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[Some nights, the Dark Hour is noisier than others.]

[While the shadows normally remain silent unless actively attacking those able to wander the dark hour, on this night the port area all but resounds with the shrieks of an all-too familiar shadow. A Visceral Maya, bane of those who find themselves new to Prospero.]

[What's peculiar is that the vocalizations almost sound frustrated or scared, as much as a Shadow can emote such things.]

[And unfortunately for anyone with their phone on-hand, the source of the noise just started getting broadcast over the network. The camera, activated via falling-to-the-ground judging from the angle, shows a man pinning a very displeased Visceral Maya to a building with a stopsign while muttering to himself.]

-n't even die right when I kill 'em, huh? Bah, not like it's the weirdest thi- eh? What's this?

[He keeps the shadow pinned against the building, reaching down to pick up and subsequently peer into the phone as a lazy smile crosses his features.]

Yo. Anyone there?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sounds about right. I'd definitely say having any ally around is a good thing, particularly one such as yourself.

Heh, you're gonna make me blush like some kind of maiden if you keep the flattery up.

[Friendly sarcasm but ANYWAY. Lancer makes an expression as though he'd had a sudden thought.]

Come to think of it, talking about allies like me, how are the other servants behaving here anyway? I'm not expecting to hear about a war starting up again, but...

Remarkably civil, for the most part. Gilgamesh is...well, Gilgamesh, but otherwise there hasn't been too much to worry about yet.

That guy. I could count the time I talked to him on my fingers; is there anything to know about him other than "world's most massive ego"?

That plus 'stalking Saber', 'incredibly possessive' and 'out of his mind'.

[Icon keywords so relevant.]

...Guess that explains what he was blathering on about when I talked to him on the phone-thing.

...is he still telling people I'm sleeping with her?

I'm not, for the record.

Well, he said something about "half the town looking at her..." something-something.

But, him being Gilgamesh, I ignored just about everything he said - don't think he mentioned you though.

[He ain't gonna judge you, bro.]

Oh, good. He already led Emiya to believe such a ridiculous thing. [HUFF] I can't imagine what I'd have to do if he spread such rumors around the city.

Unless we're talking about a different Emiya, let's be fair; the kid's alright, but he's about as thoughtful as a Berserker.

[wow unintentional(?!) jab-at-self much]

A fair point, I've noticed. But really. Does he have so little faith in his Servant that he would believe her unfaithful?

[So, so huffy.]

He's a kid, we all did some pretty dumb things when we were his age.

[A brief pause as Lancer decides, what the hell. Might as well say it.]

'Sides, he's a damn sight better than the master I wound up with.

...my own as well. I admit I envy Saber that much.

[welp, definitely gonna need another drink for that one.]

...So, the two themes we can guess so far are that Casters are better than they let on, and Lancers get shitty masters?

[Another drink? Count him in. Fuck E-Rank luck, and to hell with that fake priest.]

...I think that's a safe assumption.

[Lancer winced faintly, still not sure whether that ache in his chest was his imagination or if the last injury he'd sustained in Fuyuki was still bothering him.]

[Goddamn Kayneth.]

Unfortunate, but a safe assumption.

You win some, you lose some. Sure, I'd have preferred being dealt a better hand, but...

[He moved his glass, watching the liquid inside swirl around with mild interest as a half-smile formed on his features.]

Not sure I completely dislike how it all ended, I guess.

...I truly wish I could say the same.

[Deep down, Lancer was still disgusted with himself. It was going to be an undignified death no matter how he reacted, but...honestly, he'd come to regret how he'd spoken. More so upon learning the Grail was corrupted after he'd cursed it like that.]

I don't mind that it ended. I would just rather have found even one thing in the entire war that could have made it worthwhile.

[There was a slight shifting of Lancer's shoulders, something of a half-hearted attempt at a shrug.]

You want to elaborate on that some? Or, if we're going to take turns, would you rather I go first?

[Certainly, Lancer would love to have a duel with the other Lancer, and to retell the story of the fifth grail war - as he knew it - would give Diarmuid hints as to his weaknesses. However, none would be greater than merely knowing he was Cu Chulainn would.]

[Besides, it was like he'd told some bratty kid once before: If you get along with someone, you might as well drink 'till dawn and share tales with them, even if they may be enemies - and aside from perhaps a friendly duel, he didn't really see the other Lancer becoming one of those.]

...I would not mind going first, if we're to exchange stories. [A quiet, slightly bitter laugh.] Might as well tell them chronologically from Fourth to Fifth, right?

[A deep breath, sigh, and then Lancer started speaking.]

My Master was Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi, an accomplished magus of some level of fame. That's regrettably the only good thing I can say of him. From the day I was summoned, I don't think he liked me--he planned on being Master to Rider, until his artifact was stolen.

The real problem was...he had a fiancee. Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri. I imagine, knowing my name, you can guess where this is going.

[Another drink.]

Everything I did, every move I made, and every single moment spent in combat was to bring him victory. That was my only wish, nothing more. And yet...he never trusted me or my strength in combat. He saw Sola cared about me and assumed only the worst. Near the end, he essentially called me a traitor and nothing more than a puppet.

[Lancer hesitated, looking ashamed both of that and of what else remained to the story.]

Eventually, he negotiated my demise with Kiritsugu Emiya, Saber's former Master. [Lancer pulled his shirt collar aside just enough to show the obvious scar on his chest. Damned human body.] I killed myself in the middle of the duel I had so desperately wanted with Saber.

Worse, I snapped completely. It was too much to bear, knowing my loyalty to Kayneth meant nothing to him...knowing another I had sworn loyalty to just killed me like it didn't even matter. You will surely think less of me, but I...died cursing and hating everything in sight. My fate, Kayneth, Kiritsugu, even the Holy Grail itself.

...I wish I could say I died with dignity even once, prince of light, and I am thoroughly ashamed that I spoke in such a way. But...I don't understand why even my second chance could have failed so badly.

Edited 2011-10-26 00:38 (UTC)

[A brief flash of anger snakes it's way across Lancer's face. While he was well aware of the prerogative most magi had towards treating familiars as tools, the utterly blatant disregard this Kayneth had towards the pride of a heroic spirit...]

[Well, it was infuriating. Enough so that some of the finer details of Diarmuid's tale - Kiritsugu Emiya, the matter of which servant Kayneth was planning on summoning originally, even the curses and oaths Diarmuid had uttered at his end - were forgotten.]

Tch. Maybe some day I'll meet a magus with even a fraction of the honor necessary to understand how a heroic spirit should be treated -- well, that ain't fair to a few of the ones in my war, I guess.

[Having taken some of the wind out of his own sails, he shook his head, still vexed.]

I can't say mind the second chance the war gave me, but I've got to wonder if the idea of the war itself was thought through. Most magi seem completely at odds with the pride we have.

If only. Saber and her Master in the fifth war at least seem to get along regardless of how foolish he is, which is more than I assume many Master-Servant pairs have. And while I wished for nothing more than a second chance, the rate at which it became an utter disaster was alarming.

[Sigh.]

Forgive me, I've spoken a bit too at length. I know the basics of the fifth war from Saber, but if you would like to talk it'd be my honor to listen.

Heh, don't worry about it. Sounded like you needed to get at least that much off your chest, y'know?

[Lancer leaned back in his chair, stretching slightly.]

Funny thing though. I already met and talked with the kid - and by that I mean Emiya - some. And unless he was pulling a joke on me, it sounds like you might need to forget what Saber had to say about the fifth war. He didn't tell me everything, but it sounds like what I remember and what he remembers are two different things entirely.

That's...really the first I've spoken of it in any detail. I should thank you for listening.

Wait--what? I'll admit Emiya's foolish, but he didn't strike me as delusional. And I'm certain Saber isn't, at any rate. Are you insinuating...oh, is there more Second Magic going around here, please tell me you're kidding.

For a fellow countryman, a fellow knight? I can do that much, at least.

[This time Lancer's shrug wasn't half-assed in the least. Expression reverting to something that could be expressed in the current era's vernacular as, "fuckin' sorceries, how do they work?"]

I've already given up on trying to understand it; or at least, I don't think knowing will matter. The fact is that I remember what I remember, and they remember what they do. It might make some things a bit awkward, but that's life - and they're still pretty much the same as I remember them anyway.

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