towerofanimus | Finally, another party

Entry tags:

Finally, another party

Characters: ProtoLancer

puppy_lancer, Zero Lancer

oathshackledbird and anyone interested in attending a birthday party. Details here.
Setting: Meadow
Format: Anything goes
Summary: Lancer throws his brother a party. Everyone can come except for the Archer (meaning they can come crash the party anyways)! Feel free to tag into any of the threads set up or invent your own scenario.
Warnings: None yet!

[It had taken some preparing, but the party was finally set up in a satisfactory way. There was a table for food and drink dragged in from the cafeteria, a wooden bucket filled with water with fruit floating in it, a strange paper mache Jason head pinata stacked on a scarecrow body, and a board with a pig with a Ganon head scribbled on it along with several spiraling paper "tails" attached to thumbtacks. There are no party decorations, but Lancer figures the flowers and sunshine should be decoration enough.]

[Now it's just a matter of waiting for people to show up.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Listen closely, because I'm going to tell you a secret.

Generally and with a small handful of exceptions: they're not all that bright.

Wonderful.

[Diarmuid rolls his eyes.]

And these are the people messing with the Throne and the Grail. No wonder everything is so messed up.

I can give them credit for trying, but that only goes so far.

[Diarmuid crosses his arms over his chest, his expression disgusted.]

Honestly, I would rather give them credit for not trying when they know they have no idea what they are doing and stand a good chance of just messing things up worse.

...well, when you put it that way, I can't really argue. Though I was at least trying to be charitable.

After all they have done, I am through being charitable...

[He suddenly pauses, looking a little embarrassed.]

Does it ever bother you how much I dislike them? You know I really don't consider you the same as them, right? You are so much better than they are...

I can't say it bothers me, strictly speaking. After all, you have as much reason to hate them as I do, if not more. But I'd be lying if I said I hadn't given it some thought.

What I need you to understand is that not all magi are like my predecessor was. While it's true I'm something of an anomaly, there are plenty in the Clock Tower that aren't cruel or coldhearted. At the end of the day magi are no less varied in personality than any other group of humans. Maybe I'm one extreme end of the scale, but I know countless students with genuine promise and good intentions.

It's not any lost cause, Diarmuid. Despite what we both have reason to believe, there's still a measure of hope in the Clock Tower.

[Diarmuid closes his eyes and after a moment, nods slowly.]

I believe you. It is just hard because it seems like every time I turn around I find another reason to hate them either because of what they have done to you or because of what they have done to another servant. However, it makes sense that it is the bad ones I hear about and not the ones you say have the promise of being better. Most likely, they are the ones that everyone else wants to hide and not acknowledge that they exist.

Perhaps...once we get home to your world you will have to introduce me to these students so that I can have the same hope as you do.

I know it's difficult. Near impossible, really. But until I'm able to prove it to you for myself, you'll just have to trust me.

I do, I do. It's never been a question of that. Logically, I know that you would never lie to me. It's just that my emotions tend to prefer more evidence than that. Not that they will listen.

[He sighs.]

Emotions tend to be annoying like that.

Unfortunately, this is something of which I am painfully aware.

[Diarmuid nods and then falls quiet for several moments.]

You said one of your students was Rin Tohsaka, right? What do you think of the one in the tower?

She's not exactly my student yet; we're in contact fairly often and when she gets out of high school I have every intention of taking her as such. For now, I mainly know her through written correspondence.

This one? Honestly, she worries me. There's something about her that simply doesn't match up with the Tohsaka I've spoken to; something I can't really place. It's like she's...distorted, somehow. And I'm concerned about just what happened to make her seem that way. I feel like she could be dangerous, but at the same time even that's a difficult thing to pin down.

She is...troubled.

[Diarmuid steps closer to Waver, his voice dropping very low to make sure no one can overhear what he says.]

I worry about her greatly. I have been trying to help her, but I fear that I recently made a very significant misstep and I don't know how to fix it or if she will even give me the chance.

Do you know that she isn't Tohsaka here? Her last name is Matou. Do you know much about the way the Matou magic works?

[The tone of his voice makes it obvious that Diarmuid knows far more than he would like about how the Matou family magic works. It also might be obvious to Waver since he knows Diarmuid better than others might that while the servant is being very careful about what he's saying, he knows much more than he is letting on.]

...I know more about it than I'd like.

[His own voice turned quiet as well, tone serious.]

I'd heard things back home, of course, but Lancelot clarified a little further for me. I want to approach her about the matter somehow, but offering help to Tohsaka is the kind of thing that's likely to get one set on fire. I can't imagine how this one would react.

Honestly, right now? She will probably literally kill you.

[He closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath.]

She is without her usual servant because he is being a fool and I...it is better if I am not around her for a while. I asked her if she would let me ask my brother or Lancelot to watch over her until things were better, but she said she would kill them if I did.

I don't understand. I was only trying to make sure my curse wasn't affecting her. Is that so wrong? After all I have done for her, could she not believe that I had what was best for her at heart as I always have?

Or is it my fault for not understanding just how much what has happened to her has...damaged her?

[Diarmuid hates to use the word, but honestly he's never met someone like Rin before and he has no idea how to start describing what has happened to her.]

Tohsaka is a difficult person to deal with normally, I assure you.

[Sighing, Waver adjusted his sunglasses as he considered what to say.]

I don't really think it's your fault, or hers for that matter. It isn't a simple thing to figure out and even less so to explain. Don't blame yourself for not understanding, but try not to hold her at fault for being so difficult.

I don't. I don't blame her for anything they did to her.

[Diarmuid shakes his head.]

I just worry about my inability to understand making things worse for her. She doesn't deserve to be hurt anymore. And it doesn't help she doesn't like talking about what happened to her. I can't blame her, but at the same time it just makes things that much harder for me to understand.

I noticed a change in how she was treating me little before and after my curse acted up, so I mentioned it to her because I had to make sure she wasn't being affected. Now she is not speaking to me.

[He gives Waver a worried look.]

Did I do the wrong thing? I knew she would be enraged if she found out later I suspected something and didn't say anything especially if it turned out that she was being affected, but...

I just want to help her...

It doesn't really sound like you did anything wrong as far as I can tell Just try to be patient with her--I'll see if I can manage to talk to her without getting maimed or something.

I am trying to be. It is why I have decided just to give her some space for now. Perhaps in a week or so I will write her again and see if she answers me. I know she is not completely alone. While it's hard for her to trust, she does have others who watch out for her.

[Though, it's obvious from his expression, Diarmuid isn't entirely happy with others watching over her when he had been the one who said he would.]

I really don't know if now is a good time to talk to her, but if you do, please be careful. I don't want to see either of you hurt.

I wasn't intending on any confrontation. But at the very least, I should try to approach her even if only through writing. Troublesome as she is in any world, I would like to help her if I can.

Confrontation and her sometimes go hand in hand no matter your intentions, so a letter might be the best to start things off. Hopefully, you will have better luck than I have so far. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.

Of course I will. Who else would I possibly rely on to help me with anything?

[Diarmuid grins at Waver.]

I don't know. There is another Lancer in the tower. How do I know you haven't decided to trade me in?

Perish the thought, my friend. So few people other than you can tolerate me, so why risk it?

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