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Hello. [The person seated in front of the library terminal is a pale, white-haired woman dressed in something reminiscent of a nun's habit, though there's nothing to cover her head. One of her yellow eyes is covered with an eyepatch. She tries to smile and does about as well as one might expect of a person in her situation, the expression both pinched and weak.] My name is Claudia Kotomine. I've—just arrived.

[There's definitely some uncertainty in her voice about how she should describe the situation, but nonetheless, she carries on.] If there are any other members of the Holy Church here, I'd like to hear from them as soon as possible. Or— Anyone else I'm acquainted with. And, mm, even if there aren't...

[She trails off momentarily, her one visible eye flicking away from the terminal as she considers something. Her lips purse together for a moment, and then she sighs. Well, she doesn't want to be ungrateful—at least she's able to eat—but—]

Ah, it's just that the kitchen seems equipped to do a lot more than it currently is! [She laughs, but the sound is nervous.] Is the food always in the state that it is now? I just thought—if there are better ingredients around anywhere, I could make something nicer. I'm more than willing to share with anyone who helps me with this, so...

...Ah, in any case, thank you for your time. [She forces another slight smile.] If there's anything you would like to ask of me in turn, I'm happy to assist or answer you to the best of my ability.

[For those that would prefer action, immediately after this she can be found browsing the library (and frustrating herself with her inability to find anything of immediate use), and later on she'll be investigating the thirteenth floor/the cathedral.]

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[This seems like a nice young woman. Kariya smiles.]

Hello, Ms. Kotomine. Welcome. Though I wish I were welcoming you to somewhere better. I'm Kariya Matou.

Your name's familiar to me. I know a Risei Kotomine. Are you any relation? He's from the church, but I don't think there's anyone from the church here, not that I've met. [Risei's the Kotomine he's most familiar with: the Grail War's supervisor.]

Sometimes the food's better. It changes from month to month. I think I can get some better ingredients for you.

[Or he can send Lancelot to get them, same thing.]

[She immediately straightens where she's seated at the sight of Kariya. Her face begins to brighten—of the people she knows, he's one of the better ones she could have asked to find here—but that only lasts as long as it takes him to speak. Her brow knits together, and her expression quickly falls into something between confusion and disappointment.]

More than your name is familiar to me. You don't [...] know me?

[She feels faintly ridiculous asking that, but here she is. The other subjects are worth revisiting, but only once she has this matter sorted out.]

[Kariya's eyes widen slightly. Oh, is this someone else from a different version of his reality? Her recognition and confusion are plain.]

It is?

No, I'm sorry, I don't know you. A lot of us here are from different universes. Alternate universes. So you might know me in your world, but we haven't met in mine. I've even met different versions of the same person here.

Unless I'm going to meet you in the future. People come from different times, too.

[Not that he has much future left, once he goes home, so the former is probably the case.]

[She's disappointed by his explanation, but she can't take that out on him. So, she tries to smile anyway, even if it turns a bit awkward when she answers him. She shakes her head at the latter suggestion.]

No, I've definitely met you before now. [The implication is probably clear enough, so she doesn't spell it out for him.] Sorry—it's not like we were very close, but I was happy to see someone that I recognized anyway. [And someone who was actually an ally, at that.] Let me start again, then.

[She takes a breath, and then she does indeed start over.]

It's nice to meet you, Kariya. Risei Kotomine [there's a very slight pause here as she tries to decide whether to say "is" or "was"] is my father-in-law. I was his assistant.

[Because he isn't the same Kariya she knows, and because she figures she should be cautious after so many people recognized her surname, she gives him the cover story.]

If you could offer me any help, even though I don't think there's any way for me to repay you just yet, I would be very grateful.

I see.

[He does understand what she means. His training. It does mark him. But he doesn't bother pointing it out when it's already clear enough. He knows what he looks like.]

This kind of thing isn't so unusual here, though you never get used to it. I met someone here who looks just like my nephew and even has the same name, but he isn't even the same person. It's nice to meet you, too. I hope we'll be able to become reacquainted. Even if I don't know you now, you don't have to feel like there's no one you know here.

Oh, then your husband... is Kotomine Kirei? [He knows the name, from what little information he was given.]

I've been here for months now. I can certainly help you. If you have any questions or need anything, just tell me. You don't have to repay me.

[He's happy to be of use. She seems like such a nice woman. And with Lancelot to assist him, he can do a great deal to help.]

No, it is strange. [And that he too brings up her husband's name makes it even stranger. She frowns, a little, as she thinks. She isn't sure exactly what conclusion that fact points to, but she suspects it isn't one she'll be entirely comfortable with.] You know, you aren't the first person to ask me about my husband's name. That's odd, don't you think? And it's very odd to me that you would know his name but not mine, since from my perspective, he's been dead for three years.

[She relates this information as casually as she can manage, though of course that only goes so far. It still isn't something she enjoys talking about, for a lot of reasons. But, even so, she smiles some when she goes on. He doesn't know her, but he still says she doesn't have to feel like she has no one here. It only make her more sure of certain decisions she made before her arrival here.]

Thank you, though. That's— That's really kind of you to say. I wouldn't feel right about doing nothing for you in return, though...

It's very strange.

[Claudia seems nice. That's what Kariya thinks. He doesn't know much about Kirei Kotomine, but he's lucky to be married to someone like this. And he's--he's dead? That comes as a surprise to Kariya, for all that he doesn't know much about the man. That's a major difference between their worlds and might explain why it is Kariya doesn't know her, somehow.]

He is? Oh. My condolences. I'm sorry for your loss.

In the world I'm from, Kirei Kotomine is a Master. You must know about the War. [If she's Risei's assistant, she certainly must. He's not shy about talking about the War, not with so many Masters and Servants around, not to mention how openly some people have already talked about it.] There are more than a few people here who are involved in the Grail Wars, you'll find. That must be why they know his name.

Oh no, it's all right. [He smiles.] I'm happy to help. It's the least I can do. We should help each other. With so much that's unpleasant here, it's good to have other people to rely on. I think the others here are what's best about this place. There are so many kind people, even in a tower like this.

Mm. [She hums in acknowledgment when he gives his condolences, even if the smile she gives him likely isn't the upbeat one she would like it to be. Her expression clouds when he explains about the Kirei in his world, though, and she looks away from the terminal's screen, unthinkingly putting her chin in her hand as she soaks up that information.] Is he? I see...

[She can think of a handful of possible explanation for that particular difference, and all of them end with a heavy feeling of guilt constricting her chest. But that isn't a burden she should force on this man—a stranger, really—so she simply nods when he notes the number of people related to the War here.]

Yes, that explains some things. Thank you. [She smiles again, then.] That's good to hear, though. That there are so many people who are willing to help others here, I mean.

[Kariya instantly feels a pang of sympathy when Claudia's face clouds. She must be missing her husband, of course. Three years isn't a long time when it comes to someone you love. He's not sure what else to say. He doesn't want to upset her further.]

I don't know very much about him. We're--well, you know, we're rival Masters. [He adds quickly:] But I don't intend to harm him.

[He only wants to kill Tokiomi. Not that he's going to say that. She probably wouldn't want to hear that.]

I'm glad I could help. You'd be surprised. People come here from different wars, more than I'd heard of. Even one far in the future. [He still doesn't quite understand the war Shinji's from.] I hope no one's given you any trouble.

It is nice to see that being brought somewhere like this brings out the good in so many people, in spite of our hardships. I've even made friends here. [In spite of some recent setbacks. He's felt less like talking to people after what had happened with Diarmuid. But again, that's not something she needs to know about.] Although... there are people you should be careful of. Caster's Master is here. He's a young man with red hair. He's very dangerous. [He wouldn't want her to be hurt.]

[She laughs as he rushes to assures her, and though the noise is grim, her smile is genuine. It's as though he's the one in need of comfort instead.]

No, it's fine. I understand. I wouldn't want to see him hurt, of course, but— I don't want to see you harmed, either. I hope you're able to have some peace between you.

[Really, she hopes that Kirei's choices wouldn't be unlike her own. She doesn't know if what she has done is truly right, but she does know it would have been wrong to do nothing.]

No, no trouble. [She shakes her head, her expression still pleasant and reassuring.] It's just a little strange, you know?

[The moment Caster's Master is mentioned, though, her face falls, expression turning much more severe. This is obviously not information she is happy to hear.]

Caster's Master?

Me? It's all right. Thank you, but you don't have to worry about me.

[He doesn't like for people to worry about him, although it's nice of her to be concerned.]

I'm sure we will. I have no real quarrel with him outside of the war. I don't want to hurt people unnecessarily. [Just Tokiomi, but that's necessary.]

That's good. [He wouldn't want anyone to bother her, especially as she lost her husband. She seems so kind.] I'm sure it must be. There's no shortage of strange things here, as I'm sure you've already noticed. Do you have any questions I could answer? I've been here a while now. [Longer than he'd thought he'd have to live.]

[He nods, his expression hardening. He really doesn't like Ryuunosuke.] Yes, his name is Ryuunosuke. He's a murderer.

[She shakes her head as he tells her she doesn't need to worry, and she can't help but smile when says he doesn't want to hurt people.]

You're a good person. [She sounds sure in this statement.] If you don't mind me saying so, that's why I'm worried. The War is dangerous, and you're not the kind of person I'd like to see hurt.

[Not that she ever truly wanted to see anyone hurt. It's too late to think that now, though, so she'll just settle for trying to make sure no one else is that shouldn't be.]

[She pauses to think as he offers to answer questions for her, her lips pursing together slightly as she does so. Well, considering the way her body is...]

It's dangerous here, isn't it? Exactly what kind of things should I be looking out for? [She'd like to know what she should be prepared for.]

I know he is. [Apparently, she shares his opinions on the matter. She dislikes him so much that she had intended to kill him herself before things got...more complicated.] Thank you for telling me.

I don't know about that. I'm just a person. [He's wary of accepting the title of "good person" after the mistakes he's made, the things he's done.] I'll be fine.

[He seems to mean this, too. Even though he knows he's going to die as the result of the war.]

As long as Sakura's all right.

[That's what matters to him most. Sakura and Rin's safety and happiness. And Aoi's.]

Yes, it's very dangerous. There are many different floors, and some are safe, but many of them have their particular dangers. There are also monsters, which roam from floor to floor. It's easy to avoid them during the day, but I try to return to my room at night. The monsters don't go to the dormitory floors under ordinary circumstances.

You've encountered him before, then? You're welcome. There are a number of dangerous people here, but there's no way to contain them or stop them. If they're killed, they'll come back to life.

[If anything, that response only endears him to her more. Humility is a virtue, after all.]

I won't try to convince you otherwise, if that's how you really feel, but you should know that you've already given me reason to think highly of you, where I come from.

[And, seeing as he mentions Sakura now, she doubts this version of him is much different.]

I see. Could you tell me a little more about these monsters? [Hesitating briefly, she then adds:] Specifically, do you know their origin?

[She shakes her head.] I haven't encountered him personally, but I'm well-aware of Caster and his Master's actions. It's a shame that something can't be done about that, here.

[Which isn't something she would have dreamed of saying perhaps even a year before, but here she is.]

I'm glad, that I've done something to make you think highly of me. I hope I'll be able to do the same here.

[He smiles.]

No, I don't really know their origin. like we are. I try to avoid them, but B-- my Servant fights them. They must come from all over. There are so many different kinds. They might be brought here from different worlds, like we are. They're very dangerous.

I know. I wish I could do something, but I don't know what. If only there was a way to imprison him. There are jail cells, but the trouble is getting him there and keeping him there.

If you're anything like the Kariya I'm acquainted with, I'm sure you will.

[And she seems confident that he is. Her mood sobers as she focuses on the other issues at hand, though.]

I see. So you don't know if any of them are—demons? [Either way, it sounds like there's a chance that at least some of them are. She'll have to be careful.]

Mm... You said your Servant is here. What about his?

[It's nice to meet someone who has such a good opinion of him, for once. He can't deny he's pleased. This is much different and better than when he'd met his alternate self.] Thank you. I'll try my best.

Demons? I don't know. [Kariya can't really tell the difference between demonic energy and the lack thereof. A lot of the monsters seem horrible without being demons, but some of them could be demonic. As a woman of the Church, demons must be her enemies.] They could be. I hope they won't cause you any problems.

No, his Servant isn't here, thankfully. [Kariya's sure he would have heard about it if it were otherwise.] There are Servants in the tower, but they come from different worlds and different times. I've met a few of them. The Grail isn't here, so they're not fighting.

Mm, I hope so, too. I'll be careful, so thank you for your help.

[She smiles, grateful for what information he had been able to give her.]

I see. If that's the case, why not ask your Servant to take care of the issue, then?

[Normally, she wouldn't advocate using a Servant against someone like that, but she's much less inclined to be generous to child murderers.]

If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know. Even if I can't help you, my Servant could.

[As for Ryuunosuke...]

He could kill him... Or I could kill him. He's not a magus. I would. But what good would it do? He'd just come back.

Besides... [Kariya feels a bit uncomfortable about this topic.] He enjoys it.

Of course. Don't worry about me too much, though. This won't be the first time I've dealt with monsters.

[She doesn't say that she can't really fight them herself. She wouldn't want to be a bother, after all.]

[She had meant that Berserker could "collect" him, if there are jail cells, but...]

He...enjoys it?

All right. I won't. If you're sure. You've fought them for the church?

[Kariya's view of her words is a little colored by his own run-in with Ryuunosuke. Berserker collecting him would probably be a better idea, though.]

Being killed. Or injured. I don't understand it.

[He really doesn't.]

Mm. [It's not really a yes or a no, but it sounds like she's agreeing.] I assisted many exorcists, before the War.

[She really isn't sure how to take this new information about Ryuunosuke. There's a moment or two where she only stares.]

He really is a deviant. [That's what she decides on, eventually.] ...Ah, but I had meant that Berserker could collect him, couldn't he? If there are cells to keep him in.

I see. I don't know much about that.

[Kariya's not a religious man.]

These won't be the same as the monsters you know. So please be very careful. I'd recommend returning to the dormitories well before night.

He is. [Religious or not, he can agree on that.] Oh. [He hopes he didn't sound too eager to harm him. He did hurt him, but he doesn't want to mention that.] You're right. That would be a better idea. I don't know if it will work in the long run. I might have to keep Berserker there to keep him there, and I need him to protect other people, too.

But it's worth trying. Maybe other people would want to help, too.

Don't worry. I'm not foolish. I'm used to dealing with monsters, but I was only a tool. I know I'm not strong enough to fight them on my own.

I don't see why they wouldn't. Keeping a horrible person like that locked up would be to everyone's benefit, don't you think? [She offers him another slight, grim smile.] In any case, it's better to try and fail than to do nothing and let someone like that do as they please.

I believe you. I'm sure you know what you're doing.

Yes, I talked about something like that with Waver--someone else here in the tower--but things keep happening, and we never got the chance to do anything. Things always happen here.

You're right, it's better to try. [He feels a new sense of determination at her words.]

I know there are other dangerous people here. We should do more about them, if we can.

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sicharia - 2013-04-20 15:58 (UTC) - Expand

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