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.]

[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?

Edited 2013-09-25 09:06 (UTC)

[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.]

[ 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.]

[ 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. ]

[ 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.

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.

Edited 2013-09-26 21:47 (UTC)

[ 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. ]

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.]

[That earns a short laugh from her.]

I'm sure you would be just fine on your own.

[And, as she says this, she leans toward him, bumping her face against his shoulder. The gesture is fond.]

Thank you, though. I'll try to repay you, somehow.

[ 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. ]

[ That soft laugh, and her reply, draws his attention. Perhaps she is merely being self-deprecating, when comparing her strength to him own, but now that he considers it... ]

You were trained, were you not, in anticipation of the War?

[ Kirei himself was trained thoroughly in magic by Tokiomi, however he did not require being taught any self defense. In Claudia's case... did they not see fit to consider such precaution?

He does not stiffen when she touches him, but his voice does quiet by a measure. It's a small touch, so casually intimate, and he is not certain whether or not she expects him to return it. ] There is no need to repay me.

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.

I wasn't. [Her weight remains settled against his side as she replies. She doesn't look at him, her gaze fixed on her lap instead, on her bandaged hand.] Magic— [She snorts faintly, the self-depreciation in this sound plain.] That was more than enough for me to try to wrap my head around. It's not like I was going to be on the front lines, anyway.

[Admitting that to him makes her feel small and inadequate, but it's true. She has no talent for any of it, magecraft or strategy or killing.]

We aren't married, [she reminds him, even as she continues to lean against his side.] You aren't obligated to do anything for me.

[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...]

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. ]

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.

[ 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. ]

[ We aren't married.

It is not as if it hurts him, but it is a surprise to hear the words spoken aloud. In truth, yes, he supposes both of them had the bonds of their union severed. They both followed through "til death" and then carried on. She seems at peace with that, so he will do the same.

Is that how he should respond, however? Is he expected to recoil at those words, and then fight for her, now that she is here again? He feels no hurt, nor offense at what is surely a denial. He looks at her hands, which rest in her lap, and wonders if she expects him to grasp one, to attempt to win her again. His hands, which like hers, bear no wedding band, and he keeps them to himself. Her weight against him, however, is oddly comfortable. ]

No. I suppose we aren't.

[ He reverts back to the previous conversation, his eyes focused forward on nothing in particular, rather than on her. ]

It was irresponsible, to not learn how to defend yourself. Many attack Masters in the War, as they are an easier target than a Servant. There is no War here, but you face danger every day.

[ Perhaps the chastising sounds protective, as if he is concerned, but it is simply an honest truth, given the threats surrounding them. ]

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?

[closed]

upper floors | 23rd | immediately after the explosions

floor 4 | 23rd | nighttime

floor 100 | 24th | daytime

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floor 101 | 26th | nighttime

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