towerofanimus | At what cost?

Characters: Enoch and open
Setting: Various places throughout the month
Format: I'll match you!
Summary: Enoch returns to the tower, tries to make the nutrition bars taste better, starts a fire, and then gets a reveal shoved in his face.
Warnings: Angst in a few prompts? Also the world's shittiest hooks I'm sorry.

Room 1-20, Apr 1

When the others had begun dropping, one by one, Enoch had worried, was their time up? Had they dawdled too long? Were they all going to die out there?

But then he was in a familiar bed, in familiar steel walls. His body felt right for him again, and he sat up to look down at glamoured skin and...there was something on his nightstand. It looked like a circlet or a crown, except the front was clearly a visor. He reached over for it - the Eyes of Truth - and the note with it. One that simply said, I'm sorry. Holding the Eyes of Truth in both hands, he shifted to sit on the edge of his bed, and looked around the room. England and Sealand had made it back safely, too. So...it had only been Zo bringing them back.

"That was...certainly an adventure."

Floor 101, Floor 1, Apr 10

So what does one do when one's begun to suspect an imminent betrayal? If you answered "find a distraction", you'd be right. Enoch is once again climbing trees, fig trees, apple trees, anything with a fruit he recognizes. He's not attempting to scale the date palm, though. He's finally run out of gauze to make ropes from. The thing lasted him nearly two years. You might find yourself sharing an elevator with him and a pillowcase full of fruit.

This is because he's headed for the kitchen to make a syrup out of them. Except an electric stovetop is quite different from a fire. Speaking of which, he's got one of those now. It's just not under control. Yep, he's started a kitchen fire. In at least three pots. Maybe he should have just stuck to what he knows...

Secret Floor, Apr 16

It had been set up. It had been a lie. The man he believed had saved him from one of the worst moments of his life here had set it up himself.

Enoch clutched a small pillow lightly in his lap, his fingertips worrying at the fabric unconsciously. The betrayal had run deeper than suspected, longer than suspected. And his own ignorance of it, his own willingness to help, had endangered everyone in this room. He should be angry. He should be seething, at being used. But no. He's just disappointed. He's just guilty. He sought Riki out himself. There was nothing that prompted him to do this but his own desire to take a stand and make progress, and join everyone together in a fight for their futures. He needs to do something. But it was that very thought that did this.

At the very least. At the very least, Riki now knew Ruana was at fault for destroying the worlds. He could only hope there was good in him yet.

What could he do now, after he'd messed up so badly, but hope?

Floor 74, Apr 17

Enoch wandered the underwater cavern, arms folded tightly across his chest. Armaros...this floor reminded him of him most. And now...now, could he have ruined their chances? He lay on his back in the wet sand, staring up at the rippling patterns of blue light from far away.

"You're a schemer...you're a liar..." He folded his arms over his stomach. "But you're quite an artist. What have you done with the monsters, Riki? I should have been attacked by now."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Watch it; said notable exception is his best friend. He doesn't remember how long he was in Heaven, or how old he was when he went (not much older than he currently appears, actually), and he's about to say so when David tries to get the conversation back on track.

"I..."

He's too ashamed of the truth to admit it, but knows he would be too ashamed of outright lying to someone like David if he did. He just shakes his head, then. A non-answer, neither shameful truth nor shameful lie.

David doesn't say anything in response. At first, judging from his expression, he's expecting Enoch to continue after his voice catches. As the moments drag on, though, his head tilts a side ever so slightly—then, his expression softens.

Even without Enoch explaining what it is that's making him feel less than his best, David gets the sense that it's got to be something embarrassing, or sensitive ... in what way, he doesn't know.

David doesn't want to stick his nose into Enoch's personal business, if it's something like that. But—in light of things he's learned, Enoch seems like he's one of the prime movers when it comes to Tower happenings. Whatever it is that's eating him, making him hesitant to continue paving the way for everyone—it's in the best interest of everyone if those feelings get sorted out, isn't it?

David remains silent, but from the subtle frown forming in his countenance, he's clearly in the middle of puzzling over how to approach the topic further.

And it's that very effort to pave the way that's potentially gotten the tower in trouble now.

When David doesn't say anything, and yet doesn't go away, either, Enoch raises his head and gives him a questioning look as if to ask if he has something else to say.

Enoch's expectant look finally motivates David to speak up, as if it were the nudge he needed to settle the debate in his mind.

"If it's somethin' personal, I don't wanna pry," David says with what passes for caution in his voice. "But, yanno—da people here in da Tower, dey need you. You an' all da other guys who've been fightin' dis fight. A lotta people look up to you, yanno?"

That ... seems like the best way to put it. David hopes.

Then it's all the better he not do what he did before. It's all the better he not get involved, because he'd messed up in so many ways...

"...I do know. My usefulness is limited. But I'm not alone in this fight, so...need it be me they look up to?"

"Oh, you betcha," David replies, giving Enoch a nod of confirmation as he does. "Bein' a hero ain't all about havin' superpowers, yanno? Dey inspire people to do great things."

David puts a hand on his armor's breastplate. "Heck, seein' da heroes back in Paragon City in action? Readin' comic books an' watchin' Saturday morning cartoons as a kid? I prolly wouldn't've wound up gettin' into da biz myself. 'Cause I wouldn't've been motivated to think I coulda made a real difference." Dropping his hand to his side, he readjusts the cigar in his mouth before continuing.

"An' it's like I said earlier, I ain't lettin' my own, uh—lack of usefulness get me down. I'm gonna find a way to help—even if it ain't my usual style."

That, of course, being "shoot or blow up anything that's causing the problem."

"You've been able to do way much more dan I have for da—what, year, dat I've been here? So you shouldn't either."

So it did have to be him. Somehow. He'd only been reaching out for help from the inside. And it had become this.

"...All right. I'll do what I can."

Nobody knew just how far he'd gone, how badly he could have messed things up. Only Lucifel and Aria knew Maybe he could make it better without letting anyone else know. He'd never intended to do anything less than what he could, but he wasn't so sure going below would be the best way to try.

But if even one person felt he was needed there...

David gives Enoch an encouraging grin. "Dat's all anyone can ask," he tells the scribe.

He glances back at the notes he's been studying, a look of guilt flashing across his own face. He should've learned that lesson himself his first month here—how much more could David have done for the people of the Tower if he hadn't been so single-minded about getting his glamoured rifle in working order and securing a source of ammunition?

Enoch doesn't quite peg what he sees as guilt, distracted as he is, but he does recognize something's not quite right with him and now it's his turn to lean in slightly in concern.

"Are you all right?"

David looks back up—not at Enoch, but ahead at the wall in front of him.

"Yeah, just—well, it's a lesson I coulda learned myself, sooner," David says, voicing the feelings that caused the pang of guilt. "Dat I don't need to have all my powers to make a difference. I coulda been takin' dis sword—"—here, he glances down as he unhooks the Orcish sword from his utility belt, looking over at Enoch as he holds it up—"—an' done some good for people plenty of times before. Even if I ain't da Scrapper type."

Enoch might recall David saying that about himself the day the glamour first failed, in fact—about him not being a Scrapper.

"I convinced myself dat all I'd do is get killed before I'd manage to help anybody."

"Death may be impermanent but it is still unpleasant. I don't think anyone would blame you for not wanting to pick up a new skill that would be dangerous to train."

Not that he didn't pick up new skills, he had a motorcycle of all things and knew how to ride it. But he also knew better than to expect other people to do exactly as he did.

"It ain't dat da trainin' is dangerous," David replies with a shake of his head. "Diarmuid was pretty good about goin' easy on me, an' I got dis suit besides. What was eatin' me was—more worryin' about effectiveness, kinda like what you were talkin' about. I kept thinkin', if I had to get in close with a goon and all I had was dis sword, it wasn't gonna matter how much trainin' I got. It ain't my element, I ain't gonna last."

"An' den when I met Romeo a while back, he told me about how he fought off a monster with a shiv." He gives Enoch a crooked grin. "Boy did I feel stupid. Really put it in perspective for me, yanno?"

Enoch nods. "There is still plenty of time to step up for yourself. Don't dwell on it, we have a lot ahead of us."

It...really didn't need to be him, after all. But he'd do it anyway. He had to at least learn what Riki was working on, now that he'd been talked out of his funk.

At what cost?

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Sorry about the delays! Finals week had me worn out.

That's okay! btw, the Riki thread's moving; your terminal's handwaved.

... Oh snap! I didn't even notice! D8

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