goshdarnspam | IT'S THAT VERY SPECIAL TIME AGAIN.

[And he bristles!]

Condolences? No need, my dear... Well, I suppose you're a person, no need whatsoever. I'm pleased to have attained my power in this realm.

[ With him caught in her grasp (or at least that of her holy fabric), Caren can get a better look at her catch. Something's wrong, terribly so, but she refrains from commenting on that in favor of the strained silence between the two. His age doesn't match up with her own and while that should bother her, she finds herself entranced by the man who appears every bit like her father should. ]

Father. [ If only she could place more emphasis on the "F" part of that. ] You are doing well for yourself.

[ The tone she takes to address him doesn't give away an ounce of emotion. Monotone, completely devoid of life like the look in her eyes. ]

Are you sure? Well, my dear, you would know, wouldn't you, if it's your city. Spoken like a true man of purpose.

[He gives a cutting glare, incisive and quick, before pulling back. Masking his internal thoughts.]

You seem like a fellow quite accustomed to hierarchy. Was that by choice, or imposed?

I think everyone's accustomed to hierarchy in one form or another. Can't really escape it, can we? Both, if you must know. Hospitals are a little notorious for that sort of thing.

[ Kirei is already too used to being behind in the years of the other citizens of Fuyuki who come here. Why should she be any exception?

He turns his arm in the grip of her cloth, picking up the slack as he approaches her in slow strides. ]

That is an early assumption.

[ And he is already making assumptions of his one: the tone of her voice is one thing which certainly was not inherited from her mother. ]

You've grown.

Ah.. Then, if I may? Then this -- [And he steps real close, right into Gideon's face.] Will be rather notoriously hospitable to you.

[ Gideon blinks slowly, not moving backward though his expression grows slightly perplexed. He tilts his head. ]

I'm not in the mood to play doctor. Really -- it's behind me now. Seems I have a whole new fresh start to figure out what to do with.

As people tend to in the years that pass us by. [ What a mature thing to say.

Not that it counts for much seeing as she's dressed in this manner. ] Isn't it sinful for you to lay eyes on a lady in these vestments?

[ he doesn't have the strength to cry out as he hits the ground, wheezing and still for several moments as he struggles to find the will to rise again. it's another thread of pain in a sea of pain, but he can't simply lie here; he's in the middle of a city.

the fact that there's someone else there doesn't even register at first-- at least, not until his hood is grasped and yanked away. he whines, a small, desperate noise, turning his face away in an attempt to hide. no. no, no, no, don't look at him, don't touch him, just leave him alone--

.. but. that voice. that voice is familiar. he freezes for several moments, breaths painful in his chest, short little gasps as his lungs struggle to support him. slowly, his good eye rolls up, the fingers of his good hand dragging against concrete and leaving small blood-trails as he fights not to try to right himself. not yet. because he knows this person. ]

.. Father..? [ his voice is weak and ragged, hoarse, but he can feel the hand on his chest, and-- it is so good to see a familiar face in this strange place. despite himself, he feels his vision blurring, and squeezes his good eye shut to hide the moisture. ] Y-You're here. I didn't-- think anyone else was.

[ he chokes down a distressed noise, some part of him realizing he'd nearly knocked someone else off their feet. ] I'm s-- I'm sorry, I-- [ his voice is little more than a pained gasp, but it's not as if he can just be silent about it. if he were steadier on his feet, if he wasn't so damaged, if he'd just been stronger.. but it's all pointless now.

he flinches at the contact, tugging his hood down lower over his face, swaying uncertainly on his good leg. he can't fall. he has to keep moving. he needs to.. find out where he's going. choose a destination. (find his way back to sakura.)

the question earns a startled, furtive glance back up at the other man, good eye searching the unfamiliar face. he doesn't know this person, does he? he's a new arrival, just like kariya. he has no idea where he's from or who he is, and can't this man see he's wasting his time and concern? can't he see how little of kariya actually remains?

(he's dead, he's dead, he's dead.)

his breath hitches, a pained little hiccup. his whole body feels like a single raw nerve, and he's so unused to positive contact that he keeps expecting a slap. ]

I-- Y-Yes. I-- I guess I.. don't remember arriving. [ shock, maybe. or brain damage. it's hard to tell with the crest worms. ]

Spoken like a man who's keen to flee something. [A casual observation and inference -- nothing psychologically probing. However.]

[Now that he's regained his balance, he's in a better position to assist, putting out a hand to steady Kariya as he sways. Kariya looks much nearer to death than he is. In fact, he looks like he's already on the other side of it.

What happened to this man? Kiritsugu wonders, assessing the damage. Oddly, he realizes that there's something familiar about this sight, but he can't tell if it's the nature of the man's ailment or the man himself that sparks something in his memory that he can't quite place. There are so many things he's put out of his head. Did one of the magi he'd killed do this to people? Yes, magi... It was something to do with them, though that tells him little, as so much of his life was once wrapped up in that world, in one way or another.

Not for the first time, he regrets being in his current state. And to think he used to want to be a hero. How can he help anyone when he can barely help himself? He has to try, that's all he can do. This person needs help, needs him. He does his best to put the pain out of his mind, offering Kariya a reassuring smile.]

It's a lot to go through. But you're not alone now. Listen. We'll try to get you some help, okay? What's your name? I'm Kiritsugu.

[ The relief on Kariya's face brings a twisted heat to Kirei's gut. Even in the very end, Kariya has never realized the pawn he was. He looks at Kirei now, and still sees his ally -- someone who he trusts to help him.

And help Kirei shall. He grasps Kariya's good arm, urging him up. ]

Yes, and there are others here, who call Fuyuki their home, though most you would not recognize. [ He debates telling him about Rin immediately, but refrains for the time being. That is a powerful weapon, and he will use it carefully, at the right moment. ]

Can you stand?

[ The response doesn't stir him, and his own reply is just as monotone. ] You'll find time has little meaning in this place.

Is it sinful for a father to gaze upon his child? [ It's vague whether he means their literal relation, or that of a priest and any of the 'children' in his flock. ]

[ help? the only help he needs is in getting back home, in saving sakura. and.. he's not sure he can do that. he's not sure that anyone here can do that.

still, he offers a small, uncertain nod at the reassurances, flinching at the hand steadying him, trying to force himself not to jerk away. it's okay. he's not trying to hurt him, he's fine. ]

It's.. Kariya. Matou Kariya. [ he tips his head up slightly, peeking out from underneath the hood as he lifts a hand to wipe the smear of blood away from his mouth. he needs to make an attempt to.. not look too pathetic, at least. he knows he's in a miserable, disgusting state. ] Ah-- I'm.. okay. I'm okay, I'm sorry. I don't want to be trouble.

[ There is little difference that spans between here and Fuyuki; the buildings may scrape higher, but the stench of decay and the stagnation of ages still weighs against Gilgamesh’s judgment like an unsightly sore. It still provides nothing of merit, that he might so far judge, and the pamphlet that had been thrust into his palm provides little more than a list of responsibilities he had no grave interest in attending to. His concerns were hardly a feature in the demands of another summoner, and the fainter pangs of an undignified nausea inspired further his decided lack of favor toward them.

As it had gone, they had disrupted something far more important.

There is an irritation that burns away at him, and it meets no immediate slaking. There had been answers and means to transform, but each insight and each potentiality had been ripped from his fingers. It had been discarded the moment that Gilgamesh had been taken – no, demanded here, and his mind turns first to deserved recompense for these actions, and further still toward the possibility of their replacements. Whether they be Gods or Man, he would strip from them his deserved effects, his given exchange. But, first –

If there is one vice Gilgamesh went to in reflex, it was wine. And so wine he has come to obtain somewhere in the sprawl of a city, in the nearest store he could stand to allow the grace of his presence to begin with. So, while considering his options, whether it is the oppressive manner of his attitude, or the appearance he casts despite the finery of his clothing that causes such a wide breadth in the aisle (and those surrounding) - it becomes difficult to say. Either way, it is a certainty that despite all of it, there is no escaping the lingering scent of fire or the thin cast of ash that remains. ]

[Bazett has to blink when she catches sight of the golden king. He is older than she has last seen him, but he is not covered in black mud like he should have been.]

You...Archer?

[She quickly walks down the streets so she can look at him up close.]

You know, the kind they give you when you lose.

Others..? [ he can hardly imagine. what are the odds of finding anyone from the same city, much less father kirei. why is he here? how did he find him? (why didn't he just walk away?)

he grits his teeth as his arm is grasped, struggling to sit up, fingers curling against the pavement as he forces his body to cooperate. can he stand? no. but he will. ] Yes. [ a wheezing gasp, and he braces himself, getting his good leg beneath him and pushing upright on it. for a moment, then, he sways unsteadily, bleeding fingers curling against kirei's wrist to steady himself. ]

Where-- Where are we going?

Matou Kariya.

[Then it comes back. All his intelligence, during the War. He remembers. He knows who this man is, very well. This is the Matou Master, the man he had tried to kill but failed to find. He hadn't realized he'd been in such an awful state. This must be the Matou magecraft he'd heard about. It's sickening to witness, though he feels more disgusted by the horror of the practice than by Kariya himself. How is Kariya still moving?]

It's nice to meet you, Kariya. You're no trouble.

[Kariya is definitely not okay in any sense of the word. He keeps smiling, not showing any revulsion.]

Let's find you a place to sit down. We can talk for a bit.

[He's got to get the man off his feet. Not that he couldn't use a seat as well. There are chairs inside, he remembers.] Come with me.

[ His eyebrows quirk slightly, but Gideon holds up a finger. ]

Or a man keen to find something.

Miss Tohsaka.

[Oh, so Rin is here after all. Took her long enough to show up.]

I suppose you would be offended on their behalf, wouldn't you? They're on a similar level as you, after all!

[ he shouldn't. he doesn't know this man. this is a terrible idea, he shouldn't trust him, and he knows that. but.. he's so exhausted and out of his element and this man is being kind to him when he has no reason to do so.

instead, then, he offers a small nod and a tremulous, crooked smile, his good hand clutching his bad arm hard enough to leave his knuckles white. sitting down sounds.. good. if he could just think, focus through the haze and pain. he can endure anything, but he hasn't been at his best since the start of all this.

he shifts a little on his good leg, glancing briefly away. ]

Where--? Where should we..?

How arrogant of you.

[She sniffs, turning her face away and tossing her curls over one shoulder.]

Supernatural circumstances or not, there's no need to interrogate a lady that way! You're nearly as ill-mannered as that Tohsaka girl. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!

[Luvia, you're just as bad... Self-awareness is in short supply in Clock Tower students, it seems.]

IT'S THAT VERY SPECIAL TIME AGAIN.

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by ripping out your heart and stomping on it

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alsjd don't apologize u////u

aslkdjf sorry about the wait on this sob

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no problem! also this is the Kirei from RC

scoops you up

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alksjdf o h hi //////

gilgamesh (archer) | fate/zero

Re: gilgamesh (archer) | fate/zero

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/////// curls up

hi there! ♥

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