♟ 001 ♟ In the Tower With Kariya

[vermicompost]

Characters: Kariya and OPEN
Setting: various
Format: either
Summary: Kariya's arrival in the Tower
Warnings: blood, possible body horror


Dormitories:
It's confusing, arriving here. This place, the letters, they're alarming. How could the world be destroyed? Where's Sakura? Where's Aoi? Kariya's heartbeat is accelerated, his breathing harsh and quick. His own agitation agitates the worms within him. In this state, it's difficult for him to walk, let alone make his way through an entirely new, strange environment, but he does his best. At times, he staggers and coughs, or stumbles to one side, disoriented. He has to pause to rest, more than once. Blood flecks his lips, gathering at the corners of his mouth and sliding down over his chin.

"Berserker, Berserker..." He calls out now and then as he goes, but no one comes to his call.


Cafeteria:
He managed to make his way down to the cafeteria. Sitting at the table, he gazes down at his oatmeal he was given, mournfully. He's not very hungry. He tries to eat it, but even just the plain oatmeal is difficult for him to choke down. It takes him a few tries, but he takes his time. When he pauses to cough, he wipes up the scattered bits of oatmeal flecking the table, a little embarrassed.


Infirmary:
The medical facility looks promising, but Kariya isn't sure if they have anything there he can use. He doesn't know if there's any medicine in existence that can help him. He'd like to try, but he doesn't want to risk disturbing the worms further. It's hard to say how they'll react to any stimulus. Much of his life has become a matter of worm management. He walks in slowly, quietly. "Hello, is anyone here?"


Meadow:
After wandering restlessly, at last Kariya settles himself, all but spent, exhausted from his wandering. He sinks down among the flowers with a sigh. When he focuses his gaze on the blooms, he feels more content, calmer than he was before. The flowers are lovely and fragrant, the petals soft and colorful. He just wants to rest a little while...

Comments

[vermicompost]

If you care about someone, that's the most important thing. I would stay with the people I care about always, if I could. I hope, maybe you can see Emer again, somehow.

[He's not sure what it's like for the Heroes, after they die.]

I'll be nice to children I don't know in any case, but I'm sure about that.

Thank you. I'm lucky to have them. They're good girls. That's why it's so important that I win the war. So Sakura can be with her sister and mother again, so they can be happy together again.

[puppy_lancer]

Maybe...

[This tower did take people from all over the place.]

Sakura...so that was her name. Nice name, but not particularly cool.

[vermicompost]

I hope you can see her again, although--it might be better for people not to be brought here, now that I think of it.

[He'd like to see Aoi and Sakura and Rin, but he wouldn't want them to have to deal with this terrible place.]

Yes, Sakura. I think it's a cool name. [But then, Kariya would.] It's very pretty. Like the flowers. She's a sweet girl. I made her a promise.

[He means to keep his promise.]

[puppy_lancer]

I still say the coolest Japanese name is "Reiroukan". After all, doesn't a house of miniatures seem to be a good place to have a murder mystery?

[vermicompost]

"Reiroukan"? That is a good name, you're right. I never thought of that, but I suppose it would be the proper place for a mystery like that.

Who do you know who's named Reiroukan?

[puppy_lancer]

A...special girl.

[He laughs.]

She didn't like the comparison, though.

[vermicompost]

Is she the girl you wanted to protect?

I take it she wasn't that interested in murder mysteries. [He smiles. He feels almost normal for a little while, talking to Lancer--unexpected, considering he's a Servant.] They aren't for everyone.

[puppy_lancer]

[Lancer sees nothing wrong with relaxing and talking with people...up to the point where they have to kill each other.] [He gives a nod in response to the question.] But they're really exciting, and sometimes it's fun to try to solve the mystery. [Not that he ever made any progress with that. He was always more of a physical person.]

[vermicompost]

[Kariya would rather not fight unless necessary, with the obvious exception of Tokiomi. He certainly doesn't want to fight anyone he enjoys talking to.

In that, Lancer isn't much like the other Servants he's met, with the exception of Rider.]

I like mystery stories, too. And science fiction. And I used to read fairy tales to Rin and Sakura.

[puppy_lancer]

Science...fiction? You mean stories with giant mechanical monsters or something?

[vermicompost]

Yes, sometimes, or they might be about robots. Or space travel, or the future.

Like your space colony.

[puppy_lancer]

[He nods.]

I didn't know that. Humans...imagine more developments in science than they do in magecraft these days, don't they?

[vermicompost]

[Kariya nods.]

Most of them view science as the future, and magecraft as something from the past, something that isn't real.

[A pause.]

They're wrong. But it's for the best that they don't know. Sometimes I wish I didn't.

[puppy_lancer]

You can do neat stuff with magecraft. And you don't need to carry about carrying around so much weight.

[vermicompost]

[Someone's biased against magecraft.]

I suppose--you can, but my family never used it well. I saw them do too much evil to want to have anything to do with magecraft. I tried to leave it all behind.

[Although now he's a Master in the Grail War: go figure.]

It is a weight to carry.

[For him, at least.]

[puppy_lancer]

People were able to use magecraft to do great things back when I was alive. Terrible things too, but there were lots of beautiful things.

[Magecraft that could give life and not just death.]

[vermicompost]

Yes, that's true. Things used to be different, didn't they? You lived in another time, a time of heroes. It must have been wonderful to see those things.

The magi I know are petty and small, selfish and cruel. They only think of themselves.

[Well, especially Zouken and Tokiomi, but that's generally who he means when he's talking about magi.]

[puppy_lancer]

I knew some good magi even in the modern day...it's just that a lot of the time, the circumstances didn't let outside people see what they were really like. The Grail War had most of them on edge, you know.

[vermicompost]

I suppose there are. I haven't met any of them.

Growing up in a magus family didn't give me any love for them.

[Just the opposite.] The War does make it worse. They're more grasping and selfish than before. [His face twists, suddenly. He's one of them, he knows.] I hate it.

[puppy_lancer]

What about you yourself? Or that kid? Sakura? Don't you count as good magi?

People these days are too tense. If only it could be like back in my time. As long as the other guy is fun to hang out with, who cares if he's technically an enemy?

[vermicompost]

Yes, but I'm hardly a magus. I never wanted to be one. I only became one to enter the War.

[He knows he'll never be much of one, and he doesn't think of himself that way. It's only thanks to the worms that he can perform any significant magecraft.]

Sakura's just a child... But I guess you're right. Sakura and Rin have magic circuits, too.

Most people don't think like that. Enemies are enemies. [Kariya wouldn't hang out with his enemies, but then, he hates them too much.] They can't be friends.

[puppy_lancer]

[His expression turns serious.]

If this were a Grail War. And your Servant and my Master were still here. I would fight and kill you if so ordered. But as long as no such order comes along and you're not attack me, I think it's fine to just sit around a talk, or maybe even get a drink if I enjoy your company.

[A pause.]

Of course, I'd still be willing to kill you. No matter how much I like you as a person.

[vermicompost]

[He considers Lancer solemnly, his smile gone.]

I understand. You're a Servant. That's what you have to do. I only want to kill the people that deserve it, but I'll fight anyone I have to to win.

[ Of course, all the other Servants have to go. It's nothing personal, as far as he's concerned (with the exception of Tokiomi), but how could he fight someone he liked talking to?

I haven't talked to any of the other Masters. [What good would that do?] I couldn't kill someone I cared about. [Or so he thinks.]

But we're not fighting in a Grail War.

[puppy_lancer]

Not even to make alliances?

[His expression relaxes again.]

Nope! I'd still like to see the other people from my world again, though.

[vermicompost]

I don't need any alliances. Berserker is the strongest Servant.

[Kariya: not a strategist. He doesn't see the point in alliances with people he's going to have to fight.]

You would, even though you were fighting them? [He pauses. His own expression is still tense.] I wouldn't. There's someone from my War here. She wasn't happy to see me, and I'd like it better if she wasn't here.