[X] Plan Did You Remember To Bring A Bentō?
"... So, what do we do if we can't find one?"
It was easy enough to stumble into a witch's lair when you first arrived; Mitakihara was so thick with them at the time that all their negative energy was like a blanket resting over the entire city. But trying to find a witch in Shirome, a city you know was probably picked to the bone by Mikuni and Kirika as soon as possible, finding a witch is another story. To say nothing of how you, Rider, and Assassin have been wandering around for the better part of what feels like an hour. "If we can't find one, then we'll turn back and say we couldn't find one," you say to Rider. "If we don't find one, it's not because we aren't looking."
Rider shrugs, saying "Well, I kinda figured our masters wouldn't like us coming back empty handed, is all."
"It's not a competition. Another Grief Seed for the team would be good for them, but if we don't find one then it means the city's already in good shape." One less witch in the world, whether it's your team or not that did it, is a good thing for the city. "Speaking of, how are things with your master? Have you been enjoying her company so far?"
"The redhead's what I'd call a mixed bag," Rider says. "We can get along fine enough; heck, she's a lot better than my last master, that's for sure. But then she just sits around all day, snacking and watching whatever's on TV until the blonde kicks her rear in gear, and the disconnect just hits me really hard. I mean, if this were a real War, she wouldn't last a second behaving the way she is now."
"So you wish she were more proactive, is what you're saying?"
"Yeah." Rider nods his head, adding "I guess I can't really fault her for that, though. Going from how she used to live to how she lives now, she's probably thinking she's earned the break, so unless she goes and does something I'm really against all the way, I don't see a reason to complain about her being how she is."
"What about Lancer?" you ask, quickly specifying "Cú Chulainn, I mean; not Brynhildr. I hear you and he have been sparring lately; how's that going for you?"
"Going great!" Rider flexes his bicep, and beside you you catch sight of a slight hint of blush tinging Assassin's cheeks. "Sparring with Caster was great too, but I've really been wanting someone that'll go all-out on me. Cú's been just about the perfect sparring partner in every way in that regard."
"Strange that I never see or hear the two of you going at it, considering he's my upstairs neighbor and all," you say. "Where are the two of you fighting that nobody notices you?" What sort of world do you live in where Cú Chulainn is your upstairs neighbor, and you're completely okay with that?
Are you completely okay with that?
He did still kill you that one time, after all.
"We go out to the park when everyone else is asleep." Still doesn't explain how no one else notices their fighting, but okay. "Besides, we're not trying to kill each other or anything; no Noble Phantasms, no hitting below the belt, that sort of thing. Collateral damage is kept to a minimum that way, we don't draw any unwanted attention, and we're free to beat the crap out of each other until we're both black and blue."
"Sounds like the ideal life after life for a pair of heroes like yourselves."
"Yeah. Might be nice fighting a larger variety of heroes strong enough to face me, but Cú's far and away one of the best non-Greeks I've ever had the pleasure of fighting." Rider grins, twirling his spear around until it rests along the length of both shoulders. "Damn, thought I saw one there for a second," you hear him say under his breath. There's no labyrinth entrance in sight; it must have just been Rider's mind playing tricks on him, you think. "If I had to say, he and the redhead would probably have gotten along pretty well if she'd summoned him."
"Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?" you ask, taunting Rider as he contemplates who else his master might have summoned if not him.
"Nah, just something I've been thinking."
You'll let Rider get back to his thoughts then, and turn your attention to the third member of your hunting party. "How was the sleepover last night?" you ask Assassin. "Homura sounded like she had fun, but what about you?"
"It was enjoyable," Assassin says. "It felt... Nice, to be included in the same activities as my master. The masters of Lancer and Berserker are also nice people, and I envy how intimate they are able to be with one another."
Does she envy them because she wishes she could be that intimate with Homura; or just because she never had that kind of intimacy in life? It's a question you won't dwell on, for fear that the answer isn't one you'd want to hear. "I'm glad you had fun last night. That's what Homura has been trying to do, getting you out of the house and giving the kind of interaction with others you couldn't have in life."
"Oh?" Rider turns his attention your way. "What's this? Your kid had a sleepover with Lancer and Berserker's masters?"
"Well, they are practically sisters; it's to be expected that they'd do stuff like that." You turn to Assassin, handing to her a dagger you've been Projecting. "We haven't found anything yet, but if we do you might find that dagger useful."
Assassin stares at the weapon you've given to her, and says "While I thank you for the gift, I have plenty of my own daggers, Archer. Another is unnecessary."
"Ah, but that dagger's special." Maybe you once spent too much time around Tohsaka Rin, because you adopt that well-used pose of hers when explaining the dagger's purpose to Assassin. "To make a long story short, that dagger has a powerful enchantment on it that will allow you to conceal your killing intent right up until it's in the throat of your target. Used in tandem with your infiltration shapeshifting, add a dash of your poison to the blade, and there you have it- Silent, untraceable, perfect for you, if I say."
What you leave out of your explanation is that you aren't giving that dagger to Assassin with the intent to have her use it on a witch. You don't think witches experience the world the same way a 'normal' entity would, so Assassin concealing her killing intent is probably a moot point. No, what you're banking on by giving Assassin that dagger is what comes after Walpurgisnacht. There's no way the Mage's Association will be turning a blind eye to this city once all is said and done, so you're doing your part to make things as difficult for whoever comes around to make trouble for Homura and her friends as possible.
"I see," Assassin says, sliding her new dagger into the sheath at her leg. "Then thank you, Archer. I will keep your gift in mind the next time I have need of covert work."
You don't have a watch to check, but by now you're sure it's been well over an hour since your hunting party set out, and there's still been no sign of any witches hanging around this part of Shirome. "Well, what are we thinking?" you ask of your hunting companions. "Do we keep at it, or do we report back and say that this part of town is clean?"
"I say we give it one more shot," Rider says. "I know I saw something back there, even if it was just for a second."
"Agreed," Assassin adds. "Even if Rider was incorrect in his initial assessment, it does us no harm to be certain; and if a witch truly is about where Rider saw it, then we are doing this city one more good deed."
You didn't see anything where Rider thinks he saw the entrance to a labyrinth, and you doubt Rider's eyes are as good as yours. Still, even if he's wrong, Assassin makes a good point. There's no harm in doing your due diligence. "Alright," you say, turning the party around to do one more sweep of this part of Shirome. "We'll check again." To Rider you add "Let's see if we can find this labyrinth you say you saw."
So search the city again you do. Not content just to search the Shirome-Mitakihara border, this time your party tears apart the area Rider claims he saw a labyrinth in, only to find nothing. You check deeper into the city, hospitals, the nearest graveyard, places like that where negative emotions are likely to congregate; but still you manage to find nothing. "Are you sure you saw it?" you ask Rider, as your search continues to be fruitless despite everyone's best efforts. "Because we've turned this part of the city upside down and we're still no closer to finding a labyrinth than we were hours ago."
"I swear I saw one," Rider says, but his tone no longer sounds as confident as it had before the second round of searching. He shakes his head, saying "Maybe you're right, though. Maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me. We go out, looking for one of these- Even something that just kind of looks like one would catch our eyes if that's what we're already looking for."
You turn to Assassin. "I believe Rider is correct," she says. "he may have believed he saw the entrance to a labyrinth, but if he were already looking for one then it is possible he could have made a mistake and jumped to conclusions."
"Well, that's a shame then," you say. "And here I was thinking we'd be able to go back to the girls with something to show for our troubles."
[ ] Wat do?
