towerofanimus | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Characters: Reno, papers, and you
Setting: Floor 3, Floor 88, Staircase between Floors 96 to 87
Format: Either or
Summary:
Writing up info dump from the party log and Reno is head desking because what is paperwork
Diarmuid and Reno discuss Things over a game of pool
On the Staircase, trying to come up with a viable plan to map the dangerous Upper Levels
Warnings: TBA

Monday, Nov 11, Morning, 0900
Floor 3 Library

The library was quiet this morning, or at least quiet enough that Reno was able to focus and concentrate on the epic, gruelling task he had set before him. A pile of papers sat on the table next to him, along with several sharpened pencils, and a few pens. The maps he had been working on over the past month and a half were nearby, layered neatly next to them. There were a lot that he had to redraw in a more permanent ink, and keeping the notes and symbols neat. Epic, because of how large it was, gruelling because... well, gawddamit, it was paperwork. If Veld or Tseng were here, though, he could just imagine what they would say if he slacked off on the neatness and legibility of any of these things...

The thought made him pause, slightly depressed. He had been here so long, and admittedly, grew up a little, but even now he wished one of them would show up. Even for a small time. Just long enough to say "Good work," or "Nice Job," maybe even "I'm proud of you." Psh, that was too weak, though. He couldn't ask for that, couldn't even tell Elena or the kids. They were depending on him. With a visible shake, he turned his attention back to the task.

Even after all this time of writing up reports, dossiers, files, and most recently, maps, Reno still hated paperwork, and made a face at the scrawled lines he had done so far. This wasn't why he joined the Turks, it was because of the action! The romantic idea of being a dashing, cunning intelligence agent, just like all those shows on SINTV when he was growing up! Of course, when he actually got into it, the reality was way darker and more painful than he thought it'd be, but it still was a hell of a lot more interesting than paperwork. True, Tower sometimes had too much action for his comfort, but hey..

Sighing, he kept staring at the paper in front of him, wishing it had been done already instead of just only half written. It would be so much easier if he had a computer, or a typewriter. Or anything. As it is, he was getting cramps in his hand. Maybe that would help! He dropped the pencil and stretched out his left hand back and forth, getting the flow of blood worked back into it. Keep going. You're the Chief now, y'gotta keep on.

Taking up the pencil again, he started jotting off another line, and paused. Crossing his eyes, he groaned and faceplanted into the table. "Where's Shion when y'need him..."

If anyone glances over his shoulder, they may see various papers on certain topics that were over heard during the party.

Tuesday, Nov 12, Afternoon
Floor 88

Stepping out into the smoky bar, Reno glanced around to make sure there weren't any monsters hiding out around. One couldn't be too careful with the floors that looked like they didn't see a lot of use, and Reno had a couple of bite marks over the years to prove it. Or three hundred. He forgot which.

Satisfied he wasn't going to get ambushed, he started racking up the pool balls, setting up for a game, just in case. Pool was something he missed from back home, and any chance to play it in a busy and hectic Tower life is pretty nice. If Diarmuid didn't know how, he'd just have to teach him. It'd be a great distraction while they had that... chat.

Smoky atmosphere, dark interior, impending chats of dubious nature he wasn't sure he wanted to actually talk about, and Elena potentially getting into trouble somewhere in the Tower. All he needed was a pack of cigarettes, a bunch of cheap booze, and a deck of cards and it would be a vacation at the Turtle's Paradise.

Sunday, Nov 17, Mid Morning, 1000
Staircase, between Floors 97 to 87

Today, Reno was trying to approach the Upper Floors to map them. Whispers and rumors, and hell, just outright observation told him that they tended to be on the more dangerous side of the Tower. One look at the giant monsters on Floor 97, and he backtracked hard, telling himself he... should probably come back with someone in tow, because it looked like a struggle even to get a vague sense of the floor and how it was constructed. Last time he was up here scoping out the floors, he didn't remember the monsters being so gigantic.

Cussing to himself, he sat down on the staircase just between 96 and 97 and glared off into space, taking a moment to think before he went off and got into trouble. Who the hell would he ask that had the skills and the survival sense enough to help out? Maybe Riku, he was a good one, and he knew when and where to dodge if something happened. Plus, that corridor thing wouldn't hurt. Or maybe Diarmuid? Elena?

Maybe it was just getting harder to think because of the stress, he should just head down to the sauna floor and take a break. Sounded like fun, but he didn't feel particularly eager to get moving again. When he did, he'd only go a few more floors and then pause and look out over the floors from the staircase. He'd be an obstruction for a while with his rolled up unfinished maps.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Floor 97 gave Reno a very interesting pinched expression and a wince. "Yeah, that's not one I'm really lookin' forward to on my own. But y'know, you're right. I'm definitely due for some fun, and y'look like you could use some time off. How 'bout we blow this and go down to the sauna or somethin'? I got some of my special alcohol, fresh made."

Jumping to his feet, he started to get really into the idea, a devil-may-care grin on his face. "Yeah, there's this place downstairs that's pretty open, didn't see any monsters down there. Then we can hit up the baths, and after that video games down on Fourteen." Pausing, he tapped his chin in thought. "What else could we do?"

"You cannot map floor 97 on your own. You will only get yourself killed, and then Elena will be mad at you. Is there no way to convince you to use a copy of the map my friend made? At least for that floor?" Diarmuid's voice is concerned. Even he doesn't patrol that floor like he does others. It is just too dangerous between the monsters and its power negating properties.

Reno's excitement at the idea of blowing work off for the rest of the day makes Diarmuid laugh, though, and, at the same time, makes him glad that he had decided it was a good idea to 'slack off' for once, "All of that sounds good to me. However, we can talk of other things to do later. First, I want to hear more about this 'special alcohol' of yours..."

"Oh yeah! I used to make it last year, y'know, for medicinal shit for Shion and for fun, because they didn't offer any back then. So I went to find my old still and whipped up a batch." Feeling through his pockets of his civilian clothes and the badly stitched up poncho, Reno produced two bottles of an amber colored liquid. "It ain't as good as the stuff I had earlier this year, but someone broke into coupl'a my stashes and stole it. I had a real good recipe with some sort of herb blend that'd knock ya on your ass, but I think Shion used it. This's... y'know, I forgot, been kinda busy. I think it's late season berries."

He held out a bottle for Diarmuid. "Not too much at a time, bro. I don't wanna have to haul your drunk ass back to the Dorms."

Diarmuid takes the bottle and then tilts it back toward Reno with a cocky grin, "You underestimate me, my friend. I realize this means little to you since your world is not like mine, but I am an Irishmen born and bred. Alcohol is in my blood. In addition to that, I am a Servant. I have found it sadly hard to get even a little tipsy here. Here's hoping your brew is as good as you claim."

"However, if you want to avoid anyone having to be drug anywhere, shall we move to the floor you mentioned before? Is it the meadow on floor 25 that you speak of or a different one?"

"You feelin' up for an adventure? It's a different one, but I haven't gone out to it yet. Just gonna see what's there before I start dedicatin' a map to it." Everything was lost on Reno, because he's pretty sure he'd never heard of... Irishmen before. But he could get right on board with the alcohol part.

"It doesn't look too bad, but y'know appearances can be deceiving. Uh, is 'Irishman' somethin' from Earth? Seems like that's where most of the Tower people are from."

~~Please, Reno. You look like you could be from Ireland yourself...~~

~~He does. Not even going to lie. Has the temper too...~~

"I am always up for adventure. After writing the Tower Guide, I know more than most about the dangers of each floor. I can let you know if there is anything we need to watch out for once we arrive," Diarmuid motions toward the stairs, waiting for Reno to lead the way. "It is an Earth term as my world is similar to the one so many of us come from a version of. In specific, it refers to those who come from a country called Ireland, though that is not what is was called when I walked its paths during my first life."

"Seems like it's got a lot of 'lands. England, Ireland... uh, there was a couple others..." His geography of Earth was woefully lacking, mostly picked up from the various inhabitants of the Tower and some Earth-based books. Taking the steps two at a time, he set out at his usual Reno-pace, expecting Diarmuid to keep up. And he was pretty darn fast with those long legs, even just walking down the stairs. "We got a bunch'a countries and some city states on Gaia, but we don't call 'em 'land anything. There's Midgar, Junon, Nibelheim, Corel, and Wutai. Coupl'a others, but most of 'em are way smaller. Midgar's the biggest, an' I think I told ya about it before."

Now that he wasn't on the job, Diarmuid was finding out just how chatty Reno could be...

"It was all real scattered before ShinRa came along. It was a weapon's company, y'know! Started mass producin' real good weapons in the early days, monsters used to run rampant so we needed a lot. That was 'bout my grandma's time. Then they discovered they could use Mako as a power source, and the whole world changed. Everything became easy, and Midgar got built up and ShinRa became the biggest company in the world. I worked for 'em." Talking, just about anything... felt really good. Even if it was pretty useless history lessons about Gaia. "There's the President, Vice President, and the Board of Departments. Weapons, Urban, Military, Science, and Space. While back, we had our own department head and a seat on the Board, but... y'know, that's a long story, but we got rolled into Military and the guy that headed that was a complete turd for brains. Anyway, important thing to remember is... higher up ya go, the more of an asshole your boss is. The rest of 'em were all kooks. Only real friend we had up there was Reeve and that Cait Sith thing of his. Then there was Rufus... but he's a real long story an' if he ever showed back up in the Tower, all I'm doin' might get shelved. Tell me 'bout Ireland, bud."

"Yes, there are quite a few. However, I am the last person to ask the reason why. Most of them didn't gain their modern names until long after I died. Some of them weren't even countries back when I was alive," Diarmuid smirks slightly at Reno's quick pace. It might impress someone else, but for Diarmuid whose special talents lay in speed and agility, it's nothing. In fact, instead of trying to keep up, he just slips into a bit of his enhanced speed and appears in the blink of an eye at the bottom of the set of stairs they are on. Once there, he continues talking as if he didn't just go down a flight of stairs in a few seconds.

"It seems odd to me that a weapon's company would be able to bring people together, but if those weapons were needed to survive against the monsters that filled your world, perhaps it is not so surprising after all. What is Mako? This is a power source I haven't heard of before. I assume it's unique to your world?" Diarmuid lets Reno continue for a while, pleased to see that the man is being so relaxed around him after their last encounter. Especially, since he had probably pressed him more than he really should have. His thoughts dwell on that encounter for a few moments before something Reno says catches his attention.

"Cat Sidhe? He was friends with a fairy creature? You asked about my home. I cannot tell you of how it is in modern day, but in my day gods and spirits still walked the world with the humans who lived there. My father was one such god and the Cat Sidhe was one of those spirits. A black cat with a white spot on his chest who stole the spirits of the dead."

"How did your friend not lose his soul to such a dark creature?"

"Mako's the planet's blood, I guess you can call it that. Until I came here I thought it was kinda standard for all planets, but heh, not a lot of planets even have magic, so that was hard gettin' my head around. Our planet's alive. Didn't I tell ya before? It destroyed Meteor at the last second." Old news, though, and Reno's happily trotting after the guy, though a bit jealous he can just pop out of the air like that.

"Uh, wha?" That made Reno pause just enough and stare down at Diarmuid with a funny expression. "How'd you know it's a black cat with a white spot? It ain't anything like a spirit or summon though, Reeve built it. It's a robotic doll."

Though, Shiva knew where the man came up with something like that.

"Is that how you were able to survive? The planet itself acted? It is almost like...well Gaia and Alaya. They are forces or wills that act to keep my world in balance. Gaia...why didn't I think of that before when I first heard the name of your world?" Diarmuid's voice drifts off into silent for a moment as he thinks about this. After a few moments, he shakes his head, "Perhaps because I know so little about them besides my former master's ramblings."

Something he knows more about is Cat Sidhe and so he shifts the topic back to that, "My father was a god, I mentioned that before. He placed protections around his home, but that was not always enough to keep the darker Fae and Fairy creatures away. The Cat Sidhe is one creature he told me stories about from a young age. What your friend made might only have been a robot, but the creatures I grew up hearing about were very real."

"Did your friend just like cats, then? Or could it be perhaps there is a version of the legend on your world and he was inspired by it?"

"Er, Gaia and Alaya? Well, way back it used to be 'Gaea' and it came from some old Cetran word. Basic world history, y'know..." At the mention of the father being a god, Reno couldn't help but roll his eyes a little bit at him. "Sheesh, was he really a god or are ya just pullin' my leg?"

The question about it being a legend was a good one. If it is, Reno couldn't remember any that sounded quite right, but then he'd been a loner except for his family for most of his childhood, and didn't really get into legends or myths when others his age did. There were a fair few that did rattle around his brain, through osmosis of legends Shinra researched into. That was how they found the Temple of the Cetra, after all.

"It might have been from old legends. There's a ton of legendary creatures that people said used to exist on our world, but don't anymore. Like mogs. The only one I know of that still is kinda around is the Summon. We got things we call 'fairy' back home, mogs were considered part of it. Lots of myths about cats... chocobos... dragons... the Summons... tonberries... Most'a those things are still around though. Hell, even marlboros. One snort of their bad breath and you're a goner." Breaking off, he shrugged and hopped down the next few steps.

"Reeve's a smart guy, probably had all kinda things in his head we couldn't figure out."

"He was," Diarmuid crosses his arms over his chest, his steps pausing for a moment as he answers. "Why would I lie about that? His name is Aengus Og. Also know as Aengus, the young or Mac Og," Diarmuid laughs softly. "The Grail tells me he was called many things over the ages, but he was Father to me. I suppose I should clarify that he was not my father by blood, but he is the only one I give the name to, so that is all that matters."

We do not talk about Donn.

"He was a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a group of gods that ruled over Ireland for a long time and now sleep beneath its soils. In specific, he ruled over love, youth, poetry and he might as well have ruled over music, though I don't know if that was officially part of his duties. He watched over me every day of my life except the last. I...miss him a great deal sometimes," Diarmuid starts walking again and shifts the subject in an effort to cover the sadness that has crept into his voice and eyes.

"Cats and dragons I know of, but mogs, chocobos, tonberries, and...marlboros? None of those names are familiar to me either through my own knowledge or through that which the Grail has given me," he shakes his head. "Perhaps, that is for the best if what you say is right."

"Legends often change over time. My father and I often played a game in which he would tell me the versions of the same story he had picked up and ask me to think about why the stories might have changed as they did. Your friend, if he is as smart as you say, is likely to have known at least some form of your version of the story of Cat Sidhe and that is what influenced him. Some things are so deeply a part of existence that it shouldn't be surprising when they show up in many different places," Diarmuid laughs softly again. "Of course, it could just be that your friend liked black cats. Tell me, what was the robot like?"

"Eh... Chocobos are here in the Tower... if ya see a large yellow bird that looks injured, yeah, that's them. Marlboros are these giant, sort of tentacle things. They got a face, with a mouth of razor sharp teeth, and the rest of their head is nothing but waving tentacles. If they spit at or breathe on ya, the venom can instantly blind and paralyze ya, as well as prevent you from speaking. There's a lot of other effects it's got, but it's a pretty nasty thing to stumble on. Mogs are... well they're white, and look sorta like cats. Remember my poker deck? One of the suits are mogs. Or moogles. Either works." The explanation is quick, falling back into step behind Diarmuid. If he wants to think his father was a god, that's all right. There's no real way of telling, but at least he's not trying to summon meteors or anything.

"Cait Sith was a black cat, it walked upright, and Reeve could talk through it. For some reason he put a little red cape on it and a gold crown. Used it for a lot of stealth missions where it was too dangerous for us. The guy could'a been a Turk himself, 'cept he couldn't fight, and sort of had this big crisis of loyalty at one point."

They were coming closer to the floor Reno had mentioned, and finally he stopped when he finished. "Hey, we're here."

It looked pretty innocuous... except for the fairy rings scattered across the meadow. Reno obviously didn't recognize that the mushrooms weren't what they appeared to be when he went wandering off into the grass.

Diarmuid listens closely as Reno explains, nodding as he mentions the chocobos. Now that he has the description to go with the name, he is sure he has run into some of them, though from the description that Reno gives of the marlboros it would make more sense for them to be here than a silly bird no matter now large.

"What is stealthy about a black robot cat with a crown and a red cape? You might as well send in one of those marlboros-- Whoa...wait! Stop!" As soon as Diarmuid spies one of those rings, he reaches out to pull Reno to a stop--harshly. The pull might be a little painful considering Diarmuid's enhanced strength, but better a little pain than trespassing, even accidentally, into the land of the Fae.

"Look," he points to one of the rings. "While this floor is quiet, if we drink here, we must beware the rings. The land within them belongs not to the Tower nor to us nor to the Administrators, and those who do own it do not kindly welcome outsiders. I take it while you might have legends about fairy creatures on your world you don't have legends about fairy rings?"

"Eh?" Reno blinked at the rings, then at the hand, then shrugged. "What are ya talking about, they're just mushrooms." And he's off again, walking forward without a care in the world, about to just step on one of those mushrooms...

Sorry, Diarmuid, different worlds with different legends and sometimes parts of those legends didn't exist... not that Reno really knew much except of the Cetran stuff he picked up along the course of the job.

The second his foot touched the red mushroom, an angry buzzing sound swarmed the meadow, as if thousands of tiny voices spoke out in anger.

"No, Reno, don't! Listen--" Diarmuid reaches out desperately to stop the red head, but he is too late and all touching the other man at the time of contact with the ring manages to do is make sure the Fairies notice him as well and draw him into the magic. Dark magic. Familiar magic. Magic that prickles and crawls along his skin like an electric charge.

Immediately, Diarmuid drops to a knee, head bowed. When he speaks, his voice is soft, though hissing, "Bow you fool, lest they take our heads without even giving us a chance to negotiate!"

"Uh-" Reno didn't get much of a chance to argue when things that looked... well, the best he could describe it was as tiny people. Angry, tiny people with weird horns and wings and many different body parts. Some were not so tiny. Glancing over at Diarmuid, he spared a frown for the guy but did what he was told, feeling sort of stupid bowing to tiny little people that didn't look like they could hurt a fly. The grass was getting his clothes stained. "Now what?"

Diarmuid doesn't look at Reno nor does he answer the man's question. Instead, his head bows and his eyes are locked on the ground in front of him. He knows very well that the appearance of the fairies is just another trick in their books. How many people have fallen prey to them because they have been fooled by their looks?

"You have my most sincere apologies, Lords and Ladies," Diarmuid's voice is soft and respectful. "My friend is from another realm. He meant no disrespect nor did--"

"You know better. Oh, but Oathbreakers should not be counted on for anything, should they? It would be a fool's action." It's an odd duality. The Fairy's voice is both very normal and frighteningly unreal. She steps away from the pack and her appearance mimics her voice. On a quick glance, she seems to be what one would usually call a pixie, but looking closer reveals pointed teeth, claws and bloodied wings. Golden eyes shift from Diarmuid to Reno before she speaks again, "Keep your wife far from this one, Outsider. Lest, he steal her away from you before you know it."

"My wife?" Reno was completely puzzled by that, sneaking another glance over at his companion. There was still a lot he didn't know about him, but the few things he did know based off of their last conversation was Diarmuid had some sort of problem in his own love life, but he had thought there was someone in the picture for him. "What's Diarmuid got to do with my wife?"

He really didn't mean insult to the strange creatures in front of them, but he probably should have known better and to keep his mouth shut.

There is no answer from Diarmuid, though if Reno looks close enough at him, the red-head will notice that he is scowling and grinding his knuckles into the ground. Tension fills his whole body. This is obviously something that upsets him.

"Mmm...methinks you should not ask me, but the Oathbreaker instead. It is his burden to bear," She smiles almost sweetly at Reno before stepping back toward her fellows again. "Our task here is not to relive the past, but to punish for the present." One small clawed hand gracefully raises and, as it does, a bloody light begins to swirl above it. It splits and then shoots out faster than either of them can react to, striking them each in the chest over their hearts.

As hard as he tries to be silent, a gasp of pain slips from between Diarmuid's gritted teeth. It feels like someone has just dug their claws into his heart and is pulling it apart bit by bit.

"We...have a right...to...negotiate..." The words fight their way out of Diarmuid's mouth. Though pained, they are confident even if their speaker is not. Back home they would have a chance to negotiate for their lives. He has no idea if those rules apply here in the Tower.

Negotiate... negotiate! That's something Reno was good at, but it got increasingly hard to think when that pain made him hiss through clenched teeth and slap a hand against his chest.

Wait, what were they negotiating for? The "punishment" the tiny woman spoke about?

"Diar... if they need..." Recompense, the word was recompense. Still, trying to force the words through his mouth was like trying to swallow a jawbreaker and get teeth pulled at the same time. "Payment, what 'bout my wine here..."

Pain flares in Diarmuid's chest preventing him from speaking. The Fairy smiles at him menacingly, as if she is telling him to remain quiet, and then turns her attention to Reno.

"In this case, the words the Oathbreaker speaks are true. You do have the right to negotiate...if we allow it," the light over her hand flares for a moment and Reno will find it easier to speak, though the pain in Diarmuid's chest seems to double finally forcing a hiss of pain from his mouth.

"Speak quickly. He bares your pain so that you may not waste our time stuttering. You have something you wish to offer, Outsider? Something worth enough that it may sway us into sparing your lives?"

"I got alcohol," Reno decided to take the creature at her word, because even if these things were AI, or some sort of illusion induced hallucination, the pain felt very, very real. "I call it berry wine but it's strong." He reached into one of the ammunition belts he had taken off of his Raven uniform and used to store things when he was moving about the Tower in, pulling out a bottle of his homemade brew. Reaching into a bag at his side he kept food in, he pulled out another, slightly smaller one. "Made it myself. Take it; we didn't mean to barge in on ya."

While Diarmuid still cannot speak through the pain, he manages to nod slightly in Reno's direction, approval pushing passed the pain in his eyes for a moment. Had he been given the chance, he would have offered the alcohol. The Fae of his homeland were notorious lovers of drink of all kinds and it seems from the twittering and whispers that break out amongst the Fairies at Reno's offer, the ones here are no different.

"It must be of high quality indeed if you offer it in exchange for your lives," the Fairy moves closer to Reno, smiling sweetly. However, if he makes the mistake of meeting her eyes as she speaks, it will feel like that blood stained claw of hers digs deep down into his soul, "You think highly of your skill, don't you?"

He did, not afraid to make eye contact even with an intimidating tiny woman who seemed to be able to kill them with a blink of her eye, if she chose. The feeling was grossly uncomfortable, but he tried to bear with it.

"Uh..." He had the feeling to be humble here, that feeling still piercing around in there. "No... I'm not really much at it and my equipment is crap, just that I've had practice. Make it to suit my tastes, y'know?" Getting the distinct impression he was failing here, he gave a nervous laugh.