Eleventh Fragment - Open

[earthshards]

Characters: AU6!Terra and ANYONE
Setting: Room 3-04, Cafeteria, Library (Floor 3), Workshop (Floor 15)- Backdated to October 1st
Format: I prefer [Action], but I'll follow your lead.
Summary: A new month, a new menu, new clothes, but same old Terra.
Warnings: Any warnings that come with being a Keyderp apply - sudden mood whiplash, derp, possible explosions, exercises in control, ect.

[Room 3-04]

[With the start of October comes the ever-dreaded Ruana month. It's enough of a mood killer that Terra can't help the knot of dread forming in the pit of his stomach as he gets out of bed and moves to his trunk to get dressed.

'Wonder what she has in store for us this month?' Waking up in his bed clothes instead of a costume had, at least, been something of a good sign. Whatever Ruana was going to plan, she wasn't starting right away. That gave them time to prepare.

His thoughts are derailed when he sees garments in his chest that, aside from on his younger double at least a year ago, he hasn't seen in a little over a decade.

The shirt, the sleeve that served as a barrier between his bare arm and his armor, his hakama, his golden Mark... it was all here.

He pulls out the garments with the full intent of putting them on, only to catch something white under the hakama. He blinks, then goes pale.]

It can't be...

[Cafeteria]

[As appetizing as the smells from the cafeteria are this month, Terra can't help but grimace.

Pumpkins. Pumpkin everything. Again.] I was sick of pumpkin last year...

[... still better than the nutrition bars, at least...]

[Library]

[Terra is occupying one of the many tables, reading in relative peace and quiet.here are a few books spread out in front of him - most are shut and set aside, as if he plans to get to them later. The one that he is currently leafing through is... a rather unusual subject, especially for him.

'The Tarot'

Since when did the warrior Keyblade Master have an interest in the esoteric art of fortune-telling?]

[Floor 15 - Workroom]

[There is a look of intense concentration as the Keyblade Master works on the project in front of him. Blue and green glass shards of varying sizes are laid out into the rough shape of petals - or possibly the points of a star, given the arrangement. There are silver metal emblems located in the center, and broken bits of metal framework carefully arranged around the 'petals'.

Two of the petals on the green star are whole - or as close to whole as Terra has managed, the glass shards carefully heated and melted back together. There is blue and white-hot fire at his fingertips, a kind of magical, make-shift torch.

Controlling the flow of his magic so that it came out in such a precise amount, as well as manipulating the Fire spell to get this effect was taxing. It's easier now than when he'd started, though not by much.

He works slowly, but steadily, his attention only on the flames and the shards of glass. He knew going in that this would be tedious, time-consuming, and likely to not succeed fully. But... he has to keep going.]

Comments

[earthshards]

[He looks up in slight surprise, blinks, and adopts a slightly sheepish expression.] Ah... thanks, I guess.

[He pauses, not sure whether he wants to continue... but even just reaching out a little, he can feel the seal in place.

The reformimg smile looks a lot less sheepish and a lot more casual.] It's an interesting subject. A friend I made here made me curious about it.

[Feeling a fairly strong D-Link cut off was always painful. But he'd been curious about the voice and what it had meant by 'Judgement Arcana' when the link had initially formed.

If he ever gets out of this damned tower, if the worlds are ever restored, he'll have to find Narukami again. Somehow.]

[terra_nullius]

[He edges slightly closer, though not too close. He isn't certain of where he stands with the fellow so he doesn't want to breach the distance.]

It seems a good place for cultural exchange. Do you particularly hold stock in that, though? [He gestures at the book.] In general, I mean. The reading of ordained fate.

[earthshards]

[Relax, he won't bite. He turns his attention back to the book, a thoughtful look on his face. It's a question that, while he was reading a book on a type of divination, he hadn't given any thought to.

Did he? Was such a thing even possible?

... he knew it was, on some level. But... methods of divining what could happen on purpose?

Eventually, and carefully, he answers.] I'm... not really sure. I've never seen anything like fortune telling in action. Seeing the future is possible enough, but... I don't think fate's really ordained.

[It's rather hard, putting this into words.]

[terra_nullius]

[He nods a little, pondering.] It seems strange to think that everything we do is telegraphed to be a certain way. Would that mean we were fated to come here, or is this a place beyond such things? Have we already defied the hands of fate?

[earthshards]

[He can't help but nod in agreement to that first statement.] It does seem odd; for fate to be a concrete thing would mean that there is no true free will. To believe that there isn't any choice in how we end up seems...

[He shakes his head, distaste at the idea showing.] I would like to think that there's always a choice. Those people that can see the future... what are they seeing? Possibilities seem the most likely - choices a person makes defining possible outcomes. Go one way, and some doors close while others open.

[It makes the most sense to him in relation to the tower - everyone being from different universes and all.]

[terra_nullius]

And being here... is that a severing of previous probability? I dare say that we are in less control than we would have been previously. What would a fate-scrier see in this place? Horror, no doubt. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[earthshards]

Being here is a possibility that no one could see coming. [Of that, he's sure. They are dealing with a place they have little to no knowledge of regarding it's history, people with powers and pasts that they do not know the extent of, and with no guarantee of being able to restore things and save everyone...

... He hates this place, but that's letting his mind get off-topic.

A smirk forms, though it isn't a pleasant one. There is no humor in his expression.] That's assuming their powers work at all. I doubt the administrators would want that kind of ability to be active for too long.

[terra_nullius]

Or if they control the illusion, they can decide what to feed such an individual when they use that ability. After all, it's just what we perceive... powers and such. A grand illusion...

[His tone turns sour. He clearly isn't impressed by things at all.]

Nothing like that really matters. I suppose that's the more cruel aspect of it all. It's all fake in the end.

[He picks up a book and throws it at a wall with a satisfying 'thud'.]

[earthshards]

[Welp. That's an understandable reaction. He winces at the 'thud' of the book hitting the wall, and can't help the quip that escapes him.] That's literature abuse, you know.

[All joking aside, though, Terra more than understands that kind of frustration.] Mm... true enough. There's not much we can do that will really affect this place. Our powers, our faces, the food, our surroundings... all fake. But not everything here is an illusion.

[He closes the book he was reading and gestures at his own heart with his now free hand, and then taps the side of his head.] This, and this - our hearts, minds, souls - call them what you want - those are real enough. They can inflict whatever horrors or torture they want on us, but they can't change who we are at our core. And that is something they can't take away from us.

[Oops. He just had a moment.]

[terra_nullius]

This so-called library is a poor excuse for the word. It's been censored of all the more relevant topics.

[Maybe a little bitter.]

I suppose that's the real desire. To break us down into our components to claim that too. So that there's nothing left.

[And he shrugs a little.]

Or perhaps they're merely interested in seeing how long it takes to suck the life out of people and turn them utterly blase. Or what the breaking point is, but some people have been here so long that I imagine they've long past that point into dull acceptance of things as they are.

[Given some of the conversations he's had, he's come to some odd conclusions.]