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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You look like you could use it. Along with something to erase your memories of what just happened. I can't provide the second, but try to eat that when you think you can. It didn't come from the kitchen so it's safe," Diarmuid looks out in the direction Enoch had been staring.

"Do you want to talk about it? Or are you still in the processing stage?" Sometimes it helps to talk and sometimes a person just can't until they think more. Diarmuid isn't sure where Enoch is quite yet.

"I tried reasoning with him once. But it was ill-timed. Our actions alienated him completely." He speaks softly, but almost tonelessly, just barely above true disaffection. "From that point on, though I tried a few more times...part of me knew there was no peaceful way around him."

"He had to be on our side at one point to alienate, I don't believe he ever was. I tried to understand him shortly after I arrived here, but he just dodged my questions. He did not want us to understand or be his 'friends.' He just wanted to use us to further his own understanding," Diarmuid sighs and shakes his head. "I do not like how things turned out, but I agree that they could not have been stopped. Especially not with Ruana pushing everyone along. I shiver to think of what might have happened to those who would have suggested another way with the motivations she was pushing on people. They likely would have died just as terribly as Jason did..."

"Not on our side, but neutral. Not caring there were sides, only caring for his experiments." He curls up a bit more. "No man is wholly good or evil. Our hosts were never taught to consider others. Never taught empathy. But if Dax could learn..." He shakes his head and draws his knees up against himself. The plate in his hand tilts.

They might have been able to do something, of this he's sure. Just like they could have avoided Dax's death if the circumstances had been more inclusive, so too could they have planted the seeds of compassion in Jason somehow. Surely the man had emotions, and favored things that were not torture. And if he had been shown how to feel for others, he wouldn't have sabotaged the tower out of spite, and this would never have happened.

"We vandalized his place of work and, because of the way requests are handled, in the same breath begged him to help us. It would put anyone off..."

Diarmuid reaches up to carefully rebalance the plate in Enoch's hand, "I don't think I believe any of them were truly neutral. By default, if you have something you care about--for Jason, his experiments--you lean toward that. I always assumed he would do whatever let him experiment the most freely. In my mind, that was supporting Ruana to preserve the status quo. If he was the one behind the explosions like Riki says, well...I am apparently wrong then, since that was in no way preserving the status quo so he could continue his experiments..."

A sigh slips from his mouth and Diarmuid shakes his head. Trying to understand the Administrators always makes his head hurt. Even when they are kind, they go against everything he has ever been taught or believed in.

"Things, would have been so different if Dax has not died. Perhaps, he could have helped us understand what we did differently that allowed him to learn where Jason did not, but then again they are all different. As sad as it might be, Jason might not have been able to be saved. Not through lack of effort on our part, but because of the circumstances or because of what made Jason, Jason. Lingering on that failure won't help. We need to focus on those who still survive. There isn't much time left."

"I know..."

Despair shouldn't be given in to. But without an immediate outside cause to, he can't restrain what he feels now; he's in no shape and it's too soon. So despite his words, not much about him changes.

Diarmuid nods, but doesn't say anything. As long as Enoch understands, that is the important thing. He can take the time he needs to work through his emotions and that knowledge will be there to guide the way once he is ready to move forward again.

"Do...you think there is still a chance of talking to Riki and Zo after that? Or do you think they will just worry Ruana will send us after them next?"

Enoch takes a moment to think, picking idly at his food but not eating any of it. Eventually he sets the plate on the pillow in front of him.

"Zo, probably. We have Aria to contact him through, after all. Riki...Riki...I hope so."

"I...detest having to involve such a young child in all this, even with his powers," Diarmuid sighs. It makes him think too much of Yotsuba who had to deal with all of this so young. It's not right. "But there is no other way, is there? I wish we did not have to make him chose between Ruana and us because that is what is it going to come down to..."

...and Diarmuid remembers just how much Zo seems to care about Ruana. Even though the boy does wish to help them, turning against her must be painful and frightening for him.

"I know... If only we could do better than this. If only Ruana were not so mad as to be unable to see what she does..."

The poor child...more than twice his age. He couldn't imagine...

"Things would be very different if she could see, but I don't even think that Zo can make her see at this point. Sometimes, having too much power is a curse. This is very certainly the case for Ruana...."

With less power, she would certainly be dead like all of the others, but at least she would not be doing...this, and considering how little they know about the origins of what is destroying their worlds...

Enoch already suspects it's because she has more power than she can handle the worlds are being destroyed (oh, if only he knew he was only half right at best...).

"Too much power, too many years on this dead world. Far more than I fear I could manage on a living one..."

"That's really it in the end, isn't it? The time... The power..."

And her past. All of those things. Did she ever have a chance? Did they?

But, they have come too far to give up now. No matter what.

"We'll find a way to figure it out. We have to..."

"We will. Somehow, we will."

They have time, however little it is they have. They can get this done.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Taking the long road home

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject