towerofanimus | "I saved you"

Entry tags:

"I saved you"

Characters: Archer and anyone who wants to greet him--so OPEN.
Setting: Tonight, room 3-16 and the hallway outside it.
Format: Starting with prose, but feel free go to action brackets if you'd rather!
Summary: Someone new shows up in the Tower and has some unusual reactions.
Warnings: Probable violence and likely angst.

There's a strange sound echoing out of room 3-16 tonight. What makes it even stranger is that the voice behind it is someone new. Here's what makes it so strange: it's laughter. There's a new person in the Tower, and he is laughing.

The laughter goes on for almost a minute, at times bubbling near to hysteria. Finally, though, it cuts off, and a much smaller sound can be heard: the *CRUMP* of paper being balled up and flung away. And Archer stalks out of the room.

(He just read the letter, you see. It said, I saved you. That's why he was laughing.)

He stands in the middle of the hallway with a disinterested look for a minute; apparently all the mirth has been drained out of him. Then he shrugs and throws his hands up in front of him. "It isn't very much of a new home. Well, why don't I test it out?" And without him appearing to draw them from anywhere, twin swords, black and white, flash into his hands.

He swings them at the wall, hard. And the blades shatter, and the shards vanish into thin air.

The man in the red coat is left blinking down at his hands, then at the wall he struck. He doesn't look too surprised, though--and what little surprise he does have on his face is rapidly fading to resignation.

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[ Rin ought to know better than to walk the hallways at night. Every time she does, she runs into something that's bound to irritate her. Monsters were welcomed with open arms, but beings that were sentient? They end up being the ones that bothered her the most. That reason alone is why she does wander around late in the night. No one dares to walk amongst beasts that will rip their flesh, so the chances of her being disturbed are at a minimum.

It's peaceful. Something she's never known most of her life.

So when she comes across a man who can make blades appear and disappear once they're struck, she can't help the snark that comes from her lips. ]

Seems a pointless ability, that.

[ He recognizes her. Of course he recognizes her. Something deeper than his sharp eyes tells him it's Rin, and he falls easily into responding to her just as if she were his Master, because of course she is, right? It's one stable thing about this bizarre new world, and he doesn't even realize what a weight it lifts off his shoulders, to realize that if his wretched, worthless world was really destroyed, at least one of the few worthwhile things in it was saved along with something worthless like him. ]

Yes, now is surely a good time for sarcasm, Master.

[ And so he responds in kind, sarcasm for sarcasm, because of course that's what it was--

Wasn't it?

And only then, after he's spoken, do his eyes catch up with his heart, and along with them the screaming instincts inside him saying that NO, something is wrong with this girl.

He recoils, and the swords are back in his hands as much as he finds himself loathing it. ]

Rin!

That's not going to help.

[There's a girl standing in the hall just outside the opened door, staring at him. Like some others might be, she was attracted to the sounds of laughing, and a brief clash.]

There's no way out of here, so don't try and break through the walls.

So I've discovered.

[ He's gone into full-on resignation mode now. ]

It's all right. Yes, it's certainly all right, because I've been in much worse places.

... I'd hate to see the place you came from, if you can say it's worse.

[Seriously, she was trapped in a duel-to-the-death tournament in a supercomputer and it can't even compare to the tower. What's this guy's story???]

But this place is a lot worse than you probably think it is. There are monsters, a few floors that might possibly kill you if you stay too long, and the people who brought us here like to mess with the population, with very little we can do to retaliate.

Master?

[ Her voice is soft, uncertain of being called that. Even now she's used to Servants drawing their weapons on her. Something about her aura, wasn't it? What did that bitch of a Servant say whenever he tried to stab her? Her smell? Corruption was always a thing that made her stand out to those who could sense it.

What was that though?

"In the reality of my Fifth Grail War, Sakura bears the name Matou and you are of the Tohsaka. An accomplished magus and master in your own right, you summoned the Servant Archer, following in your father's footsteps."

That beautiful haunting voice reminds her of something that was said last month. If this was her Servant from the Fifth Holy Grail War, from Saber's, then it's all too easy to logically piece this man as 'Archer'.

Funny, she always thought an Archer might use a bow and arrow. Not... swords? ]

It's rude to pull weapons on an unarmed person, don't you think? [ At least she keeps her wits about her. ] Although if they are good as the ones you used previously, I shouldn't be concerned with them greatly.

[ Maybe this had been a mistake. It might be easy to assume that she messed up, that he didn't clear the way fully for her, or that her foot splashed in something she shouldn't have. Ah, but only if she held that knowledge. She might have been able to explain to him what was going on instead of just staring at him as though he were a gnat and not a thing more. ]

Edited (wow I made a typo even when proofreading) 2012-10-09 06:04 (UTC)

Don't worry. You won't have to. It's destroyed now, right?

[He's just shrugging it off, but there's way too much bitterness in that shrug, in his voice, and in his smirk.]

I'm not worried about monsters. I can fight pretty well, you know.

Well, as for the other stuff...yeah. That's probably more of a problem.

[ He can't help it--the uncertainty in her voice at first gives him hope. If she still sometimes does that hesitating softness where she betrays her true nature, the horrible corruption he's sensing on her is probably just an illusion, maybe made by this strange new place, and it'll go away soon. He starts to relax, instinctively. Even though, he realizes, he's not actually sure why it matters. How long has he known her, anyway? How long has the Grail War been going on? He thinks he has a few days of memory, but something nags at him, insists that it's been longer.

Great. Her botched summoning is still messing with him-- ]

Hah, don't take me lightly, Rin. I know you're never unarmed, right? Not any more than I am.

[ And when he finds himself saying that, he knows that he can't think something as casual as a complaint about her botched summoning, because looking at her like this hurts him too much. It's not an illusion. Maybe it's something the Tower did--but it's not an illusion. ]

Do you want me to show you how good they are?

[ A bluff. Of course. ]

[ Not particularly, but saying that may give the impression that she's weak. To know that she's armed as a magus even though she holds the appearance of a high school girl is impressive. It serves as further proof that he knows of her well. Instinctively, her hand reaches up to her chest below her neck slightly to feel at something underneath. The silver chain is visible by her collar, but the rest is hidden. If she was to fight a Servant who knew her well, using this might be the only option for her. ]

If you like, but I should tell you the disappointing news. [ Letting go, her hands fall to her sides lazily. Yes, there's something more depressing than the traces of Angra Mainyu on his Master. ] You can kill me, but I would just resurrect.

Although I do think taking the gamble of death would be worth it to see you withdraw your Noble Phantasm. Those blades... [ Motioning to the ones in his hands. ] They are weak. Shatter easily. They can't be your true weapons.

[ Lancer had been ignorant enough to withdraw his lance on her to confirm that he was indeed like her own Lancer. This one though? He seems to be a bit smarter than the average Servant in this place. ]

So you're welcomed to try, but know the risks that come with it. People don't die when killed and they learn more about you each and every time. Worth it now to slay me?

[ A smirk, not quite a sneer. It's all right. He can keep smirking, so it's all right. So long as he keeps smirking and dripping sarcasm and cynicism, he doesn't have to think about the darkness on this Rin. He doesn't have to wonder if there's something more than the Grail's corruption sunk into her soul.

His gaze flickers to her reaching hand, takes note of it, and he almost lets himself find hope there. If she has the pendant, he must have given it back to her, right? She must have only forgotten... ]

I don't know if that's disappointing. I wouldn't want a Master who died so easily in a place like this. Even if she's not cooperating with me anymore.

...I wouldn't show you my Noble Phantasm this early in the game even if you were cooperating with me, so it won't work to bait me for it. Okay? There's no point in bothering.

Hmm. That means there's no point in me bothering to kill you now either, is there?

[ And so he can duck gracefully back out of that bluff. ]

I wonder who dunked you in that cup of mud? It'd be easier to kill them.

[ Urotsuki sleeps a lot. So much that sometimes she ends up sleeping at the wrong times and just flip flopping her whole sleep schedule right around - this is one of those times, so despite the threat of monsters she seems to be wandering around in the hallways of the dorm. With the blank look of her face she almost seems more like she's sleepwalking than anything else though.

It's then that she manages to spot the man with the vanishing blades. She stands there, quietly watching, her face still blank but there's a certain sort of interest about it. Was this guy maybe a little like her..?

.. Oh, wait. Maybe she should speak up then, or he won't notice her.. ]

It didn't do what it should..?

There's no point in bothering to kill anyone here. Why let your hands be covered in blood when there's plenty of fiends who can take the blame themselves?

[ Clucking her tongue (a habit she's picked up from Lancer admittedly), she takes a step towards him, almost as though she intends to dare him even still. ]

Mud? Are you saying something about my appearance then? How droll... I thought a reunion of this nature might be as irritating as the one I had with that girl. [ That's to say with him on the verge of tears. ] If I'm your Master in some variation of the war, you should still obey me.

[ And with a sinister voice unlike her usual teasing: ] So tell me your Noble Phantasm before I put you somewhere you'll have no choice but to use it.

[ He pauses as the small voice reaches him and slants a neutral glance off to the side to see her. A girl. Just a girl, wandering these dark halls--he has a sneaking suspicion that that isn't very safe. But there's not a lot to do about it right now, and he shouldn't care anyway, right? (His world was destroyed. Wasn't it?) ]

I'm sure whoever created this tower thinks it did what it should.

[ He still hasn't turned to face her, or even changed his expression more than a little bit. ]

[Axel is always drawn to the sound of fighting. That's just the duty of being a soldier, which is how he would respond if ever asked. He didn't exactly catch the creation of any blades but he certainly did see the destruction]

Good job, you can hit a wall. [THUMBS UP.]

What were you hoping to do there anyway, genius?

You really don't know me here. My hands have been covered in blood for way too long for any more to matter.

[ ...the worst part is she's right. He still wants to obey her. But not on that. And yet--

--well, he has an out, sort of. ]

Do you truly want that, Rin?

[ And then there's the confirmation of his class, because he has a great black bow in his hands and is drawing back the string.

(If he fires off a shot here and takes down Rin, it'll be too close. The backlash will get him too. That's okay. That's suddenly completely okay.) ]

[ More laughter, but not the near-hysterical sort he was indulging in earlier. This time it's just a bleak, tense chuckle. ]

Hmmm. Make the wall my friend?

...I wanted to see if I could damage it. I couldn't. In this setting, it's not really a surprise. But it's good to know.

You're not going to make any friends with the wall unless you start using your head. Literally, not figuratively. [You know, beating the wall with your head. Not that that needed to be reiterated.]

But good to know, sure. It's better to know that you might as well save your energy for the other things that are around here. Don't ask me for any specifics because I just showed up here too, if you're a new guy like I think you are. Just stories here and there.

[ It's rare for her to show it, but after the cruel life she's lived, fear comes easily to her eyes. Facing off against a Servant when she's already been cut off from Angra Mainyu is a risk. She can't be as powerful as she was before and if he was an Archer, then his AGI had to be ranked high.

For a moment she considers calling forth Lancer, but it feels as though he will show up too late. The tower was large and to waste a Command Mantra was a risk not worth investing in. She hasn't called upon the darkness since her arrival, but the desperate animal that's caught in a corner wants to do it oh so badly. ]

C-Calling me by my name in that manner. [ Instead, she'll try to buy time (for what, she's uncertain of) by getting mad. Clumsy mistakes were often associated with her, but she's not in the mood to comment on the blatant one in this situation. ] So formally... It's Tohsaka, wasn't it? Just as that Saber said.

Yeah.

[Well, he hasn't pulled out any more swords, at least. That's a good start--maybe.]

Monsters, right? I have plenty of energy for those, so I won't worry about it just yet.

...I'm more worried about whether I can get back. I had some business to finish back home. If it's destroyed, there's no point, but if they're lying to us, it might be a problem.

[His tone is light, which might give the impression that he doubts the story of the worlds being destroyed. If only that were the case.]

Do we need politeness? The truth is, I never called you Tohsaka like a good guy.

[ His eyes are so dead they don't give away the lie. It's barely a lie, anyway; that was so long ago, that wasn't him, it's best if he pretends he doesn't think of that as him. ]

So. Are you saying it's not Tohsaka for you?

[ He's smiling. It's not really a smile. It's something blank and flat and just as dead as those eyes of his. ]

Tell me about it. Rin. Maybe I won't shoot.

[ Give him a way out of this without shooting. No, it's even okay if he fires, and the backlash hits him, and she finds a way to escape. That's not so bad, because it might even give her a sense of triumph at the victory, and right now he'd settle for giving her a sense of triumph and, for his part, getting out of this. ]

[ There's really no other choice, is there? Having to unveil her secrets instead of gaining any of his. It frustrates her deep down, but she has to keep her wits about her. With that bow aimed at her, she feels the intimidation in his gaze. There's no arrow, but only a fool will bring that up.

And Rin? Rin's not stupid. ]

Fine, I will. [ Not that she has any say in the matter. ] I'm not a member of the Tohsaka family. I haven't been for years. The fact you know about that really bothers me.

[ It's just like her to say that. A secret is easier to keep if she brushes it off, but no, she has to draw attention to it. ]

I'm a member of the Matou family clan. You're familiar with them, aren't you?

The sound of slow clapping echoes through the corridor.

"Hope you got a receipt for those," Rat was apparently taking refuge in sarcasm from the surprise of seeing some weird guy pull knives out of the air. Never mind that he'd done nearly the same thing further down the corridor, minus the 'magical weapons from nowhere' part, it was too early in the morning (or whenever) to acknowledge hypocrisy.

[ Archer has gained +1 master staring at him. For the most part, she's unphased until the sharp sound of the blade hitting the wall, and then said blade shattering, causes her to wince slightly. Man, this guy seemed pretty pissed off. Then again, she was pretty mad herself for being here. She crosses her arms slightly as she speaks up. ]

Do you really think it would be that easy to break through? Unfortunately, our captors are much smarter than we think.

Edited 2012-10-09 14:34 (UTC)

But it can that you and the person who made the tower are thinking different things, right?

[ .. Should she try something too? She isn't sure of what to do here, or what he was even doing, but maybe she should offer her help..

Out of nowhere, a chainsaw seems to appear in the girl's hands. ]

Do you want to use this..?

[ Yes, she's actually offering. ]

I see you still retain your arm.

[Says the familiar yet not familiar Servant leaning against the wall at the end of the hall. If the black dress didn't give it away, then the taint similar to Rin coming off her would. Pale yellow eye bore into him.]

Hello, Archer.

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"I saved you"

I AM TOO LAZY FOR PROSE RIGHT NOW

FINE BY ME

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