towerofanimus | 01 ➟ set fire to the broken pieces; start anew

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01 ➟ set fire to the broken pieces; start anew

Characters: Saturos (

heatflash) and you!
Setting: His room, the cafeteria, and around the tower in general.
Format: Brackets. I can switch to prose if you prefer, however.
Summary: Another Adept has arrived in the tower and he is not happy.
Warnings: Saturos can be somewhat abrasive, violent, and antagonistic, though of course I will ask you before having him harm your character, should it come to that.

➟ Room 2-06
[This room's fourth bed is no longer empty, but its occupant does not seem altogether happy about that. In fact, he seems to be downright enraged. The odd clothing does not bother him, and the fact that he's in a room with no memory of how he got there doesn't bother him much, but the words he's reading on the paper that had been left on his nightstand very clearly do. His lips curl in a snarl as he reaches the last line and the paper in his hands goes up in flames.]

That fool... He sought to stop me, and now Weyard is destroyed.

[Isaac had better hope that he never appears in the Tower of Animus, because Saturos will be holding him accountable for their world's destruction. The man is quite obviously not very happy right now, and he'll be staying in his room for another hour or so as he thinks things over and gets his bearings. His roommates are more than welcome to interrupt him.]

➟ Cafeteria (Floor 1)
[Saturos looks down at the bowl of slop that is meant to be a meal. He'd never been expected to ingest something so disgusting even when Felix's spoilt brat of a younger sister had tried her hand at cooking while they were traveling from Elemental Lighthouse to Elemental Lighthouse, and now those in charge of this place thought he would eat it simply because they said so?

He can see that others are being provided with more palatable food. But here he is, the great Saturos, stuck with such a sub-par meal. He folds his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes into a glare. There's no one at his table yet, and if he keeps this up, there might not be. Why would anyone want to share a meal with someone so grumpy?]

This is an insult.

➟ Elsewhere in the tower (You pick)
[Saturos is many things, but blindly trusting is not one of them. He means to see for himself what sort of haven his would-be saviors have brought him to. For that reason he can be found anywhere in the tower as he acquaints himself with his surroundings. He's got his sword and his Psynergy at the ready and he doesn't mean to let himself be caught off guard by anything or anyone.]

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[Newb syndrome: a few unfortunate people happen to have it. He doesn't have much of an opportunity to take a look at what he has been given which is more or less for the better. Emil isn't yet enlightened by the grumpiness, being preoccupied with holding his own bowl of bland slop as he moves along. And, ding ding, this table seems to be the winner to as where Emil is stopping.

With one hand he reaches out to touch the table's surface to assure himself before placing the oatmeal there. He pulls his hands back at that and lowers them as he proceeds to feel around for a chair. Aha. When he feels that plastic he pulls the chair back from the table so he can get himself settled. But he pauses when he hears someone speak.

Oh no, what did he do?]

What's an insult?

[Though she knew she probably wouldn't find anything really useful in the library - the administrators were too thorough for that, weren't they? - she couldn't help but come through and peruse the shelves from time to time. Maybe there was still some small part of her that hoped they'd accidentally left something out. Or maybe she just needed something other than their impending doom to focus on.

Reading was a good distraction, and depending on what she picked out to read she might even be able to pick up a few new skills. So she has a few books cradled in the crook of one arm as she rounds a corner and looks up to decide which shelf to look through next.

And that's when she sees him - the one person she never thought she'd see again. She knew the Tower could pull people in from different times, but... Saturos? Saturos, here? Of all places? She'd watched him fall from the top of Venus Lighthouse and she'd thought that had been the end of it.

Then again, she'd fallen and survived, too.

When I said I wanted to see someone from home, this wasn't what I had in mind! She thinks desperately as she tries to back up and retreat back around the corner before he sees her. This is not a confrontation she's prepared for.]

[Xue'Kol had made it so today would be a day to just kick back and relax. In between preparing and helping things along with the survival plans to try and stop their lives from ending in about a year's time, and doing her own usual thing, the trolless had gotten really tired.

That's why today you'd find her lounging under a tree, peeling some fruit she had scrounged up and simply trying to enjoy the day.

Even out of sight, her keen senses alerted her of someone coming towards her, her ears twitching at the incoming person and yet, she didn't seem all too worried. Raising her gaze, she smiled at the newcomer and offered an idle wave.]

Oy' mon. 'Aven't seen ya 'round 'fore, guessin' joo be new? 'Ow goes it?

This disgusting mush they call food.

[Saturos wrinkles his nose in distaste and pushes the bowl of oatmeal away. If looks could kill, and if bowls of oatmeal could be killed, his sad excuse for a meal would have been dead many times over. But they can't. And the workers serving the food up don't even do so much as wither under the force of the Proxian's glare.

He looks Emil over critically. A young-looking boy in a blindfold.. how quaint. It is far from the first time he's dealt with eccentricities but this is certainly a new one.]

[Saturos is not nearly so distracted by the books as Sheba is. This means that he sees her immediately as she turns the corner, and he watches with something akin to amusement as she spots him and immediately backtracks. In fact, he even chuckles dryly under his breath as he steps forward to follow her path.]

Sheba, come out of there.

[It hasn't been so long that she's grown unrecognizable to him. For him it has only been a few meager hours since he brought her along to the top of Venus Lighthouse. Felix obviously had not been successful in taking her to Idejima. Which, of course, begged the question...]

We need to talk.

[If she was here then it meant Weyard couldn't have been completely gone. He is altogether certain that Felix wouldn't have left here here alone. Not after his stunt on the top of the lighthouse. And the stubborn fool was too blindly loyal to his sister and Kraden to merely leave them behind as well. Which means he's certain that those three must be here, and that means Menardi and possibly Alex must be as well.

Perhaps the letters were full of lies. Yes, he likes the sound of that. It does seem strange to him that Sheba looks as though she's been here for a decent length of time, when mere hours before he had seen her on the top of Venus Lighthouse, but there must be an explanation for that.]

Yes, I'm new. [Saturos gives of an air of supreme unconcern. Had she been hostile Saturos was certain he could have taken her, but she is not. The scaled man walks the distance between her and the staircase and when he arrives, he folds his arms and leans back against the tree as he gives her an inquisitive once-over.

Funny. On Weyard, most with her appearance were monsters. They certainly didn't have enough grace to know to greet someone.]

As well as expected. I am acquainting myself with my surroundings. [He raises an eyebrow at her.] I take it you're not new to this place.

[Xue doesn't move or make any motion of feeling threatened. In fact, she smiles as he approaches her and offers up a piece of fruit that she just peeled.]

Did'ya eat da oatmeal already? If ya didn't ya won't be able ta eat dis.

[Whether or not he took her offer, she continued on to answer his inquiry.]

New, naw. Nawt even close mon. I be trapped here... for oh, well, two years? Give or take, sumtin' like dat.

[Not fast enough. Sheba makes a face that implies she's cursing in the back of her mind and sets her books back on the shelf before she steps back into view. She does a double-take when she sees him so much closer than he had been before, but she probably should have expected that. She takes a breath and looks at him, her expression as unafraid as she can make it.

It's a valiant effort; the only thing that might really give it away is how her hands are shaking.]

Saturos. [Good, her voice is steady. That helps.] Did you just get here? [It's somewhat of a relief - no one new had appeared last month. But if they were appearing again, then maybe Felix wasn't lost forever... maybe Jenna and Piers would appear, too. It's not ideal for any of them, but knowing what she knows now, she'd rather have them where she can see them and protect them than have them wandering the ruins of Weyard.]

[The answer to Xue's question is a nod as Saturos takes the piece of fruit and examines it somewhat warily. She doesn't seem to be a threat; then again, he doesn't know for sure that her behavior isn't some sort of a façade to make him lower his guard.]

I have. It was.. unappetizing. [He hopes that this fruit, whatever it is, will be marginally better. He breaks off a smaller piece from the piece to try it and then eats it, chewing thoughtfully.]

Two years? [Well. This changed things. Someone who had been here for so long could be undeniably useful.] And what have you learned about this tower during that time? Tell me. [The words are forceful. Saturos never was good at saying "please."]

I did.

[There's something strange going on here. At Venus Lighthouse, Sheba had been full of one-word answers and vague answers, when pressed; he had thought it would take more effort to make her speak. Though they look very much the same, the girl standing in front of him now is very different from the girl who had been his captive. And, being a warrior, he can tell just by looking at her that her strength is on an entirely different level than it had been then.

Not strong enough to take him on single-handedly; oh, heavens no. It had taken an entire party of Adepts to do that. But he wonders.. if it did come to a fight, how long would she be able to hold her own..?]

But don't try and distract me. I need you to tell me everything you know about this place. [He raises the hand that's not holding his sword and a flame flickers to life in his palm.] Now.

[She can't help but take a step back at the sight of the fire in the palm of his hand. Sheba knows what he can do with it. She'd watched him burn through anyone who stood in his way like they were nothing. Part of her knows that he could do the same to her.

But she doesn't appreciate being threatened. She narrows her eyes and tightens her fists.]

I'm not going to answer your questions if you threaten me. [She's trying to sound brave, she really is. But her gaze keeps flicking back to the flames in his hand. She hates that even after everything she's been through, she can't help but be frightened of him. It had been easier when she'd thought he was dead at the bottom of the ocean...

Besides, even if he burns me, I'll just come back.

The ease with which that thought comes to her is a little disconcerting, but it's the truth.]

You won't? [Saturos sees the determination in her eyes and it amuses him. This is most likely because he knows that much of her false bravado is just that: False.] That's a shame.

[He leans down to look her in the eye. The flames in his hand are still burning and he's not pulling his head away. Rather, he's bringing it closer.]

If you know something about what's going on here, Sheba, I expect you to share it. It would be a mistake on your part to oppose me. Don't you know that?

[What started with a short trip with Xion to the library for a cookbook is turning out to be very good timing. But the flickering of flame draws Asch's attention from a few row away, and those voices -

If Saturos is paying enough attention to their surroundings, he might hear the loud snap of a book being dropped to the floor and the whisper of a sword being drawn before Asch comes around the shelves.]

It would be a mistake on your part to lay a hand on her. The kind of mistake that ends in your head on the floor.

[There's not a trace of warmth or humour in it - in that instant, he's the Order's assassin again, and this is a target. There's some tightly controlled anger under the layers of threat, but for the moment, Asch is as sharp and dangerous as his blade, his eyes locked on the small fire in the other man's hand.]

[Xion's normally pretty attentive, but she's engrossed in flipping through the different dinners in the book in her hands - trying to see if she can find something both appetizing and managable, since she's still not very good at cooking - to see the flame or register the voices as more than talking in the library.

Still, when Asch drops the book she jerks her head up, dropping her own book and following at a quick walk. When she sees what's going on, her face immediately tightens into a dark scowl.]

Hey! Leave her alone!

[She stops forward, stopping a few feet away, her own Keyblade appearing in her hand in a flash of light when she notices that Asch has his sword out too. Her eyes dart over very briefly to the fire in the stranger's hand; you don't get burned to death without having a healthy respect for fire. But still, a friend in trouble is more important.]

I...

[Whatever Sheba is going to say is cut off when she hears the sound of a book hitting the floor. She takes her eyes off the flames and turns her head sharply to see Asch and Xion approaching, and it would be a lie to say she didn't feel some measure of relief to see them approach.

But the relief is quickly replaced by panic. If Saturos fights them -

If he hurts them -

She returns her gaze to Saturos and now her expression is more defensive than it was before. She takes a deep breath to steady herself.] I'm not - [Her voice falters and she has to fight to keep from flinching.] I'm not opposing you. Put out the fire, okay? I'll answer your questions if you don't act like a bully.

[Then she glances at Asch and Xion, and her expression is pleading - Don't fight him. She's seen him hold his own against people who were undeniably powerful. She's seen him try to burn her hometown. She never, ever wants to see him turn his flames against her friends.]

[Saturos looks over to the side when he hears the sound as well, and as Asch and Xion approach he settles into a defensive stance, flames in one hand and sword in the other. He puts himself between the newcomers and Sheba as he is unsure of whether or not they pose a threat.

Then they speak. His expression of surprise becomes a smirk and he looks over his shoulder at Sheba.]

You've found replacements for Felix and Jenna already? I didn't think you were so disloyal, Sheba.

[It's then that he addresses Asch and Xion. He still looks amused. Asch's threats don't bother him in the slightest. Nor does Xion's insistence that he leave Sheba alone.]

We're only talking. I haven't laid a hand on her.

[He looks over his shoulder at Sheba again with the hint of a smug smile. That's what he thought. But he doesn't put out the flames; he wants them out to deal with the other two, just in case.] Who are the two of you, to tell me not to speak with her? She and I are from the same world. We have unfinished business.

[Does he really think that's going to fly?

...He does, evidently. You're not making a good first impression, Saturos.]

Being from the same world hardly makes you allies. Those on the same side don't turn flames on each other.

[A slight shift in his stance - it's dismissive, because while Saturos might be a dangerous idiot, he's still an idiot, if he actually thinks he's going to scare them off. Not when Sheba looks so afraid herself. Asch smirks slightly, cocking his head just enough to be obvious about it.]

As for me... I'm someone who doesn't burn.

[And a glance at Sheba in turn - don't worry, he's got this. He's not going anywhere anytime soon.]

[The replacement comment touches a nerve, for a lot of reasons. Like Sheba, she's lived here a long time - longer - without some of her closest friends by her side. She still had Sora, and Riku, and Ira and the others... but they weren't Roxas and Axel, and if someone had claimed friends like Reno and Shion were just replacements for them... She doesn't lower her Keyblade, though her grip tightens on it.]

Just because we make new friends here doesn't mean the ones back home mean any less.

[Xion isn't fooled or put off either at the idea of being from the same world. Xemnas would probably "have unfinished business" with her, should he ever come.]

And I'm one of her friends here. That's all that matters.

[Glancing over, she catches Sheba's expression and her own falters for a moment before settling into something a bit more wary as she turns back to Saturos. She'll be careful.]

They're not replacements! [In spite of her fear, Sheba can't help but speak up. She's very clearly more pissed off than she is worried. Even though they're indoors, the wind starts to shift around them. Sheba's cloak - and any loose articles of clothing, really - will start to flutter. (Sorry for any tangles that might get in your hair, Asch.) She steps forward and jabs her finger at Saturos' chest.] They're my friends. If you ever try and say that again, I swear I'll end you myself.

[She catches Asch's eye and then Xion's; she doesn't understand entirely why Asch is so confident, but she's glad that Xion, at least, seems to be erring on the side of caution. She absolutely doesn't want anything to happen to either of them.]

And I haven't - I haven't forgotten anyone from Weyard. I'm not disloyal.

You're in an entirely new world, Saturos. Things are different here. You can't just use force to get what you want anymore. So put out the flames, now!

How about this, then? Sheba and I shared a common goal on Weyard. [He looks to her again, barely even bothered by her outburst. Please. As if the threat of retaliation meant anything, coming from her. She was stronger than she'd been on the aerie but that meant very little when compared to his own strength.] In fact, she even agreed to come with me and the rest of my group. Isn't that right? [His look becomes more pointed.] Sheba? Tell them.

[The agreement had been made under duress but it was an agreement nonetheless. And he had promised not to harm her, though perhaps the promise could be broken. Ivan had given up the Shaman's Rod but that was no longer in Saturos' possession seeing as Felix was nowhere to be found.

He never said anything about not frightening her into submission. But as long as he didn't harm her, he technically was keeping his word.]

I merely find it amusing that she cowered behind those who were much stronger than her on Weyard, and I find her here only to see that she's doing it again. I suppose old habits die hard.

Now as for the two of you... your bravery is admirable, if foolish. But I would suggest that you stand down. [The flames in his hand continue to flicker.] I won't be hurting her, so long as she cooperates with me. But you'd best tread lightly, or all three of you will suffer.

Funny, she doesn't look very agreeable now.

[It takes more than a fireball to intimidate Asch, takes more than the threat of bodily harm to make him fear. There's lots of ways of hurting someone without doing them harm, after all.]

And I don't see her cowering, either.

[A slight shift in his weight again, this one withdrawing his sword a bit - but the sense of a countering threat is still there. He's not backing down, just taking a slightly different tactic.]

You want to know about the Tower? This is a place where everyone suffers. Leave now, and I won't make this your first lesson in it.

[The library's a little tight for proper fighting, but as long as neither of the girls gets too close, things should be fine. It's not like Asch really cares about the books.]

[Something in Saturos' manner really really rubs her the wrong way. It's almost half familiar. The belittling her, putting her down, calling her weak. Reminds her a little of something Saix might say. Though Saix wouldn't have found anything amusing]

She saved my life once, when we first met. She doesn't cower behind anybody.

[As for the whole working together... Xion glances questioningly at Sheba for a moment, a bit confused. But even if she had, the way he was treating her... she'd thought she was working for the same goals as the Organization for a while. That didn't mean things didn't change, or that she didn't have trouble with some of the people she worked with.]

If you're new here and you want to know more about the Tower there's plenty of other people you can ask.

[And other ways you can ask]

[Her gaze darts from Saturos, to Xion, to Asch. Saturos is as infuriating and dismissive of her as ever, but he still hasn't made the fire disappear, and now that she's said her piece - well, she's not cowering, but she is concerned. Especially because the more they stand up to him, the more they remind her of Isaac and his friends. And Saturos had tried to kill them...

He hadn't succeeded, but there had been four of them. There were only two of Asch and Xion. True, they'd just come back the next day if they were killed, but - she could bear it if it happened to her, but she didn't want to see her friends die.]

Stop it..! [She bites her lip, and her hands clench into even tighter fists, her nails digging into the palm of her hand.] Please... stop. You don't know what you're getting into with him. [Not that she thought either of them were weak - she just knew from firsthand experience that Saturos was absurdly strong.] I'll answer his questions.

[She narrows her eyes at Saturos.] I'll answer your questions, but if you so much as think about hurting either of them--! [And then, more quietly - so only Asch and Xion could hear -]

I don't want him to do anything to either of you. Please.

I thought you would see it my way.

[A sardonic little chuckle as Saturos closes his eyes. He knew she would see things his way. People always did unless they had a deathwish and he knew her well enough from the Lighthouse to know that she didn't.

Now that he has secured her cooperation, he doesn't feel the need to acknowledge what Asch and Xion have to say.]

Start by telling me the truth: Has Weyard truly been destroyed? Was it that whelp Isaac's interference that kept us from achieving our goal? [There's an underlying note of anger in his voice. Isaac isn't his favorite person. Not by a long shot.]

[Asch bristles - he doesn't like backing down, and he likes being dismissed even less. Catching Sheba's eye - ]

Don't let him try to use us as leverage in turn.

[They can take care of themselves - and Asch, at least, would rather risk death than watch this. He made it his oath to protect people's choices, regardless of who is trying to take them away. Saturos is no different than the administrators in that regard -

And compared to Ruana, he's small-fry, no matter how powerful he might be.]

It's clear that demonstrations are the only language he understands, anyway.

[Hey Saturos, you might want to start paying attention now, when that glow outlines the redhead against the dim of the library. At another time, it might feel petty to use hyperresonance for something like this, but Asch doesn't really have much of a filter when it comes to friends.

So that bookshelf off to the side? There's a distinctive humming in the air, a pinpoint of golden light -

And then the center of the bookshelf is gone, about two feet of books and wood in the center simply unmade. Not even dust remains. One half of the remaining shelf wobbles briefly before falling loudly into the next aisle.

~~Hopefully, no one needed any of those.~~]

Now, get out of here.

Edited (whoops needed a last line there) 2013-07-13 09:08 (UTC)

[When Xion is so blatantly ignored, she bristles as well. She doesn't know who this reminds her of - maybe it reminds her of nobody - but she doesn't like it. She especially doesn't like the idea of... well just what Asch says. Being leverage. Or the idea that this kind of thing could happen again and again. This person - whoever they were - going to Sheba again and again and... well, trying to push her around like this, threatening her, bullying her...

Except then Asch steps in, and begins his demonstration. At first Xion is confused, and then a whole slice of the bookcase vanishes, as cleanly as if sliced by a razor, as completely as if it'd never been there. She jumps, lowering her keyblade and surprise filling her expression as she stares from the bookcase to Asch, clearly caught off-guard.

You could've warned a girl Asch]

It--

[Asch has already cut her off before she can even get a word out. She meets his eye and nods slowly before looking away - she should be stronger, she knows that. Part of her knows that after everything she's gone through on Weyard - sailing the western and the eastern seas, traversing almost every continent, lighting two beacons and standing up to the Wise One's trickery - that Saturos shouldn't bother her anymore.

But he still does. It's been so long since he'd dragged her through Lalivero, but she can't shake the memory of his demands that she do as he says, can't shake the memory of the flames that had seared the scholars at the base of the lighthouse and charred the streets of her hometown. She'd thought maybe she might have gotten a little better... she hadn't.]

A demonstration? Asch, wait--

[And then he's glowing. Sheba stops and stares - the last time she'd seen someone do that had been when Ganondorf and Richtofen had altered some of the floors. Somehow, though, she didn't think she'd hear someone else's voice if she read his mind right now. He obviously had something else up his sleeve.

Her gaze snaps to the bookshelf - or what's left of it - and she brings a hand up to her mouth. So that was what he could do... She slowly turns away from the half of the shelf as it crashes into the next one over, her eyes wide and locked on Asch.]

That... would work on a person, too, wouldn't it?

[...oh, no. She turns to Saturos with a hint of a mischievous smile as she says that.]

[A nice, lighthearted laugh is heard at his description of the oatmeal.]

Haha! I be hearin' worse ways ta describin' it mon, so don't ya be worryin' none.

[At his second comment, she simply grinned. She had alongside many of the races of Azeroth in her mercenary years so people being blunt, rash or rude wasn't something that bothered her at all.]

Eh? Ya gotta be more specific dan dat mon. I ain't da type ta jus' ramble on. Ya be askin' me somethin' an' I be answerin' ta da best a' my knowledge. I be havin' time.

[He doesn't often see people glow unless they are using some manner of Psynergy. What Asch is doing is uncomfortably reminiscent of the Proxian's technique to become a dragon. Is this boy an Adept? Is the dark-haired girl at his side an Adept as well?

There's not enough time for him to figure it out before part of the bookshelf is obliterated. He observes for a moment or two as what remains falls down, and then he grits his teeth.]

Fine. I'll retreat for now. [The flames vanish. He turns away from the three of them and strides towards the staircase. As he reaches it, he pauses to look back over his shoulder to meet Sheba's eyes.] But don't think this is over.

Glad to see we finally understand each other.

[The sword goes back in its sheath - Asch folds his arms over his chest, but doesn't relax his guard until Saturos is gone. The man seems like enough of a bastard to strike when their backs are turned, no question, and Asch is aware enough to know that he's made himself the most obviously dangerous one. Take out the biggest threat first is something even an idiot can understand.]

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01 ➟ set fire to the broken pieces; start anew

cafeteria

Third floor library

Floor 25 (Meadow)

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//slips in here - TEAM THREADJACK GO

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