asgardeventide | 001; [video]

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001; [video]

[the feed cuts in with red eyes staring intently and curiously close to the recording device as a woman’s voice comments, clearly speaking to herself:]

--and when the display shows that, it’s record--oh!

[the camera seems to shift and adjust as a white-haired woman leans back and away, surprise on her face before it falls into an embarrassed apologetic expression, a hand lifting to her mouth]

I’m sorry! I’m still learning about how to work this device. It’s not something I’m used to and I wasn’t expecting... ah, I should introduce myself, shouldn’t I? [she lowers her hand to smile a bit more politely, cheerfully] I’m Irisviel von Einzbern. It’s nice to meet you all--ah, although... I don’t quite know who all is watching this right now. But even if we hadn’t met, I hope that we can get to know each other and get along in the future. Oh, I’m with the House of Freya, if you’d like to meet! I’m free for the time being, though I hope to help in a shop or clinic somewhere in town soon, so please feel free to stop by anytime.

[she seems satisfied with this message and continues to smile for a moment before it fades a bit as she tilts her head. the camera seems to tilt and turn in different directions, the woman’s feet, different parts of her apartment, and then her face again appearing. once again, she wears an embarrassed but amused expression as she laughs a bit]

And, um. If you do come... if you could show me how to turn off the recording...? And maybe how to work the rest of it. It was a lot to learn all at once...!

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[looks off to the side again, presumably toward the exit, before looking back to his image quickly as if afraid that he'd vanish from one moment to the next]

Yes, I can.

Kiritsugu, where...?

[where is he, where is Ilya... these are things she wants to ask but instead, trails off and starts to walk quickly toward the door]

It's a completely different dimension from ours. They claim it's the source of every other world, though I've yet to see proof.

[He has to keep it businesslike. She knows how it is -- he's flat because inside he's a wreck. Everything is barely held in check, and the tension shows.]

I'm going to hang up for a few minutes. I'll be there as fast as I can.

[it's all the more reason for her to pick up her pace. there's something wrong, she can tell not just by his mannerisms but from the way he looks, the way he speaks or rather what he doesn't say]

I'll wait for you.

[There's a brief nod, and then the feed goes out.

It takes him a few minutes to get there, though he runs most of the way. He slows early enough that he's not breathing too hard when he walks onto the grounds, but the deterioration of his body is still obvious. He's not as bad as he was when he arrived, but he's still worn down, thin, and so, so tired.

His intention was to take her somewhere private. He was going to hold it together until they were tucked away out of view of anyone else. But when he sees her, alive and well and here, it all evaporates. His pace picks up, going from a walk to a trot to a jog that doesn't stop until she's held tight in his arms.]

[she's manages to turn off her bracelet in the time it takes him to reach the area.

she almost misses his arrival but turns just as he begins to pick up his pace again. she meets him halfway, of course, just wanting to hold onto him and feel his arms around her.

but she can tell the differences just in that alone. she can feel the difference in the strength in his arms and the weakness in his body from the loss of muscle. his heavy breathing from what should have been a relatively easy task for him is both alarming and distressing.

she holds back any comments on the matter, however. Kiritsugu is rarely the type of person to allow himself this sort of overt reaction and to put it out in the open any further would be more distressing to him. so she simply keeps her arms around him, lets him hold her close as she leans into the embrace]

[The last time he saw her, it was his hands around her neck. It wasn't really her, but for all it did to him it may as well have been. Even though she was dead long before that...

He hadn't even had the chance to hold her til the end.

He breathes for a moment, shaking all over, then pulls back just enough to tug her off towards a quieter part of the yard. There are plenty of trees and little places to sit, and he's gotten his head on straight at least enough to want to get to a secluded corner. After that he can collapse onto her shoulder and cry.]

[she lets him take the lead, watching him closely while the worry within her starts to spike up, putting a tightening sensation in her gut. of all the times her husband has reached his limits, this was the most severe she'd personally witnessed.

worse, she does not know what exactly it is stemming from. the shock of seeing her, alive and well again? that would be a sensible thought save for his own condition, the signs of weakness and age..

and when he begins to cry, all she can think to do is shift so her arms are around his shoulders, one hand carding through his hair as she tries to encourage him to let out whatever it is he his holding in.

after a short while of allowing this, she remembers what that faceless doll had said was her knew magic and resolves to give him a bit of peace]

[It takes a bit for him to calm down. He'd gotten all worked up, letting out even a little of the sorrow and guilt and fear he'd been holding in since her death. But hysterics don't do either of them any good, so the help in getting ahold of himself is appreciated. Though he doesn't really notice it's an outside influence until his breathing has steadied.

Even when it does, he stays there huddled in her arms. It's right where he'd needed to be for far too long.]

I'm sorry.

[For everything. For failing. For being a mess right now, instead of being able to present the woman he loves with a warm welcome.]

[continues stroking his hair, maintaining that soothing spell for a while longer.

she leans her head a bit against his while her free hand cups the side of face]

This isn't something to apologize for. Kiritsugu.

[she's aware there's more to it than that but just one less burden on those shaking shoulders...]

Edited 2013-03-11 08:42 (UTC)

What are you doing?

[He mutters almost sleepily when it dawns on him that he's calmer than he should be. He feels pleasant and even a little drowsy, and it clashes sharply with the thoughts still crashing through his head.

Maybe he'd be mad that he's having his mood manipulated, if it wasn't so soothing -- and if he didn't know how badly he needs it right now just to function.]

[her tone takes on a lighter edge in spite of the concern weighing in her chest]

You've always pushed yourself so hard, and it must have been even moreso...

[she trails off, wanting to broach the subject but understanding that the man she loves is in no shape to continue that line of thought. not like this]

It's not much to use the magic this god called Freya has given me to help where I could not before.

Your power?

[Yeah, he might think to get irritated about this later. Right now he just feels comfortable and dreamy and he thinks Iri's chest is a great place to rest his head. He is, quite obviously, utterly exhausted.]

[she'll have to let up on it eventually but is quite content with keeping him comfortable]

Don't be too upset at me for it. It is also for me.

[because the shock of seeing him, understanding his poor condition, and witnessing such a powerful collapse from this man who, when she last saw him, was able to maintain his composure even when the reality before him was so tragic... of course she would be effected.]

You'll wear yourself out, you know.

Then we'll be a mached set, won't we?

Please don't strain yourself.

["Don't do anything risky."

She's here now and, for just this moment, he'll be selfish enough to think he doesn't want her to go away.]

Just this isn't much of a strain.

[pauses the hairpetting for a moment, letting her hands move to settle on his face.]

... Kiritsugu... you're not well.

[it's not a question. and out of everything that is mars this reunion of theirs, his condition, his appearant health is tthe most obvious]

[The force of his emotional response is enough to challenge her ability to chill him out. No, he's not well. But if he says why, he'll have to tell her how much he failed and how much he ruined.

Of course, if there's anyone he can talk to about it, it's Iri. But at the same time he's terrified he'll see reject in her eyes despite all he knows about her, and he'll be left all alone in a way he's never really been since they met (even when she was gone).]

No. I arrived here after my own death. Iri, I--

...I was wrong. It all went wrong.

[more than his emotions, it is what he says that nearly has her lose the focus on maintaining the calming atmosphere. she freezes for a moment, taking in those words and at a loss of how to respond to them...

the she is shifting, moving her arms to encircle his shoulders again, needing to feel his warmth and putting in more effort to the magic]

How long...?

[It would be a lie to call his hold on her anything but clinging at this point. Even with her power between him and meltdown, he's still shaking again, fingers curling tightly in the back of her blouse.]

It's been five years. It was all pointless. It was impossible, and after that-- I tried everything. I couldn't get her back.

[couldn't get her back.

couldn't get her back--]

--but Ilya... our Ilyasviel...

[not even bringing mention to the idea of a failed endeavor for the Grail, the sacrifices being for nothing. even if Kiritsugu were to fail at obtaining his wish, there was still Ilya, their daughter, the reason to live on...]

They wouldn't even let me see her. I tried, Iri. Everything I could think of.

[bites her lip, holding onto him tighter now. tears are in her eyes at the idea of her daughter being left in that cold castle, Kiritsugu being unable to reclaim her due to the Einzberns' interference. if the wish hadn't been made... if Ilya was still in the hands of those magi...

the next Heavens Feel, the next Holy Grail War.

keeping silent while she cries is difficult when all she had wanted was that their child would not have to experience that fate.]

[He's not sure what else he can say. He could tell her everything, but right now he just wants to hold on and not think. Her power makes him calmer than he should but, but he thinks he doesn't deserve that kind of peace.]

Stop using it. Let it hurt like it's supposed to.

No.

[and despite the shake in her voice, her answer is firm]

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