towerofanimus | (no subject)

Characters: Irisviel von Einzbern & YOU!
Setting: Room 01-01 -> Meadow -> Library
Format: Action, but I'll match!
Summary: Another awakening in the tower. Confusion and many tearful and angsty reunions and meetings are had.
Warnings: Spoilers for the end of Fate/Zero. Also angst. Lots of angst.

[Room 01-01]

[It was a strange thing, feeling your consciousness returning to you after you accepted your death. The last thing Irisviel remembered was the feeling of drowning, of suffocating, of being dragged by cold, clammy hands into an inky, muddy blackness that she knew she could not escape. This was her fate. There was something so wrong about this dark, evil feeling surrounding her, but she could do nothing to fight against it. She could only accept it.

But then the strangest thing happened: she opened her eyes. She took in the sight of surroundings she had most certainly never seen before. She couldn't move, but that didn't faze her one bit - she had been completely immobile since she had given Avalon to Kiritsugu.

... And then another strange thing happened. There was a slight tingling sensation, and then all of a sudden... she could feel the soft surface of the bed under her. She could feel the material of her clothes clinging to her. Slowly, with an expression that certainly appears to be disbelief, she raises a hand, and slowly curls it into a tight fist. There was strength in this movement. But how...?

Any roommates already in the room are free to call her out on her behavior. Any roommates that walk in at a later time will see her up and out of bed, slowly stretching and looking extremely surprised at being able to do so.]

[Floor 25]

[Irisviel isn't really doing anything on this floor. She's simply wandering about, sleeves of her shirt rolled up and thigh-high boots abandoned back near the stairs, humming softly to herself. There's still a bit of tension in the way she carries herself, but the more time she spends here, the more relaxed she seems.]

[Floor 4]

[There is a lady sitting at one of the computer terminals! A very pretty lady. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? Nah, not really, except the look of absolute confusion on her face. It's likely that she knows what the device in front of her is, judging by the way she taps away at a few of the keys, but when nothing happens, she looks almost amusingly panicked.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You're... quite demanding, aren't you?

[Even then, Irisviel is no pushover.]

Can you tell me who these enemies are? We might have something in common that way.

[" The enemy of my enemy is my friend" and all that.]

[ Looks like she's not getting any free information out of her, so Rin takes in a deep breath. ]

Servants. Most notably one by the name of 'Lancer'.

So you're a Master.

[It's not a question. Sure, the "magus from Fuyuki City" was more or less a neon sign pointing in that direction, but with Servants as her enemies? That sealed it.

But there was one problem...]

Not one I remember seeing, though. [Between her own experiences and the photos Kiritsugu had gathered prior to the war's start, she's sure she's seen all the Masters fighting in this war... could she instead be an accomplice to one? It seemed unlikely, though...]

Correct.

[ Rin wastes no time in educating this person identical to her in a subject she's well versed in. ] You'll find that there are others here who have fought in something called a "Holy Grail War" but are unfamiliar. Some might even recognize you, but you might not recognize them.

The power of Second Magic is strong in this place. You understand, don't you?

[ Even if she wants to think of this woman as her enemy, the girl was still good deep inside. So explaining a concept to someone who doesn't understand is a hidden nature. ]

I've met many of the Servants here. They're... drawn to me. [ That's obvious enough, isn't it though? ]

Yes, of course... [On one hand, the Second Magic explains mostly everything about how they got here, the confusion over meeting people who may not know who you are (or vice versa)... but on the other hand...] Even so, it's still a bit hard to understand. For it to be used on such a large scale like this...

[Honestly? It would make her more than a bit nervous, thinking about the level of power those who brought them here must be at.

She doesn't really have much time to dwell on that, though. All the things this girl says just keep getting curiouser.]

You say they're drawn to you. Is it because of this... aura? [It's hard to explain, even for one whose consciousness had been taken over by that feeling. The... corruption, as Saber had called it.]

Yes.

[ It's a simple response, but that's all she can give as a reply. ]

It's only natural Servants notice it, don't you think? Unfortunately I've lost my own guardian, so for now I'm a walking target. You should be able to understand why I'm showing caution in speaking with you, right?

[She nods.] Yes, I can completely understand. You're wise to show caution, but I can assure you, I am no enemy. My time in the Holy Grail War... [There's a bit of a sad smile on her face.] Well. It's passed, now. I have no intention of seeking out any other Masters for foul purposes.

[Not that she really had it in her to do that anyway. The only person she ever really fought was Kotomine, and that was to stop him from reaching her husband. It had nothing to do with him being an enemy Master.]

Why would I believe that?

[ Rin asks her a question that there's no right answer to. She's spent her entire life alone, without any hope or any person to trust. Even if Irisviel gave her excuse after excuse, she'll always believe that no matter what, the woman in white would betray her instantly. ]

You don't have to. Whether you believe me or not is up to you.

[Forcing someone to believe you seems like a bit odd. Not like there's any way to do so in this situation, anyway.] But it didn't hurt to simply make that clear.

It's not earning you any favors, either.

[ Rin's a tough cookie to crack, Irisviel. ] What if a war breaks out here? What will you do then?