warriorscribe: (Quiet pause)
Enoch ([personal profile] warriorscribe) wrote in [community profile] towerofanimus2013-02-07 12:49 am

Only a shadow of what it seems (backdated to the 6th)

Characters: Enoch and anyone
Setting: Floor 48, backdated to the 6th
Format: Doesn't matter!
Summary: Enoch has a new job! While he wouldn't necessarily mind being given something productive to do, this doesn't exactly count as productive considering they aren't real graves...
Warnings: Grieving I guess? Mention of a child's death.

He cut an eerie figure, himself, dirty brown cloak wrapped around him with the hood pulled all the way up. Only the duster in his hand marked him as working here, and only the gleam of white armor occasionally visible as he walked hinted at his identity, with his head constantly bowed. There were few flowers that survived the snowfall, so the watering can hadn't been necessary.

Enoch didn't like this floor. Each and every grave marker represented someone completely isolated from other people, all alone with nothing but the ruins of their world to call home. Perhaps some could starve to death; that one young man had said he foraged for food. Perhaps they would find release. But to die that way...

Oh, he didn't want to be here. He was actually somewhat glad the tower had doubled in size, taking it away from the dorms. But he'd received a letter in the morning telling him he was now in charge of maintaining it. And as much as it may hurt him, he knew disobeying would probably bring consequences.

Even though it wasn't the same at all. Even though it wasn't maintaining a peaceful rest. Even though reading names he remembered and seeing flashes of distraught faces in his mind's eye was worse than any instance of realizing they're dead now ever was on Earth...

...okay maybe he didn't want to do this. He fell to his knees at the grave that read Ryotaro Dojima - his first roommate here, someone who, like him, dearly wished for the presence of a loved one. Did he grieve over his daughter's little corpse even while she was right here in the tower he had just left? His eyes stung with tears - he'd only been gone a week. He hadn't seen Dojima in months. Was the man even sane anymore?

Wrapping his arms tight across his stomach, he forced himself to his feet and moved on, cleaning the newest rows of graves and again collapsing at the pain of considering each person here, trapped and all alone... Even if he didn't know who they were.

But he had finished the first day of his job, so he could afford to sit here on his knees and quietly weep, shaking with the pain of reopened wounds.
ghostytrainer: (could you repeat that?)

[personal profile] ghostytrainer 2013-02-11 10:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm still not sure I follow. Aren't these graves just here to mess with us?

[He saw his own name and Rose so he can only assume...you know, considering they aren't dead.]
ghostytrainer: (you're not so bad yourself.)

[personal profile] ghostytrainer 2013-02-13 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh. I hadn't realized... [He straightens up so that he can give a glance all around the floor.]

Somehow, that information makes the number of graves there are seem even bigger. [A bet as John lowers himself to take a seat on the ground next to Enoch.] But, you know...they might not actually be alone.
ghostytrainer: (smile for the camera!)

[personal profile] ghostytrainer 2013-02-14 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
What makes you so sure of that now?

[He's speaking partially out of that special brand of John optimism but partially out of a new set of facts he's gained regarding their homeworlds. He's 100% convinced that the admins are lying to them about their worlds being destroyed.]
ghostytrainer: (well you see i made myself in a lab.)

[personal profile] ghostytrainer 2013-02-15 09:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh right. I keep forgetting that can happen. Kidou mentioned it to me once but anyway, can you really be sure that what you saw was true? With all the other sci-fi nonsense here it easily could have been some kind of illusion. You know, like being hooked up to a pod or something.