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 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. ]

[..Break..what is Tohko going to do with you? She sighed again, but her tone was more annoyed now than sad.]

No, that will just make them think that I am a monster or a brat. Besides, bills don't taste very good.

Then what DOES, Miss Amano? Besides, not all mail is bills!

[ Legitimate question! One that he may be trying to weedle out of you to... serve better next time they have tea or lunch or whatever, so... ]

That's true..but it would still be rude of me to eat someone else's mail, even if they call me a goblin! And if you're looking to see what foods I like for next time..then sweet stories are usually the best. Of course, I'm the book girl, so I'll eat anything, but I do like sweet things.

[ ... Just like Sharon... he thinks they'd get along wonderfully, Sharon probably writing her all the sappy romance she can handle--mmm, he... he's been trying not to think about this, about what he's lost because they're gone

(Gone again and he couldn't protect them again, why was he so useless--)

--but he will not dwell, HE WILL NOT. He does not care. He shoves it somewhere deep, and leans on one of the chairs, letting his arms hang down. The dishwear on his head clatters but does not move or drip. ]

... Goblins... ridiculous.

[ He waves a hand absently, and it's said with not much thought to it. ]

I have seen creatures that are entirely human and far worse than such; how one could bring themselves to even care about that is beyond me. If they cannot see the obvious with your irritating positivity, then they are blind, deaf, or fools. Goblins are simply repulsive fairy tale creatures.

[ ... Anyway. ]

I shall have to see if I cannot arrange something next time, at any rate; it would have made today far more pleasant if you had been honest from the beginning, Miss Amano. Though it hardly matters. ... However, I promised you I would answer you in return, so you may ask whatever you wish of me before we go.

[ He is offering, but that does not mean he will be FORTHCOMING. Still, he detests owing people favors. ]

[While the dishes didn't fall, that clattering made Tohko think. If Break prided himself on being a Servant, he usually would have tried to be silent and not call to attention his duties. Was he alright?]

I'm sure not all goblins are horrible..but you're right, it is a little foolish to think of me as a goblin, just because I eat stories and words.

[She then sighed and scratched her head.]

..I'm sorry. I don't tell people up-front about this usually..but you're pretty good at seeing through masks. Oh! As for your question, I just have two things for right now: Are you a mask-wearer yourself, and are you feeling alright?

[ ... He just smiles. ]

How right a person is can be qutite relative, especially as everyone wears masks, it is just a matter of how ma-ny, what kind, when, and where!

[ He said he'd answer, but he never promised he would answer against his usual personality type. For him, that sort of thing IS honest. And with that he is upright again and perfectly balanced and everything is just fine. Or so it seems. He is very good at hiding his intent and feelings, unlike Tohko; it comes off quite sincere, or at least cheerful enough. ]

Of course, this Network you spoke of--I assume it is not made of nets?

[ If you're done, Tohko, he's going to steal your dishwear and stack it on his head accordingly. ]

[At that, Tohko sighed. She should have expected something like that from Xerxes, but, for once, she had expected him to be serious. As she spoke, she stood. And she was quite done with her dishes, so Break would have no trouble gathering those up.]

Not everyone wears masks all the time, or even ever..however, you are right. The network isn't made up of nets, but rather, computers.

[ He seems perplexed, but does not reply further. Silly girl, everyone wears masks, they just don't realize it. ]

... I have no idea what a computer is, but why would you ever name something after nets if no nets are involved in its operation?

Well, because in the computer, programs are in it that can resemble a net, in its knots and ties together. However, a few computers are in the nineteenth floor. If you want, we can take a look.

... Programs.

[ Said flatly-- ]

Miss Amano, I am afraid you will have more than a bit of explaining to do. It seems the gap was less of a skip and a hop and more of a potentially broken ankle! Of course, we should be most careful not to break our ankles. I would be happy to go with you.

[ In other words he has no idea what that word means either. ]

And I wouldn't be too happy if you broke your ankle and couldn't hop around any more! Plus, broken bones are pretty painful. I guess we'll take the elevator down and walk down to the library.

[And so, Tohko walked out of the room and pressed the call button for the elevator.]

Indeed I would not be, no! Broken bones are so very unpleasant to deal with, Miss Amano.

[ Juuuuust a little silly twirl--he is totally fine, yup. ]

I must say, I do find this place quite curious--so many different mechanical objects, and not a horse in sight! Though it lacks the regality of a stagecoach, I suppose the ride is far less bumpy.

Oh, I know! I've had my arm broken in this place, so I know how painful they can be.

[He may look fine, but Tohko wasn't quite sure if he was wearing a mask or not. He could be..but at that comment, she smiled.]

Well, I wouldn't mind having a stagecoach here, but the steps might be a bit too bumpy for it, and the monsters might destroy it. However, I do remember their being a horse here on the twenty-fifth floor.

[And, at that moment, the elevator finally came up.]

That would be a most unfortunate accident for all involved, yes. There is not much room here, and I admit to missing that one thing--it is always nice to have room to breathe, but one must make do.

[ He steps in with a kind of hop. How those dishes stay so perfectly balanced despite teetering is anyone's guess. Whether he was wearing a mask or not, it seems so genuine that in itself is suspect, and Tohko is certainly not stupid--but, you see, it's hardly a mask for him. The entire person of "Xerxes Break" was simply a construct he created when Kevin Regnard's usefulness had ended. Kevin Regnard was dead, and so there was only a mask in his place. Xerxes Break wore no mask, he was one, so differentiating the two for even the smart can be difficult. ]

I DO wonder what would happen if we pressed all of these at once, though! One day I shall try this out and see what the result is.

Yup..especially in a place like this.

[Tohko followed Break inside, sadly ignorant of the fact that the whole identity of Xerxes Break was, in a way, a mask, and not so ignorant about those dishes. He had probably had quite a few years of experience with them, and if he prided himself on being a good servant, he would probably try at all times to keep those dishes steady and silent. At his last comments though, Tohko chuckled as she pressed the button for the meadow floor, the closest and safest way to the nineteenth floor.]

You really shouldn't do that. These buttons take you to different floors, so if you do that, you'll just end up going everywhere in the Tower and spend quite a long time in the elevator.

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