ITP: Return

[no_longer_a_king]

Characters: Arturia, open
Setting: Room 1-15,
Format: Will match!
Summary: Arturia returns to the tower to find her trunk empty. This upsets her more than she realized it would.
Warnings: None yet.

[A: Dorms; Room 1-15]
It was the paralysis that shocked her the most. It was much shorter than had become normal for one. For another, Arturia couldn't remember doing anything to warrant death. She'd simply gone to bed the previous night, that was all. Had the Tower decided to rearrange itself again in the wake of Ruana taking control?

Hot tears pricked at her eyes and she tried to scrub them away before they fell. No, she couldn't cry. Not here. Not now. Not like this. Why should she be upset? All she'd had in the trunk were some clothes, a few letters sent between her and Diarmuid, and the maps she'd worked on. Meaningless things, really.

Except hadn't she always believed someone's room reflected who they were? With the sharing of quarters in this tower, you couldn't exert your presence so much and Arturia took to seeing what was in a person's trunk as being more reflective of them as a person. She had absolutely nothing to call her own except for what she gained here and now it was all gone. Had it been thrown out? Had someone taken her things?

Taking a deep and shaky breath, she closed the trunk and stood. If she couldn't reign in her emotions, she'd need to first check a terminal for how long it had been. Then find someplace private to get these emotions out.

[B: Floor 73; Snowy Ruins]
This wasn't one of the floors she often frequented. The snow and ruins reminded her too much of days long past, but the knot in her heart drew her here and she found a corridor shielded from the wind in which she could sit down.

Why was this so upsetting? Arturia had gone possibly centuries witnessing the horrors of humanity and putting an end to them regardless of whether the person was at fault or not. Yes, this Tower was her first taste of freedom she'd had in a long time. A limited freedom, true, a freedom that was not truly free, but she could walk on her own here, talk, truly think for herself. She could build a life here--had built a life here. All things she should be glad for even if their time was running out.

A box of bits and pieces being gone shouldn't upset her so much. Her stomach shouldn't be twisting so, her throat so tight she could hardly breathe, and her eyes stinging so much she could hardly see. It was a struggle just to keep herself together to find a secluded place, but once she did, she let herself sink to the ground and buried her face in her hands.

Composure. Strength. She had to be strong. She may no longer be a king, but she was a protector at her core. Arturia could not let anyone see her upset. Not over something as trivial as bits of paper and flowers and a set of clothes. Yet here she was, sobs breaking from her throat, her shoulders shaking as she tried to keep herself quiet but found herself unable to. Hopefully if she got this out of the way, she could be calm enough to find out the things she missed in the last month. Right now, the blonde needed to get herself to calm down before anyone found her.

Of course, she would not be anywhere near so lucky.

[C: Various]
Once she regained her composure, she went searching out those she knew, determination in her step as she marched through the halls. There were only two months left--less than that. Arturia had wasted enough time on tears, she had to find out what happened in the time she couldn't remember.

"Excuse me!" she called to the next face she saw, "What have I missed in this last month?"

Comments

[greyerrant]

[ A ghostly figure in grey, followed by a translucent figure in green, watches Saber of white sob, and shake a bit. It isn't his place to offer comfort, beyond words. He's... unhappy to see her, truth be told. He had hoped those who disappeared didn't come back, for whatever end awaited. He will watch stoically, and when Arturia notices him, as she inevitably will, he'll just say. ]

There are no shame in tears. I've wept a thousand times myself.

[ Which sounds insane, coming from the immense, scarred giant, but there it is. ]

[no_longer_a_king]

I know. [She does her best to dry her eyes, her chest still tight.] That does not mean I enjoy it.

[greyerrant]

[ Garviel nods. And the Green figure manifests a bit more fully. Now, before the end, Torgaddon's influence, this ghostly version of him is stronger. And so a huge, roguish-looking man that Arturia has never met, translucent and grinning, will kneel by her and smile once, as if to comfort her. Loken stands stoic, knowing that he can't... exactly control this aspect of the mournival which he's internalized into himself, but at the same time welcoming that this bit of his brother, this bit of himself, is trying to comfort someone he can't manage to help himself. ]

I... think my brother there is trying to indicate it will be all right.

[no_longer_a_king]

[Arturia offers the translucent man a smile, unsurprised by this new twist. The Tower constantly offered new surprises around every corner, why not this? And despite not knowing Loken very well, she found she did trust him.]

I know in some way it will be. I simply find myself mourning something I've lost is all.

[greyerrant]

[ Torgaddon fades away, and Garviel's expression takes on a hint of surprise. ]

Really? There isn't much left to lose here to begin with. I am... surprised. Or was it something you lost prior to your return?

[no_longer_a_king]

That's the part that I find.... not shameful, no, but not something I wish to advertise.

[She debates being evasive about it, but finds herself too tired to come up with excuses. Everything about this place and her life leaves her feeling tired.]

My trunk was empty when I returned here.

[greyerrant]

Ah. You lost something important to you, then. [ He can understand that. Though he had few things in his room on the vengeful spirit, they all meant something to him, even the little wire he used to defeat the exarch. ]

Things fade. They are lost and go away, even memories can be fractured. Cling to the knowledge and the memories that remain, treasure them as much as you can. Think on it in quiet when you can.

I have found this keeps me centered even in this place.

C

[fionnuisce]

"What."

Waver didn't entirely seem to register he'd been asked anything at all. On top of being thoroughly exhausted, it was taking him a minute to process that Saber had apparently just come out of nowhere. Was everyone arriving this month someone that had been here before?

"Saber? When did you...?"

[no_longer_a_king]

"This morning," she said, which was true. Arturia put her hands on her hips, studying him. He was tired, which could mean anything in this world.

"I seem to be missing a month of time this time. I ask you again: what has happened?"

[fionnuisce]

"Sorry, er--" He recovered as quickly as possible, straightening up and thinking for a moment.

"The most pressing matter that comes to mind is... Did you hear about Jason yet?"

[no_longer_a_king]

"I was standing not ten feet from him when it happened and Zelda used my blade to do it."

That she remembered clearly, as it had only been a few days ago for her. "Unless something else has happened regarding him?"

[fionnuisce]

"Not to my knowledge--you'll have to forgive me. I'm afraid I've had some difficulty keeping everything in order."

For just a moment, Waver looked distinctly unsure of himself. Had he really forgotten something that obvious? The possibility struck him that he'd become so obsessed with what little time they had left that he'd begun to utterly lose track of it somehow.

"There was another occurrence of note that transpired after that, but I'm still not entirely certain of the details surrounding it. What I can tell you is that someone caused quite a bit of trouble. While I can't begin to even imagine how the fuck that happened, Zo seemed to have...gone a bit haywire, to put it bluntly."

[no_longer_a_king]

"It's all right. Ruana had us all under a thrall immediately after it happened and then we had to leave in a hurry. I do not think anyone would be able to keep much together during that chaos."

Which was true. Arturia had focused so solely on getting others out of there she hadn't taken a moment to register that Zelda had managed to take Caliburn from her hand until much later on.

Then he brought up Zo, and, somehow, that didn't surprise Arturia. The Administrators seemed to be snapping in some way one by one. It wasn't surprising it would be Zo's turn now.

"How did he 'go haywire'? Is he well?"

Floor 73

[sageprincess]

But perhaps she's not terribly unlucky, either.

This isn't a floor Zelda frequents either, but it's between the mailroom and the industrial kitchen, which means it is one she passes through on a fairly regular basis. Normally, she is content to pass by without stopping, beyond caring about the strange and impossible floors Riki has constructed, but just as she's about to, she hears the quiet sounds of weeping drifting in the wind. This is hardly a good place for that, cold as it is, she thinks, and so she steps off the stairs, pushing her way towards the ruined hall.

"Hello?" she calls out as she nears the source of the sobbing, though she hasn't quite found Arturia's hiding spot yet. Her voice should be recognizable, at least.

Thought I hit post comment a while ago.

[no_longer_a_king]

"Zelda?" Arturia asks when she hears that voice, startled. Quickly, she tries to scrub the tears from her face and stands. While Arturia knows Zelda would not think less of her nor ill of her for such a display of emotion, she knows it likely has been some time since the princess saw her. The last thing Zelda should see after so long is tears.

Stealing herself against the cold--the cloak Enoch gave her was gone, too--she left her hiding place to see her friend, the woman she pledged to help rule her kingdom.

[sageprincess]

... No way.

"Arturia...?!" Something frantic enters her tone then, a desperation she hasn't allowed herself to show the myriad of old faces that have suddenly reappeared into her life. They were old wounds, dull aches that surfaced only when actively reminded of them. But Arturia's disappearance is still fresh enough to sting, to feel the emptiness of something missing at any hour.

So when she hears that voice once again, she whirls around, following it like a lifeline, and well... hopefully Arturia is ready to catch an armful of princess, because Zelda is going to be making like a barnacle upon her person when she finally finds her again.

[no_longer_a_king]

She isn't ready for it, but she catches her easily enough. If she nearly falls over she won't make a fuss about it. Arturia is still shocked anyone would be so happy to see her, yet she hugs the woman back and presses a face to her warm shoulder.

"I apologize for the delay. I am back now."

[sageprincess]

"I was so worried..."

If Zo lost his grip on Arturia, would their plan to bring her to Hyrule even work? She tried not to think about it, to remain optimistic, but such thoughts are difficult to silence, especially as the countdown grows ever shorter. After she is sufficiently reassured that Arturia is truly there, she pulls away just enough to see her face, and perhaps she'll take comfort in the fact that Zelda's eyes are rather watery themselves when she asks:

"Are you all right? I heard what sounded like crying..."

[no_longer_a_king]

"Ah!" She drew back enough, a hand going to her eyes in case they were still wet. The redness she could not hide from Zelda, but it wouldn't do if there were still tears there. This should be a happy reunion, not one filled with sorrow even if time grows short.

"I am well. I was upset over childish matters and needed a moment so it would not become a distraction, nothing more."

Floor 48

[bowandblade]

Though he likes the graveyard of the Tower as much as he does any other reminder of stagnant death and despair, Gilgamesh finds himself drawn to inspect it today. The disappearance of Lancelot from the tower meant one less distraction (read: decent punching bag) in the largely artificial hell, and it had taken awhile for him to stop grousing over the fact long enough to decide on visiting floor in search of the grave marker that the administrators seemed to like leaving behind.

He pauses on the stairwell when he hears the voice, raising a brow when he spots another familiar face.

"--Saber?"

His inquiry lacks the usual enthusiasm; he's been rather low energy since returning to the Tower from the surrounding area.

[no_longer_a_king]

"Archer."

Not the person she expected to find, but one that was slowly becoming more and more welcome as time drew on. She came to a stop a few feet before him.

"I apologize. I've been gone for a few weeks now and need to know what I have missed."

[bowandblade]

He smiles, finding something amusing about being approached and apologized to for no real apparent reason. With a flippant wave of one hand, Archer looks towards the graveyard floor.

"If it was a matter of weeks, then you did not miss much other than the child administrator throwing a fit. He somehow transferred a number of us outside of the tower walls."

He can't even be especially angry about it; the oppressive feeling of danger in the Tower had followed them outside, but at least there was something different about it.

[no_longer_a_king]

"Outside?" she asked, shocked by this. Outdoors had been such a distant thought that she had believed it almost impossible in the near future. Her main focus was surviving past the countdown. Outdoors could come after that.

"What was it like?"

[bowandblade]

"Annoyingly dark." Yes, that was the most significant thought that could occur to him in that moment. "The only light that could be seen was emitted from the Tower, so even if the situation was not dire, exploring would have been exceedingly difficult."

He tilts his head to regard Saber before continuing, his expression souring. "There was a city towards the foot of the Tower, but that should not be surprising to learn about. If children were experimented on in this Tower, they would have come from somewhere. The city itself was lackluster and depressing in its desolation."

[no_longer_a_king]

"At least we know something is out there," she said, more as a matter of fact thing than because it was unexpected. There was a city. A tower like this had workers once upon a time and it was stupid to think it would have been entirely self contained when it was properly in use. The children, however, she did not doubt would have come from the City, but also from around the world given they had powers of all kinds.

"Did anything else happen?"