towerofanimus | (no subject)

(no subject)

23:30:00
Silent dormitory rooms are lined with bodies--not dead, just sleeping. Throughout the tower it is pitch black and silent. At the base of the tower, countless shining eyes, watching.

23:45:00
The tower hums to life. Lights blink on in one by one; only the dormitory rooms remain dark. A small army of blank-faced humanoids appear and spend the next ten minutes taking various positions around the tower.

23:59:00
An order given. The dormitory room lights blink on.

00:00:00
You are awake.

00:00:30
You can move.

Begin

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It's not confidence, only determination and need to prove that she won't fail again. Deep down Romana is scared, but she already let Spain see that, and now she needs to be strong.

"Si. And then we'll go home, and Venezia will be safe."

"Sí, and we will forget this nightmare."

Letting Romana go, Spain starts looking around for clues, picking out a book from one of the shelves. "Maybe we can find something useful from all these books."

"...Si."

Exhaling softly, Romana turns to look at the books herself, running a finger along the row of spines. "Maybe... but why would a kidnapper leave their plan lying out in the open... It's too easy, even if there are many books, there's still the risk of finding it. Or even just a hint."

"Perhaps... it is their plan to see how we can escape?" Spain shakes her head and starts reading. "So they can strengthen their defense..."

"Perhaps... But it still seems too easy." Romana's frown stays even as she picks a book and begins to flick through it

"Messing with our minds, perhaps," Spain sighs, leaning against the bookshelf as she starts reading. "They can do anything to us, so we have to be alert."

"Most likely," A scowl on her face, Romana letting the book drop fall to the ground after a quick skim. "Bastardi, taking us, putting this things around our necks..."

"Everything happens for a reason."

Even then, Spain couldn't think of one that actually tallies with their current situation. Unless...

"Perhaps... our world really is destroyed..."

"I... know. He only does things to show us how strong we truly are, he'd never put us somewhere where we could not find the answer..." Even after all these years, Romana's faith remains strong, half in a need to believe that there is a reason for everything, even if she can't see it.

"No." Her voice is firm as Romana drops the book to stare sternly at Spain. "Everything is fine, if the world was gone, we would not be here, si?"

"Ah, querida... I've been wondering since I read the letter they sent us," she sighs, closing the book and leaning against the shelf. "If what they say is not true, then they must be keeping our people, or at least, our lands, safe in another world, I would think. Unless..."

She shakes her head, dispelling the thought. "No, no. Magic doesn't exist."

A stern look on her face Romana nods, grabbing another book from the shelves. "Si. It doesn't. So it's all just a lie, they're just found a way to... block us from feeling them or something."

"It's all a lie, we can't believe them," she has to keep telling herself that, she needs to believe it. Romana doesn't know what she'll do if she doesn't.

"I'm not believing them at all." Spain's tone is resolute as she turns to Romana.

"Good," the word is crisp, and final, Romana's nod firm as she meets Spain's eyes.

"...Did you find anything?"

"Nothing." Spain shakes her head, sighing as she closes the book. "There's only useless information in these books."

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