towerofanimus | Are you still my friend?

Entry tags:

Are you still my friend?

Characters: Romeo and you
Setting: On floor 25 (June 1st, morning after reveal) and Cathedral Flood (June 3rd after Ruana's network post)
Format: Either
Summary: The morning after the reveal a small orange frame and his foil 'pet' have a very serious conversation. Then once the glamour goes back up Romeo tries to get his head around everything not being real and never being real. ~~Really this is the worst birthday present tower~~
Warnings: general event warnings

[Floor 25] Sat on the cold harsh metal that had once looked like a meadow a small orange frame sat crossed legged, a moving foil creature of some kind in his hands. It had taken him a while to understand what he had been told, and a bit longer to believe it. That everything he had seen for almost two years was a lie, and what things looked like now, was the truth. And worst of all, this foil, which didn't even have a soul like his wiry body did, wasn't Piccolo at all.

"You shouldn't have lied to me." He told the foil, "That's not a nice thing to do, it was really mean to you. I wouldn't of been mad if you hadn't pretended to be Piccolo." He guessed Piccolo had died with all his friends and his family. He wondered if weasels went to heaven, he hoped so.

"You're bad." He told the foil, "You let me think he was here when he wasn't and you pretended to be my friend."

But had it just been pretend, Romeo remembered the last two years, Piccolo- or not Piccolo, playing with him, going on adventures. Attacking people when they tried to hurt Romeo. Sharing his food, riding on his head. Making him smile when things were really really scary.

Romeo was mad but as he remembered those things his wire finger stroked the foil. "You stayed with me though, even though you're not Piccolo, and you were nice and kind to me. You're my friend aren't you, just a foil thing and not a weasel at all." The foil creature bumped into his wire fingers.

"You still shouldn't have lied to me." He told it sternly, "But I think you just didn't want to make me sad."

He was sad now, but he didn't cry. He was thirteen today and thirteen was almost a grown up. "Of course I'll still be your friend silly." He didn't want to call it Piccolo though, that was his weasel friends name and his weasel friend was in heaven now. He remembered Yotsuba and her muddle up.

"I'll call you Pinocchio! Do you like that name?" The foil made a squeaking sound and Romeo laughed.

[Floor Thirteen] It had been a scary day but finally all the power, and all the illusions came back on. Romeo happened to be stood next to a terminal when it did and so heard Ruana's message. She was really really mad and that was a really mean thing to say.

He wasn't too scared about dying though, because then he would see all his friends again in heaven, he just hoped she didn't get too mad and send them to their worlds. Romeo couldn't imagine being there forever...

Everything looked normal again, even though this wasn't real. He wandered for a while squinting at things, trying to see if he could see past it. But he couldn't. Even Pinocchio looked like a weasel again.

He was tired but he didn't want to go to bed, because he knew it was one of those pods and he didn't like that.

So he wandered and finally he ended up in the cathedral. Even though he knew it wasn't real and even though he knew God definitely couldn't hear them he knelt down near the front, tired and scared. It was a good place to think.

Tomorrow he would have been here two years and today they had found out that in one year they might die. Lots of things could happen in a year though, good things and bad things. All the things that had happened here were real, even if they looked differently, all his friends were really his friends.

He thought about his friends, miss Ruana had said if she sent them to their worlds they would be there forever and ever. That meant it was even more important to find a way to get everyone who disappeared back, before they died. Or they would be stuck... with no one to rescue them.

"I'll get you all, I promise, I'll bring you all back and you wont get left behind." He brought his fist up to his chest. "I swear."

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When the illusions were put back into place, chaos felt his powers returning. While they were familiar and helpful in some ways, it..made chaos a little sad. For just a short while, he was able to experience what it might be like to be human, for better or worse.

However, he couldn't ponder forever now. He was tired of hesitating, even if his true power might cause some problems down the line, or even now. He had friends to help..and he did, on some level, want to go against his role of being a failsafe. He had looked on the networks and found out about the deadline for the people against the Administrators and decided that he had to find out more about them if he was going to ever help them. If he was ever going to play his part.

As he turned all of this new information around in his head, chaos wandered through the Tower..and ended up wandering into the 'cathedral' floor, where he saw and sensed Romeo..and heard his vow. Smiling, he spoke as he walked towards the person.

"I am not sure if that is a achievable goal..but it is a good one, Romeo."

Romeo turned around, seeing Chaos and waving at him sadly. "I wont let them be lost sir."

He sounded stubborn, he was. He had seen so many people disappear and he would make sure none of them were left to wander their worlds forever.

chaos returned the wave and nodded, walking closer to the person. Romeo did sound stubborn..which wasn't something that chaos wasn't used to dealing with.

"I am glad to hear that. I am not sure if you shall succeed..but if you are willing to walk forward, I shall help you."

"Thank you sir." Romeo smiled at him, "We need to all work together it's really important."

chaos returned the smile as he spoke. "It is important that the majority of us band together. I am not sure that all will do so, since people cannot put aside long-standing grudges easily. However..I am sure that most of us will work together to save the universes..and the lost souls."

"Well some people are bad and some people are pretending to be bad but I think most people will work together. Because this is really really important." He gave Chaos a small smile.

chaos didn't return the smile. For one thing, a statement like that made him think back, think about people who had pretended to be kind when they were bad or bad when they were kind. Inwardly, he sighed.

"I am not denying the importance of this job. However..even those who are merely pretending to be bad may not be allowed to help. Pretending and joking does not wipe away the pain and emotions in one night."

Romeo's eyes narrowed at that, "But sir, when people pretend to be bad it's usually because they've always been bad, or don't know how to properly be good, or everyone thinks they are bad and some people will hurt them if they are bad. If the good people tell them they can't help and push them away they might just think it's better to be fully bad instead."

He spoke with passion, it was a subject important to him.

chaos did not mind a good debate every now and then when nothing was at stake and when a person couldn't get riled up. However, he did not like riling people up. If it was their choice to believe things that he did not agree with, that was his choice. Plus..it was foolish to get wrapped up in this argument anyway, since 'bad' and 'good' were something that all people were, whether they realized it or not. Sighing inwardly again, chaos spoke.

"People have not always been bad, Romeo. Nor have they always been good. However..you are right in the fact that pushing others away does not usually help or accomplish anything."

"They have when they grow up in bad places and people tell them to be bad. What if ever since they were little they had a boss who was bad and they made them do bad things. That means they could be good but they don't ever know."

He nodded though, he wasn't going to push anyone away, and he was going to save everyone.

"Even though it was unlikely, even children in that situation could have rebelled and tried to do something different. I do admit that it is harder in those situations than it usually is."

chaos wasn't one to push others away, and..he didn't want to be stuck by the sidelines anymore, especially since his power of Anima wasn't actually there at all.

Romeo blinked at him and turned his kneeling into sitting, bringing his knees up to his chest. "It is, kids have to do what their bosses say."

He smiled though because it was more important now than ever to keep their spirits up.

If Romeo didn't mind, chaos would come and try to sit beside him. However, if the boy did show some signs of discomfort, he would scoot over a bit and give him more space. As he spoke, he smiled a little.

"..In truth, they do not have to, as long as they are willing to accept and work with the consequences. Just like some of the people here are doing in rising against the Administrators."

Romeo didn't mind, he let the man sit down next to him. "But back in their worlds they would die for real if their bosses killed them." He reminded Chaos.

"I bet they still try really hard though."

Once again, chaos sighed inwardly.

"This is true. Some would die However..that is one of the consequences when people rise up. However, you are right. Live or die, they all try their best."

"But it's not too bad, because if we die for real we'll just go to heaven anyways." He paused remembering who he was talking to, "If we want to, or wherever else we want to go when we are dead." He shrugged.

"Whatever will happen when they died, most of them will follow the flow and be alright, I believe." And chaos..actually smiled as he spoke.

Romeo nodded with a smile. "Do you got any ideas of how we can get everyone from their worlds?"

..For once, chaos actually sighed, and the smile was wiped clean off his face.

"..It is cruel to say this, but it might be best if those who are still there remain there until we can restore them. I can do nothing to pull them here..and even if I could..I am not sure if most would enjoy that. Or if most would not."

Romeo thought about that. "A year is a long time, and it will probably take us that long to learn how to get them back. So we can do it right at the end as long as we know it will work."

"Hopefully. This is, of course, assuming wee can get them back."

"We will." He nodded, "We got to believe that."

"For the moment..however..Romeo, even if the truth is painful and different than what you thought it would be, that does not mean that you can ignore it in favor of fantasy. Right now, that does not apply..but remember it for later, in case we cannot. There are many things one can believe in. It is best to believe and work towards the truth, even if we learn things that change what we thought of it."

He frowned as he thought about that, "Like when we learned we were just souls or that everything wasn't real, we can't pretend we are real now." He nodded, "But we still got to believe we can help everyone, because the bad people think we can't so we got to believe harder than them and that's difficult."

At that, chaos nodded and..smiled. "I am not sure whether or not the Administrators believe that we can fail..but you are right in everything else. It will be hard..but we still have to work much harder than they believe we can."

"They do, because they want to win." He explained. "We can work really hard though."

"We can..but you know Romeo, just because they want to win does not mean that Ruana believes that we will succeed. Jason may worry about others..but I am not sure about her."

"I know, that's why we got to believe harder than her." He nodded and punched the air.

"And work harder than her. Belief may not be horrible, but it is usually worthless without effort."

He blinked, "Of course we will work hard! We always work hard." Hard work was just something Romeo had assumed was obvious.

While chaos would like to assume that it was obvious too, he had met plenty of people who believed..but did not work hard. You met all sorts when you were immortal, but chaos smiled and nodded at the comment.

"Good. I am glad to hear that. Do your best, Romeo."

"You too sir!" He grinned at him.

"Do not worry. I shall do all I can to help my friends and others." Not that he would do anything else in any other situation.

"Good!" He grinned, he had every faith that chaos would try his best!

Of course he would. While he was a failsafe, that didn't mean that he liked his role or liked seeing people, especially his friends, get hurt.

Ken knew he'd find Romeo here. He wasn't sure why he kept coming here, but if it was important for him, whatever. He sat down near Romeo, waiting until he was done with his thoughts.

"... Hey."

Romeo spotted him and stood up, moving to sit on the pew next to Ken and brought his knees to his chin.

"Hey Ken." He hugged his legs. "Are you okay?"

Hesitantly, he put his hand on Romeo's shoulder, pulling him close. It was okay. He could hug him like this.

"I... I guess. I don't know what to think about all of this. It's really confusing. I don't... have the answers I thought I did. And... being without Dike was... really scary."

He pulled Romeo a little closer.

"I've never... really understood Persona. Some people talk about it coming from the soul, but I don't know. If our powers can be turned off just like that, though, and our souls are still here, why can't I still use her like that?"

Romeo leaned his head on Ken's shoulder and let himself be pulled closer. "Did Dike disappear?" He blinked, he had heard people saying that their powers were gone.

Romeo didn't really understand much about personas except what Ken had told him, but he didn't understand why they wouldn't be with their souls.

"It's all really complicated I don't understand."

"She did. I couldn't use her at all."

He leaned over to rest his cheek on Romeo's head.

"I don't, either. And... Nanako left and I'm really worried about her. I liked her. A lot. Like... really a lot."

"I know," He'd saw her grave, he hadn't known her very well but she had been very nice. "She was really sad that you died." He swung his feet thinking of the girl he had given a piggy back to. They'd get her back though, he had promised.

"A lot a lot? Did you want to marry her?"

"I -"

What? That question...

"Um... I... I don't know. I mean... I... I'd like to date her at least, especially when she gets a little older, but... I..."

He swallowed, trying to get his words to work.

"I.. maybe. I don't know. I don't understand... but I can't help but be happy when I think about her..."

He's a peasant kid from the 1840's, dating isn't really a concept he knows. But adults who like each other get married, he knows that.

"I don't really understand either Ken, but if she makes you happy then it must be a really good thing."

"Yeah..."

A-anyway. He's more worried about Romeo right now.

"Are you doing okay? I mean... really okay. You don't have to put on a brave face for me if you're not."

Romeo opened his mouth to tell him that he was okay, because he had been keeping his spirits up. But this was Ken and Ken was his best friend. He made a movement of his head on Ken's shoulder.

"I don't know. It's all really confusing and I don't understand it. Everything looks the same but we saw it as it really was and now it's like they want us to pretend we aren't all not real."

His voice was really quiet, because he didn't like thinking about things like this. He would rather just punch the air and forget about it all. But he had tried that and it hadn't really made him feel better this time.

"You're real."

He turned a little to hug Romeo, and squeezed him a little bit. "Even if our bodies are fake, our hearts and minds are real, right? That's all you really need to be real."

Ken pulled away a little bit, suddenly embarrassed. "I mean... you feel. You think. There was a famous philosopher that once said, 'I think, therefore I am.' Even when you start with nothing, you can still think... which means you are. So you're real."

Romeo hugged him back and blinked when he pulled away. "I guess... but if we are real and our worlds are all gone does that mean we are dead?" Because dead souls could still think, when they were in heaven. It was a lot of complicated things to think about and though he understood what Ken was saying it still felt strange.

"I don't think so. Just because they're gone doesn't mean we are. And we'll get them back. I'm not sure how, but I know we will."

He was quiet a few more moments and then he nodded slowly. "You're right, of course we will. There are loads of clever people here so we will find a way."

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Are you still my friend?

Floor Thirteen

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Floor 13

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