caliburn

[caliburn]

a lull in customers had opened up opportunity for the staff to take their breaks on a relatively hot day at the café. In the midst of pondering what to spend the time eating, Lily had been eager as ever to accept Shirou's offer of a light lunch. Swinging her legs from a seat, the Servant heartily bit into the sandwich produced as a result, cheeks aglow with delight.

"Bhirou thib bandwhich ib good".

@originsword

[caliburn]

It was an approach she could liken to tough love — mischievous as he were, Merlin reserved the harshness of her ambition so she not be crushed prematurely. Until it would be her humanity was quietened so that even the Round Table carried instinctive fear and she could bear it. The strength that she needed to dredge up from within sooner rather than later, otherwise what else was her dreaming as nothing more than that.

She would remain nothing more than a burden to others, to Chaldea, to the fully-fledged Servants she desperately yearned to reach the level of. It would remain always the childish form which she took that would define all. He looked youthful himself, yet had come prepared no matter the sudden changes in environment or heightened sense of danger.

Unsettling as the crimson might be, it was so... little compared to other trials. If she let herself get rattled, what might any waiting ahead feel whilst they awaited rescue? It was ridiculous... any knight worth their salt should be better than this. He certainly was.

Emerald trained on the blade gleaming in front grew sharper, and while her arms around Caliburn briefly tensed, they were soon to relax and drop the blade from her chest. "You're right," she murmured, rather embarrassed that she had allowed anything to shake her so easily. upon that tip did her sights remain as if straying away might grant room for doubts to wriggle back in. A heavy and measured exhale poured out. "I... I'm sorry. You must think I'm a real idiot coming all the way out here and letting myself get startled".

He watched her, studied her. Her pleas didn't mean much to him, yet he knew how it felt to be powerless when he had power to wield. He recognized that determination in her eyes; he understood what it felt like to be treated like a child. He knew the agony of needing to prove one's strength. He walked closer to her with his heart steeled and his face void and stone.

"You want to help?" He asked. "Then stop whimpering and trembling like a child. You have a sword, and hopefully, some idea how to use it. You can't save anyone if you're too busy cowering in fear."

Sephiroth's words were harsh, but in his mind, necessary. He pulled out his own sword and pointed the tip of the blade towards her. He wasn't threatening her, but making a point. He didn't tremble when he held his blade. His grip was resolute. There was no room for fear in his heart.

"If you don't steel your heart on the battlefield, you will never be able to protect anyone. All you'll be is a hindrance."

[caliburn]

"Yes," was her sharp reaction, the bristle of her body relaxing after blurting it out. whatever circumstance might have led their ways to cross, smoothing out any mistakes was best saved for another time, a safer location. Straying from keeping on top of their surroundings was bound only to have her drag him down — and an error only more egregious and much more complicated to correct.

However, with sturdy company, Lily felt little cause for concern — it need not take a knight's legacy to recognise him to be battle-hardened. She, on the other hand, was naturally a more peculiar sight.

"Mhm. It's known as the Sword of Selection. drawing it means to take on the duty it embodies and unite our nation. it might be a land far from here, but Spirale also homes those for whom peace is not a certainty. For their sake, those who were born here and others brought here without any choice, I want to do what I can to help, if it's possible to".

The girl before him was young. Perhaps around the same age he was when he first became First Shield. He should be used to children being soldiers, but... he doesn't think he'll ever be used to it, not after all he's seen and witnessed with his own eyes.

"You don't need to apologize." Clive says with a soft smile. Torgal barks in agreement. "Though, we should start moving - we can speak while we walk." With that, the outlaw starts to walk, moving slow so that the young girl can keep up.

"Despite your age, you carry a blade with you." His voice is distant, like he's thinking of his own memories.

[caliburn]

So fervently did she nod, accepting his assessment of each party's contribution. At first thought, her belief was that she'd provided a skeletal basis upon which he crated a body much more majestic. and while she couldn't match his artistic skill, it was still something. He could realise her dream because she thought it up — otherwise it would have been like working with a completely blank canvas. Camelot itself had likewise been built upon a dream.

colour in her cheeks flared in a hue of the setting sun nearing the horizon, her heart aflutter as when those skies would grace her view.

"Of course!" With a swift motion was her phone retrieved, then balanced between finger and thumb. "I've been getting lots of practice at taking pictures so I can send you plenty!" When it came to the environment, they still oft fell short of the captivation which led her to pull out the device, but a more focused scene would surely produce better results. She hoped at least.

A flimsy giggle instinctively masked the hiccup that was self-confidence. "I'm still a student myself so there isn't much I could offer those coming to train, but hopefully we can learn together".

HIS VISION, THE GIRL SAYS. isn't it more like her own? while he comes up with the designs, he cannot do so without the wishes of the client, especially so when it comes to designing something that they may come to love. ❝ Well, I wouldn't say my vision, exactly. It's a joint effort, isn't it? ❞ not that she would help build the entire thing, but he means in a sense of the creativity of it. hopefully she would understand that much, though the praise was a nice feeling, knowing he had managed to succeed in that aspect.

surely there would be other times as this, too, once he got into the groove of his small business to design other things for people. that was if they would prefer to take his services, that is.

❝ Payment is all that's really needed. That way we can make it with the best quality we can. Otherwise... I suppose just making good use of it and giving it purpose is all I can really ask of you, ❞ he adds, glancing once more over the design which he had painstakingly devised for her and those who would call this place their training grounds. ❝ But I'm certain that isn't too difficult to follow up on with how passionate you seem about this project. Anyone who comes here will have a good instructor on their hands, I can tell. ❞

[caliburn]

A pang throbbed in her chest. King Arthur would never see the future Camelot paved the way for, falling asleep as its ruins smouldered, before they could be built upon. Romani Archaman might have known from the beginning, aware his future was the performance Marisbury Animusphere put on. His entrustment of humanity to Chaldea was a genuine baton, not the snake wrapped within a disguise the latter had placed into his daughter's grip.

To what extent he knew of Chaldea's primordial ambition, it were impossible to tell without the man himself present. But what intrigued Lily on that front was the retrieval of his body from the abyss. Olga Marie was the same — erased by the heart of the organisation she balanced upon her shoulders, yet emerged from Atlas' corpse. Curious...

"If you walk the Earth still, then he entrusted you as well. with humanity, and his own form". The Beast might be able to clarify his circumstances, though given his methodology of communication, she'd doubts he would speak it if so. "Mashu isn't the only one carrying on his fight against Marisbury Animusphere — you stand in his place. Literally in his shoes. It could have been a parting gift, so you could live beyond grief".

“If I could, I would spare Mashu from it.” what an ill-fitting joke, he finds no humor in how his sister has to experience grief, when he had never wanted her to learn it. she had gone against any of his intentions and he cannot, will not resent her for that, it does not mean he wanted her to deal with what is close to his own mourning. “That man… I only know what happened that day as you do.”

oblivion. his throat tightens painfully, but the pressure is a welcomed distraction. he doesn’t want to say what he should, what he refuses to express aloud, about the foolishness, because it has never done anything. and still, his eyes are tired from seeing too much and being aware that nothing has changed. delayed, certainly, but nothing else. perhaps all that remains is the struggle until no more choices are left, it was what had brought Chaldea far.

his mouth falls into a thin line, closing his eyes for a brief second to compose himself. “Because he believed you all would finish his work,” he offers as an answer. any display of temper will not serve any cause, and he does not like it when his teeth are bared without the full picture. it had been done once in their arrogance, and now he has to live with the regret of being blind when he should have seen the truth. “Even if that meant he would never be able to see it.”

[caliburn]

In typical fashion, Morgan conducted herself with eternal calm no matter the situation, her instruct coming not suddenly in a break of interrogation, but soothing and unshaken. What mattered most to Lily was the answers provided — and hearing from her sister gave comfort that, although separated, Caster was presumably well. She had certainly gone through far worse — and that might make the young knight's panic seem all the sillier.

The nursing of nerves, however, ended there. Feeling her body tense, inexperience permitted her emotions take the reins once more.

"What? Is it because you lived here with the other me? and it brings bad memories? That doesn't matter — she's not here. This doesn't have anything to do with her".

there was no surprise when the young Saber called her and equally when she was quick to ask how things were, followed by an invitation to stay. silence follows for the first few moments and then the berserker sighs soundlessly. " Breathe." a single word, followed by a beat of silence.

" We are fine, as is are they. " from her side does Millie sit waiting; alert. no doubt Caster's companion is doing the same from wherever she is. " .......I will let Caster know of the invitation and to tell her to bring the dogs." a quick text after this should suffice. " However, I must refuse."

[caliburn]

Back? Home? Kind as his sentiment was, Lily bristled at the invitation. Although she had been out here searching for any stranded, he approached her with that same assessment — she was some child wandering far from safety, someone in need of rescue. Arms around Caliburn grew tenser and tighter. she was no stranger to it — Merlin had swooped in to save the day along her journey, and her place at Chaldea was under the wing of others.

But she was never of use, never helpful. Always on standby and waiting.

Here again, in Spirale, Lily was little more than moral support — she could never contribute, even if at full strength, there were those more dependable and more capable. In their eyes, like his, she still had more growing to do before justifying her existence.

"—No, please," she whimpered, words weak having been the first to breach that lump in her throat. but those which followed were able to sound her plea with the desperation that welled in her eyes. "Let me help — there might be someone out here who needs it. I can't just go back and sit back while this all happens!"

Sephiroth blinked slowly. That was a child's voice. He didn't relax, but his hand moved away from the hilt of his sword. She already sounded terrified, there was no reason to threaten her and make it worse. Sephiroth walked over to her with cautious steps.

He noted the sword in her hands, how her hands gripped it for dear life. Sephiroth felt some form of pity for her. She was obviously terrified and out of her element. He still kept his distance. A scared child with a sword is still dangerous. He learned that the hard way.

"You shouldn't be out here," He said gently, caution still in his tone. "It's dangerous. I can escort you back to your home."

[caliburn]

The land coated in mist was unsettling enough, Lily's nerves rattling away with each cautious step she took, filled with dread and paranoia that something might lunge from behind its value so suddenly. dying it in red just amplified the discomfort to nightmarish levels.

Her heart trembled, determined to remain steadfast to her impulse to aid others — as uneasy she might be, someone out here without the power to fight back, isolated and maybe even injured, would be so much more. How could she turn away from that possibility?

Sounds of movement brought the girl to a frightful pause, golden hair standing on end whilst she clutched Caliburn to her chest more like a shield than a sword. Heart in her throat, neither fight nor flight activated and for a moment, she was frozen, digging her heels into the dirt.

Only when a voice cut through did she dare breathe, and her knees began to shiver from the imagined possibility in order to free themselves up for movement. "It's okay," she called back, her voice a little shaky and sheepish. "There's no danger to you".

The fog felt similar to Robio. It was thick and and unnerving to him with an ominous red color. Fire would have been helpful with guiding his way, but he quickly learned his lesson when a zombie tried to rush at the light.

He paused in his steps when he heard movement near him. It footfalls didn't have any sort of drag or shambling to them. Sephiroth kept his hand on the handle of his sword, yet not removing it from its sheath. He didn't know if it was a person or one of the zombies that didn't shamble.

"whose there?" He called out, drawing closer to the sound.

@caliburn - ick, crimson fog

[caliburn]

Lily had only heard about the calamity in the Babylonian Singularity, but spared the horrors of experiencing such a landscape first-hand. It would be a tragic inevitability that the same could not be a universal mercy. in spite of that, he stood strong and resolute in defiance of that pain. Truly it was admirable.

After all the pandemonium, the silence was... a little eerie, eyes wandering as if expecting movement to disrupt their departure. But perceived none and nodded once upon the man her sights returned. "You're right. I shouldn't have been reckless heading out into areas that have seen trouble pass through. My apologies to trouble you all the way out here".

"-- Somehow, this is even worse than the Akashic back home." At least he knew how to deal with them. And it didn't feel like he was being drained of his abilities when he used them back home. He turned towards the person nearby, sheathing his blade for the time being.

"Are you alright?" A pause, Torgal on high alert next to him. "We should probably leave the area. Something tells me we won't be alone for long."

[caliburn]

       ARTURIA PENDRAGON LILY (SABER) ❀ TO DIE FOR

Sunshine's time for notes — as a Servant, Lily is stronger than the average person, though being a young one, she's lacking compared to may of her peers who would be summoned at their peak. Lily comes from a different pivotal moment — after drawing the sword in the stone, and that blade is the one she wields.

Caliburn is a slender blade from which Lily can fire beams of light on top of using as a typical weapon. Her Noble Phantasm takes this up a notch and strikes multiple targets. Lily lacks much of the battle experience associated with her legend, so her specialty is speed over strength.

What she can do is help others, ordinarily it would be with a smile but given the current dire straits, she's deeply worried about how many are suffering, who else might be waiting and her limited capacity to help. Likewise is the terrifying ordeal the Glitched themselves are facing. Unless there's no other option, Lily will not strike them, even if it means harm befalling her before that tipping point. She's been raised to become a martyr, so she's prepared to play a practice run of the part.

[caliburn]

Her smile adopted a wistful tinge — it was likely the case with many Servants who were separated from their Masters throughout Holy Grail Wars. And Camelot as it crumbled... at the end of her life, she would get to bade Bedivere farewell, but others would not be so lucky. The worlds from which they descended from, many must have been rife with turmoil that ripped lives apart without care for sensitivities. Regrets and broken hearts, promises that would never be able to wake — each were a tragedy beyond the sufferers' control.

"Yes, it's very hard". Skyward drifted her eyes, swimming between the clouds that drifted without a care. "I want to believe, and that might be naïve — just as I would want everyone to have a say in their partings. They might be working toward a noble goal, or perhaps they enjoy toying with test subjects they've captured with a cold detachment like you see researchers depicted in fiction.

They gave us somewhere to live in relative calm, and a beautiful place at that, but they also instigate many of the trials that see lives put in jeopardy. What is it they strive towards? the question echoes in my mind now and then. Do they have an end goal that sees us released to go back — and everything that took place here... what becomes of that?"

❝ Even if it were to become strange, I believe they're deserving of saying goodbye. Of course, that's not how life works most of the time. ❞ and he would know that well, recalling the fallen comrades in battle he was never able to truly bid farewell to, no matter how his heart wishes so. ❝ I would like to hope so, too. Though it's difficult to gauge when those watching over us hardly deign to walk among us. Instead, we're forced to live our lives under their microscopes, unknowing if they even truly relate to us at all. ❞

[caliburn]

In all the time she'd been able to gaze upon the spectacular structures in their diversity, the thought of just how much care, effort and work went into not only constructing them, but the design which would lay foundations upon which they be built. It wasn't dissimilar to beginning a hobby or delving into a study, only to discover just how complicated and deep the subject ran beneath a deceptively simple appearance.

"I'm very grateful you did, so that your vision could be brought to life— someone else's might have been wildly different. but all the consideration you put into accommodating so many factors speaks to your care — and that deserves recognition".

Her eyes were alight in witness of the companion, which she'd initially believed to be a briefcase illuminate the space in the centre of the gathering, recreating exactly what Kaveh had verbally envisioned. Even in holographic form, to behold a modest facility of her dream was enough for tears to well.

"Amazing". Hands folded over her chest to soothe the tightness from the swell within that tightened her voice. "I can only imagine what dreams you've brought to life. Whatever I can do to help, just tell me. It's the least I can do to show my gratitude —after paying you, of course".

SHE SEEMS RECEPTIVE OF IT, something that eases his worries that he had gone in the wrong direction. not that it would be an issue, a discussion like this always necessary when it came to bringing the vision of the client to life, all within his own style. ❝ I'm glad you agree, ❞ he replies back, short and sweet on the matter. arms cross over his chest, the smile on his face truly immaculate.

❝ Lucky? I don't see why I wouldn't accept something like this. ❞ not unless he was missing something, but he hardly thinks so when it comes to working with one so youthful. ❝ And it shouldn't take too long to set up compared to a more stout or larger building. While the structure itself will be sturdy, given the design, it'll cut the original workload in half, ❞ he reassures, a firm nod given to show he was alright with all the work that was to come.

turning to mehrak, he puts a hand to his chin as he falls into thought. ❝ Mehrak, could you start drafting up the base of the structure? Once we get the blueprints here, then that means we can start immediately. ❞ a few chirps are given from the device, a happy face glowing brightly, as a projection finally falls into view of the two blondes.

[caliburn]

Lily was no stranger to departures and the manners in which they varied. when eyes strikingly similar to her own meet their shining reflection, the young knight found herself momentarily transfixed. Knowing well the likelihood of the figure being her imagination low, to see her again suddenly after the stretch of time since last, Lily's body stumbled to react as normal until jolted by the girl's voice.

"—Caster. When did you come back?" Acutely aware of how her mouth hung open, she was quick to rectify the look and that aided in reconnecting wires still strewn, eyes darting about the scene. "Your hat— it went floating off, we should find it before someone tramples it".

it’s really cold. instinctively, she brings her hands to her mouth — the gloves keep them warm, but the memory of that winter will always stay with her. even now, she can't stop shivering when a fierce wind comes to her direction, as if daring her to confront her weakness. instead, it sends her hat away and when Artoria looks to see where it went, it is like spring has come to greet her.

a familiar face in front of her brings her to a halt, almost not daring to hope. “Lily?”

@caliburn

[caliburn]

roomie's not picking up. hope he's okay.

[caliburn]

Everything happened all so suddenly that it was a trial just to keep up. The phone was ringing practically the same second that her eyes met the Sky-Strewn Isles' name, and equally was no window granted once the sound in her ear was anything other than that tone.

"—Are you alright? Is Caster with you? And the dogs— what about them?" Paces carried her in circles on the living room carpet, eyes unable to find anything that would hold them sufficiently. "come over. I'm sure Huey won't mind — and I can discuss it properly with him when we have a chance to".

"....how troublesome." and there she was enjoying some reading, only to now find herself spirited away to the city below. eyes glance down to her size, where her canine companion sits– alert and unsettled.

" Couldn't even let me finish my book."

[caliburn]

He... he was a genius!

Emerald eyes grew wider from the image his artistic vision constructed, glistening under the strike of sunrays. Steel fingers curled into fists, trembling with anticipation, her body just shy of following suit in marvel of his proposal. Were she canine, he might be witness to her tail moving at Mach speed. "Yes! Yes!

That would be perfect! open air so anyone may rest without need to haul themselves outside, and enjoy the weather. And a partial roof would provide shelter from the sun for those who worry of overheating, or should the heavens open. And the view— it would be incredible to watch while training, to keep someone's motivation going if the strain of exerting themselves tries to settle in.

And if it means less pressure on you, that's all the more reason to go for it — as hard as anyone here would work, none would be as hard at you, for all you're doing to create such a special place. This is perfect — I'm so lucky you agreed to listen and provide your insight".

NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE, SHE SAYS, as if he hasn't spent more of his life on buildings of grandeur that sunk his funds into oblivion. something as this was relatively simple, especially were it not a business but, rather, a place for some idle training for those who may wish of it in passing. ❝ A much smaller scale would be more doable. Besides, the sum for it all will hardly be as large as if I were making something far bigger, ❞ he surmises, meaning it would be much more appealing for someone on a budget.

❝ If you want it to be towards the coast, we could cut the cost a little more. Instead of a full training facility that's enclosed, we make it half open-air. That way the scenery can be taken in as well as the fresh air. Meanwhile, those who prefer inside will have a small area to themselves, ❞ he suggests, wondering how the other might think of that sort of a layout. having a roof over one's head would still be there, merely with more sights to take in without towering walls to obscure them.

[caliburn]

Her brow smoothed from word of his explanation. It made sense, she supposed — a situation with some degree of similarity to Pseudo-Servants, although she wouldn't voice it aloud in case that suggestion was further from the mark than aimed. He hadn't chosen to take on the guise of a desperately missed man who sacrificed everything, even his own existence, for humanity to have a tomorrow. Maybe that's what Merlin saw when she stood before Caliburn, erasing any dream of a perfectly human Arturia Pendragon for her country's sake.

"Do you know what happened to him?" she asked, a tad meek considering how accusatory her tone had been just a moment prior. "There has always been a hole in Chaldea since he took action. As best as they try to put on a smile, anyone can see how it always hurts Master and Mashu".

she hesitated, knowing well what a foolish thing it was to ask, knowing full-well what the answer would be. and yet, a dream never hurt. Doctor Roman couldn't have known everything, otherwise he'd have never left it all on Ritsuka's shoulders to bear. But... the notion he couldn't know, and that his one true decision might not only be futile, but playing into his former Master's hands... it was a saddening one. "They need him. Humanity... still needs him. If King Arthur will return from Avalon, why can't King Solomon from...?"

for a moment, he is not sure what he is looking at; the king that will come to be, or the young girl that will bear future burdens with a grace most will be envious of, but the sterness is familiar, and he is well aware that she is not his king. it is still fact that something that he will never escape is the past, and he recognizes authority, and how natural it can be performed of those that are born to wield it. he puts a hand on his forehead, stopping any headache that will form without his permission, and then he meets the gaze that is nothing like that Saber but still close. it is so close, and he could pretend but he will not.

“Not an impostor,” he pauses, deliberately ignoring the utter mess that involved his creator. the more sentimental part, however, disagrees. it wins in the end, because he has never been able to turn away from how much that man matters. still matters, even if Goetia will never express that aloud. “This form is the only one that I can take.”

if he were with another, he would leave it ambiguous and move on, but he has learned that his lack of answers has made it infinitely worse to that king. it will not spare her younger self, and Artoria Pendragon has chosen to carry a burden that he had never meant to give her, it is still easier to not argue and come clean with the young knight. “You could say it is no different from those that take after their parents.”