See these bribes for what they are

[warriorscribe]

Characters: Enoch and anyone who would like to join him
Setting: May 1st, floor 101
Format: I'm starting in prose but feel free to do whatever. Threadjacking encouraged!
Summary: Enoch still has wine left, thanks to Riki's efforts to win their trust. What better way to get rid of it than to drink to the memory of Dax and their future?
Warnings: Nothing as of yet.

Enoch had been sleeping in the secret room since that day, paranoid that the tower's very walls would kill him as he slept if he did so in his bed. Eventually he would begin to fatigue but he'd deal with it then. When the new month came, according to the terminals (he never did understand why it was a new day in the middle of the night, but then again, there was no sun or moon to mark time otherwise), the lack of weather was clear immediately, the moment he stepped out of the secret room.

Somehow, he remembered his stash of wine, and where it had come from. And he had an idea.


He'd gathered all his wine - four and a half bottles of red wine (two of them red wine and rosewater), and a few glasses from the cafeteria. He himself had a crude waterskin filled with it, and he sat with all of this at the edge of the gardens, drinking slowly, a pile of fruit gathered from the floor beside him, mostly apples and grapes.

He knows that by all rights he should be seeing stars. The dark void out there instead makes him all too aware that when a world dies - no, when Ruana kills a world, she kills its Heaven too.

The multiple glasses is a sign he does intend to share if asked, but if one comes too late in the day, it may be gone. But he is indeed willing to pour a glass for anyone who asks, and to share conversation. They may all be forced apart - and this is unavoidable, or so the AI said. But he needs the company of others now more than ever, as they march inexorably towards their future for better or worse.

For better or worse...they had followed in Dax's memory as well as they could, even if Riki tried to pull them away. What better way to resolve the effects of Riki's treachery than to use them to honor Dax? If one should find him when he considers this, they will hear him murmur, "Dax...", and he pours a bit of his wine onto the soil beside him - of course, the glamour glitches as he pours, and it becomes water on a metal floor, but then it's restored, and the wine sinks into the earth.

Comments

[notsogrimreaper]

Ryoji smiles when he sees Enoch out on the secret floor. Another person who couldn't sleep, it seemed. Ryoji had gotten a few hours, but woke up not long after, still exhausted but too jittery to do anything.

He's about to speak when he pauses in bewilderment. Ryoji isn't familiar with most customs and he's unsure why Enoch is wasting his wine like that. He peers over Enoch's shoulder with curiosity.

"What are you doing?"

[warriorscribe]

Enoch glances behind him, and smiles at the sight of Ryoji. "I thought there would be no better way to be rid of the rest of this. One last drink, and a sacrifice in honor of Dax's memory."

[notsogrimreaper]

“So you spill the wine to honour him? I’ve never done that before… but it’s a nice gesture to him. I think Dax would appreciate it.”

He smiles back, kneeling down beside him and staring at the ground, thoughtful.

[warriorscribe]

"I would hope he would." Enoch smiles wistfully out into the void. "...Would you like some? Or some food?"

It would be rude not to offer, after all.

[notsogrimreaper]

“Ah, none for me. I don’t handle alcohol well.”

He still remembers laughing in Sephiroth’s face the first time he had it. Ryoji doesn’t want to refuse all of Enoch’s kindness, though. That would be rude.

“Some food may be nice.”

[warriorscribe]

Enoch hands over some of the grapes and a couple of apples. It may be glamour but it tastes better than the nutrition bars.

"We'll need our strength, I think. It's too quiet."

[notsogrimreaper]

“Yeah. It’s only a matter of time before something happens.”

He nods his thanks and chews one of the grapes, smiling faintly at the sweet taste of the juice.

“Do you think we’re going to be okay?”

[warriorscribe]

He looked out at the featureless void. It was hard to say if any of them would be. But as for their success? While he had worried for his own personal success, he'd always had faith in the people around him. Ruana seemed most interested in people who were very strong, after all. What better way for all of this to backfire on her?

"...I think it will be hard. But we will persevere, of this I've been sure for nearly two years."

[notsogrimreaper]

“I can’t believe how long it’s been for some people. I guess it’s going to be a year and a half for me before we’re done here.”

He looks over, a question suddenly coming to him.

“What are you going to do when we’re done here? Do you want to go back home?”

[bloodwriter]

Ever since re-entering the tower, Disciple has been exploring every new floor possible. The sky seems very strange to her, but she brushes it off, thinking it may have something to do with certain events in the tower from last month.

While walking through the secret floor, she see's Enoch pouring wine on the ground, which makes her very curious.

"Enoch, did you pick poor wine to drink?"

[warriorscribe]

"Ah...no." Enoch looked up at her and smiled. "It's quite good, actually. This is in honor of the dead."

Trolls didn't seem as if they'd do that sort of thing, from what he can recall about them, so he isn't so terribly surprised to hear one wonder about it.

[bloodwriter]

"Ahhhh, I see." Di has never seen something like that, but losing someone was a very familiar feeling.

She then rubbed his shoulder. "I am very sorry to hear that for you, Enoch. You must feel devastated."

[warriorscribe]

"I did...and in a way still do, but he wanted nothing more than for us to escape this torment. And we are so close now. He would be proud of us."

For once, in the face of a loss, Enoch can keep smiling. Dax - if Dax as a person, an identity, still exists...can he see what they've accomplished?

[bloodwriter]

"Yes! Let us focus on his good deeds and efforts for the future. Let us work hard for it!"

And now she's so gung-ho, she's pumping her fist in the air!

"And this time, I want to join in your Calvary too. I do not know how many men you have on your side, but more could be good, yes?"

[warriorscribe]

"We are nearly the whole of the tower, united under her. This is our fight."

And it always has been. Everyone wanted Pandora to be what Aria was all along and they spent too long trying to do so.

[bloodwriter]

"It is indeed! And we shall have a huge feast afterwards. I do not know if we have enough provisions for it, but we can try!"

And why not? She loves celebrating and she's sure others would love to party with her.

[warriorscribe]

"We will likely not have power, then. No lights or machines... It may not be a feast, but we will celebrate all the same."

He can't imagine celebrating with nutrition bars. But hey, maybe they'll find the stock of real food downstairs.

[brbtalkingtogod]

Unlike Enoch, Lucifel had stayed in their room. He could understand where the scribe's paranoia came from, however, it wouldn't matter where they were if the walls were to kill them.

Knowing that there was almost no time left until the countdown would reach zero, the Archangel wanted to spend as much time as possible with Enoch. They didn't know how things would turn out. And being unable to see the future, not to know the outcome or what to do to change it, being unable to go back in time and fix things... it made him feel anxious.

"Hey..." He approached Enoch and took a seat next to him.

[warriorscribe]

Enoch looked up at Lucifel as he sat down and reached over for an empty glass to pour him some wine.

"Lucifel..."

His voice had something soft to it, something like his tone when he left a place, when he shed a name. This month...it would likely be the last he'd see of this particular Lucifel. Only if they failed to restore their worlds would they remain together. And that wasn't acceptable.

But he still tried to smile.

[brbtalkingtogod]

With a smile on his face he sat down next to the scribe. One month. Knowing the deadline would soon be reached... having something like a deadline at all gave him a strange feeling.

He knew the tone in Enoch's voice.

[warriorscribe]

Except this time, both parties were wholly aware they would soon part. Enoch had thought it might make this better, but instead...

He took a sip of wine, and offered Lucifel an apple.

"...I wish I could say there was something nice about this emptiness."

[brbtalkingtogod]

They wouldn't be able to avoid the subject forever. For now he welcomed not speaking about it. Lucifel took the apple and stared at it for a while before he took a bite.

"... I wonder if He was looking at such an emptiness before He created everything..."

[warriorscribe]

"If only we could fill it as easily."

If only it was as easy as speaking things into existence. Enoch raised his waterskin slightly, and gave Lucifel a small smile.

"To light?"

[brbtalkingtogod]

"Who knows what would happen if the two of us created a world?" He said with a chuckle. That would probably be something... probably a bit of a mess, knowing who would be involved.

"To light? Really, Enoch?" The Archangel looked serious for a moment before he laughed.

[warriorscribe]

"Isn't it always what follows darkness?" He laughed along with him. It would be...nice, to create something grand like a world with Lucifel. He'd hope they could make a good one, something God would be proud of...

But it's only a nice thought, nothing more. A desire for a lasting legacy of their friendship, this centuries-old bond they have.

"I..." His laughter fades, his smile saddens. Speaking of creating worlds, he has something to tell Lucifel, though the angel may have already guessed from his tone. "Lucifel, I learned something the other day..."