towerofanimus | [.oo9] A Curious Future

Characters: Naminé (OU) and ~~victims~~ anyone.
Setting: All over the tower.
Format: Responder's choice.
Summary: Ten years in the Tower has changed a few things about Naminé - like her Stealth stat. Characters may find themselves with unexpected company.
Warning: Stalking, possible violence or discussion of past violence/abuse/kidnapping, magical ninjas.

[All over the Tower]

[There's someone behind you.]

[No, not really - she's probably not actually directly behind anyone. But there is someone lurking around, staying just out of sight and following characters on nearly silent footsteps. She's difficult to detect and quite persistent, but should one manage to catch sight of their unexpected companion, they'll see someone dressed all in white, a hood over their head. They're small-framed and it's hard to tell their age, but whoever they are, they're there and likely have been for a while.]

[Naminé's looking for information. Except asking directly doesn't seem to be her first choice of action at the moment; not when everything's all wrong and the tower is obviously up to something. So, she's taken to trailing after people, especially the ones who look familiar. Characters in just about any part of the tower may find themselves being followed.]

[Floor Forty-Eight]

[At first glance, it might look like there's a ghost in the graveyard. This is not actually the case; the 'ghost' in question is just someone hooded and dressed in white, moving among the graves as if searching for names.]

[Floor Twenty]

[That person in white who has been lurking around the tower appears to be taking a rest, seated near the edge of this floor. She's looking outward, but trying to sneak up on her may not be the best idea.]

[Floor Eleven]

[While not that long ago in reality, for her, it's been forever since that day that she spent practicing on this floor. ... She casts a brief spell in passing that leaves the nearest waterfall frozen in time for nostalgia's sake, taking only a moment to glance up at her handiwork before continuing on her way. The waterfall eventually returns to normal, but it takes a while.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... Trying to figure everything out.

[She hesitates; it's a bit awkward to say for a number of reasons, but--]

I wasn't certain how much about you was different.

I... suppose I'm what you remember?

[Eleanor shrugs.]

Though I'm not sure how much you've changed now.

I hoped you were.

[It's quiet, because hadn't been sure, and that had been frightening.]

I... suppose I've grown up. [And judging by that frown? She didn't have the easiest time of it.]

...I guess you did.

[She swallows hard.]

It wasn't easy, was it? In here.

[She pauses, eyes lowering slightly.]

[... She shakes her head.]

It didn't get any better.

[What can she say? The damage is clearly already done. Nonetheless:]

I'm sorry.

-- Please, Eleanor-- don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. None of this was your fault. You--... you tried.

[To keep her safe, that is.]

But it wasn't enough, was it?

[She sounds sad.]

You still got hurt.

[One of her hands comes to rest almost unconsciously on one of her own shoulders, like she's remembering something.]

... It was more than I could have ever asked for, and I'll always be grateful.

[But that's still a 'yes'.]

I'm sorry.

[Eleanor sounds genuinely upset about this.]

It's not fair at all, for you to get hurt.

[She falters, hearing that distress. Then, quickly,]

It's okay...! I'm-- stronger for it.

[... Not that she'd need that strength if she didn't live in a horrortower, but that's not something worth pointing out at the moment, as far as her goals are concerned.]

I suppose you'd be.

[There's a loud sigh.]

But it's not the way I'd have like you to gain strength.

... It's not the way I wanted, either. But-- I've survived this long, and I'll keep surviving. So-- you don't need to worry.

...Either way, I'll worry, because I care about you.

[Eleanor shakes her head.]

Still, I'm glad to know you've grown so strong, even if the means aren't ideal.

[She breathes out a sigh of her own, head lowering slightly.]

... And because you're good to me.

[For which she is very grateful, even ten years older.]

Thank you. [(It feels a little like being told Eleanor is proud of her, but she forces herself away from such thoughts.)]

I don't know why anyone would choose not to be, Naminé.

[You're a good girl and you deserve good things. This is something Eleanor knows for certain.]

[The woman falters, hands clenching slightly because she cannot help but think of those that did choose not to.]

... Not everyone is as kind as you, Eleanor.

...yeah, well. They could stand to be taught otherwise.

[And she'd gladly teach them! If she had the chance.]

[A pause, then a flicker of a smile.]

If only it were that simple.

It never is, is it?

[Eleanor shakes her head.]

Nonetheless, I am here if you need it, to the best of my ability.

No. It isn't.

[Or at least, that's how it's always seemed to her.]

... Thank you. You're still too good to me.

Nonsense, I merely treat you as you deserve.

[She shrugs a little.]

Say, you've been exploring, then?

[As she deserves? Even now, after all this time, it's a strange thought, and it's bittersweet in the way it warms her smile.]

-- Yes, I have been. Things are... different.

I haven't noticed anything different about the Tower, itself... so perhaps it is only the people.

[Eleanor doesn't sound all that thrilled about that. A thought occurs to her, though.]

...I wonder. If you're from the future, I don't suppose you have things from your time with you.

[She shakes her head.] But it's not as I remember it. [So that would imply that she was the one who changed - even if it definitely didn't feel that way.]

Only what I was wearing. [Somewhere between reflex and illustration, her fingers take gentle hold of the coat she has on.]

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