towerofanimus | 001 ♃ Sheba and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

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001 ♃ Sheba and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Characters: Sheba and YOU!
Setting: Room 2-05 | Dormitory Level 2 | Floor 01 | Floor 03 | Anywhere else interaction may lead - she's exploring and getting a feel for the Tower, after all!
Format: Starting with brackets, but I'll follow you!
Summary: Sheba wakes to find that she's been "rescued" from her presumed-to-be-destroyed world. This would be less of a slap in the face if she hadn't spent the last couple of months on a quest which practically everyone assumed was going to - you guessed it! - destroy her world. Oops.
Warnings: Nothing really, but I'll edit this if that changes.

[ROOM 2-05]
[Sheba's heart was pounding so hard she thought it was going to beat right out of her chest. There was someone there, she couldn't see where exactly there were but she could practically feel someone there, they'd been there for at least twenty seconds, maybe more, why couldn't she scream, why--

Praise everything, she could move! Trembling, she rolled over onto one side, and the feeling slowly began to fade away. Had someone been there? She wasn't sure... It had seemed so real then, but now she was starting to feel a little silly, even with her heart beating wildly and her breathing coming shallowly... There didn't seem to be anyone in this room other than...

Wait. This room... what...?]

Where--?

[She eased herself up into a sitting position and gave the room a cursory once-over.]

This... isn't Mars Lighthouse. It isn't even Prox.

[She drew her knees up to her chest and frowned when she realized that not only were her surroundings different, her clothing was, too. She'd never seen a jumpsuit like this in Weyard... what in the world...?

Her entire mind felt jumbled. Felix had lit the Mars beacon -- and then what? She just couldn't remember, but they must have gotten off the Lighthouse Aerie somehow... She'd have remembered if it had been a repeat of Venus. But why couldn't she remember? He'd cast the Mars Star and then... and then...

Her gaze rested on a nearby piece of paper and she hesitantly reached out to take it. She scanned its contents once, twice. Her face went absolutely pale and the letter slipped out of her hands.]

It can't be...

[DORMITORY LEVEL 2]
[She still felt numb, but sitting around had never helped anyone. She'd been through enough unpleasant situations in her life to know that sometimes you just had to force yourself to keep going. This was one of those times.

The collar was strange, but luckily she'd found her usual clothes in the trunk at the foot of her bed. That, at least, made her feel a little less awkward in this new environment. She'd also found her staff, which she was gripping rather tightly in both her hands as she slipped through the doorway and out into the hall.

...okay... just this level was a lot bigger than she thought it was going to be. She took a breath. She could do this. It was just... going to take a little more time than she thought it was, that's all.

Rule number one of surviving in an unfamiliar place: Make it stop being unfamiliar as quickly as possible. That meant exploring. Presumably, she was meant to be living in that room, so she needed to make sure she knew exactly where it was, exactly how to find it, and exactly what was nearby.

She needed to know if there were others here. If they were friendly, hostile... and she needed to know fast. The fastest way to do that would be mind reading. And while she wasn't sure if she'd like what she found here or not, she had to at least try.

The privacy of others was the least of Sheba's concerns, at this point. So as she walked down the hall, trying to commit as many details to memory as she could, she called upon her Psynergy and cast it out around her, listening closely for the thoughts of others to see if there was anything interesting - or useful - that she might hear.

Anyone with the ability to use or detect magical energy would most likely notice the attempted intrusion into their minds. There was nothing subtle about the Mind Read Psynergy.

She sure looked like just another lost newbie wandering the hall, though.]

[FLOOR 01]
[The elevator that had taken her from the dormitory levels down to the first floor was nothing like the elevators in the Elemental Lighthouses. That was just another entry on Sheba's mental list of things that were absurdly strange about this place, and while she was, at first, a little apprehensive about actually getting into the strange metal contraption, well, she'd faced more frightening things in her life. What was being shut into a metal box compared to fighting a "miraculous" three-headed dragon?

Still, she couldn't help but let out a little sigh of relief as the doors opened and she stepped out onto the first floor. It wasn't as frightening as some things she'd seen, but it was still weird.

The dining hall wasn't so weird, though. There hadn't really been anything of this scale in Lalivero, but Babi's palace had been huge, and though she'd taken her meals in her own room, she knew that many of his soldiers all took their meals in a single mess hall. This was sort of what she imagined it would look like, just... a little more pristine than she was used to. Babi's palace hadn't been messy by any means, but the sleekness of this strange tower made the palace look downright old-fashioned.

She sniffed. It smelled like... eggs? She hadn't had eggs in a very long time. Traveling fare had been pretty basic - the less said of some of their attempts to cook on the road, the better. Eggs were definitely something she'd learned to go without. But she supposed they wouldn't be too bad now... She stepped into the cafeteria and made her way up to get some food.]

...how did I wind up with this...?

[Minutes later, she was seated at a small table, staring down at her bowl of oatmeal with an expression that bordered on petulant. It wasn't bad compared to some of the... rather creative attempts at meals her traveling companions had made - she winced a little at the thought, because she hadn't seen any of them yet, and if that note had been telling the truth, she never would again - but it just seemed somewhat... lacking, compared to what she could see other people eating.

With a sigh, she spooned up a small bite and brought it to her mouth. Well, it wasn't bad... She'd had worse ~~when it had been Jenna's or Garet's turn to cook~~. It just... wasn't good, either...]

[FLOOR 03]
[Her first meal finished, Sheba had decided to continue her exploration of the tower. She'd done little more than just glance in at the infirmary - she hadn't been injured just yet, after all - and had continued on up the stairs.

The library was... breathtaking.]

Kraden, look--

[She cut herself off mere moments after speaking. The old scholar would have loved this floor, she was sure... but he wasn't here anymore. She swallowed hard and approached one of the shelves. The titles all sounded... academic. Complicated. Maybe even boring.

Kraden would have loved these.

She turned away from the shelf with a little more force than was really necessary, blinking rapidly. It was just starting to sink in...

Kraden... Jenna... Piers... Felix...

All the others...

Faran... his family...]

I'm never going to see them again.

[They were gone. Weyard was gone. It was... it was...

She took a deep breath and counted to three. It didn't help - she was starting to tremble again. Frustrated with herself for not being able to keep it in, she grabbed the thickest book she could find, hurried to the nearest chair, and sank into it.

She opened the book, not really caring what page she was on as long as it gave her something to focus on other than the fact that all the people she'd ever cared about were gone.]

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...

[She studied him for a moment or two again, then tilted her head to the side.]

What terms would you use to make it familiar to you?

...A temporary arte seal, I suppose. One bound to a location instead of a person.

[Lucky for Sheba his brain is a glossary.]

Hm. Might be worth asking Jade, since he's actually experienced a fon slot seal...

[She frowned slightly. The wording was different, but the basic theory sounded the same...

Well, different places around Weyard did have different terms for Psynergy. She was living proof of that - her own powers made the people she grew up with think she was descended from the gods.

Though admittedly, the fact that she fell from the sky as a baby and didn't die probably had something to do with that too.]

...I'm not completely sure what you mean by "fon slot seal"... but I can use Bind myself. If you'd like to compare what I can do to what you know sometime, I wouldn't mind trying it.

[...If she can cause an effect similar to a seal at will -

Sheba you just gained a danger level point.]

I don't know how it is on your world, but on Auldrant, a person's fon slots are energy points used to channel fonons that enable them to use artes. If those slots are sealed, then all but the most powerful fonists are helpless.

[By most powerful fonists, he mostly means Jade.]

That sounds a little similar to how it is on my world.

[She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, nodding a little to herself.]

On Weyard, Adepts - I imagine they're about the equivalent of your... fonists, you said they were? - can make use of various abilities by channeling elemental Psynergy. Bind is a Psynergy skill that some people - like myself - can use... it blocks the flow of Psynergy so that their skills can't be used.

Someone who's very lucky usually isn't affected by it, though. It's never really come in handy when I needed it most.

[Why the hell didn't Bind work while fighting Karst and Agatio, in other words.]

Sounds similar enough. As far as I know, though, there isn't an arte that duplicates a fon slot seal on Auldrant. The things are complicated and expensive.

[Which might be why her ability doesn't work particularly well, come to think.]

Well, the same basic Psynergy can be used in different ways. The artes you use could simply be the most effective way of using it... there are differences between our worlds, aren't there? Yours seems a little more advanced...

[From what she'd seen in his mind, anyway; though it could also be inferred that it seems advanced based on what he said about fon slot seals.]

On Weyard we don't have anything that could produce a similar effect except by using Bind. Whatever generates your fon slot seal probably made it so there was no real use for an arte that does the same thing, especially if it couldn't be perfected the way your seals seem to be.

I can think of quite a few uses for it. Because the seals are so expensive, usually only three or four are produced a year in the world. They don't normally have application in field battles, but instead are used for kidnapping and assassinations. If they should miss the intended target for some reason, well... I doubt the user would be able to procure a second one, if they survived the encounter.

I assume your Bind doesn't have a very long duration?

[Sorry, Sheba, he's gone a bit military commander on you.]

An arte that could be used repeatedly, even with a lower chance of success, would be much more useful in the initial assault. Once the target was sealed with the arte and had no chance of escaping, the full seal could be used to disable them on a more permanent basis.

[And, of course, if the target was to be killed instead of captured, then there would be no need for the more expensive seal at all. He doesn't voice that aloud, though; most people tend to be a bit disturbed by someone who thinks of assassination purposes first and everything else second.]

I see... that makes sense.

[Her expression stayed mostly neutral, but her shoulders tensed. She's been kidnapped twice in her life - three times if being brought to the Tower counts. It wasn't altogether pleasant to be hearing about how something she could do could, on some level, be used for a kidnapping as well.]

I'm not entirely certain. The times it's worked, my friends and I were able to overwhelm our enemies in a matter of minutes, once they weren't able to use Psynergy against us. I've never actually seen it wear off when I've cast it.

The times it's been cast against us...

[She wrinkled her nose a little, thinking back. She was lucky enough that her Psynergy never really got sealed, but other members of her party...]

It usually stayed active for about ten, fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes if whoever got hit was really unlucky.

[At the explanation of the duration, he nods slightly.]

That would be plenty of time to overwhelm someone physically, unless they were truly exceptional. And even then, having your fon slots sealed would remove any fonic enhancements and slow your reaction time.

A fon slot seal is permanent until removed by an outside party, because it has multiple shifting layers of seals. There's only one person who's removed it from himself, and even then it took months.

[Thank Lorelei that Jade was on their side, because if he had worked with Van instead... Welp, world be fucked.]

[Sheba's expression became thoughtful as Asch explained how a fon slot seal worked.]

Multiple shifting layers of seals...? I wonder, then, if it would be possible to duplicate the effects by casting multiple instances of Bind... or perhaps if more than one Adept cast it simultaneously...

[Though really, this sort of theorizing was more Kraden's forte than hers. She sighed lightly.]

What sort of person is he? The one who removed the seal from himself, I mean.

They would have to be at slightly different frequencies, though, otherwise it would probably just extend the duration of the original casting...

[At her question, he tilts his head slightly.]

Jade? He's a mad genius. You can meet him for yourself if you like, he's here in the tower as well.

[She gave a small shrug as she considered frequencies. That wasn't something she'd ever given any thought to - she wasn't really aware that Psynergy could have frequencies.

Though perhaps it was keyed in to an individual, and that was why it was sometimes possible to tell who was casting what when two people used the same Psynergy at once... she was almost certain that when she read someone's mind, it felt different for the person whose mind was being read than when Ivan did it. She'd have to think more about that later.]

Really? He is? How lucky...

[Lucky that Asch had people from his own world; lucky that someone so strong was here. That could only be a good thing for the people who might need his help, she thought.]

I'd like to meet him someday, I think.

[Frequencies are kind of a big deal on Auldrant. Probably most especially for Asch, given what they mean for him.]

It's both fortunate and unfortunate. If you do meet Jade, you'll understand why. He's... hard to describe.

[He chuckles a little.]

I think someone would have killed him for his obnoxiousness years ago if he wasn't so damn useful to have around.

Sometimes the most useful people are the most difficult to relate to.

[Saturos and Menardi had certainly been useful. Without them, the Lighthouses might have remained unlit forever. But their methods certainly left quite a bit to be desired, as did the way they interacted with everyone else around them...]

I suppose it's impossible to be "great" without stepping on a few toes along the line.

Or it could be that he uses his intellect to run circles around anyone who tries. Or, hell, it could just be that he was raised in Keterburg, I have yet to meet anyone sane from that town.

[After all, Dist could hardly be counted reasonable, and from the stories he's heard of Emperor Peony...

At her last comment, he frowns slightly. His first thought is of Natalia - but no, even she made her share of enemies, for going against the Score.]

I guess not.

[Jade, though? Jade gleefully dances across the entire foot.]

...I suppose geography could have something to do with it, too.

[Saturos and Menardi? They had issues. Karst and Agatio even moreso. Was it perhaps because they spent their whole lives in Prox? Maybe.

So what does that say about Felix, is the question. Surely three years wasn't enough to infect him with their brand of madness.]

Oh! I just realized... I never asked your name. I'm sorry. I'm called Sheba; who are you?

[Maybe it's the snow. They get frostbite in their brains and it makes them crazy.]

Asch.

[He's gotten into the habit of leaving off the titles.]

[That would make a lot of sense, actually...]

It's nice to meet you, Asch. Thank you for... [Her voice trailed off and she looked down.] ...for checking to see if I was alright. It was really nice of you.

[Congrats Sheba, now you get awkward!Asch.]

It was nothing.

[It's okay. She can handle awkward people. She's got this. ~~At least he's not a silent protagonist.~~

Sheba was feeling a little better now, so she supposed this was as good a time as any to go put the book back. Better to do it now before she forgets and walks out; she'd feel a little bad if she left a mess.]

Still... I've met enough people who wouldn't have been so nice to someone they'd just met. If there's anything I can help you with while we're here, let me know, alright?

[YEP STILL AWKWARD it just gets awkwardier every time she calls him nice.

At the offer, he inclines his head slightly.]

Thanks. I'll keep it in mind.

Good to know.

[Well, the book was away, she was feeling a little better, and Asch probably had things he was doing before he'd found her...]

Well... I shouldn't be taking up too much more of your time. I hope to see you around.

I'm sure you will. It's not like we're going anywhere.

[And he'll just politely duck around the shelves and be gone.]

...that's for sure.

[While he ducked around the shelves, she made for the stairs. There were still many more floors to be explored, and she had to start somewhere.]

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001 ♃ Sheba and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

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