towerofanimus | A return

Entry tags:

A return

Characters: Romeo
Setting: Dorm halls and rooms and then hidden floor
Format: Either
Summary: Romeo returns from a long stint on his dead world, to find that a close friend is gone, he goes looking for people. He then goes into a frenzy to finish his book and lets people know it is done
Warnings:

Romeo would never get used to his dead world. It wasn't quite as scary as it used to be, nothing was quite as scary anymore. He didn't think he was any braver really just that he had seen so many scary things that they didn't feel as bad. Just like when there was only ice cream for an entire month and by the end of it he didn't like it so much as he once had.

Still he was very glad to wake up back in his bed in the tower, he had tried to count the days to check that it didn't go over the time before the power ran out but the number got too high and that was a scary thing as well. But he was here and there was still power and people.

So he hadn't been too late. He rolled over and blinked at the empty bed where Zett should be. A different kind of fear cut through him as he rushed out to look at the plaque outside the door. No Zett... he was gone. Like so many of Romeo's friends...

Pinocchio wasn't though and the weasel nudged his face, demanding attention. "I missed you." Romeo told him sadly and left his room walking down the corridor looking on the name plaques, checking to see which of his friends were still here.

He stopped at a terminal to check the countdown. That wasn't many numbers left... He looked for someone to ask questions of, any of the adults that he knew would answer him. What had happened when he had been gone? Had Ruana hurt more people? Was Zo okay? Had he gotten ill again?

The hero book

One thing was clear. There was not much time left. Romeo looked around his room and in his trunk at the bits of his book. The book of heroes he wanted to make to remember all the brave people in this tower. He would have to finish it now, before more bad things happened and before time ran out.

The next few days he could be found mostly in the work room a mess of glue and notes and crayons. He worked in a frenzy not stopping to eat or sleep, it was like learning to read all over again, he couldn't stop and he just wanted to keep going.

He wandered the halls making notes of the names on the doors and then for a whole day and most of a night- it was a good thing really, that the monsters were gone, he walked the graveyard making notes there.

Finally he slid notes under all the doors that had people in them.

I finished the book about heroes, come to the floor if you want to see it.

He hoped they knew he meant the secret floor, he hadn't wanted to write that because it was a secret!

Anyone who found there way there would see the book, many pages tied together, mostly written in crayon. There are pictures, that are far too good to have been drawn by Romeo and letters in neater, more adult handwriting stuck in. Romeo's arms are circled around it protectively, his head on the table next to it, fast asleep.

An Ambush

Whilst Romeo was looking at the rooms listing all the people in his book he saw one name that made him stop. Gamzee. It was not his room, it was a different room altogether but the name was there.

Romeo burst into the room, but there was no troll to be found. He frowned and went back to his listing. There were more names; Ven and Kidou who he needed to find as well.

But Gamzee was first and so after Romeo had showed people his book and slept for a whole night he began to look for his friend. Anyone around room 2-02 would notice a loitering Romeo as he waited for Gamzee.

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Romeo nodded, "Mister Jason did it, twice and miss Ruana gave me antlers once too." He blinked and nodded.

"A bird? Can you fly?"

"Do you know why they did that? It seems odd they would do it so many times without a reason..." Then again, it's Ruana and Jason they are talking about. Who knows what they are thinking?

"Oh no, I can't fly. At least not like some people here can," Diarmuid is sure there are several people in the Tower who can fly for real. At least, he knows Wiggle can. "But where most fighters are very uncomfortable if they are forced into the air, being in the air is where I am most comfortable. In fact, I often spend so much time in the air during a fight, it seems like I am flying. That is where the reference comes in. It also doesn't hurt that I have liked being high up ever since I was a child."

Romeo shook his head, "Because they are bad..." He stared at the table, all of those times held bad memories for him. But a moment later he punched the air and grinned.

"I like being high up too sir, I used to love being up on the roofs in Milano, you get the best view of the sky!"

"I see. That would explain why they did it," Diarmuid actually wants to ask why they are so bad to Romeo. After all, in his culture, people often wore or were depicted wearing antlers as a sign of a tie to nature and wisdom. Romeo's reaction, though, shows that is obviously not true for his culture and that is why Diarmuid doesn't ask his question. The last thing he wants to do is upset the boy more.

"Believe it or not, I lived in a house in the trees for a few months once. I enjoyed it a great deal. Someday, I would very much like to do it again," Even if they are victorious here and get everything they want when it comes to restoring worlds and traveling to the one of their choosing, Diarmuid doubts that he will get the chance to do that, though. He just can't imagine Waver being very happy at the idea of living in a tree. Still, it's nice to dream.

Romeo nodded and then his eyes widened. A house in the trees. That sounded so cool. "Living in a tree sounds so fun! Did the animals not mind? You should do it again when you get back home, it's important to do fun things!"

"The person who originally built the home was very careful to build it in a way it didn't bother the animals, and we lived in it carefully to avoid bothering them as well," Diarmuid looks back down at the book, flipping a few pages, though it seems like he is thinking about his past more than the book. "I might have to see if Waver will humor me for a bit..."

Lancelot, Ryoji, Kariya, Elena... As he continues turning pages, it becomes very obvious to Diarmuid just how thorough the book is and that makes him glad. He might frown a little when he sees names like Sephiroth and Ganondorf in it, but had he not been the one to say everyone is a hero in some form? It is just harder to see in some cases...

And then he hits the names of all those who have gone. After seeing the first dozen or so names that he knows, Diarmuid almost has to stop reading because of the pain it brings him thinking about those people who he will never see again. However, he forces himself to continue. He promised Romeo he would look to see if anyone is missing, and that is what he is going to do.

That sounded nice, to live with the animals but to make sure you didn't hurt them or annoy them. Romeo watched Diarmuid as he flicked through the pages.

He sensed that Diarmuid was sad, he didn't want anyone to be sad reading his book but he knew they probably would be. Because so many people were gone.

Once Diarmuid has finished scanning all the names and has managed to push away most of his sadness, he closes the book and hands it back to Romeo, "I think you have everyone as far as I can tell. However, have you thought about adding a few blank pages to the book at the end? That way, if anyone thinks of a name or would like to write something about one of those names at the end, they have room to do so. I have only been here a year and a half and there are a lot of those names I don't know. It's entirely possible there are people missing who I just don't know about. Others who have been here longer might, though, and could easily add them to the book that way."

Romeo grinned and nodded before digging through his bag for some spare sheets of paper, he pulled them out and went about adding them to the back of the book before the very last page. "That's a really good idea, because other people might be better at remembering then me."

"Indeed, better than you or me," Diarmud smiles, glad that Romeo is so open to the idea. Sure there is a chance that someone might write in something bad, but he hopes that the spirit of the book will keep people from doing it. The risk is worth it if they are able to catch even a name or two that was accidentally left off. And speaking of names...

"Of course, you realize there is one name I saw that is missing and I don't know if you did this on purpose or not," Romeo is young, so Diarmuid isn't sure if no one thought to mention him or he just took his name out for some reason.

He taps the cover of the book, "Where is your name at?"

Romeo wouldn't have even thought that someone would write something nasty. Even though he knew very well that people did bad things he wouldn't even think that they would ruin something that was for everyone like this.

He pulled a face at the question, "My name is at the beginning, I say who I am." He looked down, "Zett said he wanted to write something about me but he's gone, so I just left it."

Sadly, with names like Sephiroth's and Ganondorf's in there, Diarmuid worries that not everyone will be as respectful as they should be...

"Your name needs to be elsewhere than just the beginning. Don't you think Zett would be sad if we left you out just because he was taken away before he could write something for you?" Diarmuid opens the book to a blank page and then starts looking around for something to write with, "Do you have your crayons with you?"

"I guess..." Romeo frowned, "I wouldn't want to make him sad... That wouldn't be nice of me because he's a really good friend."

He rummaged in his bag and pulled out a handful of crayons, offering them to Diarmuid, a thoughtful look still on his face.

Diarmuid takes the crayons and opens the box before tilting it back to Romeo, "Do you have a favorite color? We should use that one."

While he waits for the boy to pick, he looks at the page, thinking of what he would like to put down himself about Romeo. Diarmuid wishes he had gotten to know Zett a little better so he might be able to guess what the man would have written himself.

"Is there anything special about yourself you think should be written in here, Romeo?"

"Blue! Blue's my favourite. Like the sky!" Romeo found the right shade of blue in the crayons and passed it over.

He thought for a long moment, he couldn't really think of anything. It was easy to see how other people were brave and strong but harder to see that he was himself. "I don't know... Um... I think I'm really good at making friends, but I don't know if that's a hero quality."

"Of course it is," Diarmuid accepts the crayon and, after a moment, starts writing. "Heroes are people who are trusted and if you are a person who can't make friends, it is going to be harder for the average person to trust you."

After that, he falls silent for a short time, focusing on what he is writing. Finally, he finishes and turns the book toward Romeo so the boy can see what he has written:

It seems that the young writer of this book has left himself out of it and that is certainly something that cannot be allowed. Romeo is as much a hero as anyone else in the Tower is. Despite being in this horrible place for far too long, he is still able to smile, make friends, and raise the spirits of others when nothing else can touch them. His ability to care for others and see the good in even the darkest corners of people's souls has not faltered in all the time that I have known him and I doubt that it ever will.

Romeo is proof that even the young can have great impact on the world. I am honored to have gotten to meet him.--Diarmuid Ua Duibhne

"There. What do you think?"

Trust, Romeo knew that was a good hero quality. He watched Diarmuid write, stroking Pinnochio's head as he did. When Diarmuid turned the book around Romeo leaned forwards reading it slowly.

When he was finished his heart felt too full for words and so he stood up to go around the table and gave Diarmuid a big hug.

"Hey!" Diarmuid smiles, accepting the hug and tucking Romeo under his chin for a moment. It is obvious the boy is touched by what Diarmuid wrote and that makes him glad. After all, Diarmuid had felt so happy to read what the others had written about him...

"It's all true no matter what anyone else tells you. You are a treasure and I am very happy to have had the chance to meet you."

Romeo hugged Diarmuid tightly for a moment. "I'm really glad to have met you too. I'm glad to have met everyone. Even though I hope everyone gets to go back and be safe in their worlds... I'm going to miss everyone. A lot."

"Yes, that will be the hard part, won't it? There are so many people here that I will miss and I know can't just come with me because they have things they need to do back on their worlds. You can't just send letters to or make phone calls to different worlds..." Diarmuid has often told people that as long as they remember someone that person will always be with them. It's just rarely an easy thing to do when you would much rather have that person there.

"I wish we could." Romeo sighed, "Send letters I mean. Or messages to each other even though we are far far away. Because it's hard when you can't see people or be with them and it's not like they went to heaven where you can just ask God to tell them you're thinking about them."

"That is true, though, perhaps you can ask your God to speak to the gods of those other worlds? He might not be able to see your friends since they aren't on the same world, but those who are watching over the other worlds can..." It's a stretch and Diarmuid knows that, but considering there is no other way he can think of...

"Oh." Romeo thought about that and then grinned, "That could work. I bet all the gods in all the worlds can talk to each other because they are really powerful."

Diarmuid nods, "It is not really as direct as a letter would be, but still it is something and gods work in interesting ways sometimes. Who knows what might come of the request. It is worth a try, isn't it?"

Though, deep down there is part of him that still hopes maybe somehow there might be a more direct way of contacting their friends and family who choose to go their separate ways.

"It is. I think it's a really good idea." He grinned. He would still miss them but it would be nice to know that someone was watching down on them.

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