First Duel

[facedthetruth]

Who: Margulis and OPEN.
Where: Room 1-06 and some other floors.
When: Varying parts of the day.
What: Margulis wakes up in the tower and is not happy, for multiple reasons.
Warnings: Potential violence and possible references to death/passive suicide. He came from a bad time into a bad situation and is very irate.

[Room 1-06]

The first thing Margulis noticed upon waking up was the cold. It was freezing, more than enough to be uncomfortable and easily enough to cause his scars, especially the exposed one on his face, to sting angrily. The second thing he noticed was that he wasn't in the Levi. Even if they'd been ambushed and he'd been knocked out, he should still be somewhere on Michtam, most likely with Albedo or Virgil lingering about to mock him for going down so quickly. The notes...cleared some things up. So he'd been abducted somehow. But to claim his world had been destroyed...he had to admit it was possible, given the Gnosis phenomenon's rate of expansion, but if that were the case, nobody could have saved him, or anyone else. That note got burned, set on fire with a gesture and dropped on the floor.

After that, finding his clothes and getting dressed was his top priority. He left the bodysuit on under his normal outfit for now, deciding that every bit would help in this weather, and habitually slipped his Crimson Ring on under his gloves. While he could replicate its effect with Ethers if he needed to, it was something of a relief to know it wouldn't be necessary even if he did wind up in a fight. Strapping his longsword at his waist and noting with no small amount of annoyance that his Connection Gear didn't actually have a connection, he dropped the computer back into his trunk and opened the door to find out exactly where he'd wound up.

[Floor Three]

The library was the first floor to catch Margulis' attention in a way that caused him to linger. He'd never seen so many books in one place before. In fact, this was probably more books than he'd seen in his entire lifetime. Despite the cold, he found himself looking through the shelves, possibly taking note of things he might come back for once he found a source of warmth. Though he'd already had to feed some energy into fire Ethers to warm himself up several times on his way down, and he doubted he would spend long here.

[Floor One]

Eventually he found his way to the bottom of the tower. The cafeteria at least held promise of some sort of warmth, and maybe something to eat after he'd used so many sustained fire Ethers, but what he found...was oatmeal, nutrition bars and water. He'd seen better food in military mess halls. At this point, he was just getting frustrated. With the temperature, with the tower, with recent events, with everything. But frustration wouldn't keep him warm, and he sat down for a moment to create a perfect sphere of flame above his hand for warmth before he forced himself to eat the oatmeal that seemed to barely qualify as food. At least it would be better than nothing.

Comments

Floor Three

[lightofhumanity]

[chaos was in the mood for something good to read. While he had admired the bookshelves when he had wandered in before, he hadn't taken anything yet. So, he wandered into the library, hoping to find a story or two that was good. However, as he wandered the shelves..he sensed Margulis. However, his consciousness felt a little different, like this was a different Margulis. Perhaps he too was from an alternate universe. Curious, chaos turned the corner, and upon seeing the man, spoke.]

Good evening, Margulis. Are you cold?

[facedthetruth]

*The familiar voice pulled his attention away from the shelves. He hadn't been expecting to run into chaos, but an ally, especially one who was something almost like a friend, was always a welcome sight in a situation like this.*

chaos, so they've brought you as well. I can't think of any human who wouldn't be cold in temperatures like this.

[lightofhumanity]

[Well, that sealed it. If his powers were wrong, than the fact that Margulis knew his name and didn't attack him or act hostile immediately meant that this had to be a Margulis from an alternate universe.]

They have..I have been here for about a month now.

[chaos nodded.] Then, pardon me for a moment..

[chaos then put his hand on Margulis's back, using his powers to warm him up. It wasn't strong enough to make him burst into flames, but it should have warmed him up for at least three hours.]

..Margulis, what was the last thing that happened to you before you came here? I know that this sounds odd, but it is an important question.

[facedthetruth]

*The warmth was an incredible relief and he cracked his neck as he felt stiff muscles begin to thaw. chaos' words, however...odd was an understatement. But maybe if he answered he would get an explanation. As much as he didn't want to recount what had just happened...*

Michtam. We faced Pellegri and she allowed herself to die in her ES rather than accept defeat at our hands.

*His voice is tense, a mixture of angry and pained. Tread carefully on that topic, chaos.*

[lightofhumanity]

[Having warmed up Margulis, chaos let his hand fall back to his side, thinking of how to phrase the truth without hurting Margulis too much.]

That's horrible..I am so sorry for what happened there. However..I am from a different point in time..and a different universe.

[chaos paused for a moment, trying to make what he had to say gentle. He didn't want to hurt Margulis..especially after what had happened. Hopefully her consciousness would get some rest..and be reborn again into a happier life.]

Before I came here, I was at the bottom of the Elsa as KOS-MOS saved it from burning up in Second Miltia's atmosphere. Proto Merkabah had just been destroyed..and I am sorry to say this..but you were a member of U-TIC.

[facedthetruth]

What?!

*Of all the things he expected to hear...that was not it. chaos being from right after the destruction of the Proto Merkabah was unusual, but to hear that he was supposedly still involved with U-TIC...*

If this is a joke, you're not amusing.

[lightofhumanity]

[In his head, chaos sighed.]

Sadly, I'm not joking. I'm sad to hear that your friend died like that..but I'm also sad to say that that event has not happened for me yet. It would appear that we are from alternate universes, as well as different points in time. I am from the past of one universe, and you are from the future of another. I am sorry about this..

Floor 3

[oforder]

Margulis would be greeted by the sound of soft opera music, coming from the far corner of the library. It actually fit nicely with the (relatively) quiet atmosphere of the library, which was why Wilhelm chose this place to be his haunt. If Margulis chose to follow it, he could come to see Wilhelm staring out of a window, with his own little set-up; a table pulled up to a chair, complete with the Compass, a half-full glass of wine, and a small pile of books.

"It was only a matter of time before you arrived, isn't it, Margulis?" Wilhelm asked, turning to face him. Wait a minute. No Ormus outfit, no U-TIC paraphernalia... it sure felt like Margulis, and the Compass seemed to think it was indeed him. Wilhelm being Wilhelm doesn't visibly react to the revelation, but his interest only grows. He remains silent after that. He won't know more until Margulis actually speaks to him.

[facedthetruth]

After his conversation with chaos, Margulis had thought he knew more or less what to expect. Evidently, he was wrong. When his eyes fell on Wilhelm, they immediately widened, showing surprise and confusion. He looked almost exactly like...but why?

"You...who are you?"

He ignored Wilhelm's question for now. It seemed like it was just a way to get his attention and there were much more worthwhile things to say right now.

[oforder]

"You do not know me?" he asked, tilting his head. "Your reaction says otherwise. But in this place, it is not uncommon for confusion to set in. In my own timeline, you know me as 'Wilhelm,' as well as another name. Perhaps more than one other name. I never bothered to learn, or to care."
Wilhelm took a seat in his armchair, and glanced at the Compass for a moment.

"Perhaps you do not know me as I am now, but you did before. Is that not correct?"

[facedthetruth]

"That name isn't familiar to me. And the only being I know with your appearance is CUS-TOS, but you're obviously not that android."

[oforder]

Well, that was a very interesting choice of words. "Android?" Wilhelm repeated. "And who would be so flattering as to make an adroid that looks like me?"

[facedthetruth]

"He's Vector's pet project. Likely that Testament's doing, she seemed to consider him important."

Floor 1

[uzuki]

A few feet away, someone was eating her oatmeal~ She obviously didn't notice him, as she was lost in thought, staring down at her food.

[facedthetruth]

But he noticed her and, for a moment, tensed as if he was expecting hostility. But his encounters in the library had proven that not everyone here was how he remembered them.

"Well...this tower is full of familiar faces, isn't it?"

[uzuki]

"Hm?"

She looked up from her bowl, and stared, surprised for a moment... Until she remembered that most of her friends were also dead, but still here anyway.

"Margulis?"

[facedthetruth]

"I would ask if there was anyone else with my appearance, but after what I've already seen, I wouldn't be surprised."

[uzuki]

She stiffened a bit, and pursed her lips tightly before responding. She wasn't all that sure how she felt about talking to him. After all, he had a pretty big part in ruining her life. But at the same time, she was trying to let go of her past.

"No, I was just surprised, that's all. After what happened on Michtam..."

[facedthetruth]

"It's entirely possible that whatever happened there didn't and won't in my universe. As ridiculous a question as this seems under normal circumstances, is the version of myself you're familiar with a member of U-TIC?"

Room 1-06

[derping]

But Margulis isn't the only one in the room right now. There's a kid on one of the beds who is...well, currently wrapped up in blankets like a spiky-haired burrito. It's pretty obvious, from the looks of things, that he hasn't been dealing with the cold very well. Still, that's not what Sora is thinking about right now. Instead, he's watching his new roommate.

It was pretty amazing how fast people come and go in this place, sometimes. It seemed like there were new people in the room every few months, if not even more often than that. He keeps watching until the man burns the letter, which was not at all what Sora would have expected someone to do in this situation.

"Hey, aren't you going to want to have that later?" he asks, making it obvious for the first time that he's in the room.

[facedthetruth]

He looked over at the other bed, taking note of the fact that there was someone under that pile of blankets. Not that he could blame him with the temperature, but a roommate wasn't exactly on his wishlist at the moment. Still, it was the least of his concerns at the moment, and he turned his attention back to getting his bearings, starting with his trunk.

"Why? So I can remind myself that we're either being fed an absurd story to force our cooperation or that the galaxy's attempts to stop the Gnosis phenomenon have likely failed?"

[derping]

"The Gno...what did you say?" Sora asked, utterly lost at the last part of the man's question. He pauses for a few seconds, as if waiting for an answer, before remembering what the conversation was about in the first place.

"Well, I don't know if I believe the whole story either," he said, even though his conviction about how impossible it is that all the worlds he came from are really gone has started fading, bit by bit, "But they talk about the tower a little, too, and...isn't it better to have them, just in case?"

Sure, Sora hadn't treated his notes like gold or anything, but he hadn't thrown them away, either.

[facedthetruth]

He glanced back over as he started pulling his clothes on over the jumpsuit. If this boy didn't know about the Gnosis, then that at least confirmed the idea that he was from a different universe.

"Gnosis. A type of vermin from my universe who threaten humanity's very existence."

He refused to talk about his world in the past tense. That would be admitting that the note was true.

"And I'm far more inclined to trust my own observations than the word of those responsible for my presence here."

[derping]

"Sounds pretty nasty, whatever they are." Sora said, moving to put the blanket down so that he could look at least a little less silly while trying to talk to this guy...only to regret it immediately and wrap himself up even tighter.

One way or another, he really needed to get a coat.

"Was that what you were doing before you got here?" he asked, curious. "Fighting that Gnosis thing?"

[facedthetruth]

"That was our primary objective."

Clothes taken care of, he dug around in his trunk, hoping...there it was. He drew a vibrant red ring out of the chest and slipped it onto his finger, then pulled a pair of black gloves on over it.

"Though at the time, we were in the midst of confronting an enemy organization."