towerofanimus | So, about these time paradoxes...

Characters: Ishimaru [replies from

eyebrowsareforever] and You
Setting: Various places in the tower
Format: Your pick!
Summary: It's been ten years for Ishimaru, and he's mellowed out a little. The tower's obviously worn him down, but he keeps on trucking! And with all these new arrivals coming in, he figures he should help them settle in. If only he could find those informational pamphlets he wrote up years ago...
(Feel free to establish some kind of pre-existing TYL relationship!)
Warnings: Depends on who shows up.

[Libraries and Study Room]

[The reference books might be a little less popular than the ones on the third floor, but Ishimaru himself has always preferred them. Even after 'graduating' (or the closest thing he could get to it here), he never really broke the habit of sitting and studying for what could often be hours at a time. That's not what he's after today, though! With all the new arrivals in the Tower, he's going to need to bust out the little booklets he made up long ago just in case people started showing up again. Ha! Good thing he thought ahead.

But the only trouble is... where are they? He could have sworn he'd placed them on a very specific shelf here. Did someone take them out and put them back in the wrong place? Did the Administrators take them away? Did someone decide to use them as kindling on a colder month?

Whatever, he's going to do a thorough search of each and every shelf.

This search continues in the study room a floor down, ending in the other library. The longer he's at it the more visibly frustrated he is, frowning and clenching his teeth and all, but he does not give up until he's looked everywhere. He's very likely to ask anyone in his path if they've seen the books, too.]

[Cafeteria]

[He can't believe he wasted a few hours trying to find something that isn't even there. By this point he's realized that something weird is going on with the Tower again, and doesn't think it's worth it working on new booklets just yet. If there's no change by the end of the month, he'll do it, but for now he'll settle on individual explanations. Of course, most of the other long-term residents have probably taken care of most of it.

Not only is he feeling a little useless after his failed search, he's hungry, so it's off to the cafeteria. It's halfway through the month, and that's always about the time he gets tired of eating the same things all the time, but he knows better than to risk the restaurant. At least it's not those bars again.

But as hungry as he is, it's so hard to force anything down. He doesn't give up, though! Maybe he should try out this hunting business later.]

[Swimming Pool]

[Hunting's going to have to wait until tomorrow, though. It's getting late in the day and he'd love to get some kind of exercise in that doesn't involve hacking monsters to bits. So! It's time for a leisurely swim!

Except "leisurely" means "doing laps as fast and splashily as possible." Some things haven't changed at all in the last decade.]

[Elsewhere]

[So maybe you encounter him on a different day, in another place. He could be anywhere from his dorm/the surrounding hallways, watching movies in the media room (he's become That Guy who tries to memorize and speak along with the entire script), clearing monsters from around the stairways on the more dangerous floors, or... wherever, really.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

At the name and description, Tohko paused for a moment. So..that had been what was wrong with the other boy and why he spoke of all those murders so cheerfully, as if they were nothing.

"Actually..I've met the other one, the one in the half-black uniform before. He did seem a little..off. But don't worry. I won't get you guys mixed up. I'll be alright. I'll remember."

She'd already met him... Well, at least that saved her from any potential confusion in the future. Her future. His past. Something. He wasn't even going to think about how that worked right now.

"He'll turn out to be more than just a little off."

Yeah. This Ishimaru was one to talk about being a little off. At least his was a harmless kind of weirdness.

"I just hope the me you tell believes you."

Tohko sighed and scratched her head.

"Hopefully you will..but if you don't believe me, I can always tell you how happily he talked about the other students deaths in your universe."

"He told you something like that?!"

"Yes..I'm sorry to hear about your universe. It sounded like a pretty cruel and terrible place. He sounded quite chipper about it though..and he spoke fondly of you."

"The world itself wasn't that bad. But what happened in that school... That was his doing!" In one timeline it was, anyway. He turned his head, exhaling softly. "...He couldn't have spoken fondly of me. Somebody that he thinks I am, but not me."

Hearing it still felt like it drove a spike through his chest.

At that, Tohko sighed. So, that was why that boy sounded so..chipper about it. He had been the one instigating all those killings.

"I see..why did he start something like that? To build a better future?"

He had spoken of something like that when they met, after all.

"I see..so he's got your identity confused with someone else."

Normally, Tohko would have tried to give a headpat, but since this guy was too tall, she settled for one one his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to hear that..that must have been horrible."

"How... How could doing something like that build a better future?" He stared at her, completely dumbfounded. What did that bastard tell her for that to be her conclusion?

He looked to the hand on his shoulder, and after a moment of hesitation, awkwardly patted it. "It's... in the past. The important thing here is to make sure that past doesn't repeat itself."

Tohko sighed. "I don't know. That's what he told me the goal was, for him anyway. I don't like it or understand it any more than you do."

Even Wilhelm made more sense than that. At the pat and the words, Tohko nodded. "Exactly. Otherwise, we just end up making the same mistakes over and over again. I know that."

He knew that once his younger self found out, he'd no doubt question the other Ishimaru's reasoning behind everything. Even though this older Ishimaru knew there was no point in demanding answers, that it didn't justify anything... he was curious.

For now he just shook his head.

"That's right. In most cases, those mistakes are a good learning experience... But now it's time to put what I have learned to good use and stop him. So... thank you. When you tell me, I might be too stubborn to believe it at first, but I know I'll be grateful in the end."

In response, Tohko sighed, smiled, and nodded.

"You're welcome. I'm always happy to help out..and don't worry. I'm a little stubborn myself, so I'll probably keep at you until you believe me."

He had to laugh a little at that.

"That's the spirit! I'd better appreciate that kind of determination. ...Hey, even if I might not remember it, what is your name?"

Tohko couldn't help but laugh in return at what he said.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that! Some people don't seem to like it that much sometimes..and I'm Tohko Amano, the book girl! However, if you end up forgetting me after this event, I'll just remind you of that too, alright?"

"It's nice to meet you . . . Amano-kun." The hesitation was only brought on because while he might normally address a much younger girl informally these days, he knew that the boy he used to be would definitely not. So he might as well address her the same way his younger self would later on.

"Whenever this is over... I hope we'll end up getting along well. That's probably a strange thing to say, but I mean it."

Not that Tohko would mind. She had already heard it before and was used to it.

"It's nice to meet you too, Kiyotaka! And that doesn't sound like a strange thing to say. I'm sure we'll get along all right when this is over..assuming you don't remember me."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough... And if this doesn't end? Let's do it anyway."

And that just made Tohko's grin grow.

"Sure!~ I'd be more than happy to get along with you and be your friend, no matter what happens with this event!"

"It's a promise, then."

Ishimaru took promises seriously, both then and now. AND SO BEGAN (sort of) THEIR FRIENDSHIP...

So did Tohko, to be honest.

"That it is! I'm going to hold you to this one, no matter what!"

And so began a glorious and semi-rocky friendship!~

So, about these time paradoxes...

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