Fandom Fate/No Order IC

[MocaPoka]

Archer​

The Master of Lancer poked her palm gently; the magic working with surprising gentleness. The technique was certainly far more considerate than the soul and dream linking of the elder Kwiocosuk. The link in the Master's magic was shallow, and her former Masters' own words were buzzing in her mind, however she was able to focus on the warmer voice.

He spoke a greeting she had never heard before and offered apologies for the unusual form of communication. The politeness of the Master alleviated her intial fears of him, and the possiblility of learning a new language lifted the Native girl's spirits. "I'm sorry it has taken this terrible situation for us to talk. Please have no worries of my comfort, I do not mind this form of communication."

Lucas's words were a frantic mess of excuses and what she imagined were half-truths in her mind. He admitted to making a contract, but had no idea how this new Assassin came into being. His words did little to raise her bleak outlook on his "temporary contract" and "promise" of never replacing her. Even if did believe that he had no intention of replacing her, he surely would in time now. Aditionally, the very fact he could form a contract and bond with another so casually was proof of how little he regarded their own.

"I do not wish to speak with you right now." Was Lady Rebecca's stoic mental reply back. She turned her attention away from her former Master and focused on the Master of Lancer and the (newly arrived) Master of Shielder."Greetings Aine... I was telling the Master of Lancer that Lucas has replaced me. He denies doing such, but I found the Servant hiding in his closet. He admitted to forming the contract after aparently "bumping" into her."

TelisOldfield Dragonruby LoneSniper87

 

[TelisOldfield]

Barr noted the other Master as Ana from the day before, though he hadn't taken a chance to introduce himself yet. His focus was on Archer for the time being as her predicament was more important.

"Are you certain he isn't just trying to help a lost soul on their way? Cheldea can be a scary place without anyone to help you. It would be easy to want to help someone else."

Barr figured it would be a good idea to pull out his secret weapon, leaning against the wall and pulling a thermos out of his cloak. He pulled the lid off and poured some if the brown liquid into the lid before offering it to Archer. It was sent ginsing and might help her car down some.

MocaPoka

 

[Syvvaris]

A few moments trudged along before John started to think Saber was already inside the chamber. Footfalls down the hallway made him think twice, but Avenger was the one who stopped for a second when they locked eyes. The way she walked towards him, John figured she had something to say to him. Condolences for his departed servants was the obvious reason for her pausing after seeing him.

"Good Morning, Avenger." John mustered a slightly cheerful greeting before she gave her condolences. He didn't let on how much being reminded of his failure cut him, but she meant no harm to him. "Thank you." He replied before she could talk again. Though when she did, John starred at her in disbelief. She was asking to be his servant, and trying to tip toe around John's injured pride with the mention of his former servant. "Wha... What stipulation?" He spoke in disbelief with slight wariness of her stipulation.

John saw the blatant hatred in Avenger's face when she gave him the stipulation. It seemed John's ignorance of fuedal Japan's history was a cause of a rift in between servants. A command seal was a bit much for the price of just getting along with another servant, but Avenger was John's best option for a servant. She wasn't a stubborn ass like Saber, and it wouldn't break the promise he made with his departed servant. "I guess Chaldea didn't think that hard about hated enemies being summoned." John commented with a soft smile, "Did he really cause you that much pain in your past life? For you to ask such a high price for servitude." His hand went into his pocket, but his voice was serious in his philosophical question. John understood grudges, he had many during his life, but the key word was 'had'. Even his parent's decision to not give him the family crest, and the grudge he had with them didn't last a year, but John wasn't the guy to hold one for two long.

"Avenger, before I accept, I want to know why you let hatred paint anger on your face?"

CatJones

 

[Dragonruby]

Lucas reeled back as if struck by Archer's words, as he stood there for a moment simply dumbfounded. Her words had been simple and blunt, but they had denied him his attempts to explain the situation to her. Did she just not believe him? Or was she simply being stubborn? Was she looking for reasons to be upset? He was lost for a moment as to what to think, but very quickly a sense of anger filled him. It rose from his chest, seeming to fill him as he clenched his fists and began to grind his teeth.

What the hell was she thinking? He hadn't done anything wrong. She was the one overreacting to things. Why did she have to assume the worst of him? Treat him as if he truly would throw her away so easily? After all the trouble that yesterday had brought this was the last thing he needed right now. His fist rose unbidden, reeling back as he prepared to strike the wall in frustration, but he stopped himself before he could do so. A fast, seething, hiss of air slipped from between his jaws, clenched tightly as his lips twisted up into a snarl to reveal his teeth. He lowered his arm slowly as he attempted to reign himself in. To lash out like this would do no good... He'd learned this lesson long ago in the Clocktower where simple and raw aggression did nothing but make the belittlement worse. That sort of action was only allowed in the sparring ring. And yet every instinct in his body told him to hit something, strike out and fight back. After all, wasn't that what he'd been taught to do his entire life? He'd been raised to be an Enforcer, and now even here at Chaldea he was meant to fight against threats to humanity. So why couldn't he just hit his problems away? Things would be so much simpler if he could.

"Dammit..." Lucas hissed out, as he shut his eyes and forced himself to breath deeply. It took him a minute before he eventually found that he could move on, though the tension nnever quite left his shoulders even as he made his way towards the Rayshifter.

MocaPoka Kratoury

 

[CatJones]

Avenger let the tension out of her face as John replied, not fully realizing she was showing just how upset she had been. She fumbled around in her head as she figured a way to shorten her explanation on why the Oda were enemies. It wasn't that they were hated enemies. Rider probably had no knowledge of what hospital actions had costed her. His ignorance was almost enviable.

"I hate all the Oda. They may have been what led me to be Shogun in my time and saved me from my fate of the Imagawa, but the cost was higher than expected. Riders betrayal of his family led to Nobunaga struggling to trust again. That would later cost me my wife and son. As a leader, I took responsibility for what I had to do."

She paused for a moment to relax. Telling this story never got any easier for her. Everytime was filled with the regret and pain of her choices, sacrificing her love and children for a future. For an end to Japan's brother wars.

"But it never stopped hurting. I don't know how many nights I begged for peace from the storm inside me. Rider, through indirect mistakes, set a future in motion that would cost me another son, and what little pride I had."

"That's my price. It is steep, but I must have it. I know what will happen if I continue brown this road. I don't want to lose what little I have. Not again." She was devoid if emotion, just a speaking woman, suppressing the guilt that ached through her like an old wound in the cold. Suppressing the hatred that choked her heart like a snake.

Syvvaris

 

[LoneSniper87]

Ana smiled, despite being called the wrong name. "Archer, it's Ana, actually. But it's fine. I'm not exactly that memorable." She said, trying to make her feel better. She didn't really know how to comfort someone. "I do not believe Lucas would replace you... At least behind your back... He doesn't seem the type to do that. What did he say on it?" She asked her.

 

[BlightGiver]

Oblivious to the various misunderstandings and decisions going between the many masters and servants, the 3 adults struck up small talk in the rayshifting chamber. Lovecraft even pulled out his Necronomicon, which he always knew was better than Caster Gille de Rais' silly little book. Reading through it and perusing the works he himself had created, along with plenty of others added by fans after his death, Roman noted Aine enter the room, with Avenger and John talking outside still. "Guess a lot of them aren't morning people." He quipped, as Raikou helped her master enter as well. Da Vinci sensed the air of awkwardness between them, moreso from Skorl than the Berserker. "Well, you guys won the race." She joked, speaking to the two Masters. "Rider caught up with something, Aine?" Roman helped an associate do inspection of the rayshifting pods, as the Caster made her small talk. "If even a scratch is seen on these things, everything could be for naught." Roman over exaggerated. The staff rolled his eyes and kept checking the underside of each pod; all connections and circuitry seemed in order.

SunRaHunter

Lovecraft put his Necronomicon away and had an inkling of suspicion. Yes, the Assassin was summoned in and odd way, certainly not by Chaldea, and he felt the need to check up on everything. "Voids move to new locations, swallowing everything and bringing things too close." He excused himself, dragging himself out of the rayshifting chamber. Going through the doorway, he placed a tentacle unknowingly too close to John. Only for a moment, as he left a slick trail thanks to his quick movement away from them.

Syvvaris CatJones

 

[MocaPoka]

Archer​

"But surely he didn't need to form a soul bond with another!" Archer exclaimed at Barr. She had no issues with Lucas offering his room for the newly summoned Servant or even offering mana to sustain them. However, to go to such an extreme of forming a new contract instead of simply doing a mana transference ritual was in her mind ridiculous. She would have much preferred to have him share physical intimacy with a strange Servant rather than a spiritual intimacy. The spiritual bond had been hers and his to share together. It was a sacred bond that connected their very souls together... his actions had shamed and cheapened that connection.

Lady Rebecca gentle took the offered drink after putting her smoking pipe away and began sipping on the sweet liquid. The tea was lovely, and the kindness of the offering itself helped ease her body's acquired tension. She turned to the Master of Shielder and felt shame at her social fax paus. "Forgive me Ana. To think my mind is in such disarray. Lucas said he is not replacing me... he does sound frantic. However, even if he truly isn't replacing me at this moment, what he has done is a great disrespect to our bond! I will not simply accepted this "temporary contract!" Our bond is sacred!"

TelisOldfield LoneSniper87

 

[LoneSniper87]

Ana listened, slowly cracking into a grin and laughing quietly. She looked up, realizing it may not have been the best of times. "I, ahm..." She paused, embarrassed. "I just find it funny. You make it sound like he is cheating on you. It's cute. But in a bad way, grrr!" She said, trying to lighten the mood, that usually helped down spirits. She looked around, calling out to Shielder. "Shielder, are you alright? Been awhile since you said anything."

MocaPoka AJustKnight

 

[SunRaHunter]

"Well, of course. It would be rude of me to receive all that aid from you and then refuse to let you see the fruits of your labors." Rider kept his back to her as he quickly cut his sandwich into triangles and hefted the plate up. He had gone a little overboard and made a few to many, but it would be better to have to many then to few in this case. He turned with the plate, holding it at stomach level for Mordred to see his work for a few seconds before setting off for the Rayshifting room, figuring that she would follow suit now that she knew he had prepared food for everyone.

"Is it a practice in Western culture to eat food in one's room? Where I came from, meals were considered a family activity, no matter what." Medieval England and Medieval Japan were both very different places and with each conversation with Mordred the chasm seemed to widen between their cultures. Then again, Mordred was alive before Samurai were even a really big part of Japan. Before the Genpai War, closer to Berserker's time period if anything. Still, Mordred had thus far been a great companion during there long days, even if they hadn't spoken for the past couple of days.

"Perhaps we could trade food from our homelands? Tonkatsu, when made just right, is almost heavenly." Rider continued the conversation about his room, not quite picking up on her reasoning or mood as to the get together. He continued, "Perhaps some of the others would like to join us as well, don't you think so too? We could all share some food from our homelands."

Rider gave another pleasant smile, hoping that hosting a small event would work more in his favor and help him get along with the Servants. He quieted down as they passed John and Avenger, hoping to stay out of the woman's gaze, and entered the Rayshifting room, where the mood seemed less then joyous.


Aine was lost in her own little world, thinking of several scenarios for the coming mission, still staring at the Rayshifting coffins. Every inch of the steel reflected in her mind all of the different tales of all the things that could go wrong. Running out of mana was the most obvious problem, which would cause her to lose her Servant and thus her reason for being there. Sure, she could requisition mana from the other Masters, but that seemed rather gouache at the moment, a social faux pas. She chewed on her lip when she was drawn back to the here and now by Dr. Roman. His question startled her, though her lack of rest exacerbated her response.

"Oh, doctor. He's preparing a light meal for me. Something to help with the hunger pangs." She found herself struggling to maintain eye contact, her own eyes drawn to the ground with wandering thoughts and from a sense of dread. She had to be careful not to show a degree of unease. "It's not a problem, however, I'm ready to do my part."

Her part was wishing she could hang back with the staff and send Rider in alone. She was certain that the other Servants would look out for him, at least for the most part. She still needed to correct him for his lack of grace or dignity from the night prior, but that could wait until after the mission. Besides, she wasn't exactly sure how to punish him. He enjoyed doing her chores and didn't complain when she yelled at him or when she had given him a light poisoning for breaking one of her ground rules.

"Where is this mission going to send us, doctor?" She tried to drown her personal issues with focus.

BlightGiver AJustKnight

 

[MocaPoka]

Archer​

An unexpected wave of fury hit Archer at the Master of Shielder's words and laughter. " It is not funny and he has betrayed our bond! I shouldn't be surprised though; considering all Western Magus lie and taint, take and discard, laugh and ridicule without care or regret!" Shoving the now empty container back into Barr's hands, Lady Rebecca left the pair of Masters with her angry words and marched towards a new corner of the rayshifting room to seethe in. She regretted being so rude to the Master of Lancer, however she feared her rising temper would be un-initially directed towards him at this rate.

She was sure Lucas and Ana were of the same mind. Both thinking her reaction was similar to that of a scorned lover finding another in her beloved's bed. A foolish, overreacting woman who simply wished to be upset. They knew nothing of sacred promises; over three hundred years had passed and yet their people still hadn't changed. Betraying all bonds and laughing when another was hurt by it... truly the people of the Old World hadn't changed.

Lady Rebecca brought out her pipe again and resumed her smoking. Her angry exhalations of the heavy smoke overly ardnet in their billowy release.

TelisOldfield LoneSniper87

 

[AJustKnight]

Shielder eyed Rider as he finished his food prep, turning to show the pile of sandwiches pyramided on the plate. They didn't look half bad for someone who had never made a sandwich before. She took a few seconds to answer his question, figuring the difference in times had created cultures that were very unique. She turned and followed him out before answering.

"It was normal in my time to eat as alone if you wanted. Family meals in Camelot were... interesting events."

She made sure her outter appearance was still calm and happy when inside she was trying to salvage her plan to spend time with Rider. Having everyone else there would be fun in it's own way, but not the plan she had made.

"What if we do that a different day? We have quite a bit of catching up to do and I'd prefer no distractions."

They arrived at the Rayshifting room, and she gave a shy smile at how he tried to shrink away from John and Avenger. They we're from the same country, but they must have been enemies. She would need to keep an eye out for her. Her concern was cut by her own Master using their link to communicate. She smiled at the unneeded extra step as she spoke up.

"Master, no need for the mind talk. I'm here. And look, Rider made food for everyone."

She took a quick look around the room, surprised by the heavy atmosphere coming from Archer. She was pretty much digging up a corner with a jagged form. She looked to be in a foul mood. The rest of the gathered party was seemingly focused on their own tasks

LoneSniper87 SunRaHunter

 

[Syvvaris]

The Oda caused her to shoulder the burden of her nation. The actions of the one present could have been a reason why the famous Warlord came to be. Her burden of leader, betrayal of Nobunaga, and the war that he had waged had costed Toko everything. John was familiar with how any proud and honorable person would want revenge. It wouldn't be to far off to say that John wanted the same right now as she did. She wants to satiate her vengeance with Rider and John wanted full vengeance against whatever force had taken Assassin from him.

"I have many regrets in my life, Avenger." John sympathized with her, "Forgiveness is not easy, but I surely suggest that you try to find a way to forgive Rider for his sins. What has happened was hundreds of years ago..." He looked down at the samurai's feet and then away, curling his hands into fists inside his pockets. "But I'm not going to deny you what you ask for... More for myself than for you." He looked up at Avenger with gritted teeth and eyes seeking for answers and revenge, "I want answers a bout Assassins. I believe where ever they are sending us will give them to me. I need you and the other servants and masters to help me. If you need a command seal to prevent infighting within ourselves, I will gladly give it to you." John was serious when he meant it was more for him than for her, but he would have given the price she has asked of him and only had her explain herself so he would understand where she was coming from.

"But neither of us will get what we want without helping each other and our comrades." John lightened up his demeanor at the distance sound of a certain tentacled servant murmurs from behind him. "Do you have a preference where and who sees our contract?" He asked Avenger and started digging through his memories if there was an incantation to form a contract between him and an already summoned servant.

CatJones BlightGiver

 

[Kratoury]

As was proper for someone in her position, Assassin waited for Lucas as he was briefly overwhelmed with emotion. Apparently the idea of temporary linking to the source through a master's seal was a bit more troublesome than she'd thought. With her summoning as tenuous as it was Assassin was somewhat worried about trying to sustain herself on her own, but perhaps a sacrifice was needed to help appease Archer. She could understand sacrifice; if anything the concern Lucas had shown her was the more alien thing to her.

Crossing her arms as she waited, Assassin curiously initiated one of the grandmaster's techniques. "Zabaniya: Meditative Sensitivity." Her voice was low as she intoned the name of her borrowed skill, echoing softly with what may have seemed to a human to be a massive amount of magical energy but which felt to her like a relatively reserved expense. All at once the sharpness of her senses multiplied and the girl's eyes narrowed against the lights above them.

All she did was listen, taking in the conversations happening ahead of them. More, she had to stop herself from counting the heartbeats of every human in the facility; of every flake of snow to fall onto the roof of it. Certainly that much input would be overwhelming to most, but Assassin was nothing if not disciplined and so she simply put the excess information from her mind and gently put a hand on Lucas' back to keep him moving. As they went she began to quietly speak, updating him on what was being said by the others in what was certainly an invasion of privacy- most especially given that she did nothing to limit which conversations she was sharing with him.

Assassin nearly repeated her earlier observation that Lucas should have told her that his servant was a bit on the sensitive side, but repetition would serve no one so she simply held her tongue. Assassin was good at that too.

Dragonruby

 

[BlightGiver]

Roman understood that no one was really given the chance to properly eat this morning, so some taking a detour for a meal was a given. "Well, as long as everyone's in perfect health....Anyways, you guys are in fact going to a singularity of sorts." He shifted his stance to a more appropriate one. "It's uncertain how stable it is; the temporal signatures match different time periods, as if they were mashed to in an unnatural conglomeration." Skorl could overhear and was not too keen on going in with such little data to assist them; any that would be for the group's benefit, anyways. "What if things get too heated too quickly? There's always the possibility we could end up in the middle of nowhere or even falling from an endless sky." He inquired, hoping Chaldea's systems were not that old fashioned to have an emergency exit on standby. "We do, just not so much right away. There's always plenty of factors preventing an immediate escape; servants' noble phantasms, technical issues, you get the point." Roman curtly replied. "Anyways, we can only put our best foot forward; trusting in your servants and each other to get this done. Just be careful, we know for certain there's someone over there attacking us lately. Who it could possibly be, I can't say." Skorl groaned, followed by a nod. "When this is over, all of you will get an actual vacation, I can guarantee it." Roman offered, hoping to keep the two masters present encouraged enough to not dip out. Behind all of them, Shielder and Rider entered just in time. The doctor counted in his head who was here. "Well, that's half the group, keeping in mind those two outside. Rayshift preparations are nearing completion by the sound of things."

AJustKnight SunRaHunter

Lovecraft overheard John and Avenger mention forming a contract together; the thought made him quickly reflect. In life, he was full of much hatred; that being reflected upon the macabre works he created. Those being further amplified in the fans decades later; but, they only cared about him as an author. And yet, maybe not even that, only the disturbing genre he created was truly remembered, just with his name attached. 'He who is forgotten is truly dead; corpses twisted and pulled ever taught for complete disfigurement.' The Caster knew that his appearance was thanks to the legacy he partially wished never existed; who he was as a person was swept under the rug by the mainstream. Though, Da Vinci and Roman were different; and that was what gives the Caster joy in this second life. Apparently, if a Servant fades and returns to the throne of heroes, their experiences are nothing more than just logged as just a memory. Lovecraft would forget everything he's done here, and that was a fearful outcome for him. So hearing these two willing to create a bond, for their own sake as well as the other's, this author recognized how important the relationship all the masters and servant have is. "Elating news spreads like wildfire; proper kindling of communication serves as the vehicle for much excitement." He applauded the two, egging them forward in this new contract. 'Such sorrow around the corner; happy lives exist as a tiny notch on the wheel of time.' He thought to himself, regretting where he was sending all of these naive youths to.

CatJones Syvvaris

 

[CatJones]

"As it stands, I have no forgiveness to give. I simply wish to avoid him, as much as I can." She had seen Rider sneak by, ignoring him as he tried to make himself smaller around her. She had made an impression and she could care less how Rider saw her. She was more concerned with how Poca was feeling or seeing her, her display had been less then ideal, now that she knew that Archer was more lenient then she was. towards her enemies.

"Isn't that the way it is with Lords and their vassals? So long as you don't treat me like the Imigawa did, I have no qualms with being your Servant, even if it's only to gain something for yourself." She smiled, giving a proper bow in response to him, now that he was technically her lord, in some base root of the word. It was easy to feel uncertain about something like this, she had enjoyed her freedom from having a Master, but now that she had something to gain as well, it was easier to shake off the feelings of doubtfulness.

"We can do it here and now. If any of our fellows have something to say, let them. I endured a life's time of criticism. There's nothing that could be said that would hurt me." She was, however, very uncertain how to make a contract with a Master after her summoning. It wasn't exactly something that the Throne had gifted her the knowledge of, either to keep her for its' own purposes or simply out of ignorance. "I assume you know how to?"


Saber felt sluggish, her mental state running amok. Her night with Archer had left her with a hole in her chest. A void within a void, it would seem. She had somewhat enjoyed the evening, even if her memories were all rather dark and depressing. Even if she had somewhat used the girl to live out a memory for the sake of feeling some comfort. Even an emotionless king needs to be warmed from time to time. She knew it was nothing more then an excuse for her actions, an after the fact reason to be so crudely forward.

She turned the last corner to the Rayshifting chambers door, noting as Avenger and John were outside, discussing something seemingly important to them. Saber entered without saying a word or any further contact with them. As she entered, she noted the strange mix of atmosphere in the room. Archer stood alone in one corner, seemingly ignoring the world. God above, how this girl's mood shifted like the tides in the mid month. She noted the only other thing of import in the room, Rider had a plate of food. She approached, deftly taking two of the triangular sandwich's in her armored hands.

She approached Archer, offering one sandwich while taking a small bite out of her own, leaning against the wall cooly, not saying anything. Simply being there. That's what a 'nice' person did, wasn't it? Was there in solidarity for people who were upset?

Syvvaris MocaPoka

 

[MocaPoka]

Archer​

Still smoldering from her encounter with the Masters, Archer didn't notice a certain approaching dark knight until a sandwich of all things was offered to her. Surprised and a little flustered that the woman who had been in her bed 15 minutes prior was now seeing her in such a foul mood; Lady Rebecca put her pipe away and began taking small bites from the offered sandwich.

She muttered a small somewhat shy "thank you" and ate her sandwich in comfertable silence next to the knight. Lady Rebecca was thankful for Saber's presence however was worried what the greater heroic spirit would think of her situation with Lucas. Still she decided to scoot closer to Saber on the wall until her shoulder was nearly touching the other womans'. Feeling a rising sense of security from the knight's presense Rebecca decided to muster her courage.

"Lucas made a contract with another. I'm worried he is replacing me... and I feel like he has disrespected our own contract... I don't know what to do." Rebecca looked down at the floor in shame. She wasn't sure what Saber would think, but didn't want her friend to think less of her.

CatJones

 

[Dragonruby]

Lucas jumps slightly as Assassin places a hand upon his back, and he nearly spins in place like a top to see who it was that'd caught him in a moment he'd rather others didn't see. "What!? A-Assassin? How'd you get here? No wait... Right... It's... kind of in your name, huh?" He asks her sheepishly before he's prodded into moving along. He gives her a curious look as she prompts him to move while muttering under her breath, but it quickly turned into surprise as she started relaying to him what was going on throughout Chaldea. "The hell?" He asked in confusion. What exactly was she playing at? He was about to tell her to stop when she mentioned Archer's comment on 'Western Maguses'.

Lucas' jaw clicked shut, clenching tightly as the anger he'd pushed down earlier was stoked once more into an inferno that threatened to burn through him as every muscle in his body tensed and his hands clenched back into fists. "That's enough." He growls from between his teeth, telling Assassin to stop as he picks up his pace, moving ahead just fast enough to keep out of Assassin's reach and unwilling to hear anything more.

He stormed his way towards the Rayshifting area, catching Archer surrounded by her friends out of the corner of his eye, before forcibly averting his gaze from her and simply staring forwards. So that's who she was badmouthing him to? Everyone they worked with and knew? The people he was supposed to go on a mission with now? She wasn't happy enough with just pissing him off and playing stubborn, but she was going to ruin his reputation too? How else was she going to try and ruin his life for some perceived slight on her end? It didn't matter though. It wouldn't. He'd dealt with his fair share of schoolyard bullies before, he didn't need people to like him or care for him. He'd do his damn job and show up anyone who had the goddamn gall to ever look down on him. That's how it'd always been. If anything, it was foolish of him to ever have considered that he could've counted on Archer as a friend. Watching her try and tear him down proved that. For just a moment, he was unsure of what to do now that he'd entered the room, but he couldn't let himself seem lost or unsure, as that simply meant more ammunition for others. So instead, he simply crossed the room, going to lean against the wall, as he simply closed his eyes and waited things out. If the world was kind, things would move along fast enough that he wouldn't have to worry about this for much longer.

Kratoury MocaPoka

 

[TelisOldfield]

Barr let Archer go, fumbling the thermos lid in his hands as she roughly returned it. He watched her storm off, not entirely sure of how to deal with the situation. She was like the other boys from his village. Stubborn and unyielding. In any other moment, it would have been an admirable trait, but as it stood in the here and now, it was pitiable. When disaster had come to his home, so many of the young men were willing to fill themselves with hatred rather then understand why it was happening. Why foreign powers attacked them, killed them. Archer was taking up proverbial arms against her Master, fighting him when it was unnecessary. She was just stoking the flames of her own problem.

Barr returned to Lancer, half tempted to reach down and clean her off, coffee splashed around her mouth from chugging the last couple swallows. Instead, he sat next to her and leaned back against the wall. Lancer noted the the haunch in his shoulders from being defeated again. His philosophy of kindness and tolerance seemed to be a failed cause. She hopped up, dusting herself off, quickly rummaging her way over to Rider to steal a few sandwich's from his plate. Taking three without saying anything to the sole male Servant, she handed one to her own Master before making her way to Lucas.

"What's the matter, grumpy gills? Sleep on the wrong side of the bed?" She asked in her usual snide manner. She offered one of the sandwich's, whichever seemed more poorly made or had less meat in it.

Dragonruby

 

[Syvvaris]

"Avoiding a problem isn't the best solution, but it is a solution." John commented on Avenger's declaration of intent to never forgive Rider. John had ran away from most of his problems in his life, so he could not fault her for her decisions. "Lords, Vassal, Master, and Servant are all titles where one person is higher than the other. I wasn't like that with assassin, and I will not be like that with you." He gave a soft smile that was suppose to be reassuring. "I respect your confidence, and this isn't my first contract." John lifted his right hand, with the back of it facing Avenger.

"Avenger, Tokugawa Ieyasu...

My faith creates your body and your banner creates our destiny.

If you heed Chaldea's call and obey my will and reason,

Then answer my oath and do so and I will entrust our destiny under your banner."

Magic circuits activated throughout his incantation and contract with Avenger, though not completely the same from when he summoned Assassin. It would suffice for an already summoned servant. All that was needed was for her to accept and then for him to give her the price she had asked for.

CatJones

 

[CatJones]

"As you command me now,
so to shall I follow, for,
I accept thy will.
Command me, lord! I am your blade!
And seek only victory."

Avenger let her spirit meet his, binding their souls and wills together. Her connection to the root's mana source burnt, like the first logs of winter. She gave a generous smile to her new Master, feeling the give of his mana fill her. Whatever doubt she had felt was banished to the back of her mind. It wasn't conventional to make a contract with a Master like this, so long after a Servant's summoning, but she had never been a conventional person. Embracing Nobu's tactics and strategies had created a wholly different person within her.

"So. I upheld my part of the bargain, now, if you would kindly spend a command seal to uphold your half." She crossed her arms, still grinning as she waited for him to do his part. "I would also like to know a little more about you. My life is on display in several books. Yours is not."

Syvvaris

Saber took a few short bites of her sandwich, not entirely sure of how to respond to what Archer said. It was normal to doubt oneself, well, normal for almost any other Servant. She was resolute in her own abilities and functions. Archer was less sure of herself, seemingly focusing a great deal of her own self worth from her perceived usefulness from those around her. It was a problematic way of viewing the world. Saber took stared straight ahead, finding the words to handle this sort of thing.

There was something else, another memory that dug at the back of her mind. Guinevere had doubted herself several times and one of the few things that calmed her was gentle touch. It was the only time that he broken king had ever shown a warmer or kinder side, at least until Lancelot happened in earnest. It didn't feel like the right response to this situation, but she could think of little else that might help. It was such an alien feeling,, not being sure of how to deal with something. This 'kindness' experiment was forcing herself to really approach the limits of her own comfort levels boundaries.

Saber forced the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth, swallowed, and acted. Without warning, Saber reached out and took one of Archers hands, pulling it into both of her hands, cupping it like a small animal that she sought to keep. She ran her thumbs over the girls knuckles, almost seeming to be admiring the stolen hand.

"You see your bond as sacred, do you not? I couldn't tell you what the right path is. I would make him suffer for it. If there was only one thing I learned in life, it was that..." She trailed off only long enough to bring Archer hand up to her face, resting her forehead against the back of it, closing her eyes as she dwelt on her own past, the horrific betrayals of her own life. She broke the few seconds of silence to finish her thought, eyes still closed, almost whispering into the girls' hand," ...this pain doesn't go away. You have to face it, make it yours, find resolution with what hurts you. One can't expect to place their hand into fire and expect the cool of the ocean."

MocaPoka

 

[MocaPoka]

Archer
​

Saber seemed just as lost as Archer felt after her admission of her situation, or perhaps the knight was simply disinterested. Rebecca didn't blame Saber for her silence; it was after all an issue that had nothing to do with the knight and one that she likely found beneath her notice. Archer was alone to suffer through this herself, a fact made very apparent when Lucas walked into the rayshifting room. Her former Master had a look of disgruntledness on his face she hadn't seen since the first few days of her summoning.

Worst he was clearly avoiding her. The spike of pain to her heart at that relization was unexpected. She had believed he would atleast attempt to talk with her in person. Never had both of the them been in such a state of annoyance or disagreement with each other at the same time. Especially not to the point where both weren't even attempting to comunicate with each other. Archer continued standing near Saber as Lancer went over to Lucas, when suddenly Saber took her hand.

Archer had many weaknesses and Saber was unknowingly triggering one of them. Widening eyes, blushing cheeks, and butterflies in her stomach banished her dour mood as Saber held her hand as if she was precious to her. To be treated and touched in such a way was an unlived fantasy of Pocahontas. She was barely able to focus on Saber's words as the knight caressed her hand. Her focus was further tested when Saber rested her forhead on the back of her taken hand.

" Y-Your words are wise..." Poca whispered, struggling to regain control of her mood. She was supposed to be focusing on her troubles with Lucas! Not be charmed by Saber! "But your actions are too distracting!" Taking her hand back she brought it to her swiftly beating chest. Taking a step back, she thought back to earlier in the morning. Was Saber taken by her? Attempting to charm her? If so it was working with startling effectiveness!

"Thank you for your words. You are right... I need to face Lucas's choice... and accept what has happened." Poca moved to confront Lucas however saw that Lancer seemed to be consoling him. Perhaps she should wait? There was also Saber's confusing actions that needed to be understood. It was improper for someone of lesser social ranking to begin courtship... however Rebecca doubted this paticular knight of Britain would think less of her for lightly suggesting it and leaving the choice to the king.

"Perhaps after the hunt... you could escort me to dinner? Not as a knight. We could walk together? Alone?" Rebecca knew it was rather scandalous to suggest such a thing. However, she wanted to understand Saber's actions. Perhaps she was misinterpting the knight's actions?

CatJones

 

[Syvvaris]

The contract had been made. Avenger's spirit mingled with his and filled the void that Assassin created with her unexplained departure. A genuine warm smile plastered itself on John's face, and his set of command seals reappeared on his hands. He left his hand in the air to pay his price for the contract. "By the Order of a Command Seal. Avenger, you are not to harm physically or mentally Rider, Oda Nobukatsu, without my expressed permission." John felt a surge of magic rushed through him that was not his own. It was almost like Toko's Noble Phantasm the night before, and he wondered if this is what the servant's felt like when they called forth magic from their Masters.

"Thank you, Avenger." John lowered his hand back into his pocket, and kept the same smile on his face when HIS servant asked to know about him. For anyone that was a large a difficult question. Typically when a woman asked John this question, he would answer it with whatever he deemed best to keep whatever their relationship the same. Whether it was talking up his abilities, stretching the truth for miles, or sometimes downright lie to them; but Avenger was not an ordinary woman. She was now his partner that he would rely heavily upon.

"In certain bars, clubs and colleges in Amsterdam, Netherlands you can find people who will tell wild and far fetch stories about me. Social media can attest to the partier I was before I came here." John claimed, remembering the dozens of times he had people shoot videos of him parkouring roof to roof while inebriated. "But the real question is what do you want to know about me? I am Johnathan Eric White, thirteenth generation of empaths, and the only son of my parents." He turned halfway toward the door, not wanting to turn his back to his servant. "I'll answer whatever question you want, but I do have a bad feeling that Lucas is not in a good mood. Which means that Archer might not be in a good mood either, so what about we take our conversation inside the chamber?"

CatJones

 

[Dragonruby]

If it was possible, Lucas’ look would have soured even further as he spotted Lancer approaching him. She was one of Archer’s friends, right? Surely she’d heard already and was now simply here to revel in his weakness, or simply call him names. The man gave Lancer a glare as she approached, hoping that it’d be enough to drive her away, but to no avail.

His eyes looked down from the sandwich held towards him and then up to her face. Did she not know? No, her tone of voice was markedly dry, she was being sarcastic with him. Ignoring the sandwich, he simply scoffed, a rush of air blowing from his nose. “What? Didn’t you hear from Archer already?” He asks back in a rather unfriendly manner. “If you’re just here to screw with me, save it for after the mission.”

Glancing upwards, he couldn’t help but notice Archer was talking to Saber now too. “Great, add another one to the horde of harpies...” Lucas muttered under his breath.

TelisOldfield

 

[CatJones]

Saber let out a short lived scowl, unhappy with the hand suddenly being drawn away from her. It had clicked in her head just the moment before. Warmth. That strange and foreign word that Saber had forgotten for hundreds of years. The warmth of life, of joy, of anything. She had used Archer as a surrogate for that missing aspect and was now uncertain. That was the foreign feeling, not being sure of something was strange for her. She knew that she respected Archer for being willing to speak her mind and be direct, and her willingness to engage the enemy despite how frail she was. But now, that troublesome feeling was growing in her chest.

It was warm.

Saber let Archer go on, speaking, coming to her own decision before finally speaking back to the girl. Saber cleared her throat and then spoke clearly and directly. She spoke as she always had, no emotion or reflection.

"Archer, I will be direct with you for I respect you. I don't care about courting anyone. It's a waste of time and energy. If we find some kind of joy being around each other, then let that be our courting, not feasts and balls. Perhaps. if we wish to hold hands, we should simply say so. Being open and honest should matter more then proper steps, don't you agree? Let us both strive to be happy, not proper."

She was certain that it was the wrong answer but it was the honest truth. She didn't care about dinner and walk. She cared about this foolish, troublesome girl, in a way that only a broken king can. By needing something to touch and hold, something to remind her of her own humanity, or at least, what little was left of it.

MocaPoka


It felt like a shackle, one that was rusted and worn, weighting her heart down, dragging it down to her hips. A command seal was not something to be trifled with and it was doing the job. As they stepped into the chamber, she didn't feel her heckled rising, nor the overwhelming urge to stab Rider in the face. She still felt a general discomfort and lack of respect for him, but not so much a willingness to kill. Lucas continued to speak, telling of himself in a broad sense.

"I mean this: if you had a bird in a cage, how would you make it sing?" She asked that age old adage that had once been used to describe herself and several other warlords of her time, just before she started to focus on the others in the room as John pointed that out. Lucas and Archer were glancing at each other as if they were hoping the other would vanish from the face of the earth. Saber was with Archer, Lancer with Lucas, Mordred with Rider still.

"How about we handle this one at a time. Lucas first, then Archer. Then we check on the others?" She pointed to them in order, checking with him on her plan. "Sound okay, my Master?"

Syvvaris