oo1. I've got headaches and bad luck. [open!]

[perceivesjustice]

Characters: Apollo Justice and you!
Setting: Room 4-20, the two libraries, and the fourth floor.
Format: I'll be starting with action, but I'll match whatever's given.
Summary: Curious lawyers and horror towers don't mix well. Apollo's arrival accommodates an abundance of apprehensive attempts to accustom an attorney to the abundance of aspects Animus animates.
Warnings: None that I can think of!

room 4-20 [closed to roommates].
[Apollo wakes with a start. Or, at least he would if he could. It doesn't take very long for the panic to set in - being of sound mind and body most of the time, the sleep paralysis is unusual, and it definitely doesn't help that he has no idea where he is. When the thirty seconds are up, he manages to stay in bed rather than roll out of it as quickly as he can. He takes his letter with shaking hands and tries to absorb the information all in one go. It doesn't work, of course, and he ends up sitting in bed, rereading the letters several times.

Once he puts down the papers, he goes to his trunk and stares at its contents. The tremble is still present, his eyes are unfocused, and he's trying his damnedest not to panic.]

floor 19 library.
[After tripping over several stair cases and almost forgetting about the existence of the elevator altogether, Apollo manages to find himself in the library. The relief that washes over him is evident in the color in his face - he looks livelier now, though you might be able to blame the flush on his running around. He pores over as many books as he possibly can, and his frustration over the lack of information about the tower slowly grows. If you were to speak to him, he might just break out an example of his Chords of Steel.]

floor 3 library.
[As he goes through the books on this floor, he seems to be taking his time. He has several stacks of books next to him as he sits alone at a table. It's always best to gather as much information on a subject before tackling it, Apollo believes in this firmly. Though by now, his shoulders are tense and each flick of the page seems to be wrought with irritation.]

floor 4 lounge.
[Having done as much research as he could manage, Apollo has decided that trying to get his mind in order is his best choice of action. He's curled up on a chair near the corner of the room, staring out the glass walls. That tension is still about him, clear in his tight shoulders and defensive posture - his knees are drawn to his chest and his arms are wrapped around them - but he seems to be calm and collected.]

Comments

[perceivesjustice]

[He jumps, turning wide eyes to his visitor. After he realizes that she has no ill intent, he calms down a bit.]

G-Good morning. ...It's morning?

But, uh. I guess if you know if there's any information at all about the tower here, that'd be nice to know.

[tohko_amano]

[At that, Tohko sighed and scratched her head.]

Maybe not, but to some people, it might be. It's just a simple habit of mine. Don't worry about it. However..there aren't really any books that tell you about this Tower. The Administrators pulled all those books off the shelves, and no one has been able to find them yet. If you really want a good record of what's been going on here, the network is another place to look, but it does take awhile to slog though everything.

However, if you want, I would be more than happy to tell you everything I know about the Tower.

[perceivesjustice]

Ah, alright. I guess it is kinda nice to hear a friendly greeting. [A small smile.]

Oh, the network. That's true. I'll have to look at it another time. [He rubbed his forehead for a moment.] But I think a direct statement might be more useful. If you would, hearing your account would be very helpful, thank you.

[tohko_amano]

You should! It has a lot information on it that I might not be able to cover, or older things that I might have missed. However, about this Tower..

[With that, Tohko took a deep breath and began her usual infodump.]

This is the Tower of Animus. Four people now run it-Riki, a secretive man who builds the Tower and is in charge of the records, Zo, a small child who can bring souls here, Jason, a sadistic medical doctor who sometimes experiments on the residents. He, I believe, helps transfer your soul when you die. Finally, there’s Ruana, a woman who has been here for thousands of years and doesn’t quite understand human empathy or emotions, and hates it when people go against her. She may seem sweet, but she is capable of removing free will and cannibalizing her own Administrators.

There used to be a fifth Administrator named Dax. He was the most humane of the bunch and did his best to protect us from Jason and the monsters here. He even managed to sneak people down to the Administrative levels in order to let them know more about this place. However, when he tried to go against Ruana..she killed and ate him, possibly absorbing his powers in the process. He was a good man.

Death isn’t permanent here. If you die, you’ll just wake up in your bed the next day. However, don’t throw your life away for foolish reasons. For one thing, you’ll probably get punished if you die too many times, and for the other…your body is made up of recycled parts. Only your soul was pulled to this universe. Your body, and the ones you’ll have afterward, are not your original body. That’s why you have the collar. It helps make sure your soul safely stays in your body.

I’m sorry to say that your universe is destroyed. You may see people you know here, but they won’t be from your own universe or point in time. I don’t know exactly how our universes were destroyed, but I do know that it was caused by Ruana watching our universes, for some reason.

If you haven’t been to the cafeteria yet, make sure that you eat the oatmeal when you do. If you don’t, you’ll throw up anything else you try to eat until you finish it. However, you can eat anything you want afterwards, and you can add things to the oatmeal to improve the taste.

Monsters roam the Tower at night, and some of the higher floors have monsters that attack if you get too close. If you can’t fight, then I would suggest learning. There are plenty of people here who would be willing to teach you.

[perceivesjustice]

[He tried his best to keep a straight, attentive look on his face throughout the speech, but Apollo wore his heart on his sleeve - the shock, disgust, and interest pulled his expression this way and that. Once she finished, he waited a moment in case she had anymore to add, then nodded.]

Thank you, Miss. This was all... very informative. A lot more than I was expecting to hear on my first day, definitely. [A small chuckle.] And that's something refreshing.

About this Ruana... Has she provided evidence that she's had a hand in destroying our universes? Is there any proof at all that they truly are destroyed?

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko noticed those emotions, and she knew that this wasn't exactly pleasant for anyone to know, but it was better to be horrified and informed than semi-happy and in the dark about everything. Besides, knowing everything might even help people cope and deal with everything easier.]

You're welcome. I'm always happy to help, especially with bringing people up to speed! As for Ruana, I believed Dax mentioned it on the network once before, and Dax himself was looking for a way to restore them before he died. Why look for a way to restore something if it isn't destroyed?

[perceivesjustice]

I guess that would depend entirely on your trust in this Dax. From what you're saying, he did seem trustworthy, but in a situation where he's the odd man standing who eventually got eliminated... He might have been used as a puppet to gain your trust.

But you probably know better than me. I'll think about it, definitely. [A quiet sigh.] Are there a lot of people in this tower...?

[tohko_amano]

He..wasn't, actually. If you look at everything, it seems that he knew that standing up to Ruana would probably get him killed, but he did it anyway. If he was being used as a puppet, why would Ruana kill and eat him herself?

And there are quite a few people in the Tower! Were you looking for someone?

[perceivesjustice]

Manipulation's a tricky thing like that. [Surprisingly.] It could have been orchestrated so that you would have believed that maybe this Dax could help somehow, but in being eaten by Ruana, any sort of hope should have been eliminated. Any sort of ulterior motive is beyond my understanding... But like I said, it's just a possibility I thought should at least be entertained. You probably know better than me.

No numbers? [After a moment, he shakes his head.] I just wanted an estimate in case it might be relevant later.

[tohko_amano]

That's true..but you have to keep in mind that there were people who didn't trust Dax until she did eat him, and quite a few people felt pity for Ruana, due to her past..until she pulled that. But you're right, it is an interesting possibility. I'm not sure if it's true, but it's interesting.

[At that, Tohko sighed.] My guess would be about a thousand or so people here, but as I said, I don't know for sure.

[perceivesjustice]

...It sounds like these administrators are closer to the people than I thought. Do they interact with the residents often? I mean, on a personal level?

That's alright, an estimate is all I could really ask for. [He offers a small smile.] Thank you, Miss... Ah. We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we? I'm Apollo Justice.

[He extends a hand.]

[tohko_amano]

To be honest, they almost never talk with us face to face, and even network communications are rare. But, due to their role, they are pretty close to people, for better or worse.

[Tohko returned the smile and shook Apollo's hand as she spoke.]

Oh, you're welcome! I'm always happy to help. And I'm Tohko Amano, the book girl. It's nice to meet you, Apollo!

[perceivesjustice]

Right. That makes sense.

It's nice to meet you too. [His smile broadens as he lets go.] "The book girl", huh? For what sounds like a nickname, that's pretty tame.

[tohko_amano]

[As she let go, Tohko returned the smile, looking a little proud.]

It's not a nickname! It's my title! There's a difference, you know.

[perceivesjustice]

Of course. [He chuckles.] Are you in charge of the books here, then?

[tohko_amano]

Well, I am one of the librarians, but that's not why I hold that title either.

[perceivesjustice]

Alright, I'll bite: so why are you called "the book girl"?

[tohko_amano]

Because back home, I knew the most about books and loved them the most! After all, who else can tell you why Bulgakov burned his first draft of The Master and Margarita, or why Doyle hated Sherlock Holmes, or how Barrie created Peter Pan and how some of the traditions of the play version got started!

I even managed to solve a murder mystery using nothing but luck, wits, and my love of books back home!

[She also ate them, but that wasn't getting mentioned here.]