A return

[myblueskies]

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.

Comments

[myblueskies]

"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."

[oathshackledbird]

"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...

[myblueskies]

"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."

[oathshackledbird]

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.

[myblueskies]

"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.

[oathshackledbird]

"Indeed," Diarmuid reaches out to lightly ruffle the boy's hair before turning back to the book. "Okay, now that we have you added, I think this is ready to go. Do you have anything else you want me to check it for?"

[myblueskies]

"I think it's ready as long as we haven't missed anyone out!" Romeo looked at Diarmuid with a nervous look. "I hope everyone likes it!"

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid reaches out to ruffle Romeo's hair once more, "Don't worry so much. They are going to like it a lot. I cannot say enough how proud of you I am for finishing this. You have done a wonderful thing here. Never forget that."

[myblueskies]

He smiles at the hair ruffling and the fact that Diarmuid is proud of him. It makes him feel like he has done something really good that will help people. "I won't! Do you think people will come and see it?"

[oathshackledbird]

"I do! Not only will they come to see what others have wrote about them, I think even more then will come to remember those who aren't here anymore. This book," Diarmuid puts his hand on the book, "is a lot nicer than sitting in front of a tombstone. Especially, with the drawings that Zett did of the people he was able to find."

[myblueskies]

Romeo smiled, "The drawings are good aren't they! Zett did them really well even if he had to do some of them secretly!" He hoped Diarmuid was right and people would come to read it and know about how many heroes there were here.

"The tombstones are really sad, and there are a lot of them! I didn't know just how many until I had to write all the names down!"

[oathshackledbird]

"I am very glad you did that, though. The people who have been sent away are just as much heroes as anyone else here. They have had to deal with a lot being stuck on their dead home worlds for so long. It must be even harder for those who have been sent away recently because they know time is ticking away and they can't do anything to help us," Diarmuid can't imagine how he would have handled being sent away if he had been considering it is one of the things he fears the most. It...wouldn't have been pretty.

[myblueskies]

Romeo nodded, "When I was there I was scared that all the time would run out and I wouldn't be able to help everyone at the end. That's why when I came back I knew I had to be quick and finish the book because we don't got much time left."

[oathshackledbird]

"And it's a fine job you have done. What will you do now that it is done? Do you have anything in mind?" Diarmuid can't help but be curious, since it will be harder for Romeo to fight like the rest of them. Still, he knows the boy is going to want to have a role.

[myblueskies]

"Well I'm going to help everyone, because we got to stop Ruana and get back to their worlds. I can fight better now. I think it's going to take everybody working together if we have any chance of escaping." Romeo smiled, "You're going to help too aren't you?"

[oathshackledbird]

"I agree with you. Everyone must do their part if we are going to be successful. I am no exception to that, and I intend to fight just as much as I can. Not only do I want all of my friends and family to be safe and happy, I also have someone I very much want to go home with," Diarmuid shuts his eyes for a moment, thinking of Waver before continuing. "What will you do when we are successful, Romeo? Are you going back to your world?"

[myblueskies]

Romeo nodded, glad that Diarmuid was going to help even though he had already known he would. He was a really great person and Romeo was happy that he had someone he wanted to go home with.

"I am, I have a lot of things I want to do there, I got to continue on Alfredo's dreams."

[oathshackledbird]

"Alfredo's dreams? And what are those?" Romeo sounds very set on this, so Diarmuid hopes that the dreams are ones that are worthy of the boy and not something bad he has tricked into believing.

[myblueskies]

"He wanted to make a world where everyone was free. Where nobody could be bought or sold, especially children." Romeo's eyes had a slightly faraway look to them. "Where all children can go to school and not be hungry or hurt and they can run free under the blue sky."

[oathshackledbird]

A relieved and impressed look fills Diarmuid's eyes. He reaches out and puts a hand on Romeo's shoulder, looking into the boy's eyes, "That is a beautiful dream. Never give up on it until it becomes a reality, all right? No dream is more noble and worthwhile than that one."

[myblueskies]

Romeo grinned, glad that Diarmuid approved of the dream and that he wasn't going to tell him it would be impossible. "I won't. It's really important to me, it's the thing I promised Alfredo before he died so it's not something I can ever give up on."

[oathshackledbird]

Diarmuid is the last person who is going to tell anyone their dream is impossible. Especially when that person is as much of a fighter as Romeo is, "Would you tell me a little about Alfredo? It sounds like he was very important to you."

[myblueskies]

"He is! He's very important to me, he's my best friend ever." Romeo told him, "He was a chimney sweep like me but once he was the son of a lord and he lived in a big house with his sister and parents. But his bad uncle burned it down and killed his parents and then he had to be a chimney sweep to get money to help Bianca and to prove his uncle was bad.

He was really clever, he could read all sorts of books and knew lots of things. He's the one who taught me about keeping your spirits up! He started a group of chimney sweeps called the Black Brothers so we could all help each other and fight the Wolf Gang because they used to get us when we were alone and hurt us. He was really good at coming up with plans and he was really kind and friendly. His boss was really bad and mean but he never was sad or complained... Even when I knew he was really hurt and upset." Romeo took a breath.

"He's the one who gives me all my hope because if I ever don't know what to do I just think about what Alfredo would do and I know it's the right thing!"

[oathshackledbird]

"He sounds like an amazing friend and a perfect person to look up to. No wonder you are so good at picking out heroes and acting like one. You knew one before you even came here!" Diarmuid is tempted to ask about how Alfredo died, but he really doesn't want to upset Romeo by making him think of sad things like that. He can't help but wonder if the boss or that other gang was involved, though.

"Are there a lot of people in your group so you will have others to help you keep his dream alive?"

[myblueskies]

"I did!" Alfredo was a great hero. One of the best in his world Romeo thought. He nodded at Diarmuid's words, "They will all help!" Most of them had gone back to their villages, but Romeo knew he could count on them.

"And Bianca will as well, she's already learning to be a doctor even though she is littler than me and she's going to help everyone even if they've got no money."