[IC] Fate/stay Night - War of the Fourteen Magi - High Casual

[Grey]

Prof. Sosthenes Antaeoi Kanakaris
Fuyuki Streets, 12:42AM
Interacting with: @Eklispe Cu Chulainn

---

Once they’d entered sleepy Miyama and took the public transit (not as disgusting as the ones he’d experienced in other countries, that was for sure) over to the more bustling midday Shinto, Sosthenes led the charge across the Fuyuki shopping district, until the vague condescension of the clerks irked him enough to seek out more simple horizons.

In the end, Sosthenes bought Lancer a few bright, Hawaiian-patterned shirts and dark pants from a local thrift shop. A strange combination, but somehow, they perfectly fit the style of the Servant he’d summoned. Besides, he’d asked for something colorful, and everything else in the store was either too small, too big, or too dark.

As he walked through the streets following his wise purchase, he withdrew his smartphone to map out an efficient path for their outing, and quickly realized that for the past ten-or-so-odd hours he’d been in Fuyuki, he never switched his phone off of its “Airplane Mode”. As he was no longer on that flying deathtrap, he went to his settings, and switched it off, allowing him to access the internet through cellular data. Fortunately, he had international coverage, being the constant traveller that he was. Finally, having bought all their casual clothes, pulled up Google Maps and plugged in their destination, they went on their way for their promised luncheon.

---

Berserker
Internet Cafe, 2:01PM
Interacting with: @Turboshitter Albert Prelati, @VanceXentan Lancelot, Leon Winchester

---

“I agree. Contracts are a fool’s game, and bush beating is only good for getting the fairies to kill you,” Berserker agreed, having spent the past period of time watching the two magi discussing the matter of a possible alliance without actually discussing anything significant at all when it came down to it. It was actually a bit grating to her; it was practically an insult even, suggesting that she and her Master would need an enchanted binding or other such nonsense to follow a simple code of conduct. She didn’t know how the inscrutable Saber felt about such a thing, but she had a hard time believing that he was completely content with it.

She leaned forward, arms crossed. “There is nothing you can do to cement this deal in the way I predict either of you are searching for,” Berserker stated without a single hint of humor or reservation, “Anything short of an almighty binding invites duplicity, and even those can be surmounted with a little guile. Alliances are supposed to be built on trust; one built on obligation is like a house on sand. Fragile, and easily swept away.” Her eyes scanned across the group, locking on to the two guests.

“You two strike me as trustworthy enough folk, and as you’ve said earlier: you would stake both your pride and your head on an honest offer of coalition,” she remarked, “So allow me to echo such a sentiment.” With her index and middle fingers she tapped the wrist of Albert’s hand and the bottom of his jaw. Unsettlingly, she was able to do this both with extraordinary speed and without even looking at the poor French teen. “To sever a tongue or an arm would be a simple thing for a Heroic Spirit, and without either the Command of a treacherous Master becomes nothing more than the whining of a scolded child. Apologies, Master.” She withdrew her hand from Albert’s chin and steepled her fingers, wearing a knowing smile. “You’ve both summoned knights, non? Then you should both know the honor of a Servant is nothing to fool around with. Make your decision knowing thus, for further requests for good faith are simply insulting to both of us.”

“Anyway.” Berserker pushed herself out of her seat, and stood, looking at Saber and Leon. “I’m getting refreshments, do either of you have anything you-” Immediately the paladin turned her head out the window, spiritual senses detecting the presence of another powerful entity somewhere outside the cafe. After a few moments, she tilted her head. “Huh, the presence is gone. Oh well, I'm sure they're just fleeing from us.” She shrugged. "As I was saying: drinks of choice?"

---

Prof. Sosthenes Antaeoi Kanakaris
Fuyuki Streets, 2:01PM
Interacting with: @Eklispe Cu Chulainn, @Turboshitter Ren Mizushima

---

“What a truly dreadful day to postpone lunch, and what an even worse day to leave all my best Mystic Codes with my apprentice,” Sosthenes groaned as he hurriedly made his way towards the bus stop, holding his carry-on suitcase and a shopping bag full of Lancer’s extra clothes. ’Lancer, keep a look out for Servants and other familiars looking to follow us,’ he commanded mentally, stepping on the bus leading to the Miyama residential district, ‘We’re heading to our hideout, so this is of utmost importance.’

While he trusted the other competitors to have enough presence of mind to not break out into pitched melee in such a crowded city in broad daylight, he did not put it below them to send off scouts so they could have a more “personal” visit later in the night. To be caught off guard was a terrible and often times deadly experience, and he would not have his debut in this war being subject to an ambush by even one team, not to mention the multiple teams that appeared to have been arrayed there.

Sosthenes stared at his gloved hand, where his Command Seal was engraved. A marvelous thing it was, capable of reacting in the presence of its thirteen counterparts. That said, it went both ways, so perhaps he’d be regretting such a function later on. He slipped the glove off of his unmarked hand, and began composing a text message to Ren:

Yo. Going to your house family. Prepare some mealios.
Sincerely, the Pro-fessor

He pocketed the phone, and rested his hands on the bags resting atop his lap. ’Apologies Lancer, but you wouldn’t have gotten to fight them anyway so it is no great loss,’ Sosthenes transmitted through their mental link as the bus travelled across the red bridge connecting both sides of the river. ’Besides I’m sure my apprentice’s home cooking far surpasses whatever cuisine that overpriced cafe would have offered. Regardless, what a truly odd coincidence that was! But surely, there should be no more surprises waiting for us once we reach friendly ground. That aside, what do you think of this modern age so far? Everything you ever imagined it to be?‘

[Turboshitter]

Albert Prelati

Interacting with: Berserker (@Grey), Leon & Saber (@vancexentan)

An internet cafe across the street from Ahnenerbe - 2:00 PM December 2nd, 2012

Hider

Albert chuckled. "As always ma chère, you cut to ze chase quicker zan you cut zrough your enemies. I suppose zere isn't much more to be said zan, is zere? Until ze defeat of Assassin, you have my goodwill and my Servant's blade. On loan only, of course."

Smiling, he stuck out his recently-threatened hand.

"In place of a contract, shall we shake on it for now? Also, I will 'ave some more coffee, ma chère. I'm still recovering from our evening out last night," he said, yawning. "Two sugars and cream, if you would."

Ren Mizushima

Interacting with: Rider (@1Charak2)

Fuyuki City, Miyama Town - 1:30 AM December 2nd, 2012

Hider

Ren nodded, not really taking it all in but pretending he did as he stared distractedly at the blindfold.

How does she see? Is that some sort of Mystic Code? It doesn't look like a normal blindfold. What's that symbol on her forehead mean?

"Okay, so ummm... bear with me here, because I know this gonna sound really weird if I'm wrong, but you wouldn't happen to be a-"

Servant.

"-Servant, would you?"

He finally finished processing everything he'd half-heard her say while he was distracted, and the truth hit home hard. His eyes opened wide and his palms began to sweat. He was talking to a Servant! A Heroic Spirit! It made him so excited and nervous he almost felt nauseous.

"Y-You are! You're a..."

Not that he hadn't expected it of course (at least a little bit, anyway). He'd known something was up with this woman from the moment they'd met. There were the obvious signs of course, like her attire and appearance, but the biggest indicator was how he hadn't been able to read her, not even while she was unconscious. The professor had once explained to him that once a mage was aware they were being read by his eyes, they could employ the principles of Thaumaturgical Resistance to block the influence of his magic. But he'd never met someone who'd started out a completely closed book, even without having to be told he was trying to read her. Even while she was unconscious she remained a total enigma, which should never have been the case. It implied a level of Thaumaturgical Resistance that really shouldn't exist in this day and age, barring a few exceptional cases.

But to think she really was... Here he'd come to Japan thinking he'd merely be acting as an accessory to all the dangerous and exciting Holy Grail War stuff the professor had come here to do, but on his very first day back home he'd met a stray Servant! He doubted the professor had even summoned his own yet! And wait did she really just ask him if he wanted to be her Master?

"I-I'd be honored!" he blurted, balking at his own good fortune. "To be your Master, I mean!"

Perhaps it was foolish of him to idealize the violence of the Holy Grail War in such a way. Perhaps he wasn't ready to understand the dangers involved in becoming a true participant in this War, rather than a lowly assistant. But he did understand two things very clearly. The first was that refusing a Servant, especially one you weren't contracted to, under any circumstances was a bad, bad idea. They were superhuman existences beyond the boundaries of normal humanity, and more than that they were soul-eaters. He had a disquieting suspicion that the "meal" she'd spoken of had consisted of partial if not whole human souls. While it was hard to swallow, he tried not to hold it against her. He was confident she'd only done what was necessary for her to survive without a Master, given the state he'd found her in. And if he didn't want to become her Master, he would likely meet a similar fate. The tone and tolerant friendliness with which she spoke to him made him think he was right in believing that she wasn't really a bad person who'd hurt people for no reason, but she would have every reason if he didn't agree to start supplying her with a more constant source of mana.

The second thing he understood was that chances like this didn't just present themselves all that often, and that if he turned it down now, he'd be consigning himself permanently to a life as a lowly apprentice. Make no mistake, he was grateful to the professor, and even thought of him like an uncle or surrogate father (but not like that). But like in every student/teacher relationship, the professor dictated exactly how much Ren was permitted to learn and what pace. Even though Ren felt like he was ready to learn so much more, and desperately wanted to, the professor had kept his teachings hidden except for the fundamentals of what they needed to survive while they traveled around the world digging up ancient ruins. If he ever wanted to move out of the professor's shadow and convince him he was ready to become a real magus, this was the only way. Something drastic, something powerful.

And he could help! I mean really help. If the professor was going to fight in the Holy Grail War, then it wouldn't it be an enormous boon to have another ally amongst the Masters who could lend him the combined power of two Servants? The thought didn't occur to him that the professor might not like this. The Grail War itself seemed different this time. They'd all heard as much from the priest. So maybe...

That "maybe" allowed him to believe that this Grail War might not end in tragedy. That by forging this contract, he wouldn't eventually have to fight and kill his own master, or risk losing his Servant and his life. It gave him the strength to swallow his fears and say,

"So what do I have to do?"

Time would only tell if he was right.

[vancexentan]

Interactions: @Grey@Turboshitter

===

Saber's face contorted into a ironic grin as he chuckled to himself. The chuckle was somber and without humor more of self loathing. He couldn't say it out loud but he knew better than to heed all of Berserker's words. He remembered his time at the lake...the spirit who showered upon him her affection, and time. The life he had lived with that fairy and her beloved words that had spurred him onto make him the man he would eventually become. "Not all the Fae of the land are evil. Some helped those who needed it. Otherwise some were merely imps following their nature. While I understand the legends have not been kind to them...I have known some myself that were more than charitable to our kind. Well what we once were..." Saber said with a cold flatness as he remembered the beautiful woman with a light white dress, and long beautiful golden locks of hair that had taken him close on cold nights and told him that life was worth living.

"Little one...your life is worth much more than you know do not falter life is a gift..." the words echo'd in Saber's mind from a long past time.

Even without a true family. "As for my honor as a knight...for all that it's worth you shall have it. Though I have long since forgotten it I still know what my word carries as it did in the court so long ago. With my king ever so righteously protecting the people. For better, or worse I followed my Lord as I do now." Saber mumbled out further as Leon looked at his sir knight with a tinge of sadness. He knew his servant was not happy about his past at all and he hated when he got like this. Even the stuck-his-sword-up-his-bum Saber was better than this depressed one. A knight he may be but...he wondered if he was truly happy about anything or if his pride, or what was left of it, was all that kept him from collapsing under his own self pity.

"You have some strong instincts servant. I'm happy to know that you think of me in such a good light. Though I can't help but wonder if you're the way you are because of your class. But if you would be up to a suggestion I think it would be best to prove ourselves in some way. Words are idle until proven otherwise...right Saber?" Leon said as he changed his eyes to Saber who looked at his mask sideways and nodded. Those were words he had been on the receiving end of at one point in time. Saber had once questioned his newly christened master on his morals, and his pride to see if he was worthy. Leon had proven a worthy master and Saber bent his knee to Leon. He hoped that he could come to an agreement on something for this. "But first I suppose this would be the best way to make my intentions clear." Leon said firmly gripping Albert's hand and shook it to show his commitment as a master, and a man of his word. Then he turned to Berserker, "As for drinks thank you but I'll pass. I'm not thirsty." Leon said but in truth he just wanted to make sure he wasn't walking into a trap.

====

@Shadow Daedalus@1Charak2

=====

Assassin grimaced in pain as his back was slashed by the other servant whom had surprised him somehow, how she did so was beyond him but it was clear he was dealing with another. Though this thing was hardly his equal...Assassin spent long nights in the Arabian desert fighting his war against infidels and heretics alike. A simple wound like this paled to what he had suffered there. Even less so with his current state as a servant. Assassin moved as quick as a bolt of lighting his skill was practiced, and masterful as a dagger was produced in his off hand from inside of his sleeve he spun around and tried to stab assassin, a ploy, the real blow was a quick kick to the leg to stun his enemy allowing him to fall back on his own right dodging the blow James had created. He could press the attack but the would be foolish. Too many variables. He used his momentum to carry himself in to a flip and a roll as he laid posed on the ground his cape falling around him hiding his shoulder movements as he stood up straight eyeing a child and her master. He was aware of the bolt coming towards him now, judging by the man he was he was most likely archer...a pity. He wanted better prey. He didn't even pay attention as a well placed arrow smacked into the one shot by the other one by his own ally and the bolts fell helpless to the ground on either side.

What Archer found in that alleyway was not what he had been expecting there was a loud bang, and then a huge white light erupted from out of nowhere. A well placed trap and archer's ears rung with static. If there had been anything in that alleyway it vanished without a trace quick enough leaving the stunned archer there alone as a pain in his feet mixed with the ringing in his ears. There were caltrops on the ground it seemed and Archer had seemed to have thrown himself into harm's way without meaning to. "This is unworthy of a man of my skill. Killing children was a sin against God himself. This abomination is the best the grail has? Then you have no rights to call yourself an assassin whelp. Your very existence is a disgrace to my profession and class! And as for you there. One with the strange magic. My quarrel is not with you for the moment if you have any intelligence you will go try and find my own ally before you come at me again. Now then...assassin....come and show me your skill....if you have anything but that technique worth calling a skill." Assassin's gravelly voice spoke in both disgust for his current opponents, and this situation. He wanted to end this quickly but they were going to prolong the inevitable now. Archer was no doubt toying with his opponent somewhere and now was likely waiting for the next chance to strike.

[Turboshitter]

& Ren Mizushima

Fuyuki City, Miyama Town - 1:45 AM December 2nd, 2012

Interacting with: Sosthenes (@Grey), Lancer (@Eklispe)

Hider

Rider shook her head left and right. Honestly, this kid was so childish, so willing to participate in the Holy Grail War, and with who? The Gorgon herself, who had not even a single wish to hold herself to. Why did she fight? She was blind to her reasoning for it. Perhaps she was just looking to fight the good fight for the fun of it. The quivering voice of her master was pretty cute though.

He really was a child. She would have to show him the way of war and quite a few other things if he was going to mature properly like a real Greek soldier.

Rider looked towards his general direction, purposefully not looking at him directly as if she was trying to draw attention to her blindfold. "It's a declaration of demands, more or less. State your wish for the Grail and what you wish to obtain. If I accept, you shall receive three Command Seals as a symbol of my pledge to you as my Master. If I refuse, well..."

She paused letting out a sly grin as she licked her lips. "I think you understand."

She finished softly, standing up to face him expectantly. 'Was it destiny that she got a young man as her master?' her mind started to wonder. If this was her true Master in this Grail War. Her first was hard to forget though.

Ren gulped. Well that wasn't ominous at all, nosiree. But still...

"Is... is that it? Are you sure we don't have to like, draw a circle or anything? No ritual or anything?"

He said that, but...

Ren thought hard. What kind of answer would a Heroic Spirit like this accept? It couldn't be something mundane like "I want to be wealthy" or "I want to live forever". That'd be trite and cliche, not to mention a total waste of her time. She'd probably kill him on the spot for lacking imagination. He didn't really have a wish though. Not a big one, anyway. He had no grand ideals, no debts to repay, and no legacy to his name. He had nothing that would satisfy the requirements for a heroic tale or legend.

Well, there was the one thing. But no, he couldn't say that. He'd look stupid. To her it'd probably look like a child saying they wanted to be an astronaut or a hero of justice when they grew up. It was the truth though. And it was really all he had to offer that wouldn't be a lie...

Ren took a deep breath. "My wish... is to become an excellent magus!"

Rider tilted her head sideways like a predator contemplating its prey.

He bowed his head apologetically.

"I'm not sure if that's good enough, but it's all I've got! I'm sorry..."

"Are you sure that's all you want?" Rider questioned her tone... sweet as if it was pleased by what he had said so far. She was smiling, her lips slightly agape revealing clean white teeth.

Ren nodded desperately. "It is!"

Rider spoke up again. "Are you sure?"

She cooed, teasing him. As if she was testing his resolve to a single commitment.

"Yeah," Ren said, calmer now. He smiled. "I mean for now at least."

Rider sighed and stamped on his foot hard with her boot. Not enough to break bones certainly, but enough to cause him some pain. "Stay commited," She said, annoyed as if he had just cheated on her.

Ren hissed with pain, squeaking, "I will..."

He took a deep breath. He still remembered some of the incantation the professor had showed him. The Clocktower veteran had wanted him to memorize it as backup in case he forgot it, the lazy sod. It'd be a little cut down, but he thought he could manage a similar incantation. She said it wasn't really necessary, but part of him felt like it wouldn't be official unless he made a formal oath.

"So, you going to pledge how much you want me or not? I am legally blind and I am impaired in the waiting department."

Ren nodded. He had to hurry. He could already see her starting to fade. "Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your..."

"Eyes," she mouthed, making no noise to interrupt the oath.

"... eyes create my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call, and obey my will and reason, then answer me! Do so and I will entrust my destiny to you!"

"I, Medusa, summoned under the class of Rider, hear your words and accept your oath. To your pledge I grant you three miracles over me for being my anchor. I will accept your will and my gaze shall bring your enemies to light... I, Medusa declare this contract binding!" She finished as she ignored any cultural boundaries, kissing her new Master upon his brow in an act of respect and acknowledgement of servitude.

"Ren-chan! You finally awake?" A voice called out from behind the bedroom door. Ren froze. Faster than he could hope to react or even jump off the bed, the doorknob began to turn. In his heart of hearts, he cursed God. He knew what was on the other side of that door. Nothing but pain and suffering could await him once it opened.

The doorknob came to a stop, and the lock clicked in place. Slowly, the door opened, revealing his fate.

Hider

A woman, in her mid to late thirties, dressed in formal business attire. She was holding her jacket and a cup of coffee while simultaneously trying to slip a foot into the second half of a pair of black heels, and despite her frazzled, hurried appearance, it was clear she still looked good for her age. It was his mom, Aoi Mizushima.

"Honestly, I stay up late to welcome you back home. I take time off work so I could see you this morning. And even after four years you just sleep the entire time!" She smiled, still trying to fix her shoe. "Do I at least get to say goodbye before I have to..."

She stopped mid-sentence, taking in the absurd scene playing out in front of her. It would've been difficult for any parent to wrap their head around what she was seeing. Her brain though absorbed it very matter-of-factly. Her son was alone in his room with a tall, busty foreigner in black bondage gear who was kissing him on the forehead. And they were in bed together.

In bed together... in bed together... in bed together...

Her shoe and coffee cup fell to the floor, clattering in the unnatural, condemning silence.

Rider waved in the direction of the voice, completely ignorant of who it was. She really didn't know to be honest.

"Ren!" his mom shouted. "Who is this... this...!"

She wanted to say "girl", but that word didn't do this person justice. No, she was definitely a woman, there was no denying that. A beautiful one too. Oh god her son was being seduced by an older woman!

Aoi put her bare foot down. "Explain. Now."

"Mom," Ren said, panicking but trying his best not to show it. "Just hold on a sec-"

"Explain now or she leaves and I'm calling the cops. And putting you in a rehab program oh god Ren I thought I taught you better than this... wait. Are those tattoos?! What have you and that professor been doing?!"

"Oh are you two related?" Rider said, smirking, as she turned to the source of the voice. "Your son calls me mom too, you know. He said it when we woke up in the same bed."

She said it as if to compliment the mother. As that could only mean they were parallel in beauty. "The name's Medusa, I will be staying with your son for a while. I hope we may get along."

The mother of the incredibly grounded young magus balked, turned pale, and took a stumbling step back, gripping the doorframe. Who... what was this incredibly sexy woman? Where had she come from? And why had she corrupted her son?!

"Ren... is she...?"

"Mom, mom, mom!" Ren shouted, waving his hands frantically. "I swear to you it is not what it looks like! The professor will explain everything, I'm sure he'll be here-"

"OH HE GODDAMN BETTER!" his mother said, suddenly regaining her footing as well as the aura of a raging tiger locked in battle with a dragon. "That man drags you halfway- and all the way- around the world for four years straight, and I don't get to see you for one single day of it, trusting, hoping he's taking care of you, and now you come back all tattooed up carrying some sort of exotic... whore with you into bed! Did you at least use protection?!"

"I have my blindfold for protection. And I am not a whore, I am a Monster," Rider said, sighing heavily.

"Rider!" Ren exclaimed. "Don't say that!"

"Rider?! Her name's Rider?! I thought you said your name was Medusa! Or is that just your stage name?!" she seethed. "Alright, where is that bastard? I'm going bend that quack professor over and shove my fist so far up his-"

And then suddenly, like the trumpeting of angels, salvation came at the sound of a doorbell.

[Turboshitter]

accidental double post pls delete

[1Charak2]

Taka Frederick & Assassin

Interacting with: @Shadow Daedalus @vancexentan

Taka looked at the guy who had handed her the gun. Enemies turned allies as fast as it took for a knife to be thrown at her neck. Today was certainly a day she was going to remember. She was sore all over but she was alive. Never had she felt so alive, to be honest. This was way more thrilling than the life she would have had if she didn't take a chance and steal her sister's servant from under her nose. Certainly, it could do without her neck bleeding, though most of it had slowly started to clot, she would definitely need to get jack to have a check for her as she couldn't see it. Taka sighed heavily as she took the gun offered to her and checked if it was still loaded.

It was and that made her feel better. She gripped her hand around it and held it tightly. They needed a plan quickly. It took her seconds to come up with the best plan she had. "I don't think we have what it takes to win here, at least currently." She whispered under the noise of the clashing blades. She was plainly counting the fact that it was daytime and the fact her servant relied on the night time to be at effectiveness. "Get your servant and double back here." Taka continued her eyes focused on Jack whom was just kicked away, Jack didn't even recoil in pain, the enemy Assassin having taken a step back. "Go. Leave the enemy Assassin to myself and my Assassin." Taka commanded giving James a gently push as she took a more proactive spot near Jack. She was still safe behind cover but she was closer.

Jack had her face deep in concentration. Her opponent didn't like to shut up. He certainly knew how to fight that was a certainty after all she had felt it the kick. Though he was toying with her, she knew the feeling. She liked to do it to her victims too though she wasn't the victim here, he was sorely mistaken. " Then you have no rights to call yourself an assassin whelp. Your very existence is a disgrace to my profession and class!" He spoke as if he was annoyed by her. Good. It showed how little he knew about her as even she didn't refer to herself as an assassin. She was the legendary serial killer in a class of her own though grouped under the restraints of the grail.

Jack's eyes narrowed as she listened to the rest of the Assassins words. Trying to bait her with words, was he? She wasn't one to play by anyone else's rules. She twiddled with the blade in her hands. She knew this emotion she was feeling all too well. What was it again? She couldn't put her finger on it, something to do with her blades and the act of ripping them into her opponent.

"Jack?" Taka came through on the link. Taka had put herself behind cover again her eyes watching Jack keeping her pace and distant. She noticed the wraiths were silent. Which meant only one thing. The internalized spirits spoke up again their voices announced one shrill intent.

"K͔̦͎̙̔͌i̪̽͆̃̚l̛̮̮͕̦̗ͅl̽͟"

Jack really wanted to do some damage after he had injured her mother. She tossed her butcher knife up and caught it again in her hand as if she in contemplation. Her eyes narrowed at her opponent.

"What is it, Mother."

"We need to retreat and regroup. Not your style I know but it's the day Jack. When the night comes round I'll let you go out to 'play' again as a way of apologizing."

There was a silence as Jack contemplated what was being said, the wraiths slowly returning to their normal chorus. "Okay, Mother..." She responded disappointed that she had been attacked during the day.

"We need the tactical advantage, So let us bring the streets of London to Japan," Taka said, obviously looking forward to it. Jack herself started smiling. She was wondering when she could go to her place of origin for at least a moment.

She sheathed one of the knives in her hands as she outstretched her arm. She looked at the enemy assassin with a grin on her face, a grin that was unique to a child. One that emphasised enjoyment. "Home." She said as she gestured her head toward her arm for the enemy to get an idea before he would get a chance to stop her, she had opened the grates on the lantern. Her finger poking the flame. Almost instantly the Lantern started to spurt mist as if it was a boiling kettle, though it made no such noise. The immediate area around the Lantern was covered in a heartbeat. Jacks petite figure vanishing into the mist as it began to roll out and expand creeping over more and more terrain, as if inviting all around it into Jack's personal hell.

Jack blinked. The mist obscured her vision, she couldn't see an inch in front of her. Good. That meant that neither could her enemy. She knew how to navigate her own bounded field better then any other anyway. So this wasn't much of an impediment to her. Now she just had to make sure her mother made it out alive.

Taka crouched down as the mist expand over her. It appeared to bend around her as if parted by her very presence. That was Jack's doing, the mist was just an extension of Jack's will. Both a weapon and a shelter. It was Jack representation of the streets upon which she was 'born' 'raised' and 'died'. Sheltered only by the choking fumes of the mist. A representation of a Darkened Misty Metropolis. Taka breathed lightly she could smell the sulphuric acid even in this eye of the storm. They just needed to hold out for when the guy got back with his Servant. She hoped he would take the leap of faith and jump in the obviously sulphuric mist. Jack already had the signature of his servant memorised from the activation of hunters mark. So the mist should part for them, leading them to her and then Jack could loop back.

The mist continued to expand, because it was forced in by the buildings it covered a majority of the main street. Only falling off in size as it crept into side alleys and the like. The mist was certainly expanding at a decent speed. Though it could be outrun with decent footwork.

Taka clutched her neck again wincing quietly to herself. Whoever that assassin was. Taka and by extension Jack had a little debt to repay... Later but almost certainly. They were going to slice the brutes head off...

[Eklispe]

Lancer

_{Interacting with @Grey@Turboshitter}

---

Lancer re-entered the physical world, immediately seeing the clothes put out for him and, after giving them a once over, put them over his own current apparel, removing the steel plates on his shoulders for now so they wouldn't stick out, the rest of his skintight apparel proving less problamatic. Lancer give himself a once-over now that he was re-equipped. The flowers were nice, it appeared his master wasn't hopeless in terms of taste. Then they were off to their luncheon, which seemed to have the joint purpose of meeting with another servant and master. Non-comat most likely, but Lancer was still wary as they waited outside the house.

[Shadow Daedalus]

And

Interacting with: Taka, Assassin (Jack) @1Charak2

As the woman spoke to him, James took a second to think it over. He was fairly confident in the abilities of Van Helsing, but if she was that certain they were at such a disadvantage, it must have something to do with the limitations of her own servant. He abandoned hypothesising in favour of action as she gently pushed him. Drawing his own pistol, mostly out of instinct as he recognised the futility of regular firearms against Servants, he quickly entered a crouching run as he quickly but carefully skirted around the ongoing duel of Assassins. Part of him burned at the though of the Hassan escaping, the shred of him that mourned for the loss of his old friend and partner, but he continued on in spite of this. Besides, there was little he could do. Archer was elsewhere and his own mana supply was... much lower than it should have been. He hadn't noticed it earlier because he was focused on other things but he had only cast one low-cost spell and yet his mana reserves where almost gone... Growling in frustration, he pushed on as he followed his Servant's signature.

The first things immediately apparent to Archer was that he was stunned, both visually and audibly, and in pain. Blinking rapidly, his vision cleared and he looked to the source of his pain. Caltrops. A particular favourite of his own, Archer's expression became less than amused at the idea of someone managing to successful rig and spring a trap like that in the exact spot he was going to land... Stepping carefully over them and leaning against the wall, he quickly set about removing the offending objects from the soles of his boots, silently thanking the shoe makers of his time for saving him even more pain by lessening the effective length of the spikes. Instantly, his Hunter;s Mark was burning again as he tried to locate any sign of more traps, or better yet the one that placed them, but he could only detect the mana signatures of the people in their homes and the few on the streets. As the ringing in his cleared, he became aware of the sound of approaching steps though the alleyways and began to raise his weapon until he recognised the mana signature as his master's. Lo and behold, James turned down the alley a few moments after. He was rapidly approaching, but stopped as the Vampire Hunter raised his hand. Using the side of his boot, he swept the caltrops to the side before letting his master close the rest of the distance. The two needn't exchange words as James flicked his head over his shoulder and Archer nodded in return before they began to turn to leave...

It was then that a strange mist rolled past the pair, blanketing the area in a dense fog that made visibility poor at best, the acrid smell of sulphur coiling around them. Initially fearing a trick by the enemy, both of the hunters turned back-to-back as they watched for an attack until a path of sorts opened up, leading out of the alleyway back the way James had come. Moving slowly and close together, the two made their way back to the woman and her servant.

Sliding in beside her out of the mist, Archer tipped the corner of his hat in greeting before James spoke, quietly enough that the hostile couldn't hear them, but loudly enough that she could hear him while he gestured to the acrid mist around them..

"I take it this is your handy work, or at least your servants?"

[Grey]

Prof. Sosthenes Antaeoi Kanakaris
Ren’s Front Yard, 2:02AM
Interacting with: @Eklispe Cu Chulainn, @Turboshitter Ren Mizushima, @1Charak2 Medusa

---

Of course. Things just couldn’t be that convenient. They get off the bus and they take the long path to the boy’s house, only to find that there was a different Servant and Master pair to have gotten there first, likely horribly torturing the boy if the statements “Where is that bastard?” and “Rider!” were anything to go by. Yes, this was a truly disastrous situation, but at least Sosthenes could take solace in the fact his apprentice wasn’t yet dead.

’Lancer, in case you were not aware, I was not expecting to find a Servant here. So I hope my following order is understandable,’ Sosthenes began, ’When you hear my signal, I want you to phase through the wall in spirit form, manifest, grab the scrawny oriental boy with glasses and brown hair, and protect him. In the event there are multiple scrawny orientals with brown hair and glasses, he is most definitely the one screaming and making an unsightly image of himself in the face of an enemy Heroic Spirit. Try not to rough him up too much during the escape, he is still my dear apprentice and I would hate to see him lose his head more literally than he already does.’

Though the instruction was rather long-winded, it was alleviated by the fact that Sosthenes continued to take action. First, the doorbell had been rung. Once to announce his presence. Twice more in rapid succession to be irksome enough to call the individuals inside to action. Given the situation, there were three possibilities he could envision in his mind’s eye: 1) the Servant would answer the door, violently, 2) a hypnotized civilian would answer the door, and 3) the enemy Master would.

Two of those would prove quite troublesome, which was why nobody would be at the door. Yes, this was a distraction - a vital one, given the subject matter they were dealing with. After all, in all battles a momentary distraction would spell swift doom for either side.

’Keep track of the Servant inside, I’d rather not be skewered, blasted, or otherwise brutalized a mere 20 meters away from my own Servant. Quite inelegant, that would be. And fatal. For both of us.’ Sosthenes sneaked around the house, not towards a back entrance, but to a side-window leading into the main living space. He took great care not to be caught within the window’s view, and rose from his crouch at its side.

With a single twitch of his well-hewn musculature, he tore the magical gem brooch off of his shirt, making sure to point it outwards like a policeman’s badge. And then he waited… There. He could hear footsteps thumping on the floor, one after the other. He counted… one… two… three. Three sets of steps. An enemy Master, Ren, and the Servant? The boy had told him of his mother’s frequent work habits, so the professor counted it as a happy coincidence that she was not here now. Otherwise this would become far more vexatious, and far less straightforward.

The professor breathed out. The movement of his magic circuits would tip off his targets; he would have to do this the old-fashioned way in all its mundane brutishness. First, he stepped back with his foot, anchoring him to the ground and lowering his center of body. He breathed in, focusing his energy like he’d been trained. And breathed out, body rotating 180 degrees and levelling a powerful roundhouse right into the window, smashing it open with a loud crash.

That was probably the signal, Lancer.

Meanwhile, the professor jumped through the window, fanning the arm with the brooch out like a handgun. At the same time, his experienced mind began going through the old and ingrained motions of combat calculation. The power in this one jewel could protect him from one attack, but even that would be enough create an opening for his own swift Servant to seize. Otherwise, if the enemy Servant was preoccupied with his own, he could use it to incapacitate or divert the Master’s action, and close the distance, hopefully allowing him to end the dastard with swift application of pankration to the vitals. Alternatively, he could activate Aeolus, sow chaos within the enclosed space. Repeat final step, or spirit the apprentice away. Or, OR-

Predictive calculation stopped immediately. At the same time, the following was transmitted through the mystic pass: ’Red light. Abort the mission. Stop the hammer time. We have a problem Houston.’

Amidst the shards of broken glass, crouched down like a martial artist from a Hong Kong action flick, was Professor Sosthenes Kanakaris. Across from him were three people: a Servant, a Master, and a civilian. But not the Master and civilian he was expecting.

At the side of his apprentice Ren, looking quite frazzled in that quirky young person way that some female students seemed to find endearing when shown in film but not in real life, was a woman dressed like a streetwalker from a European red light district, or perhaps like one of those strange, exotic fads involving latexwear and inflation. On the boy’s hand was a sigil that could only mean one thing.

As for the civilian...

His eyes flicked over to the pretty lady in front of the open door. Then to Ren. Then back to the woman. Suddenly, magic circuits flared to life, and basic instantaneous hypnosis magecraft was activated. Sosthenes, without changing his position, waved the hand with the gem in an arc.

“The window was broken when you arrived,” Sosthenes he said slowly, calmly, and in a slightly deeper cadence than his usual voice, “In fact, you are positive that Mr. Mizushima is at fault because he was playing with his balls outside. The dashing gentleman who had been here with your son the whole time had not just perpetrated the aforementioned offense. Also, you wish to punish your son for his rash action of binding a Ser- breaking your window, that is. And not for bringing a strange woman - who is a fellow student! - into your home. Also you are expecting another spandexclad guest, this one in blue because there is a “super senpai aneem” convention in town.”

Magic circuits deactivated, and so concluded a masterclass in flawless improvisation, courtesy of the Archaeology department’s greatest professor.

Of course, instantaneous hypnosis only worked on those without magic circuits, but he was positive this would work, as Ren was from a painfully ordinary family with nothing of note and a home in a magical backwater. Of course, there was also the possibility that she had circuitry and was just not making use of it, in which case this would all be for naught, and there would be some ‘splainin’ to do.

’Lancer. Feel free to come in any time and introduce yourself to the group. And try not to kill either of the attractive women.’

[vancexentan]

Interactions: @Shadow Daedalus@1Charak2

====

Assassin waited patiently for his ally to make a mistake and try to attack him, or falter for a moment. However as the two began to back up he saw his chance and had just been about to pounce but then the assassin girl pulled out a lantern and began to activate some sort of bizarre ability. A mist appeared and started to surround the nearby area. He was not use to mist...the desert had little water and he found such a happening as mist to be annoying. However Assassin was no green recruit out of the mosques of Mecca. He backed away but was still very much prepared he grabbed a nearby piece of debris and hurled it into the mist and saw it vanish nearly instantly. "So it doesn't destroy matter I see? Then it must have some sort of other purpose. Fine then child I will withdraw for now but I will be back some other day. And with more preparation." Assassain growled as he jumped up onto the roof tops with a single easy movement and began to vanish into nothingness a moment later. He had left the field and pursuing him would likely not end well even if one could track someone like him. "Looks like you lucked out mates. Here's a parting gift!" came the voice of what must've been the enemy archer as suddenly a large bang went off and to add to the mist a dense smoke appeared around the nearby area. Apparently even with all of his ability to hide his own presence archer felt the need to have some extra insurance. In all likely cause archer had already left the second he finished his sentence in order to stay away from the mist. He left no noise in his wake.

[Turboshitter]

Ren Mizushima

Interacting with: Rider (@1Charak2), Sosthenes (@Grey), Lancer (@Eklispe)

Fuyuki City, Miyama Town - 2:03 PM December 2nd, 2012

Hider

Aoi rolled up her sleeves as soon as she heard the doorbell. Time to show this incompetent, child-endangering asshole what a mother bear could do. Though she'd never really met the man before, she was certainly ready to now. And she hoped his ass was ready to meet her foot.

She marched towards the front door, Ren and Rider still hanging back by the staircase. "Alright you pompous sonuvabitch, I hope you can explain-"

But before she even got a chance to finish, the world somehow found a way to make her day seem even worse than before and a strange man she could only assume was the fabled professor busted through the side window and into the house, shattering the glass and making an absolute mess of the living room. He held up a jewel in one hand, waving it around like he thought it was some sort of police officer's badge. It looked as though he'd completely stopped giving a shit and didn't even care that he'd just broken a five hundred dollar window.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Aoi shouted in surprise, but she recovered fast, crossing her arms in a defiant pose. "Are you the professor? If you are, then maybe you can explain to me why my son came home last night with a tattoo and an exotic lap dancer when he was supposed to be under your care! And you'd better damn hope I like your answer, because if I don't-"

But she was interrupted mid-threat by the strange man who she thought to be the professor, and slowly, like a snake winding around her brain, his honeyed words made her forget what she'd even been mad about in the first place. Was it something having to with Ren?

"What was I..." she began. "Oh, right! The window! I'm so sorry professor, I tried to get this place cleaned up before you and your guests arrived, but you know how boys like Ren are, always playing with their balls. I'm... sure he didn't mean to, his pitching game needs work after all, but I'll be sure to talk to him about it later. Honestly, right as we were about to have guests... Ren! Come and help me clean this up!"

None of this was true, of course. Ren had never played baseball or soccer, had never even owned any sort of balls (related to sports anyway), so his "pitching game" certainly did need work, because it was nonexistent. This, if the professor's calmly spoken lies and his mother's dazed look weren't any indication, was clearly the product of hypnosis.

Ren stared at the professor, mouth agape, before scowling and rushing to his mom's side to help scoop up the broken glass. Dumping the remains of the window into a plastic garbage bag, Aoi Mizushima tied it into a knot and handed it to Ren, checking the time on her watch.

"Oh shi- I mean, oh damn," she said, minding her manners around her son's handsome professor. "I'm running late for work again. My boss is gonna-"

She turned around and smiled sweetly at their new guest. "Sorry, but I really need to get going. I do wish I could stay and chat though. You seem like a fascinating man, and I'd love to hear all about what my son's been up to these last four years."

Aoi glanced at Rider, still not entirely convinced by the professor's hypnosis. "Yep. Aaallll about it. Anyway, I'm not really a cook, but I know how to make a few different English dishes. Would you and your... friends like me to pick up anything special for dinner on my way home from work? Ren, how about you? Or will you all be eating at that anime convention you're going to-"

"Yeah yeah, it's no big deal, mom. Honestly we're fine, there's nothing to worry about, you have to go to work now, please leave!" Ren said. The boy was practically pushing his mother out the door.

"Wha- Ren?!" she exclaimed. "But I-"

"Work! Now!"

"Well... alright," she said, stubbornly lingering in the doorway despite his pushing. "I'll see you later then, honey! Be sure to keep our guests entertained!"

"Oh I will!" Ren said as he shut the door behind her. Oh I fucking will...

Ren locked the front door, and turned around to face the professor, practically steaming. He pointed a finger, a rare thing for the normally timid boy to do.

"Never," he said, firmly but still not with complete certainty, "do that again. I don't want my mom being hypnotized by anyone. Are we all clear on that?"

He turned around, embarrassed after realizing he'd lost his temper with the professor, scratching the back of his head. "She's not-..."

Words failed him. Had the professor just magically roofied his mom? He very well could have even if he hadn't, and that was not okay. The idea of the professor putting the moves on his mom was already disturbing enough, but that was just not okay.

[1Charak2]

Taka Frederick & Assassin

Interacting with: @Shadow Daedalus

Jack was happy with her handiwork. She breathed in the sulphuric air. Home. The london streets of the victorian era. She hated the people, she hated the cold, she hated everything about London but the mist. The mist was something she could love. The blanket of cover it provided, it was truly something. It made her head clear and her enemies disorientated. Jack loved the mist. She paused for a moment as she felt her mist part for a moving object.

So they was back already was they? The guy with the hat who was too dense to see a flying dagger and required a young girl to save his sorry behind. Jack smirked to herself. She was certainly less composed by herself and with her mother. She didn't seem to give off the natural killers intent, perhaps that had something to do with her flip-flop mental state. Her happiness was a thing of rarity and if you saw it without her tolerance of you, you better have brought a small allotment of land for her to bury you in.

Because you would be dead.

Very Dead.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Taka saw them as they came back."I take it this is your handy work, or at least your servants?" The boy said, flanked by his servant who had a pretty snazzy outfit. She decided to let it slide that he had kinda beaten her up and bruised her all over. "Yea, that's my assassins job. She should be back any minute now." Taka said as Jack emerged from the mist behind her, tugging at Taka's sleeve to alert her of their presence.

Taka looked at her and patted the head of her assassin. "You did well. Honestly, where would I be without you sometimes." Taka said her voice akin to a mother's tone of delight. As if their Daughter brought home a A+ on a paper.

Jack's face externally was stone cold due to the presence of the two gentlemen. Internally she was happy. Very happy. After all she had finally found a woman that could tolerate her. A serial killer. Even with all of her flaws and imperfections and the nature of her creation. Taka looked past that and saw a child that needed someone to care for them.

For that Jack was very grateful. Certainly, her mother had her own issues but Jack wasn't one to talk. She couldn't fault her mother for anything that she hadn't done. They were both basically street dwellers now. Taka didn't treat Jack like she was an issue. Taka understood her. Jack loved her Mother for that. If what Jack was feeling was called love. She hadn't really been taught what it was, the only thing that she could gather was that it was a sort of attachment to a person.

Taka stopped petting her 'daughters' head and turned back to the pair who were probably watching and questioning to themselves why they were observing this. "What? She deserves it for a job well done. Do I have to give your servant a head pat too. I would if I could reach." Taka said completely shunning off the awkwardness. "I believe the opponents have turned tails for now. So. You got anywhere good to take a girl whom you just beat up on the street?" Taka said glancing at James, then she nodded at Jack as the mist and therefore the bounded field began to fade. The mist dissipated into the open air, the smell of sulphur fading. "I really want to get going before they loop back around for a round two. I doubt I really want to use even more mana..." Taka said as she then motioned to her Neck which was clotted but would need some attention. "...Or even more injuries." She finished.

"Names Taka Frederick by the way. You earned the courtesy, don't talk about my family to me and we will be just fine." Taka said introducing herself as she waited impaitently for them to get moving.

[Eklispe]

Lancer

_{Interacting with @Grey@Turboshitter}

---

Lancer nodded in response to the extended instructions, unable to resist a wild grin coming his face. He got to fight already? He'd expected this to be some sort of cordial meeting between masters but this was much better. He hoped it would be a good one. Lancer waited eagerly for Sos to give him the signal, which was probably him rather impressively destroying the window. Well, for a human anyway. Lancer's tensed body sprung into action, he propelled himself forward at impressive speed through the wall, his eyes immediately locking onto the scrawny oriental boy with glasses and brown hair, luckily there were not multiple scrawny oriental boys with glasses and brown hair, but Lancer felt as though he could've picked this one out regardless.

Lancer's spear glimmered briefly with red light, as though reflecting his eagerness for battle. However judging by the reactions of those in the room this was indeed not to be a hostile encounter and the light faded with this realization. What a disappointment, ah well, he'd really been expecting too much with his kind of luck. At least there were two shapely ladies there, "Lancer at your service, not to worry, I won't be assaulting any ladies unless they ask for it." Lancer said with a dashing wink aimed somehow at both the ladies in question, flourishing his spear before resting it across his shoulders lazily and leaned back against the wall he'd come through. "I assume the scrawny oriental boy with glasses and brown hair, apparently also known as Mr. Mizushima, does not need protecting." Lancer asked, though he was pretty sure of the answer. Which meant food, with a lady no less, though lady might not be the most accurate term for the women in bed Lancer decided to use it anyway.

[Turboshitter]

Albert Prelati

Interacting with: Berserker (@Grey), Leon & Saber (@vancexentan)

An internet cafe across the street from Ahnenerbe - 2:04 PM December 2nd, 2012

Hider

"Alright zen," Albert said, sipping his next cheap cup of coffee. He rose from the table, dusting himself off. He had to remember never to return to this place.

Closing the lid of his laptop, the internet browser still open on a page labeled "Togami Towers", Albert cocked his head in Leon's direction.

"Shall we go meet wiz Jonazan?"

[Grey]

Berserker
Internet Cafe
Interacting with: @Turboshitter Albert Prelati, @VanceXentan Lancelot, Leon Winchester

---

Berserker snorted at the sight of Saber's stifled laughter and the subsequent frigid exposition. "You're telling me. One moment they help, another they hinder - sometimes even the same fairy!" Berserker replied, voice containing the exasperation characteristic of someone who'd seen it all and done it all. "You know... I had a foreign friend raised by a lady of the lake. Nice guy, nice lady. So you can imagine how awkward it was when she tried to kill me later." She breathed a wistful sigh, like it was some kind of fond memory - which it was, as the assassin sent after the paladin ended up marrying her cousin.

"But that's neither here nor there, and I may spoken too much. Here goes second call-- No drinks? No problem," Berserker nodded. She hadn't been very bothered by Saber and his Master's denial of her offer despite the undertone of their suspicion. Perhaps she was taking their answer at face value. "Guess that's a two-sugar-and-cream coming right up," she pushed her chair into the seat and strode towards the counter, fishing in her pockets for the spending money her Master had allotted her.

It took a few moments of waiting in line, and then for the cup of joe itself, but Berserker was soon back at the table, handing off the coffee to her Master and catching the last tidbit of conversation. "Ah, we're meeting more like-minded individuals already? What a fortuitous day."

[vancexentan]

Interactions: @Turboshitter@Grey

===

Saber held his composure rather well...for a man who just found out his surrogate parent figure had a part in more than one legend. It would seem destiny was drawn to that lake...and more over he was drawn to people who had gone there. It had been nice to get out of the cold but now he supposed it would better to simply get a move onto the place where they had intended to go. Saber was glad the meeting went well in all sincerity. One less head to cut off it would seem. Or perhaps this Berserker wasn't as kind as she let herself appear to be. Even the most well known knights, and fighters had darker sides to them. Sides they didn't want to show...even in the round table..."I can't claim to know how the Lady of the Lake operated...she was a good woman that was all I knew of her. Kind, and gentle. Or at least so I am told by my peers during my life." Saber grumbled out for the first time in a long time telling a blatant lie. He wanted to deny the fact that the Lady of the Lake could be so spiteful. That she herself must've been wrong. But that wasn't in his nature, and he couldn't deny someone their own story. However...it may be useful information to look up later.

"Alright finish up, and let's get a move on. I've already probably spent more time here than I should have. I hope that Jonathan fellow stays where he is at." Leon said politely but firmly as he took a deep breath and took out his own cell phone. He looked at the texts from Satsuko and replied to them quickly. Nothing really special just her checking in on her two best friends. He waited for a moment as the two others in his party, his own servant not included, finished their drinks and finally led them away. As Leon and the others walked out of the store Leon himself looked around and had seen nothing special at all. Leon then moved onto a new place hoping that the day would continue to go well.

Sometime later after walking a fair distance away they arrived at a rather fancy hotel. He wasn't sure who owned it but he didn't really care either. He had looked at the multi story building and then back around the area to find not trace of any magical barrier, or activity. It by all means spoke volumes about Jonathan's confidence in himself. "Bit gaudy but I suppose this is as good a place to set up shop as any." Leon stated flatly with amusement as he took another look at the building.


He shrugged and nodded at the rest of them to follow him inside the building. When he got in they were immediately assaulted by the vastness and the expensive nature of the hotel.



By all means Leon had seen nothing like it in person before and he gawked at it a little but made sure the others couldn't notice it...at least he hoped he did a good enough job as he went up to the main desk and asked for the room number of a certain Mr. Jonathan. "Oh yeah they're expecting you they'll be on the top floor. Room F-6." the woman at the desk said with a smile and a nod.

[1Charak2]

Interacting with:@Turboshitter@Grey@Eklispe

Rider had heard the doorbell. It made such a distracting noise though she guessed that that was the intended purpose. Certainly, it didn't help that her ears were way more sensitive than humans to compensate for her lack of eyesight. She would have to inform her master about her dislike of noises like that. Maybe he could convince the lion of the woman who was her master's mother that a doorbell isn't necessary at all. They had hands, after all, knocks suffice greatly. Whoever was at the door then rang the doorbell again. At this point Rider was getting frustrated with the noise and if it wasn't for her master's mother being kinda in the way she would've grabbed the door herself just to shut them up.

She sighed as she looked towards the doorway again. They weren't coming in, that alone was suspect. Why announce your presence so much if you're not going to use the door. Rider readied herself on the stairs, just in case it wasn't Assassin trying to tie up his loose ends. She didn't manifest any of her weapons due to the presence of Aoi (she didn't want to give her masters mother a heart attack) though she certainly wasn't unprepared for a confrontation. She re-positioned herself on the stairs to be in front of Ren though she was leaving him with enough space to get around her easily in case he needed to go downstairs faster than up.

She heard the window break and at once she crouched down in a combative stance. This cannot be any regular guest. "Ren I." She began as she sensed the magical energy of a servant phasing through the wall. She turned to face the obviously bigger problem of the two as she watched him solidify. Blue spandex. Nice. Not her type of color though to be honest.

Medusa watched as the servant stopped in his tracks. Why was he hesitating, she glanced back at the man who had broken a window. Her attention fully focused as she watched what he was doing to her master's mother. Is that how you treat a lady? By altering her memories of an event. Disgraceful. Murder sure, it happens but altering what people think, saw, felt. That was crueler to Medusa then anything else. She was about to intervene when an annoyance spoke up. "Lancer at your service, not to worry, I won't be assaulting any ladies unless they ask for it." The blue annoyance said. So the servant is as much as a complete savage with no respect for a woman as the master. If anyone was going to be the assaulting it would be Medusa. A very violent type of assault. The kind that leaves one hell of a crime scene.

While Ren was forcing his mother out the door, she shot Lancer a look if you could call it that. She just had an angry frown on her face because you could not see her eyebrows or even eyes behind her mask. Certainly, She wasn't happy with the introductions and unsurprisingly neither was her Master who was displaying great anger at the window smasher when he had moved past her. Her master even knew how to make threats. It was kinda cute to listen to such a timid boy making threats but what good were they if they had no weight.

She walked over to her master who had turned his back to the situation. She positioned herself so she would be (if it wasn't for the aforementioned blindfold.) looking into his eyes. She kept her voice low as she whispered something into his ear after the moment she had. "If they do it again, Ren. Just ask for my help. It would be my pleasure." She softly spoke into his ear with the sweet tone she reserved for people she respected. She pulled her head away from his ear as she stood up, moving over to the window-breaker whom she was beginning to assume was the professor from earlier. She didn't have much reason to like him currently and she needed to vent frustration so.

She continued walking closer to him with a relaxed body language that shows that nothing was wrong. It was an extremely convincing facade after all. She knew most likely the professor wouldn't respond adversely, so she stood still she was just in front of him. "Your the professor, I presume? The name is Rider." She said with a hint of frustrated anger toward him for making Ren upset. "In future can you not make Ren upset. Tease him certainly but never make him upset." She commanded with a voice that demanded submission to its demands. She turned to walk back to her Master but not before 'accidentally' digging her heel into the professor's shoe. If he asked why she did it. She had an excuse and it didn't take a genius to see what that excuse was.

[Grey]

Prof. Sosthenes Antaeoi Kanakaris
Mizushima Household, 2:06AM
Interacting with: @Eklispe Cu Chulainn, @Turboshitter Ren Mizushima, @1Charak2 Medusa

---

It was Sosthenes' understanding that the appropriate reaction to this turn of events was "s", "m", and "h" in respective succession. While he did not know what this acronym stood for, he understood the meaning behind it roughly. It was disappointment, it was consternation, it was that disgruntled sense of having witnessed something that was cause for an exasperated shake of the head. Four years since he had stepped foot in this town, four years since he had taken the formless, anxious mass of clay that was this boy and molded him into a work of art: a finely adjusted first-generation denizen of the moonlit world.

Or at least that was what the professor had thought. Clearly those lessons on how things operated on the other side were lost on the boy. Standard protocol of both this war and that of supernatural culture in general dictated that she be killed as a witness. Quite distasteful on multiple degrees, that unruly would have been, but hypnosis could wear off with time and memory manipulation was equally fallible. So then, had he been as unfair as his apprentice made him out to be?

"Very well," the professor sighed defeated, raising both hands in defeat, before refastening his brooch to his chest and straightening up. “As it is your family and your household, I will defer to your judgment on these such topics. Such is the ancient way of xeni-” Sosthenes was promptly cut off by the sound of a heel being purposefully driven into his fine-tailored shoe. Clenching teeth to stifle surges of pain, the professor lifted his foot off the ground and balanced on the other with little difficulty as a result of his physical conditioning. He grunted. “Kuh... Quaint. I believe the common expression is… What the actual fuck, lady? ”

A shadow crossed his vision, and a familiar voice was heard.

“Ah... Yes. Apt assessment my speartowwting friend. He does not need any… protection. Except perhaps a box of condoms.” Fortunately, Lancer arrived in due time, a fine deterrent should this heinous spirit attempt to start an incident, allowing him to gently lower himself to the floor. He sat on the carpet, stripping his shoe and sock off his crippled appendage. Underneath was a finely punctured hole surrounded by shattered bones. It was quite a unsightly image, already swelling and bleeding and all that nastiness. Of course, what did you expect from damage 40x that of a normal human?

No matter. He could strive past the pain. A magus walks with death, a magus endures. A seasoned enforcer even moreso. His circuits activated, cycling refining prana to facilitate the repair of his body. He was still seated, but one could see the glowing flesh and bone knitting itself back together like a grotesque timelapse photo, complete with an accompaniment of squelching and cracking. Basics of the basics, this healing was, but there was a clear reason it was basic.

Sosthenes leaned back and fished a cig from his pocket, allowing it to simply rest inert in his mouth. “At least this Rider seem to be a reliable sort,” he commented, planting his palms on the ground, the part free from glass shards, to hold himself up, “You do certainly know how to pick them, my boy. I see that stat line. Do any of you two care to explain to the class how this development came to be? Also my Servant and I are quite famished, so if there’s any possibility that we could resolve that, it would be of great benefit. Right Lancer?”

[Shadow Daedalus]

And

Interacting with: Taka, Assassin (Jack) @1Charak2

James nodded once at the woman's confirmation, filing the information into the mental portfolio he was compiling of the two females. While they may have found a common enemy for the time being, James recognised that neither he nor other master had voiced any confirmation that they were in fact allies. This truce between them was tentative at best, but he had no intention of breaking it yet, and it seemed that neither did she...

Holstering his still-drawn weapon, He raised an eyebrow, as did Van Helsing, at the way she interacted with her servant. As he watched the almost motherly exchange, he pondered the relationship that the two shared. As he watched, His mind drifted to his own family, his mother patting his sister's head in much the same way, back before everything went to hell. The master's sarcastic remark drew his attention back to the present before his eyes quickly alternated from her to Van Helsing and back. The thought of her trying to reach the top of his head was briefly amusing, although the man in question seemed bemused by the suggestion. In response to the comment about his earlier actions, his eyebrow once again raised.

"You drew a gun on me, so my retaliation was entirely justified. I do agree, however, that we should leave the area. I have safehouse nearby. If you don't mind leaving those 'moving problems' behind for the time being."

His last comment was tinted with sarcasm, but he leaned away from any hostility. He really wasn't in the mood for a verbal sniping match. When she gave her name, he was a little surprised by her family, but did as she asked and didn't comment on it. He knew a little about the Fredericks, a family of Curse-focused Magi hailing from London, but other than that they were largely unimportant to him. He had hunted Magi much larger in both reputation and power, so it was hard to impress him than most. Taka had done fairly well in that regard, considering her skill with martial arts, firearms and the true, if a little unusual, bond she shared with her servant.

"James Thorne."

[Turboshitter]

Albert Prelati

Interacting with: Berserker (@Grey), Leon & Saber (@vancexentan)

An internet cafe across the street from Ahnenerbe - 2:04 PM December 2nd, 2012

Hider

Albert acknowledged briefly Saber's admission of knowing the Lady of the Lake. Though it was far from an obscure story, his attempts to cover up the fact that he'd known her personally were paper thin, and just as see-through. It hadn't been wise for his own Servant to drop hints of her own accord, but it seemed like the bait had worked marvelously.

Judging by ze fact zat zese two did not show any signs of recognizing eachozer, I zink it might, might be safe to assume 'e is not anozer paladin of Charlemagne. Zat leaves only Camelot and ze knights of ze round table. Ze Grail Cycle. 'Ow fitting, he thought. Zat ability 'e 'as that 'ides 'is identity... per'aps 'e is ze Green Knight zat tested Sir Gawain. Killing 'im will be a pain in ze ass if zat's true. Good for us now, but bad if zis alliance dissolves or if ze "teams" zing ends up being a load of la connerie.

He still didn't take the priest at his word that a wish could be claimed with only half of the participating Servants dead. Even if he wasn't selling them snake oil, he knew a lot of magi would start turning on their "teammates" as soon as the numbers had been whittled down to seven. They wouldn't want to share their wish with so many people. Mages were inherently distrustful and suspicious creatures like that.

When they arrived at the hotel, Albert swore.

"Merde," he said. "And 'ere I zought I 'ad found a nice place to shack up. Zat's ze last time I tip my travel agent..."

It was gorgeous. Like a television advert come to life. The hotel only became more offensively luxurious after they stepped inside, and Albert almost found himself getting angry at the injustice of it. Gold finish, expensive marble tiling, chandeliers and bellhops that brought you complementary drinks. And here he'd been told the penthouse in the Hyatt was the best place to stay in town. Bloody hell...

Still, he couldn't shake the niggling feeling that something was off. This was too easy. There was no barrier. No familiars, no brainwashed employees. Either Jonathan was sloppy, or they were being led into a trap. No proper mage left his base of operations this poorly defended.

"Keep an eye out," he whispered to Leon. You too, ma chère. I want boots to asses as soon as you so much as zink you saw somezing suspicious.

Something just wasn't right here...

Ren Mizushima

Interacting with: Rider (@1Charak2), Sosthenes (@Grey), Lancer (@Eklispe)

Fuyuki City, Miyama Town - 2:06 PM December 2nd, 2012

Hider

Ren winced as he watched the professor's foot fix itself like a video on fast-forward. It was clear to him now that when Rider had stomped on his foot, that had just been a love tap. The professor really had taken the brunt of it.

"Sorry, professor," he said sheepishly out loud before he decided to try something else.

Thanks, Rider, he thought, willing his message to reach her. He'd heard Masters and Servants could communicate telepathically, and it seemed like a good time to try that out. It was bloody convenient if it worked, though trying to convey a smile without actually smiling was hard.

Then the professor sat down calmly and asked the question Ren knew he was going to ask. He wanted an explanation. Ren rubbed the back of his head nervously. Where to begin?

"Ummm... so this is Rider," he said demonstratively. "Her name's Medusa."

He quickly sent her another message, knowing she probably wouldn't like having her name revealed to another Master. Sorry, Rider. These guys are our allies, so I think we kind of have to tell them. Don't worry though, you can trust them. The professor's a creep, but he's not a bad guy. Usually...

Continuing, he said, "There's some leftover cake in the fridge. You can help yourselves to that if you want. Okay... where do I start..."

And so he told them the story, about how he'd found Rider the previous night and how he'd decided to make a contract with her. It was a short kind of story, but one that begged a thousand questions. Most of which he was afraid he didn't have the answers to.

"So... that's how it is," he said finally. "It kinda just... happened. I'm sorry I didn't inform you earlier, but we didn't have much time. Please forgive me."

Ren bowed his head, more out of instinct than anything. His distinctly Japanese sensibilities had gotten him into trouble before during his adventures with the professor. The gesture he was currently performing carried a lot of weight in many countries, including Britain, but he'd found that without context, it left most Westerners confused. Rather than being an acknowledgment of general respect for another person, bowing in most European countries was reserved almost exclusively for kings and theatre actors.

He hoped, however, that the professor would understand what he meant by it, that his actions had all been done with the best intentions. Ren knew he wasn't going to apologize. He'd saved Rider's life and doubled their fighting forces. If the professor was upset at him for taking a more proactive role as a mage... well then, he'd just have to deal with it. Ren would, of course, not the professor.

"Ummmm..." he said, trying to break the silence. "Is the cake still good?"