Lynchpin---Castle and Surrounding Grounds.

[lynchpin_castle]

The servants are unseen and unknown. Residents are welcome to take over the Servant’s rooms or not, but it is not recommended. Likewise, it is unclear where the Master resides. Usually s/he will call a meeting of their champions and meet them within the reception all or Banquet room.

Meals are typically taken together as a group, and if requested--training times for the champions as a group may be arranged. Both of the mundane variety, and also recreations of challenge-zones, such as the Labyrinth and the Mirror Gallery. The castle and its immediate surroundings have been set to mimic Earth with its single moon and 24 hour cycle of time, along with a standard Julian calendar for convenience.

Comments

[light_of_willpower]

"Wow, that sounds almost like something the Avatar would do." Ty Lee commented. "Fighting spirits I mean. The Avatar is a being who can bend all 4 elements. Most people can only bend one. They're supposed to be the 'bridge between the spirit world and our world' or something like that."

"It sounds as if you've seen a lot of amazing things, Himawari-san." Trunks commented. Prideful temper huh? It'd be too much of a coincidence and was so very unlikely, even if his first thought had been towards his father with that comment. "It's...kind of a defensive thing, in some ways."

Once more reaching up and rubbing the back of his neck in awkwardness. "My father died while I was a baby, along with most of the others who were my mother's friends, but they were all a group of highly skilled martial artists. Using Ki was almost second nature for a lot of them, and sometimes is for me. Ahsoka and I have discussed it, and her Force, a few times. The main difference seems to be that she's used to pulling from 'without', aka the Force. I'm used to pulling from within, from my own reserves of Ki."

[controllingluck]

Avatar? Her head tilted a moment, but then she smiled. She'd heard that term before too. "I've known people who can control fire, if that counts, but I'm not sure about all the elements at once. And... I wouldn't call what Ichigo could do as being a bridge between two worlds, but, honestly, that could be how it worked for him too."

She held a bit of her hair in her hands, fingers fidgeting with it now, smiling, almost blushing a bit as Trunks said she must have seen a lot of amazing things. "The city I was in, everyone had their own powers. Everyone. So I did get to see a lot of amazing things."

Her smile softened when he spoke of his father and his fathers friends dying while he was a baby. A sad kind of look. That was terrible, to lose a parent at such a young age. Thankfully both her parents were unaffected by her curse, and so she got to keep them for a while, but she knew many who had lost theirs. "Do you know if your father could do that as well? What you do?" She asked, then smiled again, softly. "Ty Lee, is yours from within or around?" Because she was curious now.

[light_of_willpower]

"That would be a fire-bender, probably. Like Azula, or Zuko." Ty-Lee beamed. "Most people can only bend one element. There are fire-benders, water-benders like Katara, and earth-benders, like Toph." Clapping her hands, Ty Lee bounced a bit on her feet. "The avatar is able to bend all of the elements. Aang, the current avatar, is an air-bender to start with, as what he was born as." Then she was tilting her head, trying to think of how to answer Himawari's question.

Trunks nodded, hands at his side once more. "He could. And a lot more." Clear enough that they were on par with each other, even if they had different skills in some ways--he and his father. "He was a crafty and strong fighter, very arrogant and prideful. Stubborn, just like my mother too. They were...very different from each other and I'm still not sure I fully understand how they ended up together."

That was him being polite.

Ty Lee was distracted by this too. Poor Trunks. Where energy in her world came from was honestly forgotten, listening to him.

[controllingluck]

Himawari beamed, bouncing on her toes a moment and clapped once. "Zuko! scar on his face, a short temper but very kind? I've met a version of him!" Generally she's careful of mentioning who she has met before, but this place seemed a bit different. Like it might be okay. They already knew she had been to different places like this.

And Trunks was listing off everything that sounded like...--oh. She looked at him with an amazed little look, then a soft sad smile. She wanted to reach out and give him a squeeze to his shoulder, but she didn't want to ruin his day with that. "I'm sorry, if the subject is a hard one. Your father sounds a lot like the version of the person I have met. If there was any way I could take you back to that city to meet him, I would move time and fate to do so for you."

[light_of_willpower]

Ty Lee wasn't thinking, as she reached out and grabbed Himawari's hands, bouncing too. "That's HIM! A nasty burn-scar right? But Prince of the fire nation?" Pulling back "About yea-tall?" Holding her hand up roughly. "I grew up with his sister, Azula, and our other friend Mai. Wow, I wonder how he never mentioned meeting you before."

Trunks was blinking, and once more his thoughts were going in a few different directions. "He might not know, or be the same one you know Ty Lee..." Holding up his hand, as he had something (well two things, but one right then) more important to focus on. "I'll explain it later, or try to. Himawari...what was his name?"

It would be....wow, it would be weird, and odd, and fate wasn't like that was it?

[controllingluck]

Hima was startled by the hand grab, and her face went a bit pink in the cheeks, but she smiled and bounced a bit with the other. Her fingers twitching a bit. She took a moment to try and control it, the bad luck that was going to happen to the other girl. It should be tiny. Very tiny. A trip over her own feet or a rug or something. Nothing bad. Nothing bad. She wouldn't let her curse be anything bad. She could keep it to a minimal. So she smiled anyhow, watching the girl look so excited.

"Ah, yes, what Trunks-kun said. That city was... special. Not everyone remembered when they went home. If it was the same one at all. I ah, it's hard to explain." She said, and glanced to Trunks as he asked for a name.

"Oh, ah... Vegeta. Very prideful. Very stubborn. A, uh, Prince, I believe he said. He had no patience either, and being trapped there angered him a lot." She gave a nervous laugh. "On his arrival, he left a crater of a large size in the baseball stadium that had to be refilled later. I think if it hadn't been night, I might have lost my life. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, there were some creatures to deal with and that got his attention first."

[light_of_willpower]

Trunks' eyes widened, and he...wasn't sure how to react. Hadn't realized his fists had clenched at his side, and it took him a conscious breath to relax. Nor was he properly hearing at first, Ty Lee exclaiming in awe or something about how Himawari'd met two princes then?

"Vegeta was the Prince of the Saiyans." Instead Trunks spoke very quietly, taking another conscious and deep breath in and out. "I can only imagine those creatures were very good for helping divert his tantrum. Did...he mention anything about why he was trapped there?" Because that would help Trunks know for sure where in the timeline, so to speak, his father had been when he'd met Himawari.

[controllingluck]

"Oh, I've met a few, actually." Himawari said to Ty Lee in a soft whisper, embarrassed, but she was now focused on Trunks. On how he reacted. She looked down to see his hands and back up again to his face as he explained.

"They were a good distraction, for a moment." She said in agreement. She then bit her lower lip, watching the boy. "Oh, well... he was trapped there for the same reason I was. Unwilling, for one. The Core brought him there, like it did all the rest of us. I believe it extracted people from one moment in time. He mentioned needing to fight something? Androids? He was there for at least a couple of years, just training, mostly, until he disappeared again. I've... always wanted to assume when we disappeared, we went home." She looked sad at that. Wataniki and Domeki had disappeared on her twice. She... really hoped they'd just gone home.

"Is that... the same man? You're father?"

[light_of_willpower]

Another band of tension released within him, and another deep breath. A nod, gathering his scattered thoughts. If he was ready to fight the androids...then either Trunks, that is himself in that timeline, was either soon to be, or already born.

Ty Lee, for all she was flighty, was not stupid--and while she wanted to ask a million questions. What was the country Saiyan like? Wow, did that mean Trunks was a prince too?

"It's...complicated. But yes, that was my father. I've met him, but mostly because mother invented a time-machine, and the first time he had no idea who I was. No one did, or it'd screw up things worse than they already were." A sigh, reaching up and brushing his bangs aside, then crossing his arms. "I'm glad you're alright though, Himawari--and that the creatures helped a bit." A hint of grin. "I can give you the full story, but not now if that's okay? I need some time to think."

And maybe not tell it when Ty Lee was around? He was still feeling nettled by the flirting, and then by Ahsoka being upset. Still worried it was with him, but he wasn't sure why. "Ah," Dropping his arms, then bowing to Himawari. "Thank you. For telling me." Back up, and he's definitely turning to go.

Ty Lee blinked, hands on her hips. "Huh. Sounds like an interesting story." Definitely curious, but she waved and smiled at him anyways as he left. Then back to Himawari. "So who else did you meet at this Core? Why were you all brought there?" More than happy to continue asking her questions. "Also, I can help you learn to stretch, if you wanted to start, Himawari. It's really not hard."

[controllingluck]

Himawari looked concerned at the boy, her hand curled up and at her chest, fidgeting with the strings of her shirt. When he said he was glad she was all right, and if he could give her the story later, she gave him a faint smile and a bow of her head. "Of course, Trunks-kun. I would love to swap stories later, when you are feeling up to it." Agreeing to the idea of it, but also leaving it so the other had an out if he wanted. "Please take care." She said as he backed up to leave.

She waited a moment, then frowned softly at his back, looking to Ty Lee again. "It does sound interesting." Then a light smile as she drew both hands behind her back again to rest. "Ah, the Core is a long story. A bit of a mess." She said with a chuckle. "Oh, but I would love to learn something from you. I've picked up small things from so many different people now. It's really been very helpful."