towerofanimus | 001 | ❝the storm is here...❞

Entry tags:

001 | ❝the storm is here...❞

Characters: Lightning and anyone who wants to deal with her.
Setting: Dorm Room 1-05, Dormitory Floor 1, Floor 40, Floor 1
Format: Starting in action, but will match.
Summary: Lightning wakes from paralysis and crystal sleep to find the notes. We hope you didn't need them.
Warnings: None currently. ...Except maybe protective sister not taking it well.

[Dorm Room 1-05 (and that floor)]

[Thoughts from Valhalla pervaded her mind as she lay there those thirty seconds. A time that was once again lost, and yet... as the stone and yellow (it almost seemed tainted) crystal seemed to melt away into shards of dust that gleamed then vanished, so too did her lack of awareness. Where was she? And why, even now when she was no longer crystal, could she not move?

Yet before a panic could set in, she realized she could move her fingers. Doing so and sitting up with a hand to her head (wait, where did her armor go?), she does her best to shake it off as quickly as possible. Of course, as she does this she more than notices anyone in the room, along with the two notes. Though the first thing to come to mind was one person:

Serah...

She got to her feet; this wasn't Etro's throne, and she was determined to find out where exactly it was. If those in this dorm room won't stop and tell her, then she'll take the papers with her and find her answers elsewhere. Out in the hall would be a good start, she supposes.]

[Floor 41]

[One can only withstand an elevator for so long, as she was beginning to realize. Honestly, how many floors did this place even have? It's a wonder anything gets done with how long the elevator ride was taking. It's likely a miracle her patience lasted this long.

However upon stepping upon this floor, she nearly regretted it. Likely would have if she went too far from the stairs. Completely dark and all those noises? ...She'll pass, thanks.

But which way were the stairs?]

[Cafeteria]

[At some point, she found that her belongs (real or fake) were all in the chest at the foot of her bed. Without much thought, she changed to her old uniform - as much as she could be sure that not many would want to approach someone in her armor. After the elevator ride (over fifteen minutes? seriously?) and decent hike down forty floors after she grew tired of being within an enclosed space for so long, she couldn't help but be glad to have found somewhere she'd be able to at least get something quick until she learns where she can hunt for herself.

What she likely didn't expect was a bowl of oatmeal.

...

Even the military-issued gruel for new cadets looked more appetizing than this. With a sigh, she supposes she'll at least make sure it doesn't go to waste.]

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[ Someone appears that he probably would have given 0 damns about the armor, given that he himself is wearing armor to break his fast, an 8 foot tall knight clad in powered war plate. The silent warrior doesn't seem to mind the food either, simply eating it mechanically and without much gusto. He looks up, and will briefly meet the new arrival's eyes, and nod, without saying anything. He'll let her ask questions or not, it would seem, non-verbal social contact enough for him in most circumstances. ]

[It's enough to get Lancer off the stairs when he catches sight of a human form on this floor.]

So...uh...what's in there?

[He asks as he comes walking up to the woman. This is another floor that he doesn't frequent.]

[She turns her head towards the voice. Unfamiliar, but judging by his question, it means that they just arrived.]

Can't tell. [Visually at least.] Though if my hunch is right, you'll want to get out of here.

[She's already heading towards him, and more importantly: the stairs. All this squirming... Reminds her of the giant pests on Cocoon and Pulse. Obviously not somewhere anyone would want to stay if horrendously outnumbered.]

[He watches her walk to the stairs.]

And what's your hunch?

[She looks at the stranger, eyebrow raised.]

Do you really want to know?

[He shrugs.]

Can't hurt to know.

[She'll give him that. As she nears the safety of the stairs, she mutters:]

Insects. Rather not wait to see if they're carnivorous.

Ugh.

[He makes a face.]

You serious? They actually filled a floor with insects.

[Lightning has the great misfortune of wandering into the first floor dorms while a certain shapeshifter is making his rounds, happily trotting along the far end of the hall and rubbing himself against any hard corners that look appealing. The cat's had to be more vigilant this week; there are many new scents appearing in his domain, so he must draw them into his own and claim them properly. Rick's interpretation (the sensible one) is that Zo must be bringing in new people, and if they're anything like him, they could use some guidance and kind words.]

[These are things not done well while in the form of a domestic cat. As he catches wind of Lightning's unfamiliar scent, he's suddenly torn between transforming so he can explain things better--but risking scaring her off by being faced with such apparently unusual powers--or trying to console her as a cat, where he wouldn't be able to answer her questions effectively (and might be suspicious anyways because of his collar).]

[The conundrum freezes the cat several feet away from her, staring with wide eyes as if startled.]

[At first she didn't notice the tabby, instead focused on her own thoughts as per the usual. Wondering what and where this place was, what they "expected" her to do (tch, like she would for the most part), and what it could mean for those left on Pulse and Cocoon... She needed to find someone who had clear answers, not just possibilities. Thanks to this, it was a few moments before she realized that there was a cat staring up at her with wide eyes.

'That's right... Serah always did like them.'

Though the collar was definitely... odd. Raising an eyebrow, her normally hard expression softens slightly and she offers a hand to the creature-person-shapeshifter.]

I won't hurt you. [Possibly embarrassed later? Who knows.]

[Well that settles Rick's dilemma quite nicely--Lightning did not look happy before she saw him, and now that her mood (or expression, at any rate) has noticeably improved. This means he'll help more in this form, right? Must do.]

[The cat settles down, tail going vertical as he casually approaches, giving Lightning's offered hand a careful sniff before accepting it with a thorough rub of his face. Yes, this is acceptable. Pets are always acceptable.]

[Rusty would be content keeping this up for as long as his precious time allowed, but Rick insists that they somehow make themselves useful to the newcomer. Of course the only way he can readily accomplish this is to stare at her and give as inquisitive a meow as possible. Address the cat?]

*Notebook tucked under his arm, Enoch was prepared to throw himself into the research - or at least, whatever his team leader asked of him. Perhaps he could ask to be shown what the equipment does, how to use it. Would something more hands-on be a better distraction?

And then he notices someone walking the halls in the newbie suit.*

Ah...did you just arrive?

*A safe guess, but as it was a guess, it was safe to ask.*

[Lightning pauses at the voice, turning to face them with a nod. Finally, someone who even acknowledged she was there and not a part of the walls. They seem vaguely competent as well, which was a plus. Though she wasn't going to hold her breath about that.]

Yes. [However did he guess?] Whatever 'here' really is.

Most simply call it "the tower", but its name is Animus. As far as we know, it's the only place with living people left on this world. It was nearly devastated by the same force that destroyed all of our worlds.

So you're saying what that kid's writing said was true?

[Call her an eternal skeptic, or maybe she hoped for better.]

Yes, as improbable as it seems. I didn't believe it at first, either.

*But then he'd had a glimpse of it, himself, and it had simply felt too real to ignore. And then a man had given his life to show them it was true.*

[There's a moment when it feels like her heart stopped beating. Inside, she can feel the cold frost like a knife to that vital organ, a sense of despair and failure flooding through her veins. Perhaps, were she like her future brother-in-law, she would have screamed right then and there.

Except she doesn't subscribe to that. No, never that rookie decision. Instead her eyes narrow slightly. Bitterly, she almost wants to retort with something childish like "tell me something I don't know." Yet she cannot. She gave up her childish things for a reason, after all. Not like it stops her sometimes, but-]

Yet you expect me to? [Light clicks her tongue, doing all she can to not cross her arms. She doesn't mean it, but anger and backlash have always been her way of coping with loss.] Anything useful I should know about this tower?

*It irritates him when people insist on calling it an illusion when everything's the other way around. Not because they insist on lies, but because it hurts - as if calling the pain of the utter loneliness he felt on his own return home unreal. As if saying he hurt, dipped into insanity, for no reason.

He knows logically this isn't what is intended at all. That even if the cause is faked, such as in fiction, the emotions evoked are real. But reality means a lot to him.*

I suppose the most important is we've damaged its power supply. The terminals all show the time remaining before what is left drains away. We must restore either the tower or our worlds before then, or Ruana - the leader of our hosts - will drain the souls of those who slip back to their dead worlds of their energy to continue to sustain it.

*He's kind of starting in the middle. But it's something he often misses telling newcomers and he really shouldn't. It's important.*

[Does she look like a woman who cares about starting in the middle? Because she doesn't mind at all; it's more to the point and that's exactly what she likes.]

Do you have any idea how to? [Consider her intrigued. Though more importantly, not biting someone's head off in the process. She is a soldier, and an objective comes first.

...Or it could very well be that she's trying to avoid showing fear for anyone in the destroyed worlds, for who knew if that included any of those she cared about? Or anyone they could have met?]

Dax - one of our hosts who tried to defend us and gave his life for it - he was researching it. He says his research is 'hidden nearly everywhere', but in case this information fell into the wrong hands hasn't been any clearer.

*He takes a note from his pocket and hands it to her.* This is one of the letters he left behind for us.

[For how disagreeable she'd been, she is at least an attentive listener. She takes the note, reading it carefully and with a grain of salt. This defender he mentioned - she's always wary of those types, mainly because they always seem to die first.

The soul is the self... Was that why she was no longer asleep? Had only her soul been brought here, leaving a now-dim crystal on Etro's throne?

...Think on that later. There's work to do.]

So we're on a time crunch, and you need someone who can help decode anything you find.

[She hands him the note back, having memorized it well.]

How much have you all unlocked, and who are these people he mentions?

Edited 2013-11-14 12:59 (UTC)

We have the 'key' in the form of the fluid that is our blood here. *He tugs on one of his collar tubes with a finger.* We're working to find a way.

The people, though... *He rests his hand loosely against his collar instead.* ...he's talking about the people that have been returned to their worlds. We're here because we're anchored to these bodies, and Zo, the youngest of our hosts, holds us here. If he loses his grip on someone, their soul returns to their real body, which has been preserved by Zo's psionics on their destroyed world. It's a terrible fate by itself, but now...

Our-?

[It's obvious that is what gives her most pause, and despite her front and training, it's all she can do but to reach up with a finger to place it on one of her own collar tubes. Instead she furrows her brow, something in her resurfacing at the thought of what the implications could be.

...More like are with that comment proving what she'd hypothesized.

Still, some bitter part of her wondered why it had to be her. She'd be of little use in a lab - Hope, from what she'd seen from Valhalla, would have been the better choice - and if events before her returning to crystal sleep weren't enough of a clue, everything she touches ends up destroyed. Then again, if what that note said was a small hint for what they had to deal with.

'So be it.']

...but now there's the threat of Ruana making a meal of those he loses.

[If only she knew the irony, or cared in the face of giving "destiny" the single-finger salute.]

Exactly, if we fail to restore the worlds or the tower.

*Restoring the worlds themselves wouldn't stop her on its own, or at least they have no reason to believe that by itself. But he is fairly sure that they'll have to go through her to even do so in the first place.*

[She crosses her arms in thought.]

And to do both [or, mostly the former] -we have to go through them.

[The way she was seeing this is that, in the long run, there were only a few choices: Either accept their lot and do nothing (which isn't a choice to her), figure out the means and take down the administration (which was more or less what she'd been working on before waking up here) in order to repair their worlds, or work with them as grudgingly as possible. She might be biased to one of these options if she knew more of what was going on.]

I admit I'm not an expert in the sciences, but I was a soldier before. Anything I could do?

A man who goes by Doc Brown is leading the effort to study our "key". If you find him, or leave a note in his mailbox, I'm certain he will find a use for you. Especially for those who study into the night, guards are just as valuable as the learned.

((ooc: A link to the signups if you were waiting for an IC in! :D))

I'll keep that in mind. [Doc Brown. She'll seek him out the first chance she gets or finds that floor.]

((more like I AM AN IDIOT and lost the link when my old laptop crapped out. orz))

Mm... *And for a moment, he considers letting her go do that. But then...he has no way of knowing who she'd meet or if they'd be able to help her with anything else. There were only a few people here who he knows have been here as long as he has or longer...*

Do you have any other questions nobody has answered yet? I've been here a relatively long time, so I'd like to help.

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001 | ❝the storm is here...❞

[Cafeteria]

floor 41

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Floor One Dorms

Sorry for the late

No worries! :3

Dorm Floor 1

technically she found her armor but we'll go with this

Sorry, I misread then! And sorry I'm so late, I kind of bit off more than I could chew...

It's alright. Life caught up with me as well.

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