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. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Of all the things on this great, wide earth, he did not expect Haru to arrive in their designated training area with an axe. What a conversation that had been, as he asked just why she even had that thing lying around. It certainly brought to light the fact that his Master is far more fierce than he first thought her to be, but somehow he found the notion endearing at the same time.

He's far better with a sword – especially being a Saber and all – but he's known a few marauders in his time, the brand of fighters who chose axes as their main weapons. Sparred against a fair few as well. He could give her a few pointers, to the best of his ability. It's been interesting but not impossible, with her dancer's grace to carry her.

Much like Haru, he is dressed for the occasion, manifesting in a far more casual and loose-fitting outfit than his norm. ]

Ah. Do it again and I can adjust you if you're off.

All right. Let's see, I know you slide one foot slightly back...

[ but more off to the side, she thinks, that sounds about right, and shifts her stance to settle into something a little steadier. It still feels slightly off, though, and Haru frowns thoughtfully. Does she need to widen her stance more? Less? ]

[ He watches her go through the motions and she does admirably, but she's still not quite there. The questioning look on her face coaxes a smile from him, and he moves to stand behind her. ]

You're getting there, just a bit more like this.

[ He readjusts her feet first, giving them little nudges with the toe of his shoes. Next he curves his arms over her shoulders, hands resting upon her own to alter the way she holds her weapon. ]

How does that feel?

[ Haru really does try her utmost to focus when Arenvald moves behind her, bless her, and to her credit, she manages (mostly). Following the nudges of his feet makes her smile as she obliges, but when his arms come up and over hers and his hands are so much larger when she glances down at them--

The smallest of squeaks emerges and her ears begin to turn pink, while Haru desperately attempts to keep her gaze forward. ]

It feels nice-- a-ah! I mean, right! And correct! Very natural!

[ Save her. ]

[ That squeak startles him, and he's not entirely certain what to make of it at first. It's only when she stammers a bit that he realizes that perhaps he should have asked first before getting so close.

He's quick to withdraw, stepping back a full pace. ]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.

N-no, that isn't--

[ Shoot, now she'd made him worry, and Haru lowers the axe, turning to face him with an earnestly apologetic look. ]

I wasn't uncomfortable, you just surprised me!

[ Which is true, in its own way. ]

I should have asked first. I apologize.

[ He does take her words at face value, because what else could it be? ]

No, it's all right. I'm prepared for you this time.

[ She won't be flustered!! ]

Are you certain?

[ this is supposed to be a helpful endeavor, and he'd hate to have things be awkward because of it ]

You have my full permission to touch me!!

[ Well. Okay, Haru. ]

[ Oh. Uh. When she says it like that, it brings some color to his cheeks - thankfully it's masked by the fact that they've been training and he's already a bit flushed. ]

Um... o-okay, if you say so. Go ahead and try again.

[ Haru nods, chin set a little more stubbornly, and shifts accordingly. It's a little easier to find the stance this time, her body recognizing what felt right when he'd adjusted her feet.

He's taking the time to train her, to make her less of a liability. She can't let herself get flustered and make him draw back. ]

[ She does much better now, he notes, though she's still not quite there. ]

Hey, that's pretty good. Just a little bit more like this.

[ Now that he has her permission, he steps close again, his chest pressed against her back, hands over hers as he helps her adjust again. ]

There you are.

[ She doesn't flinch or gasp or squeak or anything remotely embarrassing, but she remains acutely aware of that solid warmth against her back, and his voice close to her ear, her hands still dwarfed under his.

Haru shoves past it to the best of her ability, fingers wrapping around the axe handle, forcing her shoulders to relax and stay level. ]

It should eventually become muscle memory, won't it?

Aye, just work on it whenever you have a chance. Soon enough, it'll be as natural as anything.

Now--

[ he steps away again, moving in front of her. In a flash of silvery light, he summons his sword and shield into his hands. ]

Take a swing at me.

[ There's no hesitation; he wouldn't tell her to attack him if he couldn't block it, and he's a Servant. So Haru, nodding, swings the axe right at him with the kind of steady hand that one wouldn't expect from a high-school girl. ]

[ It's a good swing, and again she manages to surprise him with her ferocity. He has an inkling that she would have fit in with the Marauders' Guild back home just fine.

He lifts his shield arm, blocking the blow as easy as anything. ]

Good, but put more of your body behind it. An axe isn't a finesse weapon.

... Understood!

[ Well, he's not wrong. Axes aren't very elegant.

Haru purses her lips in concentration, and then moves to strike again, this time throwing her weight into it. It's not graceful, but... ah, well. ]

[ This time when her blade connects with the surface of his shield, it lands with a heavy clang, a testament to the amount of force put behind it. ]

There you go! I suspect anyone would be taken off guard were you to come at them like that.

Just that opening is all I need, I'm sure.

... Well, unless they're anything like you...

I wouldn't advise going up against a Servant one on one, but against another Master, I think you'll fair just fine.

Are you alright to keep going?

Yes!

[ Haru smiles brightly, and the expression may be a little at odds with how she brings the axe back to rest against her shoulder for a moment. ]

Whenever you're ready.

[ It may be an odd sight, but it brings a grin to his face nonetheless. ]

Right! Don't go easy on me, now.

[ In hand to hand combat, he definitely has the advantage. Still, he settles in for as long a training session as she wants to have, and though the minutes stretch to hours, he still finds himself being surprised by her ferocity and dedication.

He is lucky indeed to have a Master like her. ]

[ For all of her determination and ferocity, Haru still can't get a hit in-- which is about to be expected, though she does tend to forget more than once that she is facing a Servant.

Until they finally have to call it quits, because Haru's breaths sound more like the wheezes of someone fast approaching unconsciousness, and she's going down heavily on one knee, dripping sweat and entirely red-faced from exertion. ]

F... forgive me for the... shameful sight...

[ They've both worked up quite a sweat, even if Arenvald was going easy on her. (He may have felt the need to divest himself of his shirt at one point, and if Haru blushed about it, he certainly didn't notice.) ]

I don't see anything shameful here. You performed admirably.

[ He crouches next to her, one hand resting on her back. ]

Take it easy. I think we can call it done for today.

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