[closed]

[sicharia]

Characters: Claudia Hortensia and Kirei Kotomine
Setting: Various places; throughout the event
Format: Brackets
Summary: Catch-all for various interactions over the course of the event
Warnings: Blanket Kirei warning; otherwise, will update as needed

Comments

upper floors | 23rd | immediately after the explosions

[sicharia]

[After the explosions, Claudia starts at the top of the stairs, but she doesn't stay there for long. Once it becomes apparent that the rubble cannot be cleared away, she chooses the course of action that seems most natural to her: attempting to locate the people she cares for and confirm they aren't hurt. She starts down the stairs.]

[With the power off, making her way from floor-to-floor feels strange and eerie. To make matters worse, it's nearly night, meaning monsters will start to appear soon. If she can't make it back to her room, she'll need to find a place to shelter herself for the time being... But in spite of that danger, the anxiety she feels is for the people she's searching for rather than herself. Her own safety is a secondary concern.]

[In the dark, she squints, attempting to pick out familiar faces from those still milling around and investigating.]

[god_damned]

[ There is still much he is adapting to in the Tower, but even for Kirei, it is obvious that what is happening here is far from the norm. The explosions do not instill any panic in him, but something grips tight in his chest when the people around him panic and scatter. Is it anxiety? Perhaps. It doesn't seem quite right. He doesn't feel fear nor any urgency, after having been told that death may very well be meaningless in this place, but something in seeing these people fret and worry...

He passes through them, following the same instinct to seek out some source of this destruction. Along the way, a face within the mass stands out to him. More accurately, it is the color of her hair which catches his eye, and he stills, raising his voice to be heard over the murmur of the crowd. ]

Claudia.

[sicharia]

[At the sound of Kirei's voice, Claudia's head immediately snaps in his direction, her single eye rapidly seeking him out amongst the people amassed.]

—Ah, Kirei!

[Whatever guilt and awkwardness she has been feeling toward him, when she sees him now, nothing but relief floods her thoughts. That's one person, at least—]

[Automatically, she rushes toward him, coming to a stop at his side.]

Are you all right?

[She glances over him even as she asks.]

[god_damned]

I am fine. Are you?

[ He asks on the reflex; it is only natural to return the concern, even if he does not feel it. She appears fine, beyond her obvious anxiety.

He does not miss that her once reserved approach to him has faded. Her fear is likely to blame, making her less fearful of any boundaries between them. ]

Has anything like this happened before?

[sicharia]

Good. I'm so glad. [The words come in a sigh of relief. For a second, her posture seems to relax, but then she promptly tenses again as she looks back toward the stairs.] I'm fine, so long as everyone else is. But...

[There were people still upstairs, weren't there? If the whole dormitory floor has caved in...]

[Well, she can't say for sure if that's the case, but even if it's not, this situation can't be good for anyone involved. When she looks back to him, her jaw is set, and she answers his question with a serious nod.]

Maybe a month ago now, there was an explosion. It didn't... It didn't cause any damage like this, though.

[Though, the aftermath of that... She's aware of her heart beating anxiously in her chest.]

floor 4 | 23rd | nighttime

[sicharia]

[It's later that the two of them settle into one of the lounges for the night, Claudia sighing and sinking into the cushions of one couch. She feels tried, but that's more due to stress than the fact that she refused to take the elevator. She hadn't wanted to risk missing anyone on another floor, and yet—she hadn't seen anyone else familiar, anyway.]

[Head half-lolling in Kirei's direction, she pats the space beside her.]

Sit with me?

[god_damned]

[ For the most part, he has been following her obligingly, and this is no different. ]

If you wish.

[ He does as she invites, settling down beside her, although not close enough to be touching. His posture is stiff, but not tense in any way that indicates stress from the current state of affairs. He is, wholly, indifferent to the entire disaster -- though his eyes have been lingering on the few occupants of the Tower who pass by in obvious distress. ]

[sicharia]

I do wish.

[There's a note of levity to her tone as she responds. She almost sounds teasing. He sits beside her, and she leans back on the couch, her head tilting back and her legs stretching in front of herself.]

[When she speaks again, the lightness in her voice is gone.]

I'm sorry to ask this of you, but would you mind staying with me at night? Just... Until things are fixed.

[god_damned]

[ Kirei is used to such a tone. Between Claudia herself and his father, he has been subject to quite a fair amount of 'teasing' for his stony disposition. He feels neither self-conscious nor warmed by the response, although it is familiar.

What she asks of him earns a nod of his head. ]

It would be safer not to be alone. I will stay and keep watch.

[ Spoken for the logic of the decision, rather than any emotional connection. ]

floor 100 | 24th | daytime

[sicharia]

[Following Riki's announcement, it's no surprise that Claudia has returned to the top-most floor available. She isn't quite sure where to move the rubble to, and she has to struggle to do so, but it's really no surprise that she's here, doing it.]

[Now where is Kirei, so she can nag him about helping.]

[god_damned]

[ They are not married, as she stated, so there is no reason to follow her every step. He does, however, find himself returning to her. After the announcement, he knows where he will find her.

When he speaks, it is not intended as belittling or chastising; merely a fact. He has experienced how weak her body can become, and knows well of her limitations. ]

You are in no condition for this labor.

[sicharia]

But—

[What he says is entirely true, however much she is improved from the time that he knew her. She's almost certain to exhaust herself doing this, if for no other reason than that she will ignore her own limits if allowed. But, even so—]

[The fragment of rubble she was in the process of lifting slips from her hands, landing against the floor with a startling clatter, as she turns her head toward him.]

How can you expect me to do nothing?

[god_damned]

[ The sound of the clattering rubble is oddly defined to him, and he gazes back at her. The way she looks at him, when she asks that question, seems far more open than she should trust herself to be with him.

Although he was her husband, she should not place that much faith in him. ]

What little rubble you can move will not save any lives. [ Again, it is spoken flatly, not intentionally unkind. ] But no, I cannot expect that of you; it is not your nature.

floor 101 | 26th | nighttime

[sicharia]

[Of course Claudia jumped on the chance to do something else to help. Normally, she might be more wary of following one of the administrators' directions, but when she has barely seen anyone else she knows since the explosions... If it'll help clear the way back to the dormitories faster, she'll do it, and especially since she's all but useless when it comes to heavy lifting.]

[Floor 101 is still cluttered with enough debris that she can barely traverse it. Kirei, on the other hand, is far more physically adept than she is, so she has done the natural thing and handed off the camera to him. She can't defend him the way he can defend her, but she can at least keep watch as he takes photos in her stead. As Kirei works, she sits on a particularly large chunk of something that has fallen from the floors above.]

Are they still coming out blurry?

[She was supposed take pictures during both the day and the night, but— There must be something wrong with the camera. Hopefully that man will still be able to glean whatever information he's looking for from the photographs taken, but...]

[god_damned]

It seems that way.

[ The original idea is for Kirei to venture further through the rubble, where Claudia cannot; however he returned to her when the camera began malfunctioning. He turns the object around in his hands now, as if examining it at another angle may give away some clue. ]

Perhaps we should return it, if it is damaged.

[ What clumsy administrators they have. ]

[sicharia]

It was working fine earlier. I hope I didn't break it...

[She doesn't think she has done anything that would damage it, but then again, it's not like she has pro digital camera use credentials. Her lips purse together, and she leans back slightly where she's seated. It's late, and if the issue isn't clearing up...]

I guess we should just wrap up here and call it a night.

[god_damned]

Perhaps there is some interference. [ He cannot be certain, but nothing they have done was exceptionally rough. The camera was not once dropped or even shaken all too much.

He glances at her again, nodding to her suggestion. ] That may be best; it is late.

[ A bit of ash begins to tumble from the ceiling, and it catches Kirei's attention. He glances up and he finds a piece of the roof to be cracking. After a moment of cautious observation, he figures this should be photographed: it is a new piece of damage, rather than the preexisting rubble.

He lifts the camera, snapping the photo, and more dust falls from the ceiling and onto him, marking his dark garments with specs of grey. It's harmless; just messy, and it's gotten into his eyes as well. Blinking several times, he presses the heel of his palm against his eyes -- only to find the dust is not the reason for his spotty vision.

Kirei holds a hand before his face, finding it blurred, and no amount of rubbing to his eyes seems to clear them. ]

Claudia?

Some dork named Kariya crashing the log | Cafeteria

[vermicompost]

[He's been looking for Claudia, but he can't seem to find her, unaware that, due to bad timing, he'd looked in her room while she'd gone to look for him in his, and after that, wherever and whenever he'd thought to look for her, she had simply been somewhere else.

It's been tiring, and he's finally decided to make his way to the cafeteria. Perhaps some watery oatmeal will fortify him. He could ask Lancelot to help, but--he doesn't want to bother him anymore, not after Lancelot has spent so much time looking after him.

No, he'll find Claudia on his own. It's important that he do so, for some reason he can't explain. He does tend to get insistent, irrational ideas caught in his head. Whatever the reason, he's determined, and he resolutely spoons oatmeal into his mouth, so that he can be finished with eating quickly and resume his quest.]

rude who invited you

[god_damned]

[ He finds Claudia by chance, on the way from the dormitories. She was still searching for her companions, and now that the rubble has been cleared, the likelihood of success is far greater. Their searches before had been unsuccessful, for the most part, and Kirei knows the implications involved, should they fail to find someone now.

If they are not returned with the others, that means death. 'Or worse', as many in the Tower seem to say.

However, that proves to not be the case with one particular acquaintance. Kariya stands out easily in the cafeteria, given the color of his hair. Kirei spots him, and he idly touches Claudia's arm to draw her attention. He is still uncertain how she feels about him touching her; she has shied away before, but pursued him deliberately at other moments. He doesn't try to understand the contradiction.

He doesn't speak. He merely gestures towards the man who looks to be forcing himself to eat. ]

[sicharia]

[When they reach the cafeteria, Claudia's thoughts are far more on searching for people here than actually eating—but, then again, that had been her motivation for their destination in the first place. Almost anyone should pass through the cafeteria sooner or later... Automatically, when Kirei touches her, she looks up, starting but not shying away. He gestures, and she looks in the indicated direction, and then her eye widens.]

Kariya!

[Something that is equal parts relief and worry washes through her, taking with it her concern for their surroundings. She doesn't think about the fact that they're in the cafeteria, or the fact that Kirei is next to her, and just goes to him, her arms immediately wrapping around him when she reaches his side.]

Kariya, are you...

[She trails off, and before she begins again, she leans in to kiss him fully on the mouth.]

Are you okay?

no one invited me i'm just here to take your wife

[vermicompost]

[He starts at the sound of his name, spoken in Claudia's voice. Fortunately, he has the presence of mind to successfully swallow his oatmeal. He puts down his spoon and starts to rise, but he's overestimated his ability to get up quickly, and he falters. Still, he doesn't fall, resting his one hand on the table for balance. He manages to stand up, so that when Claudia reaches him, he's able to put his arms around her in return. Seeing her makes him smile.]

Claudia. You're all right.

[He doesn't hesitate to kiss her back. He almost slides his tongue between her lips, but he tries to restrain himself, remembering that they're in public and that she doesn't like that (he doesn't care so much). For his part, he doesn't notice that Kirei is there.]

I'm so glad! I was looking for you! Yes, I'm fine.

[He would probably say this regardless, but he looks like he genuinely means it, he's so pleased to see her.]

aaaand a thread for little kariya post-event

[sicharia]

[When Claudia looks in her trunk for the first time afterward, she finds two things: A dress that wasn't there before, and the stuffed animal she received some time prior. The latter she has no use for herself, and seeing it now, she remembers what her plans for it were. She had gotten...sidetracked by recent events before she could do much of anything with it, but there should be time now, she thinks.]

[It only seems natural to her that, if she is to give it to any child here, it should be Kariya. She isn't quite sure where to find him, so ultimately, she just heads from her room to his, dressed in something light and casual rather than her dark uniform for the first time in quite a while.]

Kariya? [She knocks as she calls through the door, voice gentle.] Are you in?

[infesting]

[ he almost doesn't hear her at first, curled up in a ball in his bed and trying, trying to ignore the worms. he's had them inside him for so long, shouldn't he be used to the feeling of them..?

the knock startles him, though, and he sits up a little sluggishly, little bare feet sliding to the floor. he's unsteady for a second or two, but then he finds his balance and determination again and moves to the door. it's claudia-san, after all, and he likes claudia-san a lot.

he shuffles to the door, reaching up to open it and offer her a small, slightly shy smile. ] H-Hi, Claudia-san. Did-- Did you want to come in..?

[sicharia]

[Automatically, when he opens the door, she leans to put herself closer to his level. She doesn't make an attempt to hide the plush lamb she has been carrying.]

Actually, there's something I wanted to give you, Kariya. If you'd like it.

[infesting]

[ he blinks in surprise at the comment, then glances down at the lamb. for a second, he's not sure what it's supposed to be, but after glancing up to make sure it's okay, he reaches with bandaged fingers to take it, turning it in his hands. he's never.. really had a gift before..

still, he's a little embarrassed that he's not sure what it's for, and he's flushing when he glances back up again. ]

Wh-What is it, Claudia-san?