Day 22
DoBetterLettuce
"Not Really An Archer"
- Location
- Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Day 22
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Perception is all relative. Like- it's the process that defines it, not the ending. Two halves of a whole may look completely different, but you can't just switch out one piece for another. Even if they're the same size, the same shape - the puzzle will never be completed with something like that. Or maybe that's a poor excuse for originality.
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[X] "Hey, Saber..." This would be a good time to tell Saber what happened while you were out. Maybe she would know what that pit was.
[X] "Jack? You there?" You didn't see Assassin when you woke up, which was odd. Having Jack scout the area would also prepare you for whatever might happen. You aren't naive enough to believe that Kiritsugu won't have some trick up his sleeve.
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You shiver, rubbing your arms slightly. The air is freezing cold, and you forgot to grab a jacket. You glance over to your right, at your Servant - Saber's wearing jacket - as a Servant, does she even need one? …I mean, it's not like you want it or anything…
The scent of leather fills your nostrils as Saber draping her duster over your shoulders. It's still warm when you pull it around your shoulders. The duster is way too big for you, but it smells… nice, actually, in a dusty, comforting way. Like returning to a family home after a long vacation.
"Better, Master?" Saber rolls her eyes, though the slight grin on her face betrays her amusement. Jerk. You sulk for a while, ignoring her knowing smirk, before you remember that you have something to tell Saber. Actually, there were two things on your mind.
"Saber, do you know where Jack is? I haven't seen her around."
You ask, sitting back down, being particularly careful not to let the edges of the duster touch the ground.
Saber shrugs, her bare shoulders doing a wave, colored starkly white against her surroundings. She's a lot smaller than you expected -"Why not use the Master - Servant connection?"
...That's a good point, actually. You feel pretty stupid for not remembering about that.
Jack?
There's a shivery-cold sensation, like your toes were dipped in ice water. Then-
"Here, Mom."
It's a testament to how much you've been through that you don't even react to Jack popping up behind you. Still, turning to look at your wayward Servant, you see that Jack's much more subdued than usual. She's fidgeting in place, letting a clear mix of anxiousness and fear show, her clothes draped over her like the loose cover of a scarecrow. That's… not like her, and you can't stop the spike of fear that touches your gut. Did something happen? You give her a once-over. No, she seems unhurt, but...
"Jack?" You ask, softly. "Is something wrong?
You know that your guess was right when Jack dips her head away, her white hair cascading over, hiding her eyes. You get the feeling that's on purpose, though.
"..." Assassin shuffles in place for a second, her gaze still trapped at a sharp downward angle. She squeezes the edge of her shirt, bunching it into a ball, before finally letting it go.
"...Mom, I was afraid."
"What?"
"You went to sleep, a-and…" Jack stops. Takes in a deep, shuddering breath. Looks away, her white hair now shifted over the scarred left side of her face. "I don't know. Nothing we could do helped. You wouldn't wake up."
Ouch. You wince, sucking in air through your teeth. Crap. You're ashamed to admit that you didn't think of how Assassin would feel - you really didn't think that you were gone for that long, but you should've really told her something beforehand. For all her strength, she's surprisingly dependant on you. Still -
"That's not your fault, Jack. So it's fine. " You reach out to rub her head, only for Jack to twist away.
"No, you don't understand. I was the one who told you not to take the immortality, a-and if you had died, it would've been my fault. My-fault, our-fault, we..." She twists her fingers together, rubbing a thumb over her scarred hands, her nail digging in, her movements coming out fast and frantic like her words, the keratin of her nails bitten to a nub. "I-I…"
"Jack." At the sound of her name, Jack's head jerks up, her eyes locking onto your own, like a deer in headlights.
Jack's so nervous, so scared, so jumpy that you try make every one of your movements as slow and unthreatening as you can. Gently, as gently as you can, you grab her hands, pushing them apart. Just hold them there, keeping them in the palm of your hand, her hands surprisingly cold and delicate. Her hands wiggle in your grip, twitch, before finally falling still.
"It's fine. I'm here, okay?" You whisper soothingly, making eye contact with Jack's frantic green pupils. There's a lump of stone in the back of your throat that wells up just looking at Jack.
She has the wrong idea about immortality; it doesn't work as she thinks it does, so even if you'd taken Caster's research, had you died you'd still probably stay dead. But… yeah. It's one thing to think that everything's okay, to be fine with putting yourself in life-or-death situations, and another thing to see a child, scared, believing that you weren't coming back.
If you had died you wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Saber and Assassin would've been gone, as well.
"Jack, I…" Fine doesn't cut it. "I'm okay. I'll… try not to anything scary like that again, okay?"
Shit, you don't sound confident at all. You try again. "It's okay, Jack. It's not your fault, okay? And if anything else happens, I'll be with you, and Saber. You'll protect me, right?" You're grasping at straws here.
"...I didn't do that good of a job last time, Mom."
"And?" You challenge. "Jack, honey-" (it just feels right to do that, even as Saber fake-gags, you shoot her a glare but Jack doesn't seem to notice)
"- I'm sorry. I, I was the one who messed up, not you. You couldn't have done anything about it. But it's fine. We both messed up, but we survived. Alright?"
Jack sniffled. Takes a deep inhale in, through her nose, before letting it out. "Okay, Mom. Thanks."
You ruffle her hair, brushing it to the side; this time, Jack actually allows it.
"No problem, Jack."
"..."
Saber coughs, politely, breaking you out of your trance. "Sorry to interrupt this heartwarming meeting, but - Johanna, you had something else to say?"
"Yeah." You sit back down, Jack taking a seat besides you, and Saber sitting down slightly across to you, forming a lopsided semi-triangle. "So, I was in a dream..."
...
In the end, you re-tell your entire experience of the room. From the beginning, of the man strapped to the chair, to the rooms, the darkened room, the priest, the... thing, that was actively hunting for food. Then - to what became of the thing. How you were trapped, forced to climb your way out of a scene from hell.
Saber lets out a low whistle. "Well, if you think that we know anything about that... you'd be dead wrong. The only time that I'd want to know more about something like that would be to figure out how to kill it."
"Jack?"
Your other Servant shakes her head. "Nope."
Damn. Though, even if it's somewhat disappointing, you didn't really expect for your Servants to know anything. You sigh. "Well, not much we can do about that, except be on the lookout for... whatever that was. Anyways Jack, do you mind scouting the area?"
Jack nods, clearly eager to do something. "What should I look for, Mommy?"
"Guns, explosives, anything that looks suspicious - just, don't get hurt. Let us know if you find something and Saber and I will come help."
It takes you a second to realize that she's already gone, disappeared before you even finished talking, Presence Concealment working even in broad daylight.
And you're left with Saber, on a pier that suddenly seems much smaller, the triangle now more like a lopsided pair. You shift slightly, standing up, Jack's disappearance forming an uncomfortable silence. Saber stands up as well, turning the awkward sitting contest into an awkward standing contest. Then-
"...heh. Hehehe-"
Saber breaks the silence by chuckling, throwing her head back, a light laugh that echoes across the abandoned pier. It's a nice laugh - you give her a sharp glare - but that only causes her to laugh even harder, almost doubling over.
"What, exactly, is so funny?" You snap at Saber.
"Nothing, nothing-" another wheeze, Saber practically gasping for air, leaning on her sheathed sword for support. "Just- your face. Back when you were talking to Assassin - you looked so betrayed, I couldn't help but laugh. You looked like an angry mom."
"That wasn't very nice." You mutter back, darkly, feeling more than a little bit insulted by Saber's words. She chuckles, finally stopping her laughter after a few more sweet, staccato bursts.
"Don't get me wrong, it was a sweet thing to do. You're a good mom, Johanna. It's just - I thought it was funny. You gotta admit, it was funny."
"It wasn't that funny." You mutter again, spurring Saber to let out another chuckle. "Besides, you weren't even trying to hold in your laughter."
"Was I supposed to?" She catches your incredulous look. "I'm serious. I was never that good at dealing with people, Johanna. Like, I was really bad." The way she says it is less annoyed and more sad. "Talking was more of… other people's talents. I delagated responsibilities to people, politicians, to run the country. I was good at leading a troop, at waving a sword around. Not much else."
"When peace came around, I… didn't really know what to do. I hung around at bars, drank a lot. My old military buddies would sometimes drink with me. In case you didn't know, most vets don't last that long out of the war, so it would normally be me, and maybe one or two other people. Just drinking our hearts out."
Jeez. That sounds... lonely. Noticing your expression, Saber hastily amends her statement. "I mean, it wasn't that bad. It was fun, sometimes. Honestly, sometimes it was a relief when we went to war; that meant I could do something for once, stop being so useless." She laughs again, the sound definitely sounding bittersweet compared to her laughter earlier.
"And now you're summoned into a Heroic Spirit battle, a free for all." You try for something a bit more positive, lighten the mood a bit. "That working out well for you?"
She smiles back, a flash of pearly-whites. "Yep. It's been pretty fun so far, if a bit confusing."
"..."
"...Sorry. I killed the mood again, didn't I? I'm sorry. It's just, y'know…" Saber sighs, slouching forward. "Tiring."
"This is my first time doing one of these things. I used to keep people in awe with my amazing sword skills, and leadership. And that was… just sorta my thing. I don't - I mean, I can, but- I can't really translate myself fluently. I just sorta… keep people at arms length. Let them judge me as they will, as like an abstract entity. I don't know if I'm making any sense, or…"
The last part comes out mumbled, muttered words that you don't catch. Saber groans, though whether it's in resignation or annoyance, you aren't sure. She's so out of her element it's almost funny, in a tragic way. Such a far cry from how Saber usually is.
"Yeah. Sorry. Bleh. Verbal vomit - you don't get it, do you, Johanna? It's probably better that way, I tend to ramble-"
"No, I get it." You reassure Saber. "But that's not what you said to me."
You tilt your head thoughtfully. "Didn't you tell me not to look up to you? And that I should be the leader, not you? That's sorta... different, right?"
That wasn't what Saber was expecting either, if her confused (and, surprisingly, conflicted) expression said anything. The cold must be catching up to her as well, if her red-tinted ears have anything to say about that.
"Yeah, well…"
"I'm back."
Okay, you aren't going to even try to say that you were expecting that, you nearly jumped out of your skin at that. Jack peers up at you innocently, and it takes all of your willpower to not scream bloody murder at that jump scare. At least not in front of the kid.
"Did you find anything, Assassin?" Saber asks, her eyes narrowing in thought.
Jack shakes her head. "Nope."
Something doesn't feel right. Kiritsugu has some trick up his sleeve, some thing that you can't find. Judging by her expression, Saber has the same feeling as well.
"Guess we'll just have to wait for Caster to show up."
Not a second later, and both Saber and Assassin stiffen, turn their heads towards the south. Speak of the devil. And-
Holy Shit. Caster is tearing through the road, her black car screeching through the road, charging towards you, wheels screaming across the pier, going entirely too fast to slow down in time.
She's going to hit you. She is definitely going to hit you.
Assassin? She's already gone, already out of here. "Stay back, Master!" Saber shouts. She doesn't know what to do, either.
"..."
Had you not closed your eyes for the last few seconds, you would have seen Caster spin the wheel, the car skidding past Saber and you, almost off the pier, wheels clinging to the edges, before the engine pulls the vehicle back onto land, letting it skid to a halt in front of you.
It would've looked impressive, had the car not given a final death-knell and broken down the instance Caster exited the car.
"Is-is it done yet?"
"Yes, Johanna, it's done." You open your eyes and wish you hadn't - the skid-marks besides you indicate that you were inches away from getting hit by Caster's car. Inches. If you had been a little bit to the right... splat. You feel slightly sick.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, Caster. What. The. Hell." Saber doesn't sound happy about that either. In fact, she sounds downright furious.
"There's no time to explain." Caster briskly picks her self up, passing Saber without even a glance. "We might be too late - Kiritsugu was supposed to be here five minutes ago. Something's wrong."
"Where's Kiritsugu? We checked the area, but-"
"I don't know." Caster, you really aren't helping your case. "He said - there was a deal going down here, and it was-"
She doesn't sound sure, at all. Crap. "Did you get the date wrong, or-"
"No, no, I'm sure of it, it's just... I was late, and..." Caster looks understandably nervous. "Look, he said that it was going down on the water, at this pier, and that-"
Her voice trails off as she points to something on the water. You can't see very clearly - you squint - what's she pointing at? It looks like-
Oh.
Oh. No, no, no, no.
It's a cruiser. Just an absolutely massive cruiser, crawling with armed guards, just sitting there out in the open. You count ten, twenty, thirty men - you lose track at forty, all armed to the teeth and not looking the most pleasant. You're almost too scared to voice your thoughts on what that is. Caster has no such fear.
"Oh, that looks like a ship full of Yakuza."
You've got to be kidding me. Caster, I can't-
"It's the only place where Kiritsugu wouldn't be armed. He can't risk being armed in a negotiation with Yakuza, so..."
Nope. No way. Not a chance in hell.
"Please. It's -"
Good lord why did you promise to help her.
"Johanna?"
You made a promise. You made a promise, and you're going to keep it. You have a group of Servants - between the three of them, surely there's something that you can do. So, with a fresh fake smile plastered on your face, you ask your Servants for ideas on what to do.
Of course, your Servants are happy to oblige.
As expected, all of the ideas are terrible, but that just comes with the job. Now it's your job to figure out which ones are good enough to go with.
You've narrowed your boarding methodology into four groups. Those four groups are -
[X] Saber's method. Go in, guns-and-swords blazing, take out the Yakuza, and c̶a̶p̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ aggressively negotiate with Kiritsugu. Hey, nothing could go wrong, right?
[X] Assassin's method. Sneak on ship, and just stay there until the negotiations are completed. Once Kiritsugu gets off the boat, you can secure an audience with him. Easy-peasy.
[X] Caster's method. Bluff. Just a Servant and her bodyguard, nothing to see here. Maybe a bit of magecraft will convince them to look the other way. Caster can drop us off... somewhere in the ship, and then pose as Kiritsugu's loyal Servant. When he's alone, you can talk to him.
[X] Johanna's method. (Write-In). You have a giant metal blob, three Servants, and the luxury of being as destructive as you want. Just... try not to go too overboard with your methods.
Full plans for those curious.
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Perception is all relative. Like- it's the process that defines it, not the ending. Two halves of a whole may look completely different, but you can't just switch out one piece for another. Even if they're the same size, the same shape - the puzzle will never be completed with something like that. Or maybe that's a poor excuse for originality.
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[X] "Hey, Saber..." This would be a good time to tell Saber what happened while you were out. Maybe she would know what that pit was.
[X] "Jack? You there?" You didn't see Assassin when you woke up, which was odd. Having Jack scout the area would also prepare you for whatever might happen. You aren't naive enough to believe that Kiritsugu won't have some trick up his sleeve.
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You shiver, rubbing your arms slightly. The air is freezing cold, and you forgot to grab a jacket. You glance over to your right, at your Servant - Saber's wearing jacket - as a Servant, does she even need one? …I mean, it's not like you want it or anything…
The scent of leather fills your nostrils as Saber draping her duster over your shoulders. It's still warm when you pull it around your shoulders. The duster is way too big for you, but it smells… nice, actually, in a dusty, comforting way. Like returning to a family home after a long vacation.
"Better, Master?" Saber rolls her eyes, though the slight grin on her face betrays her amusement. Jerk. You sulk for a while, ignoring her knowing smirk, before you remember that you have something to tell Saber. Actually, there were two things on your mind.
"Saber, do you know where Jack is? I haven't seen her around."
You ask, sitting back down, being particularly careful not to let the edges of the duster touch the ground.
Saber shrugs, her bare shoulders doing a wave, colored starkly white against her surroundings. She's a lot smaller than you expected -"Why not use the Master - Servant connection?"
...That's a good point, actually. You feel pretty stupid for not remembering about that.
Jack?
There's a shivery-cold sensation, like your toes were dipped in ice water. Then-
"Here, Mom."
It's a testament to how much you've been through that you don't even react to Jack popping up behind you. Still, turning to look at your wayward Servant, you see that Jack's much more subdued than usual. She's fidgeting in place, letting a clear mix of anxiousness and fear show, her clothes draped over her like the loose cover of a scarecrow. That's… not like her, and you can't stop the spike of fear that touches your gut. Did something happen? You give her a once-over. No, she seems unhurt, but...
"Jack?" You ask, softly. "Is something wrong?
You know that your guess was right when Jack dips her head away, her white hair cascading over, hiding her eyes. You get the feeling that's on purpose, though.
"..." Assassin shuffles in place for a second, her gaze still trapped at a sharp downward angle. She squeezes the edge of her shirt, bunching it into a ball, before finally letting it go.
"...Mom, I was afraid."
"What?"
"You went to sleep, a-and…" Jack stops. Takes in a deep, shuddering breath. Looks away, her white hair now shifted over the scarred left side of her face. "I don't know. Nothing we could do helped. You wouldn't wake up."
Ouch. You wince, sucking in air through your teeth. Crap. You're ashamed to admit that you didn't think of how Assassin would feel - you really didn't think that you were gone for that long, but you should've really told her something beforehand. For all her strength, she's surprisingly dependant on you. Still -
"That's not your fault, Jack. So it's fine. " You reach out to rub her head, only for Jack to twist away.
"No, you don't understand. I was the one who told you not to take the immortality, a-and if you had died, it would've been my fault. My-fault, our-fault, we..." She twists her fingers together, rubbing a thumb over her scarred hands, her nail digging in, her movements coming out fast and frantic like her words, the keratin of her nails bitten to a nub. "I-I…"
"Jack." At the sound of her name, Jack's head jerks up, her eyes locking onto your own, like a deer in headlights.
Jack's so nervous, so scared, so jumpy that you try make every one of your movements as slow and unthreatening as you can. Gently, as gently as you can, you grab her hands, pushing them apart. Just hold them there, keeping them in the palm of your hand, her hands surprisingly cold and delicate. Her hands wiggle in your grip, twitch, before finally falling still.
"It's fine. I'm here, okay?" You whisper soothingly, making eye contact with Jack's frantic green pupils. There's a lump of stone in the back of your throat that wells up just looking at Jack.
She has the wrong idea about immortality; it doesn't work as she thinks it does, so even if you'd taken Caster's research, had you died you'd still probably stay dead. But… yeah. It's one thing to think that everything's okay, to be fine with putting yourself in life-or-death situations, and another thing to see a child, scared, believing that you weren't coming back.
If you had died you wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Saber and Assassin would've been gone, as well.
"Jack, I…" Fine doesn't cut it. "I'm okay. I'll… try not to anything scary like that again, okay?"
Shit, you don't sound confident at all. You try again. "It's okay, Jack. It's not your fault, okay? And if anything else happens, I'll be with you, and Saber. You'll protect me, right?" You're grasping at straws here.
"...I didn't do that good of a job last time, Mom."
"And?" You challenge. "Jack, honey-" (it just feels right to do that, even as Saber fake-gags, you shoot her a glare but Jack doesn't seem to notice)
"- I'm sorry. I, I was the one who messed up, not you. You couldn't have done anything about it. But it's fine. We both messed up, but we survived. Alright?"
Jack sniffled. Takes a deep inhale in, through her nose, before letting it out. "Okay, Mom. Thanks."
You ruffle her hair, brushing it to the side; this time, Jack actually allows it.
"No problem, Jack."
"..."
Saber coughs, politely, breaking you out of your trance. "Sorry to interrupt this heartwarming meeting, but - Johanna, you had something else to say?"
"Yeah." You sit back down, Jack taking a seat besides you, and Saber sitting down slightly across to you, forming a lopsided semi-triangle. "So, I was in a dream..."
...
In the end, you re-tell your entire experience of the room. From the beginning, of the man strapped to the chair, to the rooms, the darkened room, the priest, the... thing, that was actively hunting for food. Then - to what became of the thing. How you were trapped, forced to climb your way out of a scene from hell.
Saber lets out a low whistle. "Well, if you think that we know anything about that... you'd be dead wrong. The only time that I'd want to know more about something like that would be to figure out how to kill it."
"Jack?"
Your other Servant shakes her head. "Nope."
Damn. Though, even if it's somewhat disappointing, you didn't really expect for your Servants to know anything. You sigh. "Well, not much we can do about that, except be on the lookout for... whatever that was. Anyways Jack, do you mind scouting the area?"
Jack nods, clearly eager to do something. "What should I look for, Mommy?"
"Guns, explosives, anything that looks suspicious - just, don't get hurt. Let us know if you find something and Saber and I will come help."
It takes you a second to realize that she's already gone, disappeared before you even finished talking, Presence Concealment working even in broad daylight.
And you're left with Saber, on a pier that suddenly seems much smaller, the triangle now more like a lopsided pair. You shift slightly, standing up, Jack's disappearance forming an uncomfortable silence. Saber stands up as well, turning the awkward sitting contest into an awkward standing contest. Then-
"...heh. Hehehe-"
Saber breaks the silence by chuckling, throwing her head back, a light laugh that echoes across the abandoned pier. It's a nice laugh - you give her a sharp glare - but that only causes her to laugh even harder, almost doubling over.
"What, exactly, is so funny?" You snap at Saber.
"Nothing, nothing-" another wheeze, Saber practically gasping for air, leaning on her sheathed sword for support. "Just- your face. Back when you were talking to Assassin - you looked so betrayed, I couldn't help but laugh. You looked like an angry mom."
"That wasn't very nice." You mutter back, darkly, feeling more than a little bit insulted by Saber's words. She chuckles, finally stopping her laughter after a few more sweet, staccato bursts.
"Don't get me wrong, it was a sweet thing to do. You're a good mom, Johanna. It's just - I thought it was funny. You gotta admit, it was funny."
"It wasn't that funny." You mutter again, spurring Saber to let out another chuckle. "Besides, you weren't even trying to hold in your laughter."
"Was I supposed to?" She catches your incredulous look. "I'm serious. I was never that good at dealing with people, Johanna. Like, I was really bad." The way she says it is less annoyed and more sad. "Talking was more of… other people's talents. I delagated responsibilities to people, politicians, to run the country. I was good at leading a troop, at waving a sword around. Not much else."
"When peace came around, I… didn't really know what to do. I hung around at bars, drank a lot. My old military buddies would sometimes drink with me. In case you didn't know, most vets don't last that long out of the war, so it would normally be me, and maybe one or two other people. Just drinking our hearts out."
Jeez. That sounds... lonely. Noticing your expression, Saber hastily amends her statement. "I mean, it wasn't that bad. It was fun, sometimes. Honestly, sometimes it was a relief when we went to war; that meant I could do something for once, stop being so useless." She laughs again, the sound definitely sounding bittersweet compared to her laughter earlier.
"And now you're summoned into a Heroic Spirit battle, a free for all." You try for something a bit more positive, lighten the mood a bit. "That working out well for you?"
She smiles back, a flash of pearly-whites. "Yep. It's been pretty fun so far, if a bit confusing."
"..."
"...Sorry. I killed the mood again, didn't I? I'm sorry. It's just, y'know…" Saber sighs, slouching forward. "Tiring."
"This is my first time doing one of these things. I used to keep people in awe with my amazing sword skills, and leadership. And that was… just sorta my thing. I don't - I mean, I can, but- I can't really translate myself fluently. I just sorta… keep people at arms length. Let them judge me as they will, as like an abstract entity. I don't know if I'm making any sense, or…"
The last part comes out mumbled, muttered words that you don't catch. Saber groans, though whether it's in resignation or annoyance, you aren't sure. She's so out of her element it's almost funny, in a tragic way. Such a far cry from how Saber usually is.
"Yeah. Sorry. Bleh. Verbal vomit - you don't get it, do you, Johanna? It's probably better that way, I tend to ramble-"
"No, I get it." You reassure Saber. "But that's not what you said to me."
You tilt your head thoughtfully. "Didn't you tell me not to look up to you? And that I should be the leader, not you? That's sorta... different, right?"
That wasn't what Saber was expecting either, if her confused (and, surprisingly, conflicted) expression said anything. The cold must be catching up to her as well, if her red-tinted ears have anything to say about that.
"Yeah, well…"
"I'm back."
Okay, you aren't going to even try to say that you were expecting that, you nearly jumped out of your skin at that. Jack peers up at you innocently, and it takes all of your willpower to not scream bloody murder at that jump scare. At least not in front of the kid.
"Did you find anything, Assassin?" Saber asks, her eyes narrowing in thought.
Jack shakes her head. "Nope."
Something doesn't feel right. Kiritsugu has some trick up his sleeve, some thing that you can't find. Judging by her expression, Saber has the same feeling as well.
"Guess we'll just have to wait for Caster to show up."
Not a second later, and both Saber and Assassin stiffen, turn their heads towards the south. Speak of the devil. And-
Holy Shit. Caster is tearing through the road, her black car screeching through the road, charging towards you, wheels screaming across the pier, going entirely too fast to slow down in time.
She's going to hit you. She is definitely going to hit you.
Assassin? She's already gone, already out of here. "Stay back, Master!" Saber shouts. She doesn't know what to do, either.
"..."
Had you not closed your eyes for the last few seconds, you would have seen Caster spin the wheel, the car skidding past Saber and you, almost off the pier, wheels clinging to the edges, before the engine pulls the vehicle back onto land, letting it skid to a halt in front of you.
It would've looked impressive, had the car not given a final death-knell and broken down the instance Caster exited the car.
"Is-is it done yet?"
"Yes, Johanna, it's done." You open your eyes and wish you hadn't - the skid-marks besides you indicate that you were inches away from getting hit by Caster's car. Inches. If you had been a little bit to the right... splat. You feel slightly sick.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, Caster. What. The. Hell." Saber doesn't sound happy about that either. In fact, she sounds downright furious.
"There's no time to explain." Caster briskly picks her self up, passing Saber without even a glance. "We might be too late - Kiritsugu was supposed to be here five minutes ago. Something's wrong."
"Where's Kiritsugu? We checked the area, but-"
"I don't know." Caster, you really aren't helping your case. "He said - there was a deal going down here, and it was-"
She doesn't sound sure, at all. Crap. "Did you get the date wrong, or-"
"No, no, I'm sure of it, it's just... I was late, and..." Caster looks understandably nervous. "Look, he said that it was going down on the water, at this pier, and that-"
Her voice trails off as she points to something on the water. You can't see very clearly - you squint - what's she pointing at? It looks like-
Oh.
Oh. No, no, no, no.
It's a cruiser. Just an absolutely massive cruiser, crawling with armed guards, just sitting there out in the open. You count ten, twenty, thirty men - you lose track at forty, all armed to the teeth and not looking the most pleasant. You're almost too scared to voice your thoughts on what that is. Caster has no such fear.
"Oh, that looks like a ship full of Yakuza."
You've got to be kidding me. Caster, I can't-
"It's the only place where Kiritsugu wouldn't be armed. He can't risk being armed in a negotiation with Yakuza, so..."
Nope. No way. Not a chance in hell.
"Please. It's -"
Good lord why did you promise to help her.
"Johanna?"
You made a promise. You made a promise, and you're going to keep it. You have a group of Servants - between the three of them, surely there's something that you can do. So, with a fresh fake smile plastered on your face, you ask your Servants for ideas on what to do.
Of course, your Servants are happy to oblige.
As expected, all of the ideas are terrible, but that just comes with the job. Now it's your job to figure out which ones are good enough to go with.
You've narrowed your boarding methodology into four groups. Those four groups are -
[X] Saber's method. Go in, guns-and-swords blazing, take out the Yakuza, and c̶a̶p̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ aggressively negotiate with Kiritsugu. Hey, nothing could go wrong, right?
[X] Assassin's method. Sneak on ship, and just stay there until the negotiations are completed. Once Kiritsugu gets off the boat, you can secure an audience with him. Easy-peasy.
[X] Caster's method. Bluff. Just a Servant and her bodyguard, nothing to see here. Maybe a bit of magecraft will convince them to look the other way. Caster can drop us off... somewhere in the ship, and then pose as Kiritsugu's loyal Servant. When he's alone, you can talk to him.
[X] Johanna's method. (Write-In). You have a giant metal blob, three Servants, and the luxury of being as destructive as you want. Just... try not to go too overboard with your methods.
Full plans for those curious.
Get to the boat by running along the side of the pier and jumping aboard. Easy-peasy. Caster can do her... caster-y stuff to get on board, you're just going to focus on protecting Johanna. Incapacitate everyone onboard; have Assassin track/deal with Kiritsugu, as he's the main target. Finally, start (aggressive) negotiations. Short and sweet.
Mommy doesn't know this, but we're really good at hiding in plain sight. We can swim onboard and hide somewhere on the ship. Once we're there, we can use The Mist to hide Mommy's approach (she can steal a boat or a raft). Once they're on board, We can scout the ship for Kiritsugu, while they stay hidden. Then, all we need to do is capture him once he's off the ship.
We are vastly outnumbered, and outgunned. Raising alarm will only cause Kiritsugu to flee, or (even worse) fight back. Thus, the only way to do this is peacefully. I shall travel with Johanna and Saber, using my status as Kiritsugu's Servant to protect us, and using my Mystic Eyes to hypnotize the other people on board. Once we're safe, I will hide the others and rejoin Kiritsugu. Then, all I have to do is sit back through negotiations. Once negotiations are complete, I shall regroup with Saber and Johanna, and move to capture Kiritsugu.
Nothing that crazy.
