A Chain of Debt (A Matou Shinji AU Quest)

[skulkidcachi90]

[x] Part company with them, seek out someone else - the Japanese girls, perhaps
[x] Play it cool, don't acknowledge his presence as unusual

[alfheimwanderer]

[X] Stick with the Noels as he gets off the train
[X] Play it cool, don't acknowledge his presence as unusual

---

Matou Shinji was not exactly what one might call a people person, according to most accepted definitions of the term. He was a prickly individual, even before the Second Owner of Fuyuki had made it clear to him that everyone was out for themselves, that even people who seemed kind and perfect hid rather frightening dark side. Perhaps that was why, when he'd been offered the chance to make a killing at cards, he'd taken it, throwing himself into it with reckless abandon even though he'd never gambled before.

He hadn't expected that when he failed, someone else would offer him a lifeline so he wouldn't remain a loser. Perhaps she'd done it for profit, expecting him to take the money she offered and win big, but even if so, she hadn't demanded a certain amount back, or forced him to sign a guarantee that he would pay it back tenfold, else he would be bound to her whim for life.

With her providing the money for his second wind, he'd won a thousand Galleons, an amount equal to that which Tohsaka had loaned him - an amount that apparently was somewhere between a month's wages to two years of wages, depending on the job. And given that the giant had had a claim to much of this before Shinji had turned the tables, the boy was sure the man would hold a grudge. That was why when asked, he'd boldly stated his name, almost daring the giant to remember, because if he showed weakness - any weakness - he was sure the man would just murder him at the next opportunity.

He'd intimidated the man, he knew, probably made an enemy of him too, but that was rather inevitable, since losing so much money to someone who was little more than a child would probably have driven the barbarian into a near killing frenzy anyway.

And he didn't expect anyone to like him, or to befriend him - after all, he wasn't here to make friends. He was here to learn, to gamble, and to make it big, whatever it cost him, however much he had to stack the deck in his favor. Which was why he'd paid off his benefactor so generously, more generously than he thought many people would have in his position, because his aim hadn't been to merely return the money she'd given him, or to show his appreciation, but to wipe away any debt of honor she could possibly call in - even if she never intended to do so in the first place. By offering far more than required by custom or expected by any measure, he would ensure she had no hold over him...and that he would not become dependent on her, especially when he knew she would be at Hogwarts, because it would be too easy to just let himself be fooled again, to trust again.

'No. It was just business. That was all.' He didn't know what had driven her to help him, and maybe he'd be better off not knowing, though the question still nagged at him.

In any case, as he disembarked from the train, he didn't have any particular reason to leave the company of the Noel twins, who he found tolerable enough, if...eccentric. (Was that the word? Well, they were obviously well off, so yes, eccentric was the word). Besides, being around them was like having human shields, given that people's eyes tended to be drawn to one of the two nobles rather than to him.

Which was good, given that the giant he'd won a fortune from was apparently in charge of taking the first years to the castle, if his calling for them to follow him was any indication.

'Ok, play it cool. Play it cool. He hasn't noticed me yet - and if I don't draw attention to myself, maybe he won't.'

Perhaps he should just continue on as is then?

Perhaps he should find some more students to surround himself with?

The purple-haired girl, who was talking quietly with a bespectacled blonde?

A couple - a bushy haired brunette who was tending to a bruised blond boy who was probably her boyfriend or something.

The boy who had brought the Niffler?

Or perhaps...her - the girl who had been his benefactor, who was walking alone?

What does he do?

[ ] The Twins are fine, no need for anyone else
[ ] Lead them over to the purple-haired girl
[ ] Lead them to the limping blond boy and the brunette helping him
[ ] Lead them to the redhead with the Niffler
[ ] Lead them to Ana

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] The Twins are fine, no need for anyone else

[Dracueri]

[x]Lead them to Anna

[Skull Leader]

[X] Lead them to Ana

[Daiki]

[x] Lead them to Ana.

[alfheimwanderer]

[x]Lead them to Anna

---

All else held equal, he wasn't up to meeting anyone new for the moment. He'd have to do that soon enough once they got to the school anyway, and so he didn't think approaching someone he didn't already know. At the same time, he figured he should at least say hello to Ana, since he very well might not get the chance to do so later, depending on what happened. There were rumors going around that first years would be required to fight a troll or other similar deadly beast as a final test to see if they were qualified to be instructed at Hogwarts, and he wasn't sure if he would survive such a thing - even if they weren't expected to defeat the troll."On the bright side," Phelan opined, "if we are to face a troll, I quite doubt we will be facing one alone."

"Oh?"

"Wouldn't make sense," the earl's son reasoned. "A troll's hide is spell resistant, and I'm not sure any spells we'd know before even attending school would be enough to even slow it down." He paused for a moment. "Then again, you seemed fairly confident about your ability to put me down just a bit ago. And your reflexes don't seem bad either. If you can cast whatever you had planned at the troll's eyes, that might be work. Would be a good distraction anyway."

"Could be," Shinji said cautiously, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "And how would you plan to fight the troll? Wand or..."

"Well, both Amber and I have our swords with us," Phelan pointed out, "and we're not bad at using them either. I figure that one of us draws the trolls attention, while the other gets behind it and hacks at its hamstrings. Probably be me doing the hacking distracting, since Amber's thrusts stand a better chance at cutting through thick hide, but if you join us, then I could join her, and we could hobble it twice as quickly."

"That's..." Actually, it seemed like a fairly well thought out strategy. "Simple, but effective - if we're faster than the troll. And if I can hold its attention while you're hurting it."

"True. Don't really like the thought of our lives being in your hands...eh, no offense or anything."

"...none taken," Shinji responded. And really, he wasn't offended, since he wouldn't be comfortable putting his life in the hands of strangers either, given that everyone would save themselves first.

"I'm not convinced we'll be facing a troll at all, given that Hogwarts: A History doesn't exactly mention a hefty death toll at the school," Amber disagreed. "In fact, the last student to die at Hogwarts was Myrtle Warren, years ago, and she had been enrolled for some time."

"What did she die of...?" Phelan asked. "Was she in a duel gone bad or...?"

"From what I could find after looking at back issue of the Prophet about it, the Chamber of Secrets was opened and the beast within it was released," she explained. "A weapon allegedly left behind by Salazar Slytherin to wipe out muggleborns in case they became a threat."

Phelan cursed quietly at this.

"What monster would do that to a poor, innocent girl?" he asked, his voice incredulous. "I hope they locked the bastard up in Azkaban."

"A half-giant named Rubeus Hagrid. The paper said he was a vicious man, as vicious as the beasts he mastered. But he wasn't sent to Azkaban, just expelled because they had no proof, just someone's word."

"No...proof," he repeated, his stomach beginning to sink as he had a very bad feeling about where this was going. "So by half-giant, do you mean..." He paused, not wanting to say it, not wanting to even think it. "Do you mean like the one leading us to the castle?" Just who exactly had he made an enemy of on his first day in Britain?

There was a very awkward silence after that, as Amber glanced up at the giant and frowned.

"...huh. You know, in that case, maybe there is something to the troll fighting, after all," she noted, a decided edge to her voice as they made their way over to the person Matou was taking them to.

"Ana," he greeted quietly.

"Matou," she replied, just as quietly.

"...by chance, would you know the name of the ah..." he gestured to the giant. "Him."

"Rubeus Hagrid," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

'...shit.'

Still, against all odds, the giant didn't try to kill any of them, leading them silently across the lake once they clambered into their boats. Perhaps the Headmaster had some dirt on the giant to keep him in line?

'...still not a comforting thought.'Finally, Matou and company take their first steps into Hogwarts, and into the Great Hall. On the high table stage, one sees a number of the teachers - Lord and Lady Black, who teach Muggle Studies and Astronomy, respectively. Professor Quirrell, the Defense against the Dark Arts instructor. Professor Slughorn, Potions instructor and head of House Slytherin. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration Professor and head of Gryffindor. Professor Flitwick, Charms Professor and Head of House Ravenclaw. Professor Sprout, Herbology Professor and Head of House Hufflepuff. Leonardo de Lune, a new Professor who teaches both Art and History. And of course, Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster.

As it turns out, there is no actual troll fight, with people being sorted depending on the word of a rather tattered Hat. How the hat worked, he didn't know, but as one person after another was sorted, with none of them dying, he felt a little more reassured. Not much, but some.

The brunette - a certain Granger - and her boyfriend, Malfoy - went to Slytherin.

A boy with a long bottom went to Gryffindor.

And then it was his turn to have the hat placed upon his head, with a voice speaking to him.

'Hmhm...interesting, interesting. A very adventurous sort. You'd go well in Gryffindor, it seems, especially with how you believe the only fate is that which you make. But then, you have ambition, and you do seek knowledge, so perhaps, some questions...'
After a battle in a war, you have been captured by the enemy. Do you...?

[ ] Try to wait for a moment to escape
[ ] Try to kill them, even if it's futile
[ ] Send a letter to your friends and family, asking for help
[ ] Send a letter to a lender, taking out a loan big enough against all of your assets to pay the ransom
[ ] (write-in)

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] Try to kill them, even if it's futile

[Skull Leader]

[X] Try to wait for a moment to escape

They can't watch you all the time, Sneak out when they let their guard down.

[Daiki]

[x] Try to wait for a moment to escape.

We create our own luck, we decide our own fate.

[alfheimwanderer]

[x] Try to wait for a moment to escape.

---

"I see," the voice of the Hat whispered in his mind. "Then another question. Think of the person who you feel most strongly for in this world, and what you wish to do with them, in your heart of hearts. Who are they to you, and what would you do to them, if you had the power to? No need to hurry, take your time and think. It isn't as if half the first years are waiting on your Sorting."

Who is this person, and what are they to Shinji?

[ ] Matou Zouken - the patriarch who exiled him from his family
[ ] Matou Sakura - the usurper who stole his position as heir
[ ] The drunkard who lied about ever caring about him
[ ] Tohsaka Rin - who loaned him 1000 Galleons...but damned him to a life of debt


And what is it he wants to do to them?

[ ] Kill
[ ] To crush them, to see them driven before him, to hear the lamentation of their...people
[ ] Make them watch as he dismantles everything they ever loved
[ ] Take everything from them and laugh as he enjoys what was once theirs
[ ] (write-in)

And why?

[ ] (write-in)

[Skull Leader]

[X] Tohsaka Rin - who loaned him 1000 Galleons...but damned him to a life of debt
[X] Make them watch as he dismantles everything they ever loved

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] Tohsaka Rin - who loaned him 1000 Galleons...but damned him to a life of debt


[X] Make them watch as he dismantles everything they ever loved

[ ] (write-in) to push her down and bind her to his service

[Malorius]

[x ] Tohsaka Rin - who loaned him 1000 Galleons...but damned him to a life of debt
[x ] Take everything from them and laugh as he enjoys what was once theirs

Based Alf took pity on our grasping minds and formulated the best option himself.

To repeat my reasoning: the center of our character is not on taking "from Tohsaka" but "for Shinji".

[alfheimwanderer]

The person he felt most strongly for in the world? Well, that much was obvious, as the person who was always in his mind, who had both helped him and damned him, lifting him up and binding him in chains, was none other than Tohsaka Rin. Until the debt was paid, until his chains were broken, so would it ever be, he suspected - how could it be otherwise, when she held his fate in his hands? As for what he felt about her and what he wanted to do to her though...

..that was a more difficult question. On some level he loathed her for what she had done. On some level, he respected her ability to take advantage of such an opportunity, given that he would have done exactly the same thing in her shoes. On some level - some level that he would never reveal to anyone else - he...appreciated what she had done in loaning him money, giving him the power to change his fate. Still, as the old adage went, turnabout was fair play, so if there was one thing he wanted to do to her, it to force her into a position where she needed his help, where upon he would offer said help, only to use it as leverage to take everything from her and laugh as he enjoyed what was once hers.

"I...see," the Hat noted. "Then tell me, what is it that you seek, above all else in this world?"

[ ] True Wisdom
[ ] Wealth beyond measure
[ ] The love of the masses
[ ] To have made a difference before he dies
[ ] (write-in)

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] Wealth beyond measure

[Skull Leader]

[X] Wealth beyond measure

[Daiki]

[x] Wealth beyond measure.

[Dracueri]

[x]Wealth beyond measure

[alfheimwanderer]

[x]Wealth beyond measure

---

What did he seek, above all else? Given his circumstances, the answer was quite obvious to Matou Shinji: wealth. Wealth beyond measure, so that he would never be bound by the chains of debt ever again, so that where he was once the servant, he would become the master. The one whose power could not be denied, to whom all others would look if they needed something. He said as much to the Hat, who, as expected, replied with yet another question, one that actually made him pause:

What would you sacrifice to attain it?

[ ] His reputation
[ ] His friends and family
[ ] His magic
[ ] His ideals
[ ] Everything - as long as he attained what he sought, there was no price that was too high
[ ] Nothing - a fortune built on sacrifice is meaningless