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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[Yes, but did everyone like being a monster? However, Tohko looked a bit puzzled at that term.]

Why did the Abyss choose her to be it's will? Was there something special about it or was she just willing?

[..That second question did make Tohko think that she was willing..that Alie made the deal for power.]

It depends. What are the specifics of the contract? What will I have to do or give up? I'd have to know everything that went into something like that. I have no intention of becoming Faust unknowingly.

[ He laughs merrily, now-- ]

Well, it is good to know you are not a complete imbecile!

[ His demeanor changes so rapidly it's a bit shocking, but, Break just sort of flops around, messing with his lollipop. ]

Who can say? I certainly am not qualified to judge a being such as her! But Chains, I think, would be a little easier to explain. When an illegal contract is made, the human playing host to the Chain in their body will have a tattoo-looking insignia appear right over their heart. The top is a needle--every time they use the Chain's power, the more humans they feed to it, well... tick, tock. It's simply a matter of time after that. Of course... the promise you could, oh, reverse the destruction of something precious to you would be far more alluring than common sense if you were desperate, would it not?

Well, I am a book girl, you know! I'm not a fool.

[Tohko burned Xerxes information onto her brain and sighed. So..Alice had made a contract and had a Chain put in her body..and she had turned into a monster after feeding countless people into the Abyss. Break might have tried to stop her, and..got pushed in as a result.]

..Possibly..but you know, even if I was desperate, I wouldn't want to endanger others. If I was to make a contract like that, I would want only one person to get hurt-me.

[ Something like that. ... Or something nowhere near like that. He won't explain, probably not unless Tohko tries to ask directly, and even then, he will never tell her the entirety of it. It was not for her to know. ]

There is never an "only you" can be hurt in anything, be it contracting or simple relationships. Every power comes with a price--

[ Crunch goes the lollipop. ]

You may lose your head, but then the person next to you has to deal with the aftermath. In particular, I think, the same might be said of our so-called 'saviors'. What is the cost of what they do? What deal did they have to make? Why would Mister Jason feel the need to try to silence us into obedience through force if he was not concerned about that price? What you do not see tells you more than what you do. I would like to see... what shall happen after this.

Desperation breeds belligerence and ignorance... oppression breeds revolution and planning.

[Sadly, Tohko could be pretty stubborn when she wanted to be, so further questions about Xerxes past would probably come up until he told her to stop asking about it.]

Then I just have to make sure that my friends and loved ones aren't standing next to me in that scenario. However..Jason's probably concerned about his own hide, since he might not want to end up dead..and we were saved..because Ruana destroys our worlds by looking at them.

..And while might might happen next will be interesting..we have to make sure that we don't plan foolishly.

[ He chuckles. Tohko, you're so stupidly cute and saying "not to be foolish"? Really? He's amused, though in a very dark sort of way. ]

What a mess I have found myself in.

[ All he can think of was how something that had ruled his life for so long was so utterly decimated in seconds at Alice's irritation. And the ensuing bloody rain. Sigh. ]

It is indeed good that I am a servant, or this would be a most irritating and unfamiliar situation to clean up.

[ Which you can take as a sort of "I'll help if you need it" kind of thing, Tohko. But more importantly... ]

About this "network" you speak of... I presume it has to do with the odd... contraptions in this place, such as that lift?

We've all found ourselves in this mess..but it's good that you're used to these things. I've been here awhile, so I've gotten used to a bit of it..so hopefully we can both help everyone out.

[Tohko then looked out toward the elevator and nodded before looking back at Xerxes.]

That's the elevator..and yes, it is a technological appliance..if you need help using it, I can show you how to.

[ Such fancy words.]

Elevator... I suppose it does not elevate us in terms of status, then? It really is a shame, perhaps we could use it to curry favor with our ad-min-is-trai-tors.

[ But on a less silly note-- ]

Unfortunately, I am afraid we are not yet elevated enough from my perspective, as you have probably realized. The help would be most appreciated, Miss Amano. Perhaps I can repay the favor in kind.

[Well, she is a book girl..]

It would be nice if we could use it to rise from status above the Administrators..but, sadly, it just elevates us in place.

However, I don't mind showing you how the network works once you're done with your tea. I've already shown two people how to use it before, so it's not that hard to use. You don't have to repay me though..I'm just happy to help out.

[ Mentally filing all this away, because this is obviously stuff he needs to know. ]

I do not enjoy owing people, Miss Amano. Though I have one thing I do want to ask you first:

[ It means they'll collect on it later, after all. ]

Is my tea really that terrible as to have no flavor whatsoever? I have been serving the Rainsworths for some years now, and in all my time, I am reasonably sure the most expensive tea that I brought with me would, at least, elicit some reaction--be it dislike or otherwise.

[ He can't help asking. He noticed, and he finds it odd. What they'd allowed him to have here, was, indeed, one of the very best black teas money could find. ]

[Tohko was not one to curse, or even show signs physically that someone might be catching on. She kept on smiling as she replied to Xerxes. Mentally, however, she was forcing herself to keep it together and not cry out and curse.]

I'm sorry! The tea is really sweet..the conversation has just been so engaging that I just haven't had a good opportunity to mention it.

[No, no, no, no...]

[ ...... Lies detected. He's right. Break is very, very good at knowing when people are lying, Tohko. You're no better at it than Oz... which is to, of course, say you are very good at hiding it.

Don't mind if he pauses, frowns slighty, then stands and walks over to where you are and glances at you, as if trying to figure something out--

At first he's just sort of oddly silent. ]

...

[ Break blinks once. ... Yes. Yes, he quite sees something wrong here. What, he cannot directly place, but it's like with Oz, just... in another way... ]

[ But then he smiles. ]

... I am not the type to use information against people who are not a threat to me, Miss Amano. As it is just the two of us, you really should be a bit more honest. After all, I would hardly be a decent host if I allowed myself to cause you discomfort with what I offer.

[ So spit it out. What is going on with you, girl? ]

[...When Break walked up to her and started to stare, Tohko returned it, occasionally sipping at the tea. She had a staring match with Wilhelm once before, and his facial expressions-or, rather, the lack of them-were much creepier.

..But when he said that she was lying, the mask of a smile just got even tighter. While she considered Xerxes a friend, she didn't consider him on the level where she would spill her secret to him. Only a few people knew that one, and she usually didn't let it up that easily sometimes.]

It's alright! Really, you're not causing me any discomfort. I'm not lying..the tea really is delicious, but in a serious conversation like this, sometimes there's not much room to talk about it, even if the tea is delicious.

[Nope, nope, not spilling, no..]

[ ... As one who hides behind a smile all the time, Break cannot help his amusement. So much like Oz, isn't she? So he's just... going to poke your forehead, Tohko, and then turn around and get out of your personal space. ... For now. ]

Lying is bad form, Miss Am-a-no.

[ Break happily grabs Emily who goes to her usual spot on his shoulder, and then begins to clean up by stacking dishes on his head. As he is doing this, he turns. Curiosity compels him forward, somewhat, and he cannot help this urge to pry, pry, pry, because unlike Tohko, he's obnoxious. ]

What is it you're afraid of, exactly? Ridicule? Something else...? Not that I can blame you, of course, you must have been doing this for quite some time... so how about this: if you tell me, I will answer any questions you have honestly. That is, I think, only fair.

[ Now, you see, this is why he didn't bother answering before when she asked. And if not, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. ]

[Tohko wasn't quite expecting the forehead poke, but when it happened, she rubbed the spot and sighed when Break said that lying was bad form.]

..Maybe, but so is asking people what they're hiding when they're not hiding anything. Besides..if I worried about bad form, that in itself would be bad form. You'd turn into Captain Hook.

[As she spoke, Tohko watched Xerxes clean up the dishes. While Tohko was still on edge on the inside, it was amazing that he could stack all those dishes on his head without dropping one or two. However, while his offer was tempting, Tohko..wasn't sure she wanted to go for it yet. After all, hadn't he been honest all this time?]

..But haven't you been honest this whole time?

[ He waves a hand airily. His balance is just that good, they may wobble, but there's no danger of breakage or spilling. ]

I do not know who this "Captain Hook" is, but he must have been quite a crook!

[ In other words, he only said he'd answer honestly, not that he hadn't been honest. It is simply in his nature to omit things, but that isn't lying. ]

It is actually rather insulting that you would not be frank with me. As a servant of nobility, it is my job to make sure the ones whom I serve, my guests, are well taken care of, and if you are not happy with something, but are not telling me, then how am I to fix it? What do you think I will do with this knowledge, exactly?

Well, he was a pirate, so yes, he was a crook! He comes from Peter Pan, and if you haven't read that story, you really should someday! It's quite delicious!

[And Tohko might have shot herself in the foot with that statement. However, as Xerxes keeps speaking, Tohko sighs..but her smile is still kept on tight.]

I'm sorry..I'm not trying to be insulting, but really, I'm okay like this. There isn't a single thing about this teatime that I haven't enjoyed. You don't have to worry about me.

Oh... really, now? Do tell me more about this book, then, Miss Amano--I am afraid I haven't read it. Why is it such a good one? We have a little time. I will probably take these down the lift in a bit.

[ Well, now he understands. Why would someone call a book delicious? That sounded quite literal... hmmm. He now has a decent hypothesis, but he can't be sure. Time to test it. ]

Ah, alright then! It's a shame that it doesn't exist in your universe..but that tends to happen in places like this, I suppose. It's about The Darling family who have three children-Wendy, Michael, and John-who all run away to Neverland, the place of children's dreams and fantasies, with Peter Pan, the boy who will never grow old, and about their adventures there.

The story is wonderful because, on the surface, it's a wonderful, engaging, and memorable fairy tale..but it's also a statement about growing up: how it's terrible..and why it's not that bad either. It's just like a delicious slice of warm apple pie mixed with vanilla ice cream! It's wonderful!

[ Break listens intently to Tohko, and does not at all interrupt her, his attention seemingly captivated. Because, you see, it is. Not so much for the story ITSELF, but as Tohko's reaction to it. One does not describe books as though they are food, after all. Not normally. ]

... A most interesting synopsis! I shall have to read this book when I have the chance, assuming the library here is not as dreadful as it first appears.

[ But he smiles brightly, now. ]

I should thank you for telling me, Miss Amano, even if only in a roundabout sense. I rather suppose this would explain your poorly built mask... it is rather hard to steep tea made from words, after all. In the future, I shall have to see what I can do to suit your tastes a bit better. You shall have to explain this to me properly, however, at some point. Consider it a reward for being so helpful; I will aid you in whatever way I can--just as I said I would. Even if you refuse to consider it in simplistic terms.

[ Now, really, was that so hard, Tohko? ... Never mind he sort of tricked you into babbling a confirmation at him, shh. ]

... Besides which, lying does not suit you at all. This sort of honesty is, I think, much a more fetching shade on a Librarian like you.

Edited 2013-04-24 12:44 (UTC)

[Not normally, but Tohko was a special case..even though she did bite her lip when he spoke again. How did he blow her cover that quickly? People usually asked why she thought stories were similar to meals..]

You really should..they do have it in the library..and I didn't tell you anything! I just compared books to food. After all, cooking and writing have a lot of things in common..and I'm not just a librarian..I'm mainly a book girl.

[Tohko sighed before speaking again. Dammit..this was why she sometimes hated chessmasters and puppeteers like this.]

..Thank you though..how were you able to see through it? I've built it up over the years..

[ Break's smile is... somewhat sharp, and he narrows his single eye just a smidgen. ]

... My vision... sees a lot, yet it does not see as much as you'd also think. I would recognize a mask when I saw it, Miss Amano, and you are a TERRIBLE liar.

[ She really isn't; it's a gift of his, perhaps maybe due to his Chain, or maybe his upbringing, or maybe his second "life"... who knows? It's also a curse. The curse of the red eyes of misfortune, the hypervigilance he MUST have to compensate to make sure he never make those mistakes again--he cannot miss ANYTHING!--and the ability to see past those who are so fake it's disgusting to him, but whom to others, fake is all they know. Aside from which, the entirety of "Xerxes Break" is nothing more than a fabrication he created from the shards of someone else. It would be remiss of him not to know. If he were wrong, Tohko would've been entirely confused with him, and so instead, not only did she give him supporting evidence, but she also just confirmed he was right by saying so. He was only partially bluffing, but that's how that works--get your opponent to think you've won, and they'll show you their whole hand. ]

... Aside from which, I have been sure something about you was off from the beginning, though I could not quite figure out what it was. You, little Book Keeper, should simply stay as you are. I see no reason why you should hide behind cowardly masks. It is quite obvious to anyone with a brain you are as you claim, so I really cannot understand why you would feel the need to hide such a thing in the first place. As I asked before, what is it you're afraid of, exactly?

[ His tone is less... jeering or mocking or openly intrusive as it is simply inquisitive; there's an odd kind of... older quality to it almost, like someone who's been around far more than a man who seems barely into his twenties should be. ]

I don't think I'm a horrible liar..maybe your eyes have just gotten so used to seeing masks that you picked mine right out.

[Tohko was good at reading between the lines sometimes or making guesses that were sometimes correct. However, the only reason she confirmed Xerxes suspicions was because she knew that he had her. Any more attempts to hide or deny it would have been useless. The jig was up, as far as she knew. At the question, Tohko sighed as she tried to think of a good way to answer it without sounding foolish or making something sound like something that she didn't mean.]

..I'm not sure how cowardly my mask really is..but while I have no problems with my condition, I hide it because other people might see me as a monster or a goblin and, as a result, might shun or hate me. I'm perfectly happy with how I am..but I wouldn't want to lose any of my friends.

[ ........... He knows. He knows about this well. But what he says, instead of confirming her as being RIGHT, is this, and it is said with an airy, lilting, overly-cheerful voice. ]

If someone thinks that of you, then you should just eat all their mail! I am sure they will regret ever having thought such things!

[ Break. Break, stop. But in his own way, he's being considerate. He could grill her, patronize her, but he's not going to. Not now. She's been through enough. He'll bug her about it later. ]

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