i will storm the gates of hell

[vasavishakti]

Characters: karna & you. yeah, you.
Setting: room 1-12, then wherever you wanna run into him, idc.
Format: again, i write in action spam because i'm lazy, but feel free to respond in either.
Summary: this is probably gonna be terrible.
Warnings: none yet, unless you count the traumatized hindu deity.

[ he can't believe what he's reading. his world is gone? his entire world? it's not possible. not yet, not now, and certainly not like this. karna understands what he is, of course, but why does that make him worthy of saving? he served in life, he served in death-- if anyone should have been protected, should have been spared, it should have been his master.

he can't.. think about this right now. he can't focus on how empty he feels. ten years he'd been connected to his master, knowing one another body and mind and soul. ten years their bond had existed, and now-- and now--

he wants to scream. it's like a limb is missing, ripped away and bleeding, and it's all he can do to breathe, to move. he's not ready. he'd known he'd lose him eventually, but he'd thought-- he'd thought he'd have years, not like this. they were supposed to have a lifetime together.

he doesn't have the presence of mind to banish his armor for something less conspicuous. all he can think of is how desperately he needs to get away. he leaves the letters on his bed, stumbling away, all but fleeing the room as the void inside him shrieks its loss. he has no idea where he's going, only that he has to keep walking. he needs to walk until he finds the end of-- of whatever this is.

this is fate, surely, but it's a fate that he was woefully unprepared for. ]

Comments

floor 27

[fionnuisce]

[Waver had been doing his best to balance 'working' and 'trying not to work oneself to death'. The latter was something of a difficult concept for someone that was used to working absurdly late nights or just constantly until whatever he needed to accomplish was done.]

[But of course Diarmuid had convinced him to at least attempt not to get hopelessly lost in whatever tasks he'd set for himself. Pressing a hand to his face as though that would force back exhaustion, the ponytailed magus stepped out of the laboratory with a yawn and started to walk in the direction of the cafeteria.]

[...At which point he very nearly walked headlong into what looked like an unfamiliar Servant in full armor. One hand went to the sunglasses on his head to make sure they weren't about to fall off, Waver hesitating before managing to determine an actual response.]

Sorry--I must have been distracted. [His right hand went to his jacket pocket, hiding his Command Spells just in case whoever this was happened to be less than friendly.]

[vasavishakti]

[ for a few stunned seconds, who he's looking at doesn't really register, the shock too complete. but-- the energy is so familiar, even if their bond is missing. he looks almost exactly the same; a few minor details are different, but those don't matter. it's waver. he's here, and the letter had lied.

karna sucks in a desperate breath through his teeth, white noise roaring in his ears, pale eyes wide and so, so very grateful. he takes the short step that separates them, long fingers lifting to the human's face, cupping it with tender affection. ] Waver. [ there's no mistaking the tone of his voice; he can't hide his desperate relief or the terror he'd felt. ] I could not sense you. I feared you gone.

[ true, waver's own reaction to seeing him is-- strange, but perhaps he hadn't received the same notice that karna had. ]

[fionnuisce]

[Waver froze solid at the sudden contact, shoulders set into a rigid line. Shock dulled by exhaustion twitched across his face, hands half-raised as though he didn't know whether to stop Karna or stand utterly still like an idiot.]

...I- [Words halting and hesitant, his mind was racing as fast as it could; this didn't seem like a threat, so calling Diarmuid was probably unnecessary. But then what the hell was going on? Was it possible this was another case of an individual recognizing someone that didn't recognize them in turn? That seemed the likeliest possible option; hadn't he felt a sense of relief similar to that on his own first day here?]

I'm, er...sorry. I don't think I'm the Waver Velvet you're looking for.

floor 38

[puppy_lancer]

[Lancer, his shift with the collar fluids done, is taking a rest on one of the beanbag chairs. He tenses up when he feels the presence of some unfamiliar Servant. He quickly jumps to his feet and glares at the Servant in question.]

Who are you?

[He's a bit snippier than usual, given the fact that he had only newly come off of collar fluid duty.]

[vasavishakti]

[ it's the sense of another servant that cuts through the shock, like being doused in cold water. a servant? after ten years? the fifth war hasn't started yet, how would one be here of all places..?

still, he draws himself up, expression carefully even as he stares at the unfamiliar figure. ]

I am called Karna. [ he doesn't bother introducing himself as a class, of course-- he's beyond all that now, anyway. ] How is it that you are here? It has been ten years since the Grail War ended.

[puppy_lancer]

Huh. You're open with your identity.

[He's feeling just a little more relaxed. Always better to be around someone honest.]

Maybe it was in your world. It was still going on in mine.

floor 95 - ball pit!

[undefines]

[The job the Tower has seen fit to assign Nue isn't one she has trouble with. She needs to retrieve bodies from the bottom of the ballpit? Fine. She can just fly, meaning she doesn't have to worry about that stupid suit or the stupid cord attached to it. It's not like there's anything to haul back to the surface most of the time, anyway.]

[...But even if the job itself doesn't trouble her, she's still here in this ridiculous playground, submerged up to her waist in cheap plastic. She's being used like some beast of burden. She feels caged and powerless and toyed with, and in a fit of discontent, she chucks one of the brightly-colored balls at the head of an unfortunately-timed passerby.]

[p.s. read this post]

[vasavishakti]

[ he dodges it with a simple sidestep, glancing back with a mild expression. for a moment, he's not certain what he's seeing, but it's-- shock, he thinks. he still can't think about it. ]

Have I offended you in some manner?

[undefines]

[That he avoided being hit only makes her mood worse, so she whips a second ball toward him, petulantly.]

No.

[It's a young woman's voice.]

Dorm Floor 4, Outside of Room 4-16.

[oathshackledbird]

[For once, as Diarmuid leaves his room, he is distracted, not by all the bad things that are going on, but by good things. Even though it's been almost two weeks since he and Waver had their talk, he's still feeling refreshed. There is a peace and happiness that can't be dimmed even by the terrible things that happen every day in this place...

Well, what had happened with Edgeworth had dimmed it a little, but Ryoji finally returning not long after had helped. Talking with Waver the night Edgeworth had died as his friend had healed his wounds had helped as well.

Now if only Edgeworth would take his advice and actually talk to him about what happened...

However, Diarmuid refuses to focus on bad now. Not with all the good and it's because of that he doesn't immediately notice the new servant's presence. Not until he runs into him.

Immediately, he reaches out to steady the other man but his apology dies in his throat when he see how upset the servant seems.]

Are you all right?

[It's a foolish question, but it's out of his mouth before he can stop himself.]

[vasavishakti]

[ his immediate reaction should have been to recoil. the sense of this man is that of a servant, after all, and servants.. shouldn't be here. ten years after the fourth war, before the start of the fifth.. as far as karna knows, he's the only one thus far wished to incarnation. and he wouldn't wish his fate on another.

he stills beneath the hand on his shoulder, expression blank, pale eyes lifting to the face above him. he doesn't know this man, but that's unsurprising. he'd lived centuries before most servants, and he's been-- busy the last ten years. happy. in love.

still, the concern seems genuine, and it's not in him to be rude. he dips his head politely. ]

Arrival was a shock. [ that's an understatement. ] You are.. a Servant. [ how? ]

[oathshackledbird]

Yes, a terrible shock I'm sure. Take a moment to calm yourself. Rushing about this place without your focus can be deadly.

[How many people newly arrived wander onto the more dangerous floors of the Tower with no idea of how dangerous they are until it's too late? Fortunately, it seems like this servant hasn't been hurt. No, the source of his distress is obviously the shock of arrival.]

I am a servant as are you. My name is Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, called as Lancer in the 4th Holy Grail War.

Library

[pure_as_snow]

[Irisviel had come to the library in hopes of finding something to read to pass the time between dinner and bed, as she rustled through the stacks for something light and fluffy, she spied Karna from a distance, his form and aura marking him as no ordinary soul.

Watching from a distance for a short while before giving into her kind nature and choosing to at least see if this man required any assistance.]

Hello, do you need help with anything?

[vasavishakti]

[ the voice isn't particularly familiar, but then, it's been a decade, after all. still, when he turns to glance at her, he immediately recognizes her. the homunculus who had been passed off as saber's master, isn't she..? she'd died, though, he's certain of it.

then again-- as he recalls, the von einzbern homunculi share the same face and form. could this be another? another, even, with a personality..?

he dips his head in a polite greeting. ] I am simply-- [ he doesn't know how to answer, suddenly. what is he doing? where can he truly go? ] I am newly arrived.

[pure_as_snow]

That explains much. Have you read the letter you were given?

interrupts the castmate wagon- how about cafeteria

[scentofmakai]

[When Karna reaches the bottom floor, he'll be given a bowl of oatmeal, as all newcomers are. This is what enables Zett to identify him as 'new guy'.

The demon approaches Karna with all the confidence of someone who could possibly not care less if his nature can be sensed.]

So, you're new here?

[vasavishakti]

[ karna discards the bowl almost as it's given to him. he's not hungry, and even if he was, the grail saw to it that he can't die from starvation, anyway.

still, the approach brings his head up, pale gaze flickering over the unusual form in polite curiousity. ]

I am newly arrived, yes. [ distressed, heartbroken, as everyone else undoubtedly is with such similar news. ] Are you not?

[scentofmakai]

No, I've been here for a few months now. You're going to want to eat that before you try to eat anything else, by the way.

[Vomiting is a nasty experience for everyone.]

Do you need much of a tour?

yeah yet another castmate! floor 101

[vermicompost]

[Pale and frail and broken as he is, Kariya looks completely defenseless, but the appearance is deceiving, as his bond with Lancelot is strong enough now that at any sign of alarm from him, his Servant will appear. He trusts Lancelot, so he isn't afraid.

Kariya sits quietly among the lush exotic flowers, pallor against such vivid color. His gaze is fixed, as if he's watching for something or listening... but to what? There doesn't seem to be anything present until he becomes aware of Karna, at which point he starts and turns toward him. He blinks, taking in the sight of him.

Someone wearing armor, upset...]

Wait--

touches gently

[vasavishakti]

[ karna stares back, pale eyes startled in his white face. he knows this human-- not well, but well enough. he remembers him better than most masters of the war he'd fought. matou kariya had been his name, the broken, ill-used master of berserker. he'd died during the last days of the war, drained of what little reserves he'd had left.

with a thought, he banishes his armor for a simple black suit, hoping it will appear to be less threatening. he doesn't know how this man is here, but-- the war for karna is long over, and he'd never wished harm on him, anyway.

he dips his head into a polite bow. matou kariya is not his master, but he was a master, nonetheless, and deserving of respect. ] My apologies for disturbing you. I am.. newly arrived. How-- [ he lifts his eyes again, flickering over the seated form in quiet concern. ] How is it that you are here..?

[Dorm Hallways]

[faithstaynight]

[That... that's a familiar presence. A presence Ruler actually knows. Not knows well, of course, because she kept to herself in her world's mess of a Holy Grail War when she wasn't needed, but she had made it her goal to recognize the presence of all the fourteen Servants under her watch.

But of course, just because this is a Servant she recognizes doesn't mean she's going to put her guard down, so she approaches cautiously.]

Lancer?

[vasavishakti]

[ the voice and presence are unfamiliar, and it's been a long time since anyone referred to him as 'lancer', but the greeting it unmistakably for him. he lifts his head to find the speaker, fixing on the other servant in polite, distant curiousity.

other servants here? it shouldn't be possible, of course-- but then, a great deal about this situation should be impossible. ]

You know me, Madam?

floor 1

[humility]

[ugh why is this place so big...

she's looking for her room, but she hadn't paid attention to the number... it's on this floor, it has to be, but she's frustrated at her own carelessness.

it's then that she's bumped into by the stranger, and she jumps back in surprise]

Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't--

[then she catches sight of his face and registers the pace he had been walking. she frowns.]

...Are you alright?

[vasavishakti]

[ no, he is very, very far from all right. even so, he can't trouble a stranger with such things, especially when he'd bumped so carelessly into her. instead, he dips into an apologetic bow. ]

Forgive me, I was not paying attention. You are uninjured--?

(castmate!) By the Sea.

[chevalier_mal_fet]

[Lancelot stands, a lone figure on the shore of the false Ocean, seemingly out of place in his suit and tie. He lingers often around the Waters of the Tower, though False waters he knows them to be. False or no, they bring him some measure of Calm, and so he stands, watching the play of color and light on and within the waves.

His Master is yet wandering in his own Mind, suffering still from the shocks he has lately received. Lancelot cares for the man with an unparalleled thoroughness (as well as an obsessive tenderness), but he need not always be near to do so. The Bond they have built within the Tower, as it was denied to them during their time together during the war, is unassailably strong. They sense each other's thoughts, dream each other's dreams-- feel each other's pain.

As he watches the waves, as the waves of his Master's thoughts wash over and through him, another presence registers nearby. A Servant-- and a Powerful one. But there is no War here, and Lancelot as ever knows no Fear-- and so he turns to face the Man, taking in the elaborate costume, the distraught demeanor. The face is unfamiliar.
He gives no greeting yet, only watches as the figure comes across the sand as though it will walk fully armored into the Ocean-- indeed, if Lancelot were not directly in his path, he might yet manage it.]