animus_network | first ❅ video;

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first ❅ video;

[It's been a while since Yukiko has been in the Tower at all - three months, give or take a bit. It shows in her face when she appears on the video feed; this isn't the face of a surprised newcomer. It's the face of someone who has explored enough to know that while she was gone, a lot of her friends have left. Her voice is just a bit shaky when she speaks.]

...hello, Tower. This is Yukiko Amagi. I was here, before, and now I'm back. I think it's been about three months. It's kind of hard to tell time when it passes on a dead world. One day blends into another after a while.

[She pauses, briefly, taking a deep breath.]

I know that there were people from the Japanese town of Inaba here before. They were my friends. I also tried sending them a message. I - I know that they're all gone. The message said 'user not found' for all of them, and so I went down to the graveyard to doublecheck. They're definitely gone.

I'll be okay, though. I know they're gone now, but I can be strong enough for all of them. I know I'm back here for a reason, and that reason must be to make sure they're saved, in the end. Really saved, not just 'saved' as in pulled here again.

...so. What did I miss while I was gone?

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[Jade himself wouldn't be someone Yukiko would know, having arrived while she was away. However, he does note her own expressions and consider what she has to say, and wears an appropriately concerned expression for her benefit.]

I'm afraid I can't fill you in on much, having just recently arrived myself; anything I might be able to tell you, you've already heard. One thing of note is that there is someone who intends to attempt to recreate a world for the captives of the Tower to migrate to should it become evident that we cannot restore everyone's worlds as-is.

[[OOC: Can I just say that a) that snowflake is so cute b) you have excellent taste in characters.]]

That's all right. I think I've gotten the gist of things from most everyone else. The person trying to create a new world is something I haven't heard yet, though. Do you mind filling me in?

[OOC: Thank you! ♥ I missed playing Yukiko here so much I had to come back before endgame.]

Not at all. His name is Lorelei, and he is... hm, how to explain it simply. He looks human but is in truth an entity with a power that allows him to break down and recreate matter. Theoretically, he should be able to do this on a global scale and thus build an entire world, but unfortunately, only the world from which he originally hails due to certain unique qualities it possesses. He's a friendly enough sort, so almost anyone is welcome. He made a video post about it earlier this month, so if you scroll back enough, you should be able to find it easily enough.

[[OOC: Not that I was here when you were last, but welcome back, then! Also, for your convenience, the video post in question is here.]]

[She nods. It makes sense, but she makes a mental note to check out the past network messages in more detail. She'd taken the time to try and see if her friends had sent any past messages or if anyone else had arrived, but the rest of it? She had only really given it a cursory glance.]

That's very generous of him. I apppreciate it. If I understand right, Lorelei is a deity of creation, but it's linked to his own world? I've heard of gods that were able to do that, but - well, let's just say that the creation goddess I've had dealings with wasn't the friendliest goddess ever.

I'll have to take a closer look at the network. I probably should have done that sooner, but I didn't scan things as closely as I should have.

[OOC: thanks so much! I'll take a look.]

Not exactly a deity, but... mm. I suppose he may as well be, if he can pull this off.

[Eyebrows rise slightly at Yukiko's follow-up comment.]

Really? Please pardon my saying so, but you must have had an interesting homeworld. Or is this something that occurred in the Tower?

[OOC: Sure thing~]

He certainly sounds like one.

[She's seen that expression a few times. It's not the first time she's had to explain this.]

It happened in our homeworld, though they did imprison the goddess here quite a while ago. She hasn't been here in months.

Izanami wasn't happy with the state of the world she had helped to create, to say the least. She thought that merging it with a second world, one filled with creatures called Shadows, would be the best solution. My friends and I stopped her by fighting and defeating her.

Oh, no. He's not nearly conceited enough.

[...Is that a joke? It was delivered dry as bone so it may be hard to tell. At least Jade takes the rest of what Yukiko has to say in stride soon enough. It sounds strange to him, especially the part about merging worlds, but he's already accepted the fact that the Tower is full of strange things. You can't move forward if you keep getting mentally tripped up by every little thing.

...yes, he considers world-ending goddesses, who have even been temporarily trapped in the Tower, to be 'every little thing.' Jade. At least he maintains that sympathetic look.]

I see. You must have very strong bonds with those friends of yours, if you managed to defeat a goddess together. Seeing their graves must have been a blow, especially after returning from your ruined world.

[If it is a joke, it's one that went flying over her head. Yukiko manages an awkward smile, at least.

Jade. Please. Izanami is kind of a big deal, okay? World-ending goddesses aren't something you can sweep under the rug. It's probably for the best she has no idea what he's thinking.]

I do. They're the best friends anyone could ever ask for, and the best teammates. I - I have to admit, it was a shock, seeing that they were all gone.

But I can't stop going just because they aren't here anymore. They're still out there somewhere, and I'm not going to stop fighting for them.

[Jade notes that awkward smile and offers a contrite-looking one of his own.]

My apologies. I'm often told I have a somewhat inaccessible sense of humor.

[So that was a joke, then...? Regardless, the long-haired man nods as he listens to Yukiko. It is indeed good that she has no idea what he's thinking, because Jade is actively not openly being his usual obnoxious self for Reasons.]

That's admirable of you. I'm sure they're proud to have you as a friend, Miss Yukiko. Though--you say they're still out there? Forgive me, I'm still rather new to the Tower, so there's much I still don't know; didn't you say that the gravestones proved that they were gone?

[...and there those Reasons are. At least they're rather benevolent, as such things go.]

[[OOC: Edited to remove a line I forgot to remove before posting, orz]]

Edited 2014-01-17 19:17 (UTC)

[That gets an honest smile.]

Don't worry about it, Jade-san. I've got kind of an odd sense of humor myself.

[She's never had a proper gigglesplosion on the network, but she's still capable of them.]

They're gone from the Tower, yes. I haven't tested this myself, but I've heard from other people that if you dig up one of the graves, they'll be empty, though. That means wherever they are, it isn't here.

I also can speak from my own experience; I wasn't exactly dead when I was back in Inaba. The world around me was dead, but I could still interact with it. I don't have any reason to believe it isn't the same for the rest of them.

[She doesn't have any reason to believe it is, either, but she has to try.]

[There's not a lot in the Tower to merit a gigglesplosion, is there? Especially not with Yukiko being the only one from Inaba here.]

Ahh, I see... That's quite a morbid thing to do, digging up someone's grave. I certainly understand the desire to make sure, though, given that those headstones seem to appear of their own volition.

[Not exactly dead, but she was capable of interacting with her world, which was. Jade considers this.]

You said you were there for about three months, correct? How did you manage to survive on a world with absolutely nothing on it?

[He has his guesses on this, but he wants to hear what someone who actually experienced it has to say first.]

[No, there really isn't. She doesn't laugh nearly as often as she used to.]

It's far too morbid for me. I can't even begin to think about it without a chill running down my spine. I suppose I'm glad that someone else thought of it, but I can't see how they went through with it, personally.

[Some taboos are just too strong to break.]

...has someone told you about what these bodies we're in actually are yet, Jade-san? Explaining that would probably be the best way to answer that question.

[Jade watches Yukiko levelly as she expresses disbelief in how anyone could actually follow through with that. Then he lifts a hand to adjust his glasses, briefly hiding his eyes from view.]

It requires a certain wiring. It's not something normal people would or should understand.

[He lowers his hand to regard her again, then nods once.]

So that is it. I'd thought so, but I hadn't wanted to assume... especially since I wasn't sure of when that little tidbit had been discovered. I've heard the denizens of the Tower had gone quite a long time never realizing the truth--that even the administrators hadn't realized. How accurate that information is, I of course can't say.

Edited 2014-01-19 22:48 (UTC)

I can't even imagine.

[She shakes her head. At Jade's next statement, Yukiko nods. That's it, all right.]

I wasn't sure exactly how common that knowledge was, but yes. The fact I was never in my real body while I was here has to have something to do with it. It's the only explanation I can think of, at least offhand, that makes sense.

To say learning that truth was a shock is probably the understatement of the year. I was here at the time, and suddenly going from looking like myself to being able to see right through my body turned a lot of assumptions about this place on their heads. We didn't know what to make of things, especially given the announcement when the glamour came on. That was last June, and at that point, we had a year to either figure things out or have our souls destroyed trying.

I, at least, can't let that go without a fight.

[Jade shrugs.]

I was given that information my first day here, but it was from someone I knew from my world, so I was probably fortunate. I don't know how common it is for most people just arriving.

[He listens. Last June... If he recalls the local calendar correctly, that would be half a year and change ago--a quarter year in Auldrantian time. He really did miss the party, didn't he?]

I quite agree. If there is a way to restore our worlds, then I want to find it. As the only survivor of my particular version of my world, I owe it at the very least to my less fortunate countrymen.

[...If one can call ending up in the Tower "fortunate." Still, where there is life, there is a way--not that Jade would put it in such terms.]

I'm not sure myself. I almost think it's better to know the truth and get the shock over with earlier, personally. It's better than learning it suddenly after months.

[But she looks sympathetic, having been on the end of that shock.]

I'm sure there is, one way or another.

Having been in that situation, I must say I prefer having learned the reality of our situations right away. Of course, I'm the type who doesn't like to fumble around in the dark; I'd rather know the truth, no matter how unpleasant it is.

[Jade smiles back.]

Then I imagine we may be cooperating in the future towards that end. If nothing else, if you decide to accept Lorelei's offer, we'll be seeing more of one another, because he's already requested my cooperation.

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