oathshackledbird: Where has hope gone? (Where has hope gone?)
Diarmuid Ua Duibhne ([personal profile] oathshackledbird) wrote in [community profile] animus_network2013-10-09 03:30 pm

[Video/Action] Bittersweet the Bonds of the Heart

[Losing Mami, who he viewed as an adopted daughter, last month had been hard, but Diarmuid had worked his way through his grief by focusing on the happy times they had spent together.  However, when three more people he is close to are sent home--two of which he cares for like his own children--those happy memories become a source of pain instead of a route passed the grief.

When he appears on the Network, Diarmuid looks more lost and empty than he has in a long time.
]

Usually, when I address everyone, I am asking for help on a project that will benefit the whole Tower.  Today, I am asking for help on a more personal level.

How does one handle losing a child?  Not just one, but several over a short period of time?  Nothing I try seems to work, and I am...

[His voice trails off here, shaking and uncertain.  A short time later, the feed ends.]

Action:

[After making his post, Diarmuid can be found wandering the Tower almost as if he hopes one of the floors might give him the answers he seeks.  There are some specific prompts below, but feel free to find him elsewhere.]

Room 4-16:


[A handmade wooden box sits on the bed next to Diarmuid.  Once it held chocolates, now it holds letters.  Several written in a childish hand are sitting on the top, but what Diarmuid is looking at is a pair of drawings that are usually set up near his bed on the nightstand.

He's not crying...  He's not...]


Floor 48 (The Graveyard):


[Rabbit would probably scold Diarmuid for singing what is suppose to be a funny song in such a sad voice, but it's hard to be happy when he is singing the song alone to the gravestone of the person who was suppose to be singing it with him.  He and Yotsuba had promised to get together to sing Rabbit's songs as a way of honoring their friend's memory...

Now that is never going to happen in any way other than this.]

Floor 3 (The Library):


[There is ink smudged on his cheek and his arm, but Diarmuid doesn't notice.  On the surface, he's focused on printing more copies of the Tower Guide to put out for those who might want them, but really he's in the Library for a very different reason.  Tohko was always here and it's like he feels spending time here will help him find her again--find that cheerful voice who had so often redirected him when he didn't know what to do next.  He almost expects to look up and see her there, smiling and ready to offer her help with what he's working on.

Unfortunately, no matter how long he waits, that will not happen.]

Floor 28 (The Music Room):

[Before even his brother, Labrys had been the first family Diarmuid had in this place.  Their bond created during the January experiment, afterward they had talked about learning to play an instrument together, but life in the Tower and his indecisiveness had kept them from doing so.  Now, as his hands run over the piano he had once heard her picking a tune out on, the sound of his grief blocks any music the instrument might make.

How is it that one who once lived his life with no regrets has so many of them now?]



vermicompost: (twenty-five)

voice

[personal profile] vermicompost 2013-10-09 07:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[Roughly half of the time, Kariya exists in a kind of willful ignorance, his mind simply blotting out the truths he's incapable of dealing with.

But then, suddenly, like a thunderbolt, something will strike, searing his consciousness and illuminating all the dark places that lie hidden.

Diarmuid's question has that effect.

Sakura. Rin.

Kariya stands staring at the terminal for several minutes before he activates it and his ruined voice sounds, almost too broken for the individual words to be discerned.
]

You can't...

You can't ever. There is no way.
fionnuisce: (when you've lost yourself completely)

4-16

[personal profile] fionnuisce 2013-10-09 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)
...

[Waver had come straight here after glancing over the network; the question wasn't one he could answer, so he said nothing. And still he said nothing, simply crossed the room and took a seat beside Diarmuid with hardly so much as a sound. Consoling him of all people usually came easily when it was necessary, but this was something Waver couldn't even begin to approach properly.]
floreatnoctem: (pic#4463039)

Floor 28

[personal profile] floreatnoctem 2013-10-09 08:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[She had intended to find him much sooner than she manages, climbing her way up to the music room with her usual silence. The piano makes her pause, and she closes her eyes and wonders, briefly, if Minato had ever gotten the chance to play it while he was here.

But she distracts herself with thinking of a way to speak up without being too intrusive, but she knows no matter what, she'll be interrupting something.]


There's no real handling it, you know.

[Her voice is it's usual soft pitch, hands clasped behind her back as she finally steps off the stairs and into the room.]

Losing anyone at all in this place- it isn't something you just get over. Not the way people seem to think.
puppy_lancer: <user name=cu-chulainn> (But I was young and foolish)

floor 48

[personal profile] puppy_lancer 2013-10-09 08:11 pm (UTC)(link)
There you are.

[Lancer materializes behind Diarmuid, stretching out his arms to give his brother a hug. He had heard Diarmuid's message, but wanted to give any answers in person.]

What song is this, Bro?
marriedthebloke: <user name=piecons> (pic#5619465)

video

[personal profile] marriedthebloke 2013-10-09 08:14 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not...easy...

[Sola-ui gulps nervously. Hearing Diarmuid talk in a sad tone already makes her feel bad. Hearing him talking of lost children just breaks her heart.]

You...try. Find things to distract yourself. Take pleasure in the children of others.

[She turns away to keep him from seeing her tears.]

I...it's just hard.
notsogrimreaper: (Ryoji Mochizuki: don't you see)

4-16

[personal profile] notsogrimreaper 2013-10-09 08:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ryoji had only just left the room an hour ago, but one glance at the network and he was straight back here again. So he had found out... Ryoji had already heard about Tohko, and even after this long to deal with it the pain was still there, and now Diarmuid is suffering too.

Upon entering the room, Ryoji makes a beeline for Diarmuid's bed, sitting beside him and gently taking one of his hands, squeezing it even tighter when he notices the drawings.]
vermicompost: (eighty-seven)

[personal profile] vermicompost 2013-10-09 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[Lancelot usually keeps an eye on him, but Kariya is stubborn.

He's shaky, and he presses his hand down on the terminal stand to balance himself. He hadn't dealt well with the phantoms. Without Sakura, Aoi, and Rin, there's nothing. He loves Claudia and Lancelot, but how can that make up for the enormity of his grief?

At least he no longer believes that Aoi is alive and that he's living with her in Fuyuki City, but in some ways, that had been easier to bear. At times, he seems perfectly normal, when he is successfully deluded. He's able to carry on conversations and behave as if nothing is wrong. This is not one of those times.
]

All you can do is hate! Hate them! Kill them all for what they've done!
fionnuisce: (could be a night when your life ends)

[personal profile] fionnuisce 2013-10-09 08:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Giving up would be easier. [Tone even and sounding as though he knew he was stating facts, Waver's reply was completely calm.] If we gave up, we wouldn't have to fight anymore. We could simply say 'it's not my problem' and let everyone else worry about things while we just feel sorry for ourselves. That would be the simplest course of action.

But you and I both know we can't. And that they wouldn't want you to. Even though these things hurt, we just have to live with it.
floreatnoctem: (pic#4463045)

[personal profile] floreatnoctem 2013-10-09 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[She's struck, for a moment, by how handsome he is- which says something, because Chidori isn't the type who is all that easy to make an impression on in any regard. She makes her way closer after a moment though, and leans against the side of the piano, making a soft humming noise.]

I'm afraid that fighting through the pain is the only thing to do. You have to. For them more than anything, yes.

[She pauses to consider how to phrase things, leaning her head back to look absently at the ceiling.]

But at the same time, you can't pretend the pain isn't there. If you ignore it, it will eat at you from the inside out.

[She stops then, looking back at him, her expression contrite.]

Apologies- I must sound quite presumptuous for someone you've never met. I'm Chidori- Yoshino Chidori.
puppy_lancer: from <user name=aicons> (When summer's in the meadow)

[personal profile] puppy_lancer 2013-10-09 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[He rubs his brother's back, and then pats his hair.]

...I saw. Enoch showed me.

Can I sing with you? So we can remember her?
marriedthebloke: <user name=piecons> (pic#5619465)

Re: video

[personal profile] marriedthebloke 2013-10-09 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
...Yes.

[She mutters.]

It was on the same day as that other Waver...

[And speaking of Waver, she had found yet another one who wasn't her daughter.]

When she went away, you helped me and gave me new goals. I hope you can find someone who does the same for you.
frilliance: (Normal/listening)

Library

[personal profile] frilliance 2013-10-09 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
....You look like you need some rest. I can take over if you so wish. [Yes, he's seen the network post. And, seeing the state that Diarmuid is in now, it does not take a genius to put two and two together.

Edgeworth may not have any children, real or adopted, but he knows how difficult it is lose a family member so suddenly. As ashamed as he is to admit it, he still has not completely recovered from his own father's death, even though he handles it much better than he used to.

Also, he had lost friends in the Tower. Maya, Phoenix - if Zoe's and Ryoji's statements were correct, they could be still alive but Edgeworth does not know if he will see them again. The only thing he can do is keep searching through the truth. He is still doubtful whether or not he will be able to help restore the worlds and save them, but....Waver and Diarmuid were right. Doing nothing would not help either.]
Edited 2013-10-09 21:37 (UTC)
notsogrimreaper: (Ryoji Mochizuki: in plain sight)

[personal profile] notsogrimreaper 2013-10-09 09:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ryoji was expecting the hug, but even so, the intensity behind it and the words whispered against his shoulder make his heart ache. He immediately wraps both arms around Diarmuid, one hand rubbing his back. It's supposed to be a reassuring gesture, but it feels so worthless. Is he really going to be able to comfort his adoptive father as well as he's been comforted in the past?]

I won't... I won't ever leave you. I don't want to.
falseidentity: (♘ I had been running away from reality)

Graveyard

[personal profile] falseidentity 2013-10-09 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[She had seen the broadcast and made sure to take not of the face in case she saw them again. She knows that expression well. It's one she had for awhile there. One she still has at times, really. She didn't expect to ruin into Diarmuid so soon, though.

She's in the graveyard for a similar reason, to visit a little makeshift grave. But that can wait. This man... Obviously needed help. And all she can do is offer condolences as someone who knows how it feels. She is quiet in her approach, and her voice is steady with its own sad undertones.]


...One of the children you mention, I assume...?
vermicompost: (fifty-three)

LIES. You can't spell at all, can you?! Haha, no, I understood, don't worry.

[personal profile] vermicompost 2013-10-09 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
No--!

People like that shouldn't be allowed to live! I'll kill them, when I have the chance. Berserker and I--we're going to kill all of them.

[He may be a little confused as to whether he's in the Tower or in the War.]

Sakura--!

[His voice breaks, painfully.]
clumsyjesus: (I humbly accept this trial)

Video

[personal profile] clumsyjesus 2013-10-09 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Diarmuid......I am so sorry.....

They might be still alive, though! You might see them again.
swordofzero: (Default)

set before Lelouch's return so we have at least one sane knight

[personal profile] swordofzero 2013-10-09 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[room 4-16]

[Suzaku still checks the network every couple of days, and it just happens that he checks today and sees Diarmuid's thread. He makes his way to his room right away, the thread was made a few hours ago and so Suzaku assumed Diarmuid had wandered away by now.

If he wasn't in his room someone hopefully would be who would know where he was. He knocked softly.]

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