towerofanimus | 08 | do you want me only for my body?

Characters: Aleph and you.
Setting: June 1st, riiight after the reveal.
Format: Starting with actionspam, but will match you.
Summary: Aleph has had enough of it.
Warnings: Will edit if anything comes up.

[Aleph has always tried to stay strong.

He was a gladiator with no memories, then a Messiah with no choices. Then a hero with no ability to save the people he knew or even stop from killing them himself. Then a God-killer whose punishment would be eternal.

He did these things, he lived through these things and took minimal comfort because he knew it would all be worth it. For the people he would save, in the end. The future he would build.

Now he stares at what should be hands, his hands, as he sits outside his dorm room on the floor. He thinks about where he should be, what he'd done so much work for, and yet everyone on that world is dead now. He misses his demons. He realizes -

he doesn't even have eyes to cry-

-and so he just huddles up on the floor and sniffles pathetically.]

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[Barnaby had already had his own freakout elsewhere by the time he returned to his room, bouyed by the numb clarity that replaced his rage. There were two phrases that his mind clung to as anchors: 'change is your friend' and 'find something that's still true.'

He had an idea that he had to pursue, and was so set on it that he almost didn't notice the figure sitting outside their room.

Almost.]

...Mister Aleph?

[It was strange to see him like this.]

...Aleph's enough...

[The subconscious motion of his hand to wipe at his face, even though he hadn't really been crying, gives him away.]

Aleph then.

[Politeness was his default, no matter how much he was able to adapt. It was easier to hide behind the veil that proper manners provided. He knelt beside his roommate on the floor and searched for something that he could offer.

There was woefully little, but for a few words.]

'As long as there's a glimmer of hope, a real hero never gives up.'

Edited 2013-06-02 01:59 (UTC)

[Aleph's whole body shakes in response to that.] I know. It's... hard to be a hero every hour of every day. It's hard.

[Conversely, Barnaby goes very still.]

I know. It's why I stepped down.

...we're all in the same situation here. No one is more and no one is less. No one is a hero.

[and yet everyone could be. This was an eerie deja vu for Barnaby, after he remembered the extent of Maverick's betrayal. How many times had this situation happened to him before? How often, if there were other instances?

Now's not the time for this.]

That doesn't mean we should stop. This isn't the end.

[Aleph takes in a breath he isn't sure he needs.] I won't. I couldn't stop. But I... I couldn't do this alone.

None of us can.

[Barnaby glanced over at Aleph, trying to read the patterns that this form laid over normal body language. It was harder to decipher than he realized.]

But, we can't do anything until we help ourselves.

...I'll be fine.

[He doesn't sound entirely convincing.]

...

Really now?

[Barnaby was completely unconvinced by the man he was huddled on the floor next too. He knew that he still wasn't perfect-- he doubted that he'd actually sleep anytime soon.

Tired of sitting still, Barnaby stood and faced Aleph. Had he access to his power, he'd be glowing.]

Come with me. I have an idea.

Alright.

[Aleph got to his feet. At least he was stable on them - he'd fought in worse conditions than being emotionally worn out.]

[He could move. Moving was a good thing.]

Do you remember that note on the back of the invitation from the other day? [He didn't wait for a responce.] I plan to find the answer. There must be some flaw in the system we can take advantage of--

[He paused, nagged by hunch that he was taking on too much too quickly. He was just a man, regardless of form, and everyone was just as confused as everyone else.

There was also the real reason that he came down.]

Excuse me. [He turned to enter the room, but looked over his shoulder at Aleph.] You can come too. No one needs to be alone right now.

I don't think it'd help anyone. [He goes to follow Barnaby in.]

It'd be better than doing nothing.

[If he wasn't going to sleep anyway, he should try to do something productive. It was the most efficient use of time.

Barnaby stopped by his trunk and opened, searching for that one item that he came for. It was a stupid joke from his friends, and he thought that the administrators were teasing him with it's very presence, but it was suddenly one of his most valued possessions.

He sighed, both defeated and relieved. It may have been made of that same, uncanny film that coated everything, but the shape was the same.]

...At least it's still here. Strange, but here.

[Aleph watches him from a safe distance.]

I can't tell what that's supposed to be... most of my trunk is filled with weapons.

[Oh, if only he had some weapons...]

It's a rabbit. [He turned to regard Aleph before he clarified.] A stuffed rabbit. My friends in Sternbild thought it was a cute birthday present.

Heh. Never thought I'd be glad it was here.

I bet it really is cute.

[He wishes he'd had friends long enough to get a birthday present.]

...It's pink.

[That would need to be fixed, if Barnaby knew about it. He held it out for Aleph to get a better look, even if it was a distorted shadow of what it's supposed to be.]

Something like this happened recently in Sternbild, but we knew who the enemy was. We could deal with it. [Mostly. The man was Barnaby's surrogate father figure-- but, he didn't even know how much of that was true.]

This is different. Very different.

[Aleph gave it a pet on the ears. It didn't feel like a stuffed rabbit either.]

We can deal with this one too.

It's not like we can just throw anyone off of the Tower.

[Like he'd been tempted to more than once. It was such a quick and easy to end a fight.]

You can, actually. A few levels open to air.

That's no guarantee of anything, Mister Aleph.

[This was, unfortunatly, going to be a continual problem for a while.]

I suppose not, but - hey, what'd I tell you about being too young for 'Mister'?

Sorry. Habit.

[He looked away, not sure of his cover any longer.]

It's all right... Just feels strange.

That's an understatement. All of this is weird.

...I suppose this means that this was a lie too, But I still don't know everything. But, sitting and waiting for an answer is just useless-- there must be someone around here who knows something.

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alephbet - 2013-06-08 02:38 (UTC) - Expand

tsunderebunny - 2013-06-08 02:55 (UTC) - Expand

alephbet - 2013-06-09 10:43 (UTC) - Expand