themainframe | 001 ● [video]

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001 ● [video]

[The D-Terminal switches on to the face of a Gabumon, looking very proud of himself to add. The image bounces a lot as he moves across the room.]

There! It's working Master!

Please stop calling me Master- [A woman's voice came from the other side of the camera. The tone was cold, planned, as if she's had to repeat this before. Finally the camera settles and the woman is placed within the shot. She looks directly at the camera, even though she was wearing a blindfold.]

It's starting!

I fail to see the use in broadcasting this.

Don't you want to introduce yourself to the other Chosen?

No. [Bluntly said. Actually she was after the complete opposite, as anonymity was worth more as an asset in this situation.]

Well...how else are you going to find out about any of those words? It's not like you can listen in on people until they pop up in conversation, right?

[SILENCE]

[For some reason, the air feels really heavy suddenly. Surely, that couldn't have been what she was planning...right?]

U-um...Master?

Do not call me Master. [The command was becoming a pattern. And since the silence was broken anyway.] Prana. Nobel Phantasm. Fuyuki City. [She chooses her words carefully. They need to be specific enough so the understanding does not stray, yet used so that civilians cannot easily discern their meaning.] I require information from those who recognize those exact terms. Privately.

Is that really all you have to say?

Yes. There is nothing else for me to learn. [Follow the one trail, it was bound to take her where she needs to go. Besides. Anything else would reveal more information publicly that she would rather keep quiet. The Fifth War was still going on. Her location had changed, but that didn't mean she wasn't the only one this happened to.]

Aren't you worried about your friends?

[SILENCE. AGAIN.]

[And there's that really heavy atmosphere again too. Gabumon looks confused; okay sure the first time was a given, but what could he have possibly said to upset her this time?]

[And finally-] Matou. Emiya. Tousaka. Einzbern. Kotomine. [Okay she isn't even listing friends anymore.] I require information available that pertains to those names. Knowledge of the terms I gave before is not necessary. [Her head turns to Gabumon.] Now I am done.

[Said all that she needed, Rider leaves the frame completely, leaving Gabumon to settle the issue of turning it off.]

W-wait! Master! You forgot to introduce yourself! [Nope. She's not coming back.] I-I guess she didn't see it was still going. [Hurriedly, Gabumon bows to the camera.] I'm Gabumon, and the lady from before is my master, Rider. I know it's a strange name, but please treat her kindly. [There was the sound of a door opening and closing in the background.] W-wait for me! Where are you going?! [Feed terminated.]

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[ If it wasn't the other terms that pinged her first, it was the name 'Tousaka' that does it. Leaning in is a blonde girl with bright and wide blue eyes wondering just why she's been called forth. ]

Yeah, what is it? [ Rider huh? Doesn't look like any Rider she's seen in the Moon Cell. ]

[...This probably would have gone a whole lot smoother if Rider had thought to check for appearances. How wouldn't a blond Rin not have given something away?]

[However, it was the same voice and it was the same amount of rudeness. That was all she had to go on so far.]

Tousaka Rin. So you you have been summoned here as well. [Hard to tell just yet how well fortune was shining in her favor. ~~Where is your sister? Where is your sister? Where is your sister?~~]

[ A Tousaka's rudeness transcends all spinoffs naturally. ]

Huh... well, I've been here since the start. [ Her voice is uncharacteristically softer and a bit wary--as if something was wrong with her personality altogether. Her boldness leaves her momentarily as she wonders just why this person by the name of 'Rider' was looking for her. ] I was one of the first Chosen to this place... though I wonder how many of us from the initial beginning are still here?

Never mind that. Rider, you said?

[A change?]

[Was...there something troubling Rin? Her voice seemed eerily melancholic, at least, more as compared to her usual tone. Something was definitely off here.]

Yes. How long ago was the start, if I may ask?

Half a year ago, give a few extra days.

[ Her response is distant as she thinks of what it means to be away from her world for that long. Has it collapsed into despair by now due to the terrorism wrought about by the Harways? ]

There's likely less than ten of us that remain from that initial batch. Since then it seems to be a monthly occurrence.

Half a year? That is impossible. The last I could sense your presence was immediately before I found myself in this world. [Both she and Ilya had taken up residence in the Emiya merely hours before. Unless more time had passed than she initially thought, Rider wasn't mistaken.]

Oh, so you kind of fancied me is what you're saying? [ Ufufu. ]

Well Rider-san, I'm afraid we've never really met before. [ Adding the honorific on for emphasis. ] So if you could sense my presence, I'd have to ask what you were doing by doing so in the first place.

[~~What no she's into your alternate universe sister/not!boyfrand I mean what~~]

[Never met before? That couldn't be.] Not attraction. [Flatly.] Proximity. It would have been foolish of me not to monitor those living in the same residence as my Master. [The ever dutiful Servant. She takes a moment to contemplate; Rin claims to have been here for half a year, and she didn't recognize Rider. Could it be her memory?] Do you not remember living in the Emiya estate?

I've heard of the Emiya family before, but they weren't all that significant. I think one of them was notorious for being a magi hunter of some sort--but besides that, I haven't lived anywhere I could call a home for a long, long time.

--But who is this Master of yours?

Tousaka? Yeah, I know Rin. She's got more friends?

We are not friends. [Blunt but hey it was true. Not like friends go around trying to kill eachother.] I have gotten word from her already, however you did succeed in answering my question. [There might be a 'thank you' somewhere in there.]

Hi! What's your name? [Gabumon takes over because one is clearly more friendly than the other.]

[She snorts.] Well, 'scuse me, my mistake. 'm Terra.

Hi Terra! Sorry Rider's being a grump. [Rider makes absolutely no effort to reign in Gabumon. He wanted this more than her.]

Don't, I'm used to it. I got my question answered, she got hers, whatever.

Ri...

[She wasn't the right one. (Obviously.) The name stung a little, in a way that could only be described as 'so close, but so far'.]

[She did seem cold and more than a little scary, but Waver didn't get the feeling of imminent death that he did from Berserker or even Archer. Since he couldn't say she'd tear his throat out (at least not right away) Waver hesitantly answered with something more substantial, although a little dejected.]

...My name is Waver Velvet. I understand those terms and most of those names...is there some way I could help you?

[Unfortunately, she cannot account for any other Riders. Sorry Waver, this is the one you got for the time being.]

Waver Velvet. [She pronounces it slow and clear, making sure she gets it down right. So much easier to pronounce than Japanese names.] Yes, actually. There are matters that I would discuss with a magus. Are you capable of meeting somewhere?

[Not only was she seeking answers, but she needed a definitive way to test her senses.]

I..could do that, I think. [It wasn't the safest thing, sure. But there wasn't much of a war here, and he had every reason to believe she was just as depowered as he was. Unsafe of an idea as it was, Waver didn't see a reason to reject.]

My room's F1 001--if you're more comfortable with an alternative we could talk in the apartment building's lobby or somewhere else.

[Were this any other place or time, Rider wouldn't go for the 'meeting up at his place' option. Too confined. Liable to be a trap. But the apartment lobby was too public, any attempt for privacy would be suspicious to the wandering eye. Rider hadn't gotten the chance to completely survey the area to know of someplace secluded enough.]

[Then came the matter of this boy. Was he the type who would stage a trap? Did he know that her abilities as a Servant were sealed from her? Any option she could go with had their odds against them.]

You suggested your own room first. If that is the option more preferable, I have no objections. [All said with a heavy implication of 'just know I could easily kill you.'] I will be there shortly.

[[ooc: log or should we action this up?]]

[action works fine for me!]

I-I'll be here.

[He wasn't too concerned about a trap; Waver advised Palmon to wait in Mami's now-unoccupied room just in case. Of course he didn't want to look hostile, but if he needed someone to defend himself having his partner on hand would probably be the only thing keeping him alive.]

[When Rider did come by, Waver answered the door with a small level of apprehension; again, while he didn't have reason to think she'd bite his head off, it was still possible that she would.]

Come on inside...I know this is pretty far beyond standard, but make yourself comfortable. I'm not looking for any kind of a fight.

[Rider had arrived just as she said she would- with Gabumon trotting at her side despite the fact she instructed him to wait back at her room as a sign of good faith. So while she and the Digimon made their entrance into the room, it was a mismatched portrait to say the very least.]

Neither am I. [With a wave of her hand, she instructed Gabumon to stay behind as she made herself comfortable by standing at attention in the middle of the room.] So long as you make no moves to the contrary, I will do the same. [Scary, but she is completely true to her word. There's no reason to fight here and now unless it came to self defense.]

[Then there came a very short, yet eerie silence. Rider had dedicated her concentration to one particular task, and even though there was a magus standing right there in front of her, she could still feel nothing.] ...Just as I thought.

I really wasn't planning on it. Even if I wanted to, there wouldn't be a point.

[That was 'comfortable'? Well, Waver certainly wasn't about to question her. She wasn't as tall as Rider--his Rider, of course--had been, but she was still imposing at what must have been a solid five inches taller than Waver himself.]

...You can't sense anything either, can you? It's fine, there's nothing wrong with you or anything--that's normal. It looks like everyone that comes here loses any abilities I guess one would call more than human.

Edited 2013-10-20 20:00 (UTC)

[Being really freaking tall must be a job requirement of the class.]

[In part, she was relieved that Waver knew what she had been up to. It saved her the trouble of needing to explain herself as well as given her an idea of what kind of person this boy was. He wasn't completely clueless.]

[In the other part, the news wasn't at all comforting.]

Whatever magic is at work is capable of rendering even a Servant powerless? [Was this...the power of the Holy Grail? Subconsciously, Rider's finger tapped at her cheek, just under her visor. What was the point of summoning a Servant, only to strip away their ability to fight?] What purpose does that serve?

If I had to guess at the latter question, I'd say the purpose would be something like having us be more receptive to the idea of relying on our partners. Since this world seems dead set on matching us up, logically it follows that it'd be insistent on having us work with them.

[Shaking his head slightly, Waver considered the situation before trying to explain things clearly.]

But going back to the 'how', I just don't understand that. I don't think it's really magic--at least it isn't magic as we know it. Given everything I've seen so far, if it was magic in our world's terms we'd be dealing with power on a level no amount of skilled magi or miracles could put forth. Second Magic, probably Third in a very loosely-defined sense regarding summoning rituals...Even if this world isn't fully organic, I just don't think it's possible in any sense.

[Rely on...]

[Rider takes a glance back at Gabumon, who was just waiting for her to do so because he starts bouncing and waving. He's trying so hard to keep quiet, but Rider hadn't retracted her order yet. A match? And without a word, Rider returns her attention to Waver. To say she was skeptical would be an understatement.]

[What Waver was saying, it all had merit. Rider herself had use of a Bounded Field, and she could recognize how completely different the two worlds were.] An impossible world. I understand the reasoning, and yet from my own perspective, I have trouble seeing this world as anything other than magic. It's troublesome.

I know. I can barely understand the concept myself without thinking in terms of magic. [Waver sighed in defeat with that admission, frowning.] But there's no real way around it--I don't think magic in the usual sense has anything to do with this place.

'Troublesome' is putting it lightly, but you're right even so.

[Rider lowered her head in contemplation. With magic, there might have been some means of deciphering this world. As it was, the guesses of a Magus or a Servant were only that, guesses. The prattling of that white creature even held merit at this point in time.]

[It all served to make Rider more anxious. Not that is was plain to see.]

Is there a known way to escape this world? [If there was no way to use magic to do so, perhaps there were other means.]

[However, this little question was the one to cause Gabumon to speak up.] M-Master? You want to leave me?

[Not even dignifying that word with a response, Rider responded coldly.] Yes. There is no purpose for me to remain here.

...I'm afraid not. For whatever reason, we're stuck here for now. [He cast Gabumon a sympathetic look; this Rider seemed like she'd be difficult to deal with. And on that note:]

Not to change the subject, but...is there anything other than 'Rider' I can call you? I'm not asking for your name, but if there's something else I'd really appreciate it.

[Rider makes no visible reaction to his answer.] I see. [It was a likely answer anyway. They didn't even know how this world existed. All it did was hinder Rider even more from completing her task-]

[Her head jerked slightly to attention. That was an unusual request.]

Is there a problem in calling me by my role?

Wh--n-no, it's not a problem. [Waver lowered his own gaze slightly, left hand moving to cover the faded Command Spells on his right.]

I was a Master in the fourth war. Rider was my...I'm sorry, it just seems strange to call anyone else by that name.

You were a Master? [That took Rider slightly aback. He wasn't a Master in the fifth war, that she knew. She merely assumed he was a Magus with extensive knowledge.]

Nonetheless, the fourth war has long since concluded; I am the Rider of the fifth war. There are no other names I would prefer to be called. [That request would have to go through Sakura. Who isn't here.]

I was, yeah. [He sighed, having at least partially expected that answer.] If there's nothing else, that's okay. I'm not going to ask for your identity if you don't want to give it--that's really not any of my business.

[Waver held up the back of his hand, indicating the faded remnants that were once his Command Spells.] As far as my status as a Master, don't worry about it. The last thing I want is any more fighting, so I'd rather cooperate with you.

[Sorry Waver. You tried, but Rider won't budge on that one.]

Without use of my abilities, my identity is merely a name in this world. And so, you are not wrong to question me. However, I would rather not have it used freely. [It is an infamous name after all. Hence why Gabumon is forbidden from learning it.]

[Rider is quiet for a moment, contemplating. This boy has been of great help in giving her information. And it wouldn't be the first time she's had to cooperate with former Masters.]

It is as I said, I have no reason to fight you. [That's an agreement in her own way.] However you should remember this: I am a Servant to another. Should my Master ever give me the word, I will not hesitate to kill you Waver Velvet. [Whether or not Sakura would ever do that isn't the point.]

...With all due respect to you and your Master, I don't think that would accomplish very much. But since I'm guessing that's the best I'm going to get, then I'll accept it.

[Not like you have a choice, Waver.]

[Rider nods. Not exactly the most polished to a shine alliances there is, but so long as it stood to benefit both of them, it was enough.]

Is there anything else you would have me be aware of?

Uh...I'm not sure I can really think of much else. Did you have any more questions about anything?

Any questions I have regarding matters outside of magic has been provided. It seems pointless to waste your time asking them. [She'll just stalk the information out of people anyway. With a look to Gabumon, Rider readied her exit.]

You know how to contact me. We will meet again Waver Velvet. [A slight bow of her head, Rider pivoted on her heel and walked to the door. Any last minute interruptions, here's your chance.]

E-er...listen, if you need anything, you know where to find me now.

[Waver silently cursed how incredibly awkward this whole 'alliance' thing was. This Rider was definitely a difficult type to deal with, but his conclusion was that she wasn't any blatant threat. Scary as hell, but not an immediate danger.]

What I mean is, if you're interested in working together then you can come over or get in touch with me anytime if something comes up.

[She stops and turns to Waver.]

You want us to work together, despite the fact we had only just met? [With a tone of full awareness that yes she is scary and hard to work with. Her mind went to another boy, just about Waver's age, with the same idea. And for that, Rider's voice softened just a little.] You two are very similar.

[It was hard to tell if she was being mocking or nostalgic, but the moment soon faded, her voice going right back to what it was.] I will determine the worth of this alliance before I decide anything. [And she walks out the door, leaving Gabumon behind to notice and follow.]

I'm sure she'll come back. And then we can all be friends! [He's so disgustingly optimistic.]

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