sweethymns | ғaтe/alт.dιѕтorтιon

[Ai Thao hasn't been having the best day. Obviously. But the extra sleep has been helping and... Well, she hears Lien and the noises in the kitchen. She doesn't catch the conversation that occurred of course. The domestic sounds are comforting her, making the sickness settle and bearable.

When Lien wakes her up, she sits up, rubbing her eye. Looking at the tray, she pauses at the sight of the porridge.]

... That's all??

[Diarmuid can probably hear Lien laugh and replying something along the lines of, "Want some soup with your sauce?"]

[ He relaxes when Lien leaves to go give Ai her food, deflating just slightly to settle against the counter and pull a hand through his hair. Heaving a light breath, he closes his eyes and listens to the voices in the other room, eases the tension in his shoulders a bit more when he hears laughter, and then goes to settle on one of the chairs in the living room.

It's not his intention to brood— again, a knight should never trouble their Master because of personal trouble— but he looks a little younger than he does when his stoicism wins over, head resting back against cushions to give himself a little comfort. ]

[The conversation grows hushed as the sounds of utensils and porridge consumption take over. It was normal, warm, with Lien obviously causing bumps in the conversation by just being... her.

There's an air of somberness half an hour later... Lien's listening to Ai's troubles, about the golden Servant in the church and how she truly cares for Diarmuid's well being... And then the dream. From that point on, the conversation is obscured somehow and the quiet takes over in the bedroom instead; there's something more natural than sinister, however.

Later, Lien (after telling her sister to sleep a little longer) exits the room with the tray with empty dishes and cups, bringing it over to the sink. As the water runs, she readjusts one of her gloves with a thoughtful look on her face.]

Edited 2014-12-29 09:09 (UTC)

[ When Lien comes back in, Diarmuid sits back up: a hunting dog whose ears prick up when someone gets close. He hears the sound of running water and moves back towards the kitchen, standing a little behind his guest to announce his presence. ]

...Do you need help?

[ Polite as always. ]

Oh! Hey, there.

[She looks back and forth between the sink and her gloves; with a sigh, she nods.]

If it's not too much trouble... Taking these on and off is annoying. Mildly, but annoying nonetheless.

I couldn't let my Master's guest do so much of the housework. Make yourself at home.

[ A gesture towards one of the chairs, before he rolls up his sleeves to his elbows and turns the water on; surprisingly domestic for a knight. ]

[Lien takes a seat, lifting up her legs so she's sitting cross legged on it instead. As Diarmuid takes care of the dishes, she's thinking...]

... Say. You don't happen to have a wish to make, do you?

[ There's a moment of silence before he breaks it of his own volition, even if the answer to that question is meant to be something private. ]

It's been granted. The powers of the Grail itself has fulfilled my wish— to serve under a Master, to fulfill my Master's purpose.

["... Do you want to tell me what happened in your dream?"

Ai said nothing, but she slowly revealed her hand to her sister. Lien takes off her glove and gently curls her fingers around Ai's. There is no noticeable change in prana for this was an allowance Ai gave her sister when words could not suffice.

It doesn't take long. She doesn't need to know names or hear the words. Seeing was enough. She lets go of Ai's hand, giving no words of comfort or disdain. What was important was not the past, but the broken dream that occurred afterward...

Lien sighs. There's no way she could broach the topic delicately, not with the way she is.]

Nothing more, or nothing less, is that it? You're certainly something.

[ Somehow, her words strike something in him, an exposed nerve, an unclosed wound. His reply is a bit sharper than he'd like. ]

Is it so difficult to believe?

[ "why don't you understand"—

—he wills it down, a deep frown cutting into his features. ]

[Cue a confused blink or two from her.]

What? No. I don't have a reason to not believe you. Hell, I don't think I'd buy it if it was from anyone else.

[She crosses her arms, one of her fingers tapping her elbow.]

Wishes are a weird beast to deal with in my opinion.

[ His outburst confuses him, makes him grip the edge of the sink a little too hard. Where did that indignation come from?

But he goes back to his work, taking care not to break any of the dishes as he dries them and sets them on the rack. ]

...I don't often find myself relying upon wishes. But the Grail itself is a miracle— it granted mine without my asking for it.

Well, at least it's something done right. And with a Master like Ai... [She closes her eyes and leans back in her seat.]

... She'll be a splendid magus one day.

[ ...Huh. The topic change is welcome, and he smiles a bit to himself as he finishes the last of his chores. ]

You both say the same thing about each other.

[ must be a twin thing ]

[TWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN]

... Silly.

[She says this gruffly, but not without fondness.]

She actually puts in effort though.

Miss Ai sees potential in you.

[ He wonders to what extent he's allowed to divulge this; it seems forward of him to say too much when she should be the one to come clean about her own feelings, someday.

So he stops there, wipes his hands, and turns towards Lien with a humble, but knowing half-quirk of a brow. ]

Perhaps you two will talk about it at length, eventually.

[She blinks because she realizes how much Ai must have confided in Diarmuid. While her sister wasn't without acquaintances (she was better at making those), people like them, who barely had a past or an origin found it harder to make connections.]

... She really trusts you that much, huh?

[ A beat, where he considers whether or not he should have said anything at all. ]

...If her confiding in me is an indication of her trust, I would be happy to consider it so.

We'll always have each other. That part is inevitable. But outside of that...

[Lien straightens out her legs and starts fidgeting with her long braid instead.]

... I don't think it's good to just depend on each other exclusively. That's no way for her to live. It's why this War is so strange.

It's like we're learning how to wish it seems.

Edited 2014-12-30 02:22 (UTC)

[ That also seems like something private, best shared between siblings— but he can also consider it as Lien thinking aloud. He's not sure to what extent his input is required, but he answers with some conviction. ]

As a Servant, then, it's my duty to see that wish fulfilled. My young Master should have the audacity to wish as much as she wants.

[ And, as an addendum: ]

Though I also hope that it doesn't bar yours from also being fulfilled.

[She's about to say, "I don't have a wish." Because that was true, at first.

"Find someone you can do this with someday, okay?"

Something was changing.]

... I don't know.

It feels like, the more you wish, the more you suffer.

[Maybe that's why Ai was hurting so much.]

Fate works in strange ways.

[ He knows. The cards he's been dealt have never been particularly good, but suffering aside, he's seen people wish.

And, to an extent, he wants to think that he's granted one, too— that his choice saw Grainne's wish through. ]

It's no crime to wish for happiness.

["If he's happy serving someone like me, than that's more than I deserve."

Lien has to resist the urge to roll her eyes as she runs a brush through Ai Thao's hair.

"Hopeless. I thought you two were suited to be Master and Servant, but it turns out you're too similar for this to work."

Ai cracks a smile.

"Not at all. I'm incredibly selfish. I kept what I knew about him to myself and then greedily took in the moments he says he'll stay loyal to me, no matter what."

"And you're happy, just with that? Are you sure it's not the..."

"I have trouble telling to be honest."

"That's no good."

"I know."

Ai Thao is looking more well rested and the sunlight casts a warm yellow glow in the room. Lien thinks that despite having an identical face, her sister has the air of a fairy; ethereal yet grounded at the same time.

"And even if it was, natural or not, what would I do? After what I saw, what good would it do for him?"

"So you'd be unhappy if he was unhappy?"

A long and quiet pause.

"Mm. I don't think it's any more complicated than that."

Hopeless.]

[Lien stands up and stretches her arms.]

I think she'll wake up in about another hour or two. You should check up on her when she does.

[A beat and she shakes her finger at Diarmuid]

And don't go on about how you feel like it's your fault she's stressed. As the elder twin, I don't want any of that nonsense.

Edited 2014-12-30 03:20 (UTC)

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