a curse or confusion in its future. But perhaps it was because there was always a sign. No matter, because little games played by wannabe Gods weren't enough to daunt Lyle. He feared the presence of Regene more, and how it could negatively affect Anew's newfound life.
"Haha, that's right, Anew." His words came out strained, with enough ounce of vague cheerfulness that it made him seem like he believed in them. He didn't turn toward her yet, enjoying the feeling of her pressed against him.
"Remember when I offered for us to run away?" he asked. The words at the time were a blatant lie, but now ...
Now things were different. Now there was no Federation, no actual Celestial Being. He couldn't tell what he wanted more, but in his heart, he could only answer that it was Anew. The rest, he couldn't be sure. And if he had no resolve, then what purpose would there be in finding one?
It wasn't as if his assistance was accepted as thoroughly as it could be. To the others, he was the fourteen-year-old boy who never cried correctly when his family died, who struggled to stay strong and look to the future, because in his past laid the bad intentions of his perfect brother and his imprinted feelings.
>>>
"I remember." She did. All of her memories mixed together, false ones, implanted and designed to aid her in a mission, real ones, suppressed, until that mission culminated, and those she considered even more real, the memories of a life led as a human woman, as Anew Returner in Celestial Being, not her memories as an Innovator, not the ones that gave her all that knowledge she'd never worked for. Of course she remembered.
The strain in his voice had almost made her wince, as it was, even she couldn't deny that her hold on him tightened, to what seemed almost too tight, to her, and she eased, just a little.
"But I also remember you didn't run away with me." Where his was strained, hers was calm, at least on the surface. She didn't try to sound cheerful, or even hopeful just yet, because she didn't believe in her ability to convince- not him. He'd know. Just like she did.
"Because I decided to stay, instead."
>>>
"You would have come back human," he murmured. Still not turning, still enjoying this conversation from this angle. Eventually, he would look her in the eyes, allow her to see the false smile and how much it seemed to be hurting his face. Regene's words also got to him. He would know better than any about their humanity, wouldn't he? But Lyle knew Tieria, knew Anew--despite their issues, despite everything, they were just as human as him. A creature like Regene would have no say in that, even if he was indicating that there was a power over him. A power that could hurt Anew, that could make her act in a way she would never act, putting his life in danger.
"I think I'd like to run away now." Running was such a theme in his life. But he always insisted it was for a future, rather than the past his brother sank into.
>>>
No need to say it- she would have. She'd have returned as one, and gladly. Glad to be born an Innovator, because without such, her life would not have progressed as it had, but she would just as gladly leave that existance behind, to be human, with him. No need to say it, but she nodded, felt the fabric of his shirt against her cheek, the edge of her lashes, eyes closed.
He wanted to run, and could she blame him? When really, if she were honest, there was a desire for it in her own heart. That was human, wasn't it? Because running... was it easy? Was it hard?
Depended on whether you were running from or towards.
"I don't mind running right now." Right now, because she grounded them. They'd have to return, she'd have to return. "Anywhere- we could go anywhere."
>>>
"I'd like to show you Ireland. Even where my parents died, they manage to keep a beautiful memorial. I'd like you to meet them and Amy. Wouldn't it be nice to come lay flowers with me? I'd like to do it now. And we could go to the coast, and look out over the ocean." His words were softly spoken, making his chest (and therefore back) just vibrate a little. "Mother ... father, Amy, they would have liked to know I landed a girl like you. Even Neil can't say he's managed that." The mention of his brother didn't even bring out the sharp tone as usual; it was just as soft as the rest of the words.
"But I guess we can't, huh, Anew? We just have the City, but the beach will have to do. I've never seen you in a bathing suit. It might be nice. We can find a place to stay, away from here, for at least a little while."
Lyle was realistic, because he knew they'd have to come back. They'd have to explain, but maybe, just maybe, they could get away with no explanation. That'd be nice, wouldn't it?
>>>
"I'd love to see it." What she didn't love to see was him like this, this pain, and this anguish. It echoed in his skin, in her own chest, too, listening to him. Hadn't she asked him, about his family? Before all of this, before Innovators and before it all came crashing down. - Only to get built back up, for a time, a time encased in this City alone.
"You can tell me all about it-" Anew couldn't bear to stay there anymore, just against his back, letting go of him to slip in front of him instead, between him, and the window that taunted so, with the possibility of seeing the hair a darker shade than her own pass by.
"At the beach." That hand of his pressed against the glass, she retrieved it, curling her fingers over the warmth of his skin, smiling a little softly. "We can stay away a while- can't we?" Anything, in that moment, just to make him smile without so much pain.
Even if she'd been glad, to know that even if she had to die, he would still live- It still hurt her to see the pain she'd left him with, that in their world, he'd have to struggle through without her.
>>>
The feeling of her skin against his startled him, bringing forth a sharp intake of breath. Lyle knew she would feel it, knew that she would make the connection, but they wouldn't speak of it--not anymore. He willingly curled his fingers against hers, savoring the feeling of her, if not the feeling that her existence brought forth now. It was uncomfortable, but he would deal. He was dealing, because it was the only certainty he had.
He loved Anew.
"We don't have to tell them anything. Celestial Being doesn't exist here." For Lyle, it was a lie. Mere days before--hell, even mere hours--he was vying for the same reliance on him that the future's Celestial Being had provided. Even as a spy, they savored his presence and his knowledge, understanding that his connections could aid their fight in the world. And now--he was held back by his brother. Even if there was that desperate longing within him to have Neil see him as an equal--because, maybe then, he would be a little less perfect and a little more understanding--he still resented him. And it wasn't like Neil made it difficult for him to do so.
"We'll just savor our time here, because this is where we belong." He paused, finally turning toward her. "Thank you for coming to me Anew, so we could finally do this together."
And then there was the smile. The way his face didn't look like he was doing anything but faking. But it wasn't the bitter, half-joking look he commonly held in communal situations. In a way, he looked as if he was half-crazed but still tender, holding on tightly because he knew any second, any second, he could lose everything.
He knew, after all, from experience.
>>>
"We don't have to." She would allow him that, of course- because they didn't have to. They didn't, and yet... it didn't sit well with her, made an uncomfortable, heavy feeling settle in her breast beside the weight of this one sudden thing.
"But they'll ask," Without saying, yes, the dull chill in her skin that hung between them but didn't need mentioning any longer. It was a fact, just a thing that became true- the price to pay to have her back.
"And even if it's not our Celestial Being... I think we still belong." She smiled back at him, more tender than his, but only because she had less of that desperation showing, and more concern for him.
"Even if they don't remember right now," Her fingers ran over his knuckles, over the tops and in the dips between, a repetitive, distracting motion, "Some day, they'll know us."
Her voice had taken that low cast to it, gentle and yet, so sure.
"... It's not fair, for Regene to be the one to-" But she shakes her head a second, there, cutting herself off before her voice cracked, or eyes betrayed her. Not fair, for the other Innovator to give them versions of the events- no chance for her to defend herself, or offer herself to their mercy...
>>>
But he hadn't yet. It was something peculiar Lyle had been able to notice. Right now, though, he wasn't thinking of logic. All of his strength and mindset was focused on smiling for her, on seeming like he was all right. However, he was a logical individual usually. Though he had his self-righteous side and his mistakes, he could face the facts. Them being the ones to explain, to defend their story--the others would have to accept it, just as they accepted Soma Peries (Marie Perfacy) into their lives, despite her original placement with the HRL.
"We'll figure that out later," he assured her, but the tone behind his words betrayed him. Lyle didn't know anything at all.
He pulled her toward him, arms wrapping around her while his head tilted forward. Lyle's mouth brushed over her ear, and he said, "Let's get going. ... Let's go see the beach." Leaving so soon. He was certain of this need to run, because he didn't know when his brother would show up.
An empty apartment would be enough. He didn't need Neil checking his pulse, too, to see if he was lying all along.
>>>
No, he hadn't. Not yet. But his words echoed in her ears, the private conversation still illuminated on her monitor. The ability to be silent on it- she could. But like she felt compelled to explain herself to the others, no, more than that, Anew didn't ever want to keep anything from him, not even for a moment.
"He asked me how I survived- if I did." Soft, barely above a whisper, because she almost doesn't want to say it anyway. It shatters the moving on, stalls them in the past, but she still has to say it.
"..." Her arms echoed his, wrapped round, fingers tangled up in his shirt. The fact that Lyle wasn't sure... it didn't bother her, because she wasn't sure, either. That was it, wasn't it? It didn't matter how lost you were, as long as you were lost together.
"Let's go." But her voice has finality in it when she says that. Let's go, he says, and she's glad to go, even if she'll need return in the end. Just a little while... couldn't it be the same for just a little while?
>>>
In a way, Lyle had ruined that for her. They could have kept up the lie, but he didn't know. He didn't know that Regene was questioning such a thing. A simple lie, but he was seeing red too much to change his mindset, to do anything but gun after Regene, seeking his location so he could do that literally. That revelation didn't occur to him yet--but it would. Later. For now, he sought no response to those words, revealing his own mistake in the matter. He didn't see a need.
Lyle pulled back just enough to kiss her, his tongue brushing out against her bottom lip before he stepped back the rest of the way. His hand slipped over hers, and he started to pull her toward the bedroom. Not to hold her, to kiss her, to take comfort in her as if this was the most natural thing in the world.
But to run away. That, for him, was natural. It wasn't avoiding the future, he told himself. It was avoiding the past, and what happened to her, who she was--the fact that she died--was all the past.
By running, they only had the future to hold on to. Before he passed through the threshold of the bedroom, Lyle threw her that same smile, close-mouthed with his eyes filled with that same desperate warmth, as if he truly believed this more than anything in the world.