awashlogs | Event Fifteen.

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Event Fifteen.

pricking fingertips on memory,
leaving things unsaid
she drifts amidst the holly
for the love of you, or me.

t seems like just another day in this place. It's chilly, but not miserable, and there's a bit of holiday cheer in the form of a few of those trees people have managed to decorate.

Of course...there's also the shades, but who cares about those?

They wander, drifting too and fro, following their usual, typical lives as if they have no idea that they're not longer alive, no longer in their own proper home. They walk over the frozen lake in Flavo as if it's not even there, open doors that no longer exist, and settle into rooms that are nothing but rubble.

They're living in a past that only they can see, but perhaps you can see a bit more from watching them?

Only... maybe don't spend too much time with them, lest you start seeming too much like a ghost yourself.

Welcome to Awash's fifteenth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post. You are welcome to make your own logs and posts for this event!

If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's not the gossip I'm looking for, it's information! Believe me, there's a clear difference!

[ SHE IS ONLY A RUMORMONGER WHEN THE RUMORS ARE ACTUALLY TRUE and thank god it isn't like that here. ]

[ Nero nods (seemingly) understandingly, slowly. To her, who had lived the life of an emperor, who people foisted their every interpretation on her every action, those aren't always so different. But she understands the difference, yes. ]

I see, I see. Does information about their daily lives not count as information enough for you? Although it can be unsightly to see one fixate on a love so, and a love with limits they impose on themselves [ Why do these ghosts insist on separating themselves so??? ], at that! So I understand your frustration.

It's more like-- how often are we going to get opportunities to learn about the town and what things were like before we came here? What might have changed about the well, or the woods? What was here before that isn't here now?

What we learn could be a big help in figuring out how to return home, but right now, it's just a lot of... [ Well. Nero's heard it. ]

[ Nero nods again, hair curl bouncing with the movement. ]

You need not say more, for I wholeheartedly agree. It seems great minds think alike, for I have been trying to do something similar, with...results that may vary just as much as yours.

[ With surprisingly little flourish, she holds out the book in her hands, the draft of the ye olde town map she has been working on in the cold, despite her chilly fingers. It is a rather barebones sketch at the moment, and perhaps not wholly accurate because she is only going on what the shades speak of and extrapolating assumptions, but there are notes scribbled in the margins where she can fit them, about who lived where, and what kind of life they led. How many kids, spouses, blacksmiths, general store owners, etc. Said notes are also notably longer and more descriptive around the town hall.

Still, good and reasonable guesses or not, there are still a significant amount of guesses. ]

[ Maya hums a little, curious, as she leans down to look at the book. There's enough familiarity with the town to recognize bits and pieces of it in this sketch, with new details added, and a whole lot of notes and guesswork. ]

... I see. So they're giving you about the same amount of information and right now, we're both kind of grasping at straws.

Yes. You would think shades would be more conducive to communicating with those who have already passed from mortal life as well, but they take no notice of me.

[ And really, Nero is very difficult to miss in the first place, from the way she carries herself, to how loud she can be, to how she dresses...and so on. ]

They are shades, I suppose. Perhaps it was too much to expect more from them.

[ They're not quite ghosts, because at least she could stab ghosts and communicate with them in some...sort of way (cyber ghosts, at least, other kinds of ghosts...she'll leave those to the Casters). ]

... Is... this a thing?

[ Hold on. ]

I know Archer died, but you're also dead too?

Yes. I died a long time ago.

[ She is not going to tell her age because that's! Cheating! ]

Did Archer not tell you? It is a requirement to become what we are, the dead summoned to aid and guide the living.

[ For...the most part. Kind of. ]

... I don't really know a whole lot about what you are, unfortunately. So you're both technically spirits... and the contract you mentioned is to exist again to guide people?

[ Huh. ]

[ Nero nods in response. Her voice is calm and confident, as she takes her duty as a Servant rather seriously. She is passionate, loud, petty, and childish at times, but she holds her position in somewhat high regard. ]

We are Heroic Spirits, our deeds inscribed in human history, and summoned as Servants to fight on the behalf of those who call upon our aid. And I will only obey a Master I deem worthy.

[ Should she contract with one like so, she would fight on their behalf with pride, as long as she can continue to hold her head up high. Even if her Master were a frog, that would be the most well-protected frog in the Holy Grail War. ]

[ Okay but can she actually contract with a frog because that sounds amazing-- ]

Inscribed in human history... so you're historical or mythological figures in actuality, then. [ Are Saber and Archer actual legends? She can't say she remembers reading about a powerful presence with a bad singing voice or a man who drowned in melancholy more than anything... but it's been awhile. ]

That's incredible! And what kind of people are Masters?

[ Sorry, Nero. Maya loves new information. ]

[ A wolf was a Master, once. Don't let dreams be memes.

Of course they are actual legends, just...not the sort of legends others would...know. Like King Arthur being a woman. She nods. ]

They could be anybody. What matters is whether they have the magic circuits to provide us Servants with mana. Their innate talent determines whether they can draw out our full potential, but to me, that does not matter if I deem my Master unsightly.

[ Hakuno was a third-rate magus, who had a snowball's chance in hell of surviving the Holy Grail War, and whose lack of innate ability or talent made it so that Nero started off with positively E-rank everything, before having her soul altered as they both grew in strength. That didn't matter (much) to her, though. ]

... Unsightly...

So in your case, it's also a matter of aesthetics, huh.

[ Well. It takes all kinds, she supposes. It kind of sounds like Persona users, but at the same time, anyone could technically become one. A Persona user having stronger magic though... that was a little more varied. ]

Oh, I do not mean only the beauty in their appearance, but their soul.

[ Although she wouldn't say no to a beautiful maiden or gentleman. Just saying. ]

They could have the most beautiful or handsome face ever seen on a human being, but if they were a liar, coward, ruthless killer, or anything of the sort, I would refuse them!

Well, obviously?? I'm glad you have such good standards.

[ Who'd want to work for a ruthless asshole?? ]

Alas, it is not always a matter of choice. And there are plenty of Masters who care little for their Servants [ ~~diarmuid silently cries in a corner~~ ], or vice versa.

[ It's just a little different for Hakuno in particular because she didn't use a catalyst or want anyone in particular, just...someone, anyone, to help her. Whether it was a red-clad Roman emperor, a foxy shrine maiden, or a nameless Archer, it didn't matter. ]

...

[ Hm. ]

So even if it's a contract between you and a Master, it's not something you necessarily have to agree to? That's...

[ well. From the look on her face, she doesn't like that. ]

[ It's not pleasant at all. Nero always considered herself fortunate in the kinds of Masters she served; Hakuno and Ritsuka were wonderful Masters that she is still proud of being contracted to. Her own expression tells enough about what she thinks of the more...questionable Masters who'd abuse their position of power. ]

...Indeed. We understand that it is the price we pay to maintain our existences after being summoned, but I can understand the frustration. I acknowledge that I am extremely fortunate, for my Masters have been nothing less than wonderful.

[ And not, say, mages with ill intentions or anything. She boasts that she'd fight even her own Master were they to command her to do something unsightly like kill a friend for no good reason, but resisting a Command Spell is not an easy task, even for her. ]

It sounds like it... for one of them to end up being your... [ "girlfriend" sounds a little too vapid. Uh. ] ... lover, I'd say that speaks a lot for the kind of character she has.

[ Because Saber definitely strikes her as someone who could very easily be overpowering through sheer presence alone if you were the type of person to be intimidated by that. The charisma's there too, of course, which makes her think that this Master of hers was likely charismatic in her own way to draw her in. ]

[ Hakuno had her own brand of ~~protag swag~~ charisma. Or maybe it was not charisma so much the openness she provided, to the souls who swore themselves to her. How much effort she put into things despite having nothing and offering what little she had. How she persevered despite everything wanting her dead. ]

Y-You are still on that? [ Nero brought this on herself because Wuxian was nosy!! ] It is true I think the world of her, but...w-well, what of yourself? Do you not have someone like that?

[ Distract, distract! ]

I don't.

[ Sorry, Nero. ]

My job is my dream and my passion, so I didn't really have time for dating anyone back home, and nothing like that's happened here for me either. So I am definitely single and steadfast!

[ Maya is the world's worst Persona Protag. ]

I see, I see. You are madly in love with your job. I feel a little bad for any of those who have fallen for a woman as charming as yourself, but perhaps it was not meant to be.

[ Understandable. Sometimes, things just take a backseat to what you're the most passionate about. Live your bachelorette life, Maya. ]

Are you a writer? A researcher?

[ She is living it to the fullest, despite her own vow of having a job and a family but you know what, it's a long road. ]

I have plenty of good friends!

[ "Who I did not realize were crushing on me until it was kind of shoved in my face and in front of everybody else and hooooo boy." ]

But I'm a journalist, so you could technically say I'm both of those things. And a seeker and deliverer of the truth and dreams to the populace!!

[ ~~distressed katsuya noises~~ ]

Ah, a journalist! How wonderful!

[ Her eyes light up in said wonder. ]

Do you keep or publish the fruits of your labor anywhere here? The forums, perhaps?

[ There's no Acta Diurna plastered in the town square to keep the populace well-informed of events and goings-ons, but there is a network/forum! Somehow. She's not sure how, but she's not complaining. ]

Unfortunately, the publication is still very much at home, but...

[ Hmm. ]

Maybe I should get into the business of conducting and publishing interviews and articles here. I feel like there's a lot to be learned.

Event Fifteen.

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