It was a warm summer night in Redrock. The streets were not empty, but the people on them were sparse. While it was not a small town, it was not an enormous city, either. It was a location that straddled the line between town and city, and therefore the nightlife was also a reflection of this. Some people were out on the streets, and yet many remained in their homes. This night was ideal for the beginning. There were many locations in which someone who desired to remain unseen could inhabit. The forest outside of Redrock. The burnt-out remains of the Rickert mansion in the North, left as a monument to the tragic deaths that had occurred there. The unseen catacombs beneath the city that were as old as the nation. For tonight was the beginning of something that the relatively peaceful town of Redrock had never before encountered. Tonight would be the beginning of a battle that had once thought to have been silenced, but was no longer.

Tonight was the beginning of the battle that would decide who claimed the omnipotent wish-granting machine known as the Holy Grail.

Redrock's old Church, an impressive building based upon the gothic style of architecture, housed a foreign representative of the Catholic Church this night. And for many nights after this, indeed. She sat quietly. Naturally, she was prepared to meet each and every team that would be informing her of their participation. There were already some who had registered as such.

The blue-haired Executor let out a small sigh.

She was without a meal, and it would be a long night.

---

She had prepared in advance.

The last remaining member of the Varianbec family, their homunculus heir, had prepared a great deal for this night. It could be said that this night was part of the reason for her existence. At the moment, the small, tan-skinned girl was in the bath. It was a bit of routine before she would embark on her next mission. That mission was a simple one, and it was one that the girl with silvery hair had absolute confidence in her ability to fulfill.

She would crush the enemy masters. She would ensure their Servants were destroyed. To Estelle Varianbec, this was almost a foregone conclusion.

It wasn't simply due to her capabilities as a magus, though those were, of course, quite considerable. Estelle felt she could effortlessly outdo almost any other mage who would be participating. Why ever would she believe anything else? But no, as she emerged from the water, her maids quickly hurrying to dry her off and clothe her, her mind went to her true weapon. Her victory.

Her Servant.

She had summoned him two weeks prior, her catalyst performing its function perfectly. It had been obtained for her by her family, who had left it behind for just this purpose. Wherever they had disappeared to, Estelle was thankful for the gift. When she had summoned him, the weight on her mana supply was tangible, but did not greatly impact her vast stores of magical energy. She would be able to operate at full capacity quite easily regardless of how long he stayed corporeal.

For there was, truly, no question of her victory.

Her last item of clothing, a large bow, was secured on her neck.

"Do be careful, Lady Varianbec," implored one of her many maids, bowing to her as she left the baths.

Naturally, Estelle felt such concern was simply unnecessary.

"You shouldn't worry," she said, brightly, "The only ones in danger are the enemy. I'm sure I'll crush someone tonight!"

With a cheery laugh, Estelle proceeded out of the room.

It was time.

"Lancer," she began, "Are you ready to destroy them all?"

Tonight, the Holy Grail War would begin.

@RolePlayerRoxas@Rin@Raineh Daze@Crusader Lord@Drifting Pollen@KoL@CrystalApple

Were he visible at the current moment, the dutiful guard would have struck an imposing and intimidating form to any potential intruders. Not that there was anyone to intrude anyway; his Master was in the room behind him, accompanied by several maids. Obviously, there were no fellow Servants like him either. That did not change the fact that it was Lancer's duty to safeguard his Master's privacy.

His Master was an interesting specimen, to say the least. Despite her young appearance, she had the talent and ambition to rival the lords of his time. His knowledge of magecraft was understandably limited, but from what the Servant had witnessed in their short time together, her skills seemed abundant in that area. Lancer couldn't help but be a tad bit concerned about her excess of confidence, however. No matter how skilled she may be, this was still a war, and there would *always* be an unscrupulous coward that would avoid a direct battle, and opt for a sneak attack. A valid battle tactic, to be sure, but not exactly Lancer's preferred conduct for warfare.

The door opened, and his Master called for him. Immediately, he materialised his physical form, revealing a towering man with flowing, green robes adorned in armour of bronze and gold. His most notable feature was the finely-combed black beard draped across his chest, the large Servant running his fingers through it after bowing to his Master.

"I am ready to fight, my lady," he spoke politely, "my blade shall strike down all of our opponents. You need only give the order."

It was regrettable that a young child such as this had to fight. War was a cruel environment, especially in this particular battle. However, Lancer simply had to succeed, and he could at the very least, protect the life of his new lord.

This particular oath, he made to himself.

"Prague thanks for your cooperation. Rest assured that I'll do everything within my power to ensure that our people are not harmed because of a Fake Cup named after a Fake Messiah," Emilia said to the old rabbi that was the leader of Redrock's Jewish community as she left his residence. They lived in a neighborhood that refused to yield to the force of time ever since its creation more than half a century ago by refugees that made America their new home after escaping the terror of the Shoah. Emilia couldn't ask for a better place to stay, under the guise of being a distant relative visiting her estranged family, even if she wanted to.

Every piece of the puzzle was set. Emilia summoned her Servant months ago, allowing her Magic Circuits time to adjust to their new load as well as for them to know each other's skills and personalities well enough. Their instruments were set and she erected a basic bonded field around Redrock's synagogue and its old graveyard. Nothing could go wrong according to Emilia's view. But it's exactly this certainty that made her spirit so restless.

The haughty are always brought to their knees while the humble are exalted. When everything seems right, it's the time to redouble one's vigil.

Emilia couldn't ask for a better Servant either. Great musicians like Mozart or Bach, or even artists or writers, like da Vinci and Shakespeare, could outperform a Servant like Marianne, thanks to their sheer fame and the reach of the works. Yet, the advantages of an obscure Heroic Spirit surpassed raw power as far as Emilia was concerned.

"A Holy Grail War, like any contest between mages, is a battle of the mind. Those who control the flow information better are always more likely to win, even when the odds are against them."

"You can assume your physical form if you want. It would be a shame if you missed the feeling of tonight's wind," Emilia said to her Servant as she walked the lonesome streets of Redrock. "First, we must go meet that priest and be acknowledged as participants of this 'War'. Our second goal should be to collect information and decide who'll be the most suitable targets to propose a partnership deal. We cannot win this conflict on our own. But, if we can have our foes dance to our melody that will be no problem," she added, confirming their strategy.

---

@RolePlayerRoxas@Rin@Raineh Daze@Crusader Lord@Drifting Pollen@CrystalApple@VitaVitaAR

She had wanted to summon some great saint if possible, or a holy knight. A dashing figure without disastrous personality flaws, that would loyally serve for the entire war and understand the import of the Church's duty in verifying if this was indeed the Holy Grail. In other words, what she preferentially wanted was a Saber or a Rider-class Servant, with Saber being preferred for its greater power...

And as a nun, living as virtuous a life as possible with her condition, she was certain that her own personality would be a perfect catalyst for someone like that, but the ritual had other ideas, taking her physical flaws and summoning... she had no idea. Isabelle's knowledge of Asian heroes was completely nil, nor was her ability to look up information in anything other than a large old-fashioned library on par with others of her age. At least she could rest assured that she had summoned the strongest Servant, likely because of the number of technically-swords that she carried hidden in her habit at all times, but...

So to sum up her week, she'd been awkwardly trying to get to know some strange Japanese (she'd found out that much from the obvious features and her own family history) lady, who started to hurt her neck whenever she made eye contact. Finally, her support had told her to get to know Saber, particularly on this night of the beginning where it was best to stay out of the way of other Masters lest they decide the Church wasn't neutral ground.

So, tonight, they were down in Redrock, ordering burgers.

"Can I have... two cheeseburgers, a chicken sandwich, two large fries, that chocolate icecream you have advertised out front, and a large coke?" the nun asked, reading off what she'd written down, before turning to her somewhat-disguised Servant (not that she was subtle either). "What do you want, Saber?"

@VitaVitaAR

Saber was not unhappy, to say the least. Early on, after being summoned, she had asked if it was permissible for her to remain materialized, as long as it was not a strain for her Master. It wasn't necessary, but deep down the white-haired Servant desired not to be hidden, but to serve her Lord openly, if it were allowed. Yes, to loyally serve a Lord was Saber's one desire in this holy grail war. To be honest, she hadn't expected to be summoned in a Christian place of worship, by a nun no less. She had no problem with being summoned as such with it, but she would have expected those belonging to the Christian faith to aim for summoning a Saint or some other figure from their beliefs. She was thankful for this chance regardless. As long as her Lord was just, she would follow her.

... Certainly, she had to quickly deny the existence of a a certain feature... but the small girl who had summoned her had otherwise seemed... seemed... well, to be honest, Saber had no interacted with her much prior. No, instead most of her time had been spent with the nun who acted as support, who had provided her with the white sweater and long pants she currently wore. It was a comfortable outfit that was easy to move in, which meant she could swiftly act in defense of her Lord if necessary. She hoped, at least somewhat, to get to know her Lord better, but if the small nun did not wish to speak of such things it was not her place to ask.

Saber would due her best to dutifully follow her Lord's wishes... but with some concern she noted she had not yet been asked about her identity. As the red-eyed girl understood, the matter of a Servant's identity would generally aid their Master greatly in the Grail War. But now was not the best time to attempt to explain herself. She was meant to obscure her identity as best as she could, to prevent anyone from discovering her nature.

And regardless, at the moment, Saber was astonished by the sheer amount of food her Master ordered. She was so small...

"Ah... d'Antibes-sama," she began, pausing for only a moment. No... she had to look out for her Master... "Is... is it healthy for you to eat that much?"

If the nun became ill during a fight from all that food, it could be very dangerous...

... Technically speaking, Saber didn't need to eat, either, but it would would look strange if she didn't.

"And, ah, I would like to try a cheeseburger."

@Raineh Daze

---

Estelle smiled. That was what she wanted to hear, she wanted to hear that her Servant was ready to deliver carnage and destruction upon their opponents in this Holy Grail War. Still smiling brightly at her Servant, the small girl hopped off of the front step as she made to lead her Servant to the front gate of the Varianbec estate. Yes, indeed, not only had she summoned a powerful Servant, her Lancer was completely unbeatable. At least that's how she felt about the matter, knowing the origins of this one revered as a God of War. She knew that he'd be prepared to go out as soon as possible, to destroy their opponents swiftly and without pause. It didn't matter who they were or what their cause was, they would all be killed equally. Though... she wasn't cruel. She'd accept surrender from the Masters. It wasn't necessary to kill them, the threat of another contract being formed was slim if Servants were the primary targets. They'd be allowed to escape to the safety of the Church. If they were somewhat likable she might even escort them there. But if they attempted to persist, they'd find no mercy from the diminutive girl.

"I'm certain that some of the enemy Masters will be going to the Church to speak to the Overseer," declared Estelle cheerfully, practically skipping as she passed through the gate. "So we'll ambush them on their way back to... wherever it is they'll be going!"

She placed her hand to her mouth and giggled.

"You'll be able to fight to your heart's content, Lancer," she added. Really, her Lancer was an honorable figure, but you didn't get the title of a God of War without taking at least some kind of joy in battle, now, did you? "Why, if the Masters surrender, they'll even be close to the Church when they have to run off in tears!"

Estelle giggled again. Yes... the first Master she saw was in for a nasty surprise...

@RolePlayerRoxas

When preparing for a war between mages that utilised the spirits of fallen heroes as your primary weapon, there was a laundry list of things a competent magus must do to ensure they were fully fortified and ready to strike. Kishinami Hakuno would never dare presume she was 'competent', but the brown-haired girl had hoped she possessed common sense to have all her bases covered before summoning.

Staring at the storefront of some clothin franchise, Hakuno wondered if all her studies regarding the Holy Grail War were a lie.

"...Is this place okay?" Hakuno quietly asked her Servant, whom the young girl still believed to be a part of some elaborate joke at her expense. Hakuno had heard of Servants that possessed a 'Divinity' skill, and that they tended to be pretty darn strong as far as Servants went. That also translated to, in her opinion, a level of power Hakuno could never hope to wield.

So imagine the teenager's surprise when her Archer turned out be a full-blown Goddess. She really couldn't help but think she'd accidentally cheated somehow, and was probably trapped in a daze of awe and confusion ever since.

-----------------



His Master was an interesting individual, to say the least. Her appearance and demeanour were the very picture of a carefree child with a large zest for life. Even the bearded warrior could recognise her as 'adorable'. And yet, her cheerful words spoke not of joyous events, but of defeating opponents in a deadly battle. It was almost unsettling, were Lancer not sadly used to such a thing. Children growing up in a time of war and chaos, often had to wield a blade before they could fully grasp of the concept of death. To think that even two thousand years later, things hadn't changed that much.

Still, Estelle was his Master, and despite her age, she was obviously capable. Her vast mana reserves allowed him to exert his power, and her cheery words hinted at mercy - while Lancer would not fault her for choosing to kill an opposing Master, allowing them the option to flee at least showed a level of compassion that made her worthy to serve.

Or overwhelming arrogance.

"A swift strike will no doubt devastate our opposition, My lady," the large Servant replied, absent-mindedly stroking at his long beard once more, "defeating an enemy this early will shake up the rest, and allow us momentum from the beginning. It's an excellent move."

Naturally, there was no doubt in Lancer's mind that he would no doubt win any battle for his lord. If he believed his Master to be ultimately righteous, then he would not fail again.

"Yes, that should do, Master~" Euryale replied to her newest Master as she peered through the shop's front windows. "The human world is a very convenient place. You don't need to wait when you want new clothes or even food. As long as you have those paper slips you call money, you can have anything at your beck and call. Even 'I' can certainly admire that side selfish of yourselves," she added as she entered the store and began to pick a number of outfits that caught her eyes without regards to their price.

To Hakuno's luck, she would not have to pay for anything. The shop's staff was more than willing to pay a tribute to a cute goddess such as Euryale. No, she didn't charm them all, obviously, they knew what to do in sight of true beauty.

"Could you come here and help me decide, Master?" Euryale 'asked' Hakuno to join her in the dressing room to help the smallish goddess decide between wearing a pair of jeans with a dark sweater—with Euryale complaining that it made her look like 'that girl'— or white a blouse, black pleated miniskirt and pantyhose combination, with a red jacket on top of it.

---

@RolePlayerRoxas

"Goddamn town is too quiet."

The rickety car tore along a cracked and bumpy road, rumbling and rattling as it sped through a half-dozen red lights and two empty intersections, slowing only as it slid past a lonely cop car waiting by the side of the road. Soon as it was out of sight, Aiyanna started picking up speed again, rolling down the windows to let the cool night air rush over her skin.

"A girl can live her whole life here and have nothing actually happen, you know? Like being stuck in a fucking snowglobe, 'cept without the snow."

The church loomed up ahead, a pointy shadow stretching up against the stars. Aiyanna rushed on towards it, showing no signs of slowing down- until at the very last moment she slammed the brakes and brought her run-down ride to a screeching halt, not a few feet from the church's front doors.

"Way I see it, we're doing this place a favor." She twisted her keys, pulled them out, threw open a door and hopped out, pulling a heavy black duffel bag with her. Wouldn't make sense to leave her gear unattended. "For once, this town is gonna mean something. Whether it knows it or not, Redrock is going down in history from this night onwards." She glanced at the empty air beside her, cracking a smile. "And who knows? With a bit of luck, maybe we will too."

She strode up to the church doors, pausing, drawing in a breath. Rambling helped when she was nervous, let her get her thoughts in order. Hopefully Berserker wouldn't mind, though it was honestly hard to tell with that girl. Things'd be easier once the war got underway. Once she knew which targets to go after, who she needed to burn. They could have a jolly old time smashing things up together and trying not to die. For now, though? Formalities. Ugh.

Kicking open the door, she walked her way on in, raising a hand in greeting to the blue-haired figure within.

"Church person! We're here to sign up for the murder party."

@VitaVitaAR@Crusader Lord

---

---

As her master spoke of living a life without anything really "happening", the beautiful white-haired girl in the passenger seat next to her simply gave a light, pleasant nod as a light smile remained on her face. The Berserker looked like a teenage girl, to be frank, white hair and simple white dress with straps and all. Dark eyes and pretty hair also shone from her features. Albeit, the collar she had on was an odd minor accessory, but hadn't minded it. It was simply nice to feel the fresh air on her face, to have the smell of the ocean from a ways away lingering in her nostrils without the stench of decaying bones and fragments of unfinished meals sitting about. To have enjoyed a "hamburger" not long ago was one of the highlights of the last while with her master for this conflict, juicy, not squirming, and cheaply flavorful and tasty and probably filling for a normal human. Hell, the having her own feet on the ground again was a massive plus this time around, and no sign of the jealous witch anywhere to be seen.

It was good to be back in the human world again, in this former body of hers again. Then again, it was rather alien as well at the same time. It was like enjoying a lingering, nostalgic old memory dwelling within one's dead, which having been drawn up from the depths of the sea of thoughts by some power...gave a pleasant sensation to the individual overall. Such was her perspective on the matter, though she had also continued to enjoy the company of her chaotic, lively master, a magus who didn't seem much like a magus in ways. At least, according to her information from the Holy Grail. Though the bit of introverted-ness was a humanizing feature she felt balanced out her master's impulsive behavior at times. Her master seemed to have a rough life as well...something she could actually empathize with in a sense.

But such matters about her master aside, there was an important matter at hand now: The Holy Grail War. A war where the servants would clash and a wish would be on the line in the very end. Acquiring the vessel, obliterating the enemy servant and any master who tried to stand in their way, such as the violent way of humans in order to achieve their wishes. It really didn't phase her, but at the same time she wanted to look out for her master to boot. Her master seemed driven to assert herself in the world, to leave her mark on the pages of history and throw caution to the wind to push ahead with wanton abandon.

That was so much like humans, to aim for the horizon and never turn back. So many went to their deaths, dashed upon the rocks, in the process though. Further, what kind of mark would she want to leave on history? There were heroes, legends of old, conquerors of adversity, those who burned their flames out at full throttle. Then...there were monsters. Those who left a stain upon the pages of history, tearing apart humanity, forces of nature that would inevitably clash with the aspirations of civilizations. And even that role could feel so....good itself.



Though on that note of monsters, she hoped there weren't heroes with a "certain feat" in their legends. It would make her job a lot harder in that case~

[color=orange]"Haha! We'll be fine, Master~" the white-haired servant said, her smile softening for a moment as she looked her master in the eyes before going into the Church, holding her hands behind her own back, her voice a happy and innocent sing-song tone, "Just keep aiming for the horizon!"

As they walked into the building, her master entered with her usual manner of entrance into even a place many humans considered "holy", very casually greeting the blue-haired woman the servant saw sitting there in the building. She sensed some danger from the woman, albeit that wasn't in regards to herself as much as her master. But even so the Berserker didn't so much as blink and eye or remove her smile as she remained materialized by her master's side.

Ooh! Maybe they would get to find their fist opponent tonight! A nice snack after that small meal a time ago would really hit the spot, even if she didn't need the meal altogether as a servant.

@Drifting Pollen@VitaVitaAR

---

---

---

The magus was sitting in a chair on the back patio, bottle of sake gripped barely in her relaxed hand whilst she lounged in her casual clothes (the ones in her picture in her app). The lights were off in her "acquired" home, the moon shining in through the windows whose blinds had been pulled up. Her things were inside the master bedroom, unpacked and messy as if she had been living here for a month. A basic bounded field had been placed over this location for detection and cutting off the environmental supply of prana from foolish enemy mages who entered. It seemed a pristine nighttime scene around her to an extent, however, with the salty ocean breeze able to be smelled from this position and the roar of the softly crashing waves heard in the not-too-far distance acting almost as a sort of lullaby. It would have been great for a vacation from her work, and yet...this was far from a vacation. This was a war, an conflict, a battle of usually defensive mages and beings of higher power than they were.

In preparation she had come here a few weeks ago, truthfully to implant some of her familiars in three key locations. She had placed a colony of them underneath her chosen residence to operate from, and she could sense the colony had grown immense underneath her base of operations, a hotbed of mana that was about two miles wide at this point. Then she had placed her second colony underneath a point at the farthermost point of the north leyline running into the area, a tactical means by which to grow more tools for her aims. And this colony too, when she had last checked up on it, had grown even more than she had initially calculated. A supercolony in that forest to the north where the Northern Leyline was located, growing along the length of the leyline underground and towards the town of Redrock proper. Not only was this her backup source of familiars, but was a tool to gather vast swaths of mana for herself and potentially her servant if needed.

In fact, it was time to summon her own servant now, as the moon peaked and others were likely only heading to the Church to report in to the Moderator of this conflict.

On the back patio where she was even, she had drawn a neat little summoning circle with chalk she had brought with her to this little occasion. However...procurement of a suitable catalyst had been virtually fruitless, though she had remembered many famous heroes were also famous...drinkers. Her kind of people, "born from another mother" as it were and cut from at least a vaguely similar cloth. Not that she compared to Heracles beyond having had a drink or two perhaps, but still she was trying to be optimistic about all of this. At any rate, her catalyst sat in the middle of the summoning circle: An entire case of high-quality sake, with more booze stocked up in the cabinets of the house alongside provisos of water and food for a full week and a half that she had brought prior as well.

"Heh...maybe i'll get a pretty chill guy as my servant," the glasses-wearing magus said, giving an amused smile at the thought, before taking another swig of the one bottle of the sake she had kept for herself to drink in the meantime, "But eh, time to start summoning, i suppose. I've probably got the last pickings for this thing, so here's to hoping."

Setting her drink down on the small patio table next to her, Evangeline stood up, walking over to her summoning circle, before triggering her magic circuits to flare to life. Taking in a deep breath in and out, she extended a hand at the summoning circle, before beginning the incantation:



And from the summoning circle, a great bright light erupted forth, causing the female magus to close her eyes for a moment to avoid the bright flash as her servant was brought into the world.

@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

"Mmm mm, of course!" Estelle exulted. Yes, of course. She could only have summoned the strongest of Servants, even without the use of a catalyst, and having been given a catalyst for such a powerful and famous hero... Well, the outcome of this grail war was a foregone conclusion, wasn't it? Of course it was. That being said, that didn't mean it was time to completely forget any sort of tactical approach. The entire point of her plan was to ambush the next person who set foot outside of the Church. Of course they'd be able to register with the overseer first, but that was where the matter ended.

It didn't matter who it was. Lancer was going to crush them like an insect. These were all legendary figures of the past, but Lancer stood among them. It would take a high-grade Servant to pose any sort of challenge to him!

"We'll just need to wait out of sight," the dark-skinned little girl began, "Maybe on top of a building? As long as we can take them by surprise, that's what matters!"

@RolePlayerRoxas

---

The Overseer sent by the Church was, perhaps, of a higher caliber in combat prowess then usual. This may have had something to do with the fates of the previous Overseers, though indeed the Fifth War's Overseer had perished in a manner that had not made such a thing matter. Regardless of that fact, they had selected someone very deliberately who could hold her own.

The blue-haired girl sat quietly, mulling over her lack of food and the current situation. She had just been contacted by one of the Masters who had yet to summon a Servant, and said Master had proceeded out back behind the Church to do exactly that. She could expect others to register soon enough, though the Master of Rider had already verified her summons quite a while ago. For now, she was simply awaiting the others in silence.

Sure enough, one of them arrived. Ciel rose from her feet and approached. A blonde-haired young woman had arrived, declaring her intent to participate. She was accompanied by a small, delicate girl, whom the blue-haired girl could assume was her Servant.

The Burial Agency Executor nodded, though she noted that the introduction was in a somewhat less... formal manner then she expected.

"Very well," she responded, simply, "Verify your name and the class of your Servant."

@Crusader Lord@Drifting Pollen

Silently, Hakuno followed her Servant into the store, witnessing everyone within submit to the small girls' charms pretty much instantly. No matter how many people found themselves compelled to dote and adore the goddess, Hakuno could only ever stare with blank bemusement. For a plain girl that actively strove to make herself look as forgettable as possible, seeing a beautiful girl being worshipped before her was rather surreal and alien.

In fact, the contrast was somewhat worrying, the more Hakuno pondered; while she had no real issue with Archer maintaining a materialised form, her tendency to attract attention with her appearance alone could prove detrimental to her own magecraft. She could make herself as visually memorable as a brock wall all she wanted, but if Hakuno was walking alongside a small goddess, every single person they passed by were sure as hell going to remember the girl lucky enough to accompany the true object of their affections. Never mind the possibility of an enemy master taking notice...

The brown-haired girl jumped slightly when she realised Archer was calling for her. Joining the Servant in the dressing room, Hakuno looked at the offered outfits curiously. It probably went without saying, but Hakuno had zero knowledge of fashion, and letting her choose the outfit was probably a mistake. Still, she got the feeling that Archer would press for a decision, so she tried to imagine what seemed to suit the small Servant best.

The first one... as nice as it would probably look, Archer seemed to be predisposed against it? Which made its' inclusion strange, but maybe it was best to err on the side of caution.

"Besides, it probably suits a taller girl more..." Hakuno muttered to herself, not realising she had spoken that part aloud. Yes, a tall girl, possibly with nice legs and a... well, more filled-out figure would suit that choice better. Therefore, the best thing to do was to point to the latter outfit, "that one, I think?"

@KoL

----------------------



"...I should probably choose a closer location. Unfortunately, my choice of vantage point is limited to my abilities," Lancer answered modestly with a small smile. While he was not a big fan of ambushing an unsuspecting opponent, it was unfortunately just another facet of warfare. The unlucky Master to be targeted would just have to hope their Servant was one they could trust to defend them from a surprise attack.

Secretly, the bearded Servant hoped for that outcome as well; his misgivings on an ambush aside, it would indicate an opponent he could enjoy duelling against, at least for a bout. Perhaps he shared a little of Estelle's overwhelming confidence, after all.

"That said, I may have to assume my spiritual form to better hide myself, My Lady," the tall Servant continued conversationally. Despite his almost relaxed demeanour, he was on alert for an ambush aimed towards themselves, as well, keeping pace with the girl to ensure she could be defended from any attack.

"So I would ask that you exercise the most extreme caution," the advice was probably unnecessary, and downright obvious, but Lancer couldn't help but express his worry over his Master's well-being. He was a father in life too, after all.

"I will work it off soon enough," the nun said dismissively, not sure why Saber was suddenly worried about her long term health when they were about to enter a violent fight for their lives. If there was any time to focus just on eating what you could now, it was when their deaths could happen any day. Though with that excuse and her own role in the church, it would justify a habitually poor diet... such as the one that Isabelle followed whenever left to choose her own meals.

It wasn't gluttony if you needed all that energy to stay in fighting condition, she was certain.

With the cheeseburger added to the order, it was just a matter of waiting for their food, then going over to the window to start eating... a somewhat disconcerting sight, seeing someone so delicate wolfing down an entire burger with barely a pause to breathe. "Can you fight without showing off... them? It seems like that might be a clue for our opposition."

---

Replacing the light came a cloud of mist that seemed to die down but not... entirely. Some form of mist continued to hang around the patio where the summoning had taken place, yet not enough to obscure the figure that had been summoned: that of a short Japanese woman. Yet despite her height, she was undoubtedly an adult... the open kimono and lack of much clothing left little in the way of imagination for that.

It also meant that Evangeline should have no incentive to struggle with her Servant over the sake offered, or to try and divest an apparent child of the gourd at one hip. Or the already-full dish that Assassin had somehow been summoned with.

Not that Assassin's attention was on her: it was on the offering. "Is this for me, Master...? Fufu, you should have brought more people... who am I to play with?"

"... I was concerned about you becoming ill when it was most important. I am sorry, my l-d'Antibes-sama," Saber said, quickly preventing herself from misspeaking by saying 'lord' as she bowed her head. That... would seem odd to the person behind the counter, wouldn't it? It most certainly would. When their food was prepared in short order, she quickly thanked those who had prepared it and the one who took their orders before proceeding to the table alongside her Master. Saber was... surprised at how fast that her Master was capable of eating that food. She was almost child-sized, and yet she was able to consume that burger as if it was nothing. On that matter, she had her own burger to eat... after a moment's pause, she raised it to her mouth and took a bite.

It was... Different, in many ways, then anything she had eaten in life. Meatier, juicier, greasier, between two pieces of bread... it wasn't a terrible flavor, just... different. For someone who was used to less heavy foods, it was a bit of a surprise to say the least. There was quite a bit of difference in this country's cuisine when compare to the foods of her land of origin's past. She swallowed.

"... I do not know what you are talking about," Saber said, swiftly, in response her Master's question, "But whatever it is, I'm certain it won't be a matter of concern in battle."

@Raineh Daze

---

"Well of course, Lancer," replied Estelle, quickly, "We'll find a building nice and close, and wait on top of it. They won't suspect a thing~!"

Naturally, it only made sense for Lancer to assume spirit form when they arrived at the ideal location. That would make him somewhat more difficult to detect, especially if they acted quickly. He wasn't the fastest of Servants, but his power and the surprise of the attack would more then make up for that, wouldn't it? Of course it would. Estelle felt nothing but confident in the outcome of this attack.

"Once we get onto a rooftop, you can assume spirit form, Lancer," she added. The church wasn't much further, and around it were a number of shorter buildings that would likely be relatively easy to scale and hide atop. There wasn't anyone out in this area of town right now, so there was no real chance of them being discovered by anyone who wasn't to know of the proceedings.

@RolePlayerRoxas

For someone meant to be supervising a massive throwdown between a bunch of psycho mages, Church Girl sure didn't look very tough. Aiyanna cocked her head to one side, sizing the Executor up, wondering what would happen if she attacked this Vatican chick here and now. She could blow the girl's head off, burn down the church, stick up a giant middle finger to all those smug-ass mage families and their stupid rules-

She stopped herself, biting her lip. Easy, girl. Being a little bloodthirsty was handy in a fight, but she couldn't let herself get too eager. Like it or not, she had to play along for now, or they'd all gang up on her before she had a chance to gain momentum.

Well, with Berserker on her side, fighting them all wasn't out of the question. She spared a sidealong glance at cute little Scylla, and smiled. Soooon...

"Aiyanna Price," she said after a moment of silence, "Master of Berserker. You need photo ID? Driver's license? I can give you my number, if you ask nicely." She raised one golden eyebrow, grinning lasciviously, then burst out laughing and turned on her heel, heading for the doors. "All right, we're done here. Come on, Berserker."

Her awareness exploded outwards, flooding through the church and hundreds of meters beyond and picking up warmth, heat, wherever it radiated out in the cool night. Living beings resolved themselves into vaguely glowing forms: herself, Scylla, Church Girl, and further out...

"By the way, we might be about to have company," she added without slowing down. "Sorry you don't get much time to rest, but I'll be counting on you."

@Crusader Lord@VitaVitaAR

“I guess you are right, Master. That must be why I thought about ‘that girl’ when I saw this outfit,” Euryale replied to her Master after making her final decision on what to wear. The diminutive Archer undressed and began to change clothes while Hakuno was still in the dressing room.

“Are you feeling well? I noticed that you are a bit stiff for the last few minutes,” she asked, addressing the unease stare Hakuno had stamped on her face ever since they walked into the store. “Could it be that you sick? Is it because of the contract, or the weather?” Euryale said, unaware that she was the true cause of her Master’s worries.

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@RolePlayerRoxas

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"You might want to be careful around that woman, master. She seems pretty dangerous for church lady!" the young-looking servant said as she merrily skipped alongside her master, her energy seeming to burst out like an infinite spring of her happy enthusiasm that seemed to radiate from her form, both as she cautioned her master before continuing on, "You can count on me to be there if an enemy tries to attack us here or something, just be careful yourself as well."

Scylla's energy seemed to rise a bit as and moved alongside her master, the monstrous desire for battle thrumming underneath the surface of her skin in every muscle and bone of her body. Sure she was happy to be human again, to be able to eat like a human and talk to them instead of the boring monotony of eating them as they screamed for the gods, but at the same time she was one of Greece's greatest monsters. A beast that had only been slain by the greatest hero of his age, much to her chagrin and frustration. As much as she understood it, she was still something that gained her ire, that her rage was boiling against inside without having to utter a single word.

@RolePlayerRoxas@VitaVitaAR

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A wide smile creeped onto Evangeline's face as her new servant appeared before her. Was it the excitement of having managed to summon an admittedly strong servant (if parameters were a thing to go by)? Was it that the servant was female, or sexily dressed? None of the above. Simply put, she was thrilled her catalyst had manage to summon a fellow alcoholic, gourd and dish and sake-scented mist around her and all. She had hoped for a soul she could get to know, and a case of hella good sake had pulled through for her seemingly better than she felt she could have hoped for! Course the "horns" and such traits were reminiscent of something a Japanese associate of hers had talked about, the tales of "oni" ringing a bell in her mind as a result. So potentially, she had summoned an alcoholic monster as it were. An interesting matter in and of itself, though as to the current matter her servant had brought up.

"Haha! I see you are a character of fines tastes! It's all for you, a humble little welcoming gift into this soon-to-be battleground!" the female master said happily and with gusto to her servant, grabbing back up her own bottle of sake from the porch table and taking another swig, "If we find some allies, perhaps we could have a little fun with them though~"

"But as much as i want to sit down with you and get to know each other over a good drink tonight, we have to check in with the moderator for this little conflict tonight first. Formalities being as little they are for now, may i ask what you class and name are, to know who my new drinking buddy will be?"

For a reaction, Evangeline was reacting with some genuine joy at summoning her servant. Hell, to her the class didn't matter as long as they could get along and get crap done. That and get in some drinks in-between and such to enjoy passing the time. Hahaha!

@Raineh Daze

Hakuno was quick to avert her eyes when Euryale began to shamelessly change in front of her. In absolutely no way did she allow her brown eyes to linger on the beautiful girl's form before tearing them away. That would be improper conduct towards a Goddess, after all. You don't just stare at a divine being while she disrobes. Not unless you were looking for a cursed existence forevermore.

Her queries took the young master by surprise however, and she glanced towards the small girl once more. Much like before, Hakuno totally did not examine the skin bared to her in that brief instant, forcing her to turn away fully. She only turned her back out of deference for Archer's privacy. Also, her cheeks were only reddening a little from the heat of the dressing room.

"...I... am fine," Hakuno replied, somewhat unconvincingly. True, she wasn't sick or anything... but she was beginning to realise that contracting a goddess known for her beauty was going to be taxing in a way that... really, Hakuno should have seen coming.

---------



"Then I suppose we'd best lay in wait sooner, rather than later," Lancer commented, giving his beard one more stroke. Lowering his hand, he gently took hold of Estelle's own, indicating for her to stop.

"Excuse me, My Lady," the towering Servant carefully picked up the small girl in a bridal carry, and after bending his knees, launched himself towards the sky. Despite his frame, the green-clad Servant seemed almost weightless as he arced towards a rooftop three stories high, Estelle firmly held close. He was not aware of her opinion regarding heights or sudden flight, but it was probably difficult to feel endangered in Lancer's arms.

With a soft thud, they landed on the roof, and Estelle was carefully lowered to her feet, "pardon my rudeness, but time is of critical importance when preparing an ambush."

Indeed, he was aware of a particular presence slowly approaching... doubtless a Servant. He immediately assumed spirit form, though there was every possibility the opposing Servant had noticed him already, anyway. That said, they wouldn't be aware of his exact location, and as long as Estelle remained undetected as well, a surprise attack could theoretically work.

It was best not to be so optimistic when your opponent was a fellow heroic spirit, however.

"Ah?"

Of course, she should perhaps have expected this, given it was her idea to take a position on the rooftop of one of these nearby buildings. However, it wasn't exactly easy to be prepared for suddenly being lifted and then flying through the air as if she had suddenly sprouted wings. Unconsciously, Estelle found herself clinging to one of her Servant's arms, before the both of them landed safely and easily stop the building.

"... Good work, Lancer," she declared, simply, quickly releasing his arm. The small, tan-skinned girl hadn't at all been a little frightened by the sudden motion and height. That was, of course, beneath her. As she was lowered to her feet, she quickly took stock of the situation. The opponent was unknown, but even if they had detected the presence of another Servant it would be impossible for them to determine any other details. It would also have been difficult for them to recognize their motion, especially after Lancer took on spirit form. Finally, there was no possibility in which any Master participating in this Grail would be able to outmatch her in a battle of magecraft. She simply refused to accept such a possibility.

Lancer would engage and defeat the enemy Servant, and she would force the Master to surrender. If no surrender could be obtained...

She wouldn't hesitate to crush them.

@RolePlayerRoxas

Oh, Saber was worried about acute illness? That was nice of her, but entirely unnecessary. Colds and food poisoning were foreign concerns,; despite her appearance, the nun was far from having a delicate constitution. The first batch of fries was rapidly following the burger as she looked out of the window, and she briefly considered getting another drink but decided that it could wait until afterwards; something to wash down the meal.

"Well, if you're certain. Is there anything else that might drastically swing a battle? It would be disappointing if you had some weakness like a sprig of mistletoe..."

Though that was Norse myth, not an Asian hero.

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"It won't do to think about things like allies and enemies... why should we think about more than who would share a drink with a demon? Assassin, Shuten Douji... aah, I'll come along with you as thanks for the sake, but you won't worry too much about obedience, will you?" the oni replied, lifting the case and listening to the contents slosh around for a second before putting it back down, and now looking at her Master. Although she was smiling, the threat in the words was still there: she was a hedonistic demon, not a loyal knight. Expecting such a level of service would be... problematic.

For a few moments, the white-haired Servant was silent. While she could not call herself utterly without any form of weakness, of course, she wasn't aware of any sort of Achilles' heel of that nature, so to speak. In combat, there was no quick, dishonorable method of disabling her. Indeed, if there was one thing she was confident in it was her capabilities in a fight. Though... mistletoe? If she wasn't mistaken, that was a myth of the Norse, quite far removed from her homeland.

"You needn't worry, my lord," the red-eyed girl replied, "To call anyone, let alone myself, a warrior utterly without weakness would be untrue, but there are no glaringly easy ways for our enemies to obtain victory in battle against me. I will fight to the end for you, my Lord."

She bowed her head, before pausing for several moments and taking another bite of the burger. It was truly much heavier then anything she had eaten in life... to be perfectly frank, Saber wasn't certain she particularly liked it. Not that it was bad, simply that it was not the kind of food she was used to. Not that she would express such an opinion when it was a meal that had been so generously provided to her when she did not require it. Still, it made her awe at the way her Master could eat so much of this heavy food so quickly even more evident.

"... If you do not mind my suggestion, I believe we should discuss our next plan of action once we are done here."

Saber hoped she wasn't being too forward, but it was important to discuss strategy soon.

@Raineh Daze