[Open]

[swordofzero]

Characters: Suzaku and open
Setting: Floor 95 (ball pit), floor 48 (graveyard) and floor 96 (white room)
Format: I'll follow you
Summary: Suzaku has a new job yay for him. He then tries to deal with emotions and fails
Warnings: Angst, bodies, trauma, self destructiveness

[Floor 95] Suzaku had seen plenty of corpses before, caused a few of them to be dead in the first place... caused a lot of them to die...

It wasn't even the first time he had been put to work dragging dead bodies from where they fell, there had been that awful battle after all... the days after Narita had been long ones of dragging bodies from underneath the fallen mountain.

But this was different, the gaudy colourful balls that fell in waterfalls around him only made the job more grim, more crushing.

He had been a soldier so long, had killed so many people. He should be used to it now, but he still mourned each body he pulled up. He didn't even know if they were all residents of the tower or just bodies that had always been there.

He stood on the edge of the stair case and took a deep breath before diving in again.

[Floor 48] Suzaku usually avoided this floor, the rows of graves, empty but the effect on those left behind as painful as if each of them was occupied.

He found the one he was searching for quickly enough and stared at it. Minato Arisato He simply stood there for a moment before bending to place a bullet shattered pocket watch in the grass and flowers growing around it.

"I'm sorry. For everything."

He turned and left the floor, not looking back.

Floor 96 The first time he had been here he had found it strange, the fuzziness in his mind not fading until he was well away from the floor.

But he went back, because sometimes it was best to forget, to not have to replay Diarmuid's words back to him, forget how happy Rolo had looked in the future, forget everything.

He never stayed more than a few hours at first, but soon it got addictive.

Comments

[oathshackledbird]

[After dying because of how hard he had pushed himself and taking his roommate along for the ride, Diarmuid has forced himself to stay away from paroling the floors for a few days. Only today has he returned though he has already promised himself it will only be for a few hours---a few runs through the floors.

He is actually on his last pass when he sees Suzaku standing near the entry of floor 96. At first he wonders if the other doesn't know the floors dangers since it is one of those that looks safe at first, but once he gets closer he can tell by the look in Suzaku's eyes, he knows well the floor's dangers...

... and welcomes them. Considering what he knows about Suzaku he can't blame the boy for wanting the oblivion that forgetting brings, but after seeking that oblivion himself and finding out what a mistake it was, Diarmuid can't just stand by and watch Suzaku make the same mistake.

Diarmuid dashes in and quickly grabs for Suzaku's shoulders to pull him back and away from the floor's door.]

It's tempting, but you need to resist the temptation. Forgetting won't help you heal and without healing you can't move on.

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku lashed out when his shoulders were grabbed but his mind caught up and he realised who it was that had grabbed him. He forced himself still.] Diarmuid...

[He looks down at the words, because he was doing exactly what Diarmuid had told him not too. But it was tempting, tempting just to forget everything.

And he still hadn't convinced himself he deserved to heal.] I'm sorry.

[oathshackledbird]

[The blows are nothing to Diarmuid so he lets them fall until Suzaku calms himself. Only then does he release him.]

Don't be sorry. It's tempting and I once allowed myself the same weakness. It was a mistake, though, and I'm lucky that it's one that the end of the experiment reversed. I don't think you will have that same luck in this case. No one has reported permanent memory loss yet, but it is only a matter of time before it happens I'm guessing.

It's hurts, I know it does, but the pain is better than nothing at all. Believe me. The pain, at least, reminds you that you are still alive. Without it....

[He lets his voice trail off here hoping Suzaku will understand where he's going with that train of thought. He really doesn't want to have to talk about the empty thing he became during the experiment more than necessary.]

[Floor 48]

[tempus_scorpius]

Rolo... will just be huddled behind this tombstone over here, trying to hide behind it. Somehow... being surrounded by death is oddly comforting because that's what he is, isn't it, an 'angel of death'. That was what they've always called him and that is what he'll always be.

That 'future' the Tower he was shown him had to be fake. Nii-san would always be the most important to him. There was no way he would abandon him for someone else... No way... And his big brother loves him, his big brother isn't manipulating him. Those had to be lies. All of them!

[swordofzero]

Suzaku was just leaving the floor when he spotted Rolo and made his way over. He should have guessed that Rolo would not be okay following what had happened, should have sought him out earlier.

"Rolo?"

[tempus_scorpius]

Rolo just looked up at him silently with that rather creepy stare of his.

Floor 95

[keybearer]

[There's something a little jarring about seeing Suzaku so grim when colorful balls wait just beyond him. It's enough to grab Riku's attention, pulling him down from the stairs with a frown on his face.]

Something on your mind?

[swordofzero]

Riku... [Suzaku blinked at him, wondering which Riku it was.] Just working.

[keybearer]

Huh. What kinda job, exactly?

[Riku hasn't kept up to date on job offerings, really. Why would he even want to work at the tower?]

[floor 95]

[xanthous]

[Hey Suzaku, how's work going? Shouldn't be too hard, considering you've got a psychic alongside you and this floor hasn't disabled his powers.

He doesn't seem bothered by all the death, at all, but he has noticed the man is glum, but he can't figure why. Nothing seems apparent, and he sits on the staircase and gives his co-worker a contemplative look.]

Ith it normal for your kind to be tho gloomy?

[swordofzero]

[Another reason he disliked this new job. He had made the decision to avoid Psiioniic. Those who were friends with Suzaku tended to get hurt and Suzaku cared enough that if he could save this Psiioniic he would.

But now they were working together and avoiding him was impossible.]

It depends on the person and the situation. Humans deal with emotions in many different ways. [Suzaku answers it as an impersonal question on his species, it's easier that way.] Some humans are very cheery.

[xanthous]

[Why would you want to avoid someone with a face like this?]

Okay... But you're not a human like that, right? [He shrugs.] You theem more of the thad and broody type.

[If Suzaku honestly believes he can get out of this conversation by being impersonal, he has another thing coming.] Ith there a reathon for that lack of cheer?

dang you made it impossible to choose between 48 and 96 but let's go with 96

[notsogrimreaper]

[Ryoji still hadn't had a chance to explore the newer floors. He'd been pretty quiet as of late, apologizing to the people he hurt during the last experiment then mainly hiding out in his room. Eventually, though, that self-loathing got to be too much,and he head out for a little walk.

He wasn't sure who that was standing on the 96th floor, but Ryoji wasn't picky when it came to a distraction. He wandered inside, and immediately his own memories start drifting away. It's surprising, but not unwelcome. All this time Ryoji had been looking to forget, much as Suzaku had...

He offers Suzaku a dazed smile.]

Hi there.

:D I'm evil like that

[swordofzero]

[His memories might be blurring but this one hasn't gone yet and he blinked at the boy he hadn't seen in a long time.] Ryoji?

No worries, I enjoy evil.

[notsogrimreaper]

Hm? How do you know my name?

[That was his name, right? He was sure of it... Though now that he thinks of it, he can think of other names too. Pharos, Thanatos... which was his real name again?]

floor 95

[carrythesin]

[Kirika hung around the mesh net as she watched from the second level quietly. She watched the young man work and left him be for now. She observed his behavior as he dragged the bodies out, he wasn't used to it. As for Kirika, she has recalled too many. It was as if she breathed it every day.

When Suzaku had taken a break, Kirika dangled herself upside down with her legs securing the mesh. At least her presence was about to be known.]

Need help? [Her voice echoed from above, quiet and calm.]

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku looked up at the voice, a little startled. He hadn't realised anyone was there.] Do you work on this floor too?

[carrythesin]

[The girl shakes her head.] It's fine.

[And she'll just drop herself into the ball pit, rotating in the air as if she's landing on her feet before she hits it.]

Floor 95

[blackstarwitch]

(Also a pre-emptive sorry for stomping all over your serious mood.)

"OUT OF THE WAY, ZE!"

With a leaping jump, the witch throws herself into the ball pit, dangerously close to Suzako. With a heavy thud, she lands into the balls, sinking in deeply before surfacing with a grin.

In truth, she'd had no idea there could be anything like this before coming to the animus, but as soon as she'd seen the multicolored array, the purpose was clear: it's a danmaku pit, clearly for learning how to dodge better with these harmless projectiles. Obviously the thick plastic balls were meant to be thrown as mock bullets in elaborate displays of power.

She turns to Suzako, grinning widely and holding up a handful of balls.

"Oi, you here to practice too? Better get ready for a good barrage - I'm a champ at this!"

no apologies needed his mood needed stomping over

[swordofzero]

Suzaku jumped backwards as a figure threw herself down into the balls, there was a moment of worry before she surfaced. Since the job he held proved just how dangerous this floor could be.

"Practice?" He looked at her in confusion for a moment, not quite understanding what she meant.

Well have I got the witch for the job, then!

[blackstarwitch]

"Yeah, practice! Don't you want to learn how to dodge better, ze? How are you ever going to learn to dodge danmaku if you don't practice?"

She grins, tossing a ball up in the air and catching it lightly.

"Of course, if you're good, you can hit me back too, but you look like a newbie to me. I'd offer to teach ya some magic here and now, but I don't have the time, ze."

floor 95

[goldendays]

[A ball pit, ey? Sounds like a great place to chill for a thirteen year old.

He's sits down on the steps of the staircase, with his feet in the great big ocean of balls, lightly kicking a few here and there. Picking up a green ball, he tosses it to his yellow companion....who promptly smacks it back into the pit. Pretty soon it turns into a game and colorful balls are flying everywhere!

Wait, is that someone in there?]

Heeeeeeeeey!

[swordofzero]

[Suzaku blinked when he saw the boy and the... creature playing in the ball pit. He watched them play, quietly amazed that a child could still be so carefree whilst living here.]

Hello. [He keeps his voice soft, though he's not smiling.]

floor 48;

[moralitypet]

[ Admittedly, she liked it better when it involved floating candles instead of tombstones. Nunnally's never seen a grave up until she arrived at the tower (unless you count a destroyed battlefield), so the atmosphere was fascinating. There were so many destroyed memorials however as she leans down to pick up a moss-covered stone with a frown.

In doing so, she catches someone she longs to see (yet is frightened to) out of the corner of her eye. Straightening up in the chair, she'll raise her free hand to greet him with a wave. ]

[swordofzero]

[Floating candles were a lot less depressing yes. Rather than lines of empty graves.

He saw Nunnally and felt sharp relief, he knew she had returned but hadn't seen her yet. He moved over with a nod and knelt beside her chair.] Nunnally. Are you well?