themainframe | ♔ 003; [voice]

['Partners don't keep secrets. Shouldn't we know more about each other?']

[Palmon had said as much to him early last month, but in the immediately following confusion of her turning into Yokomon. It wasn't so much that he didn't want to talk or even confide in others if he could, but given the sudden circumstances of being shoved into this world he'd been hesitant to speak up or even really get to know the strangers pushed into the same situation. But today Waver felt a little more talkative for some odd reason ~~like an event or something, go figure~~ and his partner was right, wasn't she? They should've been able to trust each other if nobody else.]

[So he'd offered to tell his partner a story. She'd been playing around with the D-Terminal at the time, and asked to record it--why not, really? Waver didn't have anything to hide.]

I've never really done this sort of thing before, but I guess if you want to hear it I can try.

Sure I do, Waver! It's about time you actually started talking to me, so I'll listen.

Well...once there was a king of a place called Macedonia. He was loud, overbearing, impulsive, and stubborn, but incredibly popular. In fact, he had an entire army of devoted followers that looked up to him.

Sounds like kind of a pain in the neck. How'd he get that many people to like him?

It's a little hard to describe. I guess...he was like a force of nature in that he absolutely refused to compromise or give an inch of ground to anyone else, but at the same time managed to be more human than anyone. Since he was the king he made sure to want, feel, and even dream more than any of his subjects. He wanted to conquer the world, and for the time he lived in, he practically did. But it was never really enough; he dreamed of finding the ocean at the ends of the world--Ōkeanós--and his army shared that dream.

[Palmon had fallen mostly silent, listening to the revering tone Waver had adopted. It wasn't one she had yet heard from her partner, and she wasn't even sure what to think. After a pause she ashed hesitantly:]

Did they...ever find it?

[Waver didn't answer for a moment; the silence that fell was a heavy one that gave the question it followed some considerable significance.]

Was he a friend of yours or something? You sound kind of-...

...Not quite; it was more than just friendship. Ride- [A pause, as thought he'd tripped over the word.] --Iskander is my king, and I'm his follower. I want to reach that shoreline he dreamed of...I want to be able to live to the fullest as he did. I don't know if I can, but I could never call myself his follower at all if..i-if I didn't try.

Waver? Are you...

I'm not crying, don't be stupid.

I didn't even ask that yet.

W-well I'm not, so forget about asking!

[And there he was right back to the weird, overreacting Waver his partner knew. Still, the open display of emotion and reminiscence struck the plant Digimon as something very unusual and even a little concerning.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said 'magic', would you?

[well actually...]

... I think you'll have to be a bit more specific. Magic sort of covers a lot of things, doesn't it?

[Her War ran more on technology than magic, but she knew there was magic in the world at some point. So she doesn't look skeptical just yet! But on the other hand, she... still hasn't quite made a connection, yet.]

Sure it does, but it's not that hard to figure out. I summoned him to fight for me, basically.

[Noooow it clicks.]

You were a participant in the Holy Grail War?

[What.]

Wait, what? You've heard of it?

Yeah, of course I have. I was... [She can't say the winner because that just feels uncomfortably like gloating, or rubbing it in someone else's face.] I was a participant.

In which one? I don't think I've ever seen you before, so it wasn't the Fourth...right?

[The fourth? It's then that Hakuno realizes she doesn't really know how many Grail Wars have taken place. But all those pillars she saw when she encountered Twice, the implication of what they were... there was no way there were only a few wars.]

No, not the fourth... I'm not really sure what number the War I participated in was... somewhere in the double-digits, probably. [High in the double-digits, but she doesn't really want to think about that. It sort of sends a chill down her spine.]

But, um... I had a Saber as my partner. And I know this may sound weird, but... I think I know how you feel.

D-double digits?!

[nope totally ignoring all the sentimental crap because how does i shot emotions.]

There's no way there are really that many!

[Wow rude she's just trying to connect to you here, dude.]

... What are you talking about? Why can't there be that many?

How long is this kind of thing really going to go on?! And for that matter, what time period is it for you if that's the kind of war you were in?

A long time. That's all I really know. And... sorry, but I can't really answer that. [She scratches the side of her head, feeling a bit awkward.] I, er... sort of had amnesia, before waking up at the very beginning of the war. All I know is that it's sometime in the 21st century.

[Okay so the amnesia thing isn't the truth, but she's... not really keen on talking about the truth right now. It's still a bit of a sore spot.]

That doesn't make sen--oh, forget it. This is probably Second Magic again, isn't it?

... Second Magic?

Yeah, you know...parallel worlds and that sort of thing?

Never heard of it.

[Said quite bluntly!]

But I guess the concept of parallel worlds would explain all of this.

That doesn't make sense either. What do you actually know about magic?

Someone I knew back home told me that magic used to be a naturally occurring thing in the world up until a few decades ago. Nobody knows how or why, but after some unknown horrible event, it just sort of... disappeared.

Most people who had the potential, uh... [What was the term Rin used...?] Something about "circuits"...? They turned to technology instead.

Are you kidding? They'd sooner die out completely than turn to technology over Magic Circuits.

[Beat.]

You...are kidding, right...?

[She shakes her head.]

No, I'm dead serious. I have no reason to lie about something like that. I don't even really know too many details about it, so there's no point in making something up.

[He'd just be over here contemplating what kind of screwed up world this girl comes from, good lord.]

...I didn't get your name, sorry.

[She smiles.] Hakuno. Hakuno Kishinami. And you?

My name's Waver Velvet.

Nice to meet you, Waver.

So what was the war like for you? Fighting with Alexander the Great, I mean. It must have been incredible.

It was, uh...something, definitely. I'm still not too sure how I feel about getting thrown into a flying chariot.

[video]

doesnotgetit - 2013-06-06 01:17 (UTC) - Expand

velveteenmage - 2013-06-06 01:23 (UTC) - Expand

doesnotgetit - 2013-06-06 01:25 (UTC) - Expand

velveteenmage - 2013-06-06 01:27 (UTC) - Expand

doesnotgetit - 2013-06-06 01:31 (UTC) - Expand

velveteenmage - 2013-06-06 01:33 (UTC) - Expand

doesnotgetit - 2013-06-06 01:38 (UTC) - Expand

velveteenmage - 2013-06-06 01:41 (UTC) - Expand

doesnotgetit - 2013-06-06 01:44 (UTC) - Expand

velveteenmage - 2013-06-06 01:47 (UTC) - Expand

doesnotgetit - 2013-06-06 02:08 (UTC) - Expand

velveteenmage - 2013-06-06 02:11 (UTC) - Expand

doesnotgetit - 2013-06-06 02:29 (UTC) - Expand

velveteenmage - 2013-06-06 02:32 (UTC) - Expand

doesnotgetit - 2013-06-06 02:40 (UTC) - Expand