[IC] Fate/esoterica

[VitaVitaAR]

Estelle Varianbec, Master of Rider

"Wh-who does he think he is!?" declared the flustered Estelle, folding her arms with a huff as her maids busied themselves with drying her off. Well, she knew who he thought he was, to be fair... And in life he'd probably never been angrily yelled out of an intrusion into a bath before. For all she knew he could have been welcomed. But that was certainly not the case here. She'd summoned such a high-powered Servant, and yet he seemed like he was ready to find all new ways to make things embarrassing! Estelle huffed again as her maids dried her hair. As they brought her the clothing she had picked out that morning, she swiftly picked a white-and-pink dress with a bow on the neck and a ribbon tied around the waist, with a pair of knee-high socks. Diligently, her homunculus maids swiftly dressed her, and moments later the small, tan-skinned girl left the bath, her maids having dressed themselves so that they could follow her.

Blushing as she approached Rider, the memory of the way he'd so carelessly hoisted her naked out of the bath naturally still fresh in her mind, she stopped just in front of her Servant. Estelle's cheeks were flushed as her eyes drifted to the side and away from the legendary hero.

"I'm still mad at you about earlier, so don't think I've forgiven you just because of this, Rider!" she began, prefacing her following statement with a disclaimer just to ensure that nothing was simply washed away. "But..."

She averted her eyes again, still flushed.

"... That... was a good idea. Going out on the town can give you a chance to get used to Redrock, too. Better then just giving you a map or something like that."

Besides, Estelle was itching to go to her favorite candy shop and ice cream parlor again.

@Blackstripe

[Blackstripe]

Rider

She still seemed a bit upset at him from earlier. He still couldn't quite grasp what the huge deal was, but it hardly mattered right now. Not when she'd agreed that going into town was a good idea! Standing from the couch almost immediately at this, he offered her a nod in response to her observation that it would offer him a chance to get a layout of the town. While he was primarily doing this for the sake of a good time, he couldn't deny that the thought had crossed his mind. Their future battles were unlikely to take place in an open field outside a church, after all, so learning the numerous streets and pathways of this town was undoubtedly a sound strategic move.

"Then let's go!" He grinned down at Estelle, raising his fingers to his lips, only to pause. Wait, it probably wasn't a good idea to use his chariot in broad daylight like this. That's right, these Magi had rules they liked to follow. Besides, attracting the enemy's attention would probably cause their exploration of the town to be interrupted!

Instead he folded his arms, waiting for Estelle to show him the way forward. "By foot, that is!"

It wasn't as if he knew where anything here was, after all. Or what sorts of places were even worth visiting, for that matter. It was an interesting reversal: he'd have to rely on his Master today, rather than the other way around!

[Feyblue]

Lancer

Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #0EB94D || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #FFFA90

---

The radiant spear blurred forward, crossing space in an instant with overwhelming force. In that instant, Lancer's enhanced eyes could see clearly the outcome of the battle. A momentary look of shock, then dismay, and then finally, acceptance appeared upon the face of her adversary. He, who had been so sure of his victory, now had no choice but to accept his defeat. This Servant whose name she knew not... He had been a formidable opponent. If he'd gone all out, she had no doubt that she'd have been defeated utterly. However, his overconfidence had been his downfall, and now, perhaps her strongest enemy would fall before her, leaving her path clear to claim the Holy Grail!

Yet at the exact moment her triumph should have been sealed, something changed. A momentary flicker of something, and then...

Gone. Archer was gone. In an instant, she knew what had happened. His Master, watching from somewhere distant, must have used a command spell so that he could escape his certain death...! She'd spared no effort and held nothing back, had delivered a blow with as much power as she could give it. He should have died, she should have won, and yet...!

"DAMN IT!" She roared in rage as her spear returned to her hand, its power fading just as quickly as it had appeared. All of that effort, and for what?! She'd revealed her identity, had shown close to the full extent of her power, and her enemy had simply escaped?! Worse yet, he now knew not to underestimate her. The same trick wouldn't work again. She'd missed her one chance to defeat this enemy, and now...

She wanted to scream, wanted to roar her rage to the night, wanted to unleash her power on something, anything, and tear it utterly apart to relieve her mind of this humiliation and failure! In an instant, the scales of fate had tipped away from her victory right before her very eyes, and there had been nothing she could do to stop it from happening. The odds had been snatched from her, and now... and now...

She took a deep breath. No, she hadn't lost yet. She was getting ahead of herself. Just because the odds didn't look favorable didn't mean she'd suffer a repeat of her life's greatest disappointments. She could still grant her wish. She could still save him...!

Her Master was watching. It was uncouth to be such a sore loser. It was regrettable that she hadn't killed her target, but nevertheless, she had demonstrated her full might for her Master's sake, and had won a glorious victory over a powerful adversary. Even if she hadn't ended his life for good... even if she hadn't returned bearing a prize for her master, that could not be helped. Perhaps he'd forgive her recklessness.

So, her spear vanishing from sight, she gave one last glance towards where her enemy had disappeared, and then hastily leaped away, soaring across the sky and back to her Master's side...

---

That night, Edward's mind would be filled with disjointed images. Eyes that were not his own, and a body that wasn't his watched as a life he shouldn't have known unfolded.

Nine figures danced in the sky over a cloudy hill. A sword glistened within the darkness. And then... he met her.

The radiant woman reached out her hand toward him, a gentle smile upon her face. She spoke his name, and in that instant, he was whole.

The cries of men and ringing echoes of steel slowly drowned out the wind upon the hill. Sword clashed against sword amidst royal halls, fires burning brightly as the world seemed to come tumbling down. Warhorns resounded across countless battlefields, and toasts were drunk and oaths were sworn to glorious victory. Triumph, the royal crown, and a solemn procession. A ceremony of some kind, but before its nature could become clear, the images continued. Scene after scene appeared and receded just as quickly, but through all these moments, one thing held constant: she was always there, by his side. A life not his own, yet as familiar to him as his own fondest recollections would flash before his mind, until in one instant, it was cut short by a lone enemy. And as he lay dying, the last thing he saw was...

The radiant woman clung tightly to his hand, tears streaming down her face. She cried out his name, but only silence answered her.

As he woke, her screams of despair would still be ringing in his ears.

---

Lancer sighed, staring once more over the edge of the balcony as the cool breeze washed over her, rustling the hem of the thin white silken bathrobe in which she'd draped herself. Her hair was still damp from her earlier shower, but she was too preoccupied right now to worry about drying it. Her arm had mostly healed, in that she was able to move it... but it still felt stiff and sore, reminding her of her close scrape with death the night before. The war had only just begun, and already, she'd been pushed this far... Inwardly, she cursed her misfortune. It was only to be expected that something like this would happen, but still... Biting down angrily on her thumb, she turned and shambled back into the apartment. Fretting about it wouldn't change anything. Maybe she'd go seduce her Master a bit to take her mind off her anxiety...

Speaking of which, her dear Edward had been sleeping an awfully long time, hadn't he? Probably, his body was still trying to cope with the exertion of the last night's battle. A Noble Phantasm wasn't easy to power even with time to prepare, but she'd gone and used hers without even consulting him. She'd understand perfectly well if he was angry with her for that. Nevertheless...

"Master?" She cooed quietly, creaking open the door and peering into Edward's room of the penthouse. Really, he couldn't be angry waking up to see a beautiful girl fresh out of the shower, clad in a loose robe and awaiting his every order, right?

...She sighed at the thought. A normal, happy life like that, loving and beloved in equal measure... It was nice to pretend, in any case, but she wouldn't stop until her fantasy became a reality.

@Seirei no Hai

[VitaVitaAR]

Estelle Varianbec, Master of Rider

Good, she didn't have to waste her breath on telling her Servant that he couldn't use his chariot during the day. As fun as that had been, Estelle was quite certain it'd be impossible to hide something like that no matter how strong the magecraft you used to conceal it was. And so, dismissing her maids, the tiny, tan-skinned magus led Rider into town. It was a typical day in Redrock, there wasn't even the smallest sign of the conflict that had occurred the previous night. People were going about their business just as usual, talking on phones, with friends or family, hurrying to do work... it was an average day in an average town. Certainly, if any of them learned they were in the presence of a legendary hero, this calm mood would shatter. But it didn't. No-one knew who Rider was. It was almost surreal.

At least, it would have been if Estelle had been paying attention to that matter. But she was far more focused on her goal. That goal being...

Hickory's Sweets and Ice Cream Parlor.

No matter how much pride she had in herself as a magus, Estelle's adoration of the Sweets shop never failed to get her attention, never once did she pass up a chance to make a visit there.

And indeed, there it was up ahead! Aaah, the old-fashioned script, the building had such a nice and homey atmosphere... and inside were so many sweet delights of all kinds!

@Blackstripe

[Feyblue]

Mira Grace

Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #8AB8E6 || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #EBB40E

---

So strong and beautiful... can she even be called human?

Mira's eyes snapped open, and she shot upright in her bed with a start, the images that had coursed suddenly through her mind playing and replaying in the back of her head as she tried to make sense of the stream of memories she'd just witnessed. A terrifying battle, a victory snatched from the jaws of defeat, the image of Saber's lithe form dancing across the battlefield, and the celebration that followed all blurred together amidst the haze of sleep.

She rubbed her eyes, and as her vision refocused, it fell upon the ticking clock on the shelf opposite her bed. It was noon already? She'd slept in a lot later than usual... Then again, after exerting so much effort in summoning Saber, it was only natural.

Right. Saber. The last thing she remembered was dragging her Servant into a spare room with the help of a few of her puppets, then setting about healing her injuries as best she could. She'd been so exhausted afterward that she hadn't even bothered changing out of her day clothes before passing out.

She shambled to her feet, rubbing her eyes again and peering out the window. The courtyard was still black as night, the light of the sun not allowed to penetrate the absolute line of separation that distinguished her own territory from the lands outside. A few mana-based lights floated over the garden, painting the outside of her manor in an eerie, ghostly blue radiance. The trees and even the individual leaves of grass were utterly still, without so much as the slightest gust of wind to disturb them. It was as if the whole mansion was frozen in time - a still image, where nothing changed and everything continued onward into eternity.

And yet, there was a new feature in this still picture - an equally motionless, statuesque figure that stood watchfully by the front door.

Saber.

Mira turned and rushed out of her room, quickly scampering down the stairs and rushing into the main hall where solemn portraits hung illuminated by ghostly lights, seen by no one. Swinging open the door, she took a deep breath to calm her racing nerves, and then stepped outside with as much composure as she could muster.

"S...Saber?" She piped up sheepishly from behind her Servant. "You're up and about already... That's good, but... Are you alright?" It was no use feigning confidence in her own treatment. Honestly, she wasn't sure how much she'd managed to actually fix, beyond simply containing the damage from spreading any further. "I'm sorry I couldn't do better, it's just... healing magecraft isn't exactly... er... my strong suit."

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber

Saber knew that her master was approaching before she even came close. It was only natural that the skills of a warrior would allow for such a thing, and moreso then that it was her Master. And, if Saber was to be honest, her Master was about as suited to stealth as a bear was suited to playing go. It wasn't something she would have told her Master, however. So, before Mira arrived, the white-haired girl had already turned to face her Master.

"If I let myself be killed by an attack like that, I couldn't call myself a warrior of my Lord," she responded, smiling slightly with a nod. Of course, deep down she knew the only reason she was able to recover from such a horrible injury was the nature of her body as a Servant. In life, she did not possess any special capabilities of self-recovery. But as a Servant, her body was incarnated from prana, allowing it to repair itself far more easily. "... Even still, your healing was enough to help my body fix itself more quickly. I've almost completely recovered from that attack."

What injuries remained to her internal organs were very minor, and would heal within the day. Still, that attack came so close to killing her... and she wasn't even certain what had caused it in the first place. All she knew was that, suddenly, her insides had been attacked, something had appeared in her body with the intent to carve her open from the inside out. Had she been possessed of weaker magic resistance, it likely would have finished the job.

"... Our attacker last night..." Saber paused for a moment. "I think it must have been some kind of magecraft, maybe a curse. If that's the case, our enemy was probably Caster, believing that they could take out one of the Knight classes with a surprise attack after our battle. I won't allow such a thing to happen again, Master."

@Feyblue

[Raineh Daze]

The first day of the war had been... nice. It had normal, almost, though it wasn't a normality that Assassin had ever experienced. Even after the war had started, there hadn't been much fighting or scouting... she'd tried to take out the nasty witch that threatened Mother but that had been all and she'd even gotten a burger from one of the other Masters. It was a shame that she would have to kill her for Mother.

Even at the end, the day had been nice, waiting for Mother to fall asleep then climbing under the covers where it was warm. To sleep where it was warm and dry, with a mother that loved her... it was strange that she'd had to die and be brought back to life like this to get the heaven she remembered some of the preachers mentioning.

Now Mother was even cooking breakfast... too much breakfast, which was an impossible thought. How could an orphan from the streets ever be in a position to have too much to eat? Though as much as she just wanted to enjoy everything Mother was doing for her--

The other Masters had to die sooner, so it would be just the two of them, enjoying peaceful days. And they would be peaceful, she'd make sure of it.

[Cu Chulainn]

Hasabe Evans
Last night

---

Hasabe parked his car a few yards away from the church, trying not to look as inconspicious as possible, and knowing that other servants may be around. The large crater he saw on the way to the Church had surprised him. According to Saber, she sensed a few other Servants around the premise, as well. If this is the power a Servant holds, then, well...

It explains why Saber needs a lot of pizza

Taking what he thought were necessary precautions, Hasabe tightened the glove on the hand that bore his command spells. Saber said the glove wasn't able to hide the magical essence within his seals, but he figured his glove will serve fine enough to hide them, anyway. Once he got out of his car, he pressed his hands over his clothes, making sure they're straightened properly. He didn't want to look sloppy in front of the overseer, now, did he?

"I'm going to walk up to the door, first, Saber. Just watch my back, in case any other Servants are around."

Walking up towards the church, Hasabe looked behind him to make sure Saber was with him. Whether she appeared or not, Hasabe nodded his head, turning back towards the church doors and knocking a few times. Time to get to finally meeting this overseer...

[VitaVitaAR]

Last night...

Ciel looked up. After a few moments, she quietly welcomed the newcomer. It was just another one of the participants in the Holy Grail War. Though... wasn't this strange? There was an extra Master... regardless, it was clear he was valid. He had command seals. He had what was needed to prove he was a Master.

After his participation was registered, she sent him on his way.

@Cu Chulainn

[Cu Chulainn]

Berserker

@Raineh Daze

---

Berserker appeared at his Master’s side and yawned, stretching as if he had just woken up. He had taken his time to get his bearing before finally taking a gander ar the maps. Clearing his eyes, he yawned once again, after hearing Johanna’s plan.

”Sounds pretty boring,” Berserker confessed, a leg behind his head. ”Then again, I guess in wars like these, all the exciting things either happen indoors or at night...”

“Sure, why not? But I want breakfast.” Berserker grinned, resting his chin on his hand as he schemed to himself about what to eat. There are many modern foods that he’s seen as they made their way through the city, last night, that have been on his mind. Taking another look at the maps, Berserker thought, again, to himself for a moment, before suddenly placing his finger on a place downtown.

”Let’s go to this Waffle House!” Berserker exclaimed, before making a quick hop, exchanging legs so that his other leg would be resting behind his head. ”It had a sweet smell when we passed by it. Sweet foods are always a good way to start the day off! Let me just get into something more... this era.”

Berserker hopped back, lowering his other leg to the ground before taking a deep breath, suddenly shifting in a puff of golden smoke... into the form of a dog! Berserker took a look at his arms, er, front legs in this form, a displeased look on his face before he shifted forms, again, to... a moose? Baring his teeth at annoyance, Berserker tried a few more times, only to shift between a myriad of different animals, with the only things staying consistent being his monkey tail and golden chain necklace. After a few moments, Berserker shifted back into his normal form, a look of annoyance on his face as he sat himself on the floor, arms crossed and pouting.

”Can’t even change clothes in this stupid class container...” Berserker grumbled, resting his chin on his fist as he glared to the ground. He let out a sigh, as a more downtrodden expression appeared on his face.

”If you have any clothes I can borrow, then I’d appreciate it... staying in spiritual form all the time gets boring, you know?”

[Crusader Lord]

Elizabeth Reinholt

violet = speaking

lightcoral = thinking/mental communication with servant

---

"Alright! Jack, the food is ready!" Elizabeth called out to her little servant, after having placed the plates of food on the table, which for herself were normal whilst for her little girl....might seem strange like towering stacks of food if she was thinking right about the matter.

Even so, it was not too much food, and Elizabeth was not planning to eat more until later. So a big breakfast to start the day would be a must for the two of them. Their "ally" at that would be aiming to hopefully investigate some locations or so, perhaps even the area she herself had made note of at least. It could give them a viable target in the meantime if the had a location, as the more they just sat around the less got done and the most antsy the Grail War became. Especially when Jack could fire off at any other master or servant at a given moment, should she see it as a danger to her "mother". And indeed, that was the danger of making any allies in this war, at least in part.

Though as much as she found it appealing to pair up with this Berserker-monkey guy and his master at this point, she was dead sure her servant would be on the chopping block at some point. It was inevitable at some point, and she needed to think of ways to prepare for that point in time. For one thing, heading towards the library and making sure her suspicions about Berserker were not unfounded. Then perhaps a mundane stop just to attempt to blend into things, such as stopping at the local candy shoppe. As much as she treated Jack like her child, at the same time the Grail War was an important thing, the reason she was here even.

Sighing to herself mentally, Elizabeth began to take off her apron and move to sit in one of the two seats at the table.

At least there was breakfast~

@Raineh Daze

[Raineh Daze]

The magus gave her Servant a look as he went on a tangent about food. Really, couldn't she have summoned him as anything but Berserker? Well, she wasn't expecting him to have been any more reasonable an associate in those cases... simply one displaying an attention span longer than ten seconds. Still, the blonde had a good point on breakfast; Johanna was an incapable cook and her planned meal had been handed out to their current allies last night. But of course the class was coming back to be a pain from another avenue...

A minute passed as she rummaged around in luggage for something, coming out with a suit inexplicably in mint green--with a garishly decorated floral shirt, held at arm's length despite by all appearances being pristine. "I hope the size won't be a problem?"

[Rin]

The smell of breakfast wafted through the catacombs, thankfully drowning out any of the more unpleasant smells that could be found down there. The wondrous scents of bacon sizzling, sausage and eggs frying, toast... Toasting... And, of course, tea brewing, a nice bubbling pot of English breakfast tea sitting on the stove as Caster skillfully flipped the greasy food onto a pair of exquisitely decorated china plates. Maybe they were a bit fancy for this kind of meal, but she didn't really think much about it; after all, breakfast was almost like a tea party, wasn't it? Tea was served during it, after all, and thus it was clearly the same kind of thing. It only made sense to be as fancy and extravagant as possible, since it would be an insult to such a fine beverage to do otherwise. And so, humming gleefully with a smile on her face, she placed the two plates piled high with fatty meats, fried eggs and toast upon a tray, as well as the teapot and two beautiful cups before carrying them to her Master's current sleeping chambers.

"Merry Unbirthday, Master!" she cried out as she entered. Every morning, she'd greeted Cassandra with the same exclamation, and today was no different. Without even stopping to wait for a reply, she set the tray up on top of her Master's lap and began pouring her a nice, hot cup of tea.

"Alice woke up early, so I decided to make you a delicious, nutritious full English breakfast! Although I couldn't find any black pudding or baked beans..." For a moment, her perpetually cheerful face fell, but it didn't take long for her to return to smiling. "But that's okay, because there's plenty of bacon and eggs and sausage and toast and of course most important tea! So Master, please enjoy this delicious breakfast Alice has made for you! And.. And if you like it, I'm sure all the new friends we're going to meet soon will love it too! Master, Master, when are we going to meet them? Alice is getting lonely down here with just the two of us, after all!"

@Blackstripe

[Seirei No Hai]

Edward Scawthorne

The young blonde didn't seem to wake up, it was as if something was keeping him from waking and was forced to watch whatever was viewed before him. All he saw was his Servant... a rather... brighter side of her, for some reason he knew that she wasn't holding something back and had this genuine smile on her face, then the sounds of battle... it was by then he felt nothing... he couldn't move at all, something or someone else was moving for him. It didn't take long for him to realize that this lucid dream was beginning to go out of control.

In the real world, his eyes were still shut tight moving from side to side, as if trying to dodge or evade something, his lips kept moving but ony murmurs come out.

His Servant had entered the room, his Lancer. Clothed in what could be compared to a housewife just exiting the bath to greet her husband. Though he didn't respond until she asked for him, when she did right after the loud screams as the sequence ended. His eyes shot open, immediately sitting up and clutching on the sheets.

He was sweating from a mix of fear and confusion. What was that? Was that some sort of nightmare? A vision of the future in the Grail War brought in by abstract thought?

This was very complex... even for him, so much so that he didn't notice his "wet" Servant right beside him.

@Feyblue

[Crusader Lord]

Elizabeth Reinholt

violet = speaking

lightcoral = thinking/mental communication with servant

---

A while later...

With breakfast done and the leftovers, quite a few, put away back into the fridge, the female master had taken a minute to think about what their next move would be today. Their new "ally" of sorts would probably be investigating things on her end, a thing of note and perhaps leading to another master that woman could focus on. And in reality keeping her attention off of Jack would be a notable thing if they just managed to have another target in front of her. Maybe. Considering that woman's association with the Magus Assocaition, it would be no surprise if she was being led on as well so the woman could make a plan to counter her. With that in mind, perhaps leading the woman on to think she was somewhat of a ditz who just had a cute servant might help. At least, if she was being watched by that woman or others.

To this end, at least to enough of an extent, she female magus decided to do a little something to both enjoy herself, let Jack have some enjoyment, and maybe scout out the possibility they were being watched by familiars. That plan was....

"Ok! We're finally here!" the female magus exclaimed to her servant as the two finally stood in front of a certain store.

Hickory's Sweets and Ice Cream Parlor. Candies and ice cream, a simple thing that even the regular people around here enjoyed it seemed. A place where a little girl like Jack would blend in, whilst giving them a chance to fade into the crowd and see if they were being watched. She had told her little Assassin to keep aware of potential enemy familiars and such following them, but to tell her first through their mental connection if there was anything, if she suspected anything, or the like. They could not afford to, in the middle of the morning, expose magic and such to the world if Jack went AWOL on an enemy...again.

@Raineh Daze@VitaVitaAR

[Raineh Daze]

"Ah, where is 'here'?" Assassin asked, looking ahead at the store. Whilst she could clearly see some pictures of ice cream in the window, that didn't tell her much about the store itself. And she knew that many places could possibly be selling the frozen goods, yet nothing about the styling really gave her much more information. Perhaps if it had been an old-fashioned shop of the type that she could have seen in life--if not ever had reason to go into--then the young girl would know what to expect.

Unfortunately, she couldn't read, which made things rather more difficult.

Though with a cheerfully pink jacket on, she would undoubtedly blend in far more than the other Servants if they chose to show themselves, particularly the knights attired for battle... though given the clear scars on her face and the white hair, she'd still stand out if anyone knew what to look for.

[Feyblue]

Lancer

Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #0EB94D || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #FFFA90

---

Lancer frowned. Her dear master appeared quite distracted by something, as he'd shot bolt upright and was staring into space. Although, she wasn't necessarily averse to the "upright" or "staring" parts, but ideally both of those would be brought on by her rather enticing appearance and not by nightmares, or more likely... Really, while she was glad that he was finally beginning to understand, it was a little early for him to have to see so much... especially when his knowing might bode so ill for their future together.

In any case, she wasn't one to give up easily. Even if his little outburst had ruined the mood a bit, it wouldn't have been any fun if she just left it at that. So, tiptoeing over to the bed, she tossed herself gingerly down on the edge of the mattress, leaning in from behind her startled master and wrapping her arms gently around his shoulders. For just a moment, she pondered her next step.

She could wait until he tried to turn around and tug him backwards unexpectedly, then feign innocence when he ended up just-so-happening to get his face all wrapped up between the lapels of her bathrobe. But, although she had no doubt his outburst afterward would be quite humorous, that was a touch too shameless - too desperate - for her liking. While surely, she could get the love and attention she wanted from her master by alternately forcing and coaxing it out of him, it wasn't any fun if she always had to be the one to take the initiative. Rather than doing all the work for him, it would make things even better if she waited until he had the courage to take such daring steps himself.

...But, that didn't mean she couldn't tease him a bit and maybe put the idea into his head. Now that she was thinking about it, even her attempt to render the rather formal title she had to refer to him by hadn't really helped make things any more intimate between them. Well... under certain circumstances, "Master" wouldn't be so bad, but it was starting to feel so... stale. Maybe she'd spice things up a bit? It was a little more forward than she'd originally planned on, but it wasn't as if she was forcing anything she hadn't already made perfectly clear.

Thus settled on what to do, she leaned in directly behind her newly-awoken "prey," and in a hushed, sultry murmur, gave what she felt was the proper sort of greeting to start off the day.

"Good morning, darling," Lancer whispered in his ear. eagerly anticipating the tension she'd feel momentarily spreading throughout his core as her dear Edward came to his senses to find her breath on the back of his neck and her arms tightening around him in a sudden embrace. She released him just as quickly, then drew back with a faint giggle, peering over his shoulder to gauge his response. "You didn't answer the first time, so I figured I'd invite myself in.~" She smiled with as much feigned innocence as she could muster, a singsong note working its way into her voice as she spoke.

"Are you feeling well?" Lancer continued, leaning in even further over his shoulder and closer to his face as if just noticing for the first time the cold sweat in which he'd awoken. "You look a little pale."

---

Mira Grace

Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #8AB8E6 || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #EBB40E

---

Mira gave a faint sigh of relief. So then Saber was alright... That was good. She'd naively thought after her summoning that a Servant was more a spirit than it was a flesh and blood being, but after seeing what had happened to her on the night before... The image of her sprawled upon the floor of the main entryway, blood spattered all across her garments, neither moving nor responding... It wasn't like the mere dissolution of a summoned spirit. Rather, it had been as though she'd been watching a living human experience "death." If it weren't for the predetermined structure of the container, then it was quite possible her own clumsy efforts at healing wouldn't have been sufficient to prevent that, either...

No matter. Saber was alive and well, and that was the most important thing. Still... they'd have to be much more careful in the future. She'd underestimated the dangers of the other masters, of the outside world, due to her confidence in herself and in her Servant. But after seeing her own best efforts be rendered useless, after being so thoroughly deceived, and after seeing what the other Servants and Masters could bring to the table... It wasn't as simple as she'd thought it would be. She couldn't afford to go on the offensive so carelessly, or else next time, it might be her who'd end up being struck down...

Right. Saber was speaking of the attack. She snapped back to the present, trying to remember any details she could... but it was no use. The whole event was like one instantaneous flurry of motion, and then...

"It's strange," The Witch said at last. "Er... I mean, I'm pretty sure it was a curse which did this to you, since there was something that tried to resist when I tried to heal you..." That was a shoddy explanation, but it would do. More importantly... "But I don't recall seeing any sort of vessel or projectile that might have been used to deliver the curse into your body, much less a Caster who fired it." Come to think of it, the lack of any kind of observable attack actually narrowed things down a bit. After all, wasn't it quite similar to her own skillset?

"...In that case, is it possible that the enemy Caster can somehow transport his or her curses directly to their target? I can do something similar to instantaneous movement with my Flash Air magecraft, so it's possible there might be a Noble Phantasm that can do something like that, but which can bypass even your Magic Resistance, right?" It seemed to make sense at any rate... Still... If her theory was correct, then they had already found a truly terrifying opponent. If the enemy could send a fatal attack into their bodies, bypassing any sort of physical or prana-based defense, all from a great enough range that they couldn't even see their assailant... Mira shuddered at the thought.

"I didn't expect it, but I think even outside of their territory, Caster may be our most dangerous enemy in this war."

[VitaVitaAR]

Saber

For a few moments, Saber was silent. That did explain it... certainly, her Magic Resistance had prevented the curse from completing its grisly work. What her Master said made plenty of sense. It had pierced all her defenses and attacked inside of her. It had appeared like blades in the interior of her body and attempted to cut its way out. If the curse had been allowed to finish its work, she would have perished on the first night. Even the thought of that was something horrible. The white-haired girl no longer wanted to contemplate such a possibility. She would serve her Master to her absolute fullest.

"It may be that Caster possesses a long ranged Noble Phantasm," Saber responded, frowning to herself and folding her arms. After a short pause, she raised her eyes once more to gaze at her Master. "Regardless of what threats were are encountered with, however, I won't let you be harmed!"

She gave Mira a firm, confident smile. She couldn't allow such a thing ever to happen again.

"... But I think defeating Caster as soon as possible is for the best," she added, "... If you would permit my suggestion, Master."

After another moment's pause, she continued.

"... I... have another selfish request, Master, ah..." she paused. "... I should like to investigate the town during the day. I... I know you are concerned about being attacked, but... My Lord, I think it would be for the best that I know our battlefield. We won't be attacked during the day, so, ah..."

She hesitated again. This was unfair to her Master, wasn't it? It make such a request after the attack last night. But Saber feared a lack of knowledge of their location could be even more deadly towards her Master then simply being attacked.

@Feyblue