Titles: I still got nothing

[thirtybits]

Characters: Judas and open
Setting: hanging gardens
Format: Starting action but I can match
Summary: Reflecting on regains and the last event
Warnings: the canon in which a bunch of religious figures are dorks

Floor 101

[Judas lies on his back in the garden, a bottle of wine at his side. He holds a photograph up, never looking away from it.  The hundredth floor only served to upset him, as much as he wished for a reminder of home. But the photo is exactly what he wanted. There are tears in his eyes as he stares at it, but for the first time in a long time he's truly smiling.]

Elsewhere around the tower

[Encouraged to do something for the rest of the tower by the happiness he's allowed himself, and possibly with some small help from the wine, after leaving the gardens Judas goes around the tower looking for anything he can do. There's tending to his crops, of course, but he would have done that anyway.

Finding very little to fix or clean, he starts approaching people on the lower floors.] 

Excuse me, is there anything you need - anything I can do for you?

Comments

Floor 101

[papillonmagique]

[Floor 101 is a floor Zoe tended to enjoy being on, both because it suppressed her powers and also due to how it reminded her of some of the gardens back home. And when she spots Judas, of course she has to go over and peer down at him.]

Hmm, what happened? [Because he actually looks happy and Zoe doubts she's seen him look that happy before.]

[thirtybits]

[For a moment he's embarrassed, having someone, especially someone like Zoe, come across him like this.]

Ah, I-

[on the other hand, the picture's put him in such a good mood.]

I found a photo in my room.

[papillonmagique]

A photo? [A blink, and she shifts to crouch next to him. For once she actually doesn't look amused or anything.]

Can I ask what it is a photo of?

elsewhere...... idk they're somewhere alright

[chainsawn]

[ Urotsuki is actually spacing out a little. She hasn't felt very well lately and hasn't slept a lot either ever since the whole incident happened where she was stuck in one of the dorm rooms. Normally she looks blank and even now she still sort of does, but there's also something heavy and tired about her.

So when Judas approaches her, all she says in a low tone is-- ]

.. Make it stop.

you know, that place...with the thing...

[thirtybits]

[That definitely wasn't the answer he was expecting. But whatever 'it' is, maybe he can help.]

Make what stop, exactly...?

the place with toes

[chainsawn]

The hospital. I want it to go away already..

[ She's saying it as if anyone would immediately know what she means. Even though nobody would since it's so vague, there isn't even a hospital around here, it's just that she keeps seeing it. ]

[puppy_lancer]

Huh? Me?

[Lancer looks up from his meal of pumpkin and shakes his head.]

Nah, I'm fine for now. My janitor shift is already over.

[thirtybits]

You don't mind eating that...?

[puppy_lancer]

Better than nutrition bars.

Floor 1, dinner time

[alephbet]

[Aleph grins at that, just outside of the cafeteria's kitchen.]

Can you bake a pie?

[thirtybits]

I've never tried it before, but...maybe?

[alephbet]

I am terrible at cooking, baking, and food preparation of all kinds. I was hoping you could teach me.

101

[sicharia]

[Claudia visits this floor often. It's one of the few ones she feels at peace with in this tower, and it's a good place to think. When she spots Judas, though, whatever had been on her mind disappears, and she immediately hurries over to where he is reclining.]

Judas! [She says his name brightly—with relief. She has been worrying about the people she was separated from during the cave-in, naturally.] You're okay!

[He's certainly smiling like he is, at any rate.]

[thirtybits]

Ah, Claudia, you too - I'm glad!

[Judas was also quite worried about the rest of the tower, and in particular friends like Claudia.

He quickly gets up, and without really thinking, hugs her.]

[sicharia]

[She hadn't been expecting the hug, and she's momentarily taken aback by it—but she's liberal with hugs and friendly kisses herself, so she returns the gesture without much hesitation.]

Mm, I am! I'm, ah, one of the ones who got stuck down below, so...

101

[culbutiri]

[She blinks as she sees the quiet man who had been locked in the room with her lying down looking at something, she guessed it was something he had been given from home and was about to continue onwards, giving him his privacy when she realised that he was smiling...

She hadn't seen him smile the whole week they had been in the room, not that there was much to smile about. But...] What did you be doing to be getting something nice huh?

[thirtybits]

I wish I knew so I could keep doing it.

[He laughs a little, sitting up.]

I hope you got something good too, after having to put up with all that...

[culbutiri]

You can be telling me the secret too. [She pulled a face] I did be getting something stupid, but it do no be mattering. [At least it had been educational]

Floor 101

[warriorscribe]

*Though he was spending his days fighting in search of real weapons lately, it was much more controlled than his outburst in the graveyard had been. Though his life for the past four days had followed a fairly routine schedule that didn't lead him to the upper levels, he still came every day to sit and pray - meditate, really - by Dax's sapling. That it had even survived the ceiling above it caving in seemed like a miracle to him.

But such deep focus in such quiet was hard under these conditions, and it was difficult to bring himself to put his whole mind to prayer knowing his world's God was either dead or twisted and broken, and so was this world's, if this world had a God and Heaven as he knew it. Ruana had prayed when she was very young, so perhaps there had been once.

Either way, it didn't last long. Agitated, Enoch got up and dusted the dirt off his jeans, heading back for the stairs. He didn't expect to find Judas here, much less Judas smiling. It was unexpected enough that he sat down beside him, unable to help but smile, himself.*

I take it Riki gave you something pleasant.

[thirtybits]

[Judas looks up at Enoch, nodding. Even if this Enoch doesn't know them yet, chances are he'll understand.]

If it's Riki who gave it to me, yes. It's reassuring to see my roommates again, even if it's only a photo... They're always telling me to smile, it's ironic that I can only do it when they're not around to see.

[warriorscribe]

Such things happen...

*A shame he can't put to words what his own example is. It's just too hard to focus his thoughts inward for too long.*

You'll be able to smile for them in person.

Elsewhere

[brbtalkingtogod]

[Lucifel is spending some of his time on the 81st Floor to gaze at the stars that weren't from his home. To look at them was always soothing him somehow. However, at this moment he sits there, running his fingers over a mask.

When approached by Judas the archangel looks up at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly.]

Oh?

[thirtybits]

I...

[He falters for a moment. Something feels familiar, but he can't imagine what it is.]

I was hoping I could help others here, in some way.

floor 12

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth's own regain had served as a reminder: the dark leather clothing of a full grown man. The man he is supposed to be.

Although, at the same time, he is not. The conflict in his head between his child self and the mind of an adult man, filled with madness... it's almost too much to bear, and the usually quiet, serious boy is even more withdrawn. That's why he's standing in the room of destroyed universes, watching them die over and over again.

Judas.

[He stares at him for a full few moments, unblinking, his eyes glowing in the dim light. He wants to kill this man, to run him through with his sword. This traitor. The anger he feels is intense. But then again--he cannot do such a thing. He is a soldier, a protector of the people.]

No one can help.

[thirtybits]

How can you assume that when I don't know what's wrong?

[He offers a smile.]

I can at least try.