x ❧ video;

[k0kka]

[The stomping of the creatures into the Gardens puts a knife of pain up through her guts. The crushed flowers and discarded trees are all shrieking from the damage. She doesn't let it get to her, she's been through worse. A century ago the land was worse than just stomped, it was being drained and rotted and desecrated. She'd lost so many of her

Comments

action;

[mnementomori]

[she'd been plastered across the glass doors at first, trying to keep away any visitors intent on breaking them. At Paderau's suggestion, she straightens, and gathering her confidence, waves both arms to get the intruders' attention.]

H-hey! Just--stop, okay! You don't need to break things--

[the only response at first is that the automatons in hearing range pause, chittering among themselves. She keeps waving, taking a cautious step forward. One blocky little thing rolls towards her, extending its own approximations for arms and making a rapid clicking sound.]

[Xion stops, surprised. The robot stops, too, regarding her through the periscope-like appendage extending upwards from the irregular prism of its body.]

Um, hello?

[now that she's got their attention, she backs off a little, patting the doors carefully. Some of the stone has been torn loose from the foundation of the building so far, but at least the stairs are mostly intact.]

This place is...special to me. So please don't ruin it...you can come inside and see if you don't break anything.

[she opens the doors to a crash from inside--something found its way in through the train tunnels. Off she goes, leaving a squad of mildly confused robots watching her departure.]

action;

[k0kka]

[She finds a gathering of bots lingering around the clock-tower, a strange little array of them standing in place, looking around and chittering, perhaps trying to decipher just what the girl had meant the sounds she'd made.

They're investigating the crumbling stones thoughtfully, and they're half-way to tugging one of the blocks free when Paderau hurries to stop them. She presses the brick back into place and tells them firmly, "No." But she's more concerned with finding Xion than to make the lesson any clearer than that.

She hears the echoing of footsteps and wheels from the tunnels and follows after her.]

Xion?

action;

[mnementomori]

[the visitors without flight have difficulty climbing onto the platform from the train tracks, so Xion is leaning over on her hands and knees, trying to get their attention from above.]

Hello? Can you hear me?

[she waves at an unseen robot, starting a little when a metal appendage latches on to the lip of the platform next to her. She scoots back out of the way as the owner of the arm hauls itself up.]

H-hey, um--be careful, okay?

[footsteps make her look up, and she brightens at the sight of Paderau.]

You're here! Are you okay?

action;

[k0kka]

[She peers at the little robot curiously.]

Yeah, I'm all right, how're you doin' with them?

[Looks all right, all things considered.]

action;

[mnementomori]

Okay, I think...they're not breaking anything else. With everyone fighting them, I thought they must be dangerous, but they've never attacked me.

action;

[k0kka]

[She sighs.]

Some folks have just got itchy trigger fingers.

action;

[mnementomori]

[that makes her think of Xigbar.]

Will they stop hurting them now that we know they're not bad?

action;

[k0kka]

I hope so.

[She reaches out to give Xion's hair a ruffle, mostly for her own comfort.]

We know they don't mean any harm, so we'll keep an eye on our little group of bots and keep 'em safe until we can get 'em home.

action;

[mnementomori]

[she leans closer to Paderau out of habit, taking comfort in the warden's presence.]

Okay.

[her little dragonfly buzzes in, settling on the climbing 'bot's head. There's a whirring and clicking exchange between them, and then the squat little thing seems to settle down.]