[X] She was a kind-faced girl in a wheelchair, with a figure lurking in the shadows behind them.
The girl in the wheelchair smiled, and made a sort of half-bow, as much as she could do in her condition.
"Hello, Caster." She greeted. "My name is Fiore Forvedge Yggmillenia."
Morgan examined the situation.
First, her Master. Morgan could tell, through the connection between the two, that her Master wasn't lacking in magical power.
Morgan was hardly lacking in Mana either, but it was nice to know that her Master had enough to draw from, if it was needed.
Second, the figure lurking behind Fiore. Like the crippled girl, he wore a white uniform, and wore glasses. He was observing Morgan warily.
What was his purpose here? Was he simply here to observe the ritual? To report on the relationship between Morgan and her Master? Or was he here to protect Fiore, in case she summoned a hostile Servant?
...No matter. Morgan had more important things to worry about. Such as her reputation.
The Grail had given her some knowledge, and had informed her that her portrayal in the legends was that of the 'Evil Sorceress,' who sought to end King Arthur's rule to satisfy her greed.
...A not entirely inaccurate portrayal, unfortunately. Which made it all the more important that Morgan acquired her Master's trust.
"Greetings, Master." Morgan replied, with a bow of her own. "I presume that you are aware of my identity?"
As she asked this, Morgan's eyes flickered to the figure in the shadows.
Even if he was a likely ally for now, the Great Grail War would not end once the Red Faction was destroyed. Chances were, there would be members of Black Faction who fought amongst themselves, in a desire for a greater wish. As such, Morgan was reluctant to give her name out.
"Please, call me Fiore." The girl requested. "And there is no need for secrecy here, Morgan Le Fay. My brother knew of who I intended to summon before now."
Just like that, Fiore saw through Morgan's intent, and dismissed her worries.
The Sorceress hid a frown at the way her Master revealed her True Name so freely, but if everyone in the room already knew of her identity, then there was nothing to be done.
"...Very well." Said Morgan. "And what of the other Masters and Servants? Do they know of my identity?"
"Only Grandfather and Lancer, at the moment." Fiore replied. "The other Servants have yet to be summoned, and the Master's of the Grail War wish to wait until they have gotten to know their Servants opinions, before they reveal identities. Until that time comes, they will only know you as Caster."
Turning her head towards her brother, Fiore spoke. "Caules? Could you please inform Grandfather that I have completed the summoning, and will meet with him shortly?"
"Of course." Caules replied. Without another word, he left the room, leaving Fiore and Caster alone.
There was silence for a moment, before Morgan spoke.
"You summoned me before the rest of the Servants..." She pondered aloud. "I presume you want me to use my magic to prepare defences then? If so, I apologize. My ability to create Bounded Fields isn't very high, for a Caster."
"Ah... That is not a problem, Caster." Replied Fiore. "Lancer's Noble Phantasm has served as a sufficiently powerful defence so far. Regardless of that, you still have your Item Creation, right?"
"But my ability is limited there, too." Caster replied. "Apart from my Noble Phantasm and Homunculi, I am no more skilled there then I am with the creation of Bounded Fields."
"That is no issue." Fiore replied. "Homunculi are useful, after all. And your Noble Phantasm..."
Cutting herself off, Fiore looked at the door. "We should go meet with Grandfather and Lancer now, Caster. They will want to know what you are capable of, before the Red Faction arrive in Trifas."
Fiore wheeled herself to the door, and after a moment, Caster followed.
~~~~~
Darnic Preston Yggdmillenia had an impressive aura of command about him.
He wore a uniform, much life Fiore and Caules, but with the addition of a white cape. Despite Fiore calling him 'Grandfather,' he looked young enough that the idea of him having children much older then Fiore herself seemed unlikely.
But as impressive as Darnic seemed, his Servant, Lancer, eclipsed him in terms of sheer presence. It was like standing before Arturia, in a way.
Looking past the aura of command for a second, Morgan observed Lancer.
He stood up straight, his posture showing a mix of confidence and expectation. His expression, while pale, was piercing and judging.
In other words, this was a man who expected men to follow him, when he gave the orders.
As they entered, Caster moved to stand in beside Fiore, and the two stopped in front of Darnic and Lancer.
"Fiore." Began Darnic. "I see that you have successfully summoned your Servant."
"Yes, Grandfather." Replied the girl. "I have summoned Morgan Le Fay as Servant Caster, as you instructed."
Morgan looked at Darnic, her head held high, and the blue-haired man examined her.
"Caster." He said, after a while. "This is Servant Lancer, known as Vlad III. He will be leading us during the Grail War."
Oh? A Master, allowing a Servant to rule them?
In a way, it made sense. After all, it was easier to make a famous ruler such as Vlad cooperate by giving them leadership, then it was to try and force them into submission.
Turning to Lancer, Morgan spoke. "Greetings, Lancer. I am Morgan Le Fay, the rightful heir to Camelot. I look forward to working with you, in pursuit of the Holy Grail."
Lancer smiled, walking towards Caster. "Morgan Le Fay... You are aware, I take it, of how legends portray you?"
"I am aware." Caster replied.
"Traitor, seducer, witch, who destroyed Camelot in order to take the throne for herself. You can see why someone who knows of you would be reluctant to trust you?"
Caster bristled as Lancer's statements, before nodding, not trusting her mouth to give a polite response.
"But then, legend speaks poorly of us all." Lancer continued. "Why, I myself am portrayed as nothing but a brutal tyrant, when they speak of me. They even associate me with that dreadful Dracula legend."
As he observed Caster, Vlad continued. "As such, I have decided to put my trust in you regardless. As one who knows how legend can distort fact to make people look bad, simply dismissing you for a bad reputation, when you have not done anything to warrant such distrust, would be unwise of me."
Morgan didn't miss the implication behind the statement.
It was subtle, but anyone paying attention would notice it. Lancer wasn't saying what he was to show that he trusted Caster, but to warn her not to try anything.
Morgan smiled. "I appreciate the show of trust." She said, maintaining the false civility overlaying the conversation.
Of course, the meaning behind that statement was hidden, too. One who honestly believed that Lancer's words were a show of trust wouldn't make a point of it like that. In other words, those that did were hinting that they understood the implied warning, without resorting to a hostility that would make either of the Master's interrupt the conversation.
After letting her statement hang in the air for a bit, Lancer relaxed slightly, and continued. "Speaking of trust, Caster, I believe I shouldn't be concealing any information that would be of use in battle."
Shifting slightly, Lancer explained. "I have two Noble Phantasms. The first relates to my title of 'The Impaler.' I can create Stakes anywhere in my territory. The second, I will not use under any circumstances. If we are to fight side-by-side, remember that I possess a good rank in Magic Resistance, so you should be able to use your magic without risk of harming me as a side effect."
Was this a test?
It was possible. After all, if she didn't talk about her abilities, Lancer may suspect that Caster had an ulterior motive for concealing them from him.
It wasn't as if Lancer had anything to lose, if that was the case. With his Magic Resistance, Caster's spells were less powerful. Additionally, without knowing how large his territory was, knowing about his ability to create stakes didn't help at all.
Which also meant that, if Lancer was planning to betray Morgan, he could reveal what he did to trick her into revealing her abilities.
After pondering the situation for a minute, Caster...
[X] Concealed her abilities, revealing only that she was a powerful sorceress.
[X] Explained her combat-focused abilities and techniques, but concealed her Noble Phantasms.
[X] Gave Lancer full disclosure on her Skills and Noble Phantasms.
[X] Lied.
After the meeting had ended, Morgan...
[X] Diverted all her attention into preparing for the Grail War. (Timeskip to the Summoning of Servants)
-[X] Focused on creating Homunculi, to serve as protectors, scouts, and castle servants.
-[X] Focused on preparing her Noble Phantasm.
-[X] Split her attention between both.
[X] Interacted with...
-[X] Her Master, Fiore.
-[X] Another Master of Black (Write-in which).
--[X] With the intention to learn who they intended to summon.
--[X] With the intention to manipulate them, if needed.
--[X] Write-in.
[X] Write-in.