章 1019: 33
032 - On households and homes
Tohsaka Rin
"My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, Master of the Berserker-Class servant Atalanta for this Fifth Holy Grail War." The fairy-like girl at my front door introduces herself with a curtsy, confirming my suspicions about her identity and revealing her Servant's identity in the same breath. What is she playing at? "Coming in peace and with nothing to hide, I put myself at Tohasaka's mercy and hope to partake in their hospitality for tonight."
"What!?" I'm lucky my simulacra doesn't have the complexity required to speak with nuance and can only repeat my words in a neutral tone, because I might've cried that question out in the safety of my workshop.
"I've chosen you to entrust with my safety, Tohsaka. I hope I didn't make the wrong call." The girl answers snidely, raising an unamused eyebrow. "You do recognize the words I just used, I hope?"
I don't immediately answer, hoping to gain a handful of extra seconds to think about the unexpected development and properly recontextualize the situation before the Einzbern Master can take control of the conversation. This isn't an attack, this isn't even a hostile visit.
The words she used are formal and correct. There is a formula that the Founding Families devised a long time ago, a formula that I'm pretty sure has never been used in the three hundred years the Heaven's Feel ritual has been going on. Heck, I wouldn't even know about it if Emiya-kun hadn't made me dig up the family records with all the nonsense he baited me into investigating.
There's a good reason they haven't been used, too. Those words are intended as a ritualistic way of asking parley during the War. A method to hurriedly put any ongoing hostility on hold to secure an immediate meeting due to pressing circumstances, but that clearly puts whoever uses it in a disadvantageous position. Not only is the Master forced to reveal the identity of their Servant as part of the formula, they're basically admitting they're in a situation they can't handle and are willing to humiliate themselves to get help. Amongst prideful families like ours, that's almost unthinkable.
I take a closer look at the possibly-homunculus child in front of my home. Looking past the bluster and fake annoyance, it's not hard to notice she's not exactly feeling confident. Her eyes are dilated, her voice is unsteady and her body hunches on itself as if trying to make herself a smaller target. She's either terrified or damn good at feigning it.
Behind her, the woman she's identified as Atalanta and my Master Sight immediately pegs as a Berser stands quietly, body tense and eyes locked on Archer's position, but remarkably still.
That, more than anything, convinces me to consider this more than a trap. A master from a long line of proud Magi acting the role of a scared child is suspicious and everything goes in love and war, old formulas or not. A quiet Berserker though? Berserkers don't do subtle. Most of them are incapable of even understanding the concept.
If the cat woman was bearing any hostility, Archer would know. I would know too, possibly the entire city block would.
"You might as well come in." The simulacra repeats my words, stepping aside to let them in. "Rin Tohsaka hears your plea, Einzbern Master, and extends the hospitality of her House for tonight. Come in and partake, without deceit or hostility."
"Oh, so you do know the customs." She comments snidely as she walks past my simulacra. "I was starting to wonder."
I'm surprised when a ward comes into effect as soon as she takes a step in, implicitly accepting my hospitality. I'm… pretty sure the Einzbern girl's head will explode if she tries anything dishonest while under my wards. Something my predecessors tied to that particular request?
It does sound like common sense to ensure nobody uses it in bad faith, but I'll have to take a look at it later. I suspect the ward itself predates the establishment of the Tohsaka family or was at the very least created by the earlier generations, because it certainly has nothing to do with jewelcraft.
I manage not to react in an overt way that could be picked up through my simulacra, though. I don't need to make a fool out of myself in this situation. The girl herself barely reacts either, only a flinching minutely as the curse wraps around her neck. In spite of myself, I have to begrudgingly admire her steadfastness. Especially considering that something has her scared out of her mind.
Actually… that something has this girl scared out of her mind isn't reassuring at all.
"Big words for the one who comes begging, Einzbern." I snark back to hide my worry, though it doesn't translate very well through the robotic voice of the simulacra. "I'll prepare some tea, follow my simulacra to the sitting room."
What exactly has this prideful girl so cowed, I wonder? I guess I'm about to find out...
'Archer' I call while making my way to the kitchen to prepare tea. 'Meet our guests in the living room, try to be polite as long as they don't become hostile.'
'And if they become hostile?'
They shouldn't but of course Archer would ask about it. The Master would be immediately dealt with if she tries anything even remotely threatening, but that means we'd be left with a suddenly Masterless Servant who won't conveniently fade away without having the opportunity to rampage first. I wince at the possibility of two Servants duking it out inside my home, especially with one of them capable of wholesale destruction and the other being a Berserker.
'It can't be helped.' Do I have the money to rebuild the house if it comes down to it…?
'Try to draw Berserker's attention and bait her outside, but play it safe. We'd only need to wait until she runs out of time, so there's no need to take risks.'
Another sigh escapes my lips as I start preparing tea and biscuits for the unknown magician and the force of nature waiting in my sitting room as if they wouldn't kill me without blinking given half a chance. I really hope I haven't misread the situation. No matter who wins the potential fight, I only stand to lose if things do come to that.
But that's magi politics for you.
Illyasviel von Einzbern.
When I finally accepted that I (couldn't bring myself to get into the woods surrounding the mansion at night) I needed an ally for this war, I expected a lot of things. To be met with distrust or outright hostility. To be questioned for my intentions and left to wait outside. For the old formulas to be ignored. To be made to beg on my knees, just to secure a meeting.
It's what I would've done, after all. And I was ready to do it, I was ready to swallow my pride and keep score. To accept my weak position and patiently wait for a chance to turn the tables.
Instead, I was let inside without a fuss, my request granted with minimum questioning and my snide comments brushed off. No unreasonable demands, no grandstanding.
And once I stepped into the house...
Warm.
The first thing I notice when I step into Tohsaka's home is warmth.
It's not just a matter of temperature either, nights aren't very cold here in Fuyuki to begin with. It's the aura of the place and the magic surrounding it is warm. Welcoming, nurturing, nothing like the cold and standoffish feeling from back in the castle, or the empty abandonment from the mansion here in Fuyuki surrounded by those dark and creepy woods (that I can no longer watch without my mind conjuring memories of sharp knives and hazy shapes in the mist).
I was really expecting something… different. Never knew a Magi home feeling this warm was even possible.
Even the curse ready to blow up my head if I do anything funny -a very reasonable measure, all things considered- is defensive in nature, protective. My brain matter painting the ceiling wouldn't be the point of the Mystery, but a by-product of its intent to protect Tohsaka.
… It kind of pisses me off. This is enemy territory, it shouldn't feel so warm.
I do wonder what mystery was used for this though. Involving rules of hospitality and home and assuming the Tohsaka aren't crazy enough to deal with the fey… Some pseudo-deployment of the Domovoy Effect, maybe? I seem to remember it's called something else here in Japan, but that's only to be expected of the barbarians.
As we're guided into the house, I reflect on how I would go about weaponizing a home's protectiveness towards its inhabitants. It would probably involve familiars though. It wouldn't be as… solid as the formalcraft bounded field that's obviously been used here, but I could make it synergize much more cleanly with the underlying principles. Familiars are inherently capable of feelings, after all, much closer to a real genius loci than anything mere formulas can achieve.
At some point while I was distracted, Berserker and I ended up sitting on a couch. It doesn't exactly look up to Einzbern standards and it doesn't feel as fresh and new as what we have back in the mansion, but I think they call this 'well-worn'? I guess not everyone can use Alchemy to constantly restore the furniture to it's brand new state, after all.
It's still comfortable.
The glass-like construct that was playing guide shrinks back into the shape of a small and dull stone that might've been a jewel at one point and falls to the floor with a small clatter. I twitch my nose at the inelegant display, but I don't say anything. I'm trying to be a good guest and not everyone can have the skills of an Einzbern when it comes to crafting artificial life, after all.
"You are welcome to Master's home." A childish voice interrupts my thoughts, a small Servant materializing in the seat in front of us. Dark skin, red eyes, white hair and clothes. About my own height and a distant and vaguely curious expression on her face… She's adorable! "As you haven't earned your presence here through conquest, please don't try to take anything."
I… Uh…. Did she just...? "Excuse me, what?"
"You are welcome to Master's home."
"No, after that!"
"Please don't try to take anything?" I don't think she's adorable anymore!
"Do you have any idea who–"
"Please excuse Archer. Believe it or not, she's really doing her best to be polite." Tohsaka's appearance with a tray in her hands and a slightly strained smile in her lips interrupts me before I can give the brat a piece of my mind. "Archer, implying you expect your guests to act poorly is bad manners, unless you're really subtle about it. Then it's just politics."
"Oh." Archer smacks a fist on her open palm, as if reaching some deep realization. "I'm sorry."
I still glare at her for a bit. It does feel like she's mocking me, but Servants come in all flavors, so it's not like it would be unbelievable for her to honestly be this earnest. Since she fails to react to me beyond unblinkingly staring back at me, I magnanimously let it slide.
Take a deep breath, Illya. You're not here to start a fight.
"It was… nothing. You have a strange Servant, Tohsaka."
"Tell me about it." She huffs without looking my way, busying herself with the tray. It must be rough, not having maids to do that for you. "Do try the cookies while I serve the tea."
I take a look at the Tohsaka Master. I know from the reports we have on her that she's an all-around talented magus with few if any weaknesses. Which is another way of saying she's a mediocre magus without any strong point. Sure, she's competent enough to be passable, but that can only take you so far in this world.
And yet, she's my best bet. The filler participants could never measure up and, out of the Founding Families, Tohsaka are the only ones who are a real option. I'm the last person in the world who should judge by appearances, but that this… girl who has trouble maintaining a mask of politeness in front of a guest is the best this War can offer still feels like a joke.
"Something on your mind, Einzbern?"
The question brings me out of my reverie, to find Tohsaka holding out a steaming cup towards me and eyeing me weirdly. Have I been staring?
"I knew you were young, but seeing you in person is something else." I answer cooly, flawlessly hiding my embarrassment and accepting the offered tea. "Pretty too. That getup really brings out your best attributes."
"Like you're one to talk, Einzbern." Tohsaka isn't nearly as good at hiding her own thoughts, and I have to take a sip from the cup to hide a smirk at the way my compliment makes her cheeks redden. "In both respects"
Bitter.
It takes all my self-control to hold back a grimace and the urge to stick out my tongue at the taste of the tea. Why is it so bitter? Is it supposed to be drunk with sugar? Looking around the table, I can't find a sugar bowl anywhere.
When I look up to ask about it, I find Tohsaka drinking from her own cup as if the horrid taste was the most natural thing in the world, an eyebrow infuriatingly arched in my direction. It takes me a moment to parse her words and realize she's not mocking my reaction to the tea, but my apparent age.
"Oho? I'll gracefully accept that compliment." I force a smile into my lips and steel myself to take another sip of the barbaric beverage without flinching. "But you didn't think the Einzbern family would actually send a twelve years old to wage war in their name. Did you? I'm older than I look."
"I guess I should've expected that." She comments with a sigh after a small silence. "Now, as pleasant as this conversation is, it is kind of late and I still have a persona to maintain at school in the morning, so if we could get to the point..."
Her words only vaguely register. To be honest, I should probably pay a bit more attention to her words, but I'm a bit distracted trying to find a way to get one over her without breaking hospitality. Taking a look around the room, my eyes land on the collection of high-quality liquors that's obviously gone untouched for years. Again I have to hide a victorious smirk.
Jackpot.
"Your brew is excellent, but I'm afraid I'm not much for tea." I lie smoothly. I have no idea how this could even be considered tea in the first place, but nobody takes a free compliment poorly and, as far as I know, shemight consider herself a good brewer. "This is a serious conversation though, and I feel it should be treated with the proper consideration. Maybe I can convince you to break out the real stuff?"
Tohsaka follows my line of sight to the liquor cabinet, making a weird face when she realizes what I'm proposing.
"You want me to pour you alcohol?" She asks incredulity. "Do you want me to end up in trouble for intoxicating a minor?"
"Still older than I look."
"I am a minor."
"Well, you can keep drinking tea if this is too much for you, I won't judge." I'll absolutely judge. "Now be a good host and break out the alcohol. Akasha knows I could use it."
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