towerofanimus | Book Girl and...

Entry tags:

Book Girl and...

Characters: Tohko Amano and you!
Setting: The mailroom on Monday, the libraries on Tuesday, your choice of floor for Wednesday and Thursday, and the third floor library on Friday.
Format: I'm starting in prose, but I'll match you.
Summary: Catch-all log for Tohko during the Individuation event.
Warnings: A very depressed book girl, vomiting if one chooses to accept the first prompt, and death on Friday.

Tohko really hadn't enjoyed the experience of waking up to four ghosts, since they scared her out of her wits..but she had remembered the children they saw in the Administrative floor, so she had managed to keep herself from screaming by biting her lip and trying to calm down, speaking to them, even though she was white a sheet.

"Um..are you the children we saw downstairs? Arisa? Cyrus?" While they didn't reply, they just kept on smiling at her, which unnerved her so much that she didn't speak to them again as she got read for the day and went down to check her mailbox. She didn't like the fact that they were following her..but she hoped that if she ignored them, they would eventually disappear, even for a short while. However, what she found in her mailbox wasn't scary..but enraging. Someone had stuffed it all full of books..but had blotted out the contents with ink, so that she couldn't read any of them. As she looked through them, she kept glaring at the hidden words and yelled.

"This is horrible! It's a desecration of the literary world and an insult to whoever wrote the books! Honestly it's impossible to e-erm, feel all the emotions they have and understand them when they're like this! It's insulting!"

However, Tohko also held one strict rule about books: no matter what sort of book or story she got, even if it tasted bad, she would rip it up and devour it. So, after she finished her tirade, she started ripping up the pages of the first book and eating them when no one was looking. As she did so, her stomach twisted and flipped around, and she had to take deep breaths to even finish one volume. When she did so, she had to cover her mouth so that the contents wouldn't immediately come bursting out again before she started running to the bathroom. There was no way she would be able to make it though, and pretty shortly afterwards, she would be vomiting on the stairs, clenching her stomach in pain while her shadows just watched, smiling.

Today, as usual, Tohko worked in the library, organizing, cleaning..and speaking to her family and friends. Apparently, the children's souls weren't the only ones that had gotten stuck here, and Tohko just kept on wearing a mask of a smile, trying her best to not break down as she worked and spoke with her family and friends. For once, Ivan's presence didn't even bother her. Not that it had yesterday either.

"You know, you should really cut off your braids. You're not a book girl. You're just a weird goblin that lived while we died." "She's right you know-you are a goblin, and it's your fault that my life went to bits and pieces anyway. You really should have died."

Tohko sighed at Konoha's and her Mother's words, but she kept on smiling as she spoke. "Mom, you know I'm not a goblin, and if I were to cut those away, I'd lose an important memory of you. And..I'm sorry, Konoha. I don't know exactly what happened, but I didn't mean to hurt you. Really, I' so sorry..if you want, we could save you by putting you in artificial bodies when when we find them and learn how..but why you hate me, Mom?"

"That's simple." Tohko looked at the shadow that was her Father as he spoke. "Because we lied to you. We wore a very well-built mask and kept you alive because it would be illegal for us to kill you. After all, we did want to keep ourselves alive." "Masks, huh? Tohko, didn't you say that I should keep living for a better end? Is this the end you wanted me to have?" Tohko..wasn't expecting Chia to cut in, but her smile finally fell as she sighed and shook her head.

"No..it wasn't, Chia."

On Wednesday and Thursday, Tohko would be wandering around the Tower, speaking with her family and friends and trying to help out anyone she saw that was having problems with theirs. This was horribly painful, and emotionally draining..but she couldn't let that stop her now.

At least, that was what she kept telling herself two days ago. On Friday, Tohko was just drained when she started her library duties, and the constant comments from her parents and her friends didn't make her feel any better. Hoping to take a break, she sat down at a table with a copy of Strait Is the Gate, but, for once, her mind couldn't focus on the book, so she put it aside and tried to fall asleep as her father and Konoha spoke to her.

"If we hadn't given birth to a goblin, we might have been able to pass through that narrow gate alone! It's all your fault!" "I don't know about a gate..but you destroyed everything I loved and knew! Why did you want me to write stories, Tohko?!"

At that, she sighed as she closed her eyes and spoke. "..I'm sorry. I just wanted to read your warm words. They were like Manna, you know.."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

All he can do in this situation is ignore the voices. Simply ignore and pretend they never exist. It was difficult at times, but considering his nature and the circumstances in his life, Tavros' only method of defense is his ability to disregard things. So far, it worked pretty well for him.

All he had to do is keep moving. Keep himself busy, and maybe this nightmare will end soon. He didn't know where to go, but, somehow, he reached the stairs and found Tohko. Disgust was the last thought in his mind as he moved closer to her.

" ... Tohko. "

Asking if she's okay would be a stupid question. So, for the sake of being useful, Tavros stepped behind her, using one hand to keep her hair out of the way while the other rubbed her back gently.

Thankfully, Tohko's shadows were being pretty quiet for the moment, as if they knew that just existing and hanging around her scared and worried her a little, even though she knew a little bit about the children that were tortured in the past.

While most of Tohko's hair was in her braids, she did appreciate Tavros moving her bangs out of the way. It was a nice gesture, and the hand on her back helped her feel a little bit better..as she threw up more bile, which looked a little bit like paper, if one looked closely enough.

"Blegh..it's like someone mixed rotten cabbage..with putrid fish guts and blood with eggs.." Once again, Tohko vomited, but, thankfully, her stomach was almost empty.

"Thanks..Tavros. I'm..gonna go..get some cleaning equipment.." Even though her stomach was still rather uneasy, Tohko put one hand on the wall to steady herself before trying to move forward, stepping over the mess. Tavros was free to stop her though.

He really wanted to focus on how soft her hair felt between his fingers and forget about the vomiting part, but Tavros found himself staring at the mess on the floor. For some fucked up reason, the explicit description of the foul taste sparked his curiosity. It was gross, and he didn't stare long enough to analyze all the contents, but he noticed a few odd things.

Before he could say anything, Tohko started moving away from him, averting his attention back to her.

" Wow, no. You're not going anywhere! " He scowls, holding her from her shoulders and keeping her in place. " You're not feeling well. You need to rest for a bit! "

Even while vomiting, Tohko couldn't get rid of her habit to talk about the books she ate, which was something that was probably going to bite her in the butt later on. Not that she really noticed right now, or even cared. However, when Tavros held her shoulders and kept her in place, Tohko bit her lip to keep her stomach from revolting again before speaking up. The contact was nice, but her stomach was just in horrible agony right now, and the taste of that book still lingered, along with the vomit.

"But..it would be wrong to leave it there. And..it was just something I ate. I'll clean it up and drink a nice cup of tea before..getting the rest of the books from my mailbox."

And then eat them. After all, she still had to catch the perpetrator of the inexcusable crime of defiling literature, and one of the ways she could was by guessing which books they had blotted out..by eating them.

Edited 2013-08-16 20:09 (UTC)

" ... You puked up some weird stuff. "

He could tell by looking at her she's not feeling any better, even after emptying her stomach. Usually, Tavros is calm and friendly, but he can be rather stubborn when it comes down to the people he cares about. Maybe a little possessive, if the situation calls for it.

For now, all he had in mind is the following: Tohko is sick. Tohko must get better. Tohko will get better if she rests. Tohko is not going to feel any better by cleaning some mess. Plain and simple.

" I'm taking you back to your room. I'll get you the tea and the books, but you're heading to bed. " He really didn't want to sound mean, even when his tone is harsh enough. But, in reality, he was freaking the fuck out. The idea of Tohko being unwell, hurt or anything awful terrifies him. He didn't know what to do if anything happens to her!

Hopefully Tavros was worried enough that the look on Tohko's face could just pass for her being more ill than she actually was. She knew she would have to fess up about her bookeating eventually..she hadn't wanted to do it over a pile of puke. Quickly, she tried to calm down and weakly smiled.

"It..probably just looks weird because it's bile! Yes, that's it..and I don't mind if you do..but who will clean up the mess later on?"

Knowing Tavros and Tohko's ability to get other people stuck in her messes, he would probably end up doing it. And have to deal with an even sicker Tohko when she ended up eating the rest of the books..and drinking the tea, assuming Tavros could even find any. Normal food did hurt her stomach, after all.

With panic, he couldn't think, and he had to do something before he reaches that point. After dealing with shadow-ghost fuck ups, Tavros didn't have the patience or proper mental tolerance to deal with another heartbreak; and that would be watching his moirail in pain.

Now, he could waste time and try to convince her to drop the unneeded concerns with the tower's hygiene, or- he could simply take control over the situation and do what's best for her. Yup, the second option is the winner.

Without adding another word, he scooped her up in his arms and off the filthy heap of vomit. Before he could take the first step, Tavros had a very important question.

" ... Where is your room again? "

Wow..I flubbed that last post up. I apologize. ><;

tohko_amano - 2013-08-22 20:22 (UTC) - Expand

Rick had been wandering up and down the Tower stairs the entire day now--long enough that his already shaky legs, drained of strength from the persistent calling of his shadows, felt like blocks of putty--but so long as he kept running into people, there was work to be had. Lives to be saved, if he could help it. That was the ultimate goal here. Comforting people he knew even a little bit had driven him from the brink of death so far, so it wasn't like he was about to stop.

And here--another familiar face! Rick gave Tohko a tired smile as he ascended the landing below her, leaning on the rail to catch his breath. His shadows took the opportunity to scold him--

Oh look, it's that girl from the elevator shaft that nearly bled out because you were too weak to pick yourself up and help her! I would say you two have a lot to talk about, but I'm sure she's not surprised by any of the pathetic bullshit you did. Leave the poor girl be, would you?

--before he regained his composure, waving to get her attention. Tohko was moving around, at least...but she didn't look any better than he did. They could both probably use the company.

Despite the barrage of insults and comments from her family and friends, Tohko couldn't help but smile and wave back at Rick as she wandered over to him. As she did so, Konoha decided to comment on the matter.

"Oh..didn't you get this guy killed by running off without thinking again? You always do that Tohko. You run off, lost in a fantasy, no matter who gets hurt along the way. You're really horrible like that."

Tohko just sighed at the words and, wearing a mask of a smile, replied to Konoha quietly. "I..didn't anticipate her game being murder, Konoha. The other games from before were bloody, but you had a chance to win."

With that said, Tohko turned to Rick, looking a little concerned. "Rick! Are you okay? I'm sorry about what happened to you down there..are you alright now?"

Tohko was murmuring things to herself...no, to her shadows. That wasn't a good sign. Or maybe it was, since she still had some life left to talk back, assert her claims, instead of just listlessly accepting everything thrown at her? Either way, she probably wasn't in good shape.

Rick nodded, mouth twitching at the corners. The death itself wasn't as unpleasant as he'd anticipated (or as it looked)--there was a brief moment of pain as some invisible forced dragged him along the floor, then some horrid noise that he couldn't place, then--there he was, frozen in bed like it was a bad dream. Granted, the ten minutes of sleep paralysis were very alarming, but apparently that was normal (and not as bad as the twenty minutes he'd had just last week). At least his leg wasn't broken anymore.

That being said, Tohko had both of her arms back. Rick knew that their group hadn't been too successful, but he never quite pieced together that this meant everyone else had died as well. Without really thinking, he inquired, "...A-Are you? Your, um...your a-arm is...d-did you...?"

Whether it was a good sign or not, Tohko wasn't in the best of shape right now, but she was more worried about Rick and the spirits right now than she was about herself. However, at that answer, she sighed and nodded, still smiling.

"Good..I'm glad to hear that. What Ruana did to you was horrible..but next time, don't refuse one of her games. It'll just make her kill you. But yes..I died. Her 'game' was nothing more than murder, where we couldn't win. It wasn't fair at all..but I did learn some things about the people who lived there. I don't know what happened to Enoch and the other person though. Lancer died too though..Ruana put him into the role of one of the girls that used to live there..and shattered his mind."

As Tohko explained precisely what went down that morning, Rick's expression slowly shifted from a pleasant smile to a worried, rather disturbed frown. He...actually would have been happy not knowing any of what she just told him. At least she didn't describe what the horrible thing that Ruana did to him was, and based on everything else, he wasn't sure he ever wanted to know, either. Best not pursue this tangent any longer--talking about their failed mission and how they all died wouldn't help either of them feel better, Rick was fairly sure of this.

He straightened and laced a hand through his hair, awkwardly shuffling his feet. "Ah...s-sorry to um...well..."

There was no good way to segue that sentence into something appropriate or coherent, so after a brief pause Rick abandoned it entirely.

"--N-Now, though? I m-mean, um--the shadows. A-Are you d-doing okay?"

He might not have been happy knowing what happened after he died down there, but Tohko felt that he should know, since he had been part of their group, even if she could only tell him a few things up to a certain point. She didn't know if they all failed yet either, so talking about it didn't make her feel worse..so she looked pretty puzzled at that apology.

"What are you apologizing for, Rick?"

At that moment, shadow Konoha decided to speak up again. "After all, he shouldn't have to apologize for anything, since you got him into that whole mess. Just liked you messed with my life when you published my book."

At that, Tohko sighed and spoke with Konoha once again..

"And I had no idea that you would hurt if your book was published, Konoha. I'm a simple book girl, not a fortune teller. I can't predict the future."

..before turning back to Rick, looking a bit apologetic. "I'm alright. Don't worry about me, I'm okay. How about you though? How are you holding up?"

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Thursday - Stairwell

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Tuesday

Tuesday

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Monday - Mailroom

Monday - Mailroom

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