Diarmuid Ua Duibhne (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
oathshackledbird) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
towerofanimus2013-05-16 11:21 pm
oathshackledbird) wrote in towerofanimus2013-05-16 11:21 pm
A bridge can still be built, while the bitter waters are flowing beneath...
Characters: Diarmuid and whoever else runs into him! Closed sections for Tohko Amano (tohko_amano ) and Waver Velvet (fionnuisce ) & Sephiroth (pinnaculum ).
Setting: Floor 100, 39 (the Gym), 25 (the Meadow), 3 (the Library), and others.
Format: Any!
Summary: Diarmuid takes care of some loose ends, moves ahead some projects, and does some much needed thinking.
Warnings: None right now. Will update if that changes.
Note: Title quote credit to Anthony Liccione.
Floor 100 (Open):
For a long time after he started spending time here, Diarmuid had spent most of his time near the image of his house losing hours playing a game between himself and the floor seeing how well it actually had recreated the place he loved so much. After a while, though, he had started to move out and away from the house, through the yard, passed the training grounds and the dog kennels, and finally to the forest that had stood guard behind his house. Diarmuid had been disappointed to find that the illusion stopped a few feet into the treeline and thus short of where the stream had flowed, but it did go far enough back to include one of his favorite thinking spots from his first life.
The spot itself is nothing fancy. Just a small clearing with two trees leaning in toward each other shading a large rock with their branches. Of course, here he cannot sit upon or lean against the rock as he had so often done in the past, but he has found the perfect place to sit so that he can still imagine that is what he is doing. And so, it is here near the treeline that he has taken to sitting to think once he had lost the ability to do so in his room.
It seems to Diarmuid that almost all he has done lately is think, but at the same time, he has so much to think about. So much has happened to him so quickly over the last few months that he is honestly surprised he can still function. Nothing during his first life had prepared him for anything like this--this constant opening of old wounds and giving of new ones before the first had any time to heal. It is almost like the nightmare that had started when his master had ordered him to kill himself just had never ended.
Yet, there are bright points. A great many of them and that is why Diarmuid is so determined to finally get his mind straightened out. It will take time, he knows, but it will also take him finally forcing himself to believe so many of the things he has realized through his talks with others. Things Diarmuid has asked others to do, but always seems to forget to ask himself to do.
He has told both Cecil and Waver that he knows he holds himself to higher standards than others and really needs to stop. Everyone is equal in the tower. Everyone has had their souls taken from their bodies and placed into false forms. There is no reason for him to expect so much more from himself especially when expecting so much only sets him up for failure.
He has told Suzaku, Ryoji, and Mami that everyone makes mistakes and that making them doesn't make them any less of a person. As long as they don't stop fighting and don't let the mistakes beat them, there is always a chance to find forgiveness.
He has told Yata that 'knight' is just a label. It doesn't matter if others believe that is what you are as long as you know what you are in your heart and act to serve the best way you can.
And he has told his brother and Hidetoshi that he knows he is in a rut of negative feelings. He just has to find his way out.
That is why Diarmuid is spending so much time here just thinking and watching the illusionary trees move in the breeze. Sometimes he's meditating on things using a technique that Oisin taught him so very long ago. Sometimes he has actually dozed off during his thoughts and sometimes, soft singing in ancient Gaelic can be heard drifting across the floor as he unconsciously releases his emotions in a way that so many around him did when he was young.
Floor 25 (Closed to Tohko,tohko_amano ):
He picked the meadow as the place where he wanted to meet with Tohko because it is one of the few floors where it isn't unusual for people to meet and talk. It is safe, large enough that several groups can be talking in it without bothering each other, and also has plenty of room away from the walls and the prying eyes of any devices the Administrators might be using to spy on them. With the loss of the sauna as a place to safely discuss things like the resistance--he has seen the units working there and guessed that some of the information that had been discovered by Jason's little ploy must have been about the lack of cameras on that floor--they've had to make due the best they can.
As Diarmuid waits for her to arrive, he sits and casually twists flowers together into chains and rings as a way to relax and pass time. Tohko is already late and he hopes that is just because she is taking time to lose the new 'friend' he hears she has picked up. Despite being proud of the fact she is not letting the dangers involved with being a part of the resistance stop her, Diarmuid can't help but worry that someday she will get in way over her head and not be able to find her way back out.
Floor 3 (Closed to Waver,fionnuisce and Sephiroth, pinnaculum ):
(OOC: Is a posting order of Diarmuid -> Waver -> Sephiroth okay?)
As Diarmuid enters the library and looks around for Sephiroth or Waver, there is excitement in his eyes. Ever since he had heard from Sephiroth that the printing press is working, he has been looking forward to learning how to use it. Well, honestly he doesn't care so much for the workings of the machine itself like Waver might. What he does care about is the fact that learning to use it is one big step forward toward getting the information he and the others have gathered about the dangers of the tower's floors out to the public. Add in the fact that Waver is going to be learning it with him since he and Sephiroth seem to get along so well and Waver has an interest in the machine anyway, and it is shaping up to be a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.
Diarmuid's just going to have to keep reminding himself that Waver probably won't appreciate having ink smeared on him, because for some reason the image of the magus with ink smeared all over his face just keeps popping into his head...
Any Floor (Open):
(OOC: Feel free to use this prompt not only if you want to have you character catch Diarmuid leaving the information sheets around, but also if you would like your character to find and comment on one!)
Diarmuid just can't stop smiling. Not only had learning the printing press gone well, but the rough drafts of the floor information that he is holding in his hands as a result are a huge step forward for the project. It doesn't matter that right now the papers are missing some of the information that has been gathered and the map that Saber has been working on. It is still progress.
On the sheet he is looking at, the floors have been divided into three groups--floors that are completely safe, floors that are safe as long as you are careful or have some kind of fighting skill, and floors that are dangerous even for those who are highly trained in fighting. Each floor has a short summary of what it is and its dangers if there are any. It is a commonsensical way to organize things, but the set up and the limitations of the printing press mean that there isn't nearly as much information on it as he would like. Organization is something he will definitely have to discuss with everyone once they gather together again. In the meantime, he has put his name and room number on the dozen or so copies he has along with a request that any suggestions for improvement be sent to him.
After giving the sheets one more look over, Diarmuid heads off to start leaving them around the tower. His limited number means he has to be selective, so he focuses on leaving them on well traveled floors like the library, cafeteria, gym and lounges. He also leaves them near some of the more dangerous floors, all in places where he can easily check on them when he patrols next to see if he can get some idea of how quickly they are going to disappear. The information will be important later when they are deciding how many copies to make and where to leave them.
Floor 39 (Open):
After dropping off the last of the information sheets and finishing his patrol for the day, Diarmuid is still too excited to retire for the night, so he instead stops by the gym. Anyone who has fought with him before or has watched him practice will notice that his movements seem different than usual. There is a lightness and a joy to them now that makes him even more fun to watch. Without any real rhyme or reason he switches back and forth between practicing with his spear and the two swords he is carrying.
It's been a long time since he has felt this good. He has no idea how long the feeling will last, but he is being careful to memorize it so that when the darkness descends again like it always does in this place, he will have that to hold onto--to remind him that even if the progress may be slow, it is there. Someday they will be freed of all of this, and he has to be strong enough to make sure that not only do his friends make it there, he does as well because he friends will not be satisfied with anything else.
And for the first time in a long time, he won't be either.
tohko_amano ) and Waver Velvet (fionnuisce ) & Sephiroth (pinnaculum ).Setting: Floor 100, 39 (the Gym), 25 (the Meadow), 3 (the Library), and others.
Format: Any!
Summary: Diarmuid takes care of some loose ends, moves ahead some projects, and does some much needed thinking.
Warnings: None right now. Will update if that changes.
Note: Title quote credit to Anthony Liccione.
Floor 100 (Open):
For a long time after he started spending time here, Diarmuid had spent most of his time near the image of his house losing hours playing a game between himself and the floor seeing how well it actually had recreated the place he loved so much. After a while, though, he had started to move out and away from the house, through the yard, passed the training grounds and the dog kennels, and finally to the forest that had stood guard behind his house. Diarmuid had been disappointed to find that the illusion stopped a few feet into the treeline and thus short of where the stream had flowed, but it did go far enough back to include one of his favorite thinking spots from his first life.
The spot itself is nothing fancy. Just a small clearing with two trees leaning in toward each other shading a large rock with their branches. Of course, here he cannot sit upon or lean against the rock as he had so often done in the past, but he has found the perfect place to sit so that he can still imagine that is what he is doing. And so, it is here near the treeline that he has taken to sitting to think once he had lost the ability to do so in his room.
It seems to Diarmuid that almost all he has done lately is think, but at the same time, he has so much to think about. So much has happened to him so quickly over the last few months that he is honestly surprised he can still function. Nothing during his first life had prepared him for anything like this--this constant opening of old wounds and giving of new ones before the first had any time to heal. It is almost like the nightmare that had started when his master had ordered him to kill himself just had never ended.
Yet, there are bright points. A great many of them and that is why Diarmuid is so determined to finally get his mind straightened out. It will take time, he knows, but it will also take him finally forcing himself to believe so many of the things he has realized through his talks with others. Things Diarmuid has asked others to do, but always seems to forget to ask himself to do.
He has told both Cecil and Waver that he knows he holds himself to higher standards than others and really needs to stop. Everyone is equal in the tower. Everyone has had their souls taken from their bodies and placed into false forms. There is no reason for him to expect so much more from himself especially when expecting so much only sets him up for failure.
He has told Suzaku, Ryoji, and Mami that everyone makes mistakes and that making them doesn't make them any less of a person. As long as they don't stop fighting and don't let the mistakes beat them, there is always a chance to find forgiveness.
He has told Yata that 'knight' is just a label. It doesn't matter if others believe that is what you are as long as you know what you are in your heart and act to serve the best way you can.
And he has told his brother and Hidetoshi that he knows he is in a rut of negative feelings. He just has to find his way out.
That is why Diarmuid is spending so much time here just thinking and watching the illusionary trees move in the breeze. Sometimes he's meditating on things using a technique that Oisin taught him so very long ago. Sometimes he has actually dozed off during his thoughts and sometimes, soft singing in ancient Gaelic can be heard drifting across the floor as he unconsciously releases his emotions in a way that so many around him did when he was young.
Floor 25 (Closed to Tohko,
tohko_amano ):He picked the meadow as the place where he wanted to meet with Tohko because it is one of the few floors where it isn't unusual for people to meet and talk. It is safe, large enough that several groups can be talking in it without bothering each other, and also has plenty of room away from the walls and the prying eyes of any devices the Administrators might be using to spy on them. With the loss of the sauna as a place to safely discuss things like the resistance--he has seen the units working there and guessed that some of the information that had been discovered by Jason's little ploy must have been about the lack of cameras on that floor--they've had to make due the best they can.
As Diarmuid waits for her to arrive, he sits and casually twists flowers together into chains and rings as a way to relax and pass time. Tohko is already late and he hopes that is just because she is taking time to lose the new 'friend' he hears she has picked up. Despite being proud of the fact she is not letting the dangers involved with being a part of the resistance stop her, Diarmuid can't help but worry that someday she will get in way over her head and not be able to find her way back out.
Floor 3 (Closed to Waver,
fionnuisce and Sephiroth, pinnaculum ):(OOC: Is a posting order of Diarmuid -> Waver -> Sephiroth okay?)
As Diarmuid enters the library and looks around for Sephiroth or Waver, there is excitement in his eyes. Ever since he had heard from Sephiroth that the printing press is working, he has been looking forward to learning how to use it. Well, honestly he doesn't care so much for the workings of the machine itself like Waver might. What he does care about is the fact that learning to use it is one big step forward toward getting the information he and the others have gathered about the dangers of the tower's floors out to the public. Add in the fact that Waver is going to be learning it with him since he and Sephiroth seem to get along so well and Waver has an interest in the machine anyway, and it is shaping up to be a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.
Diarmuid's just going to have to keep reminding himself that Waver probably won't appreciate having ink smeared on him, because for some reason the image of the magus with ink smeared all over his face just keeps popping into his head...
Any Floor (Open):
(OOC: Feel free to use this prompt not only if you want to have you character catch Diarmuid leaving the information sheets around, but also if you would like your character to find and comment on one!)
Diarmuid just can't stop smiling. Not only had learning the printing press gone well, but the rough drafts of the floor information that he is holding in his hands as a result are a huge step forward for the project. It doesn't matter that right now the papers are missing some of the information that has been gathered and the map that Saber has been working on. It is still progress.
On the sheet he is looking at, the floors have been divided into three groups--floors that are completely safe, floors that are safe as long as you are careful or have some kind of fighting skill, and floors that are dangerous even for those who are highly trained in fighting. Each floor has a short summary of what it is and its dangers if there are any. It is a commonsensical way to organize things, but the set up and the limitations of the printing press mean that there isn't nearly as much information on it as he would like. Organization is something he will definitely have to discuss with everyone once they gather together again. In the meantime, he has put his name and room number on the dozen or so copies he has along with a request that any suggestions for improvement be sent to him.
After giving the sheets one more look over, Diarmuid heads off to start leaving them around the tower. His limited number means he has to be selective, so he focuses on leaving them on well traveled floors like the library, cafeteria, gym and lounges. He also leaves them near some of the more dangerous floors, all in places where he can easily check on them when he patrols next to see if he can get some idea of how quickly they are going to disappear. The information will be important later when they are deciding how many copies to make and where to leave them.
Floor 39 (Open):
After dropping off the last of the information sheets and finishing his patrol for the day, Diarmuid is still too excited to retire for the night, so he instead stops by the gym. Anyone who has fought with him before or has watched him practice will notice that his movements seem different than usual. There is a lightness and a joy to them now that makes him even more fun to watch. Without any real rhyme or reason he switches back and forth between practicing with his spear and the two swords he is carrying.
It's been a long time since he has felt this good. He has no idea how long the feeling will last, but he is being careful to memorize it so that when the darkness descends again like it always does in this place, he will have that to hold onto--to remind him that even if the progress may be slow, it is there. Someday they will be freed of all of this, and he has to be strong enough to make sure that not only do his friends make it there, he does as well because he friends will not be satisfied with anything else.
And for the first time in a long time, he won't be either.
Re: floor 19
[Diarmuid smiles at her once he stops at her side. His smile fades, though, as he speaks again.]
There is something strange going on again. Not that strange occurrences are anything new in this place, but you should be careful. There are weird rumors floating around and even stories that the rumors are coming true somehow. It all seems like a lot of foolishness to me, but to many others it seems to be deadly serious.
Re: floor 19
[She's sure he's lying, trying to get her to lower her guard.]
Can they not be warnings that were kindly provided to us?
Re: floor 19
[He gives her a worried look. Could it be she is being affected just like his brother had been?]
Are you sure you are feeling all right?
Re: floor 19
Re: floor 19
[Diarmuid's lips press into a line. Riki had been kind enough to move Ryoji, yet at the same time he had also been the one in charge of that experiment in January that had hurt Diarmuid so much.]
I think he is more concerned with the tower itself than the people in it.
[He shakes his head sadly.]
Just because they aren't directly antagonistic to us doesn't mean they care to help us.
Re: floor 19
[And there. That's the opening she is. She whips out the dagger and stabs at the Servant as quickly as she can.]
[It's probably still awfully slow by his standards.]
Re: floor 19
He catches a hold of her arm, easily deflecting the knife away and trying to twist her arm behind her. He places pressure on her wrist carefully attempting to get her to drop the weapon.]
What are you doing!
Re: floor 19
[She smiles bitterly.]
What are you waiting for? Kill me! Get it over with!
Re: floor 19
What? Why would I want to kill you? We might not agree on everything, but that doesn't mean I want to hurt you!
no subject
[She struggles, though his grip is too strong.]
All of us here...we all hate each other, don't we? If you don't kill, then you'll just be killed!
no subject
[Her words have a familiar desperation to them and are so very similar in tone to the ones his brother had used to try and convince him that the bogeyman was real and in the tower. Diarmuid has no doubt now that whatever game the administrators are playing this month, it is affecting both his brother and Sola-Ui.]
Since when do I hate my brother? Or my son? Or Waver? Since when do I hate you? Do you really think I would still be standing here talking to you after that attack if I hated you?
no subject
[She scoffs at her assertions.]
Maybe you wanted a sneak attack so I would scream less when it came. Or maybe you just like playing with people's hearts. Heaven know that you did it so many times in your first life.
[...Aaaaand that's the paraoia speaking.]
no subject
I don't suppose there is much I can say to convince you right now that what I am saying is true. You are too far into the tower's grasp for that, but let me ask you one thing. If your daughter was still here, would you be saying the same things? Would you be saying she hated you and wanted to kill you?
Don't answer me immediately with whatever excuse pops into your mind. Stop and think about it and about how you really feel. There is truth there if you will only listen to it!
no subject
[He had her there.]
I would never hurt Waver. And she would never hurt me.
But you're different!
no subject
[He gives her a calm, level look. He's happy that she has made the concession about Waver at least.]
How? Again...think hard about your answer. If I was going to hurt you, why am I wasting my time like this? And don't give me the same line you did before because you and I both know it's not true. It's an easy answer, but it's not true.
no subject
[She shakes her head. In the end, she can't completely doubt that familiar voice.]
I don't know...
no subject
It is all right if you don't know. Whatever is affecting people right now is very strong. You just need to try and keep yourself calm and think through things before you act. That will help you sort what you really feel from what you are being made to feel, I think.
no subject
You make it sound as if I were not in my right mind.
[But as far as she's concerned, it's reasonable to have a little paranoia, isn't it?]
no subject
With all due respect, Mrs Archibald, you are a sensible woman. Tell me, would you have ever attacked me with how much more skilled I am than you if you were in your right mind?
no subject
[She turns her face away.]
Was I supposed to sit and wait for something to come and kill me?
no subject
[He crosses his arms over his chest and gives her a serious look.]
Give me one real reason. How are you a threat to me?
no subject
no subject
And that has to do with you how? Need I remind you it's not your husband I hate but a different version of him that may or may not actually be much like the one you know?
no subject
You sound so...forgiving.
[Her voice drops to a whisper.]
Why? You're so forgiving and reasonable and...
no subject
[Diarmuid gives her a confused look.]
I know a lot of people in modern times are not as kind as they should be, but surly there are still those who are forgiving and reasonable. Why is me being so such a shock?
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