#v; chaldea

[nobuverse]

@miraruinada

"....Jehtin-san, would you also like a cup of tea?"

He hadn't originally been planning to serve two cups, but he can adjust.

He's also being oddly polite.

[nobuverse]

She couldn't stand to look at all this. Though the results of a corrupted simulation may have been amusing on their own, and the stranger's interference may have been a simple annoyance in any other pre-made training program, Okita had constructed this scenario from her own memories of her mortal life. The insult of this avenger's interference was on two fronts: Firstly, there was the mutilation of the memory of her fallen Shinsengumi; a disgraceful display of the closest thing she'd ever have to seeing them again. Second, there was Andrea's success to achieve what she had not in life. Without practice, without guidance - the avenger had completed the challenge as if it were a joke.

She tightens her grip on her Katana, and it shakily struggles to support her weight as her eyes contemplate the ground. Her breathing comes in rattles, furious and exhausted. Had she not been so spent, she might have let her temper get the better of her and directed her sword at an ally.

"Computer. Shut it down"

She speaks the command through a hoarse voice, ending this shameful display she wished to see no longer. To continue like this would be impossible. She has to admit defeat.

But it's a bitter tasting poison across her tongue. She lifts her head to look at the avenger spitefully.

"There. Happy now?"

She ignores Andrea's questions, not caring to share her past failures. She'd shoulder this burden alone, like she had everything else.

For how realistic the simulation had been, once Andrea 'broke the game', the illusion was immediately shattered. The shinsengumi who accompanied Okita were either shaking in place, permanently stuck in a running animation, while any words that got out sounded like a skipping music track. Even the 'dead' bandit on the ground kept shaking in place, the hologram breaking down and digitizing and reassembling over and over again. All the while, everyone around them, all except for Okita and Andrea, were frozen in place.

The Avenger casually tossed the spear aside, not like she needed it anyway. It, like it's previous owner, began to digitize and reform again and again while the bandit and shinsengumi continued their stalled 'animation loops'. "Oh, I'm an abomination now? That's a new one." She shrugged, not the worst insult she'd heard. "You've been at this for hours, go get a mana resupply or something, you look like you're about to keel over."

Honestly, if Okita did try to turn this into a fight, whether she was stronger than the vigilante, it wouldn't be a fair contest. Okita looked spent, how much mana had she drained living out this fantasy? Was it fantasy though? The way the Saber was acting, that possessed look in her eyes, this wasn't some fantasy she was living out, it was obsession. Andrea could only imagine, based on what she was seeing, that Okita had probably spent hours reliving this chase over and over again.

"So let me guess, you're here doing this over and over because in reality, this fucker gets away?" She kicked the pixilating bandit with her boot, only for her foot to pass through the illusion. "Or maybe you caught him, but he managed to take out one of your buddies here?"

She casually strolls past the looping Shinsengumi. "Considering I broke your little game, I'm guessing he was supposed to give you the slip."

Was she being antagonistic? She was an Avenger, the class was one made of hatred, Avengers typically didn't get on well with the other servants, with only a few exceptions. Maybe it was because Okita had insulted her, and now Andrea just wanted to rub some salt in the wound.

[nobuverse]

@witchofthedeepwood || Plotted

It feels like hot iron's filling her lungs. The crushing weight on her chest is unbearable, her sides cramping with the continuous force it took for her hack and wheeze - any desperate attempt she can make to get a breath in.

ah - it's been a while since it's been this bad.

She should have taken the hint this morning - to recognize that familiar pain in her joints to tell her that this illness was on the verge of rearing its ugly head again.

But Okita had never been one to listen to her body. Always pushing the limits of what was possible. Ignoring pain and exhaustion had always been the norm for her. ( Because anything was better than being alone with her thoughts).

Had she known it would have been this severe, though, she'd have chosen to stay in her room - as to not burden anyone else. Practically anywhere would have been a better pick than the often-used simulator - which someone was bound to notice she'd been using for far too long now without any progress.

"Ah...a.."

She can't even suck in enough breath to speak a comprehensive sentence. Her head barely wants to listen to her as it lifts up to approaching footsteps. It doesn't do her much good, anyway - her vision's too blurry to make out who it is.

"H...he...hel.."

One hand claws at the ground at the ground, attempting to bring herself forward, even in a crawl. The other grasps at her haori, now covered in blood and mucus.

Help me.

[nobuverse]

@miraruinada ( Rachel Posts Valentine's stuff a week late let's go )

This had been difficult. Not in any earth-shattering or even life-risking way - that kind of stress would have been easier for Nobukatsu to manage than this. But it had required the archer to face the kind of crippling anxiety he was continuously burdened by; to ask for help and engage in conversation from his supposed allies in Chaldea.

He detested it. He'd much rather spite a foe than to beg to someone that he knew could deny him help. One was a simple acceptance of fate, the other a intolerable tension within him as he waited on a response.

Maybe it was because it was so unsual for him to interact with the other heroic spirits that Tamamo Cat and Boudica had accepted to help him, as they must have found his situation pitiable. While sister was incredible at so many things - cooking had never been one of them. It'd be impossible to guide him through this.

Admittedly, it's not as bad as he thought it would be. Though he does flinch when Cat runs a bit too quickly around the kitchen, and begins to cower when Boudica tries to pat his head, they both don't scold him in the way he feared. ( The worse he gets a few snide remarks from the cat, more commenting on his strange behavior than anything ).

"I'm still not very happy with the results" he admits. He can't keep from criticizing himself, even when he's just handed Xiang the box of simple, heart-shaped milk chocolates. They're not completely uniform, and there's often the remnants of a drizzle on pieces which represent his shaking hands at the time.

"But I really wanted to give this to you today."

-Was that all he could really come up with? How laughable.

[nobuverse]

@studentshaul ( Medea )

"Rule-breaker...such an odd weapon you have..."

She'd be lying if she said the concept didn't send the smallest of shivers down her spine - something that could break through all forms of laws in mage craft. All her divinity and magical resistance would be for naught under that blade.

She gibes an innocent tilt of her head, staring at the dagger in a slight manner of mesmerisation.

"Say...you'd never think about trying to use that against me, would you?"

She doesn't expect to get an honest answer out of her - but she is keen to see her reaction to the question.

[nobuverse]

For Kagetora - everything in this universe ran by a strict set of rules. What one should and should not do - how they were supposed to act, respond, and even feel about certain situations had a set right and wrong to it. What separated her from her the rest of humanity was the fact that she could not tell what these rules were supposed to be. The voice of Bishamonten, in this regard, was the only thing that would guide her along the eight-fold path to a redemption she could never reach.

But this?

Bishamonten certainly had no words of wisdom to offer her in a situation like this. The warrior could stand, dumbfounded at the sight of the machinery mangled in such a way that even she knew she was never supposed to be used.

"Hmm..hmm...I agree. But I think building an actual fire would have been better than playing with these instruments of the inferno."

She tilts her head as she answers she replies to Ushiwakamaru's comment, not daring to wipe that polite smile from her face. Her distrust of modern technology aside - it did smell good.

But the invitation was so casual - that in of itself fills her with a hesitation she's not used to feeling. She's more used to forcing interactions with others that feared her : dragon standing guard over a village whose people were too terrified to meet her.

So at first, she says nothing - slowly approaching and taking one of the skewers, as if she expected the invitation to be retracted at any moment.

"....are you sure this is safe?"

Emiya and that species-confused cat could tame these beasts, but she wasn't sure about her own capabilities.

@nobuverse " that wasn't supposed to be a choice . how did you do that ? " ( From Kagetora ) STANLEY PARABLE SENTENCE STARTERS.

The general sat crouching on one of the seats in the cafeteria, right in front of a toaster oven that looked like it had been aggressively repurposed. An apron that was stolen borrowed from one of the servants who specialized in cooking was haphazardly tied over her waist, she was carefully && reverently manually rotating with the edge of her blade what could only be compared to dango - skewers of sweet rice dumplings (or an attempt at them) slathered in some kind of glaze that bubbled ominously with every turn.

The oven door had a fork jammed in the latch to keep it open just enough for her sword, but closed just enough that the heat wouldn't escape too much. Several buttons were glowing that should not have been glowing. A rice cooker stood nearby, completely untouched even though all of this would have been much simpler if it was.

Despite her careful && precise movements, she was wearing the biggest of grins; enthusiastic about her makeshift dango creation, however crude it was. That is, until the voice of the notorious Uesugi Kenshin interrupts her silent glee; though one could say her grin somehow widened even more at the thought of sharing company right now, no less the company of a general after her own time.

‟The actual oven was pre-occupied, you see. This one was underperforming, so I adjusted its temperament.” Ushiwakamaru gestures toward the tray with the obscure makeshift-dango creation of hers. ‟Proper dango deserves an open flame! I did what I could, even if it wasn't much!”

Removing one of the skewers, she holds it up and offers it to Kagetora. ‟Come now, Kagetora-dono! Eat with me and try some! I added a soy glaze, of course. Tradition must evolve with its environment.”

[lioncrowned]

She understands where he's coming from. He's right since that's what's expected of a King.

[mcmiji]

〘楓〙

No, he definitely needs therapy.

At least a little talk therapy or something.

[ardenssolis]

continued from [ x ] || @dnangelic

❝HOW AMUSING! CONSIDERING HOW terrible you are at holding their attention, I would assume that you are just a few thousand years too young to be speaking to me about such a topic.❞ Hah! Daisuke was probably ten times better than Dark when it came to talking to women. This ridiculous phantom thief...

[nobuverse]

@miraruinada || Misato SC

"-Yet how, may I ask - does one define 'culture of origin'? Is it a case of ethnicity, the blood of all the souls that runs in our veins - or is that 'origin' one which is found in the livelihood we'd come to know? Depending on your answer, I suppose you may either call me French or Japanese..."

[guhamun]

@caemthe said (inbox):

[ cú, for yoshi ] He has been silent for a while now, which can only mean one thing. But how will he go about it this time? That's for Nagayoshi to guess and Cú to not say. "Can you lean down a bit? There's something I wanna check." Once he had his friend at his eye level, he tilted his head slightly to the side and stared for a while. But, before Nagayoshi could complain about wasting their time, he smiled and cupped the samurai's face. "Yes, I'm sure of it now. That's the kind of face one can never forget, even after years pass. You're really handsome and cute, Yoshi!" It was an honest observation this time!

SUSPICIOUS. CU COULD BE the most suspicious person in a room without even trying. Then again, maybe Nagayoshi felt that way because he knew Cu rather well – at least, better than most, he supposed he could say. Was that saying much? He didn’t know. It wasn’t as if he went around keeping track of all of the Lancer’s interactions with others. It was just for all his raucous ferocity, he was far more perceptive than others gave him credit for. Whether that was purposeful on his end, or merely because Nagaoyshi preferred to act first, think later, for the sheer hell of it, who was to say? His mind wasn’t an easy thing to decipher, nor his seemingly random, incomprehensible mannerisms. ❝Eeeeh? What is it?❞ He leaned closer, attempting to close the gap between them so he was no longer towering over the smaller man. Was there something on his face? He did sit and eat sweet with Lady Chacha earlier, so maybe there was something there that he had missed? Cu better not have been letting him walk around with food stuck to his skin---!

     Rather than the other Servant wiping away debris, instead, he reached out to cup his cheeks. Blinking a couple of times, brows furrowed a little with confusion at the words that were said next, all of it, super, super, embarrassing. Who went around saying that to other people? ‘You’re really handsome and cute!’ Which one was it?! You couldn’t be both of those things! You were either handsome or you were cute! Scowling, he stood back to his full height, sharp teeth bared in a way that was meant to be intimidating. Alas, such was useless when his cheeks had gained a hint of color a shade lighter than his bright red hair. ❝You’re gonna ruin my image spouting stuff like that!❞ He was the Oni-musashi! An infamous name that had struck fear in many an ally and foe.

     Cute…

     As if!

[lioncrowned]

"That suit...is dangerous. How do bunnies cause chaos when they are cute? I don't understand..." Puts back on all her armor.

[nobuverse]

"...do you mind saying that in English? I don't speak dweeb."

"Lock it in. This is fish is next up. Trust."

[ardenssolis]

What a generous ruler ! Offering cookies and all, he might as well get in line ! ITS SO NOT IT!!

❝WHY ARE YOU IN a line?! These cookies are not being offered out!❞ What was going on?! How did word get out that he had these to begin with? Ozymandias had very little intention on giving anyone anything unless given a reason to do so. It was doubtful he could be convinced to share these rather lovely treats without copious amounts of praise towards his person and his magnificence. However, that was to be expected, wasn't? Kings as great as himself should be praised---!

[nobuverse]

@hxroic-wxlls || From here

" O-okay?? " She'd shyly reply to the Berserker, waving her hands in front of her in a mock surrender. Alright, honestly this was starting to get a tad bit scary, now… Perhaps it wasn't the greatest idea to try out the giant crane machine thing? …Wait, how much QP have they burned, already?

"I'VE GOT! EVERYTHING! UNDER! CONTROL!"

-Well, with a voice that loud, who else could consider otherwise? Even she was fooled ! ( Well. Partially. Not really. )

It's a little hard to convince anyone everything's fine when her hands had unintentionally caught on fire. The effort it took to not try and kick this cheating whore of a machine was just a little too much for her to hold in. And any amount of pent up emotion was dangerous for keeping Heshi-kill under control.

Oh. Wow. The shouting does actually help. She's used to doing that with sick rifts in a more uh - musically acceptable manner - but this works too.

She shakes her hands, as if trying to dissipate any leftover embers.

"...okay. I think we should probably bail before something like that happens again. Can we pick something, uhhh, less rage inducing to do?"

[nobuverse]

"...did it come off like that? Like I was happy for them?" For once, it's not said with any bitterness or venom. Rather, she sounds more disappointed as she realizes it isn't the case. If she were a better person, maybe...

"I'm far too self-centered for something like that." She replies with brutal honesty, as she sees no point in lying about it.

After a moment of silent analysis passes by, she decides there's nothing to lose in trying to ask her next question.

"...was it consumption that got you too? Forgive me - everyone's faces blurred into each other in the last few years of my life. I don't remember."

" I am too busy pitying myself to feel happy for those lucky bastards. " If anything, knowing that that none of the other heroic spirits had to deal with this shit only made him feel pretty damn pathetic. After all, being stuck in bed was no particularly heroic.

Oh, but at least he was not the only pitiful idiot here. " Same as you, I guess. Coughing my lungs out. "