Icicles filled the long window

[pinnaculum]

Characters: Sephiroth and you!
Setting: The dormitory floors, Floor 81, possibly moving to other floors
When: Forward dated to event start, April 15th
Format: Starting as action brackets, but I'll match you
Summary: Brainwashed Sephiroth is in group C. He does his duty. Except when he doesn't.
Warnings: Body horror, blood, possible violence


I: Dormitory Floors
[Sephiroth is standing quietly in your room, by your bed, when you wake up. The small child's body parts have been swapped, seemingly at random, his legs reversed, his arms uneven, his fingers out of order. There's a hospital gown sewn to his body, and his green eyes are glowing. There's no way of telling how long he's been standing there, but he must have been watching you sleep, possibly for some time.]

II: Dormitory Floors
[Sephiroth is suddenly overcome with the urge to do something... He doesn't know why, but he wants to experiment. That would be interesting, wouldn't it? There must be a suitable experiment in the area that he can work on. He moves through the dormitory floors quickly, teleporting from place to place down the corridors, studying everyone he sees, searching for a likely subject. He won't give up until he's found one.]

III: Floor 81
[Wearing nothing but his sewn-on hospital gown, he stands on the glass of the bulging out windows, gazing up at the stars. He'd woken up here suddenly. This is one of his favorite floors, isn't it? He likes to watch the stars, but he doesn't remember coming here. He's aware that something's very wrong, but he's unable to do anything about it. He looks down at his hands. They're covered in blood, and he's carrying a series of small, fleshy objects in his arms, the remnants of body parts. He doesn't remember where they came from. He glances down at the glass beneath his feet and sees that he's standing in a pool of blood, with a trail of blood leading back to the stairs.

Yes, something is very wrong.]

Comments

[sicharia]

[She starts as he turns toward her, but of course the only fear she feels is for what might have happened to him. She doesn't think twice before she starts toward him, her gait hurried.]

Sephiroth, what happened?

[pinnaculum]

[He looks up at her as she draws nearer, studying her closely. Her covered eye interests him, and a question comes to him: has she been operated on?

He doesn't reply, because he finds he can't. He can't speak at all. Instead, he blinks. His eyes glow brightly in the relative darkness.]

[sicharia]

[The continued silence only worries her more, so when she's close enough, she moves to crouch down in front of him, unthinkingly reaching out to set one hand on one of his shoulder. It's wrapped in bandages as well. She keeps her eye firmly on his face, not even glancing at the mess in his arms.]

Can you speak?

[pinnaculum]

[She's very close to him now, but he remains still, watchful, thoughtful. He remembers, now, being operated on. It had hurt. What hurts now is fighting to remember.

He glances at her hand as it settles on his shoulder. Maybe she's been operated on as well? That sense of kinship makes him feel calmer. She is like him. Maybe she's an experiment, too. That's good, isn't it?

At her question, he shakes his head.]

[sicharia]

[She bites her lip as he shakes his head, unsure what to do now. If he can't speak, that limits what she can ask him, but...]

Are you— [She stops and glances down to what he is carrying in his arms, which she could perhaps politely refer to as pieces of meat. Her gaze doesn't linger more than a second or two there, though, and then she looks back to his face again.] Are you hurt?

[pinnaculum]

[If she's like him, he wants to stay with her. He doesn't feel any desire to leave, or any sense of urgency about the tasks he knows he's meant to perform. He continues to stand near her, content to remain so for the time being.

Sephiroth isn't sure how to answer her question. He doesn't feel hurt now, but he has been hurt, and he has been changed. However, he doesn't like to admit to being hurt in any way. He's strong. He shouldn't be hurt. After a long pause, he shakes his head, even if the state of his body seems to say otherwise.]

[sicharia]

But you're...

[She trails off and frowns further, his reply obviously not doing much for her concern. She doesn't know what else to ask him. She wants to know what happened, but she doubts that would be a simple thing to communicate now.]

[She withdraws her hand from his shoulder, instead moving to set it gently against his forearm. She pays no mind to the blood there.]

Let's get rid of this and go somewhere safer, okay?

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth regards her blankly for a moment. He isn't sure how to communicate to her, but he doesn't want to be thought of as weak or sick.

Then, at her suggestion, he nods. He bends smoothly and puts down the parts he's carrying. He's not interested in them. He doesn't even know why he has them. Part of him insists he should clean up and not leave a mess, but he's able to ignore it. Claudia is more interesting to him.

He reaches out for her hand and tugs on it, once. He does want to go somewhere else with her. They should stay together, since they're both experiments.]

[sicharia]

[When he takes her hand and tugs it, she smiles, though of course the expression is more worried than anything. It seems very much like a child's gesture to her, which only serves to upset her more. She pays no mind to the blood on his hand and instead moves to lead him back toward the stairs. Blood is something she's used to dealing with, after all.]

We should get you cleaned up.

[pinnaculum]

[He tugs on her hand again as she leads him along. She's slower than he is. He's not sure where to go with her. The laboratory is far away, isn't it? But they should be there, or somewhere like it. Maybe she needs help. She's still wearing bandages, and her eye is covered. He could help her.

He nods, willing to agree with her statement as long as he can stay with her.]

[sicharia]

[It would be quickest to use the elevator now, so that's what Claudia intends to do. Of course she wants to take him back up to the dormitory levels. She can make sure he's washed in one of the bathrooms there. She doesn't speak again as they walk now, her thoughts temporarily preoccupied with trying to decide what to do after that.]

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth doesn't object to their approach of the elevator. It would be much faster, he thinks, better than the stairs. He doesn't intend to return to the dormitory levels, however.

Once they're in the elevator, he moves forward quickly and pushes the button for floor twenty-one.]

[sicharia]

...Eh?

[He's quick, and she doesn't expect that action at all. So, she doesn't react fast enough to stop him, and once the button is pressed, her only immediate reaction is a blank stare. It's a second or two before she kneels down again, putting herself on his level as she tries to decide how to question him.]

Is there somewhere you wanted to go?

[pinnaculum]

[He nods again, more emphatically, with another tug on her hand. Yes, he wants to go to the lab. Maybe he can fix both of them there.

He's glad he's in control of himself for the moment. This is clearly something he needs to do. The thought is so strong and clear in his mind that he doesn't question it. It makes perfect sense.]

[sicharia]

[Her expression momentarily clouds as she thinks. She might have had other plans herself, but if this is something he's insistent on...]

...All right. [She tries to smile, then, though the expression is a little forced.] I guess I'll just have to wait and see where, hm?

[She doesn't suspect anything sinister. After all, he had been such a friendly, helpful child during their previous conversation.]

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth brightens as she agrees. When the elevator door closes behind them, he nods again, keeping his hold on her bandaged hand.

This will be good. The elevators are slow, of course, but faster than the stairs, especially as Claudia doesn't move quickly. Maybe when he fixes her, her can make her faster, like he is.]

[sicharia]

[Her smile strengthens when he brightens, and she can't help that the expression is a little fond. He seems like a good child. It's heartbreaking to see him like this, but that only reinforces her determination to make sure he's looked after now. She doesn't attempt to pull her hand away from his, instead lifting the other to pat his head.]

Afterwards, though, I'd like you to go back to the dormitories with me. Is that okay?

[pinnaculum]

[She even has white hair, like he does, and her eyes are different than most people's, like his. Maybe she really is like him. Even though he was the only human subject in the lab, she could be from a similar experiment.

He considers her question and neither nods nor shakes his head, instead tilting it to one side, as if uncertain.

Part of him does want to go back, that part of him that has been conditioned to work on the residential floors, but he would rather work on his experiments. He won't be able to do that if the other units see him.

He will be a better researcher than the professor.]

[sicharia]

[She picks up on his uncertainty and offers a straightforward explanation.]

I'm just concerned about you. [She glances downward, at his jumbled body.] Something has been done to you, hasn't it? I want to make sure you're okay. Besides— We need to get that blood cleaned up off you. It isn't good for you to walk around like that.

[pinnaculum]

[He looks at her, then down at himself again. He doesn't mind the fact that he's covered in blood, although he normally does his best to remain clean, even after killing, but what she says about his body is true.

Slowly, he nods. He can't deny that something has been done to him. Whether he's also agreeing to go along with her isn't entirely clear, however.]

[sicharia]

[She doesn't take it as such, so she goes on.]

I can't make you do anything you don't want to, and I wouldn't want to. [Even if he's a child, that doesn't mean she can simply ignore his wishes, after all.] But... I think it would be better if you stayed with other people until someone is able to fix—this. Please?

[It might be a little backwards for the adult to be pleading like this to the child, but that's what she does.]

[pinnaculum]

[He listens. It's not as if he wants to go back to his work or to the lower levels.

After another pause, he nods again. He can go with her. Once she's fixed. He doesn't think of how he'll be compelled to do otherwise, too caught up in eagerness about his research.

Thinking of that, he glances at the elevator door, knowing the elevator is slow but eager to arrive. He keeps his grip on Claudia's hand. It's a strong grip.]

[sicharia]

[Her response is a wide, genuine smile. His agreement comes as a relief. She doesn't mind the grip on her hand at all, and she uses her other to stroke his hair again.]

All right. Thank you. I'm really glad.

[pinnaculum]

[He nods again, more excited as they should be there soon. He's never been able to do a real experiment before! He will be a much better researcher than the professor.

When the elevator door opens, he tugs on her arm again, eager to pull her through it. There's a lot of strength in his grasp and pull. They still have to walk up to the lab from the restaurant.]

[sicharia]

[She's surprised by the strength with which he pulls her, but she supposes he must be eager to take her wherever it is he wants to go. She has already gathered that he isn't an ordinary child, so her surprise at the force is quickly forgotten.]

Alright, alright, I'm coming!

[She could almost laugh, if it weren't for the state he's currently in. As things are now, the most she can manage is another weak smile.]