Reserved at havenrpg.

[swordedpast]

Another horror game? Really? Man, I'm stuck with an aspiring sadist here. But you should give up already. You must know it, but you can't make things much worse for me.

Well, there's nothing for it. This time you want me to come from Sakura's route, so I'll be used to horror. Monsters? Hah, I don't think they can compare to that shadow, or to Saber once she's come out of the mud.

It's a pain, but just let me keep my remaining arm. I'll still fight.

Comments

[puppy_lancer]

...Good luck.

[He can't really say much else about that. It sounded like a real pain.]

[swordedpast]

You think I can count on luck? You're mistaken.

[puppy_lancer]

Oh come on, it's not E-rank, is it?

[Lancer, on the other hand, has a very respectable D-rank luck stat. As long as he has a tsundere to bum off of, at least.]

And even if you can't count on luck, you can count on skill, right?

[Though seeing how Archer's swords sucked...]

[swordedpast]

[A snort, and he declines to answer that question.]

Of course. Skill is the only thing I can count on. Well, it'll be tough to fight like I usually do for a while, but I'll manage somehow.

[puppy_lancer]

For a while? You sound confident that you'll get some way to fix that problem. How did something get close enough to take an arm from you anyways?

[swordedpast]

I don't know about fixing it, but I'll adapt.

You're mistaken. Nothing took the arm. I gave it away.

[puppy_lancer]

[His mouth drops open.]

What the fuck? You gave away your arm in the middle of a Grail War?

[He stares at Archer, wondering if the other Servant is crazy, or maybe even stupider than Lancer is.]

[gandere]

Are you really only going to show up with one arm? What a pain, what a pain indeed. I'm going to have to really make up for the slack, aren't I?

[swordedpast]

It seems natural. What's given can't be taken back. I just hope that kid made good use of it.

It's true you'll be busy, Rin. Can you bear it?

[gandere]

It won't be a problem for me. That place has a lot of my former allies already, so I'm not concerned with what might happen.

You did know that, didn't you? Hm, it'll be problematic if my mun chooses to keep my memories too. [ A sigh. ] As for Shirou--[ Yay first name basis. ]--well, you'll see soon enough if we run into one.

[swordedpast]

Your former allies...? They must be strange people, to show up in a place like this.

I can't keep up with you if you have those memories, you know. I might be left in the dust.

[gandere]

They're a strange lot, but my apprentice will be there. One of them at least. I'm not sure if the other one will join us unfortunately. I should introduce the two of you, but ah, she's into older men.

[ She has a daddy complex, Rin. Not older men. ]

Those memories would be really troublesome, but there's almost two years worth. I'd be an adult, you know.

[swordedpast]

I've no doubt I can survive her...hmmm?

I'll believe you're an adult when I see it.

[gandere]

It's true. [ Despite the town keeping her as a "teenager" for most of that stay. ] I had to go through my final year high school an additional two times in my life. In fact, it was probably your fault that the town did that to me.

Even if my mun tries to take responsibility for it.

[logic_and_magic]

Join the rest of the club with muns being sadists.

[swordedpast]

I'm not really much of a club person.

[logic_and_magic]

Sadly I do not think you have much of a choice like the rest of us.

[swordedpast]

Heh, just when I'd been thinking of getting used to having a choice again.

[logic_and_magic]

Like I said, we are all in the same boat.

guess who

[obscures]

Remaining arm...?

[She says it with the perfect, masterfully faked combination of dawning comprehension and subsequent concern - but beneath it is nothing but idle interest.]

Maybe you should leave the fighting to others, if you're really headed to a place like....that.

[Trepidation is allowed to color her tone after that calculated pause.]

a trubbish?!

[swordedpast]

[He has no reason not to swallow her concern...for now.]

Wow, do you think? I don't. Hah, don't worry. I promise I can still fight.

who gave a trubbish a laptop, that's a terrible idea

[obscures]

[A shake of the head, a gesture that appears to only exhibit more concern (and perhaps a touch of exasperation) rather than the small seed of disdain being gradually nurtured behind the mask. Which is pretty stupid, she acknowledges with ease if not an ounce of care - she's seen thousands of stubborn warriors over the centuries, and they had doomed themselves from the start by being so thickheaded. They were more worthy of indifference than contempt....but it felt good, in a twisted and hollow way, to hate them all the same.]

You sound like the type who doesn't want to give up easily. [And that's being generous.] Sorry, but it's hard not to worry about someone like that.

[swordedpast]

[It's almost a shame that she hides her contempt--it's something Archer could readily agree with, or at least had been able to readily agree with, once. Now, he's not so sure.]

Do I?

[His smile is weary.]

That might be so. But will you stop worrying if I tell you I've already died a few times? I can handle it.

[obscures]

[Perhaps she could sympathize with that tired grin, in some small and denied way, if she wasn't so worn down herself.

The way her eyebrows shoot up and threaten to disappear into the fringe of her bangs do a marvelous job of expressing the surprise that Lysandra doesn't truly feel. That's an interesting thing to hear, certainly - it's even enough to put her somewhat on guard beneath the illusion of empathy. But only out of cold pragmatism and sheer force of habit, not fear. If things somehow exploded out of control and escalated into a fight, it would end in either victory for her or yet another teasing glimpse of death right before the goddess that held her leash yanked her back from the brink of that merciful oblivion.

She makes a show of collecting herself, and then-]

...Well, you have to admit, the fact that you've died at least once already doesn't paint the most optimistic picture of your current chances. [She crosses her arms and fixes him with a steady, but not unkind sort of look.] You're not stubborn enough to deny that, are you?

[swordedpast]

[He offers her an amused, defeated grin.]

I'm pretty stubborn. Anyway, all it means is that I'm used to it, not that taking me down is easy. So relax.

[And he says something strange, because she seems like a nice young woman.]

You probably can't convince me not to protect you.