Fate/Clusterfuck (Fate/Stay Night)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM7qiTUo6jw

[Circe's Island]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

The more you select Circe, the more is revealed.

Keep visiting that Grand Witch!

—

It was warm, that was the very first thing you noticed. That's also how you knew you were dreaming almost immediately. This wasn't the warmth of your bed, it wasn't the warmth of the heater. This was the warmth of a summer's day, a humid, but warm summer's day. And there was no other feeling in existence quite like that. A blanket is seductive, comforting, demanding you stay within it, but you could always feel the coldness around you to recognize that as little more than a lie.

This was your entire body and being, and that could simply not be the case in Fuyuki in winter, not with how antiquated your home was. It was something Taiga had complained about more than once, a moot point considering her other home was a mansion and yet she chose to crash in the home Kiritsugu left you regularly regardless. The second sign, back on topic, that this wasn't a dream, was the sound of crashing waves, and a lot of them at that, hitting and crashing with a repeated staccato not unlike the drumline back at school. Unlike that however, this was an actually pleasing sound.

You open your eyes slowly, and find yourself staring up at the noonday sky. That, at least, was familiar, and a quick glance to the left and right of where you were laying allows you to realize rather quickly where you were once more. Circe's Island… if it had a name she hadn't shared it with you and you had been too befuddled by everything that was going on at the time to ask. It wasn't Japan at least, you knew that much, if the Greek she had taught you… with effort… wasn't a sign enough.

It looked to be a beautiful day regardless, with nary a cloud in the sky. High above, drifting across the sky towards the sea was a faint, purple wispish smoke. It wasn't near thick enough to be anything like a massive fire, so you found yourself laying there, enjoying the feeling of the warm sand underneath you and the sound of crashing waves. It had… been a busy last day and change, and for once, for the first time in a long while, you actually felt relaxed.

But… Circe was likely waiting for you. So with a soft, quiet sigh you pressed your hands against the sand and drew yourself up into a sitting position. There, you see a sight you've seen before, yet it remains beautiful regardless. Dark rocks, glittering sand, and a deep blue sea that crashed against an island. The wind whipped by you, quick from its travel along the waves but it brought nothing but warmth and the scent of salt. It was only then you noticed another sound, that of shoes or feet crunching against sand to your left.

Turning your gaze, you see a solitary figure coming down the same path you took up before. It was Medea, looking not a day older than when you last saw her in this dream. Her dress flowing behind her as she walks up to the shore. Her hands are clasped in front of her in an almost alien way, considering how she normally looks. Medea has a small smile on her face as she comes to a stop at the water's edge. She lets out a quiet breath, then draws in deep as if to calm herself using the wind rolling in from the sea.

Then she moves no more, she isn't idle, but she simply stands there, watching the waves come in and out, letting the water wash over her, you now realize, bare feet. Her eyes aren't looking at you, or anything at all it would appear, instead they are distant, searching the horizon for something you can't see yourself.

"Medea?" you call out.

Your voice carries clearly over the beach, the wind strong but nowhere near strong enough to muffle you. But she doesn't move, doesn't even look in your direction. You sit there for a moment longer, looking Medea… Caster over. You frown, still wondering how all of this works, but then with a grunt you stand fully up. You cast your gaze back to the waters for a moment longer, then walk along the sand, past Medea who still pays you no notice, and towards the path that before led to the temple. The path had changed a bit, though only slightly, the stones that had marked it before had been flattened further, chiseled away by either manmade effort… or the sea breeze washing over the island.

In the distance however, the temple still stood proudly. The trees remained as well, the tall and proud pines having only grown taller since you were here but a night before. The largest and most obvious difference however, at least compared to before, were the fields. Shifting fields of golden grain filled either side of the path, their tall tops moving as if they were waving at you in the breeze. But there were no farmers to tend to them, indeed, beyond them you could see nothing else in the way of structure or people. The only man made thing that one could see, at least from the position you were standing in, was the temple.

You paused at the base of the path, waiting. But to your surprise, there was no yank like before, nothing teleporting you from the beach to the front of the temple. All there was was that still drifting purple smoke, which was definitely coming from the temple now that you could get a better look at things.

You stare at it for a moment, then place a foot forward with trepidation. You wince as it lands, but there is no pull. You move the other, then repeat the pattern, walking with more confidence as you pass by the grain fields and the rustling trees. It takes a good two minutes before you actually reach the temple, making your way up the wide marble steps to reach the landing you were previously… kidnapped onto. There you find the source of the smoke.

A brass brazier sat just before the statue, Hekate… you think. In it were all sorts of herbs and plants you didn't recognize, they were burning and creating the purple smoke. The smoke itself coiled around the statue of Hekate like a living thing, churning and twisting before rising off into the sky, increasing and decreasing in intensity by the actions of Circe, who stood in front of the brazier flicking a fan back and forth, her actions causing the smoke to shift and change as it moves.

Her eyes flickered to you a moment, a ghost of a smile coming onto her face, before she returned to her task. You opened your mouth to speak, but shut it as you see that Circe is speaking. But not towards you, her mouth forms syllables in a tongue that… sounds similar to the little Greek she taught you, but were different. It was like Japanese to Ainu, there was some basic things you could point to, but they were different on such a key level that one did nothing to help understand the other. Not that you could understand Greek either, but you knew enough to understand vaguely that whatever she was speaking wasn't Greek.

It reminded you, if anything, of a song. The way her speech transitioned from one word to another, there was almost no pause between them, and there was hardly any breath as well. Her lips moved, and almost impossible, beautiful, but impossible sounds came out. And with it, answering to some invisible rhythm her hand moved in time with her song. You watched her, and the smoke for… you couldn't tell how long. You were transfixed, until with a snap of wood her fan closed and her head turned to look at you.

"Good afternoon Piglet," she smiles, then tilts her head. "Or is it 'good evening' in your case?"

You start to respond, only for Circe to place a finger against your lips and walk by you. "It is good night, yes, how could I forget. Of course it's a good night, you are seeing me after all." She then spins around, standing between you and the entrance to the temple. Clapping her hands together, she leans forward, giving you a… rather provocative view that you quickly glance away from to focus on her face as the witch smiles. "You came to see me again! Very good. I am a grand witch after all, to not visit me and seek my knowledge would be very unwise."

"I… yes, but do I even have control of where my dreams take me?" you ask.

Circe thankfully stands back up straight. "You have more control than you believe, but, far more importantly, has my training been useful?"

You nod. "Yes, though I think it has made Caster… suspicious." At least, you were fairly sure she was suspicious, she could have also been curio-

No, no that was a lie to yourself. She was suspicious, and she likely had good reason to be, given what you had told her previously regarding your magical abilities.

Circe giggles. "That child needs a little bit of suspicion from time to time or else she would go insane trying to find something false to be paranoid about. Medea never trusts anyone, for any reason, these days. Unless you break through those silly little barriers she has set up around herself."

You nod, somewhat hesitantly. Frankly you didn't know Caster… or Medea well enough to really know what her barriers were. Or her limits for that matter. "If you say so," you reply. Causing Circe to giggle again.

You briefly debate bringing up the fact that there was a line running across the base of your tongue now that you were face to face with Circe again. Then you decided… no, she had warned you not to do it, and you weren't much in the mood to tick off two witches in the span of a day.

"I do, but you have only just met her," Circe says. The smile on her face can only be described as 'impish' as she takes a hop back. "Now come boy, into the temple with me." She then turns around, walking on her platform shoes into the wide entrance of the temple.

When you had last trained you had done so entirely outside, so it is with some trepidation you follow Circe along. You weren't worried per se, but there was a sense of grandeur to it, something old and something ancient about the building that almost made you feel like you didn't belong inside of it simply by being. But you followed Circe along regardless into the darkness of the building… but the darkness was but an illusion that dissipated the moment you entered.

You were standing in a room as long as it was tall, perhaps a good forty feet long and equally that high. With a ceiling made up of what looked to be tile held up by proud white pillars. The tile was blues and golds, and there was a large rectangular cutout in the center of the roof that allowed sunlight to pour through into the interior. The interior itself was built around a pool of water roughly half the size of the room itself, only a few inches thick but far from placid, covered in beautiful lilies and other assorted plants. Light played off of it as the water rippled from some unknown source, painting the room in golden specks of light not unlike a beam of sunlight playing through dust.

The specks illuminated, far from what you had been shown of antiquity, a beautiful, colorful room. Plastered with paints and mosaics depicting various scenes you didn't recognize. At the far end of the room was another statue of Hekate, standing vigil over the water and… you for that matter, from a pedestal that raised her a good twenty some odd feet into the air. There was a weight to it, from the water, to the colors, to the statue. A sense of power held in antiquity, like visiting a particularly old shrine. Which, you suppose, it was.

"Staring is very polite, if you were curious."

You look back to Circe, to see the woman leaning back up against some form of gigantic pot. It was a stark white with blue lines running across it, dipping in places like a cog's teeth. "Sit boy, anywhere is fine, and make yourself comfortable."

You glance around for a chair or a mat, and not seeing any you instead move to sit in front of Circe, your legs tucked underneath you as you look up at the woman.

Circe smiles. "Now, last time we worked on the very basics of greek and a simple child's spell. Tell me, do you know of Aspasia?"

You blink. "I have… er, do not."

Circe nods, her hands moving up in a shrugging motion. "I am not surprised. I suppose I should start with her birth, or perhaps, a quick summary would be more in order." Circe's hands wave to and fro, and she closes her eyes. "She came a bit after my time, but she was a powerful witch all the same. Nothing compared to me of course, but she did know some useful spells, including one I shall be teaching you today. Now, repeat after me. θέλγητρο."

… You aren't sure your tongue is physically capable of that.

—

You blink, slowly as you trade the warmth of a summer island for that of a blanket and thin walls. Your clock stated it was six in the morning, early, but not as early as you generally liked. It is with a groan you raise yourself out of bed, your hand moving to your head. It was… sore, not the skull, not the nerves, but your brain. Circe had poked at your brain with gusto, filling it full of magical theory and ideas that you had never before even considered, and your thoughts swam in an attempt to get them all in order.

The hand drops, and you stare at it. Yesterday there was a gigantic gaping hole through it, now there was nothing at all besides a patch of missing hair on one side. Medea… or Caster rather, had done rather a good job healing it up. Even if the process itself was arguably more painful than the stab itself.

Getting up out of bed you go over your mental schedule, gathering your clothes together before heading out and making your way towards the bathroom. Your hand reaches for the door, and then you pause. Perhaps it was the fact that you were currently dealing with a headache that made all the world hit a sharp clarity, but you were rather paying more attention than normal despite the fact that you had just woken up. The floor just before the door was slightly damp, not incredibly so, and not like someone had spilled something, it was damp from humidity. You pause there, and rap your fingers against the frame.

"Yes?" a voice called from inside, Caster's voice, and with it came the sound of water.

… That could have ended poorly. "I'll get started on making breakfast, head to the dining room once you are done with your bath."

"Understood Master." Caster replies.

You step past the door, then start to head towards the dining room… only to turn back and instead deposit your change of clothes onto your rolled up bed. You can take a bath after breakfast. You stare down at them, idly shaking your head from side to side in an effort to get your head somewhat in order. Then make your way back down the hall towards the kitchen once more.

There was no sign of Taiga in the dining room yet, though… if you knew her as well as you thought you did, she had spent most of the night working on grading papers and you wouldn't be seeing her for another hour or two at least. More if she had gotten into the alcohol in order to power through it all.

…

It was a good thirty minutes later when you heard signs of life in the house again, just about the time you had finished with the rice and eggs. It was, of course, coming from the direction you and Caster were staying, and you look back over your shoulder to see the wom-

Not dressed in her usual robes. She was wearing a foldover tan skirt that went down to her calves, revealing black stockings. The color was matched by a black shirt, tied at the side that hugged her rather well, and a blue denim jacket unzipped. Her hair hung freely behind her, and her entire face was on display, a rather rare sight given how much she liked to wear her hood. Her hair was… glistening, still slightly wet from the water, and damn near sparkled in the light afforded by the dining room.

Caster looks at you, catches you staring, and simply tilts her head.

You cough, and look away towards the food. "Almost done cooking."

"And what, dear master, are you making me eat this morning?" Caster asks.

"Tamago Kake Gohan, you seemed to like other egg dishes so I'm trying to mix it up for you."

"Master, I feel the need to stress once more that I do not need to eat. Barring that first night where I was desperate for mana." Master says, her tone sounding… not really annoyed, but not exactly playful either.

You look back at the woman, finding her having sat down at the table with her legs extended to the side. "Yes, but you enjoy it right?"

Caster simply stares at you, then deigns the subject no longer worthy of her interest. "What, praytell, is your schedule for today?"

"I have chores from Taiga," you reply. Turning back to the food. "And some stuff from school until probably around noon. Then I was thinking-"

—

There is only one option today. Tomorrow Shirou gets his butt back to school.

[] [Ask Caster for Lessons]

[] [Show Caster Around Town]

[] [Take Taiga Out + Get those Groceries]