001 Acts of Kindness

[queensgeneral]

Characters: Darres + Anyone!
Setting: Dorms 4-18, Floor 87, 19, Anywhere on the stairs
Time: All day
Format: I'll match
Summary: Darres is adjusting to his current situation, and exploring his new environment.
Warnings: Drowsiness may occur on the 87th floor.

[(Dorms) Darres found himself in an unfamiliar, dull setting. For the moment he was unable to move he was concerned, but his worry soon subsided when regained his mobility. He checked his surroundings out of habit before coming to a note informing him of his supposed situation. The general found it rather hard to believe and was skeptical that his world fell to such perils.] Just what I needed. [Another unwelcome consequence he was almost certain was caused by Ishtar. His first priority was to search for her.]

[(F87) Having left the dorms, the first floor that came off less suspicious and more like home was this one. Figuring it was a good place to start to find her, Darres enter with caution. Not having his weapon readily available made him far more vulnerable that he was comfortable with. "Ishtar, where are you?"]

[Gradually he found himself becoming drowsy and he hadn't the faintest idea why. The stubborn knight general kept his stance for as long as he could. Darres was having very little luck finding her, and before long it felt he was going to pass out. Still, he was unaware of the underlying cause.]

[(F19) Long his close call with floor high above, he eventually led himself to the library. It was as good as good of place as any too look for any key information to help him better understand his situation that the others were unable to inform him of. However, he was having trouble finding what he was looking for and stumbling upon theories and scientific research he's never even seen or heard of before. Growing frustration at the attempt to uncover any specific information, he will be found here for quite some time until he either becomes satisfied with his current findings, or gives up for the day.]

Comments

Floor 87! ouo

[fragileprophet]

[Ever since his initial incident in the Poppy Fields, Ion had tried to steer clear of the eighty-seventh floor. Fortunately, this wasn't the case for today. And besides, he couldn't deny that the poppies were at least pleasant to look at when they weren't actively causing harm.

What started off as the intent to take a quick walk before continuing his elevator ride to look at the flowers from a safe distance, soon turned into a rapidly rising sense of horror as he caught sight of a lone individual stationed in the room.]

Excuse me! [He was calling before he could stop himself from just outside the door.] Please, come back to the stairs! Quickly!

[Ion didn't care to be so demanding...but still. This felt like an appropriate time for urgency. The poor man could fall asleep any minute, and Ion wasn't confident in his strength to drag him out before it was too late, in the event that that happened. Fortunately, he didn't seem too terribly tired yet.]

[queensgeneral]

[He didn't actually expect to be called out when he was roaming, as the setting was very off and he had little idea of what was going on. Darres expected more than just him, as there was more than one bed in the room and more doors on the floor. He made mild assumptions but refrained from passing judgement too quickly.]

What for?

[Not that he had a reason to distrust the stranger. Darres was far too trusting after all.

He was beginning to feel the effects of dozing off, however, which was a problem. Unlike Ishtar, he wasn't immune to as many things.]

[fragileprophet]

Because it's dangerous! Please...

[Ion looked around, and nervously put one foot in the door. With one hand, he held onto the side of it, while with the other he frantically ushered the man to hurry toward him.]

I'll explain more once you're back on the stairs, I promise.

[And he would. A Fon Master was generally quite honest as far as he could afford to be. Or at least that was true of this specific Fon Master. He'd explain all about the less-than-innocent properties of the poppies now, if he wasn't too afraid that the stranger would fall asleep any given second.]

[queensgeneral]

[Darres paused for a moment when the other persisted in their attempt. Couldn't he just tell him or was is something disclosed that required him to be closer than earshot? The drowsy knight only took a couple of seconds to come to a decision. How lucky Ion was that Darres could be reasonable.

Though on his way back, he almost didn't make it. His last step off the floor was also his heaviest and he nearly tripped.]

[fragileprophet]

[And even though he catches himself, even though Ion's far too small and fragile to really have been of much help either way, Ion's hands reach out in preparation to steady the tall man. The Fon Master stops just short of actually touching him however, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

Ion breathes a sigh of relief and smiles the instant that they're both safe on the stairwell.]

Thank goodness...I do hope you can forgive me for being so vague. I was just afraid that if I took the time to explain, you'd fall asleep before making it back.

[He looks at the poppies, feeling a knot form in his throat.]

They're beautiful...but they're also quite deadly. If they lull you to sleep and no one is there to remove you from the floor, you'll die.

[queensgeneral]

[Darres was still quite drowsy, but he caught himself. Now that he was off of the floor these so-called effects should wear off soon. The general hadn't expect to catch himself in such harm, it seemed so innocent. This was bothersome, but thankful for the help.]

You have my gratitude.

[He's going to stand here until he feels comfortable moving around casually.]

[fragileprophet]

[Ion smiles softly, relieved that he isn't hurt, even if his wits haven't been fully recovered yet.]

Oh, no, not at all. I'm just glad that I happened to be passing by...I don't normally take the stairs. [He laughs gently, into the back of his hand, in an attempt at minimizing the tension.] It would have been awful if you had had to learn the hard way.

[As it was, Ion didn't quite have the stomach to admit that that was how he had found out, himself.]

My name is Ion...pardon my asking, but are you new here? [It was possible that the man had simply never learned about that particular floor, but something about the look in his face gave Ion his doubts. Regardless, there was never any harm in asking to be sure.]

[queensgeneral]

[It would have been awful, and he didn't have time to go and get himself in trouble with everything that was happening. Especially since he had children now.]

Darres. [He replied in return.] I just woke up here. [The letter provided him with little info, and he doesn't believe his home is gone either.]

shhh pretend I'm not late o u o;;;;

[fragileprophet]

I see. I thought so. [Even as the glint leaves his eyes, Ion never stops smiling. Instead, he offers his hand in a friendly greeting.]

It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Darres. I haven't been here terribly long myself...[A month and a half was nothing to scoff at, but compared to some of the other residents it felt miniscule.]...but if you have anything you'd like to know, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll answer to the best of my ability.

[Naturally, Ion didn't have any real reason to be playing host (and realistically there probably wasn't all that much he could offer in the way of help)--he simply wanted to make the adjustment to Tower life as smooth as possible for the tall man.]

spamming later for now browsing! Floor 19

[xroyal_bratx]

[ Ishtar happened to be in the library for similar reasons but she was looking for healing techniques and healing books that she could use with her magic. She needed to get better at this but it was hard to get better when the mother of all things magic isn't here right now.

She scrolled through a few random, boring books before turning her head around and hearing something from the distance. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to look yet, but she decided to just keep looking around. Whoever it was, better find her first, because if not, she wasn't going to try anything really. She was more concerned with her books. ]

OH GOD MY BODY IS NOT READY FOR THIS!

[queensgeneral]

[Darres was making considerable progress, in skimming the books that is, going through the shelves. He was looking for a specific topic after all. Although his train of thought was quickly broken when caught sight of a very familiar young queen through the corner of his eye. Hell, he nearly dropped the book because of it.]

Ishtar! [This was both very good, and very bad! Very, very bad!

The knight hardly hesitated to rush to her side.]

LOl it will have to be no matter what

[xroyal_bratx]

[ Ishtar was a little too busy skimming some of the healing books to notice Darres at first, but when her name was shouted rather loudly, she turned around shocked at who was rushing to her side. It was a huge surprise for her to even see him among the arrivals, and the book she had in her hand dropped to the floor with a faint thump. ]

D-Da...rres?!

[ not everything clicked yet but there was a shocked look on her face. ]

SOB BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH

[queensgeneral]

[That was strange, she had several unusual markings he couldn't recall her obtaining.]

I've been looking all over for you.

[So how come he doesn't feel relieved that he found her?]

It's okay Darres~ you'll learn to just accept it.

[xroyal_bratx]

[ Ishtar wasn't prepared for this. She didn't even know how to react properly. She didn't even realize he noticed all the scars that lined the exposed areas of her body, like her arm and neck. ]

...Wh-what...why are you-- here?

[ She took a few steps back.

Why was Darres here?!

WHY WAS HERE HERE?!!!! WHY DID THE TOWER-- WHY?! ]

...You shouldn't be here.

HOW HOW HOW HOW?

[queensgeneral]

[Well...he knew that much, and he knew she shouldn't be here either. Her averted behavior didn't go unnoticed, usually she was happy to see him. Clingy too.]

Care to tell me what's going on?

[He's still horribly confused and adjusting to his situation, after awhile he didn't think he would be able to find Ishtar here, but now she was before him. It was strange, and uncomfortable.]

you'll find out how!!! :D

[xroyal_bratx]

[ Ishtar was fine here since she didn't have a place at home anyway. Clones don't have places to return to. As much as she wanted to cling to him and bawl her eyes out, she controlled herself. After losing Duzell, she wasn't sure how long Darres would be here. He'd probably leave her again. It was better to keep their distances.

She took another step back eying the doors to the hallway. ]

It's a place...that makes people suffer. There's no way we can leave and this place claims that it saved you from your world, but in reality, it's a stupid excuse to keep us here. We don't have a choice and we have to follow their shitty laws.

[ She moved further away from him. ]

You shouldn't be here. Why did they do this...

[ Her eyes clouded over. ]

I'm sorry, Darres.

[ And out the door she bolts. ]

NO I WON'T!

[queensgeneral]

[No! Why was she trying to run away from him again. What's worse was she wasn't even playful about it.]

Ishtar!

[No formalities, no titles, just her name.

Without any hesitation to speak of, he chased after her again. This time in hopes of actually keeping her at his side.]

Why are you apologizing? Ishtar what's going on?

[He couldn't hide the urgency in his voice. The worry. Even the panic, and this spoke volumes given how well he composed himself in dire situations.]

19th Floor

[tohko_amano]

Tohko, as usual, was tending to her library duties, all while being stalked by her retrieval unit. Since there was nothing here that was good to eat, she let him follow her. When she saw a boy browsing the shelves, she couldn't help but walk up to him, even though her retrieval unit wasn't too far behind her.

"Good morning! Need help finding anything?"

19th Floor

[queensgeneral]

Boy was hardly the term, but he did look horrendously young for a thirty-two year old. Some might even confuse him for seventeen? He broke from his page rummaging when he was approached by the girl. Darres was prone to be aware of his surroundings since his responsibility at home was so great, the retrieval unit didn't go unnoticed, but he didn't say anything.

Darres paused for a moment, should he let her know what she was looking for? It was a serious topic and if it got him in trouble, he didn't want to drag her down with him. After a few moments of silence he decided to share.

"This place's history." He needs to know what he got into.

19th Floor

[tohko_amano]

At that, Tohko sighed.

"I'm sorry to say that the history sections have been pulled from the library, as well as a few others. No one has been able to find them yet."

Assuming, of course, that they weren't destroyed, but Tohko was trying to stay positive about this whole thing.

[queensgeneral]

"They're not here?" That was a disappointment. "What do you know?" It couldn't hurt to ask her.

[tohko_amano]

"No, they're not..the Administrators pulled them. And I know a lot about the Tower..I think it would be quicker for me to ask how much you know about it."

[queensgeneral]

"Administrators?" People are actually running this place? The knight took a brief moment to give the statement some thought. "I don't know anything about it." That's why he was trying to dig up information.

[tohko_amano]

At that, Tohko nodded to herself, thinking.

"Alright then. If you don't know anything about the Tower, I'll tell you everything I know. It'll be a lot to swallow at first..but it's best to hear it all up front so that you're prepared for later.

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."

[queensgeneral]

She wasn't lying when she said there was a lot to swallow, and he wasn't sure how he should handle this kind of situation. Darres has been trained for many things, and endured even more; however, he was still being surprised to this day. There was a lot he left back home, which was supposedly destroyed, not that he bought into it.

"And everything you just mentioned is what you know?" It made him wonder how long she's been here to collect such information if said history couldn't be found in a book anywhere. Regardless of how true it was, he was still grateful for this much help. He'll have to experience a few things for himself to determine his verdict, but overall felt better knowing more than he did before.