001; [OPEN]

[faints]

Characters: Roxas; OPEN TO ALL
Setting: Tower hallways
Format: [Action] but will match
Summary: Venturing out into his surroundings after waking up!
Warnings: None atm; will update if this changes

Dorm Hallways - Dorm Floors 4 & 5:
[ It's...disorienting. The rooms, the floor, the way the building's structured--all of it's new to Roxas. This type of architecture isn't like anything he'd find back in his Tree-City, with shops and stores and homes built into knots and niches in the wood. This place looks so...artificial. Despondent? He's not sure if that's the right description; it feels far too much like a dream. And that note...

"Your world's been destroyed." That can't be right--

Overwhelmed, he's placing one hand on the wall and the other to his head. What's going on here...? ]

Stairwell - en route to Floor 38:
[ It takes a bit of navigating to get to the stairwell--mostly because his home of Bellim doesn't have them. All traffic done from one level to the next is via oversized roots. Stone steps in what's basically a tunnel to Roxas isn't the first place he'd go to try and find his way to the next floor.

Honestly, it's weird to be cut off from the outside like this. Where are the portholes to see outside? Where's the exit for that matter? ]

What is this place...? [ Yep, now he's muttering to himself ]

Floor 38 - Lounge:
[ Now this is...better? Sort of? Roxas doesn't recognize this sort of layout other than certain pieces of furniture, but those are all fleeting concerns in his head: once he notices the clear-glass window panes he's rushing over and placing both hands against them, staring in complete and utter disbelief.

Where in the world is this?? It's all mist--where's the bright sunny sky and the forest canopy?? Where's Bellim, his Tree-City??

Roxas' hands curl against the glass ]

Comments

[lethechained]

[Her eyes flicker between him and the window he's pointing at once. It's not hard to guess what he's getting at, more by the look on his face than the gesture. There's a brief hesitation, though her smile stays in place - for his sake, not hers - then,]

... You're new here, aren't you?

[faints]

I...yeah. What's going on?? [ The second half of that get blurted out a bit faster than he'd like to have brought it up. He's supposed to try and be a little more reserved...but he's sure anyone put in his position would do about the same. He's about ready to crawl up the wall here ]

[lethechained]

[She pauses - now, doesn't that sound familiar? But there's no time for thoughts of that, and she gives her head the very slightest of shakes to clear it. She wouldn't blame him if he was crawling up the wall; she knows from personal experience how uncomfortable his situation must be. Ah, but first things first.]

Did you read the letters? [Not, of course, that he would have cause to believe them in their entirety, or that they're sufficient, but it's a good starting point.]

[faints]

Just...the first one--why?? What's in the second one? [ He got as far as home being blown up ): ]

And why did I wake up with one of these?? [ 'These' being the collar around his neck ]

[lethechained]

[She hesitates, then, almost apologetically despite not having done anything,]

Well-- I suppose it depends on which one you started with.

[As for the collar... well, that makes her reach up to brush her fingertips over her own collar - a purple one - almost as if suddenly reminded of its presence.]

... We all have them. All of us trapped here, I mean. I'm... not sure exactly how they work, but... [Her smile is gone by that point, but she forces it back into place. It's weaker for the effort, and a little wry.] ... it's better that you don't try to take it off. It's dangerous to do that.

[faints]

...Dangerous?? Why? [ he looks down at the yellow fluid coursing through his. Is it some sort of human device then? Did it actually serve a purpose? ]

[lethechained]

... They say that if you try to take them off, they explode. I'm not sure about that, but--... [She shuts her eyes suddenly, briefly, as the memory of what happened - to, ironically enough, the Roxas she knows - grates against her mind, though she forces the thought away with a hint of a frown tugging at her lips and opens her eyes again so quickly that they spend barely more time than a blink closed, and then she averts them.]

... but I do know that... once, someone did get theirs taken off. And--... then they died, most likely because of that. [Great topic to discuss first with the newbie, smooth move, Naminé.]

[faints]

They died?!

[ Ohhhh spirits--oh spirits what is going on here. Very quickly he drops his hands away from the yellow device, holding his breath. These things explode?? Why would they put one on you if taking them off made you blow up?? ]

[lethechained]

[She winces slightly at the outburst, though she can't say she blames him for it.]

... Yes. But don't worry, usually there aren't problems with them. [Key word, 'usually'.] You just... have to get them checked up every now and then. They don't just hurt you for no reason. [... Again, most of the time. She falters, then,] Even if they did... you'd still come back. Death-- isn't permanent, here.

[faints]

[ He shouldn't be callous--he should be understanding, try to think this through, try to be objecti...oh who is he kidding?? She just told him he's earing an exploding necklace and that death isn't permanent. Sorry Namine ): ]

Are you crazy??

[lethechained]

[The girl starts, eyes widening. Crazy? ... Well, she can't blame him for thinking it, or for saying it, even if it makes something in her chest twist uncomfortably. He doesn't know any better. Perhaps she should have been more careful with how she presented it.]

... No. [At least, she doesn't think so.] But-- I understand why you'd think that. [She lets out the tiniest sigh, pauses, then,] I'd think that, too, if I were you. I suppose... everything will become clear to you once you've had some time to get used to the Tower.

[faints]

"Get used to it"??? I don't even know why I'm here--where'd my home go?? Where's the forest--? I want to go back, this isn't funny...!

[lethechained]

[It's been a long time since she had to tell a spikey haired blond boy his life as he knew it was over. She rather liked the break. Still, perhaps it's better that it be her than one of the more... unsavory occupants of the tower. Once again, she gets to be the bearer of bad news. Trying not to let her discomfort show, she resolves to offer him what comfort she can.]

I'm sorry, R--.... [She's only just started the 'R' that was to be the beginning of his name when she realizes that using said name right now would probably be a very, very bad idea. No need to make things even stranger for him.] ... But this isn't a joke. I'm not sure what really happened to your home, or your-- forest. [He's... not talking about Twilight Town, is he? There's not enough information to be sure, but that'd certainly be an odd part to fixate on, unless he was in Twilight Town's woods at the time of his departure.] They tell us-- well, what they say in the letter, that our worlds are... gone, but whether or not that's true.... [Her lips purse uncomfortably, and she shakes her head.] ... You can't leave. None of us can. [And maybe it's redundant, but,] I'm so sorry.

[faints]

"They"?? Who is "they"? [ This is making less and less sense by the minute. He's already disoriented, already anxious, and this just exacerbates everything. He's no sure if he should still be talking to her about this--she just sounds way too calm. How could anyone be calm about something like this?? Other worlds shouldn't even exist. Realms maybe, but entire worlds...?

No, no. This has to be some sort of human city. Maybe they're in conflict with Evre again, maybe he got caught up in it, and somehow he was....what, kidnapped from his own house? That makes even less sense. ]

[lethechained]

[Her frown grows. She has no choice but to be calm about this, really - she's never had a choice. Someone has to keep a level head about this, someone has to help others come to terms with this, despite any distress they themselves might feel, or how much pity they have. (Of course, that makes her an excellent candidate, at least in her opinion; no heart to be distressed with.) And, after all, she's been here much too long to be too thrown off by the Tower's idiosyncracies. The people in it, though, especially ones that look like people she knows and not!cares for--]

The ones who control the Tower. They... aren't always very kind to us.

[faints]

Yeah but who is "they"?? Don't you know? And why do they want us here? Where's my home? My mom??

[lethechained]

[His mom.]

[Is-- but-- have his memories been tampered with, too? Or does he really...? The idea is thoroughly jarring, and blinks at him suddenly, almost as if he just struck her, though soon enough she's blinking that away and trying to focus on the task at hand.]

I-- know of a few of them, it's just-- it's hard to be sure if they're telling the truth about anything, including why they'd bring us here, or what happened to our worlds, or-- the people left behind.

[faints]

Why do you keep saying "worlds"? [ That's another hurdle, just like the non-permanent death, that he can't get over. There shouldn't be more than one--couldn't possibly be ]

[lethechained]

[One more bit of information to check off the list, then.]

... Because there's more than one. Most people never realize it, but... here, there are people from so many different worlds that it was inevitable that they find out. [And thus that it became a topic of open discussion.]

[faints]

[ ...She's got to be crazy. That's the only way this makes sense. Why she wouldn't think death sticks, why she's talking about other worlds and shadowy people behind the scenes controlling things... It's a sickness humans get when they're older, isn't it? Their minds start to wear down and they become paranoid, or can't make sense of things clearly.

That's all this is--she's just confused, things are still fine, he'll get home somehow-- ]

[lethechained]

[His silence is... unsettling. Decidedly so. His disbelief is not unexpected, at least, although usually, she's found people at least a bit more receptive to things like this. Can't win them all, apparently - although this is one she'd very much like to. It's bad enough not being able to help others' situations practically, and even worse to not be able to at least ease their minds.]

[For a second, it looks like she might say something else, but she hesitates, as if afraid of scaring him off, then stays silent, still studying him from her place.]

[faints]

[ It probably won;t help that he shifts his weight a bit from one...bare foot to the next, because yeah someone didn't come here with shoes :c like he's deciding whether or not to put those legs to good use or not ]

Um...thanks for your...advice? Really? I'm just...gonna go. Back the way I came, okay? Sorry if I interrupted your window-viewing, so...

[lethechained]

[She hesitates. Very briefly, she considers protesting, but... he doesn't seem receptive. It's highly discomforting to think of leaving him to wander the tower when he's still so confused, yet what can she do? If he won't listen, it won't do any good to try to explain things further, and forcing the issue won't help, either - if anything, it would make things worse. Maybe later, when he's a bit more familiar with the tower, things will work out better. It also not!hurts her, really, to consider what he might think of her. So, cautiously, she offers one more smile. Since she's not sure which direction he came from and isn't aware that she's in his way, she stays put for fear of startling him, and nods.]

... You're welcome. [It sounds a little hesitatnt, though.] And-- it's alright. You didn't do anything wrong...! ... Good luck.

[faints]

Um...yeah. You too. [ She'd only slightly be in his way if he'd choose to walk straight to the exit. Since he has no problem skirting around her though it's not much of a problem, and he'll at least nod to her as he leaves. he can do that much at the very least. ]

[lethechained]

[A touch surprised (then quickly feeling stupid for being so) to realize she's in the way, she makes certain to give him as much room as possible, though she does nod back.]

....

[He's going to need that luck.]