"I don't get it. What is a saint graph? How did grandfather make one?" Shinji voiced only what was on his mind. Neither Sheba nor Romani immediately answered, glancing at each other.
"A Saint Graph is the centre of information that governs a Servant." Sheba finally answered. "It's like a file, inscribed on something else. Used with certain techniques, it can create a Servant." Sheba almost seemed to be stumbling over her words, as if she wasn't quite sure how to answer.
"Think of it like the format that governs a computer file, if you will. The Servant themselves are defined by what is in the Saint Graph." Romani explained. "Inside you, one of the worms contains the data for a Servant of the class Archer. The identity of the Servant, well, we don't know." He just waved a hand, leaning back and snatching up some pills. "This is medicine. Take a pill with every meal and your insides should end up normal."
"How does that work?"
"It's magic. How would I know?" Romani just shrugged, leaning back to his computer. "Not like I know how magecraft actually works. I'm just a doctor."
"Just accept it works, Shinji." Sheba grumbled, walking back to the door. "You'll never understand it if you keep asking why to everyone you meet. It's too slow." Shinji just blinked, regarding the bottle of pills in his hand.
"Right..." He could hear Romani's humming, in tune with a pop song. "How do you get internet here, anyway? I thought we were outside of time?"
"It goes in and out." Sheba mused. "Depends which time periods we're near."
"Wait, what!?" That sounded like it was new news to Romani, yet Sheba just walked out of the room.
"Enjoy Magi Mari while you can!" She sounded almost smug as she left. Romani just sighed, grumbling a little under his breath.
"She enjoyed that far too much." His words were soft, yet they held a great deal of affection. Shinji just raised an eyebrow.
"She does that a lot?"
"Only if she likes you." Romani answered drily. "Oh, speaking of, make sure you give her these. She keeps deciding to 'forget' them, and it's getting a bit annoying." Romani grabbed another bottle of pills, a bright green thing that looked almost insulting.
"What are they for?"
"… Well, human's are meant to be human's." Romani answered softly. "Sheba is no different." Shinji felt his mouth dry a bit.
"She's like I was?"
"No. She is something else entirely." Came Romani's answer. "Run along, Shinji. She'll get cranky if you don't follow her."
"Right." Shinji just rolled his eyes. The dismissal was quite clear, after all, and he wandered out after the Caster. Of course, she had settled against one of the Argo's walls, arms folded over her chest.
"I don't want them."
There was no doubt as to what she was referring to. It was pretty obvious that she did not want her medicine.
"Medicine is good for you." Shinji just sing songed at her, his lips twisting into a small smile.
"Like having worms shoved in my body?"
"Hey, they've worked out so far." Sheba just stared. It was pretty clear that was not the retort she had been expecting. Apparently, being able to see the future only worked so well, or maybe it was just the nature of where they were.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"I need to see a magus, don't I?" Shinji just grinned over his shoulder. "Since you're not up to the task. I dunno what you did, though."
"Well excuse me, princess. It's not my fault you lack basic education in how to be a mage."
"Which one of us is the wizard?"
"You're insufferable."
Shinji wasn't sure why he let Sheba take the lead, but after a few moments and Sheba grumpily opening a door, it was clear she was trying to take revenge on him. Steam billowed out of the room. The sound of something not unlike a drill wafted out.
"Where is this?"
"You wanted a magus." Sheba sniffed, walking in. Shinji felt his stomach twist. Just what had he gotten himself into?
"Oi, Leonardo. I have a guest."
"Mmm?" Shinji just swallowed, as a figure shuffled out of the steam. After a long moment, it arrived, hopping along the floor. A giant, mechanical owl. "Zolgen? Geez, you got young in a hurry."
There was that name again.
"You knew my grandfather?" Shinji asked. The owl just regarded him for a long moment, gears cranking.
"Not Zolgen then. I knew him. Yes, you could say that." The owl just raised a wing and bowed. "Welcome to my workshop. Sorry, me 1, me 2 and me 3 are all busy. How can I help you?" Just how many 'me's did she have?
Shinji simply swallowed the lump in his throat.
"How did you know my grandfather?"
"Met him a few times while I was alive." The owl hummed, hopping back into the steam. "Come in, come in. I don't bite."
"When you were- Who are you!?"
"Leonardo da Vinci, duh." Shinji could only stare.
"How? Why?"
"Leonardo was the first Servant they managed to actually summon with the new system." Sheba quipped. "He's eccentric."
"You're enjoying this."
"Yes, I am."
"Stop squabbling and get in." Da Vinci's voice echoed throughout the room. "No one visits me these days to say hello, which means you have a problem. I doubt you need a doctor, or you'd have gone to Roman." The voice paused, and then the sound of a dozen metal things smashing together. "Ah damn. Doesn't agree with steam at all. Babbage you unreasonable loon."
"Uh… Romani said my magic circuit was stuck on?"
"Oh, is that all. Well, a magic circuit is-"
"He doesn't need an explanation, just turn it off." Sheba growled. Da Vinci's laugh seemed to come from every direction at once, a gentle sound of merriment.
"But without understanding, there can be no enlightenment." Da Vinci whined. "So be quiet over there, desert witch."
"Oi!"
"Then stop acting like its the middle east." Da Vinci seemed almost amused. "Where were we, right, a magic circuit is the spiritual organ that processes magical power by draining the latent energy from the outside world and mixing it with the energy within. This process tends to generate a lot of heat, burning sensations, pain-"
"Yes, yes, I have all of those." Shinji grumbled. "And probably more."
"-hunger, parched throat, irritable bowels-"
"Leonardo just fix it. I don't know how!" Sheba cut the inventor off. The room went silent for a moment.
"Well, you don't really fix something like this. If a human activates a magic circuit without the ability to shut it off, then that's usually the end." Da Vinci answered, a young woman gently striding out of the steam, lifting goggles up to the top of her brow as the owl scampered onto her shoulder.
"Leonardo da Vinci is a girl?" Shinji just raised an eyebrow. Sheba groaned.
"Yes and no. It's complicated." She answered. Da Vinci just giggled.
"Beauty is beauty, if I want to look like beauty, then what right do you have to judge." She answered. "However, this is just a puppet. The real me… doesn't like people much."
"Real you..." Shinji muttered. "This is a puppet?"
"What measures a puppet? It's as real as you or her." Leonardo answered, motioning to Sheba. "Regardless, a magic circuits first activation is usually through a trigger, intentionally created or not. Yours were forced open by a contract with a superior magical being. It's not ideal, but we can probably work with it." She hummed and ahh'd, her finger raising to Shinji's eyes. "Focus on the finger."
"Why?"
"Because it will keep you occupied while I explain and think." Leonardo's answer was quite sarcastic. "You are the end result of a magus families decline. A magic circuit that can allow plenty of throughput, but cannot store anything. As a magus, you could be compared to a hose. You can't do anything without a source to draw from." She paused just briefly, glancing at Sheba.
"What?"
"Well, given you can produce plenty of magical power from the air, I suppose having none of his own won't matter."
"He'll never be a magus."
"Probably not, no." Leonardo didn't hesitate to admit it. "But at least he can field a Servant. Good job with that, by the way. Exquisite work."
"Don't encourage him!"
"He's still alive, isn't he?"
Shinji was positive the discussion no longer required his input at all, as the two girls bounced off each other. It was almost strange to watch, for he didn't really understand anything.
"I can't use magic." He nodded. "That's the takeaway?"
"You need to clear your ears out, boy." Leonardo's response made him even less confident in his understanding. "Regardless, all this speculation is pointless if that circuit isn't closed. You would be pushing at about two hours, I think. No one has survived five hours, not in your state anyway. The sooner the better."
"And how do we do that!?" Shinji exclaimed. "I don't get anything!"
"Oh shush. It won't be too hard. Can you click your fingers?" Leonardo just looked lazily at him. Shinji nodded. "Good. We just set up an artificial trigger using hypnosis. Might not work for all of your life, but it'll work until something more permanent can be done."
"Hypnosis?"
"Yep."
"That works?"
"Of course it does." Leonardo began fishing in a drawer, pulling out a yoyo. "Eh, it'll do."
"Why do you have a yoyo?"
"Why not?" She shrugged. Sheba just snorted.
"She was trying to make it detonate if it hit someone."
"Don't tell him that!" Leonardo just whimpered, letting out a sigh. "Ah well, it doesn't matter. Just stare at the yoyo." She began swaying the yoyo. "Come on, side to side, you can do it."
Shinji wasn't sure if her voice was patronising or not, yet his eyes slowly began to follow the green thing. Left and right, left and right.
And then he heard a click.
"Done."
"What? That's it?" Shinji blinked. What about that had been hypnotism? Where were the commands, th-
"That's it." Leonardo confirmed. "You should start cooling down in a moment. Click the fingers of your right hand if you need to turn it back on, but take care, it won't work forever. Sooner or later it'll get jammed on again." Leonardo put a finger to her chin, thinking. "Hmm, maybe I could make a literal switch for it…"
"Don't overthink it."
"Too late, dear."
Shinji just frowned, raising his right hand. Then he clicked his fingers.
Something changed. Something big. He didn't really now what, but his body flooded red hot. His skin felt like it was boiling.
"Click them again you idiot!"
Another click of the fingers and the sensation was gone. Sheba just groaned, hand pressed to her forehead.
"You are insufferably dumb, Shinji." She grumbled. Leonardo just laughed.
"Experimentation is a key to success." She called, slipping back into the steam. "Besides, a curious mind is a healthy mind."
"I'd rather he stick to things he needs to know."
"Not your choice, darling."
It was nice to know Leonardo was, at least, in Shinji's court, yet a small smile graced Sheba's face.
"Well, at least you aren't killing yourself." She muttered.
[ ] Talk to Leonardo more.
-[ ] About what?
[ ] Leave.
As Shinji left…
[ ] He decided to look for whatever passed for a cafeteria around here.
[ ] Went looking for a cabin. He was exhausted.
[ ] Headed back up to the deck. Maybe that Servant with the shield was still there.
[ ] Was interrupted by what looked like a staff member.
