(no subject)

[scorchedchivalry]

Characters: Saber (Alter) and You! (One prompt will have both Saber (Alter) and Irisviel von Einzbern, still open to anyone who wishes to talk to them both.)
Setting: various floors over Dec 14th - 17th (4th, Cafeteria, 47th, 8th and 25th)
Format: Starting Action, but I'll match.
Summary: Saber is sick and takes a moment of indulgence, which leads to problems for the king knight.
Warnings: Stage 2 symptoms involving hallucinations which may lead to violence for the prompts after the first. Also, Fate/Zero spoilers in the 3rd prompt.


[Dec 14th - Floor 4 - with Irisviel (OPEN)]

[With the heat out in the Tower and her lady sick, Saber felt the need to see to Irisviel as best as she could. Never mind that the knight was sick herself - at least she didn't have a fever - her prana still made her the equivalent of a space heater. So it was with the desire to keep the Einzbern magus warm that one could find Saber and Irisviel sitting quite close together on a couch. Draped over them both was Saber's royal blue and fur trimmed greatcloak. The cloak mostly hid the way Saber had her arm about the woman, holding her tenderly against her.

She needed to keep Irisviel warm, after all, and this was quite... relaxing. Even so, the knight watched the passage of the others, coughing a little now and then.]

[ooc: Responses in this prompt will come from both Saber and Irisviel.]


[Dec 15th - Cafeteria]

[Saber was crossing the cafeteria when she suddenly stopped upon the sight of someone. Eyes going wide as if she had seen a ghost, Saber half-reached a hand out before closing it into a fist at her side. She then strode purposefully toward an occupied table with a few empty seats still. Once there, she put both hands on the table.]

My knig--

[She then cut herself off, eyes blinking rapidly as she looked over the empty seats with confusion, paying little attention to those actually sitting there... for the moment.]


[Dec 15th - Floor 47]

[In full armor, Saber moved through the hanging curtains as if searching for something.]

Wait! You and I must speak! I must know if I was the one responsible!

[She suddenly spins around, a look of caution and... paranoia on her face before pulling a sheet aside. Instantly, a monster descends upon her, but the King of Knights was a powerful Servant and the monster was cut down almost as quickly as it appeared by a sword obscured by swirling black and red prana, making it neigh impossible to determine it's exact shape or size.

Once dead, the sword disappears and Saber suddenly looks to the side. Heading that way, she calls out again.]

I am your king! You must heed me. Halt, Lancelot!

[A moment later, Saber stops with a disgruntled sound in the back of her throat, hand coming up to massage her temple. Was she seeing things? Lancelot wasn't there. He couldn't be. She would've felt his presence. Right? So why was she seeing him?]


[Dec 16th - Floor 8]

[She'd seen him go into this maze. The mental puzzle was something that certainly would've appealed to him. She would find him. He would have answers for her.

...and she sorely wished to see her old teacher again, the wise man of great magics that guided her when she was young. If only she could FIND him. Saber wandered through the maze, in search of him, sometimes speeding up, sometimes slowing down. Perhaps someone would come upon her when she stopped, hand on the wall, brow furrowed in thought as she caught her breath.]


[Dec 17th - Floor 25]

[Saber sought out the refuge of the meadow. She sat looking very much unlike the strong, stoic knight she normally was. Arms propped on her knees, she held her head in her hands, bowed with her eyes closed. Her greatcloak spread out across the grass as it hung from her shoulders, and her pale hair was fully down, loose about her shoulders.

...she was going insane. She had to be. Why else would she be seeing them?

Feeling a presence nearby, she glanced up at something in front of her. Oh. Him. She felt the phantom pain in her side where his blade had pierced her, striking a fatal wound in another life.]

Go away, son. I have nothing left to say to you that I can put into words. Please... leave me be.

Comments

Floor 25

[isthatashortjoke]

[Veigar had begun taking refuge in this floor more and more often. His powers seemingly being sapped away as the illness continued he really had nowhere to go or no one to go to. This was the last and only sanctuary he had ever known... Even if it was one person empty.

But today it wasn't, he raised a brow at the voice as he looked through the colorful spots in his vision.]

Saber? I'm not your son... I didn't even know you had one...

Floor 25

[scorchedchivalry]

[At the voice, Saber raised her head and looked over at the source.]

Veigar.

...my apologies. I mistook you as another.

[isthatashortjoke]

[Veigar looked over at her, shaking off the odd spots before he could focus, waving a dismissive hand.]

No worries... In this place it wouldn't be all that odd all things considered.

You... don't look so well. [Not that he was doing so hot himself but at least the usual shadows and his outfit concealed much of how he looked.]

Floor 4

[wirefu]

[To be quite honest... Irisviel was surprised. She didn't think homunculi like herself could get sick - being artificially made for specific purposes, one would assume that their creators would take precautions to avoid anything that might damage their creations in some way or another before it could achieve that purpose.

But here she was. Despite the warmth provide by both her knight's body and the cloak wrapped around them she couldn't stop herself from trembling every so often, and the exhaustion taking over her meant she could do little else besides lean against Saber and rest her head on her shoulder.

... It reminded her of that night, late in the war, when she had to (literally) lean on Maiya for support as they made their way home. But she refused to let that memory bother her, and tried her best to keep herself happy.]

Thank you for this, Saber... [Her voice sounds somewhat rough, thanks to how dry her throat currently feels, but she's smiling.] Playing caretaker must be a new role for you... I'll have to be sure to make it up to you when this passes.

[scorchedchivalry]

[Idly, Saber stroked a bit of Irisviel's hair with her free hand, giving into the temptation. She hoped it would give the woman comfort.]

New but not unwelcome. [cough cough] To prevent you further suffering, I would gladly step into this role again.

I wish I could heal you, but Avalon...

[wirefu]

[It's soothing, yes. Irisviel certainly doesn't seem to mind.]

... It's strange, isn't it? [A curious look crosses her face.] Does Avalon normally protect against sickness and infections?

[It had such miraculous power, so it could probably protect against anything that would be deadly. But a sickness a bit less so...?]

December 14 floor 4

[puppy_lancer]

Yo, Saber.

[Lancer walks over, peeking at the king of knights above his armful of beaten-up beer cans with plants of all shapes and sizes jammed in.]

I dunno which ones are the dandylions you wanted because none of the flowers are blooming right now. So I just got you whichever ones had the right leaves.

[He holds the repurposed beer cans out to her.]

[scorchedchivalry]

[Saber looks up at Lancer, instinctively holding Irisviel a bit tighter with another Servant present.

...then she gawks at the flowers a moment before coughing and regaining her composure.]

Did any of them attempt to bite you?

[puppy_lancer]

[He was so focused on the flowers that for now, he couldn't notice the other woman bundled up in Saber's cloak.]

I don't think they did. Or maybe they nipped me and I couldn't tell because of the cold.

[He holds up a dirty hand, trying to see if he had been bitten.]

Cafeteria

[tohko_amano]

[Once again, Tohko managed to wander into the cafeteria. She had been staying close to the library and the cafeteria, as she wasn't quite sure what to do, now that most of her senses were gone. She was about to bang on a nearby counter when she heard Saber speak.]

Saber? Is that you? What knight are you talking to?

[scorchedchivalry]

[It took a moment for Saber to acknowledge that she was being spoken to. Looking over to find her roommate, the knight shook her head.]

N-no one. I appear to have been mistaken.

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko sighed and smacked her hand on the counter. Hearing a small nutrition bar on it rustle, she moved her hand until she heard the two touch.]

I see..if you're having hallucination, you might want to go to the clinic. Hearing and seeing things isn't good.

Dec 14 floor 4

[divinitysoiled]

[Catarina was walking by, coughing to herself slightly when she noticed a familiar, friendly face. One she rather liked. And a roommate- ah. That woman. The succubus bowed in front of them, eyes on Irisviel.]

Saber and... I don't suppose I've gotten your name?

[scorchedchivalry]

[Saber offered Catarina a bit of a smile, though she did tense just the slightest at the situation she suddenly found herself in. Thankfully, only Irisviel would have noticed that minor tenseness and would be good enough to not mention it.

She wasn't sure she liked the idea of being caught between them if they started discussing her and her relation to them both. She couldn't trust the succubus to keep certain things silent.]

Ah, Catarina. This is Irisviel von Einzbern.

[And to finish the introductions.]

Irisviel, this is Catarina. She is one I have come to enjoy the company of here. I believe you two share a room, yes?

[ooc: Iri's player is at work, atm. Sorry!]

[divinitysoiled]

[Catarina smiled at Irisviel, reaching out to take her hands and kiss them] A pleasure. [Her eyes flickered the Saber briefly, almost distrustful]

((OOC: That's fine, I'm computerless anyway]

Day 17, floor 25. Like the fields from the ol' country...

[whiteblackknight]

...!

[Mr. Walker was spared from the sickness himself, most likely from luck with a little bit of carefulness. Much like the opposite of what it usually is.]

[It's usually just luck.]

Saber...

*thinks* (Son? I know we're from the same place, but...who is she, anyway?)

[scorchedchivalry]

[Saber's head snapped around, pale yellow eyes wide, and then she sighed, closing them.]

Allen. You should not sneak up upon me.

[whiteblackknight]

Sneaking? I was sneaking?...

[He thought he made enough noise...oh well.]

Sorry. Hope I didn't disturb you from anything. Heh, I may have also overhead you a little. [He tilts his head in resignation.] Don't think I'm like a spy or something, okay?

Floor 25

[warriorscribe]

*It was a cruel trick, this floor holding all the appearance of springtime but nothing else. He had hoped it would have warmed for the sake of his tired body, but no such luck. Enoch has his cloak pulled tight around him, and he walks towards the faint voice. Was that...Saber? She looked distressed... He kneels on the grass near her, partly in concern and partly because he was simply too tired to stand anymore, after those stairs.*

Are you all right?

[scorchedchivalry]

No. [Her voice sounded resigned.] But I will endure as I always have.

[warriorscribe]

This illness?

*It must have been hard for her to make it here. Even his strength is starting to give out far earlier than he'd like...*

Cafeteria

[technologic]

[April pauses in eating some cooked meat she had managed to make when Saber puts her hands on the table, blinking at her curiously for a few moments before hesitantly speaking.]

Um... What's wrong? Who're you talking to?

[scorchedchivalry]

[Saber's eyes move over the empty seats.]

...no one.

Floor eight, Dec. 16th

[nonacquiescent]

[Waver's found the maze to be a good place to go to be alone without other people bothering him. It seems like hardly anyone goes there since it's a pretty useless floor, so he likes to take some books with him to find a little alcove to sit in. Especially with the weather as it is, finding somewhere that's quiet and inside is becoming difficult. But still, the maze had proven to be a safe bet, and as he walks through it in search of the perfect spot to hide out for a while, he spots Saber, and stops. What's she doing in the maze - and why does she look distressed? There are no monsters there during the day, but even if there were, he's sure she could handle that without a problem. Maybe it's the cold? Does that affect Heroic Spirits? Rider was fine, he'd even been able to give Waver his cloak, but maybe that's only because he's huge?

Remembering their last conversation, and what Irisviel had mentioned, he's a bit reluctant to not just turn the other way...but...he has an extra blanket he was going to put on his legs...]

Are you alright?

[scorchedchivalry]

[Saber's head whips around as if she hadn't noticed Waver's approach. She had heard someone nearby, but she hadn't expected anyone to approach her.

This was the first time the magus had seen Saber since her corruption. Pale yellow eyes, hair sapped of the golden color it once hand, there was a hardness to her that hadn't been present before and a scrawling red tattoo-like mark crawling up her neck to the base of her jaw. The skirts of her black dress swirled about her legs as she turned to Waver.]

...have you seen anyone else in here?