I do wish you would quit using your Mind Read on me...

[mywayofhelping]

Characters: Alex and any new "associates"
Setting: Room 2-10, Floor 3, Floor 2, Floor 7, and Floor 11
Format: Starting with brackets but I will follow you
Summary: Alex is trying to adjust and learn about this place as quickly as possible after a rude awakening
Warning: Anyone tagging being secretly analyzed for potential usefulness

[Room 2-10]

[Alex moved as quickly as he could when he awoke in the strange room. He quickly read the papers, brushing off the most disturbing proclamation as a silly joke. The collar that was suddenly on his neck only mildly concerned him and seemed ignorable at the moment. He immediately investigated the trunk at the foot of the bed and found his clothes and, more importantly, his mask. He placed the latter on first to be sure that no one saw him without it. There was a reason he wore it, after all.

Once he had his robes donned again, Alex glanced around the room. Time to start investigating...]

[Floor 3]

[The masked man can be found browsing the books and investigating the terminals. He spends a fair time on the terminals, obviously quickly figuring out their usage. Even apart from there, he's on this floor for quite a while. It would be very easy for anyone going there sometime in the early parts of the day to see him.]

[Floor 2]

[Despite his self-centered nature, Alex had been trained as a healer, so stumbling upon an infirmary caught his interest. But unless he's directly approached, he'll just quietly lurk and observe.]

[Floor 7]

[Late in the afternoon, the blue-haired man can be spotted at the pool. He's not wearing a swimming suit, nor does he seem overly interested in doing so. Instead, he periodically lifts a hand. Any witnesses might notice the water clearly acting strangely, and those magically inclined might even notice a ghostly light coming from him as it happens. However, he scowls after each attempt as though he's disappointed for some reason.]

[Floor 11]

[Alex arrived on this floor just after sunset. With the strange decor and lack of walls filling it with the smells and sounds of rain, it catches his interest. His first thought is to try to levitate to investigate as safely as possible, but much to his shock, that normally simple skill is refusing to work.

He doesn't feel as though he has much choice in the matter, however. Being new here meant getting others to do trustworthy grunt work would be difficult, so if he had to dirty his own hands, so be it.

Perhaps it was fate that it took him a while to approach some phantoms. At the sounds of two different female voices shortly after each other, his visible eye actually goes wide and for just a second and he looks shocked before quickly regaining his composure.

With a frown, he turns on his heel and begins searching for the exit as quickly as he can possibly return to it. But the pair of phantoms are following him... His scowl grows as more time passes. Where is that damn door...?]

Comments

I WILL NEVER QUIT USING IT-- i mean, floor 11

[seekinganswers]

[Sheba is seated on the stairs; she's had an experience with the phantoms before, so she knows to avoid them. Still... sometimes it's hard to do. Sometimes she just wants to hear a familiar voice - she's a little afraid that if she goes too long without hearing them, she'll forget how they sound entirely. Lingering near the eleventh floor is enough of a compromise, she thinks.

But there's someone else out there now, and he looks familiar. She frowns and gets to her feet as she sees Alex heading for the exit, with two phantoms in pursuit. This is familiar. Months ago, she'd been down there, and it had been someone else where she was now, and he'd helped her -]

Hey! [She cups her hands around her mouth to call out to him.] Don't let them get too close! They're dangerous!

[But it's better to act than it is to yell, and so she grabs her staff and hops the last few stairs, running out into the rain to help him. She hasn't recognized him quite yet - otherwise, would she bother? Who knew... He'd be easy to recognize when she got closer, though.]

Then get used to his TROLLOLOL answers

[mywayofhelping]

[He knows that voice. But he had come across other bits of discarded trash before and handled it quite well. She seemed like she was jumping in to help, as well. It was no wonder she had gotten along so well with Felix and Mia and the others...

It was hard not to think of Mia since he was clearly hearing her voice coming from one of those things. And the other...why did it have to be that voice? If only he could risk warping in here... but if levitation didn't work, that wasn't likely either.

He continues striding toward the door, though he does look behind his shoulder.]

Oh, are they a breed of monster? Perhaps they're not as dangerous as you believe.

they're the best answers so I am A-OK with this

[seekinganswers]

No, they're really dangerous! [She hasn't recognized him yet; she's not close enough to see his face. But as he strides to the exit and she runs towards him and the phantoms, she gets closer and she could swear there's a sinking feeling in her stomach as she starts to realize just how familiar this man is.

It's when they're just passing each other that she gets a good look at his face and then she stops dead in her tracks, turning to look at him with wide, disbelieving eyes as he - most likely - just continues on his way.]

But they're only supposed to speak in the voices of people you miss from home. I wouldn't have thought you'd hear anyone at all.

[mywayofhelping]

[At that comment, he does halt and turns to give her a smirk.]

I'm flattered you recognized me after such a long time. Kraden wasn't nearly as quick.

[He knows next to nothing about these creatures, but still he shrugs and maintains and air of confidence.] Then perhaps you've misunderstood their motivations until now.

[seekinganswers]

[Her first reaction is to snap that even Kraden could be dense sometimes, but she's not going to talk down about the scholar to Alex of all people.]

It hasn't been that long for me. What are you doing with that mask? It looks ridiculous.

[...unfortunately, that doesn't keep her from saying something equally as impulsive. She furrows her brows and crosses her arms. Now, her desire to fight the phantoms off is greatly lessened. But she doesn't want to linger, because she would really rather not have her energy drained from her. And she has no intention of dying for Alex's sake. She turns on her heel and starts for the stairs, just as he had been a few moments before.]

Just keep moving. Whatever their motivations are, they're not good to hang around. For someone who depends on Psynergy they're some of the worst things you can encounter around here.

[mywayofhelping]

[He can't help but note that she's managed to age even less than him which might explain that comment, but he still can't leave it alone.]

Really? How long has it been exactly?

[He's going to ignore that mask question. Instead, he'll focus on wondering if these are anything like Psynergy vortexes, though if Sheba isn't aware of their existence, perhaps he should keep that to himself for now.]

I may be more inclined to stay clear of them if I knew why they were so dangerous.

[Actually having those voices is reason enough for him, he just wants more information.]

3

[hardedge]

[Well what did you know? This place did have a variety of people and talents. He was use to a lot, but he was continually being surprised here.

Don't mind InuYasha just around and off to the side. He's be exploring a lot of the tower since he arrived here.]

Nice trick ya got goin'.

[It may have sounded sarcastic, but he meant it.]

[mywayofhelping]

[If Alex had learned anything, it was when he should and should not engage the locals. Now was one of those unfortunate times when he needed to.]

Hmm, you must be easily impressed then. I assure you, this is nothing.

[hardedge]

Don't get cocky. [Only water deities and demons could control it to that extent.] It ain't that special!

[mywayofhelping]

["Water deity". Sure, he'll go with that.]

I believe that's what I just said. Always start with the basics, right?

[hardedge]

Who cares? [Don't mind his apathy, anyway.]






You're new too?

[mywayofhelping]

[Actually, not caring about him can be a plus in his book. So he'll keep entertaining you, person who looks like he's in the middle of becoming a Beastman except that happened 30 years ago.]

That could only be accurate if you were new, as well.

2

[flamingjustice]

Excuse me.

[Jenna isn't paying a lot of attention to her surroundings. She is in the infirmary for one reason and one reason only: To bandage a few minor wounds on her side. They were nothing so dire as to require immediate castings of Aura but just annoying enough for her to want to fix them up the old fashioned way.

She doesn't look up at Alex's face as she walks past him to find some bandages. After a few minutes of futile searching though, she does address him again.] Have you seen bandages anywhere?

[mywayofhelping]

[...Well hello, Jenna. He's a bit amused that she hasn't recognized him. She's aged surprisingly little which...must make it really awkward with her son.]

I'm afraid not. I only just got here.

7

[alae]

[... Huh. That's weird. But Dark Pit is in A Mood, and there's a quick way to cheer him up.]

[Quietly, he attempts to sneak up on the guy and kick him into the pool.]

[mywayofhelping]

[In a world that's not bound to Alchemy, sensing another presence is harder for Alex. Point to Dark Pit.

However, he hears the sound of movement just before he's kicked, and was focusing his mind to cast the proper Psynergy just in case this was an assailant. The blow hits him, but as he stumbles forward he suddenly vanishes into a stream of light. A few seconds later, he reappears several feet behind his attacker.]

My, that was certainly rude.

[alae]

[He turns around and shrugs.]

Like I care.

[mywayofhelping]

[While he doesn't appreciate this attitude directed toward him, under the right circumstances it could be quite useful. So he won't kill you. Congrats.]

Regardless, knowing how others perceive your actions can be useful. Suppose I had no control over my temper?

[alae]

[He just smirks.]

Then I'd just fight you.

[mywayofhelping]

[And he smirks in response. Yep, he knows your type.]

Even if victory was not assured?

Second Floor

[godheals]

[Raphael practically lived here, since his role in life was to be a healer, so he usually sat and waited for people to stumble in so that he could heal them. Or help them with someone else, if they were a friend bringing someone, or a doctor to wanted to help in the infirmary for a little while.

Raphael smiled at the man as he wandered about and spoke to him.]

Good afternoon. Are you injured? If so, I will do my best to heal you.

[mywayofhelping]

[...Yeah, you're already reminding him of most of the other healers he's known. What a waste of their potential talents...]

No no, I'm merely seeing what all there is to see in this place. I'm quite familiar with healing techniques, myself.

[godheals]

[Not that Raphael knew how he was wasting his abilities, since..to him, this was what he lived for.]

I see. It is good to have another doctor familiar with this area then. The Tower is a dangerous place for everyone here.

[mywayofhelping]

[You and his cousin...]

If you mean healing, it's not difficult for my people. If you mean this room, I'm afraid that's not the case. I only awoke here this morning. Exactly how dangerous is this tower?

[godheals]

I would not know that, since I am not a resident of your world or familiar with your people. However, if it is not difficult for you, it simply means that more people can be healed. I am sorry to hear that your world is destroyed..and this Tower is quite dangerous. Monsters roam the higher levels and even the ones without any monsters are not always safe.