vatheon | Monthly Mingle Log

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Monthly Mingle Log

Is it that time of the month already?

...No, today is not the start of shark week.

The Station Master's taken precautions to make this month's mingle party nice and laid back, after that rather magnetic week. Today, locals are all over the Plaza starting to put up the decorations for this strange holiday known as "Christmas", and they're more than happy to cheerfully rope any foreigner who doesn't look too busy into helping them.

The food tables are back, albeit with more drink than food. Hot chocolate, ~~gluhwein~~ mulled wine, a huge bowl of fruit punch, you name it, it's there. Foodwise, there's snowflake shaped crackers with cheese and meats, shrimp cocktails, cups filled with green or red jelly, and plenty of cookies to go around.

Near the food tables are the two usual booths, one belonging to the Welcoming Committee, armed with all the information a newbie would want to know, and the other belonging to the Host Club, manned by all the male eyecandy you could ever need. Have they done something special for their booths this festive season? Better sashay their way and find out!

Walking around all the tables and booths is what looks to be a giant lobster(???) in a Santa suit handing out candy to anyone and everyone nearby. It seems the locals don't understand that it's "Santa Claus", not "Sandy Claws."

Finally, it looks like there's been a new addition to the plaza. Was that ice skating rink over there last night?? It certainly fits the theme, and the locals don't seem to be surprised. They'll even help you lace up those skates and take them for a spin. Bundle up and try not to fall too much!

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[Wow, he must know a lot of people here to pick her out like that! Then again, even in her own dimension, the defining features of an Einzbern homunculus are rather hard to miss. Not everyone walks around with long silver hair and red eyes, after all.

She nods, giving him a smile.]

Uh-huh, that's right! I'm Ilyasviel von Einzbern. But I like you, so you can just call me Ilya. And you?

[She leans forward slightly, waiting for his response. Who needs a club when you can just socialize with people like this?]

[Ilyasviel von Einzbern... Foreigner names just get more and more complicated, don't they? There's no outward sign of those thoughts, though; Serph just nods, acknowledging her words. Ilya it is, then.]

Serph.

[Yep, just Serph. He's got a bunch of other titles but eh, it's not very important.]

How have you found your stay so far? If you have questions, I will answer them.

[He's not welcoming committee, but he knows enough about Vatheon.]

Serph?

[The first thing that comes to mind is the word 'surf', and although Ilya has never seen anyone actually surf, she knows a little bit about what it is. And the guy in front of her doesn't look like a surfer. Then again, the name does sound right for him, somehow.]

That's a weird name... but I think it suits you.

[She nods again with a smile.

Hearing his question, she pauses to think on it for a little bit - she did read that strange manual, and she tried asking a few of the local people, but that didn't get too far. Adults who just go around dodging the question are really annoying people to Ilya, and even her attempts to coerce them through magic yielded nothing, not to mention that she got strangely tired from doing it. So asking Serph is probably the best option.]

How do people get here? No one seems to want to tell me the answer to that.

[The only method of interdimensional interference she knows of is Zelretch and his jeweled blade. The chances of him being a part of this is almost zero, though, so Ilya isn't really sure what could be the force behind it. That someone managed to bring her here without her knowing is almost humiliating...]

[Ah.]

It's a question we don't have the answer to.

[Serph's gaze briefly goes to the giant coral before he returns it to Ilya.]

The locals believe the coral brings us here. We haven't been able to find our own way to our original worlds.

[Whether Ilya believes that or not, is another matter.]

[Oh. So that's how it is. She follows his gaze to the giant coral and looks it over.]

The coral? Has anyone looked at the coral or figured anything out about it, then?

[She's not a researcher by any stretch - heck, her understanding of magic isn't even something she really learned - but she still has a natural curiosity. And... well, it's certainly not impossible.

Serph doesn't look like he's lying, either, though he isn't quite an easy read.]

[Serph nods.]

We haven't learnt much. Some of us are monitoring its power. Its most obvious indicator is the brightness of its glow.

[It's been a while since there's been any change, but he does add a little more information, speaking in the same even voice.]

Currently the coral is at full power, but there have been periods where its power has either dropped or been... overcharged. When the latter occurred, we came under attack.

Oh. Okay.

[Well, that's a little disconcerting. At least, it seems like the coral has a whole bunch of mysterious magical powers that aren't normally associated with each other. Or something like that.

It still bothers her that she was basically brought here without her knowledge or consent - how could they do that to a lady of Einzbern, after all? Still, she hasn't forgotten her manners, and gives Serph a slight curtsy, as befitting a lady of her station.]

Thank you for telling me about the coral. Oh, and one more question, I guess... where do you think is the best place to stay?

[It would be a bit wishful to ask for a castle of her own, wouldn't it.]

Edited 2012-12-05 02:50 (UTC)

[Serph looks aside while he thinks over that question. The answer to that really depends, doesn't it? Though there is plenty of housing, they're not suited for himself, which is the reason he lives on the outskirts of Vatheon. People have all different kind of needs and backgrounds.

He brings his attention back to Ilya.]

What do you look for in a home?

[He doesn't really know Ilya all that well, so he speaks a little more than he hormally would.]

Do you wish for quiet? Or would you prefer a place with others around?

[It's a good enough question to give Ilya pause before answering, as she takes her attention away from Serph to the sky - well, the ceiling of the bubble. For almost all her life she lived in a castle, so she's certainly used to that...

But then she remembers those few days that she spent in the Emiya house, and despite the serious circumstances and the tension that was in the air, she never felt lonely. And even if she's not sure if she has it in her to forgive Kiritsugu, she has to admit that the house was truly warm.

Of course, asking for family is far too unrealistic.]

It would be nice with other people around, but not necessarily a loud place. A place where I can have both.

[She always wants the best of both worlds.

Realizing that she doesn't know much about Serph and that he's still helping her, she decides that she should get to know him better, too.]

What about you, Serph? Where do you live?

[Serph nods, understanding that desire.]

I live near the Forest Quadrant at the edge of the city with my Tribe. It's the building with orange roses by the entrance.

[It also has orange paint on its doors. And. Has a massive hole in the second story wall. Yep. And since giving out addresses is often an invitation for visitors, before he talks about the other residencies that may suit Ilya's preferences, he adds--]

If you visit, it would be best to make your presence known first so you are not harmed. We come from a violent world, so most of us do not take kindly to people wandering in without warning.

[That is not foreboding at all!]

[Ilya nods slowly. It certainly sounds a little scary, but that's understandable - a home is a safe place that needs to be protected, or at least that's how she understands them. Even around all the homes she's ever lived in, there was always a boundary field to at least notify when people arrive. And that was the mildest one.]

That's okay. I'll make sure to let you know!

[Another smile. She decides not to ask Serph about where he came from, since those kinds of things aren't things someone would normally ask after being told something unpleasant about it. And it was pretty nice of Serph to tell her the warning, too. She likes that he's considerate.]

[Serph nods, acknowledging Ilya's response. He has no problems talking about the world he comes from; he's been quite open with all the residents of Vatheon. Even the more... unpleasant aspects he's brought to the city.

He thinks over the other residencies in Vatheon, attention briefly going to the ice rink before returning it to Ilya. Serph doesn't visit peoples' homes often, but just judging from what he's observed as he passes by...]

The Coral Corral or Yutopil Apartments in the Lower District may suit your tastes. A number of people live there, but I do not think they are crowded.

[Granted, Serph's idea of crowded is... a little skewed; he's far more accustomed to living with hundreds of people.]

Edited 2012-12-05 15:39 (UTC)

[Ilya has rather high standards for a home, although she gets the feeling that most of them won't be met in Vatheon. For one, she wants all her possessions back with her again, but she assumes that that would take an inordinate amount of sorcery - not even magecraft could do that for her.]

So I can have my own space, but there are other people to play with there?

[The Emiya house might have been too simple for her taste, but it was the company that made her stay enjoyable, even despite all the circumstances around her being there in the first place.]

Which one is the fancier one? Maybe more like a castle?

[Serph nods, answering the first question.

However, the last two give him pause. Fancy... and like a castle? A castle brings back... unpleasant memories. His brows draw together in the briefest of frowns before it's gone.]

It would be best to see for yourself. I'm not a good judge of 'fanciness' and my knowledge of castles is... limited.

[Does this guy look like a dude who understands what fancy means? NOPE.]

[Ilya catches the small frown on Serph's face, and wonders if she's said anything to make him mad. She doesn't want to do that to someone who's been helping her out... but then it's gone, leaving her to wonder what caused it.]

Oh. The Lower District, right?

[She looks out from where the table is in the Plaza. They're not exactly close.]

I guess you can't leave the table right now, can you...

[Even she has her limits on demands sometimes, and she's a little more careful now that she may have made Serph angry.]

[Serph shakes his head. His tone and expression is the same as ever. Calm and :| ]

Peony will be back soon, if you do not mind waiting.

[Then he can leave. Serph is only relieving Peony for a while, anyway. His attention goes to the various people around the Plaza.]

Otherwise, there are others in Vatheon who would show you the way.

[Well, there definitely are a lot of other people. There isn't really a shortage of others she can ask, and even the locals would probably help her out on this one.]

It's okay, I can wait. You're nice, so I'd rather go with you than with someone else.

[It's not like she has somewhere else to be right now, anyway.]

[It's odd, being on the receiving end of such compliments.

He nods. They still have some time to kill, so he asks--]

What was your world like?

[If she doesn't mind talking about it.]

[She pauses, mostly because she's trying to figure out how to explain everything that was going on as simply as possible. Trying to explain the Holy Grail War - or even the idea of magic, because what if there's no magic in Serph's world? - is quite the challenge.

Avoiding personal details is easy. She's used to that.]

It's not that special. There are mages in the world who study magic in order to seek the origin of the world, and I come from a family of them.

I never got to see much of the world, though. I lived in a castle in a snowy part of the world...

[Maybe avoiding the topic of the Grail altogether would be best. The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes she would have to explain.]

[Why did they wish to find the origin of the world? Was there something unsettling about it, the same way the Junkyard had been for him, after he woke to his emotions? It's a question for another time. For now...]

What is 'snowy'?

[Not what is snowy like, but what it is.]

[Did he just ask what snowy is? How can he not know?]

Snowy! Like with lots of snow on the ground.

[Then she looks at Serph again, and thinks that maybe he comes from a place that doesn't have snow. Apparently people come from all different places, after all.]

Do you know what snow is, Serph?

[Serph shakes his head.]

Much did not exist in my original world.

[No plants, no animals except for a cat, and no concept of emotion for years.]

I had little opportunity to learn in the second.

[His tone remains the same, though. He doesn't sound terribly bothered by it.]

Edited 2012-12-11 14:39 (UTC)

[He's been to multiple worlds? That's interesting. But she doesn't ask how.]

That's too bad.

[She's actually a bit sad. Snow is beautiful! There should be snow everywhere.]

Do you know if we get a lot of snow here?

[Well, he still doesn't know what snow is, so he can't really say for sure. He tilts his head.]

What does snow look like?

[Oh, so that's even a question? Well, when she thinks about it, weather is a really strange thing.]

It's white and fluffy and it falls from the sky! It's like frozen water, except it's soft and not hard like ice.

[At least, that's what she was told when she was small. For a moment, she recalls the moment when she asked her father -

- and then forces herself to end the memory.]

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