"You're the Master here," Berserker said sullenly. "Do as you wish."
The bartender arrived, and set something out in front of her. Without giving her thanks, Berserker threw back her drink, pounding it down without stopping until she had to come up for air, sighing deeply.
"And I have met many such men of their word. Rarely is it worth what they think it is. The only thing I desire to hear from them are the words they speak when I have impaled them on my spear. You'd best be careful you don't end up the same, boy. As it is, you're already getting-"
Berserker burped quietly, a quick "urrp" somewhere between a cough and a hiccup.
"-preferential treatment. However, if you wish to satisfy me, more wine and spirits certainly wouldn't go amiss."
Afternoon...
Berserker tipped back another bottle, sighing with contentment as she desecrated finely-aged wine with fratboy-like behavior. Popping expensive chocolates into her mouth inbetween gulps, she was an odd sight to see in the quiet Japanese town of Fuyuki. A tall, drunk, dark-skinned athletic girl dressed in sandals and ancient combat gear like some sort of historical cosplayer, walking around town with her Italian, Giorgio Armani pretty-boy boyfriend.
Wes stared at his Servant dumbly, once again questioning whether or not he was the only sane one aboard this boat.
Polygamist... Castration...He groaned.
Tamamo, she... she really doesn't,
okay? Love me, that is. She's just saying that to try and trick us, me in particular. I know it must seem
like you two have a lot in common but trust me, you're worlds apart. I mean, you've never been anything except earnest with me, whereas Seyrun...Wes stammered.
I mean look at how she reacted when I said I wanted to kill Lord El-Melloi; her teacher.
She barely batted an eye! She probably wants
me to kill him because that'll in some way further her status in the Clocktower. She's evil and manipulative, like every other so-called "elite" magus. Wes sighed.
Look, I know what I must sound like to you right now. The irony isn't lost on me. But I want you to know that when I say Seyrun is evil, it isn't like that.
I'm not jumping to conclusions and pointing fingers at somebody just because they scare me, I know what she's like. What she's done. I've seen what Seyrun is capable of, with my own two eyes. We've got a good thing
going here Tamamo, and I don't want her getting between us. Because that's what she does. Seyrun doesn't bring people together, she tears them apart.
Afternoon...
"I told you to stop calling me that," Wes said, irritated. "And no, not happening. This boat is crucial to the bigger plan. Speaking of which..."
A little egg-timer went off, presumably set by Wes, to signal that the familiar was done "cooking" so to speak. He walked over to the magic circle and picked the now placid, docile rat up, stroking its head gently. With nimble fingers, he affixed one of his miniature wireless cameras to it.
"We're going to need to make a pitstop at the sewage outflow pipe a ways downriver. As for your junk I couldn't care less. Or at least that's what I'd
like to say, because it sounds like the stuff you've got there is seriously valuable. Truth be told..." Wes sighed. He was gonna hate himself for this. "
It's a good plan. Still, do we really have to hide in a school? Isn't that putting a bunch of innocent students at risk? And like I said, boat-"
Wes made an "=" sign with his hands.
"
Important. As for Caster..."
The young magus sighed. He had been hoping to avoid having to make this decision. He didn't trust Seyrun. It was safe to say he'd sooner hug a porcupine or kiss an octopus than he would cozy up to her. Still, at this point the benefits of withholding information were outweighed by the need for transparency. There was no tactical advantage to an ally they couldn't coordinate with.
"Her true name is Tamamo-no-Mae. Fox spirit, courtesan, master of Witchcraft, and as of today, my new ummm...
wife," Wes said, slightly embarrassed. He hadn't really thought about it, but saying that to someone else still felt
weird. "As for her abilities, I'll let Tamamo explain."
Fish of Oblivion
