The Otter

Fate/Illuminate Histoire

Lancer

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@Fish of Oblivion

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After slipping away from Beatrice, Lancer had quickly found himself a secluded place in which to hide and watch for any others approaching the church. Inasmuch as he could watch in his intangible form; useful as it was, it was still much more limiting than having his actual physical senses to rely on.

But it was useful nonetheless.

Even without actual vision to use, he could still sense the flows of power, and any spirit on approach would be as obvious as the sun at noon. From there he could decide to alert Beatrice immediately or shift back to gather any physical description. In the meantime, he was perfectly concealed from sight, as evidenced by the officer that had completely failed to notice Lancer's presence mere feet away as he patrolled outside the church grounds.

Good for them that they do not have the threats we had to deal with. Indeed, the modern world seemed to have far less to worry about in terms of roving hostile spirits than in his day.

Once he was sure that the patrolman had left completely, he shifted back to his physical form, sinking deeper into the shadowed hedges at the edge of the church grounds. Scanning over the path leading to the church he quickly made note of some that were making their way up—one of whom he'd been sure he had already witnessed coming and leaving not long before. If any of them were Servants, they'd no doubt sense the strength of his own presence soon; that he couldn't sense any of theirs did nothing to reassure him that they might be masters or mere bystanders.

"Be ready, Beatrice. It looks like you may have other visitors incoming."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze

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Fionn nodded as Erich spoke. It only made sense; fey magic might be hard to incorporate in the same skillset that Erich himself had or that Fionn had been learning from Lilia, and on top of that, the man had no clue what Fionn was capable of as a starting point. Asking for some sort of demonstration of what he could manage was natural. Were it pure swordplay, he'd be happy to oblige.

"Aye, well, there lies the problem," Fionn began, drawing his sword. "It was only...oh, about a month ago that Tyaethe figured out I had the talent. I imagine it was her idea to get Lilia to stick around, I'm sure you know how she is about magic." Still, with Lilia's help, he'd at least been able to work out the spell she used to render her weapon non-lethal. That would be a better showing than just making a light at the end of it, no doubt.

He brought his left hand up to the base of the blade, ready to trace the protective spell along it, but as he opened his mouth to speak he realized the words that Lilia had rehearsed with him for the last three weeks had all disappeared from his mind. He could recall the exact rhythm and melody that she always used casting the spell, but even the first word was utterly impossible to grasp.

His brow furrowed in frustration. She'd worked him on it until he couldn't get it wrong, he should've been able to at least say the words in his sleep. Somehow, though, they'd all left him. Some trick of Merilia's little world? He doubted it; if the goal was for them all to get better with what they already knew, removing that same knowledge would be an utterly pointless hindrance.

His foot tapped the ground as he glared at the blade. Once. Twice. Then he sighed, closing them. Multiple choice phrases flew through his mind in response to the sudden forgetfulness, pointless lashing out at the false ground that Merilia had given him to stand upon.

"Krini!" he growled under his breath, a forceful stomp accompanying the word. The energy he'd been trying to focus to his blade went out into the ground instead, shaking violently under his foot for a moment. His eyes popped back open in surprise, stepping back as the topsoil in that small portion of the garden shifted and collapsed around himself and Erich. Surprisingly, he didn't fall.

"...Well, that's...new." At the very least, he was sure that he'd never been taught to make small earthquakes happen. Fiadh had done it a few times when she'd been annoyed enough, commanding the ground itself to shake in response to her mood, and usually sending Fionn himself stumbling or falling when she did. But she'd never—

Fionn blinked. He'd never even known what the words meant before. Now it seemed like he just did.

"Oh." He sheepishly looked over to Erich. "You're alright, aye? This might take more experimenting than I'd thought. Seems Fiadh wasn't too careful about keeping anything I'd already learned."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze

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"That business in the crypt, right? Well, I can't claim to be one of the ones you actually owe, I was watching over the princesses instead, but I might claim the repayment in their place." That certainly seemed to break the ice well enough; Fionn put his raised hand out forward for a handshake. "Fionn MacKerracher. Would've waited a bit longer to come bother you, but all the ones I'd been wanting to work with back at the castle are occupied with some of the others instead. Lilette's working on the captain, I think Fleuri will get more out of Florian than I would at this point, you know how it is."

He might not have, for all Fionn knew; a man of Erich's place could possibly have had the best teachers whenever he wanted, or maybe instead only had the one in his journey to knighthood. Either way, it wasn't worth considering.

Instead, he held up the other hand to show the silvery, leaf-shaped mark in his palm. "Tyaethe figured out I had an aptitude for magic, I've been working with Lilette's daughter on it a bit, and now I've got one Niyar who's invested into me for it; mind if I ask you to teach me some as well?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze

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While he hadn't expected that his walk down the road would lead to a yet longer trek, it wasn't as though Fionn could really complain—without even asking for any introduction, the servant had just decided to direct him to the misplaced garden without needing any real introduction whatsoever. Despite the various reasons that could easily explain why that was, Fionn was still disinclined to invite any possible ill fortune his way by whining about something inconsequential.

Once he made his way deeper into the garden and found Erich Cazt, however, he finally found himself momentarily at a loss for how to proceed. Generally, he tried to avoid interrupting people who were in the middle of one task or another, which Erich was; however, existing within this little sliver of reality for, presumably, however long Merilia would meant that anybody within might well have all the time they could ever want to devote to their hobbies.

On top of that, he wasn't entirely certain how best to introduce himself or proceed with the Demonbreaker. Any knowledge one had of the other's reputation only went one way, unlike how when he'd first joind the Roses at least some of them knew of the mercenary company he'd been in and could at least guess as to his own background. That was an immediate conversation topic, some common ground, and it quickly did away with the more annoying formalities of introducing himself.

By Mayon, it's as bad as the first time I met a knight.

Rather than agonize over it like he might have years before, however, he strode forwards confidently. There was really nothing better to do than dive in and hope for the best, and luckily this wasn't as bad as another ball might have been.

"You know, I thought Gerard had been exaggerating when he said how large your armour was. I'll have to apologize to him for that." He raised a hand in greeting, making himself relax through force of will in a way he couldn't when his band had come across their first actual knights that they'd worked with during the war. "Erich Cazt, aye? Does Tyaethe get her height from her dad's side, then, or is that just something for all the women you're related to? I can't imagine Veilena will be happy if she's already hit her full height now."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze

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Fionn's gaze followed Cyrus's pointing, picking out the slightly different colour stone after a moment. Once he knew what he was looking for, it did stand out—although having come from the modern city of Aimlenn, where monocoloured buildings like this fantasy of Talderia didn't exist, that sort of differentiating factor had been the last thing on his mind. If he squinted, he thought he could possibly make out a familiar building or two within the outer wall.

Strange. He didn't think he'd ever come that close to the main Cazt estate, always being on the edge of the war. Maybe after, and he just hadn't known it?

He squinted.

No, some of those buildings were definitely familiar from within Aimlenn. But they didn't have the gatehouse or the small moat surrounding them anymore in his time. Well as he could guess, though, the courtyard was probably still a courtyard. Guess they do keep a place in the city. Probably used to be just outside and got swallowed up as the years went on. At least, that was the possibility that made the most sense to him.

"It is, isn't it?" he said finally, in response to Cyrus pointing out how close it was, before starting forwards again with a wave while the tall man still stood next to the street stall they'd passed. "Well, I'm just after having lunch, so I'm going to go get busy. If I'm not back for dinner, just assume I'm staying with the old man. Might see if you can find Gerard back in Candaeln and tell him I won't be joining his practice today."

Fionn had no clue if Cyrus intended to keep following along or not, but now that he knew what he was looking for—and could see that the gate on the gatehouse was invitingly open, making him feel like having Cyrus along to introduce him and get him entry wasn't particularly necessary—he cut a brisk pace down the road. No sense in wasting time, after all.

Across the bridge, through the gate, and then—

"Ah. Great hall has to be in there for sure." Whether the quadrangle enclosing the courtyard had been constructed as such from the beginning or merely the result of the initial structures growing together over time, the primary dwelling was obvious, not only from the fact that it looked as much like a castle's keep with a more civilized façade as like a simple house, but by the elegant, arched door that led into it, large enough to keep any noble procession entertained and moving quickly without overly sacrificing the building's defence. It was still a status symbol as much as anything else—he shuddered to imagine how much heat would be lost through it in the winter—but it would still be defensible.

No doubt the oak door that filled it was thick enough to weigh twice or more what Fionn himself did.

A thickness that was confirmed as he knocked hard upon it, his strikes barely sounding out a dull thud rather than the drum-like beat he might normally call forth.

Fate/Illuminate Histoire

Arthur Howell

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@Octo

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...

As I walk back to the bedroom, wrapping my hands back up to hide the marks along the one, I find myself struck by the very displeased face of the girl sat at the edge of my bed. I really can't imagine what problem she might have with the nemaki—it's nice cotton, well made, not some cheap polyester or anything like that—but evidently it's much less to her liking than the clothes she'd decided to keep wearing underneath it.

I sigh.

I'd hoped she might decide to leave, however she got in, but it seems she's intent to continue with this game until I can get her to a mental institution. I just have to figure out how to do that while attracting the least attention to myself; no doubt, one foreigner having such troubles with another might negatively impact my ability to ever come back if they take my name down and all.

"Look, if you hate it that much, I should have some spare stuff that will mostly fit you," I grumble, gesturing offhandedly at the closet. "We're not walking around with you dressed like you walked out of a Holy Roman Empire class reunion." Then I hear knocking at the front entrance. I sigh again. "Stay here. I'm going to grab the food and put off explaining this as long as possible."

Within another few minutes we're back in the main room seated at the low table, with a few dishes in front of us. The old man noticed the girl's fine shoes almost instantly, but I think he took me at my word when I said she was a relative I'd forgotten to list as another guest. Now we're splitting the food he brought between us, and as much as I'm thinking about what to do with her, I'm also thinking about getting something else to eat back in town. Either way, there are a few other ground rules that need addressed.

"Alright. So, before we get too deep in things, what's your real name? And I'd appreciate it if you just call me Arthur when we're around people. I don't want to have to try and explain away the whole master thing."

I don't really want to try and explain away any of it, but as long as she's with me that's probably what I'm going to be doing.

Fate/Illuminate Histoire

Arthur Howell

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@Octo

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For a moment, it looks like her entire delusion is about to come crashing down like a car flying off the road trying to turn to fast at a mountain pass...but it doesn't happen. She pouts for a moment trying to get back on track, before saying something about...

"...My hand?"

She must have seen the marks on my right hand. Now she's trying to use them to justify her being here, before going on about...some fate and mana nonsense and continuing to be disappointed that I'm not a woman, I guess. At least she doesn't seem to be threatening. I look over to the entrance, expecting to see some sign that she'd dragged in the mud from outside, especially without having taken her shoes off where she was supposed to, only to see that it's untouched. Nothing's been moved, not even the shoes that I left in the way because I was in a hurry to get in the shower, there's no mud or anything from outside, and glancing back at her, I see:

She's spotless. No dirt or mud anywhere on her, not even a single wet spot from the intermittent drizzles that have been coming down since I got here.

"O-kay, sure, let's say I am your master for now..."

I'm not sure just what is wrong with her, but so long as she's not being a threat, I think I read somewhere once that the best course of action dealing with somebody so delusional was to just play along and keep them from getting themselves or anyone else hurt. Trying to argue back could just cause problems. I look at the clock, and sigh.

Dinner's coming in just a couple minutes. Looks like I can't be free of her until after I eat. I drop my raised fist, pointing over at the door to the bedroom. "You'll find a spare nemaki in there. Go change into it, and put your shoes in the shoebox by the entrance. Put mine in too while you're there. The owner of this place will be coming by soon with a meal for me—we're going to have to apologize and tell him you're my cousin or something that I forgot to mention would be joining me when I first booked this space. I'm going back to the shower to dry off my hair and get dressed. Don't mess with anything."

I doubt she'll listen to that last command, but I can hope. I turn around, walking back to the shower.

"Holy Grail War, Ludwig the second...She must have gone digging through my things before finding that handkerchief. Claiming she's some long-gone king, too. Did she go looking through my things, find my name, and decide that we should go searching for some mystic cup?"

Weird. But, if she's convinced she's King Ludwig, that's probably why she was hoping I'd be a woman despite being named Arthur. That's the only explanation I can find that explains this ridiculous circumstance.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze

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"I'll just take the Niyar's word for it. How far out is Erich's place from the castle, anyways?"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze

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Fionn turned as well, barely a step behind Cyrus as they started to head out for the Demonbreaker's estate. "Aye. I worry sometimes she might be a bit wasted on me, but at least she's got Nicomede when she needs to work with someone with more magic in their blood. At least Fiadh's managed to help me catch up some there." That was when she wasn't having to tell him to quit scratching at the new, scar-like mark she'd left in his palm.

"Has that laurel tree always been in the garden here? She said it was old when she first saw it. I didn't expect it to be here, too, honest."

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

Fionn MacKerracher

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@Raineh Daze

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"He does sword and magic too, aye? Lilette's busy with the captain and Parv's...Well, y'know."

It was a good thought. Who better to train with than the supposedly kindly old man who was also a very dangerous, skilled knight, with skills similar to Fionn's own? He was already grinning at the thought of what practice with the man would be like.

"I've never been to the Cazt estate. No clue what it looks like."