Awkward Reunions [Turk] [BACKDATED]

[Nia]

The chores list confused her.

Emiya studied the list of chores hung up on the wall in the Barracks, perplexed by a name in particular. More specifically, her partner in cleaning the storage rooms that day. Emi was becoming notoriously late for her Candidacy chores, something that the Candidate Masters would probably start to notice if she didn't get her act together soon. She'd woken up extra early that morning to check the day's chores list in order to get a head start, however she was stuck staring at it in confusion. Her partner was only listed as "Pyrus", with nothing else written about them. Emi was positive she knew that name, but her brain was telling her it wasn't possible. It couldn't be the same kid she'd known way back when she was a little girl. No way.

She rolled her eyes and turned away abruptly from the list, muttering to herself, "You're bein' an idiot, Emi. You don' even remember how to spell his name, let alone how this 'un even pronounces it." She was being silly and she knew it. Besides, if it WAS him... well, she certainly hadn't let her anger at his betrayal go. Just thinking about it made her angry, though she sort of did understand it better now that she was older. Sometimes families just got up and moved. Hers did, and Emi had to admit it had been a good idea. She probably never would have had a chance to be Searched back at Tillek. Probably. She actually didn't really know that for a fact, but in her head it was true enough.

Since she was still a bit early, Emiya took her time making her way over to the Lower Caverns and into the Storage Rooms. They'd been assigned to basically clean up one of the messier rooms and make sure that everything was sorted. Her partner was no where to be seen, although Emi predicted this since she'd arrived pretty early. She wanted to be able to get the drop on this guy, anyway, on the maybe off-chance that he was the boy from her childhood. As unlikely as it was.

After about a minute of waiting Emi began to grow bored, so she snatched up one of the brooms that had been left for them to sweep up the room with and started to use it as a practice sword. It was rather difficult to get back to Western Hold so her father could train her more, so Emiya had taken up practicing on her own with any spare time she had. Dragonriders had to be fit and know how to defend themselves, so that was as good a reason as any. Emi swung the broom around with practiced motions, keeping a tentative eye on the doorway as well. Even if she was sure he wasn't the boy she remembered, Emi found that she was a bit nervous. "Don' be stupid," she said outloud to her thoughts. There was no point in being nervous. It was just cleaning.

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[turkoizdog]

When Pyrus noticed Emiya's name next to his on the list of Candidate chores, he did a double take. His childhood friend, he remembered, went by Emi. However, he couldn't remember for the life of him what it was short for, if anything. Could this possibly be the same person?

He shook his head and looked back. No, if he had seen a head of red hair as bright as hers had been, he would have noticed it in candidate lessons. Red hair wasn't exactly common, and aside from the sisters he had been friends with as a Holdless, there weren't any candidates with red hair, much less hair as bright as hers had been. Pyrus was attracted to red hair like a moth to flame, and if Emi was a candidate here, he would have noticed already.

That being said, he didn't know anything about this Emiya girl, and he wondered if, like many of the other candidates, he would hate her for being Holdless. He wondered where she was from, if she was from Tillek like he was -- perhaps one of Emiya's siblings? It was the only explanation he could think of for being paired with someone of similar name, unless that was an odd coincidence. He realized there was a chance that Emi had moved to Dalibor from Tillek, though that chance was small, and he remembered how much she had wanted to be a Harper, and so he doubted she would have run off to be a candidate rather than pursuing her lifelong dream... right?

Pyrus had spent so much time staring at the list, he didn't snap out of it until he noticed some of the other candidates, freshly awoken, gathering at the chores board around him. Being used to a Holdless lifestyle, Pyrus always woke early, getting to finish his chores and start his day before the others. But today, he arrived in the Lower Caverns in the Storage Room he was assigned to clean just a moment later than he should have. Though he still expected to arrive first -- most candidates showed up late for their chores.

What he did not expect was to see his chores partner, already there, swinging a broom around combat-style. "Um... Emiya?" he finally spoke, hoping she had noticed him come in. The first thing he noticed was her hair, reddish, but very much brown. Despite this, he couldn't help but wonder why she seemed so familiar...

[Nia]

The Pyrus that might have been her childhood friend entered the storage room and Emiya ended her broom swinging by pointing it at his face. She stayed like that for a moment with her eyes narrowed, particularly when he said her name, before she spun the broom back around to lean against it. She eyed Pyrus for another moment, inspecting his face and everything about him. He looked... the same as her old friend. From what she could remember of him, at least. His name, his face, there was no way it was a coincidence. Even his voice was familiar. She leaned against that broom for a little while, watching Pyrus with a very clearly judging look.

Finally, she stopped leaning on the broom and walked a bit towards him, sauntering in that style of walk she'd practiced for Turns. Emiya stood with a hand on her hip, still looking like she was judging him. "So... it's you," she said flatly, almost as though she'd been practicing it in her head over and over. What was she to say to him? He'd known her from when she was weird, and he'd been close enough to actually know the depths of her weirdness. He'd known her back when she was still intent on becoming a Harper... all those Turns ago. She wanted to scoff at her own naivety.

"And yea'," she gestured to herself, "How many people d'ya think are named Emiya in this place anyway? And yer name too, Pyrus," his name felt foreign and very much awkward on her tongue. She stopped for a while, looking uncomfortable after saying his name. It felt weird and she very much did not like it. Seeing him ignited emotions in her that she couldn't place, and didn't like. "I don' want to hear any of yer excuses, either," she finally said, turning back around to face the storage shed instead of him.

She gripped the broom tightly and began to actually start sweeping the floor. "I'll get the floor, you start organizin' the shelves. Got it?" she looked up from her broom only to make eye-contact with him once, not sure if she wanted to talk to him any longer. Of course she did, though. She wanted to demand where in Faranth's name he'd gone! But she was still determined to keep up her tough act, and not show any vulnerability. At least, not yet.

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[turkoizdog]

The moment Emiya spoke, he knew. Her hair was no longer as red and she was quite a few years older -- not to mention that she was a candidate, whereas he remembered Emi had wanted to be a Harper -- but this was definitely the same girl. And, based on how she greeted him, she remembered him to... though he wondered if that was a good thing.

His heart sank as he listened to her. She was upset at him. Thinking back, he had no time to tell her that he had to leave -- he didn't even know himself, until his mother woke him up before sunrise one morning, their things already packed.

When she assigned him to the shelves, he nodded curtly. "Right, then... I'll get on that." he could tell she didn't want to speak with him, not immediately, anyway. It would be some time before she cooled down, and then maybe they could talk. He headed over to the shelves, noting how everything was placed wherever it fit. Well, he'd have to fit all the empty scrolls on one shelf, for starters... and hopefully, if all the boxes of parts fit onto the bottom shelf...

As he sorted things out, he began to wonder if he should tell her about his Holdless life at all. Many were strictly anti-Holdless, and if Emi had grown to harbor the same sentiments over the years, especially considering the suspicion cast on the Holdless back when the herdbeasts had been poisoned...

Pyrus began to hum as he worked, a little tune he remembered from his days in Tillek. If Emiya wanted to know, if she still cared, she would ask. Or at least, she would talk to him. And if not, then she was a lost cause anyway.