Δ but is there a floor of just pots?

[zelfies]

Characters: Link + open!
Setting: Dorm floor 1 and various other floors
Format: starting in prose, feel free to switch to brackets
Summary: Link arrives in the Tower and does a little exploring
Warnings: none so far


Dormitory floor 1, the surrounding halls of room 1-08
A tiny blond boy poked his head out of room 1-08 in the early afternoon of January 10th. He could have just as easily been friends with Rudolph, if it weren't for the (miniature) sword and shield he carried on his back. Pointy ears, little boots, a matching cap and tunic. He was obviously confused, eyes darting up and down the hall as he crept into view and shut the door behind him.

In a short life that had recently taken a turn for the unpredictable, this was the weirdest thing Link had seen yet.

He had read the letters, committed them to memory as well as he could. He wasn't about to take them to heart without at least learning more, especially not the one about the world ending. He was still here, right? Wherever here was.

What to do, then? Have a look around, of course. Start with all of these doors and see what he found! Link began travelling down the hall, knocking on doors and poking into each bedroom as he went. That always worked, right? There had to be something.

Floor 90
Here, Link felt more at home. He was travelling one by one through the floors, undeterred by the sheer magnitude of the tower.

Eyes darting between the stairs that would take him farther on his journey and the gently rippling waters of the lagoon, Link decided that taking a second to "test" the water couldn't hurt. He slipped his boots off and left them in the grass, smiling to himself as the sand of the beach ran over his toes.

He had yet to notice the occasional rippling of a fin gliding over the water's surface.

Floor 45
"Ooh..." Link's eyes widened as he set foot on the landing of the observatory. He frowned, though, when he noticed that it didn't offer much insight at all as to what was out there. It was only clouds. He was too high up, then?

He began to run around the perimeter of the great glass room, just to be sure.

Passing between floors 24 and 22
Twenty-four was completely empty and twenty-two was just filled with a bunch of paintings, he discovered from having a quick look around. Although it was odd that they would have a completely empty floor, that wasn't what confused him the most.

Where was twenty-three?

Link could be found jogging from floor to floor, as if hoping that somehow, this time, it would magically appear. If that didn't work, he'd be looking around on the surrounding floors. A secret switch? A door that he missed? There must be something somewhere!

Comments

floor 90

[keybearer]

[It's not often that Riku spends his time around the lagoon. Having come to distrust every body of water in the tower, the fins that occasionally breach the water's surface always leave him with a twisting feeling in his stomach. He's met mermaids before-- or rather, a mermaid, but unlike Ariel, the tower's mermaids are a more sadistic variety.

So, when Riku sees a kid wading past the sand, he scurries to the shoreline and raises his voice.]

Hey, kid! Careful not to go too deep.

[Wouldn't want him to drown, after all.]

floor 90

[zelfies]

[Another one! Link jumps and turns around to see Riku running toward the shore.]

Why? [He's genuinely curious.]

[keybearer]

[How to put this? Riku sighs, bringing a hand to his forehead.]

There's mermaids down there, and if they have their way, they'll be dragging you right down to the lagoon's depths.

[zelfies]

[The corners of Link's lips slowly turn down into a frown, and his eyes widen. He stares at Riku for another moment before leaning out over the water, squinting for a sign of movement. His brow shot up even farther when he saw it.

The flash and the ripple of a fin, not far off the shore. His gaze darted back to Riku.]

Like that?

[keybearer]

[Riku's brow furrows the moment the fin appears, and his hands snap into fists; it's a gut reaction caused by the fin's brief appearance.

Once it's gone, he nods.]

Just like that. It might look pretty from a distance, but get to close, and...

[He swipes a finger across his neck, as if implying death.]

[zelfies]

[Link's eyes widen at Riku's miming of what could happen. Oookay. Guess that means that swimming is out of the question. It's too bad; the Tower already feels like a prison to Link. No, not because he cannot leave... because he cannot see the ocean.]

Is there anyplace where you can go swimming, then?

[keybearer]

Well, floor seven's got a pool without too many dangers. Just make sure you don't get stuck in the tunnels, and you should be fine.

[Tunnels sure beat mermaids, whirlpools, dangerous rocks, and sharks like some of the other floors have. Seems the admins were at least slightly merciful.]

[zelfies]

All the way down on 7? [It's going to take him a long time to reach there, especially since he's not using the elevator. Gotta see everything, doncha know!]

Better than nothing, I guess...

[keybearer]

Well, it's that or trying your luck with floor 100, but the water there's not much better once you get past the shallows.

[Riku gazes out at the water again and shakes his head.]

I can count on one hand the number of floors that don't have some kind of trap waiting below the surface. Hard to say whether it's Jason and Ruana's doing or if they just keep hitting roadbumps when constructing the place.

[zelfies]

Figures. [Link grumbles under his breath as Riku turns to look out at the water. Why does everyone seem to build places like this littered with traps and monsters? Unless they had something to guard or to hide...]

I'm Link. [It's a disjointed introduction, but an introduction nonetheless. His little hand shoots out (up) to offer a shake.]

[keybearer]

[Riku takes him up on his offer in a heartbeat, giving the kid's hand a firm shake and cracking a grin.]

Link, huh? Well, I'm Riku. You still new to the tower?

[He's not a face Riku's seen around, at any rate. Hard to miss kids in a place like this.]

[zelfies]

[He nods, though it's more of a full-body motion.]

I just got here. [And it's quickly becoming evident that you can't get anywhere around here without talking to people. And Riku did help him out, so...]

Have you been here a long time?

[keybearer]

Longer than anyone should be.

[He laughs dryly at his remark, running his fingers through his hair.]

It's been almost two years now, and I know people who've been here even longer... not that the alternative's much better.

[zelfies]

[Link nods, the hint of a frown crossing his brow. There are a lot of people here who have been for a long time now, aren't there?]

I have a friend who's been here a long time. It must be all messed up, because she's been here so long and I just saw her before I got here.

[keybearer]

See, that's where things get... complicated.

[Riku's right hand slides down to his belt, and he wraps his fingers around the seashell charm hanging from it.]

Word is, everyone here's from a different world, even the people who seem like they're from home. There could be some minor difference, like what they ate for breakfast one morning, and that's all it takes to diverge.

[zelfies]

Eeehhhh?!

[That's a new one. Link jolts back, staring at Riku in confusion for a moment before frowning again.

Of course. Why is he even surprised anymore?]

That's... Hm.

[keybearer]

Confusing? Believe me, I know the feeling.

[He snorts, cracking a grin. If Link thought that was confusing...]

Try dealing with having three lookalikes running around in the same place. This place is packed with surprises like that.

[zelfies]

So there could be another "me"...?

[Noooope. Nope nope nope. Something dawns on him, and Link suddenly looks up at Riku.]

Is there another you?

[keybearer]

[...And Riku just laughs, sweeping a hand through his hair.]

There's another me and two Replicas-- think clones. In other words, there's four people running around that look like me, and none of us has bothered to get nametags.

[zelfies]

Then how do I know that I'm talking to you and not a... replica?

[RIKU, THIS IS CONFUSING, EVEN FOR A KINGDOM HEARTS CHARACTER.]

[keybearer]

Would it matter if I was? Replicas aren't mindless zombies or anything-- they're more like twins.

[Still, he'll reach up and flick his collar.]

But seeing how both Replicas have purple collars, I think it'll be easy enough to spot them.

[zelfies]

[Link nods. Collar color. That makes sense!]

I guess so... [He's still not so sure about this whole thing, but who is, on their first day?]

Thank you for explaining some... things for me.

[keybearer]

Hey, no problem. There's probably more I could tell you, but I don't want to give you a migraine on the first day.

[All that talk about the glamour system, the power shortage, Ruana, and Jason... It's a ton to soak in, doubly so for a kid. Better to let him adjust first and then reveal the rest over time.]