tvklogs | our dried voices when we whisper together [OPEN]

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our dried voices when we whisper together [OPEN]

WHO: Ainosuke Tanaka (

hidari_me) and whoever shows up.
WHAT: Investigating the town and his surroundings.
WHEN: June 21st, late afternoon - evening
WHERE: Bayview Hotel, Lobby (likely to extend to other places around town)
RATING: PG-13
WARNINGS: None yet.

It had only taken a few minutes after Lancer had left his room the night before for Ainosuke to fall asleep. To Ainosuke's surprise, he had ended up sleeping for a great deal of the day. Until an hour or so before now, he had been staying in his room ever since his arrival. He wasn't sure why. Was he waiting for something to happen? Maybe... Maybe he was waiting, hoping his brother would show up and admit that he was the one behind everything. Then he could have an excuse as to why all of this was happening, but it wouldn't explain why everyone else was there.

But there had to be a reason.

That was why he was leaving the hotel now. He'd gained a few hints from his talks with other arrivals, though nothing seemed to come together yet. Ainosuke's first goal was to go out and buy a sketchbook. Putting all his thoughts down on paper instead of having them in his head would be the first step towards looking at the big picture.

Ainosuke stepped off the elevator and into the lobby, patting the pockets of his pants and his jacket to make sure he had everything with him. Cell phone, card key, cards for... wherever those restaurants were, so he could get something to eat. It looked like he was ready to go.

He stopped only for a few minutes, taking the time to look around the lobby and making sure there wasn't anything of interest he had overlooked the night before.

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[Ainosuke seemed a bit more sheepish after that, but got over it quickly. It really did make him feel far too awkward to approach a thought that he was having. Lancer seemed... a lot different than anyone he would have expected to run into, just with the way he carried himself and the way he dressed. ... and the way he spoke. It felt like there was a lot more space between them and where they were from than Ainosuke could comprehend.

For now, he put the thought aside, working towards his destinations in silence. The first place he stopped was at the bank, converting what yen he had on hand to dollars. It was enough to give him a little over a hundred, which he hoped would last him for awhile. If most everything else was paid for, there would hopefully be little he'd have to get on his own.

After leaving the bank, Ainosuke stopped at the first grocery store he saw, still checking occasionally to make sure Lancer was all right and keeping up. He opened the door and stepped in, looking around and giving himself a moment to adjust. There was absolutely nothing familiar here.]

They should at least have something...

[He glanced over his shoulder again, smiling at the other.]

If you see anything you think you might need, let me know.

[Several things occurred to Lancer as he followed Ainosuke around. One, Servants didn't exactly carry any kind of currency. That wouldn't have been an issue except for issue two: as a human, he was going to need quite a few things that made the lack of money a glaring problem.]

[...Idly he wondered just what job qualifications a Knight of Fianna would have.]

...What?

[Relying completely on a Master was one thing. Relying completely on a human was faintly embarrassing and a bit of an injury to his pride as a knight.]

O-oh, I...I mean, there's... You really don't need to worry about me, I'll manage just fine.

[There was a rather glaring crack in Lancer's composure now, and he found himself caught completely off guard and a little flustered.]

[Ainosuke pouted in response to Lancer's words. It wasn't that he was doing it because he felt the other needed his help. ... well. Not entirely. He had a feeling the other was a lot more out of place than he was with all the things they'd been through already -- at least in normal society. When they'd arrived, whatever that thing had been, Lancer had been the one who knew what to do and had reacted appropriately.

It wasn't even about repaying Lancer at this point, though Ainosuke felt indebted to him. It was just his first instinct to what to do things for people.]

I'm not worried, but at least look around a bit. There might be something. Just don't worry about food right now, since I think those cards will have us covered.

[He pointed behind him.]

I'll see what I can find.

[With that, Ainosuke turned and shuffled off to dig around in the writing utensils and paper, hoping he could find an appropriate sketchbook.]

[Lancer found himself suddenly faintly embarrassed and a little guilty. Ainosuke was being surprisingly kind to him--or maybe it was just surprising in comparison to Kayneth--and Lancer had been nothing but vague about his origins and any questions he'd been asked.]

[It felt unbecoming of a knight to act this way, even if his indirect dishonesty had a good reason behind it. For a minute or two he hesitated, debating on just how he was supposed to handle all of this. One thing at a time, right? Start with the simple things and work his way up to 'I'm a dead Irish knight summoned to fight for the Holy Grail'?]

[Or just give his name. Lancer couldn't help but think this would bother him notably less if he admitted to that much--he doubted 'Lancer' was an ordinary name in any modern country anyway. About five minutes later he approached Ainosuke, seeming unusually awkward.]

I feel I might perhaps owe you an apology of sorts. I don't believe I've been quite as forward as you about some things, and that seems a bit unfair.

[When Lancer approached him again, Ainosuke was sitting on the floor in the aisle, holding a few different pencil sets and trying to figure out which ones he should focus on getting first. It wasn't that he needed anything especially high quality, but the less trips he would have to make out and around town, the better. He heard the other's voice, lifting his head and staring up at him while he listened.

Ainosuke smiled awkwardly when Lancer finished, keeping his gaze on him to let the other know he was sincere instead of letting himself be distracted.]

It's all right... There's a lot I haven't been telling you, either.

[He did appreciate the apology, though. It kept increasing the respect that Ainosuke had for him, to be so open about things like this.]

That's fine. I understand the necessity of keeping secrets, particularly in a foreign place like this.

[He knelt down to be a little closer to eye level, smiling.]

I should at least tell you that my name isn't Lancer, although I think perhaps that was obvious. That's...call it a codename.

My name is Diarmuid. I don't particularly like concealing things about myself, but I think many of the details would be a long and irrelevant story. I can at least give you my name in good conscience.

[Ainosuke looks a little unsure of how to go about pronouncing that name even though he just heard the other say it. He hesitated, thinking about why the other might need to use a codename to begin with, but figured it was something else he would find out in time. There were far too many questions at this point concerning anything.]

I won't call you by it if it makes you more comfortable to be known by something else. And...

[He trailed off slightly, putting one hand up to his face.]

I'll tell you anything you want to know about me, I just... can't say much about this.

Call me whichever you like. I simply didn't like the idea of concealing my identity.

[Which he was still doing, but to a lesser degree. It was easier to deal with, at least.]

And I hadn't planned on interrogating you for any reason. Tell me whatever you will at whatever time you should choose. I'm not looking to learn all I can about everyone who crosses my path.

[At least not yet, and not without being willing to exchange information on himself in an equal share.]

... I appreciate you telling me. And it's not interrogating me. I trust you, but I'm not sure what you'd want to know.

[Maybe there was something involving his skills or how well he could fight, maybe more about his past that he could admit that would make him more trustworthy. He wasn't sure.

Ainosuke turned his attention back to what he had been looking at, choosing two packs of pencils, a couple sketchbooks, and some miscellaneous things like a sharpener and some erasers. That would last him for quite awhile. He stood up, holding the items to his chest as he made his way down the aisle, looking for a cheap bag he could carry things around in.]

[Lancer gave a slight shrug of his shoulders; in contrast to the thousand and one questions about the city they were in, he couldn't think of all that much to ask anyone personally.]

[...no, on second thought he did have one question.]

There is something I'd like to know, but...I warn you it's going to seem a very peculiar question.

[Even if he had been a modern human, Lancer still wouldn't have been sure what the answer was. As a heroic spirit, it was just that much more difficult.]

What year is it, exactly?

Two thousand eleven, June... twenty-first, maybe. I'm pretty sure that's right.

[After he gave the answer, Ainosuke gave Lancer his usual bright smile. It was becoming more common now that he had been around the other this much and felt rather safe.]

We've both got our share of weird questions and requests, so even if I don't know why you're asking, I won't think any less of you for it if it's something you want to know.

Thank you, I do appreciate that.

[He smiled a little awkwardly, then took a moment to consider this. Lancer existed as a heroic spirit outside time--he could be summoned into any era. But if he'd been summoned again, he shouldn't have remembered the previous Holy Grail War. This would have to be a summoning gone horribly wrong to both make him human and retain his memories.]

[This was a difference of...seventeen years? A small gap of time in the larger scale of things, but still a confusing thought.]

Mm. It's fine.

[Ainosuke took a few minutes to dig through the bags, checking them over and seeing which one he could get for the least amount of money that wouldn't fall apart once he was gone. He only stopped to pick up one other item -- a box of tea -- though it took him a few minutes of staring at them and trying to figure out exactly what corresponded to the types he usually had. Getting used to buying things in America would be weird.

While he made his way up to the counter, he made sure to check with Lancer again.]

Are you sure you don't want anything?

I-I'm absolutely sure, yes. You really don't need to worry about me.

[He was notably less flustered that time, thought still perhaps a little embarrassed.]

All right.

[He still felt like he should be doing something for the other, but he accepted it for now. It wasn't like he could just buy something for the other on the assumption of what he liked anyway. They didn't know each other that well yet.

Once he had purchased his items, Ainosuke stood next to the counter and shoved everything into his bag, including the papers he'd received at the hotel earlier.]

There's something else I've been wondering too.

[It was something he didn't want to bring up inside of the store, so he made his way outside first, heading to one of the restaurants he had a card for. At least things weren't too far away from the hotel.]

Oh? What might that be?

[Lancer followed a step or two behind Ainosuke, looking curious. Were he in the other's position, Lancer would likely be wondering a great many things about the temporal fish out of water that he seemed to be.]

My English isn't very good, but I haven't had any problems communicating with anyone here. Even when I stumble over my words or say the wrong thing, they understand me. And... I'm able to read everything, even though it feels like I shouldn't.

[While he walked, Ainosuke held on to the strap of his bag. It was a small habit that gave him quite a bit of comfort.]

It sounds crazy, doesn't it?

...actually, no. I hadn't noticed it myself until now, but I can't speak English at all.

[Language barriers were the Holy Grail's job to fix. But if Ainosuke experienced the same thing...what did that mean?]

[It was one of the many things Ainosuke didn't know how to approach because it was so far out of the range of belief. The night they'd arrived, how out of place it felt to talk to Lancer and the others, the lack of a language barrier... It could all be brushed off as coincidence or explained, couldn't it? The only reason he believed in the supernatural or things out of the ordinary realm was because of his experience with his visions. That was it.]

What do you think about it? Have you noticed it too?

I hadn't really thought anything of it until you brought it up just now. We are speaking English, aren't we?

[It wasn't Japanese, and it definitely wasn't Gaelic. He wasn't shocked to be speaking a different language, but it still threw him off.]

I wonder how that could have happened.

[Ainosuke shook his head a few times.]

No. I've been trying to speak English to the people at the shops and the hotel so they could understand me. But... it's almost like I'm just mixing them up now and there's no way to tell what I can and shouldn't be able to understand apart from each other.

So what you're saying is then when you consciously tried to speak English, you couldn't quite manage properly? And yet otherwise, that seems to be what we're both speaking now.

[Lancer thought over this for a minute or so--he clearly remembered how to speak both Japanese and his native language, but could he do it in practice? Or would it simply not translate?]

...hm.

[Honestly, he almost didn't want to try. The whole thing confused Lancer endlessly by this point, and not being able to speak his home country's language was almost unnerving.]

Is fearr Gaeilge briste, na Bearla cliste.

[It was spoken mostly under his breath, just to see if he could--while it sounded right to Lancer, he had no idea if there was some magecraft at work translating his words to another's ears. Could magecraft even do that?]

Edited 2011-06-25 00:41 (UTC)

That's what it feels like, I guess. I was trying too hard to speak English that I didn't even think about it.

[He made a frustrated noise, rubbing at the back of his head. It sounded completely crazy and he still had no idea what he was actually theorizing. Maybe it was best to just... not think about more problems when there were already so many things to think about.

The restaurant hadn't been too far away, thankfully. When Ainosuke wandered in, he stayed back a bit, pointing up at the menu behind the counter. His voice was quiet.]

Like that. I can read all of that. I shouldn't be able to.

No, neither should I.

[Which was half a lie--he had been summoned speaking fluent Japanese, so he should have been able to read this if this was another summoning. But that was seeming less and less likely as time went on.]

[Ainosuke stood there for a minute or so, letting the thought stay in place in his head while he tossed it around a bit. No... First things first, then he would try to focus on something like that. But the more things like this that kept happening, the crazier he was starting to think he was. It made him appreciate Lancer's company even more, knowing that everything that was happening wasn't in his head.]

... we'll get something to eat and then head back. We can talk more at the hotel.

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