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.]

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[Diarmuid just watches him with a puzzled and slightly shocked look on his face.]

You were defeated and you were not angry? It was a glorious fight to be sure, but...

[He just can't imagine the King of Heroes not being infuriated at being defeated. The King of Heroes he knew anyway.]

If your Saber ever comes here, will you challenge him again?

[Gilgamesh has to take a moment to come down from his bout of laughter. The look of confusion on Diarmuid's face does not make this an easy task.]

What is there to be angry about? I got exactly what I desired -- a spectacular battle that surely drew the eyes of the gods, and Saber walked away. But I do foresee another battle when he appears here.

I can propose after I defeat him, after all.

[Archer's laughter is honest enough that Diarmuid finds himself smiling as well.]

I really need to stop expecting things from you based upon what few things I know of the Archer from my war. He...would never have accepted defeat. Even less so if the battle had been such a glorious one. I don't know if the idea that he could be defeated by such 'lesser' beings ever occurred to him, never mind those 'lesser' beings were kings of their own right.

[Diarmuid doesn't include himself in that statement. He's still pretty sure the Archer of his war hadn't included him either. Much too far below him. Much lower than either Saber or Rider had been.

His confusion returns when Archer mentions proposals.]

Who would you be proposing to? Is this about Ayaka?

[His smile is a bit different when Ayaka's name is mentioned, a little softer on the corners even as his eyes brighten with excitement.]

Ah, of course you would know of Ayaka! Is her beauty not captivating? She has met my approval, and so I have vowed that I will propose to her in due time.

[If he was not in a good mood before, talking about Ayaka has only made him that much more pleased.]

It is without a doubt that I am the greatest Heroic Spirit of the world. [His tone is confident, leaving no room for argument.] Would it not be boring to never experience defeat? To never be surprised?

Who knows? He made it seem like he would not find the same joy as you do in defeat or challenge. Perhaps that was just a face he was showing to us? It's hard to say. Even the little I have talked to you is more than I ever encountered him. It could be I am being unfair.

[But then again, when someone makes an entrance like the Archer from his war had, it's hard not to make snap judgments.]

Yes, I know Ayaka. My brother is serving her, after all. She is his master, so I have never thought about her like that. If anything she is family to me.

[He gives Archer a serious look, but there is also amusement in his eyes.]

I hope you plan on gaining the approval of her family before you do this. It is tradition, after all.

[He can't help but laugh inwardly at Diarmuid's analysis, and though he doesn't vocalize it, his shoulders shake with amusement.]

I can surmise that whatever judgment you presented to the King of Heroes would go ignored. [After all, he makes no qualms about ignoring what others thought of him.] But enough of that topic! What use is there to dig into his mind?

[He waves a hand dismissively, easily switching topics.]

Do you intend to act the big brother, Lancer?

Indeed, I will. She is important to my brother and as such it is my duty to help watch out for her.

[Diarmuid doesn't mind letting the discussion of his Archer drop. In all honesty, this Archer is right. What good does pondering such a thing do?]

Beyond that, she is a brave and strong woman whether she believes so or not. She should be able to make her own choices in life and not have them made for her. If she chooses to accept your proposal, then I will support that decision. If you try to force yourself on her...

[He stops there, not wanting to straight out threaten Archer. In fact, he has rather enjoyed talking with him and would rather not upset him, but if he hurts Ayaka all bets will be off.]

Force myself upon her... [The way he smiles now carries a hint of dangerousness; it was obvious that there was the implication of a threat there. What could he possibly say when things could take a turn for a more serious conversation.

He gives another dismissive wave of the fingers, considering his wineglass and the amount of wine left in it.]

Do not concern yourself. Nothing can even happen until Saber arrives.

[Diarmuid catches the shift in Archer's mood, but he says nothing of it. He has already let the other servant know where he stands on things. There is really nothing else to explain, is there? Whatever happens should Saber come here, happens.]

Indeed, it cannot. But you never know when that might happen. The tower, it often brings people here at the weirdest times. It is almost as if it somehow knows when they need to arrive as odd as that might sound.

[The thought of Saber arriving in the tower is definitely an interesting one to Archer. He had now spent more time in the tower than he had spent in Fuyuki, and the only battle he had was not even worth calling a battle.]

Then perhaps Ayaka's presence here will bring the Saber that I have come to know. [That sharp glint has not yet disappeared from his eyes, and it is obvious why when he speaks next.] Or perhaps we shall see the King of Heroes who has yet to acknowledge you.

Edited 2013-05-17 03:35 (UTC)

Either is possible.

[Diarmuid shrugs, not really bothered by the idea of his Archer arriving. While he might not like it, it's not like he can control who the tower brings in and who it doesn't.]

But as I cannot control the tower, why waste time worrying about it? Didn't you just mention we should not waste time pondering things that we really have no control over? Besides, I expect if he comes here his reaction to me will be the same as it was during the war. He will not even acknowledge my existence.

[He grins slightly.]

No, I suppose the most interesting thing that would come out of him arriving would be seeing how you and he react to each other.

We think alike in that regard! [His eyes seem to flare with excitement at the very thought, and he stares quite intently at his glass. His smile seems to carry a myriad of feelings, some obvious and others downright mysterious.]

Perhaps I would seek a battle with that one before even Saber. My entertainment would know no bounds.

Well, don't they always say the hardest fight you will ever face is against yourself?

[Diarmuid laughs.]

I am pretty sure they didn't mean it quite so literally as this fight would be, but it is applicable nonetheless. I wonder... If your battle with Saber nearly leveled the city, would your battle with yourself finally be enough to level this Tower?

Undoubtedly! [He laughs at the question, as if the answer should have been readily apparent.] Against the most powerful hero under the sky, the whole world trembles. Against two versions... [The smile on his face is almost wicked.]

They would do well to keep another version of myself far away, if they cherish this tower of theirs so much.

[Diarmuid leans back in his seat, resting his chin in his hand. He is still smiling despite how destructive such a battle would be.]

Curse my curiosity, but I do wonder if that fight would be enough to finally break the tower. With the sheer number of magical weapons both of you would have access to...

[His mind drifts back to the night when all of the servants in his war had battled Caster on the river.]

Tell me, the ship of light? Do you have one as well?

It is already apparent that they have something to fear in my power, as they have restricted access to my treasury. [Though he is almost nonchalant in his delivery, there is an undertone of irritation to his words; not having access to everything as his heart desired was an offense to his ego -- and annoying, if nothing else.

But the question of a 'ship of light' averts his attention.]

Hmm. So you have seen my Vimana? It sounds as if you have.

[Diarmuid nods, not missing the irritation in the other servant's voice and not blaming him for it either. If his powers had been like Archer's and so restricted, he would have been upset as well.]

Is that its name? I did see it. While we were fighting Caster, the Archer of my war pulled it out to engage Berserker who had somehow commandeered a jet and was attacking with it. Granted, I think Archer cared more about putting down the 'mad dog' who he felt had insulted him than keeping him out of our fight with Caster, but it did keep him distracted and that is what mattered in the end.

It was a shame I was not able to watch the fight more closely. The vessel was a beautiful one--like nothing I had ever seen before.

At least you have an eye for taste! [His amusement returns as Lancer praises his -- or, more accurately, another Archer's -- Vimana. He spends a moment simply imagining Vimana against a modern jet plane.]

You speak of several when you mention this fight against your Caster. Who do you speak of? You and your Master?

My master was not there.

[A darkness enters Diarmuid's eyes. No, his master had been laying severely injured in their base because he had preferred to fight a fight his servant should have been fighting, and Sola-Ui had been left on the rooftop of a building some ways away. He had thought she would be safe there. He had been wrong...]

However, almost all other masters and servants were there because Caster and his master's actions were putting the whole war at risk. They were openly kidnapping and murdering large numbers of innocent children drawing the attention of normal people to a war that needed to remain away from their eyes. As a result, the Supervisor made the unprecedented offer of an extra command spell to any master whose servant who helped defeat Caster and end his rampage.

As you can guess, only a truly foolish master would not jump at the chance to gain another command spell for something that needed to be done anyway.

[The explanation is met with an unchanging look from Gilgamesh. There are so many details to absorb and analyze in Diarmuid's explanation, and he cannot simply respond as quickly as he would normally like to.]

What a convoluted mess your War is. But it is highly intriguing to imagine so many Servants in such close proximity with a shared target.

[Of course, his focus on the topic has little to do with the politics as it does the actual fighting.]

Only three of us were actually fighting him. As I mentioned before, the Archer of my war and Berserker were fighting each other above the rest of us. On occasion their battle would spill into ours for good or ill, but for the most part they remained apart from the main battle. The fighters in that consisted of Saber, Rider, and me, though I was forced to wait upon the shore for the right moment in which to use my abilities on the beast.

[A look of disgust flashes across his eyes. He had hated being forced to stand and do nothing while the others fought, but if he had been fighting as well, he might have missed whatever chance the others managed to open up for him and they might not have gotten the chance again.]

I wonder what you would have thought of Rider's Noble Phantasm. It was quite the sight to behold. I sincerely feel for whoever had to create a story to cover for that battle. It could not have been easy.

[His lips curl further into an amused smile at the thought of fighting a separate battle and still managing to cross into another battle happening in the vicinity. That, at least, sounded like something that he would do for the sake of a decent battle.]

You cannot say such a thing and not describe your Rider's strength. Or are you a tease with your storytelling as much as anything else, Lancer of Fianna?

[Diarmuid laughs, folding his hands together and resting his chin on them for a moment.]

I have known some of the best storytellers to walk the world and both of them always told me that the best way to keep someone interested in the story is to tease them with the facts that they most want to know. Of course, I was never within his Noble Phantasm so I cannot give you all the details, but it was big enough to swallow a monster the size of which you would have to see to properly imagine and it held an army of the finest warriors all sworn in life and death to him.

[He shrugs, gesturing with one hand.]

I expect I was lucky to never see the inside of it for it would have likely been the last thing I saw. I have single-handedly destroyed armies myself, but I have no idea what kind of boosts they would have gotten in there or what kind of support he would have been able to give them. Still, it would have been a more honorable end than the one I faced myself. Perhaps, it would not have been such a bad thing after all.

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Finally, another party

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