towerofanimus | circle one: arrival

Entry tags:

circle one: arrival

Characters: Ayaka Sajyou and you, maybe!
Setting: Room 1-07, then elsewhere.
Format: Any!
Summary: A stranger explores a strange land.
Warnings: Aside from Ayaka being Ayaka, none.

[Room 1-07]

[Ayaka wakes up in a room that isn't hers. That immediately sets off all her alarms. She puts on her glasses (as much to hide behind them as anything) and looks around. She sees the notes, reads them.

....Ayaka sits still, motionless. Maybe she's in shock, roomies?]

[Cafeteria]

[Okay, so, first things first - she has to eat the oatmeal. That's a thing that needs to be done. It's not the most unpleasant task in the world, even if the oatmeal does taste like...well, nothing.

Maybe anything would taste like nothing after that shock to the system earlier...

At least there's nobody trying to snap her out of her thoughts just yet. Not that she's worth the concern or even expects it, of course, but there's usually someone...For now, she'll enjoy the peace.]

[Floor 3 Library]

[Who's surprised that Ayaka ended up here? Nobody, that's who. As of right now, she's at one of the terminals, investigating it in between darting back and forth to the shelves, investigating them.

It's quiet and peaceful. She likes that.]

[Floor 99]

[....Okay, so this place is quieter. It's dazzling, and like most people she can't really resist gazing at something awe-inspiring like this.

Maybe she can get to work here? Yeah, that sounds about right. It isn't that difficult to injure herself, not with a knife pilfered from the cafeteria. It wasn't that difficult to obtain the knife, either. Just palm it up the sleeve, then into a pocket....

No, it isn't that difficult to set things up. Thank god she's still got her ring, or this would all be in vain - also, she wouldn't be able to defend herself.

And after that conversation with Feferi Peixes, that seems to be a very, very important thing. Especially as her Saber doesn't appear to be here. ... She'll have to protect herself, for now.]

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[The moment he spots her face at the table, Lancer freezes.]

[Ayaka.]

[This is the face had had wanted to see, but hadn't hoped to be able to see again. For a moment, he wonders if she's even really here or if she's another trick of the Tower.]

...Ayaka?

[He starts to approach her slowly.]

[Tohko, being the dutiful librarian that she was, was going through the shelves, cleaning, sorting, and sneaking in small breaks to read when she could. However, when she saw a girl dart from the terminals to the shelves not once but three times, she had to wonder if the girl needed some help.]

Pardon, but do you need help finding anything?

[The crystal cavern is becoming one of Minato's favourite floors. No monsters, no apparent danger other than hurting his eyes from staring at the crystals too long.

Just quiet, calm and dazzling, which is an odd contrast to his own quiet, calm and simple looking self.

Walking around the floor yet again, he spot someone else nearby and watch them.]

[Once again Diarmuid's hiding out in the library. The many rows of books provide a good, safe maze to lose those who are following him because of his curse and it's quiet, so grabbing a quick nap to try to combat his growing fatigue from not having slept in his room for a few days isn't beyond the realm of possibility.

In fact, when he sees her at first, Diarmuid thinks it must be some kind of stress induced dream. While it seems like it's been a long time since he was up to her grave because of everything that has been going on, it has only been a few days. The flowers he had left there to represent her and the servant she'd left behind are probably still there.

Or not, since the dark Saber's rampage, but...

He's cautious in approaching her since his curse is still acting up, but for his brother's sake, he needs to find out if she is real.]

Ayaka? Is that really you?

[At least the oatmeal looks more appetizing than what's on this passing girl's plate; a plain, rather dull looking nutrition bar. Hakuno's been through a couple of months where this was all that was served, and while it was better than starving... it still sucked big time.

She's not so wrapped up in her dull meal that she doesn't notice the girl sitting at the table Hakuno is approaching, and a look of surprise crosses her face. It's been a while since she saw Ayaka, long enough to assume the worst had come to pass... but she's here now. That's good. The oatmeal thing, though... does that mean she's "new"? Only one way to find out...

Hakuno approaches the table Ayaka is sitting at, setting down her tray.]

Hey. You okay?

[Would it really be any surprise to find the King of Heroes in a place as sparkling and beautiful as the crystal caverns? Though he is disappointed by the lack of gold, the way the crystals gleam and shine is both alluring and relaxing.

So relaxing, in fact, that he decides to take a nap in the cavern.]

[Eh? It's...]

Lancer-san. You were brought here too?

[Which probably means Misaya is nearby. Hopefully they're not continuing the War here...]

[Oh gosh, was she really running that quickly? Bah! How embarrassing...]

N-no, I'm okay, thank you. I'm just new here and am trying to...to get used to it. I'm sorry for the noise, I'll keep it down.

[Don't be loud in the library. :c]

[What Minato is going to find is someone finishing up some kind of ritual in a rusty-colored magic circle. It looks like it was drawn in haste...

... And when she sees Minato, her eyes go wide.] Ah - This is not what it looks like.

[She's not a magus. Really. She wasn't using magic. Really. Just think of her as one of those weird new-agers.]

[Someone knows her. Someone knows her and she hasn't had a chance to make sure her ring is charged.

This is not good.]

Y...yes, my name is Ayaka. How did you know?

[There's no recognition in Ayaka's eyes when she looks up at Hakuno. That should be the first sign that this isn't the same one.]

Ah - yes, I'm okay. Thank you.

[The fact that she's a lot more withdrawn should be the next...]

[So would the energy from whatever ritual is necessary to recharge the ring wake up the King of Heroes? Because it is happening a little while away. If not that, then probably the sound of someone slicing their freaking palm open...?

Either way, FOOM.]

[At such close proximity, the thinning of mana as it's pulled in Ayaka's direction is definitely felt. He opens an eye, not having been in a deep enough slumber to be completely unawares, and then climbs to his feet to investigate.

He sees a girl standing a distance away with her back to him as he heads down a cavern, and he calls out.]

What are you doing over there?

[Tohko gave a small smile as she spoke. Another newcomer..another destroyed universe.]

Oh, you're not being noisy. Don't worry about it..but if you're a newcomer, would you like me to tell you everything I know about this Tower? That way, you'll be prepared for the future.

[...there, it is done. She shakes herself out of it, slightly dizzy from the blood loss (well, what else could be done? Not like she could properly prepare the ground on such short notice - this was fast, it got the job done) and puts the knife back in a pocket. Oh, she's going to need to sleep this one off.

...So she thinks, and then she hears a totally unfamiliar voice. The heck? There's definitely a presence to this person, though.

Servant, probably.

Shoot. She turns around, wary, ready to shoot darts if need be.] ...Nothing...

[Hopefully he'll fall for that. Please don't suspect her of being a Master please don't even think she's a magus]

[She's not good with people, she knows that. She's actually really bad with people, but in this case...well, you do what you gotta do. Right?]

I would appreciate it, thank you.

[Not that Tohko really knew that. Sighing, she nodded and took a quick breath before giving her usual infodump.]

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 understand 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.

If you haven’t been to the cafeteria yet, make sure that you eat the oatmeal when you do. If you don’t, you’ll throw up anything else you try to eat until you finish it. However, you can eat anything you want afterwards, and you can add things to the oatmeal to improve the taste.

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.

[It takes a moment. The distance does him no favors in recognizing the girl, and the way she quietly responds does not lend well against the echoing caverns.

But when he recognizes that voice, he blinks in faint surprise.]

Ayaka?

[Surely he was mistaken. Or perhaps this floor had more to it than he had originally perceived.]

[He freezes as he hears her say that.]

O-of course I was. I've been here for a while now. You too. Don't you remember?

[Another person who knows her name?! WHY]

....How do you know my name?

[Prepare to flee--

No. Can't run. Mustn't run away.]

[This face, except with the glasses on, Lancer.]

...No, I'm sorry.

[And for what it's worth, she does mean that. It's obvious the idea upsets him, but she's not gonna lie. That would be worse, she thinks.]

[It is her. The surprise gives way for unhindered joy, as he does not even process her question before he is starting down the cavern towards her.]

Ayaka! So you have found yourself here as well!

[Okay, so this guy knows her and sounds happy to see her. This may not be a good thing! But it is a good thing she can magic dart him into next week. (Well, okay, no, the darts aren't that strong, but she'll probably be able to buy herself enough time to escape.)

At any rate, she's preparing to make use of the darts, or the knife she pilfered (ah right, there's always that,) or...something. She's tense and ready to fight.]

Who are you?!

[...That said, she still sounds like a panicking schoolgirl. (Mostly because she is.)]

[His advance slows as he hears her words, but they do nothing to dampen his mood. He continues speaking as he walks closer.]

Your arrival in this strange place must have rattled your mind! That is of little consequence -- surely your memories will return in time.

I can't regain memories I never had, and I have never met you - I do not know who you are!

[And don't come any closer, or...s-she WILL try to be the badass! SHE CAN TOTALLY FIGHT NOW OKAY no okay no she can't but she can try to get out of this one and deal some damage along the way.]

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Page 1 of 3

circle one: arrival

cafeteria

Library

Floor 99

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[Cafeteria]

Floor 99

cafeteria

Library

Floor 99

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[Cafeteria]

Floor 99

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Library

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Library

Library

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Re: cafeteria

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cafeteria

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