keterclass | IC Inbox

[Does Luke catch on that Neph is trying to teach him a lesson?]

[Absolutely not!]

[But Luke has seen enough movies to see where this is going. If Neph wants leverage, Luke has leverage (13).]

Of course. I have your purchase history from Random Play.

[He has-

That confident declaration actually manages to startle a genuine laugh out of Nephrite. He couldn't possibly have expected that direction, but...oh it's actually cute that Luke thinks he could be blackmailed that simply.]

...Oh, well, in that case I suppose I have no choice but to give up all of my secrets.

[The cheer fades into something like fondness, a little bit melancholy, as he looks back at Luke.]

...It's true that I've been concerned for your well-being, given...the unusual circumstances. And it's out of that same concern that I've kept my distance as well.

[He pauses, hesitating, but...why draw it out any longer?]

After all, reminding you of that other life only seems to cause you pain.

[To his credit, Luke actually does listen. And take time to process.]

Oh, that makes sense, I guess.

[But it does make Luke feel bad? Guilty?]

[Man, why does he always feel guilty around this guy?]

But, I mean, I don’t think that means you need to stay away. I’m gonna remember either way, right? I don’t think Takame-sensei was in my past life, but he still set one off.

[After a beat:]

Did our past life have dragon people?

Edited 2025-09-09 04:59 (UTC)

No, I'm sorry to say it was a world of regular human beings.

[It is true that Luke is going to remember no matter what. The last time he started to remember, he was with someone who had no idea what his student might be recovering. Luke himself has no idea what he might be recovering.

Nephrite knows. He's been keeping these truths from Luke in order to allow him to be happy and normal for as long as he possibly can. But...that time is coming to an end, one way or another. Maybe it's better that Luke should be prepared, even if that comes at the risk of frightening him.]

...It isn't just the pain of the headaches that I was worried for, I'm afraid. That other life...was a difficult one for you at times. The memories you recover won't all be pleasant ones. And if someone who wasn't there in our world at all could trigger them, imagine how much more likely my presence is to do so.

That’s lame.

[C’mon, he can understand no dragon people, but why aren’t there at least cat girls?]

[Still, he listens. He listens for once in his short and sheltered life.]

Yeah, I mean I kinda guessed that? I don’t think happy memories leave people passing out.

[At least, not from pain.]

Plus, you seem like you know what you’re doing. If they get triggered, you could probably help out, right? If you leave it to Asch, we’ll just end up fighting.

I dunno, it just seems like it’d be cool if you were around. You’re weird, but you’re nice.

[Nephrite Curtiss can count on a single hand the number of times in his life that he's been called 'nice'. All of the others were sarcastic. No one called Jade Curtiss nice, either, even when he very occasionally tried to be kind. He hasn't been nice for most of either of his lives, and he goes out of his way to be a difficult person to know so that people keep their distance from him.

But he can't do that with Luke, not wholeheartedly, and this is the result.]

You have no idea what you're saying.

[He meant that to sound dark and vaguely threatening, but he can hear the softness and melancholy in his own voice when the words pass his lips. He's better at the cheerful deflection if he wants to scare people away.

But Luke isn't wrong about the result of his interactions with Asch, even though Neph is pretty sure they'd end up working through it in a way that was beneficial to both of them. And...much like his brother, he's choosing to pursue this connection.

He remembers the first time, so many years ago now, that Asch's little hand had reached out to grab his for security, as if he was someone safe. The trust these brothers put in him is something he never feels he's earned, and something he would die rather than betray.]

[He shields that softness again behind a smile, but it's much less sharp now and more playful. Luke just doesn't need to carry the weight of Neph's emotions when he's dealing with his own; he'll process later on his own time.]

Well, when you put it like that, I can't claim you're wrong. The two of you get along much better in this life, but you probably could stand a little supervision even so.

Yeah, yeah. I don't really ever know what I'm saying, so it doesn't matter.

[Checkmate! He's a stupid teenager. Take that, Jade.]

I should probably get back to the shop, but I'm looking forward to seeing you around, old man.

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