As he listened to Archer’s arguments Thomas walked over to the case he had left on the coffee table and closed it with a click; his preparations, at least those requiring more exotic ingredients, were finished for now. The Servant was correct of course, as expected of the criminal mastermind he knew this kind of warfare well; it would be wiser to keep their heads down for as long as possible and let the others wear themselves out. He was even right about Thomas being unsure who it was he had even summoned at first, though he would never admit that his confusion was more due to the fact that he had wholeheartedly expected his servant to be wearing a deer stalker and smoking a pipe than anything else.

Archer was correct, and yet… [color=aba000]“You are right, of course. However I cannot feel at ease just sitting back and letting others advance their plans without doing something; my magecraft requires an inordinate amount of preparation to be effective and even if we plan on staying hidden until the last we would be in a much better position were we to be a little more proactive in the early stages of this war.”[/color] Thomas walked over to the coat rack by the door and retrieved his long coat and hat. [color=aba000]“Alas I am not overly skilled at information gathering without having something to work with first. Which unfortunately requires us to venture outside.”[/color]

Placing the hat on his head and slipping into the coat Thomas looked over at Archer still sitting in his chair and sipping tea; hopefully the Servant would join him of his own volition as he was well aware that he would be unable to make him come with him otherwise. [color=aba000]“Do not concern yourself Archer; despite my poor choice of words I have no intention of getting involved in any conflicts just yet. Scouting, tracking and preparation are a part of hunting as well, just as much as the kill if not more so.”[/color] Reaching into his coat pocket the magus pulled out an innocuous looking pair of glassed and put them on. [color=aba000]“All I need is to see their faces and then we can begin our plans.”[/color]

[@PKMNB0Y]