Eins

[erbe]

For the elements, silver and iron. For the foundation, stone and the Archduke of Pacts. And for the ancestor, my great master, Schweinorg. Close the gates of the four directions. Come forth from the Crown and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom. Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill. Repeat five times. When each is filled, destroy it. Set.

Heed my words. My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer me! I hereby swear that I shall be all the good in the world. That I shall defeat all evil in the world. Thou Seventh Heaven, clad in the three great words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, Guardian of the Scales!

[This is a master (haha) post for Fate/PSLs! If you need anything specific tailored to your character (like a starter that doesn't start with the summoning like the above) let me know! We'll work something out over PM or Plurk.]

Comments

[erbe]

Well, if you break it, the release would make your hand blow off. So a fair trade, I think.

[Maybe it might not blow it clean off because of her magic resistance, but it would cause some damage.]

[bloodings]

[ Shrug. ] Your mana what heals me, remember.

But I'm not going to sabotage my own Master. Why don't you just come get me when you're done here? [ She's not exactly comfortable in any kind of workshop, even if it's very different from Morgan's. ]

[erbe]

[Rin nods, and later that night they go exploring the city from the rooftops. She shows her Servant the best routes through New City toward the desolate park.

And that night, as she rests, something unexpected creeps into her dreams. At first it doesn't make sense. It's just flashes of Knights in battle. But then, later, she recognizes Mordred. Revealing herself to the king, proposing to Guinevere, and then—

Rin bolts up. She breathes a little heavily, and a sweat has broken out across her hairline.]

[bloodings]

[ Mordred has the bad (good?) timing to walk in right as Rin wakes up. She's bored, after all, and plans to make that known to her Master, even if she has to wake her up again. But even with her mouth already open to complain, whatever words she has to say die on her tongue when Rin bolts up from the bed.

She stares for a moment, worried she's missed some magical attack, and scans the surroundings — but finds nothing. So she shrugs. ]

What, a nightmare? Mages are such a sensitive bunch.

[erbe]

Don't mock me! This is your fault!

[She holds the covers to her bosom as Rin points accusingly at Mordred. The cold air of the winter night sends a chill down her spine.]

[bloodings]

[ Mordred blinks. ]

... It's your fault for being unprepared as a Master. Be ready for things like this.

[ From Rin's reaction, she can hazard a guess as to what happened — Masters and Servants dreaming of each other's pasts is common, given their strong connection. It's unusual for it to happen this soon, but maybe that means they're more compatible than usual. ]

Are you going to make me breakfast or not? The sun will be up soon.

[erbe]

What?

[That almost comes out as a whine. She sounds a little distressed. There are bags under her eyes. Rin clutches the duvet closer to herself.]

But I've only gotten four hours of sleep! And you—

[Ah. Well her eyes look away. It was almost hard to understand what was going on, but Rin felt sympathy for what she saw. Even if she didn't agree with it.]

[bloodings]

I'm hungry.

[ Mordred fills in, helpfully. But when Rin looks away, she sighs and leans against the wall. ]

You look like you've seen a ghost, Master. [ She chuckles a little. ] Well, I guess you have. Isn't that what Heroic Spirits are, in the end? We're more real, but in the end, we disappear the same way.

[erbe]

[But her own "father" had done the deed, and that strikes Rin pretty hard. Slowly Rin climbs out of bed. She's shivering, and sad to leave the warmth of her blankets.]

Sh—shut up. Seeing your death, is—

[She doesn't continue. Instead she begins to rummage around for clothes.]

Before breakfast is made the heater needs to be turned on, and I need to dress.

[bloodings]

[ This time, her laugh is more derisive, almost a scoff. ]

Don't act so surprised. If I wasn't dead, I wouldn't be here. [ That's how Heroic Spirits work, unless you're Arturia. ] Man. I thought my Master would have at least done some research on the Servant she drew.

[ Her legend, as recorded, isn't entirely accurate, but that part is. It's one of the few things she's known for at all — the great destroyer, the slayer of King Arthur. And the one to die by his hand at the end. ]

You can take care of all that. I'll wait in the other room. [ She heads out the door with a wave of her hand. ]

[erbe]

[Rin huffs. Mordred could at least turn the heater on while she gets dressed! She shouldn't be surprised that there's no courtesy from the traitorous knight. Well, Mordred is going to have to wait as she does her full morning routine. At least she's up early enough to do breakfast before school.

But thoughts of the dream Mordred gave her... Rin can't seem to shake them. It's one thing to know about a Heroic Spirit's origin, but it's another to practically witness it. The whole thing has her a little shaken. She doesn't even look at Mordred when she steps out of the room to go turn on the heater.]

[bloodings]

[ Rude, Rin. After a few minutes, she finally breaks the silence. ]

Are you still bothered? A magus should be familiar with killing and death. [ Mordred doesn't know how soft her Master really is, though she's starting to guess. ] At least talk to me.

[ It's a start. They can't get anywhere if they both just stonewall each other. ]

[erbe]

I — I'm not bothered, just tired. It's early, and I have school.

[With the heater switched on she gestures for Mordred to follow her. She can tell the Servant hates being ignored, but Rin isn't quite sure what to say that wouldn't be putting her foot in her mouth.]

But first... you wanted breakfast?

[bloodings]

[ She shrugs. ]

You're a bad liar. [ Mordred would know — she's a good one, when she needs to be. But she also lets it go for now. ] Of course I want breakfast. I'll be accompanying you to school in spirit form, too.

[ She's not asking permission. ]

[erbe]

[Well, at least Mordred knows now Rin would never be able to deceive her should something happen in the future.

Rin doesn't argue about Mordred following her to school. In fact:]

Of course you will. Going anywhere without my Servant is an idiotic move. Doing so would be like asking for someone to kill me.

[Slowly she begins to descend the stairs heading toward the kitchen.]

[bloodings]

So you do have a brain. I was starting to worry that I got stuck with a seriously deficient Master.

[ Rude. ]

Naturally, it'll be your job to keep me entertained as well. I wouldn't count on your lessons being enough.

[erbe]

How the hell am I supposed to keep you entertained and not like a complete lunatic in class? Just be patient and don't make trouble. You'll give us away.

[They reach the first floor. Rin walks through the living room to the kitchen and puts a kettle on the stove before turning to the fridge to retrieve some eggs.]

[bloodings]

[ UGHHHHH RIIIIIIIN she's boreeeeed ]

At least let me explore the grounds, then. It might be interesting.

[ Not like they had schools in her time. She reaches around Rin's side to grab an egg, and starts annoyingly throwing it through the air from hand to hand — only pausing to ask a question. ]

Tell me, Master. If you come up against an enemy at school, one who doesn't care about the time and place they attack... what will you do? There are mages out there who would be happy to use human shields and the like.

[erbe]

Yeah? You don't think I already know?

[Goodness. At this point she'll blow through all her eggs. Mordred's a monster when it comes to appetite. Well at least she can make tons of rice. What else? Maybe miso soup. There isn't time to make her own, but she has some pre-prepped she can just heat up. Yeah, that'll work. And maybe some fish. She'll only cook up a small portion in hopes they don't run out of the expensive stuff so soon.

Rin prepares a pot and pan for cooking.]

I'll burn that bridge when I come to it.

[bloodings]

No, I think you know. But I also think you're ridiculously soft.

[ She shrugs. ]

... I don't hate that part of you. But it's definitely a weakness. One way or another, you need a plan. [ Even if it's not a direct attack. Anything to avoid freezing up, or making a mistake. ] I-if you get hurt, it makes things harder for me, that's all. Don't read too much into it.

[ Don't try and out tsun the ultra tsun, Mordred. ]

[erbe]

[I don't hate that part of you. What is she trying to say? If she feels as though a soft spot is weakness, why doesn't she hate it?

Maybe for the same reason that Tohsaka agrees that it's weakness, but will still try to avoid casualties of those not involved. Rin sighs, and cracks a few eggs into a bowl. She adds a little milk before stirring with a spoon.]

Then I won't. If I need anything you'll be around. You're reliable, aren't you?

[bloodings]

[ Mordred finally gives up on her dangerous egg-tossing, and adds it to the bowl. Then Rin has to go and make her blush. ]

You got that right. I'm the most reliable Servant there is! [ Lying is bad. ] You wanted a Saber because it's the best class, right? And I'm the best of the Sabers. The only one to surpass King Arthur. There's absolutely no one better than me.

[ She puffs herself up, obviously expecting more praise where that came from. ]

[erbe]

[Rin has her back to Mordred as she whips those eggs to just short of a froth. The bowl is set aside as she pulls the prepared soup and the fish from the fridge. The egg shouldn't take long to cook, and the soup only needs to reheat. That just leaves the fish to sear in a tiny bit of sesame seed oil and an herb blend.]

I look forward to seeing that. You better keep your word.

[No, she actually is. A selfish sort of pride swells in her chest just thinking about how she pulled the best card.]

you're making me hungry thanks

[bloodings]

Find me a Servant to fight, and I'll gladly show you.

[ School might be a defence-only territory, but after that... she expects some action. She sits up on the kitchen counter, legs dangling and kicking in midair. ]

You're much better at this than Gawain. He wanted every meal to be nothing but potatoes and vegetables. Can you imagine how bland that was?

yw ♥

[erbe]

Was there no game to hunt back when you lived?

[She can see the bland food being what they were limited to considering the time period, but jeez. No meat at all?

The pot in the back is filled with soup, and the back burner rests at a warming setting. In front: two pans. The one with sesame seed oil gets garlic, rosemary, and thyme. She sets two small fillets down, and they begin to sizzle. The other pan gets a small pat of butter. When it melts she tilts the pan back and forth to make sure it's properly coated at the bottom. Finally the eggs are poured into the second pan. Both get salt and pepper.]

Or was it scarce, and meat became a luxury?