[.o1o] A Long Day

[lethechained]

Characters: Naminé [OU] and OPEN.
Format: Either.
Summary: Today seems to be a day of discoveries.
Warnings: Memories/consideration of past abuse/kidnapping etc.


[Floor 100]

[It's bittersweet, seeing Destiny Islands 'in person' for the first time. It isn't a memory, this time, but it's not real, either. Standing in what passes for sand on the small island with the bent tree looking out over the water, she cannot help but frown. She'd wanted to see this place for such a long time, but... not like this.]


[Floor 80]

[Blinking in the bright lights, Naminé is at first quite disoriented by this floor. It's very bright and colorful and perhaps in any other place she'd be thrilled by that, except this is the Tower, after all, and thus she is immediately on her guard. But that diminishes slowly over time as she lingers, having a long look around with more than a little interest. It's only her caution that keeps her from straying too close to anyone, including the clowns, but one can't always keep an eye on everyone, now can they?]


[Floor 78]

[The newly opened package hits the ground, the contents bouncing out and landing with a clatter. Naminé looks down at it for only a moment before reflexively stooping to put the tiny bird cage back in its place, her fingers leaving it as quickly as possible and then pushing the package back against the doors of the boxes nearest the floor, a hand moving to press over her mouth. She'd been startled enough to have received a package so suddenly in the first place. She'd just had to open it, hadn't she? Perhaps holding it so delicately, caution still present, had been what made her lose her grip of it in her surprise at the contents. Either way, now she frowns down at it, hesitating as though she's uncertain what to do with this development - because she is.]


[Floor 51]

[There's a blonde young lady leaning over one of the sewing machines, peering at it curiously. She inspects it thoroughly, at first only by sight but slowly moving on to messing with the buttons and, after a while, the pedal - which seems to startle her at first, but she soldiers through it. It's obvious that she hasn't the faintest idea how to use such a thing, but she seems to have taken an interest in it nevertheless.]

Comments

[lethechained]

--! [The fall startles and concerns her, but she seems to relax when the other girl doesn't appear to have sustained any visible damage. At least this way Naminé is catching up--]

Are you okay?

[terreifying]

Mm, I'm okay!

[She jumps to her feet.]

But I guess I should watch my footing more now.

[lethechained]

[Phew. Maybe not jumping up on the stairs would be safer--]

That might be for the best, yes. [Here, have a smile.]

[terreifying]

[She finally turns and starts walking up the stairs the right way.]

Have you ever taken any falls on these stairs? Bad or otherwise?

[lethechained]

Mm-- only a small one. I've... been very careful since then.

[terreifying]

[She nods.]

That's good. It would be horrible if anyone got hurt falling on the stairs. Especially if they're trying to escape the dangerous floors.

[lethechained]

Yes...! And that's when you're the most likely to. [She shakes her head.] Maybe that's why the elevator is the way it is. So we have to take the stairs. [To dangerous places.]

[terreifying]

[She frowns.]

They really do think of us as dolls. Like they're playing some sort of action-adventure game with us.

[Now she has some sympathy for video game characters who need to climb stairs to every level.]

[lethechained]

[Naminé probably should have already--]

Dolls... and test subjects. They may as well be the same thing, here.

[And she cannot help but think of those who were both already, but she figures she shouldn't dwell on it.]

[terreifying]

[She sighs and sticks out her lips in a pout.]

I don't like being a doll.

...But maybe an action figure would be okay. As long as I get blaring lights and badass lines.

[lethechained]

[She finds herself smiling, though only a little bit.]

I guess there's that, but... either way, aren't you still someone else's plaything?

[terreifying]

If they treat me likely, I'll be a play partner, not a plaything.

[lethechained]

... That's a pretty big 'if'. [And any trace of a smile is gone. Oh well.] They've never seemed interested in 'playing nice'.

[terreifying]

Their games are really rough.

[She had enjoyed the Halloween game, but it's obvious others hadn't.]

[lethechained]

They are. They... really don't seem to mind killing us when it suits them.

[terreifying]

And every time, we just come back...

[She's not sure if this is good or bad.]

[lethechained]

Mm. We can't even escape that way. Not that I'd want to... but it says something about how much power they really have.

[terreifying]

I'm almost curious about how they do it. You can come back even when everything that composes you is destroyed.

[She had come back when her core, in a way, her soul and her true self, had been destroyed.]

[lethechained]

It is strange. ... If it seemed like them, I might say they used magic. Maybe they do, but-- it seems more like they'd favor science. [Though in some worlds that may as well be the same thing--]

[terreifying]

Sufficiently advanced science is magic!

[lethechained]

[She gives a very shallow shrug.]

Maybe so. I'm not sure how it is for all of the worlds out there, let alone this one.

[terreifying]

Well, the methods might change, but the principle of the matter should be the same. As long as you can explain it, it's science, and as long as it makes miracles, it's magic!

[lethechained]

That does seem like a way to describe it. [And definitely worth considering, for someone like her.] So is there magic in your world, then?

[terreifying]

Of the science type. We can pierce the heavens and even bridge different worlds with it.

[lethechained]

[She blinks, straightening slightly.] Really? Can anyone just-- go to whatever world they please, or is it only for certain people?