Endgame: This Broken Jaw of Our Lost Kingdoms; Part One

[animusmods]

Characters: open to those trapped in cells
Setting: the cells
Format: any
Summary: Those left abandoned in the Tower have some time to speak to each other. In the middle of the room, a clock counts down...
Warnings: general animus endgame warnings

Comments

[neverbeamemory]

["Just wait--just wait! I'll show you."

As if that engulfing white and single, total reverberation hadn't been ominous enough. At least the retrievals he'd been monitoring had bleached out into white as well, the problem being everything else had as well just before consciousness was snapped away.

Perhaps similar to a few others, Sephiroth instantly got to his feet as soon as he came to. To the barrier right away to peer around whatever details, and whomever else, he could make out on the other side. They weren't on the cell-floor of the Tower, that much was obvious. With a grunt, he gingerly touched at the barrier, noting that it didn't seem to be charged or anything, before backing up right to the back wall of his cell and -then coming around to the fact that his powers were off, again- launched a heavy kick at the door regardless.

The non-lethal shock was still a shock nonetheless, painful tingling rushing up his leg and causing him to retreat on shaking steps backwards away from it. Once his refusal to crumple under the shock had won out, Sephiroth stepped back to the door and levelled a death stare at the countdown in the middle of the room as the seconds ticked away.]

I'm assuming that didn't exactly go to plan, either-

[Bitter much, oh yes. But at least the comment was to no one in particular.]

[myblueskies]

I think we made her scared. [Guess who is next door to you Sephiroth. That's right. Romeo scoots closer to the glass that separates them.] So she locked us up.

[neverbeamemory]

[That tiny voice to his side-

Romeo. Of all the irritating children in the Tower and it had to be the one that somehow managed to hold fast to some misguided belief that Sephiroth really couldn't be all that bad.

At least before Sephiroth's own attempt at Tower-domination. He's not seen the kid since. Now stuck in a cell next to him. Sephiroth sighs though makes it shorter than it could have been. Replying yet not turning in Romeo's direction.]

Hm- what made you think that?

[myblueskies]

Because why else would she lock us up? [He blinked at Sephiroth.] She likes playing games and we need to be more free to do that. Even when all the administrators had a fight and all hurt us... when Ruana took over from Jason she took us out of our cages. [He shrugged] So she must think we can really beat her if she is going to lock us up.

[neverbeamemory]

[He doubts it's that simple, even if Romeo did have a point about her games. It had been a long time since she had played with them as such, getting them to kill Jason for her seemed a deviation from her usual tastes. Though Sephiroth does turns his head down over a shoulder some at Romeo.]

I don't think she's scared of us at all. She's upset that her things keep getting broken. Won't be breaking anything from in here.

[myblueskies]

[Romeo shrugged] It still means we made a difference. [He smiles]

[stitchedupbodyguard]

I don't know what happened.

[A voice replied to Sephiroth. Veronica's tone was confused and agitated. She hadn't even been in the fight with Riki, but here she was, stuck in a cell.]

But I think we killed Riki.

[neverbeamemory]

[Perhaps last time he'd heard only her voice, Sephiroth's mind had been elsewhere. He recognizes it this time though and quickly glances from side to side at the barrier of his door to see if he can see Veronica or if she's off to the side of his cell somewhere.]

That's going to put her in a spectacular mood, for sure.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

I hope one of us punched her before she did this at least.

[Veronica was a ways away from him, but close enough to be seen from behind the barrier. The fact that she still wore her black clothes didn't help.]

I also hope we're not stuck here now.

[neverbeamemory]

I imagine she probably put herself well out of range before anyone got close enough.

[For all that she doesn't want to be alone, after all, Ruana only ever kept them as toys to play with. Again, though, maybe it's all she knows. Sephiroth is done trying to understand her, yet it's impossible for thoughts to not drift that way in the light of these developments.]

It's going to be a very long eternity, if we are.

[stitchedupbodyguard]

[Likewise, Veronica had given up on trying to figure out what the Admins were about. All she wanted now was for them to be dead, and for everyone else to go home.]

So, she might be planning someone else now. I think she has Riki's power now.

[Something they hadn't been able to stop it would seem. Upsetting, but understandable.]

Maybe she'll just kill us?

[evokingfool]

Yeah, it didn't quite go as planned.

[Minato looks over at where he heard Sephiroth's voice coming from, sounding rather tired from almost everything. He's still mentally going over the events from Riki's appearance to Ruana's, before he stopped to respond.]

Riki's dead, but Ruana's angry when she found out...and some of us gave her harsh words.

[Kyoko's was particularly harsh.]

[neverbeamemory]

[It takes Sephiroth a moment longer than usual to detect the direction Minato's voice is coming from. It's inconvenient having senses reduced to human levels. Eventually though he inclines his head somewhat in that direction as if it might make it easier for him to hear.]

So much for the grand master plan.

[It's a bitter comment, but then he doesn't carry on and lets Minato finish. Taking a moment also to collect his thoughts some, to put what Minato is telling him in context.]

Harsh words? [He is more than baseline curious.] Well, that probably didn't help her temper any.

[evokingfool]

We killed Riki by pushing him into the outside light...we never expected Ruana to be unaffected by the same light.

[That means they can't use that method against her. It's yet another sign of her inhumane body and strength. If they have to kill her, they would need something more certain and powerful...]

And it didn't. Some of us told her how they feel about her methods, this entire situation and how she treated the other administrators.

[neverbeamemory]

[If they have to kill her, the question remains: What then? Like it or not each of the Administrators had ultimately had a role in keeping their souls in existence. Even if it was within wireframe cages only. The power of the Tower sustains them, Sephiroth knows this personally. So what happens when the lights finally go out?

Not that he could argue with Minato on any of those points apparently made. Not that talking ever did any good.]

Outside light? [He doesn't know about that-]

[evokingfool]

[If the light finally went out, then they might finally face with permanent and final death. Or they might have their souls wander for eternity.]

The light outside of the tower is harmful to them. Strong enough to even kill Riki. There's a moment when it was shone on us and I can honestly say...nothing else can compare to the pain.

[Nothing the administrators have done to them can hope to surpass the feeling of his very soul dying.]

[notayoungkitten]

[It's been a while since she last spoke with Sephiroth.

It had been before members of the Tower had decided to attack Riki, and now Ocelot is left wondering if perhaps she should have joined them. She could have gotten the chance to attack Riki had she joined.

But she hadn't, and now she's locked in here like some sort of animal. It was enough to enrage her, though even if she was locked in the cell with a companion, she wouldn't have appeared to be as angry as she was.]

Perhaps this is where we will remain until that time counts down. It may be the simplest way for her to deal with us.

[If the idea bothers her, it's hard to tell; her tone is completely flat.]

[neverbeamemory]

[He's hardly seen any of Ocelot since Ganondorf left the Tower, not really to talk to her anyway. All through his own selfish attempt at escape and he hadn't sought her out at all. Perhaps she hadn't been there, but Sephiroth wouldn't have cared ultimately. Nesir got the explanation instead, since he had tainted her for his purposes.

Although it would have been something of a climax to have fought Riki, doing so would be protecting Zo and Sephiroth isn't about that at all. He had been far more interested with the state of the second block and that floor they seemed to be protecting. Floor 23.]

That much is guaranteed, from how it looks currently.

[He's very good at keep his own tone at least as flat at Ocelot's. It seems that some appearances are worth keeping up, even now.]

[notayoungkitten]

[She's not stupid enough to try attacking the barrier. That would accomplish nothing but earning her plenty of pain if the noises she's been hearing once in a while are any indication.]

For a while there, I believed that we may have had a chance.

[Even if that chance had been to kill Ruana. Riki was dead. Now her opportunities to take out the administrators are slowly evaporating. She has to get her hands on Ruana.

Ocelot hardly cares that Ruana is a little girl. It doesn't make any difference to her. She'd still kill her in the end.

That is, if she can escape from this prison.]

[neverbeamemory]

[At least he hadn't made much of a noise. It had been a sizzle and a muffled grunt, or at least he was convinced he hadn't made much more noise than that. Woe betide anyone who suggested that it had been anything else.

Not that he could do very much about such a comment, being stuck in this cell.]

It concerns me that you would place such wild belief in something you must have suspected was flawed, Ocelot.

[He had tried to open up, he had even shared what information he knew with whomever might have asked as he'd visited the Hidden Floor more often in later days. But it all was proved worthless when it was revealed that none of them really had a solid plan which they could substantiate.

Then he'd abruptly walked out.]

[notayoungkitten]

[She laughs at that. It's a harsh sound, though she does sound amused. Maybe at his statement, maybe at the situation, maybe even at herself. She doesn't make an attempt to correct him right away.]

I had something very important that needed to be done. I suppose it doesn't matter now.

[chevalier_mal_fet]

[Sephiroth's voice he hears from close by, and so answers, his tone mildly chagrined.]

I have some Doubt as to whether the Action was indeed Planned at all.
[His comment is as vaguely directed as Sephiroth's.]

[neverbeamemory]

Hmph, just like everything else.

[He agrees, but it's that doubt, that Jason had first put in Sephiroth's mind that has had time to germinate now. Did anyone ever stop to really think about all this, before acting?

Was he still missing something, even now? Since the initial Glamour drop they have all been pushed for time - could some theories have needed more consideration? Doubts like this are poison at this point.]

I have no doubt at all, but it's now the result we need to be concerned with.

[chevalier_mal_fet]

Do you propose some Action? Or is it a Defense?

The difficulty lies in Prediction. At which we have failed thus Far.
If you have insight-- I would hear it.

[For he knows there is Insight there, as well as bitter Madness.]

[neverbeamemory]

To propose any action other than defense, given our circumstances now, would be rather too hopeful for me to put much faith in.

[Lancelot is right as ever and out of all the people here, Sephiroth sounds the least bitter when he talks to his old room mate. The two have sparred many a time, shared thoughts more often than Sephiroth has most others in this Tower.]

What sort of insight are you expecting to hear, Lancelot?