Fandom Fate/Waltz (IC)

[Noxx Hollow]

Fuyuki City

Weather: Clear sky

Time: 9:55 PM

Location: Church

SomeStupidWords Ian Temero Hanarei

Church let out rather late this night as an astounding number of attendants with large mana pools walked into his devilish arms seeking salvation, father Rasputin created a fairly long sermon to excuse them of their sins and release them of the mana they certainly did not deserve. White robes that stretched down to his feet clad in golden crosses decorated to make him seem like a pure pastor of the god these people so desperately called for. Reaching his hands forward and grabbing them large wooden doors exposing the insides of the church to the outside world and shutting them tight. Wrapping a strong chain around the handles securing it, ever since he killed the actual priest the locks never worked for some reason. His body oozed raw mana, today was a very fruitful day and he was more than full of magic which was very good for this was a monumental day for the fourth holy grail war was about to begin, even now masters were gathering all over the city for their summoning rituals ignorant of his presence and intentions bringing a demonic looking smile on his twisted face.

“What will this grail war bring, hopefully, another saber class or maybe…. the grail” he laughed long tongue poking from his mouth drunk off his power. “Christianity like any religion so easy to exploit giving me the needs to stay in this world, my wish is within my grasp” he shouted to the heavens before calming down to clear his throat.

“Arachne” he called out to the shadows.

The depths rustled around and began to move descending from the roof of the church, presence concealment made it possible for her to always be present during the day and night, her monstrous appearance would surely frighten any of the church goes if it didn’t.

“You called master?” she asked moving closer each one of those spider legs spearing the ground to keep her gargantuan body uplifted.

“Send out your little spies and let’s see whose summoning tonight, ” she commanded with a snap of his fingers

“As you command master” Arachne complied and faded back into the shadows.

Millions of spiders released themselves from the cracks and crevasses to scour the city from top to bottom looking for the future masters and servants that will be competing for the holy grail.


Meanwhile

Lemon Boy
Location: Abandoned warehouse

The ring of metal being displaced from a container was sharp and echoed throughout the empty halls quickly followed by the sound of flesh being split in two. Sam lured a group of delinquents from the street to the top floor by pretending to be a helpless rich kid and as the last body fell to the floor he cleaned his blade and placed it back into its sheath. He showed little emotion as he mercilessly killed some odd ten teenagers spilling their blood all over the walls, some sliced with his sword while others were burnt to a black crisp; those were going to be used anyway.

“Now that the annoying part is out of the way, let's start shall we” the blindfolded child dipped his toes in the pool of combined blood of the strangers and began to draw his summing circle.

Chanting the words he had memorized days before actually performing the actual thing, cursing in his head how the blood was cold when his big toe dipped into it like a feather pen. One large circle on the ground with the appropriate fixtures inside it finishing off the circle, then putting on his show after cleaning off his toe. He chanted the words again making the magical connection causing it to light up, not that he could tell in the first place anyway but all the same he continued.

 

[SomeStupidWords]

Akiko Kuze & Byakko
久世 ---------- 秋子 ---------- 白虎

Byakko was acting strange. Perhaps it was simply the new environment, or the prospect of the grail war, but she could sense a tension in him. In spirit form, he paced beside her, never leaving her side for a second. It was odd, and not unwelcome - usually, he did his own thing, often disappearing for days at a time.


Akiko sighed, and checked her preparations once again. She'd been preparing for this day for a long time - the day she could begin to bring her father's dream to life, the day she could elevate her family to the position they'd once held.


Akiko could only hope she'd prepared enough. The catalyst she'd acquired was a slight disappointment - her family no longer had the kind of resources to get relics of truly powerful heroes, so she'd had to take a gamble - and her base was not quite as fortified as she'd have liked. Still, she had Byakko, and that was enough of an advantage, in her eyes.


She placed the fragment of cloak within the circle, smoothing out the catalyst with gentle hands. She bit her lip, gently, and began. There would be no more delays.


Akiko chanted, perfectly recalling the mantra she'd spent hours, days, memorising.


The Servant was expendable. Ultimately, the Servant would have to die, for her wish to come true. It didn't matter. Power was what was important. And so, as she'd planned, hesitating only slightly, Akiko added extra lines to the ritual-


"Yet you who serve with your eyes clouded by chaos - For you would be one caged in madness. I shall wield your chains!"

Hanarei

 

[Hanarei]

Berserker
​

A glow errupted from the center of the circle. Red electric like bolts zapping around from the circle. A harsh turrent of air pulsed out seemingly spurred on by her final words evoking the enchant of madness. It left an uneasy feeling within the air. It was as if time itself was somehow slowing for a brief second. A flash of red light erupted from the center as strangely a green haze filled the room, disappearing a brief second after it came, and with it an oddly soothing sensation to those in the room. it was a complete contrast to what it was at firs when the summoning was evoked.

In the center a small figure stood. Her powered pale skin could be seen as the figure stood facing away from the Master who summoned her. Her stance was strangely relaxed given her supposed title as Berserker. An elegant dark red dress clung to the woman's curvy frame, the back left fully open leaving much of her backside showing reaching down to her waist with put one thin string tied halfway down her back. She turned as her long black hair could be seen having been lightly braided slung over her shoulder. A pink flower sat in her hair over her right ear. Her amber eyes focused forward looking to the girl, her lips coated with what seemed to be a type of dark red lipstick, lush in its color. Her dress could be seen to do little to cover her chest blatently flaunting it seeming just a little more then it needed to cover them up adequately.

She slowly lifted her hand up,her nails seeming to be coated in the same shade of red as her lips as she gently touched her hair as it rested over her shoulder, running her fingers lightly against it. She had kept quiet at first simply looking upon the girl, and briefly upon the Tiger creature that seemed to accompany her. She finally parted her lips to speak up, exuding not the madness of a berserker but a rather sultry and elegant tone.

"Might I assume my summoning to this world was done by the hands of such a beautiful young woman?" She spoke up not seeming at all to be exagerating her praise to the girl as she stared upon her, not at all showing a presence of the Berserker Akiko likely expected.

SomeStupidWords

 

[Hanarei]

Lauren Haas​

A soft sigh escaped Lauren's lips finishing the circle on the ground. She stood up, brushing herself off, her skirt having gotten dirty from leaning down to draw out the symbol. She glanced at her shirt, brushing it off as well unable to help but get a paranoid feeling of it being covered in dirt... something she wasn't necessarily fully wrong about. It was the place she could come up with to summon incognito, the light of the candles around her helping to illuminate the cellar.

"Alright alright... this should be right... I don't have a catalyst... but if what it says is true its not something I do need to use... hopefully its right." She spoke glancing over at the old tome, her eyes glancing closely down upon the book ensuring she had everything done properly.

She placed the tome down pulling out a knife. She stepped into the center of the circle. A look of uenasy filled her as she lined up the knife to her hand. She turned her head away quickly, cutting herself as she crigned a bit letting a light gasp out. She kept her eyes away pulling the knife and closing her fist before stepping out of the circle. She didn't like looking at blood, even her own if she could avoid it. Perhaps a bit ironic for someone who proclaimed to use a form of Blood Magic. It was something to some extent at least she could manage so long as it was her own... but she wasn't going to look at it if she didn't have to.

She stepped out from the circle griping the book. She closed her eyes reciting the ritual in her head. She had been practicing it for some time, memorizing it all, checking in the tome to ensure she was correct. Finally putting the book down she stood at attention.

"Alright Lauren... you can do this. I need to do this.... I need to obtain the grail and achieve my wish." She closed her eyes nodding a little, attempting to instill confidence in herself. It was unlike anything she had ever done before in her life,. She felt some fear, a small bit about the dangers the war had with it but it was only a small element. She was afraid she would fail, unable to summon a Servant and her hopes of obtaining her wish would fade. She had to have that wish, there was no other option for her. She lifted her hands up focusing forward as she began to chant the ritual from memory, the cut on her hand dripping blood as she focused on trying to summon a Servant.

Ian Temero

 

[Ian Temero]

Fleur Rini Walker ​

The moonlight flitting through the flimsy shack's shattered windows set Rini's silver hair aglow as she stepped back to examine the crimson circle she had drawn, warm blood dripping from the gash in her arm. Everything was in set. She had used the right symbols and had put them in the right places, she had more than enough magic power for the spell, and most importantly the catalyst, a golden arm, lay at the other end of the circle. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearly 10:00. It was time. She took a breath to begin the chant, but hesitated. She was about to throw herself into a war that she barely knew anything about; using a item and words given to her by someone she couldn't remember to essentially enslave a ancient legend and force them into a battle royal where only one could survive, and claim an object almost too powerful to be true. Was she really prepared to do this?

Yes, she decided, beginning her incantation. She was sick of being feared, hated, and ignored simply for being born different. She would show the mages and the church that she deserved to be respected and if even obtaining the Holy Grail changed nothing, then she would use its power to force the change.

"For the elements, silver and iron.
For the foundation, stone and the Archduke of Contracts.
For the ancestor, my great master, Brunestud.
A wall to block the falling wind.
Close the gates of the four cardinal directions.
Come forth from the crown, and follow the forked road leading to the kingdom."

As she chanted, she raised her arm over the circle and let five drops of blood fall.

"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill."

"Repeat five times, but destroy when filled."

"Set."

"Heed my words.
My will creates your body and your sword creates my destiny.
A sword to shield my honor and a blade to slay my enemies.
If you heed the grail's call and obey my will and reason,
Then answer me."

"I hereby swear,
That I will be all the good in the world;
That I shall defeat all evil in the world.
You seven heavens, clad in three great words of power,
Come forth from the circle of binding,
Guardian of the Scales!"

SomeStupidWords​

 

[Ian Temero]

Rider​

With each drop of blood the circle began to glow. Brighter and bright, until the fifth drop fell. Suddenly the ground started to rumble and electricity arched between the lines. A powerful wind began to blow around the room, threatening to blow the candles out, but the flames stayed lit even as the wind grew strong enough to make Lauran stumble. As the last words of the chant left her mouth the building energy climaxed. The ground lurched, the circle exploded into light, and the wind blasted the mage off her feet.

As Lauran's eyes recovered from the flash there was now a young woman standing in the circle. Long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and dressed like she had walked strait out of a wild west movie; all of which blew in the wind that had faded to a gentle breeze, but never fully died down. Noticing the mage, the woman gave her a smile that could calm the raging sea and stepped out of the circle.

"My apologies. The wind can be dreadful rambunctious." She said with a southern drawl as sweet as honey, offering the girl a hand up. "Now you wouldn't happen to be the one what summoned me, would ya miss?"

Hanarei

 

[Lemon Boy]

The Fool​

Noxx Hollow
The summoning circle shone brilliantly as a ball of smoky red energy congregated within the center of it, foretelling the arrival of the Servant that was summoned through the ritual itself. It twirled and glistened fabulously, as plumes of smoke shot outwards in thin streams, dancing around the circle before a tide of this red smoke suddenly exploded outwards from it, a bright flash of blinding light following as the smoke expanded outwards throughout the room and dissipated. Where the orb of red energy once floated, now stood a blurred figure who was unrecognizable in every sense of the word. They appeared to be some sort of distortion, the air and light around them twisting, bending or looping around them as their image seemed to flicker on and off like a light switch. Nothing about their appearance was clear, only their silhouette which itself didn't seem to remain as constant as one would expect. It was clear that it was a Noble Phantasm at work, albeit a seemingly passive one for the moment. The figure stood still for a moment before looking down upon their summoner and although it was not visible, beneath the illusion that cloaked their very being and the mask they wore behind that veil of theirs, was a thin smile of interest and amusement.

"Ah, why hello there young man. Am I to assume correctly that I have been given the pleasure of serving under you as your Servant and you are to function as my master?"
His voice was as distorted as his appearance, going from high to low, loud to quiet and it seemed to possess an almost warped quality to it. Clearly, they were in possession of something that allowed them to cloak their very body in all ways from those who gazed upon or heard it. Yet, this distorted and hidden look of his did not emanate a feeling of eerieness or mystery but instead one of....likeability. Despite having only appeared, his sheer presence seemed to brighten up the room, as if there was a draw to him that wished for those who looked upon him to smile and feel the warmth of happiness within their bosom.

Suddenly casting his gaze away from his Master and towards the ground, he took upon a kneeling position, placing his fist upon his chest.
"You have summoned me, The Fool, as your Servant; an honor that humbles me greatly as you offer me the opportunity to serve in this war and be granted a price equal to no other. As long as I exist, I swear an oath to obey your every command, not the slightest hint of resistance or hesitance will be shown towards the words you use to guide me, for I exist to serve you in every way. My only desire is to serve your every wish, to see that the wish I have to be granted to me and if I am lucky enough, to bring happiness and joy to you. The only question I ask of you Master is the wish that you intend on asking the Holy grail to fulfill?"
Although his voice was unreadable, It was clear by the way he spoke that he immediately displayed a high amount of dedication and faith to his Master. Though his Master may be nowhere near the level of sheer majesty and brilliance of the king he had served in life, he was content and happy as of this moment to simply be chosen as the Servant who could serve a Master in this war and be presented with the opportunity to fulfill the wish he himself desired.

 

[SomeStupidWords]

Akiko Kuze & Byakko
久世 ---------- 秋子 ---------- 白虎


This was not what Akiko had expected, not in the slightest. She stood, transfixed by the figure, by her intense beauty and presence. At her side, Byakko crouched low, his eyes also intently staring at the Servant, but his body far more tense.

It took a moment for the Servant's words to even register, but when they did, Akiko's eyes widened, and she felt her face begin to flush. She turned her face away. "Ah, yes," She mumbled, "I am the one who summoned you. I'm your, uh, Master." She tripped over the words, and felt her cheeks burn even hotter. She'd been caught unprepared, and it was making things difficult. What would the Servant think of her?

Akiko shook herself, and shutting her eyes, turned to the Servant again, bowing briefly. "My name is Akiko Kuze! I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Berserker!" She rushed out the words, hoping to at least make a somewhat decent first impression. Akiko had been ready for a mad monster, a pawn to be commanded - not a polite, sane, beautiful woman. She kept her eyes closed and her head bowed, waiting for a response - hopefully she hadn't messed up too badly.

Hanarei

Saber

The circle glowed, spiralling into a storm of wind and light. It was gold at first, but quickly split into a brilliant rainbow, one that seemed to radiate a dozen different energies and intensities. And then, as soon as it had begun, the light flashed once, blindingly bright, and then disappeared.

In the centre of the circle, a Servant stood. There could be no mistake. Her gold and blue clothing, as much a dress as armour, shone as the moonlight hit it. On her head, a band of silver glistened also. There was an ethereal beauty to her features, that seemed to mark her as something more than human. Her eyes, jewel-like, stared at Rini. Surely, she recognised something in those eyes - the same intensity belonging to the Church's executors, that conviction offered by absolute faith.

"I ask of you..." She spoke quietly, but her voice carried. It had as much presence as the rest of her, filling the room despite her soft tone. "Are you my Master?"

Ian Temero

 

[Lemon Boy]

Daniel Dainn​

Location: The Dainn Mansion - Courtyard
Interacting with: -
Mood: Calm with a tinge of excitement
Noxx Hollow

It seems like I'll finally be given a chance to bring him back to life afterall

Laying down the catalyst in the middle of the summoning circle, a hardback copy of the old testament, he stood to admire his work for only a second, with only the slightest hint of hesitation in his heart. Yet, that was more than enough to annoy him. His wish was to bring the one he had loved in life back to the realm of the living after they had met their end after that incident a few months back. It was a wish in which only two outcomes would be acceptable once he made this summoning. Victory, or death. Nothing else would be satisfactory to him, he'd fight until his last breath if he had too. He already had an advantage in his Sorcery trait, which allowed him to wield a Noble Phantasm of great power, and even if he had to seal it's true strength if required, he was more than willing to sacrifice his own well-being and health if it meant that he could use the weapon just at the right time and deliver the killing blow to any enemy who stood in his way. Nothing would get in the way of this, it was something that he was not willing to give up so easily. Daniel would fail him otherwise.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped back from the summoning circle as he drew Dainsleif from its sheath by his side. It was a mighty weapon indeed, just from the looks of it, it generated a feeling of power. Sealing it's power fully so that it's usual effects did not take place, simply turning it into a sword of immense durability and sharpness, he stabbed it into the ground in front of him, dragging his hand across the blade as a deep gash was made, carved into his hand, only biting his lip in pain.

This was going to be the start to the road to victory, or to death.

Holding out his hand as the blood began to drip onto the floor, he began to chant the words from memory as the circle began to light up, energy swirling around it as his voice grew louder. He could already feel the air become heavy as he began to summon the servant he desired.

 

[Hanarei]

Lauren Haas​

Lauren had shuffled a bit before falling back from the strong gust of wind catching her off guard. She kept her arms lifted up to block out the light as the flash quickly consumed her. She lowered her arms staring over towards the Servant now present in the middle of the room. Her eyes shifted over the woman looking upon her in intrigue. Truthfully she wasn't sure what to expect, though a cowboy... welll cowgirl was far from what she thought she would see. She had expected perhaps some armored knight, some viking or maybe a Samurai. Someone looking straight from a western wasn't at all what she had imagined.

I guess... it makes sense... it is silly to just think of old times and expect something like that... not to mention not all heroes are like that. There is a large variety of heroes in history and legend... and they don't nessisarily have to be from that long ago.

She heard the women's voice as she approached seeing her lift her hand up. She stood still for a moment, her mind processing it out. It wasn't as if she didn't know magic, she had done some herself even if she wasn't the greatest, but having an actual person from history standing before her was well above such simple 'tricks'. She shook her head snapping out of her daze springing to life.

"Y... yes. I am the one who summoned you. My name is Lauren Haas, what should I call you?" She asked looking her over. She hadn't used a catalyst, ma,ing her completely clueless about who the girl was, so she hadn't the slightest clue what class she could even be. She lifted her hand to grab onto hers, slowly working to stand herself off before briefly brushing herself off a bit.

Ian Temero

 

[Hanarei]

Berserker​

Berserker looked upon the girl hearing her speak. She watched her reaction with some amusement, a light smile on her lips. She kept a very calm and collected appearance. She glanced around briefly, looking upon the room and back to the tiger once more. She finally returned her gaze to the woman as she began to walk towards her.

"It is nice to meet you Akiko. I hope my use of your name does not bother you, I prefer when speaking to other women in a casual setting to do as such as a sign of respect for them. I can refrain from doing so in public to avoid unintentionally exposing your identity if you so desire." She spoke finally stopping in front of her. She lifted her hand, touching Akiko's cheek gently. Her eyes glancing her over briefly.

"So young and full of potential... yet putting yourself into such a conflict. I must say while unusual, I have great admiration for such courage. It does leave me wondering why you would put your life on the line in such a way." She spoke in a soft tone, slowly pulling her hand away as she took a few steps away, glancing over towards the tiger. "...and might I assume the Tiger is a companion of yours?" She asked tacking it onto her questions before turning to look back at Akiko.

SomeStupidWords

 

[Noxx Hollow]

Lancer​

It didn’t take long after Daniel finished his incantation for an explosion of light to erupt itself from the dawn patterns on the circle and soon enough every piece of the summoning was shining brilliantly. Pulses of holy light that could warm even the coldest of hearts as if the pearly white gates themselves were being thrust open on the mortal plain. The pressure around the circle itself felt almost bone crushing, every pulse like a punch to the gut, the blinding light shining bright cutting through the night sky, simply looking directly at it felt like it could burn one’s eyes right from the sockets for daring to catch even the smallest glimpse of the beyond. Between each pulse came a wave that surged outward blowing the loose gravel back not unlike wind, but something stronger, almost like the earth itself was being damned for simply being too close, gravity asserted itself and shoved everything around the circle far away as for what felt like an eternity until all at once….it just stopped.


The light was gone and everything brought with it just vanished, along with the circle, nothing left to show for it other than distorted land and bent over and broken down trees. It took a couple more minutes of absolute peace before anything else happened, but what came after could be heard for miles away. The sound of a trumpets blowing indiscriminately one horn shook the earth and caused cracks to form, the sky opened and the same holy light shined forward once again blinding and brilliant but this didn’t last quite as long a massive shadow blocked out part of it shining down on Daniel, looking up a figure floating midair; a woman. She stayed there suspended in the air until the rest of the light died down, revealing her features, a curvy figure nearly in the form of an hour glass almost completely hidden away by the bulk of her armor and a long dress that covered up everything from her waist down to her feet which laid bare. Wild and untamed silver hair stretched all the way down her back, stopping just below her hips, unkempt it may have been but beautiful all the same; stunning even. Cherry red lips blazed across her snowy skin, unblemished and pure, soft blue eyes reminiscent of ice cold and distant.


The most noticeable thing about this servant were the large angelic wings that stretched out beautifully from behind her back managing to stay well placed in the air without beating them. Finally, an oversized halo more than twenty times the normal depiction silver with blue designed blazed across it. She looked down at the man under her as the effects of the summoning wore off, she slowly lowered herself just enough to be a few feet over his head, she was a gargantuan for a woman, however, still dwarfed by her master.


“Have you summoned me to fight in the holy grail war?” she asked her voice loud and commanding


“If you are indeed, I want to know the wish you would like to be fulfilled,” she questioned, for her own wish to be completed she would like to not kill this man but if she must she would do it without a second thought.

Sam Gagaga​

He knew his summoning worked, but he couldn’t tell what he summoned being that he was blindfolded and the distorted forms of assassin went nearly completely unnoticed. Looking around he could tell there was something else lurking, but whatever was around it would have to wait as he turned to face his supposed servant who greeted him in a dignified away ruling out the Berserker as a likely servant leaving every other class. His ears twitched as he mentally searched for a pattern in his voice to little avail, but he could at least tell the voice wasn’t bouncing off anything when it reached him indicating his servant wasn’t speaking from the shadows or anything. The way his voice resonated was an indication of someone who was trying to disguise their real voice by layering a synthesis over it; the servant class assassin came to mind.

The man introduced himself as the fool, a nickname no doubt or perhaps more literally than he let on, a fool could have very well been a form of jester a type of entertainer during the medieval era. Not many people in history would claim the mantle of ‘The Fool’. His voice, though distorted was muffled by the sound of obstruction, maybe a mask of some sort a tool needed to conceal one’s face from the world, defiantly an assassin now. Fools inspired two types of play, comedy, and tragedy further hammering in that his servant was indeed a grand entertainer from the Renaissance era of knights and kings. His mind snapped back to the conversation at hand when he was asked about his wish, prompting the boy to raise his hand to stop his speech midway through.

“Later, we aren’t alone here, ” he said turning around and unsheathing his sword at the ready.

Spiders from the church were all along this building, looking, listening, feeding information back to their master who in turn delivered every detail to her master. Their bodies would normally go undetected but in such massive number, the combined foreign mana was easy enough for him to detect and put him on alert.

“Whatever they are, there is a lot of them and quite smile” He informed assassin

Lemon Boy

 

[Ian Temero]

(Sorry for the crappy post. It was 3:00 AM and I just wanted to get it done.)

Fleur Rini Walker ​

Rini was taken aback. When the light had faded she had expected to find a rugged warrior of a man, not a drop dead gorgeous woman. She could barely peal her crimson eyes away from her. The woman's own sapphire eye, and the confidence and conviction in them that the vampire had normally come to equate with pain, seemed to draw her in. And when the hero spoke, Rini began to doubt if she had actually summoned a holy warrior and not a goddess instead.

"Y-yes. Yes I am." Rini finally managed to answer, reminding herself that it was a bad time to be gay for what was essentially a pawn. A very powerful and very beautiful pawn. She held up her hand to show the Servant the bat shaped command seal, an ironically fitting mark for her. "And you are Saber?" she asked in return. She should be a saber, after all Rini had added an extra line to the incantation to insure it, but she needed to be sure. As she waited for an answer she began to sense several points of magical energy moving towards the shack. She turned to face the direction they were coming from but suddenly found herself stumbling and her vision swimming, and as her legs gave out and she began to fall it occurred to her that, even with her accelerated healing, maybe using her own blood for the magic circle had not been her best idea.
​

SomeStupidWords

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
​

Rider​

"Lauran. That there's a pretty name, it is. As for me...hmm..." The cowgirl put her hand to her chin as if in deep thought. "Golly, I don't know. I suppose since it's the class I was summoned to you could call me Rider." She finally answered, the added with another bright smile, "Though if ya wanted to give me a name yourself I wouldn't complain none!"

Suddenly Rider got serious and peered over Lauran's shoulder. " 'scuse me, little'uns." She said to the spider that had began to gather, "This here's a private conversation. So if ya'll just scamper off, we'd much appreciate it."

Hanarei

 

[SomeStupidWords]

Akiko & Byakko 久世 ---------- 秋子 ---------- 白虎

Akiko heard Berseker's words, and felt her hand against her cheek. She flinched backwards, and Byakko flowed into the space between the two women, forming a barrier. He glanced upwards at Berserker, baring his teeth briefly, then nuzzling gently into Akiko's abdomen. She barely seemed to notice the movement.

"Ah," She said, feeling the flush return to her cheeks again. Being called by her first name, even if it was a sign of respect, felt too casual too fast. But asking to be called 'Master' felt wrong, too. "It's ok," she said, meekly. "My identity's quite public, so..." She trailed off, unconsciously grabbing at Byakko's fur.

Berserker's next words were difficult, too. Akiko didn't want to give away too much about her wish, and about the sacrifice it would require. This would have been so much easier with a mindless Servant. "The tiger is mine," She said quietly, giving a slow nod. "His name is Byakko." She trailed a hand through his fur. Then, she looked up, meeting Berserker's gaze for the first time. "I'm fighting this war because my father fought and died for the grail - it's my duty as the Kuze heir to continue the fight."

Hanarei

Saber
"I am the Servant Saber," the woman said, nodding curtly. "And-"

As Rini turned and began to fall, there was a burst of motion, and Saber was there. Kneeling, she caught Rini with a casual ease. Looking down at her Master, she noticed the wound on her Master's arm. "You're injured." She stated, a slight note of concern in her voice. "Is there an enemy nearby?" She frowned, looking around the room in suspicion, her body tense and ready to move at a moment's notice.

A sword materialised into Saber's free hand, a blade still held within a golden sheath. It was marked with crosses, and shone softly with a holy light.

Ian Temero

 

[Hanarei]

Lauren Haas​

Lauren looked towards Rider, a little taken back still by her way of speaking. She really did seem straight out from a western in how she spoke, a light blush on her cheek at the compliment at her name how it sounded. She had expected it to eventually drop off to something more 'normal' sounding but it was evident that it was just how she spoke. It would eventually be something she could adjust to hearing. She looked a bit surprised hearing her mention giving her a name, looking a little uncertain. She wasn't the most comfortable with just naming her something.

"Rider seems like a good name to me. If you do want me to call you something else I'm always open." She spoke scratching the back of her head from the bit of awkwardness trying to think of a name. Rider made the most sense. She knew if she was shouting around Rider's real name it could end up leading to trouble.

She blinked as she heard Rider speak. She turned her head glancing over seeing the spiders. She looked on a more serious look on her face prompted by her words. There were Magus around, they had all sort of tricks at their disposal. Besides... she wasn't all that fond of spiders. Perhaps not enough to panic but she preferred a little distance between herself and a spider, never mind several.

Ian Temero

Berserker​

Berserker felt as the young woman pulled back, her tiger slipping between them. She could see it's teeth looking down upon Byakko quietly not showing any real fear though not attempting to push any sort of conflict. She brushed her hand gently through her hair looking back towards Akiko. "Very well, I'll refer to you by your name in public." She spoke in a sultry tone looking towards her. She wouldn't mind being called by her own name if keeping her identity wasn't a handicap to have exposed. It was something much better kept quiet as long as possible.

She sauntered away from the young Master, glancing around with some curiousity at the place. She heard her words keeping her head turned just enough to peek back at her and nod hearing what she said. It wasn't exactly all of what she asked but to her it was a suitable enough response answering what she had been curious about. "I see, very well I will do all that is within my power to help you with that goal. It could be quite... entertaining to fight once more." She spoke slipping a knife out from her side hidden away in her dress, glancing upon the small weapon.

"I will warn you however... be wise when you want me to... go all out. When I am absorbed into a battle it is difficult for me to... sate my lust without spilling some blood. If you wish me to do something besides 'deal' with nearby threats to be very specific with what you want before I start... prepare a way to subude me if you so like before hand ideally one able to be used directly on myself. However if I do go... full out so to speak..." She spoke, pausing a bit before glancing back at her. "Well... I suppose that would be what your command seals would be good for." She spoke simply giving a light shrug before slipping the knife back into its place.

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