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

[seekinganswers]

[She chuckled, then leaned over a little to peer into the container. Yes... exactly what she'd thought was in there. Thank you, Mind Read.]

Most people can't, I think. Though I once knew someone who came really close.

[She's not saying it was Garet, but it was totally Garet.]

Wow - you managed to get a lot of stuff!

[bloodyashes]

[He chuckles a bit at that, reaching in for the bread and simply tearing off a piece.]

There's a lot of ingredients down there if you look through the cupboards. Bread is easy.

[He might try making something more complicated later, if he can find a recipe. There were some cookbooks in the library...]

[seekinganswers]

[She followed his lead and tore off a piece once he had.]

What sort of more complicated recipes have you thought about trying?

[And then, a moment later, she hastily added-]

It sounds like you've been doing this for awhile, I mean... I've never been able to make bread, myself.

[bloodyashes]

[Have a really suspicious look, Sheba. And equally suspicious thoughts.]

It depends on what I can find. Some desserts, maybe.

[seekinganswers]

[She fidgeted a little and took a bite from her piece of bread to keep herself from accidentally answering his thoughts again.]

Oh, that might be neat. I've seen some desserts in the cafeteria around when they serve dinner, but I'm sure there's more you'd be able to make.

[bloodyashes]

[He nods slowly. Still suspicious, yup.]

More variety in general would be nice.

[Fucking carrot cake, like hell he's eating that.]

And there's a few other reasons. Birthdays and such.

[He's not going to allow Luke to share his birthday any more just another thing the dreck stole from him so even if no one else did, he'd make sure that someone got it right that Luke knew the truth of his birth - ]

[seekinganswers]

That's true. I was never especially fond of eggs, and now that's all there is to eat in the mornings...

[SIGH.]

... [She hadn't even thought about birthdays in the Tower, and Asch's thoughts are just adding to her confusion.] How do you keep track of what day it is here...? I mean, how do you know when a birthday is coming up?

[Maybe some more mind reading on the subject of birthdays would help clear it up a little...]

[bloodyashes]

I don't mind eggs, but honestly, I'm not that fond of carrots.

[So dinner is kind of out for him -

His eyes narrow.]

Once is strange, twice might be a coincidence, but three times isn't. Is this another power common to your world?

[seekinganswers]

...

[Dang it. She'd gotten far too comfortable mind reading strangers while journeying with Felix, hadn't she?]

Well, I wouldn't say it's common... there are people who can do it aside from me, but not too many.

[bloodyashes]

And I take it you do so to everyone you meet?

[He'd better not be the only one, at least, - and yes, Sheba, part of his brain is already churning on the tactical implications of this. It'd be nearly impossible to sneak up on someone who could detect you by your thoughts...]

[seekinganswers]

In here? Yes. [Her expression was decidedly unrepentant.] I'm sorry... you've been nothing but nice to me so far, but I really don't want to be caught by surprise in this place, and it's a lot faster to learn things this way than to wait for people to trust me enough to tell me the truth.

...

And yes, it's very hard to sneak up on me. But I don't constantly try to read everyone's mind to see if someone's coming. Reading minds is one of my simpler powers, but if I do it for too long, it's incredibly draining.

[bloodyashes]

[...Well, it seems to make talking simpler, at any rate. He's still clearly not happy with the idea. He'd been honestly enjoying her company, and -

Amazing how those little betrayals counted up. Slowly, he reaches into the basket and pulls out one of the pieces of meat, not even bothering to slice it smaller before biting into it.]

To answer your question, there's a calendar posted on the cafeteria wall, and you can also access it through the computer terminals. It's different from Auldrant's, however.

[For Luke, he doesn't know the exact date anyway. He'll be satisfied getting the season right - damnit, she heard that, too.]

[seekinganswers]

...

[All things considered, she was just going to... not reach back into that container for more food. Even if she couldn't read his mind, his displeasure was pretty clearly seen on his face - she'd gotten pretty acquainted with telling how people were feeling by facial expression and body language, once she'd started traveling with people who were always aware when she intruded into their minds.]

I'll have to take a look at it. I wonder how different it is from Weyard's...

[Her voice trailed off and she shook her head, then closed her eyes to stop the Mind Read Psynergy.]

...I'm sorry, Asch.

[bloodyashes]

[The apology is enough to startle him slightly - he hadn't been expecting that at all. After a moment, he shrugs slightly, his expression fading back to neutral.]

I suppose I can hardly blame you for using every tool at your disposal.

[He certainly would, in her position. Actually, if you counted his connection to Luke, he had.]

[seekinganswers]

It's ... sort of what I did, while I was traveling. I guess I got in the habit of it. It was helpful for Felix to know what the others were thinking, and--...

[She paused. That gave her an idea...]

...if you want, I might be able to make it possible for you to know what others are thinking, too. I don't know for sure if it will work, but when I traveled with my friends, they could hear what others were thinking if they took my hand while I was reading someone's mind. It may have been because they were all Adepts like me, but... last time, you talked about Artes, which sound a lot like Psynergy.

You wouldn't be able to do it unless I was around, but it could help you get information you needed around here, maybe...

[She heard his last thought before her Psynergy shut down, and it made her blink.]

What connection to--... sorry. I was trying to stop reading your mind, but you thought that before I couldn't hear it anymore...

[bloodyashes]

Is that so? ...If nothing else, I suppose it would answer the question of how similar the two are.

[The last question... He looks away, and is silent for a moment. How to put it all into words...]

Luke is my replica - a perfect isofon who shares my frequency, in addition to being identical to me. Because of that, we're partially connected through our fon slots - [Sour face. He doesn't intend to open it all the way but he doesn't want to die the dreck is such a pain in his ass.] - which means that, at times, I can hear his thoughts. He's been here more than half a year, so it's through him that I've learned most of what I know about the Tower.

[seekinganswers]

If they're similar enough, it might even be possible for you to learn skills that are generally only usable by Adepts...

[Truth be told, she found the similarities and differences between Psynergy and Fonic Artes to be fascinating. It really made her wonder how many other similar ways of using magic there were.

She found the talk of replicas, isofons, and fon slots equally fascinating, though admittedly she wasn't quite as familiar with them as she was with Psynergy.]

That's... hm. I've never actually heard of anything like that before... it sounds like it could be really useful sometimes, but... really aggravating other times. I guess the two of you don't ... always get along?

[It sure didn't sound like it, from what she'd heard in his thoughts... lucky for him, she wasn't going to press the "dying" subject, because she'd already ceased reading his mind.]

[bloodyashes]

[He nods at her words.]

And for you to learn Fonic Artes, although probably not those involving the Seventh Fonon.

[And as for the rest - ]

Luke was created to be my replacement when I was kidnapped. Replicas are born without any memories of their own, so he grew up believing that he was me, because everyone around him thought he was. [Asch's voice grows resentful.] Even the name 'Luke' was originally mine.

[seekinganswers]

...

[Her expression was sympathetic as Asch talked about Luke. On some level, she knew he was only telling her about this because she'd heard the beginnings of it in his mind... and it was clearly something very personal. She made a mental note not to read his mind without permission in the future.

(Will that last? Probably not, but it's the thought that counts.)]

That's...

[She was sort of floundering for words, and it was obvious. But there's a little bit of indignation beneath the look of sympathy - they'd just tried to replace him? That's not how people should deal with kidnapping at all! They should have--]

They should have tried to get you back, not tried to replace you! I know it's not my place to say, and I don't know all the details, but...

[bloodyashes]

They thought they had. Only one person knew that Luke was a replica at that time, and given that Van was responsible for kidnapping me in the first place...

[How many times had Van claiming to be saving him? Asch looks down at his hands, fingers clenching in his gloves.]

Because he's such a perfect replica, even the people closest to Luke, even our parents had no idea there was a switch. And if he'd never left the manor the way Van intended, no one ever would have known. It was only after seeing us in the same place that people began to figure it out.

[seekinganswers]

[She opened herself to say something, thought better of it, and shut her mouth as she turned away, fuming.

It probably wouldn't be helpful to badmouth this "Van" person, but seriously? Just from the little she'd heard, he sounded like absolute scum. Asch's tale alone was bad enough, but coupled with his thoughts - well, his thoughts seemed a little different than most people's did. There was a pretty heavy amount of anger and denial in them that no amount of pokerfacing could hide.

And from the sound of it, all that stemmed from Van.]

I hope this ... Van person got what was coming to him. [Her fists were clenched. The time she'd spent journeying with Jenna hadn't done much to keep her from developing a bit of a temper.] Or that if he didn't, that he comes here and can experience even a fraction of the torment he put you through.

Anyone who'd do something like that is just... [She shook her head. She didn't even know the worst of it, but having been kidnapped twice, kidnapping is something she just can't forgive.] If anyone would deserve to be trapped here, it would be someone like that.

[bloodyashes]

[It did all stem from Van, which Asch was only really coming to grips with recently. After all, he'd grown up thinking Van was the only person who cared that he even existed...

His head falls forward slightly.]

Frankly, I would be happier to never see him again.

[It's a hard admission. He certainly doesn't want Van near Luke - that's easy to say. But for himself...]

His idea of salvation is twisted, and I will never be a party to it again.

[seekinganswers]

...

[She bit her lip. In all honesty, she was unsure of what she could say - this was clearly something that was difficult for him to talk about. And really, she was a stranger. That must have made it even harder for him to talk about it.

She needed to really make sure she didn't say something insensitive... like she just had, it seemed.]

You'll never have to be. Chances are he won't come here at all. But even if he does, he won't have power over you anymore. You've got friends here. [She'd seen that in his mind.] And you're your own person - a strong person. He'll never hurt you or anyone else again. No one here would allow it.

[bloodyashes]

[He's... not at all sure how to respond to that. No one's ever spoken those kinds of words to him before, and it's obvious on his face without the need for Mind Read.

After a moment, a wry expression crosses his face.]

I wonder what he'd think, this being a "world without the Score" like he dreamed of...

[The Tower is clearly far worse than Auldrant, and it doesn't seem that the other worlds people were drawn from were perfect, either. Asch can take some satisfaction, at least, in the proof that Van's ideal world wasn't so ideal.]

[seekinganswers]

Without the ... Score?

[She furrowed her brow. When she'd heard "score" before, it had always meant the amount of points someone had in something, or... something like that. She wasn't the most musically inclined person ever, and she wasn't familiar with how things work on Auldrant.]

This might sound like a silly question, but what is the Score?