genessia | [text&action]

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[text&action]

I. Text
[ The situation is overwhelming. Maiya had never expected to wake up again, never mind in such a foreign environment. As surreal as the space around her was, she would have nearly thought this were an afterlife she had never considered—at least, until she finds the pamphlet. Her situation may have seemed fantastical, but the wad of cash tucked inside and the note telling her to get a job were anything but. The hologram waiting for her seems to confirm that thought, but it does little to clarify that matter of how she could be here.

Left in a completely unknown, impossible situation, she has nothing to fall back on but the most basic impulse engrained in her: she has to contact Kiritsugu. There's no reason to imagine he'd be here as well, or able to see whatever message she sends out, but she can see no other first step but to try. They already have a code for situations not unlike this one, should one of them ever be captured and unsure of their location. ]

hanged man

[ There is one thing she doesn't mind about her situation. Text communication can't give an unwanted listener clues about her location the way radio can. ]

II. Action (Genessia City)
[ Maiya doesn't wait for an answer after sending that message. She's still moving on instinct, and her instincts say she needs a change of clothes. Part of that is an irrational impulse born of her last memories, telling her that her position has been compromised and that she needs an outfit not immediately recognizable by her enemies. And, part of that is because her clothes are covered in blood.

So, if you're lucky enough to have chosen this particular day to shop for clothes in Genessia City, you may find yourself approached by a serious-looking woman dressed in equally serious-looking clothes, her face utterly stoic despite her jacket being stiff with her own blood. ]

Pardon me. Do you know much about what's in-fashion here?

[ She needs to look unremarkable, okay.

Later in the day, once she has something new to wear, you might encounter her stuffing her bloody clothes in a public trashcan. Because that's normal. ]

III. Text (Anonymous)
[ It isn't until she's had some time to process her situation that she tries to address the general population of of Genessia. There's much she needs to come to terms with, but— ]

Is there anyone who remembers dying before arriving to this place?

[ That's the subject that weighs most heavily on her mind. She still isn't sure what to make of the discrepancy between her own experience and the language of kidnapping. But, maybe those who have been here longer can lay her thoughts to rest. ]

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I'll wait for you outside.

[ This is the natural way of things. In another circumstance, she would think nothing of his answer at all. But, as things are now... She can't read a text message the way she can even the subtlest expressions on his face. She's left to her own memory of his tears, and the question of what her presence could mean for his resolve.

But, that will be resolved soon enough.

She places the item she'd been looking at back on the rack and steps outside. Already changed out of her bloody clothes, she looks remarkably mundane, as if she were any normal woman waiting to meet any normal friend. The only thing that gives her away is the tension in her posture, and the alertness in her eyes. ]

( It takes him about 30 minutes before he even arrives, each step along the way weighed as if his shoes were filled with lead. He owed this to her; that he had no doubt, and if he were being completely honest, he wanted nothing more than to see her again. But, like with everything else in Kiritsugu's life, he would deny himself the enjoyment in it. Whatever fulfillment she derived from this encounter would be for her alone.

When he takes his place by her side, he speaks with a soft flatness to his tone, not unlike his usual conversations with her. And even though he doesn't recognize the clothes, he considers hers would have been bloodied from before, so it's not a detail that he allows to bother him. )

I see you're not unwell.

( Or at least, as well as she can be in this place. He was concerned for her, even if he was attempting not to reference her death so directly. )

[ Another person might have found their attention wandering after nearly half-an-hour of waiting in silence. Maiya has held vigils far, far longer than that, though, and she's no less alert when Kiritsugu finally arrives than when she had first stepped outside. Immediately, she turns to face him fully, meeting his comment with her own quiet reply. ]

Yes. Whatever force is at work here saw to that.

[ But her death and miraculous resurrection only concern her so much. When she looks up at Kiritsugu, it's not only to study his face. She takes in all of him, from his expression to his outfit to even the smells that cling to him, her gaze sharp and analytical in the same way it might be while studying a battlefield's map.

It's...a bit off. Not from her memories of Kiritsugu, but from the situation she had left behind when he laid her to rest. She doesn't think him unreal, but rather, it heightens the unreality of the whole situation around her, creating yet another layer she doesn't understand. ]

...Kiritsugu. The madam's fate is...?

Edited 2019-01-17 05:43 (UTC)

( Oh. Mentally, her question takes him several steps back, filling him with a bile ridden guilt. Perhaps on her own, he could have handled Maiya in spite of his unpreparedness for her. But to hear that, even now, she concerned herself with his wife's welfare was enough to gut him, to make him wish he would crumble away even as he stood there, making to mechanically open his mouth as he searches his mind for an answer. )

Kidnapped, it seems, by Kotomine.

( That much he was able to gather, answering her as truthfully he could. It bothered him that he didn't know - himself - about his own wife's wellbeing, even if he knew how her fate would ultimately play out. He lingers there in spite of himself, completely poe-eyed, no matter how desperately he wanted to up and walk away. )

[ Maiya looks away from him, her own expression drawing tight until it's nearly a scowl. It's an answer that seems at odds with what she had seen with her own eyes—but, she supposes, there's no reason for her to assume her revival was immediate. Things may have changed since she shut her eyes that final time. ]

"It seems."

[ Even so, she repeats that phrase to herself. It's as if there's some meaning hidden within it that she doesn't grasp, one that she can unlock if she just repeats it with her own tongue. ]

Do you think there's nothing left to be done for her?

[ Even as the words leave her mouth, there's a leaden feeling in her chest that she dimly recognizes as regret. She couldn't protect Irisviel, and Saber couldn't reach her in time. Even if her fate had been decided the moment the War began, the way she had confided to Maiya—the thought sits uneasy. ]

I wouldn't think so.

( The answer is immediate, one that could almost be considered callus were it not for his disposition. With Iri in Kotomine's hands, there was almost certainly nothing to be done. He'd almost been able to kill her once before, after all, and Kiritsugu has no reason to expect Kirei to hold her as a captive. So, that was it. If she wasn't dead already, she almost certainly would be, and that's not factoring in her impending Grailmageddon.

So up until now, he tried not to dwell on it-- of course, made impossible now by Maiya's presence. It would wear on him, that he should have afforded Iri and Maiya better. But there was no way to change that, not now or ever. )

Edited 2019-01-17 19:53 (UTC)

I see.

[ What else is there to say? No apology she could give, no matter how genuine, would change the reality of Irisviel's fate. Maiya sees no value in meaningless words—but even so, she feels as though she should say something, her drawn expression softening in her uncertainty. ]

Kiritsugu, she... There is something she asked me to tell you once the War had ended.

[ Perhaps that is the most she can do for both Kiritsugu and Iri now. ]

( Her words are enough to ping his interest, just barely enough to distract him from his guilt-ridden stupor. The part of him that loved Iri, that cared about her more than he could ever care for himself, wanted to listen. He didn't deserve this, to hear her words again-- indirectly or otherwise, but he would give Maiya his attention now. )

Tell me.

( His words come out in a pained croak, the first sign of emotion he'd given off their entire conversation, but he needed this. It's what his heart yearned for, no matter how much he wanted to deny it. )

[ As Maiya turns her eyes to Kiritsugu's again, she's aware of the heavy irony that drips from her every word. It's backwards enough that Irisviel had ultimately outlived her, even if only by a matter of hours, but for Maiya to be able to deliver her message in spite of that— That sense of unreality begins to overtake her again, so she puts the thought aside. ]

She told me that the hardship we've suffered shouldn't be forgotten, even in peace. That...it's important for pain to be remembered, and that it mattered. That's why...she wanted people like us to find a place in the world, even when there's no evil left to fight.

I see.

( He stills, pondering what he could even say to that. She'd twisted the proverbial knife. Fitting that it came from Maiya; the irony was not lost on him. Would he have ever existed in such a world? One without conflict or pain? He didn't think so. That ought to be reserved for his daughter.

But hearing this, knowing what he did now, that the Grail Wars continue-- even after him, their efforts felt all for naught. His sacrifices? Wasted. He failed them, and he would amount to nothing.

There's a painful sharpness to his breath as he remains there, oblivious to the wetness pooling at the creases of his eyes. )

Kiritsugu.

[ She murmurs his name, and just like they had when he'd held her half-dead body in his arms, her hands lift to his face. Gently, she cups his cheeks, her thumbs poised to catch those tears before they've even fallen. ]

It was a wish that you would be happy.

[ It puts a blunt edge on Iri's more idealistic words—but maybe that's appropriate in its own way. Iri's sentiments in Maiya's voice, and Maiya's wishes given shape by Iri's words. It's a message from them both, like this, when neither of them should have been able to deliver it. ]

Is there somewhere you would like to go?

[ He's clearly not in a state to realize his surroundings. It's second nature for her to cover his weaknesses, though, so she directs his attention to the matter herself. ]

( He's not, and clearly, needed to be directed away from this place. Nodding, he tells her: )

There's a place here called Fayren. I'll point you there.

( Or rather, his house there, as much as he's able in this pitiful state. )

[ She doesn't verbally signal her understanding. It feels unnecessary. Instead, she merely brushes the pad of her thumb at the corner of his eye and drops her hands again. Wordlessly, she falls into step at his side—but rather than silently and stoically walking half a step at his heel, as she might usually do, she reaches out and takes his hand. It's an unusually sentimental gesture for her, but somehow, it feels right in this moment. They're on a public street; she can't kiss or hold him until they're alone together. ]

Edited 2019-01-18 00:40 (UTC)

( He's painfully aware of the physicality to it, the euphoric sensation of her hand wrapping around his own, like an anxiety clawing at his ribs. He's not about to deter her, doing his best to steel himself as they walked down the street in silence. It was more than he expected from her, but, that in itself was a hopeful sign. She was developing sentimentality. He considers that it's good for her, while she's here.

It's already been some time before they finally arrive. Fayren is notably less modern than the other cities, as can be told by the cobbled streets and dated architecture, or the ponds and near, forest-like area that surrounds the house Rin had helped him pick.

Since they're in relative privacy now, he actually makes to... wrap his arm around her waist as he leads her up the steps of the house, a silent appreciation of her gentle comforting from before. He'd still been attempting to wrap his head around Iri's message, that she would want him to be happy in spite of his entire being telling him he should not.

But truly, he ought to focus on Maiya for now. That she was here, with him. That he's been given the opportunity to see her again at all. He opens his mouth, hoping the words would form from his lips, but nothing comes to fruition, and merely awestruck by her presence. )

[ Kiritsugu says nothing to her, so they continue on in silence. It doesn't take long for Maiya's attention to drift to her surroundings, and even now, she finds herself analyzing this new terrain by instinct. A good place for an ambush. A place that could be easily fortified and defended. She takes note of such things the way another person might the baskets of flowers or artistic architecture on their path.

But his arm around her as they step into his home brings her back to that tender feeling from before. She doesn't smile, but her posture relaxes against his side, body not drawn so tight as a weapon as she allows herself to be guided up the stairs. It's with that mood that she watches him open his mouth and struggle to speak, his astounded silence hanging in the air between them for several seconds before she moves. Fingers sliding into the hair at the nape of his neck, she kisses him. ]

( He lets her do as she wills as her lips brush against his own, their bodies almost certainly clinging together as if a magnetic pull. Perhaps he hadn't expected the contact so early, but that was... fine; allowing Maiya to remain even as he strategically works his arm behind his back, struggling to unlatch and slide open the door, but he manages.

Once inside, he's very much wrapped up in her arms, one hand hovering over the small of her back, the other curled into her hair. Shirou would likely scold him for not removing his shoes as he leads her up the stairs and into his room, but in spite of this, he couldn't be bothered. )

[ She wonders how Kiritsugu feels, having this weapon returned to his side. Maybe she shouldn't do this; maybe she truly isn't of use to him any longer, and this affection weakens his heart rather than hardening it. But—Irisviel wished for their happiness, and in a way, denying their shared feelings for Kiritsugu feels like it would be denying her bond with Iri, too.

So she lets herself be led, surefooted as she climbs those unfamiliar steps with him. All this feels like a happy dream she never wants to wake up from, but somehow, that's what makes the reality of it sink in. Even though her final moments were already more than she could have hoped for, she was together with him again, like this— A shudder runs through her as she pushes herself tighter into his arms, heart pounding so hard in her chest that she nearly feels sick with it. ]

Kiritsugu...

[ Her words are a murmur against his lips, betraying her reluctance to pause for even that long. ]

Is this all right with you?

( He'd blundered into it, allowing his guilt over Maiya's death, his disbelief in her presence, and his resignation to Irisviel's fate to colour his actions. He hadn't even considered himself into the equation, really, acting on an instinctive impulse to fulfill Maiya's needs. It's what he owed her, was it not? He'd always recognized she and Iri deserved far more than anything he could offer.

If it seemed like an overly sentimental gesture on his part... it's because it was. He'd grown relatively idle in his time here, in this new environment divorced from the war, and living with a boy who claimed to be his son. The unreality was not lost on him. )

Maiya.

( The words rasp from his throat as he remains here like this, gripping her tighter against him, hand slipping from her hair to her cheek. )

Iri would have wished for your happiness.

( It doesn't answer her question, but it's how he rationalized it in his mind. He hadn't the luxury to save either of them. So here, he'd do what he could to fulfill his beloved's wish. )

I know. She did.

[ Even if the happiness Irisviel wished for her to find was no longer obtainable. Trapped in this world like a ghost, she would never learn the name of her family or the fate of her son. But, she doesn't say that to Kiritsugu. It feels private, a precious secret shared only between Irisviel and herself, just the way so many of her memories belong only to him.

She recognizes the rasp in Kiritsugu's voice. Rare in years past, and more common now—Maiya leans up again, slipping her tongue past his lips. She should scold him for his sentimentality again, if a thing so small as her life is enough to move him, but... Instead, she resolves not to let him cry, kissing him to cover the sound. ]

( He easily acquiesces to her, parting his lips and gliding his tongue against hers as they have done many times before. There's nothing she can do to prevent the tears from streaming down his cheeks, having convinced himself this would never be a possibility again, but the kiss does serve to muffle the sound.

Mentally, he is by no means stable, but having her against him in this capacity does help him calm. Calm enough to pick up his feet, to continue leading her up the staircase.

Once they start down the hall, it's not long before he's pulling away-- albeit reluctantly, when they reach the door of his room.

A part of him has to be thankful that the house is seemingly empty, in this moment, unable to bear the thought if Shirou were to hear him like this. )

Kiritsugu.

[ As they reach his door and he breaks the kiss, she murmurs his name again. This time, though, her tone is changed from before, a downturn in her voice that folds just the barest hint of scolding into the word. She brings both her hands to his cheeks again, just as she did outside that boutique in Genessia City, as much to hold his face toward hers as it was to dry his cheeks with her thumbs. ]

You shouldn't cry for me.

[ But despite her chastising words, her expression isn't disappointed in him, Maiya's face cast with a soft smile that even he had only seen in rare moments. To simply be at his side again is a happiness she had thought she had known for the last time, and in this moment, it's enough to warm her down to her bones. That's why, just as much as his weakening resolve—he shouldn't cry for her, when he's made her so happy. ]

Edited 2019-01-23 20:59 (UTC)

( For all his faults, Kiritsugu is at least, considerate of her. Shuffling her past the door before he walks inside, himself, and closing the sliding door shut behind him.

The privacy does make things easier on him, in a sense. He's no longer beholden to the same restraint he was prior, leaning into her hands with no inclination to resist, and trying to embrace the sensation of her skin caressing his own. It's hardly a good moment, but. If she were happy-- happy to see him, then perhaps he should try to return this in kind. Not that it was something he deserved. In his mind, it very much wasn't. But he was capable of feigning this, for her. )

I never thought I'd see you again.

( His words come out in a muted sob. That much, for him, is a confession in earnest. He hadn't. But the rest? The initiation of contact, the grip of her shoulders and brush of his lips against hers, this time. It's an act all very forced on his part, one meant to contain himself, for her. And in spite of himself, he gently leads her towards the futon. )

[ It's not a statement that bears answering. Of course he'd thought that. Of course she'd thought the same, thought that she would close her eyes and never see anything again. Whatever their circumstances besides, to be at his side again is a miracle.

So, she doesn't answer him. She doesn't even hush him, this time, merely leaning into his kiss as he draws her in. She lets herself be led to the futon, her own hands falling from where they had settled against his body to pull her new shirt over her head. ]

( He had every intention to just undress her-- himself, but easily pulls away from her face to wordlessly help her out of her blouse, showing little care for where it falls to the floor.

It's not long before his hands have wandered to the clasp of her bra, though, hastily working to undo it, even as he is now pinning her against his bed. )

Edited 2019-01-28 18:47 (UTC)

[ A small, breathy noise escapes her as he presses her downward, not just to sit at the futon but to lie against it. For as many times as they've been like this, it still makes her heart swell, those feelings of safety and comfort only multiplied by their unexpected reunion. Muscle memory makes her arch her back beneath him, Maiya lifting her shoulders so that his fingers can more easily open the clasp and strip her bare. ]

Kiritsugu...

[ Without thinking, she murmurs his name again, saying it merely for the sake of saying his name. Her voice is barely a breath, sighed against the side of his face as her fingers bunch in his hair. ]

→ action I guess ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

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ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

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Timeskip after this tag I guess???

salutes

Probably nsfw after this point. OH GOD, WHY IS THIS ALLOWED???

smh

He's an idiot, I'm sorry.

yeah and she's still going to fuck him, so what does that make her

His accomplice in dumbassery.

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