towerofanimus | ITP: Yet another arrival

Entry tags:

ITP: Yet another arrival

Characters: Minami and anyone who replies
Setting: Room 1-01 and moving into exploration
Format: First post is in prose. Tag with whatever you like.
Summary: Minami awakens and joins in on the Tower shenanigans
Warnings: None for right now.

The first thing upon waking was that Minami could not move. That was the part that scared her most, reminding her of when she was little and stuck in the hospital, and her limbs felt so heavy she couldn't move them either. Fortunately no one was standing around her saying they weren't sure how she even made it through the night nor the echo of a voice--Aigis's voice though she didn't know it at the time--telling her it'd be all right.

Once she was able to move she practically leapt from the bed and, in her haste, nicked her foot on the trunk at the foot of her bed and went tumbling to the ground. Ugh. Her limbs were still asleep. Otherwise that wouldn't have happened. Minami righted herself, checked her person, and was horrified to find a collar around her neck. What was going on?

That was when she found the letters, read them, and promptly had to sit heavily on her bed. How is this possible? She thought Nyx wasn't supposed to come until January! January! They still had time to train, time to figure out a way around her, put up a fight! Not--not this!

Minami sat on the bed a moment and took a deep breath. This had to be a trick, right? She wasn't--her world wasn't--the people she knew wasn't....

Determined, she stood from the bed, pulled on her uniform skirt and jacket over the jumpsuit, holstered her evoker, and headed out, intent on finding answers before she broke down into tears.

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[ He was leaving the chaos of his room (god forbid, why was he stuck with those three) and headed to the floor with the massive library on it.

... Then he saw her. Minami. The leader of SEES. ]

[ And it strikes him. He's been searching all this time... and he hasn't found any of his team here.

Yet... she's here. Why the hell is SHE here? ]

[ He needs to make a snap decision.

Does he approach her or leave her alone? ... He's too angry right now to do anything but follow her, honestly. This wasn't right. If their world really WAS gone (he didn't buy it), then WHY is it that she survived and he did, but his team didn't?

They didn't have a lot of time. Granted... they were still his team. And he held that time dearly. Plus, Ken had a lot to live for still. ]

[ ... It's time he cornered her then. Evoker clutched in one hand, he approaches her from behind. ]

What the hell are you doing here?

[Minami visibly freezes up, her hands balling into fist as the familiar fire of rage wells up inside her. No, no. This is her brother. Her brother. Her blood. Her only family left!

....yet he was also a murderer, someone who did nothing but hurt her and those around her, who had been nothing but an obstacle from day one.

But he's still her brother. And she has no idea if anyone else is here. At all. At least, anyone she knows.]

The same thing as you I guess.

[Face blank, voice steel, head raised high. She won't let him see her weak. Even if he is her brother, she's going to have to prove it true. Or at least get him to sit down and talk to her without her wanting to leave in tears.]

[ ... It would take more than that. In a sense, that might just be part of the issue. Maybe he blamed SEES for things they weren't entirely at fault for, but it was an outlet he sorely needed. ]

...

[ He bites back the urge to attack her. It's definitely tense here, already. He couldn't voice his concerns. That would be showing weakness. But he did care about his team, and he knew they had still had some time left. ]

Don't waste your time looking for your team. They're not here. It's just us.

[ He is trying very hard not to sound as embittered as he feels. The redhead he wanted to see was NOT this girl. ]

[For a moment, just a moment, her posture slacks. No one here but the two of them? If the letter is true, then why would only she be saved? Why would only they be saved? It makes no sense. Minami was one of the people who--

Don't think about it. Not right now. Not with him here.

She straightens her posture again and rests her hands on her hips. What was it Takeba-senpai always said? Oh, right! Always look the other person in the eye, don't back down, and if you're nervous, fake it until you really are that confident.]

Other than that, you're just as lost about this place as I am?

[Keeping her voice neutral. It's tense, sure, and she's trying not to believe the worst, but she's half expecting to be attacked and she doesn't have her naginata. Since it'd take time for her to draw her evoker and he's so much bigger and more experienced, it's easy to tell who would win in a purely physical fight between the two of them.]

[ He could attack her. It was tempting. But he knew better than that.

She was unarmed. And... it wouldn't be right. As much as he disliked her and SEES, he had his own morals and guidelines. ]

I am. But I don't buy our world as destroyed. ... There's others here from worlds that were already destroyed.

[ He isn't sure what to make of that, to be honest. ]

This tower is dangerous.

[ All business. He turns his back to her. ]

... But I still intend to settle our score for last time. Don't think I'm going to forget.

Why would I think that? I'd be insulted if you did.

[It's so easy to fall into this routine despite everything. Ugh. This is so confusing! Why can't she just come out and say what needs to be said.

Maybe it's this knowledge that makes her continue even as he starts to leave.]

Stay safe, okay?

[ Sure, he could stay; he could be nicer to her. After all, did he have a reason not to be at the moment? ... No. But right now... maybe it's just the knowledge that she's alone that has him say what he does. That makes him pause, look back at her, stop walking.

Then there is a rare smile is on his face, though it is small. ]

I don't think you need to worry about my safety so much as your own. I doubt your Naginata would fit in that trunk.

[ He was not about to die here. If he was going to die, it would be on his terms, at the time he was meant to.

Not in this tower, away from his team. Something absently keeps him glued to the floor for the moment, silent. It felt like she was being unnecessarily nice to him. The least he could do is show a little kindness back in his own way. ]

[Even if it could, Minami knows that the physical isn't her best point of fighting. Her skill with the naginata relies solely on defense and putting as much distance between the enemy and her. Offensively? She's no good and doesn't have the experience most of SEES does and just barely edges out Fuuka in actual fighting skill. Yes, she's improved since she joined SEES, even gotten formally trained thanks to a few of her S. Links and SEES, but still--

--if it was a purely physical fight between them? Minato would win and they both know it.]

No, but I know how to take care of myself. I've been doing it for as long as I can remember. [On Kirijo's dollar, but still.

And he's smiling at her. Something about that makes her heart squeeze and she almost wants to blurt out the truth, but.... no. Not like this. Not right now. Maybe once she can bring herself to stop being afraid of him, steeling herself whenever she thinks he's going to approach her or maybe when she thinks he can handle the truth.

Some small part of her wants to prove herself to him first. Maybe the old people pleaser she grew into thanks to always being told she wasn't wanted by anyone. She's scared of him, he's a killer, hates SEES, despises her, and yet....

When she finally tells him, she doesn't want him to be horrified by the prospect. She wants him to see her as being worthy of being his sister.

Ugh. Despite finding out her life has basically been Ikutsuki's plaything, some habits really are hard to break.]

[ It was practically laughable. They both knew he could easily take her, and if just HE alone could, he didn't really think she stood a chance in this tower.

Truth be told, he was just hard on her. Maybe it was because of her age or her looks. Maybe he needed someone to be angry AT for what had happened to him.

Either way, he didn't think it felt fair for him to be armed and her not to be. ]

... A word of advice. You're alone here, and you're not going to be covered for by your team if you screw up by overdoing it.

[ His expression turns icy. ]

Your Persona is all you have. It works here, but try not to do something idiotic like give people the impression we're part of the same group or something just because we both can summon.

[ Cruel? Perhaps. But... it evened the playing field. He'd not lied to her; she knew she could use her Persona. That was all she needed to know. He would never fight dirty. Slanted morals, perhaps, but morals nonetheless. ]

And try not to get yourself killed; this isn't your cozy little routine mission anymore. Brats who use their head live longer than ones who don't.

[ That's about all he has to say to her. It's cruel and toneless and he obviously dislikes her on principal, but in his own way, he was looking out for her. His hands in his pockets, he turns to leave. He has no intention of staying around here.

If she replied, it would be to his back. ]

You're finally awake, then?

[Nearby, another girl was magicking away a pile of what looked like a wrecked bed. Minami didn't need to ask about those shenanigans.]

You-- [Oh my. That girl headed out fast.]

[It takes Minami a minute to register someone spoke, and when it does she sheepishly heads back and pokes her head in the door.]

Sorry about that. Kind of hard to sit sti--what happened to that bed?

Just a small mishap. Nothing to be concerned about. [NOOO IT WAS EMBARASSING )':] I assume you are needing an explanation of where you are, yes?
[A black kitten hops down from Roses bed, trotting over to purr and rub against Minamis leg.
...A kitten who also happens to have four eyes.]

[Who Minami grins at and scoops up.... only to see said four eyes.]

Ummm.... is this normal for cats around here or is it just him.... her.... it?

[Smirk.]

Boy. His name is Vodka Mutini, Mutini for short. It's not a normal occurence, he was the product of a cloning mishap. I lost track of him in my own world, so I was rather pleasantly surprised to find him again here.

My name is Rose, by the way. I am also assigned to this room.

[She's silent for a moment, taking this in. A cat from a cloning mishap, talks of other worlds, she looks at Rose, her face as neutral as she can make it despite the confusion warring in her.]

....so there's other worlds that were....also destroyed? [Maybe]

Correct. However, most of us here are quite skeptical to the concept of our worlds being destroyed. The general consensus is that we have, in fact, been kidnapped from our home worlds.

[Which is a little easier to accept than, well....]

And no one's figured out who, what, or why we've been taken yet?

[she shakes her head.]

I'm afraid not. While some people have been here for a good period of time, no one has been around long enough to know exactly that.

Figures. Nothing exciting ever happens after the hard part is done with. Anything I should know about aside from what's in the letter?

Not particularly; at least, not that I yet know of. Perhaps your first line of attack should be accessing the Towers network to see if any companions of yours are here as well.

That was my plan after exploring this place a little, actually.

Oh! Sorry. Forgot my manners. I'm Minami! Who're you?

Rose. Rose Lalonde. It is very nice to meet you, Minami. You are the second Japanese person I have met here... the other was a boy.

[She can't help getting her hopes up a little.]

Really? Who was the other person?

Minato, if I recall correctly.

[Her blood runs cold at that, but she manages to keep her cool. The only sign of her discomfort and fear about him being hear only the widening of her eyes. Otherwise she manages to keep her posture relatively relaxed.]

Oh. I don't know if I know him or not.

[Which is true. Minato is kind of a common name. Up until a couple days ago she thought her brother having that name and the leader of Strega sharing it had only been a coincidence.]

[...and Loki nearly ran into her. (The perils of walking in an environment where there's a bunch of people heading places while looking for answers.)] Oh! Hello.

[She skids to a stop. Oh, right. She needs to be a leader, keep a level head. What's going on with her? Was the shock that much?]

Hi! How are you?

About as well as one could expect given the situation. I find that I am starting to suspect that our generous hosts are trying to kill us with boredom. [Or strange, wacky floors that do fantastic things, or super sketchy jobs not adhering to OSHA standards. (At least Asgard managed THAT much.) Details. Anyway, he tilts his head slightly, curious.] Are you by any chance new here?

I got here a few minutes ago. Which is why I almost ran into you. I kind of panicked there for a minute. [Which, ugh, she should know better than to do, really.]

I'm Minami. Who're you?

It's quite understandable given the circumstances. When I first arrived I believe I frantically ran about for a bit before stumbling across an informational meeting...though it wasn't very informational. [All of this said cheerfully.] I'm Loki.

[Hey if he's being cheerful she's going to match him in the cheerful department, though she's a bit on edge.]

Glad I'm not the only one then. I read the letter before I started running around so I know that much. Is there anything I should know besides that?

Well, let's see...avoid the top floor unless you are uncommonly fond of mazes. If you have not eaten I would suggest starting with the porridge unless you like vomiting. And...oh, yes! I've been thinking of starting a betting pool as to if this tower is actually sitting on something or merely floating in space.

We must be really high up if there's really a need for a betting pool like that.

You would think, but there's a lack of floors...well, floors we can access. But all I've seen outside are clouds...I could show you, if you'd like?

Sure. [why not? Minami's not afraid of heights and what's the worst that could happen?]

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ITP: Yet another arrival

[1/idk SHENANIGANS]

[2/so many shenanigans]

[3/4]

[4/4]

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Originally it was going to be 1/2 but I changed my mind. The 1 still really bothers me. :|

It's cool. It happens. |D

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