(no subject)

[apprenticemage]

Characters: Open.
Setting: Room 1-16 and varying floors.
Format: Brackets preferred, prose okay.
Summary: Shirou's first arrival in Animus includes exploration, shock, and attempting to cope with the earth shattering news. Literally!
Warnings: None currently, subject to change depending on content.

Room 1-16

[ So that was it? The only explanation that Shirou got from such a terrible event was that the obvious? How could his world have been destroyed?! Everything was supposed to be okay wasn't it? Everything was supposed to be peachy keen and the world was meant to go back to normal. Even with one hand on the side of his head and the other clenching the letter trembling, the young Magus still couldn't believe it. He needed more answers... and that's where the other letter came in. It explained where it was, and most of the mechanics of how this "tower" worked. While the initial letter was left behind in the room, the other was folded up and placed into his pocket. There was a long period of staring at the floor with angry eyes before the trunk was checked.. and he found exactly what he was looking for. The same wooden sword that had been used many times before to defend his life would serve it's purpose once again. After a few practice swings, sword clenched tightly in hand, Shirou left the room and decided to do some exploration of his new home. ]

Floor 48 - Graveyard

[ Shirou's first stop was the graveyard on Floor 48. If his world really had been destroyed, maybe there would at least be some sign. There were many names that he didn't recognize, but one destroyed grave did perk his interest. Curiosity drove him to analyze the object utilizing Structural Grasp Magecraft and eventually utilize Projection to repair it... and the name on the headstone would cause him to freeze in shock. The name on the headstone wasn't her true name... so it was instantly assumed by Shirou that she had been a casualty of this "world destruction." Still trying to process this information properly, Shirou's eyes refused to leave the name "Saber" upon the stone. ]

Floor 24 - Empty Room

[ After the events in the graveyard, Shirou could be found with his wooden sword in the empty room practicing some swings. The wooden sword was reinforced and some practice swings were being performed. This was some kind of alien world that had the power to destroy his own (or so he assumed), so he needed to be prepared both in body and in mind. ]

Dormitory Floor 1

[ It was about time Shirou relaxed, so you'll find him heading back to his dorm room while tapping and scratching at the collar around his neck with a disgruntled face. ]

Comments

Dormitories

[eighteen_winters]

[Another day had come and past, though Illya was in a far better mood then when she had first arrived in the tower things were still rather depressing. To occupy her mind, and turn away ill thoughts of what may or may not have happened to her home world, she has taken to exploring the tower in between meals and time spent with her loved ones.

It was on today's walk that something amazing appeared before her crimson eyes. Though she had only caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, it had to be Him. Just a few weeks ago she would have questioned such a sight as a delusion of her addled brain. But her mother's appearance here had thrown all she had thought she'd known out the window. It was him, she thought, it had to be.

She approaches hesitantly, being ever so careful to avoid walking into any kind of trap the tower may have set for her. Quietly she speaks, hoping someone would respond to her plea.]

Onii-chan? Is that you?

[apprenticemage]

[ Knowing that his world had been destroyed didn't make Shirou the most eager of people to believe that he wasn't hearing things. When he whirled around out of shock, due to the jumpy nature he had in such a place, that shock was doubled when he saw Illya before his very eyes. Very much alive, and very much unharmed. ]

...Illya?!

[eighteen_winters]

[Of all the people that Illya had left behind, Shirou was among the most important to her. To see him here, even if the thought was more then a bit selfish, made her incredibly happy.

With tears beginning to form in her eyes, she quickly closes the distance between herself and her precious Onii-chan.]

Shirou...

Floor 24

[idolizer]

[ Those are some impressive sword skills, at least in Sayaka's eyes- who barely knows anything about swords. Sure, she's now training under a warrior to fight with her (bloody) knife, but that's definitely a different matter.

She stands at a distance, merely watching him, not wanting to disturb. Whenever he decides to take a break, though, she'll clap her hands, trying to approach him friendly. She doesn't know whether he's the aggressive type or less, after all. ]

You're very good at this, you know?

48

[puppy_lancer]

[Lancer had found himself coming to the graveyard more and more, if only he could learn the names that had once been there. Of course, a fair number have been vandalized. He could've expected as much.]

[What surprised him was the boy repairing the headstone. First, he can't think up much of a reason for it other than some sort of misplaced altruism. Second, the boy had done the repairs with amazing speed. It seemed like he could match even Misaya in this category. He gives a quick, impressed whistle. Nice one, kid.]

[apprenticemage]

[ Shirou was a very impulsive sort, so it wasn't surprising to see him drop the wooden sword in his grip and rush to pull Illya into his arms. It was as if everything back home hadn't happened. It was a lot to take in, but for the time being Shirou was going to make up for not having been able to save her. ]

...I'm sorry, Illya.

[eighteen_winters]

[Illya pushes herself into Shirou's embrace, letting the warmth of his body wash over the totality of her being. Though the ecstasy of their reunion was strong in her mind and heart, she was still more then a little bit confused.]

What are you apologizing for? You haven't done anything wrong.

[apprenticemage]

[ Given everything that's swimming around in Shirou's mind, who knows? Once he's actually gotten his head wrapped around everything and moved on, he should be the less aggressive type... That doesn't mean he isn't the hot blooded type, however. After a few more swings, he places his attention on the one-girl audience. ]

I've been practicing for a while. It doesn't hurt to be prepared in a mysterious place, right?

[apprenticemage]

[ He was still frozen in shock by the time that Lancer appeared, and once he came into view his mind was thrown for a complete loop. Wasn't his world destroyed and, by indication of this headstone, wouldn't that mean even Servants weren't safe from it? So then why was Lancer standing before him...? Wait, no.. was he even the same Lancer? The clothes from his trunk earlier meant that Lancer could have just changed clothes, right? And that casual attitude despite everything definitely brought back memories... ]

Lancer...?

[apprenticemage]

I couldn't save you...

[ That's all he could muster out, his embrace tightening once his words had finished. ]

ɢʀᴀᴠᴇʏᴀʀᴅ

[angramaintsu]

[ In all honesty Rin doesn't notice him at first. No, she's still drawn to sit on the fresh grave of someone who's left her much to the disbelief of her "allies". Not that she's the type to really mope as Archer likes to snide at her, but it's just out of a lack of anything else better to do. As a result, the graveyard has an alarmingly ominous aura around it from her mere presence.

Today is different from other days though. Archer recently gave her an item as a reminder. ]

A reminder that once, you saved a stupid kid who didn't deserve it.

[ Rin mimics his words from that day out loud without the realization that some stupid kid was nearby. ]

[apprenticemage]

[ The shock of the headstone's revelation was replaced with a sudden sense of fear, as if there were some entity so wicked they were denied admittance to heaven nor hell. It was a familiar presence, but something seemed... off. Darker. Brooding. When you'd just seen the name of your precious person on a tombstone, you would be sure that your world had truly been destroyed too... But denying that cold, harsh fact was the figure of Tohsaka Rin sitting on a grave. ...But was she really Rin? Everything else was easily recognizable, but her hair was white, though perhaps more toward a silver color, and closer examination would show that her eyes weren't the same color either. He approached slowly, wooden sword still in hand, as if it would be a proper weapon should the devil herself turn her wrath upon him. ]

...Tohsaka? Is that you?

[angramaintsu]

Tohsaka... [ She repeats the name with a cold tone expected from a girl named 'Rin'. ] No, I'm afraid I don't know any Tohsaka.

[ The words come easily enough, but they have a lingering effect as she turns to look towards the voice. Those red eyes widen completely at his image as she leaps up to her feet quickly. ]

Y-You?! [ Balling her hand into a fist to hide the gemstone, the chain dangles from between her fingertips carelessly. ] What are you doing here?

[apprenticemage]

[ Luckily for Rin, Shirou is far too focused on Rin's face to have seen the gemstone in the first place. The clenched fist only puts him even more on edge, and the wooden sword is quickly risen along with the rest of his body into a fighting stance. ]

That's what I'm trying to find out... But what about you?! Wasn't our world...

[ The word "destroyed" slips out in a weak whisper. ]

[idolizer]

That's right. I'm training myself hard to learn fighting as well!

[ From looking at her, it doesn't seem like she's capable to fight. She looks like a normal high schooler girl, except for the knife holster strapped to her leg. ]

This place is quite dangerous, or so I heard.

[angramaintsu]

I've been here for a couple of months now. [ She doesn't refer to him by name as her gaze turns away from him. Even if she's cautious about someone who knows she's a killer, she can manage to look away. ] Time flows strangely here.

[ It's her nature to explain things whether or not she wants to, so her voice gains a bit of momentum only when talking about something she's familiar with. ]

The laws of Second Magic are screwed up in this place. I've met people who are from worlds that don't match up with my own, so it's possible for that occurrence to happen to you as well.

dorms

[tsunball]

[ When there's one red-headed idiot, there's always one nearby.. aka Leon is wandering to his room as well, a baseball bat in one hand and a baseball in the other. But apparently he's not really paying attention to the other people passing by, so he manages to bump right into Shirou. ]

[eighteen_winters]

Shirou...

[None of this added up. Shirou had constantly saved her from harm. He had even fought her own servant despite the fact that it could have killed him. But there was only one way to find out....]

This going to sound odd, Onii-chan. But have you ever lost an arm?

Graveyard

[whiteblackknight]

A shock, isn't it?

[The voice just seems to come out of nowhere.]

[He doesn't sound to be very far away, however. He is wearing near pitch black, making him very hard to see.]

Dormitories

[tempus_scorpius]

[Rolo sees him scratching at the collar.]

That can't be taken off.

[puppy_lancer]

[He frowns. Strange, how did this boy know him? He looks around, wondering if there is perhaps some other Lancer. However, he can see no one else but him and the boy.]

Yo. You know me?

[apprenticemage]

Lost an arm...? No, why?

[apprenticemage]

[ In Shirou's world, just looking like a normal high schooler isn't enough to convince someone that you aren't dangerous. ]

I don't know anything about this place yet. All I know is that someone here destroyed my world...

[apprenticemage]

How could I forget? You helped me out a ton... saved my life. You don't remember?

[apprenticemage]

[ Even though she didn't look like it, and even though she claimed to have been here for some months, this had to be his Rin. The following explanation began to piece it together... ]

So... it's possible that everyone here is from a different world entirely?

[ Which would mean that whoever is in charge of this place is destroying more than just his own world... and that doesn't fly right with him. ]