001 ♫ nothing but lies and broken wings

[forhislegacy]

Characters: One money-hungry puppeteer and you!
Setting: Room 01-17/dorm level 1, floor 100, floor 2, floor 4, around the Tower
Format: Action tags to start! But I will follow you.
Summary: "Tokunaga, I've a feeling we're not in Auldrant anymore." Anise wakes up and discovers that the world she's in definitely isn't home. Of course, this means exploring.
Warnings: Nothing in particular for now!

Room 01-17/Dorm Level 1
[Anise can't move at first, but - she's surprisingly okay with that. The bed is infinitely more comfortable than camping out on the ground is, and for the thirty seconds that she's unable to move, she can almost convince herself that this is just some weird dream.

Then she can move again; she rolls over - out of the bed - and hits the ground with a thud.]

Ow...

[A moment passes. She untangles herself from the blankets and looks down -]

What the HELL is this?!

[...well, that was definitely loud enough to wake any unfortunate roommates. In fact, it probably carried out to the rest of the floor or at least the nearest rooms, too. It's okay if it didn't, though, because a very displeased Fon Master Guardian will stalk out into the hallway a moment or so later, glowering as she takes in her surroundings.]

Floor 100
[Her initial confusion over and done with, Anise has found her usual clothing in her trunk and has decided to start exploring. She takes the stairs two at a time, and as a result doesn't get pulled into the hanging gardens - rather, her first non-dormitory floor is the hundredth.

And what a surprise it is - she can't help but stop and stare in shock at the sight of the Daathic cathedral. Maybe this is how it's supposed to be - a reminder of everything the Order of Lorelei was supposed to have stood for, a reminder of the person she was supposed to have protected, a reminder of the oaths she took and ultimately broke.

But what if it's more than a reminder? What if...

Before Anise is even aware of what she's doing, she's running from the stairs and onto the floor.]

Florian! Papa, Mama! ...Maestro Tritheim...?

[All people who would likely never answer her call again.]

Floor 02
[After the shock of seeing an image of Daath, Anise had marched right back up the stairs and opted to take the elevator the rest of the way down. She didn't want any more surprises like... that.

For now, she skips the cafeteria - she's not really hungry - and takes the stairs up. Exploring from the bottom up rather than the top down seems like a good idea to her, and it's not long before she's poking around the infirmary like she owns the place.

She doesn't even recognize what half these things are supposed to do, but they seem useful. Kind of. Maybe if she keeps looking she'll figure out what they are.]

Floor 04
[Anise is standing at the wall furthest from the stairs, looking out at the ground below her.

It's hard to see - fog or smog or whatever it is, she can't see through it, and that bothers her. What could be out there, she wonders? She hasn't been able to find any real exit while she's been walking around. Is whatever's out there so dangerous that it has to be locked out?

Or... are they just locked in?

The thought bothers her, and in one smooth motion, she pulls Tokunaga down from her back. Moments later, she's on his back and is directing him to pound at the glass in a futile attempt to break it. She can jump! She's survived falls from greater heights.

...someone should probably tell her that's not going to work.]

Around the Tower - you pick!
[It's important to be acquainted with one's surroundings, so Anise doesn't waste any time in exploring. The only floors she's really going to make an effort to avoid are the hundredth and the thirteenth; all in all, the cathedrals are a little too close to home for her right now.

She can be found in the elevator, going up and down the stairs, and examining anything and everything that might be of interest to her. On the floors where her powers aren't suppressed, she'll usually be riding around on Tokunaga. Particularly if there are lots of monsters about.]

Comments

was sad to see this go without replies. have a Bunny.

[tsunderebunny]

[He sure was glad that he had a copy of the Princess Bride to cover the fact that he was studying this girl and her overly large doll from the comfort of one of the chairs. As tempting as it was to let the girl continue, just to see if she could make any progress, but he wondered if she was another person who had recently arrived.

Marking his place in the book and snapping it shut, Barnaby stepped up behind her.]

You can keep trying, but I doubt the architect will let you get anywhere with it.

Yay, Bunny!

[forhislegacy]

Well the architect can go jump off a--

[Anise falls silent when she turns and sees who's talking to her; oh... he looks like just her type. She jumps off Tokunaga's back and takes a few steps towards him, all the fury she'd been channeling into punching the walls seemingly vanished.

She shoots Barnaby her most winning smile.]

Wow, mister! It sounds like you know a lot about this place! Tell me more about this architect?

[tsunderebunny]

[That smile would be oddly adorable if he hadn't seen the same excitement on the faces of his numerous teenage fans.]

Actually, I just arrived the other day. I can't tell you much, but it's easy to assume that the management here won't let us leave so easily.

floor 4!

[badguise]

[Watanuki notices her when she first arrives on the floor but he's not feeling sociable so he keeps his silence. He even manages to keep his surprise in check when her doll suddenly grows in size but when it starts smacking at the window without any sign of stopping, it starts to get on his nerves a little.]

Would you stop making all that noise? Pounding on the glass is just wasted effort, anyway.

[He's sitting on one of the couches with his knees drawn up to his chest and he's staring at her with narrowed eyes to show that he's not very impressed but part of him wonders if she keeps going at it, whether or not the doll will get damaged.]

[forhislegacy]

How would you know?

[Anise's voice is flat; perhaps if Watanuki looked like he was wealthy or powerful in some way, she'd be a little more amicable. As it is, she's not in the best of moods and he doesn't look anywhere near noble enough to ensure her friendliness.]

I don't see you trying to break out. You're just sitting there.

[badguise]

[Well excuse you for the way he looks. It's not like being from a wealthy family of old money can do him any good here, anyway.]

I just do, okay.

[Maybe he's already tried to break the windows, maybe not. He's not saying though because that'll be admitting he failed.]

Besides, how can a doll like that do any damage at all?

Second Floor

[godheals]

[Raphael, being an Angel of healing, practically lived in the second floor when he wasn't taking small breaks to look through the nearby library. When he saw the girl wander in and start to look through supplies, he couldn't help but walk up to her, smiling.]

Are you alright? Or is a friend of yours hurt?

[forhislegacy]

..!

[She doesn't expect the approach, so it takes her a moment or two to reply, but soon enough she's smiling and setting a bottle down as she turns towards Raphael.]

I'm fine. I just got here - I was looking around.

[Which answers the question about her friends. If any of them are here, she hasn't encountered them yet.]

Who're you, do you work here?

[godheals]

[Ah, a new arrival then. Maybe he should give her a quick warning.]

I see. Please do be careful then. The lower in this Tower you go, the more dangerous this Tower becomes, so please take care...and I am sorry about your world.

[He was trying to be better about his role! Even he could understand that most people would not like this situation.]

I am Raphael, and I do work here. Healing others is the reason for my existence, so I wait here and help those who come along.

Floor 2

[mysterical]

[Tear's been in the infirmary for a while, trying to figure out what to use to put on Asch's injuries since she's refused to heal both him and Luke. The idiots can fight all they want, but she's not wasting her energy in healing them, that's for sure.

She turns whe she hears some rummaging going on closer to the door, only to see her young friend. She's beyond pleased to see her!]

Anise! I'm glad you've made it!

[forhislegacy]

...Tear?

[Anise can't believe her eyes. If there was anyone she was expecting to see in here - well, it wasn't Tear. So far she's only met people from Auldrant who were supposed to be dead.]

It's really you? What are you doing in here?

[mysterical]

Yes, it's me. Who were you expecting?

[Well, this wasn't going exactly the way she'd hoped, but she can roll with those punches.]

I'm looking for bandages and the worst smelling poultices to use to heal Asch and Luke the hard way. I'm rather annoyed with the both of them and I've refused to use artes to do it.

Floor 100

[kindofademon]

It's just an illusion.

[Ryuunosuke sighs heavily from the stairs.] Nobody's gonna show up there no matter what it looks like to you or me. So, I guess you're new?

[forhislegacy]

[She stops dead in her tracks and looks back at Ryuunosuke, her brows furrowed.]

It's not real? [That... really hurts. But maybe she should have expected it.] ...is it really that obvious?

[kindofademon]

Well, if you weren't new, you'd have no reason to go near somewhere depressing like this, right?

[Ryuunosuke enters the floor proper and leans against a wall.] Has anybody told you 'bout where you are yet?

Floor 4. WUD BE TTLY BEST FRIENDS RITE?

[frilliance]

[If Anise turns around at some point while trying to use Tokunaga to punch the wall, she will find some filthy rich looking young man (well, cravats are expensive) giving a very disturbed stare at that.....giant teddy bear or whatever that thing is.]

HE'S MY BEST FRIEND, BEST OF ALL BEST FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE A BEST FRIEND TOO?

[forhislegacy]

[And turn she does, because she can practically feel the force of his stare. As soon as she takes in the sight of him, she hops off Tokunaga's back - causing the puppet to slump forward, though it remains at its full size - and runs up to him.]

Hi, Mister! ❤ I noticed you watching! Is something wrong?

Floor 35

[warriorscribe]

*Anise will find an unusual sight as she passes the power-loss floors winding around the outside of the tower: Someone wearing only a pair of jeans and sandals is patiently butchering a small wild goat, a handmade sling at his side. He's using the lake here to keep his hands free of slippery blood when he needs precision, and to throw away whatever he doesn't want, which seems to be mostly skin. When there's actually good food in the cafeteria, it's a little odd that someone is actually hunting for food here...*

[forhislegacy]

[...well that sure as hell isn't what Anise is expecting to see. She stares at the man and the goat for a few minutes, holding Tokunaga in her arms just in case the next floor is one where he'll be able to grow, and cautiously approaches him. She's definitely hanging back a few feet in case he turns and starts butchering her.

(Sometimes she could be paranoid. With the way the person she was a guardian for was way too trusting, someone had to be.)

A moment passes before she speaks.]

Uuuuh... what're you doing?

LET'S GO WITH FLOOR FOUR

[bloodyashes]

[Normally, Asch doesn't spend any time on the fourth floor - he prefers the 81st floor lounge, but this is closer to the library. He's not actually here to sit - rather, he's here to kidnap a beanbag chair and take it back down the stairs with him.

He's distracted, however, by the large yellow puppet and the girl attached to it, banging on the back wall. Don't mind the redheaded interruption ninja, Anise.]

It's not going to work. Even hyperresonance doesn't scratch the glass.

[He might have tested that at one point, whoops, he'll never tell.]

WOOOO

[forhislegacy]

How would you know--

[The words register on her before she's even finished snapping back at the voice, and she pauses. Hyperresonance. Someone from Auldrant-- Wait, that voice--

She turns, and her jaw drops.]

You..!

[The original Ion - and her Ion - and now Asch... this place was just full of people who had died. Maybe they hadn't been saved when Auldrant had been destroyed. Maybe this was just some sort of fucked-up afterlife.]

Huh - how..?!

Elevators; let's try this meeting again, shall we?

[fragileprophet]

[Fortunately or unfortunately for Anise--she goes straight from one reminder to home to another when she marches from the 100th floor to the elevators. Though, when the door opens for her and presents her with a Fon Master staring passively at his feet, she'll find that this one is a big more tangible.

After a few seconds, Ion looks up--and when he does, his eyes go wide--full of so much emotion demanding to be felt it's hard to tell exactly which ones there are. His voice almost fails him.]

Anise...?

[He sounds weak...maybe too weak. His voice lacks the usual edge of firmness to its gentle quality. Ion knows its her, but he can't decide if he really wants it to be, or not.]

and there goes my heart

[forhislegacy]

[She can't quite believe her eyes when she sees the Fon Master in the elevator. In fact, her expression makes her look like she's just seen a ghost. And maybe she would have thought it was a ghost if she'd seen him in that horrible imitation of Daath, but -

She's not on that floor anymore. Still, she looks over her shoulder to make sure what she's seeing around her is real, and then looks back.

Ion is still there.

Her thoughts are racing. If it was Florian, he probably would have run out of the elevator and clung to her by now, wouldn't he? Another replica? No, they don't share memories. He wouldn't know her. But if this is her Ion... No, he died. But then, according to the letter, so did Auldrant. So she's dead too, isn't she? ...but no, the letter said they'd saved her, so she was still alive, but -

She can't help but hope - ]

Ion..?

[She might have stayed there, staring in shock, for ages, but then the elevator makes a sound and the doors start to close. Anise blinks, shakes her head, and darts inside before it's shut completely. No way is she letting those doors close and take Ion with them - even if it's not real, she still wants to see him...]

I-is it really...

I am *SO* sorry I missed this, and I seem to have lost you on plurk. Elevator okay? 1/2

[sacred_flamer]

[Anise's ride in the elevator would be interrupted by one half asleep redhead, shuffling in to get himself his "breakfast", never mind that it was around noon right now. He so barely conscious that he doesn't even seem to notice he has company at first.]

Oh. Mrnin' Anise.

[...and it processes in three... two... one...]

[sacred_flamer]

A-Anise?!

[Luke jumped back like he just got stung. What the heck?! Why was she here?!]