towerofanimus | 008

Entry tags:

008 | Fallout

Characters: Sephiroth [Open]
Setting: December 8th: Dormitory 03-02, Floor 2 & Floor 5
Format: Prose but can switch to Action
Summary: After End of the Angry Mob Plot Sephiroth feels somewhat deflated but no less bitter afterwards.
Warnings: Sephiroth: always threat of violence.

0204hrs December 8th - Dormitory 03-02

It was like falling within a dream and then waking as you hit the floor.

Piercing green eyes shot open in time with a sharp intake of breath, wide and hyper-actively looking around in the darkness. A heartbeat later and Sephiroth was sat bolt upright in his bed making out the details that he could in the gloom. Silver pauldrons sat undisturbed on top of the chest at the bottom of the bed as they would usually, his long leather trench-coat draped across the end of the bed.

It could have all been a bad dream, but for his shaking as if from the cold. He never shook from the cold. Strong muscled arms he couldn't remember resting back on after first sitting up shook just enough for him to notice this oddity. Sephiroth shifted his weight forward again and crossed his arms across his chest - each hand rubbing the bicep of the other arm similar to the way a normal person might keep warm.

He'd stopped rubbing, suspiciously narrowing his eyes at his own thoughts and feelings; as he apparently just held himself in a hug. Silver hair fell down like a great curtain across one side of him as restlessly Sephiroth continued to peer around in the darkness. Going through the events of the last three days in his mind again and again; scraping with a wire toothbrush at the festering mess of fresh memories inside.

It hadn't been a dream.

Early Afternoon December 8th - Infirmary
Like a bad hangover, Sephiroth didn't feel much like having his bi-weekly face off with the red collars today. For once, just this once he constantly reminded himself, he would attend the collar checkup today. Just on this one occasion he would submit. He would sit and wait, ignore the burning of every fibre of his body reminding him that this was wrong - that this was unacceptable. He was stronger than this.

The administrator lift looked so desolate, so un-used. The Infirmary itself had been restored to it's former spotless condition, but knowing how he'd indulged here Sephiroth couldn't resist to smirk as he watched the drones go about their tasks while he waited for his turn.

"Damn you do clean up so well." He muttered to himself mostly, not caring really who else heard him though.

Later Afternoon December 8th - Floor 5
A leather gloved hand reached out as if to touch the dead world of Gaia but found only the screen depicting it. Through lowered eyelids Sephiroth gazed in the hope that some understanding would come. He had never visited this floor before and just looked, forcing back the stirring wetness which stung in the depths of the corners of his eyes; he rubbed at them now and again. After all, he hadn't slept well.

If he ~~and Hojo~~ had the right of it and this had been in some way or form his doing, then why was looking at this screen making him feel this way. Of all things he should be feeling it should be the usual outrage that he experienced when he considered that their keepers here had stolen him away from the victory that was rightly his. The power of the Lifestream that should be coursing through his veins even as he observed the dead world on the other side of the screen sure did seem to resonate, like it should, with what he was seeing.

Whatever that power was, Lifestream or Jenova; it only told him one thing. He could taste the dust, smell the death and know the screaming pain of the entire planet. He wasn't a Cetra at all, but he might have imagined that this was a similar connection. The amount of his darkness that he'd infected the Lifestream with, was it a surprise that it now produced this link?

What he didn't understand, was what had drawn him here to gaze so unrelenting into a screen. He had a good idea now, of the extent to which their owners could realistically bend and distort the reality here - he wasn't going to believe any of it. But every cell of his was tricked into accepting it.

The developing headache might well be permanent.

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[Tohko was freezing. Even though she was wearing her thick brown cloak, she was still rather chilly. While she walked up the stairs to go to the library, she spotted Sephiroth on the fifth floor, peering into one of the viewfinders. While she knew that the guy didn't see her as a friend, she wanted to ask how he was holding up. If he was chilly, she'd let him know about the snuggle meet-up V/V was holding tomorrow and offer to make him a cloak. So, carefully, she walked towards him.]

Good morning, Sephiroth. Sorry to bother you..but how are you holding up? Are you freezing?

More like afternoon.

[He didn't move from the viewfinder or even look towards Tohko, his tone gave away his current mood but it was like a finely crafted mask - hiding something underneath. How could she just talk to me like that, as if nothing happened...

Sephiroth was well aware that it's cold and getting colder in the Tower, though it was just a slight discomfort really for him. It wasn't going to kill him no matter how cold it got, he didn't even have the physical responses to the cold or the need to wrap up.]

And yes, it's cold.

[ Hidetoshi had felt rather disdainfully that rounding up an angry mob and rampaging through the Tower would solve nothing and had not attended either of the meetings held by the person who had called them to action. But apparently one of his roommates had felt otherwise as his absence had been noted when he'd gone to bed the night before. It had been so cold recently; he couldn't sleep and even when he did, his dreams were fitful and shallow, granting him no sense of relaxation. It's dark in the dormitory tonight and no matter how he tosses and turns or arranges the blankets or pillow, rest does not come to him. Annoying.

He's sitting on his bed, hunched over and wrapped in blankets, his gray hair down and messy, when he glimpses movement through the dimness as a body on another bed stirs and jerks bolt upright with such abruptness Hidetoshi was startled; it seemed Sephiroth had finally reappeared from whatever punishment the admins had inflicted on those who had vanished from the mob... Was the soldier shaking? ]

[ Mildly; as if making an idle observation, his voice spoke quietly through the darkness. ]

... You've returned?

[It took a few too many attempts for Sephiroth to focus on the source of the noise, recognized later as speech, with his eyes flitting around the room rabidly. He then realized one of his roomies was awake and then it all makes sense. Or at least, it seems to make sense - this could be another illusion, even if it had seemed clear at the time that Zo was releasing them.]

I'm not convinced yet...

Edited 2012-12-08 19:35 (UTC)

[Tohko, having worn a mask quite a bit and having helped a person who almost died because of their mask, saw a bit through Sephiroth's. She wasn't exactly sure why, but he sounded a bit..sad. Maybe the viewfinder was bothering him or something. So, she sighed, and replied to Sephiroth, scratching her head.]

I see..if you're cold, then come to Floor Four tomorrow. V/V is organizing a huddling meet-up so that we can all get warm, and I'll be bringing some penguins to help. If you're freezing, that might help warm you up. And if you want, I'll make you a cloak. It might not look nice, but it should keep you warm..

[Tohko sighed again.]

And if the viewfinder is bothering you, don't worry about it. It's lying. Your world is not destroyed. There are people here who wouldn't even be able to exist if their world was destroyed, so your world is fine too. Don't worry about it.

[ His roommate was acting disoriented and... wary. Well, that was no surprise if he'd gotten punished by the admins (Jason or Ruanan or urgh any of them, except maybe Dex) and suddenly returned from it with little warning; the admins made the reality of a person easy to distort and hard to tell it was actually real. He keeps his voice low, as to not disturb anybody else who is still sleeping. ]

Tch... Do you suspect me to be an illusion?

[ The admins pulled that nasty little trick on him back in the Halloween event. It was awful once someone else had told him what had been happening. ]

I'm cold, but it doesn't matter.

[There was no way he'd consider ever going to a group huddle event even if he was in a good mood. He wasn't a people person in the slightest and it'd only exaggerate his hatred of the human race in general.

With his current state of mind it'd be like inviting another massacre and he was very much still hungover from the last one.]

How can it be lying, why I can feel it?

[He already knew the answer; they could control each of them through the collars or at least he thought he'd figured that out now. Maybe he just needed to hear someone else verify it - and Tohko had been helpful before.]

[Tohko sighed.]

It does matter. If you're freezing, then that's not good. You'll lose your fingers if the weather gets worse and you get frostbite. At least make a cloak, or let me make one for you. And..you can feel it because the viewfinders toy with your emotions. I don't know exactly how the machines work, but it's possible that they know about your connections to your universe and exploit those emotions and your empathy.

It's a horrible thing of them to do, but these things do it. However, just because you feel it doesn't mean that it's actually destroyed, so don't worry. Your universe is fine. My universe is fine. We'll be able to go home eventually someday.

[It wouldn't be able to be seen in the gloom but Sephiroth shakes his head strongly as if to clear out the remains of the cotton wool feeling he'd gone through as a side effect of having his powers turned off. At least it was over now.]

No...this is more real now.

[He stopped absentmindedly hugging himself forcefully and leaned back down on his elbows in an attempt to stop the shaking. He pulled some of the sheets back up over himself as well to alleviate some of the discomfort from the cold.]

[ Hidetoshi breathed out deeply and slowly, sleepy eyes scrunching up as that exhale became a tired yawn, settling down on his bed again and rubbed at his eyes. His hair was a untidy nest when he didn't slick it back and he tucked some loose locks of hair behind his ear and tried for some morbid humor. ]

Good... You're not missing any limbs or digits, are you?

[ Because he would figure the management wouldn't be kind in enforcing its ideal of order in the tower they reigned over, so it was basic manners to inquire after his roommates' wellbeing. There wasn't any screaming or scrambling for medical supplies so perhaps they'd gotten off lightly for a change. ]

Cold can't hurt me like that.

[Still staring at the screen, he huffs at Tohko's comment about how the viewfinders toy with his emotions. He has no lost love for the Planet or for the millions of people who must have died if it had indeed been destroyed as Tower claimed.

It was a much more sour taste than that. It's the fact that it was his to rule or destroy as he saw fit - and to have that liberty taken away from him was the worst type of betrayal]

Trust me, empathy has nothing to do with it.

Not that I've noticed.

[His senses had returned enough now to at least recognize a yawn when he heard it. He wasn't about to keep Hidetoshi awake just because he probably wouldn't be sleeping for the rest of the night, he certainly had enough to be replaying over and over in his mind and think about. He wouldn't trust his dreams to allow himself to sleep again yet either.]

Goodnight Hidetoshi.

I see..I suppose that's another ability you have. That's pretty cool..and I think it does play a small part in these wayfinders. At the very least, they exploit your emotions and your senses. That's probably why you feel that your world is gone when you look into them. However, when you look away from them, that feeling will dissipate. At least, it did for me. Maybe it will for you too, if you look away from them.

It's more to do with what I'm made of. Call it a natural advantage.

[Either she was going to ask for more information, or she might leave it at that. Sephiroth wasn't about to go around hiding what he was capable of anymore for fear that someone else living here might use it against him - not after the events this week. There was a very clear, common enemy here and despite what he'd been through last night - it was now clearer than ever.

He took a chance at Tohko's suggestion. After ensuring his eyes wouldn't betray; as tired as they were anyway from lack of sleep, Sephiroth forced himself to look away from the screen and turn towards Tohko. The burning inside did slowly dissipate - but he's not about to forget that feeling, the complete and utter insult. The painful taste of stolen destiny.]

...

... Mn. Good night.

[ He echoed him distantly, biding him good night, before flopping back down and pulling the covers back over his head. He recognized when someone desired to be left alone to their own musings and it was too late out for him to muster up the brainpower to think more deeply on the matter.

Sephiroth was in one piece and probably wanted to get some rest himself, and therefore he didn't need to remain awake. That was good enough in this stupid Tower. Eventually, his breathing smoothed out, dropping into the realm of a unrestful sleep, leaving the older man the only one still awake in the silent, muffled darkness of the dormitory. ]

I see..and what are you made of? Snips and snails and puppy dog tails?

[It was a joke, to lighten the air, but it probably wasn't going to work. Sephiroth looked like he hadn't slept and his eyes looked a bit watery, but Tohko just smiled. She wouldn't comment on it right now. Maybe in a moment. It was terrible that the Administrators could manipulate emotions like that, but they did.]

So..do you feel any better? Are you okay?

[Nope. Sephiroth pointedly looked away from her when usually that sort of an insult would provoke a much more violent response. Testament to how tired he felt. His eyes were drawn to the screen again but he turned his back fully on it to try to ignore the pull.

He'll never understand Tohko. It was almost as if-

As if the admins sent her to taunt him with her naivety. Well he refused to let it work, hadn't they messed enough in the last 24 hours?]

I need to give you your book back. At some point.

[Tohko sighed and scratched her head. Well, so much for that joke working. However, she smiled when he said he needed to give her back At The Mountains of Madness.]

Ah, alright then. Did you enjoy it? What did you think of it? And..do you now understand why the Tower is better than Lovecraft's world?

No. I don't.

[He'd finished the book about a week ago, before seeing the flyer about Mondo's little meeting. So much had happened since then; Sephiroth felt that whatever opinions he may have had about Mountains versus life in the Tower were strangely not relevant anymore. Therefore he kept his reply as short as possible.]

[Tohko sighed.]

I see. Well, I'll explain to you why this Tower is better then. In Lovecrafts world, there are huge, terrible monsters that can end humanity and take over if they just suddenly wake up. They care nothing for us, and we humans are terrified of them. We don't have those in the Tower, so that's one huge way we differ. However, there is another way that is much more important.

In Lovecrafts stories, everyone just loses hope. They go insane with fear when they see and learn what's happening in the world. But we don't. We still have a lot of hope. We haven't lost that. Here, people are still talking about punching Jason and getting even. In a Lovecraftian story, the main characters wouldn't even be able to do that. They are broken, lost and defeated. We are still going. We hurt, we suffer, but we press on, determined to live another day and prove the Administrators wrong.

That is how we differ. Through our hope.

"Who?"

She really didn't care whether his words were directed at her or not, it was a statement she needed elaboration on, and so she would ask. The blanket she had taken to wearing around hung from her shoulders, and she looked at the man with her usual smile.

It was boring waiting for your turn, but it was more than bearable-she liked to use the time to calm her mind, however someone else there gave the opportunity for conversation, which all told was much more amusing.

Cling. Clang. Tzzt.

Upon awakening, Sephiroth may hear the sound of machinery just close by. Against the wall is a large, mechanical bed with all manners of wires and lights attached to it. A small, fat, blonde-haired little boy is climbing the machine and using a screwdriver and other tools to adjust its settings. At the center inside a glass capsule is the form of an aging old man, with sickly skin, that looks strikingly familiar to the boy. Aside from the natural features of an old man, such as wrinkles and white hair, they look exactly alike.

The old man is strapped onto the bed. Wires from the machine have been hooked around his body, acting as part of the bed's life support system. This would make a strange, uncomfortable, and mildly awkward sight to many normal people.

Porky turns his head over to the direction of the other silver-haired man. Giving a few gasps and deep breaths, he tries to speak.

"... Rise and shine, neighbor. Welcome to the world of the living."

[Tohko's naivety was rubbing the wrong way, harder than usual. Maybe because some things were still very fresh behind Sephiroth's eyes. He was probably too tired to be patient as well. Sephiroth rigidly set his jaw and looked over Tohko again; he will never understand this enigma of a girl.

He had nothing to say to her in reply though. Tower aside, he'd been up against such hope before; he was the monster that did the breaking, he had been the slumbering being out to destroy humanity. His defeats were testament to such a notion of hope, but at the same time he couldn't relate to it.]

It hadn't been a comment for anyone really, perhaps to reassure his own sanity. Sephiroth hadn't expected anyone to respond at all. For a moment he looked up and down the fellow resident, noting the blanket around her shoulders - she must be feeling the cold. Or at least it must serve some purpose for her to appear that she was in need of the blanket.

"This place." Sephiroth cast a sweeping glance with glinting green eyes across the Infirmary allowing the smirk to develop into more of a grin before shrugging and continuing. "The drones. Jason. Whoever it was."

If anything was still an illusion, that contraption across the room would fall into that category. Sephiroth certainly didn't remember something like that taking up room before. If his mind hadn't been in a state of racing to determine reality as fast as possible he'd have logically figured out that this was a new resident that he'd just not even noticed before.

Sephiroth rubbed his eyes, trying to remember clearly if he'd seen this mechanized bed last time he'd been in the dormitory - or if this arrival had appeared whilst he'd been indisposed.

And as if it wasn't hard enough to sleep on a normal evening, Sephiroth hoped that the whirring, chirping, clanging sounds were not something they were all going to have to live with now. Enough things went bump in the night around here.

"Right." He near whispered, either being polite bearing in mind other sleeping dorm-mates or simply not finding his voice fully in this instant.

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008 | Fallout

Floor 5

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Dormitory 03-02

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Floor 5

Dormitory 03-02

Re: Floor 5

Floor 5

Re: Dormitory 03-02

Dormitory 03-02

Re: Floor 5

(frozen comment) Re: Dormitory 03-02

Floor 5

Re: Floor 5

(frozen comment) Dormitory 03-02

Floor 5

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Floor 5

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Floor 5

infirmary

Dorm 3-02

Re: Floor 5

Re: infirmary

Re: Dorm 3-02