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

[Skull Leader]

[X] Shinji was at an Albion Meeting. Ms Emilia comes highly recommend for the squad due to her history as a Infiltration Specialist since neither Shinji or Rin are good at it. Ms Emilia specializes in psychology and mimicking people, having played body doubles roles in the past. She is important part of their upcoming mission, as well as preparing us to play cover identities.

All true for the most part. Let Ms. Emilia cover her own background/explain things, so basically Shinji just needs to cover the basics with Rin. That she is here cause they both are not spec in. Gives her the ability to take control in this mission without taking over the command. Plus Hilde really does need to help the two learn how to pretend to be someone else so they don't blow their covers at WADA.

[X] What she thinks of...all this
[X] Why is she acting so differently

The Second question here is the one that I really want Shinji to ask. Mostly in the hopes that he realizes why later Nines has to act differently to Shinji for his alter ego to work. The first one I am willing to swap out for something else if someone got something good to ask.

EDIT

[X] Ask if Hilde has any specific request that she wishes to mention.

I am good with Daiki write in. I did split it and picked only one part of it cause it felt like two separate questions trying to be one. So I went with the one that I felt was more important. Both were good questions but if I had to pick one, this is the one I pick.

[Daiki]

[x] Shinji was at an Albion Meeting. Ms Emilia comes highly recommended for the squad due to her history as a Infiltration Specialist since neither Shinji or Rin are good at it. Ms Emilia specializes in psychology and mimicking people, having played body doubles roles in the past. She is important part of their upcoming mission, as well as preparing us to play cover identities.

[x] If Pansy is good to her and if Hilde has any specific request that she wishes to mention.

I know that Shinji has little to no love for her, and most likely is annoyed to work with her, but it's the opportunity to start acting like a leader and push aside personal feelings in order to make sure his underling will not be missing anything to be 100% operational.

Knowing her mental state is necessary as well, so we might as well sate our curiosity and ask about how things are now that she has a master more appreciative of her talents.

Also, if she has issues of her own, now is the ideal time to mention it. Logistics requests also, like working tools, training and such that she may need down the line. Falls in line with what Lockhart just mentioned;

As Squad Leader, you will be responsible for the general well-being of your squad, for ensuring that their performance is up to an acceptable standard, for requisitioning equipment or supplemental training to make up for deficiencies, and of course, for carrying out operations which are assigned to you.

Undecided on the last choice.

[Dracueri]

[x] Shinji was at an Albion Meeting. Ms Emilia comes highly recommended for the squad due to her history as a Infiltration Specialist since neither Shinji or Rin are good at it. Ms Emilia specializes in psychology and mimicking people, having played body doubles roles in the past. She is important part of their upcoming mission, as well as preparing us to play cover identities.

[x]Why she joined Albion
[x]Expand on her willingness to follow orders

[Malorius]

The first one is won by landslide by high praises to Emilia, so I won't even bother. No warning to Rin about interacting with her though, which fills me with shame. It seems we haven't learned our lesson after Rin/Kohaku, Rin/Mashu and Rin/Emiya communication.

[x] Why she joined Albion
[x] Write-in: Expand on her willingness to follow orders

I don't see this combination in other votes, and that's a damn shame. It is very good for exposing the motives of our "comrade". Also, I don't really care for her input on our current circumstances, so. We can certainly live without a manipulative minion trying to mold our opinion on the squad/Rin/our monstrous self.

But hey, since the mind games are pretty much inescapable, let's at least focus on the safe-ish area: the lie that Hilde is.

I wonder if anyone except me still remembers that "trust but verify" was supposed to be more than empty words. Nowadays Rin's failures have eclipsed everything else so much, we somehow started to consider "Emilia" the trustworthy one of our teammates. To the point that we consider Shinji's "bias" to be something to be curbed, not channeled. That's another one of our "voter-tiredness mistakes" in the making, I'm pretty sure.

(That said, almost anything we say here would be used by her to charm Shinji anyway, we have seen as much in Alf's snippets. So the point boils down to the level of personal attachment we articulate here.)

[Skull Leader]

Can we not question Hilde willingness to follow orders right off the bat? Shinji does not really know her, not after a period of time where she developed. So this write in feels insulting to her. Please extend some trust to her...and then verify.

Don't go asking about her willingness to follow orders before its even an issue.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 81: [X] Shinji was at an Albion Meeting. Ms Emilia comes highly recommend for the squad due to her history as a Infiltration Specialist since neither Shinji or Rin are good at it. Ms Emilia specializes in psychology and mimicking people, having played body doubles roles in the past. She is important part of their upcoming mission, as well as preparing us to play cover identities.

Choice 82: [x] Ask if Hilde has any specific request that she wishes to mention; [x] Why she joined Albion; [x] Expand on her willingness to follow orders

---

Choice 83: While walking back toward the entrance of Diagon Alley with Hilde - Emilia, rather - Shinji found his mind troubled by a number of questions about his new...colleague. Questions like whose appearance she was borrowing this time, why she'd chosen such an...eyecatching form, if her role was to act as an infiltration specialist, exactly how long she'd been working for Lockhart, and of course why she'd chosen to join Albion.

"You have questions?" the young woman prompted, noticing that the boy seemed to have slowed.

"...you could tell?" he asked, raising an eyebrow - not that she could see it over the "blindfold".

"Humans aren't that hard to read," Emilia answered, her tone perfectly neutral. "Especially when they have many things on their minds...Commander."

"You don't much like me, do you...Emila?"

"I don't see how my feelings regarding you matter particularly," was the response. "Unless you'd like me to have some special feelings for you...Commander?" she added, almost as an afterthought, a hint of promise leaking into her voice. "After all, I can be anyone you want me to be. My former...master often took advantage of this for his own ends, as you know."

"I...no, that wasn't what I meant!" Shinji answered, his face flushing beet red at the insinuation. He took a moment to compose himself, taking a deep breath as he looked away. "...will it affect..." he hesitated. "Will you obey my orders?"

"So long as it is a lawful order," was the reply. "And one that is within the limits of your authority."

"And who decides if an order is lawful?" the boy asked, deciding to leave the question of the limits of his authority for later.

"Ultimately, the military courts, who will evaluate an order in accordance with the accepted rules of war and the code of military justice," Emilia answered. "Something that you should likely familiarize yourself with, Commander."

"...there's a code of military justice? For Albion?"

"There is," Emilia responded. "It is...not as comprehensive as the one the non-magical folk are supposed to follow, but regardless, it is there."

"...I suppose I should read up on that then, so I know what orders I can issue," the boy muttered.

"It would not be a terrible idea," Emilia agreed. "Still, Commander, you should know that regardless of your legal authority, it is never a good idea to issue in order that you know will not be obeyed."

"...is that a threat?"

"No, merely a piece of advice," the young woman replied. "After all, being the leader of any group of...people involves a degree of trust, yes, especially if people do not know you, or the face you wear? If you give orders you know will not be obeyed, that will lead to your subordinates questioning whether they should obey you at all, especially in a life or death situation."

Shinji was silent as he mulled this over in his mind, noting that she had a point. He was rather unused to this whole business of command, and he supposed he should be thankful his new...squad member was helping him out.

"Why did you join Albion anyway?" he asked, changing the topic. "I doubt you have any great affection for the people of Britain, so..."

"Because the land that the First Citizen seeks to build is far better than that which would result from the Ministry's machinations," was Emlia's answer. "Why did you, when your last action before this was to defend the people of the Ministry?"

"...I just needed something to do," Shinji replied, shaking his head. He'd been in between roles and places when Lockhart had given him this offer, one that Sokaris implicitly supported, so it seemed as good an idea as any. "That's all."

"Is that so?" Emilia questioned. "I'm sure there were other reasons. Something you sought to learn, to achieve, to become."

"...there might have been," the boy admitted. "But I'm not sure that's really your business."

"It might be, and it might not, considering my specialty."

"I don't think I'll need a body double," Shinji replied, raising an eyebrow. "...or will I?"

"There are situations where one might be useful. I leave it to you whether you will...partake of the services I am willing to provide." Shinji swallowed, but Emilia wasn't quite done. "In that case, what about your squadmate? Why did she join?"

Why does Shinji think Rin joined?

[ ] write-in

What else does Shinji tell Emilia about Rin?

[ ] write-in

[Malorius]

[x] Rin desires to achieve something of her own and repay her perceived debt to him

[x] Rin lacks patience, understanding and confidence, while posessing a substatial talent in her own branch of magic. Pushing her to excel under his command will be one of Shinji's priorities this year

Seems like something that Maeve will pick up on easily anyway, what's with her social build and all. I can't muster enough resolve to respect Rin's privacy, since, apparently, she has turned into a callous ignorant child under our wing and has no ability to process/fake common sense. Let's see how "Emilia" will make use of this, heh, show of trust.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 83: [x] Rin desires to achieve something of her own and repay her perceived debt to him

[x] Rin lacks patience, understanding and confidence, while posessing a substatial talent in her own branch of magic. Pushing her to excel under his command will be one of Shinji's priorities this year

---

Chapter 7. Mission Improbable

As he made his way back toward the entrance of Diagon Alley with Hilde - Emilia, rather – the boy who called himself Matou Shinji found his mind troubled by a number of questions. Some of these involved the specifics of the mission that Lockhart had assigned him, since from what he could remember of his third year, he hadn’t exactly parted with Hermione Granger on the best of terms, and Tohsaka, ah…

‘She and Granger will probably get along about as well as a burning oil slick on a stormy sea.’

Which was to say, the flare up would probably be very visible, very destructive, and amount to nothing good in the end, especially if Tohsaka didn’t realize – or couldn’t grasp – the value of having the press (and propogandists) on their side. Which was likely, given that he himself hadn’t much cared about public opinion when he was a Champion, just doing what was right.

In his capacity as a squad leader for the Home Guard, however, that might not be possible. After all, it was rather hard to protect people if they didn’t want to be protected. In that sense, reputation mattered quite a bit.

‘I suppose Emilia will be helpful in navigating these strange waters,’ he mused, glancing at the busty white-haired young woman. ‘She seems to know what she’s doing if Lockhart trusts her and has recommended her to me. Though even if I’m willing to put her past aside, I have no idea how Tohsaka will react to her…’

He suspected that part of that would depend on how the tanuki acted towards her, though another part…well, she already seemed rather unhappy towards Mashu for some unknown reason, and he couldn’t think of any reason she would dislike the kind and competent Agent of Atlas.

With regards to the tanuki’s behavior though, given how the youkai’s demeanor as Emilia was quite different from how she had been as Maeve, he wasn’t sure he really had enough of a grasp on her personality to know what she would do in her current state.

He didn’t know what she had been through between the time of her defeat as Maeve and the present, aside from what little he had read in her dossier. The last he’d heard, she had taken the name of Hilde, to replace Maeve, but why was she now Emilia?

Was it the name of the person whose appearance she was borrowing this time? Was it an alias she’d chosen for herself? Was she now Lockhart’s familiar, and no longer Pansy’s? And given that she was apparently an infiltration specialist, why had she chosen such an eye-catching form, instead of something more…nondescript?

…of course, that last bit might just be Lockhart’s influence, given that the Assassin did seem to enjoy using his good looks (especially that award winning smile) to win people over, or his striking appearance to distract them from the various intrigues.

‘I wouldn’t have thought he was plotting all of this with how…visible he seemed at Hogwarts, but maybe that was the point. No one would expect Gilderoy Lockhart, the adventurer and storyteller of conspiring with the Goblins to overthrow the Ministry, though he must have been for quite a while.’

Whatever else he was, Matou Shinji wasn’t exactly an idiot, and so he knew that an army capable of repelling a force like the one that had hit London didn’t come from nowhere, especially not if it deployed in good order, and apparently had enough of an internal structure that it didn’t simply amount to Lockhart’s personal forces.

‘For goblins to accept a practitioner of witchcraft as their marshal – I can’t imagine how much negotiation must have been needed to make that happen.’

The boy couldn’t imagine the extent of the backroom dealings that must have taken place for the goblins to not only support this endeavor, but essentially go all in on it. What had he promised them? And how could he have…

‘…ah. I suppose that’s when a body double would have been useful.’

Though…how long had Emilia been working for Lockhart?

It could only have been a few months at most, given the timing of when he, Lestrange, and Pansy had subdued her, meaning that Lockhart would have had to find other ways to sneak off for meetings, unless he had…

‘Wait. The Wizard Marshal…who might that be?’

That had to be a long-time associate of Lockhart if the Assassin trusted him with command of Albion’s military forces, but that name…who would choose such…

‘…someone familiar with the Tower, or the titles assigned to high ranking magi who led the Association’s armies.’
Someone who was ambitious, someone who no doubt was a fiend in battle, who—

‘…it’s Tomas, isn’t it?’ The boy almost groaned at this. Of course, the puppet created from a piece of Lord Voldemort’s soul was involved in a plot to overthrow the Ministry. That…he supposed it was a given that Tomas would be amendable to such a scheme, though the fact that the puppet hadn’t insisted on taking the leader position was interesting.

Perhaps in his time with Aozaki Touko, the puppet had become more comfortable with not being in charge of things, so long as he had a given role? Or had there been some promise Lockhart had made to him as well?

‘Though that goes back to Hilde too, and what her relationship to Lockhart is that he would trust her as a body double? I wonder…what information about his plans is she privy to? And what has he promised her – or what hold does he have on her – that she would join a side in what will probably end up turning into a civil war?’

Perhaps the biggest question, however, was why she was willing to go from being one of Lockhart’s most trusted agents to simply joining a squad led by…someone with no command experience whatsoever.

‘Especially when last I remember, she didn’t really like me. Probably still doesn’t, actually.’ He frowned, glancing over at the young woman again. ‘Is it the mission, then? Or…is there something else going on that I’m not aware of, but should be?’

"You have questions?" the young woman prompted, noticing that the boy kept looking over at her, and not to focus on her figure. “If so, you might as well ask. I might even answer, if you’re cleared for the information.”

"...you could tell?" he asked, raising an eyebrow – not that she could see that, due to his "blindfold.” “And what’s this about being cleared…?”

"First, humans aren't that hard to read," Emilia answered, her tone perfectly neutral. "Especially when they have many things on their minds. Secondly, even if you are a Squad Commander, that does not mean you are privy to all of Albion’s secrets, Commander." She paused. “Or mine,” she added after a moment.

"You don't much like me, do you...Emilia?"

"I don't see how my feelings regarding you matter particularly," was the response. "Unless you'd like me to have some special feelings for you...Commander?" she added, almost as an afterthought, a hint of sultry heat and wicked promise leaking into her voice. "After all, I can be anyone you want me to be, a fact that my former...master often took advantage of this for his own ends, as you know."

"I...no, that…that wasn't what I meant!" Shinji answered, his face flushing beet red at the insinuation. He took a moment to compose himself, carefully avoiding her eyes – or looking at her rather curvy figure. "Will...will it affect..." he hesitated. "Will you obey my orders?"

"You command this squad, so as long as you give me a lawful order, I will obey," was the reply.

"And who decides if an order is lawful?" the boy asked, deciding to leave the question of the limits of his authority for later.

"Ultimately, the military courts, who will evaluate an order in accordance with the accepted rules of war and the code of military justice, as well as the accepted limits of an officer’s authority," Emilia answered matter-of-factly. "Something that you should likely familiarize yourself with, Commander."

"...there's a code of military justice? For Albion?"

"There is," Emilia responded. "It is...not as comprehensive as the one the non-magical folk are supposed to follow, but regardless, there is one, yes."

"...I suppose I should read up on that then, so I know what orders I can issue," the boy muttered. Far better to know the rules so that he – or his subordinates – didn’t break them inadvertently than to have to defend himself by pleading ignorance.

‘If I wasn’t responsible for someone else…’

If he was only responsible for his own well-being, then he would probably be fine doing what felt right, but with him responsible for Tohsaka’s conduct…something told him it would be a good idea if he knew what was appropriate and acceptable, so he could make sure she knew and didn’t get him into a world of trouble.

"It would not be a terrible idea," Emilia agreed, tapping the side of her blindfold, as a document appeared in his view. "Oh, a piece of advice, Commander.”

“Yes?”

“Regardless of your legal authority, it is never a good idea to issue in order that you know will not be obeyed."

"...is that a threat, Emilia?"

"Merely a piece of advice, Commander," the young woman replied. "After all, to lead – to command – is a matter of trust, yes? Especially if your subordinates are not familiar with you. They can only trust you have the wisdom to understand a situation and give appropriate orders, just as you trust them to obey the orders you give. If you give orders you know will not be obeyed, orders that seem unreasonable, then that trust is broken."

“And what happens then?”

“Many commanders who fall victim to that end up losing their lives when their squad fails to obey in a life or death situation.”

Shinji was silent as he mulled these rather chilling words in his mind.

It wasn’t pleasant to think about, but Emilia…had a point. When it came down to it, most relationships were built on trust, so it made sense that the business of commanding was also deeply rooted in trust, because the point was to ensure that in precarious situations, where obedience could spell the difference between life and death, people listened.

Being rather unused to this whole business of command, he supposed he should be thankful his new...squad member was helping him out, whatever her other motives.

"Whose form are you borrowing this time?” he asked, deciding to start with something less controversial.

“That of Miss Suoirtsulli, the First Citizen’s secretary,” was the response, with Shinji blinking. “Though the clothes I am wearing were created by your fashion house, and are not part of her usual attire.”

“I notice you don’t have a briefcase or anything like that,” Shinji observed. “Do you not have many possessions of your own?”

“No,” came the response. “I own very few things, given what I am. Few possessions suit me in more than one or two forms, and I cannot remain in one identify forever so…it is hard to justify owning things. Even these clothes are only mine in that they were assigned to me as one of duty uniforms being prototyped for the Home Guard.”

Shinji blinked.

“…I never thought about that,” the boy remarked. “That sounds like a very different life than I’m used to.” He shook his head. “Is there anything you call your own then?”

“Only a ring,” the young woman responded after a moment. “I do not know quite what is made of, but it is infused with the essence of a spirit of the wind. The band will grow or shrink to fit the owner, who may use it to conjure a barrier of wind, so long as I have the prana for it.”

“Sounds useful. How did you come by it?”

“It was a gift from the First Citizen for…services rendered,” was the reply. “He believed it would be useful for me to have some way of defending myself that was not reliant on the form I wore, something I much appreciated.”

“I see…”

“I keep it because it is one of the few things useful to me in any form,” Emilia agreed. She chuckled then, showing a trace of herself beyond her more serious façade. “The First Citizen is quite an unusual man…no, perhaps I should say an extraordinary man? He is quite considerate of my limits as well as what I most appreciate.”

Her voice was almost tender as she said this, which seemed…odd to Shinji, though he didn’t want to dwell on it.

“I have a ring somewhat like that,” he said instead. “Only instead of a barrier of wind, it allows the wearer to use fireballs. Perhaps you would appreciate having an item that gives you some offensive capabilities regardless of form.”

“…what would I have to do for it?” came the cautiously interested reply.

“I’ll offer it to you as a show of good faith – and a way to put whatever…bad blood we may have behind us, if you agree to do the same,” the boy answered. “You’re on my squad now, after all, and so my responsibility.”

“Is that all?”

“I mean, I could impose some kind of geas or write up some kind of contract, but since we are starting over in a sense, I’ll believe you if you give me your word,” Shinji stated. “That, and I doubt the First Citizen has assigned you to me to sabotage my efforts.”

“True enough,” Emilia observed. “My word, you say? You have it. I will do my best to support the squad and bring it success in its endeavors.””

“Wonderful. Then the ring will be yours once we reach the house.”

The two fell silent for a while, with Shinji’s mind going over a number of things, including how odd it must feel to essentially transform part of yourself into clothing, before settling on the fact that Lockhart apparently had a very sexy secretary – and had Emilia wear her form.

‘I suppose I know the Professor’s tastes now.’

“…is she a foreigner, this Suoirtsulli?” the boy questioned, frowning as he went over the different practitioners he knew and found no matches.

“No,” Emilia responded, closing her eyes for a moment. “She was born and raised in England, though she apparently spent time around Mediterranean, in India and around the Pacific, conducting various field operations.”

“Huh…” Shinji grunted. “And she’s not a practitioner of witchcraft, I take it?”

“She is not.”

“I see,” the boy noted, reasoning that the young woman – the real one – was probably one of Lockhart’s fellow Assassins. He supposed it would make sense for him to bring on someone he trusted as his secretary, since she would have access to everything he did. “Enough about her though. Tell me about you," Shinji said, changing the topic. " Why did you join Albion anyway? I doubt you have any great affection for the people of Britain—"

"—I don’t—”

“So…”

Emilia was silent for a moment as she looked at the boy.

“I suppose part of it is personal loyalty,” the tanuki admitted. “As for the rest, the land that the First Citizen seeks to build is far better than that which has resulted from the Ministry's machinations" was the answer she gave eventually. "Why did you, when your last action before this was to defend the people of the Ministry?"

"...I just needed something to do," Shinji replied, shaking his head. He'd been in between roles and places when Lockhart had given him this offer, one that Sokaris supported, so it seemed as good an idea as any. "That's all."

"Is that so?" Emilia questioned coolly. "I'm sure there were other reasons. Something you sought to learn, to achieve, to become."

"...there might have been," the boy admitted. "But I'm not sure that's really your business."

"It might be, and it might not, considering my specialty."

"I don't think I'll be needing a body double," Shinji replied, raising an eyebrow. "...or will I?"

"There are situations where one might be useful, but I leave whether you will…partake of the services I am willing to provide up to you," the tanuki commented, with Shinji swallowing as his mind went elsewhere for a moment. “But if you don’t wish to talk about yourself, then tell me of our squadmate.”

“You mean Tohsaka?”

“I do,” Emilia observed. “Why did she join?"

Shinji was silent for a moment as he thought about Tohsaka’s motives.

“…I think she wants to make something of herself,” he said eventually. “To repay the debt she owes me.”

“The debt, you say?”

“The one she believes she owes, anyway,” he amended. “From the house I bought for her to live in, to me giving up my mentor so she could apprentice under one of the most skilled magi in the world…where would I begin?”

“You do quite a bit for your lover,” Emilia noted coolly. “Your girlfriend, I suppose the word would be.”

“S-she’s not my girlfriend!” the boy protested, his face going red as he said this. “We…we’re just friends. Squadmates. Allies. That’s all.”

“I hope for your sake that this is true,” the young woman observed. “Having a romantic relationship with a subordinate in your chain of command is a violation of Albion’s code of military justice, after all.”

“Ah…is that so?”
“It is.”

“I see.”

“Anything else you wish to tell me regarding our colleague, Commander?”

“…only that Tohsaka lacks patience, or an understanding of her limits,” the boy related. “She’s…from the time she was young, she’s been used to being treated like a prodigy, since she’s an Average One, capable of using the five major elements. But she’s…” he hesitated. “She’s inexperienced, and doesn’t know how much she doesn’t know.”

“…is she capable of following orders?”

“…that I don’t actually know.”

---

The trip back to Shinji’s manor was fairly uneventful, with Mashu meeting the duo at the door and welcoming them in and Emilia, interestingly, showing more deference to the Agent of Atlas than one would normally show to a simple maid.

More than she showed to him, even, which implied…

“Do you know…” the boy asked, as he showed her to a guest room, not wanting to say more in case Tohsaka was around, or in case she didn’t actually know of Mashu’s actual identity.

“I know enough,” Emilia confirmed. “I have been present at meetings the First Citizen has had with her.”

“I see,” Shinji noted, revising his estimate of her importance in Albion up a notch or two. “As a negotiator, an observer or—”

“Both, though initially, I was furniture.”

“Fur—what?”

“While more suspicious individuals might look for enchanted items or eavesdropping devices, few would suspect that the furniture itself was listening in,” came the reply. Emilia’s face lost all expression for a moment after that. “Though it hardly matters when one’s powers let them see the true nature of things. Comprehension is a necessary precursor to transmutation, after all.”

“Huh…she knew what you were?”

“She mentioned to the First Citizen that it was only courteous if all parties involved were sitting at the table, instead of being sat on by those at the table.” Then her expression turned sly. “Not that I would mind her sitting on me again.”

“W-what?!

“Nevermind. Perhaps I could have some time to freshen up, while you get Tohsaka so I can brief her, as well as getting the ring?”

“Yes,” Shinji agreed. “Do you want to change, or…?”

“As this is Albion business, the Home Guard uniform will suffice,” the tanuki replied. “You are free to do as you wish, Commander.”

“Very well. I’ll see you in the sitting room in an hour?”

“That will do.”

---

“No.”

“Tohsaka, what do you mean—”

“I mean I don’t understand!” Rin protested, clearly having trouble grasping what Emilia was telling them. “You’re a hero, Matou. Why are you – we – being sent to do something like protect some…some actress?!” she sputtered, sounding quite outraged.

“Because the First Citizen considers Miss Granger a useful asset, whatever your feelings about her, and as a member of the Home Guard, you are to carry out his orders,” Emilia responded professionally.

“But…there are monsters out there!” the magus complained. “Actual threats. So why is the First Citizen wasting our time?”

“He does not consider it a waste of time,” the busty blindfolded woman replied coolly. “And neither does your commander.”

“She’s right,” Shinji cut in, looking like himself again in the comfort of his home. “I mean, Emilia’s right, Tohsaka,” he clarified, realizing that there was some room for confusion in his words. “Lockhart has his reasons. Emilia, continue, please.”

“You’re siding with her?” Rin demanded. “You’re a hero. You—”

“And you are not, as our spar proved quite well,” came the boy’s reply, a response which made the girl flinch. “It’s not a matter of taking sides. It’s a matter of accepting the responsibilities entrusted to us, and trusting our superiors see things more clearly than we do.”

“But what if they’re wrong?” Tohsaka protested. “We can’t just blindly follow orders!”

“Tohsaka – you enlisted in the Home Guard. That means that unless the orders we receive are unlawful, we do have to follow them,” Shinji answered, raising his hand to forestall further comments from the Japanese girl. “In any case, perhaps we could let Emilia finish talking, as she knows the specifics of the mission far better than we do.”

“Thank you, Commander,” the white-haired girl responded. “Before I was so rudely interrupted, I had mentioned that our mission was to protect Miss Granger while she remains at the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts, yes?”

Shinji nodded.

“Why won’t she leave?” Rin asked, frowning.

“She believes she does not deserve special treatment,” Emilia responded. “That any resources spent guarding her would be better served protecting the people of Britain.”

“She’s right about that,” Tohsaka rejoined. “She’s one person – not a hero, not a fighter, not even a shopkeeper or a leader. She’s just an actress – someone our age! How important could she be?”

“Miss Tohsaka, while I acknowledge that you are largely ignorant of the political realities of Magical Britain, I had hoped you would be willing to refrain from advertising said ignorance by opening your mouth when your betters are speaking. Apparently, I had expected too much from—”

“From what?!”

“From someone who the Commander had acknowledged as a valuable asset.”

“Wha—” But Tohsaka went quiet as her brain caught up with her mouth. “Uh, M-matou-kun said that?”

“Yes,” the tanuki stated. “May I continue?”

“…please.”

“In that case, as I have chosen to trust our Commander’s perception of you, rather than my own first impression, perhaps you would be willing to trust the First Citizen’s impression of Miss Granger?”

“I…I suppose I can do that,” the young magus allowed grudgingly. “Is it that it then? We have to be her bodyguards?”

But Miss Emilia merely shook her head.

“Unfortunately, that is only the first part of the mission, though a necessary part, as it is likely the Ministry may move to neutralize her, either by assassination or capture,” she said apologetically. “The second part of the mission involves persuading her to move to a more secure location and accept a permanent bodyguard.”

Tohsaka blinked.

“So the mission is to protect her until we change her mind and get her to move somewhere safer?” she clarified.

“Yes.”

“That doesn’t seem too hard.”

“Oh?” Shinji questioned, raising an eyebrow, with Rin looking non-plussed as to why he seemed confused.

“To put it simply,” Rin declared, raising a finger as if to lecture the others, “all we have to do is get her to change her mind, and that’s simple enough.”

“Is it?” Miss Emilia questioned.

“Of course, it is,” Tohsaka insisted, “we just knock her out and alter her memory, or weave some compulsion while she’s unconscious, so she agrees to go somewhere else. There’s no need to bother with protecting her in that case, or wasting more time than we have to.”

“No. We won’t be doing that,” Emilia responded immediately.

“What. Why?” Rin asked, confused and looking to Matou for support. “It’s the most efficient way to do this.”

“Tohsaka…it’s not about doing what is most efficient, but what is right,” Matou Shinji said, shaking his head. “Besides, there are some downsides you’re not seeing?”

“Downsides?”

“First, have you modified anyone’s memories or laid a geas on anyone before?”

“Well, no but—”

“Then we don’t want your first time trying it to be on the person we’ve been assigned to protect,” Shinji interjected. “I appreciate your suggestion, but the risk of damaging her mind is too great.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Emilia, you have a proposal for dealing with this, I’m sure?”

“Indeed, Commander,” the white-haired young woman responded, with a deferential nod of her head.

“Let’s hear it, then.”

Emilia quickly sketched out the basics for what she had in mind, a plan which took advantage of her skills as an infiltration specialist, as well as the fact that the attack on London had created quite a few orphans who were to be sent to WADA for school.

“To WADA?” Shinji asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why there?”

“Because its only institution which can really house them, long-term,” Emilia explained. “These are the children we have not managed to place with living relatives outside the magical world, or with relatives loyal to the cause of Albion.”

“…what about relatives not loyal to the cause of Albion?”

“The First Citizen will not permit us to place children with families loyal to the Ministry, given the likelihood that they will be conscripted into the British army,” was Emilia’s statement on the matter. “Neither we, nor our allies, would approve of conscripting child soldiers.”

“…just hostages and volunteers, huh?” Shinji questioned, shaking his head. “Well, whatever works, I suppose. Go on.”

“As mentioned, WADA, being a boarding school, is set up to house and educate these students, giving them an introduction to the magical world, and some semblance of a normal life away from the war. You may be interested to know that Hermione Granger has volunteered to be the mentor for these children, to show them the ropes, as it were.”

“Now that is interesting,” the boy murmured. “I assume you plan to take advantage of this somehow, given your unique skills?”

“You assume correctly,” Emilia said with a dip of her head. “I propose the following. I will pose as a frightened muggleborn girl left orphaned by the attack. In that form, I will get close to her and win her trust.”

“You think that will make it easier to persuade her?”

“I think it is more likely she will respect the wishes of someone she volunteered to look after, as opposed to that of a bodyguard she neither wants nor believes she needs for herself,” Emilia replied.

“And our role in this grand plan would be…?”

“Bodyguards, though officially, you would be assigned not directly to Miss Granger, but to the children,” the young woman explained. “You would still be able to carry out your mission, while not rousing her ire.”

“You may be forgetting that Miss Granger and I did not part on…the greatest of terms,” Shinji offered. “And if I remember correctly, part of what triggered this was…” He glanced over at Rin.

“You will both be disguised and using aliases, of course,” the tanuki commented.

“Isn’t that just lying to her then?” Rin spoke up. “If you’re just arranging things to make her choose what you want her to choose, why not just change her mind directly? Why go through all of this bother and nonsense, where we aren’t even doing what we’re assigned to do, just…looking after children?”

“Miss Tohsaka—”

“Besides, once she finds out we were there, lying to her this entire time, then won’t she just go back to WADA?”

“If she found out that we had been deceiving her, what you say would indeed not be an unlikely turn of events,” Emilia admitted, with a vindicated-looking Tohsaka about to say something further, only the white-haired young woman never gave her the chance. “Which is why she will ideally never learn that Matou Shinji, Tohsaka Rin, and Emilia were there.”
“And how do you plan to accomplish that?” Shinji questioned, curious about what she had in mind.

“Through layers of planning and preparation. We have two weeks – I suggest we use them to do several things. Of the utmost importance, each of you should identify any obvious mannerisms or patterns of speech that might give you away, as well as any signature combat techniques. The reason for this is that you do not want Miss Granger – or anyone with one iota of intelligence – to make a connection between you as you normally are and what you do when you are disguised.”

“You mean, I have to change the way I fight?” Rin asked incredulously, her face a mask of disbelief. “Why would I do that?”

“…because you don’t want to jeopardize the plan?”

“I don’t see why we would go with a plan like this anyway,” Tohsaka protested. “It’s too complicated. Too much effort for one person.”

“Tohsaka…”

“Even if she’s important, why do we have to go this far?” the Japanese girl demanded, whirling on Shinji. “You, you brought this…stranger into our house. You’re just listening to her. You’re ignoring everything I have to say. Why? Why won’t you listen to me?”

“Tohsaka, Emilia came personally recommended by the First Citizen,” the boy replied, feeling more than a hint of ire creep into his voice at her petulance and refusal to know her place. “She’s an infiltration specialist, who does this sort of thing all the time – she’s even been his body double. The least we can do is hear her out.”

“Then why not me?” Rin demanded. “She’s...she’s asking us…anyone can look after children. Matou, that’s…I chose to join this...Albion just so I could be at your side, fight by your side, watch your back. But instead of fighting, instead of doing something meaningful, we’re…watching children? Why? Why should we listen to this…person when she’s making us do these meaningless things?”

“Because you know nothing, Tohsaka,” Shinji snapped, with Rin flinching at his tone and his words. “You are completely inexperienced when it comes to working as someone’s agent, or being part of a larger organization. This isn’t Fuyuki. You’re not the Second Owner here. You’re a rookie who answers to me, so stop embarrassing me in front of our newest squadmate. Oh, and embarrassing yourself.”

“Matou…” Tohsaka whispered, swallowing as her expression tightened. “I…even if Granger is so valuable, why can’t someone like Miss Emilia just pose as her? If she is good enough to pretend to be someone else, why not Granger?”

“If it proves necessary for me to impersonate Miss Granger due to…unforeseen circumstances, I am not unwilling,” Emilia interjected, with the magus looking over at her, startled. “But unless we have no other options, that would not be something I wish to do.”

“A good point,” Shinji agreed. “I assume we should also look into disguises?”

“Yes. Feel free to make them memorable – though I think we mostly need to do that for Miss Tohsaka, as you already have a very serviceable one.”

“Good enough,” the boy said with a decisive nod. “I’ll put you in charge of this mission, since I don’t think either Tohsaka or I have the expertise to act as lead.”

“Your confidence in me is appreciated, Commander,” Emilia replied with a small, but lovely smile. “As is the ring you offered me,” she added, almost as an afterthought, words that seemed innocuous, but—

“You…what?!” Tohsaka screeched, her face pale and her skin…cold and clammy. “Matou, it…it’s not true. Tell me it’s not—”

“Tohsaka, I think I’ve had about enough of your behavior for the night. You are dismissed.”

“Matou, I…”

“Perhaps you did not hear me. You are dismissed.”

“Oh…o…kay.”

Like a broken automaton, or perhaps a lost, little lamb, Tohsaka tottered off, leaving Shinji alone with Emilia.

“And as for you…”

“I will make arrangements for Albion to issue identity papers for our aliases, as well as handling the other logistics needed. Unfortunately, no special equipment has been authorized for this mission, but I doubt we’ll need it.”

“I…that works.” The boy sighed heavily, shaking his head as he felt it begin to throb. “How long do you think the mission will take, once everything is ready?”

“Two weeks to a month, most likely.”

“I see. And are any other forces already at WADA?”

“An ALF squad, yes, tasked with protection of the school.”

“And Lockhart thinks Hermione needs extra protection?”

“He has reason to believe that the Ministry will try something soon,” Emilia noted. “And so he wants both of us on site, just in case.”

“He doesn’t trust the goblins to repel an assault?”

“If there was a direct assault, they’d certainly repel it. A covert op, however…”

“I can see how that could be trouble,” the boy sighed, shaking his head. “This command thing is going to be more troublesome than I thought, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps,” Emilia said sympathetically. “On the note of preparations, I will be heading into Magical London tomorrow to handle some of groundwork. Would you care to join me? You could meet some of the orphans and learn a bit about them before the mission.”

“…you know what, why not? It’s a date.”

---

Choice 84: What do we do about Rin, given the events of this...briefing?

[ ] Talk to her in private about her lack of discipline and how he will not tolerate being embarrassed again
[ ] Address her concerns, with Mashu as a witness / neutral party
[ ] Offer to spar with her - she could use the practice, and he has frustration to work out
[ ] Have Emilia talk to her alone
[ ] (write-in)

[Skull Leader]

[X] Address her concerns, with Mashu as a witness / neutral party

Granted in no way would Rin see Mashu as a neutral party so that might cause...issues. But if we are going to address Rin's concerns might as well go all out and address her concerns with Shinji-Mashu as well. Mashu at least is a more safe person for Rin to unload against than Emilia. Mashu can at least keep Shinji calm or tell when he is being influenced by his Dragon side. So its better than any meeting without her. A spar would do little, and Shinji laying the law down on Rin in a private talk is not going to go well.

Having Rin explain her side in a open meeting, and having Shinji counter her in a calm matter with Mashu insuring that is about the best result I think we can hope for. If nothing else maybe someone can inform Rin that Shinji-Mashu are not sleeping with each other. Or maybe hint that Mashu is the representative of Shinji's patron.

Rin needs to understand just what Shinji is doing for her. He is giving her the place and time to improve herself to be who she wants to be. He is sticking his neck out for her, while all she is doing it seems is taking all of his hard earn allies/friends and poisoning his relationship with them all. Touko, Mashu-Atlas, Lockhart faction, Japanese Faction, Shiroe's family have all taken hits cause of her.

Yet Shinji (and us) has kept her still around. And she is unable to see that fact as being incredible. It should be a comfort for her to know that even with all of these mess ups from her that Shinji still has not kicked her out yet. Yes, he is quickly running out of goodwill and patience with her, but it is like she is completely blind sometimes. She goes from just being told how much Shinji went to the bat for her by praising her to others for her to just continue to pour gasoline on everything.

All cause of a stupid ring, that maybe just maybe if she took a bit of time to self-reflect might not be the kind of ring she is thinking of.

The real ring she should be OH so worried about has already been delivered to another girl that she does not know about at all. God help us if she ever finds out about that ring and its value.

[alfheimwanderer]

Amusingly, if Harry Potter were a real person, he'd be 39 today. Even if his franchise is only about 22.

[Daiki]

Trimming the fat;

[x] Talk to her with Mashu as a witness / neutral party;

Tell Rin that while a magus' perspective has its own benefits, she shouldn't be stuck with such views all the time. There's a time for ruthlessness, but there is also a time for subtlety, as well as approaching people as human beings.

Warn Rin about behaving more professionally from now on. She cannot afford - nor will Shinji tolerate - to make things personal when they are discussing work. She is free to voice concerns, of course, but she has to be more mindful of their allies. Basic respect is required because a team loses meaning the moment it becomes divided.

Trying to address the core issues; Rin's lack of a flexible mind (needs to learn there are many ways to deal with a situation) and to not turn a simple briefing into a "Me vs Them" argument when Shinji doesn't pick her suggestion.

The first one is required for her to start thinking that there are alternative approaches to a problem, even if they may be harder to accomplish, there is still some merit to it. It is good for her to start thinking outside of her preconceived notions / the box too, since she goes crafter route.

The second one is about squad relationship. We need to shut down that kind of behavior because that's the stuff that ruins teamwork at best, and get people killed at worst. You may not like that your suggestion is not picked, but don't make it personal and start resenting a squadmate for it.

[alfheimwanderer]

Choice 84: [x] Talk to her with Mashu as a witness / neutral party;

---

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...'

The busty white-haired older girl had been hanging on Matou-kun's every word, after all, using her...lumps of fat to try and confuse him into going with a needlessly convoluted plan. Westerners! So rude, so crass - always trying to show off to impress someone, and never going with what worked.

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, 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.

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.

And then the door to Matou's suite opened, revealing the presence of the...thieving naughty maid, that...that Kyrielight girl who acted like she owned the house when it was Matou's, when he'd bought the house for her!

...then again, if the maid was here too, maybe Matou-kun wanted both of them? 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 guess Matou-kun will finally make me a woman...'

Unfortunately for Miss Tohsaka, her assumptions were rather mistaken, for the two took her not to a bedroom, but to what seemed like a private conference area, with Matou bidding her to sit down, while Mashu simply stood by the door, a folder of some sort clutched against her chest.

"Huh?"

"Tohsaka, your behavior today 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."

"...even if you're wrong?"

"Are you saying I'm wrong, Tohsaka?"

"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. That means you're free to go, if you want. In fact, maybe you should - it would be safer, and you clearly know nothing about this business."

Tohsaka Rin reeled at his words, her head feeling faint as Matou basically expressed how little he cared about her being there. Could it be...could it be he'd already replaced her with the...with the white-haired bitch?

"I--no! I...don't you want me...?" The "by your side" she left unspoken, as she thought it was obvious.

"I once did, 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. "Maybe it would be best if you went back to Japan. I'm not sure there's a place for you here." He shrugged. "I guess the Fujou could take you in again if need be."

Those harsh words were like knives stabbing into her chest, almost making her pass out from the eruption of pain in her heart. Now, 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're 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, were 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 always threw 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, slitted golden pupils glaring out from grey, saying nothing.

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

"...is that so?" he whispered, nodding to Mashu, who walked over to Tohsaka and placed the folder before her, before stepping back. "In that case, read and sign this."

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

"A contract," the boy replied. "One which includes within it certain guidelines expectations for behavior, as well as other details relating to your responsibilities as a member of the Home Guard. 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, but decide this is too much and simply leave later on, that is desertion, punishable by...."

"...by..."

"Nothing pleasant, Tohsaka."

"...and if I don't sign?"

"Then it would be safer 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 an organization, meaning that you report to me, and I have those I report to; 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, 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?!"

"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 said..."

"What did I say?"

"You said you and...you and Emilia were going on a date! Tomorrow!"

"Huh?" The boy asked, taken aback by this accusation. "When did I...oh, uh, that was a figure of speech, Tohsaka." He sighed, shaking his head at the girl's misunderstanding. "She and I aren't actually going on a date."

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

"Of course," the boy replied, snorting. "I mean, the last time we were alone together, she almost killed me."

"Huh?!" Rin almost jumped out of her seat. "Wh-what do you mean she almost killed you?"

"We were enemies before she started working for Lockhart," Shinji explained. "She...hurt someone I was protecting, and I went after her, with a few others for backup. It...well, we won, but I can't say it went well."

The magus looked very, very worried by this.

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

"Ah, maybe I shouldn't have said that," the boy answered, frowning. "That's in the past anyway. 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. "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?"

"To give you a push." 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 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..."

"Look, I'll take you to see Magical London after I get the lay of the land from Emilia, so it's not like I'm giving her special treatment, alright?" 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.

Choice 85: Does Shinji have questions for Mashu, while they're working on their lessons? (choose up to two)

[ ] What she sees as his weaknesses
[ ] How she thinks he's doing as a commander
[ ] Any advice she has for him
[ ] How much of his current status he should tell others
[ ] Her thoughts on Lockhart / Albion
[ ] (write-in)

Choice 86: What will you talk to Tohsaka about during your outing with her?

[ ] His time on the island
[ ] His time at Hogwarts
[ ] His encounter with Death
[ ] (write-in)

[Daiki]

[x] What she sees as his weaknesses.
[x] How much of his current status he should tell others.

why?

What he needs to fix and how much she thinks is acceptable to share about his status.

An external point of view helps you see what you are missing yourself. And as he is now, Shinji probably isn't trusting his judgement as fully objective where he is concerned. So, Mashu's input might help him keep in check his worst habits or at least attempt to correct them.

The latter is ultimately a personal decision but I think Shinji needs a bit of hint on the kind of repercussions his nature might have on his squad. After all, if some think a creature isn't fit to lead human(noid)s, or if they are afraid of him, it could easily become trouble.

However, it's better to give a fair warning to the squad before the moment where we have to go DRAGON in the middle of a confusing attack (for example). Rin already noticed a change in his eyes and Hilde would absolutely notice the change in nature (and she already noticed the change in his behavior). Draco and Andreas would also pick up on it as well.

[x] His time at Hogwarts.

why?

I'm sure she's curious about what kind of journey lead Shinji to where he is now. Giving her an idea of what Hogwarts played in that is, quite literally, the start.

As much as possible, I would like to avoid discussing the Isle of Thule with Rin when he is not taking that inhibiting drug. Remembering certain parts of it, isn't good right when they are just the two of them. I'm not even sure it's a good idea to give Rin more juice for her love fantasy about them having a babe in another timeline. She really doesn't need that.

[skulkidcachi90]

[ ] Any advice she has for him
[ ] How much of his current status he should tell others
[ ] His time on the island

[Skull Leader]

Asking how much of his status to tell others seems like a dead question on arrival to me. It's not dumb to ask but I really have no hope whatsoever that useful information will be told by asking it. At best, she helps him work out his thoughts, but really ONLY shinji can determine this. Its not something that anyone else is going to have the answers for you. So to me its a waste of a question.

[X] What she sees as his weaknesses
[X] How she thinks he's doing as a commander

I am relying on Mashu to be gentle but to not softball the truth. So might as well ask the two questions that I think Shinji needs someone outside of his squad that he trust so that he can gauge where he needs to improve himself or make changes to his behavior. After all at the core of things right now, he can't even trust himself to behave always properly and with restraint given his new inhuman status.

Lockhart/Avalon while important is just not the main thrust of Shinji right now. Self-reflection needs to happen before Shinji should shift to more big picture of Avalon view. And the advice question I think we have already been given with Mashu. Learn mindarts and meditate to rebuild himself. I don't hold my breath of asking advice to give us much. Maybe I am just more jaded since Lockhart did not give direct advice last talk when asked.

[x] His time at Hogwarts.

Why? Because our entire goal is to try to get Rin to wrap her head with the nature of the world she is forced to interact with. Sure talking about the island will stress the danger, but it also sets Rin off on the worrying for Shinji that she already is going nuts over. I agree that the beginning of his tale, IE Hogwarts and Britain is a good place to start. Give her context to the little she has seen when Shinji's past friends visited with Rin. This supplements our teaching Rin Wizard 101.

She is not flat ready to be told about his Death Talk. And I refuse to have this talk with Rin before we even talked to LUNA. There is a hierarchy here. First Sion. Checked. We informed Mashu that reports to Sion, plus Sion already received reports from the Americans about this very thing. Next is Luna. And then and only then will I consider telling Rin.

[Dracueri]

[x]Any advice she has for him
[x]Her thoughts on Lockhart / Albion

I think by now he should know his weaknesses or have a good idea of what they are. Asking about his squad leading skills when he hasn't done much I think is a waste so I vote for asking for advice and learning what she thinks of the group he joined.

[x]His time at Hogwarts

Learning about his past so Run can see path that lead him to be who he is. The other 2 choices seem to heavy a topic to discuss with her.

[Malorius]

[x] What she sees as his weaknesses
[x] How she thinks he's doing as a commander

Sweet, sweet self awareness. Give it to me!

Asking how much of his status to tell others seems like a dead question on arrival to me. It's not dumb to ask but I really have no hope whatsoever that useful information will be told by asking it. At best, she helps him work out his thoughts, but really ONLY shinji can determine this. Its not something that anyone else is going to have the answers for you. So to me its a waste of a question.

More or less, agreed. The issue here is that we already know how much it is safe to disclose to everyone (bar Rin, probably): Shinji is no longer (fully) human, his powers are great and terrible - yet he is fighting for Albion, and that's that. We are not going to disclose any more than that for a lo-ong time, until/if strong ties are developed; yet, saying any less is determinal to our operation as a squad. Since we are on "non-human equality" side, we don't even need to pretend much here, this co-existense is basically a normal state of events as is stated by Albion agenda.

(Even if this information goes public... Did we actually consider the possibility that we will be able to keep it secret? Seriously? Look at our super-PR-friendly protag, guys. Also, everyone loves dragons, right? Right?)

On the other hand, there are few times when we can get Shinji onboard with our OOC efforts to change his mentality, so I'd rather use it to the fullest.

[x] His time at Hogwarts

For a long time, we wished for Tohsaka to have more context on our life and circumstances. Better start from the beginning then.

[Daiki]

Asking about his squad leading skills when he hasn't done much I think is a waste

I'm in the same boat, as in Shinji hasn't spent enough time on the job to get a proper evaluation just yet.

It's a good ask, but it's best saved for later when we have done something substantial / spent enough time in the role.

The issue here is that we already know how much it is safe to disclose to everyone

It's us having meta knowledge though, that doesn't address the fact that Shinji could benefit from taking a hint, because I'm not sure he had time to consider the matter, even for an instant.

We are not going to disclose any more than that for a lo-ong time, until/if strong ties are developed;

There's no obligation to do that right now, of course. All I want, is him considering that he should at least be ready to give a warning / discuss the matter before a crisis arise and Shinji goes dragon (without our input) because he just got triggered / had no other choice.

And since it's a mission without Zelkova around, with people after Hermione, I'd rather be on the safe side.

I guess, I could swap for general advice, however.

[Malorius]

It's us having meta knowledge though, that doesn't address the fact that Shinji could benefit from taking a hint, because I'm not sure he had time to consider the matter, even for an instant.

Um, what? No, not at all. It's completely IC.

We are a non-human. We are on the side of non-humans, and the future comrades will know of the side they would have chosen to join. Our fighting will betray our inhuman nature almost instantly. Knowledge of Shinji's power and feats is widespread and his PR is at all-times high. Ergo, saying just this is a safe bet, and Shinji is notoriously bad at keeping up lies anyway.

I don't see how that's meta, Daiki. Its not an amazing feat of self-awareness to know that Shinji will slip at some point, and the decision doesn't even rely on our OOC knowledge of the characters at hand.

Getting better look on our flaws from someone who isn't Hilde is always helpful. Like, our previous advice added with a great addition of Lust Limiter (which surely wouldn't screw us over at any point). Mash is helpful like that.

I mean, it wasn't even a week and Shinji has acquired a habit to dismiss Rin when she starts to bother him. That's some pro commanding skills, heh.

[Skull Leader]

Change my vote [X] How she thinks he's doing as a commander to [X] Any advice she has for him.

This way we at least break a tie for the second option.