01

[marriedthebloke]

Characters: AU Sola-ui and you
Setting: Her room, the cafeteria, and other floors of the Tower
Format: I'll match anything you do
Summary: Sola-ui wakes up to the weirdest "kidnapping" of her life.
Warnings: None for now


1. Room 1-01

[As she wakes, up Sola-ui realizes that she doesn't know when or why she fell asleep. The last thing she remembered, she was joking around with Diarmuid on the kitchen floor. She had clearly been awake, but...]

[Right now, she's clearly lying on something softer. As she slowly sits up, she realizes that she is in an unfamiliar room, wearing clothes that she has never worn before. She cautiously steps out of bed, hugging her arms to her body and shivering a little because of the thin, skintight suit.]

[Her first guess is that she has been kidnapped. It worries her to know that someone has enough skill to kidnap the wife of a magus right out from his own house. Likely the kidnappers had also erased her memories of the kidnapping for whatever reason.]

[She starts walking around the room, trying to discover some sort of evidence that would indicate the identity of the offenders or their skills. Though, given the amount of planning and power it required to kidnap her, she doesn't believe they would be stupid enough to leave any sort of evidence behind.]

[The room certainly looks cozier than the usual basement or holding cell. Four beds, each with a trunk at the end. There's even personal items strewn around. These beds wouldn't look out of place in an actual bedroom. Her investigation is at first confined the items left in the open. Next comes the trunks, starting with the one next to "her" bed.]

[She almost gets a heart attack when she opens the trunk to find one of her own mouse familiars leaping at her. Looking down into her trunk, she can also see her clothes and a dagger she had seen from around the house. This discovery only makes everything more confusing. Why would someone go to such lengths to kidnap her and bring her things along, but leave her weapons and familiars? What were they trying to do?]

[At least she has her clothes back. Since there seem to nobody in the room at the moment, she quickly removes the bodysuit to slip on her real clothes. Following that, she sits down on a bed, waiting for someone to come give her an explanation. Even if they were her enemies, they owed her, as a lord's wife, that little bit of courtesy.]

2. Cafeteria

[Sola-ui is sitting at a table, staring at her oatmeal. Hunger and curiosity drove her to finally leave her room. However, she is reconsidering her decision if she has to eat this slop.

[After a long while, she finally lifts up the spoon, takes a sip, and smacks her lips. It is followed by a frown.]

This might be the worst oatmeal I have ever tasted. Not even the slightest hint of flavor! Cold and clammy as well. My husband could cook better than this.

[And when she compares something to her husband's level, she is certainly showing her disdain.]

3. Any floor (morning)

[After a horrible breakfast nowhere near what her "aristocratic" tasted buds were used to ingesting, Sola-ui is walking through the floors of her new residence. It's a strange place, but walking down these hallways gives her a strange sense of excitement. It's very different from the tedium she had settled into after marrying Kayneth, after all.]

4. Any floor (evening)

[Of course, since she is caught up in the excitement of finally being in a new place, she loses track of the time. Morning slips into evening, and monsters start emerging. Seeing as how she has no fighting skills, she is easily cornered by the slobbering beasts. All she can do is retreat, hoping desperately that they would leave or someone would save her.]

Comments

4. Any floor (evening)

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid doesn't even really see Sola-Ui at first. All that registers to him as he is on his way back to his room, is that someone is in danger. He leaps forward, putting himself between her and the monster. He doesn't stay there long, though. Instead, he summons his spear, using it to force the monster back and away from her. Even if the fight isn't going to last long, he doesn't want to risk her getting hurt by accident.]

Stay back there. Just let me deal with it!

[He yells the warning to her without looking back, attention focused on the monster. Fortunately, while scary this particular beast isn't that hard to deal with and is soon dead at his feet. Diarmuid reaches up to wipe some blood from his cheek, scanning the area to make sure the monster doesn't have any friends lurking around.]

Are you okay?

Re: 4. Any floor (evening)

[marriedthebloke]

[Given her shock at the sudden turn of events, Sola-ui is frozen for a few seconds. It is not until she takes a couple of deep breaths to try to compose herself that she replies.]

Y-yes...

[As her mind starts working again, she realizes that the voice is familiar. As the silhouette becomes clearer in the darkness, she realizes that the form is familiar as well.]

Derry?

[It seems whatever had kidnapped her had also kidnapped her son. But...where had Diarmuid gained this sort of power and this sort of speed? He was good with physical exercises, but she had not expected him to be able to dispatch a monster so quickly.]

Re: 4. Any floor (evening)

[oathshackledbird]

[It is probably a good thing that the rest of the floor seems clear for the moment, because hearing her voice makes Diarmuid freeze. Of all the people the tower could have brought here, surely not her...

It takes a few seconds, but he finally makes himself turn to look at her letting his eyes verify what his ears have already told him is true. It is his master's fiancee he has just saved.

Why? Why is she here now when he already has so many other people to help and so many issues of his own he needs to sort out? Why does he have to be reminded again of how much pain the war had caused him?

Diarmuid doesn't speak right away, torn between asking her why she is calling him by that strange nickname--it must be because of his curse, right?--or dropping to his knees and begging her forgiveness for failing to protect her.]

[marriedthebloke]

Derry?

[She asks again. Once she sees his face, she knows that he is Diarmuid. But he looks older, and tired and sad. She wonders what could have brought about this change.]

A-are you alright?

[oathshackledbird]

[The repetition of the nickname finally shakes Diarmuid out of his indecisiveness.]

I should be the one asking you that, Lady Sola-Ui, as I am your...servant.

[It is harder than he would have expected to say that. While he would never name Kayneth as his master again, he does still find himself feeling duty bound to protect Sola-Ui. Wouldn't that make him still her servant?]

And why are you calling me by such a name? I don't understand.

[marriedthebloke]

[She frowns.]

Is this a joke? Why are you being so formal?

[She should be the one asking why he would address her by such a name.]

Can't you recognize your own nickname?

Sola totally needs to start spreading that nickname around so others start calling him it....

[oathshackledbird]

If that is my nickname, it is one you never told me.

[Kind of like the clothes in his trunk that she'd bought for him and never given to him, maybe?]

I would ask you not to use it so freely if so. I don't know that Mas...that your fiance would much approve. I know he can't fight very well right now because of his injuries, but that is no reason to anger him any more than necessary.

[This is..odd for Diarmuid. He doesn't know where she is from in the war and that aside, he has been told that neither she nor Kayneth survived the war. Yet, here she is alive and well. He has to watch what he says for for fear of upsetting her unnecessarily.

Well, mostly well. Her insistence that he should know that nickname is bothering him.]

She just might!

[marriedthebloke]

Diarmuid Archibald El-Melloi.

[Her voice is stern and cold.]

This is no place for jokes. Stop speaking nonsense. Now, have you seen your father or sister anywhere in this place?

She should! It would embarrass him so much!

[oathshackledbird]

Father? Sister? What are you...

[And then it hits him and all Diarmuid can do is bring his hand to his forehead and shake his head in denial. This is obviously not his Sola-Ui. Much like the Kariya and Waver who had arrived this month, she is from a pretty different world from the one he knows.

A very different one if she is implying what he thinks she is implying.]

Lady Sola-Ui you know well I have no sisters and if my father is here, I would be greatly saddened. This is no place for a lover of life and beauty such as he.

Cafeteria

[tohko_amano]

[Sometimes Tohko wandered into the cafeteria to eat some normal food in order to hide what she really ate. However, when she saw someone complaining about the oatmeal, she couldn't help but grab a spoon and sit across from her, smiling.]

I'm sorry that it tastes horrible..but if you don't eat it, you'll throw up anything else you try to eat. However..you can add things to it to improve the taste, and other people can share it with you. If you don't mind, I'll eat it with you.

Re: Cafeteria

[marriedthebloke]

[Sola-ui just glares at the strange girl who came out of nowhere.]

I can finish my own meal, thank you very much.

[If she was a beggar, the least she could do was actually beg, instead of coming up with fancy excuses and presuming to sit at a table alongside a woman so much her better.]

Cafeteria

[tohko_amano]

[Far from it, really. To Tohko, normal food tasted like sand, but she wasn't going to mention that. However, she did sigh.]

..Then, since you're a newcomer, would you at least allow me to tell you about this place?

cafeteria

[marriedthebloke]

[On one hand, she would be talking to someone who was clearly below her attentions. On the other hand, she needed the information.]

Fine. Tell me what you know.

[For now, the benefits outweighed the costs.]

Cafeteria

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko sighed before she started her usual infodump, scratching her head.]

This is the Tower of Animus. Four people now run it-Riki, a secretive man who builds the Tower and is in charge of the records, Zo, a small child who can bring souls here, Jason, a sadistic medical doctor who sometimes experiments on the residents. He, I believe, helps transfer your soul when you die. Finally, there’s Ruana, a woman who has been here for thousands of years and doesn’t quite human empathy or emotions, and hates it when people go against her. She may seem sweet, but she is capable of removing free will and canalizing her own Administrators.

There used to be a fifth Administrator named Dax. He was the most humane of the bunch and did his best to protect us from Jason and the monsters here. He even managed to sneak people down to the Administrative levels in order to let them know more about this place. However, when he tried to go against Ruana..she killed and ate him, possibly absorbing his powers in the process. He was a good man.

Death isn’t permanent here. If you die, you’ll just wake up in your bed the next day. However, don’t throw your life away for foolish reasons. For one thing, you’ll probably get punished if you die too many times, and for the other…your body is made up of recycled parts. Only your soul was pulled to this universe. Your body, and the ones you’ll have afterward, are not your original body. That’s why you have the collar. It helps make sure your soul safely stays in your body.

I’m sorry to say that your universe is destroyed. You may see people you know here, but they won’t be from your own universe or point in time. I don’t know exactly how our universes were destroyed, but I do know that it was caused by Ruana watching our universes, for some reason.

Monsters roam the Tower at night, and some of the higher floors have monsters that attack if you get too close. If you can’t fight, then I would suggest learning. There are plenty of people here who would be willing to teach you.

[Tohko sighed again and then nodded to herself.]

That should be everything. I'm sorry that you've come to this place.

Re: Cafeteria

[marriedthebloke]

[As Sola-ui listens, her expression changes from interested, to disgusted, to utterly confused.]

So you are saying...that they have that much power?

[She can count second and third magics among them.]

Cafeteria

[tohko_amano]

That is exactly what I am saying.

Re: Cafeteria

[marriedthebloke]

...Thank you for your help.

[She takes another sip of her oatmeal.]

Then...can you tell me something about the floors? Are they all the same as this one?

Any floor (Evening)

[carabina]

[ Sola-ui will hear a series of loud bangs, with multiple monsters dropping to the floor. There stands a girl in a sort of strange outfit, holding a musket. She says nothing to her at first, only focusing on the monsters.

The swarm wasn't that big, so it doesn't take Mami that long to kill them off. It does taint her soul gem just a bit. With a sigh, Mami turns towards the older woman. ]

Are you alright?

Re: Any floor (Evening)

[marriedthebloke]

[Sola-ui stares in surprise at the girl fighting off the monsters.]

...Y-yes.

[She stutters out an answer.]

[carabina]

Good.

[ And a final shot at a monster that was still squirming on the floor. She turns back to her, a smile on her face. ]

It's dangerous to be out at night. That's when they come out. Are you new here?

[marriedthebloke]

[She nods.]

I was exploring the floor and lost track of time.

[A quick look at the monster.]

You, on the other hand, seem to have lots of experience with those...things.

[carabina]

I wouldn't say I have more experience... [ Except she does. She doesn't change out of her magical girl uniform just yet. ] I've been here for a few months, and sometimes I run into these creatures. Some floors are very dangerous, even in the day time.

Ah, my name is Mami Tomoe. Would you like me to escort you back to your room?

[marriedthebloke]

Amazing.

[She knows that the girl might be hiding something--there is no way that she could have grasped such complicated shots within the time span of just a few months--but she will not comment on it yet.]

My name is Sola-ui Archibald El-Melloi. Are you really willing to to that for me?

[She smiles just a little. This child is well-behaved.]

[carabina]

It's a pleasure to met you, El-Melloi-san. And it's no problem. I was on my way to the dorms myself, and there might still be monsters around. It's better to be safe than sorry.

[ Death wasn't permanent, but with the information they recently learned... Mami was going to do her best to protect anyone in need. ]

Follow me and stay close.

[marriedthebloke]

[She nods.]

It is a pleasure to meet you as well. And I must thank you for your protection.

[This place seems unbelievable. It is more like a fairy tale with dragons and knights than reality.]