un; emiyashirou

[hero_of_her]

[The young man that appears on the video looks extremely nervous and uncomfortable.]

Listen, with everything going on lately I haven't been able to...

[He sighs, starts over. He hates this. Asking for help is so hard, but he isn't the only one at risk if here.]

I noticed a while back that the more Chroma I have the easier it is to deal with... well... A particular situation that I have at hand. [Oh man, that terrible pun wasn't on purpose and he looks even more uncomfortable realizing that he did it.]

But I'm not very good at collecting Chroma. I have someone back home and I don't want to betray her. I was thinking, though, that for the brief time she was here she was pretty clear that she didn't want me to suffer.

I don't want to either, I guess. [That part is up for debate.]

This is me asking for people willing to help me out.

[He looks frustrated at the whole idea as soon as he says it.]

You know what, nevermind. This is stupid.

Comments

audio;

[dereban]

You do realize that hand holding is a thing, right?

[ Just answering him blandly, although she sounds sympathetic because. Yeah. She gets it. ]

video

[battlefrenzy]

I wouldn't mind helping you out, even if you'd just lean against my back.

[But, since timelines are difficult...]

For the record, in my timeline we were allies for a while, so I know you a bit better.

[hero_of_her]

Sure. I could do that.

[hero_of_her]

Wh--

We were?

[Because in his timeline you stabbed him and then got eaten by the Shadow disappeared.]

voice;

[bailian]

[ Hello, here's your self-appointed chroma guide, here to correct all the wild assumptions and foolish notions he himself had taken to heart upon arriving. Don't make his mistakes, young man! Set your heart at ease! ]

Platonic Moonlacing generates chroma like anything else.

Handholding, clasping shoulders, sparring or hugging someone all work. As long as you're touching someone who's okay with it, chroma is made.

[ What's said resonates enough with him that Binghe tries to get the point across. ]

You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, or things that feel like a betrayal of someone you love.

[battlefrenzy]

Yeah. My Master told me to work with you and Rin, but I also took a liking to the both of you on my own.


I mean, did stab you at the school, so if that makes you uncomfortable, I get it. Just know I don't have anything against you.

action;

[anti_altruisms]

[ Archer doesn't even bother to respond to the network. He just materializes wherever Shirou happens to be.

Surprise? ]

[hero_of_her]

I think you stabbing me is just one of those things that happens in nearly every timeline with us.

Except, I guess, the one with Black and Red factions. I mean, those Servants had a totally different Fourth Holy Grail War.

[And he really doesn't want to think about what that timeline would mean for him. He probably wasn't even an Emiya in that reality. Thinking about it makes his head hurt.]

[hero_of_her]

[Shriou jerks, surprised by the sudden appearance, and nearly falls out of his chair.]

Oh, hey... You.

[hero_of_her]

I guess I know that. My um, mom? [He sounds unsure if that's the right thing to call her.] helped me a bit by giving me a hug and there was nothing weird about that.

I should just focus on that. Yeah! Thanks for the tip.

[battlefrenzy]

That's the first I've heard of that.

[anti_altruisms]

[ Please, Shirou, don't act so surprised. It's his arm you not-so-subtly alluded to on the network. ]

Is it causing you discomfort?

[hero_of_her]

It feels stiff.

[bailian]

I admit it's awkward at first. But people here are willing to help, because we all need contact to survive.

Keep doing what's comfortable, watch how much chroma you have and you'll be fine.

[ Another important bit of advice he hopes registers. ]

Sure. You do know how to check your chroma levels, right?

[hero_of_her]

I am probably not the one to explain it. [He barely knows what's going on.]

If there's any more of the Servants from that timeline, they usually introduce themselves with 'of Red' or 'of Black' after. Like, "Lancer of Black."

He's the one I met.

[hero_of_her]

You can do that?

[anti_altruisms]

I see.

[ His eyes settle on the arm for a moment, his expression unreadable. ]

Have you been able to move it much since coming here?

[bailian]

You can. The device they gave you keeps track of it.

[ Binghe's world didn't have a lick of modern technology. The closest to it involved magical crystal screens or teleportation magic and flying swords in place of vehicles. Even so, he's still graually gotten the hang of the pseudo-cellphone handed out to all newcomers. Enough to hit the network, monitor his chroma and read online novels. So if he can do it, anyone can! ]

Everything you do uses chroma, the same way you burn energy throughout the day.

But it also acts like currancy. You can use chroma to buy food or goods, but if you run out-

[ 'You die' is a pretty heavy subject. So he tries to ease into it. ]

It's like using up all the life force in your entire body. Don't do that.

[hero_of_her]

[Shriou fiddles with his device to see how to get it to work and then frowns.]

I'm gonna have to do a lot of hand holding.

[hero_of_her]

Yeah. [He moves it now and he's able to but it's clear he means it when he says it feels stiff.] It's always better when I have more Chroma though.

action ... or more like sorry, this got way too much into tldr thinking.

[greedyvixen]

[So, Kiritsugu invited Rin to live in the Emiya house about as soon as she arrived. But also Rin has been spending so much time with Archer and sometimes with Lancer too, that sometimes it almost looks more like a place to return to whenever she's NOT getting along with Archer. Or between whatever complicated mess they have going on at times. But that means living in the same house with Shirou comes with some... things like passing by his room often. This just happens to be one of those times and he also happens to be making that network post at the same time. Good. Rin mostly ignores the network, mages and technology and whatever else her reasons for that may be -- but she's curious, so she stays outside of his room and listens to what he says.

... That is a really terrible pun.

Also guess she's mentally getting a punch for the not betraying someone part because of where she's from with Archer now when she knows who he is, ahahah. What else is nothing new?

So, Sakura has been here? Rin assumes he's talking about her anyway but what has been talking with him about .... anything really? Not like it's Shirou's fault, that Rin is bad at talking if she doesn't have to... or good at avoiding things including talking about things if she can avoid it... It's been a lot to take in either way with future stuff from Lancer along with everything else.

Either way, what's most important is that Sakura and him are apparently together. That's how it should be! Rin can't even be disappointed about that when she wants Sakura to be happy. Him too but she's got her priorities -- as surprising as that may be from her version of events back home. Glad to know she's not going to fuck it up for them in their timeline too, those two should be happily together... Also glad that she's here from before they take a serious turn into that direction in her time, she's way more interested in getting her Archer back where she's from. Aaaand besides hearing that Shirou is from another time sure made her back off from anything anyway, different experiences with him and all, still allies and friends and now apparently housemates but that's it. At least some things in this timeline mess work well for this neon city world, huh.

Hey.

Hey, Shirou, you know what's also stupid? A stupid girl forgetting that she's technically eavesdropping outside his bedroom while she's also thinking way too much. So, he might find her there once he's done with that post, ooops.]

[bailian]

There are lots of opportunities to maintain touch throughout the day.

Some people even share sleeping spaces to platonically get chroma all night.

[ Granted, it requires a level of trust and both parties being amiable to the idea. But as someone who has done so before there's really no downside, especially in terms of comfort and companionship. ]

Eight to ten hours of generating chroma for doing nothing but resting is an easy way to replenish your levels.

un: assassin

[painalty]

You just provided your own answer. She won't want to see you like this.

[Sakura is very understanding, from what he knew of her during his time as her Servant here. She surely can't begrudge Shirou for trying to survive.]

Ask your friends and family for help.

l loooove tl.dr

[hero_of_her]

[He finishes the post by wanting to just forget the whole thing and get some water to clear his head. He can deal with the responses after he has a moment to himself.

He opens his bedroom door to get that water and is surprised by seeing her standing there]


Tohsaka?!

[hero_of_her]

Thanks. I guess I gotta focus on that. If it die here, I can't help her back home.