Manaka "Girl Scout from Hell" Sajyou (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
beastofasister) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
maskormenace2014-02-11 12:33 pm
beastofasister) wrote in maskormenace2014-02-11 12:33 pm
[video]
[When the video begins, Manaka is seated, hands folded neatly in her lap. Her appearance is pristine and tidy, without even a drop of blood on the cloth covering her chest, because why would there be? Her smile seems vaguely tense, though, and where they rest in her lap, her fingers fidget here and there. All in all, she looks...like a young girl who has been thrust into an unfamiliar situation, alone, and is nervous about it.]
Um... Pardon me! My name is Manaka Sajou. I was told I can talk to other people like this, and I have some questions for...the populace at large.
[She hesitates briefly, seeming unsure, then starts to speak again.]
We're supposed to be heroes, right? They even branded us to say so. [She lifts one arm, her fingers curled into a loose fist, at the elbow. It's bright enough that the tattoo can't actually be seen, of course, but she taps the place where the words had glowed with the tip of her index finger.] But I've always thought a hero was a special person who had done special things! I can't really claim to have done anything like that, so I don't know if they should be calling me that at all.
I guess what I want to know is, are there others here who feel the same way I do? Or... How many people think they are heroes? [Abruptly, she giggles, sounding a bit sheepish.] And if you do think you've earned the title, would you tell me your secret? If they're going to call me that, I want to deserve it, too!
And... Oh, one other thing! [Again, she lifts her hands, fingertip indicating the inside of her pale wrist.] I was wondering about these, too. They don't really seem like regular tattoos, do they? So I was wondering if anyone has a good idea of how they work. [She follows that question up with another light, uncertain laugh.] I guess I was just curious about what would happen if our skin was damaged there, if anything!
[She really, really does not like having her body marked like this, after all—not that her expression gives as much away.]
Mm! That's all, though, I think. Thank you for your time, and have a good afternoon!
[Alternately, if anyone would rather interact with Manaka in person, she can be found exploring Heropa during the afternoon. Notable activities include: standing uncertainly outside buildings and wandering in circles, looking lost; scoping out the church she has been assigned to work at; and staring sullenly at Valentine's displays in stores.]
Um... Pardon me! My name is Manaka Sajou. I was told I can talk to other people like this, and I have some questions for...the populace at large.
[She hesitates briefly, seeming unsure, then starts to speak again.]
We're supposed to be heroes, right? They even branded us to say so. [She lifts one arm, her fingers curled into a loose fist, at the elbow. It's bright enough that the tattoo can't actually be seen, of course, but she taps the place where the words had glowed with the tip of her index finger.] But I've always thought a hero was a special person who had done special things! I can't really claim to have done anything like that, so I don't know if they should be calling me that at all.
I guess what I want to know is, are there others here who feel the same way I do? Or... How many people think they are heroes? [Abruptly, she giggles, sounding a bit sheepish.] And if you do think you've earned the title, would you tell me your secret? If they're going to call me that, I want to deserve it, too!
And... Oh, one other thing! [Again, she lifts her hands, fingertip indicating the inside of her pale wrist.] I was wondering about these, too. They don't really seem like regular tattoos, do they? So I was wondering if anyone has a good idea of how they work. [She follows that question up with another light, uncertain laugh.] I guess I was just curious about what would happen if our skin was damaged there, if anything!
[She really, really does not like having her body marked like this, after all—not that her expression gives as much away.]
Mm! That's all, though, I think. Thank you for your time, and have a good afternoon!
[Alternately, if anyone would rather interact with Manaka in person, she can be found exploring Heropa during the afternoon. Notable activities include: standing uncertainly outside buildings and wandering in circles, looking lost; scoping out the church she has been assigned to work at; and staring sullenly at Valentine's displays in stores.]
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[So when a feeling more familiar than not buzzes through her, no matter how unexpected the location, of course she immediately moves toward its source.]
Ah.
[She sucks in a tiny breath of a gasp, and for just a moment, she stares up at him in surprise. When that moment passes, though, she bows shortly, the movement graceful and polite.]
Yes, excuse me. Good afternoon. [As she straightens again, she speaks like there's nothing remarkable about this situation—though her voice doesn't seem particularly childish in tone or diction now.] I was told I've been assigned to help with the Sunday school classes here, so I wanted familiarize myself with the premises beforehand.
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That is what she is not, and that leaves him wondering what she is. ]
You do not need to explain yourself to me; anyone is welcome here. After all, this is a house of God.
Good afternoon. [ He returns the bow politely. ] My name is Kirei Kotomine. Although it is not yet official, I was hoping to serve here as well.
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[With that said, she falls silent, her gaze plainly assessing as she looks up at him. She isn't sure what she expected to find herself, but perhaps a man of faith isn't something that should surprise her.]
I suppose that means we have at least two things in common.
[Or so she has to assume.]
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[ He parrots the words, amusement evident in his tone, and he neatly folds his arms behind his back as he looks over her. ]
Tell me then: what does the Holy Grail mean to you?
[ This isn't Fuyuki City, and this isn't a War. He can afford to be direct. After all, this girl only just arrived, and she appears alone. Kirei, on the other hand, has a Servant at his call -- should it become necessary. ]
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The Holy Grail is just something that belongs to me, as I belong to it. It doesn't hold any special meaning to me, or embody some distant dream in the way it does for some people. Unless you were asking for a lecture on its purpose and function?
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I would make a very poor overseer if I required such a lecture.
[ Kirei keeps his smile, tilting his head somewhat as he looks at her. her childish appearance and the way she speaks do not align. It is not a simple matter of being polite and smart for her age. It's something else, isn't it? ]
Were you reborn in it?
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[So, for her, the "in" is not very figurative at all. She tilts her head as well, studying him with the same interest. An overseer who has been touched by the Grail itself... She'd think a man of the Church would reject the Grail if he knew what was truly inside it, but that is apparently not the case here.]
And you? I believe I would have noticed I'd had company.
[Though the feeling isn't quite right— Hm.]
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Curious. ]
My encounter with the Grail is much more brief. [ He makes a gesture, long fingers touching his chest. ] I was shot through the heart, and the contents of the Grail washed over me to fill that hole. It revived me.
[ He thinks on this as he looks at her, as he feels that strange resonating sensation in his false heart. ]
But that was not your Grail, was it?
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I see. My own Servant pierced me through and left me for dead.
[For a second, her fingers dig harder against her chest, and her lips part just slightly into a smile that seems at odd with her words. But then he speaks again, and her expression dims again, Manaka seeming to come back to herself.]
No, I suppose it wasn't.
[She certainly would have been aware of something like that happening in the War she was plucked from, and he's no overseer she recognizes from the War before that. But, what concerns her more than that—]
What kind of man calls himself an overseer after seeing that?
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Each one would have good reason.
Manaka's question spreads the smile on his lips. ]
A man who still has questions-- [ He lets his own hand drop, back to resting behind his back neatly. ] -- although there will be no Grail here to answer them.
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[It isn't a judgmental question, only curious. After all, in some ways, her reasons are perhaps even less than that.]
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[ His smile seems to darken. He doesn't doubt her nature; no one can spend that long within the Grail and come out clean. ]
That thing running free is the answer.
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[She lets out a small sound of comprehension, and then her smile grows.]
Fair enough, then! It's the same for me, more or less.
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[ Kirei repeats with the soft undertone of a laugh. ]
But you do know: you can't achieve that here.
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And you do have meaning, Manaka Sajou?
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[Neither the Grail nor Saber are here, so she'll just have to entertain herself in the meantime.]
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Let me know if I can offer my help in any way. As a veteran of this place, it should be my duty to assist others where I can.
[ or something like that... ]
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Mm, of course! If there's something I think you can help me with, you'll be the first person to know. [She pauses, then, thoughtfully, and when she speaks again, her voice has brightened into something more childish.] Mr. Kotomine!