towerofanimus | Locked in the Tower ✪ Part Four: Don't Turn Your Back on the City

Entry tags:

Locked in the Tower ✪ Part Four: Don't Turn Your Back on the City

Characters:	David "Little David" Puskás, and all youse guys!
Setting:	All day March 9—Residential Floors, Floors 1, 14, 39, and 100
Format:	Matching tagger's choice, but starting with Prose.
Summary:	In the morning, martial arts training at the gym. Later in the day, David seeks out Waver and Diarmuid and chills at the Media Room. Toward the evening, David "visits" home on Floor 100. Also, random encounters in the Cafeteria.
Warnings:	None come to mind!

Option A: Floor Thirty-One (Gymnasium, Morning)

     Earlier last month, David had met Reno, and taken up his offer on getting some martial arts training, given that without ammunition for his rifle, he's quite effectively declawed. Reno says he likes getting that training done in the morning, so David's up bright and early today for his first lessons. It also looks like his powered armor is finally behaving itself, as he's casually floating into the gym using the suit's flight system.

     Although David's waiting for Reno, he's not above chatting it up with anyone else that might be in the gym if Reno's not there yet. Until then, he'll be idly examining the gym equipment, seeing what there is available, and—

     —oops, that tiny weight sure did slam on the ground hard.

     "Da heck is dis thing, made of lead?" David mutters as he cuts power to the flight system and tries to pick it up. Even with the motor-assist functions in his suit, he's having to put some effort into putting it back on the weight rack.

Option B: Dormitory Floors (Especially Floor Two, Afternoon)

     Later, David makes another attempt to find several people he's looking for—namely, Waver Velvet and Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. By now, just about everyone he's asked has named Diarmuid the go-to guy for learning how to fight with a sword. David's still got that Orcish sword on him, and as the only real weapon in his whole arsenal here at the Tower, he's got to learn how to use it. As for Lord El-Melloi II, David aims to talk to him about the results of the library Easter egg hunt.

     ... but, really, David should have done this before Zo's surprise rearrangement of residential assignments. Not that he had any reason to suspect it was going to happen, but it's made this a bit more difficult than it should have been.

     David wanders the residential floors, checking the various room signs for the people he's looking for. He'll find them eventually—even if it takes him a little while to do it. Plenty of time for anyone else to run into him, on chance. When he finds Diarmuid and Waver's housing assignments, though, he'll be knocking on their doors.

Option C: Floor One (Cafeteria, Morning/Noon/Evening)

     David doesn't really understand the significance between the choice of food available for each month, but he is so glad to be done with February.

     He hadn't learned of the resident-run kitchen until partway through the month, thanks to Reno. Up until then, he was flat out avoiding the Cafeteria during dinner hours. As if the side effects of power donation weren't enough.

     Now, though, he's enjoying the menu. Even if it's more suited for a kids' menu, he's not complaining. Not after last month. So, anyone visiting the Cafeteria throughout the day might see David helping himself to a stack of peanut butter pancakes and chocolate milk, sandwiches and mint soda, or spaceship chicken nuggets and vanilla milkshakes—depending on the time of day, of course.

Option D: Floor Fourteen (Media Room, Afternoon)

     "Tossin', turnin', nightmares burnin' / Dreams of swords in hand ..."

     No, that's not David's voice you're hearing over the media room's speakers, but rather Steven Tyler's. David's currently relaxing—in mid-air, no less, and in that laid-back hammock pose that Rolo Lamperouge caught him in a few months ago—while Aerosmith's "Kings and Queens" blares through the speakers. He's taking the time to savor having his powered armor return to full (and proper) functionality again after donating power at the end of January by abusing its flight system to chill out in his own way.

     The song's a lot darker than the type of Aerosmith songs David usually listens to—and the band is more well known for their bright, funky and peppy songs, but ... with recent events, and with some of the kind of people he's run into of late, it seemed fitting. And anyway, he'd missed hearing his favorite bands, since he'd never really visited the Media Room before until Ruana's game last month. It makes him wish he had some sort of MP3 player or walkman on hand. Or, that he had that functionality built into his helmet. Why didn't he ever think of that before?

     "Living times of knights and mares / Raising swords for maidens fair / Sneer at death, fear only loss of pride ..."

     It'd be easy for David to doze off again, but he's a little wary of doing that now. Instead, he floats in his hammock pose with a contented grin, nodding softly to the beat of the music in a sort of half-hearted headbang.

Option E: Floor One Hundred (VR Memory Floor, Evening)

     Floor One Hundred was one of many that David had never paid attention to before. Up until recently, he believed it was always the empty room that he had seen of it—however, after meeting Reno and being shown Ragnarok's files kept in Aria's hideout, now he knows what the floor really is ... and he's really curious to see it for himself. So, late in the day, he makes time to do just that.

     Stepping down onto the floor, the surroundings change into ... a stairwell? No, wait—after a moment, David realizes it's a building's roof access staircase, with the door leading outside open. He hesitates for a moment, before walking outside—and finding that the floor has turned into a roof.

     A roof of a building in Atlas Park. At night, in Paragon City, Rhode Island. America. Primal Earth. His home.

     It's all an illusion, of course. David knew that coming here—and yet, he's moved. Silently. It's a powerful recreation—there's no people visible down on the sidewalks, no Hellions or Vahzilok or other villainous scumbags trying to prey on the citizenry—but, as he approaches the edge of the roof, he can see that there is simulated traffic down there, and in the sky as well. The sights and sounds of a big American city emanate from all around.

     There, in the center of Atlas Park, is Atlas Plaza: City Hall, with the American flag made from Statesman's cape fluttering in the breeze. The massive statue bearing the weight of the world on its shoulders—dedicated to the superhero who gave his namesake to this part of town. The other neighborhoods bordering the seat of Paragon City's municipal government—behind him, the rest of Downside; on the north side of Atlas, The Promenade; Paragon Transit Authority's Yellow Line metrorail snaking its way through the buldings; Hyperion Way, and the entrance to what used to be Eastgate ...

     ... and all around, the shimmering War Walls dividing Atlas Park from the rest of Paragon, taller than almost any skyscraper. The rest of the city just barely visible beyond its energy fields, city lights winking in and out like starlight. Even knowing full well what he's seeing is simulated, David can't help but feel the urge to light up a stogie and survey the landscape for signs of trouble. Well—he doesn't have a lighter, but he does still have a fresh cigar in that travel case.

     With a quiet sigh, David fishes that cigar out of the case and places it in his mouth, contenting himself to at least feel he was back on Primal Earth ... if only for a short time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It is exactly like that.

[Diarmuid smiles, glad that David is so easily able to connect those words to what he already knows about modern weapons.]

Now, do you remember how I was holding the sword when I made those example strikes?

[He pauses and pulls one of his own swords from his belt, deciding to just go ahead and demonstrate once more.]

I want you to hold it like this. It's called a ready position.

Arright ...

[Blaster see, Blaster do! David adjusts his footing as he mimics Diarmuid's ready position, holding the sword out in front of him.]

Somethin' like dis?

Yes. Now, how tightly are you holding onto that blade? It looks like like your grip is pretty tight from here.

[Though, granted the armor makes it a little harder to tell.]

Answer this question in the way that makes the most sense to you. Should a sword be held with the same amount of strength as a gun would be? And should that grip be a constant one?

[David glances at his sword, contemplating how tight he's gripping the weapon. He is holding onto it pretty tightly.]

With guns it's all about managin' recoil, so .. you want a firm grip, but not too tense, 'cause dat'll throw off your aim da same as if you were bein' loose about it.

[He looks back up to Diarmuid.]

But you don't whack people with a gun, usually.

[A satisfied look crosses Diarmuid's face. He had been a little worried that David's experience with modern weapons might interfere with him learning more traditional ones. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, it seems to be helping in many ways.]

Despite how differently the two weapons are use to attack people, they actually both are held with varying degrees of strength depending on what you are doing with them. If a sword is coming into contact with another weapon or a person, of course you will want your grip strong so that it is not pulled away, but if your weapon is being deflected or you need to make a last minute change in aim...then your grip needs to be looser to allow for that movement without injury to yourself. It is just as much of a mistake to keep your grip at one constant level with a sword as it is with a gun.

[Huh. Yet another parallel. David can't help but grin back at Diarmuid.]

More things change, da more dey stay da same, eh?

[David looks back to the sword as he toys with adjusting his grip on it. He bounces the sword in the palm of his hand as he looses and tightens his hold on the hilt.]

Would dis suit of armor I've got change dat any? 'Cause, well—you already saw, it ain't just armor.

[Diarmuid learned long ago that it is easier for people to remember what they are being taught if they can link the new information to something they already know. That is why he makes sure to pull out those parallels as often as he can.

Now, for that suit...]

That is something I wanted to ask you about. What are the capabilities of your suit? How does it change how you fight?

You know how most superheroes have some kinda power dat sets 'em apart from normal people?

[David taps his free hand on his chestplate, to indicate himself.]

In my case, da suit is dat "power." I've had it tweaked an' upgraded a lot over da years, but da important things—

[Then, again with his free hand, he counts off the primary features of the suit.]

—Da flight system, you saw dat. It's got a fancy cloakin' system built in, makes me harder to spot. An' it's got "motor assistance," so's it gives everything I do a boost. Makes me run faster, jump higher, haul heavier stuff—dat kinda thing.

[At that, he grins.]

Nothin' like da guys who've got super-speed or super-jumpin' powers, but bein' able to run as fast as some Olympics sprinter without breakin' a sweat? Ain't nothin' to sneeze at.

So basically your suit brings a normal human up to Servant levels...

[Diarmuid is really thinking aloud more than he is actually talking to David at the moment, so he doesn't stop to think that the man might not know what he means when he says a Servant. However, when he speaks next, he is obviously talking to David again.]

How easily is it damaged? Is it hard to repair or power? Do you struggle with using it at all?

[He's going somewhere with this he promises...]

[David does pick up on Diarmuid's musing—that's definitely a term he's never heard before, and it makes him curious. He'll answer Diarmuid's questions first, though.]

I'll put it dis way—if it weren't for da medi-port system we got in Paragon City? Da suit woulda outlasted me. S'dat tough. If it does get dinged up, though, I got a reconstruction device dat can patch it up pretty good.

[David unclips one of the tools on his belt for a moment, holding it up for Diarmuid to see. Though it's painted in the same green and gold colors as the rest of David's suit, the device itself looks like it should be an alien's smartphone. After a beat, he places it back on the belt.]

Beyond dat, it does need maintenance once in a while, 'specially on da inner layers ... don't think we got da tools for dat here, but it can take a real beating before it needs a tune-up, so.

[David shrugs, before continuing. He seems nonchalant about it. Certainly far less concerned about the lack of ways to repair it than the lack of ammunition.]

Lesse ... What else. Oh, da power plant—s'kinda da same deal, it'll last for a good while before it needs refuelin'. Only time I struggle with it is whenever I get Power Suppressed—

[David cocks a thumb toward the exit.]

—like on dat floor dat's open to da outside, or when I volunteered for Riki's donation drive. 'Cause den da suit shuts down entirely an' it won't pull its own weight. Dat was a real pisser.

In reality, it seems your armor is less armor and more of a weapon in its own right...

[Diarmuid says this and then falls quiet for a few moments, turning over all the information David has given him. it's quite amazing to think of all the technology that must be in that suit. Amazing and mind boggling all at the same time.]

So, for the most part it is very reliable except when you are in an area where powers are negated. Have you switched out your collar fluid yet?

[Not that it will change how David's suit works most likely, but...]

One last question before I finally answer the one you have given to me. Do you ever fight without the suit? Have you trained with modern weapons when you aren't wearing it and if so, have you noticed any difference between how you fight with and without it?

[~~Dem Technology-origin heroes, man.~~]

I was thinkin' about doin' it, but ...

[David's expression screws into one of uncertainty.]

I spoke to dat chick dat's been helpin' us out, right? Aria? I asked her some stuff about dat fluid 'cause I only found out about it last month ... but I dunno if it'll do me any good, 'cause I don't got real stuff here, 'cept my soul an' dis sword. She said in my case it'll make me less vulnerable to bein' controlled by da Tower, but—what'll dat do to da stuff da Tower's simulatin'? I ain't sure.

[David takes a moment to think back to the years before he took up the call to justice before answering Diarmuid's other question.]

Fightin' without da suit ... Heh, I never leave home without it. But back durin' da Rikti War, before I got into da hero biz, I did volunteer for a citizen's defense thing. Dat's where I got my firearms trainin'.

[David's expression turns a little wry—but also, a little sad. That was a dark time for all of Primal Earth, and even in the face of still greater threats, none of them quite left a scar on the planet and its people like the Rikti War.]

Not dat I was gonna do much against da Rikti when da only people who could stand up to 'em were superheroes, but—if it came to it, I wanted to go down fightin' to save others, yanno?

[He shakes his head a little before answering Diarmuid's last question.]

But yeah, dere definitely is a difference in how I can fight. I take to da air a lot, whenever I can. An' dat motor assistance stuff I was talkin' about? It helps a lot with da recoil. I can shoot from da hip while flyin' an' still keep a pretty good bead. Which is good, 'cause I gotta tell ya, fightin' superpowered punks in a city, you don't got time to aim down sights usually.

[As David is talking, Diarmuid puts away his sword and draws the spear from his back.]

This spear is one that was given to me by the Tower. This one...

[Diarmuid summons a second spear to his hand. This one is red compared to the gold of the other.]

...is bound to my soul and since my powers are real now it is real. I can fight just as well with one as the other, so I don't know that you would have an issues with your suit. Something to think about, though the choice is ultimately yours.

[The red spear vanishes and Diarmuid replaces the gold one onto his back.]

Normally, since you have fought both in and out of armor, I would suggest that you learn to fight with a sword both with and without your armor. However, we don't have that much time left and considering how much more comfortable you are fighting in that armor, we should probably focus on you learning how to fight in the armor. Will it have an effect on how you fight? Probably, but I think that will be minimized because you will be learning how to fight with a sword from ground zero. The armor will always be there.

Of course, I must apologize in advance if I am off on any of my thoughts here. I have never trained anyone with armor like this before. That is part of the reason I asked so many questions.

[David keeps silent while listening to Diarmuid, nodding in understanding once or twice. He's no stranger to heroes who have weapons bound to their souls, but—hm. Is he saying he's got a glamoured spear and a real one? He keeps that in mind as another question to ask while listening to the rest of what the Lancer has to say.]

[At Diarmuid's apology, though, he waves it off with a good-natured grin and shakes his head.]

Nah, you don't gotta apologize. I think it's for da best I stick with trainin' buttoned up, 'cause well—I gotta be honest, without dis suit on I got about as much chance of goin' toe to toe with somethin' and survivin' as a snowball does lastin' five minutes in "da hot place."

[After which, he readjusts his cigar thoughtfully. Seems like a good time as any to ask his questions!]

What you were sayin' about your spears, though—dat red one is bound to your soul an' so it's da real deal, right? What about da yellow one, is dat made of da glamour goop?

I like being prepared for everything, but I think our situation prevents that right now. Time is getting short and so in armor it is.

[At David's question, Diarmuid nods, again pulling the spear from his back.]

Yes, I didn't arrive here with this one. It was returned to me after one of the events that happened recently. Even if it is just glamour and film, it does have a very powerful ability and that is why I still carry it with me.

As I mentioned before, I am a Servant and we have our weapons and armor bound to our souls. The two spears are actually a set, but this one...

[He holds out the gold one.]

...was destroyed in battle before I was brought here. That is why I can only summon the red one and why only it is real. It was the only one still with me when I was brought here.

Huh, so dey gave you a replacement. An' it's still around even with da new collar fluid? Guess I oughta look into gettin' dat stuff after all ...

[And Diarmuid's mention of Servants again reminds David of the other question he had.]

What exactly is dat Servant stuff, anyway? It ain't bein' a superpowered butler or somethin', is it?

[David actually has met a few superpowered butlers and maids before. He's completely sincere.]

Indeed. I got it shortly before I switched my collar fluid and I have noticed no change in how it works since then. Aside from being less useful against the Administrators because it is film and not real, it is a great help to me when it comes to fighting everything else.

[Diarmuid settles the weapon back onto his back before tackling the next question.]

No, it's not being a butler with superpowers. On my world, when a hero dies their soul is recorded onto something called the Throne of Heroes. This allows that person who once did so much for the world to be called back to fight for her again should the need arise. One time those heroes are called back is during a repeating walr called the Holy Grail War. Heroes specifically called back to fight in one of the Holy Grail Wars are called Servants. We are called back through magical means and survive off the magical energy given to us by the Master who called us back.

[David strokes his chin with a thumb and forefinger thoughtfully as Diarmuid confirms what he asked concerning the golden spear. So ... even if David can't get his real gear with the new collar fluid, the glamoured stuff wouldn't just vanish or stop working. And he'd have the benefit of not being easily controlled by the Tower.]

[Well, now that he knows that, he's definitely going to see about getting the new fluid.]

[His attention refocuses on Diarmuid after he goes on to explain about the nature of Servants.]

Huh—so wait a sec, dat means you were dead back home? But you were called back for dat Holy Grail War?

[David's been assuming all this time that Diarmuid is a contemporary hero. Considering the wars going on in Salamanca, and the overt prevalence of both magic and Magic-origin superpowered individuals in Primal Earth, he'd have no reason to suspect otherwise. Especially since Diarmuid seems rather familiar with modern day technology, at least mundane technology.]

Edited (Oops, re-reading the post I didn't catch where Diarmuid specified Servants are summoned for the Holy Grail War. XD;) 2014-03-18 04:18 (UTC)

That is correct. And I was dead twice over, in fact...

[For a moment, a darkness passes over Diarmuid's eyes, but is it very quickly fades.]

I died during my first life as a hero and then was fated not to win the war I was called back to fight in the modern day and died there as well. This place...is my third chance at life. I don't know why it was given to me, but I will fight until there is nothing left of me to protect the family I have found here. Twice I have left things undone before. I will not make that mistake again.

[David nods, at first a little hesitantly, then more firmly. Diarmuid sounds a lot like Reno, having made a family of other Tower residents. Good to see that the guy's not letting death slow him down, not even twice.]

Third time's gotta be da charm.

[David offers Diarmuid a grin of encouragement.]

So—your first life wasn't anywhere close to da modern day, sounds like. You know how long ago it was? 'Cause you don't sound at all like somebody who's from way back.

I don't?

[Diarmuid gives David a curious look.]

I guess I have never thought about it. Perhaps my speech patterns have been altered somewhat because of the information the Grail gave me about modern day. Or maybe having been in the Tower so long has changed how I speak. It has been over a year now. Or perhaps...

[Suddenly, the language Diarmuid is speaking isn't one David will understand. Instead, the words are in Ancient Gaelic. He says a few sentences and then switches back to the common language that the Tower allows them to use.]

Did that sound more ancient to you? It should considering it hasn't been spoken on my world for thousands of years...

[David looks as if he should be blinking a few times in surprise.]

Well, I uh—I ain't dat good with other languages, yanno? Unless somebody's throwin' around a lot of "thou art thee art thou," I wouldn't know what's old an' what's new.

[David uses his free hand to rub the back of his neck—or at least, tries to, given those big armored pauldrons he's got.]

Thousands of years, though? Man, dat's back dere. How'd ya learn about modern stuff so well?

[In David's experience, people who do time traveling in some form or fashion are always struck by the technology level, whether they're visiting the relative past or future. David still remembers that one guy from the Shining Stars, Proton, making a big fuss about how "ancient" City Hall's computer system was.]

[Diarmuid laughs when he hears David's idea of 'old' speech.]

In that case, talk to Berserker or Saber. The speech patterns you are thinking of come from their time which is after my own. For my part, I have pretty much stopped calling everyone 'Lord' or 'Lady' when I first meet them...

[He shrugs his shoulders. So much of what people think of as the old days of knights and dragons comes from Arthurian times that he shouldn't be surprised.]

I mentioned that the war I was fighting in was called the Holy Grail War. It is called that because people are fighting for an artifact that is called the Holy Grail. It will grant the winning Master and the winning Servant each one wish. I think you can see why people are willing to go to war over such an item.

The heroes called back into the war would not be of much use, though, if they were stopping every two feet to fight a 'metal dragon' or running in fear from the roar of an airplane. To help with that kind of thing, the Grail itself gives each Servant called back into the world all the information they need to fight in the war.

[He suddenly looks a little sheepish.]

I specify fight in the war because there are some quite annoying gaps in my knowledge. For example, until just recently even though I knew what a microwave was, I had no idea how it worked.

[David pulls his head back in surprise when Diarmuid specifies waht the Holy Grail War is about, and what the Grail does for the heroes it summons. Wow. That's—wait a minute, is he talking about the Holy Grail? ... David wants to ask, but ... would Diarmuid know about that?]

[Probably not, judging from what Diarmuid clarifies shortly after. Only knowledge immediately necessary for the war itself, not the entire world. David tightens his lips around the cigar thoughtfully for a moment before speaking up.]

Well, still—dat Holy Grail sure put you ahead of da game.

[David finds it ironic to hear a man from the distant past describe what he likely would have done faced with modern technology, had the Grail not given him information on the modern day.]

[Speaking of which ...]

I never heard of anybody in da tower go by Berserker or Saber, though—who're dose guys?

[~~Granted, David's been out of the loop for a loooong time.~~]

They are other Servants from worlds that are similar to my own. We usually go by class titles because it helps to keep people from immediately identifying us and using our legends against us.

[After all, everyone has a weakness and this is especially true for heroes. Knowing those weaknesses and how to use them is a big tactical advantage.]

My title is Lancer, but to be honest hiding behind a title in a place where the war isn't going on seems dishonest to me. Especially since my part in the war back home is over. That is why I started going by my real name not long after coming here. Not everyone wishes to do that, though, for various reasons.

[Neither Saber nor Berserker have made a big show of who they are, but they haven't hidden it either. Still, Diarmuid doesn't feel right giving away their identities to someone who they don't know.

He also isn't aware that Saber was very recently sent away from the Tower...]

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