professorfreischutz: (♛ like a beast to bait)
『Archer of Shinjuku』 ([personal profile] professorfreischutz) wrote in [community profile] diversified2019-05-11 10:47 pm

the clock stopped ticking forever ago [ closed ]

WHO 2 1/2 Victorian Gentlemen ([personal profile] professorfreischutz & [personal profile] miracledrug) and ~*~*friends*~*~
WHAT Singularities suck. Even moreso when the man who ruined your life is taking charge and respected among your peers while waiting for the real heroes to show up.
WHEN when indeed
WHERE Singularity Romania: Blurred Lines of the Battlefront Between Good & Evil.


[ There's no such thing as night or day in this landscape. Moriarty is used to the eternal night of Shinjuku, imagines that eternal day would be just as startling, but this crimson sunset hanging over the edge of the horizon, casting the bloodied and scorched lands around them in its violent glow understandably leaves most of the human population constantly on the edge of a knife.

It's a difficult balance, protecting the humans that were scattered to the winds when Vlad III was split in twain by the power of the Holy Grail razed the countryside in order to prove his own right to exist. It's a pointless battle, but one that no one here can win on their own, the stalemate between them a perfect match just as their ideals and intents could never align. Those displaced humans had nowhere to go until Moriarty appeared; thankfully he was quick to understand the situation, turned away by the fanatically good Vlad rejecting any whiff of evil and not seeking to wrangle the overwhelming power and insanity of the Berserker. Either one of them could obliterate him with their might if he stepped wrong, so he took the third option and created his own faction, the one that would wait for the obvious winner to arrive: Chaldea.

Shinjuku feels like only a breath away at all times. Just as real as memories from his lifetime, the lessons he learned etched into his bones and searing his blood to ashes with the tainted experience of trust in another human being. He doesn't regret it, finds the feeling enlightening, but to learn something so significant in death that it echoed back to alter the person recorded as he was in life... it's absolutely fascinating. In this case, it's also a blessing. He knows Chaldea will arrive sooner or later once the singularity grows in size and catches their attention. All he needs to do is wait it out and build as much power as possible to hand over to Ritsuka once she arrived; her own talent for leadership and inspiring trust in others from any walk of life will surely pave the way to victory with Moriarty watching over her.

That does mean having to work with people and other world-summoned Servants alike as they all settle into new roles, however. Plenty of staunchly good guys and petty criminals, neither of whom could abide the warlords looking to tear the land apart, have joined his cause. Thankfully he's used to directing people and can at least maintain his own anonymity by claiming his own name and some of his power was absorbed by one of the Vlads before he was able to escape. It worked before, and even if he doesn't have the help of true obliviousness backing him up, it works well enough for now. Some know he's lying, but his intentions are pure (even if he has them for the entirely wrong reasons, thank you very much).

When one of the Servants, the one with the vertical half-mask of a dragon and decorated armor that leaves their physical shape impossible to guess—Mulan, he figures, if Moriarty is even close to worth his own salt—arrives with another human discovered in the wastelands, at first he's simply ready to process and send that human on their way into the small village they've constructed.

However... it isn't quite a human that he's faced with. Oh no, this man certainly feels like one, but there is no way that Henry Jekyll would be here if it weren't as a Servant summoned by the world. It makes perfect sense, after all, for a world divided down the line by good and evil to bring in one of the world's most stark examples of the struggle.

His grin is wide and he opens his arms, dramatically, welcoming, even as he feels the animosity spilling from the man once recognition hits. ]


Why, Saber, this is no mere human! Not that I could blame you for making the assumption. He certainly doesn't strike much of a figure now, does he? Oh, you're dismissed, please return to your patrol.

[ His stance shifts, chin resting in a hand as he looks him over. ]

Dr. Jekyll, you're looking rather well. I take it you were able to avoid the demons and soldiers prowling about?
miracledrug: (jekyll - losing control)

[personal profile] miracledrug 2019-05-12 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ When he found himself summoned to this Singularity, it surprised him to realize that this wasn't a Holy Grail War (not in the sense he's experienced before, at least), and that he wasn't contracted to a specific Master.

Instead, he was summoned by another force—the Grail itself?—to participate in the conflict at hand.

First, he needs to gather information. Find out more about the conflict at hand and the forces fighting for control of the Grail. As an Assassin, especially with his particular skill set, he should be able to blend into a crowd of people without drawing the attention of other Servants.

However, Jekyll soon finds that there aren't any humans to be found to hide among in this place and time. The villages he finds are razed, destroyed, but before he can continue his search for civilization, he crosses paths with a Servant on patrol.

Fortunately, the Servant fails to see through to his true nature, and Jekyll finds himself escorted to a 'place of safety'. Jekyll smiles weakly and thanks the Saber for such kindness, although he's careful not to let his guard down the entire journey.

Imagine his surprise when he's led to a camp overseen by another Servant, the one who has gathered the remains of humanity in this region to protect them from the hostile forces in this land.

Imagine his shock when the leader of this settlement turns out to be a man he recognizes.

A man who recognizes him in turn, and effortlessly outs him as what he is: another Servant. ]


You...

[ Something dark and ugly rises inside of him, eager for violence, and Jekyll shudders as he swallows the bitter taste back down. No, no, he will not lose control here.

But a million things are running through his mind at once, Jekyll at last putting the pieces together and seeing what he failed to realize during his human lifetime. He knows this man, but no regular person would become a Servant. No, there's only a few notable names tied to his time period, and only one in particular tied to the series of events that lead to his own downfall.

The ultimate enemy of the man Jekyll admires most. ]


Moriarty.
miracledrug: (jekyll frown)

[personal profile] miracledrug 2019-05-12 07:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ Unfortunately for Jekyll, Moriarty's deduction is spot on. The trade-off for his unique ability to appear human—not just erase his presence, as a regular Assassin would, but truly feel and seem human—is that his combat abilities are about on par with the same.

And a human is pathetically weak, compared to even the most low-ranked of Servants. ]


You!

[ Moriarty's confirmation only enrages him further, and it's with genuine difficulty that he represses his own beastly nature. Edward Hyde would be all to happy to come out, and unfortunately for Jekyll, the lines between them are no longer as clear as they once were.

Not unlike Moriarty, he was changed by his last summoning. But unlike Moriarty, he was altered for the worse.

He doesn't necessarily need his Noble Phantasm to transform, not anymore. ]


...No.

[ He bites out the word, tersely. ]

Only that this place would be 'safe' for humans.

I highly doubt that, now that I've seen who is in control here.
miracledrug: (jekyll neutral)

[personal profile] miracledrug 2019-05-12 08:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Indeed, Jekyll can't believe it. He's seen firsthand the tangled web that the Napoleon of Crime can weave; he was even a victim of it himself, he's now realizing.

Rather than absolve him of his own crimes, it makes him curse all the more bitterly that he failed to see the path he was nudged to follow. ]


Oh no, I'm sure if I speak to the people here, I will hear nothing but praise for you and what you've accomplished since your arrival.

You're charming and clever, and that's a dangerous combination when wielded by a wicked heart.

You've fooled these people, but to say you have no ulterior motives... no, I don't believe that one bit. You're working toward something.

[ But it would take the likes of Sherlock Holmes to successfully uncover Moriarty's plans. Jekyll may have a sharp mind, but those two are in another league entirely, and he knows that.

Damn it all. ]
miracledrug: (jekyll - seriously?)

[personal profile] miracledrug 2019-05-12 10:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jekyll's whole body tenses when Moriarty teases him, a knife materializing in his grasp as his stance subtly shifts toward one of battle. Before he can make up his mind whether to strike right then and there, however, Moriarty jovially turns the statement on its head.

Jekyll freezes, startled by the sudden change in atmosphere, although his eyes do soon narrow again in suspicion. The knife, however, disappears with a brief glitter of gold sparkles. ]


...I'll do that.

[ Jekyll concedes, stiffly, although he's still certain he won't find a single complaint against Moriarty.

The Napoleon of Crime is too charming, too careful, to leave such an obvious trail of bread crumbs. ]
miracledrug: (jekyll - unamused)

[personal profile] miracledrug 2019-05-13 08:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ He did, and that doesn't escape Jekyll's notice. Although if he does believe anything Moriarty's said thus far, it's the assertion that he won't keep anyone here that he doesn't find some sort of use for. ]

You have time for concerts in the middle of a warzone?

[ The derision in his voice isn't like him, and Jekyll dislikes the ugly feelings that bubble up inside him at the sight of this man.

It's as if his very presence brings out the evil in those around him. ]