Sheba | Child of the Gods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
seekinganswers) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
towerofanimus2013-01-04 01:06 am
seekinganswers) wrote in towerofanimus2013-01-04 01:06 am
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 worsewhen 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.]
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
[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.]
no subject
Those are rough circumstances. [To say the least. He unclips the end of a bandage roll, inspecting it absentmindedly.] I know I can't really say anything since I'm not familiar with where you come from, but I think it's admirable! Striving to save the whole world, isn't that definitely a heroic thing to do? [There's a brief silence as he stretches out the fabric strip, and a little of the bouncy energy in his tone is absent in his next words.]
You probably shouldn't be so quick to believe what you're told here.
no subject
[And to live up to the titles she'd been given. But how could she be the Savior of Lalivero, if she couldn't even save herself or the people she cared most about, let alone the entire world?]
But there wasn't. Whether it's true or not, something went wrong somewhere. If my world still exists, I should be there, fighting to protect it.
If it doesn't... I wouldn't put it past him to have sent me here as punishment for--
[She cut herself off when she realized just how much vehemence had been in her voice when she said "him." The Wise One was many things, and vindictive was one of them as far as she knew. He was willing to let an entire town die, willing to let the entire world erode away, and willing to punish Felix and the others in the worst way imaginable for going against his wishes.
She wouldn't put anything past him.
After a moment, though, she breathed out, noticing for the first time that her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails were digging into her skin.]
Do you not believe what the letter said, then...?
1/2
Big goals like that can sometimes make a person shoulder a lot of guilt, probably. [The cloth is put back down; more rummaging follows.] Do you believe that being here right now is a personal failure on your part? [...Lonely, he thinks. That kind of feeling must be very lonely.
He turns to face her again, hands behind his back.] I don't believe the letter! Call it intuition. [
Or the false belief that he still has a connection when it's not what he thinks it is at all whoops]2/2
I may not look it, but I'm a master of escape. It may take a while, but we'll absolutely make it back home!
1/2
At his next question, she nodded slowly.]
Even if I was sent here by someone from my world, or brought here by someone from this one, it's... still a failing on my part. If I were stronger, maybe I could have resisted it somehow. I don't like being pulled places against my will, but I've never been able to stop it from happening, not even now when it matters the most.
[She looks a little puzzled when he finally turns to face her, though.]
Intuition...?
2/2
The smile became bigger and more genuine as he kept talking.]
Oz... thank you. Really, thank you so much...
no subject
You seem like a strong person to me already! I guess the only thing left for you to do is become even stronger, right? [Which he believes can be done even in a place like this. Stagnation must be avoided; surely even here growth is possible. His peace of mind requires him to believe that, but...
Well, there's no harm in actually believing it.]
no subject
[She smiled at him, tucking the sticker away into a safe place. She'd be sure to put it somewhere in her room once she made her way back up there... it would be good to have a reminder.]
You seem really strong. It's not just anyone who'd be able to keep smiling in a place like this.
no subject
You make it sound much more impressive than it is! Thank you, though.
no subject
[She followed him to and up the staircase. The third floor was a library - with a pang, she realized that Kraden probably would have loved it. It looked massive.]
Do you want to look around in there, or keep going?
no subject
On the other, more realistic hand:] Maybe a little later. I bet there's useful information here, but it would take a whole day just to search this floor by itself. [a beat] Unless you want to have a look, that is!
no subject
[He had a point about the useful information - but he also had a point about how long it would take to sift through even a portion of it...]
...what if we stopped in to look around, and then if we find anything good, we can reward ourselves by going straight up until we find the restaurant so we can get a bite of something good to eat?
[The little smile playing on her lips was decidedly mischievous.]
no subject
Even if it's filling, traveling on a stomach full of oatmeal just sounds unpleasant... [That part was more muttered to himself than spoken to Sheba, and he turns after that to face the expansive library.] Where to begin? Reference, non-fiction?
no subject
Let's try looking at some of their reference books... maybe there will be something to explain the strange things we've seen here so far. Like the elevators...
[She still didn't quite understand those. Truth be told, she didn't like them anywhere near as much as the ones from the Lighthouses, and she didn't even really like those, either.]
Or the-- What are those?
[She frowned a little as she peered at a row of network terminals. Now those were something she'd definitely never seen before...]
no subject
WELL THAT'S something even more confusing-looking than the elevators, which is saying something. He ambles a little closer to them, staring at the screen embedded into the wall at the very end of the row.]
...Are they meant for use, do you think? Or maybe they're decorative? It looks a little like a framed painting. [He slides his hand over the screen, but pulls it away after receiving a gentle static shock. What's going on here, it's like some demon from the future...!]
no subject
But luckily there wasn't much time to dwell on it. The mystery of the terminals was a more pressing matter. She looked a little concerned when Oz drew his hand back, but when she touched it herself, the static shock didn't seem to bother her much. Then again, this is the girl who rains down destruction on her enemies by summoning bolts of lightning, so there you go.]
I can't see why they'd be here if they weren't. [She tapped the screen a few times, frowning as it... didn't really seem to really do anything.] I mean, if we weren't supposed to touch them, don't you think they'd be harder to find?
[Not that that had ever stopped her before... aaaanyway.
A few moments more of messing around with it, and the screen lit up. Sheba took a few steps back on instinct.]
What is it doing...?!
no subject
To look at, maybe? [Or they might be some sort of creepy two-way mirror, but he doesn't voice that thought, instead waving his hand in front of it.
As soon as it lights up, however, he throws both of his hands up in front of him like some guilt-ridden shoplifter with pockets full of Kit-Kats. WHAT IS THIS SAUCERY.]
Did we break it? Is it broken—?! [He couldn't tell what state it was in before turning on, and now this? He takes a step back, looking like he plans on booking it, but notices that there are words on the screen right before turning.] ...Oh, wait a moment! [The urge to investigate quickly outweighs the urge to run, and he leans forward again.]
no subject
[...got words on it, it seems. Despite her apprehension, Sheba takes a few steps forward to peer at it alongside him.]
It says something about the ... network?
[She furrowed her brow, thinking. It sounded vaguely familiar to her, but it wasn't really anything she was well acquainted with. She'd probably just heard it in passing, or skimmed over while reading, or-- She was confused. There hadn't been anything like this where she was from.]
What are we supposed to do with it...?
no subject
...I don't know! [He leans a little closer, resting his hand on the desk, and a couple of the keys on the embedded keyboard are pushed when he brushes his hand over them. DRAWING HIS HAND AWAY ASAP]
no subject
[She looked from the keyboard to the screen.] Wait, look... [There were letters on the screen now - letters that, from the looks of it, corresponded to the keys he'd pressed. She searched the keyboard for the right letters, then typed - albeit very slowly.]
Look, Oz, we control what comes onto the screen.
no subject
So these are like notebooks? People can leave messages for everyone else to read? [It seems pretty pointless to him! Why couldn't they just tack a piece of paper to the wall? That would be much less confusing. He reaches forward nevertheless to type out something (very slowly) himself:]
which button did you hit to make the capital letters/
no subject
[She started to step away to examine a different screen, but paused when Oz began typing. She read the words, then looked down at the keyboard.]
This one, the one that says "Shift." Watch...
[She brought her hands back to the keyboard.]
Aa Bb Cc Dd
And I think it's possible to, ah...
! @ #
Yes, we can make symbols, too.
[
I'm going to laugh really hard if they accidentally post this nonsense to the Network.]no subject
As soon as she finishes teaching him the magical ways of the keyboard, however, he's quite distracted and immediately moves to typing something very important.]
!!!!!!!! [SO EXCITED.
it should be done tbh...]no subject
This is pretty fun! Do you mind if I try again?
[She looked down at the keyboard. Symbols, symbols... oh!]
:) :p :D
[She tilted her head to the side... they sort of looked like faces if she looked at them like that!
I will totally post to the network once they're done with the terminal ahahaha]no subject
Oh, that little thing there looks like it's smiling, doesn't it? [He points to the :) and then leans around her to type a little more next to her emotes. He surveys it for a minute before typing:]
*) **) **) [...Tragedy!]
How can I put one of those stars on its side? I want to make a face, too!
[
it will be 2beautiful...](no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
sheds a single tear for them both...
I feel so bad for anyone else who has to deal with their computer illiteracy...