Your home… your father's home was in chaos. Men in suits that cost more than your entire kitchen were moving about, boxing up everything you owned and rather speedily moving it all to box trucks out front. It was a bewildering, confusing sight. It was something you understood but your brain didn't want to accept, like a bedroom you saw every morning after oversleeping, what was normally familiar was alien and confusing… and more than a little aggravating in your case. You understood the points both Taiga and Raiga were making, but it was also your home. It rather hurt to see it packed away like a seasonal decoration.
It's not like the Bounded Fields are worth anything anymore. I don't quite recall if there was anything special about that location, unless it's tied to the Layline Destruction Plan.
That was also what led to you bumping into your new servant once more, the woman had moved little and said less after your 'conversation' this morning, having transitioned from merely following you around to simply… staring at things. She was currently standing roughly where she had been the night before fighting the monster, her eyes looking off into the forest behind the house, a faint clump of snow in her hair.
It wasn't snowing heavily this afternoon, in fact, it had barely snowed at all. But she had been still enough to have made a collection of it regardless. If she noticed, she apparently didn't care, her eyes unblinkingly staring off into the woods. She was also still in her armor, clumps of white covering the scarred silver in places like gauze in a wound. She… wasn't really looking at anything you noticed, her eyes were wide and unfocused, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the men deliberately moving around her.
Berserkalot was much more twitchy and randomly growling when he was left alone. Mordred is probably more... hyperspecialized. If it's not killing King Arthur, she's not really "there".
"I'm Shirou," you say quietly. "Shirou Emiya, are you… my servant?"
The woman blinks slowly, then turns her head towards you. The action lethargic and drawn out, her green eyes first land on your lips, then draw themselves up glacially to your own. "...Yes." She says, her voice quiet.
"Are you alright?" you ask.
She simply stares at you, not responding.
"Do you… need anything?"
The same story, her eyes start to slowly unfocus, looking beyond you towards the house and the world beyond.
"Is your name… berserker?" you try again.
Wonder if she can track, or vaguely sense, Saber's location. Or is this really just Mordred zoning out and eating her metaphorical tail.
She turns her head forward again, gazing off into the forest. Could she even hear you? Or was she merely ignoring you… or was there something worse going on? You frankly couldn't say, you didn't much understand how servants worked, but you would expect most people with a wound like she had would be more than a little dead. Could she not heal? Did she not want to heal? "Is… your wound okay?"
Mordred blinks, then cranes her head down to look at her stomach.
This is the Mordred fresh off of Camlann. Those last few painful moments of snuffed-out rage, the pain of death, those last painful words echoing in her mind. She wasn't even alive when she swung the blow that killed Arthur.
I'd say she needs hugs, but I'm uncertain she'd even comprehend it.
Her hands then move to your shoulders, and you are reminded for the first time in a bit that you were actually slightly taller than Taiga now as she looks up into your eyes. "How long have you known about this magic stuff Shirou?"
Pft. Palm-Top Taiga.
You glance back towards Taiga, the woman studying Berserker. You had never seen her this serious… ever, come to think of it. Taiga always had a playful air to her, like she was never taking things entirely seriously. Sure, you had seen her angry, and a whole mix of other emotions. But Taiga almost never took things seriously. It was… different. "Thanks… Taiga."
I think we can semi-leave Mordred with Taiga. We've got our hands full with Medea, Rin, Sakura, and Illiya, Taiga can probably get through the pallor in Mordred's mind.
Taiga's head snaps back to you, a cat-like grin on her face. "Yeaaaah? Finally seeing the worth of your big sister? Praise me more!"
"... No." You reply, then wander off towards the house, a fake cry of despair coming from Taiga behind you.
HA!
You had someone you wanted to talk to, and to your relief they were far from hard to find. The man in red was taller than most others in the house, and even if he wasn't, the long flowing red coat and black armor made him rather easy to spot in a crowd. He was currently stacking boxes up in the corner of the living room, organizing things and giving instructions to the goons around him. At your approach he paused, looking back towards you with a smile on his face. It was a genuine, friendly thing, at least it appeared to be. "You alright?" the servant asks. His voice deep, but not harsh.
You nod. "I'm fine, you… protected Sakura?"
"I did, call me Archer." The man, Archer, replies, then extends his hand towards you.
Long red coat initially says Shirou. But he's wearing
armor. Archer EMIYA goes for a skintight body suit. The Odas don't wear armor. Aśvatthāman is just a male stripper. Alcides has crimson skin and a big black hood-thing.
"School is barely on my mind at the moment," you reply honestly. "But I didn't plan on stopping attendance, I doubt Taiga would be willing to give us a pass on that either."
"She might defeat the other Master's by herself if they get in the way of her homeroom," Sakura whispers conspiratorially. Before giggling again.
"I could see it, bloody bokken in hand, standing tall." You reply.
*The Only Thing I Know For Real blares*
You tried to avoid going to this place, not that you disliked Raiga's company, the man was genuinely a friend of yours, the issue was that with Raiga there was always some form of catch. But with a man in his line of work, you suppose that was only to be expected.
You know, I've never actually been told what's so bad about this guy in-universe. Like, yeah I know the Yakuza get up to some nasty stuff, but Raiga's so background I know basically nothing about him.
"Do you trust me, Caster?" you ask, frowning.
Caster stares at you for a moment, then walks past you further into the room. "You stated the spells you learned were from your Master's old books, yet I found nothing as such within the home, and you stated he did not teach you more than the basics. I have seen your magecraft," Caster looks back at you. "It is pathetic, and yet you know at least one spell that is no longer practiced. You have lied to me, why would I trust you? I trust you to be my Master, nothing more. Which is as it should be."
"I trust you." You reply. Fighting down the grimace, Circe made you promise not to talk about it, and you still had the mark on your tongue that tingles every time you even started to think about speaking her name.
"Foolish, for you do not even know me," Caster says. Her eyes narrowed.
Hm. Maybe, maybe, maybe...
[] [I know you, Medea]
[] [I want to, Caster]
[] [Tell her about Circe]
[] [Drop the subject]
We allowed to do a write-in? I want to say "I am forbidden from telling you".
