[center][h1][b]Albert Prelati[/b][/h1]

Interacting with: Berserker ([@Grey]), Leon & Saber ([@vancexentan])[/center]

[center][h2]An internet cafe across the street from Ahnenerbe - 2:04 PM December 2nd, 2012[/h2][/center]

[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.

[i]Judging by ze fact zat zese two did not show any signs of recognizing eachozer, I zink it might, [b]might[/b] 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,[/i] he thought. [i]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.[/i]

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.

[i]"Merde,"[/i] 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. [i]You too, ma chère. I want boots to asses as soon as you so much as [b]zink[/b] you saw somezing suspicious.[/i]

Something just wasn't right here...
[/hider]

[center][h1][b]Ren Mizushima[/b][/h1]

Interacting with: Rider ([@1Charak2]), Sosthenes ([@Grey]), Lancer ([@Eklispe])[/center]

[center][h2]Fuyuki City, Miyama Town - 2:06 PM December 2nd, 2012[/h2][/center]

[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 [i]his[/i] 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.

[i]Thanks, Rider,[/i] 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. [i]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...[/i]

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?"
[/hider]