sweethymns | ғaтe/alт.dιѕтorтιon ii

[ Continued From Here ]

[A day or two has passed since the clash at Ryuudou Temple. For Ai Thao, that battle had a somewhat sobering effect on her and during the day, when she wasn't taking care of mundane errands or writing a letter back to her instructor, she would stop by the temple grounds, as if wanting to check on the young boy who was no longer a Master. Ai didn't mention that specific purpose, but it didn't need explanation. Another plan of hers was to go and give Lien a visit and catch up, now that Rider was out of the picture as well...

✣ ✣ ✣

... If only the weather were more agreeable. The rainclouds that had persisted since that night had only gotten bolder and darker. The news on television reported a coming storm of sorts and that there would be an unusual amount of strong rainfall that would last the entire day. And rain and rain it did.

It's evening and Ai is sitting at the kitchen table, with some pen and paper, in the middle of writing another letter while enjoying some hot tea. She's the very image of a calm and serene young woman lost in thought.

Outside, there's the low rumble of thunder. And then the lights flicker. The scratching of pen on paper ceases for a few seconds before resuming.

Then there's a large crack of lighting that follows and it is so loud and so strong that the lights in the house and in most of Miyama completely shut down. Inside the house, there's a sharp yell in the dark and rustling movement of a chair sliding across the room. The house has darkened and Ai is...

Hey, where did she go??]

Edited 2015-02-18 03:15 (UTC)

[ LIEN... ]

Close your eyes, then. Or don't, you can ruin your own surprise if you want to.

[ A laugh, and he sets off, and not slowly— he should be a little more discreet, given that there may be stragglers around, but he trots with a playful urgency, navigating dark corners and quiet alleys with the ease of a hunting dog.

He moves away from Shinto, towards the quieter part of Fuyuki where nature prevails and the lights are few and far between, towards trees and forests that cover the expanse of land.

He finally slows down when the trees thin and the sky can be seen from the gaps in the leaves, stars brilliant in inky-black and illuminating a row of tall-growing flowers. ]

Sasanquas. [ Is what he says, pointing to the brilliant pinks surrounding the area. He only found out what they were by picking one and bringing it to the florist in town, out of curiosity. Strangely good with flowers, Cu Chulainn... ] Want to know what they represent?

Edited 2015-02-18 02:59 (UTC)

[She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but Lien wasn't sure if anything she thought of was going to land on the mark anyways. When they arrive in the forest, there's a sense of mystery that intrigues her, wondering what he was going to show her.

Flowers? Huh. Definitely not the first thing on her mind. She does appreciate the quiet nighttime scenery around them though and she blinks when he asks her the question.]

I'm not too big on the meaning of most flowers.

... They're really beautiful though.

[ He's a guy that appreciates the trials of nature, what can he say... Setting Lien down, he breathes in the fresh air and settles down on the grass, more at home settled on dirt than concrete.

His answer is simple, flat but with a tinge of knowing: ]

"Strength in the face of adversity", "earnest strength", "endearing".

[Oh.

Ohhhhh.

OHHHHHHH.

Lien's surprise is quiet but visible on her face. She instinctively reaches up to take off her glasses and turn her attention to polishing the lenses with her opposite palm as if wanting to avoid looking at Cu directly.]

That's... Hm.

[She's not sure how to reply!]

Being able to grow despite the surroundings is a strength in itself. I guess??

[ Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, a warrior of Fianna, in his days of respite; what do knights do on their off days, anyway? Train? Survey the area? Act with due diligence?

He does do all of these things at various points during the two days post-fight, but the rainy day has him cooped inside, and...

...yes, sewing Ai's choker back together. Don't ever doubt that he was a husband at one point in his life, he has domestic skills. Everything is relatively peaceful, and the only sound in the room is the quiet shuffle of paper and the rustle of fabric, until. Well.

The thunder doesn't startle him as much as the yell does, and he instinctively sets needle and thread aside to get up (blindly, but he has good spacial recognition) scan his eyes in the darkness, and call out for Ai: ] —Master? The lights...

[ Modern technology is so confounding. ]

You "guess". Try to sound a little more convinced next time.

[ A snort, but he walks over to one of the flowers, removes it from its perch and comes back with it so he can put it in her hair. There. ]

Always keep moving forward, little lady.

[Silence. She does reply soon after, but her voice is muffled slightly.]

Y-Yes. There's not much we can do about the lights now.

[There's some movement from the kitchen.]

I think there should be some candles in one of the unused rooms we can light up... [BOOM. Thunder followed by another strike of lighting sounds off and Ai sounds fairly distressed!]

WAAAHH!! [Wherever she is, she retreats again.]

OW!!

[Aaaand she bumped her head.]

[ Ah... he's seen this reaction before, he knows the signs. He also knows that he reasonably shouldn't embarrass her by suggesting that she's afraid (let's be real, she is), but he does follow the trail of sounds to where Ai might be hiding (is she under the table...?).

He kneels near the steady sound of her breathing, trying to catch a glimpse of the outline of her figure in the dark. The flash of lightning might help him, but it won't help her nerves. ]

I could go find us some light, but...

[ ...and he's interrupted by another loud crackle and boom of thunder, how rude of mother nature. ]

[Ah.

His words and the action of putting the flower in her hair does something to her. She feels warm. It's her cheeks and she reaches up to cover them.(Trying to read herself??)]

... Am I really getting better?

[Cause honestly, she's feeling a little weak right now, but in a way she's not sure she understands!]

Edited 2015-02-18 07:28 (UTC)

[ He takes a moment to think about that, or, well. He pretends to, with his back against a tree and his legs thrown out in front of him, crossed at the ankles.

His expression is carefully neutral, but he breaks it with one of his Cheshire grins, wide and slightly unsettling to some but mostly calm this time around. ]

When I snuck up on you the first day, you almost threw a plate at my head.

[ Exaggeration, but the point he's trying to make is: ] And now you're letting me put flowers in your hair, so I'd say that that's a damn big improvement.

[The flash of lightning, does show her figure halfway curled up and her hands covering her ears.

Rain isn't a problem. Thunder and lightning is a different story. She recalls blackouts in Vietnam, nights alone in the big house in England where Lien was also away and being instructed by her benefactor while Sensei had his own business. She was alone, in a house that was too big for her, having to retreat to under the covers while the sky would rage and make the windows rattle while everything was dark and unforgiving...

When the storm rudely interrupts Diarmuid, she reaches out to grasp his fingers. It's dark, so it's harder to see her frightened look.]

... I'll go with you.

[Yeah. Why IS she letting him do that?

The first few days, she barely spoke a word to him. And now here they are. She trusted him with her life. Lien has found herself reaching out for him with her own hands, making actual casual contact leaning on him, a literal pillar of support, and someone she shows all of her sides to. The good, the bad, the new...

And now? Friends.

... She walks over to where he stands and makes a gesture with her hand as if trying to measure.]

...

Nope. I haven't grown an inch.

[ It's impossible for him to separate his chivalry from himself, and when she takes a hold of his hand and he feels the slight tremble in her fingers, he obliges without a second thought. Her smaller hand is practically buried in his palm, strong fingers curling securely around her wrist to keep her grounded (or at least, he hopes). ]

You misspoke, just now. You'll lead, and I'll follow.

[ Because he still doesn't want to patronize her, and she's the one that knows where the candles are. ]

Y-Yeah...

[She carefully moves out from under the table, while still holding his hand and then leads him to the hallway... Man, it's dark...]

I'm... I'm just so bad with thunderstorms.

Edited 2015-02-18 07:51 (UTC)

[ He watches her do her height-check, and tilts his head, trying to figure out what she's going for. ]

How about around here?

[ Makes a gesture to her general...chest area... terrible. But he knows, he knows she's still working on it, being with people, not keeping them at arm's length— he knows, so he'll tease her about it. ]

[ It's dark, the rain sounds like bullets on the roof, and there's another clap of thuder before the room is flooded, for a moment, with light.

He pulls a little closer to Ai, but not too close that it'd be hard for her to walk. ]

As long as we're indoors, it'll be fine.

Hey, hey. I thought we agreed not to talk about that.

[She puts her hands on her hips, pretending to look cross.]

Besides, if we're talking about being "endearing" maybe it's not so bad I'm the way I am now.

[... The thought of hoping he'd stop calling her a "kid" later suddenly crosses her, but she shakes it off.]

[She squeezes her eyes shut, but only for a second and she holds back the urge to tremble at the clap of thunder.

The room that houses extra supplies is found soon enough and Ai opens it up. She uses her nose to sniff out where the candles are because she knows her teacher was fond of scented candles and would keep plenty around.]

Ah, here they are. We can light these up at the stove and set the candles up around the kitchen.

[She lets go of Diarmuid's hand, to take a few candles from the nearby shelf that was at her height level.]

Let's see, there's the rose, herbal lemon, apple cinnamon... Ah, lavender...

[THERE IT IS AGAIN...]

"Maybe it's not so bad", huh.

[ He laughs, breezy and light, before nudging her side gently with an elbow. ]

That's where you're supposed to say "I'm endearing, so shut up and take notice".

... Notice what?

[LIIIIIIIEN.]

[ He watches her go through the supplies with slight curiosity; the Grail's given him practical knowledge, but that's still different from seeing the actual object in question.

Reaching over Ai's shoulder, he takes the lavender candle, turning it over in his hands. ]

You like this scent.

Edited 2015-02-23 00:12 (UTC)

[ LIEN!! ]

...That you're cute? What, you're gonna make me say it?

[She blinks at his remark as he takes the candle... Ah... Ai quickly busies herself with the matches she found nearby and striking up a light to get two candles lit.]

It's one of my favorites, yes. The scent is relaxing and I think the flower it originates from is lovely too.

[There! Two candles are lit up and she holds them both.]

I'll take these two to the kitchen and you can bring several more. We'll light them up there.

ғaтe/alт.dιѕтorтιon ii

lιen ĸнa + cú cнυlaιnn

aι тнao ĸнa + dιarмυιd υa dυιвнne

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