Video

[puppy_lancer]

[For the most part, Lancer had been avoiding the comms. He knew where to find his friends and Master in person. The language barrier wasn't that much of a problem because both he and Ayaka spoke Japanese, and most of the other Servants should be speaking it too unless they had been caught up in the language switching.]

[However, right now, there was something he really wanted to ask the tower at large. That is, something besides whether or not he could still communicate with his fellow Servants. That morning, he had found a stack of papers in his room. Papers that told him he was now a janitor. He's not quite sure what it means.]

[So now he's standing at a console, papers in hand. He also has a pen which he snatched from one of his roommates, just in case he ran into someone who didn't speak the same languages that he did. He speaks in English first, as slowly and clearly as he can.]

Hey, my name is Lancer. How many of you can still understand me? How many of my kind can still understand me? If you understand what I am saying, contact me back, maybe with video. I have a question I want to ask.

[He repeats the words in Japanese, and then Gaelic on the off-chance that someone can speak that.]

Comments

[vermicompost]

I don't think I can control her, but I can try to ask her.

What do you mean? What do you think she's missing? I don't want to let anything happen that might hurt her.

[He's definitely concerned, for Rin's sake, if not so much for his own.]

I'll do whatever I can to help her. [One of Kariya's favorite mantras.]

[puppy_lancer]

Something...something nobody should get tangled up in the matters of a Grail War without.

[That's as much as he can say without outing Rin as a Master that lost her Servant.]

So yeah, just try to keep her away from that meeting.

[vermicompost]

A Servant? I don't have one either. Not here.

[And if he did, he'd be in worse shape, if he had to give Berserker prana. What would Berserker do if he were here?]

Ruler could help her, too.

[puppy_lancer]

[He places a finger above his lips and makes a shushing sound. One never knew who might be listening in.]

That's the problem. She's not talking to Ruler.

[vermicompost]

This isn't the War.

But if I have to, I'll ask Ruler to help her. Or I'll help her myself. I know she's stronger than I am, but I won't let anyone hurt her.

[If it got him killed, so be it.]

[puppy_lancer]

You never know who might be listening or who might be trying to use this against her.

[After all, even without the Grail War, there were still other dangerous people.]

I think you should stick to asking Ruler to help. I'll try watching out for her too, if I can.

[vermicompost]

I'm sorry. I didn't think. I'll be more careful.

And I'll ask her, the next time I see her. It's very important to me that she not be hurt. That's the one thing I can do that matters, take care of Rin and Sakura. [For Aoi's sake.]

[puppy_lancer]

She'll take it better from you than she would from me, in any case.

[And of course Rin would be angry about it. But what was a little anger if this saved her life?]

Sakura...you mean your other niece? Is she over here yet?

[vermicompost]

You mean Ruler? Do you not get along?

[He can't imagine Ruler having difficulties like that with someone. Maybe he meant Rin, instead.

Yes, my other niece. No, she isn't here. I almost don't know if I'd want her here, but where she is now isn't much better. At least I'd be able to look after her here.

[puppy_lancer]

Both of them, actually.

Sakura's still at home with that geezer, right?

[vermicompost]

What did you do to Ruler?

[Because obviously, Lancer must have done something.]

Yes. She's at the Matou Mansion. [There's no disguising the bitterness in Kariya's voice as he says this. Home is a horrible place.]

[puppy_lancer]

Something she'll never forgive me for, but something she doesn't want me talking about either.

[Yep, he guessed it.]

That nasty, huh? What about your sibling? Can't he do anything to protect her?

[vermicompost]

Oh. Was it that bad?

[It must have been bad, but Kariya's not going to pry, of course.

When Lancer asks about Byakuya, he shakes his head, his lips thinning. He doesn't like to think about what they're doing to her. It makes him feel sick– Or more sick, that is.]

He'll do whatever Zouken says. He won't protect her.

[puppy_lancer]

She's his child.

[Lancer growls. He has no affection for a father who can't even protect his daughter.]

[vermicompost]

No she isn't. She's not my niece by blood. [Kariya pauses. He can feel a heat inside him, the beginnings of a white-hot rage. It's what he feels when he thinks about that man.]

Her father gave her away to my family. [Gave her away, just like that. Who would do a thing like that? Especially knowing what the Matou Family was like. That man doesn't deserve to be called "father".]

[puppy_lancer]

[This confuses him a little. He remembers Kariya saying something about Rin and Sakura both being his nieces, but supposedly Sakura had been given away. Yet, they were both Matous.]

[Perhaps Rin's father hadn't found his one daughter to be enough. Such a thought leaves a nasty taste in his mouth.]

Both of them are assholes.

[vermicompost]

[He is right to be confused, as there are alternate universes in play. But Kariya doesn't think to clear up the confusion.]

They are.

[It's not how Kariya would usually express himself, but he has to agree.]

They both deserve to die.

[puppy_lancer]

[He crosses his arms and scowls.]

At least they aren't here. I'd kill them myself if they were.

[Everything he hears about Rin and Kariya's family just makes him angrier.]

[vermicompost]

Thank you. [Kariya means that. In spite of his usually gentle nature, he'd like nothing more than to see Zouken and Tokiomi die, preferably in pain, and it shows. His expression is harder than usual.] I'd like to be the one to kill them, but I don't think I'm strong enough.

[Not to kill Zouken. He still thinks he has a chance with Tokiomi.]

[puppy_lancer]

You can be the one who keeps Rin from looking?

[Because Rin has probably seen enough of those people already.]

I love when Lancer and Kariya plan murders.

[vermicompost]

All right. I'll do that. She shouldn't have to see something like that.

[Although oops, Rin probably doesn't want her father killed. Why does Kariya never know what women want?]

Bro bonding...over murders

[puppy_lancer]

You think you can keep her from finding out they even arrived too? Just in case she wonders.

It's the best kind of bonding there is

[vermicompost]

I'd try. But once we kill them, won't they come back again?

The very best

[puppy_lancer]

Then I'll wait for them to come back and kill them again. Just keep Rin occupied and having fun.

Also their plan is terrible and would be doomed to fail

[vermicompost]

I think I can do that. [No, he can't.] You would do all that for me? [People don't usually do nice things for Kariya.]