towerofanimus | [open]

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Characters: Romeo
Setting: Everywhere, starting in the cafeteria, going to every floor in turn, making a brief trip into room 1-03 and finishing in 1-02. Just let me know where you are finding him.
Format: Starting in prose, but will change if you want
Summary: After not being able to find Molly all day Romeo asked on the network. He is now searching the whole tower looking for her.
Warnings: Lots of sadness

No. Molly was not gone. Romeo was not going to believe it, because it just couldn't be so. She must just be hiding somewhere. Maybe she was sad and wanted to be alone. Though that wasn't really like Molly, maybe she had decided to go into the maze and got lost.

Or maybe the bad people had got her once and for all...

No... He had to keep his spirits up, she had to be somewhere. He began in the cafeteria, checking everywhere including the oven and the freezers. "MOLLY?" He called. He stopped people when he saw them asking if they'd seen her.

"She's bigger than me and wears cool hats and is a superhero!" He told them if they didn't know her by name. He checked all the floors, even the really scary ones. He swam about in the aquarium to see if she was in the water, and ran around the forest, remembering to look upwards in case she was hiding from the animals.

"MOLLY!"

He didn't find her. He ran through the dormitory halls poking his head into rooms and asking if people had seen her.

But he was starting to expect the answer no. It was impossible to keep his spirits up, tears kept welling in his eyes as he tore desperately through the last coridoors before pushing open the door to room 1-03 slowly with shaking hands. He ran over to Molly's bed, it was neater than it should be. He opened her trunk and stared for a few moments at the emptiness inside before a sob escaped his lips and he fled.

He had suspected it from the moment Ienzo had told him that her name wasn't on the list anymore. But now the truth came crashing down on him. Molly, his best friend in the tower, as best a friend as Alfredo had been was gone, gone and the bad people had taken her and were probably doing horrible horrible things to her.

He stumbled into his own room and crashed onto his bed sobbing, not even bothering to keep it quiet. Molly was gone and it was like all the light had been sucked out of the world.

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"Molly, she's a big bigger than me and a superhero and she's gone." He hugged Psiioniic tightly before letting go and looking up at him. "Yesterday morning, but not since then, she wasn't at meals or anything! All her things are gone and me and Ienzo searched the whole tower and she's not here..."

He was desperately trying not to start crying again, shaking with the effort.

"It'th okay," Ψiioniic reassured him, stroking his hair. "It'll be okay, Romeo, you're not alone, okay? We'll... we'll find her. Maybe she was taken for an experiment like we were, and she'll come back onthe they're done with her."

Except... none of their things had gone missing while they were all locked up and being mutilated, had they? Signless hadn't mentioned anything about that, although it wasn't as if Ψiioniic really had anything to be taken. None of the others had said anything about their things being missing.

And there had been several cases of people vanishing from the tower entirely. Disciple had been here, though Ψiioniic hadn't seen her himself before she'd vanished. And she had returned... but with no memories of having ever been in the tower. The same thing had happened to Aradia.

Quietly he told Romeo about both of those cases, ending with, "Maybe that'th what they've done to Molly. Maybe she'll come back eventually. But even if she doethn't remember you, as long as YOU still care about her, you're thtill friends, right? I know you would never give up on her."

"I'll beat them, they are bad, why did they take her!" He looked up angry, tears spilling down his face again, he listened though when Psiioniic told him about the people who disappeared and came back with no memories.

"Napeta did that, twice," he told him quietly, "and some people never come back..." His voice caught, "If they got her I got to go find her. We swore friendship until the end of time and I got to protect her!"

He nodded, he would never ever give up on her, she was his best friend and he would never stop caring about her.

It was disheartening to know that some people never returned, but Ψiioniic was glad to see Romeo looking more determined than sorrowful, at least for the moment. "Of course we'll look for her. I'll help as much ath I can. But Romeor, just remember, you have to look out for yourself too, okay? She wouldn't want you to get hurt, or get into trouble. And you need to be here for her if and when she doeth come back."

He was a little worried about the boy trying too hard to find his friend and ending up taken away himself.

"Thank you Psiioniic, they must be keeping her somewhere like they kept us because me and Ienzo checked everywhere that we are allowed to go and she isn't here." He nodded slowly after thinking for a moment.

"I'll try and be careful... I don't even know how to start finding her though..." Mostly he just felt numb, and he wanted to cry though he was trying his hardest to keep his spirits up. He felt like he had when Alfredo had died, though this time he knew he had to keep fighting, because Molly would want him to.

"Well... forgive my for thaying it since I'm not your moirail, but... you thort of look like the best place to thtart would be a good feelings jam," Ψiioniic said hesitantly. It felt weird to offer such a thing to someone who not only wasn't his moirail, but was little more than a wriggler. But Romeo was a good friend, and Ψiioniic didn't like to see him cry, which it looked like he might start doing again.

Signless would understand, he told himself. It wasn't really pale cheating, just... helping a friend. Or something.

Romeo blinked at him through welling tears, "What's one of those?" He asked quietly. He trusted Psiionic though and if he thought it was the best place to start then Romeo would do that.

"Which, a feelingth jam or a moirail?" Ψiioniic was fairly certain he'd explained moirails once before to Romeo, when talking about Signless, so he assumed it was the other term the boy didn't know. "A feelings jam ith where you curl up in a pile with someone you trust and jutht... let yourself be vulnerable. Talk about what's hurting you, or thcaring you, or let yourself cry. And they support you. And that way you get it all out tho you can face the world strong again." He rubbed a thumb over Romeo's cheek. "You're thtill upset, and scared, and that means you'll jutht be rushing around doing whatever pops into your head, inthtead of calmly thinking and planning things, see?"

"A feelings jam," he said quietly, he knew what a moirail was already. He frowned slightly. The idea was completely alien to him, feelings were just things he felt, and often just pushed aside to keep his spirits up, when Alfredo died the Black Brothers had made him fight and become their leader. Surely the best thing to do was ignore what he was feeling and go find Molly, because the longer they had her the more horrible things they could do.

But Psiionic was right he didn't know what to do, it wasn't like when Alfredo died when he had to take on the Black Brothers and help them all and make sure the Wolf Gang didn't start bullying them again. He didn't know what to do and he just wanted to beat up all the baddies and he didn't even know where they were.

He nodded, "Okay if you think that's what I should do."

Nodding, Ψiioniic nudged Romeo back towards his sleeping rectangle. The human boy didn't have a proper pile, not like Ψiioniic and Signless did with both their bedding all heaped together between their sleeping frames. But the sleeping rectangle itself was soft enough and would probably do, and Ψiioniic really didn't feel right inviting Romeo back to the pile he shared with Signless.

He kept the boy tucked up against his side as they moved, his arm curved protectively around Romeo's shoulder. "It'll make you feel better, you'll thee," he promised. "Especially thince you don't have any firm idea of what to do next, tho all your feelings are jutht boiling around inside. They'll come out sooner or later - better now when you have time and safety to deal with them, rather than later when you're in the middle of trying to rethcue her, maybe."

Romeo sat on his bed leaning into Psiionic's side and nodding, he didn't know what to do and he just wanted to cry and scream, even though he knew he had to fight, and rescue Molly even if he didn't know how. He felt safe with Psiionic, which still surprised him because he was an adult, but he was kind and didn't hurt Romeo or treat him like he was stupid just because he was little.

Curling his feet under him he blinked up at Psiionic unsure what to say for a moment.

"I don't know what to do..." He said after a moment tears filling his eyes again.

"That'th okay," Ψiioniic reassured him, stroking his hair. "Don't worry about what to do right now. 'Doing' comes later. Right now, jutht tell me how you feel. Upset, obviouthly. Scared? Angry? What are you thinking?"

If he could just get Romeo to open up and let go of all that pain he was so clearly holding inside, maybe he could help the boy feel a little better.

Romeo was quiet for a bit, because he didn't know what he was feeling, everything was mixed up inside him and he thought that if he just tried to keep his spirits up it would be easier than trying to work out what all the badness was.

"Angry... why are they so bad? Why do they keep doing bad things to us? Molly's really nice and kind, and..." He was crying again and he moved his hand to wipe the tears away.

Ψiioniic beat him to it, wiping the tears away with gentle claws. "I don't know why they keep doing bad thingth," he admitted. "Some people enjoy theeing others in pain. It'th bad, evil, but they do it anyway. I'm thorry you and your friend had to get caught in it."

Romeo leant further towards Psiionic, he wasn't a child and so he shouldn't have to be held, but it had been a long time since someone had let him cry on them. It was strange because Psiionic wasn't his mum, and he was an adult and adults wern't meant to be nice to kids.

"I wish I could beat them all, but I am too small and don't know any magic and Molly is a superhero and they still managed to get her!"

"You might be small and not have magic, but you have friends who are big and who do," Ψiioniic reminded him softly, stroking his hair again. "Like me. If you find her and you need help, just call on me and I promithe I'll be there. And I'll bring SS, he'll be happy to help, too. I know you've got other friendth who will pitch in. That'th your power, Romeo - you make people like you and want to help you. You're a bit like SS that way. So if it wathn't for you and your determination to help her, there wouldn't be so many people looking for her or willing to rush to her rethcue. That means you're doing a lot for her, even if it doethn't feel like it right now."

Romeo looked up at Psiioniic with wide eyes, he was so used to being the one who helped all his friends he sometimes forgot that he could ask them for help as well. He managed a smile and nodded. "If I find everyone who I know and we work together we will be able to bring her back. And everyone else that they took as well!"

Now that was better. Ψiioniic much preferred Romeo's smile to his tears, and it looked like the boy was getting his spirit back. "Maybe. And at leatht we can support each other while we do it. I'm here for you any time you need to talk or whatever, okay?"

He wasn't as convinced as Romeo that simply trying hard would be enough to bring the girl back, let alone everyone who'd disappeared. There were too many strange things going on in this place, not least of which was the multiple versions of so many people running around. But that realization could come in its own time; he didn't want to crush Romeo again by pointing it out.

Romeo nodded, "Everything will be okay if we work together and help each other." It always was, even when things got really scary. He reached out to hug Psiioniic again, "Thank you Psiioniic!" He smiled at the troll.

"You're a really good friend." Even if he was an adult, it didn't really matter since the bad people hurt adults as well. And here you needed as many friends as you possibly could find!

"You're welcome, Romeo," Ψiioniic said, hugging him back gently. When he pulled back he stood up as well. Romeo seemed better now, and it would be inappropriate for him to continue the feelings jam beyond what was needed. He knew Signless would forgive him for this much, but there were limits.

Romeo smiled again as he stood up. He felt much better now, just like Psiioniic had said he would. He would need to make a plan and get his friends to help him but he would save Molly! Molly and everyone else! The bad people couldn't win if they all worked together.

His usual spirits restored he jumped to his feet as well, not one to sit still for long, he had work to do!

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ack I'm sorry I thought I'd already replied

no worries!

Re: no worries!

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