towerofanimus | Multi-tasking

Entry tags:

Multi-tasking

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.

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He noticed her leaving, and rose his head. Damn it, this always kept happening when he didn't want it to. At least this time, he had to do something. Leaving this matter unattended would not settle with him. Against every Contractor instinct inside of him, he stood up, holding his hand, as if that mattered.

"Wait...please," he spoke, his voice soft; this had to be the first time he had ever uttered such a word, at least in a long time. "I...know this a lot to take in, and you might need some time, or just shove me away, but surely you can at least listen, right?"

She did stop, but she didn't face him.

"Why should I? From the moment I've showed up, it seems like everyone's been telling me they know me from somewhere else. They know me, they want to help me, or they pity me." she practically spat out the last part, getting a foul taste in her mouth from the word alone. She still didn't know what to feel. Alone, taken somewhere new against her will, away from Kouta, away from that world she hated so much, and unable to deal with people who actually seemed like they cared about her well-being; she was at a loss. "What do you all want from me? What right do you have to look at me like that when I have no idea who any of you are?"

They really were truly alike. At least back in the facility, things were easier. Backing off may have been the better decision, but this needed to be addressed. Those words did more pain, and set off something inside of him.

"And is it so wrong to reject aid you wanted since you were a child!?" he spoke, that softness losing a bit of its edge there. There was however some concern, if not determination in that voice. "I don't expect you to suddenly cave in. Honestly, anyone in your position would be cautious, but you can't just shut yourself out and live in dark. Clone or not, I promised myself to help you no matter what!"

She shrank a bit, not expecting him to suddenly deal a blow like that, and stared down at the box in her trembling hands. Part of her wanted to be angry, wanted to scream at him. What did he know of her pain? What did he know of what she'd always wanted? Just thinking about such a presumptuous thing made her blood boil, and there was even the urge to cry.

"I know...what you want. If what you're saying is true, then you just want me to take the place of someone I don't know about. You just want to replace some poor little girl you can't have anymore," she said, her voice staying low and almost a growl. "So save it. I'm not her. I...refuse to change myself for the sake of other people. I can't...do that, not anymore."

He bowed his head. Replace? Move on? The letter he had had told him to do such a thing, but he could never bring himself to do that, not now in this state. This Lucy did cause those feelings, but it wasn't love. You couldn't force people to love you. No, it was something else. Yes, he was reminded of the Lucy he knew of, but there were more important matters.

He felt the urge to aid his friends.

"...No one can ever replace her," he spoke once more. "If I had to try and replace everyone I lost, I would never move on from the past, either his or my own. For so long, I was stuck in the past, and I let it blind me from the future. And that blindness inflicted greater pain than I ever thought possible."

The loss of so many friends, even if it was from the original, had affected Hei far too much. Suou, Amber, Carmine, Bai, Huang, and many more had all died for his sake, Hei's sake, and all because he was blinded. Never did he want to repeat such a tragedy.

He began to walked towards her, placing a hand gently onto her shoulder. Risky, yes, but he didn't care anymore. He still had a point to make. "I see the original self of someone I care about, and I want to help her, even if she hates me for it. Kaede is important to me, and at the very least, I can help the real her any way I can."

The words had slipped before he could control them, but he needed to make her understand. Still, even with so many risks, he did nothing to defend himself. Nothing, save for fighting back with words and feelings.

Anger kept trying to block her off from what he said. There was no way he could be speaking the truth. How could he understand? Nobody ever understood, never tried to, and she was never allowed to be one of them, a human. She wasn't allowed to be human, and yet this one was . . . No, she knew better. If he wasn't lying, then it was still only better he be shoved away. For his own good, if nothing else.

She froze at the hand on her shoulder, and she almost lashed out at him for it. A vector was balled into a fist almost immediately, yet didn't fly to hit him in the face or stomach. It was stopped by a name . . . that name.

"How do you know that name..."

An expected reaction, and perhaps the best one, allowing him to speak more. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself given the intense speech he gave earlier. Moreover, to help him focus, to help him prove his point.

"She told me," he spoke, voice going soft yet firm. "At the facility, yes, it took time for her to trust, but some of us did take the time to try and understand her, even sympathize with her, before we knew the truth about our existence. And even afterwards, we still accepted her, and she did the same for most of us. That's why we care about her, and if we can do anything to help you, we'll try."

Too bad he had failed to show patience this one time. Everything he once was, quiet, calm and collective, had all seemed to vanish when this subject had been brought up. Strange, but it did show how much he did indeed care for his friend. Still, was it really right to force all of this onto this Lucy?

Slowly, he dropped his hand from her shoulder. "I...I'm sorry everything had to be explained this way. But I know deep down in your heart, there is a good person that wants to be understood. If nothing else, I refuse to deny that."

More frustrating than the confusion his words instill in her is the fact that she found herself growing less angry with him. She wasn't as mad as she should have been, and she wasn't killing him as she usually did. But . . . Kouta wouldn't like her doing that. Wouldn't he have wanted her to try to understand?

"I...won't believe anything you say...not until you show me proof." she said quietly. "Because you assholes...you all honestly expect me to believe all this and just trust you aren't lying to me? For all I know, it's all some big game to see how much I'll believe...to see how weak I can be so you can..."

Proof, as if his eyes were not enough. Not that he'd blame her for it, as if he were in the same position, he would be very skeptical of all of this as well. There was only a brief moment of thought before he dug into his pocket. The letter was a thought, but he had other ideas in mind, one of them being a recording he took thanks to the help of an enthusiastic/anti-perverted man.

He took out the faciliberry, fingers toying with it to finally bring the recording onto the screen. "It may not be much, but I do have proof."

The camera view appeared to be a bit shaky, thanks to the flying contraption, but Hei and Lucy were kept in full view, walking together through the facility. It takes a bit, but eventually Hei reaches and grabs Lucy's hand. Naturally, there was a bit of a blush from her, but a smile nonetheless. Words, unfortunately cannot be heard thanks to the loud background noise of others talking. Yet it was clear that Lucy had been enjoying her time with him.

Soon, they appeared at facility 3, which had taken the form of an island this time, one that belonged to some of the kids here. Events fly by as the two hang out with one another, as well as their respective friends, such as Harry Dresden, who seemed more fatherly towards her; perhaps a bit drunk as well, but who knew really? The point had been that Lucy was smiling more. Yes, she had occasionally gone silent every now and then, like usual, but she was more comfortable with her surroundings.

It doesn't take long for her and Hei to eventually sit atop of a walkway, observing the rest of the party away from the others. Hei's hands move to her face, and he smiles once more. The noise had lessened somewhat, but it did definitely help show a more special moment between the two. Words couldn't really be heard that much, but Lucy's lips could easily be read as:

"I love you, Hei." Right before she leans in, pressing his lips against hers in a gentle kiss.

Hei shut it off right after that. Perhaps he had showed too much, but if nothing else, this could be used as proof, right?

At first, she just stared at the odd little phone and wondered what could even be on there. With the video function revealed, it was all clear as day, and she could only stare in sheer disbelief at the videos shown to her.

That was . . . that was her. Her hair was longer, and her eyes seemed somehow kinder? No, maybe not that. She was still tired, worn, and Lucy saw in that other self's eyes what she always saw in her own in the mirror. They even seemed to light up when Hei was on screen with her, when that other man who she didn't know was her "father" was there too. But more mind-blowing than all the rest was how tender her voice sounded, how happy she looked, when she looked up at Hei.

She asked for proof and he gave it, but . . . how could any of that be true? She didn't remember anything like that, and the thought that someone actually cloned her . . .

"No..."

This Lucy's reaction said it all. This was indeed the right proof, but perhaps far too strong for her own good. Things like the letter wouldn't be enough in his mind, given that anyone could have wrote such things; handwriting can be forged. Oddly enough, that may have been the only smart thinking he had done all night.

He puts the phone away in his pocket, closing his eyes. "I...I know it's a lot to take in right now, and I'm sure you have even more questions."

Lord knows those eyes of hers seemed to scream 'what the hell was that!?'

Her mind was awash with everything from the video, but she couldn't seem to focus on just one part. Her brain kept cycling through them all, one by one, to try and make sense of things that shouldn't even be. Unfortunately, all she got for her quiet pondering was a headache, and a bad one too.

She kept her head tilted down as she again turned to leave. She didn't even say anything as she walked away, as there was nothing fitting that came to mind.

An unbearable pain had risen in Hei's chest as he watched her leave once more. Lips parted, trying to say something else, anything. Nothing came, and he solemnly shoved the device back into his pocket. He did everything he could, unleashing a bomb of untold emotions and questions with that recording. It was a miracle she had not grown angry at everything.

He needed to treat her better than this, and that required giving her space. Suffocating her with nothing but more and more thoughts and questions would break her, or cause pain he dared not venture into. If he had any hope of making this Lucy understand, he would have to give her time, something he failed to do this day.

That much he owed to Kaede, his Kaede.

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Multi-tasking

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