sweethymns | ғaтe/alт.dιѕтorтιon

[ Siblings as they may be, Diarmuid is only prepared to take commands from one person— his Master— and so he glances at Lien for only a moment before deferring his attention back towards Ai Thao, silently waiting for her to come to a decision about the matter and instruct him accordingly. ]

... [Ai turns to Diarmuid giving him an affirmative nod.]

Please go check the floor to see what she said was true. If so, start bringing them down to safety.

[The hard edge of her voice has softened and she even looks a little humbled.

No matter what her reasons were (and she had a damning feeling that it was also unwitting or spontaneous), Lien was still herself- she'd take responsibility when it mattered.]

[ A soft laugh, and Cu gestures for Diarmuid to follow him. Both of them are abundantly aware that this isn't a trap, so the motion is made with an air of amiability. ]

Come on, Good-Looking.

[ He says, to which Diarmuid looks mildly dubious before following the man in blue up and through the ceiling, towards the kids. ]

[Lien watches the two Servants leaping up and lets out a low whistle.]

At least they got this covered, right Ai? Imagine going up all those floors with broken stairs...

Ai?

[Her sister is silent. And... pouting? Lien grins.]

You were ready to get all serious weren't you? Ah, well. I guess you're not surprised, after seeing the news and all.

[Another bind. Another wave of endless and hard to name emotions. Ai Thao's glad about the children of course. They were safe and they would return home the next morning if all went well. Maybe she was disappointed she didn't get there first; Lien was right about how this matter was too important for either of them to ignore it, but she had wanted to do her part. She really did feel envious which kind of made it worse since she sincerely wanted the children to be safe.

And here was her elder twin, the one who pushed magic away, and yet running into danger headfirst like a hypocritical idiot. But Ai knows she's always been that way; a "whatever will be, will be" sort of woman even in the face of her dislikes. And sometimes, that's what drove her to do the right thing.

Ai Thao finally answers, crossing her arms, but not without a small smile despite her stern tone.]

I still have a few questions I need to ask you Lien. Holy Grail aside, this War and all the mechanics have been highly irregular. So I hope you have answers because I barely have any.

[Lien raises a brow as she leans against a nearby wall.]

Well, I don't think I'd have a lot of answers myself to be perfectly honest. Bet you can answer this one I've got for you though?

[Ai Thao looks at her blinking, a non-verbal way of saying, "What?"]

Tell me why is it that I simultaneously want to make out and or uppercut your Servant's face? Seriously, I'm super confused because I'm absolutely sure I already went through puberty-...

[AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH]

Edited 2014-12-09 07:06 (UTC)

[ Meanwhile, during the process of moving the children back down, Cu Chulainn's hazarded a guess about who he's talking to, a conversation that went largely like:

"you're the Ua Duibhne kid, aren't you— 'Diarmuid of the Shining Face'? good to see that they still had a few good eggs left back in Ireland."
"another Heroic Spirit from Ireland...? then that would make you—"
"the Hound of Chu—"
"—the Child of Light? Unbelievable..."
"...ah, yeah, it's been a while since anyone's called me that."

Accordingly, Diarmuid looks...well, brighter than before (if that's at all possible), and he beams at his senior Spirit when he sets a few of the kids he'd been carrying gently down onto the ground. ]

If the opportunity presents itself, it would be an honor to lock blades with you.

[ whoa whoa what happened here

but with the task largely finished, Diarmuid moves back towards Ai Thao, still...beaming... look at that face. ]

[Sorry, she's just dealing with this thing called an older sister...!!!]

-... NO, I don't feel like wanting to kiss and then hitting someone!!!!

[... Oh, hi dudes. Ai's face turns red when she sees that the two of them are back and OH GOD DIARMUID NO. NOT ONLY DID THEY CATCH THAT HIS FACE IS TOO PURE FOR HER.

And so she hides behind Lien who waves to them looking triumphant for fulfilling the awful sibling quota.]

[ Well. ]

[ A beat, and Cu's lips curl up, as do his shoulders, in mock-exasperation. ]

You hear that, kid? Both our Masters are coming on to us.

[Behind Lien, Ai Thao looks mortified and waves her hands back and forth in a NONONONONONONONONO fashion. Lien. Just takes it in stride and makes a quick count of the children to make sure they're all accounted for, before retorting.]

I'll get back to you on how that's going in another week if we last that long. Right now though... [She waves one hand as if trying to make a measurement. And then shakes her head.]

Yeah, not feeling it.

[ This is...puzzling. Diarmuid blinks, looks back and forth between Lien and Ai and Cu, and then heaves a quiet laugh of his own. ]

I've already been told, "absolutely not".

[ It's a light retort, as polite as ever. ]

[Oh, good. At least Lien's own resistance to magic was almost about as good (probably because of her prana that was in constant motion; she was still affected and yet (terribly) aware of the charm). She composes herself enough to stand up and face everyone.]

W-We have other matters to discuss. I'll take care of notifying the local authorities so the children can be returned in a few hours without me being tracked.

And WE... [Points to herself and Lien] Need to talk about how there's both of YOU. [Points to the Lancers.]

I don't think it needs to be said, but we're obviously in a truce right now. Understood?

Some war this is, huh.

[ His voice is a low breeze, almost like a hum, before he relents to the proffered truce. He has a feeling that "no" isn't an answer, no matter how much he'd like to see how good Diarmuid is with his lances.

The circumstances seem different, anyway; there aren't supposed to be two of a Class, no matter how someone tries to play with the rules of this game. Until they figure out what's going on, he's fine with a little fooling around.

So, amiably— he lets Gae Bolg fade, puts his hands on his hips, and waits. ]

Yes, m'am.

[Lien has to fight back the urge to yawn after her sister has said her piece.]

Let's get going though; my place, since I live nearby.

↬↬

[The important things are taken care of and the police sirens can be heard late at night as they rush over to retrieve the missing children. Everything else would have to run its course.

Right now, Lien has guests to treat! Well, two guests and the temporary spirit familiar roommate. The walk back home was more or less uneventful, but Lien had made a stop along the way for some reason...

And she holds up a box from a patisserie, looking extremely cheerful.]

I forgot, we didn't have dessert after dinner! And besides, what better time is there for cake, then VICTORY cake???

[Ai Thao here will just. Sit down at the table shaking her head at Lien.]

[ More and more, Diarmuid feels like they're getting farther from the actual point of the war itself— not that he can hold it against the young ladies, but a Master that buys cake for other Masters and their Servants? How perplexing.

Even more mystifying still is that Ireland's own Child of Light, a demigod of legend, is settling down in front of the dining room table, in full modern regalia, peering at that cake without much protest.

What is even going on anymore........ ]

As far as victory feasts go, it's modest.

[ He says, a bit dryly, though he stations himself behind Ai Thao without taking a seat. ]

[The first thought that comes up in Ai Thao's mind is how on the surface, Lien and her Servant seem to share the same relaxed attitude; one, while acknowledging the direness of the world around them, still found time to indulge themselves because it would be now or never.

Secondly, the Bounded Field...]

You've taught yourself how to make a good Bounded Field, didn't you, Chị.

[Lien shrugs, not bothering to confirm. In a few minutes, everyone has a hot cup of tea in front of them. The cake would remain untouched for now because it's clear Ai wants to get down to business.]

First thing's first... How long have you both been contracted with each other?

[ As much as Ai Thao seems to want to get to business, Cu is reaching to cut himself a slice of cake after they all settle. He might as well. ]

A couple of days. Four, five.

[ A good fourth of the cake is piled onto Cu's plate, and he sets it in front of himself languidly. ]

Don't get so uptight, little miss. Feasting's supposed to be a happy occasion, even with sworn enemies.

[Lien seems content to warm her gloved hands with her cup of tea and she leans forward, elbows on the table.]

Basically, it happened around the same time you first found the rifts, Ai. I got off the bus, it started raining, and I thought the area had an off feeling about it too.

That could be the reason behind my abrupt summoning. There was no formal ritual involved.

[ He says, from his vantage point against the wall. His own cup of tea is untouched, but he seems to relent halfway between his words and moves to sit down. ]

And our first encounter was also near a rift.

[Ai Thao, takes a sip of her tea, letting her mind settle.]

An irregular summoning and contracting is one thing, but those rifts are what worry me. It makes me wonder if the Holy Grail for this War is heavily flawed in its magic.

Probably. If it's not playing by the rules, chances are that something or someone's gone rogue.

[ Shoveling a good portion of that cake in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. ]

Either way, this isn't a real Grail War, that's for sure.

[Lien's finally cutting up the cake, giving an equal slice to both Diarmuid and Ai Thao before serving herself. She chews on a piece of fruit thoughtfully before adding:]

And this is why people like us aren't typically part of the ritual. For instance, do we even know where the Grail is supposed to appear once a victor comes out on top?

[A beat.]

There's the Church to answer to as well... [She makes a face.]

Edited 2014-12-10 02:47 (UTC)

Which begs the question of whether or not there are other Masters who similarly have very little knowledge of the current standings. A particularly experienced magus would have detected the irregularities fairly quickly on.

[ He pauses to warm his hands, and then appends: ]

The overseer of this War would have known before anyone, I would assume.

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