- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)
- Thread starter Entropy Judge
- Start date
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are locked.
[X] Keep watch in case anyone tries something during the day.
4
[x] Take a nap
1
[X] Go out for a little - they'll be safe enough, since there are a bunch of people around and it's daytime, and Ershin's there!
-[X] See how people in the city are reacting to current events.
--[X] Since the shadow sounded like it was mostly interested in Servants, pay a visit to Saber and Emiya, maybe they were attacked too?
6
4
[x] Take a nap
1
[X] Go out for a little - they'll be safe enough, since there are a bunch of people around and it's daytime, and Ershin's there!
-[X] See how people in the city are reacting to current events.
--[X] Since the shadow sounded like it was mostly interested in Servants, pay a visit to Saber and Emiya, maybe they were attacked too?
6
Going Out
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Go out for a little - they'll be safe enough, since there are a bunch of people around and it's daytime, and Ershin's there!
-[X] See how people in the city are reacting to current events.
--[X] Since the shadow sounded like it was mostly interested in Servants, pay a visit to Saber and Emiya, maybe they were attacked too?
You tap your lips for a moment, unsure of how to proceed, then wave for Ershin to come to you. Somehow it manages to move very quietly, and you wonder if it's being really careful because of Deis's condition or if it's practiced being stealthy on its own. It doesn't really matter, and you usher it into the hallway before leaning close and whispering to it so you don't bother Deis. "So Ershin, I'm going to go out for a bit and do some scouting about how people are feeling about things. I won't be gone long, but for now you'll need to keep watch for anything strange happening." Headless snorts in the back of your head. Ershin hesitates a moment, then tilts forward slightly in an affirmative bow.
"Yes, Flandre." You hug Ershin, arms around the helmet and wings sweeping along the sides of the armor, then hop back and wave, smiling. Ershin waves back and you spin to head for the door, fishing out a blood pack as you do so - you shouldn't need it, because you aren't going to be out for very long and you got lots of sleep last night, but you'd rather be safe than sorry, and you did take a lot of damage from Archer and Lancer. Your heart doesn't twinge in protest when you send out your power to thaw the blood, and you feel some relief - whatever Lancer had done to you seems to have vanished. Maybe the cursed injuries were linked to the continued existence of his spear? Whatever the reason, it means that nothing is preventing you from exercising your full might unhindered now, and you devour the blood and wait for it to finish coursing through you before slipping outside invisibly once more.
Since you're here, you first stalk the monks to see how they're taking things. Caster must have done something to them, though, because while some of them are worried, most are simply taking things in stride. Not unconcerned, but viewing things as less a problem to be dealt with and more as something that needs to be lived through. You shake your head - rain is something that you have to live through, a natural consequence of existing; someone trying to blow up your courtyard is something you take steps to prevent! Then again, these are monks, and religious people get some weird ideas, like that one group of priests that tried to exorcise you and Remilia. Or maybe they're just putting up a confident front because they're in public, and if you bothered to wait around and eavesdrop on their private meetings you'd learn something more interesting … but you have no idea when that could be. Of course, you're staying here, so it shouldn't be too difficult to keep an eye on them and sneak in if anything happens. Besides, even if you're on a loose time restriction, you did tell Ershin that you wouldn't be gone long, and after last night you really need to keep to that promise. Fortunately, the list of places you're going is very short, so it shouldn't be difficult. You float up and fly toward the nearby market - as a place that is near the temple and has had a major disturbance of its own, it will give you a good idea the local opinion.
It isn't deserted, which is a positive sign - people still think some kind of normalcy is possible and haven't completely disregarded natural events. The humans are nervous, however, furtive and shifty-eyed, and scared enough that many of them are looking up as well as around. Conversations are similarly muted, and even people who seem to know each other quite well keep their discussions short and pertinent; questions from relative strangers are met with shrugs and nervously apologetic glances. It's rather frustrating, but this is also the older side of the city, and people are probably more traditionally-minded. But they aren't the only people in the city, and after a bit of looking through the windows to see if there's anything interesting you take off for the other market district, across the river. Maybe you could take Deis and Ershin to the bridge and let her use the structure to help repair Ershin? Well, maybe you can bring it up to her - it might be that she can manipulate the structure of materials and she just needs to rest up to make Ershin even better. You land in an open area and wish you could dismiss your invisibility and put up a parasol, but for now it's just discomfort, and if it starts to bother you, you can wait inside a building.
"Yeah, my dad wants us to move, but grandfather was never really all there, and Mom's work is here, so unless it gets really bad, she isn't going to let him." Two girls are sitting on a bench.
"What does your grandfather have to do with it?" The first girl sighs.
"Supposedly, bad things happened here when he was younger - foreign ghosts fighting around the city, or something. Of course, he was always a little weird, like I said. He told great ghost stories, but he always seemed to think they were real, and he was warning us instead of telling us spooky stories. But Dad's using his stories and what happened ten years ago to try and convince Mom that whatever's happening is getting worse and that we should move. Mom actually left late this morning because they were fighting about it." You walk past them and toward the shops, wondering if other people will make the connection to ten years ago. And this is actually the fifth War, so if there has been a pattern, maybe some people will notice that. People don't seem as generally nervous as they did in the other area. Perhaps because of distance?
"At least there's no serial killer, and no one's trying to kidnap our children." You follow two older women who are carrying bags.
"There is that - no one's died except maybe that nice young man at the church." The other woman laughs.
"'Nice young man?' Ha! You did read about what they found in the cellar, didn't you? He was probably mixed up in some kind of shady business!"
"Hmph. And who were these supposed children? No one's gone missing, so if they really existed, where did they come from? And whose word do we have to go on? A Matou? You do remember Kariya and Byakuya, right? One a coward who ran away when his family needed him, the other a hopeless drunkard?"
"Oh, they weren't that bad. Yes, Kariya hasn't been back in years, and Byakuya finally gave up, but are you going to blame that poor boy for his father and uncle? Or dear old Zouken, working so hard to keep the family together? And after what happened to their house?"
"Stop trying to defend them, they're -"
"You just don't like them because Kariya never had eyes for you. And really, it's hard to blame him considering who he was after. No wonder he hasn't been back, considering what happened to her." She pats her friend's shoulder. "Come on, let's go get some drinks and find something to cheer us up, okay?" You shake your head and drift away from them. Maybe that's why so few people are talking about it - they're convincing themselves that it's not relevant to them, or that they're imagining connections that don't really exist. It probably works if the person in question can't - or at least doesn't want - to handle the reality of the situation. Which doesn't help your overall goal of determining how worried people are about the situation … but if people can selectively ignore what bothers them and keep up a normal life, you're surely not causing too much distress. You scowl - not too much distress among normal people. Why does Tohsaka have to be such an irritating, aggravating nuisance? Ilya pointed it out this morning that mages keep their activities hidden, and there are organizations that work to make sure that happens. But Ilya doesn't know about who would be active here, Caster might … but Tohsaka should, because her family is established here. And that shadow-thing that attacked last night may be making things worse in the short-term, but it might be something that was unleashed by a local organization to stop the Heaven's Feel rituals permanently and she simply hasn't considered it. The way it tried to draw Caster into it instead of just trying to kill her seems to match what you know about the way the Japanese do things, as well - they seem to favor containing and sealing things instead of just killing them … you think. Now would be the time that having Patchouli's library at hand would be useful; well, unless you just go and keep killing things that get in your way, of course. "But like hell we're going to ask her about it, right?" You nod silently to Headless's question, and only when she sighs do you realize that she's being sarcastic.
"I will admit that swallowing my pride and asking her would be smart - it wouldn't even need that much, just asking her what Japanese groups can summon something that can defeat Servants - but I don't want to." She sighs.
"And I'll admit that it seems like she's more interested in burning any bridges between her and us, and salting the earth on both sides for good measure, but maybe it's worth considering? If she says no, we can still have her flayed alive and then drawn and quartered." You'd rather just skip right to the part where she's made to pay for her continued insults, but … maybe Headless has a point. If you can get Ilya to ask, anyway. Or … you tap your lips, thinking, and someone bumps into you. You shake yourself and dart into the air to prevent another occurrence, turning to look at whoever ran into you - a middle-aged man, staring at where you used to be. He waves his hand through that space, takes a few cautious steps, then puts a hand to his head and sighs, shuddering before he continues along his way. Oops. You look at the people walking around the district - they aren't furtive and cautious, aren't looking around anxiously. Maybe they're fools, maybe someone is doing something to calm them down, maybe there's some other explanation. That's enough, at least for now, because you don't want to be out too long, and depending on how much Saber and her Master listen to you, it may be a while talking to them. You leave the area and head for the Emiya residence.
You land and dismiss your invisibility as you take out your parasol. With it shading you and blocking anyone's view of your wings, you walk up to the gate and knock, as much for politeness's sake as for anything else. It's not like knocking at the front gate is going to be heard inside the house, after all. When you try to open the gate, however, it turns out to be locked. Irritating. Frowning, you look around to make sure no one is watching, and hop over the wall. You walk up to the front door and press the same button Ilya did, and the same bell sounds within … but even after several minutes and several presses, no one comes to the door. That girl should be here, even if Emiya isn't, so shouldn't her Servant be here as well? Grumbling to yourself, you try the door - locked - and fly over the house to enter through the back way. You explore the house, but no one is present, and there are no signs of violence, so either they weren't attacked, or they were attacked and were defeated easily because they weren't able to put up any serious resistance. After all, Caster's defenses proved worthless, and the temple was a fortress compared to this place. Neither Emiya nor her are even remotely as capable at magic as Deis, and it took her to drive the thing away. Of course, that is speculation, and while you don't find anyone home, there is also no sign of anything untoward in most of the house. The only oddness is in the guest room, which has an almost-sickly smell in it. It's being masked by several other smells, some kind of lavender scent and a powerful chlorine scent. If her illness worsened, then that would explain why no one is here … and perhaps the smell is from some kind of cleanup? You scowl and head back to the entrance. You can't determine if this place was attacked, although you don't think so, and you can't ask them to talk to Tohsaka about organizations that might interfere here. Maybe you could leave a note? You head for the gate and look for some place to put a note, quickly finding a small box … that already has a note. Puzzled, you take out the slip of paper - on one side, with several crossed-out mistakes, is a short letter with an explanation about what happened at the temple, signed by Ilya; and on the back is the same, but written in English and without the mistakes. She doesn't say much - that a strange shadow-like creature attempted to defeat Caster - and her tone seems to be informative rather than cautionary … certainly, she doesn't say anything about Caster's state of affairs. You sigh and shake your head; she's warning him, but isn't warning him to not attack Caster because you're still there. Well, she knows that you know she's ambivalent about him, and you don't have any reason to kill him, so even if you fight and kill Saber, he'll be fine. You put your parasol away and turn invisible again - you don't know where Saber and Emiya are, or when they'll return, and you've been gone nearly an hour, so it's definitely time to go back.
You consider shadowing the priests some more as you fly over them, then decide against it. Instead you simply return to Caster's building and drop your invisibility after checking on her and Souichirou once more. They're still asleep, and after poking your nose into the other room you see Deis is out as well. She has a slight fever, so you bundle up the blankets around her to make her more comfortable. Ershin sits silently near her.
What do you do?
[ ] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
[ ] Keep watch in case anyone tries something during the day.
- Any plans or preparations while comrades are sleeping?
[ ] Wake up Caster and talk to her about what happened.
[ ] Other?
-[X] See how people in the city are reacting to current events.
--[X] Since the shadow sounded like it was mostly interested in Servants, pay a visit to Saber and Emiya, maybe they were attacked too?
You tap your lips for a moment, unsure of how to proceed, then wave for Ershin to come to you. Somehow it manages to move very quietly, and you wonder if it's being really careful because of Deis's condition or if it's practiced being stealthy on its own. It doesn't really matter, and you usher it into the hallway before leaning close and whispering to it so you don't bother Deis. "So Ershin, I'm going to go out for a bit and do some scouting about how people are feeling about things. I won't be gone long, but for now you'll need to keep watch for anything strange happening." Headless snorts in the back of your head. Ershin hesitates a moment, then tilts forward slightly in an affirmative bow.
"Yes, Flandre." You hug Ershin, arms around the helmet and wings sweeping along the sides of the armor, then hop back and wave, smiling. Ershin waves back and you spin to head for the door, fishing out a blood pack as you do so - you shouldn't need it, because you aren't going to be out for very long and you got lots of sleep last night, but you'd rather be safe than sorry, and you did take a lot of damage from Archer and Lancer. Your heart doesn't twinge in protest when you send out your power to thaw the blood, and you feel some relief - whatever Lancer had done to you seems to have vanished. Maybe the cursed injuries were linked to the continued existence of his spear? Whatever the reason, it means that nothing is preventing you from exercising your full might unhindered now, and you devour the blood and wait for it to finish coursing through you before slipping outside invisibly once more.
Since you're here, you first stalk the monks to see how they're taking things. Caster must have done something to them, though, because while some of them are worried, most are simply taking things in stride. Not unconcerned, but viewing things as less a problem to be dealt with and more as something that needs to be lived through. You shake your head - rain is something that you have to live through, a natural consequence of existing; someone trying to blow up your courtyard is something you take steps to prevent! Then again, these are monks, and religious people get some weird ideas, like that one group of priests that tried to exorcise you and Remilia. Or maybe they're just putting up a confident front because they're in public, and if you bothered to wait around and eavesdrop on their private meetings you'd learn something more interesting … but you have no idea when that could be. Of course, you're staying here, so it shouldn't be too difficult to keep an eye on them and sneak in if anything happens. Besides, even if you're on a loose time restriction, you did tell Ershin that you wouldn't be gone long, and after last night you really need to keep to that promise. Fortunately, the list of places you're going is very short, so it shouldn't be difficult. You float up and fly toward the nearby market - as a place that is near the temple and has had a major disturbance of its own, it will give you a good idea the local opinion.
It isn't deserted, which is a positive sign - people still think some kind of normalcy is possible and haven't completely disregarded natural events. The humans are nervous, however, furtive and shifty-eyed, and scared enough that many of them are looking up as well as around. Conversations are similarly muted, and even people who seem to know each other quite well keep their discussions short and pertinent; questions from relative strangers are met with shrugs and nervously apologetic glances. It's rather frustrating, but this is also the older side of the city, and people are probably more traditionally-minded. But they aren't the only people in the city, and after a bit of looking through the windows to see if there's anything interesting you take off for the other market district, across the river. Maybe you could take Deis and Ershin to the bridge and let her use the structure to help repair Ershin? Well, maybe you can bring it up to her - it might be that she can manipulate the structure of materials and she just needs to rest up to make Ershin even better. You land in an open area and wish you could dismiss your invisibility and put up a parasol, but for now it's just discomfort, and if it starts to bother you, you can wait inside a building.
"Yeah, my dad wants us to move, but grandfather was never really all there, and Mom's work is here, so unless it gets really bad, she isn't going to let him." Two girls are sitting on a bench.
"What does your grandfather have to do with it?" The first girl sighs.
"Supposedly, bad things happened here when he was younger - foreign ghosts fighting around the city, or something. Of course, he was always a little weird, like I said. He told great ghost stories, but he always seemed to think they were real, and he was warning us instead of telling us spooky stories. But Dad's using his stories and what happened ten years ago to try and convince Mom that whatever's happening is getting worse and that we should move. Mom actually left late this morning because they were fighting about it." You walk past them and toward the shops, wondering if other people will make the connection to ten years ago. And this is actually the fifth War, so if there has been a pattern, maybe some people will notice that. People don't seem as generally nervous as they did in the other area. Perhaps because of distance?
"At least there's no serial killer, and no one's trying to kidnap our children." You follow two older women who are carrying bags.
"There is that - no one's died except maybe that nice young man at the church." The other woman laughs.
"'Nice young man?' Ha! You did read about what they found in the cellar, didn't you? He was probably mixed up in some kind of shady business!"
"Hmph. And who were these supposed children? No one's gone missing, so if they really existed, where did they come from? And whose word do we have to go on? A Matou? You do remember Kariya and Byakuya, right? One a coward who ran away when his family needed him, the other a hopeless drunkard?"
"Oh, they weren't that bad. Yes, Kariya hasn't been back in years, and Byakuya finally gave up, but are you going to blame that poor boy for his father and uncle? Or dear old Zouken, working so hard to keep the family together? And after what happened to their house?"
"Stop trying to defend them, they're -"
"You just don't like them because Kariya never had eyes for you. And really, it's hard to blame him considering who he was after. No wonder he hasn't been back, considering what happened to her." She pats her friend's shoulder. "Come on, let's go get some drinks and find something to cheer us up, okay?" You shake your head and drift away from them. Maybe that's why so few people are talking about it - they're convincing themselves that it's not relevant to them, or that they're imagining connections that don't really exist. It probably works if the person in question can't - or at least doesn't want - to handle the reality of the situation. Which doesn't help your overall goal of determining how worried people are about the situation … but if people can selectively ignore what bothers them and keep up a normal life, you're surely not causing too much distress. You scowl - not too much distress among normal people. Why does Tohsaka have to be such an irritating, aggravating nuisance? Ilya pointed it out this morning that mages keep their activities hidden, and there are organizations that work to make sure that happens. But Ilya doesn't know about who would be active here, Caster might … but Tohsaka should, because her family is established here. And that shadow-thing that attacked last night may be making things worse in the short-term, but it might be something that was unleashed by a local organization to stop the Heaven's Feel rituals permanently and she simply hasn't considered it. The way it tried to draw Caster into it instead of just trying to kill her seems to match what you know about the way the Japanese do things, as well - they seem to favor containing and sealing things instead of just killing them … you think. Now would be the time that having Patchouli's library at hand would be useful; well, unless you just go and keep killing things that get in your way, of course. "But like hell we're going to ask her about it, right?" You nod silently to Headless's question, and only when she sighs do you realize that she's being sarcastic.
"I will admit that swallowing my pride and asking her would be smart - it wouldn't even need that much, just asking her what Japanese groups can summon something that can defeat Servants - but I don't want to." She sighs.
"And I'll admit that it seems like she's more interested in burning any bridges between her and us, and salting the earth on both sides for good measure, but maybe it's worth considering? If she says no, we can still have her flayed alive and then drawn and quartered." You'd rather just skip right to the part where she's made to pay for her continued insults, but … maybe Headless has a point. If you can get Ilya to ask, anyway. Or … you tap your lips, thinking, and someone bumps into you. You shake yourself and dart into the air to prevent another occurrence, turning to look at whoever ran into you - a middle-aged man, staring at where you used to be. He waves his hand through that space, takes a few cautious steps, then puts a hand to his head and sighs, shuddering before he continues along his way. Oops. You look at the people walking around the district - they aren't furtive and cautious, aren't looking around anxiously. Maybe they're fools, maybe someone is doing something to calm them down, maybe there's some other explanation. That's enough, at least for now, because you don't want to be out too long, and depending on how much Saber and her Master listen to you, it may be a while talking to them. You leave the area and head for the Emiya residence.
You land and dismiss your invisibility as you take out your parasol. With it shading you and blocking anyone's view of your wings, you walk up to the gate and knock, as much for politeness's sake as for anything else. It's not like knocking at the front gate is going to be heard inside the house, after all. When you try to open the gate, however, it turns out to be locked. Irritating. Frowning, you look around to make sure no one is watching, and hop over the wall. You walk up to the front door and press the same button Ilya did, and the same bell sounds within … but even after several minutes and several presses, no one comes to the door. That girl should be here, even if Emiya isn't, so shouldn't her Servant be here as well? Grumbling to yourself, you try the door - locked - and fly over the house to enter through the back way. You explore the house, but no one is present, and there are no signs of violence, so either they weren't attacked, or they were attacked and were defeated easily because they weren't able to put up any serious resistance. After all, Caster's defenses proved worthless, and the temple was a fortress compared to this place. Neither Emiya nor her are even remotely as capable at magic as Deis, and it took her to drive the thing away. Of course, that is speculation, and while you don't find anyone home, there is also no sign of anything untoward in most of the house. The only oddness is in the guest room, which has an almost-sickly smell in it. It's being masked by several other smells, some kind of lavender scent and a powerful chlorine scent. If her illness worsened, then that would explain why no one is here … and perhaps the smell is from some kind of cleanup? You scowl and head back to the entrance. You can't determine if this place was attacked, although you don't think so, and you can't ask them to talk to Tohsaka about organizations that might interfere here. Maybe you could leave a note? You head for the gate and look for some place to put a note, quickly finding a small box … that already has a note. Puzzled, you take out the slip of paper - on one side, with several crossed-out mistakes, is a short letter with an explanation about what happened at the temple, signed by Ilya; and on the back is the same, but written in English and without the mistakes. She doesn't say much - that a strange shadow-like creature attempted to defeat Caster - and her tone seems to be informative rather than cautionary … certainly, she doesn't say anything about Caster's state of affairs. You sigh and shake your head; she's warning him, but isn't warning him to not attack Caster because you're still there. Well, she knows that you know she's ambivalent about him, and you don't have any reason to kill him, so even if you fight and kill Saber, he'll be fine. You put your parasol away and turn invisible again - you don't know where Saber and Emiya are, or when they'll return, and you've been gone nearly an hour, so it's definitely time to go back.
You consider shadowing the priests some more as you fly over them, then decide against it. Instead you simply return to Caster's building and drop your invisibility after checking on her and Souichirou once more. They're still asleep, and after poking your nose into the other room you see Deis is out as well. She has a slight fever, so you bundle up the blankets around her to make her more comfortable. Ershin sits silently near her.
What do you do?
[ ] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
[ ] Keep watch in case anyone tries something during the day.
- Any plans or preparations while comrades are sleeping?
[ ] Wake up Caster and talk to her about what happened.
[ ] Other?
Last edited:
- Location
- Bowling Green
[X] Keep watch in case anyone tries something during the day.
Slith10
Back from the dead and ready to party!
- Location
- New Zealand
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
No one has attacked yet and we will need our rest for the night, so unless we have preparations to make we should take a nap.
No one has attacked yet and we will need our rest for the night, so unless we have preparations to make we should take a nap.
- Location
- Thailand
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
We should rest while we still can, Flan is not on the top of her game right now.
We should rest while we still can, Flan is not on the top of her game right now.
SolipsistSerpent
Endlessly Devouring
On the one hand, Flandre probably needs rest. On the other hand, someone should probably be guarding the place. Ershin tries but I don't know how effective he'll be without Deis. Depending on where we nap, I suppose the commotion might wake us, but we might not hear anything if we're a ways away and he folds fast.
[X] Wake up Caster and talk to her about what happened.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are not locked.
[X] Keep watch in case anyone tries something during the day.
2
[X] Wake up Caster and talk to her about what happened.
3
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
2
2
[X] Wake up Caster and talk to her about what happened.
3
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
2
- Location
- Germany
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are not locked.
There is a tie.
[X] Keep watch in case anyone tries something during the day.
2
[X] Wake up Caster and talk to her about what happened.
3
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
3
2
[X] Wake up Caster and talk to her about what happened.
3
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
3
- Location
- Earth
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Votes are locked.
[X] Keep watch in case anyone tries something during the day.
2
[X] Wake up Caster and talk to her about what happened.
3
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
4
2
[X] Wake up Caster and talk to her about what happened.
3
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
4
After a Nap
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Take a nap - it's daytime, there are a bunch of people around the temple, and Ershin can keep watch anyway!
You scowl - on the one hand, if you sleep in here you'll be more comfortable and you'll be right be Deis if she needs anything and can't get it herself. If you sleep somewhere else, like the main room, you'll be more likely to be the first encounter anyone trying to attack has … but you'll also be the first one someone who's innocent will see. Do you take comfort first, or your loose responsibility to protect everyone else? After a long moment of fretting to yourself, you huff and shake your head. "I'm going to take a nap. If you need someone, wake me up first, okay?" Ershin doesn't respond, so you tilt your head to the side and glare at it, then sigh grumpily. Deis said she would put something in Ershin so it could operate on its own, but if that was damaged in the fight and she didn't notice …. Or maybe Ershin is asleep … or ignoring you …. You walk over to your sleeping mats and take up a blanket. Meiling can guard while she sleeps, how hard can it be? You slip out of the room and make your way to the front of the house. Ershin is with Deis, Souichirou is with Caster, and you'll sleep against the door, so if anyone comes in they'll have to deal with you to get anywhere! A shame you don't have a nice, comfy chair ….
Your eyes blink open - it's almost surprising that you've woken up on your own instead of because someone tried coming in. You crack open the door to see light still in the sky, but it's definitely later in the afternoon, so you've had several hours of sleep. You stand up, keeping the blanket wrapped around you, and head toward the main room, where you can hear Deis and Caster. What does Deis need money for? You walk in to find her leaning over the table across from Caster and Souichirou.
"Flandre. Are you well?" You nod politely to Caster. She seems to be fine, although some of that may be control rather than how she actually feels … she's probably not very happy about how you weren't there to help fight the shadow-thing.
"Mm. I'm fine, thank you. Are you two alright? You seemed feverish a little earlier, Deis." They both nod as you sit down at the table. Deis is studying a coin with '500' on it.
"I'm fine, but I do need to take better care of this body, even if it is burning out. Especially. So I'm going to go get something to eat." You hunch your shoulders - you could have gotten her something while you were out - and she looks sidelong at you. "And, yes, I'm a bit sick right now, but it's nothing to worry about. Ershin's been keeping an eye on me, and no, it did hear you, so don't worry." You frown; if she's sick, she shouldn't be out alone, but you really should stay here in case something happens ….
"I am … doing well, considering the circumstances," Caster says when you look at her. "Every defense I built that's capable of threatening a Servant has been ruined, and I will need time to reestablish them." You nod.
"Are you feeling alright? You didn't look very good this morning when I looked in on you." Her face turns bright red and she freezes.
"Ah - you … you saw us?" Deis looks over at you, then up at Caster, then sighs and shakes her head. You nod.
"Yeah. But you really looked like you needed the rest, and you seemed relaxed with Souichirou, so I thought it would be better to let you sleep." She ducks her head and covers her face. Deis holds up two coins and looks at them, then passes them to Souichirou.
"Here, can you tell them apart?" He studies each coin, then holds them together and compares them side by side before returning them to her. "Okay, now you, Flan." She holds them out to you and you do your best to find any distinguishing marks, but give up and return them.
"Nope; they even have the same scratches, I think." Deis clucks her tongue and nods, then passes one coin back to Souichirou. Caster finally sits up, and while her face is still pink, she seems more interested in what Deis is doing.
"Projection? No, that's …." Deis shrugs.
"No, it's not an illusion; I happened to have some bits of metal, so I formed them into a convincing forgery. I'll just have to stop by someplace and make some more before I find some place to eat. I'll be back in … I don't know, a couple hours? Just do whatever, I'll be fine; with Flan here, you'll be able to concentrate more on getting things set up, right?" Caster nods, frowning slightly. You wave at Deis as she stands up, and she smiles. "Anyway, take care of yourself while I'm gone, Flan." She leaves, and you turn back to Caster. She frowns at the table for a while, then gestures and a scrying ball appears on the table. Your eyes widen as the image focuses on Deis, already making her way past the gate, a shimmering wall around her. She pauses and looks right at you, then shakes her head and keeps moving, keeping to the side to avoid running into anyone. You glance a Caster.
"Um, should you be doing that? It's not draining your power?" She looks at you, surprised, then chuckles and shakes her head.
"No, no, it's fine - my personal energy was depleted, and if Deis had been any slower I might have died, but my links through the city weren't affected, so I'll only be in danger if I have to fight again before I can store enough power." You nod.
"Okay. Are you interested in using that spell of my sister's? Since it's based on blood spilled, you don't actually need to kill anyone if you're worried about that." She frowns, thinking, then shakes her head.
"No, it's best to save that in case I lose my base of power entirely. As it is now … I can handle any of the Masters that attack, and so long as you're here their Servants can be dealt with. At least, Deis indicated that Berserker's Master might be giving us a grace period? If that is the case, then I should not need it." You relax - she doesn't seem too interested in castigating you for being away last night.
"Um … I found out some stuff, yesterday and today." She looks at you and you look down, a little uncomfortable - Ilya didn't ask you to keep it a secret, and if you tell Caster about it you'll be putting her at risk because then Caster might attack her while you're fighting Berserker, but …. "Well … um, Rider's Master has something to do with the Grail. She seems to be absorbing the energy from defeated Servants, and that probably has something to do with her getting sick. But she wasn't designed to carry that energy, and it'll kill her, and she said she'd keep using it to help Emiya. And … I went to Emiya's place earlier today, but no one was there. Not Rider or Saber or either of their Masters. Since she was sick before, she might have gotten worse, or they may have just separated because they're both Masters and cooperation is too difficult for some reason." Caster nods at first, then frowns in thought. "And I was thinking about that shadow-thing that attacked. It … may be after either Deis or me. Or that it's from another organization in Japan, but I don't know if …." You trail off as Caster shakes her head. She stares at the table for a long time, then sits back.
"No. No, it's something that was going after Servants, not you or Deis. It's possible that your arrival here spurred it into action somehow, but it took Assassin first, and nothing he could have done would have stopped it. It fought Deis only because she barred its path, and then it targeted me, even though my magic was not effective against it. It could possibly be from another part of Japan, some entity they control." She bites the tip of one knuckle.
"… You have an idea on what it is, don't you?" Caster hesitates, then nods unhappily.
"An idea, yes. One that I won't be able to prove for a while … and more importantly, I will need time to figure out how to work around it." She stares at the scrying ball, watching as Deis walks along the road, then drives her fists into her thighs and screws her eyes shut. You watch her carefully, but after only a few seconds she calmly opens them again. "Well, I do need to begin setting up my defenses again. It does no good to come up with a solution if I'm in no position to use it, after all … may I count on your protection, Flandre?" You nod energetically.
"Of course, Caster." She nods somberly and sets about her magic in silence. Now, of course, there isn't much to do, is there?
What do you do?
[ ] Guard the building properly.
[ ] Guard, but also send out clones to scout out the area in case something is hiding.
[ ] Other?
You scowl - on the one hand, if you sleep in here you'll be more comfortable and you'll be right be Deis if she needs anything and can't get it herself. If you sleep somewhere else, like the main room, you'll be more likely to be the first encounter anyone trying to attack has … but you'll also be the first one someone who's innocent will see. Do you take comfort first, or your loose responsibility to protect everyone else? After a long moment of fretting to yourself, you huff and shake your head. "I'm going to take a nap. If you need someone, wake me up first, okay?" Ershin doesn't respond, so you tilt your head to the side and glare at it, then sigh grumpily. Deis said she would put something in Ershin so it could operate on its own, but if that was damaged in the fight and she didn't notice …. Or maybe Ershin is asleep … or ignoring you …. You walk over to your sleeping mats and take up a blanket. Meiling can guard while she sleeps, how hard can it be? You slip out of the room and make your way to the front of the house. Ershin is with Deis, Souichirou is with Caster, and you'll sleep against the door, so if anyone comes in they'll have to deal with you to get anywhere! A shame you don't have a nice, comfy chair ….
Your eyes blink open - it's almost surprising that you've woken up on your own instead of because someone tried coming in. You crack open the door to see light still in the sky, but it's definitely later in the afternoon, so you've had several hours of sleep. You stand up, keeping the blanket wrapped around you, and head toward the main room, where you can hear Deis and Caster. What does Deis need money for? You walk in to find her leaning over the table across from Caster and Souichirou.
"Flandre. Are you well?" You nod politely to Caster. She seems to be fine, although some of that may be control rather than how she actually feels … she's probably not very happy about how you weren't there to help fight the shadow-thing.
"Mm. I'm fine, thank you. Are you two alright? You seemed feverish a little earlier, Deis." They both nod as you sit down at the table. Deis is studying a coin with '500' on it.
"I'm fine, but I do need to take better care of this body, even if it is burning out. Especially. So I'm going to go get something to eat." You hunch your shoulders - you could have gotten her something while you were out - and she looks sidelong at you. "And, yes, I'm a bit sick right now, but it's nothing to worry about. Ershin's been keeping an eye on me, and no, it did hear you, so don't worry." You frown; if she's sick, she shouldn't be out alone, but you really should stay here in case something happens ….
"I am … doing well, considering the circumstances," Caster says when you look at her. "Every defense I built that's capable of threatening a Servant has been ruined, and I will need time to reestablish them." You nod.
"Are you feeling alright? You didn't look very good this morning when I looked in on you." Her face turns bright red and she freezes.
"Ah - you … you saw us?" Deis looks over at you, then up at Caster, then sighs and shakes her head. You nod.
"Yeah. But you really looked like you needed the rest, and you seemed relaxed with Souichirou, so I thought it would be better to let you sleep." She ducks her head and covers her face. Deis holds up two coins and looks at them, then passes them to Souichirou.
"Here, can you tell them apart?" He studies each coin, then holds them together and compares them side by side before returning them to her. "Okay, now you, Flan." She holds them out to you and you do your best to find any distinguishing marks, but give up and return them.
"Nope; they even have the same scratches, I think." Deis clucks her tongue and nods, then passes one coin back to Souichirou. Caster finally sits up, and while her face is still pink, she seems more interested in what Deis is doing.
"Projection? No, that's …." Deis shrugs.
"No, it's not an illusion; I happened to have some bits of metal, so I formed them into a convincing forgery. I'll just have to stop by someplace and make some more before I find some place to eat. I'll be back in … I don't know, a couple hours? Just do whatever, I'll be fine; with Flan here, you'll be able to concentrate more on getting things set up, right?" Caster nods, frowning slightly. You wave at Deis as she stands up, and she smiles. "Anyway, take care of yourself while I'm gone, Flan." She leaves, and you turn back to Caster. She frowns at the table for a while, then gestures and a scrying ball appears on the table. Your eyes widen as the image focuses on Deis, already making her way past the gate, a shimmering wall around her. She pauses and looks right at you, then shakes her head and keeps moving, keeping to the side to avoid running into anyone. You glance a Caster.
"Um, should you be doing that? It's not draining your power?" She looks at you, surprised, then chuckles and shakes her head.
"No, no, it's fine - my personal energy was depleted, and if Deis had been any slower I might have died, but my links through the city weren't affected, so I'll only be in danger if I have to fight again before I can store enough power." You nod.
"Okay. Are you interested in using that spell of my sister's? Since it's based on blood spilled, you don't actually need to kill anyone if you're worried about that." She frowns, thinking, then shakes her head.
"No, it's best to save that in case I lose my base of power entirely. As it is now … I can handle any of the Masters that attack, and so long as you're here their Servants can be dealt with. At least, Deis indicated that Berserker's Master might be giving us a grace period? If that is the case, then I should not need it." You relax - she doesn't seem too interested in castigating you for being away last night.
"Um … I found out some stuff, yesterday and today." She looks at you and you look down, a little uncomfortable - Ilya didn't ask you to keep it a secret, and if you tell Caster about it you'll be putting her at risk because then Caster might attack her while you're fighting Berserker, but …. "Well … um, Rider's Master has something to do with the Grail. She seems to be absorbing the energy from defeated Servants, and that probably has something to do with her getting sick. But she wasn't designed to carry that energy, and it'll kill her, and she said she'd keep using it to help Emiya. And … I went to Emiya's place earlier today, but no one was there. Not Rider or Saber or either of their Masters. Since she was sick before, she might have gotten worse, or they may have just separated because they're both Masters and cooperation is too difficult for some reason." Caster nods at first, then frowns in thought. "And I was thinking about that shadow-thing that attacked. It … may be after either Deis or me. Or that it's from another organization in Japan, but I don't know if …." You trail off as Caster shakes her head. She stares at the table for a long time, then sits back.
"No. No, it's something that was going after Servants, not you or Deis. It's possible that your arrival here spurred it into action somehow, but it took Assassin first, and nothing he could have done would have stopped it. It fought Deis only because she barred its path, and then it targeted me, even though my magic was not effective against it. It could possibly be from another part of Japan, some entity they control." She bites the tip of one knuckle.
"… You have an idea on what it is, don't you?" Caster hesitates, then nods unhappily.
"An idea, yes. One that I won't be able to prove for a while … and more importantly, I will need time to figure out how to work around it." She stares at the scrying ball, watching as Deis walks along the road, then drives her fists into her thighs and screws her eyes shut. You watch her carefully, but after only a few seconds she calmly opens them again. "Well, I do need to begin setting up my defenses again. It does no good to come up with a solution if I'm in no position to use it, after all … may I count on your protection, Flandre?" You nod energetically.
"Of course, Caster." She nods somberly and sets about her magic in silence. Now, of course, there isn't much to do, is there?
What do you do?
[ ] Guard the building properly.
[ ] Guard, but also send out clones to scout out the area in case something is hiding.
[ ] Other?
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Guarding properly is Flan ensuring that the local area is safe, and continuing to do so; using the clones to snoop around gives a view of the wider area around the temple, but Flan will stay by Caster and will be paying less attention to any potential threats that enter after she does her initial sweep.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
[x] Guard the building properly.
Let's be responsible, for once.
Let's be responsible, for once.
- Location
- Voidbetweenstars
[x] Guard the building properly.
- Location
- Bowling Green
[X] Guard, but also send out clones to scout out the area in case something is hiding.
[x] Guard the building properly