the_last_resort | (no subject)

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fate/zero: grainne

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Who: Grainne, & anyone who might want to go with her
What: A trip to late 20th century London and Ireland
When: The Voyage Home event
Where: London & a few days in Ireland.
Notes & Warnings: Grainne's going to have a bit of a psl with this but that'll be going down elsewhere and probably not in front of any visitors, but anyone wanting to see London before the turn of the century can ask to hop along!

It had been a while since she'd seen Britain. Actually it had been over a thousand years, closer to two thousand, since she'd seen Britain. And mostly only from those parts of Ireland where they could see the other island on a clear day ( it seemed the tectonic plates were moving apart so that might no longer be true). Compared to Fuyuki, it was very different. The hustle and bustle at least seemed the same, but underlying the modern conveniences, there was something... familiar about it.

The language had changed and nobody spoke Brytonic anymore, which seemed the most thing out of place for a Servant with Grail knowledge, oddly enough. She knew they spoke English like Waver, but seeing it in the ages old city that had once been a Roman outpost was a particularly weird vibe.

Grainne had no trouble making her way around the busy city today, since Waver had been from here she had been given knowledge of London and the surrounding area just in case she needed it. The strange and amazing things the descendants of the cousin tribes had made over the ages were just as miraculous as Stonehenge was to the modern world.

Finally settling down for a rest on a handy bench by a lake in a park she wandered into, Grainne sighed and turned to her companion. "How are you holding up?"

--------

Ireland was.... very different. More different to her eyes than it had any right of being. She figured that because she had known it so well in her first life. Here and there, she could see a hint of familiarity, something that hadn't changed in two thousand years, but the next blink everything would be completely different. Alien.

But through everything, and deeper than it had ever been, she still felt the pulse of the land underneath the ground, and for the first time understood for real that the gods and fae had indeed left the world to Men.

Her trip here was shorter, half by design and half by desire. She had no wish to dawdle where so many tragedies had occurred, and even less to go to the places she had been once happy to see it changed so.

One place she did go visit was the Hill of Tara, one of the few places she thought she could stomach. And on the whole, it was one of the least painful places to go to.

She had made her peace with leaving a long time ago, and nothing had changed that. It only brought a mild sense of loss and nostalgia as she stood overlooking what had been once a grand stronghold, but it was probably amazing that any part of it still remained.

Perhaps that's all she really wanted out of this trip; the lines of the hills and country at least hadn't changed much. She could even pick out landmarks...

This time she did not do much exploring, just going here and there and looking, or feeling.

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This was an unusual trip for Wander. Normally, he and Sylvia would freely wander the streets of the town they were visiting, only worrying for their safely if Watchdogs were on-planet. Here, in a city entire populated by humans, he had to stay hidden and quiet, both very difficult for the alien whose nature was to be the one greeting the locals.

But Grainne told him it was for the better, and he had to follow the rules if he wanted to visit Earth. At least his hat made for a convincing bag.

He felt Grainne stop and poked the top of his head out of the hat, seeing that they were in a park. "Can I get out now?" he asked right before she lowered him onto the bench, at which he promptly crawled out.

"Pretty good, so far," he said as he stretched his legs. "Was gettin' kinda cramped in there, but nothin' too bad." He easily could fit his body, so covering his head didn't lead to too much discomfort.

"It's a beautiful place you took me." He stood on the bench, facing the lake and admiring the view. What an amazing city, having a large, green park in the middle of it!

"If it is too cramped, it would be better to pretend to be a stuffed toy, Wander. And sit down. We're in magus city capital and I do not want to try to explain how I used Second Magic." Grainne glanced around nervously, opening her senses a little to detect if there were any spies nearby. "I might end up with a Sealing Designation."

None of those magical terms made any sense to Wander, but he could tell that Grainne would get in trouble, and that's enough to encourage him to sit down.

"I guess I could pretend, but I'm so antsy when I visit a new place, I can't help myself!" He swung his legs, which were dangling off the bench, back and forth. At least he was talking at a quiet volume.

Well, it probably wouldn't, since Sealing Designations were meant for magi, but the trouble wasn't work the risk still. "Thank you. I understand, it's all new and exciting. This world isn't... really open to these kinds of things though. If we were visiting the age I lived in nobody would look twice at you. Just let me know if you want to do anything. I'll help you." She smiled, giving him an affectionate ruffle on his head.

Edited 2015-05-16 22:31 (UTC)

He accepts that ruffle, enjoying the sensation of being petted. "No problem, Grainne, I'll let ya know." He wasn't planning to ask for help anyway, but agreeing to that was a polite formality.

"From what I heard, Earth still hasn't met with a lotta aliens yet, so I guess my bein' here would be a pretty darn big shock, am I right?" He grinned up at her, then leaned back and closed his eyes.

"You're right. At least, this Earth hasn't in this age. Even the magi would be surprised." Grainne replied quietly, placing her hands in her lap. "May I ask a question, Wander?"

"Can't wait for y'all to get to that point." He may not be even alive at that time, or even able to travel to the Milky Way, but he would be happy for everyone living here when they can finally visit other planets.

"Alright, shoot."

"You've seen a lot of worlds, all sorts of different people and places, right? What's it like out there? Do you have a place you call a home?" Technically that may be three questions, but Grainne wasn't going to be picky if Wander wasn't.

Edited 2015-05-21 18:56 (UTC)

Wander turned his head to look up at her. It's a lot of questions, all with long answers, but traveling is his passion.

"In one word, it's beautiful." He shifted in his seat to look at the lake again. "Goin' through space, seein' all these stars an' planets, each of them different form each other. Sure, lotsa them don't got any life, but each one has the potential to be somethin' unique." It was a lot like going into unspoiled nature areas. No one living there, just him, Sylvia and the world.

"Most of the folks we've met are the nicest people you'll ever meet." Even if there were a few places here and there that weren't too friendly. He was of the opinion that people were generally kind. "You never see two towns that are exactly the same."

He paused, bringing his feet onto the bench and hugging his knees. "Dunno if I'd say I have a home planet anymore. The galaxy's my home now." He closed his eyes and smiled. "Don't know if I'd be happy jus' stayin' in one place forever."

Nodding, Grainne took in everything he said to heart. She had once wanted to travel a lot in her youth, and had traveled a lot in her old age, but it had always seemed like something was missing.

"Does it ever get lonely wandering around so much? I have been thinking of travel, but..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say next, and shrugged helplessly. "I suppose the reason why I am staying so long in Blackway is because there are nice people there." Who didn't call her a lunatic for speaking of different universes, anyway.

"Not really, 'cause I got Sylvia with me. An' to be honest, the best part of travelin's the time I spend with my best friend." What would be the point of exploring a new planet without someone to share the experience with?

"We sometimes run into old friends of ours, so it's not completely lonely," he added.

"Oh." Grainne frowned at the lake in thought, sounding a bit disappointed. She didn't have anyone to go traveling with. Waver... she didn't want to expose him to something like the Tower if she encountered it again.

"That sounds amazing, having a best friend to share experiences like that with."

"Mm-hm." He glanced at Grainne, only to drop his smile when he noticed her frowning.

"Is everythin' alright? You're not lookin' too good."

Turning her head back to him, her frown disappeared. "Oh, I was just thinking it would be difficult finding a best friend to share things with if I went traveling. I think I would get too lonely. But," she added, turning back to look at the lake again, "Blackway feels sort of like a home."

His smile returned. "That's all right. I met Sylvia when I first started wanderin', but it'd be a better plan to bring a friend you already know. Guess I jus' got real lucky." Traveling along was dangerous, a fact that Wander often forgot.

"You thinkin' of movin' to Blackway?"

She shrugged a little, noncommittally. "It would be better for me than here, where I would be considered crazy by a normal person if I spoke of mages and alternate universes as if I had been there. There are no more faeries, no more sidhe to speak with. The True Ancestors are hard to find. The only ones I could really speak with are Waver and Sakura, and I would not wish for them to know more horrors than they have already faced. It's easier living in a place that is already full of different. Does that make... sense?"

And did it really matter which universe she lived in if she had to live in one without him? But she didsn't ask that part. Wander wouldn't know what she was talking about. It occurred to her then that few people really knew her history. Narvin, maybe, knew more than the others.

Edited 2015-05-23 19:16 (UTC)

"What happened to 'em? The faeries an' Ancestors?" Grainne was a witch, and since she lived for such a long time, seeing the world change over time would be distressing enough, but without magical creatures like faeries, how awful would she have to feel?

"Hey, Waver an' Sakura...they're your friends, right? Are they also here?" Were they also witches?

"Oh, they passed out of the human world a long time ago. Long before I came back into the world." Grainne lifted her sun hat to rub at her head underneath, smoothing down her hair. "Yes, Waver and Sakura are here. I was thinking of going to see him, if you wanted to go with me."

Poor faeries. "I really woulda like to meet 'em."

Still, he focused on the positive side. "I'd love to meet your friends! Are they also magic, like you?"

"Maybe in another world." She nodded. "Yes, Waver is a magus and Sakura is learning her craft. They're very strong children. Waver was my master during the war."

Edited 2015-05-27 14:58 (UTC)

Oh, children! Well, probably just Sakura would be a small child now, but Wander couldn't resist spending time with kids.

"Wait, is Waver from a really rich family? I wouldn't have thought of a kid bein' a master of someone as strong as you, especially for a war."

Children shouldn't even be involved in wars (which shouldn't exist in the first place), so unless there was missing information, it couldn't make sense?

"You worked for his family, Grainne?"

Grainne laughed softly and shook her head. "Oh, no. They are both orphans. Waver summoned me as a magical familiar, so it is that sense of master I mean. We fought together in a... tournament of sorts against other masters and familiars." She paused, becoming a bit more serious. "It was a very... difficult time. Waver is nineteen and nearly a man, I suppose I should not call him a child anymore..."

"...Sorry." For both guessing incorrectly and for the children being orphans.

"Tournament? What for?" He turned in his seat so that he was directly facing Grainne. "What about the war?"

Grainne just gave him another affectionate ruffle to ease his discomfort and let him know she wasn't blaming him for anything. They were natural things to assume.

"It's the same thing. They call it a war between Servants, but it's more like a tournament to the death between seven pairs; Master and Servant against Master and Servant. It's really quite barbaric and everyone is made to suffer who takes part. But, it is over a long time now and not worth thinking about," her tone shifts, going from gentle to weary and tired. "Would you like to see more of the park?"

Wander looked at Grainne's face with his full attention as she spoke. She looked uncomfortable thinking about this, and while he didn't have experience fighting battles, he understood this wasn't a topic worth exploring.

When she stopped speaking, he rested his chin on his hands and gazed out at the lake. This was Grainne's home, yet at the same time, it wasn't. It was only natural that she'd consider living elsewhere, if not traveling from place to place.

"Oh, sure thing!" His hands went back on the bench, and he was ready to push himself off. "Anywhere with a nice view would be great!"

Grainne stood up and hummed, turning around to look at him with a critical eye.

"Wander, what if I carried you like a stuffed toy? You're not too heavy, if you don't mind being held like that. You could see everything instead of being stuffed in that hat." She gave him a small smile.

"Sounds like a plan!" He jumped off the bench and landed with a small bounce. "Jus' keep a tight grip on me so I don't fall."

He tugged on his hat, attempting to have it sit more tightly on his head. "Where are we headed to?"

She picked him up and tucked him under her arm like a child would a favorite doll, and turned toward the lake. "I do not know. Shall we let our feet decide? Perhaps Buckingham. I hear the soldiers standing guard there are renowned for never smiling on duty or reacting to anything." Oops, there goes a spark of mischief.

He let his arms and legs dangle down, enjoying how they flopped around with each of Grainne's movements. Never mind having to keep still, noodley arms were fun!

He grinned at her idea. "You plannin' on tryin' to get them to smile? Ehh?" His ideas were more of the "do something cute until they smile" sort of flavor, but perhaps Grainne had something else in mind.

"Well, they would have no experience with seeing a fuzzy orange alien, would they?" She laughed, and started walking. "And the best part is nobody would believe them. But perhaps that is a touch cruel."

"They should wouldn't!" He could help but laugh at the thought of their potential surprise.

Thought ruining the lives of some guards just doing their job did not sounds like a good idea.

"I don't have to move around on my own, I guess." He did his best shrug as one could while hanging off someone's arm. "An' I always wanted to pretend I was a floppy doll."

That wasn't true, but he did feel like that at the moment.

"Oh, you don't have to make me feel better, Wander." She snickered, bouncing a little so his arms would flop more. "There are no doubt other ways we can disguise you. Perhaps a baby carriage." The thought of Wander swapping his hat for a bonnet made her laugh, really.

"We'll let the soldiers be, then."

Well, he already was being carried around, and getting to ride in a carriage would be a nice upgrade. He giggled at the thought of himself attempting to make baby noises with his adult voice.

"That would be great! Though...folks'll be confused about an orange baby that doesn't look human at all." It was a universal truth that everyone wanted to look at babies. People would want a closer look at a baby carriage than a stuffed animal out in the open.

"Maybe...you're right."

"Ah, I didn't think of that. Nosy women and babies are a bad combination. It seems like you will be a doll, hmm? Maybe we could try a baby carriage when there is nobody around." Grainne wondered when she had gained the ability to laugh and joke again. It had been far too long, really.

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