towerofanimus | [.006] ----------- [OPEN]

Entry tags:

[.006] ----------- [OPEN]

Characters: Naminé (

lethechained) and EVERYONE
Setting: The entire tower, any of a few floors.
Format: Any
Summary: Naminé's powers are out of control. This is a dangerous thing for everyone in the tower.
Warnings: Minds being crushed, memory manipulation, illusions, possibly violence and psychological trauma. Also, one rather upset young lady.

[Something bizzare is afoot.

Throughout the week, several anomalies will be occurring in the tower. One of the most noticable of these is the spontaneous opening and closing of strange, dark portals which some might recognize as Corridors of Darkness, which, when passed through, can send the traveler anywhere in the parts of the tower that are accessible by its captive occupants. Another of the more obvious goings on is the new rather concerning tendency for places, things, and even people to suddenly look like something else, even something markedly different. This change is an illusion and not permanent, but it's a very convincing illusion indeed. Also rather disorienting is the sensation that something is calling one from somewhere or another; whether or not anything is actually waiting for them should they choose to investigate varies. The more observant or magically and/or psychically inclined might discover that it feels as though someone or something is creeping through their mind/heart from time to time.

Less noticable but considerably more dangerous are the changes in one's memories that could happen at any time. Memories might be rearranged, replaced, or removed entirely. New memories, memories of things that never happened, or even copies of someone else's memories might also make an appearance. Worse still is the possibility of one's (metaphysical) heart collapsing in on itself, leaving them little more than a vegetable.

The source of all of this mess is a young lady who will be spending as much of her time this week as possible hiding away, trying her hardest to keep her malfunctioning powers in check. She's not having much luck, and those who run across her might find a rather distressed Naminé tucked away somewhere like the library or the maze.]

(( ooc: This is intended to be an open log for both interaction with Naminé and general shenanigans that might be caused by her powers. For details, please refer to this post. ))

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[It's been a long... long day for Naminé already. All of her attempts to hide away, to find peace or concentration or something, anything to keep her powers at bay, to keep them from affecting the others in the tower, from hurting people. That has been an exercise in futility. She's exhausted already, pale and distraught and trying to keep her distress, too, in check.]

[So when she walks into the hallway and sees what looks like Vanitas running down it in her general direction, the jump that such a realization causes her is significant and blatantly visible, her eyes going wide with fear.]

[It didn't help that Sora didn't really look very approachable right now even discounting the appearance change, with the way he was rushing as fast as he could to...well, he wasn't sure where. Wherever the guy he looked like right now was. He had to be somewhere, and Sora was determined to find him and figure out what was going on.

But this complete lack of foresight also meant that he wasn't watching where he was going. Honestly, it's a miracle that he notices Naminé in time to stop. But he does, and he slows down in time to stop a short distance from her.

He would have started talking to her without a second thought if he hadn't registered how she looked right now - tense, afraid...

Oh no. His thoughts came to a halt, his own expression becoming apologetic (a look not well suited to his face the way it was now). He hadn't even thought about what would happen if someone saw him like this. Naminé must have met that Vanitas guy, and now she thought he was him...now what?]

N-Naminé? [Would she believe him? He hoped so.] It's just me! Sora.

[Afraid is right. By the time he's come to a stop, she's already frozen, one hand on the wall and the other almost defensively against her chest, despite her efforts to force her expression and posture into something less noticably fearful. It's a lot harder than it usually is - the day has left her drained in more ways than one, and there's a slight tremble to her that she's trying to suppress.]

[That look on his face, though - that tells her immediately that there's something amiss with him, too, or that, at the very least, he's contrived something along those lines. Her brow knits slightly at the sound of her name, and even more so at his claim, her lips parting in surprise before pressing together tightly again as she stares at him.]

Sora...? [Sora is someone she's familiar with to an extent that many people never reach at all; knowing what she does of Vanitas, too, strengthens the argument her ~~heart~~ gut makes that he's telling the truth. It's not impossible, not with everything that's been going on. She could check, easily, were she not afraid to attempt to purposely use her powers and search his heart for the truth. They're just too volatile, and such an action would be far too dangerous. Can she really trust herself to know the truth without her powers? More and more, she's come to doubt herself, which is precisely why she is yet apprehensive, yet unwilling to listen to herself. So much is going wrong, so how can she possibly trust herself to do this right, when anything and everything could be tainted by false memories, even her own knowledge and instincts? Some of the tension in her shoulders ebbs away, but her face remains serious as she scrutinizes him. Truthfully, she already knows the answer - it's only a matter of getting herself to accept it.]

[He nods, smiling nervously - Please, believe me - again, an out-of-place expression on Vanitas' face. He tries to think of something to say that would prove beyond a doubt who he was, but all that comes out is an explanation.]

Y-yeah. I...I don't know what's wrong. Or why I look like this all of the sudden.

And I don't know how to fix it.

[He tries to think. There has to be something else he can say.]

But it's okay. I'm not him. Promise. [He doesn't know Vanitas' name, but it's probably obvious who he means by 'him'.]

[Out of place, indeed. Except, ironically, it shouldn't be, their features as alike as they are. Knowing what she does about both of them, it's both easy and difficult to see both the similarities and differences between them, depending on how one looks at it.]

[Regardless, she sees. She sees that expression and the look in his eyes. While it's not inconceivable that Vanitas might be able to fake those kinds of expressions, it's also not impossible that this is Sora and he's telling the truth. It might not make sense to him why something like this would happen, but it makes perfect sense to her, and she frowns, looking almost pained for an instant before smoothing her expression into something grim but not as openly upset.]

... I believe you, Sora.

[He's so relieved when she says that, when she calls him by name, that he can't help but smile. Not as brightly as usual, because he can tell by her expression that she's still worried...but his relief that he might be able to convince her that he's telling the truth is obvious.]

I'm sorry that I scared you, Naminé. I should have been more careful.

[He really must have been giving off the wrong impression, running around like that while he was feeling that angry. In hindsight, he really should have thought about that beforehand. Maybe then he wouldn't have scared her so much.]

[Cautiously, she half-smiles back. She won't be turning her back on him, in any sense of the word - just in case.]

... It's alright. I understand why you would be-- upset.

[And that 'why' is meant in more than one sense, too. His situation is likely her fault. Upsetting or frightening her is the least of their collective worries, if she's right about this. One way to find out, anyway. Still searching his face, she asks,]

Sora... when did this happen to you?

I don't know. A little while before I woke up this morning, I think.

[Because, as far as he can remember, everything was just fine when he fell asleep.]

At first, I thought I was just dreaming, but...well, if I am, it been a pretty long dream.

[He still feels bad about scaring her, and even through the relief, his expression gives that away. The least he can do is explain, and hope that it helps.]

I couldn't figure out what happened, so I decided to track down that guy [...okay, so figuring out his name eventually might be helpful.] and see if I could get some kind of explanation. I guess I let myself get a little too worked up.

[This morning. Her lips purse slightly as she tries not to frown. One more piece of evidence that this is likely her fault, then. Her eyes started to lower but move back to his and stay there for the second part. He... could probably use a smile, couldn't he? So she tries to work one out, just for him.]

[... All attempts break down the second he mentions seeking out Vanitas. Her skin pales ever so slightly, and immediately she shakes her head firmly.]

-- No...! Please, Sora, you mustn't look for him. He's-- very, very dangerous.

Huh...?

[Somehow, Sora already knew that there was something dangerous about him. They hadn't fought, or anything, but his attitude, and the way he acted, gave that away.

But even if was...]

Maybe, but I can't just do nothing, either. Don't worry, I can take care of myself.

[He sounds pretty confident about that - probably a little too confident.]

--....

[She may have a hard time telling Sora no, but this-- this she can't help being adamant about.]

... Please. You don't have to speak with him. He won't have the answer, either, and he--... he'll destroy you, if he decides he wants to.

[He doesn't understand what she's so worried about. He has the Keyblade, right? So he should be fine.

But she sounded so absolutely, positively sure about how much trouble he'd be in that Sora can't just ignore it.]

You mean...he won't know? How can you be sure about that?

[She's gotten herself into a bad situation here, she thinks. Sora deserves to know about her powers, yes, even if she's tried so hard to avoid telling anyone else and make sure no one else who does already know talks about them with anyone, just in case. But-- he looks like Vanitas. Even if she does trust him, on some level a part of her is more inclined to hold back... just in case this really turns out to be a trick. She pauses for a moment to regard him again, searching once more.]

....

I just am.

[She's very firm about it, at least.]

[He really wants to keep looking, to find out more. But, the way Naminé is acting...he can't really tell her no, or say that he doesn't trust her. He does, so if she's saying this, there has to be a reason. But what?

And why won't she tell him what that reason is?

For a moment, it hits him that maybe she doesn't completely believe that he's Sora. The idea stings, but only a little - he can't really blame her, for not being sure. Maybe he wouldn't be, either, if he was her.

Which means that maybe the best thing he can do now is listen to what she's saying.]

Okay. I believe you. I'll just try to be careful.

[He smiles again, trying to make himself relax a little.]

[She knows him well, well enough to see where the differences are between Vanitas and him in voice and expression and behavior and everything, it's just-- some part of her still questions herself, and even more so because of the current situation. She knows that she can fool a lot of people with her magic... and that makes her wonder, can she even fool herself? The recent events have shaken even what confidence in herself she had before. This isn't the kind of thing she dares mess up on, not even a little bit. The slightest slip-- no, it's better not to think of it.]

[Her exhale is slow, measured but relieved. The return smile is small but genuine.]

... Thank you, Sora. I'm sorry. I know this must be confusing for you.

[He wants to say "It's okay", but he isn't so sure about that right now. Honestly, this whole mess has him a bit shaken. He was already wondering what the connection was between him and Vanitas, and now this has him even more worried about it.]

Well...there's gotta be some way to fix it, right?

It'll be fine. I guess I'll just try to keep to myself for a little while, or something.

[Because Sora is so good at that, really.]

[She sucks in a breath as if to speak, stops, then forces it out before taking another, quieter one.]

... Right. We'll fix it. [Or she will, anyway, once she's worked things out with her powers.]

That's... probably a good idea. [Clearly he is totally capable of that, yes, nevermind that he is the friendliest derp to friendly or derp.] ... Sorry, Sora.

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[.006] ----------- [OPEN]

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