irishlancer

[irishlancer]

“Not little she says...”

He had to stifle another chuckle at that. This woman was going to make life very interesting, of that he was certain. Even if he couldn’t tease her with his normal methods, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

“I’ve covered from the start point to here, t’be honest. It was total chance that we ran into each other the way we did...though not a twist of fate I’m complainin’ about.”

He’d spent a little bit of time looking around in his path, but he’d been too busy trying to figure out just what he was going to do to pass the time in this city to really pay much attention. Although...it seemed like that problem had been solved already.

She’d never seen a man go so dumbfounded before– his loud, raucous laughter was sudden, and Sparrow didn’t quite know how to place it. Was he… laughing at her? She certainly hadn’t been joking. If a friendly spar wasn’t on his mind, then what had he meant…?

“I am by no means little,” she murmured, casting her glance to the side. It was a familiar comeback, remembered in a dream… A pang of sadness erupted on her features for just a moment before she righted herself, expression becoming hard and stern once again. 

“I am not… terribly familiar with this city either, but if a companion of exploration is what you seek, then I suppose I can offer that much.”

Though she was a proud women, she could tell full well this man was not the type to insult without cause. There was a calmness about him that she couldn’t place, one that seemed very familiar, but very far away. She wondered what it was.

“Have you already covered any distance…?” 

Right to business, as usual. 

[irishlancer]

In a more polite setting, Cu might have stifled the laugh that parted his lips at the attempt at intimidation. While it was true that he lacked his Gae Bolg, he was more than confident of his ability to, at the very least, survive an encounter with anything he came across in this city. He’d gotten pretty good at escaping unscathed, thanks to that damn priest and his damn orders.

“If you are the kind of monster I think you are...I s’pose it’d be my job to put you down if you started any trouble. Of course I’m not the kind of guy to just go attacking someone for things they might do later, y’know?”

Cu takes a moment to scan over the man once more. He was sure of it now...the monsters wearing human shapes were the most dangerous in every era, so he couldn’t let his guard down in case his little reveal caused something more than tense talk.

The ghoul kept silent as the other man continued on his little speech. He did not want to confirm nor deny anything on the other’s accusation of him. This isn’t because he’s afraid of being found out but rather he did not want to feed his ego, to give him the feeling that he won something after figuring out his secret. 

It took him a while before he could accept that he may not have a way out of this, so he decided to make this conversation more interesting, at least for him that is.

“If I were you, I don’t want to fight me either.” It’s an intimidation tactic that would work on feeble creatures, but Tatara has a feeling that this one won’t buy it.

“Given the benefit of the doubt, let’s say that I am what you say I am, what are you going to do next?”

[irishlancer]

“...I suddenly feel very uneasy...”

[irishlancer]

The amount that she had missed his intention by was so staggering to Cu that he actually jerked his head back as if he’d been struck. He’d been rejected before, of course, but to have someone completely miss the point to that extent? After a few moments, unable to contain himself, the Irishman burst out into deep laughter.

“Little bird, if I wanted a fight I’d say so! Ahaha...let me phrase it another way. How about you come keep me company while I figure out my way around the city? Havin’ someone like you around oughta make things interesting!”

He couldn’t even muster up the seriousness to flirt at this point, but this woman was far too amusing to pass up the chance to spend more time with. She reminded him far too much of comrades who were long disappeared into the fog of history.

There were very few men, or people, for that matter, with courage enough to get that close to her. Most were wise enough to know better, but she really didn’t feel any sort of threat from the man. Overzealous, maybe, but not malicious. His smile drew her in, but not likely for what he’d intended. 

“It was a name used for me by my late sister. It may or may not have been by birth-given title– I will never know, nor do I care to.”

She maintained eye contact with him for a moment, studying his sudden change in demeanor. The stoop of his shoulders highlighted his almost domineering personality, his fighter’s spirit. If he had been a hero in Albion, her journey might have been different. Still, these were thought for another time.

His stance, his playfulness, to her exuded a challenge. 

“… company?” she echoed, his sultry tone flying straight over her snowy head. “Are you asking to cross weapons for sport?” 

The point she had missed was glaring, but not to Sparrow. 

[irishlancer]

“Sparrow, huh? Guess the birds are bigger around these parts.”

Chuckling at his own joke, Cu breathed a sigh of relief as the woman’s posture noticeably relaxed. Giving a shrug at her response regarding the dog, he decided to let that one go. He could tell at a glance that she cared deeply for the animal so he wasn’t about to go telling her what it was or wasn’t. He knew better than to get between a hound and their master, after all.

“T’ be fair, ‘Lancer’ is just one name I go by. Get to know me better and I might just let ya know my real name.”

Stepping a bit closer and leaning forwards to meet the woman’s eyes with his own, Cu adopted a casual smirk, his tone turning as smooth as silk.

“So whaddya say...how about you keep me company for a bit as a thanks for catchin’ your pooch?”

“This one’s much older than a pup, an’ he knows better,”she replied bluntly, standing up and brushing the dust off of her dark pants. Still, it was easy to see the wink she threw the dog, who yipped happily. Sasha was used to her gruff affection, and began prancing merrily around her legs again, though staying near her, this time.

She hadn’t really expected the man to turn this encounter into a name-exchange kind of greeting, if that’s what you could call it. Lancer? What kind of name was that– he sounded cautious, which if she were being honest, made her a little less weary of him. Her posture eased, shoulders flattening out and and releasing their tensions. It didn’t matter– she didn’t feel threatened, and she was pretty sure she could take him even if she did. He wasn’t your average Albion pub scum, so friendly introduction didn’t seem to be too amiss. 

“S’an odd name, but then again… knew a woman named Hammer once,” she remarked, shrugging the oddness of the meeting off. She didn’t believe in nonsense like fate– only that there were people, and the possibilities were limitless. 

“The name’s Sparrow,” came her second reply, her deep, stormy eyes meeting his in earnest for the first time. 

[irishlancer]

The Lancer stood in silence as the man answered his question. His voice wasn’t betraying much, but the look in his eyes was enough to tell the Servant that his senses hadn’t lead him astray. This person was definitely something more than their human facade portrayed.

“Listen...I’m not lookin’ to start a fight if you aren’t either, but I think you and I both know that you ain’t human. This place is full of plenty of weirdos and freaks, but I know a monster when I see one...and when I smell one. Fact is, pal...you reek of blood.”

It wasn’t something that any regular human could detect. Even a trained dog wouldn’t have been able to detect the faint, lingering scent. But Cu was an expert monster slayer, and far too often did monsters take human form to trick their victims.

“Like I said...I ain’t lookin’ to start a fight...unless you’ve got some problem with what I’m saying?”

Tatara looks up from the book he was reading and turns to the man who had called him out. If anyone should be asking that question, it should be Tatara himself. 

Just what kind of person this one is to openly assume the worst of people? Did Tatara have a flaw in his acting? Did he see right through Tatara’s disguise? If humans were so observant as him then ghouls wouldn’t be mingling with human society or even dared dream to. 

“I’m just a simple editor for a renowned novelist.” He answers, his voice polite yet ice cold and his eyes sharp as if he’s about to stab the other. He leers at the man ever so slightly but it isn’t obvious as it’s always been his default expression. 

He decides to continue the conversation, perhaps waiting for something to happen, or that he wants to see what the other is capable of.

 "Have I wronged you in some way, sir?“ 

[irishlancer]

“This place felt pretty lively when I first showed up, but I guess things’re slowin’ down a bit now. Can’t complain, honestly. Anything’s better than having to be around that shitty fake priest.”

[irishlancer]

@louxiu

As a Heroic Spirit, Cu Chulainn’s deeds in life had lent him certain favors and advantages in the strange afterlife that was being a Servant. One of those advantages was that his exploits in slaying monsters had given him an edge against those that possessed the ‘monster’ subtype. He could sense them, and he could fight them if he had to, even if he was at a disadvantage.

And if anyone he had met in this city set off that sixth sense, it was the person he had just happened to pass on the street. Stopping in his tracks and turning to face the man’s back, Cu’s lips settled into a resolute frown. This person...reeked of blood.

“...hey. You mind explaining just what the hell you are?”

[irishlancer]

@punchstart

“...this sucks.”

Muttering to himself, the Servant shoved a hand into his pocket, the other holding onto the length of a fishing pole that was resting over his shoulder. How was he supposed to know that he wasn’t supposed to go fishing in the public park? That seemed like the best place for it, in his opinion.

“Haa...I’ll have to find somewhere else to pass the time. There’s gotta be somewhere in this city that I can fish without people jumping on my ass about it.”

Scanning around the park entrance, his eyes settled on the nearest person. It was a fortuitous sighting, really. After all, how often did he find someone else with the same absurd hair color as him?

“Hey brother, sorry to bother ya but you wouldn’t happen to know somewhere that a guy can go fishing around here, would ya?”

[irishlancer]

@sukijanai

Truth be told, he was adjusting pretty quickly to life in this new city. It was pretty relaxing here. He could fish all he wanted, sleep in the park or his apartment whenever he wanted...

Not to mention that the place was full of cute girls with little to no attachment to other people, meaning that it was open season for the Hound of Culann to make himself at home in their hearts.

Today, the first girl that caught his eye was one who was on the younger side, but it couldn’t hurt to at least strike up a conversation. Who knew? She might even end up being as interesting as the Tohsaka girl. Walking over to her with all the confidence and swagger that his heroic status afforded him, he made a great show out of leaning against the nearest available solid surface and smiling at the girl.

“Yo. The name’s Lancer. How’s it goin’?”

[irishlancer]

Alright folks, I’ve got some free time coming up so consider this a starter call! Standard procedure, like for a starter. Capping it at 3, no cap for castmates.

[irishlancer]

“If you’re gonna apologize for a hound like this guy bein’ excitable, you may as well not have him. I can tell he’s been trained well, so don’t be too hard on ‘im for being a pup.”

Bringing himself back upright and to his feet, the Servant took a proper second to look over the hound’s owner. She wasn’t the type he’d go for normally, if he was being honest...but he could tell that she was a warrior. Not some legendary, invincible hero, but the kind of warrior that had fought, and survived, countless battles. It was written all over her body, from the scars to her posture and even her measured way of speaking. Even now, she was sizing him up as a potential danger.

As it stood, flirting was off the table....at least for now.

“Still, I’m not the sort to look at a chance meeting in a strange place as anything but an opportunity. So...pleasure to meet ya. You can call me Lancer.”

Just in case this was some kind of crazy Grail War setup, he wasn’t going to take the chance of throwing his true name around just yet.

Ah, of course Sasha’d decided to stick to someone like glue. Even if she were jaded and intolerable of people, her furry best friend always had other plans. Sparrow, pressing her mouth into a thin line, caught up to the dog who was wagging his tail frantically at a man that had appeared to keep him still for a moment. 

Sparrow gave a pointed look to the dog, who upon realizing that she meant business that time, crept slowly over, almost as if he were pouting. She motioned wordlessly and sharply, her finger slicing through the air to the ground. As if a switch had been flipped, Sasha stiffened and obediently sat, suddenly focused and alert. Sparrow waited a moment to make sure her point got across to her companion, then knelt and embraced him, rubbing her calloused fingers against his ears. Though he remained alert, the dog’s tail wagged excessively once more. 

“I am sorry,” she murmured, suddenly locking eyes with the man who had caught him for her. “I find a leash restraint to be cruel, but he often gets too excited when he doesn’t sense danger.”

[irishlancer]

This whole thing was still way too out of the ordinary for even someone like him to comprehend. The way that the person on the screen spoke, without any mention of the Grail or Mages, meant that this wasn’t just another Grail War that he’d been summoned into. 

On top of that...he could still remember. 

Kotomine and that slimy little punk whose name he refused to commit to memory. Emiya and the Tohsaka girl that was way out of his league. The red and gold-clad Archers. He remembered all of it, and that was by far the strangest thing. Whatever these people had done went beyond Magecraft. It could even be said to go beyond magic. They had somehow interrupted the flow of his spirit back into the Grail.

“Man...I got summoned into a real shitshow this time, huh?”

The Servant let out a sigh as he walked through the streets, the wooden replacement for Gae Bolg that had been forced on him resting on his shoulder. Better to be poorly armed than not armed at all. 

“Guess I’d better figure out what the hell I’m doing he-”

His thought is interrupted by a flash of golden fur darting through the crowd. Judging by the figure chasing it through the crowd, he could only assume that the dog had slipped away from its owner and was being obstinate about coming back.

“...ha.”

It was too funny a sight. Too nostalgic, and far too coincidental, to be anything but a fated meeting. The people here had taken away the vast majority of his capabilities as a Servant, but Cu Chulainn was still a heroic spirit after all.

The golden flash of fur was caught up to in an instant, fingers carefully grasping the circle of leather that ringed the canine’s neck and pulling the darting pet to a stop. Crouching down, and in the process accepting the affections of the fugitive in question, the Lancer allowed himself a genuine smile as he turned his eyes to the woman that had been chasing through the crowds.

“Yo. This guy belong to you?”

Between two hells she had traveled, and after some time, it seemed that the second had called out to her once again. Though it had happened as quickly as the first time, Sparrow was hardly surprised at the sudden change– it wasn’t as if she were doing anything important in her own world, anyway. Holing up in a castle and refusing to emerge could hardly be considered “busy work.” At least Sasha, her fluffy, golden canine companion, always seemed to accompany her.

The streets were as busy and overflowing as ever, making the grumpy shut-in of a woman just as uncomfortable as before. Sasha pranced happily around her feet as she walked, darting between her legs energetically until he paused for a brief moment, sniffed the air, and bolted.

“Oh, damnit, Sasha–” Sparrow grumbled, darting after the unrestrained mutt to find whatever it was that caught his attention at the time. He didn’t seem enthralled by just one thing, rather, he pranced joyfully under the feet of many citizens, giving Sparrow cause to gruffly apologize as she elbowed her way through the crowd, trying to figure out where the hell her canine friend was going.

“Sorry, sorry...”

[irishlancer]

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