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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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.

Understood.

[...whoops. Was he starting to go back to speaking and acting like a Servant? It was a hard habit to break when he'd never actually acted as a normal human for any extended period of time.]

[Hearing the way the word sounded, Ainosuke pouted a little and looked over at Lancer. Maybe that had come out wrong. He wasn't used to interacting with people outside of his classmates, so he tended to forget sometimes to tone it down to a less harsh level when dealing with new people. He managed an apologetic smile, his tone almost teasing.]

I didn't mean it like an order, you know. You don't have to listen to me.

[The cracks in his composure were back, Lancer seeming considerably embarrassed that he'd slipped up like that.]

O-of course I know that. It was not my intention to imply otherwise.

[This was a heroic spirit that wanted--possibly even needed--to have a Master to follow. His only wish in the Holy Grail War was to win and regain his pride as a knight. To make up for the betrayal he'd committed in life.]

[How could he ever regain his honor in a situation like this?]

[Ainosuke continued to stare at Lancer, then brought his hand up and lightly punched the other's shoulder.]

I just don't want you to think I'm trying to boss you around. I'm not really used to having anyone else with me, so it's a little weird to be going around like this. ... though I really want you here. So it's not that I'm not enjoying it.

[He scrunched up his face, looking at the menu again.]

[Well, this was a new situation. Lancer had been something of an amiable and perhaps even charismatic individual in life, but he could honestly not think of when he'd ever been in a situation quite like this. There was an awkward but sincere smile on his face as he spoke, silently trying to figure out how a human would react to this situation.]

I'm flattered, Ainosuke. [Although a bit caught off guard.] This is admittedly an enjoyable experience, one I've not had in quite some time. [Or ever.]

Aside from everything that's happened and how confusing it is, it... really does have its good points, I guess.

[He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually just sat around with someone, or joked around, or had any sort of fun when his mind wasn't on a case. It still was now, and even though he knew very little about his companion, Lancer was still enjoyable to be around and Ainosuke trusted him enough. Part of him wished he could say everything and get it out, so that he could know what it was like to have the weight off his shoulders... but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not when there was the ever present fear that his brother was nearby and would do anything to hurt the people closest to him.]

Just get your food and we'll take it back with us. ... I don't like being out for very long.

[There was still the sneaking suspicion that he was being watched, or that something was waiting in the shadows. The hotel at least made him feel safe.

Giving Lancer another smile, Ainosuke made his way up to the counter, ordering what he felt was the safest and most familiar option.]

Very well. I have to confess I'm not so sure it's safe to be outside for any extended period of time. Not while we aren't sure how this place functions, at least.

[Lancer did the same, following Ainosuke's example and doing his best to seem a little more natural. Blending in with humans stopped being simple when it went past basic appearances.]

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