001. overture

[dragonbard]

Characters: Nils & Open
Setting: Room 2-04, Cafeteria
Format: Any, though beginning in brackets
Summary: Newcomer Nils is trying to wrap his head around everything that's been happening. It's a lot to take in for the thirteen-year-old. He misses his older sister already.
Warnings: Aside from a sobbing Nils, none really. Memories of a character death as well.

Room 2-04

[He isn't numb when he comes to in his room. His eyes glance over the puzzling message as he sits on the edge of his bed. His world, destroyed? Nils is hit by a second wave of grief, the first one swamping him after seeing his sister dead on the floor. Perhaps, in the past, he would have been secretly pleased that the world was purged from existence. The number of people who had been unkind to him far exceeded the number of souls who were willing to take the siblings under their wings. On the other hand, after becoming familiar with the Lycian League's kindness, he finds that tears swim in his eyes at the thought of their elimination.

He begins to weep uncontrollably with the letter in his lap.]

Cafeteria

[After swallowing his tears, Nils slips down to the cafeteria. There are a few people, creatures, what-have-yous milling about. Some of them are sitting with bowls of oatmeal. He retrieves his own bowl and stares at it quietly. He's... never seen anything like it before. On the other hand, it somewhat resembled the gruel that Lyndis would cook up with Rebecca when there was nothing else to eat. Another part of him is also busy wondering if his stomach is even capable of digesting the brown mixture. Nils prods the food with a spoon and his stomach sinks when the oatmeal wobbles a bit.]

Comments

cafeteria

[geometry]

[Hello fellow thirteen year old.]

[The cafeteria is... pretty crowded today, dammit. So there's one very tall alien kid with pointy orange horns, kind of awkwardly hanging around next to your table.]

Um. Excuse me.

Can I sit here?

Re: cafeteria

[dragonbard]

[Nils blinks as he stares up at the "very tall alien kid with pointy orange horns". Considering that he was half dragon, nothing really surprised him.] Y-yes, you may. [He hasn't touched any of his oatmeal, and though he would have avoided any contact with others, he longs for contact in an unfamiliar place. It helps that the other kid seems to be around his physical age.]

cafeteria

[geometry]

Thanks.

[It's okay, they can be awkward together. Equius really isn't surprised that Nils seems unwilling to touch the oatmeal; almost every sane person who comes into the Tower is the same exact way. It doesn't exactly encourage people to eat it with the peculiar texture and taste of something not quite normal -- perhaps it's some kind of warning from the administrators? Seems like it. Because some months, everything else in the Tower makes that first bowl of oatmeal seem like a generous gift.]

I guess... you're a newcomer.

I don't think anyone would willingly eat that stuff on their own.

[That was supposed to be humor...]

Re: cafeteria

[dragonbard]

No, it's... it's all right.

[Nils is grateful for the company, though it won't do to fill the void that eats away at him. Everyone, gone, the world destroyed, how? The cryptic note was still tucked away in his pocket. And did Equius call him a newcomer? That could only mean that the troll had been stuck in the tower for longer. It also occurs to Nils that he hasn't introduced himself yet.]

Um, I'm Nils.

... How... how long have you been here?

[He misses his sister, he thinks, as he wipes at damp eyes with the back of his hands.]

cafeteria

[geometry]

[Equius bit his lip. It was always tough to explain to newbies that there were people who have been living here for close to a year... but looking at this kid, he looked like he was about to break down crying. At least, he was crying already. It's very easy to lose morale, and Equius certainly didn't want to make the first day even worse than it already was.]

Long enough to know that the oatmeal is dreadful? ...And, uh. My name is Equius. By the way.

Re: cafeteria

[dragonbard]

[Nils genuinely appreciates the fact that Equius hasn't left yet, though he is unable to translate this into words. He nods a bit and swallows the beginnings of tears, trying his hardest not to cry anymore.]

Is that what it's called? [He gives the oatmeal another experimental stir.] I... heard worse things happen if one does not eat it.

[He tries to distract himself by asking more questions.]You're... not from Elibe, right?

cafeteria

[geometry]

Yeah, um... you pretty much have to eat it. Or else your body rejects everything else and you get pretty sick.

[Elibe? That's a new one, he's never heard of Elibe before.] Uh, no. I'm from Alternia. A lot of people here are from different worlds.

Re: cafeteria

[dragonbard]

[Oh, uh, then he should... probably eat it soon. That fact seems to be enough for Nils since he finally decided to dig his spoon into the oatmeal. He took a small scoop and discovered that it had the consistency of cardboard (not that he's ever eaten cardboard before).]

[He glances up at Equius as he swallows the first bite.] Alternia? I don't... think I know where that is. [Did that mean other worlds had been destroyed as well?]

[geometry]

It's... yeah. Alternia is a planet, but it's very far away from most others. Not a lot of other people I've seen have even heard of it, so I'm not surprised.

[His attention drifts back to the oatmeal.] ...All you need to eat is a few bites. If you want, I'll make you something else to get the taste out of your mouth.

2-04

[alephbet]

[Aleph returns to his room. He'd been expecting new residents after his other roommates' disappeace - this doesn't mean that he knows how to deal with them.

He kneels silently beside the bed, not sure what to say.]

Re: 2-04

[dragonbard]

[It takes a moment for Nils to notice Aleph. When he does, he quickly wipes his eyes with the backs of his palms.] I-I'm sorry. [How rude of him; hadn't even noticed Aleph standing there.] I... [Quite frankly, he isn't sure what to say either.]

[alephbet]

It's understandable. But, we are going to bring our worlds back. All hope isn't lost.

[He's firmly convinced of this.]

[dragonbard]

[Aleph's confidence can't help but rub off a bit onto Nils. It's incredibly reassuring to meet someone with such confidence. As a newcomer, it's also easy to believe that he won't be here for too long.] We... we can, right? The people too, right? [Bringing back the worlds won't bring Ninian back tthough.]

[alephbet]

The people too. There's no point without them.

[dragonbard]

[The shock from recent events outweighs his anxiety of new people.] Only the people who were alive when it happened though, right? [Maybe, just maybe there was a way.] Can that happen too?

[alephbet]

I think that's what's going to happen when we fix it, that just the people who were alive will come back. We're not sure about the exact process yet...

[It would suck to have to kill God again though. Aleph doesn't want to bring Him back along with everyone else.]

[dragonbard]

[So he thought. Disappointment is something heavy to be hit with. Nils falls silent again for a bit before speaking again.] I'm Nils. Is this... your room too? [If they didn't know the exact process, how could they be sure it would work?]

[keybearer]

[Ah, the sight of a newbie enduring the rite of passage-- the dreaded oatmeal. And a kid at that. Well, Riku feels for the guy. After all, that stuff's almost as bland as Jason's menu.

Heh.]

If it's any consolation, that stuff won't kill you.

[Don't mind the older teen watching with a smirk. He won't bite.]

[dragonbard]

[Nils had been so engrossed in trying to decide what he's eaten in the past that may look like oatmeal that he hadn't noticed Riku until he spoke.]

Then you've, um, had yours already?

[He glances back down at the oatmeal and takes a small scoop of it. He frowns, then finally takes an experimental bite. He's... never tasted anything like it before. It probably shows on his face.]

[keybearer]

I had mine more than a year ago.

[That's not the most encouraging statement, but Riku keeps a cool demeanor as he says it. Hopefully the news won't distress him too much.]

At least once you finish it, you can go all out with the rest of the menu. We kind of lucked out this month.

[dragonbard]

[More than a year ago? Then that meant Riku had been here longer than Aleph. He feels his stomach drop a bit at that prospect and thinks he may be losing the contents of his stomach.]

I... I see. [He pales at the thought of being stuck here for a year. To avoid having his thoughts go to places he didn't want them to go, Nils takes a second bite of the oatmeal.] Th-then, I can eat something else after?

[keybearer]

[The subject of food is a welcome change of pace. No need to bog the newbie down with all the depressing information on the tower; he's not that cruel.

Instead, he'll nod, bringing a hand to his hip.]

The one running the show's stocked this place with stuff like chocolate chip pancakes. You know, stuff with actual flavor to it.

[dragonbard]

[Chocolate chip whats? Ninian had saved him pieces of chocolate during their trips into town. It would be nice to have some again. He figures pancaked must be good too if Riku is bringing them up.]

I'll go see later then. [First, he really should finish whatever this "oatmeal" was. He took a second scoop. How could food lack flavor to this extent? He wasn't very sure what he was eating.]

Um, I'm Nils.

[keybearer]

Nils, huh? Well, the name's Riku.

[Know what? He'll go ahead and sit down. Not like he's going anywhere fast.]

[dragonbard]

It's nice to meet you, Riku.

[He hears his sister's voice echoing in his head, warning him not to talk with strangers. Still, if everyone he was familiar with was gone, well, he didn't think he could bear being alone. He falls deep in thought as he eats his third spoonful of oatmeal. It's enough to distract him from the flavor and the texture.

Except that he chokes a bit on the dry food as he tries to hold back his tears.]