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

[doesnotgetit]

A world that hosts a different kind of Holy Grail War. One that most of the others here will probably find pretty strange.

[He looks like Kotomine and answered to his name, so it makes sense that he'd know what it is. Right?]

[god_damned]

A different kind. [ He repeats the words curiously. ] In what way?

[ The entirety of the War was new and strange to him from the start; this is not much stranger. ]

[doesnotgetit]

There were over a hundred Masters. Still only seven classes, but many Servants with the same class title.

[It was something that never seemed strange to her, but she knew that's what the others got hung up on the most. Might as well hold off on the "held inside of a giant supercomputer" thing for now.]

[god_damned]

[ The response does take him off guard -- but to be honest, there are stranger things in this world. The entire situation that has brought him here is proof of that. ]

And how did you know me? [ She is much too calm for him to be a warring Master against her. ]

[doesnotgetit]

The one who gave everyone the information in the beginning and told us who would be fighting who every week was a man named Kirei Kotomine. You look like him... but a little younger.

[And more... blank-looking, but she's not going to say that out loud.]

He might just be the you of a different world. That happens a lot here.

[god_damned]

I acted as Overseer of the War. [ He draws the conclusion easily, and it isn't much of a stretch to imagine. He serves the church; it makes sense that he would follow his father's path. ]

Is that so common? [ She says it so easily, as if it isn't so difficult to imagine... and perhaps it isn't. ] Have you met other Masters, in similar circumstance?

[doesnotgetit]

Yeah. It's one of the more common things that happens in this tower... similar people coming from different worlds. One of my close friends in my world showed up here, but her appearance was a bit different... and she didn't know who I was.

[That had hurt. God, had that hurt. After everything she had been through, helping Rin and being helped in return, the fact that she didn't know her...]

I've also had a Servant say that I was her Master, even though I'd never seen her before in my life.

[god_damned]

[ Her words are familiar ones now, and he nods slightly in reply. ] I have experienced this.

[ He does not elaborate more than that. ]

Did you see your War through to the end?

[doesnotgetit]

[In most cases, Hakuno would probably feel bad for someone who had to deal with that sort of thing on their first day. But... this is Kotomine, a different Kotomine, but still a version of the man who had taken joy in watching her kill a child or fight her best friend. It's hard to feel any sympathy there.]

I did. I won.

[god_damned]

[ The response changes something in his demeanor. His eyes widen, just slightly, and his posture stiffens. She's young, but he has known age to not determine the power of a Master -- Rider's Master comes to mind. He doesn't question the possibility but what makes him wonder is the outcome. ]

What wish did you have granted?

[doesnotgetit]

I wished to seal away the thing everyone fought and died for.

[If he didn't know about her war, then it's likely that he didn't know the details that had confused others that she had talked to. So, for now, she won't go into too much detail]

Too many people died fighting for something that nobody else had been able to obtain. Someone had to break the cycle.

[god_damned]

[ His body stills. ]

I see.

[ His tone does not betray the rush of thoughts which flood his mind: the Grail destroyed... not that it matters; all the worlds which could contain it have been destroyed regardless. There is no reason for upset; he has already acted on the idea of the Grail being lost, along with his world. Still. To hear that this girl would wish for such a thing with deliberate intent... ]

And are you content with that?

[doesnotgetit]

[Hakuno feels a sense of nervousness flare up inside of her at the way he stills, but mentally fights it back as she nods, fists clenching.]

I am. I have no regrets at all over what I did.

[god_damned]

[ Kirei says nothing for a moment. She saw her battle through to the end of it all, and her reward was to deny the Grail altogether... ]

Although I suppose it is meaningless now; now that you are here.

[doesnotgetit]

[Hakuno scowls at that.]

Yeah, it's great to know that all the horrible things I was put through and was forced to do was all for nothing. That's pretty comforting.

[god_damned]

...heh.

[ It is a very slight sound, one which accompanies his next exhale. It would be easy to miss, really, if proper attention wasn't paid, as the grin at the corner of his lips vanishes as quickly as it came. ]

That is indeed unfortunate.

[doesnotgetit]

[Unfortunately(?), Hakuno has become quite an observant person thanks to the time spent in her Grail War, so she doesn't miss that smirk.]

... What's so amusing?

[god_damned]

[ He shakes his head. ] It's no matter.

What is your name, as you know mine already?

[doesnotgetit]

Hakuno Kishinami. Nice to meet you, I suppose.

[She adds that last bit on as a formality, mostly.]