Matou Shinji and the Price of Victory (HP/FSN CYOA)

[Daiki]

[X] That's certainly what the ministry's media wants people to believe about Mr. Matou, that he is just some cold calculating person that saves his own skin, or is weak to requests from beautiful girls. As she has not met the man, nor experienced the events first hand, she should not be so quick to judge Mr Matou, because there might be more going on then what is on the surface. Everyone and every story is complex, with multiple facets. A clear cut story is rarely the whole story.

Unless people want to work some more on this, it may be the final edit (stay tuned?)

[Skull Leader]

Change my vote to this.

[X] That certainly what the ministry's media wants people to believe about Mr. Matou, that he is just some cold calculating person that saves his own skin, or is weak to requests from beautiful girls. As she has not met the man, nor experience the events first hand, she should not be so quick to judge Mr Matou, because there might be more going on then what is on the surface. Everyone and every story is complex, with multiple facets. A clear cut story is rarely the whole story.

Tone down some of the previous language as well as slide in the angle that Daiki wanted. This is more a request not to defend Shinji but to say that she likely does not have the whole story. That Shinji might not be the person she thinks he is. This answer also has fun implications for Rin as she is listening to this. Shinji might be more complex than she realizes...

[Dracueri]

[x]That certainly what the ministry's media wants people to believe about Mr. Matou, that he is just some cold calculating person that saves his own skin, or is weak to requests from beautiful girls. As she has not met the man, nor experience the events first hand, she should not be so quick to judge Mr Matou, because there might be more going on then what is on the surface. Everyone and every story is complex, with multiple facets. A clear cut story is rarely the whole story.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 116: [X] That's certainly what the ministry's media wants people to believe about Mr. Matou, that he is just some cold calculating person that saves his own skin, or is weak to requests from beautiful girls. As she has not met the man, nor experienced the events first hand, she should not be so quick to judge Mr Matou, because there might be more going on then what is on the surface. Everyone and every story is complex, with multiple facets. A clear cut story is rarely the whole story.

---

Choice 117: Mafalda listens to what Nines has to say before shrugging.

"You say clever words about not judging, but they mean nothing when weighed against his actions," the girl points out. "He protected cowards as they fled, letting those they swore to protect die." She sniffs. "I wonder what he would think of himself, if he knew the price so many paid so he could enjoy being called a hero. But I imagine he won't. Why would a high and mighty Champion and Hero ever see fit to meet those he'd hurt, or consider he might be wrong?"

She went silent after that, shaking her head, and would have turned to look out the window when--

"That's not true!" Lumi spoke up, her eyes flashing as she glared at this, her expression indignant. "Matou-kun is--"

What will Shinji do?

[ ] Interrupt - stop Lumi before she says something they'll all regret
[ ] See what Lumi has to say
[ ] (write-in)

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] See what Lumi has to say

[Skull Leader]

[X] Interrupt - stop Lumi before she says something they'll all regret

Please stop Rin before she breaks Shinji cover. As it is she has already used -kun in talking about Matou, when she is Nordic family. You have to explain now that mistake at least with her Japanese background, but let's not dig a deeper hole. At least she did not say Shinji-kun what would implied a far closer relationship than her cover allows for.

[Malorius]

[x] Interrupt - stop Lumi before she says something they'll all regret

Sure, whatever. My interest in this conversation has waned weeks ago, and the children don't endear themselves to me one bit with their displays of *cough*bullshit*cough* superior argumentation skills. Seeing as none of our half-hearted attempts to argue seem to work, I'll just move on.

But I distinctly remember that some of us were adamant to teach the kids, and not simply be a bodyguard. Now is your time to prove that resolve, guys. We are finally here.

[Dracueri]

[x]Interrupt-stop Lumi before she says something they'll all regret

[Daiki]

[x] Change the subject - Let's talk about more (interesting?) relevant things, like joining a theater school.

[skulkidcachi90]

But I distinctly remember that some of us were adamant to teach the kids, and not simply be a bodyguard. Now is your time to prove that resolve, guys. We are finally here

We vende to not think to much un long terms yeah.
Was a bad idea.

[x] Change the subject - Let's talk about more (interesting?) relevant things, like joining a theater school

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 117: [X] Interrupt - stop Lumi before she says something they'll all regret

---

"Not someone we know, really, though we are looking for his help," Nines cut in. "Whether or not we'll be able to get it though..." He shrugged. "It's up to the First Citizen, and whether or not we can keep you safe."

"K-Keep us safe?" the young boy named Grim Fawley asked. "From what?"

"Oh, all sorts of things," Shinji, as Nines, said in reply. "Youthful overconfidence. Bullies. Yourselves. Oh, and the people who came after your families, in case there are any stragglers, though I expect the goblins on site have done a good job securing the area."

"Goblins, eh?" Penelope murmured.

"Mhm. Ever met one before?" Nines questioned.

"A few," Penelope replied. "I saw them a lot around the alley when I was helping with getting food. Nice enough folk, even if they look a bit odd. I wonder if they'll teach us how to fight."

"Probably, if you prove you really want to learn," Nines noted. "Just be careful. They're not exactly understanding if you can't keep up."

"...you know this...?"

"From experience," Nines said, shaking his head.

The rest of the ride over was fairly quiet.

Choice 118: Without too much fuss, the group arrives at WADA, where they are welcomed by none other than Hermione Granger, together with a smartly dressed detachment of goblins. She notes the children stepping out of the car, before her eyes turn to the two figures - Nines and Lumi - leading them.

How will Shinji (Nines) greet Miss Granger?

[ ] Compliment her beauty
[ ] Note her wit and charm, which he has heard much about
[ ] Nod to Lumi, have her handle introductions
[ ] Keep it short, focus on his role as the protector of the children
[ ] Keep it short, save his attention for Mudbutton, who is the real person he needs to impress
[ ] (write-in)

[Skull Leader]

[X] Keep it short, focus on his role as the protector of the children

We are not here to impress anyone (that is a bonus), thus focus on what his role is suppose to be. Being professional here, lends well to our cover as well as should semi impress the serious goblins like Mudbutton. Going up to him directly seems too much for me.Don't false praise Hermione, she is very use to that stuff now.

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] Keep it short, save his attention for Mudbutton, who is the real person he needs to impress

Sorry I have goblin bias here.

[Daiki]

[x] Keep it short, focus on his role as the protector of the children

[Dracueri]

[x]Keep it short, focus on his role as the protector of the children

[Malorius]

[x] Keep it short, focus on his role as the protector of the children

9S, the boy that lost in an argument to a prepubescent girl.
The staunch protector of children.
Time to show off your polite and neutral personality, Nines. You have read the spreadsheet, right?

... What do you mean, "what spreadsheet"?

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 118:[x] Keep it short, focus on his role as the protector of the children

---

Chapter 9. Breach of Contract

After Matou left, presumably heading to his room, Tohsaka Rin remained by the door, her thoughts all a tizzy.

A date.

At long last, Matou was going to take her on a date, something he hadn’t done for a very long time. In truth, she’d worried that he’d forgotten about her, surrounded as he was by western beauties and showered with as many honors as he had been.

To learn otherwise, to realize that he still cared – it was a thrilling thing indeed, a thought that left her breathless as she wondered what tomorrow would bring. What wonders tomorrow might hold…

Hold…

To be held in his strong embrace, caressed by his hands, kissed by his lips – yes, that was something she longed for with all her heart.

Tomorrow, to—

“Tohsaka?” a voice called out, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up, startled, to see Matou-kun in casual clothes, his hair still wet from the shower. “You’re still here?”

“Um, I…yes,” the girl said dumbly. “Matou…?”

“I was going to ask you to come up to my room, so we could continue our conversation from earlier, but if you’re not up to it…”

“No! I…I’m up for it!” she exclaimed, getting to her feet at once. “Take me!” Shinji looked at her, raising an eyebrow as Tohsaka went red. “There I mean. Take me there.”

“Heh, alright,” Shinji replied, holding out his hand, which she took shyly. For Tohsaka Rin, being asked by Matou-kun if they could speak privately in his quarters was like a dream come true, given that she had dreamt of him doing exactly that for over a year now. Finally – finally – it would be her turn to be welcomed to his suite, to be enjoyed, to be one with him.

This...this would be her first time seeing his room, being invited by him so...

'Maybe Matou-kun was just trying to hide how much he cares about me from that...that bitch...'

Yes. She understood now. That was why Matou had shut her down so rudely yesterday. He wanted to fool the busty white-haired older girl had been hanging on Matou-kun's every word into thinking that he had no special feelings for his childhood friend.

‘This Emilia is desperate. A bitch in heat using her...lumps of fat to try and confuse Matou-kun into going with a needlessly convoluted plan. ‘

Westerners! So rude, so crass – always trying to show off. They weren’t a very practical people, given how much they valued flash and spectacle over what worked, but she supposed that she knew that already.

As she walked up the stairs, with Matou beside her, Tohsaka Rin thought about the situation in which she found herself, and reflected that overall, things could be far worse.

Yes, the plan was going to fail. She knew it in the marrow of her bones, in the core of her being. By listening to the bitch in heat, and agreeing to something so complex and unwieldy, instead of just directly altering Granger’s memories, Matou-kun was making a big, big mistake.

...after all, he wasn't any good at pretending to be someone else. His true nature always shone through. His kindness. His goodness as a human being.

Just like right now, when he was escorting her up the stairs, his hand warm against the small of her back, with the girl shivering at his touch, at how close he was. Soon, they would reach his room and then all the things she had dreamed about would become reality, with their bodies joining together in a night of passion as—

Kyrielight.

Rin’s blood ran cold as the door to Matou's suite opened, revealing the presence of the...maid, the thieving, ungrateful wench who acted as if she owned the house – and Matou as well.

‘He doesn’t belong to you, you…’ There weren’t words strong enough for what she wanted to call the outsider who didn’t know her place, who dared to consort with someone so far above her station, using her body to win Matou over. ‘Taking advantage of him when he was lonely. How…’

Dishonorable, really. But then in her eyes, Mashu Kyrielight was quite a dishonorable woman, one who had seemed kind and gentle at first, only for her true nature to show through as the strawberry blonde began to abuse Matou’s trust, only he never noticed – or perhaps had been too easily distracted by the maid’s supple body.

Why was she here? Why was she in Matou’s…

‘Well…a hero has…great appetites,’ she reasoned, so perhaps Matou-kun wanted to have both of them at once? In the myths, Heracles had impregnated 50 women in a single night, so she supposed that Matou simply having two at once wasn’t that special. His...desires were obviously more than any one person could sate, after all, and if he wanted her to enter a sordid world of pleasure...she wouldn't be entirely opposed.

'...I’ll just have to show him how wonderful a good Japanese girl can feel, as opposed to one of the western cows who share his bed now and then,’ she thought. True, she was inexperienced, but only a Japanese person could really understand what another wanted, right? ‘Which is why he’s finally decided to make me a woman. Maybe the maid is finally boring him...'

Except that in the next few minutes, Tohsaka Rin’s assumptions were proven to be mistaken, for the two took her not to a bedroom, but to what seemed like a private conference area, with Matou waving her to a chair, while Mashu remained by the door, as if guarding the room from intruders.

Which was silly, since it wasn’t as if anyone else could come in without Matou’s invitation.

"Tohsaka, your behavior yesterday was utterly out of line," the boy said without preamble, his harsh voice making her shudder. "As part of my squad – and a member of the Albion Home Guard - you are supposed to show a certain level of decorum – especially after I have made a command decision."

"Huh?" the girl asked eloquently, her expression confused as she was not in the least prepared for his criticism.

“And then there were your insinuations earlier this evening,” the young Commander said, his tone as hard as iron. “Something about me burying something in Miss Emilia, hm?”

“I-I…you mean you’re not?” the girl asked, swallowing as she dared to hope this meant--

"Of course, I’m not doing anything inappropriate with her,” Shinji snapped. “That would be grossly unprofessional of me, especially since I am her superior. “

“…does that mean you would bury something in her if you weren’t her superior?” she muttered before she could help herself. “No, I…that is…” she said, as she noticed Matou glaring at her. “I meant…”

“Oh, I know what you meant,” the youth replied coolly. “You don’t really have any confidence in me, do you, Tohsaka?” he asked. “You think that I’m not suitable for my position, that I’m just a man with a weakness for any pretty face.”

“N-no, I...I'm just--"

"Then what are you saying?" the boy asked, visibly taking a deep breath as his posture relaxed. "Could you be saying that you don't want to be part of my squad, after all?" He smiled, but there was no mirth in that expression, only...pity. "After all, you haven't signed anything yet, unlike me. That means you're free to go, if you want.” He shook his head. “In fact, maybe you should go back to Japan – it would be safer, and I’m not sure you’d be well-suited to tackle the challenges to come, not if you are so…inflexible.”

Tohsaka Rin reeled at the boy’s words, her head feeling faint as the person she idolized essentially told her that she was useless to him. ‘No…’ she thought. ‘No. Nononononono!’ Could it be...could it be he'd already replaced her with the...with the white-haired bitch?! That he’d invited her here not to make her a woman, but to let the maid witness her disgrace?!

"I—no! I...I…” she began, only for her voice to die in her throat. “W…” She swallowed, trying her best to not lose her ability to speak entirely. “Don't you want me...?" The "by your side" she left unspoken, as she thought it was obvious.

"Once, perhaps, but now..." the boy replied, as his eyes gave her a cold once over, as if finding her body lacking compared to the...assets of that Emilia. He shook his head. “Life happened. I grew up, and you…you didn’t.”

The words struck her like a punch in the gut.

“I…”

"It’s my assessment that if you stay, things will be difficult for you. You’ll struggle. You’ll suffer – you might even die," He shrugged. "I don’t really want your blood on my hands, so it’s better if you leave while you have the chance.”

Those cold words were like knives of pure ice stabbing into her chest, almost making her pass out as they ripped through her, one after the next. As a magus, she had a high pain tolerance, but this...this cut her to the quick, as hot, heavy tears welled up at the corner of her eyes.

"No! Please...don't send me away!" Rin begged, trying to stifle her sobs, having heard that men hated to see women who were crying. "Please. I...I don't want...all I want...I just..." She sniffed, her head bowing. "Please...by your side. I just want to be...by your side."

They'd promised...he'd promised that he would walk together with her, watching her back as he trusted her to watch his. His words – his kindness – his acceptance of her being who she was when everyone else seemed to think that Tohsaka Rin was no good, those had been all that had let her persist, despite the abuse the puppeteer had put her through, despite the disdain and scorn with which El Melloi had treated her, despite the strange looks and cutting words her peers at The tower had thrown at her, calling her a savage, a barbarian, a fake/imitation Edelfelt...

For a long, terrible moment, Matou just looked at her with his terrible eyes, as slitted golden pupils glaring out from grey, saying nothing.

'...mystic eyes?! Does he have some kind of...'

"...is that so?" he whispered. “So be it.” He looked over to Mashu, who simply dipped her head slightly and made her way to a filing cabinet in the corner, which she opened, retrieving a single thin folder from it. The maid – or was she Matou’s sex…er, secretary too now? – walked over to the Japanese girl and placed the folder before her, before stepping back. "In that case, read and sign this."

"I...this is...?"

"A contract," the boy replied diffidently. "One which includes within it certain guidelines expectations for behavior, as well as other details relating to your right, privileges and responsibilities as a member of the Home Guard of Albion. Be careful – once you sign that, you are bound to service until your term of enlistment is up. This is your last chance to walk away. If you don't, leaving won’t be an option. Or well, it will, but that would be desertion, and desertion is punishable by...."

"...by..."

"Nothing pleasant, Tohsaka."

For a moment, the room was silent, save for the sounds of her breathing.

“It…is this a magical—”

“No. It is merely paper and ink, but don’t think that means that means you are any safer if you violate the terms therein,” Shinji said stoically. “The First Citizen is not a man to trifle with.”

“But…what if he doesn’t know.”

“He’ll know.”

“...and if I don't sign?"

"Then it would be best if you went back to Japan," the boy responded, looking off at nothing in particular. "Before you get yourself killed."

"...no! I won't leave you like that! I..."

The girl broke down then, all sorts of words spilling from her lips as she spoke about her dreams. Not the raunchy ones either. Her nightmares. Nightmares of the boy dying over and over and over...

One time she'd seen him getting ripped apart by a giant tendril of light.

Once, she'd seen him burned to cinders while facing some monstrous being.

Once, she seen him sliced to pieces as the very wind became blades and tore him limb from limb, reducing him to a bloody mist.

Crushed by a mountain.

Incinerated by hellfire.

Drowning in a twisted darkness.

Being turned to stone by a white-haired...

The girl's eyes went wide as she remembered that dream, one that her...Master had used to remind her of how pathetically weak she was, how her lack of intelligence and insight would lead to Matou dying alone in a strange place, when one day his cleverness failed him and there was no one to watch his back.

'That...bitch. She'll kill him...won't she?'

Was that what her dreams were telling her?

She didn't know - couldn't know, really, but one thing was clear - if she didn't sign, if she just left Matou behind - she was sure she'd never see him again. That he would be lost to her forever...

Realizing this, the girl knew there was only one thing to do.

She signed, sliding the folder over to Matou.

"I see," Shinji noted heavily. "It is done then. You are now officially a member of the Home Guard, and are bound by its rules." He frowned. "I will give you a copy of the Code we are to follow, but you should know several things: that we are not magi, and so do not abide by the practices magi often do; that we are broken into squads, with you reporting to me, and I reporting to others; and that while some missions may call for ruthlessness, some may call for subtlety, or at the least, remembering that people are people, not empty vessels for you to manipulate or experiment on."

"I...I would never!"

Shinji raised a hand to forestall further protest.

"I'm not saying you would, but it is a mindset other magi hold, no?"

...this...was true. Certainly, the dirty red puppeteer was one of those sociopathic magi...

"I...I won't disappoint you," Rin murmured, looking the boy in the eye. "I'll read the terms. I'll make sure to be someone you can use so…use me. However you want."

Shinji winced, letting out a heavy sigh.

"...ah yes, that's what I was forgetting."

"Huh?"

"The armed forces of Albion have...a non-frater...nization policy for those in the same chain of command," the boy explained, stumbling over the unfamiliar word. "That means that...ah, commanders may not have intimate relations with their subordinates, and vice versa." He shook his head.

"Wait. What?!" Rin squawked, not having read all of the fine print before she signed.

"I...I hate to admit it, but they do have a point," the boy said ruefully. "If a commander became involved with a member of his or her squad, they wouldn't be able to be objective – or at least, people would believe that, and it would probably cause issues with the rest of the squad."

"Oh," Rin murmured in a very small voice, before she remembered something. "B-but you..."

"But I what?"

"You and Emilia…you went on a date, watching a play, eating ice cream together and everything! She was even clinging to you, and you seemed so happy about it!"

"Huh?" The boy asked, taken aback by this accusation. "That was…” And then Matou Shinji’s eyes narrowed as he processed the rest of her sentence. “How do you know what we did during our outing?” he questioned, leaning close to the girl as she swallowed, her heart beating harder and harder in her chest.

“I—”

“You spied on me, didn’t you, magus?” he all but hissed, as Rin began to tremble at his closeness, and not in a good way, as his golden eyes stared into hers.

“I…”

“Yes or no?”

“I—”

“It’s a simple question, magus. Yes or no?”

“…yes.”

“At least you admit it,” the boy growled, his tone low and dangerous. “For future reference, such behavior is not acceptable. We do not spy on one another. That is not what is done in a squad.”

“But you…Emilia…date.”

“Oh, that?” the commander sneered. “That was a figure of speech, Tohsaka. What you saw wasn’t a date – it was just an outing with a squadmate. Though even if we weren’t squadmates, I wouldn’t date her.”

“Um...can I trust your words?" the girl murmured.

"The spy is asking me about trust now," Shinji questioned, incredulous. “Now that’s funny. If you ask whether or not I find her attractive, I certainly do, but whether I’d date her…look, the last time we were alone together, she almost killed me."

"Huh?!" Rin almost jumped out of her seat, her fear of Matou replaced with fear for him when he said this. "Wh-what do you mean she almost killed you? You…you know each other from before…all this?"

"Yes. We were enemies before she started working for Lockhart," Shinji explained. "She...hurt someone I was protecting. Quite a bit, in fact. I went after her, with a few others for backup. It...well, we won, but I can't say it went particularly well. Not after she nearly ripped me in two."

The magus looked very, very worried by this.

"She…Matou..." she whispered as she looked at him.

"Ah, maybe I shouldn't have said that," the boy answered, frowning, as he waved the words away and collected the folder. "That's in the past anyway. Plenty of people have done worse to me, and she's...she's a different person now."

"You...you don't think she'll try to hurt you again? To get...revenge?" the girl murmured.

"I don't think so," Shinji stated, shaking his head. "We're on the same side now, so it wouldn't do her any good anyway. I...look, I might not trust her completely, but I trust the First Citizen. He...he saved the lives of some of my friends once, and has helped me out more than I deserve. So if he assigned her to this squad, I'm going to have some confidence in her, no matter what happened before."

"Even if she tried to kill you?"

"She won't be the first, and she won't be the last," the boy replied, with a chuckle. "Besides, there's something rather charming about people who are...dangerous, hm?" His expression softened, as he seemed to think of something – or maybe someone. "Even you could be dangerous, you know – one day, but right now, you're a hatchling in a nest, and there's only one way to see if you will fly or fall."

Rin swallowed.

"...what's that?"

"Why, to push, so you have a chance to spread your wings." He snorted. "I'm not trying to be harsher on you than I have to, but you have to learn, Tohsaka. If you don't, you'll die. Oh, I'll feel bad about not being able to save you, but that won't change the fact that you'll be gone. Your soul eaten by a dementor, or your body torn apart by a giant or...something. That's war, you know. You or them. But even in war, there are rules - or there should be."

"Rules? Even in war?"

"Yes. Especially in war...they're the only things keeping us from becoming the monsters we fight. They're not always easy to keep, but they're not meant to be," he mused aloud. "Just like rules – and respect – are the only things that will keep us working as a squad, and not just as individuals working against one another."

"I..."

"That’s all for now. Tomorrow, I'll take you to see Magical London," he asked. "For now, you're dismissed."

"But--"

"Tohsaka, you're dismissed. I'm tired and need some time alone with Mashu, if you don't mind?"

"I..." the girl began, but shut her mouth. "Goodnight, Matou," she said instead, getting up and making her way to the door, throwing Mashu a cold glance as she did.

The maid-secretary-whatever she was, said nothing, merely opening the door and ushering the girl out of first the conference room and then the suite entirely, before closing it behind her, leaving her to wonder what the morrow would hold.

---

What it held, apparently, were oddities and wonders, with Tohsaka Rin – dressed in her usual ensemble of sweater, miniskirt, and thigh-highs, feeling rather out of place amidst the throngs of people in Diagon Alley wearing cloaks, the oddly archaic architecture (or what was left of it after the attack), and the presence of so many non-humans, like monsters from out of fairy tales.

She gaped, as she saw them just walking about as if they owned the place, with none of the robed figures seeming to regard this as remarkable in any way. That, to her was bizarre, especially given that they were tucked away in the very heart of London, not a half hour’s tube ride to the Tower.

How…how could such a place exist? How could it be allowed to exist? Wasn’t this the Age of Man? How could humans subordinate themselves to monsters?

Or were they monsters?

The girl nearly yelped in surprise when she first saw a goblin crew working on clearing out some rubble and sifting for valuables, noting how one was looking at her as if she was a tasty piece of meat.

She shuddered, imagining that…creature pawing her with its grubby hands…

These things were what she’d have to work with?

No, perhaps they were all a mage's familiars, and that a single mage was in charge of them all? It was a possibility that occurred to her, one that she voiced to her companion – unfortunately enough, within the hearing of a rather well-armed goblin passing by, who acidly commented that he was no wizard's pet.

"Are these...people then? What happened to them to make them like this?" she muttered to herself. "Was there some kind of accident which twisted them into what they are now?"

The goblin just stared at her.

"Kindly keep your words to yourself, girl, and so I'll keep my knives," he said curtly, before turning away. "Or don't."

“Sir goblin, I would ask that you do not threaten my guest.”

“And who might you be?” the goblin questioned.

“An officer of the Home Guard, in service to the First Citizen,” the boy responded, with the goblin nodding and taking a step back.

“Ah, one of the Oathkeeper’s men,” the goblin said. “My…apologies for my harsh words, though your companion seems…new to magic from the way she stares at beings like me.”

“Hey! That’s—”

"...Tohsaka, stop. Please. They're goblins – they're a very proud people," the boy explained hastily. "They've run the economy of this hidden world – for decades."

"Centuries," the goblin corrected.

"...centuries," Shinji amended. "They even run the bank.”

“Hmph, well, you at least seem an educated man, Mister…?”

“Nines,” Shinji replied, with a nod. “My apologies for my companion's poor manners, Master...."

"Grimlok," the goblin supplied, noting the courtesy of the other. "Grimlok the Iron Monger."

“Have a pleasant day, Master Grimlok.”

“And you, servant of the Oathkeeper,” Grimlok nodded, and with that he walked off, leaving Rin even more confused on why Matou, a commander in the Home Guard, was showing respect to some creature. One which had threatened them with violence, no less!

“Ma—Nines,” she corrected herself, remembering that the boy had insisted on being called by that alias when he was out in public, wearing his blindfold, black coat, and slacks, with his hair turned to silver. The name, he told her, came from the Latin non esse – non-being, or non-existence, only which seemed rather morbid to her, though perhaps it simply reflected the fact it wasn’t really him. Of course, the prefix of non- could also mean ninth or nine, so…that was how he derived nine esse or Nines. “Why…?”

“…Tohsaka, you need to be careful. This isn’t a place where humans are necessarily in charge,” Nines cautioned. “In fact, some of the more powerful beings we’ll be dealing with, the First Citizen aside, won’t be human.”

“Dealing with, as in—”

“Working with, but also fighting,” he noted. “Goblins make up a decent proportion of the armed forces of Albion, in fact.”
“Oh,” Rin noted, shuddering. The thought was not a welcome one, but if she had to endure it, she would. She’d promised Matou, after all.

Still, she was less than comfortable when Shinji walked her over to Gringotts and told one of the tellers that she would be needing an appointment to discuss compensation as part of her service to the Oathkeeper.

“Can you…come with me?” Tohsaka asked, wanting him to be present in case she encountered something strange – something which put her out of her depth, as sometimes happened.

“No, this is your future, so it’s up to you,” Nines spoke, the corners of his lips curving into an almost cruel smile. “Fly or fall. It’s up to you.”

“Please…”

“If you can’t handle something as simple as this, how do you expect to ever walk with me?” he asked simply, something which made the girl flinch.

“Ok,” she whispered, before the account goblin led her off to negotiate her compensation package.

Fortunately, as a servant of the Oathkeeper, whoever that was, it seemed little negotiation was actually necessary, with the goblin laying out the basic options, such as gold, British pounds, gems, and other such, with a small pile of each as an example of what she would receive a month, with the gems being flawless, very well cut, and rather larger than what she was used to.

For Tohsaka Rin, there was no real choice to be made there, or rather, the choice was obvious.

“Gems,” she said at once, and was delighted when she received a small pouch of semi-precious stones as an advance on her first paycheck. She had been needing some good amethysts and topazes, especially since she’d, ah…used up some of the former for…various reasons.

Personal reasons.

Reasons that had nothing to do with say, spying on Matou during his outing with Emilia yesterday. Or trying to tail the maid when she left the house. Not that she’d met with much success in the latter, since her amethyst owls had tended to get harassed by birds whenever she tried to follow the maid anywhere beside the British Museum – and she knew better than to have her familiar violate the territory around the museum.

Still, with this advance, and the promise of more in the future, she now had a reasonable – and renewable - supply of gems to draw upon, she felt reassured that whatever she burned through, there would be more.

‘I’ll find out your secrets, little maid, and what you want with Matou. You can’t hide forever.’

The account goblin escorted her back to the lobby after their discussion, where Matou asked her what she’d chosen. She shyly showed him her pouch of gems, with the boy looking at them appraisingly for a moment, as if drawn in by their lustre, before nodding.
“A suitable choice,” he commented. “Well done.”

Those words, simple as they were, filled her with warmth. He’d…praised her. He really had.

That he let her watch a play, and even bought ice cream for her, after her ordeal at the bank, also made her feel all warm and tingly inside.

Following that, Matou decided to lead her towards Vertic Alley, which in his words, had better weathered the attack, mostly because the goblins – and the First Citizen – had held off any enemies who had attempted to head into that area.

The boy described the place as a center for trade, and crafting, unlike Diagon Alley, which had mostly been a retail hub for people who were making simple purchases, like students who needed school supplies, like books, potions materials, or a wand.

“A wand?” Rin echoed. “You mentioned that people here need wands for any sort of spell, but they get them so early?”

“Well, if someone is going to be taught how to cast spells, they need to be able to do so in the first place, right?” Shinji questioned.

“Right…”

“Which reminds me, we need to get you a wand so you fit in,” the boy noted, looking her over. “Possibly some clothes as well, though I think what I gave you for Christmas will do.”

“…the dress that Emilia just happens to have a copy of?”

“Well, yes.”

“Why should I have to wear the same dress as her?!” Rin exclaimed, with Shinji turning her to her, blinking.

“What, you don’t want to match with me?” Shinji questioned, allowing a bit of faux-hurt to seep into his voice.

“N-no, that’s not what I meant. It’s…it’s just odd wearing the same dress as someone else.”

Especially someone else she didn’t really like.

Shinji sighed.

“Just think of it like a school uniform, Tohsaka,” the boy grumbled. “We are a military unit, so we will be needing to dress somewhat alike. Besides, I think it would look lovely on you.”

“O-oh, ok.”

Rin was silent for a little bit, before she spoke up about something else. Since he’d mentioned a wand, she imagined she could probably build one, especially with Professor Lev’s help, and so she had some questions about what would be best for her.

“I could just make a wand, but…” she frowned. “Yours is far more impressive, with how big it can get.”

“It is a rather nice implement, isn’t it?” Shinji questioned, finding himself in a good mood. “Still, its not the size that matters, but how you used it.”

“You used it…very skillfully,” Rin commented, blushing slightly. “You’re far more…experienced, than I am,” she conceded, licking her lips. “You really made a mess of me back then, with that staff of yours. You must be as strong as the Monkey King himself with a weapon like that.”

Shinji chuckled.

“I wouldn’t go quite that far,” the boy replied, shaking his head. “I might be good, but I’m hardly an expert with a staff. Not compared people like Sondrol, anyway.”

“Sondrol?”

“Rachelle Sondrol, Champion of Durmstrang,” the boy related, thinking back to the last time he’d seen her – only a month ago or so it seemed. “A statuesque maiden with flowing red hair, bright green eyes, and quite the aura. Now, she was an expert with a staff. Compared to her, I’m just a novice, just as you are one compared to me.”

“It sounds like she was beautiful, too,” Rin commented.

“Oh, she was that,” Shinji agreed, not noticing the bitter look of envy that flitted across his companion’s face as he said this. “And a natural leader. All at Durmstrang seemed happy to serve under her.”

He pretended not to hear when Tohsaka made some comment about sound like he wanted to be under her, since if he admitted to hearing, he’d have to punish her, and that would make him feel good for all the wrong reasons.

“Just so you know, Tohsaka,” he said lightly. “I do have fairly good hearing, so I would be careful about saying things that I would need to respond to as your Commander.” Out of the corner of his eye, he noted her stiffen, and knew that his point had been made. “Anyway, I assume there’s a reason you brought up my staff?”

“Yes,” the girl admitted, proceeding to ask him for advice on what form the Code should take, since even if he wasn’t the most experienced person, he was certainly more experienced than she was, and this would be her first time making such a thing.

‘Well, if she’s asking, I guess I should take this seriously,’ Shinji mused, recalling how poorly his advice for her to ‘be herself’ had turned out. “Well, you probably shouldn’t make a staff, especially not one like mine. It would be too complex for you to attempt to make in a short amount of time, and even if you managed it, learning to use it is another ordeal in itself.”

“Oh.”

"You want something that will go with the skills you already have," he continued. "Something that you might be able to use if you need to get in close with bajiquan, but that won't impede you from acting at range."

"Like what?"

"Well, like a katar," the boy suggested, having had some experience/thoughts on exotic bladed weaponry. "Or some kind of gauntlet, I guess. Maybe you could put in several stones in it too, like one for each finger, so you have access to five spells or elements, as an Average One – though you’d need really good quality stones," he said more seriously. "The gauntlet might be a good idea, actually, since right now, your Crest is exposed, which means someone with good aim could stop you from casting pretty quickly – or take off your arm – if they were fighting you seriously."

Rin blinked.

"...people do that?" she asked, looking rather aghast at the suggestion. A magus' crest was...well, it was more valuable than their lives, for if it was stolen or destroyed, then generations of effort would be lost. For someone to deliberately target one...that would be something only a monster would do.

(Or well, Aozaki Touko, who did have a habit of capturing other magi and modifying their crests for her use, but then, to say that would be repeating what had been said before).

(...or the Church, which during the war with the Association had made a point of destroying the Crests of any magi they fought to keep their enemy weak).

"They do," Shinji confirmed with a troubled nod. "That and worse." He shook his head, as his gray eyes looked off into the distance, as he recalled some of the “worse.”

"Like what?"

"It wouldn't do you any good if I just told you – you wouldn't understand unless you'd been there," the boy muttered, refusing to explain further. "What I saw, what I went through...it changed me. The person I was...died on that island," he said, his voice solemn. "Me as I am now...I'm different from who I was. I’m not the person you remember, Tohsaka – I couldn't go back to being that person, even if I wanted to."

"Oh..." Rin noted hollowly, not quite understanding. "Anything else?"

"Well, you're an Average One, and I'm not, so I can't really say too much more. Just from what I've seen...wind is one of the most useful elements there is," he said, recalling all the times and all the ways Luna had turned lifegiving air into deadly blades. "And well, I can't think badly of Earth either, since that's what I make use of most."

...at least, in fusion and as he used to be. Nowadays, he found himself enjoying fire a good bit, but...he couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way of giving proper advice.

“It will still take you some time to make a wand, so I guess I’ll buy one for you.”

“I—you don’t have to—”

“I want to,” Shinji replied, with a smile. “Besides, the First Citizen did say I could requisition some items for my squad, so it’s more that he’s buying.”

He’d just have to justify the expense.

“Ok,” Rin said shyly. “Lead on.”

So Matou Shinji did, with their footsteps taking them to new market area near the new government building, and to a mysterious shopkeeper dressed in robes much like those the Stonecutters had once worn, complete with the distinctive cowl and red belt, though his were white, not grey.

---

"A wand, you say?" the man Shinji was speaking to about obtaining such an item for his companion asked, looking the boy and his companion up and down. "Not from around these parts, I take it?"

"You could tell by looking?" Shinji asked, with the other looking wryly at him, his eyes an odd shade of blue as he regarded the boy, looking from his head to his...arm. The one where he wore his hidden blade in fact.

"I can tell many things by looking, which is one reason the Mentor trusts me so. You though...how odd that you would hide your true face, but I suppose you have your reasons, brother," the man noted, shaking his head. "You have come a long way to be here."

"Not that far – I do live in the city, after all," Shinji joked, to which the man smiled thinly.

"I did not mean that, child of earth and scales, but I take your meaning," the hooded figure replied, with Shinji stiffening as he registered what the man had called him. "Is the wand for yourself, or for your lovely companion?"

"Um, it is for my companion, Miss...R--" Shinji's mind went blank for a moment. "Uh, Li-uv--mi. Miss Lumi...Edelfelt."

Rin looked at him in shock, wondering why Shinji was calling her this odd name, only for him to gesture for her to play along and act natural - not that she got the signal.

"Why—"

"What my companion means to say is that she misplaced her wand some time ago, and requires one for her duties here in Britain, as part of the Home Guard," Shinji replied, attempting to act friendly while gesturing for Tohsaka to be silent. "I uh...I wish to requisition a wand for her use."

"I see," the man noted slowly. "A proper wand for a witch – or simply a wand-type Mystic Code?"

"A...wait, what?" Shinji's mouth nearly fell open in shock, as he hadn't expected to hear that sort of thing in Wizarding London, much less in the small shopping area near the Albion government building, where certain subsidized goods and services were provided. "How do you...?"

"I can tell many things by looking," the man repeated, to which Shinji could only nod. "You wish to see my wares?"

"...why not?" the boy asked. “Show me what you have.”

“Very well,” the man noted, bowing slightly as he retreated into his stall. Some moments later, he emerged with a jet-black dagger. “Perhaps I could interest you in a dagger-wand of dragon-glass?” he asked. “An interesting weapon shaped from still molten obsidian, it boosts the weight of curses and the heat of flames.”

He placed it down on the counter, giving Shinji a chance to examine it, with something in the boy’s nature seeming to hum as he touched it.

“A good fit?” the man inquired.

“For me, it would be, but I’m not here to requisition something for me,” the boy stated, shaking his head. “Something else, please.”

“As you wish.”

The next item to be shown was an ornately-carved wand the color of ivory, or perhaps it was ivory, as the shopkeeper explained that it had been wrought from the tusk of some great beast, with its properties being that it amplified “the solid and the heavy.”

“What do you…?”

“It sings of the earth, of shaping, of strengthening, and of weight,” the man explained. “Is this one to your liking?”

“Lumi?”

Rin came forward and took it into her hands, as Shinji gestured for the shopkeeper to bring forth more wondrous items.

And bring them forth he did, with some of the most notable being…

…a ring of what seemed like ice mixed with ash, set with a single white-blue diamond, amplifying control over that which flows and that which shambles (or, in more conventional terms, boosting the power of "flow" type elements – wind and water, as well as providing a boost to spells aligned with necromancy).

…a set of gloves, wrought of some shimmering black material reminiscent of scales, which apparently could drain the prana of those it touched, other than the wearer, and boosted the power of magic involving blood.

…a wand carved from the burl of an English Wych Elm and the horn of an Al-mi'raj, with the wood slotting into grooves carved into the horn, providing a slight boost to all elements, and a bonus to magical detection.

…and of course, the pièce de résistance, a staff which seemed to sing as it moved through the air, whispering of ancient mysteries. It was wrought of some strange crystalline material, its color changing depending on the angle one looked at it from, and apparently not only boosted the power of any spell one cast, but was…malleable in some ways, allowing one to slot in gems to improve it.

“That, and it is said to grant the wielder the ability to cast more quickly,” the shopkeeper noted.

“You don’t mean…high speed incantation?” Shinji whispered, his voice dry. Could there…could there really be an item which granted such a skill?

“That is the name by which Westerners often call it, yes,” the man noted. “It was rather…difficult to come by, I must say.”

“How did you come by it?”

“A former Mentor of mine claimed it from the hand of his mortal foe.”

“…and where did he obtain it?”

“The material of which it is wrought comes from South America, but who crafted it, and into whose hands it fell, before it passed into those of my former Mentor’s foe, I do not know,” the shopkeeper noted.

“Ah.”

Glancing back at Rin, he could see her looking at the staff with a terrible sort of longing, the look on her face almost desperate as she looked at it. For a moment he was tempted to requisition it for her, but it was only for a moment, given that he didn’t think this was something Tohsaka could use well, nor that Lockhart would considered it even close to a justified expense.

“…have you decided what you will buy for your companion?” the shopkeeper asked mildly.

“…yes, I’ll requisition the wand she’s holding now,” Shinji stated. “The one carved from a great tusk. The others can be put away.”

Rin’s eyes seemed to follow the staff as the man took it to the back of his stall, until he secured it in a rather large chest and closed the lid.

“Huh?” Tohsaka murmured, seemingly coming out of a trance as the item left her line of sight. “Did you say something, Ma—Nines?”

“Yes, I said I’m requisitioning the wand you’re holding,” the boy supplied with a smile. “You didn’t hear me?”

“O…oh, no, I didn’t.” She swallows. “Oh, so…not the staff?”

“…I don’t think I’d be able to justify that, no. Perhaps sometime in the future, Tohsaka,” the boy said diplomatically. It was best to give one’s subordinates something to aspire to, even if he never intended to actually make good on giving her a chance to acquire the item.

The shopkeeper – an Assassin, Shinji was quite sure, returned from the back of the stall after putting away the other items and nodded, filling in the wand's information on a blank requisition form, with Shinji glimpsing...rather more zeros than he'd expected to see for a wand. Apparently, good Mystic Codes weren't cheap...something he'd have to keep in mind for the future, though at least he wasn't paying with his own money.

"While you are here, will you be needing to requisition anything else? Perhaps something for yourself, or another member of your squad?" the man asked.

"Like what?" Shinji inquired, curious as to what manner of wares the man was offering aside from wands and codes.

"Various things that may be useful for someone in your position," the man noted, turning to a case he had behind the counter. A fairly well-secured case, if the locks and such were any indication. "You are somewhat uncertain about the mission you are to undertake, and your role in it."

"Err...that's not entirely wrong," the boy conceded. "I guess I'm not very good at hiding it."

"Perhaps you are, perhaps you are not, but I am not one from whom much can be hidden," came the reply. "In any case, here is what I have. Whether for yourself or for another, is up to you. You have three members in your squad – you can choose up to that many items to requisition."

The man proceeded to show him some curiosities, like a set of restraints that sapped the magical energy of the restrained and disrupted their ability to use circuits or core, an amulet providing protection from mental assault and detection, effectively making him invisible to a scan via legilimency, a Neverending Thermos of Coffee (not the best quality, but for late nights, sometimes quantity was a quality of its own), grenades which apparently wiped away spell effects in a given radius (like a portable Thief's Downfall), and grenades which created bubble shields where they landed, allowing for quick deployment of a defensive structure to protect a group.

“These are all very tempting,” Shinji mused. “How to choose.”

“Usually, what is most useful for the mission.”

“Mm, well in that case…”

Coffee, to be sure, knowing how Tohsaka needed an infusion of caffeine in the morning to even be functional.

Aside from that, something to protect him from mental assault might be useful as well, as while he didn’t fear physical threats, he wanted ways to better hide his nature.

He said as much to the shopkeeper, who selected the items for him.

"Excellent choices," the man noted, his eyes looking at the Thermos when he says this. "Being able to be awake, alert, and aware of one's surroundings is always a useful thing, no matter at what age, or what assignment one is on." He glanced between the two. "It seems you are an outing, so if you wish, I am happy to deliver the requisition form for you."

"Ah, who would you be delivering it to?"

"The Mentor's secretary," the man replied, seeming slightly amused as Shinji's expression took on a hint of interest, with his companion seeming...alarmed by this sudden shift. "Do I take it you wish to deliver it yourself, brother?"

“No need to trouble yourself, brother,” Shinji stated solemnly. “I will bear the form to our Mentor’s secretary.”

With that, he said his goodbyes, handing Rin the thermos, which she took, though the entire exchange left her rather curious. It was true that Tohsaka Rin might be naive to the wonders and realities of the world. She might be a new trainee, a novice to combat and military command structures (and expected behaviors. She might even be insecure and in need of quite a bit of attention and polish to make her a worthwhile addition to a squad – or a competent magus – but one thing she was not, was stupid.

As such, there was something that was bothering her about the interaction with the shopkeeper.

"Um...why did he call you his brother?" the girl asked Shinji.

The boy smiled slightly, deciding that perhaps this was something Rin just didn’t need to know for the moment. After all, he wasn’t sure that Lockhart knew that he knew (though the man probably did), and wasn’t at all sure that the man would want Tohsaka to know about the involvement of the Assassins here.

"Classified,” was thus his response. Not one that made her particularly happy, but it was one she would have to learn to accept.

---

Following the man's directions, Shinji proceeded into Albion's government building, where he and his companion were stopped at a security checkpoint. There, they were required to surrender his wand and other weapons, before stepping though an archway filled with mist.

He went through first, of course, his form wavering for a moment, as he did, with Shinji having the unpleasant thought that his nature might have been exposed. 'Huh - precautions to catch disguised imposters, huh. Or polyjuiced individuals.' The goblin on duty only nodded, though, asking what his purpose visiting the inner office was, to which Shinji mentioned that he had a requisition form to deposit, which the security goblin examined briefly before giving the boy back his wand and weapons, and giving his approval for Shinji to proceed.

Tohsaka, sadly, had quite a bit more trouble, with her protests about surrendering her new wand and her obvious agitation at being forced to walk through a magical construct raising the hackles of the security staff at the checkpoint.

“No, I—I refuse! Why should I have to…” she sputtered, only for her protests fell silent as small sapphire-colored bird-shaped familiars came from beyond the checkpoint and surrounded her like an angry swarm.

"Sapphire..." Rin whispered, feeling utterly numb as the swarm seemed to brush against her, draining the strength from her. Yes...one could use sapphire instead of amethyst when making familiars, given that sapphires were a sign of wisdom, but the expense…

That aside, with as many familiars as there were around her, that was enough firepower to wipe her from the face of the earth without much of an effort.

And then the swarm spoke.

"Miss Tohsaka, for your own sake, please cooperate with Security," a stern voice said from within the swarm, with Rin swallowing at it identified her by name. "Follow the security procedures and you will not be harmed. Resist, and we cannot guarantee your safety."

"I...I'll cooperate," the young, rather magus said quietly. "Just please...please don't hurt me."

It hurt her to bow like this, to acknowledge in public that yet another person was more powerful than her, especially when Matou could see it and was probably judging her, but while magi walked with death, no competent magus eagerly ran to embrace it. And that was all she would accomplish by resisting – die an ignoble death, without having accomplished anything – die a virgin, even, not even having given her first time to the person she loved.

Still, at her assent, the swarm parted, allowing her to surrender her items and proceed through the security checkpoint, where she passed through the mist-filled archway, which seemed innocuous enough, but left her feeling weak - almost violated - as it had disrupted her prana circulation. Only for a moment, granted, but...

'Just who are these people?' she wondered. People who could afford sapphires large enough to make into familiars, who had the skill to use them as such...people who purposely made constructs to disrupt a magus' prana, leaving them vulnerable, stripping them of their defenses, people who could use that sort of staff of crystal.

Her mind jumped to one very unpleasant conclusion, given that there was one family she knew who would be both rich enough to afford such sapphires and skilled enough in jewelcraft to use them for security - given their properties in revealing treachery and seeing past illusions - as well as very likely knowing who she was.

The Edelfelts.

Were they involved here? She knew they were mercenaries, and were willing to work for a fee, so had they accepted a contract from this Albion, from its First Citizen? But why...why would a family so powerful...?

She didn't know, and frankly that terrified her like little else, especially since she knew that family had a grudge against hers ever since the Third Grail War. Almost unconsciously, her hand touched her left arm, where her Crest was. Hopefully the price of the contract wasn't to deliver her into their hands...but if it was, Matou-kun would protect her, right? He'd promised...promised he'd always walk beside her. Promised to be there for her, to watch her back, as she watched his.

Tohsaka was quiet, even meek, as she collected her items and rejoined Matou, who seemed almost gentle to her as he checked to make sure she was ok after her ordeal. Together, the two proceeded through the headquarter complex, eventually coming to a rather spacious second floor, which seemed to be comprise of a rather lush, green atrium surrounded by a ring of offices, with watchful goblins by each door.

"Huh...this is different," Shinji noted, though he had little time to look around, as a rather stunning young woman with blue flowers woven into her white-blonde hair, stepped out of one of the offices.

'She...'

"Matou...what's that Emilia doing here?!" Tohsaka hissed in his ear. "And why is she wearing...that?!"

The 'that' in question was a rather exquisite ensemble of white and gold and blue that made the woman look most regal indeed.

'Hm, she does rather look like Emilia, which means she must be the First Citizen's—'

"Stop staring at her chest," Tohsaka pleaded, grabbing the boy's hand. "We're not--we're here to see—"

"Miss Suoirtsulli, I presume," the boy called out, waving to the woman, who responded with an elegant curtsy.

"Indeed. A pleasure to meet you, Squad Commander," the woman replied, her voice surprisingly delicate. "I understand you have a requisition form to hand in?"

Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"How did you know?"

"I heard it from the goblin at the checkpoint, of course."

"Ah," Shinji uttered. That made sense - he supposed they would have some system of communication. Though... "You're passing it to someone else, I take it?"

"Indeed, to our Logistics Branch," the woman stated, turning and gesturing for Shinji to follow, with the boy finding her the fluidity and sensuality of her movements quite alluring indeed. "Come, this way."

"Why are we doing this?" Rin demanded, skidding to a halt and pulling Shinji with her. "Playing along with her farce?"

"...what farce?" Shinji asked, with Miss Suoirtsulli pausing and turning at the girl's outburst.

"A farce, Miss Tohsaka?"

"She's obviously Miss Emilia, not...not whoever this Miss Suoirtsulli is supposed to be! She's not even trying to look like someone else," the magus cried, as the goblins around the room looked at her as one, obviously assessing the girl as a possible threat.

"Tohsaka, she's not--"

"I'm not blind, Matou! Stop trying to convince me this isn't--" And then the girl went silent, her face pale with terror as a swarm of small sapphire-colored bird-shaped familiars appeared around the regally dressed woman. "Oh."

The woman merely looked at her, a mote of displeasure on her delicate features, yet that was enough to make Tohsaka tremble even as her feet were rooted to the ground with terror.

"Miss Tohsaka," the First Citizen's secretary stated flatly. "There is a time and place for you to voice what concerns you may have, and a proper manner in which to voice them. Your actions today, both at the checkpoint and now, show a marked lack of awareness of this fundamental principle, as well as of your position as an enlisted member of the Home Guard. For your commander to requisition you the items he did is a privilege, and yet you disgrace him and yourself through your uncouth behavior."

"I..."

"You will wait here, in the atrium, while your Commander and I discuss your behavior - and any other business he may have here - in my office," the young woman continued, her icy blue gaze seeming to piece Tohsaka's very soul. "Is that clear?"

"I...I—!"

"Is that clear?" the woman repeated quite calmly, even as Tohsaka's legs began to buckle under her, as the magus felt certain she would be executed on the spot.

"Y-y-y-yes, ma'am," Tohsaka whispered, barely able to say the words as tears streamed down her cheeks. It was over - it was all over. Any moment now...any moment now--

But the end never came, merely a breeze as the familiars vanished from sight once more, leaving Rin pathetically grateful to have been spared. Merely being able to breathe had never seemed so precious, so wonderful...so much of a gift.

"Good. Commander. My office. Now."

Matou Shinji glanced at Rin, disappointment and pity written across his face, before looking back at the First Citizen's secretary.

"Right away, ma'am!" he said, following as she turned and headed off, leaving Tohsaka Rin entirely alone.

Alone save for the security goblins around the room, who were shaking their heads at the shameful sight of the girl. It just went to show that humans – especially young, untrained humans – had little place in an army. Oh, there were exceptions, to be sure, but they were exceptions, not the rule – a view this display had only reinforced.

---

Before the unpleasant encounter in the atrium, Shinji had actually been enjoying the outing, yet afterwards, the mood had soured, with the boy calling an end to their “date” after that. And perhaps, if they had been going to different places for the night, that would have been that, but as it was, she still lived in his house, so he had to bear with her company for a bit longer.

He’d tried his best to make for a good day, yet despite his warning from last night, she’d still dishonored him, still shamed him in public.

“Frankly,” he grumbled as he stepped through the door of his house. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to take you anywhere in public again. Not without disguising you as someone else, someone not already associated with me in either of my identities.”

"That's fine," Rin said meekly, much to Shinji’s surprise. "I...it's my fault. All my fault. I...I didn't think. I just...I'm useless."

"Tohsaka, you're not..." He shook his head. "Well, you did cause a good deal of trouble, it’s true."

"Yes, I’ve been a bad girl,” she whispered. “You should punish me for what I did. Make me look like someone else if you wish. That's fine," the girl acquiesced, looking down. "Whatever you want. Whatever you want to do. Whatever you want me to be."

"Tohsaka..."

"Just...give me a name?"

"A name, you say?" the boy who called himself Matou Shinji murmured, as he came to a halt. It was all too easy to dismiss something like a name as unimportant, as meaning little, but in reality, what one called something - or someone - affected what one thought of that thing, or person. More to the point, if he didn't assign Rin a name to use when she was disguised, then he might very well slip and call her Tohsaka, leading to her calling him Matou, which could be bad if they didn't want their identities exposed.

...which they didn't around Hermione Granger, given their history with her.

"Yes..." Tohsaka whispered, walking over to him and taking his hand, with the boy - or at least part of him - stiffening at her touch. "A name...something for you to call me...something secret. Just between us."

She looked down, almost shyly, though Shinji could feel her blush, as she seemed...hot, and she seemed to be panting, or at least, breathing hard.

"...you do know that I'll have to tell Emilia your name too, right?" the boy inquired gently, with Rin seeming to flinch at this as she looked up, startled, almost shaking.

"You didn't give her a name already, did you?" the girl asked, pouting.

"Of course not," Shinji replied, his hand squeezing hers reassuringly, as he turned to face her completely. "The only one I'll name is you."

"I'm...special then?" she questioned, her sea-colored eyes looking almost vulnerable as she peered at him through long lashes.

"You've always been special to me, Tohsaka," the boy answered smoothly, with the girl's face and hands going red. For a moment, he wondered if the blush extended to the rest of her body, and what else he could do to make her go red like that, but with some effort, he cleared his mind, reminding himself that he needed to focus.

"I--"

"You asked for a name," Shinji murmured, giving the matter some thought to distract himself from the memory of what an older Tohsaka had looked - had felt like - in his arms. "Names have power, you know. More than you know. Are you sure you want me to...?"

"Please...give it to me?" she asked as she took a step closer.

"Alright," the boy whispered, closing his eyes. "I'll give you a name..." He shook his head then, recalling. “Wait, didn’t I already give you one, Lumi?”

The girl winced, and yet the boy couldn’t help but smile as he saw this.

“That’s right – I called you Lumi. Lumi Edelfelt,” he stated, as Tohsaka cringed. Yes – he supposed that would work, all the more so if she didn’t like it. It would even play into the disguise he gave her, which now that he thought about it, might not be the outfit he’d given her for Christmas.

Briefly, he considered something minimal, like putting her in a kimono and having her wear her hair up, or putting her in robes and styling her hair differently, but those he dismissed as well, as that would be no good around Granger – the actress would see through such a disguise easily.

'I have to change at least one big feature of hers, since how many Japanese people do you see with black hair and sea-colored eyes...?'

He could offer her contacts, but that left the issue of her hair, which was by far more recognizable.

'Which just means I have to dye it, perhaps change the hairstyle…’

Could it work, he wondered?

'Hm...if I dressed her in whites and blues and dyed her hair blonde, that might work. She would have to wear something more formal than she does now, something that makes her look...noble, but I could see her acting the part.' She'd been something distant, unapproachable, once - if she could act that way again, she could seem like a very different person. 'If she styled her hair in curls, wore white gloves and carried the ivory wand, yes, she'd be quite unrecognizable as Tohsaka Rin.'

She’d be the very picture of an Edelfelt, in fact, a person as bright and untouchable as the snow...

“What does Lumi even mean?” Rin asked, crinkling her nose.

"It means snow," the boy related, "in Finnish."

"Finnish," Rin repeated, her expression stiffening a bit. "Why a Finnish name?"

"Because with your beautiful eyes, I see you looking the part if you were dress up a bit and perhaps dye your hair."

"Dye...?"

"Yes. A lovely golden blonde, I was thinking," the boy replied, thinking of Elesa's appearance. "While you look lovely as you are, I'd rather that when you are disguised, no one can recognize you but me."

"Ah..."

"That and practically speaking, your features, framed well, could pass as someone from Scandanavia or Finland," Shinji explained. "The north is home to some of the most fearsome fighters I know. And well, such features aren't uncommon in England."

"...you think the Edelfelts are fearsome?! " Rin muttered, her face paling though her expression was...odd.

“Well, you certainly did earlier,” Shinji noted, recalling how petrified the girl had been around the sapphire birds.

"You…you want me...to look like one of them?"

"Are you saying no?" he asked. “You did say, whatever I wanted, right?”

The girl flinched.

"I...no, I...that's not what I meant," the girl said weakly. "I...if you really want me to...I...I can disguise myself as...one of them. If that is what you want."

"It would make things easier, Lumi," Shinji murmured, with the girl trembling as he said these words. "Unless...you don't want to make things easy..."

Rin swallowed.

"No. No...I'm easy," she responded almost desperately. "I...I'll be whoever - whatever - you want me to be."

"Great," Shinji said, with some relief. "I'll make sure to get you some clothes from LeShin before we head off. Is there anything else...?"

"J-just one thing," the Japanese girl whispered, looking almost frightened, yet seeming like she'd made up her mind.

"Yes?"

"C-close your eyes?" she asked.

Shinji raised an eyebrow at the strange request, but complied, as he was sure that Tohsaka wouldn't hurt him, or try anything too strange in his house.

"And th—"

But the boy's words were cut off as the girl stepped close to him and reached out with her free hand, pulling his head to hers in a desperate kiss, her tongue slipping into his mouth as she pressed herself against him. The sensation was...familiar yet strange, with her smell, the touch of her, the taste of her, surging to the forefront of his mind as she moaned, and unbidden, he found himself kissing back, as if it was second nature.

The hand holding her hand was guided, pulled down and around before she released it, with the boy finding that his hand was resting on her pleasantly shaped derriere. Almost instinctively, he cupped and squeezed, fingers sliding from buttock to inner thigh in a way that was almost possessive, and Tohsaka Rin moaned as his hands brushed somewhere sensitive, somewhere moist, somewhere hot.

Her thighs tightened on his hand as she ground against it, against him, her kisses growing more heated, more frantic, more hungry as her body writhed and squirmed in a needy, desperate manner.

"Ah...ah..."

"To, Tohsaka, wh..."

And then the girl's entire body went stiff as she cried out, her thighs clamping down hard as her hips twitched and jerked and bucked, the moist patch he was rubbing against thoroughly soaked now, filling the air with a heady musk that threatened to blow away what remained of his sanity, and certainly helped make him quite stiff.

"Ma...tou..." Tohsaka whispered, her lips just barely parted from his, her voice and face dazed when she could speak once more. "Matou...take...me..." She leaned in again, kissing him. "Let's...go...together. Make. A secret memory. Just two of us."

"Just...ahhhh," the boy moaned as she kissed him, finding the heat of her nigh irresistible.

"But...I...what about..." There was a word that was supposed to be there, something important, something vitally so, but for the life of him, he couldn't quite remember what it was supposed to be.

"It doesn't matter," she said as she kissed him desperately, pulling him closer as the entire world seemed to fall away except for the heat in his loins, the heat in his chest, the heat in his mind. He...he wanted her. Wanted to make her his. To claim her maidenhood and make her moan and scream and call his name as he drove into her, ravished her.

"Senpai."

"Take me..." Rin whispered, no moaned. "My first time....my everything..."

Shinji growled as her words sank in, pleasing to his ear. To have the girl he once admired throwing herself at him like this, yes, how could he refuse, how could he--

"Senpai."

He opened his eyes then, noting that down the hallway, there was a head of strawberry blonde hair, which he didn't recognize for a moment as Tohsaka kissed him...and then he did recognize who it was, and the heat in him died as he pulled - jerked - back, his eyes wide.

"I..."

"Ma...matou?" Rin questioned, looking at him with passion in her eyes. "Will you--"

The way she looked at him as she stepped closer was almost irresistible as she took his hand again, placing it on her chest.

"Will you—"

But Shinji yanked back his arm, his eyes wide, as he saw the head of hair disappear around the corner.

"Mashu!" he whispered, with Rin looking up, confused at why he would say another woman's name at a time like this. "Mashu, wait!" he said, brushing past Tohsaka to go after the Alchemist, leaving the Japanese girl crying out after him, alone.

---

Sadly, he didn't find her downstairs. He didn't find her in his rooms, or thankfully, at the desk, having sent something to Sion. In fact, she didn't appear before him until later that night, during their scheduled session, when Mashu inquired as to his intentions regarding Miss Tohsaka, as...his behavior that she had seen was quite problematic.

"If you had not seen me, what would have happened?" she asked, her violet gaze piercing and not entirely kind. "Would you have forgotten those you made commitments to because of a momentary bit of pleasure, senpai?"

"I...no! That wouldn't happen! I...my promises mean everything to me!"

"Even the promises that Matou Shinji made in another life?"

Her words were like shards of ice, ripping into his chest, as the boy slumped.

He hadn't...quite...decided what his past life was to him, but...

"I won't break those promises, not when without the ones I pledged to, I..." the boy shook his head. "...I would be nothing. Without Sokaris. Without those words" he said in almost a whisper.

"Yes, you would," Mashu agreed. "Even if you are now called the modern Lancelot. Even if you are called the Hero of the Ministry. Even if you have won honors, it is worth nothing if you cannot keep your word."

There was a long, unbearable moment of silence.

"...you're right," the boy whispered, hanging his head.

"Then...what happened with Miss Tohsaka that you nearly forgot?"

Shinji hung his head.

"I...one thing led to another...I didn't mean for things to go that far," he said morosely. "All I wanted...I just want to be her friend, her patron. To be to her like Sokaris is to me." Which sounded well and good except--

"You wish for her to completely devote her life to you? To be willing to lay down everything for you?"

"I--no! No, why would you say that?!" he protested.

"Because that is what the Director is to you - someone you worship. Someone you would do anything for, even if it meant becoming the enemy of the world."

The silence this time was profound and lasted for far longer than a mere moment.

"...I did say that, didn't I?" he eventually admitted, recalling when he had made such a vow.

"You did. Thus...do you wish for Tohsaka to be your ally, even if it meant that she would become an enemy of the world?"

"No!" The boy almost recoiled at the thought. "I...I wouldn't do that to her!"

"But you would lead her down a web of desire, taking advantage of her - and turning others into her enemies."

"I--"

"What if I had not been there? How far would things have gone?"

"I...I would have stopped. I...would have--"

"Would you?"

"I...I think so?"

"...your actions did not seem like that of someone about to stop."

"Then what do you think I would have done?" he demanded, his hands balling into fists.

"Had I not called out, I have no doubt you would have engaged in sexual relations with Miss Tohsaka, and that you would even now be entwined with her," was the blunt response, one that almost made the boy double over.

"I..."

"Imagine that it was not I who had walked in, but another."

"Like who?"

"Like Miss Lovegood. What would she have thought?"

The air seemed to freeze as Shinji remembered that yes, his predecessor had been in a relationship with Luna - something that was hard to recall sometimes when the Trial of Courage had given him nearly as much time together with Tohsaka, with the memories mixing up into one another.

"Oh..."

"That's right, senpai, oh."

Shinji swallowed.

"Uh...I uh..."

"It is a poor commander who becomes so...intimately involved in the lives of his squad," Mashu mentioned, with Shinji closing his eyes. "But I suppose that is why you are in Albion this year, to learn - to grow."

"I..."

"This will not happen again."

"It won't. I promise."

---

Choice 119: And how does he say to Mudbutton?

[ ] Reinforcements, reporting as ordered
[ ] That it is an honor to serve under him
[ ] That he appreciates what the goblin has done up to this point, but he can handle defense from her

Choice 120: Does he allow Rin to introduce himself to the two, does he introduce Rin, or does he not even mention her?

[ ] Introduce Rin
[ ] Allow Rin to introduce herself
[ ] Don't introduce her - she's just a squadmate, and there will be time for this in private

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] That it is an honor to serve under him

[ ] Allow Rin to introduce herself

[Skull Leader]

[X] Reinforcements, reporting as ordered

Be professional. Thought the Honor choice is also good. But I think we need to ooze professionalism before flattery. But I am good with the Honor choice.

[X] Introduce Rin

This is Nines technically even if everyone in the room knows otherwise, so editticate should dictate that Shinji does the introduction, I believe.

[croixdefeu]

[X] Reinforcements, reporting as ordered
I dont mind either, really. Professionalism might impress hermione, though.
Not too sure as to the choice on rin, the one that follows military etiquette will be best, but I have no idea which one that is