(no subject)

[midgarhorizon]

Characters: Anyone and everyone
Setting: Cafeteria, Noon, Nov 7th
Format: Anything
Summary: A party/discussion mingle after calling a meeting of the residents.
Warnings: tba


The anonymous post on the network was an invitation to gather, discuss and share information. Maybe they would get incredibly lucky and get to the bottom of things, such as who was behind the bombings or the strange things that went on during Quarantine.

Someone has been at work down here in the dining hall, moving the tables around to create a space in the middle in case people felt like dancing. Most of the chairs are around the outside and facing the middle, for everyone to see each other better. There was another space and some chairs for musicians, and a couple of the larger tables were set up with a large buffet of normal cafeteria food (because Zo wasn't likely to poison them) and resident prepared dishes, both clearly marked.

Of course, there was always the oatmeal.

[ooc: Feel free to make your own threads and subthreads!]

Comments

[keybearer]

Well, I don't know if you were part of the infiltration back in August, but when my group went down the shaft, we wound up dealing with similar hallucinations. Stuff like blood dripping from the walls...

[He shudders, looking off to the side.]

Don't know how helpful it is, but if I had to guess, the explosion must've caused... I don't know, a leak? And whatever that stuff was, there might be more waiting downstairs.

[no_longer_a_king]

I was told there is, yes, and that the Administrators know about it.

[She knows a lot, actually, but here's only so much she can say because of Aria.]

When my group went downstairs we found out some information about it, including that it might be possible to block it like one would normal radiation.

[keybearer]

Whoa, seriously?

[Dang, that's good to know.]

So, what would it take? At least, if you're willing to share. I get that this isn't the best place.

[Then again, what is? The tower may be vast, but the admins could probably watch from anywhere at any time.]

[no_longer_a_king]

[She thinks carefully of how to phrase this. Arturia knows very well the Administrators likely know of the helms she, Ruler, and Zelda have. What she needs to do is figure out how to word where she found it without implicating Aria.]

My group that went down found some information on the radiation, as well as some masks than can protect people from the effects. We brought three of them up with us, but I do not think it wise to pull them out at any moment.

[Considering what they now know about the time stop after midnight. It was a good thing Arturia kept things safe in her sauna locker, rather than in her trunk. She would hate to think what would happen if they had gotten replaced with helms made of film instead.] On top of that, the simple fact is the Tower's structure appears to keep it at bay. We are unaffected while in the residential levels while the Administrative floors have varying levels of it. So we know it is possible to block it somehow as one would normal radiation.

[keybearer]

What I don't get is how the admins can handle that kind of radiation. I already heard that they aren't human... Heck, I know somebody who saw Jason's real appearance, and it wasn't pretty.

[It looked like, well, one of the monsters or some freakish Frankenstein creation from the drawing he saw. It's no wonder he hides under the glamour.]

These bodies aren't even real, so I wonder why they're so sensitive in the first place.

[no_longer_a_king]

It might be because our bodies are not our own, but theirs are. Think about it: unlike them our souls are exposed, only protected due to whatever this fluid--[She taps one of the tubes on her collar]--is made of and an artificial skin. This is not the form we were born into and it is likely a side effect of such radiation.

[She wishes she could mention retrieval units were also affected here without giving up Aria's cover. Though she might drag Riku into a restroom or a sauna later to tell him and keep it under wraps.]

Even then, it is likely possible the Administrators are affected as well. We simply do not see the effects because we are not around them all the time as we are each other. On top of that, they might have protections we do not know about.

[keybearer]

Man, when you put it that way...

[He bumps his fist against his chest.]

Guess it's just easy to forget. After all, most of the time we look and feel normal thanks to the glamour. But when you really think about it, we're just wires and foil... hardly what I'd call stable.

[And she's got a point about the admins, too. Nobody spends nearly enough time with them to observe their habits. Knowing them, they probably do have additional protection.]

[no_longer_a_king]

I suppose forgetting we are 'wires and foil' is the purpose of the Glamour. [She does not mind this fact. After all, she's been nothing but a soul with a magically-created body for a very long time now.]

We're as stable as they can make us be. I would not be surprised if part of it is our emotional state having some affect on how stable our souls are while we are here.

[keybearer]

Huh, you really think that'd matter? I mean, when it comes to hearts, emotions definitely play into things. Negative emotions feed into darkness, but souls... I feel like we need to know more about them.

[It's funny, too, because the thought hadn't really crossed his mind. What sets hearts and souls apart?]

[no_longer_a_king]

From what I understand, a soul in this world boils down to.... ourselves: Everything about our consciousness and our sense of self. It might have a different definition in other worlds, but that is how it works here. I do not understand how a heart would factor into it, seeing as your heart is a part of yourself.

Is it different where you are from?

[keybearer]

Kind of. Hearts are... well, they're a part of who we are. They hold our emotions, but souls are what keeps us alive.

[He runs a hand through his hair, mulling over a way to describe it.]

Basically, you can have a body without a heart and still live. A body without a soul's just dead.

You mind doing a log in a few days where she talks to Riku about this more in depth?

[no_longer_a_king]

['Yet the retrieval units believe they have no souls, no sense of self in the way we do' she wants to say, but can't. It's frustrating for her and one she decides to resolve later on.]

So a Soul in your world is the spark of life itself? What happens if someone loses their heart, then?

No problem :> I might be a bit slow this week due to finals prep, but I'm game

[keybearer]

Two things happen.

[He lowers his brow, and his eyes fix on the floor. His right hand hovers right over his chest.]

No matter what, that person creates a Heartless. They're basically hearts corrupted by darkness that feed on the hearts of others. The body and soul left behind don't disappear, though; instead, they become empty shells called Nobodies which, according to DiZ, can still think, but they've lost all their emotions.

[But Riku's not sure how he feels about that, not after seeing his best friend's Nobody.]