Still going with fates. As for the write-in;
[x]Lend me your Servant for the war in Britain. Kidding but, having Saber witnessing a conflict there would have been interesting.
[x] Ask access to Mahoutokoro tree's ofuda.
Whether Kirie can obtain some for Shinji or simply put in a good word with the maiden, is fine.
We will need high-end skills sooner or later.
Could be interesting. I note though, that permission to visit and permission to freely use the cabinets are different things. And that since Touko controls one end of the connection, Rin might find herself being charged a toll.Originally Posted by Skull Leader
Anyway, I'll be online.
Last edited by alfheimwanderer; September 17th, 2017 at 04:18 PM.
Ok ok I get the message.
Last edited by skulkidcachi90; September 17th, 2017 at 06:30 PM.
Don't get greedy.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
Not being greedy is why its just visit the place at the moment with escort.
In my mind, Rin has not earned knowing about the cabinets as of yet, or close enough to Shinji for him to inform her. If anyone desires to be informed of the cabinets at this point it would be George.
Its more about having her make a connection with the town, hopefully, so that she can earn a place in the town, if she wants.
A Small step forward, rather than a giant leap.
Last edited by Skull Leader; September 17th, 2017 at 07:45 PM.
Choice 213: [x] That his plans will see him elsewhere
Choice 214: [X] Write in: Ask the Fujuo family to grant permission for Rin to visit Mahoutokoro and to have a rep of the family show her around the city. After all as her patron, it is Shinji's duty to help her grow into the person that she wants to become by exposing her to new places and ideas.
I will get to writing then - expect something by the weekend. As for you, Daiki, Mahoutokoro does have high end ofuda paper (because yes, the quality of the wood/paper used to make ofuda matters, just like the quality of wood used in a wand matters), and depending on how skilled you are and your reputation with various groups, you may have access to the finer stores. Right now, Shinji has access to upper-division student level goods from official suppliers, or he could check with other groups that are not subsidized by the Council. Asplund's Shop of Horrors is a good independent shop, for example, where all sorts of interesting goods may be found.
Choice 215: Speaking of which, while I'm writing this, let's say Shinji buys himself something in Mahoutokoro besides the basic supplies he thinks he'll need (e.g. ofuda paper, inks, some eastern herblore manuals). Any suggestions for a bonus item, and what it should be for?
[ ] A trinket (perhaps a ring) from Asplund's Shop of Horrors
[ ] An Elemental Catalyst
[ ] A set of self-Geass Scrolls
[ ] A spare Book from The Dust Pile
[ ] (write-in)
[x] (write-in): buy the best and latest camera model he can find, after all since he plans to inspect the ruins of the ancient island, it would be a good idea take photos of the ruins so Sion can study them in detail.
[x] A set of self-Geass Scrolls.
Would be useful in many situations. Especially if we want to make sure some allies won't betray us or if we have to silence someone without killing.
The spare book is an attractive option but I would rather have Shinji focus on improving his level as an onmyouji.
Noticed the elemental catalyst keeps coming up, though. How useful would it be for Shinji at this point, Alf?
Ah, Tech that uses electricity does not functional well at all in the HP lore. I am not sure how well a normal camera will work on this super charged magical island. Now there might be ways around that with more special devices as I am sure the America tech-wizards have a solution to the issue that he could maybe find so not a huge issue but something I wanted to point out there.
What actually is a self-Geass Scrolls in the context of this fic, Alf? What can it do for Shinji?
On the other options, a book seems like it would be something that would be too little too late kind of issue (no time to learn before PC) unless it was a eastern potion/herbology field guide reference book, as a western side of things is covered by the Book of Potions.
And strangely enough, I am currently fine with the going with the Shop of horrors for some random trinket. Yes, that place has horrible prices some time attracted to buying anything but in the end if we are serious about Shinji not be prepared enough as he seems to be then we might need to really consider this option as its offers our best option for a minor game changing object that can increase Shinji chances in the Championship. Just do not get too greedy if we open another round of options at the shop when picking.
I am currently leaning toward element catalyst as it will supplement/increase Shinji ability to use his element ability, which is an important ability for him. This option seems like the safe smart choice we can make (but scroll is likely good as well) but hey sometimes we need to throw caution into the wind and consider taking the more risky of options in the hopes that it leads us to victory.
I will hold off making a choice for now, but I do wonder on people thoughts on if the Shop of Horrors could be worth taking.
Last edited by Skull Leader; September 19th, 2017 at 08:49 PM.
It is rarely a bad thing to have a catalyst to help you with specific Elemental spells, especially one not quite as obvious as a wand. It may not be a big game changer, but would be a nice supplement or holdout.
A self geass scroll functions much as it does for magi, only this one is adapted to work for other magical sorts as well. It basically casts a curse on the one who signs it, using their own magic and power to bind them to an oath, so if he beats someone and wants to extract conditions without the fear of them betraying him...
Essentially, portable Unbreakable Vow.
Anyway, I'm happy to discuss things on IRC.
Last edited by alfheimwanderer; September 19th, 2017 at 10:04 PM.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
Self-Geass scrolls.
I'll leave this up until Sunday, since I know with the web outages lately, people may have not gotten the chance to vote.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
Change my vote to:
[x] A set of self-Geass Scrolls.
[x] A set of self-Geass Scrolls
[x] A set of self-Geass Scrolls
Chapter 63. Ashes to Ashes
After the emotional ordeal of dealing with Fred, Matou Shinji found it a comfort to be away from Hogwarts altogether, as he stepped out of the Vanishing Cabinet in his former Master’s workshop into Mahoutokoro, with Luna following behind him. The fact that this city – this subterranean world – where human and youkai lived as one, where magic was alive, existed just beneath Kyoto, never ceased to amaze him.
Coming here had been his first introduction to life as a practitioner of witchcraft, after all, with nothing in Wizarding Britain coming close to matching the spectacle and grandeur of the City Beneath the Earth.
‘Well, the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts Castle is impressive, I suppose, but the City is on a whole other level…’
“It’s very different here,” Luna murmured, noting how those out on the streets for hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the year, were dressed as she was – in a traditional kimono. Hers was a rich midnight blue with a patterning of falling stars, complementing her blonde hair nicely. “The people here – they’re not afraid. They don’t wonder when the inevitable will come, and everything they know will be lost.”
“…are the people of Hogwarts really that afraid?” Shinji questioned, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, I’m not there all that often, and when I do, I only interact with Slughorn or Lockhart most of the time, so…”
“They are, even if they try to hide it,” Luna noted quietly, glancing up at her companion with wide silver eyes. “Even some of the ghosts.”
“The…ghosts, you say,” Shinji repeated, remembering all too well how Myrtle had seemed utterly terrified of him, calling him a necromancer, of all things. If she’d said something to one of the others, or had told the Aurors of his alleged…skills, things could get…unpleasant for him.
“Mm. The Grey Lady mentioned that Myrtle seemed panicked these last few days,” the petite blonde commented. “That she thought you were going to destroy her soul. Were you?”
“…no. I was just annoyed after she…” the boy trailed off, sighing. “After she came onto me. As if just because I had become a spirit, I was going to be hers. I get that she’s lonely, and that there isn’t anyone her age, but, that’s no excuse…”
“The Grey Lady told her the same thing,” Luna noted gravely. “I do wish there was something we could do for her though.”
“You know the funny thing is, if I was a necromancer, I might be able to help her,” Shinji replied, shaking his head.
“Oh? How so?”
“Well, in the event that I, or I guess, Sajyou-san, if the spirit potion I created doesn’t impress him” – and there was a good chance it wouldn’t, since required the use of Felix Felicis as an ingredient – “become World Champion, then the spirit of Zygmunt Budge will move on, departing the Book of Potions.” He smiled wanly. “Of course, if that happens, the Book of Potions will cease to be the powerful tool it is today, becoming a normal book.”
“Like the first edition of the Book of Charms or…?”
“Like a normal potions textbook,” Shinji corrected, his lips twisting into a wry expression. “The Book of Charms that Lockhart uses gets its abilities from the powerful enchantments laid down by its creator. The Book of Potions, on the other hand, has the properties it does because Budge bound his soul to it. It seems almost a shame that it would lose its magic when Budge passes on, but that’s how it is.”
“And if you were a necromancer, you’d avoid that by binding one of the ghosts of Hogwarts to the tome?” Luna questioned, her eyebrows rising towards her hair.
“Well, only if they agreed,” Shinji remarked. “It wouldn’t be right if I did were to do that against a spirit’s will, would it? Though well, I’m not, so, the point is moot.”
“Could you though, in fusion form?” Luna questioned.
Shinji opened his mouth to deny that he could, but ended up saying nothing, his jaw closing with a click.
“…I don’t know, actually,” the boy admitted. “Up earlier today, I wouldn’t have known I had the ability to seal away someone’s magic either, so I think there’s still a lot about fusion I don’t quite grasp. In that respect, you’re a bit ahead of me, since you spend so much of your time in fusion form.”
“Mm. It’s nice not to be alone, is all.”
The young potioneer felt a pang of guilt that he hadn’t been able to spend as much time with Luna as he’d wanted to this year, but it wasn’t really his fault, was it? With his responsibilities as Potions Champion, and the things he’d found himself involved in at Durmstrang, it simply hadn’t been practical for him to be at Hogwarts as much as in years past…
‘But that’s why I’m bringing her to Mahoutokoro, so we can spend New Year’s Day together,’ he told himself. ‘I think she’ll enjoy meeting the Fujous, and seeing more of Japan.’
He found himself wondering what she would think of their evening plans in Osaka, as the Fujous had arranged for them to have a place among the 10,000-person strong Number Nine Chorus, as they put on the largest performance of Ode to Joy in the world, as they did every year.
Though Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, or daiku, as it was called in Japan, was certainly not a Japanese song, singing it at the end of the year was a uniquely Japanese tradition which had begun sometime after World War I, when German soldiers being held as prisoners in Japan staged the very first performance of Ode to Joy there.
Here and there, groups would put on performances towards the end of the year – though none were ever quite as grand as the Number Nine Chorus.
‘Speaking of which, I wonder if that’s how the King of Heroes knew the song? If he attended a performance or such. And for that matter, I wonder who his Master was. Maybe Emiya Kiritsugu?’
The man had survived the last Grail War, after all.
That didn’t seem quite right, however, since if Emiya Kiritsugu had been able to maintain a Servant after the War, Shinji didn’t think he would have left his daughter in the clutches of the Einzbern.
Perhaps...Waver Velvet, the man now known as Lord El-Melloi II?
No, that didn’t seem right either.
‘Well, I doubt I’ll figure it out today, so why don’t we leave it a mystery for now.’
“Well then, let’s be off,” he said to his companion. “We do need to meet with the Fujous for Hatsumode before we do anything else.”
“Mm, and it is a long walk to the portal to the outside world, isn’t it?”
“Well about that…” Shinji quipped, his lips curving into a smile. “I want to show you something.”
That something turned out to be what Mahoutokoro had in place of a more conventional public transportation system: warp points, nexuses of force that were scattered about the geofront, which would catapult authorized users towards certain preset destinations.
‘One just has to be approved by the spirit of the tree, and the impressions of those who came before, as I was. Or Luna or her father, since they were long-term visitors, though I don’t think they ever took the network about.’
There was something magical about being hurled through the air – to flying towards one’s destination, propelled by an unseen force as one was held aloft by a current of magic, he reflected, as he and his companion touched down on the great ledge overlooking the city of Mahoutokoro.
“How was that?” Shinji asked. “It’s nice to fly, with only the wind beneath you, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is,” Luna murmured wistfully, with Shinji remembering all too late that in fusion form, his lover was already capable of unassisted flight. “Thank you for sharing that with me. I didn’t know the City had this in place, and it’s quite a bit faster than I could manage alone.”
“You’re welcome,” Shinji responded warmly, even as he looked towards the portal and noted that the Fujou party was already there. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long,” he called out, as he came up to them.
The entire family was present, with Fujou Shiroe standing tall in a black and copper kimono that offset the warmth of his eyes, Fujou Kirie in a formal furisode of a pink so pale it was almost white, accented by a rich blue obi, Fujou Hisui and Fujou Kohaku – the twins from the branch family – wearing plainer grey kimonos, and….
‘…a foreigner?’
…a mysterious blonde with piercing green eyes, wearing a fireside of lilac, lavender and blue, who was looking over him and Luna in a manner that reminded him of Gilderoy Lockhart.
'Is she trying to see if I'm a threat...? Of if Luna is…?'
Before his thoughts could reach a more worrisome place though, Fujou Kirie responded.
“Not at all, Matou Shinji,” the raven-haired woman responded politely. “We only just arrived ourselves. I believe you know my brother, and my cousins?”
"I do indeed,” the practitioner of witchcraft acknowledged, dipping his head deferentially to her. She seemed quite a bit healthier now, but then, he supposed that taking a dose of the Water of Life would do that. “You know me of course, but I would like to introduce you to Luna Lovegood.”
“Ah, your shiroi koibito,” Fujou Shiroe spoke up, his golden-brown eyes glinting with amusement as the young clan head stepped forward and bowed to the petite blonde. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” he said. But the boy frowned as he straightened. “Ah, I forgot to ask, do you understand Japanese?”
“I do,” Luna replied, the vague after-echo of a tail shimmering into half-existence for a moment, before vanishing again. “Thanks to Pandora.”
“A westerner using fusion to that degree…” Shiroe murmured, his eyebrows rising despite himself. “How unexpected.”
“Luna is…quite talented at it,” Shinji admitted with a look of chagrin. “More so than me, actually.”
“Is that so?” the young Fujou head asked. “I’m surprised you would admit that.”
“It is the truth, after all,” the Potions Champion of Hogwarts said mildly. “That said, won't you introduce me to your mystery guest?" he asked, glancing over at the other kimono-clad blonde. "Or will I have to think of her as Mysterious Heroine X?"
Given that she was here in Mahoutokoro, Shinji thought it quite likely she was a magus or practitioner of some sort, possibly from the Americas, though why she would be spending New Year with the Fujou family…
‘…don’t tell me Shiroe has a taste for petite blondes? Did he meet her in the past few months? Or perhaps this is his long-lost fiancée, who he met as a child, but forgot about due to the events after the War?’
She seemed a bit more mature than Shiroe though, so…
"She is my esteemed sister's guest, actually," the Fujou head corrected, interrupting Shinji’s increasingly torrid line of thought as he turned to an amused-looking Fujou Kirie. "Sister, if you would?"
"Of course, Shiroe,” the older woman responded. “Matou Shinji, Luna Lovegood, I would like you to meet Āsā Drake, a skilled swordwoman from the west who has been working with our family, training Kohaku in the art of the blade. Āsā, this is Matou Shinji – the benefactor I spoke of, who healed me of my illness, and his lover, Luna Lovegod. "
"A pleasure to meet you,” Shinji murmured, with a bow to the swordwoman. “Though…Drake, you say? Any relation to Sir Francis?"
"Not that I am aware of," the woman replied coolly, her green eyes lingering for a moment on his covered shoulder. “I would like to believe that my deeds matter more than my relations, however, child of the Makiri."
Her ancestry would have been difficult to prove either way, since the records of the Drakes from before the time of the great Privateer were not exactly comprehensive, and Sir Francis himself had left no direct descendants.
"...I only ask that you give me the same consideration, Drake-san,” Shinji replied mildly. “The Makiri family is dead, and even if it wasn’t, I was cast from it for the choices I made.”
“I see,” the blonde noted. “But you are something like a magus?”
“A practitioner of witchcraft and onmyouji, to be precise, as is my companion,” the blue-haired boy replied. “Of late, I hail from Britain, where I have the honor of serving as Potions Champion of Hogwarts.”
“Hogwarts,” the swordswoman repeated, with no trace of recognition. “Is that a city or…?
“Ah, you haven’t heard of it?” Shinji asked, frowning. “It is a school for practitioners of witchcraft. The finest such in Britain. I take it you are not a practitioner yourself, then? Perhaps you are a magus?”
“I have – had – a sister who was quite a powerful magus, but no, I am not one myself – or a practitioner, for that matter,” the swordswoman answered, her expression unreadable. “I do have certain skills and abilities from that side of things, but I think of myself more as a knight than a caster.”
“Fair enough,” Shinji allowed. “I’m something like a knight myself, in Britain. And well,” he stage-whispered conspiratorially, “the French style me as a modern Lancelot.”
Āsā Drake apparently did not see the humor in his remark, as her face went blank, her body visibly stiffening.
“…they style you Lancelot, do they?” she asked. There was something hidden in that query, something almost dangerous, though Shinji didn’t quite pick up on it.
Luna however, did.
“They do, for his gallantry,” the younger Stone Cutter replied for him, her silver eyes curious and inquisitive as she looked upon the other blonde. “He protected the life and honor of the beautiful Fleur Delacour, the Champion of Beauxbatons, even though it cost him much of his standing with Britain.”
“I…see,” the swordwoman noted, her expression thoughtful. “And you do not mind his allegiance to another? You are his companion, after all, if I am not mistaken.”
“Matou will do as he wishes,” Luna said quietly. “He has always been that way.”
“And…?”
“And as long as he returns to me in the end, I am satisfied,” the blonde Ravenclaw noted, closing her eyes. “Before I met him, I was alone, except for the ghosts of the past, trapped in a world that others could not reach. Can I truly be unhappy if he helps others as he helped me?”
"An unusual outlook, but understandable.”
“You are unusual yourself, my lady,” Luna murmured, her eyes opening wide as she curtsied. When she rose, it was to offer the other a single white lily, which she had just conjured. “Your blood sings of mysteries long past. A knight you may be, but you are more than simply that…”
Luna’s eyes seemed fixed on a point above the other blonde’s shoulder, where a sword might be slung if she was wearing one.
“…you are truly not quite human, are you, Miss Lovegood?" Āsā Drake inquired, taking the lily and weaving it into her hair.
"Part-kitsune at present," Luna admitted quietly. “But then, I think I made that clear enough.”
"Yes well, I was surprised. I did not know that Britain condoned such practices," Asa Drake noted wryly. "Fusing a human with something of a phantasmal species is not…common, to say the least.”
"Actually, she obtained her familiar here," Shinji corrected, "though Luna is quite unusual for someone from Britain – and I mean that in the best possible way.”
"Modesty, Matou? It doesn't quite suit you," Fujou Shiroe interjected, shaking his head. "In any case, shall we talk as we walk, perhaps? The Fushimi Inari Shrine may not be far from here, but it is certain to be crowded.”
“That would be wise,” Luna agreed. "Please, lead on."
On the walk over, the group divided itself into smaller clusters out of necessity, with Fujou Shiroe walking next to the swordswoman from the west, Luna walking with Fujou Kohaku and her twin sister, and Matou Shinji finding himself accompanying the lovely Fujou Kirie.
“Once more, I would like to thank you for your generosity to our family, Matou Shinji,” the raven-haired woman noted quietly. “You have done much for us, restoring my brother to his rightful place, and me to good health, at great cost to yourself.”
“…you are aware of the circumstances of my departure from the Matou, then?” the boy asked, going still as the raven-haired beauty’s words sank in.
“I am,” came the reply, as Fujou Kirie paused and turned her gaze upon him. “And neither I, nor the clan as a whole, are ungrateful for what you have done. Traditionally, as you have lost a place among your family, we would welcome you into ours, but I suspect you prefer to build a name for yourself.”
“I do.”
“Then should you find yourself in need of aid, we are at your service,” Kirie said gravely. “Though we cannot promise that will amount to much, should you remain in Britain.”
“…yes well, about that.”
“Yes?” the former clan head asked, raising a delicate eyebrow.
“I think my plans will likely see me elsewhere when all is said and done,” Shinji replied quietly. “Britain has given me much, but…it is not where I plan to settle, especially not if things continue the way they are going.”
"You will be cast out once more for helping another?” Fujou Kirie conjectured, recalling his comments about being a modern-day Lancelot.
“…it isn’t out of the question, no.”
"I see," the raven-haired woman noted simply. "And is there anything the Fujou family may do to ease any difficulties you face in times to come?"
Shinji blinked.
It was true that if he came to Japan, the resources and connections of the Fujou family could be quite helpful to him if he wished to establish himself, but that was perhaps premature.
And more to the point…he already had a patron.
One he was loyal to above all, and one who was as powerful as he could ask for, and who would no doubt have a place for him.
“That’s a generous offer, but…I don’t think that will be necessary, no.”
Though…there was someone who was very much alone, someone who looked to him as a patron, and who had left her home for him.
Tohsaka Rin.
“Actually…would it be possible for you to help another in my stead?” he inquired, meeting the eyes of the woman who he had restored to health.
“Another young woman, perhaps, aside from your shiroi koibito?” Fujou Kirie questioned sharply, as Shinji winced.
“…well, yes,” Shinji admitted. “But it’s not…it’s not what you think.”
“Then explain, if you will, Matou Shinji. I would not have such a favor used frivolously.”
“It’s not frivolous. Or at least, I don’t think so. It’s about Tohsaka – Tohsaka Rin.”
“The Second Owner of Fuyuki, who has abandoned her city?” Fujou Kirie said by way of confirmation. “Who, if rumor serves, cohabits with you?”
“…she used to live in the house I bought in London, yes, but that’s hardly co-habitation,” Shinji protested. “I’m usually up in Scotland, and…and the point is, I’ve basically become her patron, though I’m not in a position where I can help her grow as a magus and as a person.”
“And you wish for us to help her?”
“I think it would do her a world of good to be introduced to new places and ideas,” the would-be onmyouji sighed. “I think she may be coming back to Fuyuki in the next few days, so if one of you could meet her there and possibly invite her to the city…”
“You do realize the risks of that, given the Tohsaka family’s history with the Church?”
“…she’s not really a Christian, or that closely aligned to the Church,” Shinji insisted. “I know for a fact that she isn’t fond of the priest who became her guardian after the death of her father.”
“Even so. Mahoutokoro has not survived as long as it has by taking needless risks. Just as you may not if you do not have a care for the attention you draw to yourself through the choices you make.”
“…it’s true, but to be honest – these last few years – finding people who care about me, finding a place for myself, becoming powerful my own right, it’s all that I could ask,” the boy replied. He shook his head. “Look – I’m going to be participating in the World Potions Championship, and given how dangerous it is, there’s a good chance I might not survive. Not if the people I’m up against are anything like Sajyou-san.”
“Yes, Kaiduka-dono’s apprentice is quite formidable, but that is the standard for Champions, at least in Mahoutokoro,” Fujou Kirie noted. “But I begin to see now. You wish for us to become Tohsaka Rin’s patrons should you no longer be able to do so?”
“That’s about the long and the short of it,” Shinji admitted. “Last time, when she thought I died, she nearly fell apart. No…she did fall apart. If I actually die, I don’t want her to do something…rash.”
“…I understand.”
“Then, you will…?”
“Against my better judgement, I suppose so,” the raven-haired woman agreed. “You are an unusual boy, Matou Shinji. Most would take what we offer for themselves, but you…”
“It’s not that I’m a good person,” Shinji corrected, shaking his head. “It’s just - I have a patron. And aside from my former Master, Tohsaka has no one. So…it falls to me to help her. Or to find some way to help her, if I no longer can.”
“At the very least, you are responsible, and that I can respect. I am surprised that you do not ask about your companion, however?”
“…that will be my request for the maiden.”
“Oh?”
“Should I fall, and should I lose my place – she may suffer as well. I want to be sure she, and the others I’ve touched, have a place they can go, if need be.”
“You do not think much of yourself, do you, Matou Shinji, even after all you have done?”
“Everything I’ve done that’s worth anything has been for the sake of another. And most of what I have been able to do is because of the help of others, whether my patron, my master, or those who walked with me. My life, in and of itself, isn’t really worth much, though I won’t admit that to most people.”
“So why tell me?”
“Because it wouldn’t be right for you to offer me your patronage based on a misunderstanding,” the boy said softly. “You – like my other patron, like Luna – deserve better.”
“You honor me by saying so,” the older woman noted with something like smile crossing her lips as she, inclined her head. “Thank you.”
Luna’s conversation with Fujou Kohaku and Fujou Hisui was quite a bit more varied, with their discussion covering topics from game hardware, to painting, to what it was like to travel the world and see strange new lands.
“Stepping into a new place, breathing its air, meeting its people and the other creatures that live there – it’s magical.”
“I would not know,” Kohaku replied, her usual smile absent. “I’ve never been outside of Japan, though I do play games like Final Fantasy to explore other worlds.”
“Oh?”
“Playing games is like looking through a window into the lives of other people, into their stories and adventures. Into their emotions, and how they feel,” the amber-eyed redhead murmured. “Being happy because they succeed, being sad if they fail, feeling angry when they are betrayed or ambushed, and more.”
“Nee-san…” Hisui whispered sadly, glancing at her twin.
“Do you have a favorite character?” Luna continued, genuinely curious.
“Gilgamesh,” Kohaku replied at once. “Someone thrown from world to world, looking for something which will give him something to live for. Someone whose actions make him seem like a villain, but who really isn’t bad at heart.”
“I see.”
“Do you have a favorite character, Lovegood-san?”
“The Little Prince.”
They talked for a time of various things, with Hisui mentioning that she found the protagonist of Dorian Grey interesting, of all things, and Kohaku adding, almost as an afterthought, that it was Britain was not allowing mail to be sent from abroad, as she has a few letters she wanted to pass on.
“Oh, for George?” Luna asked. “Would you like to know how he is doing?”
“…I wouldn’t mind.”
Choice 216: Who would Shinji like to talk with on the walk back from the Shrine?
[ ] Fujou Shiroe
[ ] Fujou Kohaku
Choice 217: That night, as Shinji is heading over to the place where the performance of Daiku will be, in the company of Luna, Asa, the Fujous, he spies a flash of white in the corner of his eye. Turning to get a better look, he just manages to catch a glimpse of someone with long white hair turn a corner.
'An Einzbern...?'
Surely it couldn't be...could it?
But if it was...
What does Matou Shinji choose to do?
[ ] Investigate alone
[ ] Ask Luna to investigate
[ ] Make an excuse and leave before the performance
[ ] Do nothing. He's probably worrying for nothing
[ ] (write-in)
Last edited by alfheimwanderer; September 25th, 2017 at 12:18 PM.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
Good chap.
[x] Fujou Shiroe.
[x] Warn discreetly the group about a possible ambush before excusing yourself to use a dose of Fading and go investigate.
Last edited by Daiki; September 25th, 2017 at 11:57 PM.
[x] Fujou Shiroe
This is a good chance for two things, first we have a chance to spend time with our older friend and see how he is doing, second is possibble than we can ask about the grial war so shinji can figure better who was the master of gilgamesh.
[X] Fujou Shiroe
Wanted to pick him for the previous choice including him, it'd be nice to catch up with our old friend since we weren't able to do so before.
[x] Warn discreetly the group about a possible ambush before excusing yourself to use a dose of Fading and go investigate.
So, we're basically going it alone?
You do have the choice of bringing the Fujous into it, if you want. But that's a write-in, since Shinji would prefer not to involve others in what is probably a mess of his own making.
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." - A.A. Milne
Wait, people want to use up one of dose of precious Fading because Shinji just saw some white hair in a crowd? Does this really warrant this level of reaction?
First of all, white hair is not exclusive to the Einzberns, it could be someone else entirely. Second, the Einzbern should still not know of Shinji being alive, so why would they be here to attack him? If they were going to watch anything in Japan it would be Fuyuki City, not here.
Even if this is an ambush, I am not sure Potion of Fading would be all that effective in hiding or getting the drop on them. After all this is the family that specifies in the soul, and what is a sprite form then the soul running free of its body? I think Fading will just give the Einzbern power over Shinji, and will be no help what so ever.
And if we needed to do recon in a hidden manner such as what the Fading offers to Shinji, there is a better option in the form of Luna. She has invisibility powers when she is fused, which she is. She can hold it longer and knows how to use the ability better than Shinji knows the Fading ability.
[X] Fujou Shiroe
[X] Investigate with Luna
Comments on the chapter:
The line "his jaw c losing with a click" should have its space deleted between the c and losing.
Luna's reason of being in fusion more often than not is a very painful reason to read. It calls back a bit close to her Half-Prince's line of "I enjoyed the meetings, too. It was like having friends."
The Lancelot comment to Saber went about as well as it could go. Shinji that might still be a sore spot with her, but by all means poke the hungry lion.
I have to say the best part of this chapter is the entire conversation between Shinji and Kirie. The boy with a large ego on the surface, when striped down is exposed to almost no sense of self-worth. In a lot of ways, this Shinji is a dark reflection of canon Shirou. A person that holds no value of themselves that helps others, only in this case doing it all for the acknowledgment.
Certainly does not hurt FF's Gilgamesh that he is linked to one of the best tracks in Final Fantasy history, "Clash of Big Bridge," in a sea of noteworthy tracks. A track that later became his theme.
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