Benienma gave the boy a sympathetic look. She could hardly blame him for the guilt he must be feeling, now, knowing that the Servant he had summoned proceeded to immediately attack one of his friends. Knowing that everything he had done had failed for reasons entirely beyond his control.

"..."

The tiny redheaded girl took a deep breath as she began to lead the boy away from the alleyway, geta clicking against the concrete as she walked, her ponytail swaying behind her.

"Even if it failed... the fact you tried to stop him speaks of the kind of person you are dechi. Even having seen it fail, knowing he could perhaps kill you, you still tried dechi," she spoke, doing her best to be reassuring. She wasn't sure if her words would reach him, but she had to try.

One the way to the nearest CCF center, Benienma contacted her Master through her cell phone, sending a text massage to clarify the situation.

[The rogue Berserker is dead, though something seemed unusual about the way he disappered. I'm taking his Master to the district's CCF Center. He is not guilty, but we have to learn what he knows.]

The CCF Center itself was a white and blue building, almost a perfect cube with smaller cubes at either side of it. It had a very modern appearance to it, something shared by every CCF center across Fusang. As Benienma guided Jason into the building, she was greeted by the sight of several different people, including another Servant.

She was a young woman with long, purple hair, clad in a somewhat unusual outfit with a flowing cape, a cross-shaped cutout in the front, and ribbons in her hair. The dimunutive Saber recognized her immediately as Saint Martha, who seemed to be busy with other matters involving a shuddering young man with rather expansive hair, who seemed to have been quite guilty of something.

Benienma guided Jason towards the back rooms for questioning.

"... We'll be waiting until my Master arrives," she explained, "But don't blame yourself for this. We'll catch the one who interfered with your command seals dechi."

@PKMNB0Y

---

"Sir Lancelot is the most skilled Knight of the Sword," Arturia responded to her Master, clarifying the nature of the Knight of the Lake as she approached the center of the arena, "... As for snacks, I would not protest if you chose to purchase more."

She approached both of her knights. Between the two of them, neither of their performances had been anything to be ashamed of. Lancelot had performed admirably, and Mordred... whatever feelings still laid within the King of Knights' heart, Mordred's determination to win had been that of a true knight. That being said...

"Both of you fought well," she commended her knights, "However, Sir Mordred, that was considerably reckless of you. While claiming victory by allowing yourself to be struck is hardly an invalid strategy, even a Servant possessed of Battle Continuation can only suffer so much damage before they are no longer able to fight."

She tried to measure her admonishment. The truth was she did not desire to treat Mordred in a manner that could be called unfair, but she also wanted to treat her evenly. Recklessness should be treated as it was, even if it secured victory it had to be a measured risk, not one that could potentially lead to defeat.

Arturia paused for a moment. Ah... Tristan..."

"... Do not worry, Chiron," she said, finally, "Tristan's sadness is not something you should consider seriously."

After all, the redheaded Archer seemed to be sad at all times... and it was often impossible to tell if he was awake or asleep, if he was sitting still.

A smile came to her lips, however, at the thought of challenging enemies in the Arena. To demonstrate her capabilities in honorable combat...!

"Indeed, I would be happy to participate!"

Seria relaxed, somewhat, when she saw Mordred's jaw mend before her eyes, lost teeth reappearing as if they had never disappeared in the first place. This left her totally unprepared, however, when the blonde knight suddenly grabbed her and held her close. For a moment, the small redhead simply sat there, her cheeks growing bright red as she barely registered even a single word coming out of her Saber's mouth from that moment onward. It was only when she stopped speaking that Seria, who practically had steam pouring out of her ears, was able to speak.

Being grabbed like that, before such a crowd, where so many people could see...

"Y-y-y-you dummy!"

It wasn't the most biting insult by far.

@PKMNB0Y@KoL@Raineh Daze

Hakuno was rushing through the streets, trying to keep a fine balance between sprinting desperately and marching with purpose. It wouldn't do for a member of the CCF to look like they were late for an important, or chasing an imaginary criminal! But the message Benienma had sent left her worried. After all, Saber had battled with a Berserker! To the death, too! What if she had been injured?! Hakuno was extremely worried about the recovered Master too... aahhh, what would she do if she found her tiny Servant covered in her own blood?!

By the time Hakuno practically leapt through the building's entrance, she looked rather frantic, wildly looking around for any sign of Saber and drawing quite a few looks. It didn't seem to dawn on Hakuno to simply text her Servant and ask where she was, and was rushing around in a confused frenzy, trying to block the more pessimistic thoughts from her mind. Needless to say, she was quite red and flustered when Hakuno was eventually set straight and told where to go, meekly entering the room that Benienma and Jason occupied.

"...Saber..." the young Master immediately brightened upon seeing her looking unharmed.

@VitaVitaAR@PKMNB0Y

Most people would have been freaking out visibly at such news. But whether Serene was still half asleep, or something else had flashed into her mind, she was remarkably calm despite the news that there was something seriously wrong. She'd let the two talk for the moment, but finally, she spoke up. "Was there anyone else present when Berserker was summoned? It would probably help if the master could be spoken to. Such as who he may have had along, how he summoned his servant. If its not a secret skill unique to that servant, could it be say, a heretical mage?" For a moment, there was an edge of fear to her words. Not fear at the thought of a heretical mage, those were rather common all things considered. No, the fear was of how her father would react. She'd have to notify him, as something messing with command seals would require looking into the family's records. And if her father learned of the situation...odds were he'd come to the city, and she had no doubt at least one person in the city wouldn't be pleased if a North American Mage Hunter(if retired), came to the city, let alone one with her father's history. But at the same time...maybe they could solve it on their own. Truth be told, she didn't want to end up being recalled back to the Americas on her second day on the island...She just had to remain calm. She certainly hadn't been expecting a possible heretic mage loose in the city...

@Raineh Daze@1Charak2



If one could have a dollar for every time Archer could become smug at having a one up, or just an opening to get at Holmes, well, who knows how rich they would be. At the mention of a boat, he just gained a very, very, very smug grin.

"I was wondering when you were going to bring that up. As it just so happens, I own a boat myself, for business reasons. As well as one that the King of Heroes just so happened to give me as a gift the other day. At Iskander's suggestion, as they both enjoy my bar quite a good deal. If you'd like, we could take either one out, though I can't promise that there isn't a surprise in the second's cargo hold." Upon finishing, an eyebrow was lifted, waiting to see how the duo would react to such.

Spending the night at the CCF building was probably the best that Jason could have hoped for, given how the situation had evolved. Both the Saber who had escorted him here and her Master had spent a decent amount of time questioning him, but there was only so much information he could have given them. It was a miracle that there hadn't been talks of further disciplinary action, but sleeping on an uncomfortable cot in a solitary cell was something that felt like punishment enough.

That being said, an entire night to stew in his thoughts was not particularly helpful to the young man's mind, as even when the cell doors were unlocked by the pair, Jason found it exceedingly difficult to even find the energy to get out in the first place. After a minute or two of expectant waiting from his now-escorts, Jason finally found it in himself to at least not be too much of a bother to them and left the room behind.

As far as he knew, he wouldn't be allowed to leave their side until the incident was 'fully resolved' or something of that sort. What that meant for the rest of his time from here on... Well, that remained to be seen.

@RolePlayerRoxas@VitaVitaAR


Finding it better to spend time preparing for the worst once he had found out that Moriarty had procured a sailing vessel in the first place, Holmes and Othis had spent but a few minutes more in the port; the Servant did not mind that his Master wished to inquire further with regards to the Archer who had taken up bar-keeping as a profession, but he found it far more difficult to handle a crime in progress than it was to elucidate the manner of the mystery afterwards. The issue of the strange Servant from the future and her Master crossed his mind once more, but given that they had not yet contacted him regarding any issues, there was not much to be done save indulge in mysteries elsewhere.

The rest of the day had been spent preparing for the journey proper, which meant packing the usual necessities for his Master's sake. Food, water, a source of light, and all other manner of things had been procured to keep them both well out of harm's way; who knew, though, if the old man had any other plans in store for them.

Once the day had passed and their preparations completed, both Holmes and his Master had made their way to the port, where both Moriarty and his Master were waiting. They had set off promptly for the location in question, and the prompt discovery that there was a part of the structure shallow enough to enter from by foot without worrying about the tides sending in a wave of water after them a few hours later had led to their prompt entry. It was a little past midday by the time they had finally made their way into the cavern, but with the flashlights that had been brought along, the only real nuisance would be attempting to map this place out.

"We do seem to be rather far underground—or would underwater be more apt a descriptor for our current location?" he asked, calmly shining his own light around as he attempted to scope the location out. "I am not much of a fan of spelunking myself, but it does seem like there is no other choice when it comes to examining this odd structure..."

It was rather odd that their group of four rather bookish people found it a logical idea to explore an unknown cave system on their own; the fact that half of them were Servants made the problem less of an issue, but the Ruler wondered to himself how well-equipped they were for the task in the first place.

"Hm. Well, no reason to fret about that now, I guess. Shall we proceed?"

@KoL@Raineh Daze@DocRock


After the matches yesterday and the subsequent confirmation that two more would follow the day after, the arena was inundated with impromptu reservations of people attempting to get front row seats to the next set. Those in charge took the sudden influx of funds well; the increase in work, however, was a different story.

None of that really mattered to the combatants, in the end; or, at least, that was how Chiron saw it. He was acting as a referee this time, and Bradamante (who had matched her idol in battle yesterday) was now nervously fidgeting next to him.

That was to be expected, of course, given the pair of Servants that had made their schedules clear for the match today. The pride of the Fianna was standing by, his arms crossed as he waited for the arrival of the knights through the crowds that had formed in anticipation of the match. His peer, an old Japanese man dressed in a haori and hakama, simply sat by patiently instead.

"I apologize for calling you two on such short notice," Chiron said, glancing at the entrance every so often as he waited for some sign of the knights' arrival. "There was only so much we could do to get people—"

"Please, do not worry yourself over things like that. I have been wishing to match that Saber in battle ever since I heard she bested Diarmuid," Fionn stated, a slight smile on his face as he spoke. "Besides, it is a Sunday, is it not? A spar and a drink would be a grand way to spend the day."

"Likewise, I do not believe that a match with a knight of a foreign land would dull my blade in any way. Though from what I have heard from you, my work is certainly cut out for me," Munenori followed, nodding his head in turn. "That being said, being a simple teacher on this island is far more relaxing than I had envisioned it to be. Who knew that the children of this era were so eager to learn the way of the sword?"

Arturia had urged her Master to go quickly. Still dressed in the suit from work, she had desired to waste as little time as possible. Indeed, it was impossible to deny the fact that this was in large part due to the competitive nature of the King of Knights. She wanted to go to the Arena as soon as possible. To test her mettle, her considerable prowess on combat, against her opponent. An honorable clash of weapons before an audience. Ever since she saw her knights participating in such a clash, she was eager to do so herself. There was no hiding it, and no point in denying it. The petite Saber was incredibly eager to get to the arena and start combat.

And so, at the first possible moment, almost dragging her Master with her, the small blonde girl in a suit appeared at the arena. She strode proudly in, the very symbol of knightliness even without her armor on, without her blade revealed. She desired deeply to show her prowess, deeply to honor her opponent by clashing with them, and deeply, deeply, to win.

Perhaps the King of Knights was a little too competitive.

@PKMNB0Y@Raineh Daze@KoL

---

Slowly the girl's eyes opened.

Her mind was foggy, swimming. As she placed one hand to her head, slowly blinking, she felt almost as if she was not inside her own body. As this dazed sensation steadily cleared, the girl began to perceive her surroundings, and remember just what had occurred the other day.

... How long had she been asleep...?

Nanako blinked, stretching weakly. Her body still ached...

As further memories came flooding back to her, she recalled the other events as well.

The men who had been killed by that awful shadow...

... Melt...

Meltryllis... there was no way that she...

Nanako placed her head in her hands. But before she could beat herself up once more over how she had ruined everything, the girl's stomach growled.

Ah! She hadn't eaten a single thing for an entire day! Before anything else, that was an emergency that had to be solved!

Getting to her feet, the brunette hurried to the kitchen(at least as fast as someone suffering from not eating for a whole day could manage), flinging open the fridge as quickly as she could. But instead of being greeted with the sight of anything edible...

There was nothing...

"... Oh... oh no..." she half-murmured to herself. Nanako had no choice now. She had to leave. She had to go out and get food.

The next few moments were spent rushing through her morning routine(as much as she could manage), showering and getting dressed before collecting her bag and hurrying out the door. There was no way she could even trying and think of anything on an empty stomach!

@PKMNB0Y

"Yes, I think that we can proceed," Othis said to Holmes as they made their way through the underwater cave system. She didn't care to remove the diving suit that she rented just for this adventure, instead, wearing her mystic codes right over it.

"It's not like we are going into Scylla's lair or something like this," she joked as the four of them walked ahead, making sure to record and document everything they came across in their journey.


Tristan followed his King to the arena, still with the same downcast expression as usual. No, perhaps he looked even more bleak than usual as he set foot on the combatants' area and noticed that they were already being waited.

"Apologies for making you wait. Even though it's sad that I may not be able to face you as a Saber, I'll still give everything I can to honor the challenge of a Master swordsman such as you, milord," the Archer said as he 'faced' his opponent.

"Ah, Papa, do you think we're under-equipped...?" Elferia asked, having made the journey in awkward silence whilst looking askance at the alchemist who had rented a diving suit for just this purpose. Atlas... always overthinking everything, always considering too many possibilities. 'But what if there's a chance of flooding', 'what if there's a pool of water', 'what about if the entrance is blocked off by high tide and we need to escape in a hurry'. All this overthinking and preparation for watery problems, but a diving suit itself might cause difficulties if unforeseen temperatures or hazards came up.

It was better than looking at the other Servant though, the embodiment of everything wrong with mystery fiction. Clues and answers not given, logical induction described as deduction but just gathering together a raft of hints that could have easily been wrong... one had to wonder how much Watson was massaging the truth.

It still didn't sit well with Benienma.

Undeniably, she had dealt a lethal injury to Hijikata Toshizo. His body had nearly come apart in two halves. There was no question of the fact that the Berserker had died. And yet... Something felt wrong. The way his presence had vanished suddenly, rather then simply fading away. The manner in which he had disappeared in such a way... it did not feel as if he was a Servant that had perished. It didn't sit well with the redheaded enma, and so she was not going to hesitate to say as much.

"Mastah," she began, glancing up towards Hakuno as she did, "Something doesn't add up here dechi. It feels like there's more going on."

She frowned to herself as she did.

"We should continue the investigation dechi."

@PKMNB0Y@RoleplayerRoxas

The mere usage of the word Papa was, for the most part, unknown to the masses as to its effect upon Archer. While most of the time he was the evil genius who plotted all sorts of nefarious schemes and ruled from the center of his web, that word had a most curious power. A power to turn him from that into...a grandfather figure. It was, after all, the secret weapon when keeping him in line. But only worked from a servant or master of the suitable age range.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, my dear Elferia! It would appear that whoever built this structure, clearly wished to enter it without getting wet. Explains the surface entrance we found!" It was incredible, to see the mad genius, acting every inch the doting grandfather, his pace close to his master, assurance in his tone. How much she knew of the reality of the situation was up in the air for others to guess much later, but he wasn't about to put her in harms way if he could help it all the same. Even as he sensed her gaze turning to Holmes, he placed a hand on her shoulder, and squeezed it gently, as if to assure her not to question it too much.

"But Holmes is right, we should proceed. Depending on if this is a labyrinth, rather than a complex maze, we should find ourselves at the center eventually." Despite his wording, it gave nothing away beyond Archer's own knowledge of ancient words and the like. He was pondering about whether things were going to play out as planned, or if the others in the scheme would go to play to their whims. The King of Heroes could easily do so, and well, the King of Conquerors was a strong servant after all. He had brought supplies himself, but Archer planned to do any fighting if needed, as evident via the coffin like device he was carrying at his side. We should all be fine, after all, if this was the work of a famous builder, they would have already made themselves known, no?"



Eventful. That was one way to describe the aftermath of Serene and Da Vinci's conversation with their only other contact in the city regarding a rogue servant and command seals being inverted as a power source. She'd been forced to make a call that night to a certain someone she had hoped to not have to call about the matter. But surprisingly, her father had been rather calm when told about the matter. Not as if he'd known, but rather not surprised by such a situation. He merely told her to keep him appraised of important developments, and that he'd reach out to some contacts if it turned out that yes, a heretic mage was trying to cause trouble, and the city needed assistance from hunters off the island. Something Serene had been left with after hanging up had been the sensation he wasn't telling her something...as if he already was ahead of her. It was probably nothing though. After telling Da Vinci what her father had said, the two had discussed a bit more of what to do, before deciding it was best to just sleep, then ask the other two to join them at the Administration when they had time. If there was anywhere bound to have the answers they needed, it would be there, or if not, well, surely someone in the city with a list of secrets to sell would be amendable to sharing intel...right?

So, that was how it came to be, that outside the entrance to Fusang City's nervous center, Serene waited with Da Vinci for the other pair to arrive, the quartet the most unlikely detective set, but stranger pairups existed, right? She was nervous though, and she had good reasons. All of this...bothered her, and she was not sure if the administration of Fusang would help them out or not. Hopefully it would go well, right? And it would just be a fluke regarding what happened with that Berserker?

If only, if only.

Lucius dutifully set up the easel in the private booth, enjoying the feeling of heavy wood as it slotted into place. God the people of this era were spoiled for choice when it came to, from his perspective, high quality equipment. Sure, it was hardly a noble phantasm's level of quality (not that he was even sure what an easel shaped noble phantasm would even be made of...) but the easel was a good oaken construction. The grain was even and healthy, free from knots, and its construction almost clinical in its cleanliness. Honestly it was amazing how much had changed since he....died?

Yeah, that covered most of the bases he was pretty sure.

Still for how much things had changed...

"...the more they stay the same..." He noted looking out from the booth and over the spectators. The crowd practically vibrated in their seats, their mewling voices that brayed for the forth coming combat drowned only slightly by the thin veil of glass that separated him and his master from the plebeians. "Hmph. Atleast in my day we conducted ourselves with a little decorum. Atleast nobodys naked and being violated by a lion..." He lamented, stepping away from the easel to allow his master to prepare her work.

Looking down at the combatants did little to ease his annoyance. So these were the legendary Knights of The Round Table? So far, not so impressive. "I thought this was to be a battle of knights? I was expecting to see the shining glory of the northern barbarians greatest heroes...not a little girl and a blonde woman in a suit." He grumbled halfheartedly. In truth he could see little wrong with either opponents form as they readied themselves. It was just he'd rather be the one doing the fighting than watching from the side lines. As grateful as he was to Master Lalaurie for bringing him back into existence, it was a...frustratingly domestic one in so far.

It was not without its upsides, sure. With no grail to fight over he could actually enjoy the little things again. Like a sense of being...and breathing! But he was a warrior and had...needs. Needs which, right now, could only be experienced vicariously.
"I'll bet a fiver on the blonde finishing it before three clashes. Ginger's out of their depth." He said idly, hoping to drag his master into a game. Already trying to sort out what sort of embarrassing nick knack he should buy to annoy her with when he won.

@Rune_Alchemist

@ghastlyInc

---

Standing next to Lucius in the booth, was a well dressed girl as he set up the easel. It wasn't quite the servant she had expected to summon upon coming here to Fusang, but an assassin was far better than some knightly type. She'd not have any idea how to deal with someone so morally...difficult. Marietta glanced at her servant with mild amusement as he began small conversation before positioning herself in front of the easel.

Reaching into her bags, she pulled out a palette and a skillfully crafted brush.

Ah, how exciting! Seeing clashes of servants here in the coliseum! Painting exciting vistas of servant clashes! Knight versus knight! The strongest heroes of history gathered here to do combat! To say she was the most excited person in the crowd was not an understatement. Twirling her paintbrush, Mary smiled softly as she glanced over to Lucius.

"You think, hm?" Mary hummed, applying a fresh dab of paint to her brush. "These are servants after all, Lucius. It would be short sighted to judge one by appearances." She glanced towards the arena. "But fine...I'm game for a little sport. I'll match your bet on the redhead." Mary smiled. "In fact, if you win your bet, I'll even sign you up to participate." There was no harm in letting her servant have a bit of fun. One had to take care of their tools after all, or they would break. A little leisure as long as he didn't get carried away would be fine.

Hearing the words "continue the investigation" caused Jason to pause and glance off to the side. Given what had happened the day prior, it wasn't as if he was in any particular mood to further dig himself into this pit, but if there was something that still involved him going on it would be all but impossible to get out of it now. Voicing any complaints at the moment was meaningless, but even so...

"Message for Kishinami Hakuno at the main desk. Priority B; please report to the main desk."

The voice had arisen from the radio terminal on the Master's hip, and given that there had been no other ideas to be had at the moment, the three people soon moved over to receive the message.

Once there, Hakuno was thus given a single transcript, which read as thus:

Something about yesterday has been bothering me. If you don't mind, could I ask if I could speak with you sometime later today?
--Sesshoin Kiara"

@RolePlayerRoxas@VitaVitaAR


With a relaxed yawn and a stretch, Meltryllis woke up from her nap (which had, once again, taken place on the couch). Given her condition, she couldn't actually do much of anything while her Master was out cold.

Which, in other words, had left her with a good 24 hours to simply sneak out and explore the nearby area on her own terms. Luckily, she was agile enough to simply leap from rooftop to rooftop, and in making sure that her presence wouldn't be made known by watching the crowds, gave herself a somewhat better view of the area than she had been given when forcefully dragged around two days ago. Her own Independent Action only served to allow her to move around further in spite of her Master's current status, and by the end of the night the Alter Ego had mentally mapped most places of interest.

With that said, the sudden rush of activity from Nanako as she barreled out of the room she had been resting in promptly caused Meltryllis to get up from her resting position and watch in half-amusement as the girl rifled through the fridge... Only to find out, of course, that there was none. That soon turned to mild concern, however, as the girl rushed through her morning routine and ran out of the complex without a moment's delay. After a brief pause, the TV in the room turned on, with an irate BB staring at Meltryllis.

"Go after her. Tail her from a distance if you want, but there's something off about today; it's very likely that she might be targeted after what I had you handle already."

"Fine, fine; no need to tell me twice," Meltryllis responded, waving her arm as she left the room to follow after Nanako. Hopefully, BB's warning would have nothing come of it.

Hopefully.


Despite the evident apprehension in the air, the fact that none of his three companions had suggested that they fall back was a fact most appreciated by the Ruler as he led the way. The reports of people being attacked did nothing to help assuage his own worries, though even those were drowned out by his own desire to push through. He was no stranger to combat, of course, but if at all possible avoiding that altogether would have been ideal.

The path continued to wind on for a period of time, at least until the group came across what was apparently a small room with branching paths that led off one way or another. In front of those, thought, were a pack of what seemed to be...

"...Wyverns? I did not expect such creatures to be here in the first place..." Holmes muttered to himself, moving his flashlight off to the side as the creatures milled about. They did not seem to have noticed their group yet, but their presence alone was enigmatic, if not worrisome in its own right.

"What shall we do, then...?"

@KoL@DocRock@Raineh Daze


Once the King of Knights and her companions had arrived, both Fionn and Munenori rose to meet them, exchanging greeting and formalities before Chiron led the four of them over to the stage. Unlike yesterday, where the matches occurred almost entirely as a spur of the moment thing, today's were the highlight match double feature. Already, the crowd had filed into the arena—which, this time, meant that instead of the smaller demonstration grounds, the main stage had been reserved for usage instead.

"Well, in any case, King of Knights, I hope that you can show me how you bested my right-hand man," Fionn remarked as they walked out into the corresponding area, causing a large ruckus from the viewers above. "Of course, we should show those present a battle worthy of praise regardless, else our own honor be called into question."

A few moments after they had entered, though, one more Servant barreled in after them, almost accidentally colliding headfirst with Chiron as they came to a stop. The Knights, of course, would recognize her instantly, as would a few people closer to the bottom of the arena.

"U-um! Mr. Chiron, sir! I've found someone willing to duel me!" she said, gesturing towards the entrance to the battlefield. "Is there enough space here for a third match?"

There was a brief pause as Chiron closed his eyes and held his chin before nodding in turn.

"I think that we should be able to fit your match in if we shift some things around. We may have to dynamically alter some barriers are the matches conclude, but... Yes, Gareth. May I ask who your opponent is, then?"

Hakuno could only hope her expression was conveying a sense of security and professional authority when she met up with Jason, though she highly doubted it. Putting aside her general inability to seem commanding in any situation, she couldn't help but worry about the poor guy. That incident must have been extremely taxing for him, physically and mentally. An overnight stay at HQ was hardly going to help him recover from that.

Still, until the investigation was fully resolved to the CF's satisfaction, he would be under the watch of Saber and herself. Hopefully Hakuno could do something to help ease his mind. Though as Benienma voiced her opinion, the walkie-talkie crackled to life with a message for the young Master. Somewhat surprised, she made her way to the main desk with the other two in tow. What awaited her was a message.

"...I feel like we're seeing each other a lot," Hakuno murmured to herself with a small frown. She hoped it wasn't something too serious troubling the nice lady. Was it related to the incident after all? Any new information would be more than welcomed, after all. Jason would have to tag along, but it might be good for him to get some fresh air. The plain-faced Master came to a decision, to meet Kiara as soon as available.

@PKMNB0Y@VitaVitaAR

Nanako... wasn't about to try and make Melt follow her. It would just make the Alter Ego frustrated, there was no reason to make her even more annoyed. But, to her surprise, when she reached the elevator her Servant had already caught up to her. She'd been so hungry, so desperate to eat, she had barely even realized it...

"Ah..."

She simply held the elevator open to let her in without another word, shutting it just as quietly.

"..."

She wasn't sure what to say. Even after everything, there was a small part of her that hoped, wanted, to try and make things better. Nanako didn't want this kind of relationship with her Servant. But she still had no idea where to start.

Do you really think someone who poisoned you to try and put you in your place wants to be your friend?

If she was being honest with herself, Nanako didn't think so... but there was a small part of her that was just a little hopeful. Just a little.

She had to be when she had finally managed to summon a Servant, right?

Her stomach audibly growled.

"... Ah, er, I'm just running to get something to eat..." said Nanako, scratching the back of her head as the elevator reached the ground floor.

@PKMNB0Y

---

After a few moments, both Master and Servant were permitted inside. The nervous center of Fusang was contained within the enormous black windowless tower that stood at the very center of the city, a towering structure that was only outdone now by the in-progress Space Elevator. This was where the city's administrators did their business, and it was also where the artificial intelligence that moderated many of the island's systems was contained.

A pair of girls, seeming quite close to Serene herself in age and both clad in blue vests and pencil skirts with white undershirts, asked for them to wait a few minutes.

Moments later...

One of the city's administrators greeted them personally.

It was by all accounts a child, no older than nine or ten, her small body clad a rather unprofessional-looking white sundress. But her skin was deathly pale, her white hair ending in oddly-squared-off tips. Her crimson eyes were quite striking, and although she was quite a cute child... the fact that her teeth appeared to be rather sharp, razor sharp in fact, was rather disconcerting.

And yet she simply gave a cheerful smile.

"Hello, I understand you wanted to access the city's systems more directly? Or something of that nature~" she cocked her head to one side as she spoke. "Ah, but you're waiting for someone to join, aren't you? That's fine~ I'll wait too."

She waved her hand idly. Did one of the people in charge of running the city really have so little to do that she could simply sit around and chat?

It seemed to be the case.

@DocRock@1Charak2

Though Jason had no particular reason to make remarks about the situation he was in, being able to barely catch what his overseer had said under her breath caused him to pause, if only for a moment. It was not his place to pry into the matters of others (doubly so given his current position), but at this point there was nothing to be done other than follow the Master and her Saber as they left the building.

The address provided with the transcript was not too far from their location, for better or for worse, and soon enough the group of three were standing in front of a Buddhist temple, its exterior stylized to fit in with the rest of the city. Opening the door inside, of course, would cause the smell of incense to rush out from inside. To Jason, the scent was not particularly unfamiliar, though it was a bit too overpowering for his tastes.

"Oh?"

From inside the temple itself, the woman who had requested Hakuno's presence—one Sesshouin Kiara—promptly got up from her prayers in front of the Buddha statue in the center of the hall and gestured for them to enter.

"Please, come in; I am happy to see you responding to my request so soon."

@RolePlayerRoxas@VitaVitaAR

Catching up late, but not so late as to rush through the doors--not that she would have stopped for someone, just shown them some puppy-dog eyes and kept going--was the Einzbern. Dressed today in a pastel hooded jacket and shorts, she very much didn't look like the elegant lady of her forebears. The old man didn't deserve that sort of obedience and wasn't here to correct her.

With Altera and the administrator here, the prevalence of white hair and red eyes was getting quite alarming.

"Really, that I don't have access is a tragedy of itself," she grumbled, looking at the sharp teeth and wondering what was going on here, "Makiri is dead and the Tohsaka aren't here. At least one of us has detailed experience with these things. And that's the problem... something is interfering with the Command Seals."

Hakuno had never really taken much notice of the temple before. Probably because of how it had been built? She had been vaguely aware it was here, but it always escaped her notice. This poor temple. You suffer the same curse, don't you? Hakuno sympathised with the lifeless building as she placed her hand to the door. To be overlooked even in plain sight... truly, it was a lonely existence sometimes.

After a moment, she finally pushed the door opened, blinking as the smell of incense washed over her. She hesitantly stepped inside, unsure if there were any particular customs to follow when entering a Buddhist temple. Kiara called for them quickly enough, and the brunette approached with a small smile.

"Good day, Kiara-san," Hakuno bowed her head slightly, "I brought Saber and Liu-kun with me. You... aren't in trouble, are you?"



She was still bitter over the conclusion to her previous match, no matter how much she tried to deny it.

Guan gripped her frozen weapon tightly as she awaited the moment to march onto the battlefield once more. This duel would be a chance to make up for her failure from before. When she disgraced her father's name by losing to a mere oni. Maybe it was the Mad Enhancement colouring her thoughts, but losing to a 'mere' monster had been a powerful blow to her pride, to the point that Guan had decided against further battles in the near future. How could she fight on, knowing that she had brought shame to the god of war?

And yet that tiny, excitable knight of the Round Table had convinced her to lift her weapon today.

Beneath the masked helm, Guan smiled. That girl was so... genuine? The Berserker could tell she possessed a kind heart, and those eyes of hers belied an inner strength. Guan did not consider herself to be a warrior, but as the representative of Guan Yu, she felt that Gareth was an opponent worth his time and praise. How could she simply sit back and let this chance pass her by?

And so, she stepped into view, the very air seemingly chilled by her armour. She would give this fight her all, and aim to win!

@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR@DocRock



Da Vinci stood there at an impasse. What comment could she make when her galaxy brain was busy furrowed in thought over the nature of the individual. If she was one of the great detectives of old she could of solved this case already, but she was merely a thinker and a thinker had to think long and hard over this. She looked at Serene for a moment and then at the war-god and their master before finally turning to the admin that had come to their attendance.

"So what is all the info that we wouldn't know already?" Da Vinci asked speaking up for the first time since the trip here. "Is there anything at all an Admin would know that they could safely share without breaching security about this matter? About the command seal tampering I mean."

---

The nun... was something the matter? It was bothering her?

Given the fact that Sessyoin had known the victim, there was no way this wasn't going to be something at least somewhat connected to the crime. And given the misgivings that Benienma had about the conclusion of her battle with Hijikata, she absolutely had to hear the nun's concerns out. She couldn't help but smile a little at the sight of the temple, though. It was so modest, so charming, and so honest. There was this deep feeling of warmth and honesty that seemed to permeate the little temple was lovely to see. The scent of incense, too. For her, it was welcoming.

But her mind soon shifted to the matter at hand.

She did not speak yet, her Master had already begun to handle the situation sufficiently. But she did dearly wish to hear the testimony from Sessyoin-san. In her mind, it just might piece together what was really going on.

@PKMNB0Y@RolePlayerRoxas

---

"Hmmm, I see..."

This was a grave issue, and one that the Administrator seemed to be taking quite seriously.

"I have some details of the case, but unfortunately nothing as of yet provided by an eyewitness account," she began, folding her arms across her chest as she did, "So any information you might be able to give me can help. I can have HECATE analyze the traces of the rogue Berserker as well, to see if anything was left behind."

HECATE was the city's AI, an extremely advanced system patterned on data records of her namesake deity in order to possess an advanced an interactive personality and learning capabilities. Naturally, utilizing a deity as the basis for an AI was dangerous, but as the data was fragmentary much of the personality was formulated by careful care and interaction. HECATE had been 'raised' in a loving fashion, leading to a dedication to the administration and affectionate and friendly nature in general.

@Raineh Daze@1Charak2@DocRock

Quietly following after Hakuno and her Servant, Jason stepped into the Buddhist temple. As small as it was, the temple felt surprisingly open, and though the young man did not care much for the smell of incense, he had to admit that, some way or another, it wasn't any more overpowering closer to the urn where it was burnt than it had been when they had entered.

Kiara promptly led the three of them into a side room, making sure to hang a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door before closing it behind her. The room itself was fairly sparse, though there were a few couches seated around a table for guests, it seemed. Once the three had each taken their seats, the nun, too, sat down before beginning to speak.

"I apologize for calling you on such prompt notice, but something has been weighing on my mind recently," she said, shaking her head in response to Hakuno's question. "It has to do with the girl who I went to visit yesterday—Saikawa Mary."

At the mention of his friend's name, Jason involuntarily tensed up, his hands half-digging into the couch as Kiara continued.

"Hm... I guess I should explain myself a bit more, then. I work as a counselor to a few of the people who come here. Be they Buddhist, Christian, or whatever else, I listen to their worries and help them as best I can. Mary, too, was someone who came to me for help. I cannot exactly disclose specifics, but... One day, she simply stopped coming.

After four days, I began to worry about her; after six, I attempted to call her home, only to find out that her number had been disconnected entirely.

Of course, after catching wind of that injury that she had received, I hurried over to the hospital to meet her, which was when I met you," the nun said, gesturing towards Hakuno and Benienma. "After you had left, I went in to speak with her, only to be treated like a stranger..."

At this, Jason quietly glanced away, averting his eyes from the nun as she continued on.

"I... Heard more about the incident after doing some looking into on my own," Kiara said, looking at Jason in particular. "I don't mean to blame you for anything, but... Could I ask what happened before that summoning?"

"A-ah... Well, um..." Jason began, nervously trailing off before sighing. "...I got a call from Mary the day before... That happened. She sounded really excited about finding something out about the summoning ritual, and asked if I could come over in a few hours once she had finished preparing. I, er... I've always been looked down on for not having any capabilities where I go, so I took her up on that offer..."

"...Hm? She called you... On her cell phone? No, rather, excited? She had always been fairly downtrodden when we met..."

"I'm serious about that, though," Jason responded, pulling out his cell phone and opening up the call log to show that he had received a call from Mary in the first place. "No matter what I might have caused, I'm not enough of a liar to accuse my friend of anything."

"That is... Odd..." Kiara responded, placing her own phone onto the table, with a call failed soon after Jason had finished his own. "What could possibly...?"

@VitaVitaAR@RolePlayerRoxas


When Guan had entered the arena, Gareth hastily waved her over and introduced the Berserker to Chiron. There was a brief pause on part of the latter before quietly nodding in approval.

"Very well," the Archer said, waving his arm in the air as the boundaries were promptly rearranged. "Gareth, you'll have your section of there. I wish both of you the best of luck."

As Gareth nodded and walked over to where she had been directed, Fionn had already moved into position on his section of the battlefield, his own spear at the ready as he faced Artoria in turn.

"Hm! That knight is certainly excited about this, isn't she?" he called out, readying his weapon for combat. "Well, it is not as if I do not anticipate this match myself. Whenever you are prepared, we shall have them time our first strike. Let us show these spectators the glory that they so desire, hm?"

Similarly, Munenori had walked over to his area of the battlefield, weapon still sheathed as he bowed towards Tristan.

"Please, do not hold back. Even if I am an old man, I would still like to be able to see the skills of your famed peerage myself," he stated before calmly placing a hand on his katana's hilt. "Whenever you are ready, then."

@KoL