"Start with the Italian, we must see how your selection compares with the swill that Rider managed to find in Japan," the man, now seated, stated. And why not start somewhere known for its wine production? Unusual that the bartender had no French reds on hand but no doubt if he was pushed the man would be acquire them through some channel or other. He briefly glanced over at his shoulder and the child conspicuously sitting in the bar. "Administrator, do you care to join us?"

Meltryllis simply glared daggers at Nanako the moment that she offered to help—or, at the very least, attempted to offer her help. Her Master, it seemed, realized the problem halfway through her sentence, but the Alter Ego didn't simply leave that as water under the bridge. The way that she was treating her was far too casual, and despite everything that had occurred and all the information she had given that would give more than enough of a reason to fear her, her Master was still acting as she had been.

All this, despite knowing that she was both an inhuman amalgamation and the equivalent of a mass murderer... It was incomprehensible. Either that girl was naive, an idiot, or both. Meltryllis' opinion, of course, was leaning towards 'both'.

Given that the Atlas girl and her Servant were still debating over a course of action, though, Meltryllis decided to instead focus her efforts towards eating the parfait. The neural degeneration had the most impact on her hands, yes, but at the very least her sense of taste was very much intact. Despite all the work she had to do to get even a single bite into her mouth without resorting to have to bring her head closer to the cup (or, maybe, because of it), the yogurt and fruits were all the sweeter. The Alter Ego refrained from smiling, though, as there was more to be gained from focusing on the conversation at hand rather than simply indulging herself in market-brand foodstuffs.

Holmes, on the other hand, had turned his attention towards Nanako once she began to respond, only to straighten his posture and look towards his Master once she began to speak. The Alter Ego's Master, it seemed, was still too busy attempting to decide if the offer was worthwhile, which likely meant that she would be stuck in limbo for a while. As such, it would be far more prudent to process other information instead.

"Might I add, Miss Obberhausen, that Miss Meltryllis also mentioned that the disappearance of atmospheric mana also occurred decades before our current era? The events leading up to such a thing are likely worth exploring as a minor experiment should we have the free time, but I do understand what you are implying. Regardless of the outcome, though, a trip to that facility would likely take time away from your duties and my investigations anyhow," the Ruler said, quietly processing more of the information he had been given as he attempted to piece together the motives of the rogue AI hovering over the duo in front of them. "Working under the assumption that this 'BB' has linked up 2030 and our 'present', and considering how she is attempting to coerce your help despite having near-omnipotent potential within the confines of the 'Moon Cell', I believe that something has occurred outside her 'domain' in that era that necessitates your summoning here. What that may be, however, is yet to be determined. So, Miss Mihama... Have you come to a conclusion yet?"

@KoL@VitaVitaAR

---

---

"Oi, oi, Archer... Do you think I'm enough of a fool to bring a few measly bottles to satisfy a group of kings? More is by far the better option, and if I recall correctly, you didn't even drink any of it in the first place!" Rider said in response, almost as if chiding an old friend, before turning his attention back towards the bartender's table. Once the requisite bottles and cups had been handed over, though, the King of Conquerors finally removed his Master from his shoulder and planted him on the ground. Lord El-Melloi II seemed no worse for wear, oddly enough—doubly so given that the Rider had essentially carried him over all the way from the University to here. "One more glass for this one over here, all right?"

With that request settled, Iskandar grabbed the bottles and cups and brought them over to the table that Gilgamesh was seated at, flicking off the cork from the bottle of Italian wine off and causing it to fly back towards the old man's face.

"Aha, sorry about that!" Iskandar called out a second after he had realized what he had done before taking a seat and carefully filling both of the cups. "In any case, to my return!"

Without missing a beat, Iskandar calmly drained the entire glass in a single motion before letting out a large sigh of refreshment.

"Mmm... Not bad, not bad! Shame there's so little of it, though," he said, only barely turning his head to notice the girl that Gilgamesh was now calling towards. Given that she looked like a little girl, however... Well, the Rider could only give a bit of a side-eye towards the bartender.

"Oi, Goldy... Are kids usually allowed in places like these in this city...?" he asked, his voice still loud enough to be overheard by everyone in the room despite his halfhearted attempt at a whisper.

@Raineh Daze@DocRock


The help that Gilgamesh's Master was providing was quite useful in speeding up the cleaning process, and the mop and bucket meant that the bloodstains in the linoleum flooring wouldn't stick. The only worry was that someone would question the presence of chicken blood (or, well, blood in general) if they didn't dispose of everything properly, but the janitorial staff was likely used to that by now.

"Ah, my hood?" Gray asked, pausing for a moment as the question came up. "My hood, huh...? Well, it's a bit of a long story, but as that Heroic Spirit said, I look strikingly similar to my ancestor, the King of Knights. My mentor, Lord El-Melloi II, brought me away from where I grew up, but my face brought back too many bad memories for him. So ever since then, I've worn this hood while working around him. It's probably for the best."

"Ah, but with that loud redhead back in action, you're probably fine now, right? Hell, it's not like we didn't look at the record of summoned Servants on the flight over; Arthur—no, sorry, Arturia Pendragon and Mordred are both here, right?"

The voice that had chimed in came from under Gray's cloak, and after a few seconds of rattling as the woman placed the gathered paperwork back in its proper place, a small cage containing an odd block-shaped... Thing was brought out.

"Er... Right. Miss Asakura, this is Add. Er... To put it simply, he's... Probably something I should be returning to the King of Knights? Actually, that might be a bad idea..."

"No kidding it's a bad idea! Who knows what that girl will do to me to get you-know-what back!" the box shouted in response, to which Gray sighed before she tucked the cage away once more.

"Well, er... Thank you for your help in cleaning up. I'm more than ready to explore the town whenever you are."

---

With the mop and bucket (and everything else) handled, the two women left the university in short order. The afternoon rush had died down considerably, though given that the university was a campus in its own right there were still a few students milling about on the streets. Gray, outfit and all, seemed to stand out among the crowd; that didn't matter very much, though, as it seemed that most of the people were glued to their phones instead.

"Ah, so... I'm not entirely sure if Lord El-Melloi II or his Servant will be back in time for dinner, if at all, so... Would you mind if I asked where we could fine a place to dine for the night as well? I want to make sure that I learn this area while he's gone to make the most of our time right now, after all..."

At least Meltryllis really didn't seem to need her help, in the end...

There was a lot to try and take in. An awful lot. And most of it was confusing. It wasn't as if Nanako didn't understand anything, but it was so much information to take in, so fast. But the fact that all mana had left Meltryllis's timeline meant it had to be drastically different then her own. But there was no way to answer any of her questions on her own. Meltryllis didn't know what was going on, BB was hardly about to explain... that left Nanako with one clear option.

"... I'll accept your offer, Holmes-san, Obberhausen-san," she said, finally, giving the both of them a somewhat weak smile, "I don't think either of us have much of a choice. BB definitely doesn't seem like she's going to tell us anything else... besides, if anyone could solve a mystery like this, I guess it would be the world's greatest detective, huh?"

She let out an awkward laugh. This really was her only option at this point, but at least it was a good one. When you had a mystery on your hands, you could hardly ask for better assistance than Sherlock Holmes.

@PKMNB0Y@KoL

Truth be told, it wasn't that he lacked French Reds, merely that he'd chosen to go with something to contrast the Italian Red. In fact, if one looked close enough, they'd seen more than a few familiar vines from history. Archer was honestly expecting the trio...and them to keep him busy with most of the contents of his surface stash, hopefully he wouldn't have to dip into his storage supply just yet. He still needed one of his contacts to finish finding a servant who could mass produce liquids for them without having to order from off the island. All the same, he was sure to grab a third glass for the Magus, even as his gaze shifted to the "child" who sat by themselves. He was no fool, it didn't take a criminal genius to know when things were outside of his control. Plus any parties from those in charge of the island-nation were to be respected anyway, for making it possible for him to manifest outside of a Grail War. He sighed softly at Rider's comment, shaking his head almost ruefully. "Normally, this is the time I serve the children and younger servants non-alcoholic drinks. I'm not a monster, no matter my True Name. Shame I probably won't be getting any students for a few days, with their break. No tutoring." His "business" tone hid the undercurrent of a frown, though he wouldn't admit to it, he enjoyed teaching the kids who needed an extra hand in mathematics, and it was good business anyway.

Though of course, he was still nervous all the same. He had his reasons, after all.

"Ah, thank you, King of Heroes~"

Smiling cheerfully, the girl removed herself from her seat and approached the bar. After a moment, she had clambered into one of the stools alongside the group, still holding her glass of... crimson liquid that may or may not have been wine. It looked like it could have been, but at the same time she hadn't ordered it from the bar and appeared to have somehow obtained it on her own. Of course, the girl's nature was undeniably that of a Servant, but it was likely only Gilgamesh(and perhaps the 'bartender') knew just who she was. Waver had likely had some level of briefing on city administration, but it was also possible he hadn't been informed of specific Servant identities.

The red-eyed little girl leaned on the counter, bridging her fingers together under her chin as she did.

"A newly-summoned Servant, and a new instructor to educate the students representing the world's tomorrow," she commented, eyes drifting first to Iskandar and then to Lord El-Melloi II, "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you. I'm one of the city's administrators, and one of the first Servants summoned in Fusang."

She gave the both of them a pleasant smile as she spoke.

"I'm certain the city's students will benefit from learning directly from Lord El-Melloi~" she continued, "Though it's obvious that wasn't the only reason you came here~"

Her eyes drifted to Iskandar. She was aware of Lord El-Melloi's past, at least to some extent, but decided to directly address it no further.

"And the King of Conquerors~ In the presence of legends today, aren't I?"

@Raineh Daze@PKMNB0Y@DocRock

Berserker's opponent was certainly a strange one. She hadn't expected to be battling an oni, especially one so brazen and confident as to handle her own introduction. Guan silently watched the yellow oni, as if unsure of how to respond. This demon... she was rather small, wasn't she? One might even find her a little cute from the right angle. Standing before Ibaraki-douji however, Guan could feel the pressure of a formidable fighter pressing against her. She was clenching her frozen blade nervously, trying to stem the slight tremors in her hands.

She couldn't show weakness here! Guan Yu was not so weak as to be intimidated by such a tiny girl, demon or no! Her Master was watching them at this very moment,she would not disgrace him with such poor conduct.
Inhaling deeply to steady her nerves, the helmeted fighter narrowed her eyes, readying her blade. She would overcome all of her shortcomings, and display skill worthy of her father's name!

And so, once the announcer ecstatically declared for the match to begin, Guan exploded forward, the guandao swung diagonally down upon the mountain oni.

The battle began. With blinding speed, the oni's opponent had already reached her, swinging... his?(Was that Guan Yu? Well, it didn't matter to Ibaraki, she'd beat anyone she came up against!) weapon down towards her almost immediately.

The horned girl grinned.

As the guandao tore through the air towards her, trailing a chilling mist into the air as it did, Ibaraki-douji's bone sword swung up to meet it. In anywhere but a city of Servants, this would have seemed insane: what appeared to be a little girl attempting to block the the attack of what appeared to be some sort of terrible ice armor creature by herself.

And yet, when the edge of the bone blade met the icy steel of the guandao, it held fast.

The impact certainly hit the oni's body, her knees bending slightly from the blow, but that grin upon her lips didn't falter. Instead, it widened, flames billowing behind the demonic girl as she planted one bare foot forward, firmly enough to crater the earth beneath her as she pushed her strength against her opponent's. And that strength was enormous: In spite of her apparent lucidity, it was clear Mad Enhancement had a profound effect on her capabilities.

Or perhaps such strength was simply an oni's natural capability.

Regardless of the truth, with a sudden burst of power Ibaraki shifted her enemy's weapon to the side, lashing out with her free hand to claw at her! Flames erupted from her lashing limb, wreathing it in fire as it tore through the air towards her icy opponent!

@RolePlayerRoxas

“As if the Great Mordred would do something like that,” Mordred replied, after Seria told her to pay more attention to her surroundings. “Well… maybe if it’s for you… But, everyone else should be the ones paying attention to not get in MY way!” she added before letting out a terse laugh to disguise her embarrassment.

After a few more moments of walking in silence, they finally came into a park that Mordred had never been to before. “Oh, this place looks as close to home as I think anyone can get. How did I not know about it before?” Mordred said as she squeezed Seria’s hand and did her best to try to contain her amazement.

“Hey! Isn’t that the place you were talking about, Lance?” the blonde knight shouted out of the blue when they finally came into view of the lake. A really convenient place for her Father and Lancelot to meet, indeed.


“I think I understand how Mr. Watson felt, now. Getting roped into a mystery while following your daily routine is very interesting, indeed,” Othis said as she, miracuously, finished to eat her pancakes. The silver-haired alchemist had another cup of coffee, unfazed by everything as she continued to observe Meltrylis.

“You really are an interesting one,” Othis said idly. By now she had already been able to deduce the other girl’s situation and how much it strained the relationship between her and Nanako, perhaps even more than the latter’s lack of knowledge in Meltrylis’ favored magecraft method.

“Anyway, for the time being, we should concentrate on the most important issues first. You mentioned the City’s computational center, right? I can help you get access to it, since I’m the main technician there. Perhaps it would help elucidate BB’s objectives. What do you think about it, Mr Holmes and Miss Nanako?”


“I see. Even a man of Lord El-Melloi’s fame is bound to have some skeletons hidden away at the corner of his mind. If nothing else, it’s very considerate of you to think about him like that,” Hinami said after Gray explained the circumstances behind her hood.

Even someone who had seen plenty of quirky things in her life like Hinami had to stop and think well at the sight of Grey’s cubic companion. “Well, this is a very… unique friend you have you have there. Also, with an interesting way of speaking,” she said, chuckling lightly as she observed the way the pair interacted with one another. “This kind of remembers me of a friend from way long ago. Though, I’m sure you are not interested in listening to an old lady’s anecdotes right before dinner, do you?” Hinami added, laughing in a dismissive way as the two of them made their way out.

“Well, as long as you don’t mind if it’s cheap food, I do know about a very nice place not that far from here. They have the best yakisoba in Fusang. Also, a pretty great beer, if you are the drinking girl type, that is,” Hinami said as she took the lead, guiding them through a shortcut consisting of a few alleys behind the university’s campus. It wouldn’t take much time for them to reach their destination, a “restaurant” built in the place of an old talisman store not very far from the main street. No doubt the kind of place that only someone well-acquainted to the city, or a completely clueless stranger stumbling about, would be able to find their way to.

"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

---

---

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


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...?"

While Meltryllis seemed to express any approval she had in quite an irritable fashion, Nanako was at least glad that she seemed to be pleased on some level about the fact that Nanako was going to learn about this whole code casting thing. And Nanako was happy it was a way she could help her Servant, and... maybe try and break the ice between them a bit more. After all, if she was working to better support her, maybe that would help?

But right now, that wasn't the main thrust of the conversation. Complete access to the computer at the heart of Fusang... that was something extraordinary. Not that she'd have any idea of what to do if she was there: Nanako was fine with computers, but she doubted Fusang's mainframe would be anything like the home PC and smartphone she was used to. On the other hand...

"Er... BB-san seems like she's accessed the entire city's systems already... maybe," Nanako said, "She was able to get into my phone immediately without any problems. So, I think Holmes-san is right. She might just hide or set off some kind of distraction if we try to use the mainframe to find her."

She paused for a moment. Meltryllis wanted to find out what they'd be doing...

"... Maybe it would be best to head back home for tonight," she said, after a moment of consideration, "If BB-san calls again, I want to be ready this time and try to figure out as much as I can from what she says. She took me off-guard the first time, but I might be able to listen a little better now that I'm prepared!"

If nothing else, that would help, right?!

@KoL@PKMNB0Y

---

Mordred was squeezing her hand like that... aah, jeez, it was pretty embarrassing! What would someone looking on think? But at the same time, Seria wasn't trying to pull away. She could feel Mordred's pulse... she could tell how nervous her Servant was. The normally brash loudmouth was instead apprehensive about meeting her father again.

And this place... Seria recalled, some time ago, that a park like this had been made. The one who funded it had remained anonymous, but there was one thing that had been agreed upon when it was finished: It was the spitting image of the English countryside. Not only that, but the shimmering lake... it was as if a very specific location from a very specific period of time had quite deliberately been recreated.

"... I think I remember something about this place being built," she said, "That it really did get made to look like the English countryside. Maybe that's why Lancelot-san picked it...?"

@KoL@Raineh Daze

---

When they arrived at the lakeside, the blonde knight's heart almost skipped a beat.

She hadn't realized this place was in Fusang. Not somewhere like this. Somehow she'd not learned of it.

This was not simply a park by a lakeside. It was as if it had been taken from a slice of Arturia Pendragon's memory. She could almost see the image of the Lady of the Lake emerging from the shimmering, glass-like water.

"... Ah... this place is..." Arturia trailed off, placing one hand to her chest. Regardless of how things had proceeded, of how they had ended... the view of this lake was still beautiful.

Had that been why Lancelot had picked it? Because of its resemblance-no, the manner it which it had seemingly replicated that lake? She couldn't imagine it wasn't the case. It was such a peaceful place. It had never ceased to be, had it? Even to the very end.

The King of Knights could not help but gaze out into the shimmering waters.

@Raineh Daze

Guan's attack was easily blocked by the grinning oni, which was perhaps to be expected. Even ignoring the superhuman speeds a Servant could move at, her attack was straight-forward and simple. Even a relative novice like Guan herself could have seen such an attack coming. Regardless, she gripped the weapon tightly as she attempted to overpower the yellow oni, gritting her teeth as she was met with resistance. Despite the cracking of the earth beneath them, Ibaraki-douji stood firm, seemingly unfazed by the icy Berserker's power.

Suddenly, her weapon was knocked aside, and a flaming fist was barrelling towards her! She only had a split-second to react, and the best she could manage was to try and leap away, trying to avoid the worst of the blow. That flaming punch met her chest, knocking Guan back several feet, rolling along the ground until she came to a stop, face-down.
The front of her armour was scuffed and marred by the flames, with a slight indent from the glancing blow it withstood. The frozen Berserker may have just barely leapt out of Ibaraki's range, but that glancing contact was still enough to cause worrying damage.

...He wouldn't have been so easily taken down. Guan berated herself bitterly as she clambered back to her feet. Ibaraki-douji was certainly powerful. Those flames were a natural counter to her own abilities. Even the oni's parameters could outstrip Guan's own in every way, for all she knew.

But if it were Guan Yu, such obstacles would have been overcome with a single swing of his gallant blade.

Back on her feet, she silently pointed the frozen guandao towards Ibaraki-douji, as if daring her to advance. Regardless of her opponent's power, she wouldn't allow herself to fall! Not while her Master was watching! Not while she bore her father's name!

"Remind you of somewhere?" the taller of the blondes asked, tilting her head a little at her Servant's reaction. To her, this was simply another landscaped garden--a very nice one, and cooler than the subtropical climate of the rest of the city, but just some greenery. With Saber gazing out over the lake, she was therefore the first to notice when some other people entered the park: a fairly tall man with unusually purple hair, which matched the description she'd been given of Lancelot... roughly. Her Saber had told her to look out for longer hair than that.

What was following was more interesting. A girl almost identical to Arturia, wearing a much more revealing outfit... "Hey, doesn't that girl look like you? I wonder if we can ask her where she got those clothes~"

Striding towards them with his bags of snacks, Lancelot came to a halt, wondering how to broach the topic of not just having brought himself... but also picked up the wayward Knight of Rebellion entirely by accident. Or how to introduce yourself to someone that you hadn't seen for years, unless you counted the surreal occasion where you got stabbed... "Your majesty, I..."

---

"No tutoring? With so little to do, you must have something else planned," the golden Servant said, sampling the glass. From the lack of a grimace or the sudden threat of execution, it rated passable on his scale--and was therefore what most people would consider excellent. Except perhaps wine critics, but there were always people who would go and take things too far, even for someone as innately drawn to luxury as Gilgamesh.

"What say you to drawing out your old foe with our work? Iskandar might even find his tactical abilities challenged."

El-Melloi appeared to have the administrator occupied.

The tension in the air was greater than one of Tristan’s “bow” strings. Mordred felt as if she could just extend her hand and slice it apart, disturbing the thin peace just like mirror-like waters of the lake before them.

She had only felt like this once before in her whole life and, just like that time back then, it was right when she came face to face with her father.

“He-- hey there, Father. It has been sometime, hasn’t it?” Mordred said as she took a step to the side coming right into her father’s line of sight. Since it looked like everyone was frozen in place -- except for the tall woman accompanying her father -- Mordred had no options other than being the one to break the silence.

Now she could only hope for the best.


“We shall leave you to your own devices for the time being, then. I believe that now that we agreed on an alliance, there’s no reason for you to be apprehensive about whether or not Holmes is stalking you, right?” Othis said to Nanako and Meltryllis -- but looking at Holmes -- as she finished her coffee and got back to her feet.

“I do have a phone like your, cut you can contact us through this at any time if you need,” she added as she placed a considerably pure piece of a photonic crystal, cut in the shape of a small slab, not unlike a smartphone at all, on the table. “It’s a simple mystic code to assist with instant calculations. It also has additional function like long range Spiritron wave-based communications.”

“Now, if you excuse me, it’s about time for me to go back to work,” Othis said to the duo before turning to Holmes and asking, “Are you coming along or do you have other mysteries in your mind, Holmes?”


“Don’t worry about that, then. It’s just that, when you get old enough, you begin to pay a lot more attention to things like how a place’s alcohol tastes,” Hinami said, dismissing Gray’s comment about not being one to drink.

Once they got into the restaurant and were directed to their table by some members of the eager, yet overworked staff, she said, replying to her companion’s question, “I wouldn’t say that places are any more common here than anywhere else in the world. While Fusang has its fair share of fancy establishments, if there’s one thing I learned in the whole time I’ve been alive is that cheap food made with heart will always taste better than the most slovenly banquet wrought by lifeless hands. I guess that’s just the reason why this kind of place is so common. Especially in a city as diverse as this one.”

It was her Master's words the drew her from her reminiscence.

In a city such as Fusang, the density of the mana, and of the population of Servants, made it considerably more difficult to detect an individual's approach. As a result, the golden-haired Saber had been so caught in her own memories that for a few moments she had failed to realize that the one who had invited her here had arrived. Her short ponytail drifting in the faint breeze as she turned towards him, her hand still placed to her chest...

"Lancelot, I..."

Her hand tightened against her chest. The last time she had seen him, her friend, her knight, he had been summoned into the Berserker Class entirely due to actions she had undertaken. He had been pierced on the tip of her sword. That the noble man who embodied the ideals of knighthood had been drowned in madness to such an extent... it was painful. What could she say to him? Even if her path was no longer one that attempted to erase her own part in history, her memories remained filled with regret.

"Hel... lo..."

But Lancelot was not alone.

The identity of the girl who he had arrived with was undeniable. While there were some who bore a surprising level of similarity to herself in this world, it was largely coincidental. There was only one person who had ever born not just a resemblance to her, but was identical down to the most minute details...

It was like looking in a mirror. Even if her hairstyle was a wild ponytail, just as it had been all those years ago. Even if she wore a far less conservative outfit.

There was no denying that the girl who stood before Arturia Pendragon was the one who referred to herself as her son. The one who rebelled against her.

Mordred.

It wasn't as if the King of Knights had never considered the possibility. There was no reason that Mordred, too, could not potentially be called by the summons of a Master.

And yet...

Her free hand reflexively curled into a fist. The last time she had seen Mordred...

"... Mordred."

The manner in which she spoke the girl's name was short, halting. It could have sounded cold, but the Saber-class Servant's voice was tinged with uncertainty.

Even now she had never truly blamed Mordred... or had she? Was it... Mordred had never had the attitude to be king. That was something she still held in her mind as fact. But at the same time... she had never consciously blamed Mordred for the fall of Camelot, even if seeing her again brought with it unpleasant memories and thoughts. It was not Mordred's fault. It had been her own. But simply because she had never thought to herself 'Mordred carries blame for Camelot's fall' was she really...

If she had subconsciously felt as such, did Mordred deserve it?

Did...

@Raineh Daze@KoL

---

"Oh? I was a little disappointed when you got knocked flying like that," commented the oni, cocking her head to one side with that bloodthirsty grin still on her lips, "I thought I was up against someone really legendary. But you got back up quickly, so maybe there's still some fun to to be had?"

The small girl stepped forward, clawed, bare feet pressing down upon the earth beneath her as she advanced away from the crater left by the enemy Berserker's initial strike.

"Sometimes a rampage with no opposition is fun, but every once in a while, an oni wants to crush someone who puts up a fight!"

There was an explosion of fire, almost like the flare of a rocket, accompanied by a sound akin to the roar of a jet engine. Indeed, after a moment, those comparisons became even more apt as Ibaraki-Douji was lifted off her feet, the earth beneath her seeming to burn as she hurtled towards her opponent!

@RolePlayerRoxas

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


"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

---

---

"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."

So much had happened in just a short period of time. Nanako would be learning from Atlas? She'd met Sherlock Holmes? Of course, in a city like Fusang, meeting any extraordinary figures from history was always possible. It was likely that any given day simply walking through Fusang would lead to multiple encounters with famous figures right out of the history books. But it was a bit different speaking directly to one in that fashion. Certainly, she'd talked to Servants before, but... this was... different.

She winced when she saw the new sent of dents that Meltryllis left in the floor, but... there was something more important then that.

Nanako's Servant was angry. The Alter Ego was clearly fuming, and it had already been obvious even before they arrived back at home.

"... Ah... you noticed..."

For a moment Nanako simply wasn't sure what to say. It was clear that Meltryllis had been angry at being pitied. Nanako hadn't wanted to make her angry, not after forcing her Servant through far more important things that had irritated the purple-haired Alter Ego. But it was difficult. Learning that her hands were almost useless, seeing her struggle with the spoon at the restaurant, it had been hard not to show at least a little pity for her...

"... I'm sorry, I know there's no way it wouldn't make you mad," responded Nanako, finally. "I've only just met you today and it was still pretty obvious you'd hate having anyone pity you."

Nanako felt like she was already making mistakes. In trying to start a good relationship with her Servant, it seemed that she was largely struggling and not doing a particularly good job. But it wasn't like she could just ignore Meltryllis's words. She had to try and say something. Not doing so would only make things worse.

"It's... it's not like I think you're weak or anything," Nanako added, "... I guess it's just hard not to feel that way, knowing stuff like that."

The brunette had a feeling absolutely no part of that had made anything better.

@PKMNB0Y

The suggestion of Rider was too tempting to pass up, and so, grabbing his own cup, Moriarty joined the quartet, now making them a quintet. "Fair enough, with how quiet it is, I'm sure the regulars won't mind if they catch me drinking." Faint mirth graced his face, even as the words of the King of Heroes made the King of Crime glance over, shifting ever so slightly at the mention of his rival. Had Holmes manifested finally? The thought of playing games with his old time nemesis did fill him with a thrill, even if he didn't want to get decimated by any servants were he to cause actual issues. But messing around just to make his nemesis jump through hoops like old times sake? Well, he couldn't pass up the opportunity. "If he's indeed here, I wouldn't be opposed to such an idea. After all, I do indeed have free time, and I'm sure if he's here, Holmes will likely be needing something refreshing. After all, I've heard no mention of other famous criminals who could give him a run for his money." Perhaps that was a jab at the time a woman had bested Sherlock, a nod to other famous crooks of literature. Without knowing for sure, however, it was merely a guess after all.

@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y@Raineh Daze


Scene Change: City Zoo

Well, that had been eventful. The cornerstore trip had gone faster than expected, plus with Da Vinci's pair of arms, it made carrying food back easy. Plenty of junkfood. Followed by the conversion of a room in the home to her workshop(which will remain unclear for now, I'll leave it up to Vinci), they had decided to go properly exploring. And while most would have gone for say, the famous arena, Serene's love of something else had overcome any innate human desire to see blood shed. So the duo had ended up at the Fusang City Zoo, Serene having gotten them in rather fast. While she hadn't told Da Vinci what she was after, it would become soon apparent as she headed for whatever part of the place housed...the Red Pandas. As soon as she saw the area, Serene rushed to the glass between her and the animals, staring with excited, decidedly...not iron willed, eyes. "Oh my god, they really have them! They're so cute!"

Undignified maybe, but could one be blamed for loving Red Pandas?

@1Charak2

@DocRock
Da Vinci smiled that beaming knowing smile as she stood behind her master, following them to the exhabit of the creature that their master seemed so infatuated with. Ah a Panda. It was most certainly not a bird but it was a creature that Da Vinci herself could enjoy. What with its beautiful fur coverings it was most pleasing to the eye.

"Ah, a good choice for my master." She said smiling a big-sister like smile already. Beginning to really enjoy the woman that fate had chosen to be her master. Yes she might of gotten a bit lost in her galaxy brain of hers earlier when at the corner shop which almost made them late for this zoo trip. But she had gotten distracted.

"Still though Master, I would like to see the birds of paradise if that is ok with you?" She said softly. Asking it as if to say 'we can do this, but I won't stop you if you want to stare here and admire this specimen'

"...The sky?" Hakuno turned her head towards Saber. She was going to ask what she had meant by that, but her question was already being answered. The small girl was... shrinking into an even smaller form, turning into a... bird?! Speechless, the brunette could only stare as the bird, her Servant, promised she would return with something and flew off. It took her a few moments to register the events.

Makes sense. I mean, she's a Servant. And a bird. I think. So obviously she can transform. Hakuno rationalised to herself. More importantly, her clothes changed with her too, didn't they? the follow-up thought had a tinge of disappointment to it, for some strange reason.

Shaking her head briefly, Hakuno squatted down to smile at the silver-haired girl reassuringly, "well, you heard her. we should be seeing them very soon."

Indeed, not too long after departure, Hakuno could spot several approaching figures, mainly her adorable (and regrettably clothed) Servant, a young woman that appeared to be a nun... and a young girl that surely had to be...
"Ah, is that Dorothy?" Hakuno asked the small Caster, pointing to the approaching trio. One of them had to be, at least! It was likely the older woman had been someone that found Dorothy alone and was trying to help. Hakuno would have to thank her!

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



This oni... her words were veering dangerously close to mockery for Guan's liking. Perhaps it was not Ibaraki's intention. Maybe it was supposed to be playful patter that was the norm between arena combatants. As she held the upper hand, a little trash talk was to be expected. If Guan were in a proper state of mind, she would have rolled with it happily. After all, this wasn't supposed to be a real battle. It was a mere exhibition, done to entertain the crowd and viewers.

Yet the armoured Berserker gripped her frozen guandao tightly, glaring at the advancing oni. Her speed was terrifying, bearing down on Guan instantly. Yet she allowed no fear to influence her thoughts. After all, she was Guan Yu, the most powerful warrior. Why would he fear such a small opponent?!

Quickly gripping with both hands, Guan swung the long weapon with all her might, colliding with Ibaraki's sword in a powerful shockwave, blowing debris and dust all around the two combatants. Scorching flames met with frigid ice as the warriors pushed against each other. The armoured Guan let out a low growl, arms shaking from the effort of holding back the monstrously powerful Ibaraki.
She couldn't lose here... not to an opponent as insignificant as this! Not to someone that Guan Yu could blow aside with a single sweep! And yet, she could feel it: The strength she poured into the guandao, her fervent effort to beat back this oni... she was simply too weak. Despite her greatest effort, Ibaraki was simply better than her.

With a grunt, she was finally overpowered, and blown back to the arena wall. To onlookers, the impact was near-instantaneous. Smacking against the hard wall, Guan was left stunned as she fell to the floor, the weapon lying at her side. Her mind reeling from the powerful blow, unable to register the attack.

@VitaVitaAR@Dblade26@Rin

"Then you have until the morning to plan how to use our capabilities," the golden king confidently stated, finishing off the glass and waiting expectantly for another, "I expect that you will refrain from sullying my city over much."

---

Much the same memories were replaying in Lancelot's mind, the guilt of having escaped punishment before conflicting with the guilt of forcing the king into punishing him... but he was the Knight of the Lake. He wouldn't shy away from awkward social interactions; if that was the case he would most likely have to exile himself to an even more remote island so as to avoid any possibility of meeting the other knights.

"I... apologise for the mistakes of that war. In my madness I could never explain why I sought out that punishment, nor thank you. But, I can say with certainty..." a moment's hesitation spent looking at Mordred. Mordred was a traitor, but before that, a Knight of the Round Table as well, "You were the greatest of kings. All who served you felt the same way."

Now hopefully Mordred wouldn't start an argument about that, as then there would be no guarantee of avoiding a fight here...

Laetitia decided to restrict herself merely to closely examining Mordred and her Master. If Saber--or rather, her Saber, out of the selection of three that had come along--needed her to say or do anything, it would doubtless be more apparent. But for now, intruding upon the knights' talk... well, she valued her head.