Log 028 | Still keeping an eye open...

[neverbeamemory]

Characters: Sephiroth & OPEN, #2 Closed: Lancelot
Setting: #1 - Infirmary Fl  2 [Backdated 8th Dec], #2 - Stadium/Arena Fl 50 [12th Dec], #3 - Dormitory Floors & 3-02 [13th Dec] 
Format: Prose to start, taggers choice 
Summary: #1 - Another failure at a skipped collar check, #2 - A spar with Lancelot, #3 - Patrolling/passing through Dormitory Halls and/or Inventory checking his Trunk for the first time in a while. 
Warnings: None for now, other than Violence in #2. 'Usual' Sephiroth warnings to apply.  

#1> Backdated: 8th December, Mid-afternoon. Infirmary Fl 2 - OPEN
The same old ceiling.

The same old subconscious check that all his thoughts were in order. The last recollection before he passed out, what floor he'd been on, what he'd been doing. That same old deeper check, that he still feels like himself. It was a Jason month after all.

The truth was it had all become too clockwork. His bi-monthly refreshing of power-repressing, soul-containing fluid completed and as was very common Sephiroth found himself waking up on a bed in the Infirmary shortly after he'd been dragged in. Two arms, two legs, no extra appendages and at least in control of his own actions - however it might be argued to the contrary. He bent his arm up and tucked his palm behind his head, idly fingering at the back section of his collar as once more Sephiroth allowed his thoughts to wander, there wasn't any rush today.

He could have gone willingly yesterday, and Sephiroth had specifically done so before when there wasn't work to be done the next day and he doesn't need to randomly lose consciousness. To look at and ponder the different looking retrieval unit in the room that he had never seen do anything remarkable despite Ganondorf's recently shared information. To study at the equipment out in the room, to mentally put theory on top of theory while he allowed his focus to drift away from the very invasive nature of his flushing. The proverbial pile of them inside kept on growing.

It hadn't been one of those days.

Soon. It has to be soon.

Sephiroth sensed movement nearby and it knee-jerked him out of his thoughts as it trip-wired at his extended awareness. He blinked the impression of the ceiling away from behind his eyelids as quickly he sat up and looked over in the direction that he thought something had moved. He grunted audibly as his new, silent, also collared companion slipped into view at the nearest doorway. The exact same one again, unless he was very much mistaken or missing small details. Doubtful, considering the fine tooth comb once-over he'd given the new supervisor when it had first became clear that they weren't rotating anymore. It concerned him greatly what the swap could be a precursor to, what the consequences could mean for the future - certainly it would be easier for one drone to learn his habits and tricks in losing his supervision, when compared to a rotating set of them. Troubling thoughts.

But was that the only presence his senses caught nearby? Sephiroth didn't let his gaze leave the doorway until he was sure. Whatever it could be, monster or resident, would make itself known eventually. Or his own paranoia might be starting to lie to him. 

#2> 12th December, Late Morning. Stadium Fl 50 CLOSED: Lancelot
Sephiroth stepped out from the stairwell into the vast and this-time empty stadium. Then paused a few feet in after verifying that it was completely empty. Yes, this would do well for his purposes. He smirked lightly to himself as he continued a slow approach into the middle of the space, then looked slowly up towards the lights, down and around again; to make sure. Monsters could spring out of any dark corner at any time. It didn't seem that the one he had come here for was here yet. Sephiroth hoped that Lancelot hadn't lost his nerve since their last discussion.

The stadium had much more floor space, much more overhead space also when compared to the Gymnasium several floors below. There should be plenty of room to fully test out at each others' capabilities, and this floor was far enough 'off the beaten track' to lessen the chances of anyone else disturbing them. Perfectly situated near-enough half-way between calling elevator floors. 

#3> 13th December Dormitory Hallways & Dormitory 3-02 - Tag: Hidetoshi & OPEN
Between his personal regime of at least two showers a day, trips to the various other floors of the Tower and/or Dormitory 3-02 at seemingly random intervals for collar-related work and/or personal research, and his late-night monster hunting; Sephiroth patrolling the Dormitory Hallways could not be an uncommon sight, by now, for many to behold.

It remained important to keep an idea about the residency of the Tower, and even just glancing at door panels as he passed them was a way to keep track of not only who specifically slept where, but also the volume of residents at any point. Despite the fact that Sephiroth slept two floors removed from the elevator point on a much emptier floor now; everyone had to go to Dorm Floor 1 for that reason. It was by far the most occupied of the Dormitory Levels as far as he could tell as well and therefore any excuse to stalk patrol the Hallways was a good one.

Today, on the back of one of these patrols Sephiroth retired to his Dormitory for a few moments. He set a large hardback book down on his bed and knelt down in front of his Trunk. It had been a long time since he'd done an inventory check, indeed ever since seeing retrieval's go through his trunk he'd hardly ever opened it; what would be the reason after all if everything inside were only Glamor. Even that impressive (but inert) gleaming black orb right in the bottom were really only made of film, made to taunt him. Every so often Sephiroth looked up; he ought to keep an eye out for Hidetoshi, after coming to an agreement that he had no intention of letting sit until the Tower fell apart around them.

Comments

hallways

[glassceiling]

[Sephiroth is not the only person who keeps track of the rooms. Though most of the names might as well not mean anything to Assassin now, she like to be able to figure out which of the new people she met lived in which room. It's a way for her to keep track of potential allies and enemies in this Tower.]

[Because she has not lived here for long, and usually abandoned her room in favor of Claudia's, she tenses at the sight of an unknown man reading the sign of her room.]

Is there any particular reason that you're reading that sign?

[She tries to keep her voice level. She doesn't want to give away too much or arouse unneeded suspicion.]

[neverbeamemory]

[Perhaps it's a symptom of his various activities in the Tower, and his continued containment without a single trip home, but most room panels have a name of someone he's at least heard of if not actually met.

Not so, in the case of this particular (01-07) room. Sephiroth has read the sign two or three times already, digging within his memories to try and conjure a face. Failing. Assassin's level tone earns a quick glance to the side at her, he doesn't recognize this one at all and so this earns more of a head turn and a flicking of rapid eyes all over - for identifying her distinguishing features first.]

I read all of the signs.

[Sephiroth answers coolly. It's the most natural thing to he doing, in his opinion. If it makes her nervous, it's not his problem.]

[glassceiling]

How meticulous. And might I ask why?

[That answer doesn't reassure her at all. He might be a lot more dangerous if he isn't keeping tabs on just one specific person.]

[neverbeamemory]

To remain informed.

[About the level of the population here, in case there were a name he ever recognized from his Planet that he hasn't yet come across personally. Lots of other reasons.]

It changes a lot.

[glassceiling]

With every new arrival, I assume?

[neverbeamemory]

With every new arrival, with every one lost back to their World. Sometimes they come back again as well, sometimes not.

[Sounds like someone is still a little new herself?]

dormitory 3-02

[altitonant_emperor]

[ A short time later the door clicks open. Hidetoshi steps inside, posture as ramrod-straight as ever despite the edge of tiredness and lack of sleep to his bearing: folded neatly in his arms are his own sets of winter and summer clothes, newly washed and cleaned best the teenager could do. He'd wanted to get that particular task done before the monthly horrors set in.

After his school uniform had been shredded during one of his deaths, Hidetoshi had finally stopped wearing it all the time and settled for a simple combination of a white shirt and black pants. Making a beeline over to the corner of the room with his bed to dump his clothes down, Hidetoshi politely greets the older man crouched in front of his own trunk as he does so. ]

Good afternoon, Sephiroth-san.

[neverbeamemory]

[The door clicking finds open Sephiroth with a small bag (of his candies from last month) opened within the trunk and his making sure they were all still there. He's not eaten any of them, of course, not being the type for such childish treats - but that's not to say someone else couldn't have taken one.

He notes Hidetoshi's entrance and nods as the straight-backed prefect passes behind him to his own section of their Dormitory. Closing the bag up and contemplating to close his trunk-]

Hello Hidetoshi. [As ever there is no 'Good' salutation. But Sephiroth does spend a few more moments watching the younger man, wondering if now might be a bad time; but then quickly coming to the fact that he doesn't care all that much.] How have you been?

[altitonant_emperor]

Passable enough.

[ No new mental scarring or anything! He begins folding his laundry so he can stuff it back into his trunk, starting with the shirts. Not that he needed to exactly. Hidetoshi's trunk wasn't really packed to the brim or anything; a cloak clasp and paperweight from Nesir, his packet of notes, letters from other residents, a pair of old sandals, toothpaste and toothbrush, and a cloak from Enoch was all that was inside.

He glances over his shoulder at Sephiroth. ] And yourself?

[ He hadn't paid too much attention to what Sephiroth had in his hands when he'd came into the dormitory so he doesn't pay the bag of candy any mind. ]

[neverbeamemory]

[That could be said for all of them, really. Though Sephiroth finds he's becoming de-sensitive to a lot of it. A few days in that prison months ago might not have been so easily brushed off.]

About the same, no one hijacking me from my bed recently. I suppose I should be thankful, considering the cycle.

[It's something of a bad joke, a tasteless reference to the aftermath of his last death - but Sephiroth doesn't offer further comment about it. Instead he closes his trunk and stands, turning to face Hidetoshi. Lowering his voice a touch.]

How did you find the rest of that gathering?

[Despite his new retrieval unit likely lingering outside the door in the Hallway, Sephiroth has no qualms in discussing things. He already supposes that the chance of the Admins knowing about the same is sky-high.]

[altitonant_emperor]

[ Quite true, either desensitization or insanity sets in after a certain amount of time spent scraping out a survival in the Tower. Also, don't remind Hidetoshi of things that could potentially lead to remembering that one time he saw your sweaty, bare butt. He could go a lifetime without recalling that sight.

He finishes folding his shirts, sets them down on the bed again and starts on his pants. The former vice president of the student council raises an eyebrow thoughtfully. ]

Ah, that's right. You didn't turn up for awhile not too long ago... Did something come up?

[ Guess who is not privy to the whole clusterfuck series of events with Diarmuid, that recently concluded with Sephiroth's prolonged stay in one of the jail floor's cells. Guess who.

But onto to more immediate topics; Sephiroth stands up, turning to face him and the teenager diverts his attention to him in response. He moderates the volume of his voice just as quietly. His gray eyes flicker to his trunk, where all of his painstakingly-careful notes were currently stored. He'll get them out in a moment. ]

Informative, even if I don't think anything truly new was unearthed. Did you have any more luck? [ Testing the waters to see where he might start off here. ]

[neverbeamemory]

Doesn't it always, invariably.

[Between being carted off for collar checks that he ignores the announcement for, or at whatever-Admin's pleasure, or even an extended monster hunt Sephiroth being away from the Dormitory isn't exactly a rare occurrence.

Such as that one time which he still remembers ending up scrubbing a floor at your instruction, Hidetoshi - but you left a sincere letter of apology for that dire slight to his pride so it's all done and forgiven. Since then, there hadn't been any other time at which they might have been at odds.]

I agree. I heard a lot of snippets of ideas that I have heard before or were mere logical conclusions. Psychoradiation, Glamour, Real equipment. It's nothing I've no experience with myself and I'm sure you're of the same leaning.

[He keeps his voice low and careful. Hidetoshi is welcome to start on any of the above-mentioned points. Sephiroth in the meantime retreats back towards the side of his bed, and fishes in the pillowcase for a tightly bound set of notes.]

The supervisors have been switched though, I'm unsure what to make of it.

Hallways

[bowandblade]

[Archer smirks to himself as he catches sight of the tall, silver-haired man who sweeps through the dormitory halls with such presence. While he favored exploring the entirety of the Tower, journeying back to the dorms usually meant seeing the man at some point in his patrol.

Ultimately, it's boredom and faint curiosity that fuel him into finally acknowledging the man audibly.]

Keeping an eye on the entire Tower, are you?

[He slips a hand into his pocket casually and regards Sephiroth confidently.]

[neverbeamemory]

[This particular patrol-time is more of a passing through towards a stairwell than in the direction of the elevator. Sephiroth stops and regards the other man carefully. Sephiroth's precise, almost surgically so, gaze can sometimes seem to increase the weight of his presence tenfold. No detail is too small, no small gesture to be taken for granted - this applies to everyone here.]

It's important to know what's around.

[There is the impression that this is a somewhat over-used statement; it sounds a little flat in tone.]

[bowandblade]

[Archer's stance exudes arrogance, his chin tilted slightly to meet Sephiroth's gaze with red eyes that show their slit irises in the artificial light. Facing the man head-on now, he sees even more surely the resemblance to the child that Shinji had introduced him to; not that reputation did not already precede the adult Sephiroth.]

Important to know who is around.

[He smirks.]

Allies, enemies. So many lines drawn in this place.

[neverbeamemory]

[The pupils of Sephiroth's own eyes retract into slits and back in something of an inside-eye blink as the arrogance in this distraction is quickly picked up on. Like recognizes like, after all.]

Who. [He mirrors in a tone with a slight hint of disagreement.]

My previous statement applies.

[He is, after all more concerned with what he might find himself opposed to rather than particularly who]

[bowandblade]

Certainly. [He sounds agreeable, almost amused, as he continues to smirk at the taller man. There was a coldness he detected that differed from the child -- not that he did not expect a difference from child to adult.

He was a very different person as a child.]

Sephiroth.

[He enunciates each syllable in his name, humming as he comes to the end.]

You seem to have upset a number of people here with your actions.

[neverbeamemory]

[A coldness which he has spent over a year doing little but hardening up. Archer's smirk is a little unnerving, but he has greater patience to let such a gesture really touch him. As for his resemblance with his younger doppelganger; there are distinct similarities, there are sharper differences.

Sephiroth remembers nothing of his childhood.]

Hm. [Hardly a surprise that his name is starting to get around, all considered.]

People here do not know what's good for them.

December 13th - Hallways

[provenworth]

With winter approaching, Elena is all too aware of the need for warmth and food. With Reno tackling the food situation and Xion taking care of the clothing situation, Elena doesn't have much in the way of responsibilities. Except for one major thing. Research. Coming up to speed with the chaos of the tower, the research being done by the various collar teams, and that little thing called psycho-radition.

Her conversation with Waver had been very interesting, but has left her wanting more. So she had started the slow collection of books to go through and increase her understanding. And, on ensure that she had a place silent enough where she could study without much interruption, Elena took to using one of the many empty rooms on the third floor of the dormitory. Granted, lugging several thick books proved to be an annoyingly tiresome process, but her mini-library was coming along quite well.

She's got her arms laden with a trio of scientific books this trip, tucked carefully under her arm, the fourth open in her free hand, fingers expertly turning the page during her quick scan, looking for key words and phrases that would pique her interest.

[neverbeamemory]

Winter was very much already there in the Tower, though undoubtedly it could get colder. Not that it mattered very much at all to this particular resident. Only when powerless would such things really have a chance at effecting him and Sephiroth didn't want to be in that position again; at least for as long as he could avoid it.

The third dormitory floor was much easier to keep track of in terms of it's residency nowadays on account of the lesser numbers and that suited him just fine. Not having to share a bathroom ever with anyone, if he was careful about his timing, was one of those things Sephiroth didn't hesitate to take advantage of.

And that time was right about now. Sephiroth left his Dormitory clad in his dark grey gymnasium attire of plain jogging pants and vest; bare feet uncaring for the cold nor any hazards that might present themselves as he swept down the hallway towards the male bathroom. He turned the corner to Elena approaching towards him, and considered for a moment to turn back around; he didn't want to deal with her at the best of any time but the various books she had tucked under an arm were noticed.

The smallest tingle of a frown drew the next question; this was his dormitory floor, what was she doing here with all those books? Already he had paused for a moment too long though and Sephiroth made to walk past her. Even though she were occupied he knew hands down she'd probably see him, though he may well move to sweep around her if she didn't look where she was going.

#2 Stadium Fl 50

[chevalier_mal_fet]

[The agreement had been subtle enough, but Lancelot had not let it slip from his Mind.
There is another Shadow under the harsh lights of the Stadium, this one cast at a seemingly impossible angle. The black mist of it twists in the air a moment-- before resolving itself into Lancelot.
He wears no armor as yet, only his habitual dark suit. His gloved hands are empty, Adonright invisible at his side.]

Sephiroth.

[neverbeamemory]

[As soon as the black mist distorts in the air it has Sephiroth's attention. Masamune is instantly in his grasp and he's waiting for a monster to-

-oh.

Stance relaxes, Masamune swept around and tucked up under his forearm - the blade like a great pincer extending up the back of his whole arm only to come away passed his head. Silver head nods an acknowledgment.]

Impressive.

Ancient Tag: Feel Free to Ignore If You Wish!

[chevalier_mal_fet]

I will say the same, as your blade demands the compliment.

[As he bows his head in return, Arondight appears in Lancelot's hand, the Mist surrounding the Knight vanishing as if dispersed. Lancelot's own blade is dark, its surface scored with lines like runes, and behind them, a faint glow of embers-- chains cross the hilts and mounts, black with age, or something else entirely.]

As you are dressed for Battle, I concede to go Armored or without at your pleasure. What say you, Sephiroth?

I will never Ignore!!

[neverbeamemory]

Armor or weapon alike wouldn't make very much difference if we at some point lost the Glamour so I leave this to your discretion.

[Though, it doesn't look like Lancelot has brought any armor with him. Then again he didn't have his own sword a moment ago either. Something else they have in common it seems, the ability to summon equipment from nothing; Sephiroth wonders for a moment as he eyes that dark, rune-d blade, if perhaps the catalyst that allows them to do this is similar as well.

This spar is one that he has wanted to explore for a great many months.]

Are there any other conditions that we should agree on beforehand?

[chevalier_mal_fet]

This is true enough--
[Dark and hulking, a red light glaring from its helm, the scourges that adorn it waving in an unfelt wind, the armor manifests for a moment, as if held in readiness, before vanishing entirely.]
-- and as you wear no armor of your own, I will be as you see me now.

[Sephiroth's sword is like a streak of light-- though he familiar with such weapons now, he never saw it's like in life. After a moment's consideration, The Dark Knight gives his answer.]
I can think of none-- save to say that it be understood we do not seek each other's lives.