To see a world in a grain of sand

[god_damned]

Characters: Kirei Kotomine and OPEN
Setting: The Dormitories (1-04). Floor forty-eight (the graveyard). Aaaand wildcard meanderings which you can happily place at your leisure!
Format: Brackets.
Summary: Kirei wakes in the Tower and explores his new surroundings.
Warnings: General disclaimer that Kirei is an awful person, discussions of suicide in his thread with Claudia, and specifics will be added as necessary.


Dormitories
[ He reads the letter, and he feels nothing.

What should he feel? Sorrow? Perhaps another person would label his utter lack of response as a state of shock or disbelief, as if he were denying the gravity of the message. However, while Kirei is reserved about taking those words as full truth, it is not a fool's hope which motivates him to such skepticism. What was lost in that world that he could mourn? Very little, in the end.

However, there is the War he left behind – and with it, he left behind the Grail, and his one chance to have his questions answered.

Perhaps it isn't nothing after all, but the feeling in his chest is not that of an honest man. But does it matter? Now, there is no remaining trace of his life save for a trunk of impersonal, unimportant things.

Regardless, he opens it, changes into his vestments, and exits into the hall. ]

Floor Forty-Eight
[ It is only natural that he finds himself in a place like this.

The graveyard stretches before him: like an echo of the world which he has been told is gone. He steps toward and kneels before a stone, trying to read its worn lettering with no success. It is difficult for him to determine why he makes the effort; perhaps he expects to see a name he recognizes.

Perhaps he expects to see his own. ]

Wandering
[ It is similar to the day he woke with the Command Spells, in a way, when he finds himself in this place. He was thrust into a world of unknown to him, of magi and their Holy Grail War. At the beginning, he had not understood his involvement in such a battle. Then, he spoke to Archer...

Perhaps this Tower is the same: he does not understand it now, but he can explore. He can discover more of it, and of himself.

But will what he finds favor him, or destroy him? ]

Comments

idk random hallway exxie is lazy news at eleven

[infesting]

[ kariya has been cautiously exploring the tower since his rather eventful arrival, taking care to stay on guard for other signs of berserker's master or things that could harm him. he's a clever enough child, after all, and he's not one to dismiss good advice. and anyway, he's a master and a magus, isn't he? he can't rely on lancelot for everything, no matter the knight's assurances.

still, his depth perception will always be a little off, and he has a huge blind spot, so maybe it was inevitable for him to round a corner eventually and nearly bowl into someone. he stops himself short only barely, scrambling back a few steps in haste to make sure it's not a threat. but-- no, when he glances up, it's a-- a priest?

for a few startled seconds, he stares, gray eye wide in his face. when he realizes he's doing it, though, he dips hastily into a polite bow. ]

I'm really s-sorry. I'm.. I should be more careful.

[god_damned]

[ Kirei's own pace is steady and he does not startle when he is nearly struck. He stills in time to avoid collision -- and he stays still a moment longer as he gazes at the child before him. For that brief moment where that boy is staring at him, his appearance is vividly familiar, but it could not be.

However: the idea of a child in a place like this... Objectively, it strikes him as strange, but it does not spark the same concern or sympathy that one would anticipate. ]

You should. [ Then, after a moment: ] Are you alone here?

[infesting]

[ he shakes his head, then hesitates, uncertain if that's the entire truth. ]

S-Sort of, I suppose. [ he fidgets, gaze ducking, fingers fraying the edge of the bandage wrapped around his left hand. ] I've met people here who're nice, but I think it's just me from my world, maybe.

[ he glances back up again through his lashes, shy and certainly meek. ] Did-- you just get here, too?

floor 48

[sicharia]

[Claudia hadn't actually signed up for it herself, but there are worse jobs to be given than gravekeeper. The responsibilities tasked to her aren't particularly taxing or stressful, and the floor is close to her chosen place to pray, and in its own way, it's almost peaceful here. Even with the strange phenomenon that crop up from time to time, she often finds her mind wandering as she makes her way from grave to grave, absorbed in her thoughts as she works.]

[So, with her inattentiveness, and with Kirei kneeling and her truncated field of vision, it's no surprise that she doesn't see him until they're close, a row of headstones and a handful of meters away.]

[With nothing more than a tiny, sharp breath, she stiffens and goes still. After everything, she doesn't know if she can trust her sight, or trust him to be real, her expression guarded and her heart beating nervously in her chest as she watches him.]

[god_damned]

[ His fingers reach out to touch worn stone. The graveyard is kept is varying conditions: some of the stones look new and polished, while the other have been left to decay. It's not as large as he expects it to be -- then again, it is impossible to imagine that all the world's lost souls could be honored in one place here. Perhaps like Genesis, the sin of the world amounted far too great, but not even a flood would cleanse it, so instead God responded with its complete destruction.

This thought is stalled, however, at that sharp intake of breath. It's a quiet sound, one most would never hear, but Kirei is a trained Executor of the Holy Church; he would be dead many times over if his senses were not alert.

But that doesn't account for the white noise which fills his skull when he rises to his feet and sets eyes upon his intruder.

That cannot be. ]

floor 48

[fionnuisce]

[Waver wouldn't have been likely to recognize who was in his world Saber's Master; he had been secretive, and while he'd seen the King of Knights the lecturer had never been entirely sure who her Master had been.]

Are you lost?

[So the magus with sunglasses perched atop his head greeted Kotomine with a calm level of concern, wondering if the priest could have been a new arrival. He certainly seemed as much, wandering about the graveyard.]

[Now as ever, the lecturer's eyes drifted to a grave not far from where they stood--the one marked with 'Waver Velvet', marking the departure of his younger alternate self. Shrugging, he looked back to Kotomine.]

You certainly don't look miserable enough to be here for a reason.

[god_damned]

[ Kirei heard the man approaching before he spoke, and he slowly turned to face him. There are too many years apart for him to identify the man as the once young Master of Rider. ]

I would require a destination in order to be lost.

[ He stated this plainly, and his tone shifted slightly as he moved to ask: ] Do you have a reason for coming here?

[ He becomes vaguely aware of how he almost anticipates that answer, for the admission of sorrow that may come with it. ]

floor 61; also this is gratuitous; warning for blood

[pinnaculum]

[Sephiroth is a skilled fighter, but if he's outmatched, he can disengage from any battle without difficultly. Yet his magic does not provide him with every convenience. For instance, fighting is not clean, and he has no way to counter its inherent messiness, which is why he's currently covered in blood. It's soaked his clothes and is caked in his silver hair. He hadn't managed to avoid the arterial spray after killing his latest victim, and he's on his way back to the dorms to wash himself when he pauses at the sight of an unfamiliar man on a potentially dangerous floor.

Clearly, it is his duty to point out the possible pitfalls.]

Hello. The ground is treacherous here. There are many hidden pits, which can be fatal.

[god_damned]

[ When Kirei finds the elevator, he chooses to take it and selects a floor at a whim. When the doors open, what he sees is a very calm, open space -- the kind of thing which he knows to be 'beautiful' in an objective sense, while he personally remains unmoved.

The entire scene is made a contrast with the boy who appears before him, armed and bloody. Despite his apparent youth, and the mess he has made of himself, the boy appears utterly at ease. The tone he addresses Kirei in is perfectly calm, and his own is very much the same. ]

Hello. [ He looks the boy over, considering. Is he human? No ordinary child deals such damage without blinking -- Kirei had, many years ago, and he is not an ordinary man. Is this child so similar? ]

Are there other treacherous things? [ Since the ground certainly didn't cover him in that much blood. ]

meadow floor (25) because it's pretty

[vermicompost]

[Kariya doesn't go to the meadow floor as often as he used to. It's more dangerous for him to travel alone now that he's missing an arm, and he wants to avoid using his worms, if at all possible. Lancelot could bring him, true, but he doesn't want to be carried around all the time. He likes to do things on his own. Some people have told him it might be easier if he were to die and get his arm back, but he promised Yotsuba he wouldn't die, and he hasn't. Promises are important.

He sits in the flowers, peacefully, resting, but when he sees someone else approaching, he glances up. Never having seen Kirei before, he doesn't recognize him. A--priest? He doesn't particularly care for religion, and he has an almost instinctive distrust of authority figures, but he wouldn't hold that against anyone. He raises his remaining hand in a little wave, glad enough to greet a new person.]

oh no it's cute

[god_damned]

[ Kirei is not wandering the Tower with any real sense of order or direction. He moves on rare impulsiveness, the unknown surreality of this place stretching out before him. The meadow is the most genuinely peaceful place he has found so far. Given the rest of the Tower that he has seen so far, he expects something hidden beneath it as he comes forward. There are no obvious tricks -- and he is not alone.

At first, he cannot be certain the man truly is who he believes him to be. His ragged appearance, his shock-white hair and his ruined eye, give away the Master of Berserker very plainly.

The greeting takes Kirei off guard. If their world has been destroyed, then had Kariya Matou been brought here at the same time as Kirei? If that is the case, he is shockingly calm for a dying man. As Kirei approaches him in steady strides, he notices something new about the man: had his limp arm finally given out, and needed amputation? Kirei would have learned of a detail so drastic as he studied the man -- then again, he had lost Assassin, and his reports on the Masters were not so prompt. ]

...pardon my interruption.

Graveyard

[pure_as_snow]

[Irisviel had come to the graveyard on a mere as she made one last sweep of the tower before returning to her room for a bit of well deserved rest. She had expected to be alone in a place like this that was so steeped in death and decay.

She very soon proven wrong upon seeing the priest kneeling before a grave not far from her position. Remembering what had happened the last time they had met, Irisviel hides herself the best she can behind a nearby headstone, hoping with all her heart that she could avoid detection.]

[god_damned]

[ The graveyard is appropriately silent, so even her slight motion -- as careful as it is -- can be overheard easily, especially by a man so ruthlessly trained. ]

I know you're there.

[ It's a simple statement, not a threat, as he rises to his feet. The trunk at the foot of his bed came with a set of Black Keys inside, which he carries with him, but he does not draw them yet. ]

random hallway /o/

[sixbillionsins]

[ The sound of his bare feet on the floor is quiet as Avenger unhurriedly walks down the wall, passing door after door without sparing a glance. There is little he feels he needs to do this day—he'd already slaughtered droves of monsters for a good several hour, ignoring his fading injuries, Naoya was busy with his team's science project, and the illusion of the idiot he'd been maintained was no longer in use for the moment.

Completely unmotivated to do anything (since nobody stayed dead and what's the point of killing them if they didn't?) more complex than aimlessly wandering this stupid Tower, the Servant settled on climbing up to one of the higher floors.

It's not too late for Kirei, when he steps outside of his dormitory room into the hall, to see a boy, absolutely covered in tattoos, turning around a corner at the end of the corridor and the ragged ends of his red mantle whisking out of view. ]

[god_damned]

[ The moment is so slight that Kirei almost misses him entirely.

He cannot say what it is especially that draws him to look twice. True, the boy himself is a wonder to look at: barefoot and covered in ancient markings. Most would stare at such a sight, but that is not the origin of Kirei's fixation. Kirei barely catches enough to truly register what he's seeing, before the boy turns the corner. The flash of red is what stands out to him, along with an eerie chilling through his bones.

What is this?

Kirei follows, as if pulled by a string, and turns the corner to pursue him. ]

floor 57

[integrous]

[ If Kirei manages to make his way up to the sports field floor, he might find something he didn't expect - aka a soccer ball flying right at his head. The girl standing on the field didn't mean it, really, it's just really unfortunate aiming and missing the goal by a mile so it is flying towards the stairs too..

With an embarassed red face she shouts-- ]

W-- watch out!

[god_damned]

[ Luckily being an Executor breeds such good reflexes. Kirei manages to snatch the ball before it collides with his face.

He doesn't even look startled, or particularly offended, as he locates the flustered girl who had cried out to him. ]

Does this belong to you?

[Floor 48]

[doesnotgetit]

[Hakuno spends a lot of time here, visiting the graves of her Saber, Caster, Rin, Rani... even that Black Saber. She's alone now (except for the few times Shinji has bothered her) and without anyone close enough to attempt to pull her out of her grief, it's... really starting to get to her.

But even her grief isn't enough to completely cloud her vision, and she looks up when she notices someone else close by... and immediately feels a flash of annoyance. There are some differences, but that is most definitely...]

... Kotomine?

[Of course he would show up now, of all times. Just her luck.]

[god_damned]

[ At the sound of his name, Kirei stirs from his thoughts. He lifts his head, turning towards the girl who addresses him. Should he know her? Kirei often has difficulty with people, given his nature, but he does not forget their faces. This girl knows his name, and has recognized him, but she is unfamiliar to him. ]

Are we acquainted?

graveyard (also welcome to the game! we're all excited!)

[puppy_lancer]

There's nothing beneath those graves.

[Lancer sits on the side of one of the taller mortuary sculptures, letting his legs dangle in the air, down the statue's side.]

They're just for people who go away.

Thank you! I hope to live up to expectation...

[god_damned]

[ Kirei lifts his head, surprised that he did not sense his current company until he spoke -- but the shock is short lived and barely shows in his expression. ]

What do you mean 'go away'? [ He glances back at the graves with new scrutiny. Are they truly empty underneath? ]

What desperate man dug them out to gain such knowledge?

floor 3, the library

[bowandblade]

[Archer had long ago found the tall bookshelves of the library to be suitable perches for him while he perused the various subjects available. He lounges on a stack of books made into a makeshift support, holding a filled wineglass aloft with one hand as he reads a book resting on his propped-up thigh.

By all appearances, it should be an uncomfortable position, sitting on top of one of the bookshelves overlooking the library's entrance and sharing the space with a few dozen books and a wine bottle or two. But the ancient king doesn't seem to mind in the least, sipping from his glass as he flips to a new page. His current reading material focuses on the topic of ancient Earth weapons -- specifically, their crude creation and evolved styles over the ages.]

[god_damned]

[ He has come here from the cafeteria, rising from the floors steadily one by one. While the infirmary had little to catch his attention, the library seems far more useful. He attempts to gather some form of information here, but he finds it terribly lacking. There is nothing which explains the Tower itself, nor the condition he has found himself in.

There is still a vast collection of literature, but none of it stands out to Kirei as something to take with him. He has often attempted to read novels, outside of scripture, yet no written word could move him. The last attempt he made was before the Grail War. As Tokiomi's student, he thought it proper to be educated on the matter of the Servant whom his teacher intended to summon.

On a whim, he looks, but there is no Epic here. However, as he hears the soft sound of turning pages and lifts his head, he finds something far more genuine instead. ]

...Archer?

Pool Party! Also, Welcome! <3

[chevalier_mal_fet]

[In the Water, it is a simpler thing than elsewhere to let his mind Wander a moment where it will. Particularly in this False Lake, invented by Man as a means of enjoying the embrace of the water without the need to Fear what might lurk in its depths-- clear as Day, all the way to the bottom. At another time, were he in search of Combat, Lancelot might have sought out one of the more-- occupied bodies of Water elsewhere in the Tower. But this day, he had desired a less Bloody form of exercise.

His Master is easy enough to keep in Mind whilst he swims lap after lap, cutting through the surface of the Pool as a Blade through Armor. The Water was ever his second Home.
When he emerges, wet and naked as from the Womb, it is to an unknown Presence. Specifically a Priest, by the look of the man-- a golden Cross hanging from his neck his only adornment. Prana sluices from the man in waves.

Though wet and unclothed, water heavy in his unbound hair, Lancelot is utterly unselfconscious as he greets the Stranger with a nod of his head.]

Well met, Priest.

Did you secretly find out all of my desires and deliberately involve them in this tag or...

[god_damned]

[ For as many people have told him there is no War here, there is certainly a vast collection of Masters and Servants. It is the latter that he senses on this floor, and what he finds is not what he anticipates. Kirei has entered in search of the source of that familiar energy; hadn't Gilgamesh coaxed him to seek out a new Servant, to replace his fallen Assassin? He is not certain if the bonds of the Command Seals work here in the Tower, or if they are somehow interrupted.

Regardless, it would mean little to steal a Servant now; there is nothing to fight for. There is no Grail here. So, why does that thought linger so persistently?

There is nothing to betray the class of the Servant which rises to greet him. Naked as he is, there is no dress nor weaponry to even give an indication. He speaks with formality, but that is no great hint; every Heroic Spirit came from a time long past.

Another man might have been flustered by such an appearance, but Kirei feels neither scandalized nor amused. He has the concept of modesty, of course, as any should, but he is likewise taught to not find God's creations shameful. There is a small hypocrisy in that, one he could detect even as a child, and he learned quickly that it was not considered proper to draw attention to such contradictions.

Kirei bows his head, bending much lower than Lancelot's simple nod. ]

Pardon my intrusion.