towerofanimus | [OPEN] Well, look what the cat dragged in.

Entry tags:

[OPEN] Well, look what the cat dragged in.

Characters: Kariya Matou [AU4] & ALL THE PEOPLE
Setting: Dorms, Various Floors, Choose Your Own Adventure
Format: Any!
Summary: +1 flailing bug magus. Does it count if 'he' is already here?
Warnings: Fate/BUGS

This man, wherever you meet him, may look just the littlest bit familiar. Maybe it's in the hair, or the slightly gloomy look on his face, or even the rumpled turtleneck he's wearing.

Not many will recognize him as the Matou he is, though, unless he has his insect familiars out. His hair and eye (the working one) are a deep purple, and the prana rolling off him in warning waves is no longer a hallmark of the clan.

Now who could this be?

[Dormitory Floor: Room 1-16]

[Hey, folks, you may or may not have an extra body in here. Don't worry, it's wiggling and quite lively.

Click.

If not for the minor commotion of him going through his trunk, you probably wouldn't notice he's here; his clothes and hair are dark enough that he gets lost in the shadows quite easily. The slant of his shoulders is wary. There's a metallic glint in his hands.

Nothing to see here: just a magus loading a handgun.

(Unless that's a nice bulky camera in his hands, but in that case he's just taking a picture of the wall. So productive!)]

[F1: Cafeteria]

[New arrivals season! There are like a million of them here making faces at their oatmeal. You could probably fill an album with the variety. Maybe decorate each floor of the Tower with a different expression of disgust.

This guy would make a pretty boring picture, though, since he's sitting there with absolutely no trace of feeling on his face as he mechanically brings the spoon to his mouth. In fact, his eyes are closed.

Is he sleep-eating or just trying to find a safe space away from the mush??]

[F20: Outside]

[It's fairly chilly out here, but the thin shadow of a man standing about halfway up the ramp, carelessly at the very edge, doesn't seem to notice. He's strangely silhouetted, staring expressionlessly over the edge.

If you come in close enough, you'll realize that those strange irregularities and bumps in his figure are actually countless large, skeletal, demon-eyed insects perched on his shoulders and arms, crawling clumsily in their attempt to keep their foothold in the wind.

Every now and then, he'll raise a hand, and one or two of them will obediently go walking off into the air. They go plummeting downwards until not a trace is left, and leave him looking a little more frustrated each time.

In the meantime, that shadow in the fog behind him may or may not be something sneaking up on him. Or your eyes are just playing tricks on you.]

[F??: Choose Your Own Adventure]

[Any floor, any time, any ~~bug~~ flavor!

There's a rather surly-looking guy pacing up and down the place, muttering angrily to himself and occasionally raising a hand to swat at the two Blade Wing Worms buzzing along behind him whenever they hover in too close.

It's a little hard to tell whether the familiars are actually worried about their master or just trying to get close enough to chomp on his hair.]

If you're not going to make yourselves useful, go chew on each other or something. I don't care.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's silent for a few moments, contemplating both the curse mark on Diarmuid's face and everything else; he does his best not to stare for too long, and ends up fiddling with his collar again.]

--I'm sorry. Though I'm not sure I understand all the problems you'd face... [speaking as someone who is very much used to being under the radar at all times] Mythical curses always seem to be very cruel things.

[His fingers pause on his collar after that, and he shakes his head sheepishly, knowing the inadequacy of his response but unable to be anything but honest. At least on that count.]

Something you said, though -- what was that about our souls and bodies? What's happening to our souls here?

It is all right. There is no reason for you to be sorry. The curse was actually given as a gift from a spirit. It is just unfortunately that spirits don't realize that being loved and adored by all women who lay eyes on you is a bit more of a challenge for a human than it would be a fellow spirit.

[Diarmuid frowns at Kariya's question about the status of their souls.]

I'm afraid that is a question I can't answer completely. This information is actually very new to us too. Apparently if what we have learned is true, all they were able to take from our worlds as they were being destroyed were our souls. Our bodies were left behind. These bodies we wear are mere copies which they remake whenever we die. It is a combination of the collars and the abilities of one of the other administrators named Jason that allows this to be done.

Copies.

[Kariya is suddenly very still. After a moment, he unhooks his fingers from his collar and stares at them. It's been a long time since he's had steady hands.

He doesn't need to confirm that the Worms are still there. He doesn't need to confirm his magic. As for his soul...]

They're very good at making copies. [A small chuckle that may actually have amusement to it.] They've made us all into Servants, haven't they? A handful of souls to play with.

['Maybe some of us deserve it.'

'How many Command Spells does the collar give them?'

He keeps these in the dark spaces of his thoughts.]

Yes, it seems that way, doesn't it? I know this has been easier for me to accept because it is already what I am, but for the rest of you...

[He lets his voice trail off for a moment before speaking again.]

Though, it's not really that easy for us servants either. If we are all 'real' souls, does that mean we are not the copies from the war that we thought we were, but the actual soul pulled from the Throne? And if that is the case, why do we all remember the wars we were in if that memory is suppose to be erased when the copy is restored to the main soul?

[Diarmuid shakes his head.]

Actually, it is not easy for anyone. That would be too...well...easy.

It may not be worth thinking too hard about. If they can transcend the power of the Grail and the Master-Servant system and access the Throne of Heroes, a lot of things are... Well, maybe it's because I'm not too clear on how that works, either. [Just a bit sheepish. The more you learn about the Grail, the harder it is to understand. He doesn't know if he can trust his own ancestors. Or if even they knew what they were doing.]

We are all on the same level here. Ah, not power-wise, of course.

[The end result, though, is the same, isn't it?]

[A sad smile crosses Diarmuid's face.]

Well, with how easy they can take our powers away, we might be closer power-wise than you think.

And you are probably right. I've had more than one person tell me that I'm thinking about things too hard--that I should just enjoy being alive at least as much as anyone can in a place like this. Though, it is a little distressing to learn that some of the masters know so little about the way the Grail works as we do. So many mysteries...

[He shakes his head and then changes the topic.]

If you don't mind, would you tell me a little about your world since it is so different from the version I know?

I don't know about enjoying. [That's not quite a sentiment he can share, though he can see where an actual Servant would be coming from; Kariya has a life to go back to, even if a meager one -- and a not-so-meager mission.] But there have been a lot of irregularities in the Holy Grail War since it began. I think they were always playing with forces that were beyond them; I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case here, too.

[He really doesn't think much of magi, and even less of those who could create something like the Grail he knows. To him, all they did was open the proverbial Pandora's Box, and leave the hope that at the bottom of all the depravity looks like nothing but a shining little lie.]

... I don't know much about 'your' version of the War, but I can tell you a little. [He thinks for a moment.] I was also the Master of Berserker. The Einzberns summoned Saber, and the Tohsakas Archer. You were the Servant of El-Melloi.

The War was briefly interrupted by Caster, but we still managed to end it in about a week. There was no victory. A nice little War, with no one the wiser.

[He laughs a little unsteadily, but goes on.] Is that very different?

[Diarmuid nods, though there is confusion in his eyes.]

Yes, that sounds about right at least from what I know, though I...left the war not long after we fought and defeated Caster. What I don't understand is, how could there not be a victor in the war? Did something stop it so that things didn't finish? What happened to the remaining servants then?

Yes, El-Melloi was defeated at about that time for me, too.

[He has some idea of why it would be a touchy subject for this particular Servant, though he doesn't know all the details or if they're the same -- it was an ignominious defeat, that much he remembers.

Anything to win, Kiritsugu Emiya. And what did we get for it in the end?

He sighs.]

The War was finished. [He doesn't know how to say this to a Servant, especially a Servant who didn't see the end with his own eyes. The magi have always used Servants for this purpose, and he finds it just as despicable as everything else. He's a magus now.] Before I answer... Can I ask why you fought for the Grail, Diarmuid?

That answer is a simple one really. I fought for it because it was what my master wanted, though I don't believe he actually wanted to make a wish on it. He fought for pride, vanity and the right to brag to others. He...is not the master I would have chosen.

All I really wanted was the chance to serve my lord faithfully until we reached his goals. I sacrificed so much for him and....

[He lets his voice trail off with a sigh.]

Why do you ask?

El-Melloi was a fool. [At this point, he sees no need to mince words. Kariya shakes his head; contempt and pity are hard to separate these days.] Most traditional magi are.

[There's a moment's silence, as he puts his thoughts in order.]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Grail were a direct result of that. It doesn't grant wishes or any kind of victory, Diarmuid. It's a machine of disaster -- ah, but a machine doesn't have a will. [A small, empty smile.] A better word might be 'monster'.

He was and they are. You will gain no argument from me on that.

[Confusion fills Diarmuid's eyes.]

What do you mean a monster? You speak almost as if it were a living thing, but it's not. Corrupted yes. I have been told by several people that it was corrupted at some point, but living? Surely that cannot be...

And what says it can't? I didn't imagine it speaking to me. I didn't imagine it laughing at me and everything the Grail War pretended to stand for.

[Bitterness? Bitterness. The Greater Grail could probably take a bath in it, it's certainly dark and deep enough.]

... Did you speak to anyone who saw it being corrupted?

No, they all just experienced the after affects of it having been so to my knowledge, but I haven't talked to any of them about it in great detail because of how emotional an issue it is for them.

[Though, this is obviously a big issue for this Kariya too. What exactly happened at the end of his 4th war? Surely, it must be more than just the inferno he and others have mentioned.]

Wait...what do you mean it talked to you? When did you have time to 'speak' with it? Are you saying you won?

Don't call it 'winning'.

[It's almost a snap; Kariya closes his eyes for a moment, opens them again when he has better rein on himself.]

I was the last one standing, yes. I spoke to the form of the Grail.

[Diarmuid flinches unprepared for the venom in the man's voice. It takes him a moment, but once he recovers, he asks the first and most important question in his mind.]

Winning, surviving call it what you will. The important question is, were you able to save Sakura? Did she get to go home? That was your goal, wasn't it?

[Because, if this Kariya had won and his world was so similar to the one Diarmuid and the other Kariya had come from that meant there was hope that the Kariya who was his friend could win too.

And that she wasn't as right as she thought she was.]

[There's the quiet, reflexive prickle of shame at seeing anyone -- a Servant? it doesn't make sense -- shy away from him. It's something he doesn't miss about--

About home.

He latches on to Sakura's name like a lifeline, the way he used to do ten years ago. Some habits die hard.]

Yes. Sakura, she-- she was able to go home. [He has that much. It takes only a little effort to dredge up a smile.] She's Sakura Tohsaka again, like she should be.

[Relief fills Diarmuid's eyes.]

See. I knew it! I knew if he tried hard enough there would be a way. She was wrong!

[He pauses and then flushes slightly.]

Sorry, but there is someone in the tower who is thoroughly convinced that no matter how hard Kariya tries he can never win just because she will always be there to stop him. She doesn't know everything after all.

[Diarmuid's not sure why, and even though he knows it's wrong to feel this way, he is happy to have the darkened Saber proven wrong. Things aren't as set in stone as she seems to think they are. Kariya still has just as much chance as anyone else to win the war.]

[Kariya just blinks at the outburst for a long moment -- ah. He'd nearly forgotten that this Lancer and 'Kariya' were... what was it? Friends? Something like that. He hasn't had many allies, either then or now.

So he doesn't quite know what to do with the enthusiasm. From what he's heard about his double, he already has definite misgivings about Diarmuid's optimism -- but he can't quite bring himself to crush it just now.

Instead--]

... Who was it? The one who said she'd stand in the way.

Edited 2013-03-12 11:57 (UTC)

Saber did, but the darkened one, not the light one. She is the one who mentioned the grail being corrupt to me because she has been...changed by it. She said that knowing who your servant is, there was no way he could win against her. She seemed absolutely convinced of that and would not even consider another option.

[Diarmuid shakes his head.]

She and I...don't get along. I don't know all of the things that happened to her in the 5th War, but she has changed so much that she is hardly the Saber we knew in the 4th War anymore.

A corrupted Servant. [Kariya doesn't know what to do with the idea -- horror is hiding somewhere, but all he can summon up is the shadow of a somber knight, the fading light of her sword in the haze of flames.] If she has the power of the Grail, maybe she can afford to dismiss Berserker.

[He speaks slowly, mulling it over in a strangely distant way. At length, he ends with shaking his head.]

Saber is powerful, but even in my War, a lot of things happened. She was summoned again for a farce of a War.

[Maybe that's pity, tempering his response.]

Edited 2013-03-13 08:23 (UTC)

I would not underestimate Berserker's ability or will. I think that is a mistake too many versions of you make and that is what leads to your downfall.

[After all, what hope does a team that cannot understand and work with each other have in a war? Just look at how his team had ended up.]

Yes, a great many things happened during the 4th War after I left it from what I've heard, but even more happened in the 5th. It seems it is very pivotal in almost any version of our world farce or not. Actually, I think almost every servant I've met has had some big difference in their version of the 5th War...

[He suddenly pauses as a connection is made in his mind.]

So, are you saying that you are taking part in the 5th War as well?

I wouldn't underestimate Berserker. But it's a mistake to underestimate the Grail, too.

[He was among the most cautious Masters, despite his temper occasionally getting in the way. A magus like him can't afford to get overconfident; and the Grail has been his opponent for much too long now.

It shouldn't be here, though. He wonders if that will make the difference -- not that he wants to antagonize this corrupted Saber if he doesn't have to.

(It's disheartening, but unsurprising, to hear that the Fifth War began in so many other worlds. The timeframe was just too short. And if Kirei was involved at all...)

The question gives him a moment of pause, too, before he shakes his head.]

I wasn't chosen as a Master for the Fifth War.

[Note that he didn't say he wasn't taking part.]

[Diarmuid nods.]

Honestly, I suppose only a fool would underestimate the Grail or claim to understand it. It is just hard for me since I never even got close to it. All I have seen is the effects of it on some and the stories others tell.

[He pauses, giving Kariya a sharp look.]

No, not a master. This I can tell, but you do have a stake in it. That much is obvious.

[He meets the look with a somewhat rueful one of his own, answers matter-of-factly.]

Those I care about are fighting in it.

[What he doesn't say is: nearly all of the people he truly cares about. Maybe it's retribution; it certainly felt like a punishment, but he couldn't tear his eyes away.]

I want to see the Grail burn for it. I've always wanted to see it burn.

[The quiet venom slips through his voice, gone as quickly as it appears. As recent as his true understanding of the Grail War is, this one is an old, tired grievance.]

[OPEN] Well, look what the cat dragged in.

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