☘ 004; [action/phone]

[riastrad_ridire]

[A; 311 Miller Street; morning]

[Sitting on the windowsill of her room (and boy was it ever a pain getting it there) is this, with an attached note:]

Rin--

This place is enough to drive the best people insane.

Try to remember you have at least one friend to rely on.

[B; 1331 Benny Road; morning]

[He hadn't seen her in a while; that alone was

Comments

[action + phone]

[riastrad_ridire]

[dismissing Archer is just what he DOES half the time okay]

Wherever you can manage it, at whatever time. It's not something I can talk about over the phone.

[action + phone]

[riastrad_ridire]

I'll be there.

[He was too preoccupied with the trainwreck today was to question it, and hung up without another word.]

[action]

[riastrad_ridire]

[What the hell was this place--no scratch that, he didn't care. At all. And nobody dared suggest Lancer even go near a pair of rollerskates after the withering glares he gave to the few that dared to try.]

[It was a bad idea to cross a very angry Lancer.]

Sorry I called you so suddenly, Rin.

[action]

[riastrad_ridire]

Maybe some other time. [His tone was dismissive; he really wasn't in any mood for her usual games today.]

...Mayfield gave you a brother, am I right?

[action]

[riastrad_ridire]

....He's calling himself what.

[He brought a hand to his head, laughing in a quiet and almost self-deprecating way. Of course Connla couldn't give his name when asked, and of course Rin would likely insist until he said something.]

That's not his real name. I'm surprised you managed to even get some kind of alias out of him.

[Lancer took a deep breath and sighed.]

And I have far more reason to be protective of that child than Archer. 'Cuán'...translates to 'little hound' in my country's language, Rin.

[She could draw her own conclusions from that much.]

[action]

[riastrad_ridire]

He'll figure it out soon enough, I'm sure. Archer already knows who I am and he's too damned smart for his own good. [But he planned to handle Archer himself.] And anyone that comes near him will have me to deal with, no matter how little power I have now.

And he's no ordinary child. Not by a long shot. [There was a smirk on Lancer's face as he spoke--a normal occurrence, save for the fact that it seemed forced and almost physically pained somehow. Whatever had gone on with Lancer before he called her, it wasn't good.]

Did the fact that he called himself a derivative of my own title not give you that hint? His name is Connla, his mother was Scathach's sister...and his father's name was Cú Chulainn.

[action]

[riastrad_ridire]

...because what ended up happening to him was nearly as much her fault as it was mine. Aoife held a grudge against me for leaving her for so long, and so she basically gave Connla a death sentence.

He wouldn't tell you his name when you first asked, would he?

[action]

[riastrad_ridire]

...I don't know. She hated me, that much I'm sure of. But I don't know what the hell I think about her anymore. [Goddammit, why was this so difficult.]

You're right, but that's not the point I'm getting to. He can't give anyone his name.