who wants a fate AU

[miraculess]

I have no idea what I'm doing here \o/

edit: I NOW HAVE A SLIGHT IDEA WHAT I'M DOING HERE she's summonable as either Berserker or Assassin, pick your poison. Berserker is mostly mute but not too crazy (unless you count nearly compulsive defiance against everything) and stupid OP if you can power her; Assassin is less unpredictable but mouthy as fuck and nowhere near as strong.

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[hazyshadeofwinter]

[ The Soldier's orders were clear.

One hand— the right one, the one made of flesh— was extended over the summoning circle. Everything was ready. Hydra's orders were clear. The Soldier was to complete the summoning, then proceed with the Holy Grail War. A win for Hydra would mean everything, the Grail within their grasp would bring their goals that much closer.

That was the Soldier's mission.

The summoning had begun. ]

[miraculess]

[ the shape that slowly forms in the circle isn't distinct at all, at first. it's dark, taller than he is, and even with how out-of-focus it is he can make out the gleam of eyes, the wicked curve of claws—

except when it settles, there are none of those things. the girl standing in the middle of the circle is still taller than him, but she looks more or less human. her hands are, if anything, delicate (if bearing the scars of a frequent brawler across the knuckles), and her eyes when she opens them are a dull, dark blue.

those eyes meet the lenses of his goggles and narrow slightly, unblinking. she doesn't say anything. ]

[hazyshadeofwinter]

[ The voice is muffled through the mask, but the words are clear enough. They're a crisp, slightly accented Russian. ]

There is a war. The Holy Grail War. We are to contract.

[ The Soldier waits. ]

[miraculess]

[ slowly wrinkles her nose with a soft huff. why else would she be there? ]

[hazyshadeofwinter]

[ This is acceptable.

The Soldier gestures. ]

Come. Mission parameters: Locate the first Master and Servant and terminate.

[withabandon]

[ SO YOU'RE A BERSERKER IN THIS HOLY GRAIL WAR, OR SOMETHING. AND IT ISN'T REALLY BATTLE TIME RIGHT NOW BUT YOU SENSE A SERVANT SOMEWHERE NEAR YOU????



AND THEN THIS TINY CUTE FLUFF IS JUST RUNNING PAST YOU LIKE THEY DON'T GIVE A FUCK AT ALL ABOUT YOU DESPITE VERY CLEARLY BEING A SERVANT

they're also dressed super cutely. like what the fuck ]

[miraculess]

[ on one hand, it may not really be battle time but it's always battle time

on the other she's always hideously contrary

and then on neither hand at all, but still clearly relevant, that is incredibly cute and she's kind of jealous.

... her ability to reason isn't so shot that she's useless on her own, but outside of battle everything is fuzzy enough that trying is incredibly frustrating. so, clearly the solution is to make up her mind about what to do later; in the meantime she's grumbling under her breath and following the other Servant. ]

[withabandon]

[ ho hum ]

Eh? Berserker? Is that you?

[ NOT BOTHERED IN THE LEAST ]

[miraculess]

[ H U F F S

who the hell else would she be ]

[withabandon]

Uhmm. . .


. . . I'm not really looking to fight right now~ Can we hold off on that?

[tostandoutside]

[Berkerker is summoned to a large shed, well-kept, filled with neat shelves of books and magical items in one half. The other half has a pottery wheel, a loom, any number of craft materials and tools.

The circle itself is nothing fancy, but it's tidy and pointed in purpose, nothing excess but nothing lacking either. Similarly, the man waiting patiently beside the circle is well dressed, but not overboard, wearing glasses and a high ponytail with his sleeves rolled up.]

[miraculess]

[ the girl staring back at him... well, isn't a girl, at first. the out-of-focus shape in the center of the circle is difficult to make out, but there's the distinct impression of glowing eyes. fangs. long, curved claws.

none of those are in evidence as she solidifies, though, and the eyes that blink open to look him over and then steadily meet his gaze are a dull steely blue. ]

[tostandoutside]

[He meets her eyes without hesitation, lifting his hand to display his command seals.]

Can you speak? Berserker.

[miraculess]

[ frowns, slightly, and starts to shake her head— only to finally break eye contact to look at the command seals, then past him at their surroundings with perhaps an unexpected amount of consideration.

...after a pause she raises one hand and wobbles it, reluctant, as her frown deepens. ]

[tostandoutside]

[he nods evenly. he put a great deal of thought into this summoning, after all. it wasn't on a whim that he decided to involve himself with the affairs of human mages, or a coincidence that he summoned her.]

You seem to retain your reason.

[he puts his hand on his chest and inclines his head.]

My name is Camio, and I have summoned you.

[miraculess]

[ she's not sure, exactly, what it is she thinks she's doing.

that's both a literal and a figurative thought. what instructions she's got are piecemeal: cobbled together from bits of legend Miku had, stolen from snippets of conversation she'd picked up from spying on someone she's pretty sure will be competition, if she does this right. if she doesn't...

well. any results she can get can't be worse than the life she's living, if it can be called that. and really, that's all that she needs to think to push past her other misgivings. anything is worth a way out. whether it's through a wish or death, she'll take it.

with that in mind, the summons she makes is the closest she's ever gotten to praying. ]

[hazyshadeofwinter]

[ There's a silence to him when he appears.

It's a stillness, a silence, a deadliness. Hair curtained over his face as he stands within the summoning circle, unmoving. At first, it doesn't seem like he's even breathing. But there it is— quieter than a whisper, but you can see his shoulders moving with the breaths if you look closely enough. His metal arm glistens, the leather of his clothes creak slightly when he— at last— moves to look properly at her. ]

Ready to comply.

[ It's all he says as he looks at her, expectantly. ]

[miraculess]

[ she startles rather badly at his appearance, and has to fight down a number of contradictory urges at that— even if she weren't already wary of people he's obviously a threat, and her response to human threats is to either flee or viciously one-up them before they get ideas.

neither of those are options here, though, and after only brief instinctive bristle at the sound of his voice the words sink in and she makes herself hold her ground. that's...

...she's not sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't this. on the other hand... it's fitting for her to have summoned a "Heroic Spirit" who looks anything but. ]

...I have a wish that I will see come to pass, one way or another. Help me do so.

[hazyshadeofwinter]

[ He tilts his head at her. ]

Mission parameters understood. Contract accepted.

[miraculess]

[ she still doesn't immediately respond— for all that her language had been formal to point of being almost archaic, the unblinking way she's staring at him has more in common with a trapped predator than any sort of well-spoken young lady. the resemblance to the latter gets even less so when she finally shakes herself, nods, and then straightens up: the movement is distinctly inhuman, more like what could be expected out of a robot or a puppet than anything with human joints. ]

Then it's settled.

[ and she could take her cue from him, delve straight into discussing tactics, but— it still doesn't sit right with her, even if she can't understand why. (won't acknowledge the faint hope she'd had centered around having someone who would speak to her, who she couldn't hurt.) so she hesitates, instead, and— ]

...I didn't... summon you, specifically. I don't know your name.

[pathing]

[The war is still on. Jeanne had given him spare command seals, but ultimately it became clear to them all that his Dead Count Shapeshifter was killing him, and not slowly. Sieg is more than willing to go out like that, but Jeanne and Astolfo convinced him (desperately) that it would be a waste of everyone's efforts to keep him going, if he just went and died during the war anyway. So it's come to this. Sieg using himself as a catalyst in a summoning, hoping to bring Siegfried back. It might be too much, sustaining both Astolfo and Saber, but it's a lesser chance of killing him than the guarantee his Dead Count Shapeshifter presents.]

[miraculess]

[ the shape that manifests in the circle is at least tall enough to be Saber— but even with how indistinct it is, it quickly becomes apparent that isn't who was summoned, as the similarities end there. Sieg can make out the baleful gleam of red eyes, the curve of wicked claws—

but the girl that stands in the center of the circle has none of those things, except, perhaps, the attitude. she narrows her eyes at Sieg, but doesn't say anything. ]

[pathing]

[this... is not what was supposed to happen at all. he still hoped, honestly, at the red eyes and claws. like maybe his own nature had influenced Saber, however negatively, it wasn't impossible, but... this isn't what was supposed to happen. he can't help but hide his disappointment, even as he bows his head politely, especially with how excited and hopeful he was when she started to materialize.] ...Hello. I am your Master.

[miraculess]

[ she makes a low growling grumble in the back of her throat at his obvious disappointment, almost bestial and clearly unhappy at his reception. he could do worse that politeness, though; after a few more moments of that measuring glare she dips her head as well, not breaking eye contact ]

[pathing]

[hhhhhgh okay sieg, get your shit together.] ...I'm sorry. This can't be a good reception. [he straightens, looking her over searchingly, hunting for something familiar. if he himself was the catalyst... maybe it wasn't that his nature influenced Siegfried, but that his nature influenced someone else's essence within him. or that instead he summoned someone like himself.] You would be... berserker?