[h3]Prologue: Dead Eyes[/h3][hr]When the silver-haired man had first been called to this era, his mind had been awash with all the possibilities of the modern age. Gaia one foot in the grave and the time of man ever closer at hand? What a joy to behold, and what a time for him to snatch hold of his fate once more! 

The more he acclimated, however, the more that excitement turned to disappointment. The Grail War was a compromise he could about accept. Though it picked at his pride and patience to be reduced to little more than a glorified familiar for some braindead vulture, the concept and [i]potential[/i] of the Grail itself was more than ample to soothe his displeasure there. The man whose call had sprung him him from the clutches of the infernal seemed like an [i]interesting[/i] enough individual to play along with for the time being, and the arrangement that they had thus far operated on suited him; familiarize himself with the city while keeping an eye open for other Masters and Servants, refrain from engaging until they had a clear idea of the dynamics forming in the war. It wasn't wholly divorced from his own strategy; perhaps a bit too passive, but there was time yet to talk him into wholeheartedly pursuing the glory of victory.

If only the reality of the stage that had been set for this grand endeavour matched that concept. The word 'podunk' did Sako City little justice; the Grail had filled his head with images of humanity's progress, grand cities with towering buildings that stood as monument to their triumph over the slavering jaws of the planet, and here he was confined to some miserable, rainy little backwater hamlet on the far side of the world? Things really never changed; for all they spoke of elegance and lofty ideals, mages couldn't help but lower themselves to the level of [i]rats squirming in the muck.[/i]

"Ah, sir, you can't smoke here!" But before he could spiral too much into that train of thought, a voice from off to the side pulled him back to reality. He blinked, turning his head to see a woman with a worried expression on her face and, more importantly, a tray in her handswith a fresh cup of coffee sitting atop it. 

Ah, he'd gotten caught up in his thoughts again. 

[color=#C0C0C0]"Oh, this?"[/color] He flashed her his best smile, fixing his sharp golden eyes upon her with as he took his cigarette from his mouth and held it between the index and middle finger of his left hand. With sunset only an hour or so away, he'd decided to indulge himself and make a stop at a café in Sako's shopping district. Being that its position on the balcony of the third floor of the building it occupied afforded him an extensive view of the main street running through the center of the town, his keen vision allowing him to see a person over a mile away and pick out details from their hat down to their shoes, it hadn't been too hard to justify the diversion to Kilian. He hadn't mentioned the wallet and cigarettes he'd taken from one of the tourists he'd passed on his way to the café, but the man [i]had[/i] acquiesced to providing him with a selection of modern clothes. As far as he was concerned, he might as well go all the way with blending in.

[color=#C0C0C0]"My apologies, it's been a long day."[/color] And a long week, and a long... well, it didn't really bear thinking about. The more he thought about how vast a span of time he'd spent in the Black Ranger's clutches, the more vivid the experience became in his mind. As meager as it was, the cigarette helped with that, and so he'd rather not have to put it out. 

[color=#C0C0C0]"Here's a thought. Let me have this, and I'll let you have [i]this[/i],"[/color] he continued, a crisp ¥10,000 note seemingly appearing out of nowhere in his right hand. He'd much rather have told the woman to mind her own business, but it wouldn't do to draw too much attention to himself. Nobody short of another Servant or someone who wasn't already looking for him would be able to perceive him as he sat there, faint black aura suppressing his presence, but that could soon change if she made a fuss. [color=#C0C0C0]"What the manager doesn't know doesn't hurt him, right?"[/color]

"But-" She stammered out, her eyes widening at the sight of the note- but a moment later, and she seemed to bite her tongue as a [i]second[/i] note appeared in his hand.

[color=#C0C0C0]"Go on, you know it makes sense."[/color] It was probably entirely too much money to throw at a problem so easily solvable, but he really didn't care. By the time the fool he'd swiped the wallet from realized what had happened, he'd have moved out and on. If whatever he'd taken from him could buy him a few minutes of peace and quiet, it'd be worth it. [color=#C0C0C0]"Coffee smells fantastic, might grab one to go once I'm done."[/color]

"..." Whether it was for the money or for the similar convenience of not having to argue, the woman gingerly took the notes and, putting the cup gently down on the table, quickly made herself scarce. Either way, he considered it a small victory against this miserable humdrum town. 

[color=#C0C0C0]'Could be worse,'[/color] he thought to himself, taking the cup and taking sip of the hot black liquid as he watched the woman disappear through the French doors back into the main café from the balcony seats. It was bitter and a little thin for his tastes, but for the time being it may as well have been manna from Heaven. So his sip became a deep swig before he sat it back down and, returning his cigarette to his mouth and taking a drag, turned his attention back to the streets below.

On this warm midsummer evening, the shopping district was as about as busy as it was ever going to get. People flooded in after work and school to meet up and talk meaninglessly about their banal lives over cheap food and vapid window-shopping, and the handful of tourists about the crowd made themselves easy marks, whether that was through being taken in by the lights and colours of the boulevard or offering him their cash to make the interminable game of waiting a little more bearable. There was still no-one among that crowd that sprung out to him as a target, but the day was yet young. He'd wait here for Kilian to contact him, or for one of the mages who had come to this city in pursuit of the Grail to tip their hand and wander out into the open. 

Either way, once the sun finally vanished beneath the horizon, Archer could finally get to work. He may not have been dealt the finest hand in this second life, but by hook or by crook, he was going to make it work.[hr][center][h2][color=#C0C0C0]Archer[/color][/h2][/center]