ITP: Crystal caverns

[no_longer_a_king]

Characters: [AU5] Arturia and open!
Setting: Floors 99, 80, 50, and 13 after the seasons event.
Format: Prose
Summary: Arturia starts looking for people from the elevator dive to help make a map, works for the day, is made a human sacrifice, and other various and sundry things.
Warnings: Prompt D involves ritual sacrifice and character death. Please pick it only if you're okay with that sort of content.

[A: Various; possibly going into Floor 77; Sauna]
Ever since the idea came to her, Arturia had been planning. She'd intended to do so much sooner, but then the plan had to be put on hold when the weather became strange. The time when the weather kept flipping through extremes had been a time to keep the map she and Diarmuid had made from falling apart. They'd still had to repair some parts of it, but at least they'd managed to save it.

But now? Now was a time to set her previous plan into motion. She knew the Administrators were watching and they would likely figure out the pattern to the people she was speaking with, but that would not stop her. Arturia had to try something, lest they wind up completely blind when Zelda and the others inevitably went back down below to obtain Dax's information.

So she asked around, searched. She recognized most of the faces of the others who had been in the elevator, but there had been so many people it was hard to remember them all. A few stuck out in her mind--especially Feferi--but the rest she had to search for. She knew she would make mistakes, but that was easy to rectify. It was hard for Arturia to become embarrassed when she had a specific reason to ask these people to a place like the sauna one on on.

"Excuse me," she said, leaning close to the person she'd just found and attempting to keep her voice low, "Would you accompany me to the sauna? There's an issue I'd like to discuss about last month."

[OOC: Since she's trying to find out through the grapevine, your character doesn't necessarily have to have been someone who went into the elevator for this prompt. It's fairly easy to make mistakes or be told the wrong information, after all.]

[B: Floor 99; Crystal Cave]
And then she preferred her moments of quiet. The cavern reminded her of some of the things Merlin showed her during her childhood and she sometimes found herself spending time here when she wanted to be alone. It was a quiet place and rather beautiful, even if looking too hard gave her a mild headache. Sometimes she even splashed the puddles just to hear the echo in the caverns.

And then there were times she just ran into people who got lost in the caverns, as the person she just ran into might have.

"Oh, hello. Are you having trouble finding your way?"

[C: Floor 80; Circus]
Whoever thought walking a tightrope suited her was out of their mind. She could do it, but with how often the ringleader would comment about her being 'beauteous' and 'graceful' and other such things, Arturia had half a mind to drive Caliburn through him. The only reason she even came was because she gave her word and she had half a mind to see if the Administrators would listen when she requested her job assignment to be changed.

Once again came the call for her to walk the tightrope, the spotlight one Arturia in her white dress holding the ridiculous lacy parasol they made her carry for no practical purpose she could think of. Certainly not for balance. The walk across the rope was only a hundred feet and while she did have to mind her balance Arturia was not human. This sort of thing was easy for one such as her to do.

And so it was with a bored expression she crossed the rope despite the ring leader's attempt to make it sound more dangerous than it was. Her expression was bored and if there was anyone at all in the audience they might comment upon how boring the tightrope walker was.

Once her part of the show was done she climbed down from the platform she'd been on and headed for the exit. Hopefully no one would require her assistance before she reached the door and she could, once again, forget she had even been assigned a job here.

[D: Floor 50; Ritual Sacrifice]
Normally when she passed through this floor nothing came of it. It was another floor, oddly decorated and not dangerous at all. It was one of the floors Arturia would use for training. There was nothing here but marble and windows. Nothing more.

Except something was different today. Very different. The marble had not changed, no, and as Arturia wandered toward the center to go through the motions of training with Caliburn she swore she heard chanting of some kind. A look over her shoulder told her there was no one there even if her instincts were screaming of the danger here.

Instincts that proved correct the moment she looked forward again. There were ghosts of two hooded figures before her and before she could even move they had clamped their hands onto her arms into a icy vice-like grip and began to drag her toward the center of the room.

"Get your hands off of me!" she roared, wrenching her arm free from one and turning to punch the other. Except her hand went right through the hooded figure. Before she could even blink it had grabbed her arm again, twisting it painfully behind her even though she continued to struggle. Whatever these things had in store for her, she knew it would not be good. Especially if it was ghosts. If there was one thing Arturia loathed more in this tower beyond the Administrators it was definitely the ghosts.

[E: Floor 13; Cathedral]
Arturia did not like churches very much.

Not that there was anything wrong with a church in and of itself, just that churches brought up too many memories for her. It'd been in a church where she'd found Shirou, then confronted by Kotomine who had been the man his father had feared the most. Then had come the offer he had made as the Overseer for the Holy Grail War. An offer she had been unable to refuse thanks to one single errant thought keeping her from staying her hand.

Arturia balled her hands into fists as she stood at the end of the aisle, trying to will the memory away. She justified coming here and only standing in the back every few days as trying to make the memory less painful. If she relived it enough then maybe, just maybe, the pain in her heart would numb just a bit, especially now that Shirou was here. Alive and well and she found herself unable to tell him of what she'd done.

If she was to protect him, she needed to be strong. She needed to be able to look at him without seeing his corpse in his place. To do that she needed to make sure those memories didn't get in the way. That boy was most certainly not the boy she had betrayed and she refused to do the same thing again. Now if only, despite everything, it would stay in the past.

Comments

Floor 13! It's new CR time!

[gradosfinest]

As far as churches went, Amelia wasn't quite sure if she liked this one or not. Sure it was quiet, and thus far every time she'd come through here it had been peaceful to boot. But the strange way sound didn't really seem to carry in here seemed like it would make it easy to get snuck up on. Still, the quiet did make this a good floor to collect ones thoughts in, and as of late she had some contemplating to do.

Only this time it seemed like somebody else had arrived here first. Not someone Amelia had really talked to before either, so for a moment she had considered simply moving on. Chances are this person probably didn't want to be bothered... but she did look somewhat distressed. The odds she could help weren't great but what the hell, it was worth a shot right?

So the young knight approached cautiously, making no attempt to walk quietly in the hopes that her armored boots on the floor might make just enough sound to make herself known before she actually reaches Arturia. Even going as far as to politely clear her throat before speaking, she's seen what some of the people in the Tower can do and honestly? She'd really rather not startle someone who might have enough power to kill her by mistake.

"Excuse me if I'm interrupting something, but is everything alright?"

YAY! New CR!

[no_longer_a_king]

In an instant, Arturia shut down her emotions, her distress leaving her face and back going straight. She managed a friendly smile for the blonde woman who had drawn her from her thoughts, despite the memories she'd been forcing herself to relive.

"Ah, I'm well. Just a few things on my mind. Would you like to be alone?"

floor 99;

[angramaintsu]

Rare enough was it for Rin to wander from this floor. Whether it was because she was driven to be more mad by the reflection of light (if it were possible) or if it was due to the fact she was able to create with the materials around her, Rin found solace enough in this floor to never wish to leave it. There are times she does, but this is not one of them.

"Saber." Even if she didn't hear the splash as she comes up along a corridor of dazzling stone, the small owl made of jewel that flutters around her may have given her away soon enough. She doesn't seem to pay it much attention even as it moves to land on her shoulder as she waves. "Lancer didn't tell you about this place, did he?"

[no_longer_a_king]

"No, he did not. I sometimes come here to gather my thoughts."

Somehow she wasn't surprised to find Rin on this floor, given how the one she knew specialized in gem magic. Why not decide to stay on a floor made of nothing but gemstone, especially with how rare and precious they were in their own worlds? It would have shocked Arturia very much if she did not find her here at some point during their time in the tower.

[A]

[colorfulbrilliance]

It took the youkai a moment to realize she was being talked to and what was being said.. She was confused and still very out of it, as the lost of friends from the tower still stung and had her not paying much attention to what was around her.

"Huh? Who me?" was a honest answer from Meiling. She pointed at herself and tilted her head to the side as she said this. She really could not remember all the people from that elevator, as she was more worried about trying to get back alive..which she failed at. So she was slightly confused as to why she was being asked to go to the sauna by a random stranger to her mind.

[no_longer_a_king]

"Yes. About what happened down below last month," she clarified, just in case it wasn't clear. She took a moment to think over what she said before adding: "If you're all right in telling me. I would understand if you're not."

There was a chance this girl could not remember her too clearly. The main reason she remembered Meiling so distinctly was due to feeling so powerless and being forced to leave her to Jason's devices.

"But the sauna is the only place I can guarantee us some privacy."

[Floor 13]

[faithstaynight]

So lost in thought that she is, Arturia might not be immediately aware that she is not alone in the Cathedral. Of course, it's hard to miss the familiar feeling of another Servant - and a powerful one at that.

But there's no sense of hostility there, even as the Servant - a girl looking to be in her late teens, dressed casually instead of in normal Servant attire - approaches, having risen from her seat at one of the front pews.

"I can sens you are troubled. Is everything all right?"

There can be time for interrogations later. Besides, though this particular one was new to her, she could see that this was Saber... possibly from yet another timeline? She can't be sure yet.

Hi Kiyuu! <3

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia wasn't sure if she herself would even be picked up as a Servant. Her actual status in the Tower was one that confused her to no end whenever she tried to think hard about it. Was she a Servant here and, if so, was it still Saber? Was she merely a Counter Guardian and, if so, how did she even have her own will? Questions she normally didn't think too hard about, but when she picked up a Servant enter the church she turned to her.

She knew there were other Servants in the Tower, had even spoken to most of them. Arturia knew better than anyone that just because they were a Servant didn't mean they were an enemy. Certainly not here, where there was no Grail to be had. There would be no true point in them trying to fight one another.

"Ah, yes, everything is all right," she said, managing a friendly expression as she pushed the memories she was making herself relive down, "Pardon me, I don't think we've met."

The circus (because lots of cathedral peeps already...Allen frequents that cathedral a lot, too))

[whiteblackknight]

And from the audience came a voice--

"Make it look like you're having a hard time! Don't make it look easy!"

Young Mister Walker--a young man of about sixteen or so--was brimming with energy as he yelled this comment, full of genuine advice rather than sarcasm.

A moment or two later, one Arturia would notice that extra weight has piled itself on the tightrope--and the young Allen Walker was balancing himself on the tightrope...

Rather, he was upside down on top of a large, inflatable ball that was balancing on the tightrope.

"Just smile! Just like I am! It makes it look fun! Like this, see?" he said, smiling rather broadly. His arms show no hint of weakness as he peddles the ball at a pace that would match her own.

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia turns as she feels a change on the tightrope. Suddenly, the crowd is more lively as she turns to face him and walks backwards on the rope in time to his ball moving forward.

"But I am not having fun of any sort. Why act like it when I am here merely because I have been assigned to it?"

A

[justabignobody]

Riku has never interacted with Arturia (or any of her facetwins before), but he recognizes her from Yu's and Zelda's group. He nods curtly, a light frown on his face... he has an idea what this might be about, but he still would rather confirm that before he goes anywhere with anyone.

"...Does that concern any particular events?"

[no_longer_a_king]

"A trip some twenty-odd of us took, yes," she says with a nod, "From what I understand, we'll have the most privacy to discuss this in the sauna. If you're up to speaking to me about it. I will not force you if you do not wish to talk about it."

B

[lookmanostrings]

"Ah, not at all!"

Apparently the person she had run into she almost literally ran into, as Fado took a small step back and gave a small bow in apology, having accidentally run into her in the most literal sense.

"I was simply examining some of the pools and formations here. Though I must concede it can be a tad tricky finding one's way after enough time."

[no_longer_a_king]

Arturia stepped back, managing to maintain her balance even if him running into her so literally was a surprise.

"Yes, it is tricky. I've taken to scoring the crystal at regular intervals to mark me path. It helps a great deal."

B

[cherrygrail]

Sakura had been slowly doing her own exploring through the different floors, despite being told not to by her Uncles. She'd prefer to know what floors are what in case of an accident. Besides, she has several people here to protect. Shinji, the Kariya from her own home, and anyone else who might need assistance. She had Alter to help, but Sakura would rather not bother her for her every whim.

Lost in these thoughts, she almost accidentally bumps into the Counter Guardian, stopping herself at just the right moment.

"Saber? Oh wait... you must be..."

Sakura trails off mid sentence, looking at the woman who once called herself a knight. White dress, black ribbon... this isn't any Saber she knew, though this Saber may know of her. How confusing could the Second Magic get?

"Sorry, I'm not lost... you just look very familiar to me. I had my mind on other things as well, I'll try to be more alert in the future!"

She gives a slight bow as she speaks, trying to be as polite as ever. But the usual paranoia creeps up into her heart, wondering if this Saber has any ill will towards her. After Rin had tried to kill her, anyone could, in her mind. And servants of the 5th war had an even greater reason to want her dead in Sakura's own mind.

[no_longer_a_king]

"It's all right, Sakura," Arturia said feeling almost like she'd been punched in the stomach.

If there had been one thing she'd discovered in the tower that made her regret her time in the Fifth Grail War all the more, it was discovering Sakura's plight. The girl had been a good friend of Shirou's, an excellent chef, and had such an iron will to her that Arturia couldn't help but respect her. Hearing of the plight she had been going through and not noticing during that time she considered among her many failures of the Fifth War.

But she held her tongue on that. If Sakura wished to tell her of it she would let her. Here, she would not be forced to go through that torment. Here, she had Saber to watch over her and Arturia would gladly take up arms in assisting her other self should she need it.

No, Sakura would have no reason to fear her, but that was something better shown through action than word.

"These things happen. You do not need to apologize for something you could not help."

C | I can totally brain some more prose just watch

[heroicprinciple]

One member of the crowd, clearly biased in favor of the tightrope walker and ignorant in the way of what would actually qualify as a good and entertaining performance, clapped readily and paid little heed to the comments of other on how dull the woman up in the air was, though it was hard to pick him out from the rest of the audience. Shirou felt a little bad for her, seeing that dress and silly ribbon-festoned umbrella held grudgingly aloft. Neither of them fitted her like her casual clothes, or a sword in her hand, in his personal opinion.

Once the show's over, the teenager loitered near the exit. When she approached, he naturally greeted her with ease. "Hi, Saber," no mention of the tightwalking was given from his end. He looked sheepish as he opened up the conversation with;

"I was wondering... Um, do you have a space of free time later?"

It was blunt, but he didn't exactly have a way with words.

Oh my gerd, it is PROSE! 8D

[no_longer_a_king]

And it would be her casual clothing he would find her in once she had disposed of that ridiculous umbrella in the dressing room. With her 'job' for the day done she had intended to go back to working on the map when she saw Shirou by the exit.

She froze the moment she saw him, her heart pounding and her stomach feeling like it was filled with lead. Arturia had sworn to protect him, to not repeat her mistake, but it was hard to believe her own conviction when it had happened once before. What if someone made her another offer for Shirou's life and Caliburn became just as stained before she even thought about it?

Despite those thoughts running through her head she approached him and found herself answering with:

"Yes. Is there something you wished to speak with me about?"

A

[springserpent]

The sauna was a floor Mihli had planned on visiting long ago, a plan expedited due to nearly (And quite literally) freezing her tail off not too long ago thanks to the sudden and rather unexpected bout of inclement weather. Clad in her civilian clothing rather than the crimson armor she had no doubt been known for while wandering the Tower, the General was already one foot through the threshold to her destination when an unfamiliar voice tugged her from her thoughts. Why the sauna? And just last month? She was rather new herself, though you'd have to be deaf not to have heard the rattlings concerning this "Dax" and his apparent death. Intrigued, Mihli nods, following along with Arturia's lead and keeping her voice silent.

"Lead the way."

[no_longer_a_king]

Good. Someone who seemed very cooperative. Arturia led her up to the sauna and briefly ducked into the locker room to retrieve her pen and paper. She didn't bother donning a towel before heading into the women's sauna then turned to Mihli once she was joined.

"Forgive the odd location. This is the only place I know of where the Administrators do not watch."

Well, here and the bathrooms, but something told her this would be more comfortable and private than talking in a shower or in a toilet stall.

A

[warriorscribe]

*Arturia was lucky enough to encounter Enoch on the mailroom floor, immediately above the sauna. He had just finished handing off his last piece of mail and was heading back to the stairs when she found him.*

Ah...of course.

*He knew the sauna was unwatched. She must be a friend of someone who went inside before...so the information had to be important, indeed...

He'd mistaken her for her Alter counterpart at first glance, which was the real reason behind the hesitation. But there was something different in the way she carried herself, something he couldn't put his finger on. Another version of the same person, he was sure.*

[no_longer_a_king]

Luckily, of course. Arturia managed a friendly smile before leading him downstairs. Once there, she retrieved her notebook and pen from her locker--handy things they were! Despite there being no locks they could only open their own!--and then headed into the mixed gender sauna without bothering to change her clothing. Her paper would be damp, but she could manage some notes, at least.

"Do you mind telling me which door you went through and what you saw there?" she asked once Enoch had joined her. Might as well get to the point. If he knew what she was talking about, there was no need for a preamble.

D ; Floor 50

[proteusmoon]

Since Lancer had told her two of the floors most frequented by monsters, Cecil herself had been looking for the others for her own training purposes. In Baron, her homeland, cutting practice had been done without the use of live targets and friendly sparring matches with other soldiers and knights traditionally, but in the last few years, with the then bizarre and inexplicable resurgence of monsters in the region, most had taken to fighting goblins and the like just outside the outskirts of town and Castle Baron. Even for the Red Wings, this was not an uncommon practice and Cecil had become accustomed to training on an actual enemy.

She was using the stairs on her way down to some of the lower levels of the tower when she heard furious screaming that caught her attention and, if she were honest, frightened her. Quickly drawing the Mythgraven Blade, Cecil hurried down the few steps she had yet to descend before reaching the fiftieth floor and rushed inside. What she found wasn't something she had seen before, but she cast her surprise aside in favor of springing into action to help the other woman.

"Let her go!"

[no_longer_a_king]

The shout gave Arturia pause for only a moment, as it did her ghostly captors, before their icy grip tightened on her. The struggle resumed, Arturia pulling and cursing her lack of the magic she had once possessed. If she still had her power, she could have easily overpowered these things and either destroyed them and fled. It was insulting how easily they had gotten a hold of her.

But feeling sorry for herself would not free her from the ghosts, nor stop what appeared to be an altar materializing in the center of the room. When she got out of here she would have to make a note to speak with Lancer and let him know of the danger here.

For now, she focused on the woman with the sword and tried to pull one of her captors into the woman's path. Arturia could not make physical contact, but perhaps this woman could?

Floor 99: the Crystal Cave

[chevalier_mal_fet]

[He frequents the other of the two Caverns more often-- if only because he can slay Monsters there as well as contemplate the glittering beauty of the place, but Lancelot does come here when all he wants is to look around him. Or to close his eyes in the quiet.

The pools of water all around, the crystals flaming-- the place reminds him of some of the more remote reaches of his Lady Mother's lands beneath the Lake. He removes a glove, dips his fingers in the water, watches the colors shift within its crystaline depths.

He has never encountered another here, but now a voice draws him out of his reverie. Somehow familiar, and yet unknown.]

No, lady, I--

[Ah, as he turns to face the speaker, it is plain. Not any Arthur he ever has known, but an Arthur nonetheless. The other that his Master favors, of the two.]

I am familiar with this place, Arthur.

Sorry. I replied to the wrong place! DX

[no_longer_a_king]

[An Arthur who is how he's never seen her before: as a woman. In a white dress with frills and lace that she completely hates yet has very little other clothing to wear. Arturia is almost embarrassed for him to see her like this instead of in the garb of the king he had known her as.

She hides it, however, hides it the best she can. She owes Lancelot more than he realized, his words over the Network having reached her more than anyone else's in living with her regret and moving on.]

I am not surprised. If I remember right, you always were drawn to places such as this.

[Places that reminded him of the fae and the Lake. He used to tell her and Gwen often of it, Guinevere somehow always knowing the questions Arturia wanted to ask but could not bring herself to. It would not befit a king to seem like an eager child, even if her Queen could see it in her eyes.

Even if she had steeled herself for when they would inevitably run into each other. There were still so many unspoken questions on her part from the Fourth War: did he truly hate her enough to give up his mind for the sake of the Grail? What had become of Guinevere after she had died, if he had lived past her at all?

Did they ever get a chance to truly be happy together?

Then there was the voice in the back of her head, the voice that sounded eerily like Morganna whispering in that silky almost singsong tone as if to mock Arturia's apparent youth: what will Lancelot say when she tells him what her wish had done to Camelot? Would he attack her, try to kill her for destroying the kingdom so thoroughly? Or would he refuse to even speak with her?

But with Lancelot here she can almost see Guinevere by his side, hovering like a ghost between the two of them, her eyes pleading but Arturia never knew what she was asking for. Understanding, perhaps? Forgiveness?

Questions, more questions that would go unanswered as Arturia squared her shoulders. She may look more like a maiden than a King, but somewhere inside her she was still a King. It would be an insult to Lancelot to run and hide from him now that he knew of her presence here.]

I take it you have found your Master since you came here?

E; I fail with prose so bear with me here. 8|

[risingshepard]

Shepard, on the other hand, seemed to take a liking to this floor, even if not for religious reasons. It was quiet, normally empty, and it provided a nice place to relax when she got stressed out by the tower's shenanigans, even if it meant she wasn't unable to watch over the kid she's sharing rooms with. That there was a lack of monsters here certainly helped matters. She's done way too much fighting since she got into the tower--heck, even before that, so a break from having to eat through her thermal clips does wonders.

The fact someone was standing near the altar before she arrived gave her a moment of pause, though. It wasn't like she didn't see other people staying here, but something about her seemed to make her stand out from most, and she's seen that quality in only a handful of people she's worked with.

So what better to do than to make an acquaintance?

Shepard approaches the woman after a moment to contemplate, seating herself at the bench closest to her, making note of her features for a second.

"You look like you could use a break."

It's fine. No worries! o/

[no_longer_a_king]

"Ah, I'm well," Arturia said, turning to the woman who seated herself near her.

Red hair, a no nonsense attitude from the look of her, and something about the way she held herself that spoke of someone who was used to authority. If Arturia had not been in the middle of forcing her way through horrible memories she would have inquired as to if she was a general of some sort where she came from.

Interrupting her or no, the woman did deserve some sort of explanation to assure her. The last thing she needed was another person who thought her weak simply because she had some issues to work through.

"Just trying to work through a few personal issues," she said. It would be the most she said on the subject to someone she had only just met.