The next few minutes passed in unremarkable fashion for Archer, and so he continued to watch the comings and goings of the people below as he nursed his coffee. Eventually, however, he felt a buzz of static that drew him to attention, and he took his cigarette from his mouth once more as the sensation came into clear focus: and as a familiar voice reached out to him from a distant source.
<"Archer, I will be departing for the Church to speak with the Overseer, and get a measure of how the other Masters might play the game. Do let me know if anything interesting comes up before things begin proper."> Seemed as if Kilian was done with his preparations, and ready to handle the remaining formalities that stood between them and getting to work. It also seemed as if he wasn't was concerned whether or not he accompanied him to the Church, and while that normally would have suited him, considering how disagreeable he found the place's atmosphere, he was aware that more than a few of the Masters were likely to be present in that area.
<Very well, I'll finish my business here and cover your path forward.> Best not to risk Kilian's safety at this critical juncture. The man seemed at least decently capable of taking care of himself, but if he'd been on the mark in reporting the likely parties involved, Archer had no doubt there was some human-approximating
thing that would be on the prowl for an easy mark. He should have known the Einzberns would be involved in this mess; how
quaint, that that particular dynasty would rear their heads in this day and age.
<"Very well, grown bored of the modern day already have we?"> More practically, a Servant letting a Master strut around completely unobserved while at a critical juncture such as at the Church to formally meet with the Overseer was unwise, but an offhand remark never hurt.
<Perish the thought!> Archer may have been less than impressed with Sako, but this was still an age of opportunities far beyond anything the rats back in the old country could have even hoped to dream of.
<But I think it would be prudent to put business before pleasure, at least for now.> Archer returned his cigarette to his mouth as he lightly jabbed back at Kilian, returning his focus to the street as he continued.
<It seems as if the others are doing likewise, seeing as none of them have made their presence kno->Archer froze. A short distance away, perhaps two or three hundred meters from his current position, something- no,
someone had arrived along the length of the main street to snatch his attention away from his Master. Among the locals and the tourists, there was a man dressed in a two-piece suit who set his mind racing as soon as he stepped into focus. To an amateur eye, he may have blended innocuously into the crowd around him, just another businessman on his way home from work or stumbling off to an izakaya to wash the day down with a tepid glass of beer. But Archer knew from the moment his golden eyes picked him out that he didn’t belong early as much as those lazy guesses would suggest. The man may not have seemed too out of place if not for the subtle details of his face and build, the Servant’s clairvoyance easily able to distinguish the tanned and rugged features from the more delicate ones belonging to the similarly-dressed men around him. Even more basic than that, however, was the presence that was subtly felt in the air around him, people on either side subconsciously moving out of his path even as he lazily stalked along.
There was no doubt that the man was, like him, one of the seven spirits who had been dragged from across space and time to serve in the Grail War. The only question was, which one?
<Kilian.> Archer intoned down the link between the two of them, taking his cigarette out of his mouth to better concentrate on the man’s approach.
<I believe I’ve found another Servant.>The sudden, abrupt cut off for the discussion at hand could have been a point of concern on Kilian's part, however it was barely a moment and informed him of something very interesting. Another Servant, already spotted? That could be either a very good, or very bad thing depending on which servant it was. The opportunity to learn about the opposition overrode any need for self defense or the like. Besides that, this early in the game it was unlikely either Master or Servant would be so quick to lash out before the War began properly. There were technically understandings and rules in place, though they would be broken, it mattered not as for now they stood.
<"Excellent. See what you can learn, act as you see fit. Ideally no violence but I will not restrict your means should the need arise. I won't distract you further, you know how to reach me when you are on your way."><Of course. I'll see what I can find before I move on.> It was a change in the flow of the evening, but not an entirely unwelcome one. Though he didn't yet know which of the remaining six classes this new arrival belonged to, the man didn't seem to demand the presence of a Saber or a Lancer; not that he was exactly planning to engage him in these confines, but it did make him confident in his chances of taking him on, should the need arise. Provided he kept a suitable distance, events were very much in his favour.
So as Kilian withdrew from the conversation to focus on his own affairs, he continued to watch the mystery Servant's advance along the crowded street. It seemed as if he had no clue he was being watched, or any particular destination in mind- Archer chuckled, wondering if the other five were as lackadaisical as this one was turning out to be- and he wandered all the way along to the part of the street below Archer before he came to a stop.
Archer quirked a brow, taking a drag on his cigarette as he pondered. He couldn't identify any shift in the man's posture that indicated he'd sensed a change in the air, and though his keener senses and likely resistance to magecraft stood to penetrate it, the black aura around him would serve to deflect his attention unless he did something to give his position away. Something else had likely caught his attention, and Archer let his vision creep past the man to ascertain whether or not anything else had emerged that he needed to be worried about.
Despite Archer's clairvoyance, it was possible for something to creep into his field of vision while he was focused on another variable. The boons his reincarnation had supplied him with only helped so much there; but as he scanned past the other Servant, he didn't see anything or anyone who seemed significant enough to draw his attention. Perhaps the man was simply lost in lackadaisical thought? He smirked, turning his attention back to him-
And he was gone. Almost on instinct, Archer sprung up from his chair, looking intently over the balcony. Nothing. His golden eyes glinted as he forced his eyes to a deeper, sharper level of focus, piercing the realm of the physical to peer into the current of spirits around them: but again, nothing. The man had left his field of vision entirely. Archer sat back down, taking a heavier drag to calm himself. Fine. It was fine. He was aware of the man, and as soon as he reappeared he could resume tracking him. He just had to stay alert-
"The house blend, if you don't mind." And not for the first time in the last few minutes, Archer froze as he was
alerted to a change in the flow of the evening. Turning, he saw him standing inside the room just past the doors he was sitting outside of. He hadn't moved to an advantageous position or retreated, but had entered the café, seemingly entirely on some damned
whim. And more damnable yet, it seemed he'd finally come close enough to perceive that he was being watched, as as he himself turned, Archer felt his gaze land upon him.
He watched as the man made his way over, his gaze clear and level but his mind
racing. If he acted quickly, he still had an advantage; he could likely produce, prime and fire his Noble Phantasm before this dullard could blink. If that proved insufficient, he could clear the balcony and be away over the rooftops in a similar span of time, and he could brush the incident off as an unfortunate consequence of a Servant neglecting the importance of prudence.
"No, no, don't get up on my account. But as the man drew up to his table with a chair he'd grabbed and dragged over unceremoniously, bringing the waitress from before scrambling over towards them in a hurry, it seemed he had something else on his mind entirely. Archer watched as he sat himself down just across from him, flashing him a smile that practically
dared his fellow Servant to punch him in his face.
"No need for hostilities just yet, is there? We're just having a drink, is all," he continued, the waitress setting his coffee down and looking back and forth between him and Archer with an increasingly worried look.
A heavy silence settled upon the café, a tension seeping out from the table that permeated Archer's ward and began to disturb those around them. For a long, dreadful moment, it seemed as if the first altercation of the Sako Grail War was about to take place, right there and then in the humble little café-
"No need to look so worried, dear." And then Archer spoke, the tension lifting and the onlookers returning to their business without a second thought as the ward held steady through the power he fed it anew. He picked up and handed his own cup out to the waitress, seemingly taking his attention away from the man across from him as he did.
"I'll take one more of the same. And a refill for the gentleman, whenever he's ready."The waitress took one last pale-faced look at Archer, and then to the man, and back again. Another long moment passed, and then she disappeared, seemingly anxious about what would happen if she left the two men alone, but perhaps even more concerned about what would happen if she stuck around.
"Certainly rather bold of you, approaching me like this." But Archer simply chuckled, reclining in his seat as he turned back around to fix his guest with a smirk of his own.
Very well. Perhaps he wasn't quite the dullard he had him pegged for, or maybe he was simply a reckless fool. Either way, if this was the game the other Servant wanted to play, he stood more to gain by playing along than not.
“But I don't see why not. The day is young, I can afford to tarry a little.”War was not a clean matter that allowed itself to be limited itself to the battlefield, but a dirty, sprawling affair that permeated every facet of life, whether one wanted it to or not. Archer had never been the model of a soldier, but he was more than aware of that fact. And now it was time to dance with it, as he'd done so many times before.
"It feels foolish, asking you why you're here. I think we both know the answer to that." He began, taking his now-spent cigarette from his mouth and flicking it over the edge of the balcony, before pulling a fresh one out of the carton and lighting it with what seemed to be little more than a
glare of focus on his part. With that done, he returned it to his mouth, before wordlessly offering one to his guest:
"But all the same, I am curious. Has your Master given you leave to be here?"
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