[center][h1]Rumi Fujou[/h1][/center]

If one were wholly unoriginal, grim, and expecting the utterly passe, they would likely have expected Rumi to set up shop in a graveyard the moment she arrived in Sako. She did not. Instead, she'd shown up with forged mortician's credentials, hypnotized the supervisor into believing he had six months of PTO and to spend it on a trip to Brazil, and entranced the remaining technicians into being her thralls. 

She'd brought the majority of her Mystic Codes along with her, given that they were rather portable and unlikely to trip airport security, but Aulus had to be specially shipped from London. He'd only just arrived, and with the defenses Rumi had set up in the morgue, that resulted in her preparations in the city finally being complete. She had a proper base of operations, magical defenses, and her Servant. Who was out right now, doing god knows what. Hopefully, the sane half was in control. Honestly, when she'd summoned an Assassin, she'd been hoping for one who'd actually take orders. But this was the hand she was dealt. Fortunate that winning the Grail War was secondary to seeing if this one was even legitimate, or it would have bothered her far more. 

As it stood, now that all of her preparations were finished, there remained a few choices left to Rumi. She could do the [i]proper[/i] thing and announce her presence to the Overseer at the church. Or simply continue to gather information and shore up her defenses. After some deliberation, she'd come to a decision. Better to avoid suspicion for now and play by the rules. Rules that would be broken sooner or later, judging by Lord El Melloi II's recollection of the Grail War he'd taken part in, but it never hurt to at least keep appearances up. 

"Assassin." She called through their shared link, rising from her office chair. "To the church. I trust you'll keep an eye on the path there for me?"

___

[center][h1]Rider[/h1][/center]

Some people would consider this modern world he'd found himself in to be emblematic of humanity's weakness. That the majority of mankin[i][/i]d had gone soft. Weak. 

Those people were utter fools. What he saw was a species that had overcome every unnatural foe that had come at it, and prevailed to the point where they were the only predator left. Even accounting for the third world, the average quality of life and life expectancy far exceeded that of Rider's own era. Moreover, the average person lived with wonders that far exceeded anything the Middle Kingdom of his time could ever conceive of, even with the sages wielding Magecraft. 

So how could he not be taken with the wonders of the current age? Rider couldn't help but let himself have something of a crooked smirk as he strolled down the streets of Sako in a two-piece suit, idly indulging in whatever fancy took him. He wasn't completely unaware, of course. If any opposing Servant actually tried anything, he was entirely capable of responding immediately. But as his Master had no specific orders other than to get the lay of the land, he'd take advantage of the wording of the command. 

After all, he fully intended to [i]stay[/i] in this world well past the Grail War. Even with the information the Grail had implanted into him, it was better to experience the world first and foremost. China, [i]home[/i], was just across the sea, and he would make his return one way or another. 

His musings were cut off when the appealing smell of something foreign wafted across his nostrils. Coffee, his Throne-implanted instincts told him. Why not, then? Rider took a seat at the first cafe he saw, giving the waitress a brief smile. 

[b]"The house blend, if you don't mind."[/b] He ordered. As the girl scurried off, Rider looked around the outdoor seating area. Something seemed to be off, and-

A man with a [i]presence[/i] far greater than any around him seemed to be sitting just a few tables away, smoking and having a coffee of his own. Wasn't this just his luck? 

Rider smirked, and stood from his table, grabbing the chair to take with him. He plopped it down at the aforementioned man's table, and sat down with a smarmy grin across from his fellow. 

[b]"No, no, don't get up on my account. No need for hostilities just yet, is there? We're just having a drink, is all."[/b] The waitress didn't miss a beat, setting Rider's coffee down at his new seat with barely half an eyebrow raised in question.