(no subject)

[athousandcurses]

Characters: Grainne, and you
Setting: Dorm 1, Floor 100, Floor 25, Cafeteria (and if there's a floor mentioned you want to encounter her on just toss up a new prompt!)
Format: Either or
Summary: Getting acquainted with the Tower!
Warnings: TBA


Dorm Floor 1, outside the elevator

Grainne couldn't shake off the unsettled feeling she had since waking up here. There was a constant undercurrent of fear that she wasn't used to, and it kept her on guard and ready for anything. It hadn't taken her long to find the outfit she'd worn wandering around Fuyuki in the trunk at the end of the bed she woke up in, along with... several other more nostalgic items. That didn't stop her from shifting to her robes almost immediately upon stepping out into the hallway. White dress covered by a green cloak, and a veil over her face that she pulled down to see better. Her identity isn't nearly as important now that she's... lost.

Looking up and down, she saw rows of doors, each with nameplates next to them, and the one by hers had her name on it. Frowning, she looked at the letter in her hands again, before slipping it into her pouch. This is some sort of dorm, but where, and how did she end up here? What sort of joke is this?

Maybe it's where defeated Servants go when they died...

Well, it may be and it may be not, but she took a deep breath and started walking, looking at the names along one side but not really reading them; they were unfamiliar to her, except for one. She hesitated when she caught sight of "Assassin" clearly labeled on one. Was that a coincidence, or could it actually be? Up ahead she saw what looked like an elevator, and the beginning of a staircase. She stopped there, trying to decide which way to take.

---

Floor 100: Holodeck

More floors, more dorms, but these ones all seemed to be empty. Grainne kept on, wondering if there was an end, but after the fifth floor of dorms that she counted, she came into... well, simply one of the most bizarre rooms she'd ever been in. Some sort of hanging garden in the middle of space. The unease she'd been feeling started to grow, and she walked on, looking for the next set of staircase which she found by literally walking into without realizing.

When she made it to the next floor and stepped into it, her heart stopped. It was home. Not Fuyuki, or the place she stayed at while fighting in the war, or even the house where she lived at the end of her life. The place she had raised her children and lived happily with her family before events worked to ruin everything they had. Intact and as if she had never left...

Moving farther into the scene, she placed a hand against a tree only to go right through it, and bitter disappointment met the realization it wasn't really real. It's just some illusion made up to look like a memory. Grainne turned then to leave, heading for the staircase.
 

---

Floor 1: Cafeteria

After that one floor, Grainne headed up again to where she saw the elevator, and this time got on. If she had more of that to expect from going down the staircase, she'd try the elevator and hope there were answers somewhere, but she paused when she saw only certain floors were marked. Every twenty floors... and she could expect walking into random orbital hanging gardens and illusion based scenery. What kind of building was this?!

Fighting down her rising irritation, fear and helplessness, she pushed the button for Floor One. After a ride that seemed entirely too long, even for a place with over a hundred floors, she stepped out into a Cafeteria. Now this, at least, made sense...

At least until she was handed a bowl of what looked like oat porridge left a little too long in the pot by a very odd person with a blank expression and a collar.

Actually, now that she thought about it, everyone had a collar...

Squeaking, her hand flew up to her own neck and felt the collar there, unnoticed until now. She made a face and rubbed her hands over her face, shaking her head.

---

Floor 25: Meadow

After gathering herself, she set out once again, this time going up since there seemed to be no other way but that. Everything she saw and heard and felt only made her more determined to keep on. Floors passed by; a library, then another, what looked like a clinic, a place filled with televisions and video game consoles, a workshop, a maze, a forest, and then finally a meadow...

The magus that created this place definitely had a weird sense of humor. Still, she stepped off on this one, curious if it really was just a meadow. She would have investigated the forest, except she saw animals in there that looked uncanny and she didn't particularly feel it necessary to find out if it was real. The meadow seemed real, though...

Sitting down in the grass, she plucked a few flowers and held them. she had to admit that having a meadow in the middle of such strangeness was calming, and probably the break she needed.

Comments

[athousandcurses]

[It says a lot about how distracted she is that she hadn't even noticed the Servant sneaking up on her. The flowers fall from her hand in surprise when she looks up.]

Nobody.

[Oh, great. Just what she needs.]

I don't want to fight, if that's why you're here.

[puppy_lancer]

[He holds his hands up in mock surrender.]

Don't worry, I'm not here for a fight. None of the Servants here are, actually. Seeing as there's no Grail. We've got better enemies to go after, anyway.

[He can see that she's dressed in a white dress and green cloak, so it makes him think of the fairfolk. At least, he can't recognize the Morrigan.]

I'm just here to pay my greetings to a beautiful sidhe maiden.

[athousandcurses]

I'm not sidhe.

[Grainne looks down at the flowers that fell and frowns. Whoever thought this outfit would make great fighting gear was seriously touched in the head.

At least it told her this Servant is from the same area of the world she is. Possibly a countryman. Somehow that didn't really comfort her.]

If there's no Grail, did you die as well?

[puppy_lancer]

Oh? Then was it the Grail that gave you the dress of one?

[He shakes his head.]

No, I didn't die in the Grail War.

[He actually sounds regretful about that.]

[athousandcurses]

It wasn't by my choice, if that's what you mean. It could have been the Grail, but I'm not sure...

[That has her interested though, and she looks back at him, still frowning.]

Then what happened? How did you get here?

[puppy_lancer]

I was taken here by Zo. He chose to save me, of all the people from my world.

...Just like he save you from your world.

[athousandcurses]

Hmm...

[She starts picking up the flowers, gathering them carefully into one hand.]

He should have chosen someone more important than me to save. Is my world really destroyed?

[puppy_lancer]

Unfortunately, yeah.

[He sighs.]

At least, that's what everyone who's been back in their world says.

[athousandcurses]

That makes much more sense than what that other boy was saying. He spoke of Zo, energy and a dying tower.

[One she has enough flowers, she starts to pluck petals from one. One by one, she lets them fall, some landing in her lap and others in the grass.]

Since there's no war here, would you give me your name?

[puppy_lancer]

[He hesitates for a moment, but then decides to just be honest.]

Cu Chulainn.

[And now he waits for her to be surprised or amazed.]

[athousandcurses]

[Grainne does neither; instead she laughs softly, but not mocking or jeering. Just a pleasant one.]

The Hound of Ulster. One of the greatest heroes of Eire, even in my time.

[She gets to her feet, shaking the loose petals off her skirt.]

I've heard so many of your tales.

[puppy_lancer]

Oh? Have you?

[He offers her his hand.]

Now you're meeting the actual person.

[And he's a lot friendlier than his tales might imply.]

A shame that a lady like you wasn't around in my time.

[athousandcurses]

[She nods, taking his hand briefly (was that a touch of timidness in there?)]

Oh? You don't seem exactly like how they say...

[Some things were apparently correct.]

But is that the legendary charm?

[Then she sobers a little, realizing that if this is indeed Cu Chulainn, then there is no doubt Diarmuid has already encountered him here. She needs to be careful what she says.]

[puppy_lancer]

[He looks down at her hand for the brief moment that he gets to touch it. It's a beautiful, soft, white hand. The hand of a noble-born woman for sure.]

[He laughs at her comment.]

Well, I'm glad to see that the legends got that part right, at least. I can't help it, though. A beautiful lady deserves all the praise she can get.

[athousandcurses]

[Grainne appears upset for the first time at his compliment of her beauty. It has never done her any favors in her life, and in a strange way she resents being called back as a young girl again.]

I do not.

[puppy_lancer]

...Oh? Why not?

[athousandcurses]

... I'm a married woman.

[puppy_lancer]

...Ah. Then your husband must be a very, very lucky man.

CU NO

[athousandcurses]

No... no, he wasn't.

shh let him dream

[puppy_lancer]

Why not? He had beautiful wife who loved him.

[Or at least, she should have loved him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have rejected Cu Chulainn's advances.]

[athousandcurses]

He paid too high a price for it.

[Grainne pulls on her dress nervously, wondering how to change the conversation around.]

...How--

[She breaks off, a sudden idea coming to head.]

What was yours like? I mean... she must have been a very strong, beautiful woman.

[puppy_lancer]

[He gives her a surprised look. It's been too long since anyone asked him about his wife.]

She...she was amazing. Very beautiful. And very brave. And very wise. And very gentle too. She was really good at keeping me in line and reminding me not to be dumb. She always had this noble, soothing presence, and she was good at just about everything. I don't know if I'll ever find anyone else quite like her.

[Saber had been a little like her, only harsher and stricter. Ayaka too, only more shy and more scared. And Asagi...Asagi was talented, but her presence wasn't as soothing as Emer's.]

I think of all the women I ever met, I loved her most of all.

[athousandcurses]

[Grainne smiles.] She sounds wonderful...

[puppy_lancer]

She was. The best woman of my generation. I wouldn't even trade her for Deirdre.

[Though...he's still curious about whether or not Deirdre would have eloped with him if he was already of age.]

What about your husband?

[athousandcurses]

[Oh no... Grainne tries to hide her nervousness, but she doesn't succeed well, playing with her bracelet idly.]

He was the best and bravest of men. Kind, generous, strong. He always made sure I was taken care of even when he was away. There was no better man when he was alive.