just this once, everybody lives!

[sageprincess]

Characters: Everyone.
Setting: Anywhere.
Format: Party style.
Summary: Post-Ex Machina catch-all mingle.
Warnings: See individual threads.

[After a long, drawn out battle, the infiltration team returns to the residential portion of the Tower, weary, battered... but victorious. Some catching up is in order.]

Comments

[fionnuisce]

[Waver had finally collapsed on the hidden floor after the chips has been disabled, simply dropping into a chair and passing out cold over a desk. Beside him was the usual silver maid dressed in red and gold, somehow managing to look as though she was at a loss for what to do now. Eventually, she settled on cleaning up the wayward bits and pieces left scattered around in the total chaos.]

[attheclocktower]

[When Xion spots Waver, she makes a beeline over. She doesn't want to disturb him though so in the end she merely sits down next to him, smiling almost sadly. She speaks quietly, maybe enough to wake him if he's a light sleeper, but she's not trying to, really.]

I'm sorry. I didn't do a good job being careful. [beat] It was worth it though.

[fionnuisce]

Hm--what?

[Waver raised his head and blinked a few times, confused.]

Xion? Didn't you go...down...stairs...oh shit, what happened.

[attheclocktower]

[When he wakes up, she grins even more widely, and when he asks her what happened... it takes a turn for the teasing.]

You make it sound like something awful happened!

[Nevermind she looks like she's been through the wringer. In either case, A moment later it breaks into more relieved delight.]

We did it. We stopped him.

[fionnuisce]

What.

[Apparently it was taking Waver longer than normal to wake up.]

How?

[attheclocktower]

[If putting one's hands on one's hips weren't an awkward position to be in while sitting, she'd do it.]

We followed the plan - we shut down the terminals, got him to leave the room, then we stopped him from trying to stop us while our friend from the chipped units took care of the machine.

[She may... totally be glossing over how many near misses there were, and how nasty Riki had gotten, but... it wasn't really important in the end, was it?]

[fionnuisce]

Trying to stop you? Wait, what exactly happened with Riki specifically?--did you find out what he was doing? Because we have been dealing with some shit up here.

[attheclocktower]

[Xion's pleasure sours significantly.]

No... All of the text on the computer was in these... symbols. Probably the Tower's language. Riki said he was trying to fix our worlds, and even left the room when we asked so we could "look at the machines."

But he attacked us almost as soon as he was out. I think he might've wanted to trap us down there.

[It's her belief, and she's sticking too it. Regardless, her gaze is suddenly smouldering. Now more than ever she doesn't believe a word Riki said, and feels foolish for ever having believed it.

After a few seconds though, her anger fades to worry.]

What happened up here?

[fionnuisce]

Spec-fucking-tacular. So much for him actually being on our side.

[Waver was starting to look aggravated himself. Optimism did not have a record of paying off, he noticed.]

To summarize, we all started getting exhausted as hell--sleeping only brought up weird nightmares I can't accurately describe in much detail. Eventually we started flat-out hallucinating.

It turns out there were some kind of chips on a few different floors, and my best guess as to why amounts to Riki trying to drain our energy remotely rather than hooking us up to anything again.

[attheclocktower]

[That actually earns a surprised look from her. But her brow soon furrows as her gaze drifts downwards]

If that's true... maybe it didn't matter what we did in January after all.

[If he had another way of gathering their energy... Though he could have made it with any of the Tower's machines... except... She realizes something, and looks down, shaking her head]

It's funny... if we'd only tried to get Dax's information sooner... DJ says that the only thing soul energy can't be used to power is the Tower itself. I guess that also means that can't have been what he wanted to do here either. I don't know what he really wanted to do, but...

We did it. And I'm glad it's done.

[fionnuisce]

[Waver brought a hand to his head and thought for a moment or two; what was Riki hoping to accomplish with those chips? Rather, what was it he'd wanted to supply power to if that was in fact his goal?]

I'm sure it won't kill us to stop throwing about hypotheticals for just a moment. [He cut off the line of thought at that, crossing his arms.]

I'm glad you all managed to come back relatively safe.

[oathshackledbird]

This is going to be the story of our lives, isn't it, Mo Stór? You asleep at your desk and me deciding how to best move you from it...

[Diarmuid's voice is gentle as he crouches down next to the desk, a warm cup of tea in his hand. He doesn't mind, really. He just finds it amusing.]

Come on. Wake up. You really don't want me to carry you again, do you?

[Yes, that would be a cup of Irish Breakfast Tea being passed near your nose, Waver...]

[fionnuisce]

[TEA SENSES: ENGAGE]

...what? [Waver straightened up, looking around.] What's gone wrong that I have to fucking fix now?

[oathshackledbird]

I'm out of tea?

[Diarmuid smiles at him and holds out the cup.]

I certainly hope that you have more stashed somewhere because I finally just used up all I had left...

[fionnuisce]

I might have some, but I'm a bit lacking myself.

[Waver quickly rubbed at his eyes in an attempt to wake up properly, frowning.]

...There's no other horrid catastrophe going on now?

[oathshackledbird]

Not that I know of.

[Diarmuid sets the tea on the desk near Waver so he can have it once he wakes up more completely.]

My energy level is starting to normalize, which means the plan worked. Also, people are starting to reappear from below. I'm not sure the details of what went down, but they look accomplished even if they are as exhausted as we are. I...think things might have gone well for once?

[fionnuisce]

...Well fuck me, I guess the planets can align every so often.

[Shaking his head, Waver gratefully took the cup of tea and looked around.]

Do we know if we lost anyone this time?

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid shakes his head.]

I don't know yet, but...I'm seeing a lot of tired people and not a lot of missing ones. Can it be that almost everyone or everyone did make it?

[Is that too much to hope for?]

[fionnuisce]

Hell might just be serving ice cream.

[In other words, 'it's a clear possibility']

[oathshackledbird]

[It's obvious from Diarmuid's expression that he is trying to fight back a silly grin. After all, he hasn't seen either of his brothers yet and those two have ways of getting themselves into trouble, but at the same time...]

How long am I allowed to be optimistic for before I have to let reality sink in again?

[greyerrant]

A victory is a victory, isn't it? [ Loken booms at Waver. ]

[fionnuisce]

I'MAWAKEWHAT--

[Startled out of his unplanned nap, Waver quickly looked around the room before focusing on Garviel, trying to force his still half-asleep brain to catch up on events.]

I'm..sorry, did you say something?

[greyerrant]

I said a victory is a victory, isn't it? ANd we get few enough of those. [ Loken stinks like electricity burned flesh beneath his armor.]

[fionnuisce]

Oh--yes, of course. You're right.

[what in god's name even...]

Are you...er, injured?

[greyerrant]

I endure. [ Garviel shrugs his massive shoulders. He's almost as tall as... someone that Waver remembers. Saber made the connection, after all.]

Mostly what I want is wine and some stories, now. Even if I have to tell them.