It was only just a dream

[relinquishing]

Characters: Guy and you.
Setting: Floor Seventy Three
Format: Starting out [Brackets], but I'll follow.
Summary: Fresh back from another visit home, Guy needs to work on distracting himself.
Warnings: None - will adjust as necessary

--Room 5-02--

[Another adventure onto a wasteland of a planet was tucked into his belt, whether Guy liked it or not. The landscape of purple and brown felt more like a bad dream than a reality this time around - whether or not that was because Guy WANTED it to just be a bad dream was hard to say. Had he thought that the last time he'd been pulled here? Sure. But after everything that had happened in the previous weeks, Guy wasn't sure whether waking up back in the Tower was a relief or not. Which was better? Was there a better in this situation?

No. No, there wasn't. Hoping and praying that the visit was a horrible nightmare and nothing more was all he could really do. Even for as real as it felt, to him and to others... he had to tell himself something to keep at least a little hope.

But the trip has run him ragged, and for a long while, he doesn't leave the seat on his bed. He would eventually get up to check the redheads' rooms, look for Jade and Ion, go to that god-forsaken collar checkup... but for the moment, he's deep in thought, staring down at his hands with a grim expression.

Is this really all we have left...]

--Forest and Meadow floors--

[Eventually the blonde moves to the chest at the foot of his bed, unwrapping the sword he'd found resting on his bed when he'd finished his report only a short time ago... He'd told himself he wouldn't take it out, that it needed to stay tucked away. But the disservice he would be giving the man this sword represented was too great, especially seeing Auldrant gone.

If he got questioned, he would get questioned. He had his word to keep.

He might be found in the meadow, going through basic attacks, blocks, and counters, stopping to rest only for a few moments before starting then anew again. Or one might see him in the forest, the arch of Void Tempest cutting through the body of a deer with little hesitation. There was something to be said about having actual targets to train on, and the feel of the Jewel in his hands, cutting through flesh... well, it wasn't something he'd ever thought he would experience. It might be a bit morbid for some, but every proper swing of the sword lifts some of the frustrations gutted up inside him.]

--Cafeteria--

[Fresh out of a collar checkup and not exactly strong of appetite when it came to dinner, Guy can be found picking his way through a plate of chicken. It's going into his mouth, sure, but not at a very commendable rate for someone who hadn't had much to eat. Guy seem's to be too busy with whatever else is on his mind. It's edible food, at least, and he definitely hasn't taken the alcohol for granted - there's a small glass of tequila next to his plate, half-empty.

Eventually growing frustrated, he pushes the plate aside with a sigh, plucking up his glass to go get a refill.]

Comments

[okay I decided dorms, let's go]

[bloodyashes]

[Luckily for Guy's redhead fetch quest, one of them has been stopping in just long enough each morning to see if Guy's returned or not. Asch leans just far enough into the room to glance around; seeing Guy, he freezes a moment with a flash of relief across his face, then brings the rest of himself into the room.]

Welcome back.

[It's a lot more put-together than the last time Guy saw him, at least. Not quite up to par, but he's trying.]

[I can bring in the Jewel later, no worries~]

[relinquishing]

[It's a cruel joke, to think it's Luke coming to greet him. But being around Asch long enough is getting to him, and distinguishing the voice is becoming much easier. So his head is barely raised in response, the wisp of a pained smile crossing his face to try and be polite.]

...Glad to be back.

[Was he really?

...

His eyes are back to his hands, head turning away from the doorway. You're not exactly the person he wants to talk to right now, Asch. So why are you always the one to show up...?]

[bloodyashes]

[Yeah, he catches that look, and it's not hard to figure out what it means, nor hard to resent it a little. Of course Guy wishes it was Luke instead.

Sorry, Guy. What you see is what you get.]

Can I come in?

[Okay, so technically he's already in the room, but it's still the polite thing to say, if they're going for polite. And Guy can't say he didn't have plenty of time to kick the dude out, later.]

[relinquishing]

[What, he's asking that when he's already bothered to come in? He chuckles despite himself, not bothering to look up.]

It's a little late for that, isn't it?

[...

A hand absently runs through his hair, a bit of the tension in his shoulders falling.]

Yeah. You can come in.

Floor 25

[attheclocktower]

[She needed to get into contact with people about practicing again. Jason's stupid experiment had wrecked so much, and of course Dax's plan now lay in the back of her mind. A constant worry, niggling at her even as she went about her daily tasks.

But now she needed to actually start practicing again. She'd been doing some stuff on her own, not wanting to be completely rusty when she finally gets to start meeting with people again. Floor 39 was also harder to go to sometimes, thanks to all the memories of certain people there. Floor 25 was her old training location, so it's where she heads next.

When she steps out onto the floor and realizes she isn't the only one who had that idea, she pauses, a suddenly hesitant, especially once she realizes who it is. He'd offered to help her train, and then - it was Jason. It was Jason. Jason was the one who made him do that. But it was still nerve-wracking to be around the first person who'd ever killed you.

At the same time, there's something a little mesmerizing about watching him practice - the style is so different than anything she's ever seen before. In the end she opts to sit a ways away, arms wrapped around her knees and watching carefully.]

[relinquishing]

[It's a steady stream of movement - one motion to the next to the next, like clockwork. That was how the Sigmund style was supposed to stay. A style of defense, tactics, and speed. Not of power.

Reaching the end of a particularly complicated stretch of maneuvers, he follows a counter with the quick burst of Demon Fang, the energy from the attack splitting through the grass and dissipating a few yards away.

Damn. He was getting rusty.

He lets out a rough sigh, turning on his heel as he wipes the sweat from his forehead... and then he catches sight of his company.]

Oh, hey. How long have you been sitting there?

[attheclocktower]

[She tenses and her arms tighten around her knees slightly when he catches sight of her and speaks, before loosening again. She'd duck her head, but her current position and the ever-present collar make it uncomfortable and difficult.]

A little while. [She's trying not to fidget nervously.] You fight really differently from anyone I've ever seen before.

[Not that she's an expert, but still.]

[relinquishing]

[Hmm...]

Well, it comes with the territory of being from a different world, I guess.

[He pauses, taking a moment to stab his sword into the ground before he bothers speaking again. Her discomfort doesn't go unnoticed, and as lightly as he'd like to put it--]

You're scared?

Cafeteria

[seekinganswers]

[When Guy gets up to refill his drink, Sheba's just turning to leave - a plate of chicken in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. She doesn't want to accidentally walk into him, though, so she quickly sidesteps him before - wait.

She lingers there a moment or two as he gets his refill before finally speaking up.]

Umm... do you mind if I join you?

[relinquishing]

[He's taken a good three steps to the side at the near-collision, barely swallowing the sound that wants to come up at the distance between them. Hoping that she'd ignore it, he quietly refills his cup, his posture tense... and nearly jumping out of his skin when she speaks up.]

Wh-whoa, uh... [Yeah....yeah, right, he recognizes you, okay--] Sure, sure, you can. Uh. To what do I owe the honors?

[seekinganswers]

[She gives him a quick once-over before taking a step back. Then she looks him over again and takes another step back, just for good measure. There was a time and a place for teasing; this wasn't it. Invading his personal space could come later.]

It's not that anything has happened. I just thought maybe since we know some of the same people, it'd be good for us to get to know each other too.

If that's alright with you, I mean.

[relinquishing]

Huh.... well, sure, I don't see a problem with that...

[He hadn't spoken a word to her since the dream games they had played a couple months ago, so he's struggling to pull a name to match the face... Still, he gestures awkwardly to the table with his free hand.]

Feel free. It's... Sheba, right?

Meadow!

[myblueskies]

[Romeo and Piccolo were in the meadow when they spotted Guy. Romeo hadn't seen Guy in a long time... not since he had died and he was glad to see he was okay. He skipped over to him, staying well out of range of the sword.]

So what is Piccolo exactly?

[relinquishing]

[Caught up as he is, the blonde doesn't notice the boy's approach until he's halfway through a set of motions. He blinks, pausing and lowering his blade as he recognizes Romeo, a warmth falling over his expression.]

Hey there, Romeo. What are you up to?

oh sorry! He's a weasel

[myblueskies]

Just on an adventure! Are you practicing sir?

[relinquishing]

[Oh help that is just precious...]

Very observant. Yeah, I don't want to go and get rusty in a place like this. Practice is important.

[keywrite]

[Hey roomie hey. How about a distraction in the form of a Riku? Possibly, anyway, since he just glances at Guy before heading straight for his trunk.

And then stops to take a second look.]

...Hey, you're back.

[relinquishing]

Sure looks like it...

You sound surprised.

[It's a tired and quiet comeback, but he at least manages a bit of a smirk in between the words. Back in the tower of terrors, right... how lucky for him.]

[keywrite]

A little. I wasn't sure if you were gonna come back. I guess your stuff stayed here, though...

[Not that he went through it or anything...he only opened it once, and that was because he was half-asleep and forgot which trunk was his.]

Meadow

[concept_killer]

[People came here all the time for various reasons. Satsujinki just enjoyed laying in the field, out of casual sight but enjoying the solace of not really being seen unless someone was actually paying attention.

It was a nap, obviously.

When people came to practice or run around, he didn't mind. After all, he didn't own the area. But when something more supernatural happened, his senses (the 6th one including) jarred him awake. Enough so that he sat up to look around...

...metaphorically, of course.]

Uh....

[relinquishing]

[The energy from Demon Fang has barely left his blade before Guy can see the figure of a person rising from the ground off to his side. He'd been trying his best to pick a spot that was absent of other people, but it looks like he hadn't quite payed enough attention.

Guy's blade rests against the ground as he stops for breath, his expression turning sheepish.]

Sorry! Didn't mean to wake you up.

[The bandages around his face... Guy recognizes the young man from their time as mutated drones, even if he can't recall the name. It's enough to make his smile rueful at the corners.]

You all right?

[concept_killer]

Huh? Oh, don't worry about it.

[Pulling himself up to his feet. No sense in being all the much of an obstacle anymore but he had to adjust his cloak on the way up so it stopped being a blanket and started being a cloak.]

That kind of thing happens a lot. I probably could have slept through it but there's always something you can never ignore, you know?

Cafeteria!

[fragileprophet]

[And when Guy turns around, he'll find an Ion standing just feet away. The Fon Master had seen the back of the blonde's head from where he sat and had approached with the intention of joining him...but, well, it looked like the young man was more interested in leaving his seat in order to get a refill of...whatever had been in that glass.

Ion's face twisted in concern. The last time he had seen Guy...well, he didn't want to think about it.]

Are you alright?

[The words come out before he can stop them. But the blonde looks so completely drawn that it's hard for him to think of any sort of cheerful, optimistic greeting. Even if he doubts Guy would actually want to speak to the Fon Master about his troubles.]

[relinquishing]

[So caught up in his thoughts, the blonde doesn't notice Ion's presence until he's nearly run into the boy. Guy freezes at sound of his voice, glancing up with more than a little distraction.]

Fon Master...?

[...

There's a gentle attempt at a smile, Guy exhaling and running a hand against his neck.]

Yeah, I'm fine. Was I worrying you?

[fragileprophet]

Yes.

[It's a question that requires a very short response, though he tries to say it softly, and considerately, and smile gently (if concerned) through it.]

You look like you have a lot on your mind. [Not that the Fon Master could blame him, after everything that had happened. Though...he did wonder if there was more to it.]

You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to...but if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to sit with you.

[After Guy got his refill, of course. But it wasn't as if he was in any rush. Ion didn't want to impose...but the idea of leaving the blonde alone, looking so troubled, didn't sit very well with him.]