[text&action]

[merelyatool]

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. ]

Comments

[problemagus]

( Shirou, Kiritsugu loves you. He would take a bullet for him!! But, he is not in the business of giving answers to questions Shirou already knows the answer to. He should know what they're doing. So, he'll continue on, as if this was any average conversation: )

Shirou, this is Miaya. ( He deftly sweeps the blouse from the floor, then hands it off to Maiya. Consider your words carefully. ) She was my assistant, and will be living with us from now on.

( Nailed it. 'Was,' having to mentally correct himself as he speaks. Because, that's normal. )

[merelyatool]

[ Silently, Maiya takes her shirt and pulls it on again. She has nothing further to say, apparently, having already given that polite (albeit restrained) greeting, but at least now Shirou's modesty is protected as she sits and waits for him to return it. ]

[wontdieifkilled]

[All right. At least now he can stop averting his gaze. He takes a deep breath.]

Oh. I-I see. Sorry, I didn't know.

[Kiritsugu had never said a word to him about an assistant, after all. He bows, albeit awkwardly, in Maiya's direction.]

I'm. I'm sorry about that. My name is Shirou. Kiritsugu adopted me when I was still a child.

[problemagus]

( Funny about that, Shirou. There's a lot Kerry hasn't told him. Kiritsugu, himself, seems collected enough now; focusing his gaze on Shirou and attempting not to mull over what Maiya had told him earlier. It's not something he's consciously aware of, but his hand gingerly rests atop Maiya's as he considers what to say. )

She'll need help adjusting to civilian life. ( THAT SEEMS LIKE A REASONABLE GOAL IN THIS PLACE. ) Could you do that, for me?

( She's really important to him, Shirou!! )

[merelyatool]

[ Ever-so-slightly, Maiya glances in Kiritsugu's direction. But, of course, she doesn't protest—not to his hand over hers, and not to the request he makes to Shirou. It's surprising, and strange to think of, but she supposes it's true that there's nothing left for her to accomplish in death.

Still without speaking, she returns her gaze to Shirou's face, expression faintly expectant. She can't help but think on his explanation as she does so. Kiritsugu adopted me when I was still a child. Her own history is hardly any different, and it makes her wonder after his circumstances, even if it seems imprudent to ask so directly. ]

[wontdieifkilled]

I, um, I can do my best. It would help if Tohsaka gave a hand, because she covers my weaknesses. Kind of like how I cover hers.

[He looks around the room, then adds:]

OK, so...so I think I should get started on dinner. Ms. Maiya, do you have any food preferences? Are there any likes or dislikes I should know about?

[He's not asking Kiritsugu because he knows his, and no, he's not making junk food. He's too proud to stoop to that level.]

[problemagus]

( That implies Kiritsugu cares about himself on a fundamental level enough to ask and doesn't just eat whatever Shirou sets in front of him!! )

That would be ideal.

( Mentally, he has to keep himself from answering for Maiya, despite how natural it might be for him to do so. It's good for her-- he thinks, to express her own needs. )

[merelyatool]

[ Maiya expects that Kiritsugu will speak for her—but then he doesn't, and the pause at the end of his sentence hangs there for a second too long as she waits. Again, her eyes dart in Kiritsugu's direction, glancing at his face in the peripheral of her vision before she focuses on Shirou again. ]

...No. There's nothing.

[wontdieifkilled]

OK. Then I'll stick to my original dinner plan. We'll be having chicken marsala tonight with a side of steamed vegetables.

...I'll go start getting things ready right now.

[With that, he starts for the door. This is still kind of awkward...]

[problemagus]

( He's not oblivious to the way Maiya glances at him, but chooses not to acknowledge it-- or at least, not until the door shuts behind Shirou as he leaves the room. He isn't even certain what to say in situations like this-- somehow feeling as if he's failed her for a second time today.

His eyes focus on much of nothing, but seemingly directed towards his feet touching the floorboards. Kiritsugu might not be in the same, compromised state from before, but his thoughts could only be described as disjointed. )

Are you alright, Maiya?

( That's all he can think to say, in this moment, knowing she is not accustomed to handle him in his weaker moments, and almost inclined to offer her an apology. He doesn't, though, knowing she wouldn't care for it. )

[merelyatool]

Kiritsugu.

[ She answers him with a murmur of his name, then sidles closer, closing the small gap between them until their bodies are pressed hip-to-hip. From her new position tucked against his side, Maiya looks up at him, and when she opens her mouth next, what comes out isn't an answer to his question. ]

I asked if this is all right with you.

[ Her voice is mild—but as faint as it is, the chiding tone to her words is present, and that certainly shouldn't be lost on someone who knows her so well as Kiritsugu does. ]

[problemagus]

( It's not, but, her chiding tone is what he needed to hear in this moment. She was upset with him. Perhaps, Maiya even understood that she was the cause of his anguish.

He's still not giving her direct contact, his eyes focusing instead on the wall, but his hand does remain atop hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. It was the most he could do without offering a straightforward apology. )

I've not been well, Maiya. ( He's not about to elaborate. ) But it is alright with me.

( His guilt for her shouldn't change his feelings on the matter. Or at least, that's what made sense to him. )