animus_network | 001 Star-Spangled ☆ Text/Action

[ A young blonde is at a terminal in the dorms, typing away furiously. Her hair is drenched through from the ever constant rain and sitting beside her is what appears to be your stereotypical grey extraterrestrial. Child-sized and looking about curiously, the grey is a passive counterpoint to America's livid demeanor. ]

Hey, just what the hell is going on around here? One minute I'm making plans to celebrate St. Paddy's Day and the next I'm waking up in the Twilight Zone. It's raining. INDOORS! And it looks like I somehow ended up in someone's worst (or best?) latex fetish dreams. My clothes are nowhere to be found, my jacket is gone, this is definitely not my bedroom and not my house, and, ha, oh yeah, apparently the world ended.

Seriously. This joke isn't funny. Somebody please tell me this is just the sad results of one of England's stupid experiments gone wrong and everything will be back to normal if I click my heels and say "there's no place like home". This can't really be happening. It's not possible.

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Isn't that the name of a country? Why would your parents call you that?

[Confusion covers Diarmuid's face for a moment, and then something clicks in his mind.]

Wait... There are some others in the tower who identify themselves like that. An England I believe. And a Prussia. No Ireland, though.

[A smile curls the corners of his mouth as he thinks of his home. What would a personification of Ireland be like?]

Would they be your fellows?

[ America laughs at his questions and merely continues to beam at him as she watches realization finally dawn on him. She always loves watching this part. Other nations have found it frustrating to explain themselves and their existence, America has only ever found it amusing. ]

That's them, all right.

[ She has no idea yet that other versions of these nations besides the ones she knows exist at all, so she has no reason to question this information. ]

You must be Irish, if you're bummed about not having met him. I wasn't sure, but with a name like yours, I figured you were Irish or Scottish. You don't sound like it though.

[ She rests her elbows on the back of the chair and her chin on her fists. ]

And my parents didn't name me these things. I don't know what they called me. My family was Jones, Spain called me "Amelia", and I named myself "The United States". "America" is what Europe called me when they decided everyone wanted to put me on maps. "The New World" is what my home was called for years before I was born.

[Diarmuid just shuts his eyes, letting that all rush over him a moment. Just because he's heard of the others in the tower doesn't mean he's used to hearing one talk about herself like this.]

Ah...I believe the Holy Grail is to blame my lack of accent. When I was summoned back into the world for the war, it taught me Japanese so that I could understand what was going on. I can't imagine trying to speak that language with the usual accent...

But yes, I am Irish. I must admit...I am tempted to ask what the Ireland you know is like. I often find myself wondering how things are there now that so much time has passed. Have any of the old ways and stories survived or have they all been pushed aside like it seems has been the case in so many other places?

And how would you like to be addressed, Lady? Which name do you most enjoy hearing?

[ America laughs at Diarmuid's reaction to her explanation. Yep, overwhelmed humans are always funny.

Of course, she just laughs harder when she tries to imagine an Irishman speaking perfect Japanese. It's funny enough watching just England work at it so often. ]

Good point. Well, you can ask away, but I reserve the right to not tell you! Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. And you have to tell me what this Holy Grail thing is.

And it's America and definitely never "Lady". England would have a conniption of anyone thinking of me as one.

A-ah, I didn't really have any specific questions.

[Diarmuid pauses, a little embarrassed at her laughter.]

I am just curious, so whatever you want to tell me is fine. Or you can tell me nothing if you don't want to.

[Though he does hope she will share at least something.]

As for the Holy Grail, it is an ancient relic that the magi of my world claim can grant a person any wish they want. Periodically, they wage a war for it and call in servants such as myself to fight that war. In order for those of us who originally came from ancient times to function in more modern ones, the Grail gives us information--like languages--at the time of our summoning. I wouldn't be much use in a fight if I was afraid of every car that drove by, now would I?

Oh, and speaking of languages...

[He pauses to make the conscious effort it takes here to switch out of the Tower's common language and back into one more person to him--ancient Gaelic. He speaks several lines--basically greetings and a question or two about how she is doing--before grinning.]

Is that better for your accent, Miss America?

[ She's impressed by him managing to switch over into ancient Gaelic with such ease, but it's a language she hasn't heard in a very long time and, even then, it's never been something she's heard a lot and often. ]

I have no idea what you just said.

[ America has to giggle (she liked the "Miss America" bit, but she's not sure he's aware of the reference he made). She'll have to think of some good things to tell him about Ireland, though she's definitely going to direct him to England for the whole Northern Ireland thing. That is just way too messy for America to try explaining. ]

Nice, though. Not bad for a centuries old language that hasn't been heard around any place I know lately! I guess that means you're not exactly human, are you? Since this Grail thing summoned you?

[Diarmuid laughs.]

I would be surprised if you did. Not many people speak that language anymore and haven't for a very long time. I am lucky that the language did not change too much in the years between when my roommate lived and when I did, so that I sometimes can still hear how it sounds. It's one of those things you miss when you don't hear it for a while. As for what I said, I just said hello and asked how you were doing.

[He'd also somewhat sassily added, "besides wet" to the "how are you" question, but he doesn't bother to tell her that.]

And no, I am not human. I haven't been that since I died all those years ago. Right now, I guess the best way to describe me is as a magical being. When I died, my soul was recorded to something called the Throne of Heroes and it was from there that I was summoned by magic connected to the Grail.