[hr] [center][color=a36209][h2]Sláine Druiminn[/h2] [h3]Koushuuensaikan Taizan, Mount Miyama, Miyama Town -> Moving towards Commerce District[/h3] Mentions:[/color] [@Heavy Snark][/center] [hr] Sláine backed away from the circle, an expression of surprise lining his face as he stared at the armored figure standing before him. Sláine knew that servants used to be humans, and he had expected the raw power that one possessed... but the presence was like nothing he could have anticipated. There was no question. The figure standing before him, clad in armor, was a Saber-class Servant. [i]His[/i] servant. [color=00aeef]"I have heard your summons, and so I have answered. I ask of you, shall I fight at your side?"[/color] [color=a36209]"Oh thank god..."[/color] Sláine couldn't help himself - the relief he felt upon seeing the form of his servant was palpable. Despite being stalled until the last minute before the war began, he had managed to land a Saber class Servant. Those were supposed to be the strongest class in the war! Sláine's patience with his summoning ritual must have been the key to this success. Or it was pure luck, but the former made Sláine feel better about taking so long. Sláine quickly regained his composure when he noticed the armored figure still present, adopting a more neutral expression. [color=a36209]"Erm, yes. Yes, I have summoned you to fight with me, Saber."[/color] Now that he had a chance to fully appreciate his summoned Servant, Sláine only grew more assured in his prospects in the war. The man's silver armor seemed to radiate power, and his very presence and posture seemed to bear a noble flair. The only problem was his eyes... They had such a familiar look, but Sláine couldn't put a name to the feeling he saw from them. That didn't matter. All servants had their problems, right? And if eyes that made Sláine feel weird were the only price he had to pay for a Saber, then he was even luckier than he thought. Sláine tried to avoid looking people in the eyes anyway, so it wasn't that bad. [color=a36209]"I should introduce myself, considering we will be working together. My name is Sláine Druiminn, and I specialize in Plant Magecraft, with a focus on healing and support. My wish for the grail is to grant my creator access to the root - I put my faith in you to help me see this wish through."[/color] The speech was cold, callous, almost mechanical in tone. Sláine's face didn't betray his emotions, but internally he was beaming with pride. He had rehearsed his introduction nearly a dozen times, attempting to mimic the uncaring monotone of the Druiminn family elders. They were true mages, so copying them would lead to the best outcome in a war of mages. When introductions were finished Sláine quickly discovered that he had no idea what to talk about. Was asking about a Servant's stats considered impolite? What about their past? What orders are appropriate with a Command Seal? ...How the hell did you use a Command Seal? [color=a36209]"...Now might not be the best time, but this is my first time participating in a Holy Grail War. If there is any proper decorum or rules that you're aware of, I'd appreciate you letting me know."[/color] Sláine was aware that Servants received knowledge from the grail on summoning - it was the first thing he asked about. After all, Sláine was petrified when he had first ridden in a car. He couldn't imagine how a monstrously strong servant would react in a similar situation. However, the breadth of knowledge that Servants gained was unknown to the homunculus. If they got even a small amount of information about the war itself, then it couldn't hurt to ask. The pair continued to chat for a few minutes before Sláine noticed the time. [i][color=a36209]My lunch break...[/color][/i] Sláine shook the thought away. Skipping a meal was worth summoning Saber. [color=a36209]"I have to head back to work, Saber - Batsu-san will be furious if I am late. I'll finish in a few hours, so ."[/color] Sláine quickly went back downstairs, leaving his Servant alone. The thought of using Suggestion magecract to skip work came to mind, but it wasn't worth it. Sláine needed to minimize its usage if he wanted to last to the end of the war. Besides, working during the day shouldn't matter too much - the possibility of an attack in a crowded restaurant in the middle of the day was next to nothing. No, even if an enemy detected Saber while Sláine was working, the enemy wouldn't attack out of fear of leaving witnesses. Because of that, Sláine felt more than comfortable giving his Servant a longer leash. Maybe he'd find something interesting while Sláine was working - or he'd just stalk Sláine in spirit form. Either way, it didn't harm them very much. If Dom Pedro looked around the room, he would notice that the room was absolutely covered in various herbs and saplings, to the point that plant life dominated the living space. More interesting, a cursory glance would reveal that Sláine had left his wallet on his bed. [hr] Finally, the workday was over. The dinner rush, like usual, was incredibly draining. Sláine's grasp on Japanese was better than some of the masters in this war, facilitated by the Druiminn's tampering and constant use in the restaurant, but even with that, it was hard to understand the more inebriated patrons of Koushuuensaikan Taizan. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be as busy tonight as it initially appeared - the restaurant was quite small, so it cleared out quickly. Batsu slapped Sláine's back roughly as the last customer left. "Good thing we didn't need an ambulance this time around, yeah?" [color=a36209]"Yes, Batsu-san..."[/color] Sláine rubbed his back as he responded. While it was probably a fairly light blow for someone like Batsu, Sláine's skin was stinging in the area around the hit. Pushing it to the side, Sláine spoke up as his manager began washing the last customer's dishes. [color=a36209]"I'm going to be headed out, Batsu-san. Do you know anywhere I can... anywhere I can hang out?"[/color] Sláine needed to gather information on the other Masters, and while familiars could do the trick, he had no idea what he would be looking for. From his limited knowledge on grail wars, Sláine knew that Servants could detect one another - that would be the best method of finding his opponents. Instead of rituals, dead animals, and magical energy, all this method required was walking around and getting lucky. "You're headed out? Wow, I was starting to think I'd have to deal with you staying here every night." Batsu slid the freshly washed plate onto the pile next to the sink as she spoke. "Maybe you could try OS Cinema in the Commerce district? I think they're showing that new Spider-Man movie. There's a mall near there, so you can get something to eat while you're out." Sláine nodded, already climbing the stairs as Batsu finished speaking. As soon as he made it to his room and established another bounded field, Sláine addressed his invisible companion. [color=a36209]"Saber, tonight we're going to gather some information on the other Masters. If things turn ugly, please prepare to escape - fighting will be a last resort."[/color] The first night of the war was far too early to reveal Saber's abilities to the other Masters. Big players like the Matou and Tohsaka would surely be looking at any fights that occur, and as the creators of the war, they'd be the most difficult opponents. Even if anonymity is a small benefit, any advantage possible would be needed to win against them. Besides, Sláine felt that allowing the others to tire themselves out fighting would be much more effective than actively participating. Sláine quickly got changed into his casual attire as he spoke, a white button-up shirt and black dress pants. [color=a36209]"If you have any suggestions or other plans, please let me know."[/color] Servants, like Homunculi, were tools. But unlike the latter, Servants were at one point human - and as a result, they could be quite easy to upset. Sláine needed to refrain from ordering Saber around as much as possible, and treat their relationship more akin to a partnership. If the Saber rebelled or became too difficult, then Amelia would never reach the Root. Saber probably knew a lot more about strategy and fighting a war than Sláine did anyways. If he had another plan, it was almost certainly a better one. Sláine nearly left but paused at the door. He raced back to the closet, pulling on a green hoodie and a pair of white gloves. The Command Seals on Sláine's hand would be a dead giveaway that he was a master, and his unnatural pallor drew attention even from the mundane. Satisfied with his undercover attire, Sláine left Koushuuensaikan Taizan. [hr] [center][color=bc8dbf][h2]Assassin[/h2] [h3]Penthouse Suite, Grand Bleu Hotel, Shinto Town -> ???[/h3] Mentions:[/color] [@SSW][/center] [hr] Assassin frowned slightly from her Master's remarks - particularly the 'pipsqueak' comment. This guy should have summoned the 4th Hassan if he wanted to call someone a pipsqueak... Her frown only deepened when Constantine mentioned that he had stolen their current summoning location. Assassin had met many people like that during her life, and killed quite a few of them. Thievery was certainly not the problem, but if someone was so willing to bust heads to get what they wanted, then he'd probably work Assassin hard during the war... "Well, you can kill as much as you want, but I'm not here to win. Who needs a cup anyway? I can drink just as well from my hands." This comment gave Assassin pause from her pessimistic thoughts. He... didn't care about winning? Why the hell would he willingly enter into a battle to the death if he didn't have any plans on winning? Did he really just want to meet heroes? Then again, if you weren't trying to win the grail, there really wouldn't be a need to fight to the death... Assassin's lips curled into a strange grin. [color=bc8dbf]"Sorry if I'm not up to your standards for a hero. If it makes you feel better, we Assassins are also pretty low maintenance, so your pitiful circuits won't be too taxed."[/color] Assassin finally climbed off her perch on the couch, sauntering after her master as he walked to the door. Before he left the penthouse, however, he paused a final time and spoke out again. "Oh, by the way, I don't speak Japanese. If it comes down to it, I might need you to translate." Assassin nodded, either not noticing the embarrassed tone or simply not expending the energy to comment on it. [color=bc8dbf]"Very well, Master. Let me know when my services are needed."[/color] As they left the tarnished penthouse, Assassin shifted into spirit form and smiled once more. Despite the insults, this Master definitely fulfilled Assassin's criteria. And if what he said about summoning her again was true, then he must have felt the same way about her - why else would he summon her a second time? This war might not be too bad! [hr] This war sucks! Assassin was hidden in an alleyway, laying in a hammock of her own hair. A pair of spiders moved between her hands, spinning webs between Assassin's fingers like an unsettling game of Cat's Cradle. Constantine wasn't joking around when he said that he 'didn't go for luxury'. Apparently, his definition of luxury was much different from Assassin's. [color=bc8dbf]"How the hell do you not even have a tent!? What are we supposed to do, sleep outside?"[/color] Assassin groaned and swung in her hammock, acting more like a child forced to eat their vegetables than a hardened killer. [color=bc8dbf]"Maybe we should have risked the trap at that apartment..."[/color] Assassin, despite not having left Constantine's side since being summoned, had already established quite the information network. She had already acquired a few hundred spider familiars without even trying, and had disseminated most in various parts of the city - everywhere except the Church and Mount Enzo. Of course, she wasn't able to detect Servants through them directly, so it mostly served as a means of navigating the layout of the Fuyuki and as a warning in case a large amount of Magical Energy was used nearby. The most notable discovery of Assassins, however, was the positions of the four Leylines of Fuyuki. Leylines were of incredible importance to Magi - not only could they further reduce the cost needed to maintain a Servant, but they also served as an incredible 'battery' for rituals. And while one of the leylines was impossible to use thanks to its proximity to the church, the other 3 were prime spots for enemy Masters - they were almost certainly serving as a base for someone. ...Not that it really mattered, however. Assassin had already decided that she wasn't going to kill unless she was forced to, and considering her Master didn't want the grail, that really only left self-defense on the table. The Enemies who've claimed the leylines as their own would be safe from her stalking. [color=bc8dbf]"I've gathered a few spiders to search for other Servants. What are we to do in the meantime, Master?"[/color] Assassin paused, leaning over to give her master a snide remark. [color=bc8dbf]"Other than loiter outside like homeless bums, I mean."[/color] Maybe it was because she lacked a proper 'nesting area' to set up her territory, but Assassin seemed a bit more restless than usual - every minute or so she leaned out of her hammock to look around, almost as if she expected enemies to drop in instantly.