(no subject)

[midgarhorizon]

Characters: Anyone who stayed behind
Setting: 29th to the 31st, Anywhere
Summary: After the volunteers went below, what did those who stayed behind do?
Warnings: Usual Animus warnings, check for subject lines!


[Post your prompt and time in a subthread!]

Comments

Jan 29th Hidden Floor

[midgarhorizon]

[Hoping for the best is the only thing Reno could really do right now for the volunteers, that and wait in case something happened that needed his attention. For the rest of the day, however, he's on the Hidden Floor, transferring notes from where they were hidden to a table in the Hidden Floor for easier access.

He places the note Enoch gave him with the others, and started to organize them by topic.

Doc Brown's notes were there, too, along with the box of his equipment. He couldn't even find the Doc now, he'd wanted to ask a question about what some of these labels meant, but figures that one of the other scientists might know. Or Shion.

Some of them he sets up on a large wooden board he had taken from the workshop, pinning papers and maps to it. There's no real rhyme to it, however, it was merely the way Reno's mind worked, hoping to see something there.

There's another board with a large sheet of paper on it, which he used to write down notes of some kind or another in shorthand.

From the look on his face, his brainstorming isn't going well.]

slides in

[bloodyashes]

[The brainstorming not going well is obvious if you're paying attention, yeah. It's probably not too much longer that Reno will find a plate nudged under his elbow, with some kind of makeshift, warm eggs-and-meat sandwich on it.

Truly the redheads have fallen, if Asch is reduced to mother-henning.]

Figured anything out?

[midgarhorizon]

[Reno drops the pencil he's been holding and makes a small noise (more like a grunt, really) of thanks when he sees the food.]

Not really. I'm not really a scientist, metaphysicist, or any kind of "ist." My best subject? Freakin' Lifestream theory, and I had to know that because of my job. But I'm thinking Old Bugenhagen himself would have a shit time of this, too.

Even without the science crap, I'm not really gettin' anything. The biggest breakthrough I figured out during the entire stay here is that conversation I had with Dax, but, I thought we were clones or something like that.

[He sits down hard in a chair and pulls the food toward him, not arguing that he isn't hungry; he needed energy either way.]

Kind wish everyone would write down all the weird flash back things they've had since September. We might be able to piece some of this stuff together.

[bloodyashes]

[Finally someone who accepts the cooking without complaint. Asch pulls out another chair and takes a seat, a quarter turn of the table away from Reno.]

Can't be helped. Most people are more worried about saving their mental health than they are piecing things together.

[He pushes a stray pen out of the way and starts skimming some of the notes.]

[midgarhorizon]

Yeah. I tried gettin' all I could from that meeting last November, but some of it's still pretty sketchy. And it doesn't cover all the stuff they said after the carnival.

[Taking a bite of the sandwich, he chews without comment. Whether the cooking is good or bad he can't really tell right then, he's too hungry.]

I feel like we have a lot of the pieces, but we're missin' something or not putting them together right.

this icon all thread long

[bloodyashes]

[An absent nod - still reading.]

Whatever that piece is, it's entirely possible that it was just lost, when whoever knew it disappeared.

[Which reminds him of something - Asch sets the notes down to shuffle through for a blank sheet of paper.]

[midgarhorizon]

What're you looking for?

[Reno's got the locations of all the various notes down in his head.]

[bloodyashes]

Something blank.

[Aha, victory - Asch drags a couple sheets out from under a stack and snatches up the pen again, starting to sketch.]

The person who originally found this out is gone - it's a sequence what removes the collar from the body. One of the Rikus had the stylus for it, last I knew.

[midgarhorizon]

Remind me to sit on them for a couple weeks for not lettin' that one out.

[Reno's grumbling, but he's looking at the paper with curiosity, making sure to memorize it in case the copy ever got lost.]

Sephiroth | 31st Jan - Daytime | Stairwells

[neverbeamemory]

[Dodging bright electrical arcs is fun?

Almost as fun as then dodging right into one of those foreboding rips in reality and blinking out of existence completely for anything up to an hour. Only to then reappear having lost that time forever.

With the power continuing to be unreliable in the Tower, Sephiroth isn't taking any chances being stuck in an elevator for who-knows how long again this week. So getting around has to be by pounding the steps, keeping a careful eye out for anything that looks like it might spark in his direction. Pausing intermittently on the stairwell every time there is a louder hum or rattle, just in case -since who knows- the whole thing might just give up. He'd trust his powers to keep him from falling. Especially now the problems he's been having with them seem to be calming down, typical.

His now-real black feathered wing is manifested, in preparation for anything.

Feel free to encounter him as he dodges into your path avoiding sparks, or even as he blinks back into reality at times.]

HI

[myblueskies]

Romeo is patrolling the halls, since Ken talked him out of going down with the others he was doing his best to look after those who had stayed behind.

He made a sound of surprise and stumbled back as a figure appeared in front of him. "Mister Sephiroth?" He looked around, wondering where he had come from.

ajbedkytawvuykb Romeooooooo

[neverbeamemory]

Sephiroth blinks and spins on a dime to face the small boy. To him of course, Romeo is the one that has appeared out of no where.

"You."

Quickly though, Sephiroth recognizes the boy and knows he's not a threat; just bound to be an irritation. It takes a bit longer than normal to unwind from his defensive stance though. The feathered wing arched up and curled in on his right side still looks about ready to assist in propelling him away if provoked.

[myblueskies]

"Yes it's me, sir!" Romeo blinked at him, "How did you do that? You just appeared from no where, is it part of your magic?"

[neverbeamemory]

Romeo's questions do not help to lessen the tension in Sephiroth's frame. Not by a mile.

"What are you talking about?" It was almost snapped, cushioned only by the fact that Sephiroth knows full-well Romeo doesn't mean to be so irritating towards him.

[myblueskies]

Romeo blinked, "You just appeared. You weren't here before, sir." As usual he seems unaffected by Sephiroth's annoyance.

[neverbeamemory]

Sephiroth also blinks, and looks down and over himself thoroughly as if Romeo might be seeing something he's not. He turns one way, and then the other but then resets himself facing Romeo squarely, one silver eyebrow quirked at the corner.

There was nothing out of place that wasn't out of place just a moment before.

"That's-" He didn't want to say 'impossible', considering their circumstances but the word was still there unspoken. "You must not have been paying attention."

After all, he wears all black - with the power in such a state that it's in, Romeo could be forgiven for overlooking him. Even if it was far-fetched, being six-foot one topped with gleaming silver hair and armor.

[myblueskies]

"I was!" Romeo frowned, he had been patrolling and looking for monsters so he had been paying a lot of attention, but Sephiroth had not been there before and now he had been. "No one was in this corridor before and then you were there, I'm not lying sir and I paid lots of attention!"

[neverbeamemory]

There was really no way to tell, but Romeo was asserting again that he had not been there a moment ago and from what Sephiroth knew of the kid he wasn't such a brat about things having to be his way usually. That's not to say that he couldn't be, though.

There was no way though, that Sephiroth would concede to the opinion of a minor over his own. Especially when he himself was half-suspicious of further pranks, considering the incident with certain-said rooster.

But it was the Tower. Could he really have vanished for a bit? If so where did he go to? It's disconcerting considering the damaged state of the spine of the Tower.

"Whatever," And so he let it go, just like that apparently. "I'm here now, anyway."

[evokingfool]

[When it start sparking, Minato made sure to mentally equip himself with his electricity immune Persona. He's more vulnerable to two elements as a result, but as long he's careful, he won't die another death.

Accompanied by a beast adorned in golden accessories, Minato traveled through the floors and avoiding the rips in space as much as he can. Between the void and avoiding any possible monster encounters, he was tense and on guard.

Which meant Sephiroth's sudden appearance startled him. He raised his sword and Barong stood protectively in front of him]

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth's sudden blink back into reality is preceded by a spark of electricity connecting almost exactly with that spot. It might be considered that the two were connected events, even if they aren't.

The tall silver haired man blinks as first Barong, and then Minato behind him return to his focus. In a motion almost too-quick to be seen, his left hand is flicked and Masamune is suddenly there, curved along the back of his forearm and held in front defensively.]

Minato.

[It's a cautious test. Surely if the boy with the Persona was going to attack this would be the opportunity he'd take.]

[evokingfool]

[His grip almost tightens when he realised it's Sephiroth and the ever so familiar Masamune was there.

Between Ryoji's old warning about Sephiroth, the one that made him stopped their lessons, and hearing about Sephiroth's presence for the Nyx Avatar's appearance. He didn't see him there, but...it did little to remove his unease and his mixed feelings.]

...Sephiroth.

[But attacking him Sephiroth right here and now? How would it help anyone, when it's likely he'd just get killed?]

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth has only reacted to the raised sword plus Persona that he's been suddenly faced with. Apparently Minato has some sort of teleportation trick as well that he's used to suddenly appear here like that as well. What else could he want other than a fight.

His grip flexes around Masamune's hilt but neither does he move to attack or step out of his stance. It's odd, why hasn't the boy attacked yet...

Burning green embers within his eyes, in the darkness flick all over Minato and the accompanying familiar. Waiting for any sign of the imminent attack. Silently testing them.]

[evokingfool]

[Minato can still feel the urge to turn his back and run. How he almost take a step back away from Sephiroth.

At this point, either a tactical retreat or negotiations are the best choices. Better than engaging Sephiroth in battle, without a clear goal or a guaranteed strategy for victory.

He lowers his sword a little, but his grip haven't loosen.]

...I'm not here to fight.

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth interprets the lowered sword as a test to his resolve. He won't back down so readily, if anything Sephiroth's stance nearly hums with the impending fight.]

Then why are you here?

[Slightest head tilt in the direction of the Persona.]

[evokingfool]

Patrolling.

[Minato saw that headtilt, before willing Barong to relax. The Persona doesn't look like it's about to pounce Sephiroth, but it's still watching him.]

Barong is immune electricity, so his presence is useful.

[For every Persona he called forth, he temporarily take on their resistances until he change them. Thus, using Barong is only logical.]