"So, how are things going in London?"
Archer's question is barely enough to drag Tohsaka Rin's attention away from her mountains of paperwork; she does, but the look she gives him is one that plainly asks
"Do you want me to help you with your money laundering or not?" "How far have you gotten studying under Zelretch? Can you do anything neat after all the time you've spent studying under him?"
Tohsaka Rin rolls her eyes, responding with "Oh, yeah, everything's going just fine... Unless you count that old
idiot deciding to make a
second Kaleidostick for
Luvia; of all people,
Luvia! I know I've told you this already, but he could have picked
literally anyone else and I would have been fine with it; but no, he had to get it in his head to make one for
Luvia! I think he did it just to piss me off."
You have no idea who this "Luvia" person is, but the irritation Tohsaka Rin feels towards her is palpable even without knowing who they are. A longtime rival, most likely, possibly for the attention of this "Zelretch" they're studying under.
Tohsaka Rin speaks of "Luvia" with the same frustration which you once spoke of Sayaka. Or maybe they're just a fellow annoyance she has to deal with on a regular basis. "Are your experiences in London typical of what mage life is like?"
"Worse," Tohsaka Rin says; you weren't expecting worse. "We're all basically Merlin on a warpath; and that's if you catch us on a good day. Being a mage is just about the best thing ever, if your family is of high enough stature to enjoy all the perks of the Association; but mage society is like living in a city where you never know who'll try to make a pass at your kidneys when you're sleeping." She pauses, contemplating her words before adding "Sometimes literally, if you've pissed off the wrong person."
Tohsaka Rin's description of mage life is a scary thought. "Did you tell Hitomi the same thing?"
"Shizuki? Oh, no, she got it worse. While I fully encouraged her to consider studying at the Clocktower when she's old enough, I made sure she was aware of e
xactly what kind of world she'd be entering if she chose to walk down that path." But despite her harsh words, Tohsaka Rin smiles, and says "She's a smart kid, though. I'm sure she'll make it if she keeps her head on straight. Really, her biggest problem is just that she's a first-generation. She'll be coming into that world with nothing, and there'll be a lot of pressure put on her by the more accomplished families. I'm worried that she'll either be picked up and used as a pawn in some inter-departmental or inter-familial game, or she'll be pressured to marry into the wrong family if they decide they like her magic circuits."
You aren't even going to try predicting what Hitomi's marriageable status will be by the time she's old enough to be attending magic school in a foreign country; that's too far off, and her current relationship is already rocky enough for as little time together as she has with her boyfriend. You think you've heard enough about what mage life is like; instead, "What can you tell me about the material you've brought with you? Archer says it's for Mystic Codes and Formalcraft, but II barely have an idea of what either of those are; I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about what they are and what they can do."
"Before I tell you that, there's something I'm curious to hear from you." You don't like the sound of that. "Archer tells me that Lancer - that is, Mikuni's Lancer, not McRemitz's - has been teaching the five of you how to use Primordial Runes." Tohsaka Rin's eyes practically light up as she says those two words. "Can you pretty-please give me a little demonstration? Just a little bit, that's all. I just want to see what the old runes are capable of."
You distinctly recall already giving up one Grief Seed to Tohsaka Rin in exchange for the materials she's brought you, so why you have to give her a demonstration of something else is beyond you.
Still, she is going through the trouble of keeping your city safe from the Association, so you suppose the elast you an do is be appreciative of her actions. "Alright, I'll give you a little demonstration."
You stand, and make your way to the kitchen sink. "Watch carefully now," you say, turning the handle of the faucet and waiting a few seconds for the water to run, before tracing
Isa directly in the water's path. The rune of ice creates a frozen disc which hovers inside the stream of water, tilting this way and that at the bend of your finger as water runs off of the disc at odd angles. "This is
Isa, the rune of ice. There's a lot more I can do with it than this, but we're not exactly ideally situated for me to demonstrate some of the more impressive things I can do."
"Cool." Tohsaka Rin stares at your ice disc, and you give her a few seconds to stare before you turn off the water and allow the disc to fall into the sink. "So, are all of your friends studying the same rune, or are you all doing different runes?"
"We're all studying different runes."
Tohsaka Rin nods, and after a moment's pause she says "I know you asked me to bring this stuff for your friend, but if you and the others took a look through here, you could probably figure out a way to make Mystic Codes from them. I know you can do it were the modern runes, so in theory the process to do it with the Primordial ones should be the same."
"And, now that I've given you a demonstration of my rune, you'll give me an idea of how to actually do that, right?"
"She has no idea what a Mystic Code is, and yet she somehow has access to a freaking Primordial Rune. McRemitz was right; this is annoying." You'll pretend that you didn't hear that. "Alright, fine." Tohsaka Rin stands, adopting a pose that fills you with dread at the prospect of a massive incoming dump of information, and your guest says "So to start, a Mystic Code is a...."
Wow, you think back to the conversation over dinner as, two hours after returning to your room, you can finally say that Archer's present to Kure Kirika is safe for her to fire.
That girl can talk. There's nothing you can do to restore the worn metal finish to a like-new state, but all the internal components are mechanically sound, cleaned, and oiled. After performing some final function checks to make sure you've put everything back together properly, you wipe the metal of the reassembled Walther pistol down with an oily rag, before stowing it away inside your shield.
Just when you think you're finally done for the night, there comes a knocking, knocking at your bedroom door.
"Master, will we be able to touch again tonight?" It's Assassin.
"Yes," you call out, as you rummage through a pile of clothes to find your usual outfit. "Just give me a moment." You change, and head out of your room, leaving Amy to skulk underneath your bed as soon as the scent of Assassin hits her nose. "You'll be fine," you say to her as you close the door and head off to meet with Assassin for your nightly routine.
Your body has given up protesting Assassin's touch; and now that you've put that thought into thought-words, you realize just how creepy that sounds. Granted, Assassin's desire to touch you for no other reason than because you can withstand her poisonous touch isn't something you would seek out, but it's less
creepy and more
sad; as though Assassin has nothing else to live for, or even to entertain herself with that isn't you.
"Master, is something wrong?"
"Huh?" Assassin's question brings you out of your thoughts. "No, I was just thinking, that's all."
"May I ask what you were thinking about?"
You don't want to say what you've really been thinking; so how can you speak to Assassin about your thoughts in a way that won't put you at risk of retaliation? "I was just thinking about how lonely you must be; I leave you all alone while I go out to do things, and you've got no interests outside of touching me. I feel bad for you."
Assassin shakes her head, saying "There is nothing to be concerned about, master. My body is a tool to be used at your discretion. I have no need of frivolities when you are around."
"But what about when I'm not around?"
And then, suddenly you had an idea. A stupid idea, to be sure, but as Kyouko said to you not too long ago, 'if it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid.' "Wait right here," you say. "I'll be right back." Fortunately, Assassin does as you instruct her and does not protest as you rise, retreating to your room to grab the item which has struck your mind's fancy.
"Where are you headed?" Archer asks, stopping you in the hall as you return to Assassin, your laptop clutched tightly under your arm.
"I was going to show Assassin how to use the technologies of the modern world." Archer nods; you aren't sure if it's a nod of approval, or a nod of
"I don't know, but I trust you anyway." "While I'm doing that, take a Grief Seed and go check in on Nagatsuki Miyuki. I'd like to keep a closer eye on her in case the stress or the alcohol start taking their toll on her mental state."
"Will do."
You hand off a Grief Seed to Archer, and while he heads out into the night, you return to Assassin. "What is that?" she asks, as you set your laptop down on the table and boot it up.
"This is a laptop computer," you reply, beckoning Assassin to join you by the device. "I'd like to show you how to use this, so that you'll have something to do while I'm away." Once the laptop is on and you've logged in, you bring up a search engine. "And this is the internet. If you type something into the search here," you say, showing Assassin how to type into the search bar. "You can look for things you might be interested in."
"How does it work?"
You weren't expecting Assassin to get it right off the bat, but at least she's showing an interest in your lesson. Maybe there's hope for finding something besides you that she likes, after all. "It's a bit of a long story, but the short version is that electrical impulses containing information are stored in a nonexistent space, and by using a computer you can access that information through an interface called the internet. There's all sorts of information out there to be found; and some of it is bound to be something you find enjoyable; for example-" Your fingers move across the keyboard, typing "cat videos" into the search engine and letting it go. "My girlfriend thinks my pet cat is cute. Knowing that, I can use the internet to find pictures and videos of other cats she might find cute and show them to her. Or maybe there are other animals you like; or anything, really. It doesn't have to be animals."
"Your... Girlfriend?" Assassin asks, staring at you with curious eyes.
You're so glad she's not wearing that mask; it's so much easier to read what she's thinking when you can see her eyes. "I knew you were spoken for, but... To love another woman is... Most certainly haram, is it not?"
"Modern attitudes regarding who can love who have changed greatly since your time," you respond; surprised that it's taken you this long to hear that sort of thinking from someone. "And while there are still some countries where that type of thinking prevails, there are more countries than not where attitudes are more open and accepting of love between two girls."
It's hard to spot on account of her unnatural skin tone, but you're certain you saw a faint blush lighting up Assassin's cheeks. "I see. So it is acceptable for two women to love one another in this country, then."
You nod, saying "To a certain extent. It's still illegal for two girls to marry, but there's nothing stopping us from being together." Though inside, you find yourself fearing that that blush, and the tone you thought you heard in Assassin's voice, might be bad omens of things to come.
You hope you're wrong.
