100

[looselips]

Who: Shinji Matou and OPEN
Setting: Room 2-06, Floor 96, Floor 14
Format: Action preferred
Summary: Shinji has emotions and passive-aggressively plays video games
Warnings: Shinji having no idea how to cope with feelings, will add anything else that comes up

[Room 2-06]
[The video game Shinji receives is a good one. He's fond of it. Maybe not his favorite, but it would certainly rank within his top ten, if someone forced him to sit down and make a list. Under any other circumstance, he would be all but overjoyed to receive it.]

[Now, though, all he can think is, That's it?]

[In his anger, and with his usual childish level of restraint, he raises an arm and chucks the game, still in its case, down at the floor. He isn't particularly strong, but the force combined with the angle as it hits the floor is enough to make the case crack at the top corner and along its spine.]

[...But that's it. He doesn't throw a full-blown tantrum, like the time that Rider left. Instead, he merely stares in silence at the video game where it has settled on the floor, a second or two passing before he moves to pick it up again, checking to be sure that it is otherwise undamaged and sitting properly in its case.]

[Floor 96]
[Shinji hasn't actually set foot onto the floor proper yet, lingering on the stairs. The video game he received earlier is tucked under one arm. Evidently having drifted off into his own little world of thought, he isn't paying particular attention to his surroundings, his expression blank as he mulls things over.]

[He's heard what will happen if he steps onto this floor, and where the thought of losing his memories normally unsettles him, it almost appeals to him in this moment. He can remember being restrained, and having people standing over him, and the horror of being conscious but unable to control his own body. He'd rather not be able to, so here he stands, weighing the pros and cons.]

[Floor 14]
[And, because this is a Shinji post, he can at some point be found irritably and passive-aggressively playing his "new" video game in the media room. It isn't actually making him feel much better.]

Comments

Floor 96

[swordofzero]

It's not worth it.

[Oh look Shinji it's your irritating roommate who wont just leave you alone and let you self destruct. He struggles with this floor a lot, but at the moment he doesn't feel like he needs to forget. The very opposite, he needs to remember, remember what they did.

Remember why they have to keep fighting.]

[looselips]

Yeah, maybe.

[He doesn't argue with Suzaku, exactly, which is maybe a little strange, considering his normal behavior. But, then again, he wouldn't be sulking around on the stairs if he was certain it was worth it.]

But you weren't the one they...

[He doesn't finish that sentence. There are a lot of things he could complete it with, but none of them are easy to say.]

[swordofzero]

I know. [Suzaku nodded at him, he didn't have to finish the sentence, Suzaku knew...]

I wasn't, and I'm sorry that you were.

14

[cherrygrail]

[ Sakura peeks in the room to see Shinji playing quietly. To be honest, she was looking for him. She was trying to check on everyone she cared about to make sure they were alright.

But for whatever reason, Shinji doesn't feel alright to her. So she'll quietly enter the room and sit down next to him. Sakura doesn't have anything to say, she's just going to watch him play for now. ]

[looselips]

Being sorry isn't going to fix anything.

[But, again, it's said without his usual aggression.]

[looselips]

[At first, he doesn't appear to even notice Sakura's presence, continuing to play without so much as acknowledging her. Minutes pass before he finally speaks up, though his attention remains fixed on the screen.]

Do you want something?

[cherrygrail]

Nope! I'm just watching.

[ And that's all she has to say. If he wants to talk about anything that happened, he will, and Sakura doesn't feel the need to push her own problems onto an eight year old boy. ]

14

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth, while moving from floor to floor patrolling, takes note of Shinji playing his game. Curious, he comes closer, watching the screen. He's never played a video game before. Standing still, he doesn't make any secret of his presence, but he doesn't say anything, deciding to politely avoid interrupting.]

[looselips]

[He puffs when she says she's just there to watch, but he supposes he can't really tell her to get lost if that's all she wants.]

Fine. I'm feeling generous today, so you can watch Asia's top player for free.

[...His boasting is a little half-hearted, though.]

[looselips]

[Shinji continues to shoot space zombies mutants for a while, but the more time passes, the more Sephiroth just standing there bothers him. So, naturally, he pauses the game to grouse about it, sounding perhaps more irritable than is strictly called for.]

Do you need something?

Floor 96

[vermicompost]

[Kariya doesn't actually know about this floor. He's been on floor ninety-four, developing photos (and avoiding horrifying possession), and something, more an impulse than anything else, had driven him to walk upstairs. He has his camera in hand and some of his photographs.]

Shinji. [He smiles, stepping toward him.] I'm glad you're doing better.

[pinnaculum]

No.

[Terse as the answer is, it's honest. He doesn't need anything. He's also not in the most communicative mood. He gazes flatly at Shinji now that the game is paused.]

[looselips]

[When Kariya finds him, he starts, the hurried way he looks up very much the mannerism of a child who has been caught doing something he shouldn't be. He tries to seem more casual when looks away again, but he doesn't quite manage to smooth over his expression.]

...Yeah, I guess so.

[looselips]

[Shinji meets that answer with a put-upon sigh.]

Then why are you just standing there?

[pinnaculum]

I was watching.

[And it almost seems like he isn't going to add anything else, until:]

I have never played one of these games. [The idea of sitting down and playing games hasn't occurred to him, when he could be out killing real monsters.]

[looselips]

Yeah, well, that's your problem. You could have played anything here anytime you wanted.

[He nearly leaves it at that as well, but he belatedly adds, less belligerently:]

This one is from my home.

[pinnaculum]

Yes. I prefer to fight.

[He's more curious about what Shinji's doing than eager to play himself. Shinji interests him, in part because they're about the same age.

Also, killing actual things is probably way more fun.]

Did they give it to you? They gave me something, too.

[looselips]

Yeah, they did. [He scowls.] What'd they give you?

[And is it a better consolation prize?]

[vermicompost]

Good. [He knows it's not that easy, but he doesn't want to upset Shinji by making too much of the topic of what had happened to him. He still doesn't like thinking about it, himself.

Kariya notices that start. He glances toward the nearest floor, not sure what's the matter, aside from the obvious.] Is anything wrong?

I was looking for you. I wanted to see how you were. Maybe we could do something together.

[pinnaculum]

I don't know why they gave us gifts.

A fire Materia. [And because Sephiroth is sure Shinji doesn't know what Materia is, as no one else seems to, he turns to conjure a small fireball in the middle of the media room. It bursts quickly into existence and then just as quickly fades. His control of the fire is such that nothing is even so much as slightly charred as a result, and, his illustration complete, he turns back to Shinji.]

[looselips]

No, I'm fine. [The subdued reply is probably a worse response than the sarcasm that question would normally provoke. But, he turns toward Kariya fully now, taking a couple of steps toward him. He glances toward the camera Kariya carries, though he doesn't say anything about it.] "Do something"?

[He isn't sure how he wants to feel about Kariya looking for him, either, but for once, he doesn't snap about how he doesn't need Kariya to babysit him.]

[looselips]

Did they, you know... Did they do that stuff to you, too?

[He can't manage to phrase his question as something more explicit than that. He figures that Sephiroth should know what he means, if they did.]

[It's a good thing that Sephiroth sees fit to answer Shinji's question before he can ask it, but the suddenly appearing fireball makes Shinji jump. He scowls and flushes, but he doesn't care enough about his wounded pride at the moment to snap over it.]

Oh. That's nice for you, I guess.

[pinnaculum]

Yes. I was experimented on.

[Sephiroth doesn't look pleased about it. For a moment, an expression flickers in his eyes that might be anger, but it's just as quickly gone.

He does brighten slightly when thinking about his Materia. Weapons cheer him up.]

I do like offensive magic. It is helpful when fighting monsters. [And it works for setting random things on fire, too.] Do you enjoy your game?

[cherrygrail]

I'm looking forward to it.

[ Sakura gets quiet after that, just sitting and watching, even though she doesn't quite get what's going on. It's pretty, at least! ]

Floor 96

[bowandblade]

[Though things have apparently somewhat calmed down around the tower, Gilgamesh still finds himself climbing up and down the floors rather than waiting on the elevator. When he spots Shinji standing on the white floor -- a floor that he tends to pass over because of its lack of anything fairly interesting -- he raises a brow and walks over.]

A rather boring place to spend your time, boy.