[She's never been one for talking past her endurance, but this silence is difficult to weather. Sakura only drags her tired, strained eyesight off the floor to peek at Rin when enough time has passed. A cautious hand is lifted, hovering between them as if preparing to reach out, before the motion is aborted and she curls a loose fist against her chest instead.]
Tohsaka-senpai. [The formality spills out, thick and awkward.] Um... it'll be morning soon, so we shouldn't we leave?
[Aborting their overdue conversation? Yes, perhaps. Sakura doesn't doubt her own cowardice, but the more pressing issue is how she can feel her body sagging from the physical strain of remaining awake and alert. She made a promise to walk out of the treehouse on her own two feet]
[She's right. They really don't have the time to waste here, on long discussions. For the sake of securing the one win she's managed, not risking messy explanations, and Sakura's own health, they should leave soon. Save the really grueling topics for another day.
She doesn't.]
You were Rider's original Master, weren't you?
[A quick, precise blow; a question that isn't a question. She doesn't soften it.]
[It's alright; Sakura is used to blows, and this one simply stings with the precision of a knife wound. All things considered, it's a gentle injury.
Doesn't stop her from clamping up and flinching]
I--
[Is there a point to lying? Sakura wouldn't dare engage her sister in a verbal brawl if she could help it, and then only at full strength. Right now, she's running lower than empty. For a second time, the fight drains out of her]
Nii-san asked for control of her, so I... [though "asked" is a generous word]
...Yes, of course that harmless gnat couldn't pull off something of that nature on his own. I thought as much.
[Had harbored the suspicion for quite some time, in fact. There's no barb in her words as she admits this, the heat cooled once again as Sakura chooses wisely not to lie to her. Rin's eyes flicker back to her.]
And Goldie? Did you have something to do with him as well?
["Harmless gnat"... well, she supposes Shinji has been called much worse in his life. Nevertheless, Sakura feels the familiar stir of sisterly compassion in her chest, the desire to ask that Rin not judge her brother too harshly. Her ascension as the Matou heir damaged both of them.
But she's blindsided by the second question, and turns to look at Rin with honest confusion]
[Rin studies that expression, with a glance designed to suggest there's no such careful thought behind it at all.
Unlike the closed-off faces Sakura had been making, this one is open. She's probably not lying, Rin thinks. Just to be certain, she'll say the bare minimum to clarify what she means.]
Gilgamesh.
[That's the name Shinji had screamed for, wasn't it? When Lancer was coming at him.]
[No, the name doesn't ring any bells; in fact, the absent of sound is what worries her. The name is meant to carry weight she doesn't understand, she assumes, and there must be a reason Rin is chasing this thread of thought.]
I don't think I've met him. [She is not matching the name to the face of the golden-haired "foreigner"; her dismissal is honest. So is her discontent]
[Again, Rin doesn't perceive a lie. Blinking slowly, she turns her head away again.]
Don't mind it. If you don't know, it's not an avenue worth pursuing.
[But it makes things easier. Whatever ploy was pulled to involve that eighth Servant, Rin feels confident now that it was Kirei's own doing, and not a cooperated plan between him and the Matous.]
The War isn't over yet. Your Servant is dead, but that doesn't mean you forfeited your rights as a Master.
Technically, I should steer clear from you. If not for that reason, the conditions to the arrangement between the Maotu and Tohsaka still stands. Outside of necessary scenarios, we're not to associate.
[She says it with all the quiet force of dropping a sledgehammer between them. Nothing but school. In the castle, nothing but perhaps this new agreement now.
And yet:]
Sakura. Considering the gravity of both matters, what would be your response if I said we should disregard all that for the time being and cooperate?
[If she had the energy to spar, Rin's dismissal would earn a light, childish glare for her troubles. Sakura can decide for herself what she should and shouldn't know, thank you, and already makes plans to drop by the library in the future.
Gilgamesh --
A name that's not forgotten, but it doesn't have a chance to linger, either, not once Rin dumps the atmosphere in ice and leaves Sakura numb for it. She's getting whiplash from how often they seem to change professions - from students to mages to almost siblings - and of course Rin flips everything on its head at the last second by asking for an alliance.
It's only temporary, she reminds herself over her rapid drumming of her heartbeat, and stares at her fiddling hands.]
Y-yes... I think we should. [A pause] We have a common goal, right? [This is pooling resources so they can return and finish their war. Once they're home, things go back to the way they always were: with their walls built up until all that's left are stolen glances. But until then:]
[That— That went easier than she thought. Rin resists the impulse to swallow, from glancing back to her sister with an expression that would give away both surprise and nervousness by giving a tight and measured nod.
What sort of expression might Sakura have, on the other hand? She sounded unexpectedly pleasant.]
W-We'll work within boundaries, of course. [Rin coughs delicately into her hand, as if to clear her throat.] Do you have any conditions to name?
[Oh Rin. She's pleasant because she's being given a portion of her most selfish wish, no matter the harm it will do to her in the end.
Perhaps Rin will maintain a respectable distance, but Sakura has no grand illusions for herself. It almost doesn't matter that they can never be sisters. That wish has been broken for years, half-shattered and poised to cut out her silent enthusiasm, but she's so tired, worn to the bone, that it doesn't work today. The truth is a wound so old it's been smoothed back into skin.
And yet... the smile still slides from her face, even the traces of it vanished. She does have a condition - or better framed, a question that has been plaguing her for months]
Just one.
... Nii-san hadn't come home in two days. I-- [Please don't kill him. He's my brother.] Um, do you know if he's alive?
[The answer to Sakura's only condition comes rapid-fire, Rin's gaze flicking sideways to observe Sakura from the corner of her eyes. Her expression is cooler, somehow.]
That's a strange thing to thank me for. Don't do it.
[She's not certain why Sakura is crediting her for that in the first place. Her gratitude carries a weight to it she wouldn't associate with being satisfied simply knowing. Does she think Rin has something to do with that?
Well, she doesn't particularly want to kill Shinji. Rin truly sees him as harmless, and knowing he's only made it so far by being used as a pawn of others irritates her. Still, as the only viable Master left in this war besides herself, she can in no way guarantee he'll keep his life.]
Though I suppose given everything you've said, I should be thanking you.
[Sakura won't take back her gratitude, regardless of how mismatched it seems, and the trace of a smile curves the corners of her mouth. It's the calmest she's felt since being taken to the castle - a weight that's been shifted back in place so it doesn't topple her.
Even following Rin's sudden admission, Sakura barely looks surprised. She blinks slowly and tilts her head in curiosity, catching Rin in her peripheral]
[Rin's fingertips trace the back of her hand, brushing irritatedly at the design of her Command Seals as she talks.]
The time for the Fifth Holy Grail War came sooner than expected.
[She resists the instinct to tuck her head down, to look at Sakura through the curtain of her bangs. Hands folded primly in her lap (enough of that; no fidgeting), Rin peeks at the purple head that moves into focus from the corner of her eye before resolutely looking back down her nose.]
If you hadn't switched places with Shinji, per the arrangement between our— my father, and your grandfather, we would have faced each other as enemies.
[A heavy pause lingers in the air, thick with so many words that can't be said. To even get the sentiment across feels taboo.]
I'm... [The words are mumbled, eventually. Quiet yet firm, as she looks askance towards the foot of the bed.] I'm glad for that. That that didn't happen.
Sakura doesn't say anything, just holds her silence after the spoken sentiment. There is movement, if Rin should pick up on it - the Matou girl's head twisting away, turned so that she's staring across the floor and picking at the walls. Her fingers thread together until her hands are clasped as if in prayer.]
[That's... That's nice to know. That for what it's worth, despite what could have happened last night, neither one of them want to kill each other.
Depending on how things go, what they want might not be worth a damn. Temporary alliance aside, maybe one day they'll fight and kill each other anyways.
But they don't want to, so that has to be worth something. Even if it's just a threadbare animal to hold in the night, when no one else is around to watch.
Anyone else might find that incredibly sad, but Rin has never once thought she'd be allowed even that. So yes. It's nice, in it's own way...
...
The world through the window outside, casting light at their backs is a little brighter than it was before, deep purples turning into pastel blues. Arms crossed over her stomach, Rin bites her lip, and then sighs.]
Mm. [A soft sound of offered agreement, and slowly, Sakura's expression stiffens and cools until it's as passive as a normal day at school. Whatever she'd felt at the moment of Rin's admittance is hidden away.]
Will Zaveid-san be joining us? [She assumes so, and has already shifted some of her weight toward the edge of the bed. Surely she's rested long enough to make the journey to her room]
[ Zaveid doesn't enter the room a traditional way, rather there's a sense of wind mana moving about then... He's there, on the chair, leg propped on the other like he'd been there the whole time.
Showoff. ]
Plannin' on headin' out? [ ... Unless they want to tell him something they talked about, which he.. doesn't think is incredibly likely.
[HE KNOWS THEM SO WELL. Even Sakura, who he's just met.
...Rin knows even if he wasn't intentionally eavesdropping, he probably heard some of that. But if he won't come out with it, she won't, so Rin simply nods once more and addresses Zaveid, as formal as she is sincere. She's grateful for his presence this time.]
We spoke longer than I planned, and it's starting to get light out. Zaveid, please see to it that Sakura returns to her room without being seen. I'd be in your debt.
[Even if she's feeling well enough to walk by her own power, her appearance tells of the rough night she had: from her face, to her bloodied clothes. Rin doesn't want her to have to deal with any uncomfortable questions.
She turns her head to face her sister.]
You should continue rest when you get there. I'll be by later to handle your laundry and any requests if you have them, once I've finished tidying up this place.
[She took care of most of the signs of their fight in the night hours. The blood has been scrubbed from the floor and halls, and the rest outside covered by the snow. But the sheets on the bed here will need to be changed, the bed made once again.
Oh yeah, and sorry about your door when you get back to your room, Sakura. She kinda broke the lock. :T]
[Oh, right. She's sick and barely able to hold her weight. Sakura nearly forgot those minor details, so engrossed with her and Rin's conversation, but the moment she tries to stand is when sick exhaustion floods the color from her face.
She won't fall. It'll just be a slow, steady limp to the finish line.
Though if Rin thinks she's getting away with doing her laundry and Sakura sitting there like an invalid-- well, that will be a conversation for later. Zaveid's presence has set her on the defense again, and the casual way Rin orders him about is a reminder of their relationship. The spirit is Rin's ally, not hers.]
... I'm ready, Zaveid-san. [Said after a small nod to Rin. She folds her hands in front of her, shoulders squared like she's prepared for battle]
[ Well, she's doing a pretty good job of making it sound like a request. So Zaveid shrugs, standing easily. ]
It might be a bit ... startling. [ ... To say the least. Rin, you do realize you asked him to turn your sister to the wind with him on the way back into the castle? Because that was what his offer had been- ]
... But hasn't hurt anyone I've run with yet~
[ But he takes the few steps over, and lightly puts a hand on Sakura's shoulder.
And then the wind flows from the room, stirring the edges of blankets and Rin's hair on its way into the castle, leaving no sign of Zaveid and Sakura.
As for 'startling', well. Being wind doesn't mean a whole lot of sight. Everything else makes the picture - humming of the cable that draws the elevator shows where it is, far above and beside them as the wind flows down the elevator shaft and through the gates that lead out onto the first residential floor.
Although, as the door creeks open and lets Happy know something's up instead of the wind pressing through the frame.
Zaveid drops them both out of the wind, hand ready to steady Sakura if she's unsteady. ]
[Startling, he says. No, Zaveid, an unseen tickle to the side is startling. Someone jumping out from behind a corner in the middle of the night is startling.
Turning into wind is terror-inducing for a girl who expected to walk back to her room, and if she weren't for Rin's bloody contribution, the worms inside her body would be promising anarchy. Stumbling is the least of her worries - if Zaveid doesn't hold her in place, she'll fall to the ground in her disoriented state.
Only Happy seems okay with their sudden appearance. The pokemon bounds over and tries to leap into Sakura's arms with nothing but her stubbly legs as springs.]
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Tohsaka-senpai. [The formality spills out, thick and awkward.] Um... it'll be morning soon, so we shouldn't we leave?
[Aborting their overdue conversation? Yes, perhaps. Sakura doesn't doubt her own cowardice, but the more pressing issue is how she can feel her body sagging from the physical strain of remaining awake and alert. She made a promise to walk out of the treehouse on her own two feet]
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She doesn't.]
You were Rider's original Master, weren't you?
[A quick, precise blow; a question that isn't a question. She doesn't soften it.]
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Doesn't stop her from clamping up and flinching]
I--
[Is there a point to lying? Sakura wouldn't dare engage her sister in a verbal brawl if she could help it, and then only at full strength. Right now, she's running lower than empty. For a second time, the fight drains out of her]
Nii-san asked for control of her, so I... [though "asked" is a generous word]
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[Had harbored the suspicion for quite some time, in fact. There's no barb in her words as she admits this, the heat cooled once again as Sakura chooses wisely not to lie to her. Rin's eyes flicker back to her.]
And Goldie? Did you have something to do with him as well?
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But she's blindsided by the second question, and turns to look at Rin with honest confusion]
"Goldie"?
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Unlike the closed-off faces Sakura had been making, this one is open. She's probably not lying, Rin thinks. Just to be certain, she'll say the bare minimum to clarify what she means.]
Gilgamesh.
[That's the name Shinji had screamed for, wasn't it? When Lancer was coming at him.]
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I don't think I've met him. [She is not matching the name to the face of the golden-haired "foreigner"; her dismissal is honest. So is her discontent]
... Is he a Servant?
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Don't mind it. If you don't know, it's not an avenue worth pursuing.
[But it makes things easier. Whatever ploy was pulled to involve that eighth Servant, Rin feels confident now that it was Kirei's own doing, and not a cooperated plan between him and the Matous.]
The War isn't over yet. Your Servant is dead, but that doesn't mean you forfeited your rights as a Master.
Technically, I should steer clear from you. If not for that reason, the conditions to the arrangement between the Maotu and Tohsaka still stands. Outside of necessary scenarios, we're not to associate.
[She says it with all the quiet force of dropping a sledgehammer between them. Nothing but school. In the castle, nothing but perhaps this new agreement now.
And yet:]
Sakura. Considering the gravity of both matters, what would be your response if I said we should disregard all that for the time being and cooperate?
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Gilgamesh --
A name that's not forgotten, but it doesn't have a chance to linger, either, not once Rin dumps the atmosphere in ice and leaves Sakura numb for it. She's getting whiplash from how often they seem to change professions - from students to mages to almost siblings - and of course Rin flips everything on its head at the last second by asking for an alliance.
It's only temporary, she reminds herself over her rapid drumming of her heartbeat, and stares at her fiddling hands.]
Y-yes... I think we should. [A pause] We have a common goal, right? [This is pooling resources so they can return and finish their war. Once they're home, things go back to the way they always were: with their walls built up until all that's left are stolen glances. But until then:]
In that case, I don't mind. [A tiny smile]
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What sort of expression might Sakura have, on the other hand? She sounded unexpectedly pleasant.]
W-We'll work within boundaries, of course. [Rin coughs delicately into her hand, as if to clear her throat.] Do you have any conditions to name?
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Perhaps Rin will maintain a respectable distance, but Sakura has no grand illusions for herself. It almost doesn't matter that they can never be sisters. That wish has been broken for years, half-shattered and poised to cut out her silent enthusiasm, but she's so tired, worn to the bone, that it doesn't work today. The truth is a wound so old it's been smoothed back into skin.
And yet... the smile still slides from her face, even the traces of it vanished. She does have a condition - or better framed, a question that has been plaguing her for months]
Just one.
... Nii-san hadn't come home in two days. I-- [Please don't kill him. He's my brother.] Um, do you know if he's alive?
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[The answer to Sakura's only condition comes rapid-fire, Rin's gaze flicking sideways to observe Sakura from the corner of her eyes. Her expression is cooler, somehow.]
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[She misses the change in Rin's features, too busy staring at her hands and swallowing the mess of emotions that threaten to clam up her throat.
That her cruel, foolish brother is somehow still alive...]
Thank you, Tohsaka-senpai. [For telling her. And for not killing him yet]
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[She's not certain why Sakura is crediting her for that in the first place. Her gratitude carries a weight to it she wouldn't associate with being satisfied simply knowing. Does she think Rin has something to do with that?
Well, she doesn't particularly want to kill Shinji. Rin truly sees him as harmless, and knowing he's only made it so far by being used as a pawn of others irritates her. Still, as the only viable Master left in this war besides herself, she can in no way guarantee he'll keep his life.]
Though I suppose given everything you've said, I should be thanking you.
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Even following Rin's sudden admission, Sakura barely looks surprised. She blinks slowly and tilts her head in curiosity, catching Rin in her peripheral]
Me?
[But why?]
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The time for the Fifth Holy Grail War came sooner than expected.
[She resists the instinct to tuck her head down, to look at Sakura through the curtain of her bangs. Hands folded primly in her lap (enough of that; no fidgeting), Rin peeks at the purple head that moves into focus from the corner of her eye before resolutely looking back down her nose.]
If you hadn't switched places with Shinji, per the arrangement between our— my father, and your grandfather, we would have faced each other as enemies.
[A heavy pause lingers in the air, thick with so many words that can't be said. To even get the sentiment across feels taboo.]
I'm... [The words are mumbled, eventually. Quiet yet firm, as she looks askance towards the foot of the bed.] I'm glad for that. That that didn't happen.
[Yeah.]
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Sakura doesn't say anything, just holds her silence after the spoken sentiment. There is movement, if Rin should pick up on it - the Matou girl's head twisting away, turned so that she's staring across the floor and picking at the walls. Her fingers thread together until her hands are clasped as if in prayer.]
... I'm glad, too.
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Depending on how things go, what they want might not be worth a damn. Temporary alliance aside, maybe one day they'll fight and kill each other anyways.
But they don't want to, so that has to be worth something. Even if it's just a threadbare animal to hold in the night, when no one else is around to watch.
Anyone else might find that incredibly sad, but Rin has never once thought she'd be allowed even that. So yes. It's nice, in it's own way...
...
The world through the window outside, casting light at their backs is a little brighter than it was before, deep purples turning into pastel blues. Arms crossed over her stomach, Rin bites her lip, and then sighs.]
We should go now.
[Her quiet voices feels loud in this room.]
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Will Zaveid-san be joining us? [She assumes so, and has already shifted some of her weight toward the edge of the bed. Surely she's rested long enough to make the journey to her room]
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Well, that's not completely true. The school idol persona Rin wears isn't as indifferent to Sakura's feelings as the mage was.]
Zaveid?
[She calls to the air. She's sure he'll hear her.]
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[ Zaveid doesn't enter the room a traditional way, rather there's a sense of wind mana moving about then... He's there, on the chair, leg propped on the other like he'd been there the whole time.
Showoff. ]
Plannin' on headin' out? [ ... Unless they want to tell him something they talked about, which he.. doesn't think is incredibly likely.
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...Rin knows even if he wasn't intentionally eavesdropping, he probably heard some of that. But if he won't come out with it, she won't, so Rin simply nods once more and addresses Zaveid, as formal as she is sincere. She's grateful for his presence this time.]
We spoke longer than I planned, and it's starting to get light out. Zaveid, please see to it that Sakura returns to her room without being seen. I'd be in your debt.
[Even if she's feeling well enough to walk by her own power, her appearance tells of the rough night she had: from her face, to her bloodied clothes. Rin doesn't want her to have to deal with any uncomfortable questions.
She turns her head to face her sister.]
You should continue rest when you get there. I'll be by later to handle your laundry and any requests if you have them, once I've finished tidying up this place.
[She took care of most of the signs of their fight in the night hours. The blood has been scrubbed from the floor and halls, and the rest outside covered by the snow. But the sheets on the bed here will need to be changed, the bed made once again.
Oh yeah, and sorry about your door when you get back to your room, Sakura. She kinda broke the lock. :T]
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She won't fall. It'll just be a slow, steady limp to the finish line.
Though if Rin thinks she's getting away with doing her laundry and Sakura sitting there like an invalid-- well, that will be a conversation for later. Zaveid's presence has set her on the defense again, and the casual way Rin orders him about is a reminder of their relationship. The spirit is Rin's ally, not hers.]
... I'm ready, Zaveid-san. [Said after a small nod to Rin. She folds her hands in front of her, shoulders squared like she's prepared for battle]
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It might be a bit ... startling. [ ... To say the least. Rin, you do realize you asked him to turn your sister to the wind with him on the way back into the castle? Because that was what his offer had been- ]
... But hasn't hurt anyone I've run with yet~
[ But he takes the few steps over, and lightly puts a hand on Sakura's shoulder.
And then the wind flows from the room, stirring the edges of blankets and Rin's hair on its way into the castle, leaving no sign of Zaveid and Sakura.
As for 'startling', well. Being wind doesn't mean a whole lot of sight. Everything else makes the picture - humming of the cable that draws the elevator shows where it is, far above and beside them as the wind flows down the elevator shaft and through the gates that lead out onto the first residential floor.
Although, as the door creeks open and lets Happy know something's up instead of the wind pressing through the frame.
Zaveid drops them both out of the wind, hand ready to steady Sakura if she's unsteady. ]
.... The door wasn't me.
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Turning into wind is terror-inducing for a girl who expected to walk back to her room, and if she weren't for Rin's bloody contribution, the worms inside her body would be promising anarchy. Stumbling is the least of her worries - if Zaveid doesn't hold her in place, she'll fall to the ground in her disoriented state.
Only Happy seems okay with their sudden appearance. The pokemon bounds over and tries to leap into Sakura's arms with nothing but her stubbly legs as springs.]
Wha--
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