towerofanimus | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Characters: Signless & Ψiioniic, and if any of their roommates would like to be present or anyone else would like to drop in on them, feel free!
Setting: 2-8, backdated to shortly after this thread, so just after the Condesce arrives but before Dualscar does.
Format: Narrative please
Summary: After killing himself, the Signless & the Condesce, Ψiioniic wakes in their room.
Warnings: graphic imagery and slave issues, most likely

Ψiioniic woke in the grasp of the same sleep paralysis he'd experienced on first coming to the tower. He couldn't move or open his eyes, but his brain was working at full speed.

Since he'd never expected to wake again, this was disconcerting and somewhat terrifying. The last thing he remembered was sacrificing himself to try to stop the fight between Signless and the Condesce - and to prevent the Condesce from ordering him to kill Signless.

Why was he alive? Where was he? Who had won the battle?

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Signless hesitated at the knock, then disentangled himself a little before calling out. "Come in!" He didn't leave Psiioniic, but if this was the Condesce, here to take Psiioniic back, he had his hands free to use his sickles.

Ψiioniic went rigid at the knock, of course. He could only assume that the Condesce had woken up at about the same time they had, and it had been just long enough for her to make her way from her room to theirs.

She was not going to be happy with him.

The pause went unnoticed; she rarely knocked on other peoples' doors, after all. Honestly, she found herself slightly uncomfortable being the one to open someone else's door, but that was what she did, just enough to carefully peek her head in as if to make sure that that was really what he'd meant by 'come in'.

Signless felt Psiioniic go rigid against him and shifted a little further as the door began to open. But as he saw the pale girl peeking in, he relaxed. "Oh hey, Namine, right? It's okay, Psi. You've met her before, right?"

"N-namine?" Ψiioniic turned his head enough to see the little human girl, and relaxed against Signless. He even managed to smile at her. "Oh, hey. Thorry, I thought you'd be... someone else. You don't have to hide in the doorway, come in."

Her eyes found Signless first to nod when he asked if he'd gotten her name right, then quickly thereafter Ψiioniic when he said her name. Surprise appeared in her expression first, and it quickly proved to be the good kind of surprise as it was followed by a bright, relieved smile. "Ψiioniic...! So he did find you." As told, she stepped around the door and into the room. "I'm glad to see you're both okay." And it was obvious that she meant it. The next question was automatic but perhaps not the most pleasant one to answer. "What happened?"

Signless settled back, letting Psiioniic rest against him once more if he wanted. He didn't know this human too well, but he wasn't worried about her. She was pretty sweet, and didn't seem like the kind of person to be pretending.

"Like I expected," Signless growled. "Someone was keeping him prisoner. But we got out... even if it wasn't the best possible way."

"Yeah, remember when I thaid this place was just about perfect for me as long as the Condesce didn't show up?" Ψiioniic said, sighing. "Well, she showed up. SS had to kill her, and... I think maybe we both died ath well. I'm not really sure just what happened."

He let himself rest against Signless, but in a way that let him pretty much sit to face Namine, so she wouldn't feel like they were ignoring her by cuddling. After just deciding to be moirails, he didn't really want to let go of Signless just yet, but he didn't want to leave Namine out, either. She was so much like him in so many ways, and he knew he'd have felt awkward.

The mention of being kept prisoner and the Condesce definitely soured her expression, forcing it into a frown. So it was as she'd guessed. ~~It seemed like whenever she was right, she regretted it.~~ "I see." The cuddling was not exactly something she was familiar with seeing, and it did briefly make her feel awkward (displays of affection in general were quite uncommon in her experience), but she chose to assume that it was some kind of troll thing and did not take offense; her mind was already busy with other things soon after, anyway. "You may have already realized this, but... when people die here, they come back. ...It seems to be everyone." Which includes the Condesce.

"Yeah, I figured as much," Signless growled. Which meant assassinating her wasn't the answer to their problem. He'd just have to keep Psiioniic away from her, somehow.

"Violence isn't the answer, anyway," he said, rubbing the back of his neck guiltily. "At least, that's the theory. There's got to be a way to get through to that bitch that you're a free troll, now, and she needs to play nice."

"I'm thorry you had to fight her, SS," Ψiioniic said guiltily. "I know you don't like being forced into fighting. And Namine, it'th okay, you don't have to worry! She just caught me by surprise. Now I know she's here, so I'll be on the lookout, and I won't let her catch me again." He was worried about the way she was frowning. He liked her smile much better, and she seemed like a sensitive sort.

Violence wasn't the answer. It was funny-- she'd heard that kind of thing a million times in memories, and yet it seemed like the only way the worlds could be saved was with violence. Against murderous creatures and equally murderous Nobodies, but... still violence. That hadn't made her like it any better, even though it had saved countless lives, hers included. It was still an odd thing to hear in person.

It was one of those rare times when she actually wished she could use her powers in this situation, maybe delicately remove the Condesce's memories that Ψiioniic ever existed, but she knew her powers would be useless on someone unconnected to Sora. The sound of her name pulled her out of her thoughts. Despite Ψiioniic's assurances, at least part of her frown remained. She didn't have to worry? That sounded like something she would say... especially if there was something to worry about. But she knew what reaction she'd always hoped to elicit by saying that, so she offered a small smile that she only half meant, the back of her mind still sifting through possible ways she could help. "...Right. And you have Signless to help. And... me, too, if there's anything I can do."

At Psiioniic's reassurance that now that he was forewarned, he would be better able to avoid the Condesce next time, Signless gave his moirail a long, measuring look. Sounded like bullshit to him, really - all she'd ad to do before was order him to follow, and he'd been meek as a newborn hopbeast. But he smiled.

"Damn straight. You'll do better next time, and you have a lot of people who want to help you." He gestured to Namine. "So don't forget that."

Again Ψiioniic gave Namine a shy smile. "You do help, really. It'th nice to talk to someone else who isn't quite so... aggrethhive, sometimes," he said, elbowing Signless gently in the ribs and hoping his words wouldn't be taken amiss. By either of them.

It was true, though. Signless and Disciple were both so full of energy and fiercness, and even though Dolorosa was calmer she was still confident and in control all the time. Ψiioniic often felt useless and weak by comparison, and he struggled to keep up with them sometimes.

But Namine was quiet and shy, like him, and they understood each other in a way Signless might not even be able to. Ψiioniic hadn't spoken to her much, but he liked her already.

"And if there'th anything you need, I'll help you, too," he offered impulsively.

Naminé caught the look Signless gave Ψiioniic. It was a sentiment she was not surprised to see expessed. Still, she'd seen at least a brief exhibition of Ψiioniic's power. It hadn't been used against anything, but it had at least hinted that he wasn't defenseless... although his capture might have at least partially disproven such a theory. But, well-- sometimes fear and trickery were enough to temper even great power, and that was a concept she was all too familiar with. Despite her thoughts, she managed to maintain a smile as she nodded decisively when she was gestured to, and that smile grew slightly when Ψiioniic made the... well, could it really be called a joke? It seemed to be true, but that might have been why it was amusing. She let out a very tiny laugh, nonetheless; she'd experienced that aggressiveness first hand, herself.

The offer took her by surprise, but she managed to recover quickly. "Thank you. I'll... keep it in mind. But-- really, I'm doing well." And he had plenty of troubles of his own. It was one thing to appreciate the offer and entirely another to take him up on it, should she ever actually have need of assistance.

Signless glared at Psiioniic, then quickly looked away and tried to modulate his expression. He knew Psiioniic wouldn't say that if he didn't really feel it, but at the same time he knew it didn't rise to the level of being afraid of him. Nevertheless, he didn't want to set Psi off, even a tiny bit, if he could avoid it.

Catching the glare, Ψiioniic did shiver briefly, but he quickly reached out and slid his hand over Signless', squeezing. He wasn't afraid of Signless and didn't think he ever could be, despite his occasional reflexive flinch. He trusted his friend far too much for that. They'd literally been through hell together, and he knew that Signless would never hurt him.

Or try to control him.

Namine's tiny laugh made his smile widen. "Well, keep in mind that thometimes, the best way to get your mind off your own troubles is to help someone elthe with theirs," he said obliquely. Whether she assumed he was talking about her troubles or his own, it was still a true statement. If she felt able to talk to him about things that were bothering her, it would give him something he actually might be able to do something to improve. And if she helped him, it might distract her from her own problems, if they were too much for her to speak to someone who was still practically a stranger about.

Either way, they both won.

When she caught sight of Signless' expression and Ψiioniic's reaction to it, she took a moment to process them. Perhaps it had seemed a little too truthful? She was so used to watching friends who teased each other, but perhaps it was foolhardy to assume that everyone was that way. Shoving away the brief hint of guilt that started to crop up, she worked on maintaining her smile. It was still genuine, but a little attention couldn't hurt, right?

What Ψiioniic said seemed to have her thoughtful, too; it was vague, sure, but definitely true. After all, almost her entire life had been spent helping people with their own problems (some of which she'd caused), and because of that she'd learned not to worry as much about her own. "...Right. I see what you mean." The same principle could apply here, as well. "I'll remember." It would certainly make her feel better about sharing her own problems; if doing so would help someone else, then that would at least help her (not-?)feel less selfish. Percieving that perhaps this was his intention, or at least part of it, she found it much easier to keep that smile in place.

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