『Archer of Shinjuku』 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
professorfreischutz) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
diversified2019-05-11 10:47 pm
professorfreischutz) wrote in diversified2019-05-11 10:47 pm
Entry tags:
the clock stopped ticking forever ago [ closed ]
WHO 2 1/2 Victorian Gentlemen (professorfreischutz & 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?
professorfreischutz & 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?
no subject
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.
no subject
Moriarty doesn't encourage him any further, able to sense the dangerous intent from the younger man, but it isn't enough to silence him. Someone like Jekyll, with this particular legend and his currently hidden state of power, couldn't possibly be a threat just on his own. There's no way. Now he just needs to straddle the line between egging him on and driving him into a state that would induce Hyde's emergence. ]
Ding ding ding! You're correct. Bit too little, too late, but it's the effort that counts. I don't suppose our Saber friend caught you up to date on the way over? Not the chattiest of fellows, that one.
no subject
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.
no subject
That's a curiosity for another day, but one he's eager to get to at some point or another.
The assertion just has Moriarty chuckling, adjusting his glasses unnecessarily but giving him a motion to nod out toward the rest of the village. There are some houses, communal areas, an open space for coming together. Their protection was a barrier around them that grew by the day, people and Servants alike working to maintain a facade that nothing was truly out here in the wastes. It's precarious at best, but the warring Vlads are evidently too preoccupied to put more than token effort in locating more bodies to add to their counts. ]
Doubt as you'd like, but perhaps speaking to the residents themselves might quell your worries. My reputation is well-earned, I must say, but for once I have no ulterior motives! I merely wish to protect these people as I was evidently summoned to do.
[ Well, he does have further motives for his actions but honestly they're all one and the same. There's just no way anyone who knows who he is would believe the truth. Even Moriarty had to go through quite the ordeal in the first place to make it reality, anyone who wasn't there couldn't possibly understand, and he doesn't care to take the time trying to convince them. His actions are loud enough for these purposes. ]
Or are you saying you object merely because of who is offering? With no further research into the matter?
no subject
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. ]
no subject
Please, speak with anyone you like and get comfortable. You may introduce yourself as one of us or one of them, it doesn't matter much with your current presence, but either way you'll pull your weight here. There isn't any room for flabby hangers-on.
[ He turns at that, eyes focusing back on the papers laid out before him on the makeshift table. Much like the rest of the village, it's made of bits and pieces reclaimed from the surroundings. Nothing here is whole, but there does seem to be a peace permeating the area despite the tension inherent to the situation. ]
Once you've finished with your crisis of morality, please return and let me know. Then we can properly figure out what to do with you.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
Thankfully his own weaponry is stored away for now. It would be all too easy to make assumptions about his own Class due to the lack of other options. He had to cheat to open up another option and that isn't something he'll give away without reason. Giving up an advantage to someone ready to gut him for the first wrong step is merely asking for death. ]
If you need directions, seek out Elizabeth. She's a younger one, with a tail, and hardly has much to do when not putting on concerts.
[ Didn't he just say there were no useless people here...? ]
no subject
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. ]
no subject
That's correct. Perhaps you should ask her to demonstrate and you'll understand the immense boon it provides to our cause.
[ After all, he never said the concerts were for the humans they were protecting. ]