002 ♃ Be careful what you wish for...

[seekinganswers]

Characters: Sheba and anyone who wants some last-minute pre-event CR!
Setting: Daytime - Floor 08, Floor 09, Floor 10 || Nighttime - Floor 11
Format: Starting with brackets but I will follow you!
Summary: Sheba's continuing her exploration of the Tower little by little, but a fair amount of dilly-dallying leaves her pretty far from the safety of her dorm room by the time night falls.
Warnings: Sheba has no particular concern for the privacy of others at the moment, so if you run across her chances are she'll probably try to read your mind at least once.

[FLOOR 08]
[Sheba was really starting to question her choices.

If you'd asked her what she was planning on doing today, her answer would not have involved wandering lost in a maze. In spite of her best intentions, though, that's exactly what she was doing. She'd come up to this floor just after breakfast and she wasn't sure how much time had passed since then, but it sure felt like a lot.

With a sigh, she stopped walking and leaned against a wall to gather her thoughts.

Come on, Sheba, it's just a maze. You've found your way out of more confusing places than this before... remember Air's Rock?

...

This isn't helping.

[Sigh.]

[FLOOR 09]
[It had taken some doing, but she'd finally gotten out of that maze and was making her way through the Tower again.

As she came up on the ninth floor, her footsteps slowed until she came to a stop. She looked curiously from the lights by the staircase to the darkness that seemed to have fallen over the rest of the floor.]

That's strange... why is it so dark?

[Perhaps it wasn't the most intelligent decision, but the whole point of her venturing out of her room today was to get acquainted with the various floors in the Tower. She couldn't do that if she just stayed on the staircases. She took a breath and stepped away from the stairs, continuing further into the room and hunching her shoulders, then crouching. It was getting darker and darker, and the room seemed to be getting smaller and smaller...

When she was forced to get to her hands and knees to keep going, she started to think that this wouldn't be a floor she'd want to hide out on if anything happened. She came to an abrupt stop after a few moments, though, looking around with a slightly guarded expression.]

What...?

[She could have sworn she'd heard something... She frowned. No, when she wasn't moving, it was quiet. She crawled forward a little bit more and--

What was that?!

She'd seen something. She knew she had! But now there wasn't anything... She scowled. If this tower was trying to scare her, she wasn't going to let it! The space got smaller and smaller, and she had to resort to inching forward a little at a time on her stomach. The sounds and sights just kept coming more and more frequently - but she could never pinpoint where they were coming from, what they were...

Finally, she came to the edge, but before she could get a good look around she felt something around her ankle.]

?!

[And then, all at once, she was yanked back so hard that it nearly took her breath away. By the time she could scream, she was about halfway across the room; the next thing she knew, she'd slammed into the suitcase and slumped forward.

When she lifted her head, there was nothing there but the same eerie darkness she'd looked out at minutes before.]

Wh-wh... what...

[She was trembling. What was that? What had just happened? Why...]

[FlOOR 10]
[Sheba was still shaking as she climbed the last stair and stepped out onto the tenth floor. Thankfully, she could see in all directions here - this part of the tower seemed well-lit and... well, altogether, it just didn't seem like the kind of place where someone would be dragged away kicking and screaming.

No, this place seemed a lot safer...

She looked up at the enclosed bits of water, her arms wrapped around herself, and watched the creatures that were swimming back and forth. It took her a moment to realize that there wasn't any glass - how was the water staying up? Why wasn't this whole floor flooded? This seemed like something that could be accomplished with Psynergy, but she hadn't seen any other Adepts here, not really...

Her thoughts were cut off when a sea creature she didn't recognize leaped out from one block of water and landed in another one.]

Oh, wow..!

[Her eyes were wide. Even on her journey through Weyard, she hadn't seen anything like this before.]

[FlOOR 11]
[Between the maze, that... floor she didn't really want to think about, and the aquarium, Sheba had stayed out pretty late. The sun had gone down a good hour or so before she finally came upon the eleventh floor, which might have concerned her if she was familiar enough with the Tower to know that nighttime was when the monsters thrived. But she wasn't.

Instead, she was just blown away by what she'd found. A ceiling, but no walls? Waterfalls? Upside-down rainbows? The sight of a regular rainbow had been rare enough in her part of Weyard, given that there wasn't exactly a lot of water in the air around Lalivero to reflect light to begin with.

Cautiously, she made her way to the edge of the room and looked down over the side of the tower. Oh... they really were high up. She vaguely wondered what would happen if she jumped out from here - she'd survived falls from much higher up, before. But the first one she hadn't even been conscious of, and the second had been mostly luck and... Felix.

She'd managed not to dwell on thoughts of him or the rest of their traveling group for the last few days, and while she really wished she could keep from thinking about them, it just wasn't meant to be. Because almost in the same instant that she got to her feet to come away from the edge, she heard a voice.

"Sheba!"]

Who's there?!

[She whirled towards the sound of the voice, her heart pounding. Was her mind playing tricks on her, or had she heard...? She narrowed her eyes to focus on a faint figure a good distance away. It looked almost like mist, but maybe that was because of the waterfalls.

Maybe Felix was here? It had been his voice she'd heard, hadn't it? She took a few hopeful steps in its direction, then paused when she heard another voice.

"Sheba!"]

Jenna...?!

[She allowed herself to hope. Maybe she'd have questioned just one or the other, but Felix and Jenna together--! It would have made sense. They'd both been there on Mars Lighthouse with her, right before she'd appeared here. Now, if only--

"Sheba!"]

Piers!

[They were here - they were here! Feeling more hopeful than she'd felt since coming here, she took off at a run, her eyes locked on the hazy figures on the other side of the room. Three voices, three figures - it had to be them, it had to, she had so many things to tell them, she was so glad they'd managed to survive, she--

...wasn't getting any closer to them, it seemed. Were they... walking away?]

No! Wait! Don't go - don't leave me alone!

[The figures seemed to vanish. Sheba let out a sharp cry and put on a burst of speed, desperate to catch up. But there was nothing; she fell to her knees and gasped to catch her breath.]

No... no, don't go...

["Sheba..."

Felix's voice again, and this time it was much closer. She looked up.

The ... things around her almost looked human, but not quite. They didn't seem solid or real, and they didn't look like her friends. But there were lots of them, and they pretty much had her surrounded.

She felt weak...

Was it because of the run, the despair of finding out that it wasn't really them, or were these Phantoms doing something to her? Sheba didn't know.

And she didn't really want to stick around to find out. She had to get out of here. But, as she realized, an expression of alarm crossing her face - she'd left her staff in her room today. And try as she might, she couldn't summon up a windstorm to blow these strange mist-creatures away.

She'd have to run for it... she'd have to... she was just so tired. Her gaze shifted from one Phantom to another, looking for an opening. She had no idea what would happen if she tried to run right through one, but that wasn't really something she wanted to find out, either.]

Comments

Floor 10

[surpassthelimit]

Careful or you'll end up with your head bit off.

[Fair warning, at least. Someone getting hurt because they didn't know something felt wrong to Axel.]

[seekinganswers]

...?!

[Sheba turned at the sound of the voice, looking puzzled.]

Does that ... happen often on this floor?

[Implied, but not outright stated: Is there ANYTHING in this Tower that's not dangerous?]

[surpassthelimit]

How often it happens, I dunno. What I do know is that it could happen. No sense in being caught off guard.

[seekinganswers]

That makes sense... this floor seems a little more peaceful than some of the others so far. It would be nice if it was as simple as that.

[surpassthelimit]

If you're looking for places where you can just chill out, well...there's plenty of them. This one isn't really one of them.

[seekinganswers]

Which floors would you recommend, then?

[surpassthelimit]

I like floor 39 the best. It's good for working out. Floor 25 is good if you like the outdoor kind of thing.

[seekinganswers]

...oh... those floors are so much higher up, though. [She looked up at the ceiling. Well, she could probably make it, but it would be a little bit of a pain to get back down when she got hungry...]

I'm sorry! I've been rude and haven't introduced myself. My name is Sheba; what's yours?

[surpassthelimit]

It's not that bad once you get used to making the walk.

Me? I'm Axel Almer.

floor 10

[bloodyashes]

[And hey look, coming up the stairs is that guy from the library the other day, with a container from the kitchens tucked under one arm. Asch hasn't spent much more time on this floor than it takes to walk up and down the stairs, so he's just as surprised as Sheba when the fish suddenly jumps between walls.

Unlike Sheba, he doesn't make any sort of exclamation at the sight, but the sound of a voice draws his attention, and he's still looking a bit surprised when he turns towards her.]

So your world doesn't have anything like this, either, then.

[Not entirely not a question.]

[seekinganswers]

[She shook her head slowly, turning her attention from the aquarium to Asch.]

No, not really. I can think of ways it might be possible to do something like this on Weyard, but that's mostly theoretical. It would take a lot of energy to even begin such a thing, let alone to keep it standing for an extended period of time, and to allow things to pass through it...

[She sounded more than a little intrigued. If a fish could jump from one part to the other, could a person go swimming in there? She'd have to find out sometime. For now, though, Sheba's attention was more drawn to the container Asch was carrying.

A quick mind read, and then -]

Oh! I didn't know you could take food out of the kitchens.

[bloodyashes]

I can't imagine a way it'd be possible on Auldrant, but it's not really my expertise. Maybe Jade -

[At her last comment, he stops. It wasn't unreasonable to guess that it was food, but that was still... Odd.]

Well, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to.

[He'd made it himself, after all, he should be able to eat it where he wants.]

[seekinganswers]

Maybe...

[Her voice trailed off, though, when his abrupt silence registered on her. Oh, no, she was getting a little too used to just commenting on things she found when she read minds, wasn't she?]

I guess not. This place is full of strange rules, though - after the oatmeal, it wouldn't surprise me if they'd tried something else to regulate how and when we eat...

[bloodyashes]

Luckily, they don't seem to care, after the oatmeal. The cafeteria makes meals, but the kitchen is open all the time if you'd rather make something else.

[Something that doesn't have damned carrots.]

What, are you hungry?

[seekinganswers]

Oh... that's really useful to know! I'll have to give that a try sometime...

[Though she'll probably just end up eating the ingredients raw because she hasn't quite mastered the art of cooking yet. At his question, she tilted her head to the side and did her best to appear nonchalant.]

I'm not too hungry. I can manage.

[Actually, her stomach was sort of growling, but just a little. She'd wandered lost in the maze on the eighth floor for long enough that she was starting to really want food, but she'd told herself she was going to explore at least five floors before turning back. This was the third.]

[bloodyashes]

If you want meat, you'll probably have to hunt it down yourself.

[Nothing but baking supplies and vegetables in there this month... And eggs, so many eggs. All still a lot better than the nutrition bars, though.]

...And you should keep your strength up anyway.

[After a moment, he sits next to her and opens the container. Might as well eat here and watch the fish. Sorry, Tear, next time.]

I've got extra.

[seekinganswers]

[Sheba smiled wryly at that.]

Ah, the return of the good old days.

[Hunting hadn't been so bad at the beginning of the journey. The monsters were mostly normal, just a little stronger than usual. She hadn't liked eating the meat of the giant rats that were constantly attacking them near Daila and Madra, but at least it was better than the things they'd come across in other parts of the world.

She blinked at his next couple of words and looked at him a little doubtfully.]

Are you sure that's okay? If you have to hunt for your meat...

11;

[harepiece]

Sheba! [A very real voice amidst the fabricated ones calls out; if she looks up and for its source, she'll find Oz in the stairwell, hanging from its thin railing with a hand outstretched toward her. The childish playfulness is gone from his face — he had his own very close encounter with a similar creature just the night prior, and had listened to someone explain them the next day. He had been extremely lucky to get out of that situation in one piece.]

You can't stay here! Just run through and if you have any problems, I'll help!

[seekinganswers]

...!

[She almost dismissed the voice as another side-effect of these... things, but then she realized that it wasn't the voice of someone she knew from home. So it was possible it was really someone she knew, and when she looked up and saw Oz, her shoulders nearly slumped in relief.]

Oz! I... okay! I got it!

[She took a breath and ran for it, just as one of the phantoms lunged for her. She weaved through them and ran for the stairwell, desperately trying to muster up the Psynergy to fight these things off, just in case she couldn't outrun them.

But it wasn't working - she guessed they were like the deer she'd been told about, and kept people from using their powers when they got too close... so she needed distance.]

Oz! How far from these things do I have to be before I can blast them with magic?!

[harepiece]

[Hoo boy, as soon as it looks like she's struggling even a little with getting away, he launches himself from the stairwell and into the room.]

I don't know, just get back as far as you possibly can! I'll distract them! [The new source of energy in the room does seem to catch the attention of several, and a few stolen voices switch to ones Sheba won't recognize; the deep voice of an older man, an energetic young girl. To his credit, he doesn't seem disturbed at all.]

[seekinganswers]

[She nodded, continuing to put as much distance between herself and the Phantoms as possible.

Could she cast now? --No. Now? --No. Now?]

Hah..!

[Yes. She felt the beginnings of a faint breeze and a wicked smirk tugged up on her lips. The familiar rush of Psynergy to her fingertips was almost like music to her ears. She raised her arms.]

Look out, Oz! You'll want to back up! Spark Plasma!!

[She was pretty decent at controlling where the bolts struck, but she didn't want to startle him or have him run right into the path of one. It had a pretty wide range after the first few bolts struck, too...]

[harepiece]

All right! [Don't need to tell him twice! He's up and out of the way as soon as she says "look out", heading toward her in a roundabout manner so as to avoid any potential spark-y fallout.

...Except that is pretty nifty looking and much less surprising than her sudden attack on the computer terminal, so he pauses for a second to admire it.]

—You're pretty talented, huh?

[seekinganswers]

[She shrugged, pausing for a moment to catch her breath. It had been a really long time since she'd cast that particular Psynergy - it always surprised you exactly how draining it was.

But then she began to back up towards the stairway again, a guarded expression on her face as she kept an eye out for any more phantoms.]

Only because I've had a lot of practice, and because there were people looking out for me before I could do that sort of thing.

Thank you, by the way... for helping me get out of that. It could have been really bad, I think. There were a lot of them...

[harepiece]

[He'll have her back the entire way there. The phantoms don't seem entirely... well, solid; otherwise he would have withdrawn the borrowed dagger he has strapped into a proper holster. As things are, he just keeps an eye out as well, moving quickly.]

It's good, though! Good of you to be able to defend yourself in situations like this. [Also wasting no time in hopping back onto the stairs, nope. He's had more than enough of this floor. In response to her thanks, he smiles.]

I couldn't just ignore a pretty girl in need! [2suave...] But really, I think you could have probably taken care of the entire mess by yourself without any of my help.

[seekinganswers]

[It was a relief to get back onto the stairway. Sheba didn't want to linger on this floor any longer than she had to - though a part of her, a very small part of her, longed to go back in there and at least hear their voices again, because, really... it was the only link she had left to home.

But they're not real, She reminded herself, taking a shaky breath. And they're never going to be real.]

I'm not sure about that. I think you might be giving me a little too much credit. [If she'd just stood there a few moments longer, she might have been too drained to even run.] What were those things, though? How did they...

[How did they know exactly which voices I wanted to hear?]