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

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[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.

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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.]

[Diarmuid nods. He can't say that he truly understands Kariya's position since he hasn't actually seen the Grail and what it does with his own eyes, but someone else he cares about has and that has to count for something.]

Have you met the elder version of Waver Velvet who is in the tower? If not, you may wish to seek him out sometime. I think you two might find you have a few ideas in common.

[He almost tells Kariya that Waver too wants to destroy the Grail, but stops himself. Despite being almost too honest, Diarmuid knows some secrets are best only shared by those with whom they originate.]

El-Melloi II, was it? [He relaxes only a little with the change of topic; his expression does become marginally more pleasant, though.] We've spoken.

[His shortness is born of caution -- in an ideal world, Kariya would choose honesty, but he's learned too much for that.

He hasn't, in any case, made a final decision on how much he should trust Waver Velvet, or how much of his own hopes he'll share. It's more than likely he'll have more opportunity to evaluate all of the above in the Tower.]

You're working together?

Yes, that is him. Did you speak about your wishes for the Grail by chance?

[Diarmuid pauses trying to think of the best way to explain his and Waver's complex relationship. He smiles, though, when he realizes that considering this man is the second Kariya in the tower, it might not be so hard to explain after all.]

We did work together...on his world. I was his servant in that version of the 4th Grail War. Apparently, what many of us consider the usual master/servant pairings for that war were shuffled for his. For example, since Waver stole my relic from Kayneth, he ended up with Berserker as a replacement somehow. I don't know the full extent of the shuffle, but even that is a big change.

[A change that meant instead of being forced to die in disgrace, Diarmuid had actually be able to die with honor and joy in his heart.]

But yes, that aside, we are working together here in the tower. He...is very kind to me even though I am not the servant he knew.

We spoke about the Grail. [He hesitates. He's come this far, and he did speak to Waver about his musical chairs of a war -- if these two are cooperating, then...] I'm not sure what we can do, but he seemed sincere in wanting to prevent his Fifth War.

[And if anything, that's something Kariya is willing to concede: he's willing to take a risk if it means preventing the Fifth War for someone else. Maybe it will make up, just a little, for what he couldn't do. Maybe it won't.

It would be worth something, at least. He manages a small smile.]

I never... had a chance to speak to Berserker during my War, but since I've come to the Tower, I think I can understand your 'Master' a little. If someone you care about is lost and then found, the details don't matter so much.

[They really don't matter very much at all.]

Yes, it is one of the...miracles of this place--finding those who are lost or those who you never knew were lost. Perhaps you can see why some people might not find it so bad to stay here...

[It's bit of a risk implying what he's implying to anyone since he really doesn't want the other Kariya realizing he's decided that he really does think the worlds are gone, but at the same time, Diarmuid is trying to find those who might understand so he doesn't feel so alone in his decision.

If he can't go back with Waver to his world, Diarmuid really would rather stay here than be returned to the nothingness waiting on his own.]

For what it's worth, I think he can do it. If he can go back home, I believe he will find a way to stop things. Maybe he won't be able to stop the 5th War since it happens so soon after the 4th did, but he will stop things once and for all.

If it is a choice to stay here, then I can see why people might want to stay. Even with all I've heard. Some things are worth it.

[He can see why. He knows, perhaps better than most people, the value of trading everything for one precious thing.

He can't yet understand, but he has begun to see the possibilities in the Tower despite himself. No matter what, though, so long as the Fifth Grail War is still being fought in his world -- so long as there is that bloody tie -- there's no room for him to contemplate the world being gone.

There's little risk in Diarmuid's implications simply because Kariya is looking so hard the other way.]

... I hope that he can stop the Fifth. For the sake of those who would be forced to fight in it. [It's soft, half to himself. Because he has no doubt that if the War is as early as the one in his, children will be dragged in again. And no matter what, those he cares for are tangled with the War. That seems to be the curse.] I'll do what I can.

[It's almost a decision. He still has more thinking to do, more coming to terms. But he'll give that much.]

I will hope for that too. For the masters and the servants who would be involved. No one walks out of a war like that a winner. I suspect, not even those who think they are the victors.

[He pauses and then corrects himself.]

Or as you said, not victors, but survivors. There is a difference.

For what it is worth, I will do my best to aid you in your goals since doing so might also help Waver. Please, don't be afraid to call on me if you ever need my aid.

[He smiles when Diarmuid corrects himself, only a little sadly. Harsh lessons, and he's teaching them to a Servant. What has the world come to?

... He is apparently going to be cooperating with a high-ranking magus in a pet feat of extremely unlikely heresy. It's bound to only get stranger from here.]

Thanks. [A tilt of the head.] I think you two make a good team.

[He knows neither one that well yet, but Kariya is blind in only one eye -- he can spot good combinations when they're right in front of him. There's already trust there. (Or maybe he's just become good at recognizing team-ups that aren't immediately awful.)]

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oathshackledbird - 2013-03-19 07:22 (UTC) - Expand

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