in my darkest hours I could not foresee; (CLOSED)

[gandere]

WHO: Rin Tohsaka (gandere), Kariya Matou (waiting_for_the_worms), & Lancer (riastrad_ridire).
WHAT: One of the parental figures in Rin's life needs to meet her "boyfriend".
WHERE: Neutron Diner.
WHEN: June 24th, early afternoon.
WARNINGS: None. May have spoilers for Fate/ due to the people involved.

[ Rin's nervous. With the recent radio call followed by the frantic "investigators" of the town coming together with their own thoughts and ideas, it was important that dinner become lunch. She may have not been able to properly warn Kariya in time and besides, Lancer needed to get a good look at him to understand just who it is he was to protect over her now.

Well, she could insist on that point. Lancer tended to ignore her these days, choosing instead to favor the girl over any of her chosen charges instead.

So she'll be sitting at a table in the Neutron Diner by herself, waiting for the man to join her. Lancer should be nearby, he tends to be, so she doesn't seem wholly concerned. In fact, the diner is pretty empty in favor of other things going on in the town. How fortunate for her to choose this place and this time. ]

Lancer. There's something I should tell you first about this man. [ Rin will speak out loud even though he's yet to make an appearance. ] I consider him my uncle.

Comments

[riastrad_ridire]

Ow--! What the hell, you're shouting right now!

[Facepalm.]

Believe me, if you didn't cause it, something would have.

[gandere]

Oh and what is that supposed to mean, Lancer? [ Huffily getting up from his side and promptly forcing Kariya to let her sit near him. ] Well? Do you dare insult me in front of my dearest uncle?

[ This is pretty much their entire relationship. Rin doesn't feel an ounce of remorse for anything she's done so far surprisingly, staring Lancer down as though she was silently daring him to say otherwise. ]

[waiting_for_the_worms]

[Still utterly mystified at this, Kariya moves over to let Rin in.]

...How long did you say you two have been dating?

[Because it's either 'two days' or 'eight years' with the way they're acting.]

[riastrad_ridire]

It means you use me as your personal punching bag. But whatever. You know I can take it.

[Fine. Sit on that side, it's harder to reach him.]

...A while.

[gandere]

[ She can still reach his knees with a well-timed kick.
Take that, idioooot! ]

Seven months since he can't remember. Must be an Irish thing to be incapable of counting or maybe it's because he's spent years out of those seven months drunk. [ Whatever, she'll earn Kariya's favor by giving him a bright smile. ] See, Lancer isn't that bad of a guy when he's not pissing me off.

[waiting_for_the_worms]

[Rin knows how to play this game with Uncle Kariya. He smiles back at her, nodding.]

Well, as long as you're happy with this.

[But he does need to say this to Lancer at least once, so...]

And you make sure to take good care of her too, all right, Lancer? Rin's always been tough and independent, but make sure you're there for her when it counts. Consider this the 'don't make my little girl cry' speech, for what it's worth.

[He's smiling a little, but the tone is unmistakably serious. If there's one thing Kariya values more than anything, it's the happiness of the Tohsaka sisters, after all.]

[riastrad_ridire]

Yeah, yeah, I know.

[Siiiigh. Rin, why you gotta be like that.]

She drives me up a wall more often than not, but I've upset enough women in my lifetime. Not really lookin' to continue the trend, know what I mean?

[gandere]

[ Even if Rin wasn't willing to admit it, the manner in which she gazes at Lancer gave away her thoughts and feelings. This moment was how she always dreamed it would be; a man who cares for her facing off against a parental figure and both getting along surprisingly well.

That's not the way of magi. For example, if this were Tokiomi, Lancer would have punched him and the man would have prohibited Rin from ever seeing him again. He might have even taken her Command Seals for himself. ]

Uncle Kariya. [ Her voice is soft as she turns her attention back to him, a subtle smile on her face. ] Lancer may have not been my Servant during the Fifth Holy Grail War, but he's the only one for me here.

[waiting_for_the_worms]

[Kariya's serious demeanor melts away at that, and he gives Rin a nod and a pat on the shoulder as his own smile broadens. He was originally more excited about this lunch date because of Rin trusting him over her father with emotional details of her life, but now he's forgotten about that and is just genuinely happy for her.]

All right, then. It seems like Lancer would take good care of you even without the contract binding him to do it. And you two seem perfect for each other, as strange as that seems, so who am I to stand in the way? I think I'm all right with this.

[riastrad_ridire]

...Well damn, that went a lot better than the last time I went to get approval from someone.

[Considering that ended in training from hell followed by killing the guy and eloping with his daughter anyway.]

[gandere]

Good, because I have something important to say. [ There's no way this is going to end well, but she had to get it out. Instead of saying it where Kariya could hear though, she uses the spiritual link between Master and Servant:

I command you to place this man as your number one person to protect.

She flinches in place shortly after, as a hand goes to the back of her neck. Rubbing the spot, she gives a nod before calling a waiter over. ]

Let's just get our orders in, alright?

[waiting_for_the_worms]

[And without his circuits, Kariya is none the wiser that anything has occurred here whatsoever.]

Sounds good to me.

[gandere]

[ Rin's quick to make her order and is picky with every detail as expected. From how many pickles her burger should have to the proper amount of ice in her cup. For a moment, she might even seem as much of an elitist as her father.

She's polite enough for them to turn in their own orders at least. ]

[waiting_for_the_worms]

[After glancing at the menu, Kariya puts in his own order.]

I'll have two hamburgers, a large fry, and a chocolate milkshake.

[riastrad_ridire]

[Just. Facepalming.]

I'm not all that hungry.

[Which, y'know. Was true.]

[gandere]

Idiot, just because I'm paying with Archer's money doesn't mean you have to turn down a good meal. [ Shooting him a glare. Plus she wanted to steal his fries when he wasn't looking. ] This man troubles me so much, Uncle Kariya.

[waiting_for_the_worms]

Yeah, come on, Lancer. Don't be shy!

[Smiling cheerfully, completely oblivious of the shenanigans that took away Lancer's appetite.]

[gandere]

See Lancer, even Uncle Kariya is asking it of you. Hurry up and place your order before I beat you into doing it.

[riastrad_ridire]

[FACEPALM.]

You'd just hit me regardless, so I don't see the point. But if it'll put off you punching me in the face by a few minutes, I'll just get a coffee.

[waiting_for_the_worms]

She offered to pay, so you may as well at least get a free coffee out of it.

[Kariya laughs a little, trying to keep the mood light.]

[gandere]

[ It doesn't take Rin long to shoo off the waiter, leaving the poor men alone with her. ]

I guess we should talk about the seriousness of the situation we're in. [ Not that she really wanted to shift from the light-hearted mood that was between them so quickly, but it was necessary. Who knew what was going to happen next? She couldn't predict it, neither could either of them. ] About Mayfield and other villainous folk that just happen to be our neighbors.

[riastrad_ridire]

[Lancer sighed, but his demeanor barely shifted. Casual as ever, the only indication things had become more serious was a slight change in tone. And even then, he sounded more like he just wanted to get things over with than anything else.]

Might as well, yeah. What specifics did you have in mind?

[waiting_for_the_worms]

This is all still completely new to me, so anything either of you can tell me would be helpful. I already know some of it from having talked to Sakura and Rider, but if there's anything I should be watching out for, please let me know.

[gandere]

I've been careful enough to keep some things from Sakura. [ Rider as well, if Rin's been good. ] For example, I take care of the Shirou drone every night.

[ Maybe she shouldn't have said that out loud. ]

[riastrad_ridire]

I'm not sure where to even sta--wait, you what? Why didn't you just tell me to do that?!