(no subject)

[nonacquiescent]

Characters: Waver Velvet and open
Setting: Floors 14, 45, 19 and 43 or anywhere else
Format: Starting with action but I can match
Summary: Waver's been in the tower for twenty years and become a grumpy bum. Replies will come from achillean
Warnings: Nothing really, I don't think.


Floor 14
[Is there really someone sitting in front of a tv with a Playstation controller in hand...in boxers and an undershirt? Yup, there sure is. And that person is Waver. Poor posture and everything. Although it might be hard to some to recognise him as Waver Velvet at first, as he's aged twenty years. His hair grown out past his waist, and being nearly a foot taller are the major points. Care to join? Sure you do.]


Floor 45
[Waver stands at the windows, looking out to the clouds as he thinks. The faceless creatures occasionally watch him, but he pays it no mind, and even chuckles to himself in thinking of his first day in the tower and how afraid he had been. Looking down at what little of the world below he can see through the clouds is a good way to problem-solve, or work out a plan for his next lesson, letting his mind wander. Today, though, he's thinking about what his life could have been outside the tower. Remaining with Rider and those he had met in the Tower of Animus certainly did him good, but if it all had never happened, where would he be? There's no use in wishing for that, or to go home, he's seen the ruins of his world firsthand now. But the thought is an interesting one nonetheless, and something difficult to turn away from. Especially when he's now spent longer in the tower than he'd spent at home.]


Floor 19
[An average day for Waver has always involved plenty of reading. Finding very few other spots in which he can concentrate without being bothered by the tower, or people in the tower, he sits in the library with a magic text of his own. He jots down notes in a notebook as he goes. There are enough magi in the tower to bounce his ideas off of from time to time, as he still strongly believes study can create a great magus. These days it's all a matter of getting any new books from home. Luckily he's received a few at Christmas from the administrators, and has several others piled up on the table. Although a nearly tattered copy of The Iliad sits among them. He's also lighted a cigar and sits with it in his mouth almost the entire time, with no regard for the fact that a library probably isn't the best place to be smoking.]


Floor 43
[In the evening, Waver takes a plate of food up to the cells, as he thinks Ryuunosuke has been locked in one for some time, and can't allow him to starve in there and end up free again. He carries it nonchalantly through the tower, taking the elevator to floor 41 and walking the rest of the way. But when he gets there, and sees the cells all empty, the doors simply hanging open, he drops the plate, sending it crashing to the ground.]

Shit--

[Had someone let Ryuunosuke out? He has to find him right away, before he can hurt anyone, any of the children he tutors.

He can be found all around the tower, desperately looking for the one he should be watching, and cursing under his breath the whole time.]

Comments

Ahaha, I figured

[achillean]

If you think you've become a mindreader, sorry to say you're wrong. I wasn't 'pondering escape'. I've seen our world, it would be ridiculous to go back.

Fighting isn't exactly my style. I would have thought you knew that by now. I'll do what I have to, but not for fun.

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer laughs and shakes his head.]

No, mindreading isn't one of my powers, but if you aren't pondering escape, then what are you pondering? What is so important that you spend so much time doing it?

[He pauses a moment, eyes narrowing.]

Tell me it's not your stupid games that you are thinking so much about? If they don't involve fighting, then what good are they? What could possibly be so interesting about them? So fun about them?

[achillean]

It's not like I think about the same thing every time I do it. People tend to think on a variety of subjects. Most of those games involve fighting, but it's fictional, no one is really dying, and the fun of it is the strategy, and showing off your skill. You can't pick up one of those games and suddenly be good at it, it requires the player's intellectual strength, not brute strength.

[Now that he thinks about it, that was probably exactly the reason he ended up liking them so much, that it took time and practice. He could be great through study, no one could come in and beat him out of dumb luck, heritage or social standing.]

[oathshackledbird]

Ah...I should have guessed it would be something like that considering it's you we're talking about.

[Lancer sighs and turns to look out the windows. When one of the faces passes too close to his own, he fights back the urge to tap on the glass to see if it will scuttle away like a fish in a tank would.

In all honesty, he's a little jealous that the man has something that still brings him such joy and excitement. Lancer hasn't had anything that made him truly feel that way in a very long time. Sure, sometimes things grab his attention for a few hours, but they are nothing like Waver's attraction to games is.

The jealousy makes him uneasy so he does as he always does and pushes it away.]

Just watch yourself. If they find out you enjoy them too much, they might find away to take them away permanently. You know how they are in this place.

[achillean]

My reputation precedes me, eh?

[He grins. It's not like he minds much.]

You're right about that, but it won't be the end of the world if they do. They've done a good job so far in letting me have books on magecraft. It's only one hobby.

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer tilts his head to the side so he can look at the other man out of the corner of his eye.]

I've known you for over a thousand years. I think I should know your reputation by now. It's just your fashion sense I can't figure out.

[The joke is a weak one, but he's still feeling a little unbalanced after that rush of jealousy and is looking for a distraction.

It must be nice to have so many interests that you don't have to worry about losing one.]

[achillean]

A thousand?

[Waver raises an eyebrow. That's quite the exaggeration.]

I wouldn't expect someone who wears bodytights to understand the appeal of a suit.

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer picks at the strap of his black halter top and then glances down at his pants. They might still have been body hugging, but they were a fair bit better than his armor had been.]

It was armor, though why it manifested as it did, I will never understand. This is at least a little better, no?

And yes, I said a thousand years. Do you question my ability to tell time now? Though, I have been meaning to ask one of you who should have been long dead if you have any idea how they are doing it. Keeping you alive, I mean. Have they just slowed or stopped your aging? I know you have grown, but others have not.

[achillean]

Looks like you're going senile, I've been here twenty years now, certainly not a thousand.

[He waves a hand at the clothing comment.]

It's better. But normal people wear this these days.

[And he indicates his own clothing. He definitely doesn't care about fashion, but really, are you going to insult Waver Velvet over anything, Lancer? Then prepare to never hear the end of it.]

[oathshackledbird]

And here I was about to warn you of the same. I have certainly been in this place for longer than 20 years. Perhaps whatever they are doing to keep you alive is messing with your memories.

[A smirk crosses Lancer's face and he reaches out to again flip a lock of the other man's hair.]

If you want to be specific, it wasn't your clothes I was questioning the taste of so much as your hair. What man wears their hair at such length? Are you compensating for being short for so long? Is that it?

[achillean]

I doubt it, I would notice something like that.

[Or he'd like to think, at least.]

Plenty do. The typical image of a mage is a man with long hair, I'm just living up to expectation.

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer laughs.]

Listen to yourself. You sound as if you think you are as strong and smart as they are. You know very well if they don't want you to notice or know something, you don't.

[He takes a few angry steps away from Waver before turning back and asking in a mocking voice.]

So tell me, if you are such a great and powerful magus now with your pretty hair and fancy clothes, why the hell are you still trapped here with the rest of us lowly peasants? Even if our world is gone, surely there is another you could have gone to instead of remaining in this place.

[And if that isn't an insult meant to put Waver on the same level as a certain other magus that neither of them have good memories of, it is pretty damn close.]

[achillean]

If I thought that, I would be making an attempt at escape. But by that same statement, you can't deny they could have led you to believe more years have passed.

[He sticks his hands in his pockets and sighs. This Lancer is difficult to deal with...]

You put words in my mouth. And, if you mean to compare me to Kayneth, we're nothing alike. Even if I could escape, I don't think I would want to, assuming I could save only myself.

He's trying so hard to piss Waver off... X.x

[oathshackledbird]

While I have no doubt that they could, why would they go to the effort of giving me thousands of years worth of memories when they could just give me 20 like they gave you? That makes no sense and would most likely be a waste of resources they could easily use elsewhere.

[He scoffs at the other man.]

You say that to make yourself feel better, but I have the feeling it's not true. All of you mages are alike. You think you know it all and you are always right. Even now you insist that I am the one who must be wrong and not you. It makes me sick! You are just like him. He would be so proud.

sorry that was easier to do '20 years ago'...

[achillean]

Do you remember every day of that thousand years? It's not terribly difficult. If it was true I have been here a thousand years, they would have had to take away those memories as well, the amount of effort required is right around even.

I'm only saying the possibility is there. You're just as set on believing yourself to be right, and you're no magus. What human doesn't want to be right? I'll never be the same sort of man Kayneth was, his faults were much greater than human nature.

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer pauses. No, he doesn't remember every day, but he has always assumed that is because of the pain so many of his memories bring him.

Could there actually be another reason?]

Perhaps you...are right. I don't remember everything, though I had blamed that on other things. Maybe that is what they wanted me to do. I wouldn't put a distraction like that passed them. Though, they maybe using a similar tactic to distract you as well. For all we know, the actual amount of time that has passed in somewhere in between what we both think is right.

[achillean]

I don't deny that. Personally, I don't believe it to be true, but I can't deny some possibility. The point is, anything is just as likely. The administrators can do as they please, especially with us. But I don't need to tell you that.

[oathshackledbird]

No, you don't.

[Lancer takes a deep breath and looks back out the window, his gaze unfocused. After a few moments of silence, he speaks with a soft voice.]

Sorry, comparing you to Kayneth was out of line. I had no right to say it. It seems I'm having a harder and harder time properly directing my anger as time goes by.