four.

[sicharia]

Characters: Claudia Hortensia & OPEN
Setting: Floor 82, Floor 7, Floor 48, the stairs outside Floor 27, Floor 3, Floor 82 again, & choose your own adventure.
Format: Brackets preferred
Summary: Candy-hunting catch-all post
Warnings: Will add as necessary

I. Sunday - Floor 82
[Well... That was unexpected. Claudia, mask removed, stands alone in the ballroom that makes up this floor, a small bag held in her hands. She rifles through it, but she finds nothing of particular note; it's just more candy.]

[Then who, exactly, was that person? What was that all about?]

[She decides to go through with her seep of this floor as she had intended to, before the interruption. But, really, it's less about finding candy now and more about try to see if there's anything else to be found here that might provide some kind of explanation.]

II. Monday - Floor 7
[Claudia doesn't want to swim, but that doesn't mean she's going to ignore this floor. So today, rather than checking the pool itself, she can be found rifling through the lockers. In both locker rooms, actually, because she's completely ignoring the genders they're labeled with.]

[No biggie.]

III. Tuesday - Floor 48
[This seems like a natural place to search, given her job as a gravekeeper, so Claudia makes her sweep of this floor at the same time she performs her duties. At first she thinks nothing of it when she leans down to retrieve the chocolate roses lying across one of the graves, but then her eye happens to glance the name engraved there, and she frowns.]

[Aoi Tohsaka.]

[Surely... It must be a coincidence. She tells herself that, but she still finds herself lingering, her brow furrowed.]

IV. Wednesday - Outside Floor 27
[Claudia doesn't actually set foot on the laboratory floor. Instead, she lingers outside it, on the stairs, seeming uncertain of what to do. She could search this one. It probably wouldn't be too dangerous, provided she doesn't put her hands in anything they shouldn't be in. But...]

[But she can't bring herself to step forward, so she's stymied.]

V. Thursday - Floor 3
[Claudia doesn't intend to go searching for candy today! She's gathered quite a bit over the last four days, after all, and she thinks she's earned a break. So, this afternoon, she can be found in the library rather than roaming the Tower, quietly reading a book.]

[...The feeling that she should keep looking is nagging at her, though, so she's a little more unsettled and agitated than she'd like to be on her "day off." She's trying not to let it get to her, but the feeling probably comes across in her demeanor more than she would care for it to...]

VI. Friday - Floor 82
[For the third time, she's come to this floor, and for the third time, she's encountered that person. She doesn't know anything more than she did the first time; they said nothing to her even when she tried to speak to them. Truthfully, she feels rather frustrated. Mask discarded, she doesn't even bother to check the inside of the bag this time, scowling at the empty air.]

VII. Whenever, Wherever
[Other than the prompts given above, Claudia will be investigating the following floors on the following days:

Sunday, afternoon to evening: 101, 100, 99, 96, 94, 93, 88, 87, 86, 83, 81, 1
Monday, morning to noon: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21
Tuesday, afternoon to evening: 50, 51, 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 60
Wednesday, afternoon to evening: 82, 21, 22, 25, 28, 19, 18, and most of the others she searched on Monday
Thursday, throughout the day: None! She can be found around Floors 1, 3, and 101 at various times, however.
Friday, afternoon: 62, 40, 39, 38

So if you'd like to run into her on any of these floors, have at it.]

Comments

floor 48 (hiatus what hiatus)

[puppy_lancer]

[Lancer looks curiously over at Claudia, seemingly rifling for something next to a grave.]

...Did someone get buried alive again?

[sicharia]

...Ah?

[She hadn't even noticed Lancer, as preoccupied as she was.]

Again?

[puppy_lancer]

Yeah, Enoch got buried alive once. For not coming to his job.

[sicharia]

Oh.

[Duly...noted...]

Not that I know of?

[puppy_lancer]

Mm, that's good.

Then, what's going on with that grave?

[sicharia]

Nothing. [It's not really nothing, but she doesn't know what to say otherwise.] Aoi was a friend, that's all.

[puppy_lancer]

[Aoi...the name sounds familiar.]

...You mean, that friend Kariya is always talking about? Rin's Mom?

[He saw her for a little bit. And now she's gone.]

[sicharia]

She's been gone for a while now. [She doesn't confirm Lancer's questions, exactly, but that he's correct seems to be implicit.] But someone left something here.

[puppy_lancer]

Hm? What thing?

[He hops down from his perch to stare at the grave mound.]

Can't see anything. Did you take it already?

[sicharia]

Do you know this month's "game"?

[And will Claudia ever directly answer a question?]

[puppy_lancer]

Nope, did it already start?

[And for once it doesn't seem to involve him. Lucky.]

[sicharia]

Seems so. Some of us are supposed to be finding candy, and...

[She looks back to the headstone and frowns to herself.]

There were candy roses left here.

[puppy_lancer]

[He makes a face.]

Ugh. Looks like Ruana's game has fucked up humor. Again.

[sicharia]

It's probably just a coincidence. [She says so out loud, as if that'll somehow make it more convincing.] It's not like these could have been left here specifically for me to find, right?

[puppy_lancer]

I don't know. Could've been you, could've been Kariya, could've been another one of her friends here. It's like she wants the shit that shows up in her games to be "appropriate" somehow.

[He shrugs.]

Or maybe it is really just a coincidence. Can't understand how Ruana thinks sometimes.

[sicharia]

It's just... Even if it was meant for myself or Kariya, someone else could have easily found them first. They weren't exactly well-hidden.

[puppy_lancer]

Yeah, there's that. Maybe just any random old grave would have worked for her. See anything else on any other grave?

[sicharia]

[She shakes her head.]

I didn't. I've been looking.

[puppy_lancer]

Ah. Guess someone else came up here and took it all.

[sicharia]

I guess so. [Though why would those two be the only two left behind...? She scowls briefly, but then she shakes her head, as if to chase the thought away. Dwelling on it is pointless.] How are you doing, anyway?

[puppy_lancer]

Me? I'm fine. No games, so I've been staying out of trouble.

[He leans against Aoi's gravestone.]

And you? Aside from the game, that is. You and Kariya still together and happy, right?

[sicharia]

[She smiles faintly at that question.]

I can only speak for my end, but yes, we are together and I am happy.

[She doesn't bring up the Kirei issue, because that's not something she needs to discuss with Lancer.]

Aside from that, I'm as well as can be expected, I think.

[puppy_lancer]

Great. I'm glad, about both of those things. You guys deserve it after all you've been through.

[His expression falls a little.]

I'd help you look for this candy so you could keep safe, but...

[He can't see any. At all.]

[sicharia]

[You guys deserve it. Given Kirei's recent appearance, she can't quite accept those words in relation to herself. She ducks her head as if embarrassed, hoping that will hide the way she can't quite keep a genuine smile on her face.]

It's fine, Lancer. I can take care of it myself.

[puppy_lancer]

...Still, if you need anything, just let me know.

[He frowns as he sees her turning away. She seems embarrassed...but there's no blush on her pale cheeks.]

You or Kariya. Keep an eye on him. He's stubborn sometimes.