animus_network | First Wind (video)

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First Wind (video)

[The network is happily greeted by the face of a young man with surprisingly golden hair staring into the screen. It's hard to guess what he's feeling right now, seeing as how he was given the news that his world was destroyed. However, that didn't seem to phase him much, so he's not as shocked as others might be. He's relieved to know that some of his possessions came with him, but...

Enough contemplation, he finally begins to speak up.]

A shame, isn't it? That our worlds are gone? It's nothing that I would have expected in the first place, seeing as it's a bit hard to believe. However, I'll have to put my trust into it that my world is actually gone. Needless to say, I'll be missing my partners over there- unless some of them were brought here, as well. If you've ever heard of a Guido Mista, or Trish Una, please contact me.

...ah, I suppose I should introduce myself in the meantime. My name is Giorno Giovanna, and I greet all of you who were taken to this "Tower". Hopefully time will tell if I enjoy this place, or not. The atmosphere is...undesirable, however. But I'm sure some of you might have gathered that much in time.

...also, if anyone is kind enough to show me around, I would be grateful to you. I need to learn about as much of this place as I can before I can truly adventure and claim certain parts as safe. Also, a bit off the subject, but have any of you heard of what a "Stand" is? If you have, then let me know. I have some...things I'll be needing of you.

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Maybe not..but it's probably sad that you lost your loved ones and that your hard work over there was all for nothing..at least, for now, anyway. And if you don't know where to begin, maybe I should just give you the usual infodump and see what springs up from there.

[And, without further ado, the actual infodump.]

This is the Tower of Animus. Four people now run it-Riki, a secretive man who builds the Tower and is in charge of the records, Zo, a small child who can bring souls here, Jason, a sadistic medical doctor who sometimes experiments on the residents. He, I believe, helps transfer your soul when you die. Finally, there’s Ruana, a woman who has been here for thousands of years and doesn’t quite understand human empathy or emotions, and hates it when people go against her. She may seem sweet, but she is capable of removing free will and cannibalizing her own Administrators.

There used to be a fifth Administrator named Dax. He was the most humane of the bunch and did his best to protect us from Jason and the monsters here. He even managed to sneak people down to the Administrative levels in order to let them know more about this place. However, when he tried to go against Ruana..she killed and ate him, possibly absorbing his powers in the process. He was a good man.

Death isn’t permanent here. If you die, you’ll just wake up in your bed the next day. However, don’t throw your life away for foolish reasons. For one thing, you’ll probably get punished if you die too many times, and for the other…your body is made up of recycled parts. Only your soul was pulled to this universe. Your body, and the ones you’ll have afterward, are not your original body. That’s why you have the collar. It helps make sure your soul safely stays in your body.

If you haven’t been to the cafeteria yet, make sure that you eat the oatmeal when you do. If you don’t, you’ll throw up anything else you try to eat until you finish it. However, you can eat anything you want afterwards, and you can add things to the oatmeal to improve the taste.

Monsters roam the Tower at night, and some of the higher floors have monsters that attack if you get too close. If you can’t fight, then I would suggest learning. There are plenty of people here who would be willing to teach you.

I suppose you do have a valid point of there being the period of sorrow and mourning for my loved ones...it's a shame that I may never be able to see them again. Hm...I suppose I should dwell on this later. For now...

[Reading all of this, Giorno can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by all the information he has to process...but it doesn't take long before he's finally situated himself with the facts.]

...it seems as though this place has more to it then I initially thought. Administrators...monsters...hm. Getting used to this place may take me a while, but eventually I'll get into the flow of things.

...although dealing with the monsters, or anything, for that matter, shouldn't be too hard for me... [Although he wishes he didn't have to wear this collar.] ...I suppose I should head for the cafeteria first, if this is the case.

[Tohko knew that this could overwhelm some newcomers, but she found that it was better to get it all out of the way so that no one was puzzled about anything. It was better to be a bit scared and up-to-date than ignorant and less worried. Assuming, of course, that this information did frighten people.]

It is sad that you might not be able to see them again. However, you're right. There's a lot more to this place than one might think, for better or worse. However, I'm pretty sure you'll get used to everything in..some way. No one ever really gets used to the experiments though. Those are pretty horrible and almost unpredictable.

However, if you want, you probably should head to the cafeteria first. If you want, I'll help you eat the oatmeal. There's nothing wrong with that.

I suppose I can part with them...although it makes me wonder what it would have been like if things hadn't been destroyed back home...experiments, however, are the things I want to avoid the most. Anything to tamper with me and my being...I wouldn't enjoy that very much.

Although, I suppose I will take you up on that offer of heading towards the cafeteria. Although, knowing what to eat after the oatmeal may come as a task.

[Not that he was hungry in the first place, but he wanted to get the oatmeal aspect out of the way.] ...I'll meet you in the cafeteria. [And with that, Giorno's already moving towards the first floor, not exactly excited for anything.]

I'm sure a lot of people have been wondering about things like that..but you know, it does no good to turn your mind too much to the past and get stuck in it. And no one here really enjoys all the experiments they inflict on us.

And I'll meet you at the cafeteria then! And don't worry! It shouldn't be too hard to figure out something to eat.

[And with that, Tohko would be running over to the first floor, her retrieval unit of a stalker following her all the way.]

[Seeing as how Giorno had already found his way to it, he was looking around to see if the girl had already popped up- he had only spoken to her through text, in any case. Although...seeing a girl run in with...is that a retrieval unit? Is that the girl he was looking for?

In any case, he's raising an eyebrow, before standing up and walking over to her. Might as well take the shot in asking.]

Tohko Amano, I presume? [He bowed a bit.] It's a pleasure to actually meet you in person. [If this was the wrong person, then he'd just feel silly.]

[Yes, it was a retrieval unit. Not that Tohko really wanted it to follow her or had chosen for it to be her stalker, but after the Administrators found out about the rebellion, they had thrown the stalker at her..and probably anyone else they suspected of being involved in the rebellion as well. However, at the introduction, Tohko nodded and curtsied before replying.]

Yes, I'm Tohko Amano, the book girl. It's nice to meet you too, Giorno. I'm sorry about the company, but it's almost impossible to shake off Ivan these days.

[His eyes are still caught on the retrieval unit, wondering what it's purpose could possibly be...however, snapping out of his little trance, he briefly nodded to her as she explained about Ivan.]

Think of it as no problem, I'm sure it wouldn't be of any hindrance to what is about to take place. After all, eating oatmeal shouldn't be worth the trouble, correct?

[...oh, right, he had forgotten why he had come here.] Well, I do suppose we'll be heading to get the food, correct?

Well..it probably won't be any hindrance, but I know that he can bother other people..for a good reason, to be honest. I'm not terribly fond of him either, but as I said, it's rather difficult to shake him off unless I really try, and I didn't want to keep you waiting.

[However, at that last question, Tohko smiled and nodded.]

Yup! One of the nearby drones should have it..

[Tohko walked into the cafeteria and, sure enough, a random drone was waiting for her with a bowl of oatmeal. It gave her the bowl before wandering off again.]

Here we are! Now we just need spoons.

Edited 2013-05-13 05:06 (UTC)

Hm, so this thing is actually a trouble maker? ...I hope for it's sake that it doesn't annoy me too much. But I'm sure no one would be fond of anything that would be following them around and causing trouble...although, may I ask, why is it following you around?

[Giorno followed in suit after her, finding a drown having his bowl of oatmeal ready at the helm, as well. He takes it, bows to the drone, as he looked around a bit.]

Hm...it doesn't look too bad...but I suppose spoons are needed.

[He began to scan around the area- or at least, trying to absorb what the cafeteria looked like for future references.

If need be, I can just swallow this all.

Oh, don't worry..it probably won't bother you. After all, he doesn't ever talk. And he's following me around because the Administrators think I'm suspicious.

[Oh, so the drones had messed up and given him a bowl of oatmeal too. Tohko had meant to just share one bowl with him so that he could get it all out of the way in one go, so she put her bowl on the counter for someone else later.]

It's pretty disgusting, to be honest, but you are right, we do need spoons..and how can you swallow that all?

[As she spoke, Tohko opened up a nearby counter and got out two spoons for them to use.]

So they only administer these things to those they think suspicious...hm. It piques my curiosity to know what you have done to have made them suspicious in the first place.

[Even though he knows that's a story for later, he can't help but seem to wonder what else goes on in this place...in any case, he noticed that she had put her bowl on the side- ah? They were sharing it, it seemed...not that he didn't know in the first place.]

Ah, it was just a joke, I suppose. I'm sure I couldn't do it. Even if you say it's...quite disgusting in the first place.

[Ok, noted where the spoons were...he'll just idly take one for himself, sitting down at a nearby table. The oatmeal...definitely didn't look too appetizing.]

Well, it's not really anything that I did..during the last experiment, Jason twisted the bodies and minds of some of the residents and made them loyal to the Administrators. During that time, those where more twisted than the rest of us told Jason that some of us might be suspicious. Ever since then, this drone has been following me around.

[At that, Tohko smiled a little as Giorno took a spoon and sat down. Tohko sat across from him. While it didn't look appetizing, there was really only one way to get rid of it.]

It is..but you know, if you're going to tell a joke, you have to make your voice sound like you're kidding, or people will take you seriously.

[And so, smiling, Tohko would take the first bite of the oatmeal. It tasted like sand, but that was normal for her, so she was able to keep smiling as she swallowed it.]

Ah, is that the reason? You were making it sound like you did something wrong, or I must have been misconstruing things. Either way, I would hardly find you as a suspicious person at all- again, I could be wrong. First assumptions never tend to go the right way.

[Although his eyes widen a bit to what she said next. He never really did have anyone tell him that his voice was a little too serious to be joking...then again, he doesn't really let up his serious demeanor in the first place. Ah well, he just waves it off and takes a spoon full of the Oatmeal...

...it really didn't taste like he expected- it was...almost like sand?! His eyes drifted down to the food, narrowing a bit. But he still didn't seem to make any other reaction besides that.]

...how much of this do we have to eat, exactly? Before our bodies can actually ingest something else.

Well..technically, I'm not doing anything wrong. The Administrators were seeking out people who might rebel against them. That's who they sent the droids out to: people who were suspected of being involved in a rebellion. However, I think your first impression is pretty accurate.

[At the question, she sighed before she took another bite.]

You have to finish eating the whole bowl. I've been here for about seven months, so I don't have to eat it..but I'm helping you, since that's allowed, and I want to. This stuff is pretty vile, and I know some people have trouble finishing it on their own.

Ah, so you don't have anything to do with this "resistance"? Hm, well, I suppose that this...retrieval unit would be for nothing, then. Ah, well. [He let out a little sigh.] ...Although thank you for confirming my suspicions in the first place.

[...eating the whole bowl? Nothing he can't get used to- not that he wasn't already minding it in the first place.]

I suppose it's a price to be paid for living here, after all. Nothing too bad, though- the flavor could have been a lot worse. [So he says as he takes another bite.] Although it's nice to know that sharing does help out the process.

[Well, that piqued Tohko's curiosity. Sure, while she wasn't quite happy that Giorno hadn't caught onto the fact that it was just phrased like she could not be part of the resistance-when, in fact, it was just a ruse to try and get the drone to deliver false information and get him off her back-it was interesting.]

And what suspicions did I confirm? And you know, the food isn't the only price you pay for being here..but you are right, it was nice to figure out that sharing it is allowed, for some reason.

[When asked about his suspicions, all Giorno could do was let out a light chuckle, waving his hand off as if dismissing her statement.]

...I'll tell you at a later time. It's something I'd rather share without the ears of others floating around us. [It's true- he's definitely not going to run his mouth off if there's potentially something out there that might use it against him. He's too careful for something like that to happen.]

Hm, I take it this refers back to that information dump you gave me a while ago. Yes, it doesn't seem like I will be catching a break here soon...but. [So he says, trying to swallow down another spoonful of this oatmeal.] Adaptation shouldn't be a problem.

[At that, Tohko nodded. She knew all too well that one had to watch their mouth around the drones and the Administrators.]

Alright then. That does make sense. Hopefully you'll be able to tell me when we don't have unwanted company. However, you're right..this does have to do with everything I told you earlier.

However..while some parts of adapting shouldn't be too hard..I don't think anyone will get used to having their free will ripped from them.

[While she spoke, her face fell a little. Having your free will messed with and seeing your friends being tortured was horrible.]

So I suppose you do realize the meaning behind my words? [Good, he doesn't feel the need to repeat himself at a time like this, anyhow.] But you can be assured that I will tell you what I mean...and maybe you can fill me in about some more things.

[He's curious about the resistance, actually. Already here, and he doesn't seem to like what the administrators are doing...let alone running it.]

...free will. [Giorno grew quiet all of a sudden, letting out a solemn sigh.] ...Then I suppose these administrators are far, from human, if they're willing to strip away the freedom of lives.

I believe so.

[At that, Tohko actually smiled a little.]

I would like to meet up sometime soon so that we can have another chat. You'll have to slip a note in my mailbox so that I can get ready though.

[After all, it did take some time to lose the stalker. It wasn't impossible, but it was a huge pain. However, at that sigh, her smile fell.]

You're right..they're not human. None of them are, and not even Dax was, even though his morality and empathy grew to our level over time. While they've done a lot of horrible things to us, it's my personal opinion that last month and Halloween were the worst experiments that have happened so far.

I suppose that you can expect that note to come by in the near future.

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I suppose that you can expect that note to come by in the near future.

<small [A small smile seemed to come up to his lips as well.] </small>

There's a lot of things I wish to know more about, either way...as well as get acquainted with the people here. I take it that most are..well?

<small> [That meaning that they won't go out of their way to actually harm him- he doesn't need that right now either way.

Although things don't seem well as Giorno shifts about from where he is sitting.] </small> I would've expected this "administrators" to actually take better care of their residents- rather then use them as mere puppets. I cannot stand those who are so ill, willing to harm those that have done nothing.

Well, I check my mailbox a lot, so if it does, I'll be sure to get it and reply!

[Her smile returned a little as she spoke, and at the question, she nodded.]

There are a few terrible people in the Tower, but most are pretty nice and kind..and don't like this situation either. You usually won't have to fight with people here. Usually.

[Tohko sighed at that last part though.]

While they don't quite see us as puppets, there is a horrible reason for why we're treated like this. Jason uses us as experiment samples, and Ruana, who both caused the destruction of our universes and 'let' Zo save us, sees her games as compensation, even if they are horrifically cruel. Not that I agree with their reasons, mind you.

I'll look forward to that time then.

[She seemed like a nice enough person- especially since she was willing to help him out like this in the first place. And he's really big on those sort of people.]

"Usually". That's better then other responses. But I'll take your word for it- I'm sure I can scout out the terrible ones in an instant, however.

[Not that he actually has a radar- he just knows from experience. Although hearing her last statement caused a sigh to emit from him as well.]

...so I suppose the price of saving us is having these little tests run on us...but I'll agree with you that I don't exactly see eye-to-eye with these people. I might as well live with it. [For the time being- unless they do something really outrageous that'll cause the wrath of him.]

[Tohko was always more than happy to help out nice people and others working to restore the peace. People like Ganondorf though? Not so much.]

Alright then! It's good that you have that skill here. However, if you ever need a second opinion, let me know. Sometimes it can be tough, especially with Wolands and chessplayers.

[At that last comment, Tohko sighed and nodded.]

At least, they think it should be the price. However, for now, all we can do it live with it and deal with it as best we can.

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Re: [Action] It's alright! Don't worry about it!