six.

[sicharia]

Characters: Claudia Hortensia & OPEN
Setting: Floor 1 (or 48, 50, 101)
Format: Brackets preferred
Summary: Returning from her dead world
Warnings: TBA

[Waking up in the Tower again is—nice. Claudia wouldn't have ever thought she would find such a thing nice, but when she opens her eyes and finds herself in the dorm room, all she feels is a dim relief. It's been days—weeks?—since she's seen another living human being, and she thinks that if she had needed to stay on that planet any longer than she had, she would have gone insane.]

[...But she doesn't really have much response other than that. On her world, she had wandered like a ghost, but now that she's here again, she doesn't feel much differently than she did there. She doesn't know what she should feel or do. So, she just does what she would normally: get breakfast.]

[Really, heading down to the cafeteria is probably the most logical decision she could make, anyway. After more than a few days in that world, she lost track of time, and she's been here long enough to know she can likely tell how long she has been gone by what's being served there. This is quicker and simpler than trying to find someone she knows, then asking.]

[The selection of food makes it immediately clear what month it must be, and numbly, she thinks she couldn't have been gone too long, in that case. With the same shell-shocked detachedness that pervades her thoughts, she takes her pancakes and moves to find a place to sit, not as alert to her surroundings as she maybe should be.]

[Around meals, she'll linger here before and after she eats, as most of the people she would like to see now will have to pass through here at some point in the day. When she isn't in the cafeteria, she can be found performing her rounds in the graveyard or skulking around Floors 50 or 101.]

Comments

[unhealing]

Assassin! There you are!

[Of course, by the time Assassin reaches her side, Claudia has already risen. Without hesitation, she reaches out to greet Assassin with a hug. She's so happy to see her Servant again that she doesn't even notice the cloak she's wearing now, and what that detail should signify.]

Yes, I'm back! [She continues to hold onto Assassin, as tightly as she can manage.] I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I wouldn't have left on my own...

[glassceiling]

[She returns Claudia's hug, holding on to Claudia as tightly as Claudia clings to her.]

Are you alright now? Forgive me for not going with you.

[A tear slides down her face. She's happy enough to cry.]

No matter what, I am glad you are back.

[unhealing]

Yes, I'm fine! [She pulls back partway, her hands remaining settled on Assassin's shoulders.] You don't need to apologize, Assassin. Nothing really happened to me, and I don't think you could have gone back there with me, anyway...

[She trails off and frowns a little, thinking of it, but the moment she realizes she's doing so, she forces her expression back into a smile. Assassin has worried enough, and she really is glad to see her again, so she doesn't want to spoil their reunion.]

Mm, I'm glad to be here again, too. Are you well?

[It doesn't matter to her if it's supposed to be Assassin's job to worry about her well-being; it'd be callous of her not to worry as well.]

[glassceiling]

[For a second, Assassin's expression turns worried when she sees Claudia's frown, but she perks up again when she sees Claudia smile.]

Yes...I am fine.

[She just feels somewhat sluggish, and sometimes she disappears into the void. But she does not want to worry Claudia with this. Not because she figures out what is really happening to her.]

[Still, her answer is a little hesitant.]

[unhealing]

[Claudia's smile doesn't fade, but her lips do purse together faintly. Where her hands rest on Assassin's shoulders, she traces the seams of the cloak she herself had sown, thoughtfully.]

You're wearing this thing again, though... Why is that?

[She has no intention of calling Assassin a liar, so she asks that instead.]

[glassceiling]

...Oh.

[She pulls the cloak a little tighter around herself.]

It is...because I have had a little trouble generating my own cloak. That is all.

[unhealing]

Mm. [Her expression dims as that suspicion is confirmed. Unthinkingly, as Assassin pulls the cloak tighter, Claudia copies her, the action an unthinking, distracted one.] Why is that? Did something happen?

[Of course hearing that worries her. Were Assassin's powers still malfunctioning, or had something else occurred...?]

[glassceiling]

[It takes Assassin a while to think of a good answer, one that would not alarm Claudia too much.]

...Nothing too dangerous. I just tried to help fix some damage that was done to the Tower. It seems one of the results is that I am having trouble with my powers.

[unhealing]

I see. It sounds like I missed some things, then! [Claudia tries to sound upbeat, but it comes off as a little forced.] Could you fill me in on what happened while I was—away?

[She doesn't press about what happened to Assassin personally, instead focusing on the more general state of affairs.]

[glassceiling]

There was not very much that you would have wanted to see.

[Thinking back on it, she's glad Claudia missed the explosion and the recharge attempt, since Assassin is feeling the side effects even now.]

There was...an explosion. But it has been fixed. And the Tower has also been given more power. Hopefully. Jason lives still. Apparently, he was the one causing the explosions.

[unhealing]

Hm... Even so, I'd rather be in the loop, even if that means having to deal with upsetting things. It isn't fair for me avoid what everyone else has to deal with. Jason was really proven to be the one responsible, though?

[glassceiling]

[Claudia's answer makes Assassin feels a little nervous. She almost wants to tell Claudia about how the Tower had been recharged, but now that everything was over, Claudia might needlessly blame herself for Assassin's condition.]

Riki said so. Do you think he would have reason to lie?

[unhealing]

I wasn't here to see what occurred for myself, but—if Jason really is the cause, then he also lied to us about it, and did so in a way that made me inclined to accept his word. I'm not sure it's wise to accept information from any of them without any skepticism.

[glassceiling]

I was once told they were not in the habit of lying. But I suppose they must have changed their ways.

[And now she has to wonder if Riki really successfully recharged the Tower.]

What did Jason tell you?

[unhealing]

After the first of those explosions happened, Jason left a message on the terminals, accusing us of being the ones responsible. He didn't seem pleased about it. Of course, that could have been an act, but—why did Riki give you that information?

[glassceiling]

It was...

[She hesitates, looking a bit guilty.]

It was because he wanted to ask us to recharge the Tower, and keep Jason from creating any more explosions.

[unhealing]

Earning our cooperation would be a very good reason to lie—but then, you might question why he would choose to blame one of the other administrators, if that were the case. I guess we can only wait and see.

[Claudia pauses as well, then, studying Assassin in silence for a moment.]

And whatever "recharging" entailed, that's why you're having trouble with your powers now?

[For as cool as Claudia's tone had been as she reasoned through situation, there's a faint note of fondness to it now.]

[glassceiling]

[She doesn't like to believe that Riki would so brazenly lie to the inhabitants. At the same time, though, if he had to lie, then blaming Jason might be easy. After all, nobody trusted Jason.]

...Yes.

[She mutters in response to Claudia's question.]

I hope it will stop...

[Before she can finish her sentence, she suddenly blinks into the void.]