(no subject)

[glassceiling]

Characters: Assassin and open. Closed prompt for Claudia
Setting: Dorms, Cafeteria, and some other floors
Format:: Anything goes
Summary; Assassin arrives in the Tower and decides to observe.
Warnings: Mentions of religion and body modification. See Assassin's permission post here

1. Room 1-07

[The first thing Assassin does as she wakes up is to generate her cloak, wrapping it around herself before anyone can get a good look at her body. No one should have to see the price she paid for her power.]

[Only after this does she ponder what this place is and what forces brought her here. The last she remembers, she had been planning to attack Saber's team to take the vessel of that heretical Holy Grail. She had been nowhere near a bed, and as a Servant, she requires no sleep. Clearly, something had knocked her out and taken her here, but what could be that powerful? Caster was gone and Archer was on Claudia's side, to Assassin's deepest regrets.]

[Her eyes sweep the room, hoping to gain some insight into her captors. All she can see is more beds and scattered personal possessions. She takes a few paces around the room, hoping to discover any hidden tunnels. Again, no success.]

[Then, inside her, she feels the tugging of a familiar bond. Claudia is nearby.]

[It is clear to her now. If Claudia is anywhere near here, she must find Claudia first, before searching for some method of escape.]

2. Floor 101 (closed to Claudia sicharia

[The first thing that occurs to Assassin is that this should be impossible. Stepping off the staircase, she finds herself inside a lush garden, filled with unfamiliar plants. She can see no stairs going up or down this place. It just seems to float in air, above another unfamiliar landscape. Perhaps a room of some sort.]

[This had to be some sort of illusion, or some sort of heresy. Though beautiful, this place could not have been created by any human without the use of magics. And the idea of gardens reminds her too much of the stories of the corrupt Sultans, who stray from the words of the true Imams and weaken their faith through idle pleasures.]

[She would destroy this place, but she can feel Claudia's presence growing closer.]

...Claudia?

[She calls out, uncertain.]

3. Floor 1

[After finding her partner, Assassin has decided to further scope out this Tower of Babel and its residents. Though she does not need food, she has gone into the cafeteria to watch the passing people. She observes the food they take, their table manners, and their interactiosn with one another.]

[Tucked into the corner, wrapped in her robe and completely silent, Assassin is easy to miss another the colorful forms passing by.]

4. Floor 22

[Assassin drifts in this floor, the elongated, red cursed arm of the delusional heartbeat extended out from underneath her cloak. It reaches up toward the paintings depicting Saints and angels, and claws out their faces.]

[Blasphemy. Yet another blasphemy committed by this place in daring to depict God (Glorified and Exalted be He) and his servants like pagans would depict their angels.]

5. Floor 25

[By now, Assassin is used to strange floors that, by their very existence, seem to blaspheme against God (Glorified and Exalted be He). She also knows that as strange as this place is, tearing it apart will not help.]

[She drifts by this floor, stopping every once in a while to stare at the people on this floor. She seems oddly out of place, a gloomy, flitting black specter amid the frosted meadow.]

Comments

Gallery; locked to Claudia

[glassceiling]

[Continuation of this thread.]

[sicharia]

Good! [She chirps her reply, and for a moment, she smiles brightly. When she speaks again, though, her mood drops into something more solemn, or even bittersweet.] I'm...really glad to hear that.

[And she really is. It's just that hearing Assassin say that makes her feel a little guilty, thinking about what she had agreed to at first. She feels aware of the bandage's texture across the back of her right hand, concealing the markings there.]

...Anyway. Shall we get going?

[glassceiling]

[Assassin's expression becomes similarly downcast as she notices Claudia's gloomy tone. She quickly distracts herself by turning her attention to the stairs.]

Yes, please. The next floor.

[sicharia]

[Assassin doesn't have to wait long—or at all. Nearly as soon as she calls out, Claudia appears, her single eye wide. She had already started back toward the dorms from her position on this floor, but of course her Servant found her first.]

Assassin...!

[Alternately pale and dark, she stands out starkly among the foliage here, making her hard to miss. She looks just as Assassin is accustomed to seeing her, dressed in her plain, familiar uniform with only the addition of a simple white scarf around her neck. Immediately, without hesitation, Claudia starts the rest of the way toward her.]

Assassin, you're here!

[glassceiling]

[Assassin rushes toward Claudia at the same time, only stopping when the two are right in front of each other.]

I am. And you are here too, Claudia.

[She frowns.]

Do you know what this place is? Or who brought us here? Are you being pursued by anything?

[sicharia]

[Claudia, however, doesn't stop. Instead, she comes forward and latches onto Assassin in a hug. Her strength isn't great, but she holds on as firmly as she can. The Tower can be deceptive at times, but she feels no doubt that Assassin is just who she appears to be.]

Oh, I— No, nothing was chasing me. [She doesn't pull away even as she begins to speak.] You probably won't believe me, but I've been here for months already...

[glassceiling]

[She freezes as she feels Claudia suddenly hug her. However, after a few seconds, she relaxes, and, as Claudia talks, slowly puts her arms, all three of them, around Claudia in an awkward hug of her own.]

...Months? How so? It seems like only a second before we were planning together.

[sicharia]

[This time, Claudia does draw back, her jaw set firmly. There will be time to be sentimental about this meeting later; for now, she should answer Assassin's questions to the best of her ability.]

[...Though even as she decides this, she tries to take one of Assassin's hands in both of hers, ignoring the way her cloak hides them.]

Mm, months. [She nods seriously.] It's...difficult to explain. But the people here come from all kinds of different timelines and different worlds, so those kinds of things don't always match up.

[As she says this, something seems to occur to her. Her gaze drops downward, and she smiles, but the expression isn't a happy one.]

...I guess, technically, we're all from different worlds, so the Claudia you were just talking to is a different person than I am. But if we have this kind of relationship, our worlds are probably really similar, so I hope that's alright.

[glassceiling]

[It takes Assassin a while to process everything Claudia had said.]

Different...times. Different...worlds.

[She closes her eyes, trying to make sense of it all.]

It sounds like a greater heresy than even the Holy Grail War.

[Her line of thought is interrupted as Claudia brings up the fact that they are from different worlds. She looks up at Claudia again, confused.]

...You are Claudia Kotomine, are you not? And you are the partner of an Assassin much like me, are you not? If so, I see no reason for us not to continue to be partners.

[She closes her eyes again.]

I can feel our bond. Even if we are from different worlds, we are still connected. I cannot leave you by yourself.

[sicharia]

...I'm glad. [Claudia's smile softens, turning more genuine.] I just— Maybe it doesn't matter that much, if we lived the same lives and have all the same memories and feelings, but I wouldn't want to presume anything. So, thank you. I'm...really happy that you're by my side again.

[She gives Assassin's hand a squeeze, clasping it in hers, before looking up again.]

It is worse, though. Worse than the Grail War, I mean. There's... There's so much that's terrible about this place, no matter what you're idea of heresy is. [She shakes her head, taking a deep breath.] So I guess I should start over, hm? The people here call this place the Tower. Everyone else has been taken here, just the same as us.

[glassceiling]

And I am happy I am with you again.

[The hint of a smile appears on Assassin's face as Claudia squeezes her hand. However, it soon fades as she hears Claudia speak of horrible things.]

I understand. Please, explain further.

Floor 25

[sunflowerfairy]

[Since the twenty-fifth floor was one of the more safer places in the Tower, Yotsuba came here a lot to play around and rest. So, when she saw a girl in black wandering around, she ran up to her, smiling. She was curious about this girl, and it was always fun to play with new people!]

Hello! Are you a good person?!

Re: Floor 25

[glassceiling]

[Assassin turns toward the girl, surprised, and a little confused about how to answer.]

I am...

[If one judged goodness as a measure of faith and obedience to God's (Glorified and Exalted be He) Word, then yes, she was good. Though she was not good enough to achieve the title of Hassan.]

I am good, so long as God (Glorified and Exalted be He) wills it. And you?

Floor 25

[sunflowerfairy]

[While Yotsuba knew about God, she didn't judge whether a person was good or not by whether or not they were faithful to him. She judged it by whether the person murdered innocents, told lies and didn't apologize, stole ice cream, and things like that. So that answer puzzled her a little bit.]

Yotsuba's a good person..but are you an Angel? They work for God! But I dunno if all Angels are good..and what if God doesn't want you to be good? Are you then a bad person?

Re: Floor 25

[glassceiling]

[She quickly shakes her head.]

I am no angel. I am...

[She hesitates. She used to be human, but she's a Servant now.]

...Merely a Believer. And God (Glorified and Exalted be He), does not want anyone to stray. He (Glorified and Exalted be He) merely wills it as part of His plan.

Floor 25

[sunflowerfairy]

[..This only further confuses Yotsuba. As she tried to understand, her smile fell.]

Stray? And what's God planning? And you haven't answered my question! Are you a bad person?

Re: Floor 25

[glassceiling]

I do not know God's (Glorified and Exalted be He) plan. I only follow his word.

[There is a long pause.]

No, I am not a bad person. And I shall not harm you, child.

Floor 25

[sunflowerfairy]

Oh! Okay then! That's good! But does God speak to you?! He must really like you then! He liked Enoch too, but I don't think he spoke with him! He got to live in Heaven though! He's a good person!

Floor 22

[god_damned]

[ Kirei has heard of the monsters in this Tower, but he has not fully seen them. The warning is always fresh on his mind, and every floor carries a new level of dread and potential.

When he stumbled on her here, defacing images of the Holy, his instinct is to draw the Black Keys. He does not attack her, but as she is, cloaked and dark, she appears monstrous.

But what he senses -- another Servant?

From below her, his voice calls out. ]

What are you?

Re: Floor 22

[glassceiling]

[She turns around, still in the progress of scratching up one painting. Her cursed arm retracts into her cloak.]

I too would like to ask that. Who and what are you?

[Even as she calls back to him, she's walking to dive into a shadowed area. Best that she not be in the open for any opponent.]

[god_damned]

[ It's a fair question. How does he define himself? As a man of God? It's questionable now. As a Master? He has no servant to call for. Instead, he settles for his name, and reverts to the work which felt most suited to one as naturally lethal as he. ]

Kirei Kotomine.

Executor of the Holy Church.

[glassceiling]

...Kotomine.

[It's a familiar name. As is the Church affiliation.]

I am Assassin.

[For now, she assumes nothing. She just tells him her Class and waits for him to tell her more.]

[god_damned]

Do you know my name, Assassin?

[ She looks like nothing of the Hundred Faces that were under his command. A skilled man could fight the Assassin or Caster class, however Kirei is hesitant to dare without good reason. ]

Which War did you fight?

[glassceiling]

I have heard of it.

[Assassin is also tense. She would not attack him unnecessarily, but she would be quick to strike back if he attacked.]

The Fourth War of Fuyuki.

[god_damned]

[ It may seem too convenient, but the matters come together: she knows his name, and claims to be a part of his War, when he has no memory of her.

Claudia referred to her Assassin as a woman... ]

Who is your Master? Are they in this place?