towerofanimus | Putting Things to Rest

Characters: Hei and YOU
Setting: floor 48
Format: Prose, but I'll match you
Summary: Hei finds a certain someone's grave, and does his best to move on.
Warnings: emotional Hei?

When Hei had heard of the graveyard suddenly appearing in the tower, bad feelings had begun to settle in. It wasn't for what he might find there, people he may know, but the monsters that might lurk there. Such a thing sounded like the perfect place for malevolent spirits or other supernatural forces. All he wanted to do was check, and then report back to people specialized in that; he was better off facing certain creatures and those with odd powers at best. Yet when he arrived, he wasn't expecting to see a certain gravestone.

And it was marked with her name of all things: Lucy, with Kaede next to it as well.

Quite the blow had been dealt to his heart, forcing his eyes to widen. Shock wore off in the same second, and he took a deep breath. It was hard to ignore this, with the last time he saw Lucy, she claimed she died. Even if this place did not keep her body, fact remained she had died. What reason would there be to lie? She may not have even been the Lucy he knew of, the same one he fell in love with and watched out for months, she was still a woman who deserved happiness in some form. Forgetting about all of that, and what she did for him as well, was impossible.

With a sigh, he knelt before her grave. His hand moved into his jacket, pulling out a familiar white mask, and place it before the tombstone. Even if dead, at least there was something he could place this for her. It was hard to do that even in the facility, so this might have been the one positive this place could bring to him. Even now, some pain had subsided, if little by little. The shadows from months before also aided in covering and healing such wounds, even if it left him in critical condition. The mask had been a symbol of the Black Reaper, of what he was a clone of. Such a thing that could be made over and over would not be missed.

"I know you and I haven't always been on good terms," he spoke softly, "And I wish I had known you as well as I know the Kaede I care about. Even so...your death would still make someone sad." He eventually has a small smile on his face, one of the rarest he has given in a long time. "You were never a replacement. The Lucy I know...I'll get her back one day. If the both of you do come here, I'll be there to help, just as I always have. A bright future will be made, that I promise."

Even in this most depressing of places, hope could never stop shining for Hei. He'd survive this place and find her again, or die trying.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Fire Nation princess was exploring on this day, wandering around in her uniform, though her hair was a little something... to be desired, and she had left it loose with only a bit pulled back to keep out of her eyes.

She wandered into the graveyard, looking at the stones one by one as if looking for something, but not quite that intent on finding anyone. It was a strange place, familiar and yet not quite the same as back home. Musing over the differences, she slowly approached the boy.

Hmm.

"I assume you lost someone, since you're talking to that stone."

He had been too focused on the talk to even notice someone else had been here with him. He stood back up, hands retreating into his coat. The so-called boy had been quite tall, six feet tall in fact, and was easily a man. While the emotions made him seem younger, the blank expression had come back a second in here.

"A lot of us have lost others," he spoke calmly.

Maybe she had been a bit quick thinking he was a boy, but she'd known tall boys before. She looked up at him, studying his face for a moment.

"My condolences." Insincere, but polite. There was no reason to upset him. "Our captors certainly do their best, don't they?"

The young man studied the young girl briefly. Nothing out of the ordinary at least, though his stare remained the same.

"At taunting us?" he asked. "They certainly try at least."

"They could stand to try a little harder. They will find I'm not easily intimidated." She didn't seem to be boasting, not in that calm, matter-of-fact manner, but her youth and stature certainly didn't mesh with her confidence. Looking up at Hei, she put on a neutral expression. "So, who exactly are you mourning?"

Didn't matter to him really. Many people said the same. Little held true. If anything, this tower split the good and the bad. No more weekly experiments and Kirika was alive, and at the cost of the one person he cared more than anything. Still, for someone so young and dressed like that, it was feeding him information.

"Someone who helped me more than anyone here," he spoke. No need to go into much detail for someone he hardly knew.

"They sound like they had been quite the ally..." Azula's eyebrow raised just a tiny bit. There were few people that she would really call allies, much less friends. Mai and Ty Lee were pretty much it, and she liked it that way. "It's too bad. Allies are useful in a place like this."

More than an ally. Even if he wasn't a fake, Lucy had done more for him than any other living being in any universe. Losing her hurt, and it was only thanks to certain events that he could manage to pull on the mask he had right now, to block his emotions.

"There are always more," he spoke. Allies he meant really. The woman he knew of was still alive in his book. If Kirika was brought back, then why not her too?

"Hmm, you have a point." Azula ran a hand through her hair, still irritated she had been unable to tie it back properly, plus she was quickly growing tired of this conversation. "I shall leave you to it. If you find yourself in need of another ally, I shouldn't be too hard to seek out."

Homura had been quietly searching among the grave, making notes of any names she did or did not know. She had a decently sized gun at hand the whole time, ready to resist against any danger that might befall her. One could never be too careful in a place like this.

"Ah. Hei." It surprised her to see him. Homura kept her hands ready to fire if she needed to, but did allow herself to pay him enough attention that she might at least look at him. "... You should not linger here."

Hei got up from his spot, taking a deep breath. Of course others would arrive here, and there was no avoiding a conversation, was there? Though he could only guess why Homura was here. Probably for the same reason he was. The young girl seemed hardened enough, given the look and skill she demonstrated the last time they met.

"I know that, Homura," he spoke. "I was just investigating."

He knew better than to take on the all powerful beings like shadows without magic of his own, and his ability as a Contractor was insufficient.

"I can take you back. I have bullets to spare."

Homura looked him in the face. Her expression was of unwavering determination. Not even something as sad as a graveyard would hold her down. If anything, seeing this many lives represented by heads of stone fueled her determination.

"Let's go."

Hei shook his head. Not yet. There was still much to look for here, more than Homura realized. Had spirits desired him dead, attacking him when his guard was down most would have been the smart idea. Danger was little.

"There's more I need to see here," he spoke, finding it a bit odd to have a kid tell him what to do. Well, she was a magical girl who could probably sniper him from 100 yards anyway. "Until then, I cannot go back."

Putting Things to Rest

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