[hr] [center][color=a36209][h2]Sláine Druiminn[/h2] [h3]Koushuuensaikan Taizan, Mount Miyama, Miyama Town[/h3] Mentions:[/color] [@Heavy Snark][/center] [hr] "Danbai! Breakfast is ready!" The pale figure awoke with a start, sitting up from his futon and nearly hitting his head on a poorly positioned shelf. The first thing he saw was the large summoning circle drawn in the middle of the cramped room he found himself in, eliciting a yelp from the young man. [color=a36209]"Ye-"[/color] A slight pain in the head caused Sláine to pause briefly. [color=a36209]"Yes, Batsu-san, I'm coming!"[/color] When he heard footsteps leading away from the room, the boy gave a sigh of relief. The Druiminn's didn't have time to completely teach him Japanese, so they implanted some small ticks that helped him along. The pain was initially quite bothersome but had become nearly unnoticeable over the last few days of use. Now that he was fully awake, Sláine began to recognize the place he was in. A small room, boxes filled with bottles and spices limiting what little space the room provided. However, all of that was pushed to the side and stacked as high as possible, allowing enough space for the intricate summoning circle in the middle of the room. Sláine had drawn it over the course of five hours last night and quadruple-checked it for errors or mistakes - it was far out of his usual practice, so he wanted to be especially careful with the powerful ritual. He ended up taking so much precaution, however, that he ended up falling asleep before he even summoned his servant. [color=a36209][i]The pig blood has dried already... does that matter? I should have asked the elders more before I left...[/i][/color] The thought of summoning his Servant immediately crossed Sláine's mind, but he dismissed it. The ritual wasn't especially time-intensive (at least, not when he had already finished the circle and prepared the catalyst), but Batsu might get curious why he's taking so long - and it'd be pretty hard to explain how someone with a sword managed to get into his room when the store wasn't even open yet. No, it would be better to do it during his break. His attempts at securing a base in the farms failed spectacularly, his suggestion magecraft not being strong enough to distract his potential hosts from his albinism and poor Japanese. Thankfully, a restaurant in the city was hiring part-time help, and the manager was even willing to rent out a room for Sláine to stay in. Compared to tricking someone into thinking you're some grandson or nephew, getting hired for a job was much easier to do with suggestions. Sláine began getting ready for work, replacing his crumpled pajamas with unfamiliar eastern clothes. Even after wearing it for a few days, Sláine was uncomfortable in his work uniform - it felt too loose and flowing compared to the formal western-style he was acquainted with. Several minutes later he finished his ensemble, dressing in an orange robe with floral designs along with a [s]cute[/s] green apron. Satisfied, Sláine quickly made his way to the kitchen of the restaurant. Once there, he could see Batsu in a similar outfit, her hair put up into buns. She had a look of annoyance on her face, and she quickly placed the bowl she was eating from onto a small table nearby. "Geez, what took so long? We're opening soon!" [color=a36209]"I'm sorry, Batsu-san. I am still unfamiliar with this type of dress."[/color] Batsu's eyes narrowed slightly as she slid the bowl she was eating from to Sláine. It was filled with Baozi, a type of bun with contents that changed so frequently that Sláine began to suspect that Batsu simply filled it with whatever she had on hand. "It's not a dress - it's a Changshan. Very manly, you know? Anyways, eat quick and clean up when you're done." One of the major downsides to this area compared to the farms (Other than how urbanized it was, the population density, and the risk of meeting other Masters) was the food. Sláine's creator, Amelia, had not put too much effort in recreating proper taste buds - taste wasn't an important function for a homunculus to possess, after all. But even with his rudimentary sense, Sláine could tell that the food served here was far too spicy for the average human. And while his tongue didn't protest too much, his stomach had been aching the last few days that he had spent here... Sláine dismissed the thought and began eating quickly, careful to avoid getting his dress dirty. He still wasn't too used to eating with chopsticks so he chose to pierce the buns with the utensil, which always earned him a glare from Batsu when she caught him doing it. It didn't really matter if she caught him now though - the restaurant was opening soon and he would need the energy for the rest of his shift. While it might have been possible to avoid working the job at all, a job in food service would be an excellent way to get information from the mundane population of the city, along with teaching Sláine how to properly interact with modern society. ...The real reason Sláine was working at all, though, was simply because that was what he was designed to do. He wouldn't know what to do with all the free time he would have if he didn't do [i]something [/i]during the day. Maybe he'd quit and move, if his Servant had a better place in mind. When he emptied the bowl, Sláine quickly went about clearing off the small table and washing the bowl and chopsticks. By the time he had finished up, the restaurant had already opened, and a massive stream of customers came tumbling in... Not really. Koushuuensaikan Taizan seemed to be infamous for its spicy food, and while quite a few people stopped by in the evening to enjoy the only chinese cuisine in the city, the morning crowd was limited at best. The morning was mostly spent preparing for lunch, Sláine bringing down various boxes from the second floor, cutting up vegetables, and seeing to the few customers that did stop by in the morning. When lunch hit and the restaurant actually got more than 2 customers at a time, Sláine grew anxious. What if he was taking too long, and the Saber slot was already filled? The effort he went to secure a catalyst would be pointless... Eventually, the lunch rush was finally over, and Sláine began cleaning as fast as he could. You had to be extra careful when washing the dishes - if you did a poor job and the spice clung to your hands, you'd end up burning your eyes... Don't ask how Sláine knew that. As soon as he finished, he left wordlessly for his room. Batsu could deal with the stragglers - Sláine just needed to finish the ritual quickly. When he got to his room, he immediately began searching the window, prodding blindly until his fingers finally clasped the clay pot he was looking for. [color=a36209][i]Can't hide when I know where you are, little one...[/i][/color] With the artificial Dryad in his hands, Sláine could now see it quite easily. And more importantly, he could see the rusted sword fragment that was safely tucked next to it. It once belonged to a hero from South America - of course, Sláine didn't know who 'Dom Pedro' was, let alone his skills or martial prowess. All that mattered to Sláine was that the catalyst belonged to someone who had bound themselves very closely with the element of water, and would almost certainly be summoned in the class of Saber. Sláine was about to begin the ritual before stopping himself. He paused for a second, before establishing a soundproofing Bounded Field around the room. [color=a36209][i]Last thing I need is for Batsu to come and investigate...[/i][/color] His final preparations completed, Sláine began the ritual that would decide his fate. [color=a36209]"Let silver and steel be the essence..."[/color] [hr] [center][color=bc8dbf][h2]Assassin[/h2] [h3]Penthouse Suite, Grand Bleu Hotel, Shinto Town[/h3] Mentions:[/color] [@SSW][/center] [hr] The air warped slightly as the ritual proceeded, growing soaked in magical energy. The circle that had been prepared by the defeated magus seemed to be doing its job and began to softly glow. No object serving as a catalyst was present for the ritual - though, unlike most Servants, a physical catalyst wasn't necessary for the Servant that Constantine planned to summon. No, the class alone would suffice - the name a word that represented the servant being summoning, down to its very core. [i]Assassin[/i] The light of the circle reached its peak as the air picked up more, causing dust and glass from the broken window to scatter around the room. In the center of the circle... there was nothing. The light had cut off almost as soon as it peaked, and soon after, the only thing causing the air to move was the wind from the broken window. While someone with less experience in grail wars may assume that they simply failed the ritual, the truth was far from that. Slinking from behind a flipped-over couch, Assassin breathed a silent sigh of relief. She was short, maybe 145 centimeters at most, and her entire frame was covered in a ragged black cloak. Her face was covered by the signature skull mask that all Hassans bear, the bottom of her face and her dark, almost glowing eyes being the only uncovered portions of Assassin's body. She held her arms out wide as she walked towards her Master with a smug look. [color=bc8dbf]"Did I get ya? Sorry Master, just a little prank to make you shit your pants, kekeke."[/color] Assassin paused near her master, having noticed that a bounded field had been established in the room. While not a Caster, Assassin was a mage in her life, and could recognize something like a bounded field quite easily. Deciding that the soundproofing was harmless, she continued looking around the torn apart penthouse, disappointment clear in her posture. She had no idea what a hotel or penthouse was, but could clearly tell that the room was quite luxurious at one point in time. [color=bc8dbf]"You must have had pretty good digs here once - what's with all the mess? Did you really have to ruin the rug like that?"[/color] Sighing, Assassin laid herself on one of the mattresses used to surround the circle. [color=bc8dbf]"Anyways, I'm your servant - Hassan-I-Sabbah, Assassin-Class. There, done my part. Now - who are you, and who do you want me to kill for you?"[/color] Assassin couldn't remember her past incarnations, but was aware of the nature of the Holy Grail War. Servants kill one another with Magi acting as their Masters, until only one pair remains. Even if she wished to relax and enjoy her newfound existence, she'd have to stick with this guy in order to remain summoned. And since he was a master, he must want Assassin to kill again. [color=bc8dbf][i]God, what a pain.[/i][/color]