This world is a false prison, created by the Fallen Angels

[warriorscribe]

Characters: Enoch and anyone (one prompt closed to Zelda, one closed to Raphael)
Setting: Various places, backdated to June 2nd
Format: Whatever works for you!
Summary: Enoch goes to retrieve something from his sauna locker and then tries to do something else, that you wouldn't expect of a man who's just taken part in a rebellion plot.
Warnings: Nothing yet!

Elevator from D1 to F81

Enoch may be found here on the fifteen-minute elevator ride, still a bit agitated-looking. More than anything, he's still angry at Ruana. The only thing he can conclusively say she's done for them was the protection and...what must have been a glamour enhancement at Reno and Elena's wedding - and neither of them are in the tower anymore. If anyone wants to catch up with him for any reason here, he can be found.


Sauna (F77)(Closed to sageprincess)

So this is it. With everything back up, it's finally time to take a look at what Dax left them. There's no turning back now even if he wanted to. Does he doubt? Naturally. People have hurt because of this. But people will be hurt so much more if he does nothing. He's going to do whatever it takes.

The first thing he does is run or Arch Glide the flights from floor 81 to lose his stalker, and he makes his way to his sauna locker as quickly as he can. With the worker unit patrolling, he dismisses his armor as if he was simply going to get changed. But before he does anything even remotely useful, there's something he wants to check. He reaches in for the waterskin he'd made earlier and looks inside.

Water. He should have known Ruana wouldn't afford them even Riki's previous glamours. Oh well, he isn't complaining about a water store, and maybe it will become wine again eventually. He takes a mouthful of it to rehydrate him after that run, and then places it back in his locker. He pauses for a deep yawn, leaning on the locker wall for a moment. Dax has a mission for them, but...he's so tired... It's just enough pause for his fellow leader to find him before he does something stupid.


Infirmary(F2)(Closed to godheals)

He didn't think he'd seen Raphael in the chaos of yesterday, and after that conversation with Lucifel and for the first time seeing the angel at a loss for words, Enoch had to find the other angel here - normally he and Raphael's paths hadn't crossed very often in the tower. With the sterile steel of the infirmary too harsh for his tastes, he rarely ventured there outside of his collar checkups or to get some supply or another.

It isn't to say that he didn't care about his guide, but that he was content simply knowing he was doing well and doing a service for the tower. He had been, after all, a swan most of the time, high above or nowhere to be found. He had been, most of the time, a presence that was scarcely there, but known to be somewhere.

But after this, Enoch had to see how he was holding up. So he stepped out into the waiting room on his way up to the forest. "Raphael...?"


Forest(F6)

Enoch can be found cutting off bits of trees or cutting fallen branches down to size. It may seem a waste of time to those who know him, but he has, or so he hopes they will be taken - good intentions. If the beam of his Arch disappears, he moves away from the animal, sometimes even jumping onto the stairs to evade them. Eventually, he will leave with five little logs about six inches long and roughly the length of his finger in diameter.


Workshop(F15)

Part 1
And this is what he's doing with those logs - he has a book on woodcraft from the library and a...scalpel. Probably not the best whittling knife around, but he couldn't find one on this floor so he had to grab something. If he's not using that, he's very carefully using the Arch to cut off a larger piece, maneuvering it awkwardly with both hands on the middle of the weapon's structure for control. He's making good time with what seems an entirely frivolous project, at this point already having a vague humanoid head and shoulders cut out from one of the logs. He seems a lot less agitated, at this point. Relaxed, even.

If a monster shows up he'll drop what he's doing to kill it. A little help or a preemptive kill would be useful. But it's much more likely one will come upon him in peace.

In fact, it's only in peace that he murmurs to his creation (often while flexing a cramping hand), "If only I could shape your base, itself..."

Part 2
The dollmaking project goes surprisingly well. Until his lack of sleep catches up to him. There's a sharp hiss out of him and he drops the doll he's working on - there's no damage to his finger, but a fine crack has appeared on the right neck guard of his armor.

With a tired sigh, he gathers up the doll, a vague feminine shape carved down to the waist, though not yet perfected, and the other logs and stands up to go to bed before he sleeps to dark. He would be going to bed a little early, so all the more reason for someone to find him, if they need him.

Comments

[warriorscribe]

Enoch cut a log down to size and tucked it into the crook of his arm; he nearly has all of them now.

"I'm planning to carve dolls from it for a child I know."

At least the upside to all of this is that whatever mistrust that had lingered for chaos was dampened or gone. He was too tired to be wary of someone who seemed otherwise good.

[lightofhumanity]

chaos nodded at the explanation and, finally saw a branch that was about as thick as his arm but not longer than it. It would have been best if he brought a knife..but it seemed that Enoch was going to move on soon anyway. Best to wait before he used his powers out here. The person might not have mistrusted him now, so it was best to try and keep it that way.

"I see. That should be good for the child then. This has been a tough time for most of them. You may not need it, but should you get stuck, do let me know. I shall assist you."

[warriorscribe]

"It has been...and for all of us. I return your offer as well, on one condition. Tell me the truth about our first meeting."

Enoch was willing to let everything go to rest, if the source of his distrust was settled. They only had a year, for better or for worse (the sense of mortality was almost invigorating in a scary way). It was time to bury hatchets, however small.

[lightofhumanity]

..The only problem with burying this hatchet was that it would bring his powers out to light, get him to openly admit that this too, was something else that he could do, which would only further mark him as a non-human. The smile immediately fell from chaos's face, and while it took him a few moments to collect his thoughts and the proper phrasing, he did eventually speak.

"..I apologize. Until I came here, peering into the minds of others was something I did quite often. That is what happened when you and I first met."

[warriorscribe]

Enoch nodded. It had been too suspiciously accurate for a "guess". At least in Enoch's case, non-humans were in a way more welcome company than humans were. It didn't bother him in the slightest.

"You say it as if you've stopped..."

[lightofhumanity]

While chaos knew that not many people probably would be bothered, even in his universe, it would bring out the question of 'what are you?'. In his own universe, most probably would not have believed that he was the failsafe or looked at him kindly if they did, even if he did not choose his power.

"..If it sounded that way, than you are hearing it differently than what I meant for it to sound like. I have been doing it less here recently..but I have not completely stopped."

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch nodded. Fair enough...as long as he was honest about it from here on out.*

...You seem like a good man, chaos. Whatever your reasons for hiding it then, know that you can be honest with me.

[lightofhumanity]

[..Once one was called out on this, it would be rather foolish to lie or cover up. The other person would know it, and it would just bring more conflict. chaos nodded at Enoch, thinking. Well..here, his situation would be rather believable. And since he was familiar with the story of Enoch-any memories he might have had of meeting an actual Enoch were worn away by time-it was possible that this situation would be safe.

Or not. After all..chaos was not always good.]

I see..just as long as you do not pass the reasons onto others. I do not like meaningless bloodshed, and people who do might search for me if they knew of the truth.

[warriorscribe]

I've had my own share of secrets to hide. I can tell you I won't betray yours.

[lightofhumanity]

Thank you. I know you have had your share of unpacked burdens. I am just trying to be careful.

[..Now, where to start..]

In my universe, there are three dimensions: The Lower Domain, where humans and physical matter resides, the Upper Domain, where U-DO lives, and the Collective Unconscious, where human minds are connected, whether they realize it or not, and where their consciousness flows when they die, only to be reborn in a new shell.

I..am the failsafe for my universe. If the lower domain should ever head towards destruction and threaten to pull down the other two dimensions with it..my power of Anima will wipe away the Lower Dimension, the Collective Unconscious, and all human life with it. My powers are, for the most part, sealed. But..the possibility of them unsealing may become very real here, if the Administrators decide to do something about it.

But, back when I was in my own universe, I would have liked to be human, even though I knew that there would be consequences if I was. There were also those who would not have believed me or might have tried to use me for purposes that I did not agree with if I revealed myself. That is why I hide what I am and lie.

[warriorscribe]

*There's that odd name for God again. So chaos comes from the same world (or rather the same sort of world) as Wilhelm...*

If our hosts do unseal your powers, there would be no choosing to keep them secret...

*But he doesn't think ill of chaos for this - after all, he seems to be the sort of person who would only use those powers when absolutely necessary - would someone who wanted to be human really destroy humanity frivolously? There's no better overseer than a loving one.*

[lightofhumanity]

[He did, but the two did not come from the same points on the timeline, and neither of them shared the same views of humanity. While they might have been mild acquaintances at one point, all they held for each other now was a mutual respect.]

Which is why I am hoping that they do not. They would have to know that they would be put at risk as well, since Anima does not care who is in the way. But..I am not fully sure that they would be at risk right now or not.

[Enoch would be right, for the most part. While fighting, chaos used his ethers-which were a normal way that most people in his universe fought nowadays-and even though his powers could seep in there, he tried to keep them from doing so with his gloves and bodysuit. In the past, he had bandaged himself up after Mary's death, but those would make him look even more suspicious in the future.

As for an overseer..chaos, for most of his life, was not one. He watched, and occasionally, he pushed, but after his other half of sorts was lost, he had kept mostly to the background, watching and trying to help people indirectly. It was only after Earth was lost and the android known as KOS-MOS finally woke up that he had started becoming a small shaker in the universe again.]

[warriorscribe]

They likely won't... Ruana may have lost her sanity in some past century or another, but she didn't lose her intelligence with it.

[lightofhumanity]

I do know that Ruana is not foolish, even if she may be insane.

[Or on a different morality system. It was hard to tell, really. chaos couldn't get a peek into her head.]

But..that 'likely' could also swing in the other direction one day. Even a small fragment of Anima is enough to cause people to go insane and kill each other, even if they are shooting at their own allies.

[warriorscribe]

So you think they could unleash only a small portion of your power?

That...isn't how they normally act, from what I've seen. They make large, sweeping changes that affect several people at once.

[lightofhumanity]

It is possible that they could. In the future, humanity was able to do so on their own, so the fact that our hosts could is not so far-fetched.

[Inwardly, chaos sighed.]

And do you think that Anima only affects one person? The incident I talked about previously was able to affect an entire planet. It is possible..however unlikely..that the Administrators, or others here, would find amusement in using it and seeing the carnage they released.

[warriorscribe]

That's not what I meant - I mean they don't seem to use one person to achieve their ends. They alter the tower itself, or many people at once directly.

[lightofhumanity]

..This is true. However..there is always the possibility, even if it is small, that Ruana or the others may change. Especially with the knowledge that she is enraged at those who revealed the truth.

[..For a moment, chaos wore a small smile.]

But..that chance might be small enough to not end up mattering in the end. It is just always there, and it will continue to bother me as long as it exists. I wish there was something I could do to lessen it or remove it.

[..A semi-subtle way of saying that he would like to help the resistance.]

[warriorscribe]

*Which isn't a matter that can be easily discussed right now.*

That would require Ruana no longer have control over us. That would take quite a feat to accomplish...

[lightofhumanity]

..I am not saying that it wouldn't. But..even if it would be quite a feat, it is still a possibility, however small. I would still like to believe that the people here could shake off their chains, to some degree.

[warriorscribe]

Of course they can. Yesterday was proof of that.

[lightofhumanity]

I know it was. Others, however, may view it as just a small victory. A battle won in the midst of a war.

[..People like Wilhelm. Inwardly, chaos sighed, and as he waited for Enoch to reply, he snapped his fingers, sending a beam of energy at the branch he had his eye on. It broke from the tree and came tumbling down to the ground, making quite a bit of noise and disturbing a few leaves and branches as it fell.]

[warriorscribe]

*Enoch watched the branch fall, going over what chaos just said. Of course it was a battle won in a war. It certainly wasn't total victory, nor did it stand alone. It was proof that they could have their own agency, like he'd said. But chaos had spoken as if the two ideas were mutually exclusive...*

....Of course it is. That doesn't make it anything less than proof that we can free ourselves.

[lightofhumanity]

[..chaos, sadly, was thinking a bit too much about the past and people like Wilhelm for some reason and what they would have to say about all the goings-on. As he spoke, he scratched his head. It wasn't because his head was itchy..it was just something he did sometimes, to help apologize or play down his abilities.]

I apologize. My mind wandered over to an acquaintance of mine. However, believe me..I do agree with you. Even though it may be hard..it can be done.

[warriorscribe]

Would that acquaintance be here? I can't say I've met very many other people from the world where God would be called U-DO.

*Basically if chaos says yes, he pretty much makes it obvious who that acquaintance is.*