[X] Offer to keep Satsuki (if Caster agrees).
[X] Offer to meet 'Shiki' and let him decide what to do with you.
-[X] Explain that you believe the priest likely set 'Ciel' on you for some reason.
Satsuki keeps retreating down the stairs as Arcueid walks toward her. It seems like a waste to just kill her, though …. You look back; Deis is frowning at Arcueid, and Caster is still looking back toward where Archer is. You turn back to the vampires. "Hey, Caster? Would you object if another vampire moved in with us?" There's a short pause and Tohsaka looks up at you, mouth agape. You ignore her and watch as Satsuki trips on a damaged step.
"… You mean the Dead Apostle, correct?" You nod, even though she's looking away.
"Yeah. Even if she can't fight, another person to help out, or at least help keep watch, should be really useful, right? She'd be my responsibility, of course, but since I'm staying with you right now, I need your permission." Arcueid lunges forward, her right hand driving forward and down in a slashing attack. Satsuki can't block or dodge, and she cries in pain as the left side of her body is savaged. "… I won't mind if you say no, but it is kind of a time-sensitive question, Caster." She chuckles quietly.
"Well, I don't mind in particular. She would need to abide by the same rules you are, however, and of course you need to get her to agree." You clap your hands and hop forward, past the still-staring Tohsaka, and land a few steps above Arcueid as she kicks Satsuki farther down the steps. The girl hasn't even managed to swing back!
"Arcueid?" She pauses and turns back to you, red eyes gleaming fiercely. You hear Tohsaka swallow nervously. "Might I keep the girl instead of you killing her?" She faces you fully as Satsuki curls into a ball below.
"Why do you want her, and why should I let her go?" You incline your head - at least she's talking instead of continuing her attack.
"I think I might like a servant, perhaps. And while groups of vampires have their own problems, I find myself occasionally missing the company. As far as your letting her go, I would be doing you the favor of preventing you from being a hypocrite." Arcueid's eyes flash brightly and the pressure she's emitting intensifies. The air around her seems to shimmer with her anger, but it's not so outrageous compared to other things you've faced. "Satsuki has, as yet, done nothing wrong, yet you intend to kill her. By your own admission, I have, as yet, done nothing wrong, and you are leaving rather than trying to kill me. Our situations are much the same, yet you are treating her differently. It is true that our natures are different, but you are not giving her the chance to leave the area this Shiki frequents. If you would kill her but not me, you are committing hypocrisy." She stares at you, presumably considering your argument. There is, of course, the other side of your analogy - if she tries to kill you as well as Satsuki, she won't be a hypocrite. You're gambling that she's not as violent as you are. The air stops shimmering around her, and she surges forward right arm outstretched, and over the short distance you barely have time to react before her hand closes around your neck. Laevateinn appears in your hand and you thrust with it as your wings jab at Arcueid's arm, but your aim is thrown off as she turns and hurls you down the stairway. You kick off the landing instead of tumbling into it and your wings snap to the sides - a dramatic gesture more than anything practical. You glare at Arcueid, but she makes no move to follow up on her attack, only staring back at you as you hover above the stairway. After a few seconds you land next to Satsuki, still shivering on the ground. Arcueid walks down toward you.
"You're right, you do have similar situations. If I decide to kill you, I'll kill her at the same time. If not, then keep her away from Shiki and we won't have any problems." You give the slightest of nods to acknowledge the deal and she walks past you.
"Would it make your decision easier if I met with this 'Shiki' and let him decide?" Satsuki stiffens, and when Arcueid turns to look back at you she's almost trembling with rage. "Ciel was pointed at me, I believe, by the priest who used to live at the church nearby. It may be that …." She spins around without waiting for you to finish and continues walking down the stairs. You sigh and watch her go, then take out a blood pack and defrost it before kneeling next to Satsuki. She seems upset with you for some reason, but her mouth quivers when she sees the blood pack, and you hold it out for her. "This will help, right? Just wait here for a bit; there's some business I need to take care of before we can talk properly." She almost snatches the blood pack out of your hand with her good arm and holds it to her mouth as you head back up the stairs. Tohsaka is standing stiffly, facing Deis, both looking ready to fight, and you can see Caster is still facing where Archer should be. You pause a few steps below Tohsaka, easily within striking range. "Caster? What should we do about the others?" You're of a mind to see if Tohsaka's body will work better for Deis than the Church woman's - especially if you can take her alive - but with Caster and Archer in a standoff and with your standing with Arcueid apparently rather low, you really shouldn't be making that kind of decision on your own.
"Well … given the circumstances, I would be satisfied with a peaceful withdrawal," Caster says, her voice trembling only faintly. Is something happening elsewhere, or is she just too tired right now? "Working out such an agreement, however …."
"If … Flandre promises our safety, we'll go quietly." You frown at Tohsaka, surprised at the obvious strain in her voice. You sigh and shrug.
"I guarantee that we won't do anything to hinder your passage back to your home," you say, and Tohsaka nods. Caster collapses to her knees as Deis relaxes, and Archer leaps into view and continues toward his Master, picking her up on his way down the stairs. Deis sighs heavily and gives you a look before gesturing past you. She turns to help Caster as you return to Satsuki. She's already looking a lot better, sitting up with her wounds healed, although her clothes will definitely need replacing now. "You understand the situation you're in?" She nods solemnly.
"I can't see Tohno-kun any more, and if Arcueid-san finds me alone she'll probably kill me. And you want me to work for you." She pulls her knees up and hugs them. You nod.
"Yep. We'll work out just what it is you'll be doing in a bit. For my part, I'll keep feeding you blood and do my best to make sure you stay healthy. We'll see what we can do about that whole 'bloodlust' problem, and maybe I'll teach you some other skills. What do you say?" She jerks her head up and stares at you, surprised.
"You … you're letting me decide?" You nod again.
"Yes. I mean, I think you'd be an idiot to say no, because you'd be without protection and allies, but if I'd rather you gave your own word. If I forced you to be my servant, I'd have to worry about your reliability and trustworthiness, and it would be easier on my end to just kill you and not have to deal with any problems you might cause." Her eyes widen at the casualness with which you refer to killing her, but she looks down and thinks about it, and after several seconds she looks back up and nods.
"I … I accept your offer." You grin and lunge forward, surprising her with a tight hug. When you pull back she's still staring, nervous, and you sigh. Now, what to do first ….
What do you do?
[ ] Head back inside and see what Satsuki already knows what to do and what you'll need to teach her.
[ ] Send her back to keep watch over Deis and Caster while you go and find her something to wear that isn't rags.
[ ] Send her back to keep watch over Deis and Caster while you after Tohsaka and Archer. You only promised their safety until they reached their home, after all!
- [ ] Kill both of them.
- [ ] Kill Archer and capture Tohsaka.
- [ ] Try to capture Tohsaka without killing Archer.
[ ] Other?
