towerofanimus | 1 - Not the WORST Awakening...

Characters: Annika Whittenberg and anyone else
Setting: Cafeteria, floor 5 viewing stations, and dorms.
Format: Prose to start, but I'm fine with replying to whichever.
Summary: Seasoned adventurers don't take these sorts of sudden life changes nearly as bad as some. Annika's so seasoned she's positively dried out and dessicated, so she's taking her arrival to the tower fairly well. At first.
Warnings: Undead are gross?

[Cafeteria]

There's yet another new arrival to the tower, one that seems to be taking the whole matter fairly well in stride. For Annika is certain this 'world has been destroyed' business is a bunch of nonsense. Because she's been in strange places, and managed to escape from strange places. And because everyone looks so interesting. Mostly human, mostly... and as far as she can tell, nary another member of the Horde in sight.

She picked up her bowl of oatmeal from the cafeteria staff, stuck a spoon in it, started for an empty table... then hesitated, looked about the place, and made for an occupied one instead. Perhaps the locals would have better information than that simple little letter.

"Hello there!" Yes, that is is a very dead-looking lady approaching you, clutching the newcomer's bowl of oatmeal and smiling. Her eyes have a sickly glow. She smells a bit bad. And she wants to talk to you. "This is a funny kind of place, isn't it?"

[Floor 5 - Viewing Stations]

Any optimism that Annika had managed to gather up at breakfast had been quite rapidly snuffed out. It only took five floors of climbing to find the viewing stations and to see what they were put there to demonstrate. That was Azeroth, blown into pieces, shattered even worse than Outland, for Outland at least held some life within it. There was nothing, nothing remaining with a flicker of life to it. Not even the Scourge, not even the Burning Legion's demons... nothing.

"What could even do such a thing...? How is it even possible?" She pulled away, rubbed at her face, then dipped back in to stare some more. "I've never... never in all I've seen... never heard of even an indication that this..."

It's so astonishing that it has to be said aloud. Everyone needs to hear it. No one needs to hear it. But she has no time to seek about with her eyes for anyone paying her words any mind. She adjusts the viewfinder, continuing to stare in fearful awe.

[Dorms - Room 1-05]

The scent of heavily-perfumed potpourri hangs in the air, and it's especially strong around the bed of the newest arrival to the room. She's sitting upon that aforementioned bed, some rough fabric from the workshop in her lap, busy at work with a needle and thread. And quite engrossed with her work. To work was to put bleaker thoughts out of mind, at least for a little while. And to work was to be useful.

Maybe you're out in the hall and the perfume is making your nose itch. Or maybe you live in the room, too, and it's time to start negotiating a proper roommate agreement...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He walked to one of the station near hers as she spoke, and nodded at her words. Well, Ruana did not look physically like a little girl, but she certainly acted like an immature, spoiled child. And then came the matter of what she looked like without the glamour...

"A little girl yes, but not one whose description can fit that of the children you know."

He stopped to the station and smiled, though this was more of a pained smile than anything else. He too had lost a lot-- Hyrule and the world it was upon. Which should have rightfully been his.

"Exactly." he frowned "Well, there is a matter of debate: whether she did it willingly or accidentally." "But the result is the same. Wasteland, all form of existence gone as far as the eye can see. All life gone save for one per world. In your case; you."

Annika watched him closely as he moved to the nearby station, turning herself bit by bit. Did he have something to demonstrate?

"A child in the sense of being childish?"

And it did seem that she might have had more to say, but she stopped herself and let him hold forth a bit longer. And then she simply seemed to... stop. Freeze completely stiff, a faintly surprised look on her face. All life but her gone. But she wasn't even alive. She wasn't even important. And she had never even found...

"That's... upsetting."

Her unblinking yellow eyes remained fixed upon him. A hand lifted to cover her mouth briefly as she attempted to force her thoughts into order, and then it dropped limply to her side.

"How have you come to know so much? How do I know that what you tell me is true?"

It was likely true. His look from before said very much. But still, if there was room for doubt, there could be room for hope.

"In the sense of being childish indeed, but who knows maybe the truth is more literal than we expect."

She would be right he had something to demonstrate. Ganondorf, after all, had always tried to turn people into trying to attack and kill Ruana-- And the administrative team as a whole. needless to say, this didn't change one bit.

"I have been here for a long time. It makes little doubt I am amongst the most knowledgeable residents here." he replied to her question with a wry smile before turning to her "Of course you could go ahead and deny my words, but then would it fix your world, to live in a lie?"

"How long is a long time?" This tower still lacked a proper sense of scale, to her. Height had been determined, composition had only been started upon... duration was almost entirely untouched upon. It was less doubt that she was demonstrating, and more a craving for more information.

"I won't deny anything that I can confirm elsewhere. I would think it would be quite possible to fix my world... assuming I could leave this place. But there's no exit, is there? I've heard that much." She shifts her stance, with a subtle grinding of bone on bone. "...at least tell me your name. I'm Annika Whittenberg, of Brill."

"A year and a half." he stated. Given the tower had been active for barely above two years, and given all the people who had disappeared, it was no stretch to say he was one of the most ancient residents. "More time here than most you will meet."

"Possible? Certainly. The way everyone here assumes it? Doubtful." Ganondorf replied simply to her words-- Most everyone appeared to think their worlds were going to be fixed within the next six months, and as far as he was concerned, the very idea was stupid. "You are right, there are no known exit."

Known being the keyword here, the administrators were quite good at hiding what they wanted to see hidden. he smiled however and nodded.

"I am Ganondorf Dragmire, King of the Gerudo. Pleasure to meet you." His tone was surprisingly formal and polite. Probably out of habit.

"A... year and a half. I see." Again, it gave her a further sense of the scale of this place. A year and a half, and that was a small eternity here, no doubt. "What is the way that everyone assumes it's possible?" She knew of the Titans building Azeroth, knew that there was a 'reset', the possibility to reoriginate the whole thing... perhaps other worlds could be brought back in the same fashion. Perhaps.

And then there's a change in her posture, when he properly introduces himself. She straightens, and then smoothly moves into a bow. "An honor to meet you, in kind, King Dragmire." She was one accustomed to addressing those of high station, apparently.

Ganondorf snapped his fingers when she asked what way everyone expected in this tower "This. They assume they'll find a magical switch and everything will be back to normal. Reality however, promises to be much harder and cruel."

Probably an exaggeration and by no small margin, but t was no secret what ganondorf thought of the tower's populace. For the most part, he thought of them as lower than low. At least he was pleasantly surprised that she greeted him with the honor due to his rank. This was a rare feat in this tower.

"Now that you know the truth, I hope you will act in consequence." he said and nodded before turning back to the viewing stations. And by that he meant, get to kick administrative asses.

"If there's a magical switch, it certainly won't bring things back to normal." She lets out a sound midway between a huff and a laugh. "I know my world could possibly be 'reoriginated'. But that would likely just return it to a primordial state. Which... is better than..." She gestures limply at the viewing station. "...that."

Well. That took some of the wind out of her sails.

"I think I see what my goals ought to be, in this place."

1 - Not the WORST Awakening...

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