I Don't Think That's How...

[oathshackledbird]

Characters: Zero Lancer and whoever would like to join!
Setting: Starting in room 4-16, then heading to the cafeteria, and from there floor six.
Format: Whatever you would like!
Summary: Zero Lancer wakes up in a strange place and tries to figure out what's going on.
Warnings: Spoilers for Lancer's end in the series.

Room 4-16

[The moment he is able to move from the strange paralysis that has gripped him upon waking, Lancer's hand sweeps out to grab one of the two letters his eyes spot on the table near his bed. While the time he's been unable to move has been brief, for a trained warrior in a unfamiliar place, that time has still seemed like an eternity.

An eternity trapped in mystery. An eternity not knowing if his master...]

Right, my master...

[The word drips with an anger unusual to him as his empty hand rises to rest over his heart--over the place where there should have been a gaping hole from the spear he had been forced to drive through his own chest.

The wound is no longer there.]

What is going on? How can this be?

[Lancer's eyes focus back on the letter in his hand and he quickly opens it. After only a few moments, the letter floats onto his bed. Dropped in surprise? Shock? He's not really sure what to call the feeling that tears through his heart. Shock he had felt when he had been betrayed by the master he'd given everything to. Surprise he had felt when he realized, in those final moments, how angry it had made him.

The emotion he feels now that he has been told that his world is dead and he is still alive instead of it being the other way around is something he can't put a name to. And while he doesn't know what to call that emotion, he does know he can't just keep sitting on the bed in this strange place wondering what's going on.

Lancer quickly rises to his feet and summons his armor and spear to his side. The summoning is as natural to him as breathing and he never once doubts that they will come when called. He does, however, notice that while the white outfit had woke up in is now gone, the collar is still there. It's an annoyance, but something he can deal with later once he's gotten some answers.

He's about to leave his room when the trunk at the end of his bed catches his eye. He's not quite sure why, but he gets the feeling he should really look into it before leaving. If the letters had held information, then why not the trunk as well?

Anyone who happens by 4-16 and looks or stops in may find him still kneeling in front of the now opened trunk. Asking about what looks to be the tears in the corners of his eyes may or may not be a good idea.]

The Cafeteria

[While servants technically don't have to eat, since Lancer has no idea how things work in this strange place, he is currently eating a bowl of very tasteless oatmeal. Not that it really bothers him considering some of the things he had eaten while in the Fianna and on the run from Fionn. Tasteless actually is an improvement from what some of those things had tasted like.

To be honest, he's not here for the food anyway. Since the cafeteria was mentioned in the letter, it only stands to reason that a good number of people would be there--new and old alike. And that does seem to be the case, so the servant in green sits at one of the cafeteria tables slowly making his way through his own bowl, his head bowed over it almost as if he's shy.  While he's not really shy, he is somewhat worried about his curse and how it will affect the people here.  So far, though, no one seems to be having troubles with it leading him to hope that it's not active. Those who take the time to look into his eyes will find that, far from looking shy, they are observing the room and its occupants with an intensity that only those who have fought many many a battle can achieve.]

Floor Six

[After learning all he can in the cafeteria, Lancer decides to slowly start making his way back up the tower so that he can find out what secrets each floor holds. Already he's heard tell that many of the floors are dangerous and even deadly to those who make a misstep on them, but this floor seems far too peaceful for that. He takes a few steps away from the stairway, but doesn't go too far, keeping in mind the things he had overheard from others. How some floors look completely safe, only to become deathtraps in the blink of an eye.

Movement to his left draws Lancer's attention, but he smiles when he notices it's just a deer. A...mutated deer, but a deer just the same. In all honesty, it's not the strangest thing he's seen. He grew up in a world of oddities after all.

The deer watches him for a few moments longer before disappearing back into the forest. As it disappears, Lancer closes his eyes and draws in a deep breath. Maybe it is just because of what he found in his trunk, but this forest with all its oddities makes him feel strangely at home.

Unconsciously, his hand raises to touch the torc that sits tightly around his neck slightly above the collar. He could have worn it lower as he had when it had first been given to him, but no. Lancer can't stand the idea of the gift Oscar had spent so much time finding for him being hidden by that thing...that annoyance he still hasn't found a way to be rid of.

And so he stands there, lost in thought. Thoughts of the old days, of his old friends, things supposedly on a world that might or might not have been destroyed. He still isn't sure what he believes. He just knows that at least here he has these small things, these memories.

He didn't have any of that in the war...]

Comments

[vermicompost]

[The cafeteria remains an easy destination for Kariya, whose mobility is limited unless he strains himself. His healing sessions with Ishtar help him somewhat, but there's nothing that's really been able to reverse his degenerative condition.

He can't eat a great deal, but he is attempting to keep down some tomato soup when he notices the man in green sitting alone with his head down. Eating oatmeal. But that's not all he notices. There's that very familiar sense of power...

Kariya has had a mixed reception from Servants, considering Saber's attempts to kill him and his odd camaraderie with Lancer. He's curious, and he has no reason, yet, to be alarmed. Ruler had said she would protect him, didn't she? He makes his slow way over, with his uneven, shuffling gait.]

Hello. You must be new. It's not very good, is it? The oatmeal, I mean. [Obviously, the tower isn't good at all.]

[oathshackledbird]

I have had worse. Much, much worse in my lifetime. This, at least, doesn't pretend to be something it's not. It just is.

[Lancer lays his spoon to rest on the lip of the bowl and looks up at the man across from him. A good-natured smile crosses his face, but doesn't quite hide the scrutiny in his eyes. He can sense the magic in this man, though it is faint and almost hidden by something darker, eviler. Something that Lancer can't put a name to no matter how long he searches for one. The best he can do is label it as something very wrong.

Yet, the man doesn't seem dangerous to Lancer. Granted, one doesn't survive as many battles as he has by just relying on what seems to be, but at the same time, Lancer gets the feeling he could easily kill this man if it comes down to it. He doesn't seem strong enough to be a fighter. He just seems sick and maybe a little sad, though Lancer isn't quite sure where that particular impression comes from. Perhaps his tone of voice.]

As you say, I'm new here and I must admit, confused. Have you been here for long? Could you perhaps help me understand what's going on? I...shouldn't be here.

[Of course, the man will most likely take his words to mean he shouldn't be in the tower, but somewhere else. What Lancer really means is that he shouldn't be alive in the world at all, but he isn't about to say that to someone he's just meet no matter how harmless they might seem.]

[vermicompost]

[He hadn't realized how tense he'd been until the tension leaves him when there's no sign of a hostile reaction. He has no way of knowing who might be angry at him, since Saber is furious with him for something he isn't aware of and hasn't even done. He returns Lancer's smile, lopsidedly. He sits down across from him, feeling the need to rest. He's not sure if he should reveal his identity as a Master or not, so for now, he says nothing about that.]

That's true. I still don't know why we have to eat it first, but it's honest, at least. I've had worse, too.

I've been here for-- [It's hard for him to keep track of time. Days flow into each other, and sometimes he isn't well enough to go far or do much or think clearly. Months, now. Maybe three? I shouldn't be here either. There's something I have to do, back home.

[Kariya misses Lancer's actual meaning, and he empathizes with what he thinks he means. He should be back in the War, still fighting. He nods.] No one should be here.

I'd be glad to help you. [Helping someone. This is something he can do. Often he feels so useless, as weak as he is and without Berserker to fight for him. He wants to help.] I'll try to answer any questions you have.

We've been brought to this tower from different times and worlds by people who say they saved us, but that isn't true, or I don't think so. I don't believe our worlds are destroyed at all.

There are– administrators, and they run things. Some of them are better than others. Some people think that this is an experiment, but some say it's just a game for them. Terrible things happen to people here. They do things to us. I think there must be a way out, but no one's been able to find it yet.

4-16

[puppy_lancer]

[Lancer didn't use his room much, seeing as he didn't need sleep as a Servant. Even when he did remain in it and sleep, he usually only dozed off. Sensing another Servant in the same room is more than enough to wake him up. He jumps to his feet, summoning Gae Bolg at around the same time.]

Who's there?

[He fixes a glare on the unfamiliar Servant bent over one of the four chests in the room. The threatening effect is somewhat marred by the fact that Lancer's corner of the room is extremely disorganized, with half-crushed beer cans and cigarette butts strewn across the ground, a truth that refused to stay closed because of the fishing pole sticking out, and now a quilt that has been flung off of the bed.]

[Maybe the Servant was just another new arrival, but Lancer didn't want to take any chances.]

Re: 4-16

[oathshackledbird]

[The small leather pouch that had been in Lancer's hand slips out of it and falls back into the trunk with a thud. Before the pouch has finished it's fall, though, Lancer has spun around and come to his feet, Gae Dearg in hand. He curses under his breath, the words coming out in barely audible Gaelic. How could he have missed the presence of another servant? Especially, one so close?

Though, as his eyes come to rest on the mess surrounding the man across the room from him, his posture relaxes just slightly. When he sees what the other man's weapon is, he can't help but let the corner of his mouth quirk up into a bit of a grin.]

Let me guess. Lancer? Apparently, someone around here has a sense of humor...

cafeteria

[nonacquiescent]

[Waver sits wrapped in a cloak made from the hide of deer from the forest, the heat might be back on, but that doesn't make him any less weak to the cold that naturally comes with winter. Leaning over a plate of eggs benedict, he catches sight of Lancer from the corner of his eye and quicky glances in his direction to be sure it's really the familiar Servant. Of course, confirming that doesn't bring him any closer to approaching Lancer. What if Kayneth is around too? Or even if he's not, what sort of things might he have said about Waver, or ordered Lancer to do to Waver? He was definitely sore about the theft of Rider's artifact, and already had it in for Waver, who doesn't feel like dying so early in the day. So while he doesn't leave, he does try to keep his head down.]

Re: cafeteria

[oathshackledbird]

[While he has been eating, Lancer has felt several sets of eyes look him over. Some have lingered as if in consideration and some have glanced only for a moment before dismissing him. This set, however, is the first that seems to turn away in fear and that is what causes Lancer to raise his head and look in the direction he feels the gaze coming from.

Truth be told, he isn't expecting much. Just another unfamiliar face. That is why, when he realizes he does know the face--no matter how hard its owner is trying to hide it--he is so shocked. For a moment, he just continues to sit at his table considering what it means that someone from the 4th war is there. If there is another person, then maybe, just maybe, their world hasn't been destroyed after all!

Lancer finally stands up and slowly walks over to the table where the boy he remembers to be Rider's master is sitting and smiles in a way that he hopes will put the boy at ease.]

I wasn't expecting to find another person from the 4th War here. Is it all right if I sit? There are a great many things I would like to ask you if you don't mind.

The Cafeteria

[tohko_amano]

[Normally, Tohko didn't wander into the cafeteria much, but it seemed like the Administrators were starting to bring in new people, so she wanted to wander in and help out whoever she found eating oatmeal. And so, when she saw a guy eating a bowl of oatmeal, she walked up to him with a small smile on her face, trying to be cheerful.]

Pardon..but if you add things to the oatmeal, the taste will improve, and you won't throw up.

Re: The Cafeteria

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer looks up at the girl with a gentle smile on his face. She's not the first to have approached him since he sat down, but she is, perhaps, the most innocent seeming one--one who doesn't even remotely belong in a place like this if the rumors he is beginning to pick up from the conversions going on around him are the least bit true.]

Thank you for the advice, though it's really not that bad. At least not to me. I've had much worse during my life. Tasteless isn't always a bad thing.

cafeteria

[blackwitch]

[ Someone who is decidedly not being shy or quiet is Evatrice. Witches don't need to eat, yet she's still here as well - probably for quite the same reason as him, to observe people. Except in her case it means more 'trying to find people to pick on'. A witch being a bully, that's totally dignified, right?

So when she spots someone a little shy-looking like Lancer, she can't help but walk over with a cry. ]

Wha-t, don't you like the food..?

Re: cafeteria

[oathshackledbird]

I doubt anyone could truly claim to enjoy something so tasteless, but to each their own. I have tasted much worse in my day.

[Lancer smiles at her kindly, though the smile is actually more of a smirk. When he had first heard her voice, he had expected someone much younger than the person currently standing before him. Her voice had just had that...tone to it. Now that he can see she is older than he expected, he gets the feeling she's playing a game with him. Fishing for a reaction.

It's a game he can play with the best of them. He'd had five children after all.]

floor six

[fuhgeddaboudit]

Hey...you alright?

[A girl made entirely of metal stepped forward, concern written all over her face. She looked up at Lancer with bright red eyes, thickly accented voice quiet and cautious.]

You ain't lookin' so great.

[Do curses work on oblivious robots? ....So far, doesn't look like it.]

Re: floor six

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer starts out of his reverie. At first he all he can think of is how odd it is that he hadn't sensed her approaching, but once he looks at her, he realizes that isn't, perhaps, so odd after all.

He's never see someone made entirely out of metal before. Was that even possible? While he does have some knowledge of robots from the information that the Grail had given him in the war, none of that information hinted toward something like her even being possible.

Of course, all his curiosity about her is suddenly replaced by embarrassment when he realizes he's staring at her and has been doing so for quite some time.]

I-I'm sorry! No, nothing's wrong!

[He pauses a moment to pull himself together.]

I'm just trying to get my bearings a little, I guess, and this place kind of reminds me of home. I suppose I drifted a bit further into my thoughts than I realized.

Floor six!

[carabina]

[ Another day in the tower. For the most part Mami's been lurking around and trying to keep track of both Kyokos, though it's hard when the tower is huge. Today she decides to take a short break and look around some of the floors.

She finds herself on the sixth floor, noticing that she wasn't alone (besides the strange animals of course). Curiously, the blonde makes her way over to Lancer and stands next to him, watching the deer hurry back into the forest. ]

The tower is quite strange, isn't it?

Re: Floor six!

[oathshackledbird]

[Her presence is calming, which Lancer finds a nice change compared to some of the people he's met today. And since she is so, he doesn't bother to open his eyes or answer right away.

Once he does answer, his voice is rather soft and maybe even a little vulnerable. Part of him really doesn't want to leave his good memories only to face the realities of his new 'home.']

Strange, yes strange is one way to describe it. Though, oddly enough, this floor reminds me of home. It's been so long since I've seen it...

Floor six

[divinitysoiled]

[There was a rustling in the bushes nearby, exploding in another deer bursting out. This one appeared to be covered in deep wounds, and the reason for it came barreling out behind it, dark hair flying behind her as she pounced on her prey, knife first. This appeared to be the disabling blow, and the woman grabbed the mutated antlers to give the deer the final killing blow. Finally, she slumped over the deer, panting, her own dusky skin covered in blood and wounds from the battle. Her head slowly turned to look at him, her eyes lidded in a distinct sexual pleasure and pupils dilated to the point her eyes looked nearly black.]

Hello.

Re: Floor six

[oathshackledbird]

[The flurry of activity actually startles Lancer enough that his spear is in hand and ready for use before he even realizes what's making all the noise. The spear vanishes, though, once he realizes that the...woman involved can, very obviously, take care of herself.

He starts toward her just to make sure she doesn't need any help, but stops dead in his tracks at that look. It's one he's seen before in the eyes of countless women. One that makes him distinctly uneasy.

He takes a deep breath before speaking just to make sure his voice is even and showing none of the nervousness he's suddenly feeling.]

Hello. You seem very capable of taking care of yourself, but I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't ask. Are you okay?

floor 6

[hellacious]

Wouldn't stand around for too long if I were you.

[The kind of people the tower draws in aren't really very surprising anymore. Granted, clothes that tight are a little unusual outside of the crap most people wake up in, but hey. She can't really judge. But she can give advice, especially when someone's just standing in the Forest of Nightmare Critters, staring dramatically off into nothing.

She'd feel bad if anything happened to the guy and she didn't warn him.

So she perches on the railing of the stairs as she waits to make sure he'd heard her.]

Re: floor 6

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer looks back at her over his shoulder, a smile on his face.]

Oh? Aside from the...odd creatures, this place seems pretty peaceful. I take it, like many of the other floors I've heard of, this one has a deadly secret as well?

[He looks back toward the forest. Of course, any forest had its dangers. Could this one really be that different?]

Cafeteria

[maidenidrial]

[Idrial does not eat in the cafeteria herself and she hasn't done so since her first meal of oatmeal there. In fact, she had been advised by a number of friends who were here in the Tower too to hunt for her own food whenever possible and she was planning to stick to that strategy.

Today she is wandering around the cafeteria however but not for any particular reason except for interaction with people. She has figured out that at this time of the month a number of new people tend to arrive in the Tower and these new people are always to be found eating oatmeal in the cafeteria. It is something that unfortunately has to be done after all. Seeing an unfamiliar face sitting by himself she walks over to the table and gestures a hand to a space on the bench beside him.]

Greetings. May I take this seat?

Re: Cafeteria

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer looks up and smiles at her. Some might think her dress a little odd, but he finds himself being oddly reminded of home. He can't help but wonder what it is with this place and it's constant reminders, large and small of his first life. It's almost as if it is somehow trying to get him to forget all the pain and dishonor he experienced in the war. But what sense does that make for a place that everyone else so far has described to him as hellish and terrible? Why would it be trying to help him?

He shakes his head slightly and refocuses himself on the woman before him.]

By all means, My Lady, please sit. Forgive my silence, it's just that your clothing reminds me a bit of home. My name is Lancer. May I ask who I have the pleasure of addressing?

[angramaintsu]

[ In the sixth floor resides a monster greater than any of the mutations found there. Amongst animals with rotting faces is a girl with a core just as twisted as the evils that plague this place. She doesn't look the part; barely a woman with a child's face and body who's maturity has stunted just a bit, but there's an aura that any Servant can feel that swirls around her. Red eyes and white hair turns to face him from her spot on the ground, knelt beside the corpse of a rabbit. Freshly killed, but not by her. ]

You are? [ She doesn't show any fear whenever she addresses him, but her voice barely has a polite tone to it. ] Well?

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer senses her presence before he sees her, though once he sees her he finds it extremely hard to believe such an evil presence is coming from such a young girl. The presence actually seems a little familiar to him, but...no what he had felt coming from Kariya hadn't been nearly this strong, nearly this unsettled.

Despite the fact that his senses are screaming for him to keep his distance and that her voice screams distaste, he smiles at her.]

I am Lancer and if what I'm sensing around you is correct, I suspect that you know exactly what that name makes me.

oops i am the latest (also Cafeteria)

[wirefu]

[A strange thing that Irisviel still had to get used to with the tower was the ever-present feeling of Servants surrounding her. She hasn't met them all yet, but there are quite a few, ones she does and doesn't recognize. It's a bit of a danger, getting used to that feeling... mostly because it means that seeing a new Servant show up has the potential to catch one off-guard.

And that's (sort of) what happened here. This one wasn't new, he was most certainly a face she recognized (and was actually somewhat happy to see), but she had most certainly never encountered him in the tower until today.

She approaches - somewhat cautious, as she can clearly remember his attitude during his last moments.]

... Hello, Lancer.

But you made it! That's the important thing. :-)

[oathshackledbird]

[Lancer looks up at her ready to greet yet another new face in the tower, but stops mid-word and blinks one, twice, three times before he can finally get his mind to connect the face and the voice to his memories.

He...hadn't been expecting to run into Saber's master here.

He turns away just enough to break eye contact, a light blush of shame coloring his face.

What must she think of him after witnessing...that?]

Greetings, Lady. I hope you are doing well...or as well as can be in a place such as this.