can you escape your fate~?

[redtruth-blog]

♟ Murderous Pawn [OPEN - 01]

Midnight is truly an appropriately-named period of the day: that time when the world is at its darkest. Impossible to see ahead of you without the guidance of lights, at least with certainty. Usually the more populated areas are covered in lights - nightclubs, restaurants, basic street lights. Sure it wouldn’t stop fights, being out at that time usually meant you were drinking or doing something else classified as ‘adult behaviour,’ but illuminating the darkness would stop any serious form of violence or crime.

The same couldn’t be said for those areas saved by the graces of the nightlife, however…

In those areas uncharted, it was an open field. Anything goes. Heading into an area like that, especially in a city as dangerous as Fuyuki City, unprepared would spell certain death. Vagrants, vigilantes, criminals, and lately… much more sinister characters: the city was truly a circus of characters when the night sky settled. And amongst them tonight, a fresh face.

His dark clothing would have usually disguised him with the scenery, but that wouldn’t be the case for now. Instead, crimson red blood glistened in what little moonlight there was. It contrasted strongly with the man’s pale white face, trying to wipe it off would only smear his face further. The other distinguishing feature: dark red hair, it looked unnatural in its shade like the type that hooligans would get dyed. Yet there was definitely a far more sinister aura to this figure than that of a simple street punk.

Something else glistened for a split second in natural life, an object that the man had slung low in his right hand. A rifle, sawed off so that it could be disguised under an article of clothing. Ironic seeing as he mad no attempt to hide the weapon. The chamber was still hot - it had been recently fired, which explained the fresh blood which covered his body. 

Suddenly, he stopped still in his tracks. And crouched down, sporting a grin which could be best described as unholy. Laughter cackled through into the darkness as the man lost control of any composure he had maintained during his stroll. Then: a murmur…

“That guy…. he was no fun. I wonder if I can find someone more….. fun to play with tonight, kukukukuku….”

[miraclebitching-blog]

Ah, wasn't it boring? The witch had yet to find any interest in this so called 'war' and she doubted that any common way would awake this interest in her. People fought for all possible reasons; be it something untouchable like justice or simply for an expensive object. Driven by motives which were either selfish or pretended to be selfless; in the end those fights were pointless, weren't they? 

People lived, they killed and they died. It was the same over and over again; a game with rules which never changed and the outcome of it was the same as well. It wasn't that most of them even bothered with making it interesting. All they cared about was their own selfish goal which they were ready to reach no matter what they had to risk; a truly foolish behaviour if she might say so.

But oh, what did she spot there in the darkness or rather whom? A familiar figure indeed, a person she knew all too well and hopefully wouldn't disppoint. No, there wasn't any chance that this would increase her boredom. Not if it was him.

"Having fun?" She calmly approached talking to him, speaking quietly, yet forcefully enough to not let him think he could ignore her just like this.

Coincidence or fate, she couldn't exactly tell what had brought them together in that night. How ironic it was, though, that they both had been invited to this place, but in contrast to normal circumstance she appreciated it. Obviously he wanted to play a more interesting game than the one happening currently and her intentions were similiar to this, so it was only natural she offered her help, wasn't it?

"Bored, eh? Of course only killing isn't enough to satisfy you. It's truely a dull way to live, if you just did that. I have to agree with you on this point; it clearly lacks excitement." 

"You and I want the same, so why don't we make this game a bit more interesting and add some more factors to the gameboard, Battler~?"

[sekishi]

from here to there [intro/open]

[sekishi]

“Ah—no need to assure me, I’m completely aware as it is.” Youko ran her fingers through her hair and let out an awkwardly quiet laugh. It would be pointless to try to explain the whole thing to a stranger. She didn’t even fully understand the whole thing herself, to be honest.

Pausing, she tilted her head to the side and placed her thumb under her chin. “But…The whole thing feels fishy. I’m willing to accept it can create a miracle, just not one without strings attached.”

There was just too much she didn’t know about it. Who started this whole thing? Why was it made? Whose grand idea was it to have people fight to the death for some wish, regardless of the winner’s character or wants? How was the process even done? What was in the fine print for these wishes? Would their intent be distorted? All very important questions; none of them answered. It was all rather shady, really. What a pain.

Master. She smirked, it seemed she couldn’t avoid that term no matter where she was. It was true, of course. Her eyes drifted to the command seals on her hand. Was this Bernkastel really so amazing at discerning things, or had she just seen the marks? She guessed it didn’t matter much in the end.

“Well, it definitely sounds…interesting. What’s the catch?”

[miraclebitching-blog]

"I see. You are searching its weakspot, aren't you? You think it is too powerful to exist, that nothing can possibly exist without having to sacrifice something for it. That you have to kill others for it should make you ponder already, if it's really worth it, but you don't seem to care too much about that." 

Not that she really cared. Most humans' minds worked this way; always doubting whatever they saw, sometimes even when there was nothing to be worried about which lead to failure in the end and losing what could have helped them, if they just had known when trust was necessary and when it wasn't. Ah, but wasn't this what made humans interesting? All the mistakes and sins they commited, a human life without at least one huge failure was hardly possible and making it worse was indeed interesting to the witch.

"I wonder though, if you are capable of imagining what a miracle really is. If you don't understand this at first, then I wonder if you shouldn't just give up already."

Unless she cooperated with Bernkastel of course and things went just like she had planned it. What a pleasant surprise this meeting had become already. 

"Become my ally in this little game and I grant whatever your wish is. You won't need any grail for it, because I can give you what you want. Of course I don't do this for nothing and will turn you into my little paw, which should be honor enough for you already. I simply wish to be entertained by this war and to only fight is too boring, isn't it?"

[danceinthepedophilebund-blog]

Dance with me, humans and creatures of the night (KV Open)

If you gave Mina Tepes a starting glance, you wouldn’t think her to be more than a simple minded child. She had a flat chest, retained the height of a middle schooler and had her vampire maids picked out her attire out for her daily. Of course, if one was here, then it was obvious that they were a far cry from ordinary. But it didn’t mean she wasn’t overly pampered.  While she could manage for herself, Mina didn’t particularly like to do so. And without her maids about, she tended to dress in a rather sloppy manner. Even at hundreds of years in age, people had to remind her to dress as a lady, for she was the ruler of the vampires. Well, not only that: her habit of dressing in little to the imagination was a bit of a bad habit for her to form around those who were unfamiliar with her.    As it was, Mina was in an unfamiliar world and participating in an unfamiliar game having to do with the ‘Holy Grail’. For this, she cared very little. She was an immortal being, after all, who had achieved just about everything she’d wished for. Except for the fact that there was this one issue. The issue at hand was her lover’s mortality. While Akira was quite young now, what would happen in 80 years or so? He would eventually die, right? After all, those of the werewolf clan were more or less mortal.  And so, as she walked about in her dress, sunglasses and a hat, Mina called Akira’s name quietly as tears stained her cheeks. That’s right: He wasn’t here yet  , now was he? What could she do without him as her servant. Well, there was only one thing she could think of for now: hide from the sun that touched her skin. Even in this was another world, it didn’t change the harsh reality for her: when sunlight touched her skin, she would burn. Quickly, she ran under a tree, but not before bumping into someone along the way.  “…It’s too sunny out.” She muttered to herself. Welp, so much for an apology.  

[miraclebitching-blog]

Instead of participating directly in a fight, Bernkastel preferred it much more to avoid them, simply watching over them and waiting for others to erase themselves one after one. The last ones standing would be the strongest ones; the ones which ultimately had a bit more power and were actually capable of something and weren't just useless fools chosen by a cruel fate which was damned ever since the beginning.

Her intention wasn't even to win this war, though she hated losing. She hadn't chosen this fight by her own, so it wasn't a real loss to her if it didn't go according to her plan. Those weren't her rules and this price was nothing but an useless cup to her. She was the witch of miracles, a tool which had the same power as she did was nothing to her.

Regardless of having no expectations, it was rude nonetheless that people weren't even able to watch their way and ran into others like this. The hell did Bernkastel care if they treated each other like animals, but to run into her surely was a mistake and would sooner or later the biggest mistake of their lives. This girl didn't look much older than her, which didn't mean anything since Bern was much older than her appearance gave away.

"Such a hurry. I wonder what caused this. Don't you people usually admire the sun for its warmth?" That this girl was in some kind of stress was also something which didn't went ignored, but there was no reason for her to point it out. A stranger like this was of no interest to her, but her dress had some class at least.

"Drinking a cup of tea usually helps you to calm down. Might I offer you one?"

[sekishi]

from here to there [intro/open]

[sekishi]

Of course. She should have assumed the woman was involved in this war the instant she saw her.

“I do. But I’m pretty skeptical about it all.”

Sure, she knew gods and miracles existed. Her experience with the Queen Mother of the West was enough to prove that. Previously she had thought that if gods and the like really existed, they certainly weren’t immune to making mistakes. To an extent, she still believed that. But that meeting with the goddess gave her another perspective on Heaven and its Will. They didn’t give a damn.

Perhaps the same wasn’t true for Tentei, but the only thing inside the Queen Mother was pure nothingness. She was neither caring nor uncaring; she was simply there. There was no reason for her to feel either. In the end, Heaven had its own system and rules that were separate from humanity’s. And miracles just weren’t all they were cut out to be.

It didn’t mean she wasn’t grateful to the goddess for cleansing Taiki of his sickness. That was a miracle only the gods could perform. But that was all she did. She could have completely restored him to his state as a kirin. She could have aided the Royal Tai and struck down Asen. She could have saved the kingdom of Tai and its people.

But she didn’t. The gods were separate from the rest of the world and rarely intervened—no matter the circumstances. People could only rely on themselves to change things. If she couldn’t put her faith in the gods she knew existed, what reason did she have to believe in the power of some unknown magic cup?

“…Regardless of its worth, it sounds too good to be true.”

She wanted to go home, that went without saying. If nothing else, that was what she wished for the most here. But if something like that actually existed? She could resurrect fallen comrades, bring prosperity to the kingdom of Kei and its people, save Tai, give peace to the world—yet somehow, none of it seemed right. Wishing it into happening didn’t seem right. Their nature as wishes meant they were either impossible things or things that had to be worked for. No dead would be raised for her, and the world would only prosper through the efforts of its people.

“Youko. Nakajima Youko.”

The suiguutou wasn’t just any old sword, and she wasn’t just any old swordsman. However, whether her abilities could match those of others’ in a fight wasn’t her priority. Surviving was. And she was a lot more confident in her ability to survive than she was fighting.

She cocked an eyebrow at the statement.

“And what sort of deal would that be?”

[miraclebitching-blog]

So she was that kind of person. To be honest, Bernkastel hadn't expected anything less than that. Judging someone by the way the looked and acted was a foolish thing to do and that wasn't what the witch did, but reading people like an open book was far more easy than others thought it might be. Appearance didn't matter, what mattered was the mind, the way of their thinking and what they were capable to do. Some unique beings might even have the power to change the world, if they were only aware of it, which wasn't the case most of the time.

That this woman wasn't a naive one had been clear to her the moment she had taken one look in her eyes. Didn't humans say that eyes were a mirror of the soul? Of course they did say that, uselessly trying to find a way to understand each other to get along. Ridiculous. Truly ridiculous. It just made this little business a bit more fun to her though. Naive, innocent souls couldn't be fooled even more and were their own biggest obstacle. In fact, the witch despised humans of that sort. Breaking them was too easy and who wanted to play with a toy which already was broken?

"Too good to be true or maybe something is simply overlooked. As long as something isn't completly impossible, it is undeniable that it might exist, but everything has its price, hasn't it? I can assure you that miracles indeed do exist and that this grail might be able to grant them, but what you are willing to risk for it is up to each individual." 

She had to know it. Better than anyone else to be concrete. It'd be funny if she of all beings couldn't tell what miracles really were; she didn't have her title for no reason. Once you truly understood this power, anyone might even be able to use it, using their own strength to create the miracle they yearned for, but ah it was absurd that many would be able to use this one day, so they had to rely on something like a grail.

"A deal which might help you to obtain what you want. I do know that you are supposed to fight with your partner; I assume you are a master judging by the person you seem to be, but this doesn't mean you can't have allies, right? I don't need them, but you might need some help. I do realize that you have no idea who I really am or what I could do for you, but others have seeked for my help before and I am not the one to deny kind requests. If you are interested, I will tell you more. Of course this deal has certain conditions, but I guarantee you, you could get some advantages from that."

[sekishi]

from here to there [intro/open]

[sekishi]

Youko turned around at the sound of the stranger’s voice. A girl with blue hair in absurd getup was standing behind her. Tensing up, she instinctively reached for her sword. How long had she been there? She hadn’t seen her a few moments ago.

The girl stared at her—no, more than that. She was reading her, she realized. Judging her. Youko frowned. She was all too familiar with that gaze. It was something she saw in the ministers and all the people around her. Deciding if she was worthy or not. What sort of person she was. Whether or not they could manipulate her. But that was fine. She didn’t care if people read her like an open book.

She loosened up her hold on the suiguutou and relaxed her posture. It didn’t feel as if the other woman planned on attacking her—at least for the moment. Despite her seemingly less than friendly demeanor, she had no reason to be hostile towards her. Not to mention she had a hunch it would be rather useless to try fighting with her anyway.

“I wonder…” She crossed her arms and stared back at the girl. “Neither sound right, honestly.”

[miraclebitching-blog]

Her eyes had wandered a bit away from the other's face when she had almost gotten ready to take out her sword, but quickly the witch's gaze switched back, blankly staring in her eyes. A mere weapon like that was no real danger for her and besides that: that woman wasn't one who attacked just like that. It would be useless; stupid even in a public place such as this and she didn't seem to be that much of a retard.

"Oh really?"

"But you do know what you are supposed to fight for, don't you? You realize of how much worth this war can be for you, right?" 

Ah well, not the most common way to greet someone, but common ways were a little bit too boring, weren't they? She was nothing but a stranger to her and she was the same to her; maybe they could also be called enemies, so talking to her like this must seem rather odd.

"I am Bernkastel. Now, tell me your name and let me see if you are even worthy to participate in this fight. You look as if you can deal with weapons, but I'm afraid abilities such as this won't take you too far." For a moment the witch paused, almost thoughtfully bringing her left hand to her chin. "I might even have an interesting deal for you."

[sekishi]

from here to there [intro/open]

“Ughhhh…”

Youko groaned. Her eyes fluttered open, cold sunlight bleaching out the shade under her lids. It was bright. Really bright. She turned over and blinked away blurred sunspots, mushing her face in the grass. She just wanted to go back to sleep.

Moments later, she finally noticed that she had been sleeping outside. She sat up lazily, taking in her surroundings as her vision shifted in and out of focus. Where was this? Certainly nowhere near the palace, at least. It almost looked like a park of sorts, with benches scattered around the area. But it was completely empty. The trees were bare and crooked, and the grass unkempt and withered. It had an unsettling atmosphere around it that almost felt scorched.

She flicked her gaze in the opposite direction—looking at it reminded her of too many unpleasant memories. But what lay in the distance on the other side was heart stopping.

No.

The sudden realization hit her like a truck, sucking every last drop of drowsiness out of her being. Skyscrapers. Cars. Telephone poles. Her head was spinning. This wasn’t possible. The salt burned in her eyes as sickening nostalgia overwhelmed her. It had to be a dream; she couldn’t really be back here. She forced the bile back down into her throat.

This was Japan.

She tore her sight from it and stared back at the barren landscape. What? Why? How? None of it made sense. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself—it was pointless to panic like this. With eyes firmly shut, she sat there and attempted to collect her thoughts. It took some time to sufficiently calm down, but she soon found her mind already knew the answers to most of her questions.

It was full of nonsensical reasoning, with terms like Holy Grail War and such. The mere thought of her former world being filled with such outrageous and mythical concepts made her laugh. Everything about her life in Japan had been painfully ordinary and mundane. It was flat out ironic for some magical mumbo-jumbo to drag her back here.

Looking up at the sky, she briefly wondered if she could trigger a shoku in order to get back home. It was doubtful. Even if she could, she had no idea how to do so in the first place. She sighed. The palace was probably in complete chaos right now. She should have listened to Keiki when he advised her to keep some of his shirei around.

There was nothing to do but wait for Keiki to go through the process of finding her again. She might as well enjoy the nostalgia, however painful it may end up being, while she was back. This whole Grail thing didn’t really interest her, but perhaps she could get back to Kei sooner with it. Either way she was going to hear an earful from Keiki and the ministers. She stopped, the unrelated thought abruptly clicking with one of her new memories.

“…Oh.”

That was right. She had summoned a servant, hadn’t she?

[miraclebitching-blog]

Actually, attacking people in this city was a little bit too easy for her taste. Some of them were so thoughtless that they almost payed no attention to the fact that people wanted to kill each other, that an enemy could await you at any given corner and without hesistating much they could be dead, yet they continued walking around like morons, unprepared and basically presenting themselves as easy victims.

Especially the ones who had just arrived. Too stupid to live seemed to be accurate in some cases. But to Bernkastel it wasn't from any interest to slaughter them all down just like that. What kind of fun would this bring? Simple killing didn't bring her what she truly desired. Ah well, not like anyone else would show them how foolish such a behaviour was, so she didn't have to bother with idiots.

"You seem to be confused." 

Didn't mean she couldn't talk to them. Playing a bit with their mind, searching for their weakspots and destroying them slowly would do for now, til she got to beings which were from higher interest. In fact, to wait and watch the weaker ones getting destroyed til only the strongers were left wasn't the worst plan. Wasting a bit time here and there, making some people's lives a bit more difficult than they were to begin with; there were worse ways to waste her time.

The witch mindlessly stared at the other, obviously new here, trying to imagine what kind of person she might be and how long it would take her to break her and make her fall on the ground, begging for forgiveness. 

"I wonder if you are simply too self-confident or if you are just suicidal." The girl spoke once again, slightly tilting her head to the right side and not letting her gaze wander off from the other person even once. People tend to get nervous if they were being studied, so that was exactly what she did.

[miraclebitching-blog]

a miracle, eh? /open

A war. How very uninteresting a concept such as this was for the witch. She had no interest in simple physical fights, it clearly lacked any kind of entertainment. Where was the fun in that? Killing people solely for the purpose of winning?

Fortunately it wasn't an all so normal war at least. It awoke her interest a bit, she had to admit that. Pairing the participants up, this might lead to some rather entertaining situations and interactions. Having to fight side by side, ah how much fun would this bring if the two chosen to win together disliked each other and yet had to force themselves to get along? Not even to mention that Holy Grail this was about..

The witch couldn't recall to have any desire this tool could grant for her and in her hands it might be rather useless. She was the one who granted miracles, how ridiculous to think she needed something like a cup for that. Her purpose for fighting had to be a different one then. Killing her opponents fast to get them out of the way? No, this would be too boring. Why not using this war to torture her opponents? Slowly tearing them apart, showing them what they could have, what they could be, just to destroy them in the last second and with that killing off every hope they ever had in their hearts. 

Crushing them, showing them what true despair was, how very selfish and retarded all of their actions were - now, this would be fun. Not even to think about what she could do to her servant, depending on who it was.

Upon hearing noises, she turned around, facing the unknown person. Fuyuki City, not like she had to expect much from a normal place such as this, but people here might be interesting, considering what was actually going on.

"You are part of this war, too, aren't you? Oh my, now that makes me wonder how selfish your wish is that you are ready to kill for it." 

Whoever it was, she wouldn't be too impressed by 95% of the answers she might get for this. Either it would be an idiot who claimed to be a hero and selfless or an arrogant fool who thought it was his right to win. Manipulating them would be fun either way.