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.
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...]