ITP: Meandering

[no_longer_a_king]

Characters: Arturia Pendragon [AU5] and anyone
Setting: Dorms, Floor One, Floor Twenty-threefour, and Floor Thirty-eight.
Format: Prose
Summary: Arturia wakes up in the tower after what must be countless centuries of forced combat.... and has no idea what to do with herself!
Warnings: DEATH! WOOHOO! In the first post, too! \o/



[Room 03-17]
It was with a jolt and a gasp that she finally sat up, hand going to her neck only to find the collar there but all the same she could move. She could move. She could breathe.

"W-what?"

She could speak.

What was this place? Yet another battlefield in which she'd be made to slaughter guilty and innocent alike endlessly, an angel of death garbed in blood-stained white for all to see? It made no sense to her. None whatsoever. She glanced around the room for any sign of what she was meant to do but only found other beds like the one she laid on and a trunk much like the one at the foot of her bed. Her eyes finally fell on the notes and she snatched them up, reading them thoroughly, her heart squeezing with every moment.

The world was.... gone? She was free? Free from her punishment?

Arturia had no idea how to feel about this. On the one hand even she could be grateful of the reprieve, but on the other hand it had been at the cost of who knows how many lives? And what if the world itself was still in tact? Would she go right back to fighting endlessly as soon as she returned? Questions. So many questions she didn't understand, but she balled up her notes and placed them in the trashcan. With barely a thought she summoned what was now her normal attire, sans the collar. Apparently the collar placed on her here superseded it. No matter. It wasn't like she was really attached to anything beyond her sword at this point.

And so Arturia headed out of her dorm, wanting to know just where she'd wound up and where to go from here.

[Floor One]
If there was one indulgence she would allow herself, it was food. Naturally when she'd read she'd have to eat some oatmeal before she could eat anything else she'd been fine with it.

There wasn't much of a spread in the cafeteria, simply eggs for breakfast, and once she was done with her oatmeal she tore into them like a hyena. It wasn't very kingly or knightly or even as lady-like as her appearance would suggest, but it was something. They were not the best made nor would it have been memorable otherwise--but it was food! Real food! And a delicious smell beyond the smell of blood and steal she never knew she'd grow tired of.

Part of her mind went back to those meals in Fuyuki, how warm the house had been, how Shirou had insisted she eat at the table with everyone else despite her and Rin's protests.

How delicious the meals had been, cooked with a care and pride not common in her time. Arturia found her appetite gone, the food tasting like ash, but not wanting to waste it, she forced herself to finish, though she no longer looks happy about it.


[Floor Twenty-Two to Floor Twenty-Four]

Wait, had she lost count of the floors? Arturia thought back for a moment. Twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, she could have sworn she just went past the twenty-third floor to explore, so why could she not remember it. She turned on the stairs to check again. She needed to be thorough in creating a mental map of this place and the dangers it could present.

Except she bypassed it again! What was wrong with her? Had she been controlled for so long her senses were completely dull?! With a frustrated sigh she turned again to go up the stairs--

--and again she missed the floor entirely! And again! Again again again she kept missing it. This tower would not make a fool of her! She turned yet again, this time counting the number of stairs to make sure she didn't miss the floor, a determined look on her face, and unaware of how her body was slowly becoming vaguely transparent time she passed the twenty-third floor.

[Floor Thirty-Eight]
Her body didn't ache after climbing so many stairs like a normal person would, but Arturia knew there was only so much time in the day. The elevator would be a few flights up and then she could see about returning to her dorm to become further acquainted with her roommates. But for now this room seemed as good enough place as any to rest and gather her thoughts.

The elation of being able to move freely, to speak freely, to make her own choices was starting to lose its novelty. Arturia sank into a bean bag chair, for once in her now-long life not caring how dignified she looked in doing so. If the world had, indeed, ended and she had, somehow, been saved, it left one question on her mind that she couldn't hold back any longer. For so long everything had been clear before her, her path marked with a vivid certainty she could not take her eyes from.

Only now it was gone. Gone not just in the world itself being gone, but her Kingdom, her friends, every last person had been lost to her by coming here; destroyed by her own hand. For so long she had believed there was no escaping her fate, her punishment, and now here she was, completely and utterly alone and lost.

"What do I do now?" she asked aloud both for the novelty and because some part of her mind was beginning to settle into a sort of malaise of "who cares"?

Comments

Floor 24, right by the stairs.

[yougotthatwrong]

Um...

[There's a tentative voice that spoke up the moment the girl entered the floor, fortunately it's empty right now, but in any case, the kid's going to pipe up right after that.]

You do know you'll um. Die if you go back and forth too much, right?

[no_longer_a_king]

And that voice was enough to get her attention, drawing her away from the floor's spell and the bits of her that were fading becoming fully visible, even if the urge to continue on her course still tugged at her.

"I beg your pardon?" she asked, old instincts kicking in as she studied the boy for the barest possibility of a threat.

Floor 38

[linesofdeath]

There's no right answer for that.

[A voice piped from one of the bean bags, although it sounded quite ragged and tired, but hey, someone answered, right?]

[no_longer_a_king]

"I know," she said, sitting up straighter and turning to look at the boy who'd spoken. Her mind must have been drifting more than she thought if she hadn't noticed his presence earlier. From there, she stood, and straightened out her skirt, having every intention of leaving if necessary.

"I apologize if I'm disturbing you."

[angramaintsu]

"Saber, what has gotten into you?"

Rin doesn't recognize the more vibrant color of her hair or how she wears it differently. No, she only recognizes the face that is shared by two others in this place in between ravenous bites of food. After being close to one of the Sabers here, she felt as though she could address her that way.

Even if it is was in public in the cafeteria. "Well? You're acting as though you haven't eaten in days."

[no_longer_a_king]

If it were possible, she would have a heart attack then and there for any number of reasons ranging from the fact she could barely even remember the time she'd been referred to as 'Saber' and the girl who stood before her looked very much like someone who had been very dear to her.

Only, her hair was so bright and her eyes were off. She remembered from the letter she'd read about people from other worlds arriving here who were very close to those you once knew, but she hadn't expected to run into someone she'd once considered an ally in this place. Arturia managed not to drop her fork, but she did have a look on her face as if she were looking at a ghost.

"Rin?"

Floor 1

[wirefu]

... Saber?

[After spending some time in the tower, Irisviel had gotten used to a few things. One was seeing just how much food Saber could put away. Another thing was Saber's new appearance; pale hair, yellow eyes, the mark of corruption on her face.

So... seeing her like this, looking remarkably like how she looked the last time Irisviel saw her in their world... it was confusing, actually. Did something happen...?]

Heart Attack x2!!!

[no_longer_a_king]

And if there was another voice Arturia hadn't expect to hear of ever again, it was that one. One that sent a stab of pain through her very soul and a singsong voice that sounded vaguely like her sister whispering in her ear what a failure she was. She couldn't even protect one person, let alone a kingdom.

Arturia looked up to see white hair, red eyes, and a gentle face she never thought she'd see again. Yes, the homunculi of the Einzbern clan all looked alike, but Arturia knew in her heart she'd be able to pick Irisviel out of a crowd of them anywhere.

This time she really did drop her fork.

"Irisviel?" she asked quietly. The only thing that could top this would be if Guinevere herself was in this tower somehow.

Floor 38

[scorchedchivalry]

Saber walked into the lounge, looking for someone, and actually walked right past the woman that looked like her, thinking she was the Roman at first. But then she stopped, head coming up.

No, that wasn't the Roman Saber. That was...

Slowly, Saber turned to set her pale eyes on the likeness of what she used to see in the mirror most of her existence. Her nostrils flared once, but she said nothing. Why was this damn Tower insisting on reminding her of that which she had once been?

Heart attack x3!

[no_longer_a_king]

The likeness of what she used to be, dressed up in a fluffy white dress and flopped unceremoniously in a bean bag chair, dress puffed out around her. Arturia hadn't thought twice about the woman in dark clothes as she walked past, but then she looked up as the woman studied her and balked.

Her first thought was Morganna. The hair and the palor reminding her so much of the long-dead sister who had given birth to Mordred. Only, no. No. The face was too petite, the eyes too large, though the set of her jaw was just as proud as her half-sister's had been. It'd been such a long time since Arturia had seen her face in a mirror that it didn't quite register to her she was looking at herself in another life, if other choices had been taken.

Arturia merely watched her double, not moving, but her posture shifted to one where she was poised to leap to her feet if necessary. What would she even begin to say to this person?

floor 24;

[swordedpast]

[ Little does this Arturia know, but there's someone else in this tower who shared her fate--

--and he'll meet her, abruptly, on the twenty-fourth floor, coming down instead of going up. ]

...Saber.

[ Archer regards her inscrutably. ]

I can't say I think that outfit suits you.

Heart Attack x4!!!

[no_longer_a_king]

And that little shock was enough to break the twenty-third floor's spell on her, her body solidifying as she looked up at Archer, her eyes widening. The last she'd seen of him, he'd been about to face Berserker.

The last she'd seen of him, he had made a noble sacrifice, one she had squandered by....

She stood to the side to let him pass her by.

"That it does not," she agreed, unable to think of anything else to say.

[Floor 38]

[doesnotgetit]

[... Okay, this is getting weird. It had been strange enough seeing that Black Saber and how similar she looked to her own Red Saber. But now there's a strange woman here, looking even more similar to her Saber than the other did? One of the administrators must be having fun here.

It takes her a moment, but Hakuno eventually realizes she's very obviously staring at the woman. Looking a bit flustered, she tries to make up for this by actually approaching.]

There are some things you can do here. There are libraries and a media room. Monsters to fight, people you can spend time with...

C-c-combo breaker!!!

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia had noticed the brunette staring at her, had even sat up straighter to wait for the inevitable thing the girl had to say. She had even been prepared to ask if there was something amiss when she spoke up and Arturia managed to push any embarrassment at being heard down.

"I saw them while I was exploring," she explained, "It's simply...." she considered her words for a moment.

"It's a lot to take in during such a short time."

Floor 24

[oathshackledbird]

[Thanks to the many nice people who he had run into during his first day in the tower, Lancer knows well the dangers of the non-existent 23 floor. It still shocks him , though, when he sees the ghostly shape that so closely mirrors the Saber he knows.

Her eyes even seem to be the proper color. Green, not the gold that he has been told is the eye color of the Saber who lives here.

Her clothes are unfamiliar, though, and for a moment that gives him pause. Perhaps, it's not her after all?

As the woman turns to make another run down the floors, he shakes his head leaving his pondering for later. If he lets her go again, she might fade completely and Saber or not, he can't let that happen to someone.

A few quick steps and he's caught a hold of her arm and is gently pulling her away from the doorway downstairs.]

Stop. If you continue to look for what is not there, you will lose yourself completely...Arturia.

Aaaaand Heart attack x5!

[no_longer_a_king]

It came as a shock when a hand grasps at her arm and pulls her from the door. She'd been so intent on finding that floor, the number of steps and their feel under her feet the one singular thing she was aware of to the exclusion of all else.

Her eyes were wide as she looked up at an eerily familiar, her eyes darting to the mole under his eye, then up to his hair before settling back on his eyes. The last she'd seen of him, he'd been cursing her, cursing the Grail, cursing them as deceivers and her unable to say anything against it at all.

If only he knew how right he'd been about the Grail not being worth it.

"Lancer?"

And it's there her voice finally cracked after how many familiar faces she'd run into that day. The world had ended and she kept running into people who both were and weren't the people she'd known? Who would show up next? The entire bloody Round Table?

Floor 38

[vermicompost]

[He's quietly sitting in the lounge, not reading or doing anything in particular, just sitting with his eyes closed, when suddenly he hears a voice. He gives a start, because it's a familiar voice.

Saber.

She's already tried to kill him, or very nearly, twice. His eyes snap open, but the person he sees before him doesn't look like the person he expects. Her eyes and clothes are markedly different. What does it mean? He isn't sure how to react. With his usual worm-inspired lack of quick thinking, he blurts an apology. He hadn't meant to overhear, or, in fact, to be anywhere near Saber.]

I'm sorry.

[Then, because she'd sounded– sad, he adds, cautiously:]

Are you all right?

[no_longer_a_king]

She looked over at the person who had spoken, someone she could not recall having ever met before though he vaguely reminded her of someone. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"I'm well," she told the man, sitting up a bit straighter, "This tower is just a lot to take in at once."

[Cafeteria]

[starofpleiades]

Kazumi peered out of the kitchen. She'd never seen Saber wear that outfit before, but then, it wasn't unlike the tower to suddenly give people strange gifts like that. However, something else seemed off about her...

Regardless, the girl carried out the towering pile of food she'd been cooking towards the hungry knight, sure that amount her liege had before her wouldn't last long.

"Hmm, is something wrong?" she asked as she reached the table, setting down the food across from her. Even as she asked, Kazumi surely had a puzzled look on her face too. It wasn't just the clothes, there was something definitely odd here. Besides Saber's apparent lack of appetite. "Is the standard food no good today, Saber?"

And Heart Attack x6! \o/

[no_longer_a_king]

Aaaaand Arturia's moment of angst went out the window briefly as a freaking huge pile of food was set before her. It was surprising someone would give this to her and she'd been about to ask the young lady who had given it to her what it was for when she said that name.

It'd been so long since anyone had called her that she just had to stare at the young woman for a moment. Where had she heard that name? Where had she learned to associate it with herself?

"It's.... it's fine, Miss. Thank you very much."

Floor 1

[prototyper]

[ Lately, Ayaka's been pretty sleepy. But she was tird of rolling over and going back to bed so she decided to finally get up and start socializing again!

But first, food. After changing, Ayaka made her way downstairs with a slight yawn escaping her mouth. She almost walked past Arturia until a familiar presence made her stop right in her tracks. She turned around and stared for a quick moment. Wasn't this the Saber she met when she first got here? The one who claimed to be King Arthur?

She looked... Different. ]

Ah, Saber...?

[no_longer_a_king]

"Yes?" she asked, glancing up at the girl who was about to walk right by her. Another who had met her other self or someone she should know? She wasn't quite sure.

"Forgive me for asking, but do I resemble someone you know?"

Floor 38

[divinitysoiled]

Well now, that was a familiar sight. Saber was always someone she was willing to see. But this Saber... this was strange. So feminine. So... pure. This wasn't right. This wasn't the Saber she knew, or even the one she roomed with. Catarina walked up next to her and spoke into her ear, her voice velvety dark with her demonic promises.

"White does not suit you, dear king."

Oooooh boy. Just read her info. I apologize in advance for how horrible this could get.

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia had stayed very still as the woman approached her, wondering just what was up with her and had been poised to summon her sword when she spoke. Such sweet words she said that reminded her of a dark room, warm feelings, and the intimacy she had no idea she craved.

She shoved the woman off her and rose to her feet, Caliburn in hand. No matter how sweet the moments had been she could not allow anyone that close to her again, and certainly not a stranger. Not when she could so easily betray them as she had Shirou.

"Do not speak to me in such a manner."

It didn't matter what she said, she could not allow anyone to take such liberties with her at all. Even if she agreed on white not suiting her one bit.

cafeteria

[castersplaything]

Shotaro could not help but notice her. Strange, she seemed different from the other two that he saw walking the halls, though avoided; the one in black seemed to make him want to flee by simple gaze alone. Going into the cafeteria, he approached her, eyeing the food. Too....tempting..

But he notices her face and the way she was forcing herself to eat it all. It felt familiar to him.

"Excuse me, miss? Is everything alright?" he asked politely, if a bit nervous.

[no_longer_a_king]

....Did she just scream "come talk to me" or something?

No, seriously. With how many people seemed to approach her lately, she had to wonder it. Despite that, she managed to keep her annoyance off her face and gave the boy a smile.

"I'm fine, young man. I'm still adjusting."

Floor 38

[nonacquiescent]

Well, for once in all the time Waver has been in the tower, Saber actually...looks somewhat approachable? He had decided there was no point in trying to make nice with her, but she looks different now - had something else happened to offset whatever had happened to her? His curiosity gets the better of him, and so, despite his better judgement, Waver approaches the king in the beanbag chair.

"Saber? Did you manage to find Merlin?"

After all, she had been so distressed over looking for the wizard when he last spoke to her. That seems the most likely occurance to have changed her.

[no_longer_a_king]

She leans back, looking up at Waver and lets her confusion show on her face. Places in her memory are moth eaten from how much time has passed, but she knows she should know who exactly this is. But she can't help to ask, keeping her voice perfectly neutral to keep the moment of panic at bay.

"....Merlin's here?"

Oh God no. She couldn't let him see her like this. Not just because he would be disappointed in what she had allowed to pass, but because he would die of laughter at this ridiculous dress she was in. If not try to get pictures if he managed to discover a camera around here. Please no. Don't let Merlin be here, too!