Fate/Echo's Call

[empression]

[ She hadn't wanted this. She had disagreed with her father's plan, to participate in the Holy Grail war at all, but perhaps it hadn't been loud enough.

(Perhaps, Haru thinks, tiredly now, as though she didn't know that it had been nowhere near loud.)

But with mages hearing the stirrings of a powerful man ready to put Tokyo beneath his heel, she ought to have expected this. Instead, she had come home and found her father, face-down on the ivory shag carpet, body having long since grown cold. But the armor. The armor was still where he had hidden it, five sets of hidden drawers locked with a seal only a member of the Okumura family could undo.

She hadn't wanted this. But things couldn't stay as they were, and only a few days after his funeral, Haru had finished preparations. The circle, etched carefully and painstakingly on the floor with care given to each individual symbol. The armor, placed in the center.

... She can't shake the feeling that she is still her father's subservient puppet, but as she finishes chanting--

The room explodes in light and her hand burns as the lines of three Command Seals engrave themselves onto her skin.

Much to her embarrassment, she's tipped over backwards from the shock. ]

Comments

[empression]

[ There's minor hesitation as Haru debates on how to respond. Her father had always been of the opinion that Servants were just that-- servants. There would be no qualms in ordering one about, so long as it led to victory.

But Haru is not her father, and the act of callously ordering anyone around as though they were mere objects... she can't fathom it.

So, carefully, she reaches out to place her hand in his and clears her throat once she's back on her feet. Maybe she can still act dignified, even though he's acting more understanding than she expected. ]

My name is Haru Okumura. For the time being, if you'll find me agreeable, I will be your Master.

[paladorable]

[ So formal! He supposes he probably overstepped his bounds in offering to help her up, but the face that she took his hand instead of swatting it away or snapping at him to know his place speaks volumes. His grin widens, bright and cheerful. ]

I’d be glad to call you my Master. I’m… well, I suppose you can call me Saber.

[ She probably has an idea about who she meant to summon, but he’d rather her ask first. ]

[empression]

[ she does, and that's why she carefully tilts her head, smoothing down the front of her skirt as she ponders her next question. ]

Is that... what you'd prefer to be called?

[ her manner seems to have relaxed a little in the face of his smile, at least. ]

[paladorable]

I guess that’s up to you. Best not to call me by my true name if we’re somewhere that we could be overheard, but all things considered – [ he raps a knuckle against his breastplate. She had his armor, she knows who he is. ] – I assume you don't need the introduction. If you’d like to call me by my name when it’s just the two of us, you’re welcome to.

[empression]

Aren...vald? Am I saying that correctly?

[ How are people expecting her to be anything like her father, really. Haru's still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she's a Master now. ]

[paladorable]

Aye, that's right.

[ Haru does strike him as being a little... not out of her depth, per say, but certainly shell-shocked. ]

What would you prefer I call you?

[empression]

... Please, just call me Haru.

[ She hardly hears her name anymore. It's mostly just "Okumura-san", now. ]

[paladorable]

Haru, then. I have to say, you're not quite what I expected in a Master, but I have a feeling we'll get along just fine.

[empression]

... Ah. Am I not intimidating enough?

[paladorable]

Oh, no, that's not it at all. I expected someone far more... strict, I suppose, but I'm not trying to insult you! I think it's wonderful that our personalities seem to align so far.

I hate that I thought I tagged this

[empression]

I have to admit, I'm not much like my father. I'd prefer to think of this as a partnership, rather than you being merely a subordinate.

I see how it is!!

[paladorable]

[ Now there’s a sentiment that makes him grin even wider, and he offers her an armored hand. ]

I like the sound of that. Partners, then?

[empression]

Partners.

[ As she slips her much smaller hand into his, but her grip is surprisingly firm. ]

[paladorable]

[ As he clasps her hand in his, his armor glows bright, dissipating in a flash of light to leave him somewhat more appropriately dressed for his current locale. The streak of white warpaint remains on his face, however. There are some things that he still won't trust magic to hide, and the scarring on his face is one of them. ]

Where do we start, then?

[empression]

Have you ever fought in a Grail War before? If so, I could use your input... and if not, we can locate the closest Servant and begin there.

[paladorable]

Ah, no. I’m as new to this as you are, I’m afraid, but getting a better feel for the competition would be a wise place to start. Have you any ideas who the other Masters may be?

[empression]

Ah... merely two. One of them is Shido Masayoshi, a very powerful mage in his own right, with many connections. The other is...

[ She pauses, and some form of shadow flits across her face. That's right. He's going to hear about this, and want to see Arenvald and she can only imagine how he's going to react when he sees how they treat each other. ]

... Sugimura-san.

[paladorable]

[ Well now, that’s a worrying expression, and Arenvald doesn’t even try to mask the way he frowns in response. ]

What’s he done to warrant that look?

[ DOES HE NEED TO HURT SOMEONE. ]

[empression]

Nothing!

[ And Haru says it very quickly, one hand drifting to her other arm. The bruises are hidden by her sweater sleeve, at least. ]

He can just... be a bit abrasive, with how he speaks...

[paladorable]

Haru...

[ There's something searching in his tone, his eyes sweeping over her to follow the motion of her hand before drifting back up to her face. ]

Please. You can trust me.

[empression]

[ Barely a few minutes into meeting and Arenvald is already so much kinder than her fiancee. Sugimura would never look that gentle or imploring or even worried. ]

... He's...

[ Haru's gaze silently slips away again, and it's all she can do not to bite her lip. ]

My father betrothed me to him, but he treats me like an object for his pleasure.

[paladorable]

[ Something in his expression shifts then, from gently concerned to sharply angry. She summoned him – she should know the sad tale of Arenvald Lentinus, a half-breed born after his father forced himself on his mother. She abused and eventually maimed him before casting him into the street. Haru's situation struck a chord, and he has half a mind to deck this man as soon as look at him.

Still held at his sides, his hands clench into fists. They remain that way even as he takes a breath and schools his expression into something more neutral. ]

Forgive my candor, but that is frankly no way to treat anybody.

[empression]

I... no, you're right.

[ The look Haru gives him is slightly apologetic-- because she had known, about his origins... even though her father hadn't deemed that aspect of his future Servant all that important. It had tugged at her heart, in contrast.

Abused and unwanted... even now, it makes her chest ache to look at him. ]

But I didn't want to disappoint my father, who saw it as a way to further his own goals. So I've endured it.

[paladorable]

And… [ He hesitates, because he’s not so certain he wants to ask this, but it’s pertinent information for him to have. ]

And where is your father now?

[ Because if the daughter is doing the summoning, well… that doesn’t leave a very long list of possibilities. ]

[empression]

...

He was... [ Haru glances down briefly, before her eyebrows silently come together and her eyes flick back up to his face. ]

He was murdered. I'm the lone heir.