Never got to thank him

[warriorscribe]

Characters: Enoch and anyone (attn: a certain other two who received a certain thing)
Setting: Various places throughout the day
Format: I'm starting in prose but I'll match you.
Summary: Enoch has never dealt well with loss...
Warnings: I don't know if grief counts as a warning. Gory details may be brought up in comments?

Room 3-18, 5am

Enoch has been awake all night, kneeling in front of his trunk. How does one sleep after something like that? He's been trying to leave his roommates undisturbed as much as he could, weeping quietly if he couldn't hold it in, occasionally raising his face to the ceiling, mouth open in a silent scream of anguish and despair.

He has three feedback forms in front of him on the trunk, and he's been scratching at one of them the entire time. He had to reach out to those who wouldn't know what it's like, the pain of loss...but he ended up putting more thought into it than he believed he ever would.

When he gets up and leaves the room an hour later, it's with only one of them in hand.


Mailroom(F78), 7am

He checks it every morning, even though there's rarely anything in it. Having a routine helps in a place like this.

But he wasn't expecting what he found in his. He reads the letter he's recieved three times before carefully folding it and putting it in his pocket. He leans on the wall of boxes, rubbing an eye puffy and dark from crying and lack of sleep.

Burn his last words...? He understood, but... He sank down to the floor, a fresh wave of grief bringing tears to eyes he thought he'd cried dry earlier that morning.


Sauna(F77), 7:30am

And what should he notice immediately downstairs but something that seemed out of place to him somehow. It took some moments, punctuated with sniffs to keep himself from crying again, before he looked around and realized where he'd seen it - or where he hadn't.

"I'm sorry..." he says to the first resident he sees, his voice hoarse. "What is this level meant to be?"


Cafeteria(F1), 12:30pm

Enoch seems to have finally found sleep. There's a bowl of tomato soup that seems as if only a quarter of it has been eaten, and Enoch has passed out face-down beside it, spoon still clasped loosely in the hand that hangs at his side. The ends of some of his hair on that side have dipped into the bowl.


Outdoor Forest(F32), 4:30pm

If you saw him in the cafeteria, it's clear he didn't sleep long, considering he's up here now. He's wrapped up in his cloak, standing before a fire. It's a small fire, kindled by whatever he could find; the remnants of a few odd pieces of wood from wherever are visible at the edges of the flame.

He's got that letter out again, and he reads it over and over, mouth moving subtly, but not actually forming the words on the page.

Eventually, he reaches out his hand, and drops the letter into the fire.

Then Enoch kneels, his head bowed and hands clasped, and prays with the intent of being heard for the second time in the tower, for the third time since leaving Earth.

Lord, if you can hear me, if you are alive to hear me, if you have any hold over this world, please see Dax's soul to its rightful place, be it with his ancestors or on to reincarnation, or...elsewhere. If demons should have claim to it, please try to wrest it from them. I am ever your faithful servant. Please answer me, if you can. Please...

He doesn't realize he's shaking and crying until he comes out of this state, and he wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, sitting down to watch the flames dance, his face blank and eyes at the meeting point of exhaustion, fear, sorrow, and anger.

Comments

cafeteria

[pengeen]

Well, Kidou figured it would be a good idea to not starve himself, so here he was in the cafeteria himself. Though before he gets something to eat, he notices Enoch asleep. Quietly, he walks over to him and taps his shoulder.

"Enoch..."

[warriorscribe]

Enoch stirs at the tap on his shoulder and raises his head to look at Kidou.

"Oh, Kidou. How-..."

Well, what can he say? How have you been? After what just happened?

"How are you, after..."

[pengeen]

He doesn't respond immediately, and he shifts his gaze to the side. The image of what Ruana had done was something weighing heavily in his head, and it wasn't something he could easily get over. This whole month wasn't something he was going to easily get over... but he didn't want to worry Enoch too much.

He sits down at the table across from the man, and rests his arms on the table.

"...I could be better."

Floor 32

[tohko_amano]

Tohko, in a bad attempt to calm herself down and plan for the future, had grabbed her notebook and walked to the thirty-second floor. She would have gone to the meadow..but she figured that a change of pace would do her good.

However, when she saw Enoch, sitting before a fire, she sighed and quietly sat beside him. Had he gotten her letter? And, if not, what could she say that wasn't repetitive?

She didn't know. Words, for once, had failed her. All she could do was sit beside Enoch and sigh, knowing that they were probably both devastated.

[warriorscribe]

He hadn't. He only checked once a day, after all. At first, he was silent when Tohko sat beside him, his only reaction to draw his knees up to his chest.

Dax had been their only ally on the inside. Someone who fought for their every need in as many ways as he was allowed...and then eventually broke free of what was allowed for their sakes, at the cost of his life.

"He gave his life for the truth. For us..."

[tohko_amano]

Tohko sighed and nodded in response. She saw that he drew his knees up to his chest-and was reminded of Romeo for a moment-but said nothing of it.

"He really was a kind man..he gave everything he could, right up to the end..it's a shame..I was planning on cooking him some food and giving it to him next month. I guess that won't happen now. He really deserved it."

3-18

[friendlyfiend]

"What are you doing."

A'kin's muffled voice is completely devoid of inflection, his words sounding almost more like a demand than a question.

The only sleep he'd managed to snatch that night had been a few dozen minutes here and there when he'd tried to force the issue with sorcery, but even that had quickly given way to more insomnia. Ultimately, he had just buried himself beneath his blankets and tried his damnedest not to think about anything.

...It wasn't really working.

[warriorscribe]

He was grieving, naturally, though at least it wasn't through him that A'kin was kept awake. Unless it was the mere movement in the room of him shifting and writing.

"...Trying to write a letter to Zo," Enoch managed after a little while.

[friendlyfiend]

"Zo? The little boy?"

A'kin sloughs off the bedding and hauls himself into a seated position. His facial expression is nearly as blank as his voice, with only the anxious flattening back of his ears to betray any emotion. He can hear the pain in Enoch's voice, but he doesn't understand the form that this pain is taking or how Zo, of all people, entered into the equation.

"And what good is that supposed to do?"

Ordinarily, he tries to avoid interacting with grieving people, feeling uncomfortable and helpless when confronted by a problem that can't be solved with the right words or the right magic. Now, though, the entire Tower is starting to feel like a problem without a solution. What good can anything do, at a time like this?

Floor 32

[alephbet]

Aleph doesn't dare call out to Enoch while he's in that state of prayer. Instead he turns and slips away as quietly as he can.

What right does he have to speak of Enoch's God? A kind and merciful God so far removed from the one he'd slain? He has no right at all.

Thus he only returns a long time later, hoping to find Enoch still there. When he spots Enoch in the same place, he comes to sit beside him.

"I'm sorry."

[warriorscribe]

Enoch lowers his head, pulling the hood of his cloak down. He's just going to turtle up, okay? Though, while his posture says he's hiding, it's not from Aleph, or the conversation.

"I wish we could have found some way down there..."

Maybe they could have stopped them...

[alephbet]

"So do I. I could have helped somehow but I didn't even see the elevator open."

And he's cursing himself for it. A lot.

32

[puppy_lancer]

...You okay?

[Lancer is sitting on the limb of a tree, staring off in the distance. Hearing Enoch's prayer makes him almost want to pray himself (or are those just Ruler's memories acting up again?), but he knows no proper prayers. Nor does he think any gods can hear them.]

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch lets out a sigh and looks up at where Lancer strikes a silhouette in the sun.*

...I don't know. So much has happened. Dax...

[puppy_lancer]

...I know.

[He mutters.]

He was...really trying to help all of us. Even at the end, right?

78;

[uzuki]

On top of everything else that had happened, she received a letter from the admins about taking a job in the mail room. It was like one last slap in the face really, and she was ready to toss it... But it occurred to her that it could prove to be a distraction. That was why she made the trek to the mail room floor.

She almost didn't notice Enoch for a moment, but when she did, she stopped and forced a pleasant smile onto her face... Until she saw that he was in tears. Concern washed over her, and she moved to kneel down beside him.

"Enoch, are you alright?"

[warriorscribe]

Enoch looked up at the sound of Shion's voice.

"He...died to show us what we saw. He gave his life for honesty's sake..."

And now their only ally on the inside with any power was gone. The one that made him feel at least somewhat at ease. The one that he would rely on...and who had taken his words to heart.

He'd died for them.

[uzuki]

"I'm sorry. I really didn't know him, but he was the one who told me what happened to Jin. My brother, who disappeared from the tower."

She crouched down, and gave Enoch a sad smile.

"He didn't deserve what happened... But we're all going to do something with the information he gave us, right? So it won't all be for nothing."

cafeteria

[keybearer]

[It's been a rough day for everyone. The video broadcasts, the mist, the revelations...

When Riku sees Enoch passed out, his lips curve into a frown, and he takes two steps closer.]

Man, you look beat...

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch barely stirs, the direct address registering only enough to make him shift. One of the strands of hair slips out of the bowl and falls to its rightful place against his cheek, which is what wakes him.

He raises his head groggily and looks around, aware someone had spoken to him on some hazy level of half-consciousness, but not sure what had been said or who had said it.*

[keybearer]

Sure you should be sleeping out here?

[He raises his voice just a tiny bit, not wanting to shout or anything. But really, he can't help but feel a bit of concern just looking at the guy.]

Sauna

[brbtalkingtogod]

"What brought you here Enoch?"

The archangel stood behind him, an eyebrow raised in confusion at the sight. It was a bit of a strange place to go to, especially if you were mourning over someone. And that someone was apparently the only, if only half-way, sane person to lead this place among that bunch of maniacs.

"It's a sauna. Some people go here to sweat. It's said to be good for your health or if you want to relax."

[warriorscribe]

"I was coming down from the mailroom..."

Enoch looked at the floor, seeming to think a moment before looking back up at him.

"How is sweating good for your health or relaxation?"

...Look at those eyes, Lucifel. He's been crying, and a lot. This can't be normal curiosity.

floor thirty-two

[prayed]

The sight of Enoch, prostrating himself before God in a flurry of emotions that she wouldn't claim to fully understand. Kyoko almost turned on her heel and left. It felt too invasive, too personal, in a way that she can't quite describe. It might be like walking in on a once-happy couple in the middle of a heated argument, but even that analogy doesn't seem to quite fit. She had no words to say, no comfort to offer when she herself was still reeling. Even so, she found herself unable to tear away. Perhaps it was because they shared the same grief.

"...Yo." She offered after a moment, walking over to stand beside him. She watched the flames flicker, bit off a chunk of a pocky stick. She looked worn down and tired and far, far too old to be a fourteen year old girl. There wasn't even the slightest trace of her usual cocky grin, that beaming confidence that she hid behind. No edge to disguise how shaken she was. She didn't comment on his battered state. What would she ask? If he was okay? If he would be okay? Only a fool would treat something as deeply personal as grief to be on the same level as a scraped knee.

[warriorscribe]

Enoch looked up at Kyoko as she came to stand beside him, seeing the wear of hardship all too well in her face. He was showing it much more outwardly - he'd likely been more invested in Dax's help than she was.

"Kyoko...so much has happened."