towerofanimus | Taking the long road home

Taking the long road home

Characters: Anyone. Everyone.
Setting: The few days after the event, throughout the Tower as you will.
Format: Mingle! Assign your own dates/locations/etc, tag yourself, do as you do.
Summary: Jason's dead. So are a lot of other people. Fallout and picking up the pieces.
Warnings: Discussion of death and cannibalism inevitable.

[Catch-all for events following the Event. Discuss Jason's death and its consequences, come back from the dead, party?, quiver in fear?, take a long, hot bath. Whatever it is you do, do it here.]

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[This second time that Diarmuid comes to the hidden floor, Sephiroth is laid back on one of the benches, a pile of discarded dressings to the side of him. He's resting still, though has been a lot more -carefully- mobile on this floor when compared to yesterdays hardly-able to move stage.

The natural lethargy from not sleeping in his Dormitory will start to creep in soon though, he knows, but later today if he takes it easy Sephiroth has no reason to think he won't be able to tackle those minimal flights of stairs. He can tell, internally now, that within another day he'll be back to himself.

Eyes squint open as Diarmuid approaches, and gets within the scope of awareness Sephiroth is keeping about himself whilst he's vulnerable. He half-tenses, unsure of what to expect from the Servant but forces himself to relax. There isn't any reason Diarmuid could bear him ill will in this instance.

As Diarmuid retreats off into another corner, Sephiroth takes a deep breath and slowly sits back up. He eyes the food suspiciously, not necessarily needing it, but his stomach growls nonetheless - the extra energy from food will indeed expedite his recovery even further. Maybe he will pick at it, once the Servant is not there.

Those words though. Initially Sephiroth isn't sure what to make of them, and he's not really been thinking all that hard on Jason's death, and the consequences, so far.]

Proud? It needed to be done.

[Diarmuid smirks when he hears Sephiroth's stomach growl. As much as the man might be ignoring the food at the moment, Diarmuid has a feeling that the food will be eaten as soon as he leaves. Well, that is good enough. Let him keep his much valued pride in tack.

And speaking of pride...]

So you all needed to prove to Ruana how well she has trained you to bark at her command, because that is really all you have done. She dangled a treat in front of your face and all of you jumped. Something to be very proud of, I am sure.

[Though his voice is calm, there is an intensity to it that cannot be ignored. It's obvious he dislikes what has happened, even if he realizes there was no way to stop it. He just wishes it had happened...differently. While Diarmuid's eyes are on the report in front of him, he is obviously more focused on Sephiroth and his reaction than the words on the page. He and Sephiroth are very different men and he has to admit he is curious to the man's thoughts on the situation. Did he help everyone because he wanted Jason dead for vengeance sake or is it something else?]

[Oh, Diarmuid. Did you have to?

Instantly the serenity that Sephiroth has been trying to enjoy is shattered and he might have jumped to his feet if he hadn't reigned hard against the instant reaction. Jolting himself to his feet is only going to make him look stupid; he'd stumble at the least, fall on his ass at the worst. As such, though he visibly bristles Sephiroth doesn't move from his position sat up on the bench.

That sickening feeling stabs in again and twists it's barbed edge around his ego - the silver haired man finds it hard to disguise the resulting scowl completely.]

That's not fair.

[Pause.]

As if I need to be reminded that I was controlled again.

[It's out on a hot rush of anger before Sephiroth can help himself. This feeling is just too much this time.]

Not fair?

[Diarmuid looks at Sephiroth out of the corner of his eyes, eyebrow raised.]

You of all people complaining about something not being fair? I never thought I would hear that. What a good day this is turning out to be.

[His eyes return to the report in front of him and he is quiet for several moments, shifting papers the only sound from where he is standing. Finally, he speaks again.]

At least you realize it. I wonder how many of the others don't. It seems that Jason was not the only one who was trying to train us into some kind of learned behavior. Ruana was just better at it in the end...

[Diarmuid doesn't understand. None of them ever will. He could have had a body again, to couple with his now-real powers and finally get himself out of this prison Tower. At least that's what he had believed, what he had fought for, survived for, what he would have killed for.

Until Ruana had broken the spell over all of them.

It is probably just as well that none of them will ever understand his particular problem with the fact that he's been lied to again. Let Diarmuid attempt to rub him up the wrong way with it if he likes. At the time, for all Sephiroth knew it had been the only way.]

It just demonstrates how much about each of us she really does know, to know exactly which strings to pluck.

[The level of disgust in Sephiroth's tone is about as intense as Diarmuid's own calm variant a moment ago. Clearly, and perhaps expectantly, Sephiroth has taken this whole thing as more than a personal insult to him. He is his worst critic when it comes to failure.]

[It is too bad that Sephiroth is so caught up in himself at the moment, since Diarmuid is actually giving him a compliment of sorts. He fears that too many people are just going to see that Jason is dead and cannot hurt them anymore. It's a noble goal, but at the same time they have also proven to Ruana that if she gives them good enough bait they will do whatever she tells them to.

And what will Riki and Zo think of them now? If they had any reason to trust the residents, will they dare to continue doing so when said residents were so willing to slaughter on of their own just because Ruana told them to?]

She is a master of manipulating emotions. Jason was a master of manipulating bodies. I know which one I fear more.

[He would rather not think about what Ruana might have gained from Jason when she consumed him. She had gained some form of Dax's powers according to what they had seen back then. Does that mean she has Jason's now too?

And will she be so reliable when it comes to returning them to life?]

[Jason is dead. He can't hurt them any more. Sephiroth will never get his revenge for the traumas that was owed to him. And he will forever be reminded that he hadn't been strong enough to take that revenge.

Ruana has risen as the great all-powerful manipulator to all who she would turn her attention to. This is not news to Sephiroth - she has manipulated him before; played with emotions that he would never acknowledge ever possessing. However, this time, his real will had been overruled by her as opposed to his power under Glamour. There is a big, significant difference so of course it's all very much more personal now.

If only he had a body, it wouldn't be like this.]

It depends on the context. Until we learned our bodies are in fact nothing but vessels for our souls, Jason had reigns over many on an emotional level as well. Based on the trauma his victims incurred.

[Nope. He's not referencing himself, never. All of that has been buried more than six-feet into the ground of his psyche ever since dealing with the Glamour reveal.]

Ruana is. Delicately more subtle about it.

Control is control no matter the form it takes, and no kind of control is more insidious than the kind that happens when you think the choice has been made of your own free will. I wonder how many will claim their actions were born of free will when they really were not?

[But, he doesn't need to tell Sephiroth that. Unlike so many others, the silver-haired man already realizes it. It's why he is so upset.]

Perhaps now, you understand why my son was so hurt when you took his free will from him. Every man has right to be the master of his own actions. You played god over him; Ruana played god over you. Perhaps you will remember how you feel now the next time you decide to control those around you against their will.

[Diarmuid looks over at Sephiroth from the corners of his eyes again.]

You really do not wish to become anymore like her, do you?

[No. He doesn't need to tell Sephiroth that. Sephiroth's problem with the Tower as a whole has always centred around control. Control over himself vs control the Tower ripped from him. The first time had been so subtle, making him automatically go to the collar check instead of being dragged - and it had escalated from there, in directions and strength that thinking about it just sours Sephiroth's mood even further.

The things that they have made him do, against his will. Sometimes he had known even when it was going on. Other times, like now, it had only been after the fact. There are no words to describe how unacceptable this is to him. Always has been.

Something that Diarmuid will not be told, however, is how his taking over Ryoji like that had gone some way to making it better. That Sephiroth's will, under Glamour as it was then, could also penetrate the control of another - who didn't even harbour any cellular connection. It had been a great achievement for him, and he wouldn't go back and change it either. Diarmuid wouldn't understand that, though.

Sephiroth doesn't want yet another fight, especially with a bad back, and so he will keep his guarded silence. Though the way he continued to look at Diarmuid betrayed his lack of remorse severely.]

I am not like her. Just as I am not like Jason when it suited you to offend me with the notion.

You are free to take it as an offense if that is all you wish to see. It is more than that, but I cannot make you see the warning if you will not or care not to. However, you will have no one but yourself to blame if the Tower as a whole turns on you once it no longer has an Administrator to target.

Do not think they all will be as willing to let go as I have. I think we have just been given a very clear example of their ability to let go or perhaps their lack of it.

[Diarmuid takes a deep breath, seeming for a moment like he is going to say more. However, instead of doing that, he shakes his head and closes the report, tucking it back into its place. He then heads for the exit of the floor. Obviously, he's decided this conversation is done. There isn't anything else he really wants to say, and he does seem to realize that his sharp words before had been pushing at their 'truce' a bit.

Besides, there is only so long one can talk to a wall before they decide they don't want to waste their breath anymore.]

May your recovery be a smooth one.

[It's the last thing he says before disappearing off the floor.]

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Taking the long road home

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