Sleepover before the storm

[attheclocktower]

Characters: [OU] Xion, Excalibur, and whoever comes
Setting: Floor 101
Format: Whatever floats your boat
Summary: It's the night before the infiltration. People are plotting, discussing, and Xion has brought a Dream Eater so those who want to try to get a good night's sleep have a marginally higher chance of doing so. So in short it's a Tower-flavored sleepover. Bring your own pillows.
Warnings: Nothing in the top level. Will try to edit if anything changes but if something comes up in one of your threads make sure to add a warning in the subject line

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[Standard mingle post procedure. Make your top levels. Tag around. Have fun. Or not, this is Animus after all.

Notes will have been passed out and quiet discussion gone around by word of mouth, just saying that several people were spending the night in the hidden floor. Anybody who spoke to Xion would have been told that she's trying to figure out a way everybody can get a good night's sleep. You'll need to supply your own blankets and pillows but... hey, at least if you have trouble sleeping, you'll have company?

Note that any characters who sleep on the Hidden Floor, if they normally suffer from nightmares will likely have notably lessened or absent nightmares (up to your discretion) owing to the Dream Eater that Xion has brought with.]

Comments

[midgarhorizon]

Yeah? Should I be worried?

[Now Reno's poking him in the cheek. ...How immature can you get?]

[oathshackledbird]

Yes, haven't you ever heard the phrase 'it's always the quiet ones?'

[Seriously, Reno, would you really be doing this to Rude and not be afraid of what he would do in return?]

[midgarhorizon]

[He would, and Rude probably wouldn't do anything back except pull out another pair of sunglasses.]

Nope. Why? [Poke, poke, poke.]

[oathshackledbird]

You will find out. You will find out.

[Diarmuid grins and then catches Reno's hand, pushing it away.]

Now stop that before you trigger a fight reaction and I accidentally break your wrist...

[midgarhorizon]

[Reno's face falls slightly, but he desists.]

Hey... just trying to keep it lighthearted here. I'm gettin' sick of the serious, focused stuff...

[oathshackledbird]

Lighthearted is fine. I am just trying to avoid accidentally hurting you.

[Diarmuid sighs, sounding tired.]

As on edge as I am, I might act without thinking and I don't want to end up hurting someone. Especially you. That would really kill the lighthearted mood, right?

[midgarhorizon]

[Reno frowns for a moment, thinking on why Diarmuid would be so on edge when he wasn't going down... then realized both him and Cu were going. If he knew the guy well enough, that's probably why...]

You that worried about us?

[oathshackledbird]

I'm worried about everyone...but my family particularly, yes.

[Diarmuid sighs and looks down at his hands.]

I want to be down there with you, but...

[midgarhorizon]

Why don't you come with us? We could use you.

[oathshackledbird]

Waver needs me too and he asked me to stay with him.

[For a moment, Diarmuid's eyes drift to Waver who is working nearby.]

Besides, sending all of our fighters down there when we don't know what will happen isn't a good idea.

[midgarhorizon]

[For a second, Reno looks disappointed.]

Yeah, I getcha. Don't make too much mess up here, I'm gonna be tired when we get back.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid actually flinches when he sees that look. Quickly, he looks away from Reno, head bowing. Cu Chulainn had looked at him in a similar way when he had told him he wasn't going down. Why does he feel like he's failing them? Is it really so wrong for him to stay with Waver?]

Sorry...

[midgarhorizon]

Hey, what's wrong with ya?

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid takes a deep breath and turns back to Reno, trying and failing to smile.]

Never mind. It's not that important. You should get some rest.

[midgarhorizon]

Dee?

[Now Reno is worried. See that? You got your brother worried.]

'Course it's important... family, right?

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid sighs and looks away again. For a moment, it seems like he's not going to answer and then he finally speaks softly.]

I feel like I am failing all of you, okay? You. Cu Chulainn. Ryoji. Xion and everyone else that is going down. I should be going with you, but I can't. I just can't.

[And if Reno is as sharp as he prides himself on being, he should have no problem realizing there is more than Diarmuid isn't saying.]

[midgarhorizon]

[With a soft snort, Reno lowers himself to the floor beside him again, and if he'll let him, slide his arm around his shoulders.]

I'm your bro, Dee. If there's something else you wanna say, I won't tell anyone.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid doesn't pull away, but he doesn't look at Reno either. His gaze is unfocused but turned in Waver's direction again. For the longest time he doesn't say anything. Finally, he speaks almost inaudibly.]

We can't risk losing it. If we do...then we really have no hope.

[midgarhorizon]

"It?"

[Reno blinks in confusion for a moment.]

Losing what, Dee?

[oathshackledbird]

Ah...

[Diarmuid's eyes nervously drop back to his hands, and unconsciously, he starts rubbing the back of his right one. If he were Waver, there would be command spells on that hand.]

Our bond...the contract. It ties our souls together...

[midgarhorizon]

Oh, that. What's so important? If ya lose it, you can get it back again.

[Reno might have lost something in translation there.]

Or... if ya mean you don't want it lost because of the tactical stuff... I mean I guess I understand that.

[Or not. He seems to get it after a moment.]

You don't want to lose your connection, right? ...

[He's silent for a moment.]

What does it mean to ya, Dee? I'm tryin' to understand here.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid is quiet for a long time, still rubbing at the back of his hand. After a few moments, he seems to realize how red he's making it and stops, moving to play with his ring instead.]

If we can't pick where we go when this is all done...it ties my soul to his. We are hoping it will be enough for him to drag me to his world. I don't have a body back on my world. I don't need to go back for it. I would just need energy once on his world. It's a long shot, but it's better than nothing...

[He pauses for a moment, almost seeming like he's done, and then he starts talking again.]

When you have someone else there for so long...it's like losing a sense when they are gone. Whenever the bond flickered before we got our real powers back, I always felt so empty, even if it was just for a short time. I...hate that feeling.

[midgarhorizon]

That...

[There's a lot Reno could say, and he frowns.]

That ain't fair. Normal bonds are just as important, and I can point out a few ways that's flawed. Ya don't need the contract or whatever to go to another world... I know because Xion saw us on Costa del Sol. I got to hang on to that otherwise I'm going to wind up back home without her or Elena or Shion...

[He's quieter here.]

But it's all right if ya don't want to risk it... you don't need excuses, y'know? There's plenty of people here who don't want to lose important things... [A pat on the shoulder.] I understand. Just promise me you'll keep the kids and people up here safe. When I see El I'm going to ask her to stay...

[Reno isn't sure at all that was the right thing to say, but at least he's being honest. Diarmuid liked honest, right?

It's been a while since they've done this deep talking stuff...]

Behind the front lines can be more important. I remember that from the war.

[oathshackledbird]

I never said they weren't! Don't put words into my mouth!

[Diarmuid snaps the words before he can stop himself and immediately regrets it, hanging his head.]

Sorry...it's just...different and it's hard to explain when you aren't a servant who is dependent on someone to survive. That bond is the most important thing to you and even more so when you are bonded to someone who you care about as much as I care about Waver...

[Is there really a way to describe how important a contract is to someone who isn't a servant? Diarmuid is trying, but he doesn't feel like he's doing a very good job, and he doesn't want Reno to feel like his bonds aren't important too. They are. They are just...different. That is why he changes topics so quickly.]

I'm not going to let anything happen to anyone up here. What is the point in fighting if you come back and find those you are fighting for are gone? Since so many of the people who are staying behind this time are doing so because they aren't fighters...

[Someone needs to make sure the Administrators don't take the opportunity to wipe out the brain of their opposition so to speak.]

[midgarhorizon]

[Whatever lightheartedness Reno had from earlier is gone now.]

Sometimes, when we were in the Turks, we had to split up.

[He motions out over the floor with his free hand, seemingly not upset by Diarmuid's outburst.]

We'd get attacked by some enemy. AVALANCHE, for example. They'd be infiltrating our headquarters. One group would head to the President's office. The others would be out there trying to neutralize the targets.

Most of the time we were pretty glad we had someone hanging back.

[Reno squeezes his brothers shoulders.]

Just because you're in the vanguard don't mean you aren't fighting. That's... what you're worried about, aren't ya? That you should be down there.

[Because that's how Reno feels every time he gets held back...]