towerofanimus | [closed]

[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.]

[ 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.

[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.]

Edited 2013-09-26 07:32 (UTC)

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?

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.]

[ He supposes he should be glad as well, to find her safe and unharmed, but nothing stirs in him. He follows her gaze, when she glances to the stairs, and his frown remains.

It would be natural to attempt to reassure her, but he does not; it would be empty to promise her that anyone else is surely fine, when there is so much unknown. Instead, he continues to pursue his curiosity. ]

Did you ever find the source?

[ Is it the prisoners of this Tower which cause such destruction, or is it to blame upon their keepers? ]

[She folds her arms and shakes her head. Head bowing slightly as she replies, she speaks slowly, each word chosen carefully. All things considered, she was perhaps not paying as much attention as she should have been to that aspect of the aftermath, but she'll relate what she knows as helpfully as she can.]

Not that I'm aware. One of the administrators placed the blame on us, but no one has admitted to any kind of involvement, and... [She trails off, then nods to herself.] The results weren't anything that would have benefited us.

As expected. [ Even in such a short time, Kirei has gathered enough about the 'administrators' to very much doubt their word. The very facet of this place, and the forms that they have been changed into... it says enough.

He watches her, listening to her quiet voice and watching her bow her head, his own tilting to the side. ]

You are still uneasy. [ He announces the observation in a flat tone, betraying nothing. ]

[At that comment, she laughs, if not particularly happily. She looks back to his face, her tone not so dull as she tells him:]

I have every reason to be.

[The status of most of the people she cares about is unknown, it's nearly nighttime, and now she's wondering if they'll have to endure something like those phantoms again.]

[ Kirei cannot tell if her laughter has changed, or if he has merely forgotten what it sounds like. In those last days with her, her laughter was certainly not a common noise. He frowns a bit, and remains impassive. ]

Even if one assumes the worst, death holds no dominion in this place.

[ As if that removes any reason for concern. ]

Maybe, but that doesn't make it any better to experience. [And especially not the kind of death caused by a caved-in roof.] That's not the only thing there is to worry about, though, and I'm not sure that death is the worst we can assume.

[This is all said rather matter-of-factly. Her next statement is an almost authoritative-sounding one.]

There are other people I'd like to look for. We can talk while I do that.

[ Something worse than death. He wonders... Gilgamesh had mentioned the potential of the Tower to him. ]

All right. [ He falls into step with her easily. It doesn't occur to him to really argue with her suggestion. ] Who are you looking for?

[ Having an extra pair of eyes won't help much without him knowing what to look for. ]

Anyone I know. [Right now, she doesn't care who. Even someone she doesn't particularly get along with, like Lancer...] I can't say what names would be helpful to you, seeing as I don't know who you've met here. But— I'm sure you're familiar with Kariya Matou, at least? Or Lancelot, or Diarmuid.

[The latter two names are added quickly after the first. The attempt not to place too much emphasis on Kariya is almost reflexive; there are more important things to be concerned with now, so she doesn't feel especially embarrassed or nervous about admitting that she is together with another man. It's not as though it matters, anyway. She threw away any claim she might have to him with her inaction.]

[...But, seeing as that other man is an enemy of Tokiomi, she might be putting off the discussion a little.]

[closed]

upper floors | 23rd | immediately after the explosions

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