[color=6ecff6][center][h2]Cleo Forsberg[/h2][/center][/color]
[color=6ecff6][center][h3]Summoning her Servant; Preparing for war[/h3][/center][/color]

[color=6ecff6] “You’re taller than I thought you’d be. Ruder too.”[/color] She’d known the stories, about how Ajax towered over the rest of the Achaeans to the point of being easily recognisable from the walls of Troy, and she’d seen what was left of his skeleton. Even so her Servant was taller than she had imagined he would be, his broad figure more imposing, his presence more overwhelming and his eyes… darker.

The anger she saw in him, the bitterness, was a far cry from the protector she had wanted. His words were harsh, even discounting the threat on her life, his whole demeanour more dangerous. Has she made a mistake in assuming he would be like the accounts she had read? Did Homer’s epic glorify the heroes of the Greeks and paint them in a better light than they deserved, or did his ignoble end simply change him more than she had thought it would?

[color=6ecff6] “Fine then, [i]Servant[/i], if that’s how you want to play things then we can skip the pleasantries.”[/color] She needed to gain some control over this situation before this brute of a man overran her. A Seidr witch couldn’t let herself be intimidated by a spirit, even one as great as this, if she was going to claim victory in this war. [color=6ecff6] “Save your oaths of revenge and maledictions for someone else; do your job and win me this war and there won’t be any need for double crossing. Protect me, as you are known for, and I’ll make you unstoppable; fail me and I’ll find another path to the Grail.”[/color]

Perhaps she was pushing her luck with this man. It would have to be seen whether he would respect her convictions or decide that she was more trouble than she was worth. If he moved against her now she would need to use her Command Seals to supress and end him before calling this whole endeavour off and returning home.

[color=6ecff6] “You’ll have your wish, so long as it doesn’t interfere with mine, when we see the end of this war. Now, tell me your name Shielder, so that I can be sure who I’m dealing with.”[/color]

[@Crusader Lord]

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[color=82ca9d][center][h2]Archer Actaeon[/h2][/center][/color]
[color=82ca9d][center][h3]First meetings are sometimes awkward[/h3][/center][/color]

[color=82ca9d][i]So, I find myself partnered with a woman once more; I am to fight by her side, hunting a different kind of foe than I did back then.[/i][/color]

The mages eyes followed his around the room, perhaps mistaking his expression for disappointment as she commented on its depressing nature. The barren room was not to be their base however, merely their starting point, as she suggested heading to the real location soon, a friendly smile on her lips.

[color=82ca9d][i]Ah, and she is beautiful as well; she pales in comparison to a Goddess, of course, but she’s beautiful nonetheless. I don’t have the best luck with beautiful women, do I? I’m sorry I can’t speak with you; I still bear the curse of the last woman I was partnered with, even if she was far more than just a woman in truth.[/i][/color]

Mercedes reached a hand in his direction, the red Command Seals stark against her skin, as her friendly smile changed to something warmer; the gesture was unfamiliar, though the Grail filled his mind with the knowledge required to understand it. Archer hesitated a moment, staring at the extended hand with that same wariness.

[color=82ca9d][i]I even find myself contracted to her. An oath of fealty of sorts, backed by the threat of destruction should I break it; a familiar situation. History does like to repeat itself doesn’t it? But maybe this time I can avoid making the same mistakes.[/i][/color]

A small spark of resolve entered his eyes before he grabbed her hand with his own, raising his gaze to meet herself firmly as he shook her hand. [color=82ca9d][i]I am at your service Master.[/i][/color]

[@Yankee]