ITP: Fallout

[no_longer_a_king]

Characters: Saber Lily and you!
Setting: Floors 101, the cafeteria, and various.
Format: Prose to start. Will match the replies.
Summary: Arturia practices on Floor 101, tries to get lunch while avoiding bumping into "Shirou", and checks in with people she promised to check in with once her memory returned.
Warnings: None
Notes: Backdated to the 17th-20th, as I'd originally planned on adding event prompts, but they're turning out to be unnecessary.

[A: Floor 101; Hanging Gardens; Just chilling]
Arturia never really spent much time here before, but she figured now was as good a time to look through it as any other. While it was very beautiful, it never held much interest to her before. It was actually quite beautiful and if she stayed away from the edge she could almost imagine this was a normal floor.

For whatever amounted to normal in the Tower of Animus, at least.

Caliburn in hand, she swung it in a wide arc, going through the motions of old drills as she had done for hundreds of years. Now that her memory of her life was much clearer, that she'd had a period of time where she hadn't been on the verge of breaking, she felt almost invigorated. Being forced to remember as she had, while painful, had given her a new perspective on things. It still hurt, it still stung, and she still felt uncertain about the future, but there was a peace there she hadn't had before. A certainty that all she could do was move forward.

There were too many people who would be angry with her if she didn't at least try to use this period of freedom to her advantage. Now was the time to do so.

[B: Floor 1; Cafeteria; Lost]
It's strange how lost one can feel without their normal routine. For months, Arturia had gone downstairs to meet Shirou for lunch, then practiced for hours on end with him to help him improve with a sword. For months, she had enjoyed his cooking, spending time with him, getting to know him.

And now? Well, she avoids the kitchen lest it turn out that Avenger wearing Shirou's guise is there. Avoids their usual spots. She might have accepted the fact Shirou was no longer here and had never been here, but that made it no less painful, made her miss it no less. She avoided the usual places she and Shirou practiced in, avoided anywhere she could bump into Avenger disguised as Shirou for now. Part of her wondered if she should tell 'Shirou' the reason why or if it even mattered because it was not truly Shirou. That was a philosophical question she couldn't quite wrap her head around.

But avoiding the kitchen did not mean Arturia didn't need to eat. Not during a month when Riki gave them good food to eat and fine wine. The restaurant was out of the question as she did not want to risk what could be asked of her there, but she could wait until people usually were not eating and take her meal.

On this day she hadn't expected someone else to be in the kitchen and, to her embarrassment, she wound up nearly walking straight into them as they were exiting it.

"Ah, excuse me. I didn't mean to get into your way."

[C: Various; Meetings]
And then there were the people she promised to explain things to. People she sought out now that she knew the truth of Shirou and Avenger in order to tell them.

In a few cases, she would have to ask them why they kept certain things from her.

Comments

Cafeteria Funtimes~ (say, on the 18th?)

[bashfulshifter]

--O-Oh, s-s-sorry, n-no no it's m-my f-f--

[Rick blinks in surprise when he recognizes who it is he's just bumped into.]

--S-Saber?

[My, now it has been a while, hasn't it?]

(kk! Sorry for the lateness. Moving, et al, and took on more than I could handle RP-wise)

[no_longer_a_king]

Rick?

[It really has been a while, hasn't it?]

(Understood, is k!)

[bashfulshifter]

[The initial surprise wears off quickly. Rick breaks into a wide grin.]

--H-Hey! Ah--

[He stumbles over the phrase he wants, made more difficult because he didn't think of what to say in the first place. It's odd; they've only met once, but Arturia was the first person in the Tower to discover Rick's abilities. Even after he's given up trying to keep them hidden, he can't help but feel like he's let Saber in on some secret aspect of his life, brought her strangely close.]

[He ponders giving her a hug but thinks better of it.]

--H-How--What's, um--?

[no_longer_a_king]

[A hug would only confuse her. It's very rare when Arturia is open to physical affection. There's only been three people in recent memory she's ever allowed it from and every single time it was her doing the initiating.]

Hello, Rick. How fare you?

[bashfulshifter]

[Her formalisms confuse him into another series of stammers, but he recovers well enough.]

--Uh--w-well, I--I think!

[Okay, so there's a pretty bad gash under his arm and he should probably be in bed right now, but the man's gotta eat. Besides, it's not so bad if he's just standing around, like they are now.]

Just, ah...m-making s-s-some l-lunch is all. [A beat; he motions at the kitchen door he just exited.] --Did you w-w-want to--?

[no_longer_a_king]

Yes, I'm getting something to eat.

[Her eyes stray to the gash on his arm and her brows knit in concern.]

Are you all right?

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick's eyes follow Arturia's and he mirrors her expression. Oops...maybe should have done a better job at hiding those bandages. He shuffles his feet and offers a reassuring smile.]

...Y-Yeah! Yeah, I...j-just g-got into a b-b-bit of t-trouble a few n-nights a-ago. I'm f-fine, though. E-Everyone's fine.

[As far as he knew...Diarmuid got cut up as bad as he did, looked like, but the Servant is made of much tougher stuff than Rick is. He's trying not to worry about him too much.]

[Floor 101]

[faithstaynight]

[To be honest, Ruler was a little worried. She had very, very few close companions in the Tower, despite having inhabited it for over a year now; oh sure, there were plenty of people here who she could consider allies, people she knew would watch her back when things took a turn for the worse or who would join in yet another strike against the administrators. But they were simply that - allies. Companions were a different story.

Arturia was one of only two people in the tower that she could honestly call a companion, so when things started troubling the woman, it was only natural for Ruler to worry. The letter that had been sent to her did little to ease said worry, so she had been keeping a sharp eye out since it had arrived.

So it was a good thing that Ruler found Arturia here, and a small smile crosses the Servant's face as she watches her practice.]

It is good to see you like this once more, my friend.

[no_longer_a_king]

Ah, Ruler.

[Like Ruler, there's very few Arturia could call a companion here. Allies, yes: she had a number of those. Companions? Not many. Something she knew to be of her own design thanks to how much she kept to herself.

She had sent a letter to both her and Ruler once she had been certain her entire memory had returned to her. Even if it hadn't been her intention, it did give her some perspective on her life and the state of the Tower. So when she heard the other woman's voice, she eased out of doing her drills and turned to face her.]

It is good to see you as well. I apologize again for my absence the last few weeks.

[Because even if it's normal for Arturia to disappear simply to be by herself the majority of the time, she did normally keep to her duties in guarding the scientists and their work and would check in with Zelda and Ruler once a day to make sure they were all right.]

[faithstaynight]

[Ruler shakes her head.] There is no need to apologize. The things that happen in this tower... [The smile fades a bit, but doesn't disappear entirely.] They can take their toll on anyone. And people cope with despair or frustration in different ways.

[She's not entirely sure what sparked Arturia's absence, but she never planned on judging her for it.]

[no_longer_a_king]

[She has a feeling Ruler wouldn't judge her for it. If anything, she probably would not have gone through with it if Ruler were not around to protect Zelda in her absence.]

How have you fared in the meantime?

[faithstaynight]

I've fared well. [Ah...] Well, as well as anyone can be in this tower. I was lucky enough to escape the trouble that last plagued us.

[no_longer_a_king]

Good. I worried there might be others who had been caught up in it as well.

[She manages a smile.]

How is Zelda faring?

Cafeteria

[pure_as_snow]

[Coming to the cafeteria had played a large role in helping Irisviel to establish a semblance of routine in the tower. Without the guiding light of her husband's dream to push her ever forward, Irisviel had stumbled and grasped for answers as she attempted to find a purpose to motivate herself to leave her bed every morning.

It was in the small details of every day life and the promise of once more helping others to achieve their dreams that she found a reason to keep moving forward, but for now it mostly meant finding lunch for the day.

Wandering out the kitchen in a food fueled daze, the Einzbern homunculus only snapped back to reality upon finding that she had bumped into someone. Readying an apology almost immediately, her mind stumbled upon seeing just who she had run into.]

Oh no, it is quite all right...wait, Saber? Is that you?

NOW THAT I AM DONE MOVING; Sorry about how horribly late this is

[no_longer_a_king]

[Arturia visibly freezes upon seeing Irisviel, her eyes going wide. It is not the first time her former Master has been in the Tower, oh no, but the last time she had seen Irisviel had been after drowning in her sleep some months before. The last thing she'd expected was to see the woman again like this.

But the moment the shock is over, she stands up straighter despite how her pride is wounded. If Irisviel is here, regardless of the world she is from, then Arturia would need to protect her.]

Yes, Irisviel. It is me.

[There's so many things she wants to say, especially now that her memories are so fresh in her mind: The Fourth War, the time in the Tower, the feelings her other self had had for the woman before her. All of it almost feels like it just happened: for good or ill.]

It's totally fine!

[pure_as_snow]

[Thoughts of Saber were still fairly fresh in Irisviel's head, just a month or so before she had gone to bed under the servant's careful watch and awoken in another place entirely. But even if this was a different girl then the one she left behind, there was still lent a degree of reassuring calm to Irisviel's mind to see the servant again.]

Then it's good to see you again, Saber.

[She smiles gently]

Have you been well?

[no_longer_a_king]

Yes.

[She just spent the last two weeks having erased her memory, throwing away any responsibilities she had over discovering the boy she had thought was the one she loved was someone else entirely.

And then she finds Irisviel had arrived recently, most likely while she had been unable to remember.

If she didn't believe herself a failure as even a knight before, she does now. Even if she understands the why of it now, she is still ashamed by her behavior.

Despite this, she forces herself to stand straighter still, forces her voice to be even despite the conflict within her. Irisviel is here. That takes precedence above all else.]

How long have you been here? How have you fared?

[pure_as_snow]

That's good to hear, I was worried that the ills of this place may have befallen you.

[Irisviel worried about others more then herself, it was simply who she was, and Saber was among those she worried for most in times of crisis.]

I've been here a few weeks or so. I've been fine myself, many of the people here have been very kind and have helped me to adjust to life in the towrr.

[no_longer_a_king]

You had been told of my presence here?

[She shouldn't be surprised. Even if Arturia kept to herself, that did not mean people did not know of Arturia. Not with how hard she's been working to save the people of this place.

This just gives her more drive to save them. Even if this is not her Irisviel or Saber's, it's still Irisviel. She would not let her die in this place once the countdown spirals down to zero.]

I apologize for not coming to find you in that case. I had been unaware of yours.

C: Floor 4 okay?

[oathshackledbird]

[After receiving her note, Diarmuid had been keeping an eye out for Saber, but hadn't seen or heard from her until today when he had been passing by the lounge on the fourth floor. He enters, sitting down next to her with a smile. Though whatever she needs to tell him is likely serious in nature, it doesn't mean he can't begin their conversation on a more positive note.]

Good day, Saber. You look well or, at least, less confused than when we last spoke. Have you found the answers you sought?

It's fine!

[no_longer_a_king]

[Not exactly a positive note, considering there was no preamble to his question. Saber looks up from the book she had been reading, about to ask him about his day when he asks her instead. She stares at him for a moment, surprised he would just ask that in such a public place, before she answers.]

The ones that confused me during that time, yes.

[oathshackledbird]

[To be honest, Diarmuid had planned on saying something more before jumping straight to the question, but the question had ended up popping out anyway. Maybe it is just because he's glad to see her looking less confused and more herself. He's not sure. In any event, he is glad that the lounge is currently empty so they can talk here with some amount of privacy, though if she would prefer to go somewhere else with less chance of people walking in, he won't mind.]

I'm sorry. That didn't quite come out as I had planned.

[Diarmuid sighs, running a hand through his hair.]

Your note said you had your memory back and you look better. How are you feeling?

[no_longer_a_king]

Well, I suppose. [She marks her place in her book and shuts it, but keeps it in her lap to give her hands something to do in case the conversation makes her anxious.]

Better than I was.

[It was so stupid and yet she does find herself feeling better. A time away from the guilt, even if she'll never be able to bring herself to do it again, definitely helped her mindframe, at least. It made her more appreciative of what she has now, of the tenuous freedom she's been allowed that she would not get in her world.]

I apologize for worrying you and the others.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid shakes his head.]

What you did, you did for a reason and it seems like it was successful in the end. If it's made you stronger, then it was worth any worrying on our parts. We all deal with the terrible things that this place throws at us in different ways, and you know yourself better than anyone else can. Besides, it's not like you did this without a plan. You very carefully set everything up so that you would be safe and taken care of.

[He still hasn't gotten the chance to meet the one who helped her, but Diarmuid knows that when he does, the first thing he will do is thank him for watching over Saber so well.]

[no_longer_a_king]

[She gives him an uncomfortable look then lets her eyes drop to her lap as she speaks.]

Truth be told, I had been thinking about it for a few months now. I.... I just finally had a moment where it felt like the only option and went through it.