The More I Understand, The More I Find You're Such a Bad Man [open]

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

The Shrine of the Aquila never seemed to get any less creepy, no matter how often she visited for her lessons. For the moment, however, it was the best place for her to continue to repair the defenses that BZ had crashed through when they'd battled.

Miku sat in seiza position, her hands folded in her lap before the altar, facing the pews. Beside her, in a rather mundane looking dressbox, was her kimono. It hadn't left her side since she got it, since she wasn't sure where the safest place to store it would be. The last thing she wanted was a musty furisode.

Her breathing was very slow and regular, almost as if she were sleeping. Maybe she had fallen asleep. After all, she'd been sitting there for well over an hour now.

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[nevergetscredit]

Merlin was horribly lost.

He wasn't quite sure how he'd ended up...wherever he was. Or even how there could be so many buildings! They went on forever! Merlin had been walking for ages and he still hadn't come across any forests, or farmland.

At least when he wanted to get to the citadel in Camelot, all he'd have to do is look around for the giant castle. Here, the citadel would probably get lost behind everything else.

But he didn't expect to find someone asleep on the alter when he randomly stumbled into one of the buildings. He was wanting to find someone to ask for directions, but...he shouldn't wake them. Trying to be quiet, Merlin started sneaking back out.

Unfortunately, his plans for a quiet exit were ruined when he crashed headlong into a statue near the door.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

Miku jerked out of her nap meditation and sat up a little straighter. "Yes, sensei..!" she answered guiltily.

She started to stand, and realized with great alarm that her legs had gone totally numb. Miku flailed and fell forward with a cry of surprise. Now both of them were making noise. She grasped the edge of a pew and laid there, half-propped up. "Are you... are you alright?"

[nevergetscredit]

Merlin hastily jumped up and tried to put the statue back up the right way (and pretended not to notice that large crack which Merlin was sure hadn't been there before).

"Sorry! I didn't mean to...wait, are you alright?" he said, repeating her own question back at her once he noticed that she appeared to be clutching at one of the seats.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I'm fine," Miku huffed and pushed herself up to stand stubbornly. Her sleepy, numb legs started to tingle dully somewhere inside the bone. "My legs must've fallen asleep while I was in position." She paused and watched Merlin try to set the statue to rights. "That statue goes the other way, I think."

[nevergetscredit]

"Right, of course," Merlin said, reaching behind him to turn the statue around. When he turned back around, Miky was standing up and Merlin's jaw dropped - was that a skirt? But how could she wear one that was that short...

Merlin snapped his jaw shut and tried not to assume anything. He didn't want to do that again, not after how horribly that had gone with Wanda. "Um...do you need any help?"

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"Oh, uh... maybe a bit." Miku laughed a little as her legs wobbled. "It feels like someone electrocuted just my legs," she added, mostly to herself. She must have adjusted her feet incorrectly when she started, since usually she had no issues with the position.

"Would you mind very much?"

[nevergetscredit]

Merlin had heard that term 'electricity' before, and while people had kind of explained it Merlin didn't have any idea how it could make someone's legs go all wobbly. Still, he rushed forward anyway to hold out an arm for Miku to grab onto.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

Miku took his arm gratefully and straightened up. Her legs still felt numb and full of pins and needles, but at least she wasn't flopping all over the floor in her skirt. "Thank you!"

She kept a tight hold on his arm, "Was there something you were looking for? Cargn-sensei might still be around." She looked behind her where the large man often seemed to appear, "Somewhere."

[nevergetscredit]

"No...but you could tell me where I am?" Merlin said, grinning a little.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"This is the Shrine of the Aquila, I'm actually not sure what it represents, though, it's not from my world. Or era." She felt that she needed to point that out quickly.

[nevergetscredit]

"Right - and where is the Shrine of Aquila in relation to...everything else on the ship?" Merlin asked.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

Miku looked up thoughtfully at the Shrine's ceiling. "It depends on what you're looking for, really. You can use the hub to get just about anywhere onboard, and that's maybe a mile or so? It might be a bit longer, but I've walked from there for such a long time now it doesn't feel like it anymore. The Hub is kind of in the middle of everything."

Now that she didn't feel like her numbed, tingly legs were going to give out on her, she stood up a little straighter (though it was still woefully short).

[nevergetscredit]

"That's the..." Merlin waved his arms about, as if trying to communicate 'the Hub' though gesture, "...thing, isn't it?"

He'd remembered coming through that thing when he first got to the City. It was not an experience Merlin was looking to repeat. "There wouldn't happen to be any other way of getting back, would there?"

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"Not that I know of. Well..." Miku looked thoughtful. "I imagine that you could find a vent somewhere in the city, but I've heard there are awful things in it. And Stacy-sama gets very upset with people who go in there. Violations and all. She's serious about it, I guess."

[nevergetscredit]

"So there's no way to get back that doesn't involve tentacles or something even more horrible? Great. Just great," Merlin said dryly. He'd been hoping to avoid going through all of that again...

He tilted his head. "What are violations? Can Stacy throw us in a cell?"

[everdistant_utopia]

It was like no church or temple the King of Knights had ever seen, either in her own time or the era she had been summoned to before she had awakened from her pod. It was strange enough to bring the little blonde out of her musings, and she was not so lacking in curiosity that she would choose to ignore something.

But more importantly, she might be able to find some answers, or some indicator of what path she should take, now that her entire reason for becoming a Servant was apparently gone. The Church of her reality had been neutral ground in the War for the Holy Grail and one of the surest places to find answers. It was possible that among the many different places now open to her, she might find some possible route.

It was not terribly surprising that someone was already there. She appeared to the Servant to be meditating, but there was no way to tell for certain. Cautiously, Saber approached, though she made no move to disturb the woman just yet.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

This time, Miku was actually doing what she'd set out to earlier. She could see her shrine and had fixed most of the walls where BZ had thrown herself against. But after awhile, the mind shrine faded and she started to fall asleep.

At least until she heard someone in front of her. Miku opened one eye and rubbed her still numb leg. "Oh! Hello. Are you here to see Cargn-sensei?" Not that she had any idea where her teacher was at the moment.

For such a large man, he was terribly sneaky.

[everdistant_utopia]

The young woman was probably an acolyte of some sort, Saber guessed; she appeared to be still in training.

"Ah... no, I am not. I am merely searching for something. I am afraid I do not know what, however"

It was a vague answer, to be sure, but even the Servant herself wasn't certain just what it was she hoped to find in this strange place.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

Well, that was... confusing. Not that she hadn't done the same thing (ghosts were very unhelpful when they gave directions) before. "Oh! I see," she smiled sheepishly. "Hm. It isn't a building, is it? There are lots of places in Religion Row, but I don't know all the names."

Her legs tingled wildly, but she still made herself stand up (albeit a bit pigeon-toed) and bowed slightly, "I'd be happy to help you however I can, though."

[everdistant_utopia]

Saber's secrecy was as much a part of her personality as it was the need of a Servant to keep her identity and oft-times her motivations and plans a safe. Perhaps aboard this alien ship-city, things were different, but she was nevertheless compalled to tread carefully where she went. She still had no assurances she was not in some manner of enemy territory.

However, revealing something of her confusion might not do any harm. "Not precisely," she replied evenly. "Where I am from, answers can be found by way of the Church. Though this manner of Church is unfamiliar to me, I considered beginning at this point."

Admittedly, she was somewhat surprised by the offer. "I do not wish to inconvenience you, nor interrupt your training."

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"It's no interruption; please, I would be very happy to help." She was fairly certain she'd be admonished for falling asleep (again), so anything to distance herself from Cargn's disappointed face was quite welcome. "There are quite a number of churches and shrines. Are you looking for a certain religion, maybe?"

Well, she was a white, blue-eyed, blond lady. It wouldn't be a stretch to assume she wasn't from any Japan Miku knew of. "Maybe Christianity?" Her mother hadn't really cared for them, and Miku herself was the general mixture of Shinto and Buddhist common for the nation.

[everdistant_utopia]

Saber paused, lifting a closed hand to her chin in her habitual gesture of thought. "The Church that oversees the previous war I had been summoned for appeared to be connected to the Holy Church of Rome. It seemed rather different from the Holy Church I remember."

And then, there was the issue of the temple that had been involved, and the fact that the small city in Japan had been selected as the appropriate battleground for the Holy Grail War. "However, a Buddhist or Shinto shine might do, as well."

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae had gone on a casual stroll, much to Nokosi's persistance on going to explore the ship. For once she wasn't lugging around her full armor set, and her tell tale axe wasn't strapped to her back either. This time she had gone out in more relaxed clothes; A zipped up black hoodie and a flowy knee lenght skirt. Her twin blades still decorated her sides, afterall she didn't like feeling defenseless.

She halted as she came unto the scene. She stared at the shrine for a bit before her focus went to the girl meditating. Hm, guess it's practiced in other worlds too.

She tentatively walked nearby and plopped on the ground, she got into the meditative position she had been taught and closed her eyes. She kept opening one and eyeing the girl beside her, she knew she'd rather be lazying back under a tree, but meditation wasn't always that bad.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

Inwardly, Miku was putting the final touches on the safe space in her mind. There was a little, psychic push of caution, represented by a cloud on the horizon of the field her safe space grew from. Slowly, Miku disengaged from her meditative state and opened one eye.

There was a green... person staring back at her in the same position. Though Miku had been on the ship long enough to not scream, but it didn't make her any less startled. "Oh...! Um. Are you hear to see Cargn-sensei?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae opened her eyes and smiled warmly. The young half orcess outstretched a hand out in a friendly gesture.

"Hiya! I'm Ronnae, Ronnae 'Mash Belore Ryllos. And Cagn? No I just saw you here meditating and thought this was the area maybe assigned by the crew to do so." She looked up in thought, "I don't do it often but dad always said it was good to clear one's mind."

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

That was possibly more names than she's ever heard smashed together before. And Steve had three.

"Er, well... This is just where I take my lessons. I don't think there's a place for proper meditation, actually," Miku explained. "If I think about it, I hardly hear of anyone doing it." Which was probably why Religion Row tended to be a bit ghost towny.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae scrunched up her nose comically.

"Really? Hearing some of the comm call things it would seem like many 'should' meditate regularly. It would surely do them good!" She laughed lightly.

"Sorry I bothered ya!"

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"You get used to it," Miku smiled slightly and shrugged. "The crew has always been this way, so it'd be strange if everyone suddenly got along." She would have to start looking for doppelgangers. Miku fiddled with the butterfly charm on her necklace for a moment. "My name is Miku Hinasaki. It's nice to meet you..." Better stick to the Western Order, "Reelloos-san?"

Forgive her Ronnae, she's human.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

She smiled. "Ryllos" She worded out. "That's my dad's last name! You can call me Ronnae, or Ronnie, or anything like that!" The young half orcess seemed friendly enough.

[ghost-bait.livejournal.com]

"Ronnae-san, then," Miku amended apologetically. She stood up slowly, and made a face as her legs protested the movement by tingling. "That's kind of pretty, does it mean anything?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae looked down, her cheeks flushed a bit with color as she gets reminded of her family, and the name given to her by her parents. She does her best to keep her emotions from overflowing.

"I... It does... Ronnae means 'heart'...." She smiles appreciatively. "My full given name... Ronnae 'Mash Belore.... 'Peaceful heart of the sun'. That's my given name..." She smiles sincerely at Miku, her eyes a bit glossy but she's doing a good job holding in!