In the greyness and drizzle of one despondent dawn...

[culbutiri]

Characters: Nesir Aeser and you
Setting: Floor 20
Format: Prose but I will switch
Summary: Aftermath of being a drone.
Warnings: just event stuff and dark thoughts

When Nesir had seen the dress laid out on her bed she had almost lost her temper, cut it up and thrown it away. But she had forced herself to stay calm because it had been given to her to provoke that reaction, to make her lose control. And she wouldn't, she had put it on instead, transferring the poisons to the hidden pockets, and moving her daggers across.

She had never worn it before, it had been stowed in her trunk in the temple after Lotte had thrown it at her in anger, I had it made specially for you, and I almost had to bury you in it.

Only fitting that she should wear it now then, beyond death. A soul trapped, away from the natural order of things and kept, contained.

Theirs to do what they liked with. Nesir sat on floor twenty, at the edge of the tower, legs dangling off the side staring out into the fog and emptiness. She remembered every moment, the pain, the brainwashing, the feeling that everything was alright, her actions, what she had done, attacking, killing.

She had been controlled before, both as training and punishment. Her body a puppet. It happened rarely, for she rarely disobeyed, had never disobeyed before she went to the temple. Yet this had been different, because her mind had always been her own. She might not be able to speak, to move except on the whims of whoever was pulling the strings, but she could think, she could curse them silently, she could fight back mentally.

But even that had been taken away, her mind had been theirs, she had obeyed them mindlessly. Helpless, like a child, unable to fight back, not even wanting to...

And as far as she could gather there was no reason except that they could.

Causing chaos, it was a motive she could get behind but these were blasphemers, they worshiped no shadow god, they stole souls, they played with life and death itself.

Her life and death, her soul, her mind. She was more than a puppet, she had proven that. She made her own decisions, she was her own person. She was Nesir, she had made the name her own, she was Culbu. She had earned a name, and she had earned her free will. She was obedient, she was loyal. She didn't need to be controlled.

But these people played by no rules she knew and seemed determined to prove her wrong.

She would destroy them, she did not know how, or when, but she would. She didn't know if the shadow god could hear her hear, but she closed her eyes and pledged it, the destruction of this place, the blood of everyone who stood against her.

Comments

[culbutiri]

[She tilted her head] I do no be thinking I would be good at making up words.

[terreifying]

Oh. Okay. What if I made up a word, then?

[culbutiri]

If you do be wanting to.

[terreifying]

Mmm...how about bestie? Like as in best friends. I bestie you?

[culbutiri]

[More blinking, so they were best friends now. What did that even mean?] That could be working...

Jade did be saying you can be using bro to be meaning fake family, so someone who do be like family but just a friend.

[terreifying]

[She blinks in surprise.]

Well...maybe...but I already have lots of siblings. Still, another sister won't hurt!

[culbutiri]

[Ugh, somehow she hadn't realised that Rei would connect the concept Jade had described to real family and sisters.

Friends were bad enough, she forced a smile and shook her head.] I do be liking your word better.

[terreifying]

I'm glad you do. And if you ever wanna be my sister, you can just tell me.

[culbutiri]

[She nodded again, staring back out into the fog] I will be. [She thought hard to change the subject, because this one was becoming confusing and a little painful.]

Do you be thinking there do be being anything out there?

[terreifying]

There should be, shouldn't there? After all, it's an entire world.

[culbutiri]

Yes, it do just be hard to be imagining anything in the fog. And they did be saying we would be dying if we did be leaving so I did be wondering if anything did be living, and what it did be being like.

[terreifying]

Well...they could be people just like us. Or maybe they look really different. Like rock aliens or something.

[And she has to wonder what the people outside of the Tower felt about the people inside.]

Maybe everything else here is only living because they were born in this world.

[culbutiri]

A world that do be being full of rock aliens. That would be being interesting.

[She nodded] And we do only be being souls, so there so be being something in this tower that do be meaning we can be living.

[terreifying]

You know, maybe the Tower is like a haunted house for them. Maybe the next time we have Halloween, they can sneak in? And we can greet them?

[culbutiri]

If they do no be being killed by monsters first.

[Full of cheer this one.]

[terreifying]

We can help them, can't we? Show them that we're the good ghosts?

[culbutiri]

What if they can no be understanding us? What if they do be having guns or being cyborgs? I do no be thinking they would be wanting to be being nice to us.

[terreifying]

Hm...that would be a problem. What if we all got a "we're on your side" t-shirt?

[culbutiri]

We would still be having the translation issue. I can no be talking rock alien.

[terreifying]

We can all speak the same language in the Tower, so maybe the Tower can translate for them too?

[culbutiri]

I guess you do be being right.

[terreifying]

No matter what happens, I'll protect you, okay? I protect all my friends.

[culbutiri]

[She bites her tongue to stop herself snapping, because she doesn't need protected. Not at all.] And I will be protecting you too.

[terreifying]

[She gives Nesir a big thumbs up.]

[culbutiri]

[Copying the gesture with a thin smile]