FujiwaraPhoenix

Fate/Eternum

Alter Ego — Meltryllis

With all of the doors in the apartment left slightly open, Meltryllis found no issue in simply walking in and out of every room she found. Most of them were tasteless and bland, which was to be expected from a Master like her own. Completely average, like that one person, except with a far smaller willpower.

"Really, to be summoned by such a person... Isn't this discrimination against someone like me?" she complained, calmly walking back towards the living room before hearing the sound of glass shattering on the floor. A few steps forward was all that she needed to see how her plan had panned out. Her Master, now slumped against the leg of the nearest table, was already fading in and out of consciousness; the glass in her hand had since shattered and spread out in shards all across the floor in turn.

Honestly, the Alter Ego couldn't have hoped for a better outcome. Well, bar the glass shards scattered about the floor; it'd have been better if her Master had been using plastic instead, but she could definitely understand the appeal of the crystalline beauty of such a cup.

"I hope you don't think too poorly of me after this—or maybe you should, dear Master," she said, a cruel smile barely sneaking onto her face as she casually lifted her Master's limp body with one of the spikes on her knee and, with a few graceful movements, carried it over to the nearby bedroom. With a careless flick, Meltryllis lobbed the body onto the bed with wanton abandon before letting out a slight laugh.

"Yes, this is how it should be, shouldn't it? The look of agony on your face—it's almost unbearably amusing to look at," she said, not caring about whether or not the girl heard her in the first place. Even if she could, the pain would make attempting to speak a worthless endeavor, which meant that she was free to vent without fear of some glance of pity or disdain. "Yes, a being like me has no right—no, no reason to consort with you like this. This is a contract, but you are no more than an obligation for bringing me here in the first place. Far from my Master, the sort of relationship that we share is nowhere near equal. Unless, of course, you feel the urge to use a Command Seal on me to kill myself once dawn breaks, that shall remain the same. Fear me, loathe me—this is how you should treat a monster. Unless, of course, you're a sexual deviant who likes this sort of pain?"

With a cruel gaze, Meltryllis slowly drove one of her legs into Nanako's stomach, only deciding to pull back once she was about to pierce the skin.

"But yes, this poison of mine shall last until morning; I believe it should be nine parts pain, one part pleasure? Just enough to keep you conscious, and barely on a level where you can maintain some lower-level thought. I hope you had no further plans for tonight, because you'll barely be able to move an inch until this is over."

@VitaVitaAR

Ruler — Sherlock Holmes

Holmes simply smiled and let out a light chuckle as his Master mentioned his old acquaintance. Surely, Watson could have been a bit more observant, but there was certainly something different about working with him as compared to what might be seen as a pupil with potential. The subsequent statement, on the other hand, was enough to cause Holmes to pause and shake his head.

"Miss Obberhausen, remember that I am not necessarily a charity worker. Though they may require aid, sometimes a simple request from law enforcement is enough to resolve even the trickiest of matters in this land of scientific wonder. I take on cases that interest me and those that are brought to me; after all, some people desire to solve their own mysteries every so often. Would you not agree?"

With that said, though, the Ruler did take a moment to lean forward and scan the information that his Master was presenting in turn. While the location did catch his fancy, an evening visit was rarely a good time to pry into unsolicited matters.

"Rather, would it not be more interesting to run some simulations of that world that Miss Meltryllis spoke of? I could only imagine how drastically the world would change with a lack of mana in the air, especially if we consider that such an era extended into the future—no, not even just that, but the concept of 'time travel' no longer being bound to the realm of simple science fiction... It certainly piques one's interest, does it not?"

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Fusang University—City Streets

"Old's... Worldest... Playboy..." Gray parroted, trying to make sense of how casual Hinami was being about being the technical 'Master' of the King of Heroes. Granted, the relationship seemed a fair deal less one-sided than what she had heard about the Fourth Holy Grail War from Lord El-Melloi II, but it was still a bit jarring to hear about it from someone firsthand. The mention of a Sealing Designation also caused her to pause, though, as there were some minor similarities that the young woman could draw between both their situations. The words of wisdom that came soon after, though, caused Gray to hesitate for a few moments before replying.

"Mmm... I'll keep that in mind, then. As for Add... Well, Add doesn't eat. It's... Complicated, but you can think of him as an artificial familiar under my control rather than something contracted to me. I hope that makes sense," she stated, watching as two plates of piping-hot yakisoba and a pair of cups of tea was brought to their table. With an exchange of bills and a nod, Gray turned towards her meal, then at the tea, before looking off at her companion's distinctly redder food.

"Er... That looks... Dangerous," she said, quietly looking at her food and glancing at the utensils presented thus. Luckily, it seemed like it was obvious enough that she would need to use a fork, which the waiter had so graciously provided, and with a hesitant forkful of noodles, Gray took a bite of the yakisoba in front of her.

"...Huh. It is a bit oily, but not unbearably so. This is actually quite nicer than what I had expected..."

@KoL

Fate/Eternum

Okay, well... Since we now have a lack of Servants stapled onto our resident Einzbern homunculus, debate has happened.

As a result, until someone else wants to swap, we're tying our albino crazy to good civ. Okay? Okay.

As an aside: once the lake, izakaya, arena, and zoo scenes tie up, I'll dial forward to the next in-RP day.

Fate/Eternum

Alter Ego — Meltryllis

"'You noticed'? Really? Is that your excuse?"

The Alter Ego might have let the problem slide (however slightly) if the girl had been doing it subconsciously, but hearing her confession and halfhearted admission of fault and attempted justification only served to irritate her further.

"No, no, Meltryllis. Calm yourself. This child isn't something worth losing your temper over."

With a deep breath, the purple-haired Servant straightened her back and continued to train her eyes on her Master. Her legs, jutting in front of her, almost acted like a barricade of sorts to prevent the target of her ire from even attempting to take a seat on the other side.

"Hmph. Well, if you have the mental capacity to realize how rude you are, then I suppose it's a start," Meltryllis replied, watching as the girl walked off somewhere, only to return with a glass of water. The sight of that, of course, gave the Servant an idea—one that would, in theory, fix most of her problems in one swoop.

Pushing herself off of the couch, the Alter Ego brushed herself off and brushed past her Master, allowing a few drops of diluted poison to fall into the glass cup in her hand. The result of that was obvious, but if anything, it'd give the both of them some time to think about what to do from here on out.

"I'm going to go look around this place you call a 'home'. Go reflect on what you've done, and I may find it in myself to forgive you this once."

@VitaVitaAR

Fate/esoterica

Astrid Kim

With Lancer's analysis in mind, Astrid closed her eyes and nodded as she tried to remember what little she could about the Rider that they would have to deal with in the near future. Having grown up in South Korea, the only thing that she knew about Hannibal was that he was famous for sacking the Roman countryside by means of war elephant... Or something of the sort. It was likely something that she would have to research at a later time, given her Lancer's own intentions with regards to combat. The Saber's identity still being up in the air remained a tad worrisome, but given the circumstances it wasn't entirely impossible to deal with that lack of information. All that they knew was that she was Japanese, yes, but beyond that...

"Well, for the moment, breakfast takes priority," the young woman said, moving to wave the waitress back over before her brain processed what it was that Lancer had just ordered. There was a pause, however brief, as she realized that they would be ordering alcohol first thing in the morning.

Um.

Before she could renege, though, the older woman came over to take their order; Astrid, of course, put in her own order without hesitation, and watched as Lancer did the same. There was a complicated expression on the woman's face for a moment, but there didn't seem to be any actual issues with the order, given how she simply walked off to deliver the order.

"Er... I... Would recommend not ordering alcohol this early in the day in the future," Astrid said, scratching her cheek nervously before taking a deep breath. "In any case... After this, clothes."

"I doubt anyone would attack us in a boutique, so it'll give both of us some time to relax before night falls, if anything."

@KoL

Archer

Once one of the squatters—the schoolgirl—had finally realized that he was waiting for a response, the Archer couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

That relief soon turned to cloaked irritation, though, as the girl began to speak in a language that he could only barely identify as Japanese due to a brief foray into the odd realm of Eastern linguistics. Beyond identifying the language itself, though, the older gentleman was at a loss for what to do. He had expected at least some attempt at English, but...

"A-ahem. I heard that you were staying here instead of a home. Why?" he asked, motioning with every emphasized word. Given the presence of a Servant in the area, this was likely the Master of the duo that decided to live here. That being said, though...

"Who thought it a good idea to have an Asian schoolgirl come here with no knowledge of the English language?!"

@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

Fate/esoterica

Astrid Kim

Astrid had to admit that the suggestions that Lancer had put forth were valid, but it took a few moments of mulling both of the possibilities over to cause her to discard them. Ignoring the issue of the speed and safety of any given transmission, letters did require a return address. One slip-up, and the two of them would likely have to relocate—unless they wanted to be assaulted day and night by enemies vying for their heads.

Once her Servant had picked out a set of clothes for herself (a suit, which Astrid found oddly fitting on her frame), the young woman nodded and promptly left her room. She made sure, of course, to lock the door on her way out after her Lancer left; there was no issue in being too cautious with security.

A quick elevator ride down and a short walk away was all that the half-Valkyrie needed to find her destination—a diner that, in person, seemed a lot less flattering than it did on her phone.

"Uh... Hm. Well... We may as well buy something here, then...?" she asked to herself before walking inside. The first thing to assault her nostrils was the smell of oil in the air, and it took her a good few seconds to adjust to the atmosphere in the room. The locale felt smaller on the inside than it looked, and after a few seconds of looking around in mild curiosity, a middle-aged lady behind the nearby counter-top waved at the two of them before directing them to a table near the window.

"I hope I haven't made a poor decision this morning..." Astrid sighed to herself as she promptly took a seat where she was directed and a one-page menu (laminated, of course) was placed in front of her and her Servant by the same lady who had directed them there.

"Take your time, all right?" she said before leaving both women behind to head back behind the counter. To this, Astrid could only scratch her head before going to read the menu.

"Mmm... Coffee and a few pieces of toast should do fine for me," she remarked, glancing over the menu before handing it off to her Servant.

"So... Thus far, we've made contact with Rider and Saber, and you've already ascertained the identity of the former. What's your personal evaluation of them, Lancer?"

@KoL

Fate/Eternum

Alter Ego — Meltryllis

Once her Master had made the call, the matter was settled. It wasn't as if the four of them could deliberate anything meaningful without any more information anyhow, and letting the other pair of odd ducks do their own investigations on the side meant that Meltryllis was freed from the obligation to do so herself. She had seen enough of the city to get a general gist of its layout regardless of how little her Master had shown, and with her own Skills it was a simple matter of leaving while her Master was unaware in order to scout out whatever else that she needed to.

That being said, though, there were still matters that she needed to tend to in that regard. Namely, the way her Master was treating her.

It went without saying, but the Alter Ego was rightfully indignant of how she had been treated for the last few hours, if not internally fuming at how everything had transpired. Ever since BB had 'intervened' with their search, Nanako's occasional glances over at her body only caused her more and more irritation. Melt was aware of how much of a monster she truly was—of her current state, of her warped sense of being—but being pitied downplayed almost all of that. She had made it perfectly clear of the distance between the two of them, and here she was, acting as if that sliver of information BB had given her was enough high ground to stand over her like that.

Unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.

With those thoughts held behind her otherwise uncaring visage, the Alter Ego finally got up and made her exit, with her Master following close behind with the odd object that the Atlas girl had handed over. Something to be looked at later, if anything.

---

Once the pair had made it back home and Nanako had unlocked the door, Meltryllis glared at her Master with a pair of cold, unflinching eyes before she made her way past and made herself comfortable on the couch. The prosthetic limbs she had been given were switched back the second that she stepped foot inside, leading to a new set of (minor) indentation as she moved over—one to match the many that had already been made in the floor earlier that day.

"So, Master," she began to say, her anger finally seeping through the cracks, "do you have anything to say to me? Don't act like I'm a blind little marionette, because I am well aware of what you were thinking the last few hours."

@VitaVitaAR

Ruler — Sherlock Holmes

"Ahaha. Miss Obberhausen, you wound me. I am not so much a deviant so as to stalk two young women as they go about their lives in that manner," the Ruler remarked in turn, watching in relative silence otherwise as his Master handed off a Mystic Code to the pair before they left. To be frank, having this point of contact would be enough for the moment, and given the current circumstances, it wasn't like he could get much of anywhere without any further leads.

"I believe that this incident is enough to ruminate on for the rest of the night, so I do not mind simply acting as your de facto aide and bodyguard from here on out," the detective said, rising up from his seat as he placed a few paper bills down onto the table. Though the city did mostly run on credit, it didn't hurt to have hard cash to use for situations like these.

"So... Where shall we head, then? Are there any technical issues to resolve?"

@KoL

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Fusang University — City Streets

"Cheap food made with the heart... Well, I can see where your opinion comes from," Gray responded, nodding her head slightly as she glanced around to find a menu... Only to see that their menu was actually just written on a giant whiteboard that was attached to the wall. "After a decade in the Clock Tower and obscure locations and everywhere in between, though, I still can't get particularly used to this sort of atmosphere. It feels more like a market restaurant in southeastern Asia than anything else."

Turning her head up to stare at the menu, the hooded woman stared at the menu options written (in three different languages, no less) before finally deciding to simply hope that whatever the chef's recommendation was wouldn't be anything too odd or unpalatable.

"So, erm... Miss Asakura, I am curious about how it's like to be living with a Servant. Given how you're the Master of the King of Heroes—if 'Master' would even be the correct term in this context—an idea on how to deal with the incoming craziness of the next while would be greatly appreciated."

Suddenly, My Favorite MMORPG has Become Real?! — A Log Horizon-inspired RP

@Rabidporcupine: Alternative solution: would it be okay to sideline your char until your schedule stabilizes? It'd essentially mean having your char do background stuff until them, but I think that shouldn't be an issue.

Fate/Eternum

@1Charak2: Hm. Aight, well... In the interest of attempting to keep up some semblance of pace, if you don't move in, say... The next half a week, I'll be working to weave your partner back into the story without you. Please, do keep that in mind.

@clanjos: Pinging you to make sure you're still present. A post would be appreciated to move your thread along.

Fate/Eternum

Ah, I mean... I guess it can't be helped, then. Best of luck to you in the future.

@1Charak2: Radioing in to check if you're still around. Call back if you're having trouble or otherwise, aight?

Fate/Eternum

Alter Ego — Meltryllis
Ruler — Sherlock Holmes

"You'll accept the offer, then?" Holmes asked, quietly looking at Nanako before nodding. "Good, good. I look forward to cooperating with you in the future."

At the very least, it seemed that their offer hadn't gone without consideration. While having a person who blindly followed suggestions could be helpful at times, someone who simply accepted everything at face value would never be able to survive even with tutoring. That being said, though, it was only a matter of time before they got to see if she was truly able to keep up or not.

"As for the city's mainframe... I believe that would be too risky right now. Given that this 'BB' was able to freely tap into the networks on Fusang and contact these two, it is very likely that she could outright avoid detection or turn things back around us at this moment. I would suggest we continue to gather information; in other words, during this next week, we should see what sort of errands she sends Miss Mihama and Miss Meltryllis out on, and act in parallel."

To this, Meltryllis could only sigh and cross her arms. Having finished her own food, the Alter Ego simply stared at her Master.

"So are we done, then? It's a disappointment that my request would be rejected, but at least with some assistance you'll be slightly less of an eyesore," she said, leaning back in her seat. "So, what are we going to do instead? Continue wandering about the city until evening? Head back now? Or do you have some other course of action in mind?"

@KoL@VitaVitaAR

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The Spider's Thread

Once he heard the bartender's comment, the King of Conquerors let out a small sigh of relief before leaning onto the table. The little girl from earlier had walked over to sit with them, and with her introduction as a Servant (and one of the more apparently important ones here, at that), Iskandar simply shrugged his shoulders and watched in silence as his Master took the cup from the bartender before seating himself next to him. With a slight smirk, the Rider took the bottle of wine and poured some out for Lord El-Melloi II.

"Ah... Thank you," the professor said, nodding his head in thanks as he took a small sip of the wine. The mix of acidity, sourness, and sweetness made it a bit more pleasurable than what he had expected, given the shop's decor, but given that the King of Heroes was the one to recommend this location... Well, this much was to be expected.

"A-ahem. I'm sure that I can provide what I must to the development of those present here without any issue," Lord El-Melloi II said in response to the Administrator's comment, his body straightening itself out as he continued. "I apologize, but I haven't had the pleasure of meeting any of the higher-level personnel yet. As you already know, I am Lord El-Melloi II, here from the Clock Tower to provide assistance in teaching those studying at this location's local university."

An introduction was in order here, of course; Lord El-Melloi II was already well aware of such formalities.

That didn't mean that his Servant cared much for them, though.

"Oi, bartender, why don't you join us for a cup, too?" he asked, turning his body around to stare at the old man on standby. "I'm sure a drink or two couldn't hurt, right? We're all equals in the face of good alcohol, after all!"

@DocRock@Raineh Daze

Fusang University — City Streets

There was a slight smile on Gray's face as her companion spoke, and as the two walked out of the building Add also seemed to quiet down a bit. It had definitely been a while since she had been brought out for a meal outside of business matters, seeing as how eating at home was a far more viable option otherwise.

The mention of Japanese street food, however, caused her to waver for a moment. While trying new cuisines could be an interesting experience, she had expected something a bit fancier than what was essentially a plate of fried noodles. Maybe that was just the type of city that this was...?

"I'm not particularly a fan of alcohol, but if you're recommending the food, I wouldn't mind trying some for myself," she said, following Hinami as the two of them weaved through the people and the streets milling about.

Their final destination, a small restaurant made out of a repurposed shop, gave Gray a reason to look around. Her quizzical expression as the pair walked inside only seemed to deepen once she saw the number of people present inside already. The location looked far smaller on the outside than it did otherwise, it seemed.

"Hey, welcome!" one of the chefs called out from the back, casually raising an arm before waving the pair over to a nearby table. "Kenji'll come to take your order in a sec, so just sit tight, all right?"

"A-ah... This is... A far cry from what I'm used to..." Gray said, looking around before finding the location that she and Hinami had been directed to before taking her seat. "Is this informal style of restaurant common here, or...?"