[X] Plan Destroy Elsa Maria's Arts & Crafts Project
"Archer, report. It's been all afternoon and I haven't heard anything from either you or Assassin. How is the search going?"
"Not too well, I'm afraid to say. It sounds unbelievable, but neither Assassin nor myself have managed to find any of the witch's emblems, no matter where we looked."
Archer is right; that does sound unbelievable. "You're not looking hard enough. They have to be around somewhere, or else the witch won't be able to manifest its familiars in the real world." This is basic information that you learned first-hand the night you extracted Sister Hope for the witch's clutches. The familiars need depictions of the sunburst emblem in order to manifest in this world. They have to be around this city, somewhere.
"I'll find Assassin and tell her that we're doing another sweep, if you want. But I don't know how much more successful we'll be the second time."
"Concentrate your search near the river. We know that the witch is due to rise somewhere at the river, so the closer to the river that you and Assassin search, the more likely it is that you'll find something. I'm sure of it."
"Maybe you should ask Tomoe to rub her magic lamp and see if her little golden genie would be willing to shoot us some search advice?"
"Ah, Akemi-san; they have one!" What perfect timing. Just as you have a need of Tomoe-san, she calls for you, pointing to a necklace that fits your desired specifications. "I had to ask the jeweler, but he does have one that's what you're looking for." You make your way over to where Tomoe-san is standing, leaning in to get a better look at the piece she's selected. The color of the metal is somewhere between silver and a very pale gold, with a heart design that splits into two half-hearts when worn as separate necklaces.
But the price, at well over 20,000¥, is a far cry more than you think you should spend at the moment, especially after your new swimsuit and the reading material for Sayaka and Hitomi. Maybe if you offer to sell one of your Beretta pistols to Kure Kirika, she can convince Mikuni Oriko to lend her the funds, and you can use that as the extra spending money you'd need to buy it. You'll have to give to give some serious thought to whether or not the asking price is worth it. "Tomoe-san, I have something I need from Caster, if he'd be willing to assist."
"I can convey your message, but you know how he is."
"Right. I have Archer and Assassin out looking for places where the witch's sunburst emblems might be hidden, but Archer reports that neither he nor Assassin have found any. I was hoping if Caster could tell us where to look; or if not, even just telling us whether there are any or not would be enough."
While you wait for Tomoe-san to relay your request to Caster, you find yourself drifting back to the paired necklace. It's quite expensive, but money has never been a problem for you since your father left you with a sizeable inheritance; and it's a gift for Madoka, so price is a secondary concern compared to the value you would receive from it, but there is always the chance that your relationship will not last, if this timeline ends as all the others have. But if it doesn't last, then what does it matter how much you spend on Madoka now?
"I have good news, and bad news." Good news is better than you had expected, but bad news is always worse than what you're hoping to hear. "Caster says that there are emblems of the witch spread throughout the city, and that if they can be found they can be destroyed. However..."
"It's easier said than done, right?"
"Exactly. According to him, they are far too small and far too numerous for even Archer's eyes to find them all, if indeed he is lucky enough to even find one."
"I take it Caster didn't say why they were so hard to find?"
"That's correct. But at least you can tell Archer that he isn't wrong. They do exist, but he and Assassin must not be looking in the right places. Either their net is too wide, or too narrow, to catch anything, but I'm afraid I can't say which it is."
"That's fine. So asking Caster, while not a bust, still didn't give you quite what you were hoping for. You'll have to think of another option, one that can aid your two servants in their search, someone like "Mikuni Oriko, I need to borrow Lancer for the afternoon?"
Mikuni Oriko tears herself away from the engagement ring case she and Kure Kirika had been pouring over, shifting her focus to you before remembering that your words didn't come from your mouth. She returns to the case to continue perusing with her beloved, but responds to you with "That's an unusual request, isn't it? Might I ask what for?"
"I currently have Archer and Assassin out looking for places where someone under the witch's control might have put up the sunburst emblem its familiars need to manifest. They've been unsuccessful, but according to Tomoe-san Caster says that they do exist, despite the difficulty they've had finding them, though he also says they're small and easy to miss. I was hoping that, by having Lancer join their search party, her Berkano rune might make the search go quicker."
"Ah, I understand. Yes, I"ll tell Lancer to link up with them right away."
"Thank you. I'll inform Archer right away." As you contemplate the necklace you wish to buy for Madoka, you have one last thing to say to Mikuni Oriko, who despite your conversation with you has not slowed at all from her perusal of engagement rings with Kure Kirika. "I hope that one day, this country will recognize same-sex marriages. Then all of us can be happy together with our loved ones."
"So do I, Akemi-san. You and Kaname-san deserve all the happiness in the world."
"... I've asked Mikuni Oriko to send Lancer over to assist you and Assassin in your search, so hopefully with a third set of eyes and the aid of her Berkano rune, the hunt will go that much quicker."
"Well?" Assassin asks you, her tone flat, her body language distant; not at all the way she looks or sounds when her hands are on your master. "What does our master have to say?"
"She says it's a mixed bag we've got. According to her, and according to Caster, there are sunburst emblems we've been missing. But, the reason we've been missing them is because they're small, and are either in locations that are hard to spot or the emblems themselves are too small to spot at a distance." Apparently, they're either small enough or well-hidden enough as to completely evade your hawk's eye and Assassin's careful scrutiny. "She's asked Mikuni to send Lancer in to help out with the search, so hopefully this'll go that much quicker once she gets here." You aren't sure what sort of history Assassin and Lancer shared, but their initial reactions upon meeting that first night were mixed, to put it mildly. Quickly, you add "I hope working alongside her won't be too much of an issue, given your past histories. As much as I dislike her master, Lancer has so far been a useful and helpful ally to have on hand, so I'd like it if you two could work together despite your differences."
"I have no problems working with Lancer," Assassin responds. "If she has problems working with me, then she will have to learn that my current master is not my previous master, and overcome any issues she may have with me on her own."
"Right." You're confident that your master has already asked Assassin about her previous master; you'll have to get the story from her when this is all over. "We'll try to get started on our second search before Lancer arrives. If you check along the banks of the river and by the train tracks-" Given that the witch is appearing at the river, it's logical to assume that it might have its emblems placed along the city's leylines "-then I'll search the old Church and the warehouse park where we've stashed their former emissary."
Assassin nods, asking "Then what shall we do when Lancer arrives?"
With a whispered chant, "I am the bone of my sword," you Trace the sword that once belonged to Achilles' father. You used it to keep track of the former, false Assassin when she vanished into the fog, and your hope is that it will help you to find something again now. "That'll be up to what our master wants."
"Understood," Assassin says, vanishing into the air as her Presence Concealment takes effect.
[Archer] Wat do?
[Homura] Wat do?
