dear_mun | On voice testing and musebox plans

Sir Bedivere... From the moment our accounts have been made, we are under the shackles of our mundanes.

...Sir Lancelot.

[A nod of acknowledgment, it had been a while since he last saw him, and even then it was not on a good term.]

I am well aware of that, however, he had crossed the line this time.

After everything that has transpired, to be forced to serve another... I wish only the best for your future endeavors.

And you as well.

Your mun seeks to place you in the Holy Grail War as well?

...My lord!

[...How long had it been since he last saw his- no, her face? He can't remember but it had been far too long.]

That is what the conflict is called, yes.

Please. We are beyond that at this point. If you are to be a Heroic Spirit then we are as equals now. You may address me as 'Saber' instead. [Another in the War who will know of her past, who will know of her failure to be a proper King, who could not hate her for it. Perhaps this is what Lancelot had meant by her own forgiveness being the most painful thing of all.]

I could never call you that.

[Calling her with her class name means that he'd given in to the fact that she is an opponent to him and his Master.

Anything to put it at bay would be a good thing.]

[She doesn't like it any more than he does. It had been one thing when it'd simply been her trying to atone for her Kingdom's fall, but Bedivere? The man who had been by her side at the bitter end?

If his Master does not prove to be of the Honorable sort there is no justice in the world. She will likely take him out herself to save Bedivere the agony of not having a proper match against her.]

But I am no longer your Lord.

[She pauses, thinking for a moment. Being called that by one of her Knights hurts too much, and it is Bedivere. Perhaps, in this space, it would be all right?]

Then you may call me Arturia while we are in this place.

You will always be mine, regardless of anything that happened.

[...While he is averse to calling his lord by name, he supposed this one time would... be good for her psyche.]

As you wish, Arturia.

[This still feels odd, though.]

[It is weird to hear anyone but Cei call her by that name and Cei was more likely to call her 'Wart' than anything else. To hear it from Bedivere's lips?

Perhaps it was not such a good idea to be so insistent on it.]

Your loyalty to me is most generous, Bedivere. I thank you for it, even at a time such as this.

[Gee, you think? That name felt as foreign as it usually feels when Cei decided to be all serious and call his king that at times.]

You are welcome, Arturia.

[/awkward.jpg]

[So. Damn. Awkward. She'd almost prefer Cei calling her 'the Wart' all the time.]

How have you fared so far? [POWERING THROUGH THE AWKWARDNESS, EFF YEAH!]

I have been faring well, so far.

[At the very least, the time spent resting in his mun's headspace was a peaceful one.]

And you?

I am doing well, though my mun has plans for myself. [Locking her in a Tower, of all the absurd things.]

Ah, I've heard parts of it.

[Of her own war, as well as the Tower, but not much of them to discern whether they're harmful to her or not.]

I would imagine so. Our mundanes do speak to one another quite often.

[Ohgod how much does he knoooow? She doesn't want to worry him more than she has to.]

That they do.

[Not much, other than the tower is dangerous, and the Holy Grail War is causing her to experience immense pressure on her mind.]

I wish you well on wherever you're going, Arturia.

['Pressure' isn't the half of it. Try 'all out psychological war on the Once and Future King' AKA 'the reason why Masters should not let people know who the hell they're going to summon ahead of time.']

You need not worry about me, but thank you. Please do me proud as a knight and.... friend. [why is the last word so awkward to say? She'd called the knights friends before. Maybe it's just how their last meeting happened that has it feel strange. Or maybe, just maybe, because she knows, after all the pain and betrayal, he truly is her friend.]

[...She considered him a friend.

That sentence alone was enough to lighten his burden somewhat, as despite his refusal to throw the blade into the lake, she still considers him a comrade.]

...I will.

[Even if it went against her wishes, she completely understood his refusal to return Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. If the situation had been reversed she knows her hesitation would have been the same, despite how closed off and ruthless she could be on the battlefield.

She gives Bedivere a small smile. If she were anyone else, she might have hugged him, but she is a King, or was once a King, and he was her knight. This might be a situation far removed from home, but it's impossible to act truly friendly with one another. At least, not at this juncture when both of them are only just learning who she truly is beneath it all.]

I have a feeling that even if I did not ask that you would.

Going against a mun's wishes never works.

[Now, twisting the wording of that wish to give them as much trouble as possible...]

And hey, she plans on playing you somewhere right?

In a place that forces me to fight against my king.

[And possibly under a jerkass Master too.]

So? See it as a game. Haven't you ever wanted to fight your friends just once to see who's stronger?

...

[Perhaps, he had a yearning for that when the Knight of the Rounds were still together.

But after seeing everything, the only he thing he wished for is the end of conflicts between the knights.

He knew it was a tall dream, but maybe...

No, the Grail was never real, how could he fight for something that doesn't really exist.]

Maybe, but that desire has long passed.

...Did you kill one of them or something?

[Thinking about that...brings up some bad memories. He almost regrets talking to the man in the first place.]

No, I...

[Watched as everyone died or left around him, leaving him alone in the end.]

Saw endless conflicts between themselves.

Huh? Is that it? Doesn't mean you can't still be friends with them. Look, even if you're trying to rip each other's throats out in battle, it's only natural to stop and get a drink with them when you're not fighting if they're people you personally like. This ruler of yours--you like her, right? Even if you're on different sides, doesn't mean you can't be buddies.

[...He raised a good point there. But for Bedivere, who had literally spent a part of his life being King Arthur's body guard, the mere thought of being on opposing sides was enough to shut him down.]

...

...I suppose you do have a point.

[Though, he supposes its not going to be as simple as engaging her in combat and breaking down into her fort just to have a drink with her.]

If you do this right, this can even be a bonding exercise. See, warriors like me--we tend to talk with our weapons and fists. Maybe if you fight her in single combat, you can find out stuff about her that you've never known before.

[He gives Bedivere a big grin.]

...

[...At the very least, the prospect of facing his own king on equal grounds was something he never got to experienced back in Camelot.

Perhaps even though the situation is still bleak, there's some silver lining to it.]

...Perhaps... yes, that would be interesting, at the very least.

I knew you'd come around and see the good part of this.

[He claps the other hero on the back.]

Speaking of drinks, wanna go off and get some of our own?

...Hm, that sounds like a pleasant idea to me.

[He might be a knight, but he sure does appreciate the act of drinking.

...

If only for the embarrassing stunts the others tend to pull when drunk.]

[And given Lancer's teenage mind, he's probably gonna end up pulling some very entertaining antics]

Ah... Bedivere. [ Spoken in the softest tone she can only have for him. ] Are you truly upset at the plan our mundanes have for us?

...While I am glad I could be reunited with you once more, I did not wish for it to be done in such a way.

Neither do I... Perhaps I can speak with your mundane about another alternative. One that is less heart-wrenching.

...mm, at this point, I don't think he is stepping down from his decision.

So that is how it will be between the two of us then? I thought our ending to be sublime, but...

...

[He is silent as her words brought him to reminisce about her very last moment, that peaceful face of hers, and of course, her continuation of her own dream.]

At the very least, you saw the ending of your dream, did you not?

In one of the many worlds I have visited... yes. [ Let's just neglect the fact she's dead in that one. ] I wonder if I will have the chance to see you reach your own dream in return.

...Just with this alone, I have reached it, my lord.

[Going to just give her a smile.]

Just by this mere encounter in this community? Interesting.

After all, my only dream was...

[Hang on, corny line incoming.]

To see you smile and at peace, my lord.

On voice testing and musebox plans

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject