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[looselips]

Characters: Shinji Matou & OPEN
Setting: Dormitory Floor 2; Cafeteria; Library
Format: Action preferred, but I'll try to match.
Summary: Shinji tries to puzzle out his situation.
Warnings: Man idk, I'll update this as things come up.

dormitory
[There is a small, (probably) unfamiliar child in the dormitory today. He doesn't seem as frightened or upset as a child perhaps should be after waking up in a strange place and being informed that his world has been destroyed. Instead, he's seated in front of one of the network terminals, his heels resting on the stool's legs.]

[It's hard to say what he's doing. He isn't touching the device at all, only staring at it really, really intently. Then, abruptly, he makes a noise of frustration and kicks it.]

—Ouch!

[Oops. He must have kicked it too hard, or hit his leg on it as he did so, as he immediately reaches down to cradle his knee.]

[This isn't the first terminal he has tried to do...whatever it is he's trying to, and it probably won't be the last. He might even venture to the first and third floor dormitories to see if he has better luck there.]

cafeteria
[So, after completely failing at what he wanted to do, Shinji has gone to the cafeteria. Maybe things will go better if he has a little food in his stomach? Maybe. Being in a less irritable mood should definitely help, at least.]

[Except the only thing he's given to eat is plain oatmeal. Obviously, this offends his eight-year-old culinary sensibilities. He hasn't touched it yet, and is instead just glaring at it like it's the source of all his problems where he sits at one of the tables.]

library
[...Yep, he's right back to his fruitless efforts with the terminals. This kid is tenacious, even if only in the way a small, loud terrier might be.]

Comments

[looselips]

Fine. [He picks up his spoon like maybe he's about to actually eat his oatmeal, but no, he just stirs it.] What year is it where you come from, then? [This conversation is ridiculous, but he'll play along if it gets this guy to buzz off already.]

[He rolls his eyes at Kariya's reply to his needling, but he doesn't reply otherwise. Likewise, he isn't going to justify his beliefs, because they are so obviously right anyway.]

Her name is Rider. [He says so lightly, finally spooning a mouthful of oatmeal into his mouth. He makes a face at its taste and texture, of course.]

[vermicompost]

[That's right, your uncle isn't going anywhere, Shinji.]

It's 1994.

Rider? [Kariya looks and sounds visibly upset for a moment as he hears this name. Is this boy a Master? But he's so young, even younger than Rin. Children shouldn't be involved in something like the Grail war.

But he's temporarily distracted from his worries by the fact that Shinji is eating his oatmeal. He's a good parent uncle, after all!]

[looselips]

[Despite the fact that he was arguing only moment before that he is obviously a different Shinji, that reply catches him by surprise. With the way he looks up, wide-eyed, that much is clear.]

...That's almost four decades ago. [But, of course, this means he was right, so obviously it's time to gloat. It only takes him a second to recover.] See? It's just like I said. I can't be the same Shinji, so just give it a rest already.

[Then he squints at Kariya, a little.] I have Rider, so I don't need you.

[vermicompost]

That long? [Well, it might put a damper on his theory somewhat, however...]

It could be an alternate reality with a different timeline. [He's read science fiction stories. He knows these things.]

I know you're not the exact same Shinji, but you're a Shinji, and that's enough for me. [Uncle is a simple, stubborn man.]

Rider. That's her only name? [It can't be a coincidence, not after everything else that's happened in the Tower, all the people he's met.] Is she a Servant?

[looselips]

Are you being serious with this? Talk about not being able to read the writing right in front of your face. [How does a person this pig-headed even exist? The pot asked the kettle.]

Yeah, she's my Servant. What about it?

[vermicompost]

I'm serious. [He's serious as can be, Shinji.] I can't leave you here by yourself. [Shinji is his responsibility, clearly. He's still his uncle, somehow.

And considering that, he's concerned that Shinji, like Rin, seems to be caught up in a Grail War.]

You're too young to be involved in something like that. It's dangerous.

[looselips]

[Shinji bristles at Kariya telling him he's too young, not that someone his size puffing up is all that threatening.]

I'm not too young! As long as you're able to qualify, you can participate, and I did!

[He says nothing about it being dangerous, though, for more than one reason.]

[vermicompost]

You are too young. [Because Uncle says so.] If those are the rules, then the rules are wrong. Children shouldn't be involved in something as dangerous as a Grail War!

[He knows firsthand how dangerous the War can be.

Kariya is also puffing up, but he's not much more threatening, except for the worms moving beneath the skin of his face.]

Who would allow something like that? They should be arrested.

[They should be in jail.]

[looselips]

I'm not too young, and I'm not a child! [He sounds absolutely incensed that Kariya would even think that.] No one allowed anything — those are just the rules, and if you don't like them, tough luck!

[vermicompost]

[Kariya frowns, thoughtfully. Shinji is very much a child, as far as he's concerned, but he can tell he's only making him angry.]

Someone must have made the rules, so they allowed it. I don't like it.

[And that settles it, in Kariya's mind. But his tone softens. Shinji seems proud of having been able to qualify. The Shinji he knows has no magic circuits. Magic circuits don't mean much to Kariya, but he knows how strongly others feel about them.] I'm sure you're a talented magus, but... [But he doesn't like it.]

What happened, in the war?

[His own experience of the war has been nothing but pain, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone.]

[looselips]

Of course I'm talented. [He seems at least a little mollified by that concession, though. To be able to access the Moon Cell, among other things, at his age is an accomplishment, and he is proud of the innate talent he has.]

[But Kariya's question about what happened makes his expression cloud over. He doesn't want to admit that he lost—died—in the first round. He takes another bite of oatmeal.]

What do you mean, what happened? [Then:] I'm pretty sure the Moon Cell created the rules on its own, so being upset about them is a useless waste of time.

[vermicompost]

You must be, to be in the war at your age. [Even though Kariya doesn't like it, he can sense Shinji softening somewhat. (And he's eating his oatmeal, which is good.)]

I mean, what's happening in the war? When I came here, I was in the middle of one. [He doesn't see any need to hide the fact.]

I know, the Grail can choose whoever it wants, but– [He wants someone to blame, some authority to turn to and hold responsible. Someone should be able to keep children from the war. To protect them.

But some of what Shinji says makes no sense to him.] The Moon Cell? What's that?

[looselips]

[Very good, Kariya. Shinji soaks up that praise, which in turn makes him more talkative.]

Well, I guess you're not a total moron. [Though not more polite, apparently.] Most people don't recognize genius even when it's right in front of their face.

[But, well, continuing sass or not, it is making him more compliant. His feet swing slightly where they hang from his seat, and he gulps down the meal in front of him faster in an attempt to get this horrible trial over with.]

Yeah? [He squints at Kariya, like he's trying to decide if he's someone who would even have a chance of qualifying. But, hey, if Hakuno can, he guesses that only the real bottom of the barrel would have trouble. Never mind that he lost to her.] It was only the first week of mine.

[Still not mentioning his loss/death, though.]

How can you be in a War and not know what the Moon Cell is? [Or, like, exist, seeing as the Moon Cell is kind of a big deal. Though, then again, he hadn't known what an NPC was, either...] Your "reality" must be all kinds of messed up.

[Though he's still on the fence about believing a lot of the things Kariya says, honestly.]

[vermicompost]

Thank you. [He'll take his faint, mocking praise. Why not? Even though there's a faint dry note in his voice.] It's not hard to tell that you're intelligent. [And this is true, he thinks, with an avuncular feeling. Shinji may be a brat, but he's clearly a smart one.]

Only the first week? The Grail War shouldn't last too much longer than that, and I've never heard of a "Moon Cell" having anything to do with it.

Our realities must be very different. [He's not going to argue that his own isn't "messed up", because he thinks it is. He wishes it were different.]

In my War, seven Servants and seven Masters are fighting to win the Holy Grail.

[looselips]

[He puffs up further, but with pride rather than irritation now. Well, he guesses Kariya can't be awful if he realizes that.]

The Moon Cell. [The correction is a little patronizing, but the information is so basic to him that he can't help himself. He considers whether or not he wants to explain the subject for a moment, then asks,] Do you know what photonic crystal is?

[The question is, for once, nonjudgmental in its delivery.]

Only seven? [Once again, that information surprises him. That their realities are "very different" is so obvious he doesn't even comment on it.] At the start of the War, there were over one-hundred Masters, and that's not counting the ones that couldn't even make it through the prelims.

[Though the much larger amount of participants doesn't make him feel any less special for qualifying. If you consider the number of people in the world, under 130 people is still nothing.]

[vermicompost]

Prelims? You make it sound like a sporting event.

That many? [All he can think of is how dangerous the Grail War is. Should that many people be put in danger? It doesn't seem right.]

There are only seven Masters in the Grail war, and the Grail chooses them. It gives them Command Spells. [He raises his hand to show his own. Not that they serve any purpose here, without Berserker.] That's the way it's been for all four Wars, I think. [He's not too clear on the history of the previous wars.]

No, I've never heard of the Moon Cell or photonic crystal.

[looselips]

When a lot of people sign up for something, you have to have a way to separate the wheat from the chaff. [He says so loftily. Though if there's no Moon Cell where Kariya comes from, it begs the question—] Where's your Grail War take place?

[It can't be in the real world, there's no mana there.]

As long as you can qualify, the Moon Cell gives you your Command Spells when you contract with your Servant. [Not that he has his. They were never on this body to begin with and they were stripped from him upon his death and defeat, anyway.]

Right. Well, it's pretty complicated, so you can just think of it as a material that records light. [The idea that Kariya wouldn't understand the more technical explanation stays implied, but only barely.] The Moon Cell is a huge chunk of it found underneath the surface of the moon.

[vermicompost]

It takes place in Fuyuki City. It's not a game. It's very dangerous.

[Yep, in the real world. His Command Spells are on his real body, aren't they?]

Oh. I see.

[No, Kariya doesn't really get it.]

And the Moon Cell runs the Grail War?

[looselips]

[He doesn't know, maybe Kariya was taken here directly from whatever digital environment he was in! In any case, he has to take some time to mull this information over. He pushes the remainder of his oatmeal around with his spoon.]

Fuyuki City...

[He doesn't know if, even in the 1990s, there would have been enough mana to support a Grail War in real life. Even putting aside the Moon Cell's reality marbles, summoning a Servant...]

Think of the Moon Cell as a giant computer. It uses a system called the SE.RA.PH to create a digital environment for us to fight in, complete with the NPCs needed to administrate everything. Because... There isn't any mana in the real world anymore, so it would be impossible to hold this kind of tournament there.