For Thine Is; Zo

[animusmods]

Characters: any characters who are still within the Tower
Setting: the hidden floor
Format: any
Summary: Zo needs help. What will you do?
Warnings: psychological horror

Aria and the other retrieval units stand guard in the room and regard each person who enters with a little bit of caution. The reason quickly becomes clear: Zo lies unconscious on a bed that appears to have been stolen from a hospital recovery room. With the glamour down, he looks spectral: it's possible to look through his body and to the bed beneath. He's not quite a ghost, though, as he can be interacted with.

If Zo is attacked, the retrieval units will be quick to retaliate. They can't help Zo on their own, though--so maybe there's something you can do...

Comments

SPEAK TO ARIA

[animusmods]

If you would like to speak to Aria, you may do so here. She stands most closely to Zo's bedside and looks nearly beside herself with worry.

[fionnuisce]

Okay, so I'll ask the obvious question here: What the fuck happened?!

[Waver had gotten to the hidden floor from where he'd been more or less hiding out in the dorms rather quickly; had the glamour not been down it would have been much easier to tell he was thoroughly shaken.]

And that aside, what are we even able to do to help?

[zelfies]

"What are we supposed to do?" Link didn't bother to ask what had happened. The 'power' had been failing for quite a while now, and the past several days haven't been uneventful.

So, Link had approached Aria. Now wasn't the time for demanding answers. Too many lives were at risk.

[slightlyoblivious]

[Even unglamoured as she is, Yukiko's wire frame looks rough. She's not injured, at least not physically, but she's a mess on the inside.

There's one thing she has to do first, before even thinking about Zo, and so she nervously approaches Aria, bowing deeply before speaking.]

...I'm sorry. I didn't - I knew it was Sephiroth behind getting all of us sick and drawing power from us, but I couldn't do much of anything to stop it. I feel like I should apologize for that before I even ask what I can do to help.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[To think all they really were here were these simple wireframes with liquid inside.

As Veronica stumbled into the secret room, it was clear that she was shaken by everything that had just happened to her still. Even with the glamour off, she looked rather messed up. As always, she shrugged it off as best she could and kept going.]

...I'm sorry about the whole Sephiroth thing. I wasn't able to kill him when I had the chance.

[Apologies first. To think she could have been manipulated so easily...]

[puppy_lancer]

...What just happened and how do we wake him up?

[Lancer had dashed over to the secret floor when he heard that they needed to wake up Zo. Seeing Zo's transparent form makes him worry.]

[Though, at least he can still recognize Zo. He doesn't look like Jason had when the Glamour failed.]

[doctor_dismemberment]

[Richtofen seems out of place when he arrives on the hidden floor. He hasn't had much of a chance to explore the place, and he doesn't make it a habit of speaking with the retrieval units (save for the one that had, at one point, started tailing him).

But as soon as he sees Zo's spectral, unconscious form on a hospital bed, he snaps to attention, looking for all the world like a doctor walking into the operating room. He crosses the floor in quick strides and addresses Aria as if she were his nurse.]

You. Retrieval... thingy. [Well, almost.] What is the problem with him?

[He doesn't care for Zo, but if he has even a slight chance of saving him, he'll be able to lord it over everyone else's heads for the rest of their miserable lives. That is an opportunity he can't pass up.]

[brbtalkingtogod]

Hey.

[Lucifel approaches Aria slowly, the usual calm expression on his face was replaced by a small frown. He's concerned, for more than one reason.]

I guess you heard this question a lot, but tell me what happened.

[imperialsun]

Hello.

[Naoya's spectral form isn't much to look at much like the others, but if it was still on, it would be filled with worry.]

Do you know what happened?

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki hovers by Zo, worried about how he won't wake up. He glances nervously at Aria] Is he sick?

[crouching_sin]

[Naoya approaches carefully. He doesn't want to make anything worse, but he is curious.]

What happened?

[fionnuisce]

[Waver cleared his throat and shifted a bit uncomfortably before crossing his arms; while talking was something of his strong point, talking normally was vastly different from giving a lecture or working one's way through political maneuvers.]

[Well...sometimes the only way to learn was through action. Blindly stumbling action though it might be.]

I have no idea whether or not you can hear me right now. My name's Waver--Waver Velvet. I'm the one that sent that letter, and you replied with a crystal--thanks for that, by the way. At any rate, Aria seems to think speaking to you might help matters somehow. Personally, I think it's a bit too sentimental to be effective, but what the fuck do I know at this point?

[Though the last few words were meant to be sarcastic, there was a definite tone of futility to them.]

...Nothing, really. I don't know anything, and being clever is my only real defense around here. So I've turned more or less useless lately. Frankly, I haven't any idea what to even say right now past mad ramblings. I suppose I should at least admit that I might be worried about you in some capacity, shouldn't I

And I have a strong feeling we all very, very desperately need you to wake up.

[animusnpcs]

[There's a little ripple in the air--like a ripple of heat, only it's too cold for that. Zo shifts a little--his fingers twitch--and the air ripples more obviously.]

[slightlyoblivious]

[After her talk with Aria, the worst of Yukiko's nerves have faded. Seeing Zo like this reminds her too much of seeing Nanako Dojima on a hospital bed. It's a little jarring, but Nanako had pulled through. Now it's just a matter of doing the same for Zo.

She gently places a hand over one of his before she says anything.]

Zo-kun? This is Yukiko Amagi. I - I feel like I should apologize to you, too, for getting caught up in what Sephiroth was doing. I might not have intentionally gotten caught up in it, but it still happened, and I'm sorry for that. You didn't deserve that happening.

[animusnpcs]

[There's a pause and a ripple in the air before Yukiko is pulled painlessly through a barrier and into a small playroom. Zo is crouched in the middle, unmoving.]

It was his fault, not yours.

[puppy_lancer]

Zo? Are you okay? It's me, Lancer. Wake up, alright? All of us here are gonna protect you from whatever Sephiroth and his allies are doing.

[Despite how angry he feels toward Sephiroth, he keeps his voice level so he won't scare Zo. If it's possible, he'll raise a hand to tap on the barrier.]

[animusnpcs]

[When Lancer touches Zo, he will be pulled painlessly through the barrier and into a small toy room. Zo is crouched in the middle.]

I took care of Sephiroth. It's okay.

[averytinyparticle]

[Quark isn't so sure he can really do anything to help, but he'd talked to Zo before and remembers how nice he seemed. Since other people are all going up to him and trying to get him to wake up, Quark wouldn't feel right not trying, too!

When he goes up to Zo, he shuffles awkwardly on his feet, looking one part confused but two parts worried.]

Hi, Zo. I dunno if you remember me; it's Quark. We met before and, um...everybody is really sad that you're not awake.

[He remembers what Zo said when the Tower had lost its glamour and been all creepy.]

You're really sad too, right? Is that why you're sleeping?

[animusnpcs]

[Zo's fingers twitch toward Quark when he speaks. He does seem to hear the boy.]

[clumsyjesus]

[The poor boy. He's done so much for everyone. And Colette feels that she owes him. She bends down and gently places a hand Zo's forehead. She gives a sad smile.]

Zo, are you all right......? Wake up. Wake up, please!

[animusnpcs]

[When Colette touches Zo, she will be pulled painlessly through a barrier and brought to what seems to be a small toy room. Zo is crouched in the middle.]

[looselips]

[Naturally, Shinji is not here to actually help with current events. He's just taking advantage of the situation because he has a bone to pick. When he stomps up to Zo's side, he gives one of the bed's legs a swift, childish kick.]

Hey, wake up.

[animusnpcs]

[The bed jerks a bit, and Zo twitches. The retrieval units in the room watch him, closely, but they don't move to attack--seeing the childish kick for what it is.]

[brbtalkingtogod]

[Several moments of thoughtful silence pass as he watches Zo being asleep. Being patient wasn't something new to him. After one little flick of his fingers there will be a small dinosaur plush by Zo's side.]

I thought that it might cheer you up to have one of these when you wake up. Unless you would like something different.

[What can he say, he is curious about Zo's reaction. And he is sure that Zo will wake up soon.]

[animusnpcs]

[Zo twitches, and eventually his hand reaches to grasp the dinosaur plush.]

[evokingfool]

[Minato approached Zo in silence, staring down at him.]

...Zo, this is Minato Arisato. We haven't really talk before, but I wouldn't mind if we start now.

[A brief pause.]

And even become friends, if you like.

[animusnpcs]

[Zo's fingers twitch. He seems to be able to hear Minato.]

[myblueskies]

Zo? [Romeo looked at the boy, he looked so still and see through like he was a ghost or he was dead. It was scary being without glamour, and even scarier that people had disappeared, gotten lost somehow. And he was still really scared and sad about what had happened, how he had hurt people and been nasty to them. But the scariest thing was that Zo was not waking up.] Everyone's really worried about you Zo, you're not going to die are you?

[animusnpcs]

[Zo twitches a little, as if in response to Romeo, but doesn't move otherwise.]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

Uh....

[Veronica looked down at the boy who was somehow younger than her but still managed to hold power in this horrible place. He was the one that brought them here? ....Maybe he had good intentions, she couldn't be sure anymore. But right now he needed their help it seemed.]

...Umm... [Ugh, how do you even start these?] Hi... Zo. We haven't talked to each other, at all, but I know who you are I guess?

[animusnpcs]

[Zo's fingers twitch in response. It seems like he can hear her.]

[imperialsun]

[He did care about Zo, having given him some video games (even gutting out his arcade), clothing and items before.

But reviving someone wasn't something he did on a regular basis, although it did remind him of Maki, laying in bed while they chased around her ideal self that had run away, Mai and Aki...

In a moment of either pure stupidity or simply because there was an urge in him to try it out, his first words were...]

Erusaer Tsymmom!

[The magical phrase that Mai had used...well it had worked in other circumstances, right?]

[animusnpcs]

[Naoya is pulled through a barrier and into a toy room. It seems brightly lit, as if it were glowing. Zo is crouched in the center of the room.]

[provenworth]

[Elena is, much to her dismay, a little tardy to this unexpected party. Not that it fell under any sort of definition of the word. But she came anyway, feeling a sense of guilt for her inability to prevent what she guessed was in part to Sephiroth's doing. That and, well, she had little to hold against Zoe - if you ignored the whole being in cahoots with the other Admins that brought them to the Tower.

Standing beside the bed, Elena shifts her weight from one foot to another, fingers playing with the hem of her sleeves.]

...Ah. Hello Zo. We've not really been properly introduced, I think. I'm Elena. You...came to my wedding a little over a year ago.

[A beat later.]

Its my understanding that Sephiroth caused this to happen to you. But we need you. We need you to be stronger than him and his influence and whatever he's done to you. We need you to wake up.

[animusnpcs]

[Zo's fingers twitch--he seems to hear Elena, and is providing something of a response.]

[crouching_sin]

[Naoya approaches Zo, expression serious. He lifts a hand to cast Mediarahan at him.]

Zo... I don't know if you can hear me... but we need you to wake up.