towerofanimus | (no subject)

Characters: Reno/Sparky, open
Setting: Sunday the 20th
Format: Prose OR action
Summary: Trying blatantly to ignore the horror of seeing his planet totally lifeless, Reno tries to go about life as normal- as it can get in the Tower.
Warnings: Broken people

Cafeteria

After his wake up in the tower again after visiting the home world, Reno had been shaken but forced it back down. Shion hadn't been in sight and he had focused on that. This morning, however, he sat at a table wearing his black shirt and pants, hair unbound, staring off into the distance and trying to process everything he had seen since Jason had sent him back.

One of the questions he had running around in his mind was why had they brought him back. He almost would have rather stayed. Everyone he knew had died, everything he knew was gone, save for this Tower- and the Tower was hardly the place he wanted to call his new home. It shouldn't have been him. There were better people that they could have saved, though even that he was torn on. The Tower was just so awful.

Call it survivor's guilt, or call it trauma, or stress or anything. Tried as he might to push it away, it was coming back to bite him in the ass this morning.

Floor 25 - Meadow

Much later, he was feeling a bit better, if still raw around the edges. The enormity of actually being there still hadn't hit him, not fully anyway, and he knew when it did, there was a distinct possibility he might go crazy. In the mean time, a routine was good, and he felt better sticking to something that was at least somewhat familiar by now. Besides, people were relying on him.

He showed up at the meadow for his usual training session, wondering if anyone else would come out of habit or stopped when he had gone home. It didn't matter either way, he was warming up, needing to do something other than think for a while.

Floor 32 - Forage Island

It was about a lunch time, if someone took their lunch late, and he was wandering the island on what was now Floor 32. He wandered around for a while, since this was a place he didn't get much time to explore after it appeared.

It kind of reminded him of the forests around Gongaga. Just about the time he realized that, he spotted a small cluster of berries.

Foood? Maybe, and it would be something more interesting than nutrient bars, but knowing this place? It was probably poisoned or would turn his insides out. Still- there was an idea.

Contemplating the different things he found, he started gathering some and putting them in his pockets to sort out later. Maybe he could find someone who knew how to identify these things.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"That's what you're doing here, not why. I mean your motivations." The question seemed rather serious, something Reno expected a straight answer on. "Why are you down here, Shion? I need to know if I'm gonna teach you. So far we got the basics down, but why you want to fight can be important."

Rubbing his nose, Reno crossed his eyes and tried to remember his own lessons. Seemed like a lifetime ago now, but it hadn't been that long, not really. "If you want to protect, it's a bit different than self defense. Heavy assault's totally different from stealth. So you got to be honest here."

Shion blinked, why he wanted to fight. He was silent for a moment working out how to put his thoughts into words, "I want to protect people..." His voice cracked a little, because it was very obvious he had already failed in that. This training really came too late...

"I don't want anyone to be hurt..." Again...

"Right. I thought so."

Reno didn't give Shion any warning, he just moved, lashing out with a fist. It was slow by his standards, he didn't want to actually hurt the kid, he just wanted him to react, to protect himself from the unprovoked attack and he knew he was capable of blocking. If the kid passed this test, it was time to go to the next level.

Shion moved mostly unconsciously, bringing his own fist up to block Reno's arm. He blinked in confusion though, wondering why Reno had struck out, had he answered wrong? Reno usually at least warned?

Given that this was a training on self-defense, seeing Reno and Shion trading blows by itself wasn't unusual, and she had been too far away to realize that something else was going on (so far, at least). As it was, she ran towards the two of them with a wave.

"Hey! Reno, Shion!" she called, skidding to a halt a respectable distance away - in case they were in a fight - but close enough that she didn't have to shout. "Sorry I'm late."

That was what he wanted. Shion had learned well. "Congratulations, you've just got bumped up a level." Giving Shion a smile, he lowered his arm and placed his hands on his hips. "From now on, you're not a rank amateur anymore. You'll be learning more offensive moves."

That done, he turned to Xion. "Late? What'd I say about being late? Might as well help you out. You owe me five laps around the meadow, kiddo. Double time." Giving Shion a glance, he pointed. "You, too. You'll need a warm up. Both of you. Get going."

Oh... It had been a test? Shion's eyes flickered over to Xion as she appeared, he hadn't seen her since he had been released, hadn't seen anyone apart from Reno until yesterday. He wondered if she was okay, felt guilty that he didn't know...

He didn't smile though, or pull a face at the order to run. Just nodded and set off jogging silently.

Shion may not have pulled a face at Reno's order, but Xion did, just a bit of one. Really, she'd already spent most of her life running around already, chasing heartless. A little running wasn't that bad.

Still, as she ran, she couldn't help but notice Shion, and the expression on his face. He'd been one of the ones in the labyrinth... Was he okay? The run was a mostly silent one, and tense and awkward in a way she couldn't explain.

She glanced over at Shion every once in a while, and finally near the end, close enough that Reno could probably hear them, she asked in between breaths, "Are you okay?"

Reno watched the two of them carefully, noting anything off in their stride or manner. When Xion called out, he folded his arms and waited, letting it play out between them without his interference.

Besides, Shion could use a good talking to from someone who wasn't him.

The run was awkward for Shion as well because he wanted to talk to Xion, she was one of the few friends he had. But he didn't know how to begin, didn't know what to say. His mind drew up blank when he tried to speak.

When she spoke though he blinked, he didn't want to lie to her... "I... not really... how are you? I haven't seen you since..."

Since the elevator, before they had been sent into the labyrinth...

"Not too bad," she said quietly. She didn't comment on the last time she saw him. She was willing to bet he didn't want reminders of the labyrinth any more than she did. She'd only just started sleeping well again recently.

Well... not well, but better.

"It's good to be able to practice again," she comments, in between breaths. After that she falls silent, focusing on breathing and running. Even though she was used to it, it was a little difficult to run and talk for too long at a time. She would end up running out of breath.

"Walk it if you need a rest." Reno called out, still having his arms folded.

He too had been plagued by nightmares, was still being plagued by nightmares, but it wasn't as bad as it had been. They were unpleasant, but just dreams. Dreams can be forgotten in due course.

"Don't forget to breathe right. Don't slouch."

Shion was doing very little other than sleeping, even if nightmares came it was better than being awake, having to face what had happened and having to think.

He didn't slow down, he was tired but he wasn't going to get stronger if he didn't push himself, not trying hard enough had caused nothing but pain and it was going to stop. He was going to get strong enough to protect his friends, strong enough and smart enough.

"It is... good I mean..."

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if this isn't okay lemme know and I can edit orz

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