[h1]Rider[/h1]
[h2]Habsburg Ruins[/h2]

Rider maintained the same composed, polite smile as the Habsburg Servant cut her off. Her eye twitched slightly as he turned his back. Ordinarily an enemy offering his back would’ve been a welcome gesture. In this particular enemy’s case, however, it didn’t much matter where he was facing. So, Rider waited patiently for the King of Heroes to finish the deliberations with his Master. 

The black-clad warrior turned back around and recounted Habsburg’s instructions flatly, broadening Rider’s smile. She curtsied in a grandiose way.

“I am delighted to-”

The Servant was already gone. 

Rider froze in place for a moment, waiting for his presence to fully fade. When she was certain of her safety, she turned on a heel and began walking toward the forest, the same calm smile adorning her lips. As she entered the brush, though, she let out a long breath, leaning against a tree. Her shoulders shook with a boiling mixture of indignation, anxiety, and utter gratitude that fortune had deemed her worthy to survive another day. A delicate crystal glass manifested between her fingers in the signature shower of colorful sparks. She took a deep drink of the swirling burgundy liquid within and chuckled to herself.

[i]“Master, I trust you escaped without any further issue? I’ve managed to keep myself in one piece. We’ve a date with nobility later… but in the meantime, I will make my way back to the apartment. You’ve no need to wait for me, a ride through the countryside will do me some good, I believe.”[/i]

Catherine took another long sip from her glass, holding her free hand out before her.

“Come, Brilliant.”

An equine figure faded into existence in the forest clearing with a happy whinny.

The horse was a stallion, tall and pale with broad, powerful shoulders. His snowy mane was meticulously braided, and his tail flowed behind him like a banner. The lavish design of the saddle and bridle exalted his position as property of the Tsarina. The horse whinnied again and pawed the ground as the Empress reached out a hand to pat his snout.

“It has been too long my friend. Much too long.”

The glass faded from Rider’s hand as she rounded the side of the horse and elegantly threw herself into the saddle.

[hr]

[h1]Naoko’s Apartment[/h1]

Rider stretched her arms above her head and let out a sigh. It had been a stressful day, that much was certain, and though it wasn’t yet over, she hoped the threat of imminent destruction had faded away for the moment. At the very least, they got some time to rest, however brief. Sophie currently sat cross-legged in the floor, scrolling away endlessly at Naoko’s smartphone and listening to the distant and muffled sound of a concert going on nearby. Her martial outfit had been replaced with a simple black tank-top and shorts. As her Master mentioned dinner, Catherine hopped to her feet.

“Mmm, mmm… let’s see…”

The Empress seemed to think for a moment before conjuring up a full bottle of wine and placing it, along with a trio of twinkling crystal glasses, on the table. 

“I think that vintage should do. Just the thing for a day of cheating death!”

Catherine smiled, but a sudden ripple of regret passed through her, bringing her gaze down dejectedly. 

“I [i]do[/i] wish we could have gotten away without damaging the Winter Palace, though.”

An indignant frown flashed across her face.

“That man… I suppose I should’ve expected as much from the King of Heroes, but I didn’t predict he would be so… how do you say… extra?”

Catherine nodded approvingly at her masterful use of modern vocabulary and uncorked the wine.

“But certainly, let us eat!”

She glanced over at the guard, seeing if he would join them before filling the wine glasses. Raising her own cup, she made a broad gesture.

“To our survival, the blessings of good fortune… and this delightful fluffy boy!”

Rider made the toast before kneeling down and patting the dog.

“So Master, do you have any plans for our meeting with Habsburg? I’m sure he will want his treasures back… Perhaps we could negotiate some kind of-”

A chorus of gunfire ripped through the air in the distance, silencing the concert. She waited in silence for a moment, glancing toward the apartment window. As she turned to take a step toward it, she felt an unmistakable jolt in the depths of her being. A Servant was involved, maybe more than one.

Catherine sighed, raising the glass to her lips and slowing tipping it upward before sliding back the blinds and seeing if any of the chaos had spilled in their direction yet.

“Shall I see to this interruption, Master?”