[X] Maybe you should look for Emiya?
-[X] Contact Arcueid and see if she's willing to help now? We have cellphones, right?
-[X] Have Tohsaka try to contact someone from that organization again.
You release Ilya to Sella's care and stare at the wall for a moment. "Well, I guess we should go see if we can find Emiya, now," you say, and Tohsaka barks a laugh.
"Now you say that …. Yeah, yeah, I know - if you hadn't had Ilya keep watching Sakura, we wouldn't know about that, but …." She calmly presses her hands against the side of her head.
"I'll be able to look for him in a few minutes." You glance at Ilya and smile.
"Maybe we should think about where he could be? Ah, right. Do either of you have hand phones?" Ilya tilts her head and frowns in confusion and Tohsaka lowers her hand to glower at you.
"Hand … you mean a cell phone? How do you know about those? And why would you want one?" You shrug and grin.
"I mean a little phone, about so big, that isn't physically connected to something. 'Cell phone' … I'll have to remember that. And I've seen people with them, that's how I know what they are. Most of the time they just called it a phone." Tohsaka's expression doesn't change, but Ilya just shakes her head.
"I'm sorry, Flan - we just have the one phone in a study upstairs. The Einzberns … are pretty traditional." You just shake your head.
"How do you know so much about technology, anyway?" You shrug again.
"I'm quick to grasp useful ideas. Besides, knowing about and adopting technology when it's useful is better than ignoring it. Humans sometimes make too much of it, but if you can't keep up with changing times then you're doomed to treat the world the way it used to be, and that's a good way to find out the hard way about things that can hurt you. I suppose that means you don't have a cell phone, either?" She sighs irritatedly and starts to shake her head, only for her face to redden. She half-turns for some reason before stiffening and shaking her head. "I guess that means you and I are going to make our calls in sequence, then. Will that be alright, Ilya?" She nods as Tohsaka grumbles.
"I'll start looking for Shirou. Who are you going to call?"
"I'm going to call Arcueid again, partly to let her know that I wasn't involved in the most recent events and partly to see if she'll help now that the shadow-thing is going out of control. And Tohsaka is going to try to contact that organization again and do much the same." Tohsaka sighs reluctantly but starts to leave.
"Good luck, Flan, Rin." You smile at Ilya and glance at Deis.
"I'll stay here; not much I can do without a target, and maybe I can help." You nod and wave for Satsuki to attend you as you follow Tohsaka to the phone. You slip past her and pick up the handset. The numbers … not buttons, but a rotating device. Simple enough. You dial Arcueid's number and wait for her to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Arcueid. It's Flandre." She chuckles.
"Ooh. Did something happen?" She sounds like she knows something happened, and you force yourself to not snarl.
"Actually, something did happen at a hospital just a short while ago, but I had nothing to do with it. It seems one of the magicians around here lost contr-"
"Mages." You blink, confused at the insistent tone of her voice.
"I'm sorry?"
"They're mages, not magicians." You glance at Tohsaka; she frowns at you in turn, and you shrug. It's not important.
"Right. Anyway, one of them lost control of herself and got taken over by something that appears to have taken a liking to devouring humans. Seeing as people vanishing without any explanation could be taken to be my work, I thought it would be best to let you know." Arcueid chuckles.
"And also to ask if I'd help out, right? Well, that's still a no. If this mage decides to do something stupid and move against me I'll fight, but I'm not going to look for an excuse to get involved." Well, it was worth a shot.
"I understand. Thank you for your time." She grunts and the line clicks as she hangs up. You resist the urge to smash Ilya's phone and gesture for Tohsaka to make her call. Satsuki smiles nervously.
"She wouldn't help, huh?" You nod and watch Tohsaka as she takes several calming breaths before dialing a number.
"Hello, is this the Tohno residence? May I speak with Tohno Akiha, please? Ah, I am Tohsaka Rin. Yes, I can wait. Thank you." Tohsaka starts speaking excessively formally, and you raise an eyebrow at the name and glance at Satsuki; she stiffened in recognition and looks almost terrified. Hmm …. You pat her shoulder, making her jump, and smile at her. She nods. "Hello, Tohno-san. Yes, it is about the situation. No, I'm afraid the situation is going to get worse. It seems that the artifact has some kind of corruption - yes, it probably is the same as ten years ago, only this time it has affected a mage and is making conscious movements and attacks instead of simply being a release of energy. The results …." She stiffens and her jaw clenches. She nods jerkily. "Yes. Yes, I understand. Thank you for -" You hop forward and tap her arm. She looks at you and you gesture for her to give you the phone. She stares, uncertain, and you reach past her to take it from her.
"Tohsaka-san?" A girl's voice, an impatient tone. You sit on the desk.
"Hello, Akiha. My name is Flandre Scarlet." Tohsaka covers her face in her hands and Satsuki stares at you, shocked.
"… Flandre Scarlet? And why am I speaking to you?" You grin and kick your feet in the air.
"Well, seeing as some kind of shadow-thing is going around eating people, I was kind of hoping to be able to take part in the whole 'fighting' thing that's probably going to happen. However, Arcueid has said that if I do anything - if she thinks I've done anything - that she'll try to kill me. I've also been told that that's a bad thing. I don't suppose you'd be good enough to have her hold off on that, if not for the duration of the incident, then at least for a night or two?" The line is quiet for a moment, and Tohsaka stares at you with an almost-hopeful face.
"No. I will not do that." Your eyebrows rise.
"Really? Wow, that's callous. I mean, you sound like the kind of person who just writes off whole cities, but still. I'm impressed. Does Shiki know you're this kind of monster?" An intake of air by Satsuki draws your attention - one mirrored, only with far more hostility, through the phone.
"You leave my brother out of this." You giggle at the menace projected through the phone.
"Fine, fine. Well, I'm sure I'm keeping you from flogging peasants or something equally pointless. I'd say that I hope to meet you soon, but you seem like the kind of person who's cowering somewhere safe while competent people take care of business. Oh, no, don't worry, I understand. That's just the way humans are, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe if you get really scared, someone will read you a bedtime story and stay next to you to make sure you don't have nightmares." You put the phone down and sigh as Tohsaka and Satsuki both stare at you with horrified, bloodless faces. "What? I don't like it when people think they can just restrict my movements. Really, if this shadow-thing wasn't a possible threat right now I'd just go and indulge myself in some other city where Arcueid doesn't care what happens. And if she's going to actively obstruct efforts of actual use, I'm certainly not going to praise the ground she walks upon, I'm just going to give her a piece of my mind. If I'd known I'd have the chance to talk to her, I'd have gotten some better material, too." Tohsaka starts to shake and her mouth works soundlessly - but then her head jerks to the side.
"Wha- Archer? Hey!" She starts running, leaving the room and heading down the hall. Satsuki is still shocked by what just happened, so you simply fly out, following Tohsaka, and you pick her up as you easily catch up to her. She seems to have been heading outside, so you simply jink into a room and quickly open the window. She went stiff as soon as you picked her up, and you launch yourself up, carrying her to the roof of the castle, and drop her off by her Servant as he readies an arrow. Leysritt is down on the ground, halberd at the ready, and you swoop down to join her in facing down Rider, mounted on her pegasus. The Servant doesn't particularly react to your presence.
"Emiya Shirou is unharmed; he will remain at his home, and I will watch over him." You blink at the announcement. Did she carry Emiya away because she knew what would happen when her Master tried to kill herself, and is now trying to protect the person her Master cared about? Is it an order, or something she's doing on her own?
… Does it really matter?
What do you do?
[ ] Thank her and let her go.
[ ] Kill her.
[ ] Ask her to help you fight the Shadow.
[ ] Other?
