towerofanimus | Code 003 [OPEN]

Characters: Hakuno Kishinami & YOU!
Setting: Floors 15, Floor 25, Floor 60
Format: Action, but I can match!
Summary: Hakuno finally gets around to attempting to fix a possession that was damaged by the weather of the last event, attempts to continue the training routine she set up when Saber was still around, and attempts cooking for the first time.
Warnings: None!

[Floor 15]

[Hakuno is sitting on a stool at one of the workshop's many tables, several things strewn about; wood, glue, a measuring tape, and a small saw. Directly in front of her is a broken picture frame; it's falling apart, the wood and the picture inside - a simple shot of Hakuno and a girl whose face may seem familiar to anyone who knows the Sabers - showing signs of water damage. Gently, as if afraid the image might tear, Hakuno pulls the picture free of the frame, and sets it aside. She goes back to examining the frame, head tilting in thought.]

[Floor 25]

[Hakuno's not really sure what she's doing here anymore. Without Saber, the training she had requested from her Servant came to a screeching halt. There was no way to learn new techniques, improve on the ones she was starting to learn, or safely practice those shaky skills without her around, right? So taking it up again... it should all be pretty pointless, right?

Probably. But she still wanted to do this; with the vastness of the tower, Caster or her other friends can't always be around to protect her. So she needs to at least be able to hold her own. Which is why she's here in the meadow now, a short wooden pole she had picked up from the workshop earlier in her hands, swinging it in practiced arcs. If she can't learn anything new, she might as well just stick to getting used to having a weapon in her hands...]

[Floor 60]

[Later on in the day, near the time most people head for their evening meals, Hakuno decides to head to the floor dominated by the large kitchen. In her hands is an assortment of food items; raw chocobo meat, a few vegetables, and herbs. She had found them in her mailbox earlier in the day, and while she was grateful to White Saber for thinking of her... it sure made things a little awkward, seeing as how she doesn't really know what to do with any of this. But she wasn't just going to let this food go to waste! So she sets it all out neatly on one of the counters, grabbing a few utensils and pots, and just... stares.]

I guess I could just heat everything up and eat it like that... [She tilts her head to the side.] But how long do I have to cook all of it for...?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ An enormous figure in scarred grey plate watches the young lady swing the short wooden pole around. He is unarmed, but silent. He is observing the practice, judging and gauging it. For over 100 years he's trained initiates with basic blade-work, this seems like just another day for the old soldier. ]

Edited 2013-04-08 22:00 (UTC)

[After all that happened in the Grail War, Hakuno has become quite good at picking up on when she's being watched. After swinging the makeshift practice sword down once more, she turns and--

... Wow. That guy's big. Probably bigger than Caster's Jabberwocky, and that's saying a lot. There's a cautious look in her eye, but she doesn't take any sort of defensive stance. No need to risk agitating someone who could probably squash her like an ant.]

... Is something wrong?

You tell me. [ He shifts his weight lightly, addressing her with a slight hunching of the shoulders as he peers down at her. ]

I noticed some things about your footwork, but self-analysis is a good first step.

My footwork...? [She looks down. She did plant herself a bit firmly in place, which wouldn't be so bad for someone like Saber, who can take the same amount of damage she can dish out, but for someone who doesn't have abilities even close to a FRACTION of those of a Servant...

She loosens up a bit, taking a stance she remembered Saber telling her was good for people light on their feet.]

Is that better?

[ Cerberus nods his head almost imperceptibly, approving in a gruff sort of way. ]

Yes. Is someone teaching you to fight with a blade?

... No. Not anymore.

[Her voice is even. Controlled. She can't let herself be hurt every time she thinks of Saber, but... it's hard.] The person who was teaching me was taken away.

[ The armored figure removes his helm, revealing a craggy-featured man with grey eyes, his blond hair so light as to be almost silver, scarred and seemingly wearied by his never-ending duty. ]
I am sorry to hear that. A mentor's departure is never something to be desired.

[ He is quiet for a few seconds, then continues. ]

And I find myself minus a student, of late. So I can understand that feeling from the... other perspective, as it were.

She wasn't just a mentor. She was someone very dear to me.

[It still felt... weird, thinking about her feelings towards Saber. Like there was something else there, but she can't put her finger on it. But there was no doubt that she cared about Saber, and she won't hesitate to admit that at least.]

[ Loken is quiet for a long time after that. He doesn't really know what to say except... ]

I'm sorry.

[A sad smile crosses her face.]

It's okay. I should be happy, that she's not stuck in a horrible place like this. And I am, a little. The last thing I want to see is her getting subjected to the administrator's experiments.

But it's still a bit hard, being separated from someone you've known for so long.

[A couple of months may not seem like a long time for some, but considering that's more or less the length of Hakuno's entire existence... yeah, special case here.]

I understand. I've been alone for a long time myself.

[ He doesn't really feel the same sense of brotherhood of the other knights-errant. It wasn't like the Mournival of the Luna wolves. Different Legions, all the secrecy, the killings done in the dark out of necessity. No. Not like the Legion at all. ]

I had once hoped that my undertaking here previously might free people from this place but... now I'm unsure if that is possible.

[ He'll meet her eyes. ]

What do you know of the Administrators of this place?

["Undertaking here previously"...?] Oh, you were one of the people that showed up without collars, weren't you?

[Funny, that she could miss such a gigantic guy. But then again, that was a pretty hectic time.]

I don't know as much as some of the others, but I do know that the girl named Ruana leads all the others. Jason's the one whose experiments are usually the most sadistic. And... Dax was trying to help us, I think. [She frowned, remembering the video broadcasted over the network...] Ruana killed him for it.

That I was. Samus, Ferrus, Art... [ He shakes his head, that loss was too much to bear. ]

Samus, Ferrus, and some of the others found and fought our way down to Nyaralathotep, yes.

[ He scowls. ]

I remember Dax. He didn't seem... bad. And Ruana I caught a glimpse of when we came in, or so I'm told.

Do you know anyone who has a lot of knowledge of this place? Information is victory, after all.

Sorry, I can't help you much there. I haven't been very active in the groups who have been trying to mess with the administrators, so I'm not sure who knows what. I'm sure it won't be hard to ask around and find someone who does, though.

Of course, of course.

[ He nods his head. ]

Well, good luck in your training, and if you ever needs some suggestions on basic battlecraft, I'll be happy to oblige you.

I'll keep that in mind. [She smiles.] What's your name, so I know who to ask for?

I am known as Cerberus. [ As for whether it is his actual name, well, Garviel is about as closemouthed about that as some of the servants.]

... You were named after the guardian of the underworld? [Huh.] Well. It's good to know you have a name as intimidating as your appearance.

[ He nods, his hard face seeming even a bit more forbidding for a moment after she says that. ]

My brotherhood is supposed to be a sign salvation for humanity, not terror. You have nothing to fear from me.

[ Aliens or demons, on the other hand...]

I think being intimidating is a bit different from being outright terrifying.

[She was certainly surprised by his appearance, but after he started talking, that kind of faded away pretty quickly.]

Like I said, Cerberus was a guardian. Not some kind of horrible monster. It's a good name for a warrior, I think.

Thank you. [ He chose it himself, after all. ]

If you'll excuse me then. I have little doubt that we shall see each other again, and I'll do what I can for you.

[ He almost-smiles, for a moment, reminded of a happier time. ]

Code 003 [OPEN]

[Floor 25]

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