towerofanimus | [o2] A little discussion. ☂ Closed.

Entry tags:

[o2] A little discussion. ☂ Closed.

Characters:

Break and

Tohko.
Setting: Floor 81, the lounge, around 10AM, forward-dated to the 22nd. (After exchanging some mail.)
Format: Starting with action but you can use prose if you're more comfortable.
Summary: Break and Tohko decide to have some tea together after all that went on.
Warnings: Mentions of the event, most likely, and Break probably being Break. I will edit if anything else happens.

[ Break, having arrived with a tea set and a bit of tea, enough for a few kettles, he is sure, is quite happy to find a nice table in the lounge after getting the water and sugar he would need and bringing it to this floor via the elevator. It is a shame, he thinks, that they've no cream or milk, but it will just have to do. He prefers black tea, of course; he only hopes his guest will not mind the flavor. He would sweeten it with honey, but that is also harder to come by here.

So he waits for Tohko to arrive, once he has set his tray down. Emily is sitting on the table nearby. Truthfully, he is not sure whether or not she is going to be followed, and if what happened has had any bearings on his current goal to learn as much about the limits of this place and the admins as he can. If she was brainwashed, it was quite possible she may have reported to the administrators that he was dangerous, and if that is true, well... he needs to find out. That aside, he quite needs someone with information, and so he begins dropping sugar cubes into his own tea, one, two, three... and on he goes until fifteen are in place.

When Tohko arrives, she will find him sitting there looking entirely at ease, though she may note at the moment he is not wearing his coat and such as he usually does, he is in his Pandora Uniform. Why? Well, he got himself kind of... nicked up in his other clothing, oops. A few people decided to attack him when they were insane. Besides Tohko. Not all of them were easy to handle. He has his cane nearby, leaning against the seat. Can't be too careful, right? ]

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[Tohko had spent the last few days apologizing when she could, trying to find Mihli, and..catching up on the network. The situation did not look good, and she wasn't sure how to handle it right now. She needed to talk with everyone later and see if the rest of the rebellion had managed to get down to the Administrative floor..and see how they were doing.

However, for now, it was teatime. To be honest, Tohko was looking forward to having tea with Xerxes, and while she had noticed that the retrieval units were following her sometimes, she had run back and forth to give them the slip before coming up to the lounge. As she walked in, she smiled and waved at Xerxes and Emily.]

Good morning Xerxes! Hello, Emily. Thank you for setting up the tea..and I apologize for being a bit late. I've been having to run around just to make sure that I can be with a few for a few hours.

Edited 2013-04-20 20:11 (UTC)

Good morning~! ☆

[ Says Emily. Silly doll. But that aside-- ]

I would not worry about being late; I rather suspected that may be the case.

[ He is not an idiot. Although he has no idea about this resistance nonsense, he figured her becoming a puppet for the admins would mean she would likely be under surveillance of some sort. He will happily pour her a cup of tea and set it over on the other side of the table. It is early in the morning and, fortunately, no one seems to be here at the moment.

Or maybe he just somehow ran them off. Who knows. ]

Though I do believe I owe you an apology for losing my temper as I did; I am sorry. How would you like your tea?

[ Yes. Yes he can apologize. No the world is not ending, he promises. ]

[Tohko looked a little puzzled as she sat across from Break and as he poured her tea. She knew that he didn't know about the rebellion, so why did he suspect that might be the case?]

About five sugars, if that's alright..and it's okay! I should be the one apologizing..I tried to kill you the last time we met. It was the only way you could have really defended yourself, so it's alright. Don't worry about it. However..why did you suspect that I might be late?

[ Ah, that earns a smirk, as he adds the sugars for her. ]

... You were turned into a simple marionette by our kidnappers, Miss Amano. Tell me, if you had taken control of someone else, what would you be doing that for? To simply make them obedient? To what end? Forced obedience is nice, but that is hardly all one gets out of this. They have mindless workers here to do all the chores. It was not difficult to make an educated guess, particularly with how affected you were when I brought up the administrators not being what you might have liked.

[ And then he sits back down, putting one leg over the other, and he sips his tea. ]

I am afraid I rather had to see what they were capable of, myself. And even after this, I imagine this "Jason" is going to be keeping a very watchful eye on us. Granted, I do not know much of what has gone on here before my arrival, but I intend to find out.

[At Xerxes remarks, Tohko sighed as he added in the sugars. She nodded before taking a sip of her tea and replying. It tasted like sand, but that was how it usually tasted like, so she didn't react to it.]

That's true, I suppose. However, Jason didn't squeeze every last one of us for information. He only searched a few..but he still learned of the rebellion, and who was involved. I hate the fact that I was turned into a puppet..but I hate that he found out even more.

[She sighed again, trying to calm down, and took another sip of her tea.]

However, you're guess was right. I've noticed that retrieval units have been following me a lot lately. They don't do anything..but they do watch me.

[ Hmmm. He doesn't think his tea is that bad, but Break does pause instead, deciding not to comment on it at the moment. He has bigger things to care about. ]

... So there has been a rebellion, hm? I am not surprised in the least--this sort of behavior will make even sworn enemies hate the same person. Honestly, I am surprised there has not been a Tower-wide flooding of refusal to cooperate.

[ He just jabs his tea with a fork, stirring it about. Yeah don't ask. He is quiet for a moment, before he decides to divulge something to Tohko he would not others: ]

You were a very dedicated marionette, Miss Amano. It is very easy to take loyalty to one's friends, stick in a little dagger, and simply twist until you are compliant. If you recall, I quite warned you when we first met that it is dangerous to simply trust people outright. I do not enjoy the need to defend myself, but you must understand I am not about to leave my life in the hands of a simple system that recycles human beings as though they are worthless.

[ There is a lot implied here. But he will say nothing more. ]

... I detest people who would do this sort of thing. Not even allowing those who deserve it respite in death--such an irritating person, causing such trouble... I swear, he is just like that rat, and I cannot stand that sort of behavior...

[ Uh. He is crunching sugar cubes now. He is kind of annoyed. ]

Edited 2013-04-21 05:27 (UTC)

[..Okay, that actually manages to get Tohko to smile a little. That in of itself is a bit of a feat.]

There is one..while the Administrators know about it, they don't know of our exact plans or anything like that. They know our names and where we meet..but that's about it, as far as I've been able to gather. However, it's hard to have a huge rebellion against the Administrators if you don't know where they are. Now that we do..it's an advantage.

[Was that..a wish to join the rebellion, as well as some words of caution? Tohko took it that way.]

I know..and I hate the fact that they were able to twist me like that. However, I know I can't tell people everything I know outright. It's dangerous sometimes, both to me, and to those I care about. However..if you don't want to leave your life in their hands, maybe..you can try to wrench your hands free with us.

[And the offer was extended. Tohko took another sip of tea before continuing on.]

I hate this too. Twisting free will and giving people the curse of immortality..it's horrible, and while he is the medical doctor, he shouldn't be allowed to do it.

[ The angry crunching of sugar cubes stops. Break looks rather displeased about all this, but in due time he manages to recover, if slowly. He seems to be thinking. Eventually, he does answer: ]

... Is that so... I understand. Most curious.

[ Mmmm. What he understands, it is hard to say, but he looks back over at Tohko with his single eye. ]

They will do it again, and again. Allow me to ask you this, Miss Amano: are you prepared to hurt everyone you have ever come to trust, alienate every ally you will ever make, and suffer until the end while you are used as a disposable tool for making their ends possible?

If you are not, then I would not continue your 'valiant' fight, because you are too weak to accomplish that task. If you are...

[ He raises his teacup, now. ]

Well. That is another matter.

[Tohko sighed as she took yet another sip of tea.]

They may not do it all the time. I've only seen one other instance where they've messed with free will like this. However, while I'm willing to suffer, I will not hurt my friends or push away my allies. I have told you once before Xerxes: I will not use people, even if doing so would help me. It would only make me and others hurt more in the end.

[ Sigh. She misses his point yet again. ]

My dear child, you are quite missing the point. I detest repeating myself, so I am going to ask that you listen VERY CLOSELY to what I am about to say, every single word. If you attacked me, how many more people have you attempted to hurt in your efforts to make them stay "in-line" as a puppet? And how many were your precious "friends"? I am going to tell you right now this will inevitably happen again--

[ And he just waves the fork airily in her direction. He is speaking, here, from experience: it is better to throw away all those useless things if you are going to have a single goal than it is to say you will or won't have uncompromising morals. ]

If you are willing to continue your attempt to fight these people, you will have to forsake all of that and learn to cope with the fact you will be used to hurt the people you care about. You cannot say you will never hurt the people you love or use them, because you just did, did you not? You may wish to fight me on this front, you may wish to say "but that was not me," but we both know the truth, do we not? I am not saying you have to behave differently, what I am asking is this:

[ And now, he just leans back into his seat. ]

Are you truly fine with suffering that much? It would be easier, you know, to simply live your idealistic little life and let them run it. But if you continue this path, they will likely not allow that to happen; after all, you are already being watched.

[Tohko has been listening carefully to Xerxes, even though she's been working on that tea for most of the time. When he finishes speaking, she puts down her glass. Her smile was gone, but she looked very determined.]

I admit..I attacked quite a few people, and some of them were precious, dear friends of mine. However, let me rephrase what I have said: I, in my right mind, with my free will intact, will never hurt the people I love or choose to have them be sacrificed instead of me. I know the can twist my free will, and I know that they can and sometimes will use me as a puppet. But..the fact remains that, in my right mind, I won't do those things, and it won't stop me from trying to make amends once the damage it done and I'm back to myself.

I know I'm being watched, and I know that I might get hurt if I continue. But it's better that I hurt instead of the people I care about. I won't throw away my ideals.

[ ... What a foolish little girl. Did she really think it was that easy? He wonders if she wasn't the sort who'd end up attached to a Chain and dragged down into the Abyss... "I'll be fine" is the stupid attitude Oz developed. And now... now what? Where does this leave them all? What should he do? Should he keep trying to gather as much information as he can...? He needs a goal. But at least Tohko has some amount of conviction, and courage. And she won't just hide behind an excuse. That is enough for him, at least, to not outright dislike her. ]

You really are an idiot. Opening yourself to that kind of thing... I can only hope they do not break you in the end. However did you come to be so stubborn?

[ Pausing. ]

... And what will you do next? Having lofty goals is nice, but the immediate future is a larger concern. I imagine this is the calm before the storm... though I cannot say for sure what is going on with everyone else, as one cannot keep track of them all face to face.

[Tohko wasn't the type to hide behind an excuse. She would accept responsibilty whenever something happened, even if she was stubborn and foolish sometimes. However, at the question, she couldn't help but lightly smile.]

Don't worry..I don't think they will. I'm more worried about everyone else than myself. However..I got to be this stubborn when I read stories about heroes and characters who never gave up..and prevailed. And that was only further hammered into me when my stubbornness managed to save someone back home from suicide.

As for what will happen next..I'll have to talk with everyone, find out what they've managed to do in my absence, and then plan out something with them. We'll come up with something, even if it will take us awhile.

[ ... There's a kind almost bitter smile. Hahahahahaha... oh, god, what would she even think if she knew the truth? He's torn between amusement and hating those sort of stories. Knights in shining armor... do not exist. Break smiles, but it does not quite reach his eye. ]

... Not giving up is simply someone being stubborn. Heroes do not exist outside of fiction, Miss Amano. Though, if you are planning to meet with them, I am not sure you should use the mail to do that. It leaves too many gaps.

[If Tohko heard the truth..she probably would have dealt with it as best she could and comforted Xerxes. She was the sort of person who put others in front of herself, after all. However..since she was a book girl, she loved all sorts of stories. She noticed that Xerxes smile wasn't quite genuine, but she didn't comment on it.]

That's not true. Heroes exist all over the place, if you only look hard enough. I've met quite a few of them here..however, the mail system was good enough to be trusted by Dax. It should be alright..but I was planning on meeting people face-to-face.

[ And then the cheeriness is back. ]

All over, you say? Then I must be running into knights in shining armor left and right!

[ But, more seriously... Break takes a moment finish his tea before continuing. ]

This Dax man--I am curious, if you could indulge me for a moment, Miss Amano... what do you know about him?

[..Obviously, Xerxes hasn't read enough stories.]

..You might not be..but you know, heroes don't have to be knights in shining armor. They can be all sorts of people.

[Tohko took one more sip of her tea, collecting her thoughts, before moving on.]

He was one of the Administrators, and the only one with a morality system similar to a humans. He hated Jason's experiments and didn't like the way Ruana treated us, but she had a hold over him..and for most of the time, he didn't go against her. However, his months were peaceful, and other than the monsters, no experiments would take place.

However, eventually, he got fed up with Ruana. He managed to get several people down to the Administrative level, where they learned the truth about the bodies here, and..he pulled several people from an alternate universe here, and a large, powerful monster, in an attempt to kill Ruana. When that failed, he challenged her himself..and lost. She devoured him.

[ ... He sighs. Not going to dignify the hero thing with a response-- ]

I do hope she at least garnished him properly! I doubt he was a rather good meal.

[ Yeah. That's really all he has to say. ]

How interesting. This Ruana girl... she is not unlike something I have encountered before.

[ Alice. The Will of the Abyss. She sounded just like her... ]

[..And that comment earns you an angry glare, Xerxes.]

Xerxes, she ate him whole, ripping his guts out for all to see. It's on the network if you ever want to take a look.

[..However, that second comment was interesting.]

What was similar to Ruana in your universe?

[ Since he is done with his tea, don't mind if he just gets a lollipop out. He seems entirely unbothered. Lol you expect him to care, Tohko? Cause he don't. At all. ]

I've no idea what you mean by "network," dear girl, but yes, you rather insinuated that. Do you think that bothers me? However terrible you think it is, it can always be worse.

[ It doesn't. Not at all. ]

Some people call her the "Will of the Abyss," though she would likely prefer to be called Alice. She is quite like this Ruana girl I have heard so much about. Twisted, warped, depraved, but still some form of child, still a little girl of a sort.

[ He's resisting the urge to rest his hand over his hair right now, the hair that covers up the other side of his face. That eye of his she gave to that stupid cat... no, it was more like a rat. It had no right to call itself a cat. ]

That's true..but even if it can be worse, that doesn't change the fact that it's terrible..but if you don't know about the network, I can teach you about it.

[After all, she's already taught several people in the Tower. However, this information was interesting.]

I see..and how did you handle her? And was she the strongest thing you ever came across?

[ Heh. He'll bring up this "network" thing later. But for now, there's... an odd sort of change to his expression. ]

Miss Amano, what would you expect hell itself to be like, I wonder...? What kind of person do you think would live at its core?

[ It's a bit odd to answer a question with a question, but he has a point. ]

[Tohko sighed as she scratched her head, trying to think of how she could put her views on Hell so that they would make sense.]

My views on Hell, Heaven, Purgatory, and God are a bit odd, since I've read so many stories and seen different version of the places..but if Hell were to exist, and if it were to be a bad place..then I imagine that, at the core, there would be no one. Everyone who went would be stuck in an empty place, alone, forever.

..Did you push Alice into Hell?

[ He allows himself a slightly amused chuckle. ]

Hah... I'm not sure if I should be offended you would think so poorly of me. ... You have it quite backwards.

[ Insinuation? That HE may have been pushed down there himself. But he won't tell her that outright. Instead, he's quiet for a moment before he goes on. ]

Your description is not... off, but it is not correct, either. I would say it rather more looks to me like a broken toy box... and its core is a room filled with dolls and madness. In its most simplistic form, that is what we call the "Abyss". A world where something you could call demons reside. ... Though we call them Chains. The sort of things that man, Jason, turned you into are very average horrors there. The Abyss is an unnatural creation, a black hole of madness and inhuman creatures. And yet, at its core, the living embodiment of that madness...

[ And he points to Tohko. ]

... A young girl. Just... like... you.

[Well, Tohko got that insinuation perfectly well, and she sighed and scratched her head.]

..I'm sorry. That must have been a horrible experience for you then. How did you manage to get out? And why did Alice push you down?

[Hey, don't compare her to the creator of Hell and countless monsters, Break.]

She couldn't have been just like me..I'm not strong enough to make things like that. However...how was she able to make all those things? And was this young girl Alice?

[..And was Xerxes a Mad Hatter?]

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