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 Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:35 am
*~::Trish's Spring::~*
[The Third Holy Grail War]
A strange and magically refreshing spring in a hidden location somewhere within the city. Those who find it usually happen upon it by chance, and those who seek healing within often have to pay the toll to the playful (and greedy) fairy within!
However merely being here has a way of refreshing the spirit. It is a great place to refresh for a master and servant...the downside is that also makes it a place where you are more likely to encounter an enemy and be forced to fight as well.
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Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 5:04 am
Sieg Shimazu
"...hmph, we've discussed this enough." The temporary head of the Shimazu sighed, folding his arms. Across from him sat his talented young pupil and nephew, Izuru, and the unhappy look on his face spelled out his feelings on the matter. "Izuru, the Holy Grail is a relic with power beyond most comprehension. If it's really appeared, then it is our duty to bring it back to the Shimazu clan. This relic is the key to changing the fate of the Shimazu clan...isn't that clear?" Their entry had nearly been a sense of propriety, a fact that they could only have refused if they wanted to shame themselves, but even if it hadn't Sieg would have continued down this path. The Holy Grail was an unspeakably powerful weapon, one that could claim countless lives, or make a monster out of a once somewhat dangerous enemy.
Or it be a beacon of hope for those who intended to win. Just obtaining the cup could bring great honor to their family, but the wish itself...a power so great it could bring back the dead? Sieg would be able to decide on that when the time came. But...somewhere in his heart, he was trying to bury the thing he truly wanted for himself. "My dear nephew...if we don't claim the Grail, then nothing changes. The Shimazu remain caught in this pointless cycle of war, and someone with far worse intentions may have their wish granted instead. But if we could revive those whom we've lost recently; bring back even those who have already passed on..." Sieg meant to tell Izuru that he would try to save their recently deceased clan mates, but his wording was definitely flawed. The idea of bringing back the dead should have given anyone hesitation, but it was clear in Sieg's eyes...he had no trace of either wavering, or hesitation.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 2:14 pm
Izuru Yoshiyuki Shimazu, Ally of Love
"...Some day, love will find you! Break those chains that bind you..."Why didn't his uncle understand? In all the years that they had known one another, it had been...a great number since he had ever seen his mind so set on an idea, but everything about the subject just seemed to rub the promising young swordsman the wrong way. It was one thing to come to a beautifully traditional city like Sapporo with all of its beautiful, snow-crowned glory at the height of its radiance for a tour, but it was another to find yourself on the complete opposite end of the country from your home in search of a relic that may or may not even exist in a fight that promised to be as intense (if not more so) than any other that the clan had seen in years. This Holy Grail business was unnatural, and the cold wasn't doing his skin any favors, either, even with the glorious hot spring doing all it could to rejuvenate him. In short, Izuru was unhappy with the entire arrangement, that he was here, that his uncle was so insistent on chasing this pipe dream. And yet...there was no talking him out of it. By right, his uncle still had control of the clan until Zoro was ready to inherit what was rightfully his...what need did the clan have of magic relics when they had such a powerful heir in line to bring the entire family back to prominence.
"Uncle...you know better than anyone that fighting and war are two things that I despise; there's no quicker way to age yourself or mar your skin than swordsmanship, after all," he quipped, unwilling to let this mood seep into the tremendously dark territory that Sieg seemed intent on taking it to, "But bringing the dead back to life is unnatural...and don't you think my older brother is strong enough to revive the clan without resorting to this? Honestly, uncle...why not stay here and enjoy the waters? They say it makes your hair shinier and brings out the color in the skin...and if you go out there, you might end up dying for nothing." Izuru glanced towards the fairy in charge of the springs and noted that she was purposely not looking in their direction, as if making an open display of tact to show she wasn't eavesdropping. Either way, Izuru had no intention of letting this carry on. It was now or never for his uncle's decision...stay and go home safe, believe in the strength of his brother's sons...or stay in this city, leave the spring, and chase his unattainable dream. The young swordsman had already made his point enough.
Whatever his uncle decided, though, his nephew would have no choice but to support him and wish him the best of luck. In spite of any disagreement they might be having, they were still family...still Shimazu. And they had both lost more than enough to these endless wars already...
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 6:48 pm
Sieg Shimazu
"It is the duty of the Shimazu clan to claim dangerous magic artifacts, before they are misused. Izuru, one day you're going to have to stop running from your responsibilities, and accept the destiny of the Shimazu bloodline." Unlike the others, Sieg rarely turned a blind eye to Izuru's philandering, and while Zoro or the others might be convinced to stay their tongue for a bit by Izuru batting his innocent eyes, Sieg only glared back instead. Why couldn't Izuru understan what was expected of him by everyone, and by Sieg? He has so much potential, and yet he only wanted to use it when dangerous seemed to reach clear to his door. One day he'd understand that waiting until such a time to act often meant you were too late. "I've had enough of the hot springs for now. This isn't about me Izuru, this is about everyone who bears the Shimazu name. I owe it to the family to bring them this Grail, and it is also expected of me. If I were to leave without fighting, it would dishonor not only myself, but Zoro and the others as well." Sieg picked up a document, one detailing their entrance into the tournament, and the few who were already known of. The information of the Shimazu was much more organized than most, but their reach didn't extend to this city, and that meant that what he had to go on was limited.
Sieg sighed as he stood, glancing through the papers again. "Izuru, please understand...you have far more potential than your brother, but you don't seem to care what is expected of you. It is my belief, and my desire that the Shimazu Clan one day be inherited by you, instead of your brother. However if you do not seek this yourself, or if you continue to ignore the burden, then it is a dream of mine that will never come to pass. Your brother is strong, but he isn't wise. If our family faces great hardship the outcome may fall upon you, Izuru, and whether you are able to bear that burden." Sieg moved towards the door, and raised the paper in his hand, watching as it suddenly lit up and disappeared in a blaze of fire and then swift gust of ash. Although it was not a familial way to explain it, he felt the point needed to be given to Izuru. He had great hopes for him, but Izuru needed to embrace the Shimazu, or ultimately he would only end up burdened by them.
He turned to look at Izuru, but it struck him suddenly that the look on his nephew's face was one of true unhappiness, and worry. Strangely, he found himself smiling instead. "Still, there's no need to worry Izuru. I will win this War, because I have no intention of leaving the family unprotected for a long time to come. When I do, we'll all return to Kyushu, and relax together as we always have. You, Zoro, myself and the others...it'll be like it always has, before this trouble in Inaba began. Maybe not forever, but a little vacation every now and then isn't something to fret over." While he thought the words would be reassuring, a pain in his hand caused Sieg to clutch the back of his right hand with his left, looking at the command seal suddenly. It seemed that the battle truly had begun, and so there was no more time for false assurances. He could lose his life in this battle, but he could also gain the power to restore many more, and if he weighed his life versus the good of the Shimazu, he knew which he must value more. "It seems my Servant has found someone. I should leave immediately so I can focus my attention on the battle. With the Shimazu's resources and Lancer's power, victory will be but an afterthought. If you want to stay Izuru, the first hand experience may be invaluable. But if you still don't wish to fight for your family..." Sieg placed his hand on a table next to the door, leaving a ticket. With it, Izuru could leave Sapporo, and return home. However, Sieg had truly thought better of Izuru, and he hoped that he would refuse the ticket...if not, then he still had much to learn.
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Posted: Sat May 03, 2014 7:25 pm
 Ciela Kuzunoha the I"Oh, my. So there are people here after all." a voice mused, even as its owner paid a toll to the fairy that was overlooking the place. She didn't sound particularly surprised by that, though, and Ciela calmly walked in, wearing... well... what looked to be nothing more than a pair of towels. That was surprisingly modest of her, all things considered. After all, hot springs were for relaxing, and it was important to keep your body in good condition when you were dealing with an event of this particular type. Of course, her Servant was standing by, concealed nearby, ready to give notice long before any foes could get too close... but that was pretty much a given, right? Much more important was figuring out how to arrange things so that the right person won, and all of this could be put behind them. Quite frankly, an outright victory wasn't what she was looking for. She just needed to arrange things so that the end result was satisfactory to the Yatagarasu, and that was enough to call it good.
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Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 2:13 am
Izuru Yoshiyuki Shimazu, Ally of Love
"...Some day, love will find you! Break those chains that bind you..."His uncle was gone now, but the words that he left behind didn't go with him, instead reverberating around the spring and inside of his mind for a while longer thereafter. It wasn't as though he didn't know what the others thought of him...that he was a layabout, that he didn't care what happened to the family, that he paid more attention to his hair than he did to his sword...it didn't matter to him, really. They could think what they wanted, though he knew the truth of the matter as well as anyone that in his heart, he couldn't abandon his family. He would have left home ages ago, cast aside the lifestyle of a swordsman and lived life as the ally of love that he proclaimed himself to be, but there was no way that his loyalty and love of his family would allow him to betray them that way. He cared about them, wanted to keep them safe in their own way, and more than trying to abandon them, his deepest wish was merely to turn their eyes to the greater things in the world than fighting and steel. He wanted them to embrace love, life, happiness...he didn't want to lose them in the same way that they had lost so much already...his parents included in that. And he knew that his uncle expected a lot of him, or at least his potential, but to say that this offer of a ticket to abandon him in Sapporo for the duration of the War while he fought with his life on the line was expected was...more than Izuru could admit.
Did Sieg really think so little of him that he'd expect him to leave him in this city of devils all alone? The whole of the Shimazu couldn't clear this city out without a Hell of a fight, and he wanted to traipse around Sapporo with the devils walking the streets and this war on by himself? Izuru didn't even have to look at the ticket longingly before making his decision, lifting it between his fingers and watching as the paper shredded down the middle with the slightest of snaps of his fingers. This was all really...too much for them. His uncle needed to understand that there were limits to what they could accomplish on their own, that there were more important things in the world than working all the time. But if he wasn't alive, how could he ever show him? How could he help him find a woman to settle down with at this a-...speaking of woman...was that...?!
...His face drained of color for a moment, then refilled about ten shades deeper than before. Ally of love though he might have been, he was always one for the utmost respect and decorum when it came to winning them over. This...unexpected intrusion was something that he wasn't exactly ready for...to say the least.
"I'm sorry!"
...
In a flash the swordsman was out of the door, leaving the Kuzunoha to her own devices. He hadn't decided or figured out exactly where he was going just yet, but he knew that he couldn't stay in the spring with a girl dressed like that! Propriety! His propriety was at stake, and her innocence! Did she even realize...?!
...
...Of course, even as he ran out of the doors, the real wonder wasn't why she had come inside in the first place; the wonder was that Izuru could recognize her as a girl from the outset with such a small chest!
*Badumtiss*
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Posted: Sun May 04, 2014 8:16 pm
Ciela Kuzunoha the IAfter a relaxing bath with the others that were in the area, Ciela quietly cleaned off and put on some clothes. Despite the jokes that some people might have made, she did understand the point of wearing clothes. More importantly, though, she had a lot of things to go over, and preparations to make. If you wanted to do well in a competition like this, utilizing limited resources, then you had to be very smart about how you went about resolving your problems... so it was time to see what could be done.
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