[center][h3][b]Miyama Town, Mount Miyama, Hole-in-the Wall[/b][/h3][/center]
[color=7ea7d8]"Gahahaha! Come on, bring more liquor, we have to celebrate!"[/color]

Loud and bright eyed, with hair dyed with blue highlights like a common delinquent and putting out beers like there was no tomorrow, the girl that was doubtlessly everything wrong with foreigners laughed from her belly without reservation.

Of course, upon being summoned, there were some matters that needed to be addressed. 

The first was, of course, some proper clothing for the times, even if she had just haphazardly scrambled together something she thought looked fine from the bargain bins.

She absolutely refused to spend her vacation confined as a spirit. Nu-uh. No way. This was a damn fine chance to stretch her legs, and she was going to grab a hold of it with both hands.

The second was, of course—

[color=7ea7d8]“C’mon, you drink too, kid! Not much of a proper way to affirm our alliance if I’m the only one doing it.”[/color]

—to properly forge a contract (friendship) with the one that had called her to the modern era.

The ritual was both so stuffy and yet so small, really. Just one question and it’s done? What kind of partnership can be born from such a thing? 

Well, mages will be mages.

However, she was still herself, and that’s why she had to rectify such travesty as soon as possible. So, with an annoyingly earnest smile, Saber had taken her Master for a spin around town, and now here they were, talking over alcohol as they ought to have been from the start.

[color=7ea7d8]“This whole summoning business is still pretty amazing, though,”[/color] She said, looking at her hand and flexing her fingers with childlike wonder at the simple movement. [color=7ea7d8]“Never imagined I’d end up like this after the end of my last run, but I guess the world has a way to surprise you no matter who you are.”[/color]

Leaning back relaxedly and still wearing a smile on her face, she looked at the man sitting across from her.

[color=7ea7d8]“So, I get that you wanted to bring me in for this Ritual thing, and don’t get me wrong — I’m thankful for that. Sounds like the most fun I’ll have had in a while if reality matches up to even half my expectations, but I figure we should at least have a working relationship for that, and you know what they say,” She raised her mug. “No way to get to know someone better than drinking together, at least until you get to fight together.”[/color]

She didn’t even need to be holding her sword to feel the thrum of agreement coming from twelve other people.

[color=7ea7d8]“Now then, mind telling me about yourself too? I get you want the cup — I will at least bring it to you as thanks for the opportunity, don’t you worry, but I figure the “why” and the “who” are more important than the “what” right now.”[/color]

A wish-granter is useless without a wish, and a wish cannot exist without the person formulating it, after all. 

Even so...did she have to be so casual when prying into such topics? She made it sound so easy, to share such things with others.

Still, one supposed it could only come from her apparently boundless confidence.

After all, there was no denying the words she had spoken upon being summoned, the first she had said since her own era in the world of the living.

Those were— 

[color=7ea7d8][i]A cheerful smile and a laugh.

“Now, listen. I’m great. Maybe the best there ever was.”[/i][/color]
[hr]
[center][h3][b]Shinto District, Shinto Town, Verde Shopping Center[/b][/h3][/center]

[color=aba000]“This is a bit...”[/color]

The plan had been simple: go to a place recommended by Father Kotomine, have an economical lunch and perhaps discuss some details regarding future approaches to fights in the Ritual.

Easy. Straightforward. No fuss.

Just the kind of thing she liked, really, and she had thought it at least fitting that, since they were in the East, she should at least try some Eastern dishes. Not to mention, even with the funds she possessed, using them on frivolous things was not really her style and it felt a bit irresponsible besides.

So how had they ended up in this—this fancy Western restaurant?!

She had only followed Assassin into the shopping center because she’d mentioned wanting to go there, and the girl had figured it better to indulge her now and go have lunch afterward rather than retrace their steps completely. 

How had they wasted so much time in there that they did not simply have enough to walk to Miyama and make it to the restaurant?!

No, more than that, how had Assassin managed to fit so many outfits in so little time?!

It wasn’t like she had just been picking randomly either, the other woman must’ve had an exceptional sense — it felt like every article of clothing she picked was a deliberate, well-thought out choice rather than simply a piece for their consideration.

Elexis once again threw a glance at the many, many bags filled with nothing but tops, jeans, dresses and shoes (Assassin had assured her the shades of each color were quite noticeably different, but frankly she still could not see it) and once again blushed in mortification, remembering that not only had she spent the Church’s money on this, but that she’d had to model for Assassin for hours despite being convinced that the clothes themselves fit perfectly fine.

Of course, it went without saying they’d bought all of them, too, at the Empress’ insistence.

What was wrong with her usual way of dressing anyway?!

She silently resolved to donate them all to charity once this matter was resolved and Assassin could no longer come and haunt her for it.

But that was then, this was now.

[color=aba000]“S-so…”[/color] She fought down the embarrassment and eyed the other woman. [color=aba000]“I wanted to discuss, you know, strategy and all, but I figure that what we should do is relatively obvious considering our combined skillsets.”[/color]

That much was true, at least at a glance. Having gotten a rough understanding of Assassin’s methods, the way to utilize them complementary to her own fell into place rather quickly. She would be willing to bet that the Empress thought the same, so there was no real need to discuss a general plan so much as specific intricacies for each team of enemies.

Enemies which they still did not know, so it’d all be meaningless talk and hypotheticals.

There was a more important matter to be addressed though. One that had less to do with technical abilities and more something upon which their chemistry would hinge.

[color=aba000]“...I’m pretty sure it was obvious, but my first choice was Justinian. In fact, I hadn’t even made plans to call upon you.”[/color]

So, naturally, she breached the matter with finesse not unlike a jackhammer’s.

[color=aba000]“I figure it’s just best to put it out there and clear the air. Does knowing this bother you?”[/color]

Assassin was a fine Servant in her own right — perhaps their combined strengths would work better as a team than what she could have achieved with her first choice — she wouldn’t know.

But she wouldn’t lie to Assassin’s face and say she had aimed for her from the start, or that she hadn’t been a little disappointed.

If nothing else, Empress Theodora deserved that simple sincerity.

[@Sakaki Chizuru] [@Undyingregret]