vermillion.

“ Oh please. I could party all night and drink till my liver’s dead and gone any ol’ day of the week. Don’t need some holiday in cahoots with the church to be my excuse to do it in the first place. ”

“ Personally I’d rather have no one start shit for St. Patrick’s. ”

     ❛     your knowledge would not serve the medicine i am concocting. a blessing is a necessary ingredient. an irreplaceable piece of the puzzle. which is why a goddess on hand is always useful.     ❜    a pause, then he irritably clicks his tongue.    ❛     my own blessings do little to further my progress.     ❜       

probably at the request of hades, who had been so against his revival ( and the one who had demanded his death to zeus in the first place ). a fact that they had not mentioned when they had allowed the demi-god to ascend to olympus, perhaps so as not to invoke further rage in his father. that had been a messy time. asclepius had been surprised to hear of how angry apollo had actually become when he had been killed. either way, despite having been revived as the god of medicine itself, hades had likely not wanted asclepius to tread into the domain of reviving the dead once more - lest they begin their conflict anew.    

     ❛     hm. somewhat. though i try to avoid speaking to nuisances. they’re both troublesome in their own ways. most divine beings are.     ❜

     ❛     … ishtar and ereshkigal. sumerian goddesses. as two halves of a whole, a balance that exists within every pantheon in some form, the fact that their host would be the same person isn’t unusual. i assume any host capable of housing one of them will surely prove to be able to serve as a vessel for the other.     ❜    and this girl was likely not the only host they could have chosen. whoever this mage was, she was simply the best choice available to them when they were summoned in chaldea ( and, he supposed, within that singularity that preceded his own time as a servant ).    ❛     i had thought you to be the former. ereshkigal maintains the golden hair typically seen among sumerian gods. ishtar does not.     ❜    

Ah, so he's got a divine heritage of his own and not only that, it's apparently not enough to help with whatever medicine he'd like to make. Troublesome indeed, she's almost sorry that she can't be of much help to him on her own. Though that also begs the question of what it is that he's trying to create. His appearance gives away no hints as to who exactly he maybe and so for now, Rin is left wondering just who exactly it is that she happens to be speaking to.

When he begins explaining just what has become of her in his time, she listens intently. Not one Goddess, but two had chosen her body for a vessel. And he's able to name them both so easily and refer to them as nuisances. For better or worse, it seemed they had certainly made names for themselves in Chaldea. Rin can't help but feel surprised. It seemed her talents as a mage had far exceeded her own expectations. As talented as she was, something of this...stage was a shock to her and yet still honorable all the same as she previously thought.

Ishtar and Ereshkigal. That the former shared her face was...worrying, to say the least. It was troubling. "I...see." There are so many questions she has, some of which she's sure he won't be inclined to answer but she'll pose them regardless. "And so you're saying Ishtar is the one who looks most closely to my appearance while Ereshkigal's differs...I wonder why that is. I'm aware of who they are, your description leaves many things a mystery though..."

              ❛   Well, color me convinced !   ❜   HER   upper lip curls with displeasure, and her hands are thrown up to her chest in a dramatic display of surrender, but she’s sincere enough. This girl has always been the more intelligent of Caster and her Master’s ——— former Master’s… Opponents. In fact, that duel alone… It left a lingering impression. She supposes there’s no harm in testing the waters with the Tohsaka mage; after all, the lines once drawn so clearly in the sand are blurry at best. One need only look around to see that. 

              ❛   What, then, would you prefer I call you ?  I have not entirely forgotten my formalities.   ❜

"I'd like my name, if possible." Her actual name, not just some snide pet name given because of past encounters. "Rin. Or simply Tohsaka will do just fine." While she's sure Caster has suspicions about her own intent toward her, Rin does her best to assuage them. It isn't much, but she'd rather let bygones be bygones for now. "I don't consider you an enemy anymore, whether you believe that or not though is up to you." There was no grail war, there were no masters to hold servants down that didn't wish for it. They were on even footing, all things considered. Or, well, even enough footing...

      “yes. admittedly if not for chaldea’s summoning system, i doubt i could be summoned into panhuman history in the first place. my situation is unique, as seems to be the case with most servants that share my face.” saber was the only one that belonged truly. lancer was naught but a fairy that could only be summoned through a system that allowed irregularities. 

     “an appetite is something we do share, for it’s born of our strength. i share many talents with her, for we are the same person at our cores.” most saberfaces seemed to enjoy eating, from the alters to those from the servant universe. “emiya… was that her master’s name? it’s somehow nostalgic, but maybe that’s merely from my chaldea stay.” after all, it seemed a few servants had ties to this name. 

     the two had been idling for some time now, and the cool air was communicated through visible breaths. thinking of the human’s safety, she unraveled her own cape and placed it on tohsaka’s shoulders. “shall we find somewhere warmer to speak? perhaps over a cup of tea?”

Lancer's words only serve to affirm what Rin already thought to be true in the first place. Speaking to her now feels a bit nostalgic as if it isn't the first time they've shared a conversation. Technically, it isn't, but she does not share the same memories of her Saber and so for all intents and purposes it is. She can't deny though that she feels comfortable, as if she's in the presence of an old friend and that makes it much easier for her to open up. As the cape is draped over her, Rin can't help but feel a bit embarrassed but doesn't offer for Lancer to take it back and instead keeps it close. "That'd be nice, yeah." She's quick to say, almost too quick.

"I...actually run a shop not too far from here. It's not a café or anything like that. We deal with magic. A lot of servants usually find their way there actually. A lot of the time by total accident. But I'm formally inviting you." With having said as much, Rin doesn't give time for Lancer to either accept or refuse and instead starts briskly walking, cape billowing behind her as she hoped the servant kept up. True to her word, only a few streets down past the bustle and in a rather quiet corner of Cotes is the shop she'd spoken of earlier. Rin fumbles around for a moment, searching her pockets for the key, that darn key...before finally retrieving it. But before she opens the door, it dawns on her to finally turn to Lancer to ask...

starter   .    @gemcraft​

     ❛     you’re …     ❜  

he studies the girl before him a moment, gaze steady as the lower portion of his face remains concealed.    ❛     not either goddess, i take it. rather, the host. or would it be more appropriate to say vessel?     ❜    he hums, tapping a finger against his mask. it was obvious that he cared little for whether she understood his words or not. such was his way.    ❛     i see. i suppose in a place like this, meeting any vessel would be possible.     ❜  

     ❛     still, its a shame. you lack the divinity i need.     ❜  

if the divine power of artemis could elevate his medicine to its truest form, then asclepius was certain that the power of any goddess could do the same. he doubted it mattered if they hailed from the same era or nation. a goddess was a goddess, after all. this girl, however, was entirely mortal. still, her magical ability was quite impressive. even in his weakened state, the caster could discern as much ( not that he would voice such praise aloud ). her magical circuits were likely the reason she had been deemed suitable to host a goddess of the heavens and her counterpart. quite a talented young mage. 

This is far from the first time she's been mistaken for either of these Goddesses that he speaks of. Rin is certain it won't be the last either. Truthfully, she doesn't know how to feel knowing that her body, in whatever time he happens to come from, is being used for something so vague. Then again, she supposes there is no greater honor than being chosen to be the vessel of a powerful servant. Either way, she won't dwell on it. Not for too long anyway...but if he can provide insight about either of them, then she'd definitely like to know.

"What I lack in divinity I might make up for in knowledge unless you need the power of a Goddess in particular then I can't really help you there." As much as she'd like to be helpful, she's painfully aware while in the presence of servants of Chaldea that whatever she can do pales in comparison. "If it's something I can help with, I will. For a price, of course." Such is her way of getting what she wants from him and it is a rather fair exchange. Knowledge for knowledge and such.

recently i’ve been thinking and have decided to open up canon doubles for rin! in the interest of fairness and as per the masterlist’s rules i’m required to give a 24 hour notice before opening canon doubles, so on february 1st if you’d like to reserve ishtar, spaceshtar, or ereshkigal then you’ll be more than welcome to! however, i’ll still be keeping ccc!tohsaka closed. 

i know some may wonder ‘why the change of heart?’ and there’s not really any grand explanation other than i had always been on the fence of letting someone else run around with my character’s face because of the trouble that could come along with that, but i’ve decided to give people the benefit of the doubt so that we can all have fun writing. and i’d like to interact with all of them too the more i think about it!

@gemcraft​

The weather here was mild, and it felt good. Cooling, and although any kind of snow or ice would probably just melt off him, he was pretty happy to know that it wasn’t scorching hot here. He’d had enough of wandering in hot temperatures for several thousand years. Life after death wasn’t really supposed to be nearly as torturous, right?

“Oi, you.” She was young, but something about her stood out. Wait…Didn’t she look like,

“OI! OOOI! AIN’T YOU DAT SERVANT!? WHERE’S UR BIG BOW?! Or are ya da one wit’ da spear!?”

“Wuh’s da big idea!? Walkin’ round all normal-like. What is dis place anyway!?”

It wasn't often that she was approached by servants. Sure, many of them knew of her presence because of lineage as a powerful magus and some even sought her out for information pertaining to the city. This one, though, is very...different from the rest. While she's no stranger to anyone being informal with her, it's the loudness of his voice that takes her back. It's so...unnecessary, enough to make her wince before whipping around to face him. What he says is even more curious, she'd had her suspicions about there being some familiarity of her appearance with those from Chaldea but for him to shout this so boldly...

"What are you talking about?" A bow, a spear? She used neither and found herself more magically inclined than anything. With a stern look on her face, she keeps her distance and voice steady, only raising it to convey the irritation she feels. "I don't know who you think I am but I don't know you. I've never seen you before in my life."

              ❛   And so we meet again, little girl.   ❜

        AN   interesting turn, despite the ease with which she greets her; she puts particular emphasis on her nickname of choice, each syllable drawn out like honey dripping from a spoon. There’s a lot of spunk in this one — promise, too. She was alive and well last Caster saw… So what changed ?  Of course, the alternative was that this was no afterlife at all — nor a limbo state until the Grail called out once more. Even so… Neither possibility explained the presence of a human mage. An interesting turn indeed… 

              ❛   I’ve no interest in dueling you again, I’m afraid. I’ve had my fun.   ❜

@gemcraft​  ——-  s.c. 

"The feeling is mutual then. Not that you could do anything to me as you are now." Assuming she's just gotten to this city recently, all of her abilities were under lock and key. While she would prove more than a formidable opponent if they were to face each other again at the fullest, there would be none of that for a long while. "I'm sure you've become painfully aware of the fact that your abilities aren't yours anymore. Our dear captors make sure to keep everyone in check by keeping them away from us."

     “tohsaka… tohsaka… one of the great families in the world of magi.” ishtar referred to herself as the ‘tohsaka of light’ once, thought at the time the king had been confused by the statement. things made a little more sense now. “chaldea has many books about modern magecraft and the name comes up quite frequently. i appreciate the offer from someone so prestigious.”

     “so you lived through a holy grail war during which my saber self took part then? if it isn’t too invasive for me to ask, might i wonder what kind of woman she was? we’re often compared, but few are familiar with the both of us. i was just curious about what stories you might have.”

So, Lancer was familiar with her family name after all. It shouldn't be surprising. The Tohsaka family was rather well-known in the magus community and yet still...Rin can't help but feel strange about a servant being familiar with her lineage. When the name Chaldea comes up, though, it all makes sense. Though she isn't overly familiar with those associated with the name, she knows enough. "So you come from Chaldea, too..." It seemed most servants she encountered came from that organization...just how far was it's reach exactly?