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

Entry tags:

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

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...]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[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.]

[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...

[He lets his eyes dart toward the other man's spear.]

Ang going by that, you're another Lancer.

[But the joke was gonna be on him if he thought he could sneak attack Cu Chulainn.]

It doesn't matter whether or not this is funny. All that matters is that you're in my room. So, got a good excuse?

[Lancer resists the urge to roll his eyes. It's obvious the other man wants a fight--the intent is just rolling off him. At the same time, a fight is the last thing Lancer wants to waste his time on. Any other time he might have been perfectly willing to oblige him, but now he has too many other things on his mind.

So, in a move that might look rather foolish to the other man, Lancer fully relaxes his stance and dismisses his weapon. It's not like he can't have it back in hand in an instant should the other servant show signs off attacking and maybe the move will help calm him.]

Going by the letter I found when I woke up, apparently I live here now. Is that a good enough reason for you?

So you're a new arrival?

[Two Servants to a room, and two Lancers to boot. The administrators really did have a horrible sense of humor. Either way, this more or less explained things, so Lancer also dismisses his Noble Phantasm and relaxes his posture.]

Then I guess I'm gonna have to give you some of the basics of this place.

[After all, there doesn't seem to be anyone else awake or available enough.]

First off, there's no Grail War here. Or, well, no Grail to be fought over that I know of.

[Though in this Servant's case, it doesn't seem like he would need to say this due to the lack of aggression.]

[Lancer nods, glad to see the other servant finally relax. After that rather...energetic reaction, he is relieved to hear there isn't some weird version of the Grail War going on here. The last thing he needs is having to deal with enemy servants at every turn. This place is dangerous enough without that. It knows too much. Can access too much.]

Then we have no reason to fight each other. I would appreciate whatever information you care to share with me.

[He motions toward his trunk, reaching back into it to pull out the pouch he had dropped earlier. He also pulls out a bronze torc, then holds both it and the pouch out toward the other Lancer.]

How is it they can access these things from out pasts? It is not possible!

Not right now, it seems.

[Maybe they'd find a reason later.]

Okay, so you've read the letter. I'm not sure how true it is, but we don't have any way back home right now. We're in a Tower, and it's got a huge number of floors. I haven't finished exploring them all yet, but some are more dangerous than others. We're all assigned rooms to sleep in whenever we feel like and there's monsters out everywhere at night except for in here. Now, that trunk...

[He looks toward the items the other Lancer is holding in his hands. Lucky. He didn't get any reminders of his past, however nice they might be.]

It brings six random items from your world to the Tower with you. Hell if I know how they do it.

These can't be random....

[Lancer's eyes soften as his hands run over the torc. While it's obvious that both items mean something to him, the torc clearly means more.]

They are too important. Memories of my wife. Memories of my children. Memories of my best friend. Why have I been given this stuff now? Is it some kind of apology for what happened in the war? A replacement for that was taken from me?

[He falls silent for a long while, before moving to replace the pouch in his trunk. The torc, though, he keeps and carefully resizes so that it will sit snugly around his throat above the collar. Once he's done, he finally turns his attention back to the other Lancer.]

I'm sorry, that was rude of me. Please, continue telling me that you think is important to know about this place. Considering your reaction and quick mention that there is no war here, I'm going to guess that we aren't the only servants here, are we?

[Cu Chulainn's expression has softened a great deal as well. Seeing the other man reflect over the objects he had made Cu Chulainn realize how much he missed his own homeland. The closest things he had to sentimental reminders were Misaya's drawings. He had nothing to remind him of his old life in Ireland. As long past as that life might be, it would have still been nice if the Tower could have given some of those things back to him.]

Who can say? I don't have anything like that. But at least you got stuff that brought back happy memories.

[He shrugs.]

Whole bunch of them actually. There's an Archer, two Sabers, a Caster, a Rider, and a...

[He winces.]

...A Ruler.

[And those are just the ones he knows.]

Yes, that I won't argue with. These memories are so much more than I had in the war. It's just sad to think that the world they came from has been destroyed if I believe what those letters tell me.

[Lancer listens closely as the other man lists off all of the servants who he knows of in the tower. It is quite a long list and Lancer can't help but wonder when he hears Saber on the list, if it is his Saber or not.

Then, there is that last class. Ruler. He has never heard of it before.]

Ruler? That is a class that I'm not familiar with. Are you saying that there was a war that took place with different servants than the normal seven?

Probably.

[There were Servants from quite a few different Grail Wars here.]

She's a Servant who also acts as Grail War Administrator. You'd probably wanna check in with her. Just so she knows you're around.

[Lancer tilts his head slightly, eyes confused.]

But you said that there is no war here. Why then do we need the administrator from another war continuing their job here to the degree that it's best I check in with her so she knows I'm here?

And why does talking about her seem to bother you so?

You know what happens when you gather too many of us in one place.

[It was great fun, but even Cu Chulainn had to admit that it usually turned volatile pretty fast. And when it involved innocents in the crossfire, that was when it stopped being fun.]

Look, when I first met Saber, we had a fight that almost trashed the cafeteria. And in another case, there's a Servant who holds a grudge against a former enemy Master and wants to kill him. Ruler is usually responsible for keeping that sort of stuff from getting out of hand.

[As for why he dislikes Ruler, it's a long story. He's still bitter at both himself and at Jason over how it ended up. However, he'll leave out the details for this other Lancer.]

We're not on the best of terms. I did something to her that she'll never forgive me for.

[Nor does he deserve any sort of forgiveness. He just wants her to hit him and get it over with.]

[Even as he says this, his tone is casual and he is looking directly at the other Lancer. Let this man blame him however much he would like. Lancer knows he probably deserves it.]

[Lancer nods. As much as he would like to hope that the servants here would put aside their differences and focus on their common enemy, he knows better.]

I guess instead of being wary of her, I should thank her. The job she's chosen for herself is not one I would wish on anyone. She must either be very powerful or very well respected to be able to control so many servants. Does she have a name or has she kept her true name to herself for safety?

[He falls quiet for several moments when the other man mentions how he's upset her, but if he's expecting some kind of negative reaction from Lancer, he will be waiting in vain for a long time. Instead, he just nods again.]

Thank you for clearing up my confusion. If you have done wrong by her, the best you can do is try to make amends for what you have done. If she is so badly hurt that she doesn't ever wish to forgive you, then make small steps as you can. Perhaps someday things will improve.

[And that is it. Lancer smiles in a gentle way and changes the subject.]

I suppose our roommates should be lucky, then, that we avoided a fight like the one that you had when you arrived. Somehow, I don't think they would be very happy with us if we destroyed the room as you did the cafeteria.

[He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair.]

She has one, but it's not one she'd like to reveal. It's like any other Servant.

[Hopefully, the other Lancer won't think to ask why Cu Chulainn is speaking so familiarly of a person he's on bad terms with.]

Maybe, I dunno.

[He nods.]

They should be. Too bad they probably won't know much about this. Oh, and speaking of the cafeteria, you need to go eat the oatmeal there if you wanna go eat anything else later.

Do we have to eat here? I have no master to provide me with energy and I'm going to guess that most of the servants here are in the same boat. What is keeping us manifest if not their energy?

[Lancer looks genuinely confused.]

Is it the tower and those who run it? How is it they have managed to gather so much power that they can reach passed the curtain of death to bring us here? Please tell me that they do not hold any version of a command seal...

Nah, not if you don't want to. But sometimes the food tastes good. I'm not sure what the fuck in the Tower is supplying us either, but hey, it makes things a little easier.

[It means nobody but the now dead Misaya would hold his Command Seals.]

I think your guess might be right, though. Even if the administrators don't, strictly speaking, have command seals, they still do have some way to fuck with our bodies if we try to hit them. As for how we're brought here, try asking on the network. Other people can give you better answers.

I wouldn't know. I never had the chance to try modern food during my war. Still, it probably wouldn't hurt to go ahead and get the oatmeal taken care of if it's required. Besides, if all new people need to do this, then it will be a good place to meet and talk to others.

The Network? Oh yes, that is the computer system that one of the letters mentioned. I...I really don't have much interest in learning a system like that. What could I learn there, that I can't learn just talking to someone? Hiding behind a screen seems wrong somehow. Too much like what they seem to like doing.

However, I would like to know how they manage to control us as they do from so far away. I suspect these probably have a lot to do with it.

[Lancer pulls lightly at the collar around his neck.]

Is there anything you can tell me about these?

It's good for mass communication. Questions, advice, or even invitations.

[Hell, Cu Chulainn himself had used it a few times.]

Nope. Just that they probably have something to do with our souls and that we need to get them checked on certain days. Also, don't bother talking to anyone who has a clear or a red one. Those are drones. They only listen to the admins.

Perhaps, sometime then... For now, I think I will stick to talking to people face to face.

It's good to know about the red and clear collars. Do you know if there is any difference between the...drones, did you say?...who wear red vs clear?

[Lancer wrinkles his nose slightly.]

I don't like the idea of someone messing with my soul, copy that it may be. It's still one of the few things that is mine. That and my name. Speaking of names, it's not probably going to work to have both of us going around calling ourselves Lancer. I don't know the status of your war so I won't ask you to use a name other than Lancer, but for me, my war is over so...

[Lancer bows to his new roommate.]

I'm Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, First Warrior of the Fianna.

Red ones are used to fight. Clear ones just go around doing everyday jobs, I think.

[Lancer gives a bitter smile to his roommate. If only they had met earlier. Then, he would have been more free with his identity. But he has a Master now.]

Thanks. Sorry I can't return the favor for now, but it wouldn't be fair if I got to use the class name and you didn't. So, how about you call me...

[He actually has to take some time to consider this.]

Connal.

[Nowhere near his real name. It's actually the name of his cousin. But hey, it put them on equal footing.]

Still, it's a neat thing to meet a guy with such a fancy title.

The pleasure is mine.

[Lancer inclines his head slightly as a thank you for the name.]

That's not necessary, but I appreciate it all the same. Feel free to use the title as much as you need to. I realize that most servants will probably think that I'm crazy giving out my name so easily, but that is their choice. The war means nothing to me now. I can only hope that my honesty will put them at ease and help them better understand that I am not their enemy.

I don't think that my title is something all that special. I'm certainly no Cu Chulainn, but the Fianna were the best fighters in Ireland. I was honored to have the chance to fight with them.

Nothing, huh? You aren't found of the Grail either?

[He cocks his head, mildly interested by the mention of his own name.]

You know about Cu Chulainn?

It holds nothing for me. Indeed, my wish could have been granted without it if it hadn't been the thing my master desired.

[Lancer blushes slightly and rubs at the back of his neck.]

He was my childhood hero. I grew up hearing his stories from my father. I wouldn't have become the knight I am had it not been for him. I suppose that all sounds pretty stupid to you. A hero looking up to another hero so much.

Edited 2013-01-07 03:06 (UTC)

[He gives an amused chuckle. On the inside, he's beaming with pride and tempted to just bare his identity so he can soak up the compliments for a little bit. But then he has to remind himself that he still has a Master to protect. He'll just settle for ribbing this guy a little.]

Well, that depends on how good of a hero you are. I'm sure the hero in question wouldn't mind if his fan was pretty awesome in his own right! And nobody else would tease you about it if they were too busy respecting you. Now, if you weren't a good knight and hero...then it might be stupid.

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