Ad Visitatores

[animusmods]

Characters: anyone participating in the event
Setting: floor 56 and eventually other areas of the Tower
Format: either
Summary: Welcome to the Tower.
Warnings: horror/creepiness/potential danger/generally unfortunate things all possible
Notes: PLEASE GO HERE TO MAKE NEW POSTS.

A few minutes before anything happens, Ruana's voice rings out over the Tower's intercom--it manages to be louder than anything the residents happen to be doing. "Hey, everyone, there's something exciting going on at floor fifty-six! Go make sure they don't get themselves killed!"


You arrive, stepping or tumbling, in a surgical suite. It looks abandoned, with dust collecting on the table and floors. The lights flicker, and for a moment blood dripping off the table, puddling on the floor--but no, the lights are back, and surely that was your imagination. It's quiet, eerily so, but nothing hinders you, and you're free to spread out and explore. There are multiple rooms here, like in any hospital, and it's all a bit confusing. Occasionally the lights flicker, and it's a bit frightening as Things appear that shouldn't exist. Shadowy creatures stitched together and reaching for you, doctors brandishing phantom surgical tools, blood splattering the walls or floor or ceiling, how did it get there--but none are real, and all of them vanish when the lights return. Eventually you find the staircase, spiraling up and down into darkness. Approach it, though, and the thing glitters with a barrier that will push back any attempts at climbing the thing.

A girl, a teenager dressed in red and black, appears. And she does simply appear, inserting herself into the space, nearly pushing it aside to make room in it for where she is now. Her face beams with unconcealed excitement, and her words tumble out on top of themselves. "You can't go there! Yet, I mean. You'd all die!"

The girl steps onto the staircase, passing through the barrier as if it weren't there, and sits on the steps to address everyone. "Hi! I'm Ruana. You didn't show up the normal way, so the Tower can't support you yet. We got this one floor ready when I saw you were coming but, well, the Tower's kind've big, so getting all of them set up is taking a little longer than I thought." She smiles, sheepishly apologetic in a carefree sort of way. "I've got everyone coming here to visit you--or at least they know they can visit you--and I'll have someone bring food up for you. It'll be oatmeal, and oatmeal is super boring, but you have to eat it, okay? Then you can have whatever you want! The cafeteria's down on the first floor if you get hungry. We should have everything ready in a few hours. I've gotta go help with that, so you guys wait here.

"Don't worry, the monsters can't get to this floor as long as that barrier is up."

And then she's gone, blinking out of existence. The barrier will remain for three hours.

Comments

[sageprincess]

[YOU GOT THE THIIIIIING]

Link... [He must have felt it too... She tries a smile, trying to be reassuring.] It is all right. We will learn what we are meant to do here and then we shall return to Hinoto-ri.

[Definitely not something she ever thought she would say, but... this place just continues to unnerve her. Even Hinoto-ri is better than this.]

[nofairy]

[He nods, and sits near her. He'll just be here and be protective.]

This place is even stranger than that one...

[sageprincess]

[Oh, Link, what is she ever going to do with you...]

It is... and we have only seen a small part of it. That girl mentioned that this place is "big."

[nofairy]

[Keep him?]

It reminds me of the temples, kind of...

[sageprincess]

[Weeell, since it doesn't seem like either of them will be going back to Hyrule any time soon...]

"Tower" does imply an enclosed space of sorts... and she also mentioned that there are monsters here as well.

[A sigh.]

You may not be too far off, there.

[nofairy]

... I'll keep you safe from them, Princess.

[All of them. Ganondorf included.]

[sageprincess]

[And there's that reassuring smile again.]

Ah, you recall what we promised, correct? That sentiment does not go only one way. I am not entirely defenseless, you realize.

[Of course there are the things she learned while hiding from the Evil King himself, but she now has a few new tricks up her silk sleeves. Which she will display by pressing that golden evoker of hers to her forehead, summoning a familiar little character.]

See?

[Just nevermind the fact that she's still better fit in a supporting role.]

[nofairy]

I know.

[He smiles at the keaton, though. He's never seen one in person, but he's seen the mask at least.]

I just want to do what I can to help.

[And maybe... maybe they can be friends. They sort of are, but... there's still a distance between them he can't name.]

[sageprincess]

[The keaton giggles - yes, giggles, and like a bell, no less - and makes to brush up against Link's leg before Zelda decides, no, that's enough, and dismisses it.

Ahem.]

You have a good heart, Link. ... I just want you to know that you have already done more than enough for me.

[More than someone like her deserves, she thinks. He just... shouldn't have to fight anymore...]

[nofairy]

[Aw. He's cute. But Link shakes his head a little.]

It's only doing what's right. Someone has to do it. And you asked me to. The Great Deku Tree asked me to. Everyone asked me to.

[sageprincess]

That is exactly it! No one is asking you to anymore.

[She insists, perhaps a little too quickly. Averting her eyes, she frowns at her lap, her hands clenched into fists.]

You are free to do as you wish...

[And if that means not being around her, well... so be it.]

[nofairy]

[... He reaches out and puts a hand on her shoulder.]

I know. But I like helping people.

[Even if he can't figure out his own feelings... that's one that he does know.]

[sageprincess]

[Unused to physical contact, she tenses instinctively. It's not Link's fault, of course (it's never his fault), but this kind of talk churns up more than a few complicated feelings - ones that she would rather not deal with.

So she changes the topic.]

Then... we should begin figuring out what we are meant to do here.

[When in doubt, just Don't Talk About It.]

[nofairy]

Yeah. We should. I'll go and try to talk to some people. Just let me know if you need my help.

[He smiles, and starts to walk away.]