Multi-tasking

[fusedstars]

 Characters: Hei and you
Setting: Floors 1 and 25
Format: Prose, but can be action too
Summary: Hei gets started on cooking and fighting lessons, and some downtime
Warnings: possible slapping around people?

Floor 1 - Morning

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Really, Hei was up for cooking about almost anything he could get his hands on, if edible. And that's what he was doing, making a nice healthy breakfast, with some very tasting looking meals to boot. Truly, he was talented. Still, he was far from done, having just gotten started.

And seemed to be waiting for others to see what they would want, or if they were willing to learn. Wait and see.

Floor 25 - Afternoon

He had sent out a private message to those interested in training. And thankfully, floor 25 was the safest place it seemed. He had heard other people going there, and he did some investigating the day before, and thus far, everything was okay. Out of everywhere in this damn tower, it was the safest spot to train, and plenty of room for everyone to do their training. For the time being, Hei sat in the field, legs crossed and sighing, waiting for those interested in learning to come. The sooner, the better.

Or maybe you are here to spar? Either way, Hei was your man.

Floor 25 - Night

With training and cooking done, the final part of his day was almost done. Floor 25 seemed the safest in the night, and proven so when he hardly encountered any type of dangerous creature. He should be patrolling, but there were other things in mind, such as testing out a certain little gift the doctors gave him, to see the stars above. And he was doing just that, looking through his telescope and gazing up at the sky.

However, for his favorite activity, he seemed far sadder than most would, a heavy frown on his face, far more different than usual. Maybe it had to do with this tower, maybe it had to do with a certain woman and the rest of his friends, but most importantly, it was all of the above. Soon enough, he sighed heavily, sitting back on the grass. He didn't mind fake stars. Really, he just wanted to be alone right now. Knowing his luck though, that would not happen.

Comments

Nighttime on Floor 25

[saudadist]

Going back to her dorm finally seemed like a good idea despite her disdain toward sharing a living space with other people. Still, she couldn't stay completely sour-faced when she had had a shower and a nice change of clothes. Clothes from her own world had been in her trunk, along with a few other things as well. In her hands was one of those items: a music box made of dark, lacquered wood. Ever since finding it in the trunk, she hadn't had the heart to let go of it.

She paused as she entered the floor and caught a glimpse of a familiar face. She couldn't help wondering how many times she would run into that odd, quiet man. There was no telling how big the tower was, but surely it wasn't so small that she'd run into him at every turn?

"There are stars here after all...?" she asked, her voice quiet.

[fusedstars]

His eyes were more glued to the stars rather than the new intruder. That voice, he knew it was Lucy right away. How could he not? Even the most silent of words could travel if one was quiet enough. Clone or not, they were indeed very similar. It was strange, feeling both relief and sorrow at the same time, but least they were not enemies. All he had the right to be at this moment.

"They are fake, but comforting at least."

[saudadist]

She already figured the stars in the sky were fake. This was just one more floor out of many in the entirety of the tower, so an authentic sky? Definitely unlikely. Still, he was right: fake stars were still stars, as far as she cared, and they were just as soothing to watch as the real ones.

"I guess so."

[fusedstars]

Really, this was something Hei had no problem with seeing. The world he had, he was used to dealing with a fake sky, stars representing the Contractors. The difference here? He could have far less on his mind, not thinking about anything regarding those beings, or the Syndicate for that matter. Not the best trade, but things could be worse.

And there were more important thoughts.

"Can't sleep?" he finally asked.

[saudadist]

She only shrugged and kept her head tilted back to look at the sky. She couldn't name the constellations that slowly changed overhead, but the dancing they did made them seem determined to look real. Shame there wasn't a large body of water nearby. Those stars would look like little gems sparkling in the water.

She only barely heard the question, and responded rather numbly. Sleeping wasn't easy even when she was back in her own world. And sleeping near strangers? She liked to avoid that for as long as she could, and only slept in her room when she absolutely had to. Going five days without sleeping in her own bed, she'd noticed, made her much more tired than normal, so she took the liberty to sleep when the others just weren't there.

"Not really."

[fusedstars]

A nice little pond or lake would have definitely helped improve the setting. Hei was willing to deal with this situation here, one of the only situations he could see himself doing that had been stress free. It was peaceful, and even if he could ask for more, he at least wanted to have a moment.

"I see." Her words did help bring back memories of the facility, of her. She always kept to herself until others were willing to break through that shell of hers. And after some months, even before their hearts were truly connected, he could recall trying to nurse her, keeping her close to ward off any nightmares she had.

Soon enough, he was unable to resist turning his head towards her. An eyebrow was raised, gaze eyeing the box in her hands. It was hard to think so far back, but he recalled the Lucy he knew of searching for such a thing, or at the very least, someone who could play a piano.

"Is that a music box by any chance?"

[saudadist]

The silence that stretched out for several minutes was actually a lot more calming than she thought it would be. After a little while, she felt like falling into a deep sleep again. Maybe here she could actually get a decent night's sleep? No, that wouldn't work. Sleeping out in the open, where anyone and anything could find her, was a fool's plan. At least the dorms provided a relative "safety," even if at the cost of her comfort.

Jarred out of her thoughts, it takes her a second or two to sort out what he said and come up with a decent answer.

"Yes."

Floor 1 - Morning

[decompose]

"I didn't know someone could honestly cook this much this soon..." It's quiet-- Nigredo is a quiet child. For good reasons.

Mostly, he'd just woken up. It's a force of habit: he got up, cleaned up, dressed, militant and precise, but... it's sometimes hard to deal with the fact that no one was going to herd him off to eat. He didn't know how to feel about it. He was peaking up over the counter, carrying his own bowel of cereal. All of that food looked interesting. Hei clearly knew what he was going.

Nigredo didn't even know people were allowed to use the cafeteria kitchen for personal meals. His brows rose, curiosity moving across his otherwise still countenance.

[fusedstars]

"With the right knowledge, anything is possible."

Thankfully, Hei was able to pick up words that were quiet, for the most part. A perk of being a trained assassin, and a Contractor. Very few things could get by his ears, save for the smallest of whispers. He glanced back at Nigredo, noting his curious nature.

"Did you want something?"

[decompose]

He can't dispute Hei on that one. If one simply decides to learn, it should be possible. Being good at it, on the other hand... well, that's a different story. Still, he glances from his food, back to what Hei is doing. It's more appealing, sure. But-- "I wouldn't want to impose."

It'd be rude.

[fusedstars]

"It's fine," he encouraged. "I come down here anyway to cook food for others as well."

It was the truth. He couldn't--wait, no he could actually eat all the food by himself. He just didn't want to, with it being limited and all, and the last thing he desired was to be at fault when food ran low. Moreover, it was better if everyone ate something more filling than oatmeal, especially how it was served here.

[decompose]

"For others..." Nigredo repeats it softly, largely to himself. Very carefully he sets the oatmeal aside. If it's not too much of a bother...

It's something he can be thankful for. Honestly, the oatmeal reminds him too much of the Yuriev Institute (it doesn't help that all he has to wear outside of those weird suit things originally from the tower was the Institute uniforms). He'd rather not eat it anymore. "There's a lot I haven't tried before. I wouldn't know where to start."

[fusedstars]

"Choose what's most appealing to you, or just try a tiny bit of everything," he spoke. "Might help your decision."

Floor 25 (Night)

[wrigurun]

"What was that thing you were using? Just now."

Wriggle poked about the telescope, studying the mechanics and lenses. She'd seen Hei around during the day but either hadn't been interested or didn't feel like fighting. It wasn't until he started looking through that strange device that her curiosity got the better of her and she floated over to get a closer look.

[fusedstars]

Hei hadn't even noticed the girl until she had come so close. Glancing off to the side, he didn't pay her much mind. If they really were a threat, they had more of an opportunity when coming up from behind.

"It's a telescope."

[wrigurun]

"Huh..."

She seemed less interested in the actual name and more interested fiddling with it, looking through the lens in the same manner she'd seen him do earlier.
"What do you use it for? Everything looks all blurry."

[fusedstars]

He sighed, getting up from his spot. So much for a quiet night for him. He turned the knob of the telescope, fixing the focus of it.

"It just needs to be focused again. Do you see anything now?"

[wrigurun]

Wriggle took another look down the eye piece and frowned.

"No, I just see stars..."

[fusedstars]

"That's what you are supposed to be seeing," he explained. "You look through it to see what is in the sky with a closer view."

[Floor 25 - Afternoon]

[thanabro]

Ryoji headed to floor 25, trying to stop himself from worrying about how far he had to go to catch up. He stepped onto the floor, spotted Hei, and waved.

"Hey there!"

He walked over to him, scarf flapping behind him.

Re: [Floor 25 - Afternoon]

[fusedstars]

Hei stared at him. Right on time, good. The sooner those came, the more they could pick up (and hopefully not be slapped around by Hei). He stood up to meet Ryoji.

"You arrived, good. You are the first so far."

[thanabro]

Ryoji nodded, and rubbed the back of his neck a little. Where were they even going to start? And... well. He did have a question.

"Is... me wearing my scarf going to be a problem?" He did realize that other people would grab it... but his scar had never quite looked normal. He was kind of self-conscious about it.

[fusedstars]

Something was up, though Hei had no idea what it was. Putting it together, Ryoji may have been hiding something. The collar? Well, knowing you had one on wasn't pleasant, or maybe something else. Either way, it would pose a difficult in a fight, but...

"Tell me, do you intend to fight with that scarf on when the time comes for battle?"

[thanabro]

"Yes. It's just..."

Well. Even though the collar covers it mostly...

"I've got a bad scar on my neck. You can see it over the collar."

[fusedstars]

Scarring. Right, this was a problem some had found hard to hide. Lucy had scars of her own thanks to that one day, and had been conscious about it as well. Forcing the problem away wasn't going to work.

"How did you acquire that scar?"