[IC] Fate/Eclipse

[Raijinslayer]

Nidhogg, Utakan City, Shopping District

Nidhogg looked as if he was about to ask something, but then took time to sniff himself. He smelled delicious, but to others, he must've have smelled absolutely foul at the moment. No wonder he had been getting strange looks as he was walking through town. Oh right, I forgot that smells travel with you, I'll have to do something about that.

"That won't be neccessary, but I do thank you for the offer, as not many would. As for an alliance, and everything else you mentioned, we can discuss at a later time, but right now we seem to have uninvited guest." He turned around to face the man as he approached, not feeling the slightest bit intimidated by him, especially when the man delivered his petty excuse for a threat. Nidhogg only chuckled, his blank eyes sizing up the prey in front of him with a predator's glare. Behind the mask he currently wore, his tongue slid over his teeth in anticipation. yet he held himself back, as being the first one to strike a blow could end very badly if this caught to out of hand, especially with so many witness around. . . though he would be able to devour them all of that did happen.

"I'm not harassing anyone, it was a passive-aggressive greeting, nothing more or less. I'm much too subtle to just up and threaten another Servant for little to no reason, so if you would please keep you big nose out of other people's business that would be wonderful. Now go along, you filthy ape, just looking at you is enough to make me sick."

Nidhogg figured that both of these two were one of the Knight classes, given their desposition, with the girl seeming like a weak Saber and the big ape looking to be either Lancer or Rider. either way, Nidhogg felt like he'd have nothing to worry about if battle did indeed break out, as the woman would probably flee to avoid the conflict and the ape would make a fine appetizer for the battles to come.

@TwilightDragon
@mcpop9

Charles & Jane, Utakan University, Art Wing

It took Jane a second to catch realize the target of Mary's complaining, but before she could respond, she heard a familiar voice behind her. Jane faked a cough to disguise her wiping away the nosebleed, then turned around to face Master Miliford. He'd been Master Dorvain's teacher in magic when he had started to take it seriously at the age of 16, and had stayed on until the master turned 19, in which they parted due to the amount of friction their was between the two. While her master could be an amazingly attentive student, and a fast learner, it took a lot to get him motivated to do such. Miliford was a strict teacher, forcing Charles to complete his studies according to his schedule, not Master Dorvain's, much to his displeasure.

Jane, unfortunately, had developed a rather large crush on the man during his 3 years staying at the Dorvain estate. She had never told him this, of course, and she was over it by now. . . mostly. Mary didn't know about it, at least she though she didn't, but unfortunately, Master Dorvain did. Master Dorvain doesn't like it when people keep secrets from him, and is very, very good at finding out what's being hidden when he wants to. Pictures of Master Miliford where among of the many secret pictures she'd had the young master take as a part of their secret pact, she'd always be a willing, composed model and he supplied her with pictures of muscular older men. Master Dorvain had no idea why she wanted them, due to both being clueless about those sort of things outside of an artistic view, and him having no sexual desires of his own in the slightest, for either gender.

"Ah, Master Miliford," Jane said with only a small hitch in her voice as the man approached, doing her best to force down the blush that threaten to show on her face. "It's just as Mary said, Master Dorvain felt that he needed to have another artist beside himself to live with so as to see if it inspires him to do bigger and better work. That and, as you can see, he finds the man to be an excellent subject to capture himself. I don't think he'll stay long, though, as Master Dorvain is kknown to have flights of fancy. He may be gone with in the day, the week, the month, the year, one can never know. Mary and I seem to be the only constants in his life, the only thing to keep him even somewhat anchored to reality."

While Jane was talking to Jacob, Charles pulled a Batman, seeming to appear behind Mary out of thin air, camera pointed at Saber,as he continued to take more pictures. "Don't move an inch, Miyamoto, or else Mary will have to take your place as punishment." Charles turned to ask Mary if she was alright with that(not that it would've made much of a difference), but then his eye caught on. . . him. "What in the bloody hell are you doing here? You're not an art professor, so I think you should but out and mind your own business. You very presence sucks all the creativity and passion out of the room."

@hatakekuro
@Gamerdude369

[YandereClock]

Ukatan University, Parking Lot

Now adorned with his new trinkets, Fumio stepped out of his van and made sure that his clothes and hair were still looking presentable in the side mirror. Just because he didn't care much about what others thought about him, he still had to uphold the illusion of being a normal, if slightly absent-minded, person or else people would start inventing stories, like they always did. Well, he left a zombie to run around on the complex on its own and got a package delivered by a bird. he was certain wasn't among any of the native species, if that didn't start the rumour machines, then some crazy hair and a new ring wouldn't be so bad either.

After going back to the teacher's lounge again, he noticed that the annoying pest with this camera had thankfully already departed. He quickly gulped down the rest of his, by now cold, coffee and grabbed his handouts from the table, before he made his way to the lecture hall where he would hold his anatomy course. Along the way he also found his zombie again, which had apparently done nothing other than mindlessly patrolling through the corridors around the lounge. He pulled it with her for a while, after which it started to follow him on its own, sparing him the ridiculousness of having to lead a grown human being around like a child.

When he arrived at the lecture hall, Fumio was still quite early, even after the hassle with the bird, so he made the zombie sit down on one of the seats in the last row, where it would hopefully stay until he fetched her again at the end of the session and started to draw an anatomically correct human torso on the blackboard. Once he was finished, Fumio leaned against his desk and intently watched the clock on the wall ticking towards the start of his lesson.

'Now to wait for the lambs to come to their slaughter and who knows, maybe some of them actually did their duty and studied something at home. A surprise test now and then, to see if there are any promising ones among them, really brightens my mood.'

[Kaithas]

Thomas raised his eyebrows slightly, dropping the piece of chalk he had been using into the holder at the bottom of the board. “I do believe that’s a new record for number of latecomers on the first day of class. Syllabus is on your desks, I hope you’ll show up earlier in the future.”

He sighed, turning back to his podium and shifting some papers on it. “But first, since a large part of this class is outside and not taught, I’d like me and your classmates to know at least enough about you to start a conversation. So… I’ve got three questions, and you can assume to have three questions every day in this class before we begin the material. Nothing difficult, I assure you, and nothing graded."

“What’s your name, where are you from, and… Why did you sign up for Occult Studies? Keep your answers appropriate.” Thomas smiled slightly as he continued. “I’m Thomas Joren, I’m from the United States, and… I’m here because I’m qualified to teach this class. Next.”

[TwilightDragon]

Ukatan City University, Ukatan, Japan

??:??

Akane's glazed eyes flitted open at her professor's questions, her tired frown growing deeper. Oh boy... here went the whole "let's bond with our classmates!" thing. She was never one for that, but at least it let her get to know everyone's names and things of the sort. It would mean that making friends would be easier. "My name's Akane Inukai. I come from Kuje, Japan." She rubbed the table with a finger, breaking eye contact with the professor. Why did she take Occult Studies, again..? "Oh, and I took this class cause I needed the extra credits. This school doesn't forgive you if you're a credit away from being part-time or something of the sort," the dark-haired girl cackled a little bit, sitting up and glancing around at the rest of the students. She wondered who else had taken the class for the extra credits, or maybe simply out of curiosity.

---

Well, that class had been rather... interesting. She had learned that some of the students had taken the class simply because they were curious about learning a few things about magic-- others stated some other excuse. One or two had heard it was an "easy A" class and decided to take it to boost their GPA. Either way, Akane didn't care, at the moment. She was more concentrated about getting back to her dormitory to see what Lancer was up to. Even though he was a grown man, she still felt as if he had gotten into some sort of trouble... or someone had sniffed him out and challenged him.

She trotted up to her dorm room, fumbling with her key card as she swiped it in the slot before entering and closing the door behind her. "Yo, Lancer, I'm back!" Akane said. "What'cha up to?"

[@Hebigami Shiho]

Ukatan City, Japan

Shopping District

This guy really got on his nerves.

While Rider really wanted to slam this guy to the ground, he knew it would be a bad move. Firstly, it would put the citizens around him in danger. Secondly, it would bring unwanted attention to him. He wasn't sure if his Master wanted to get involved so quickly... and he was smarter than just charging into a fight with the first Servant he saw. However, he wasn't about to cower away like a dog with his tail between his legs. No, he was going to stand his ground until the man knew he wasn't the "ape" he seemed to be. And of course, dream of the day that he would be able to beat him to the ground.

"Very well," he droned, indifferent to the man's smell and his attitude. To him, he was just a strange Servant that smelled like shit. Rider had smelled worse, though. "However, if you are trying to heat my blood by insulting me, I'm afraid that it isn't going to work. As for the name, I shall wear it with honor, for being a 'filthy ape' is better than being the man who stands before me."

[Hebigami Shiho]

Lancer, Ukatan Dorm

Well.... Lancer decided to spend most of his day in his physical form, despite strongly thinking that today's world didn't have all that much to offer him. Being in Japan, it was a bit.... how coul he put it? Well, baffling. China wasn't that far away from there. He could always just ride one of those... plane things and get there right away. Had China done something grandiose? Like the United States? He was also curious on how China saw him. According to what he knew, he was now viewed and revered as a deity. Which fit him just fine.

After a while deliberating on whether or not he should get out and find himself some clothes to fit in today's world, he lastly decided against and sat down in front of the TV, taking one of the controllers for the consoles lined up in there. The Holy Grail provided information for him about the world of today, but it didn't give him information about things as mundane as that. "I suppose that it goes like... this?" He passed his finger by the on/off sign on it, effectively turning the console on. It was a step forward, but he was still unsure about what he should do now. This would take some time.....

---

Time later, Lancer was finally able to get things down and was getting into the game. A bit too much into it. He was sitting down on the floor with his legs crossed and was even moving the way the character inside the screen was moving. A good shooter game that was lying around. It made him wonder why didn't he use a gun to fight? Though, wouldn't that make him an Archer instead of a lancer? He still liked his lance, though... Hm, it was something hard to think about, now that it came down to it. Well, who cared?

He continued on playing until Akane went through the door. "Oh, Zhu. It is nice to see you come back safe from school. I hope you did not encounter any Masters while you were in there? You would have been at a disadvantage if someone attacked you during school. You can always use a Command Seal to call for my help if needed, but I believe that wouldn't be a viable course of action?" He said, and even though he sounded kind of... deep perhaps? Worried about the condition of his Master maybe? It didn't seem like so while he played around in the video game console that he had been playing on for a while now.

To be honest, he was now aching for a fight himself. He finally let the controller down and looked at his master with meaningful eyes. "Or are we going to go on the offensive ourselves and search for the Masters ourselves? The sooner we get rid of pests lying around, the better."

[Raijinslayer]

Nidhogg, Utakan City, Shopping District

"I couldn't careless whether you like the name or not, or whether you like me or not." Nidhogg began with a condescending tone, turning away from the man dismissively, "Currently, all I want is for you to take you filthy ape ass away from me. You opinion means shit, your honor means less than shit, whatever legacy that you left that let the Dumb-ass grail think you're worthy of walking the earth again is worth less than even that. So if you could leave, I can begin to salvage the rest of my day, which has been absolutely ruined by having met you. As I find they are quite fond of saying in this era, Fuck you and Fuck off."

Nidhogg hoped that if that didn't goad the man into attacking, it would at least get him to leave. He would very much like to see what he could find out from the woman Servant. An alliance is a great way to gain information on future competition, keep one alive longer in the war, and give an excellent chance for the eventual double cross that is to follow. First things first, a common enemy is needed, a servant that is strong enough that it wold draw a majority of the others attention and needs to be taken out quickly, after that, let the allies weaken themselves, then go in for the kill. A devious plan that set a grand smile on Nidhogg's face, hidden by his mask, if only just so.

@TwilightDragon

[TwilightDragon]

Ukatan City University, Girls' Dormitory

She was rather amused to see that her Servant had gone ahead and started to play her video games on the console. If he really got into it, then she would have other people to play with other than the people over the internet. Akane flopped on her bed, watching the purple-haired man speak to her.  He was questioning if she had bumped into any Masters in school, and she shook her head. "I didn't see any Masters in the halls, but I think that there are at least two in the school," she told him,  rubbing her eyes lightly. She had sensed a few mages in her class, but she didn't know which one was which. A yawn escaped her lips, and her eyes became half-lidded, suddenly realizing how comfortable it was on her bed. She would give anything to fall asleep right there and then, but she knew that there were more important things to attend to. "But I would have called if I absolutely needed you. I can fend off attackers... somewhat."

Lancer asked if they were going to go on the offensive and find the Masters themselves. Akane sat up, a frown on her face. "Is that really a good idea?" she questioned. "If you want to find the other Masters, we're  going to have to go out and make your presence known. And that's like holding a big sign over our head that says 'Fight us!'." Then again... that was really what they had to do. To make allies or name others enemies, they would have to know that she was a Master herself. The young woman sighed, closing her eyes for a moment as she thought.

"Alright,  Lancer. I think you should make it known that you're a Servant,  but I'm not going to show that I'm your Master.  I'll go where you decide to reveal yourself, though I'll be hiding," Akane said. "Even though we're going to be doing that, I need to know if you think you're capable of taking on more than a Servant at a time. It's likely that more than one is going to show up."

[@Hebigami Shiho]

[mcpop9]

@Raijinslayer@TwilightDragon

With the two of them deciding to have an argument or if not that, then just be generally unpleasant with one another the female decided to exit stage. Taking the distraction to use to her own advantage, she quickly backed up and ducked into the tailor shop. Looking around, it had a wide range of clothing and dresses, along with one she had worn at one point, a kimono displayed in a glass case with a small shrine that was set up to take offerings. That made her giggle, but she walked up to the counter. "Kon'nichiwa!" she said with a small bow. "Hi, i would like to purchase and have some clothing tailored to myself, if possible?" she asked, getting a nod in response.

"Good!" Tomoe responded and was brought into the back. The shop keeper listened to her needs and decided that she'd get the best use from a suit. So they fit her with one that gave her a professional look and made her appear to be a body guard. She gave the man the correct amount of yen and then a bit more, spotting a pair of sunglasses.

Beserker walked to the door and found that they were still getting on eachother's nerves. Stepping out between the two other servants, she sighed. "Can i leave you two to argue on your own now? This mage here has other duties to get to than to babysit you two arguing."

[TwilightDragon]

Ukatan City, Japan

Shopping District

God, this man was more of a brat than he first believed. His patience was wearing thin, and if he didn't know any better, he would have beaten him to a pulp in a second. It seemed that the other Servant was smart too; he took no aggressive stances or movements, and instead, had turned his back toward him. For a moment, he wondered what his true identity was. Probably some spoiled as shit prince who went crazy in the midst of war. Rider simply stared at the back of his head, his eyebrows knitting together as his nose wrinkled in distaste. No, he wasn't going to fight him today. One day he would, and he would be begging for mercy at his feet just as the other hundreds of people who died before him had. He would explain what he saw and did to Sinia; she would want to hear about this.

The other Servant stepped out of the shop, dressed differently than she had been before. She had stepped in between them, asking if she could take her leave. Rider's heated gaze flicked down to her-- at least she was decent enough to speak to and address properly. "Do what you want," he heaved a large shrug. "I was just about to leave this dog to himself anyway. His smell is really starting to disturb my stomach." He should really leave before he drove something through the maniac's head. Sinia would be displeased if he already got himself into a large amount of trouble, and she would probably have to use a Command Seal to get him off of the other Servant.

"It was a pleasure to meet both of you," Rider's words were tinged with malice towards the other male as he let his arms fall to his side. "I do hope that we see each other again, little black hound."

And with that, he turned and left the two of them to do whatever they wanted to do. Not that he cared.

[@mcpop9
@Raijinslayer]

[Gamerdude369]

"His sense of freedom would be something to desire," Jacob replied to Jane, "would he only ever finish what he started." He couldn't help but think that when he was Charles' age he had his life planed out like a long trip. For more than a decade he followed that plan with youthful passion, and this is where it lead him. Sure he was a professor teaching the very subject he researched, but he was also stuck for more than one reason. The Grail War aside, it was a family matter that Jacob would teach Charles. The Dorvain would hopefully get their heir to mature faster as well as strengthen their Crest, and the Millford family would have access to many of the Dorvain resources. Jacob was happy to do so at first, teaching was always what he ultimately wanted to do, but it slowly degraded over time. Discipline breeds greatness. Charles could be great at whatever he applied himself to, but the boy was very erratic.

When the man in question wedged himself into the conversation, his words drove Jacob to roll his eyes. "I'll make this short as you appear to be oh so busy," he started in a matter of fact tone. "There was an obstruction in the hallway." Glancing over his shoulder and focusing his hearing he could tell that the ladies were still out there. "I had to make sure it was nothing of concern. I have yet to reach a conclusion. " Miyamoto-sama, as Mary called him, was still a stranger. There is only a fine microscopic line between model and exhibitionist. If Charles vouched for him it would be enough to satisfy Jacob. But then again would Charles even know the difference? The teacher felt a sense of disappointment in himself.

However Mary and Jane were a different story, their words he could rely on. The two of them were always a pleasure to deal with. A shame they haven't rubbed off on the young man and a blessing that Charles didn't rub off on them. He admired Jane for her firm and bold nature, and thought that everyone could benefit from an ounce of Mary's innocence. All that was left was to get let the stranger know. "'Miyamoto-sama,' please don't move, for I fear what might befall Mary if you do. I thank you for filling in, but there are channels for this sort of thing. Paperwork and such. I'd be glad to sign off on it if need be."

[Hebigami Shiho]

"It is good to know that, Zhu. However, do not try to fend off a Servant like myself on your own. You would be at a terrible disadvantage. Then again, I doubt a Servant would attack you directly like that anyway, or that you'd be as foolish as to do that." Lancer said, getting up from where he was sitting and approaching the girl.

And then, at her comment of whether or not it was a good idea to start the fighting themselves, Guan merely laughed. "My, but I strongly believe that the first strike will help decide things. Whether or not we stand on top, and whether or not the Saber class of this war is truly something as redoubtable as they make it seem. Maybe we should truly go out with a sign like that. It will also be hugely amusing to discover against what kind of heroes we are going against in this war. I wonder if there is another Chinese warrior such as myself? Pitching against some of the greatest heroes of China would be just perfect." The proudful Chinese man said, while nodding to himself.

"Oh, I absolutely love the way you devise plans, Zhu. I wouldn't like seeing you get hurt on my reckless behalf. Please, feel free to watch from as many kilometers as needed." Lancer said, sounding quite confident of his abilities. "And you needn't worry. One Servant or all six of them do not make the slightest of differences. As long as they are proudful warriors, they will not interfere between a duel of men. And if they indeed decide to be pests like that, I merely need crush them." The man smiled confidently at his Master. He ran a hand bi his hair, before putting his hand on his waist.

"Now, let us select a location for us to lure in our enemies. We should choose a location where we hold an strategical advantage. If I may be as bold as to suggest something, we should choos a place where I get superior footing against my opponent. Unfortunately, though, I do not know well the surroundings of this city."

@TwilightDragon

[TwilightDragon]

Ukatan City University, Girls' Dorm

...She had to admit, she liked the way that Guan acted. He didn't seem to be daunted by the fact that all of the Servants might as well show up. Yet, Akane was still a bit worried. She didn't know what to expect when it came to Servants or Masters fighting one another; she had only read stories and examples from textbooks and other hefty tomes when the mark appeared on her hand. She didn't even agree with it-- she had been willing to use all of her Command Seals at once simply to get rid of her Servant as soon as possible, but... even though she was lazy and rather stay at home watching television, she still liked to maintain whatever honor she had left. Though, she wondered if she should even be as afraid or nervous as she was. Her Servant was a Lancer, one of the stronger classes summoned by the Holy Grail. Guan would be able to handle himself. Or at least, he should.

"Thanks for the compliment," Akane replied with a mischievous expression, grinning like a fox up at the man. "It's not often that people see how awesome I am."

She crossed her arms, listening to what he said as she leaned against her bed frame. Now that she was sure he knew how to defend himself, all that remained was selecting a battlefield for the confrontation. Lancer didn't know the city, and she had never thought about choosing a place to fight. Akane wasn't one for strategy. Her mind began to think about all of the possible open spaces there were in the city away from the prying eyes of spectators. Three areas came to her mind, and she snapped her fingers excitedly. "Ah, I have a few settings for the showdown that you might like to use. One is an abandoned parking lot to the south of the city. It's pretty big, but there aren't many places to hide, so I dunno if you wanna use that," she explained, counting off of her fingers as she described the areas she knew.

"Another place is a construction site that's nearby here, but it's inactive during the week. No one's gonna be around, and it's big, too. You can climb the metal frames and things of the sort if you wanna be on higher ground than your enemy." That was two. She held the third finger as if contemplating her choices, her eyes on Lancer's face to see if he preferred one area over the others. "Third area is an abandoned shopping mall. The abandoned parking lot I told ya about earlier used to be on the mall's property. It's a huge battleground-- there are three floors and many twists, turns, and hiding spots that you can use. But I think the enemies aren't going to be stupid, either, so they'll definitely use it to their advantage as well."

Akane blinked up at him, obviously proud of herself for thinking of all of this. The silly grin was still on her face as she eagerly awaited his reply. "Well? Does any of them sound like they'd suit you?"


[@Hebigami Shiho]

[Raijinslayer]

Nidhogg, Utakan City, Shopping District

"No, I think we're good for now, until we meet again to kill each other that is." Nidhogg snickered as the Ape man walked away, the look of hatred the man gave him filling Nidhogg with a sense of pride that his insulting skills hadn't lost their edge over the years of non-existence, turning to face the woman and give her new wardrobe a once over. "Not exactly blending in, but you stand out a good deal less than before. Anyway, now that the annoying ape has left, do you wish to continue our negotiations of alliance, or is such a joining no longer seem favorable to you." Nidhogg gave a stretch as he waited for her reply, wondering if he should just attack the woman and be done with it. She seemed to be a fairly weak morsel, an appetizer for the meals to come, but having a weak link to draw away fire would be helpful in taking out stronger foes with less effort than would normally be required.

@mcpop9

Charles & Jane, Utakan University, Art Wing

"Master Dorvain, apologize to Master Miliford immediately," Jane turned to Charles with a look of irritation and anger at his childish remark. "I know you and him have your differences, but that was completely rude and uncalled for!" Charles scoffed, putting away his camera and walking away from Jane and out the door.

"Whatever, I'll be outside, so call me when Miyamoto's ready to leave." He gave a passing glare towards Jacob as he passed him, the only thing stopping him from yelling at the man or leaving more angrily was his respect for the concentration of those who were currently focused on their work. He pushed the door open, ignoring the overly curious girls as they tried to sneak a peek at Saber. Instead he sat down at the opposite side of the hall and began the process of separating the good pictures from the bad ones. Unlike the night before, he took more time on these, studying to see if he could enhance the bad ones digitally, through use f filters and what not.

Unbeknownist to him, however, was that he had amassed a small group of women around him. They all took t peaking over his shoulder, staring at the picture, and giving their own opinions on them. So single-minded was his focus, and so intense was his concentration, that he didn't even hear or notice them.

Jane, still in the room, could only shake her head at her master's behavior, he always got like that when faced with something he hated or didn't want to do. Turning back to Jacob, she gave a low bow, the embarrassment of the moment showing clearly on her face.

"My deepest Apologies, Master Miliford, Me, Mary, and Master Dorvain's parents and other family members have tried everything to break him of his childish behaviors, but as you can see, that has led to very little success."

@Gamerdude369
@hatakekuro

[mcpop9]

@Raijinslayer Tomoe stood for a second, thinking before taking a brief second to compose herself. "It would be beneficial to us both if we formed some kindof agreement of Non Aggression. I will swear not to attack you or your master and i shall reveal my name and class if you swear not to attack myself or my master until. I can also offer a source of freshly dead meals for you as well. I cannot promise anything beyond the fact that the bodies will be newer than the graveyard you must have dug up." she commented to him, giving a small bow. "I know when my betters stand before me and to give incentive to listen to the pleas of a weaker servant such as myself; i must offer more on the table lest you strike me down where i stand. Therefore i also propose assisting one another in any even where we come across a foe stronger than either of us, such as the knight classes." the female proposed to him, standing back up straight. She had hoped that he would be willing to agree, the promise of a meal for him and one less worry for both of them.

"Even if this lasts only to the two of us standing and my defeat, i shall have been happy to have explored my homeland once more." Tomoe added, a soft smile on her face, but also one that spoke of confidence.

[Flamelord]

Archer, Utakan University

Time passed by almost unbidden as Archer read, undisturbed by the summon of his master or the presence of other Servants. The odds were low that there would have been any Servants around anyway, certainly with the war at this point. They might begin scouting, but his Master hadn't said anything about the war having actually begun, so he would assume that they had the time. And this was important anyway so he could devote the time. They needed the knowledge to go on.

And so he devoted himself to his work, quickly finding himself engrossed in it. Knowledge had definitely advanced since his time, so many discoveries and things that he could utilize, which had not been provided by the Grail. Gases, explosives, improvised weapons that he could easily craft, etc. At least one of those had to be useful against a Servant, or a Master.

His head rose with the bell, the books he had read committed to memory. It was a pretty useful skill, and he would make good use of it. For now he had the information he needed, and it would just be a matter of finding the stuff that they needed in order to make the things they needed. And that wouldn't be too hard, given where he and his master were.

Rising, he put the books back on the rack before phasing into Spirit Form, phasing through the wall and heading off to find his Master. He should at least check in and make sure she was alright, and tell her if he was going to go off into the city for some stuff. He didn't exactly have money, so it might be an issue if she didn't want to resort to robbery.

Well, it wouldn't be too hard. And given that no one could see him, he just had to find her.

[Hebigami Shiho]

Lancer listened attentively to his Master. She seemed to have thought of every possibility for this war. It was good to have such a prepared master, and not some kind of half-assed guy that would only slow him down. Well, at the very least, she seemed to be like that. Lancer took her hand and kissed the back of it again, just like when they first met. "I find it impressive that you aren't complimented more often, Zhu. Your mind is superb. This battle is as good as ours." Lancer said to her, while smiling.

He now stared into her eyes, after letting go of Akane's hand. "Yes, I strongly believe that the construction site would be a perfect place for us to do battle. The place will also be perfect and useful for me. The mall can be used against me as much as I can use it, and the parking lot doesn't seem like the kind of thing that would benefit me in a fight. The car's could be used against me if my opponent were to use some kind of fire. Hence, the construction site is the ideal place for us to hold the advantage against our enemies." Lancer smirks, after getting his startegy down in his head.

He walks to the door and turns to see his Master once more. He was eager for a fight, and he definitely would've liked to get rid of such eagerness already. "Now, Zhu, please lead the way. The sooner we get things done the better. I'll leave the details on how we are going to lure the other Masters to our position to you." Lancer smiled at her once more, before disappearing into thin air. "I'll make sure to win the Holy Grail for you."

@TwilightDragon

[TwilightDragon]

Ukatan City University, Girl's Dorm

Did she really sound as smart as Lancer had made her out to be? Akane was only that way due to the fact that the possibility of her being useful made her blood run hot. If she didn't give two fucks about this whole "Holy Grail War" and her health and safety, she would have gone to sleep, especially with how tired she was. Not only that, but her Servant was likable, not some sort of spoiled king or a warrior that had nuts and bolts for brains. She felt her face heat up again when he kissed the back of her hand and complimented her once again. "O-oh... I guess my brain really is somethin', ain't it?" she laughed nervously.

When he said that the construction site was the best battleground for him, she shot to her feet, beginning to tremble. Oh, God, were they really going to stand their ground in the middle of that creepy place? It terrified her... but it made her more excited than anything. Akane's lips beamed again, so much that her eyes closed. "Haha, construction site it is, then! If ya win this battle, Mr. Guan, I'm gonna treat you to some gourmet Chinese food! Or... somethin' else, if you'd like." The dark-haired young lady held back an anxious giggle as she left her dorm after making sure that Lancer was not visible to a normal human's eyes, practically skipping down the carpeted halls.

Ukatan City, Japan

Construction Site, Thursday, (11:49)

They had made it to the construction site in half an hour, which was rather quick for Akane. She didn't know that if she had literally ran there or something, but it should have taken longer than thirty minutes. Oh well, what mattered now was that they were there. She hadn't waited any time in searching for a hiding spot where she could still see Lancer. Even though she had chosen a spot rather close to her Servant, she found it to be a vital spot if she had to go in and protect him. She could very well throw one of her Smoke Jewel Bombs and provide enough a large enough distraction if he needed it.

Akane hid between a cluster of tall containers, peering around the corner. She was sure that she was shivering more than before. She could very well die here... they both could. "Alright, Lancer, ready when you are," she called, ducking behind the containers again.

[@Hebigami Shiho]

[Raijinslayer]

Nidhogg, Utakan City, Shopping District

"As I've said before, no need to give me such delectable tribute as I'm afraid what I've currently collected is as much as can be with out drawing undue attention. As or the non-aggression pact, you have my word that I will not attack you or your master and will agree to assisting you in any endeavor where you find yourself facing a stronger foe if I'm able."

As opposed to the woman's straight and dignified posture, Nidhogg's was languid and relaxed, like that of lion sunning itself on a rock. The woman's arrangement was heavily against her in the long run, but he saw no reason to alert her to her own foolishness. Also, given how she referred to the 3 more powerful classes, she herself was not a Saber, which left him thinking Archer or Caster. Rider didn't fit her, and while she may be an Assassin, he wouldn't be able to sense her presence before if she was of that class.

"Well then, you must be eager to return, so tell me your name and class so I can be on my way, also, as a sign of our alliance, take this." Nidhogg brought up a root from his pocket, which he had formed in secret, and held it out for her to take. "If you're ever in need of assistance, then just break this and I'll be on my way."

@mcpop9

[mcpop9]

@Raijinslayer "I appreciate the offer, but i'm sure that you'll feel my need. I am Caster and many of the mortal would would know me as Pincess Seishi. High Prestess of the Kamo Shrine in ancient japan. I hope our alliance holds strong bonds till the end." Gozen said, not keen on accepting an unknown item from him. "I bid you farewell." she finished and began to walk off from the other servant, knowing her ruse wouldn't last the entire war, but hoping it would buy her some time and an element of surprise that she needed.

[PaulHaynek]

~Occult Class, Ukatan University~

Eddie and Akane's tardiness did not go unnoticed but fortunately, no fuss was made of it. The teacher was young, or at least looked young, and announced that every class would have three easy, non-graded questions including today. The questions for the day was what's the name, where one was from and why Occult Studies Class. The teacher mentioned his name, Thomas Joren, and that he was from the United States. A detail that piqued Eddie's interest.

After Akane introduced herself, the actor was next. "Well I'm Patrick Edward Culiar, I'm from the U.S. just like you teach and... well I had my agent arrange my classes for me so..."

-----

~Just outside of Ukatan University~

The class was... interesting. Eddie was not sure what he just learned but now that class was over, the actor proceeded to search for his Servant. He was not sure where but if some magical Servant wanted to spend money, Eddie figured it was the shopping district and so there he went. He just hoped she did not do anything stupid while he was gone.