pullmeoutalive | Fate/Echo's Call

Fate/Echo's Call

[ 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. ]

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[ That remark takes him aback, because – as clearly evidenced by the bullet wound in his chest – his own safety hadn’t even been a priority. ]

It wasn’t me I was worried about.

[ After that soft admission, he simply nods. It hurts, and the bleeding isn’t doing him any favors, but Servants can be hardy creatures. He’ll be alright that long, at least. ]

... [ There's something that flashes briefly in Haru's eyes - honest surprise, perhaps, something a little more vulnerable than her usual - but now isn't the time. She's aware of that.

She can feel the heat of him when she rests her hand against his back once more, this time without his armor, and draws reassurance from that. ]

I think it might be best if you went incorporeal until we get back. You should save your mana.

[ He’s not sure what to make of that look she gives him, their eyes locking for a brief moment as he tries to decipher its meaning. Her hand is warm against his back, and even if her expression concerns him, that simple contact is a comfort. ]

Alright. Be careful, Haru.

[ It would be unwise to argue, to push himself further and risk becoming useless to her. He shimmers out of existence a moment later. ]

Of course.

[ She says it softly, a good two minutes after he's already vanished-- again, with that subdued air.

But then her chin goes up, her eyes narrow, and she rolls up the sleeves of her sweater to hurry home as quickly as she can. That kind of injury won't kill him, but it doesn't mean she likes the thought of him suffering with it for longer than necessary-- which is why as soon as she gets home and gently waves off the maids, she's in the kitchen chopping up vegetables.

Which may seem mundane, but these are vegetables Haru herself had been working on cultivating. Vegetables to replenish mana, once she'd realized just how vital such a thing was to mages-- and Servants, as her father had told her repeatedly. She can do minor healing herself, but this ought to help. ]

Arenvald?

[ Just to make sure he's nearby. ]

[ It's kind of strange to think that a physical injury will persist even if his physical form is altered. Arenvald was never much for magic, in life or as a Servant, so he's not sure how it is a bullet wound still hurts even when he's pretty much a ghost.

Conserving his mana by going incorporeal for a time has helped a bit, however, and the bleeding has finally stemmed. He is still bone weary, however, but manages the strength to appear when Haru calls for him again. ]

Right here.

[ Haru takes one look at him-- and then, vegetables neatly placed on a plate, reaches for his wrist with her free hand to lead him over to a chair at the table. ]

Here. Eating these should help a little more with mana restoration, but I'd also like to see that wound completely. May I?

[ She's aware that, as his Master, she should perhaps be a little more demanding-- but right now, she doesn't feel like it. ]

[ He goes where he is lead, too weary and more than a little bewildered to really question it. He's actually quite glad she's not scolding him for this, though that may be on the way later.

He's got a veggie stick half sticking out of his mouth when she asks about his wound. ]

... Do you want me to take my shirt off?

If you don't mind.

[ Yeah, she is going to have Words for him soon enough. ]

Edited 2019-03-02 05:22 (UTC)

[ Oof. Hard to feel embarrassed when he gets the feeling a lecture is forthcoming. He chomps up the rest of the slice of vegetable before peeling away his now-ruined shirt, wincing as the movement pulls at his wound.

In his defense, he's doing better than someone who got shot ought to be, but the fact still stands that he got shot in the first place. ]

[ ... He's also incredibly built, and Haru would get at least a little flustered about this, but.

More important things come first, and slowly, she reaches out to that wound, brow knitting in concentration as mana sparks at her fingertips. ]

You'll still be tender for a bit, so please don't push yourself.

[ The wound is red and angry, but healing faster than it would for a normal person. Logically, if one of them had to get shot, better that it was him, but he very much doubts Haru will see it that way. ]

I won’t, I promise.

… I’m sorry to have worried you.

… But not sorry for doing it in the first place.

[ Well. That's about what it expected, and Haru frowns a little dejectedly at the wound. ]

I should have been more prepared... so thank you, for saving me. But since the fault was mine, please don't do something like that again. Seeing you hurt for my sake is...

[ Well. It's... painful. ]

Haru...

[ She's not exactly yelling at him, which is somewhat better than he expected, but she's still clearly upset over the whole thing. ]

What kind of Servant would I be if I can't even protect my own Master?

I understand that you're protecting me as a Servant and I appreciate it, as much as I understand that when you're fighting, you're bound to be injured, but...

... I need to improve myself as a magus, so you won't need to worry about protecting me at all. [ With a soft, humorless laugh. ]

Father did say I was too human for this.

You say that like I wouldn’t worry about you, regardless. We’re still partners, after all.

[ He reaches over to rest a hand on her shoulder. ] And besides, there’s nothing wrong with being human. Caring isn't a weakness.

In a Holy Grail War? I've been informed that it very much is.

[ Masters treating their Servants as tools, sacrificing anyone in their path-- ]

Time to prove whoever said that wrong, then.

[ He gives a one-shouldered shrug. ] I like you just as you are. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice yourself for this.

You are... entirely too kind, Arenvald.

[ but she says it on a breathed-out laugh. ]

At any rate... I didn't think the SIU chief would have turned out to be an enemy so quickly. It seems they've decided that I won't be of much use to them-- and I imagine they'll want to try and seize control of you instead.

So I’ve been told.

[ He smiles a bit, amused. There is a reason he thinks the two of them are well-suited to one another, after all. But, the moment is over, and he lifts his hand from her shoulder to pluck another veggie slice from his plate, popping it in his mouth. ]

I was wondering if you knew him. What did he say to you?

Oh, many things. [ with an airiness she doesn't exactly feel-- ]

That I was out of my element, that I ought to hand over my Command Seals and withdraw from the war...

As you can tell, I refused.

I can most certainly tell.

[ Not just because he’s sporting a bullet wound, either. ]

Are you alright?

... Am I-- I wasn't hurt at all, you know!

[ see: the bullet wound he's sporting!! ]

[ He gives her a bit of a look, but any sternness he was going for is undone by the veggie slice sticking out of his mouth. ]

Not all hurts are physical, Haru. You had a man hold you at gunpoint this evening.

You should probably finish chewing that.

[ Though she says so gently. ]

... I just haven't let myself dwell on it, I suppose. Or... I don't really want to? I have a feeling it's only going to be more dangerous from here.

[ He looks a small bit embarrassed, ultimately doing as he's told before continuing, ]

Aye, that it will be. If we're to make any headway in this war at all, every step is going to be harder and harder, with new dangers to face. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it.

If I know how you're feeling and how things effect you, then I can be a better Servant, don't you think?

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