Fate/Regalia (RP)

**Mormarth** · August 21st, 2014, 06:26 PM

Elaine Rousseau D'Normandy
Location: Athena Academy - Somewhere
Time: 12:20 - Lunchtime
Day: April 17th - Friday

The centuries-old vampire listened with an air of interest to the various goings-on of the classroom, she ambled on through the day, then when it was 'Lunchtime' (how novel, a scheduled time for lunch!), she decided to spend this time, her own proclivites towards admittedly useless food already fulfilled in the morn, wandering around the varying corridors and hallways of the school.

She'd been in a bit of a hurry in the morning, and hadn't really gotten a proper look around.

**Verg Avesta** · August 23rd, 2014, 05:01 PM

Location: Dionysus Park
Time: 2:38 PM - Afternoon
Day: April 17th – Friday

"W-wait up, Your Majestyyyy!"

The desperate yell of a girl resonated through the park, shattering the silence that had reigned so far. The source of this plea was easy to spot: after all, this person was pink to the point of being obnoxious. Both the bubblegum-colored hair and the formal attire in lighter shade of red made her seem like an odd berry that was moving through the paths of Demeter Market on high speeds.

As for what she was chasing, well... while that person might have been easy to spot too, at least she was making an effort when it came to hiding herself.

Namely, someone suddenly dove under the table which had been claimed by Four, and laid low. Blue eyes peeked above the grass, trying to catch a sight of her chaser, but so far, the yelling girl seemed to have lost her target.

The person hiding under the table was clearly not someone normal, not even on OLYMPUS' standards. The brilliant, pearl-colored armor she was wearing looked like it cost a fortune, and the beautiful flaxen hair of the girl was so well kept it looked like she was fresh out of a beauty-salon. Not only that, but the fragrance of flowers, Lily of the Valley to be exact, hung around her like a refreshing breeze. The noble face of the young girl was marred by the regal frown she was wearing, rubbing her chin with her fingers.

"Do excuse me, my fair lady," the young girl spoke up. "It was not my intention to trouble you like this. However, I would be most grateful if you could keep my presence here a secret from that lackey of mine. I assure you, you shall be rewarded handsomely if you do that."

Whoever this person was, it was not enough that her beauty was like something out of a fairy tale. No, even her voice was like chiming of tiny bells, clear and soothing to the ear. When these facts were combined with the royal aura that hung around the person, the sight of her squatting in the grass, under a wooden picnic table, became even more absurd.

Wise Up!

Location: Demeter Market - Game Over Arcade
Time: 15:53 - Afternoon
Day: April 17th - Friday

It seemed that around fighting games, there was a gathering of some sort. However, this was not because there was a long line or anything. No, it seemed that the gathering around machines carrying Tekken Tag Tournament 5 was for a completely another reason. The people hollered and howled as if they had been spectating a sport of some sort... and in a sense, they were. The list of challengers was dwindling fast on the side where most of the people had gathered. Student after student was defeated in a brutally one-sided manner, some not even managing five minutes against whoever the opponent was.

As for the "reigning champion" of the current gathering... well, it seemed that whoever it was, they were handling things with ease. After all, the people gathered on that side, even if they blocked the view on whoever was playing, all wore confident grins as if they had seen this happen many times before. Whatever was going on did not seem like any new development.

No, this seemed more like a bunch of young wolves rising up to challenge the old alpha male.

It seemed that people were still interested in seeing more challengers take on the champion, and thus, some were motioning Chris to try his luck as he passed by the machines.

Location: Outside Athena Academy
Time: 7:50 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Well then, you are in luck. This is my first day in this establishment as well, but I plan on solving the mysteries of classroom placement post-haste for the sake of getting my friend to class, so, as a fellow new student, perhaps I could assist you as well?"

"Oh for the love of... Hey! Do not go around ignoring me so easily!"

The angry voice from the shoulder of Irmina was accompanied by a sharp little jab to her neck. Ixia stared angrily at her family member, as if admonishing her for forgetting the tiny girl. Then, Ixia turned her attention to Elethia. Eyeing the girl up and down, she let out a series of "Hmm, hmm" and "Hohooh, I see, I see" sounds, as if she was making observations of a rare animal. Then, after clearing her throat very matter-of-factly, she started speaking.

"Now then, the two of you," Ixia said. "First of all, introductions are the necessity of etiquette. To go around ignoring them, you might as well be talking to a boulder. Especially you, Irmina, did they not teach you any better? The mere status of our family should demand that we, at least, act civilized. I, well... I do not blame this young girl here, you know what they teach youngsters these days. But! Like I said: introductions, people!"

Folding her arms, the tiny homunculus stared at the two with all the fury of a grumpy cat. She continued this stare until the two of them had finally gotten the introductions out of the way. Afterwards, she gave an approving nod, and struck her chest with her tiny fist, proudly.

"And I am Ixia von Einzbern! The self-appointed younger sibling of Irmina here, and her guide on the maze of social interactions!" Ixia proclaimed loudly. "For indeed, I am the master of relationships and all things adolescence! You will find out that if you mention my name, there is nary a person who does not think highly of me!"

The look on Ixia's face was extremely smug, but not in any way condescending. It was simply pride stemming from self-perceived truth.

Location: Athena Academy – Outdoors
Time: Lunchtime - 12:08
Day: April 17th – Friday

“A-ah, sorry, I didn’t know that people were already using this place. I’m new around here, so I’m not really familiar with this school. You two don’t have to relocate or anything. I actually just finished my lunch here, so I was relaxing for a bit. I don’t mind moving aside, or going somewhere else. Feel free to eat here if you want.”

The boy with grayish-green hair groaned a bit.

"Gah, like we could drive a girl away just 'cause we wanted to eat here," he said, looking a bit sulky. "If you wanna stay, just scoot over a bit. I'll put this idiot between us so none of us feels awkward."

Then, moving from words to action, the boy shoved the red-head right next to Lapis, thus forcing him to the middle of the bench. He himself took the other corner and swung his back to the ground. From inside, he fished out a bento-box with an extremely cute wrapping: a pink one with playful rabbit faces. A similar one seemed to be hiding inside the red-head's bag, as he too took it out. However, where the boy with green hair seemed relaxed and laid back, leaning backwards on the bench, the red-head was clearly awkward now that he had been thrust right next to a girl he didn't know at all.

"Aw, man. Really? A wrapping with cute prints? You need to learn some restrain, dude," the boy with green hair said as he analyzed his bento. "This stuff is getting more chick-ified every day."

"Ahahaha..." an embarrassed laughter emanated from the red-head as he fished out a thermos full of green tea. "I just, um, felt like it. You know, I thought it would spice things up a bit. Maybe cheer you up."

"It's making me lose my appetite, that's what it does," the other boy grunted as he opened the box. "These smells though... they bring it right back. It's chow time!"

Then, without a further warning, the boy with headphones dug into his bento box, wolfing it down like he was near starving. The red-head, on the other hand, was taking things slowly, pouring the green tea into cups. He even poured one and offered it to Lapis with a slightly awkward timid smile on his face.

"Umm... here you go. That is, if you want it," he said. "I Ryouzen doesn't have the best manners in the world, but he doesn't mean anything bad with it."

"I'm just doing things the manly way!" Ryouzen retorted, his mouth full of rice. "You should try it sometimes, too, dude!"

"Ahahaha..." another embarrassed laugh. Then, as if remembering it, the red-head turned towards Lapis again. "Oh, um, I'm Ryougi KAIKEN. What's your name?"

Location: Athena Academy - Class 3-A
Time: 08:22 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

“Aah, yes. I have heard about those nightly strolls of her. As for the Servant you mention… hmm. Well, in any case there is, honestly, little I can do at the moment. Striking a hornet’s nest without protective equipment is rather short sighted, wouldn’t you say? The end result, in that case, will only end up being painful to yourself.”

Vielyna nodded, slowly, her eyes cooling a bit in their look. However, there was still no blame in them. Instead, it seemed that Vielyna was thinking about something else, but refused to put it into actual words.

"Well, I suppose so," the homunculus answered. "However... I do hope that girl does not end up hurting herself. I, for one, could not bear to be the one to tell Shizune that the person she holds most dear in the world has suffered while she, her older sister with the foolish sibling obligation to protect the younger sibling, has laid away in a coma."

Vielyna turned around, signaling that it was time to start focusing on the class that was about to start. It was clear that the teacher could come in any minute now, as they often did during morning's first lecture.

"Time, as luxuriously as it seems we have it... well," Vielyna spoke with a quiet voice, her back now turned. "It runs out awfully fast when you need it."

Location: Athena Academy - Cafeteria
Time: 7:55 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"And about our planned excursion to Hephaestus District, Miss von Einzbern, I propose that we meet at the school grounds at around 3:15 PM, after school. Is that alright with you?"

The answer of the homunculus came back rather soon after the mute alchemist had sent her message.

It simply read:

"That seems like a decent plan. Very well, I shall meet you at the appointed time at the school grounds, near the entrance to the academy. Hopefully you'll enjoy your schoolday."

**Caster** · August 23rd, 2014, 05:50 PM

Chris Arelius
Location: Demeter Market - Game Over Arcade
Time: 15:54 - Afternoon
Day: April 17th - Friday

Chris looked around, surprised at all of the commotion. He hadn't expected there would be so many people focused on one particular game. And if someone was really managing to beat all of these people so fast, they must be really skilled at it. He didn't have much experience with the game they were playing, though he recalled playing it a few times. Still, it couldn't have been that much different than the other fighting games by that company. And if he was going to challenge himself, the best way to do it was with someone who seemed to be as good as the person behind all of these fights.

The line moved quickly, and Chris' excitement rose as it did. It had been such a long time since he had played games with his friends, and now he was going to be in for a real opponent, something he hadn't been able to find within the Orders. Of course, not a lot of his friends were interested in games, so that certainly hadn't helped. Chris clenched his fist as he watched the line continue to move ahead. He wondered what kind of opponent he'd be facing. It was in a video game, so of course whoever it was might not be the most intimidating to see. Whoever it was, he just hoped that they would treat the match seriously, because that was how Chris was going to handle it. After seeing how swift and controlled the dancers had been with their game though, he had a feeling that he would regret a serious match, but it was just how he did things.

**Tangerang** · August 24th, 2014, 03:12 AM

4
Location: Dionysus Park
Time: 2:38 PM - Afternoon
Day: April 17th – Friday

The vampire girl broke off her mental chess match to take note of the sudden interruption. Although calling a mysterious blonde girl diving underneath the tables and by your legs a mere interruption may be somewhat of a understatement. It provided quite an interesting contrast to the appearance of the girl herself.

Regardless.

"Do excuse me, my fair lady. It was not my intention to trouble you like this. However, I would be most grateful if you could keep my presence here a secret from that lackey of mine. I assure you, you shall be rewarded handsomely if you do that."

In other words, person A, probably the frantic pink girl is looking for Person B, the diving under table princess. Person B is offering some sort of reward, or more specifically bribe for not turning her in to person B.

Now what should she do?

The vampire girl wasn't particularly interested in the unknown reward, nor did she have any type of obligation to protect her hiding location. On the other hand, nor did she have any obligation to turning this mystery blonde into frantic pink girl.

Or more to the point, it wasn't a situation she felt particularly involved in.

The vampire girl gave a shrug, leaned under the table to give the mystery fairy tale blonde a pat on the head, before returning to her previous posture. Without giving any indication that any of the previous events had happened, the vampire girl returned to her mental chess battle, as white did it's best to slowly overwhelm black's defensive board position.

**Verg Avesta** · August 24th, 2014, 08:20 PM

Location: Athena Academy - Class 3-B
Time: 12:11 - Lunchtime
Day: April 17th - Friday

The jewelry case inside the desk was surprisingly regal-looking. It was shaped like a heart, and opened in a manner of a clam, revealing that the insides had been veiled with satin. However, what was truly astounding was the amount of jewelries inside the case. Most of them seemed to be small bibs and bobs made from different precious metals, stuff a man could never hope to understand the usage of. However, there was an array of jewelries that were more obvious, even to the untrained eye.

There was a simple silver necklace made to resemble a wreath of four-leaf clovers. There was also a pair of agate earrings, and a golden ring with an opal fitted to it. Along with them, there was another necklace, golden this time, with a small lion hanging from it. The lion was made from what seemed like alexandrite. One of the most eye-catching items in the case was a lapis lazuli bracelet, almost too blue to look directly into. The final item of note was another ring, one made from what seemed like onyx with a bright vein of citrine running through it.

There was no question, in the end, that each item in the case was valuable. Very much so.

Location: Demeter Market - Dead Sea Scrolls
Time: 16:18 - Afternoon
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Its...kind of a long story, but I run a study group in my spare time. Some people are quite grateful, some people...well, Padishah-sama's reaction is hardly unique. Well, I guess it is a bit like selling something though, you have to get people to come before you can actually build up a club, so perhaps he is right in that sense."

Fahim stroked his chin, a small grin appeared on his lips as he heard Zero expand on the situation. Then he gave a tentative nod, his cunning eyes peering straight at the boy with interest glinting in them.

"Study group filled with, how did Padishah put again? 'Pseudo-hippie-lecture-crap'? Oh, that does sound interesting. I mean, by disguising something like hippie-movement, which itself was nothing but an attempt to brainwash people to an united front against pretty much everything in the world at that time, into a study group is rather brilliant move. No wonder some people are riled up about it. Those who know about it can't stand the idea that you got it first. Well, I mean, of course Timothy Pewenze got there first, but that's like comparing an ocean liner to a bicycle. Anyhow~" Fahim said and took a drag out of his hookah, before suddenly looking back at Zero with a cocked eyebrow.

"Wait. You do charge them, right?" the man asked, looking a bit worried.

Meanwhile, it seemed that Padishah had suddenly grown very melancholic. He was sniffing very loudly, and for some reason, get pawing at the ground with his itty bitty paws. The blue smoke that had been hanging on the ceiling till then swooped down, and two eyes peeked out of it, staring straight at the guinea pig.

[What is it now?] the creature asked.

"H-he mentioned Carl Rogers, and that made me sad again!" Padishah bawled, drying his eyes in the page of a nearby book. "He never returns my calls anymore!"

"That would be because Carl Rogers is dead," Fahim commented, only for Padishah to bawl even louder.

**Tobias** · August 24th, 2014, 09:19 PM

Zero
Location: Athena Academy - Class 3-B
Time: 12:11 - Lunchtime
Day: April 17th - Friday

Well, hadn't this conversation gone to a strange direction?

Now, the really interesting thing here to note was that Zero had spent some time considering the appropriate ways to deflect conversations related to his clinic...after all, a very serious part of putting it into place was to establish his reputation as just a harmless little bookworm with some odd, useful, but non threatening magecraft. However, apparently a minor flaw in his scheming had been that he had neglected to account for a situation in which the more beneficial reaction he might wish to elicit would be one in which he received accolades for indeed profiting from running it.

The safe choice was to simply lie and stick with the original answer. Lies are best when there is never any variation after all. That would clearly not win him any points with his respective employer, but Zero was inclined towards it anyway since he was not about to ignore the presence of Padishah. Anything Zero said could and most likely would be immediately placed in such a way to be inconvenient. Zero had no doubt the little rodent would not only creatively embellish any misstep Zero made, but he would heartily enjoy doing so. Obviously, lying a different way and saying there was a fee would be an amateur mistake, and one easy to disprove. Hell there was an excellent chance Padidsah could do it right there from the comfort of his computer.

Ah...of course. Zero thought to himself, carefully controlling his features into a contemplative, yet slightly sardonic smirk.

"Allow me to answer that question with a question, Fahim-sama" Zero began, looking at the hookah smoking man through half lidded eyes. "The wonderful and kind alchemists, who created Olympus. They give us this...wonderful playground to live on, spend ridiculously exorbitant levels of prana to make this place fly, ostentatiously through solar to mana crystals though I don't believe that for a second," Zero waved that part away himself as unrelated to the topic.

"Then we can do what we like. Go to school, run a book store, summon large, hammy members of the best or worst parts of humanity and then go kill each other..." Now Zero turned to look Fahim directly in the eye. "This is of course, out of the goodness of their hearts, They aren't getting paid for it, right?"

**MssrNeko** · August 24th, 2014, 09:29 PM

Luis Diaz
Location: Athena Academy - 7th Floor
Time: 14:41 - Afternoon
April 17th - Friday

I look at the two siblings with a blank look before stifling my laughter to avoid drawing attention from our captain. "Thanks, Lauretta. I... I needed that," I say with a smile. The sadness is still haunting my heart but I feel a little bit better with the help of these two. I couldn't let myself be stuck in sorrow forever, he had things to accomplish.

"So..." Luis inches closer to the sister as the brother asks yet another question of whether he should strip or not. "Why is your brother obsessed with stripping?" I ask with a worried look.

**Mellon** · August 26th, 2014, 04:39 AM

Firo Prochaniezo
Location: Athena Academy - Class 3-A
Time: 08:22 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

"However... I do hope that girl does not end up hurting herself. I, for one, could not bear to be the one to tell Shizune that the person she holds most dear in the world has suffered while she, her older sister with the foolish sibling obligation to protect the younger sibling, has laid away in a coma."

“I agree. Neither would I want to be the one to tell Shizune the bad news. ”

Despite the rather grim subject matter, Firo’s vulpine grin widened even further and his eyes sparkled with a mischievous light. If anything, it was almost reminiscent the of a young boy who had just been caught after a prank, but who did not regret his actions in the slightest. With a casual move, Firo pulled out his notebooks and grabbed a pen from his coat pocket, meanwhile still speaking to the white haired girl.

“Since neither of us wants to be the bearer of such grim tales, to our beloved friend, I will maybe give you a late night call, Miss Einzbern. I am a nocturnal creature myself, you know? While I might not go looking for trouble myself… trouble might find me, you know?

He gave Vielyna a wink as the girl turned around to prepare for the start of the class.

“Well, if I end up dead, I'll end up skimping on my end, though. You'll be the bearer of bad news then, Ms. Einzbern."

**Ivan The Mouse** · August 26th, 2014, 10:24 AM

Juliana Petronova
Location: Athena Academy - Cafeteria to Academy School Grounds - Entrance
Time: 7:55 - Morning to 15:14 - Afternoon
Day: April 17th - Friday

"That seems like a decent plan. Very well, I shall meet you at the appointed time at the school grounds, near the entrance to the academy. Hopefully you'll enjoy your schoolday."

"So shall it be, then." Juliana replied to Vielyna.

She then stood up from the table, nodded to her fellow members as a gesture of departure, picked up her now-empty food tray and walked away from the table, towards the counter to return said tray.

After she had done so, she began her walk to her classroom while recalling everything that was said in the meeting. She thought that, as for now, it seems that there would be a lot of changes in the club if everything goes according to what was planned. There were also a lot of revelations in the meeting, like Millia finally appearing after a relatively long period of absence, Hideki's induction to the club and who the woman in charge of the Cafeteria is. She almost got lost in her thoughts while walking, as per usual of her, until she arrived at the classroom and took her seat. There, she opted to talk to some of her friends and classmates via messages while she waited for the teacher to arrive. Some of them even asked her about what happened just about a week ago which caused her to be confined in the hospital for a few days, especially that she didn't clean off the blood from the polar jacket she was always wearing, which definitely attracted attention. She answered them in a short and precise way, not giving out anymore details to avoid further discussion, although some of them managed to get more answers when they asked. The discussions and conversations were finally put to a halt when the teacher arrived.

Nothing she considers of actual note happened during the school day and the young alchemist certainly didn't try to make herself too noticeable, as all she wanted is to catch up on the lessons and discussions that she missed during her stay in the Eileithyia Hospital, as well as to quickly end the day without anymore ruckus. She did, however, noticed a few new faces among her classmates and both of them were long-haired girls, one had white hair and the other had black hair. She wanted to make acquaintances with them, but doing so while the lectures are going on would be very inappropriate. Eight hours later, including the lunch break, the school day had finally ended without any incident and the Russian girl can finally lighten herself up. Leaving the classroom, she said to herself that, one day, she will poke her homeroom teacher's cheeks.

As soon as she exited the main building of Athena Academy, she rushed towards the entrance of the campus proper, in order to wait for Vieylna to show up. While waiting, she opted to sit on a nearby bench and surfed the internet in her HECATE-phone, surfing for erotic fanmade comics featuring her "husband" and other characters from her favorite anime. Initially, she was careful not to let other people discover what she was viewing but, eventually, she let her guard down after realizing that nobody might actually care. She was so focused in reading these comics that she wouldn't notice it if someone started to go behind her to see what she was looking at.

**RacingeR** · August 26th, 2014, 09:44 PM

Shizuka Fujou
Location: Athena Academy – Girls’ Bathrooms
Time: 12:27 – Lunchtime
April 17th – Friday

During most of the conversation between Sophia, Reaver and Rei, Shizuka had been scrambling to find a private place where she could talk in peace without risking any eavesdropping. Finally deciding to use one of the bathroom’s stalls for the purpose, she was finally prepared to join the conversation. And the first word she spoke was…

“No.”

It was enunciated in a calm, tranquil voice, that did not hid in any way whatsoever the anger held within. It was like a flame of absolute cold that froze everything that approached, a flame that held complete denial not only of Rei’s words, but also of Sophia’s and Reaver’s.

Ultimately, there was one truth that was hard to grasp when it came to Shizuka Fujou, a fact that most people were unable to understand. When it came to it, Shizuka did not see herself as a good person or a selfless person. She protected those important to her, she followed her mission’s orders, and that was all. She did not see killing her enemies, or even her own eventual death as a sin: rather, it was something natural, the cycle of battle she had been immersed into since her very birth. Because of these reasons, when Rei had came up with the idea of the SOS Club, she had felt annoyed at first: it was something unnecessary, something that put them at needless risk, that wouldn’t help with their ultimate objectives. In time, she had accepted it as something her friend and protégé wanted to do, and maybe even needed to do. When Rei had also decided to become involved with this hunt, she had felt the same annoyance, magnified by many times. It was something they did not need to do, something they shouldn’t do. Something that they would be better off by staying at the sidelines of…

However…

“I’m sorry, Rei-sama…” she did not really know if she felt sorry for what she was about to say. “But no matter how many excuses you put forward, you know very well that you wouldn’t be able to live with turning away this chance to help this ‘princess’, and much less if the result of this hunt ends in the worst case scenario. And… I cannot presume to know you as well, Sophia-sama, but for what I understand, you are the same kind of person. It seems to me this is not something you can give up about…”

She spoke against all her instincts.

One could truly find many rational reasons for get involved in such a situation. If successful, it would establish the SOS club as something to be taken seriously, and something that others would wish to join. It would increase their influence on this city (and Shizuka had started to understand how much such a thing mattered in this place), and it would probably increase their initial standings in the world of Masters if they managed to obtain their Servants. It would also allow them to become more experienced in combat, and would allow them to obtain valuable information, if at great risk.

But ultimately, the reason why Shizuka decided that they would participate was both because Rei, her friend, needed to… and because of Satoko’s words, which still resonated in her mind.

“Aren’t you all assuming way too much, on the first place?” She spoke formally, but coldly, the wrath still present in her voice. She decided to completely ignore Reaver’s earlier outburst. Sophia had made up by it by using a command spell, and from the huntress’ point of view, this was not something whose fault resided on Rei. Reaver had spoken on his own, and Sophia had decided by herself to use a command spell to silence him. Ultimately, for Shizuka to act like the matter had been settled and forgotten was the one way she could acknowledge the girl’s resolve as a knight, and her action, no matter how much her Servant’s words had angered her.

“We never had any intention of asking for Suzuka-hime to participate herself in the fighting. I am sure we all understand that even if she wanted to do so, her position and circumstances would not ‘allow’ her to. What we merely wished to ask her is to use her supposed powers to perceive the whole city, if her description in the Duel Chart is not a lie, to locate the target of this hunt before others do. However, we do indeed have to acknowledge we have little data to go on: after all, there are many students from the East in this city, and many of whom wear eastern accessories of some sort. We have to admit that the claves given in the message aren’t enough, neither for us nor for other groups interested in her.” She continued speaking, barely bothering to pause in between her words.

“You seem to be assuming we’ll just run around like headless chickens to the slaughterhouse. However, what truly matters in this ‘game’ is preparation, information and influence. Even if Suzuka-hime does not help us, that only means we’d be on the same level of other participants of the ‘game’. No… even then, we can say that our conditions are different from the ones who wish to use the ‘princess’ for their own reasons, since our ultimate objective would be to put her under ARES’ protection, rather than first obtaining her, and then eliminating or discouraging all other participants from their pursuit.” She made a pause, and then sighed. “We are making this look more complex than it truly is. What we need as a starting point is a solid base group, and then information on both our rivals and our target, so we can begin our preparations. Right now, we can’t say there is any rush, at least not until the mysterious message-sender decides to up the ante with more information on the ‘princess’. This is not two weeks ago, and while I am not naive enough to say that there won’t be fighting, we only truly need to enter combat when it is necessary, and we should precisely avoid rushing into fights. We have hundreds of approaches available, and it is too early to judge such things when, if we truly wish to participate of this, we should be working on the aforementioned matters.”

“At the end, I’ll abide by whatever your decision is, Rei-sama. However… do take in account that this is not a game we can enter with half-hearted resolve… and that goes for you two as well, if you decide to participate.”

Anger having finally disappeared from her voice, Shizuka went silent again, and waited to see how the others would react to her words.

**Mellon** · August 27th, 2014, 06:07 AM

Firo Prochainezo
Location: Athena Academy - Rooftop
Time: 12:20 - Lunchtime
Day: April 17th - Friday

Firo Prochainezo was sitting on the rooftop of the Athena Academy, munching on a melon bread he had managed to procure from the cafeteria, before the great masses had yet to arrive. The classes had passed relatively uneventfully. Well, glares and stares from rest of the class not withstanding. The rooftop was… well he definitely wouldn’t say desolate, but less crowded, then the cafeteria downstairs. Well, it was unlikely that anyone would approach him directly, anyway. People tended to be more guarded around Masters in OLYMPUS, then they were around normal students. And as much as he enjoyed some solitude from time to time, infinitely more complicated then they should have been.

As Firo took yet another bite out of the fluffy round melon bread in his hands, the phone in his pocket let out a message beep.

“Mhm?”

Title: War for the Princess

In OLYMPUS, there has appeared a person with the power to seal away a certain powerful Servant. She has no allegiance to any faction or external party. Whoever captures her, owns her.
The keyword for the hunt is: Eastern Accessory.

Good luck, dear hunters.

Hoo..? “Seal away a certain powerful Servant”? Well now, wasn’t that interesting. Unfortunately, it seemed that this peaceful lunch was about to come to an abrupt end. Since the text itself was so disgustingly vaguely worded, it basically meant that it could apply to any Servant on the Duel Chart. Well, it was unlikely that a pair as fresh as himself and Lancer would be counted as “powerful” at this moment, so it was relatively unlikely that it would refer to the two of them. Saber at the very least should be in the same boat. Not that it would stop most low ranking Masters, of course. The ruthless would seek to remove a potential contender. The noble would seek to save the girl from this horrible situation. And no doubt there would be a glut of loyal dogs ready to secure a prize for their various benefactors.

“Lancer?"

In a soft shimmer of golden light, the spearman in deep blue appeared, tilted on the nearby handrail, as if he had been always there. The grandiose red cloak billowed dramatically in the wind, as the blue-haired man gave Firo a confident grin along with a nonchalant shrug. It was almost as if the Servant already knew the outcome of this conversation beforehand and was simply putting on a show for his sake.

For some reason, it irritated him immensely.

“What a horrible face, Master.” Lancer let out a burst amused laughter. ”A blade that is sheathed forever can never truly bring glory to its owner. And there is only so much that this blade can do to amuse itself.”

Firo let out an almost resigned sigh at his Servants antics.

“Is it possible for you to find this “princess” of ours, Lancer?”

“Who do you think you are talking to, brat? Don’t confuse me with the rest of these talentless worms that were summoned for this mockery of a "war". If it is needed, I will find what you are looking for.”

A statement that did not even carry any ire, despite of the biting words present, simply sheer overwhelming confidence.

“Yes, yes. You magnificence knows no bounds, Lancer. Truly a shining paragon of the ages.”

Lancer, for his part, let out another burst of laughter and dissipated into a swirl of light, as Firo pulled out his bag and pulled out a rectangular object. In a way it served a purpose quite similiar to the HECATE phone currently resting in his other hand. It was a communications device. One a tad more secure and less traceable then his standard phone though. With a click of a button, used the comm device to call to one of the few contacts present in its memory. Nary a second later, the other side took up the call with a click.

“Helloooo, Evolve! Did you..!”

A buzz of words came from the other side, cutting Firo off mid sentence.

“Yes, I know. We shouldn’t get involved and its a bad idea considering the circumstances. Buuut… I still feel like doing it!” Firo gave a grin that remained unseen for the white haired girl on the other side. ”Besides, my gut tells me there is a job here for us!”

“In any case, I’ll be heading off ahead. Could you get Felix and Lerato and send them off my way? I’ll leave the organization to you, as usual!”

“Bye!”

Before Evolve could muster any sort of counterarguments, Firo quickly cut the call. Evolve would nag his ear off later, no doubt, but she wouldn’t allow him to rush off like that. Well. He would find a way to make it up for her later. His eyes turned over to the phone that was still open in his other hand.

Time to save a fair maiden, I guess.

This was what Kairos was made for, after all.

Helping people… for a price.

**Bloble** · August 28th, 2014, 03:53 PM

Erwin E. Schwert
Location: Athena Academy - Class 3-B
Time: 12:13 - Lunchtime
Day: April 17th - Friday

Hm.

Hmmmm.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

This is... worth a lot of money. I'm not speaking from a position of Greed here; such a fact would be obvious to anyone. Frankly, the sheer worth of these trinkets makes everything seem a bit more dubious. Would someone like Flores really carry around such a delicate case, full of treasures someone would kill for? She seems more like the sporty type who emphasizes form over function rather than a girly girl.

Did she... did she send me to someone else's desk? Is this her elaborate plan to get me to steal someone's valuables and avoid being blamed for it? If that's the case, then I should immediately back off before I'm goaded into sinning on someone else's behalf. Such trickery would be devious to look at and damaging to my cause.

But.

But the possibility also exists that this is a simple task she has given me, and that her intentions, while not pure per se, are not so devious. I must believe in a world of righteous people, and treat others as I wish to be treated. The benefit of the doubt is one of the things we are entitled to. If this turns out to be a misunderstanding or mistake on my part, I shall own up to it with the truth.

Otherwise, I'll believe in this complete stranger.

"Let's see..." I'll go with my gut. These trinkets are alien to me, so there's no education to draw upon. My own adornments are cheap, effective, and symbolic. The cross I normally wear around my neck has no precious stones on it, and is of a simple design. Thus, instinct shall guide me. "You have an impressive collection here. I know not what half of these are."

I walk back to the group and set down the jewelry box on the table. Then my hand closes around my choices and withdraws them.

"For Miss Flores..." I set the item down on the table, facing her. "You're not wearing any jewelry at the moment. In addition, you seem like the kind of person who is confident in their own body. Rather than rely on outside aid, I think you'd wear something only to support what you already have. So, while it may be rather simple, I feel this necklace is a good fit for you." It is silver, yes, and has no precious stones, but in the first place, the person before me has no need for such tools. The four leaf clovers are whimsical in nature, as is she. Anything too strong would simply detract from her appearance rather than add to it, so this is a good fit.

Besides, the citrine and onyx ring would get in the way if you were punching someone.

"For Jäger..." I place the lapis lazuli bracelet on the table, facing her. "It goes with your eyes. Besides, I don't think you'd enjoy a lion. A wolf, perhaps, but there isn't one here." She indulges a bit more in accessories, judging by the decorative hairclip and attention she gives her hair, so Jäger would probably want something a bit fancier.

Well, that seems good.

Oh wait, I almost forgot.

"And Vara." I put down the last one for the boy with the laptop. "A lion. Looks powerful, and suits you by my reckoning. The king of the savannah who watches over all and knows everything would be a good fit for you, though I have no idea how... ferocious you actually are. Besides, you look like a necklace guy." As a necklace guy myself, I can tell.

**Airen** · August 29th, 2014, 10:48 PM

Irmina Von Einzbern
Location: Outside Athena Academy
Time: 7:51 - Morning
Day: April 17th - Friday

She seems to be rather fond of jabs to the neck.

While the first one had hurt somewhat because of the surprise, this second jab, one that I had been half expecting, is dulled to a mere annoyance by the simple fact that I see it coming and brace ever so slightly against it. In a way, I suppose my past actions were rather rude towards the smaller girl, and we did have something of a status to maintain...

I thought, perhaps, that we could be a bit more loose while we weren't confined to the mansion, but were here, on OLYMPUS, but... It seemed that the aura of nobility was still expected from us here, just as it was at home.

I see.

That's easy enough to accomplish I suppose, if a tad annoying, but I suppose my vocabulary better lends itself to the more regal tone anyway...

I give the younger girl a moment to respond to Ixia, then...

"Yes... I appear to have forgotten my manners, but, I am the sort who feels compelled to help lost ones, sister," smiling now despite the earlier jab, I direct my attention not to the girl on my shoulder, but back to the girl who resembled a member of our family, but whose aura was somehow different, and who, by the fact she still appeared confused, was probably too panicked to have actually understood the smaller girl's introduction, "Forgive me young one. As previously stated, I am Ixia's older sister, Irmina Von Einzbern, successor of the Great Doctor Claudia, and as such, I ask if you require any sort of assistance, even if it as simple as being escorted to class. Be not afraid of rebuttal, I am a doctor of all sorts, and shyness is something that can be overcome without medicine."

**Satehi** · August 29th, 2014, 11:10 PM

Lapis
Location: Athena Academy – Outdoors
Time: Lunchtime - 12:08
Day: April 17th – Friday

"Gah, like we could drive a girl away just 'cause we wanted to eat here," he said, looking a bit sulky. "If you wanna stay, just scoot over a bit. I'll put this idiot between us so none of us feels awkward."

“O-okay.” A little unsure of what to do, Lapis did as he had said and moved over to give them some room.

She was originally going to give them the bench, but in this situation where they said it was fine for you to stay, wouldn’t it send the wrong message if you left anyways? It would be like saying that you didn’t want to sit next to them, which wasn’t true. On the contrary, she actually wanted to meet other students. But the green haired person seemed somewhat displeased that she was intruding on their lunch, so maybe she should leave after all? She had never dealt with this kind of thing before.

Ah- but if he really didn’t want her to be around, then he would have made it clearer. Most likely. Probably.

In that case, it should be fine to take his offer and just relax.

Just relax. No need to think about it.

The lunch that the red-haired boy took out seemed very cute to her- bunnies were nice, fluffy creatures. Their fur was pretty soft. She felt a little miffed at the green haired boy’s dismissal of it- she would have said something in its defense but she was already kind of intruding on their lunch time and spot. Interrupting their conversation on top of that would have been rude.

When the red-haired boy offered the tea to her, she accepted it cheerfully. She didn’t really mind tea that much, but it was nice (and a bit surprising) of him to offer some. She was pretty much a stranger to them, after all.

"Ahahaha..." another embarrassed laugh. Then, as if remembering it, the red-head turned towards Lapis again. "Oh, um, I'm Ryougi KAIKEN. What's your name?"

Setting the tea cup aside, she introduced herself. “I’m Lapis. I said it earlier, but I’m new around here, transferred into class 2-B. It’s nice to meet you, KAIKEN. And you too, Ryouzen.”

**I3uster** · September 1st, 2014, 06:11 PM

Akio Saiki
Location: Athena Academy – Student Council Room
Time: 16:59
Day: April 17th

This wasn't the best day to make a good impression. The young hybrid had still not calmed down from his lunch adventure, and regardless of how Zuberi seemed to be agreeable towards the end, there was still a distinct possibility that his little chat had been noticed by members of the council or their friends.

Not to mention he still had not calmed down completely. When the demon awakened, trying to calm down was a futile endeavor. He hoped that his slightly cranky behavior had not made a bad impression on his classmates.

Two weeks. You manage almost two weeks without some major screw-up and here you are, throwing threats at delinquents and Disciplinary Committee members. Why are you so damn dumb? What would mom say if she knew you flew off the handle like that?

He knew that there was no point in thinking over the situation like this. But rational thinking was something Akio would have to put off for another day.

It's only going to get worse if I don't try to keep it in check.

He had to keep this in mind, regardless of how he felt that day. That had been the worst thing about it all.

It felt great.

His mother told him that this was not their nature. That he should not listen to the tirades of the old geezers at the family meetings, about how savagery was the only way to live back in the days. About bosses that ate a thousand men and ruled their clans with the strength of a true oni. It was just indulgence, she said, old fools glorifying lack of discipline, weakness and addiction.

And yet what he felt was genuine. The Touzaki girl...she must have felt it too. She feels it every day. The strength that she had built on her own, the strength in her blood that made others follow her will, or die through her hand. Of course, she lacked purpose, yes, but there was no denying that she possessed it.

Maybe it wasn't so bad to indulge every once in a while.

For now, there were other matters to attend to.

He carefully knocked on the door.

"Hello? Is there anybody in there? It's me, Saiki."

**Verg Avesta** · September 2nd, 2014, 09:22 AM

Location: Blue Flamingo
Time: 12: 28 - Lunch Time
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"I just want to help... Yet people end up sticking out their necks for me instead. I don't have a servant so I can't fight any Servants, I get it. And while you might be able to fight three opponents at once, Miss Sophia, I am not sure I could handle even one... Much less protect someone from them. So perhaps we should really forget about this."

Sophia looked at Rei. There was a troubled look in the girl's eyes, mixed in with a slight exhaustion after having used a Command Spell to stop her Servant from spouting thorny, bitter words. For a moment Sophia bit her lip and glanced downwards... but just as quickly, she clenched her hands into fists, raised her eyes, and steeled herself. The eyes of the female knight were once again locked at the demon huntress, and it was clear she would not back down again.

"Miss Rei, I--"

“No.”

It was at that point that Shizuka decided to weigh in her opinion on the matter. Listening to the other girl go on, Sophia relaxed a bit more, leaning back on her chair once again. The more emotional outburst of the other huntress continued as Shizuka went on to remind Rei of what their actual plan was, and how they would go about achieving their goal. It was a speech meant invigorate Rei, to relit the fire that would eat away the doubt that had settled within the blind girl. Sophia even nodded a few times as the words came to them through the phone, agreeing on some points that Shizuka made.

“At the end, I’ll abide by whatever your decision is, Rei-sama. However… do take in account that this is not a game we can enter with half-hearted resolve… and that goes for you two as well, if you decide to participate.”

And eventually, it was over. Shizuka had said her piece, leaving Sophia and Rei, along with annoyed-looking Reaver, in silence.

"... I think your friend has the right idea," Sophia said, a small smile on her lips now. "It is true that we should not head out with mixed feelings, unsure if what we are doing is the right thing. Even more so, we must remember that at the end of the day, this is about unfair hunt of an individual who, as far as we know, is innocent. That fact alone should make it clear that it does not matter if we can match our enemies in power or not. Strong or weak, victor or loser... those things become meaningless in the face of a situation like this."

Sophia nodded to herself, putting one hand over her heart as if she was reciting an oath of some sort.

"Yes. If we know someone is in danger, we should head out there and protect her," Sophia spoke calmly. "Why?"

The knight's eyes looked straight at Rei, and she smiled at the huntress, the usual calming, invigorating aura now having returned.

"... Because it is the right thing to do."

Reaver rolled his eyes sarcastically, but was unable to do anything else.

Meanwhile...

Location: Athena Academy – Girls’ Bathrooms
Time: 12:28 – Lunchtime
April 17th – Friday

As Shizuka listened to Sophia's words from the other side of the phone, the bathroom had grown quiet. The large white stalls were mostly empty, if not counting for a one at the far end that was closed and locked, indicating someone was inside. The circular shape of the bathroom made it easy to see everywhere at once, leaving no blind-spots to a visitor unless she chose to turn her back. The stalls were in a crescent-shaped pattern at one side, the sinks on the opposing one. Meanwhile the exit was between these two crescent shapes, in the spot they nearly touched each other, while the other end had a large blue window that overlooked the park area of Athena Academy. The view so high up was quite magnificent.

Indeed, the whole bathroom was silent... until an ear-piercing screamed echoed from the single locked stall, bouncing off the walls and filling the whole bathroom.

Just a fraction of a second after the scream had been let out, the door to the stall flew open. From the inside, a short girl with glasses and blond hair stumbled out, skidding backwards on the floor like a crab. Her eyes were wide as plates and she was shivering in fear, staring into the stall she had just speedily exited. At first it seemed as if she wasn't even registering that Shizuka was there.

However, slowly, the girl raised her hand and pointed into the stall. Then, with a shaky voice, she asked a question.

"W-w-w-what is that!?"

A deep darkness hung around the toilet bowl. It was like staring into a piece of night that had been transported into broad daylight... and yet even night didn't seem as jet-black as the darkness that was now slowly filling the stall. And as if that had not been enough, suddenly the water in the bowl exploded upwards as something moved within and launched itself upwards.

A long and black something caught a hold of the rim of the toilet and started dragging itself up, slowly lifting itself from a space far too tiny to actually hold anything of its size. Still, this strange entrance was happening right before Shizuka's and the blond girl's eyes, so there was no denying it.

Something was coming up from within the toilet, from the murky and inky black waters, like a shark rearing its head.

And that something was coming up fast.

Spoiler:

Location: The Enlightened Road Dorms - Room 43
Time: 6:02 - Morning
Date: April 17th - Friday

"Forgive me Tokugawa-dono. I was unsure of what kind of breakfast you wanted so I created both a western and Japanese breakfast for you. Hopefully it is to your tastes!"

"Ah, how thoughtful! I'll have Japanese breakfast, then," Hikaru said with a smile. "It is the type I've grown accustomed to, after all."

Having put aside the barrel, Hikaru moved towards the table to start the breakfast. However, while she did so, she realized that Himari was still prostrating herself. Hikaru glanced around, as if to make sure she hadn't gotten the wrong target. However, after understanding that it was indeed her that Himari was showing such reverence to, Hikaru adopted a slightly troubled expression and make a calming gesture towards the girl.

"Um, it's alright, you may raise your head. There's no need to bow before me," Hikaru spoke. "Despite my name, I am nobody important. Truly, it is me who should be prostrating myself before you for having gone out of your way to prepare breakfast for me while I was out sunbathing like a small child."

Then, turning her words into actions, Tokugawa Hikaru prostrated herself before Himari, bowing so deep that her forehead touched the tatami. There was a calm smile on Hikaru's face and she had her eyes closed, as if this was a natural position for her to be on. Indeed, it seemed that for Tokugawa Hikaru, showing respect to those who had earned it in her eyes was a natural thing to do.

"Truly, I do thank you for preparing this feast, Aoyama-dono," Hikaru spoke. "It is far more than I have deserved."

Location: Athena Academy – Rooftop
Time: 12:37 – Lunchtime
Day: April 17^th– Friday

“Perhaps you might have a suggestion, Mr. Hannes? After all, I am sure you assist with Ms… Ms. Edelfelt’s hair care. You must be quite the… Quite the cosmetologist.”

"As much as I'd like, I'm afraid-"

Whatever the butler was going to say was engulfed when Kitee suddenly let out a triumphant yell. The young girl jumped and pumped her fist, grinning wildly as she looked at Noelle. It seemed that after the numerous options and do-overs, she had finally found one hairstyle that fit the vampire. Or at least fit when it came to the blonde's sense of fashion.

"Now that is more like it!" Kitee proclaimed with a proud smile, folding her arms. "Truly a work of art, if I may say so."

As his mistress had finished her task, Hannes finally let go of Noelle. The butler took a step back, but in the blink of an eye he did so, he seemed to have moved far further than he should have. It was almost like wind itself had carried the elderly gentleman away from Noelle when neither of the girls was looking. Now a respectable distance from both Noelle and Kitee, Hannes took a stance of a waiting servant, fading into the background until he was further needed by Kiteegelita.

"Rejoice, hag," Kitee said smugly. "I have just made you look twenty years younger."

While claiming it made her look younger was purely opinion-based, at least Kitee had finally settled for a hairstyle. That hairstyle happened to be a curly, elegant variation that fell down Noelle's back like a waterfall, and had an added crest on the top of her head to give it a more windswept-look. If one looked at it from a right angle, it was clear that it was a long-haired variation of the hairstyle of a certain Clock Tower Dormitory Head.

Location: Athena Academy - Corridor
Time: 12:22 - Lunchtime
Day: April 17th - Friday

As Elaine wandered around the hallways of Athena Academy, eventually she found herself in one corridor that seemed oddly empty. It was in direct contrast with the huge amount of people that seemed to be on the move during the lunchtime. However, this one corridor, this one part of the school, seemed almost abandoned. There was no noise or any sort of movement. The only thing that could be heard was the distant sounds coming from the rest of the school, but even they seemed muted here.

Maybe it was because the whole corridor seemed to be permeated in a thick fog of danger, a creeping sensation that seemed to slowly travel up Elaine's neck. It was like beads of water, footprints of rain that were as cold as ice. Whatever the reason, this whole patch of corridor was oddly foreboding, whispering words like "Go back" or "Run away."

It was like a voice at the back of your head telling you that whatever was ahead was dangerous.

... However, what could the danger have been? Looking at the corridor, there was only one thing out of place there. It was at the far end of the corridor, on the floor, leaning against the wall. But it could not possibly be the source of this dreadful sensation, could it? Something that seemed to seep into the air itself... could not possibly be caused by the simple existence of a single human being, right?

These cold fingers of danger that slowly stretched around Elaine's throat... their source couldn't have been the girl at the far end of the corridor, soaked to the bone and with hair like after torrential rain, sitting in a puddle of dark blue water... right?

Location: Demeter Market - Game Over Arcade
Time: 15:56 - Afternoon
Day: April 17th - Friday

Eventually came Chris' turn to take a shot at the current "champion." People around the machine let the boy sit down and take control of the game from his side. The screen was currently showing the character select, where both Chris and his opponents would choose their fighters. As was usual to this line of games, both of them would have to choose two combatants to form a team, after which they would duke it out in a series of three rounds. Whoever won the most rounds, won the whole fight.

Chris' opponent had already chosen his characters. One was middle-aged Japanese man with a windswept black hair, like a crest of a crow. The other eye of this man was glowing red, and he was wearing white martial arts pants. The other character the opponent chose was a Chinese martial artist with black hair and rather magnificent eyebrows.

Now the opponent simply waited for Chris to make his choice, before the match itself would begin.

--------[Challenge!]--------
Beat the Arcade Master!

Information:
Win two or more rounds against the opponent.
First Round:
AGI needed: C
CAS needed: B

Location: Dionysus Park
Time: 14:40 PM - Afternoon
Day: April 17th – Friday

It didn't long for the pink-haired girl to finally spot Four, and run to where she was playing her mental chess. Seeing the approaching blob of pink, the blonde beneath the table cursed softly and hid even lower, going flat against the ground. Looking rather out-of-breath and exhausted, the pink-haired girl stopped in front of the table where Four was, leaned forward and did her best to catch her breath before talking to the vampire.

It took her a good minute to finally regain her composure. It seemed that the pink one had no stamina to speak of.

"U-umm, excuse me..." the girl spoke through her ragged breathing. "Have... h-have... have you seen a blonde... person... with a royal... countenance... near here?"

Balancing herself against the table, the pink girl inquired this from Four. Meanwhile, the blonde below the table clearly tensed up when she heard the "lackey" speak up.

Location: Demeter Market - Dead Sea Scrolls
Time: 16:20 - Afternoon
Day: April 17^th – Friday

"Allow me to answer that question with a question, Fahim-sama. The wonderful and kind alchemists, who created Olympus. They give us this...wonderful playground to live on, spend ridiculously exorbitant levels of prana to make this place fly, ostentatiously through solar to mana crystals though I don't believe that for a second. Then we can do what we like. Go to school, run a book store, summon large, hammy members of the best or worst parts of humanity and then go kill each other... This is of course, out of the goodness of their hearts, They aren't getting paid for it, right?"

Fahim took a drag from his hookah, and gave Zero a dry look that was clearly unimpressed with the vague pictures the boy painted with his words. Whether it had been the way he said it, or the content of what he spoke, it was clear that Fahim didn't much care for what he had said.

"What, so you're running an experiment on them? That's a little harsh," Fahim flatly stated, causing the blue cloud of smoke to let out a sound that sounded rather like a derisive snort. "I mean, not that I got anything against it, but sooner or later ARES has you by the tail, and then you'll be thrown into juvie faster than you can say 'guinea pig'. Not a nice place to end up in."

The blue smoke slowly drifted on top of one of the bookshelves and settled there, clearly intending to rest for a while. However, as it descended, the smoke started taking a more definite form, clearly becoming more human-like. In a span of just a few seconds, the smoke had grown arms and legs, a torso and a head, all looking to be those of a lithe, young girl. Rest of the smoke that hung around the creature formed clothing, such as the chitin-like breastplate, pants and the turban it wore. The trail of smoke transformed into the creature's hair, that turned into a crystal tail not unlike that of a scorpion halfway through.

What sat on top of the shelf now, in a lotus stance, was a creature very much like a human.

[It certainly exhibits the aura like that of that one scientist. Perhaps it should also be sent to venture into the library?] the creature asked, but Fahim shook his head.

"Nah. We don't want to lose another employee," he answered. "Well, I don't mind if you play a hippie leader in your spare time, but leave that stuff outside the shop. We don't need this place to become a cultist hideout. One Padishah is enough."

"I resent that thought," the guinea pig protested. "This world definitely needs more of me!"

Location: Athena Academy - 7th Floor
Time: 15:41 - Afternoon
April 17th - Friday

Thanks, Lauretta. I... I needed that."

"Don't mention it," Lauretta said with a smile. "We Clockies gotta stick together, right?"

In the background, Romeo was flexing his muscles, trying to look imposing in front of Luis. Lauretta opted to simply elbow him in the ribs. This made the taller boy to finally calm down a bit. But not much. After all, he clearly mouthed a yell of "Nuuuuude!" to Luis when Lauretta wasn't looking.

"So... Why is your brother obsessed with stripping?"

Lauretta sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Hell if I know. Says it makes it easier to conduct his prana," the girl answered. "But I have this sneaking suspicion that he's just a pervert. I mean, he hangs around Mojarto, so you know he's got it bad. If you want my advice, just steer clear of--"

"HEY!"

A sudden yell caught the attention of the talking trio. As they looked forward, they saw that Rachel Comet was staring at them. The look on the captain's eyes was not a good one. Her other eyebrow was slightly raised, and her arms were folded above her waist, making her look like she was silently judging the three of them. Meanwhile, the rest of the team seemed to shrink away from Luis, Lauretta and Romeo, as if they were glad they hadn't been singled out by the anger of the captain like that.

"... Something you wanna share with the rest of the team? Adessi? Diaz?" Rachel asked, her eyebrow rising even higher.

Location: Athena Academy - Entrance
Time: 15:15 - Afternoon
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Nyohohoo~"

A sudden cold sensation washed over Juliana's back. Something rustled in the bush behind her, two eyes glinting from within the shrubbery. It was like a predator ready to pounce, a hunter that had fount its prey. Before the alchemist could either react or dodge, whatever was hiding in the bushes lunged forth. It crossed the small distance in a fragment of a second, rose up, and latched its claws into Juliana's shoulders.

Then the head rose, lodged itself right next to Juli's and spoke the following words.

"I see thou art wicked as well~"

Called forth by the smell of perversion, Kotobuki Haru had sunk her fangs into yet another prey.

Location: Athena Academy - Rooftop
Time: 12:31 - Lunchtime
Day: April 17th - Friday

It took about ten minutes for Lerato to finally arrive on the rooftop where Firo was waiting. However, when she did, she was not only. The surprising thing was, her companion was not Felix. Instead, it was a tall, lithe girl with black hair and red jacket thrown over her uniform. The two of them were engrossed in a discussion; or rather, Lerato kept babbling, while the girl with eastern features just listened and nodded occasionally.

"Oi! Firo!" Lerato yelled and waved her hand as they arrived to the scenes. "What's up? Evolve sent me a text, telling me to kick you off OLYMPUS. What'cha do to her?"

Grinning like an idiot, Lerato walked over to where Firo was and sat down, letting her legs hang over the edge of the rooftop, precariously dangling them in the air. Lerato's friend, on the other hand, put the girl between her and Firo as she sat down, opting to lay down completely on the roof. It was clear that she was planning on falling asleep on any second.

"Oh, that's Seki. Tohsaka Seki," Lerato said and pointed at the girl, who lazily waved her hand. "She's my classmate. I ran into her just now, and thought I'd get her to come with me."

Location: Athena Academy - Class 3-B
Time: 12:14 - Lunchtime
Day: April 17th - Friday

"For Miss Flores... You're not wearing any jewelry at the moment. In addition, you seem like the kind of person who is confident in their own body. Rather than rely on outside aid, I think you'd wear something only to support what you already have. So, while it may be rather simple, I feel this necklace is a good fit for you."

"Hmm... Siete puntos," Juanita said, inspecting the necklace before slipping it over her neck. "I sure enough don't want to fresa sin crema, but I'm no naco either. Flashier might be bad, sí, but I'd like to make me seem at least somewhat rich. Esé, you gotta learn a bit more about what girls truly want. But hey, good try. Lessee what you chose next."

Folding her arms, Juanita waited for Erwin to move on to the next target. That is, Jäger.

"For Jäger... It goes with your eyes. Besides, I don't think you'd enjoy a lion. A wolf, perhaps, but there isn't one here."

"Mmm, my eyes? Why, that is a rather romantic way of choosing it," Jäger said with a mischievous grin and pawed Erwin playfully. "Surely you are not trying to suggest something, Mr. Erwin?"

Juanita chuckled at the sight, and after letting Jäger gaze at bracelet enough, she locked it in its place, around Jäger's wrist. Then the Mexican inspected the accessory some more, taking in the sight of its blue brilliance against other girl's pale skin.

"Órale! Now that's more like it!" Juanita said and patted Erwin on the shoulder with surprising amount of power. "Frentona, looking good, I say. Classy yet stylish, matches with the looks. Chido, chido! Ah, cabrón, eres demasiado crédulo!"

It seemed that the girl was about to say something more. However, Erwin had suddenly moved to give the last piece of jewelry to Vara, causing a sudden silence among the group.

"And Vara. A lion. Looks powerful, and suits you by my reckoning. The king of the savannah who watches over all and knows everything would be a good fit for you, though I have no idea how... ferocious you actually are. Besides, you look like a necklace guy."

What Erwin got as an answer was a flat, dry stare.

"Dude. No. Just... no," Vara stated. "That's a girls' necklace."

Awkward silence continued to reign.

...

Well, at least until someone's shout caught the attention of those in the classroom.

"Who has rummaged through my desk!?"

There, looking into the desk where Erwin had just taken the jewelry box from, was extremely miffed-looking Bo Tu. The blonde boy was absolutely fuming, shaking with anger at the mere thought that some stranger's hands had gone through his things. However, looking at his livid expression, most of the students watching the events unfold had a hard time suppressing their laughter. It seemed that the act of annoying Bo Tu was something of a favorite sport to Class 3-B.

Meanwhile, however, Jäger had taken off the bracelet Erwin had given her and pushed it to the next table. The girl was looking intently away, whistling a very carefree-sounding tune while the corners of her mouth twitched with a chuckle held back.

On the other hand, Juanita was nowhere to be seen. Or perhaps the better wording of it would be: she was absolutely glued to Erwin's back, pressing herself against him so that his frame completely hid her from Bo Tu.

Location: Athena Academy – Outdoors
Time: Lunchtime - 12:09
Day: April 17th – Friday

“I’m Lapis. I said it earlier, but I’m new around here, transferred into class 2-B. It’s nice to meet you, KAIKEN. And you too, Ryouzen.”

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Ryouzen said, intently focused on his lunch. "Welcome to OLYMPUS and all that."

KAIKEN laughed a bit awkwardly as his friend continued to munch on. He then turned to look at Lapis and made a small apologetic gesture.

"S-sorry about Ryouzen. He's a bit rough around the edges, but he's a good person..." KAIKEN said with a slight smile. "So don't mind if he says something a bit mean. He doesn't really mean it."

"Ugh, don't go deciding what I mean for me," Ryouzen said and shot an annoyed glare at Kaiken. "Besides, how long are you gonna be here? Kaiken and I were supposed to hit the arcade tonight."

"Oh, um, really? I was hoping I could catch that new movie after school, actually..." KAIKEN said, putting his index finger to his chin. Ryouzen clicked his tongue.

"... What sorta movie?"

"Oh, that romantic comedy," KAIKEN answered, causing Ryouzen to slap his forehead.

"Really?" the green-haired boy asked. "Ugh, why doesn't that idiot ever plan things through. This is the third time this month! But maaaaan... I really wanted to test out that new driving simulator that came out few days ago..."

"U-uhm, well, I suppose I could... go to movies later..." KAIKEN meekly suggested and gazed at the ground, looking almost like he was holding back tears. In fact, his eyes seemed oddly expressive for a face as rough as his.

Ryouzen, on the other hand, was looking a bit awkward.

"... Look, dude, don't give me those eyes," he said. "It's unfair and it sorta creeps me out."

Location: Athena Academy – Student Council Room
Time: 16:59 - Afternoon
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Hello? Is there anybody in there? It's me, Saiki."

"Do come on!"

Ouji Misaya's dignified shout came from the inside, ordering Akio to step to the room. And when he did, a world of chaos was revealed before him. Everywhere one looked, one could see a member of the student council scurrying forth, struggling to carry a stack of papers or furiously writing something down. Others were pouring through books and computer databases, clearly searching for something.

The only ones currently not engrossed in some sort of activity were four of the core five of the Student Council.

- Ouji Misaya, the President, who was intently glaring at some paper in front of her.
- Cecilia Geflect, the Treasurer, who was playing with her HECATE-phone, looking a bit bored.
- Kuruouka Kenji, the Secretary, who was standing behind Ouji with a stern look on his face.
- Velonica Forez, the Workhorse, who was sleeping in a pile of papers.

It seemed that the only one not around was the elusive Vice President, who had not shown his or her face at any point since the start of the school year. However, that was beside the point, as it was clear that whatever was going on, it had taken the precedence over the regular meeting that was more akin to Ouji simply reading aloud previous day's report.

"Ah. Saiki. Good, you've arrived," Kuruouka Kenji said and nodded to Akio as a greeting. "We'll be needing all pairs of hands we have. Something rather troublesome just popped up."

**Caster** · September 2nd, 2014, 09:59 AM

Chris Arelius
Location: Demeter Market - Game Over Arcade
Time: 15:56 - Afternoon
Day: April 17th - Friday

Chris looked at the screen, as he tried to remember who he liked. It had been so long since he had last played this game, and back then it had been a smaller roster. Still, the nice thing about these tag tournament games was that they always added to the roster, and almost always had everyone back from the last one. After a few seconds of looking around, he had picked his two characters, a Leo and Lars. He remembered back in the day when they had funny costume references, but it seemed like that wasn't a feature in this arcade version. Which was kind of a shame. He always thought Lars looked good in a Link outfit, though that might just have been because Link had a fun outfit.

Still, Chris couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy. He had watched the matches time and time again, and they had been brutally one-sided. He clenched his hands together, and whispered a soft prayer. To the people who could see him, it would hopefully just look like a simple prayer before a match. Which was true, though Chris had other reasons for it. The full use of it wasn't needed right now, but his limbs felt lighter. With his mind and body as ready as they could be, with any luck Chris would be able to handle whatever the opponent had ready for him. He could tell that this wasn't going to be an easy match, but he wouldn't back down from a challenge.

Wiseup

**Ivan The Mouse** · September 2nd, 2014, 04:01 PM

Juliana Petronova
Location: Athena Academy - Entrance
Time: 15:16 - Afternoon
Day: April 17th - Friday

At first, Juliana didn't mind it when she felt chills down her spine, possibly because she knew that the Academy City is placed somewhere high above the Earth's atmosphere, therefore giving it a cooler climate. This was one of the reasons why she tend to keep wearing her white coat whenever she went out of her dorms, to keep her warm. And she also didn't pay attention when she felt as if someone ominous was approaching her from behind, being focused what she was reading on her phone.

However, when the mute girl felt hands landing in each of her shoulders, she knew that she was doomed. She then only realized that she shouldn't have let her guard down while reading such erotic material in the Internet on public. It was only then that the chills she felt grew strong enough for her to have goosebumps all over her body, as well as feel butterflies in her stomach. The fear and nervousness she felt was further amplified when the person behind her whispered words in her ear signifying that she was caught.

"I see thou art wicked as well~"

It was a female voice, but she felt as if she was about to be violated sexually by a strange predator and such prospect excited fear from her and horrified her senses at the same time. But she also realized that it was too late to cover up her sins, and all she can do is to accept whatever will happen next and wait until Vielyna comes as promised.

As such, with eyes wide open, she slowly turned her head to see whoever this was and there she saw, a young girl like her, with a short black hair and glasses in her eyes. So this must be the one who caught her in the act, she said to herself. And even if she could talk, she would have nothing to say because she was just so surprised that it would leave anyone speechless if they could feel the same thing.

And all she can do is to smile nervously at her, hoping that this girl won't do anything bad to her.

**I3uster** · September 2nd, 2014, 06:19 PM

Akio Saiki
Location: Athena Academy – Student Council Room
Time: 16:59 - Afternoon
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Do come on!"

It definitely looked like they needed a bit of help.

"Hello everyone!" said Akio as he entered, but he did not expect any responses. By the looks of it, wasting time on greeting was a luxury they couldn't afford right now. Before him had opened paper hell, and it swallowed the souls of the unfortunate. And he could not shake the feeling that he was not going to be spared from their eternal suffering.

"Ah. Saiki. Good, you've arrived,"

"Always pleased to help." As he came closer to the four, he bowed towards Misaya. "Miss President."

"We'll be needing all pairs of hands we have. Something rather troublesome just popped up."

It felt like a dart to his neck. This couldn't possibly be about the delinquents? No, that was impossible. This was probably about tonight.
"I'm guessing we're going to have to prepare for the night?"

**Bloble** · September 2nd, 2014, 09:34 PM

Erwin E. Schwert
Location: Athena Academy - Class 3-B
Time: 12:17 - Lunchtime
Day: April 17th - Friday

"Hmm... Siete puntos. I sure enough don't want to fresa sin crema, but I'm no naco either. Flashier might be bad, sí, but I'd like to make me seem at least somewhat rich. Esé, you gotta learn a bit more about what girls truly want. But hey, good try. Lessee what you chose next."

"Thank you for the feedback." Even if I can't understand half of it. Hm. So maybe I should've gone with the earrings after all. But in a fight, surely they'd just get in the way? "So I still haven't understood your feelings fully..."

Or maybe I simply misjudged. Miss Flores appeared initially to be simply a sneaky, thief-like person, but perhaps she has traits that are not immediately recognizable? If so, then I failed as a person by judging someone too harshly based on a first impression.

So I still have much to learn...

Originally Posted by Jäger

"Mmm, my eyes? Why, that is a rather romantic way of choosing it. Surely you are not trying to suggest something, Mr. Erwin?"

F-fool! What kind of person do you take me for? I haven't even thought of such alien concepts!

But... she likes it, right? What's that mischievous smile supposed to mean!?

I lightly shrug and let my neutral smile sit. "Merely that you're a good fit. I assure you, anything I say is completely subtext-free."

I hope it's subtext-free. "I'll admit that Juanita was right, though. Certainly, if I was to gift you something again, it would have to be more along the lines of this than some origami." One lesson learned. I could call it greed or vanity... but perhaps in this case, the expensive nature of a flashy gift simply translates how much someone cares.

Originally Posted by Vara

"Dude. No. Just... no. That's a girls' necklace."

I laugh. It's a small thing, but I make no effort to hold it back. There's nothing wrong with a small joke here and there.

"Tis a simple jest, good sir." I can't stop myself from snickering a bit at his expression. "I just had to see your reaction."

He still looks like an necklace guy, no matter what he says.

But he doesn't seem to be laughing.

And then the mood changes.

For a moment there I felt something, and I only grasped it as it vanished. With a new arrival, the atmosphere sinks somehow. I don't feel content anymore. The slight glow that had surrounded everything was gone in an instant. The world suddenly looks a bit more drab and dull.

What was that feeling?

Why do I wish to feel it again?

Was this what the old magus spoke of?

No time to think. A new dilemma approaches.

Originally Posted by Bo Tu

"Who has rummaged through my desk!?"

Ah.

The pieces fall into place.

So it was like that after all.

I let myself sigh.

Well, I can't say I didn't expect this development. I merely hoped that it wouldn't turn out like this. By all rights, I should have voiced any misgivings I had before trusting someone unknown without a thought. But I didn't. The actions I took were atypical of the me that is myself. I went along with it because...

Why? Why did I go along with it? Erwin Eifer Schwert shouldn't have trusted those people for a second.

Did I merely want to trust them?

If so... what does that new desire of mine mean?

Juanita is leaning against my back. I can feel her neck, and by extension the necklace she wears, against mine. If she is caught... she will be implicated, along with whoever she names. Certainly I don't expect this to end in blood, but it certainly wouldn't be a pleasant turnout. The only thing she is guilty of is egging me on.

But I have no wish to aid and participate in the bullying of this new student. He's done absolutely nothing wrong. In this scenario he would be the victim of the 'harmless' crime I unknowingly committed.

I don't want to think about it, but the obvious choice here is to reveal the jewelry box, tell this newcomer everything, and submit myself and the whole class for judgement. It's the best thing to do. Anything else would be a sin. I cannot conceal it. Just do as you always have and wipe the slate clean.

Do no Evil...

I can't. I can't do it. Is this the beginning of my downfall? Will it start with a simple lie? Will this small sin lead to larger ones?

Yet... yet, I cannot. I cannot do the right thing.

How horrifying.

So I was this weak after all-

My phone vibrates.

Huh? That's strange. I don't recall giving anyone my contact details.

I take it out of my pocket and flip it open. My design is a simple one with an edge that's almost razor sharp, based off a commercial I saw as a child.

My eyes glide across the screen.

Originally Posted by Unknown Sender

Title: War for the Princess

In OLYMPUS, there has appeared a person with the power to seal away a certain powerful Servant. She has no allegiance to any faction or external party. Whoever captures her, owns her.

The keyword for the hunt is: Eastern Accessory.

Good luck, dear hunters.

I look up, down, and up again just to confirm.

This... this must be a sign from the Lord! Surely, nothing else could allow such an uncommon coincidence to occur!

Now is the time to act!

While the newcomer and the rest of the class are looking at their phones, I reach up to my neck as if to adjust something. In realty, my hands find the clasp of the necklace Juanita wears and tease it open. In a flash, it's no longer around her neck.

Instead, it's around mine.

A tight fit, to be sure. And definitely a bit too girly for me.

But that's fine.

"Excuse me," I call out to the angry person. "Yes, the person you're looking for would be me. Pleased to meet you, sir."

Except not.

"Or should I say... Princess."

Well, that's not a princess. Actually, it's most likely a man, albeit a very effeminate one. At least, that's what they'd want to have everyone else think. In reality, it's all a sham! A princess dressed up as a man, hiding in plain sight. How many fairy tails have had that exact plot point? Too many.

Naive, princess! You're too naive! That disguise isn't fooling anyone!

"You have unmistakably Eastern features about you," I observe. "And those accessories of yours... they must be what the message spoke of. The disguise was admirable. You almost had me believing you were a male. But... you might definitely be a woman. No, that jewelry confirms it!"

I grin. This victory is mine. Surely, this incredibly series of events was all a sign. By taking her jewelry, I acquired the 'Eastern Accessories' spoken of in the message, before anyone else. And now the Princess is before me. I don't even know what a Servant is, but I shall acquire this boon for the Lord!

The Princess is no doubt already in my hands! Come, I shall take your anger!

"Lady! Before this War even begins, allow me to capture you."

Thread: Fate/Regalia (RP)

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