[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/611725206779592705/881037250245308426/Screen_Shot_2021-08-28_at_1.47.18_AM.png[/img][/center] [h3][center][i]Riverside Workshop, Southern Moor[/i][/center][/h3] [center][@hatakekuro][/center] [hr] This was right around the time they would have done it, if things had been different. Fiore would be in Trifas, with her brother and the rest of their clan. That night, they would've summoned their heroes and made a miracle happen. It would've been scary, turning her back on everyone at the Clock Tower, but she would've been surrounded by people she had faith in. This was much worse. This was all wrong. The people she had been standing beside were gone--either dead or under house arrest for the crime of conspiracy against the Mage's Association. The true crime would be not finishing what they had started. Instead of Trifas, she was in Fuyuki, hiding in a vacant building that overlooked the river Mion from its East bank. It wasn't dilapidated, but even after setting up a workshop in the basement, the whole place felt pointedly alien to her. Not home-like in the slightest. Still, it was a well-balanced location that served her nature as a magus about as well as any Eastern land could, while also meeting her other requirements. That, of course, included a Study where her Servant could do his work. It had been a gamble, summoning someone like this. His page on the Wiki was so small that Fiore wasn't certain if he had ever actually been summoned before or if it was just one of those filler pages with a smattering of speculation. The fact that it was so unclear was just another example of how unusable the Wiki was, but everyone who had made it to this point was hopefully past the point of needing to use something like that. When it came to "Author" Heroic Spirits like Shakespeare and Dickens, they had the major advantage of being relatively young and therefore easier to obtain a catalyst for. Even if that auction for CĂșchulainn's right boot was legitimate, word would've travelled quickly if she had gotten involved. Staying beneath the Three Founders' radar for the moment was key. As for why she had chosen this man in particular... It had been a hunch about what sort of abilities he would have, and in Fiore's eyes, it had paid off. He wasn't strong in the way that a warrior like Beowulf, or even a witch like Circe was strong, but with him by her side, she could win. He could get her across the finish line. A hand that wasn't trembling in the slightest rested on the knob, then pushed open the door to the study. [color=aad9f2]"Caster--!"[/color] Actually, there was a hand pulling on that door from the other side as well. Fiore stepped back with a start, but it was too late. The surprise and the extra force applied to the door had been enough to send the being on the other side falling flat on its behind. [color=e8c4b7]"Ah..."[/color] [center][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][indent][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/611725206779592705/881061882184761344/new-window.jpg[/img][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/indent][/center] Stunned into silence for just long enough that it began to feel awkward, Fiore collected herself as quickly as she could and extended a hand. The homunculus was already halfway to his feet at that point, so what followed couldn't properly be described as [i]helping him up,[/i] per se, but he took it nonetheless. [color=aad9f2]"Sorry, Goro. I'm just here to see Caster. You can go."[/color] She did her best to make eye contact with him while she spoke. It was hard, knowing what he was and what would have to happen to him, but she couldn't be a coward. Not anymore. She imagined the homunculus had been sent by her Servant to fetch something or other, as he had been assigned to be the Caster's attendant, but since he hadn't been prompted to explain what he was up to, he just bowed and left the room without another word. As soon as he moved down the hallway, the homunculus standing guard--Either Gordon or Gordius. Fiore couldn't really tell those two apart--Left his post and trailed behind. They both walked with the same steady, balanced gait. [color=aad9f2][i]At least they don't have much in the way of personality,[/i][/color] she thought to herself, hopefully. Fiore took a deep breath, looking her Caster up and down. His Parameters were... Certainly telling of the function he was meant to serve. She had provided this study, and given him leave to furnish it with anything that could be reasonably obtained. Every artist had different things that would inspire them to work, after all. [color=aad9f2]"Are you settling in all right, Caster? Tonight will be the start of everything, meaning this place could be attacked at any moment... And, well, I'm not strong enough to protect you yet."[/color] She half-smiled, wondering if it would really come to that. No, if things went to plan, that was definitely how their war would end. As long as her legs still worked, she would keep moving forwards.