Grainne (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
athousandcurses) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
towerofanimus2014-03-12 01:38 pm
athousandcurses) wrote in towerofanimus2014-03-12 01:38 pm
(no subject)
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.
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.
Both evil?
Really, though, Diarmuid is stubborn and with the abilities of a Lancer he'd just follow her.
A soft sigh ripples the veil around her mouth, and she pulls it down so he could see her face clearly.]
Maybe once. They told me you were here.
Of course...it's not like I said I wasn't evil, after all...
He takes a single step forward and then stops again. Part of him wants to rush to her and hold her close, so that she won't disappear. The other part...the other part is what causes fear to flash across his face for a moment, before being pushed away.
The curse is gone and the bond once forced between them gone with it. Will the life and the family they built off that forced love be enough to hold them together or...
...would she hate him now? For taking her freedom. For taking her from the path she was meant to walk. For not listening. For...
...falling in love with someone else. Someone he will never leave. Not for anything.
Unconsciously, Diarmuid starts playing with the silver ring he's wearing.]
Grainne... 'They' told you? Who is 'they?'
[That really isn't the question he wants to ask, but it is a safe question and the only one he is brave enough to give voice to at the moment.]
no subject
[It doesn't sound like the answer to his question; she said it as if she realized something that made her sad.
By now she's had time to think and prepare for this meeting, and she feels a little guilty for not allowing him the same, but she knows he would have come looking for her.
That fear on his face doesn't help at all, and she can only guess why it's there.]
I spoke with him. He told me you were here. I've also met the Hound and some other people...
[For hours now, something has been eating at her. Ever since she had that conversation with Waver, in fact.
Why would Waver ask what he did, unless he had some reason to question it? Yes, the legends say it was the curse, but once she took in that he and Diarmuid had a contract, there's only one conclusion she could come to.
Her fears were all true.]
I wasn't expecting to see you today, but as long as I am here I just wanted to congratulate you... I am glad you have made a second life here, strange as this place is.
no subject
[Diarmuid is trying to keep himself and his emotions under control, but its not easy considering who is standing across from him. He's sure she must be as confused and conflicted as he is, but she's speaking as if she has been planning this for a long time. Perhaps...
...perhaps she has. If his curse over her broke the moment of his death, who knows how long she has thought on just how to tell him of the hate she holds for him should some miracle ever bring them together again. In addition, from her words, apparently she has known of his existence here in the Tower all day.
Most damning of all? She knew was here and wasn't looking for him. 'Hadn't expected to see him today.' Mentally, he corrects 'expected' to 'wanted' based on the inflections of her voice. A voice he had once known so well...
She hadn't wanted to see him... The realization hurts, but he can't say it's unexpected. In fact, it only confirms what he had realized not long after he came to the Tower.
Diarmuid's eyes close for a moment as he draws in a shaky breath. Long gone is the calm and relaxed feeling he had been so enjoying. Now confusion and that odd weariness that has been lingering in him over the past few days remain. In fact, he suddenly feels like that weariness is washing over him and drowning him. It's all he can do to keep himself from starting to shake.]
If...you have something you wish to tell me, please just say it. It seems as though you have been thinking on it a long time...
no subject
Had Waver talked to him even though she asked him not to?]
A-all right.
[She hesitates, trying to still her heart from thundering so loudly in her ears. Trying to keep her voice clear and free.]
I'm sorry. For... for everything. I know there is no way I could have any right to beg your forgiveness after everything I've done, but I swore if I ever saw you again I would... I would tell you that.
[This isn't as easy as she thought it would be, though she's glad enough that so far she's only had to pause twice. It gives him less room to interrupt before she was done.
She does hesitate long enough here to think back to her earlier conversation. Whatever can be said, she's not doing a very good job of rising beyond her mistakes of the past right now... and it isn't fair to him.]
After all of my mistakes, and selfish actions... I am sorry for making you stay with me. I never wanted you to be unhappy. I never wanted you to think I did not love you... and were it in my power I would change things so you never had to suffer because of me.
[Hiding her emotions is getting easier now, though her throat felt like it would collapse in on itself. She watches him warily, looking for any sign of how her words were taken. It hurts looking at him, too, knowing how he must feel about her now, but it didn't matter. Soon the pain will go away. She's setting him free, as she should have done from the first, because that's what love is supposed to be.]
Thank you, for teaching me so many things and giving me a happy life.
no subject
[Diarmuid's eyes pop open again, filled with confusion. Nothing she is saying makes any sense to him. He's the one who has wronged her, not the other way around. He is the one who is suppose to be begging for forgiveness. He...
His thoughts scatter as she continues talking. This is wrong. This...this is some kind of game of Ruana's, isn't it?
Isn't it?
It's almost too much, especially with the weakness clouding his mind. Diarmuid raises a hand to his face to rub at his eyes, very clearly displaying that ring that so closely matches Waver's. In the end, he can only bring himself to say one thing after that confession...]
You...really took my words to heart, didn't you? Back then...that night... I...
[Diarmuid pauses to try once more to pull himself together, fixing her with a weary, but hopeful look.]
I thought that you would hate me once the curse released you. Are you saying you truly do not?
no subject
[The response is surprising enough that Grainne is at a loss for words for a moment. That's certainly not what she'd thought him ever saying. In fact, she had been worried he hated her...
Unless it's about that... Oh, and he had mentioned it...
Her hand goes to rest on the knife's hilt in her belt, head bowing with shame. It's been hard having her mistakes made into the weapons she fought with.]
Oh, I guess I... that's my fault, too. I've had a long time to think everything over. I am sorry most of all for that night...
[This isn't going well. She needs a moment to recover, but a deep breath will have to do. She's used to this, she has had a full life behind her.]
You... really think it's always been the curse, and nothing else? Idiot...
[She's not blaming him. If her position were reversed, she may have thought that, too. Taking some of her hair over her shoulder, she starts playing with it like she always does when she's nervous and unsure.]
I am sorry you only stayed with me because of that...
no subject
[The words come out more edged than he intends and he immediately softens his voice.]
Please...it wasn't you who did anything wrong. It wasn't you and...it wasn't me...
[Had he been wrong blaming himself all this time? Thinking she couldn't have ever really loved him because the curse was so strong? Was that all just a product of how much he had hated what he was back when he first came here? Was it just him thinking she could never have loved a man capable of failing so much? It seems...oddly clear now how foolish it all is...]
It was the curse. It was the curse and it was fate, and we are both idiots if we keep blaming ourselves over it...
[Diarmuid steps toward her again, but stops a short distance away, hand outstretched as if he wants to touch her, but is afraid she will flinch away. As he reaches out, his eyes fall on the ring on his hand and he pales slightly.
She said she had talked to Waver. Had...he told her about them?]
Grainne...there...is something I have to tell you...
no subject
[Grainne finally looks at his hand, after forcing herself to ignore it. Ignore what it might mean. Waver had tried to hide his, though she had already noticed it by then. They were Master and Servant, and she knew Diarmuid. He would have pledged himself to Waver. It's just the way he is.
All of that, and Diarmuid's reaction when seeing his hand confirms everything. Pieces slide into place finally.
She would have to make this easier for them.
Turning, she takes a step away, toward their old house. It's comforting to see. It reminds her she's doing the right thing this time.]
You don't have to tell me. Waver told me you have a contract with him. I can see the rest for myself. If you are happy, that is all I need to know.
[Glancing over her shoulder, her face is veiled again.]
I dismiss you.
no subject
[The first objection comes out sharp and full of emotion. The second is a little weaker even though deep inside him part of his soul screaming louder and louder in pain. Diarmuid knows what those words mean and she can't. She can't!
His hand drops, curling into a fist at his side. Soon, Diarmuid's shaking with repressed emotion. He doesn't want it to end like this. Not after all they have been through. Not when...not when he finally has a chance to get to know her without the curse, without the running, without the fear...
Is that so much to ask for? Selfish as it is...]
Please... I...don't want us to become strangers. Not when we have just found each other again. Don't hide from me. Not when we both have another chance at life. Not when we finally have a chance to know each other without the curse's influence. I know I am not the same man I was, but...
[Diarmuid draws his fist up, pressing it and the ring over his heart...]
...just because I have found love again, does that mean there is nothing more for us? Nothing at all? Even as friends?
no subject
No. I will not make the same mistake again! [It's hard to tell if she's angry, or yelling out in pain.] I will not let you make that mistake either! There is nothing left.
[Grainne hesitates here, balling her hands up into her dress with fistfuls of fabric.]
You were never one to look backward. That is what we would be doing. I've already had a full life. [Then her voice softens, even slightly hopeful.] Take yours and be happy. That's all I could wish.
[She flinches slightly at her own words, as if realizing too late that wasn't a bright thing to say. Letting her dress go, she shakes her head.]
We have both moved on. Let it be.
no subject
[Diarmuid is angry. Frustrated. Hurt. But in addition to all of that he is also scared. Scared for those things she is throwing away without trying. Scared for all that they might have that she doesn't even want to consider.
Isn't that the future? Starting again. Knowing each other for real. Why is she so convinced it's the past he's looking at?]
No, we haven't moved on. Just cutting ties isn't moving on. It's ignoring what is there. It's letting the past control the present. It's not trying and I can't accept not trying. You know me better than that!
[For a moment, Diarmuid falls quiet, eyes dropping to the hand at his chest and the ring on his finger. When he speaks again, his voice is softer.]
I may have a new love and I may have another chance at life, but no matter what changes come with those things there is one thing that will never change. I will never not call you part of my family. Never.
no subject
She says nothing for a long time, her form so absolutely still she could have been a statue. Inside, she is screaming at him and railing against everything he had thrown at her. If he could see things how she did, she's sure he would have just let her go. It's small comfort.]
There is no happiness to sacrifice. [Her voice is soft and monotone, blank of emotion. It's almost eerie considering how much pain she is in.] And no happiness to gain.
Men are... all the same. They always think they know what is best... even when they are making fools of themselves.
If you ever loved me, even for a brief moment, then let me go. Do you honestly believe I could be happy like that? Or Waver? How do you think he would feel?
[She should have told him she hates him. She should have told him it was only ever the curse. It would have been kinder than this.]
It has nothing to do with the past.
no subject
[There is no anger in his voice now. Just sadness...and determination. Diarmuid's heart had sank when she ran, but had she not stopped on her own, he won't have stopped her. For the moment, it seems, she has made her choice and his words will not change that no matter what he says.]
And this isn't about men and women. It's about you and me. I have told you how I feel, how I see, but I cannot make you see the same as I do. Nor do I have the right to force you to. We all need time to understand our emotions and our true selves. I will give you that time...
[Diarmuid looks at her for a moment longer as if he is afraid he will never see her again and then turns away to gaze blankly over the illusion of their home, the pain tearing at his heart clear in his eyes though he is careful to keep it out of his voice.]
Seek and find your place in this new life. Once you have done that, perhaps you will find time to think of me on occasion. I will be waiting in my new life, hoping our paths will intersect again...
[If she wants to be free so badly, he will not continue to fight her. After being given his chance to find himself, Diarmuid will not deny it to another. Especially not to her.]
no subject
[With that last parting remark, she starts walking; slowly this time, not spurred by her emotions or the pain she still feels. Grainne refused to give in this time. She has to stay strong or she would crumble.
The next moment, she's gone.]
no subject
[His words are soft. Diarmuid doesn't know if she hears them or not before she leaves, but he says them anyway. After that, he falls silent and waits. He waits until his normal senses tell him she is gone. He waits until his enhanced senses tell him she is gone. He waits until so much time is passed that she has to be gone. Only then, does Diarmuid finally move. Or perhaps move is the wrong word. Collapses like a puppet with its strings cut is a much more accurate description. His knees buckle and it is only a last minute catch with his arms that keeps him from going face first into the floor.
His heart is crying out in pain. Sobbing. His breath's panting, but tears won't come from his eyes and this he doesn't understand. If it hurts this much, shouldn't he be crying? Or can't he because deep down some part of him has know since the moment he saw her that this was how it was going to end?
It doesn't make accepting any less painful, though. Especially, when he is so very tired...]