Difference between revisions of "1357/Obstructed Fate"

Latest revision as of 02:17, 19 January 2015

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
Several Hours Ago...

The discussion had with Jubstacheit von Einzbern went on for awhile, Acht evaluating each Union member in turn, as well as seemingly scrutinizing the words of Kiritsugu.

The whole time, Irisviel had sat next to Kiritsugu quietly, only interjecting when she had a relevant statement to make - not favoring anyone in the debate over the Union, and Kiritsugu, and an 'alliance' and so on, but simply making salient points. She kept her peace otherwise. Illyasviel had spent most of her time in Kiritsugu's lap, though she occasionally would switch laps. She made the rounds, from Saber, to Bedivere, to Shirou, to Maya, to Psyber. Anyone who would accept being her temporary seat became such. People who refused got an annoyed, folded-armed pout, and were assigned to tiny-Illya's 'Do Not Play With' list.

In the end, Acht had wrapped up all the verbal dancing about and come straight to his point. "If you are a serious that you are still seeking to achieve the long-held wish of the Einzbern family by completing the Third Magic, Heaven's Feel, by obtaining the Grail, then you will continue to have our support. You will not be held accountable for the actions of another version of yourself from another universe... Though some method will have to be devised to tell you apart from them." The subtext in all that is that it doesn't matter whether he believes the story fed to him or not. He is willing to overlook the matter of 'a' Kiritsugu getting information on Einzbern communications and activities for now, but he won't accept this excuse in the future. "However," Acht said as he looked around at everyone gathered. "To reaffirm our mutual goal, my adopted son, you must summon your Servant. I will send word to the Church that this will be happening, so that they can contact the other Masters." Kiritsugu had simply replied without hesitation, "That is the main purpose behind my return here. I will begin tomorrow morning." Jubstacheit had nodded in approval, stood up from his seat, and departed, with only a reminder that those here would be his guests for the night, and that those who did not wish to be such should leave the grounds as soon as possible.

Illyasviel had gone after her great grandfather, but had stopped long enough to spin around, with her hands behind her back, and bend forward a bit to peer at Shirou. And then she had said, "Hey, big brother Shirou! Someday, when I get to fight like Kiritsugu, I want to make you my Servant!" She had smiled, giggled, and then skipped away like what she just said wasn't incredibly creepy.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
Hours have passed since then. Everyone was treated to a feast, though who prepared it and put it out on the table is unknown. Saber and Maya were each given a dress like Iri's and Illya's. Maiya only showed up a couple times, to check in with the group (mostly Kiritsugu), and then went back outside for whatever it is she's doing out there. Night has fallen on the Einzbern castle. The snow storm finally ended, leaving the landscape and trees all around under a blanket of pristine whiteness, glowing in the moonlight. Nothing has disturbed its surface yet. The castle is quiet. Seemingly almost empty. It's known for a fact that there are at least three residents, but outside of them, and the various 'guests', there has not been any indication that there's anyone even around to maintain the castle and keep it as spotless as it is. No dust or anything.

Some may be in bed. Some may be awake still. But everyone has had the planned explained to them - or at least what Kiritsugu felt they needed to know of it, and anything specifically asked about - prior to this point, because discussing it IN the castle would be foolish. Kiritsugu intends to go to the chapel in the Einzbern castle, to obtain Avalon - the catalyst for the summoning of King Arthur. He has two people on the outside of the Bounded Fields surrounding the castle, who will be prepared with various prana-disrupting devices to shut down the Fields at the right moment - if they don't just use their own innate abilities in the case of one. The devices have to be placed first, and the forest is not a safe place to be, but hopefully working together, Staren and Archer of Brown can handle this job and keep evil spirits and hungry wolves off each other's backs. It's up to them to get things arranged - if they don't succeed, the group has no exit for extracting Irisviel and Illyasviel... And they'd be forced to stand and fight until all enemies are eliminated.

Not that it appears there's many enemies to fight.

Irisviel seems to have been drawn to Saber in particular, though she was friendly with all of the visitors and delighted in hearing anything about themselves or the outside world they were willing to share. The explanation of the multiverse had her and Illyasviel both wide-eyed in comically near-identical expressions of amazement. Illyasviel knew of it, apparently, but only in a vague sense. Irisviel has never been outside the castle.

And now? Now, neither Iri nor Illya is aware of what's about to happen - though Iri has picked up enough hints and body language to know SOMETHING is going down, and that her husband can't talk about it.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//INSIDE THE CASTLE HALLS//

The castle is quiet, mostly darkened except in specific places, where crystals or woodless fires provide illumination. Moonlight spills through windows at times. The castle seems nearly abandoned.

KIRITSUGU is here.

The CHAPEL can be reached from here.

Kiritsugu is walking through the halls, moonlight catching his features when he passes a window, and plunging them back into darkness in the spaces between. He looks determined, if otherwise unemotional. He's on his way to the CHAPEL.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are here.
HUNGRY WOLVES are here.

Staren and Archer of Brown have had the lay-out of the Bounded Fields mapped for them and delivered to them. What they do from here on out is up to them, but people are depending on them to make them an exit.

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     "Alright, Staren. I reckon it'd be best if we got this done quiet. I say stick to Kerry's gizmos unless a wolf or spirit comes up." The gunfighter crosses his arms, surveying the forest. It's colder than a well digger's ass out here, but he can deal. His main concern is doing it without drawing attention. As a Servant, he's already disadvantaged. "What do you think?"

Staren has posed:
    Oh sure, other people get to go inside but Staren's left out in the cold.

    It's okay. Staren is entirely sure that if he was present for a talky mission like this it would... go poorly. And he's got a charm to protect against the cold anyway, and can pass the time playing computer games in his head.

    Finally, the time for their part of the mission approaches. Staren nods in reply to Archer of Brown. "That is the plan, yes." He looks towards the mansion. "Wolves cannot harm my armor, but if it comes to a fight, I'm not sure how quiet I can keep things."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "E-eh?!" Well THAT leaves Shirou wide-eyed. he'd ben very friendly and brotherly to Illya the whole time. Perhaps spending more time with her than paying attention to Jubstacheit - against any common sense. But he's bad at common sense and good with kids! ... or something like that.

    Hold on a moment, isn't this all so Illy awon't have to fight?

    His mind's eyes fixes on Chloe, and exactly what she is...

    "Do you really want to? Kiritsugu's out to win so you don't have to do anything that dangerous. We've already gotten in a few scuffles." He can't just outright say 'you shouldn't be fighting,' even if that's what he really, intensely wishes to say.

    if he said that to Chloe, she'd just flip out at him!

    But that was then, and this is now.

    Shirou wasn't sleeping. he wasn't trying to sleep.

    ... After nearly dozing off twice from wone heck of a day though, he ended up sitting up instead of laying down, waiting for some kind of signal.

    Eventually he got tired of that and began wandering the castle though, hunting for anyone else for some company. this place is FAR too quiet for his nerves and has none of the qualities of a home, only the seeming of one... he just ain't comfortable here!

Maya has posed:
Maya was happy to let the young lady sit in her lap, she seemed to have some experiance with children from the looks of her. She'd been in a fairly good mood thank to teh child. She wasn't distracted just fpocusing on what was good. She take sa moment to hear out just waht's going oan and has remained mostly silent this is Kiritsugu's world after all.

Time passes and the feast is quite impressive and she was more than happy to accept the dress, and she would be seeming to know her manners for the most part, in such a way someone from a soceity who were salvagers might not be expected to know. All things hafd finished up and she'd been able to catch some sleep, she knew they had a job to do and had to be ready for for the moment.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are here.
HUNGRY WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is here.

The snow is indisturbed, except for any footprints that Staren or Archer leave. However, there's some places where it appears a small animal has been through recently. Not big enough to be a wolf. But that's no so odd, right? It's a forest. The maps that Staren and Archer have should show them where to go, how close they can approach without setting off alarms or contacting the barriers, and so on. Archer's noticeable presence has been taken into account in these calculations. Ahead is just dark woods and snow and nothing seemingly special. And yet it's the place to set the first of the devices. There's another location a quarter mile north, which Archer may be able to reach faster by dematerializing and rematerializing - though at the cost of separating from Staren.

Saber (346) has posed:
     Saber stared blankly at the dress hanging up in front her for what might have been minutes. The girlish face was frozen into the stiff expression-- different from her usual neutral one -- that betrayed whenever she felt uncomfortable. True, she had worn dresses more formal or feminine than her battle dress before, but this particular one made her more than a little uncomfortable. And personally, she would rather stay in her three-piece suit, which allowed better freedom of movement, even if she could easily call forth her armour. But the petite knight was not completely reassured that it would be a necessarily good idea where they were at present.

     Sighing softly, she turned away from the dress to regard the man sleeping quietly in the large poster bed. A twinge of guilt gnawed at her; Bedivere always insisted on accompanying her in similar circumstances. She insisted that he rest and conserve his strength with his latest batch of accrued injuries and sleeplessness of five years after Camlann with its wake of nightmares, intending to keep watch as much as she could. There would be no peaceful rest for either of them so long as they remained in Einzbern Castle; the knight's sleep was fitful, only possible due to those injuries and the pull of mana which kept her anchored to the physical world exhausting him. It was wearying, and his careful watchfulness -- not entirely unlike in Camelot -- had taken its toll. When they returned to Dun Realtai, it was likely the both of them would spend the following day catching up on that rest.

     And he had endured the evening with that same stoic resolve, even with Irisviel's daughter climbing all over them in turn. She could see he was clearly uncomfortable, even more so than she had been, but endured it all the same. as had she. And she remained at his side until he finally drifted off to sleep, only rising to pace uneasily. And stare blankly at the gown.

     She had an inkling of who the gift was from; it fit with the person she had known while she had acted as her decoy Master. As uncomfortable as it was, some part of her felt it would be an insult to refuse. Not to mention that she and Bedivere had been put in that position already, given their adherence to the Brehon Laws.

     Closing the door behind her as quietly as possible so as not to wake Bedivere, Arturia ventured out uneasily, having dressed in the white, gold-trimmed gown, her hair half-bound up by her blue ribbon. Strangely, she was drawn back to the place where it had all began; the chapel where she had first been summoned, responding to Kiritsugu's call...and the power of Avalon.

Staren has posed:
    A timer in the corner of Staren's vision blinks. "It's time. You take this one, I'll go to the north." Staren reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small vial, drinking the contents and vanishing from sight. Then he activates his wings, invisibly, and flies off through the air towards the northern location to place the first device!

    Track /that/, wolves!

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     The Servant nods. It's not a great effort for a skilled frontiersman to make sense of a map, and while he's not particularly used to or prepared for the cold, he does well enough getting through the snow--especially once he begins to dematerialize. He's not going to question Staren's methods, either. Science Cat probably knows what he's doing.

     Archer arrives at the location after a short time, taking a wary look around for any nasties lying in wait. Once he's satisfied, and only then, does he retrieve Kiritsugu's device and begin to set it up according to the Mage Killer's instructions.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//INSIDE THE CASTLE HALLS//

The castle is quiet, mostly darkened except in specific places, where crystals or woodless fires provide illumination. Moonlight spills through windows at times. The castle seems nearly abandoned.

KIRITSUGU is here.
SHIROU is here.

The CHAPEL can be reached from here.

Kiritsugu becomes aware of Shirou's presence in the halls with him when they cross paths. Kiritsugu keeps walking for a short time before coming to a stop. There's an awkward silence, at least on Kiritsugu's end, and the suffocating cold emptiness of the castle itself to fill that silence with an even more oppressive sensation.

Kiritsugu tilts his head to the side eventually and says, "Illyasviel has had her first taste of acting as a magus. She doesn't understand what it means yet. But Jubstacheit has already begun telling her things, it seems." That's why she was so eager to fight. She didn't really know what that meant. She just knew it was exciting and appealed to an innate part of herself - an instinct that drove her to fight in a Grail War.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//THE CHAPEL//

The CHAPEL is an absolutely gorgeous, if somewhat haunting, part of the Einzbern castle. It has stained glass windows, pews, an altar, and a magic circle before the latter, inlaid with silver.

AVALON is here.
IRISVIEL is here.
PRETTY PRETTY QUEEN SABER is here.

When Saber arrives in the chapel, Irisviel is standing there, looking upon a sheathe of blue, and gold laid out on the altar. She looks up when she realizes she's not alone, and smiles at the sight of the woman she has only just met and yet already grown fond of in the gift she gave her. "You look splendid in that dress, Saber." She scrunches her her eyes up a bit as she says, "Though perhaps not comfortable in it. I'm sorry if it's not to your liking."

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//PERSONAL CHAMBERS//

There are various personal chambers assigned to guests, all lavishly decorated. Cold on a spiritual level, but warm enough on a physical one. There are also rooms for the more long-term residents, with more personal touches.

MAYA is here.
BEDIVERE is IN BED(ivere) here.
ILLYASVIEL is here.

Despite Illyasviel being so enthused about the prospect of fighting in a war, she is, as Kiritsugu mentioned to Shirou, not sure what that entails. Shirou's words to her had confused and - in a way - frustrated her. She is still running off the high of getting to go out and SEE THE WORLD (or part of it), and the idea of something bad happening to her or as a result of her actions is beyond comprehension. And yet, this night, she had a bad dream. Disturbed, and teary-eyed she had gone looking for her mother, and hadn't found her.

Instead she wound up locating Maya's room, and seeking her out instead. There is a light knock, as of a tiny, hesitant hand rapping on wood, as Illya waits in the hall outside, looking nervous.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are here.
HUNGRY WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is here.

Nothing seems to attack Archer while he's setting up, but whether by normal sensations or Servant Senses, he may pick up a cold feeling unrelated to the temperature, like something just walked through him. It doesn't do anything, but it's not necessarily pleasant. Whatever it is continues on its way, apparently without realizing Archer is even there, leaving not footprints or indications of its passage aside from the general 'feel' of its presence. The device set up goes off without a hitch, otherwise. It looks a bit like a modern mortar launcher, in miniature, with some additional magus whatsits like bronze wheels and cogs, and a red gemstone in place of the actual ammunition. It only needs to be aimed at the intended target. Once it's ready to be set off, it can be done remotely.

Staren's trip north is even more uneventful than Archer's. When he arrives at his destination, everything is as-described. A fallen tree, leaning upon another. The spot to place the device is right beneath it. Again, however, there are those tiny tracks of a small animal wandering past the site. What are the chances, right?

Maya has posed:
Maya has remained in the castle to guard things there her healing and warding abilities would be mosr useful here. She had been up for a little bit sitting on her bed playing with a sphere of core energy. She'd yet to change out of her dress too she gets up and heads to the door to open it to see hom is there.

"Hello?"

Maya opens the door and sees the child whom seems to have had a bad dream.

"Illyasviel? Are you all right?"

Maya's tone is kind and motherly.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Cue Shirou making a face. "Magus training for a little girl... I can't complain with how insistent I was, but this... the Einzberns ade a really great castle, but it's a poor excuse for a home. ... It was warmer outside." Yes, there is nothing human about this place. Nothing at all. Shirou's just utterly off-put by it and the look he's giving Kiritsugu is... childishly irritated, to say the least.

    'Do we have to stay here much longer, old man?'

Staren has posed:
    Animal tracks go /right by/ one of the spots that maintains the barrier?

    Yeah, Staren doesn't buy that. He pulls a scanner out of his pocket and sweeps around, searching for heat signatures (the scanner transmits its view to a picture-in-picture in his HUD, since he can't look at its screen when he and his gear are invisible.) If he picks up anything, he switches to visual light and zooms in to see what it is.

    If there's nothing around, or any wildlife in the area seems to be ignoring this spot, he sets down the first device, which fades into visibility when he lets go of it.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//PERSONAL CHAMBERS//

There are various personal chambers assigned to guests, all lavishly decorated. Cold on a spiritual level, but warm enough on a physical one. There are also rooms for the more long-term residents, with more personal touches.

MAYA is here.
BEDIVERE is IN BED(ivere) here.
ILLYASVIEL is here.

When Maya opens the door, spilling the light from inside the room onto her tiny face, she squints her red eyes a bit and says meekly, "I had a bad dream." She then pushes her way into the room without being invited, whether Maya gets out of the way or not. It IS her house, after all, right? But she stops when she reaches the center of the room, at least. She hesitates, hands clutching at the skirts of her dress, as she looks down at the carpeted floor. Then she turns around to face Maya and says, "I dreamed I turned into a cup." She scrunches her eyes in a manner very reminiscent of her mother, but unlike Irisviel's expression, she has no smile to accompany it. She turns around to face Maya and says, "I can't... Remember the rest of it, though."

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     Archer shivers. He didn't fancy himself a superstitious man in life. But, being a Heroic Spirit tends to awaken one to the existence of the supernatural, and there's no better way to describe the cold chill he encounters. Doesn't seem like something strong enough to fight, or at least, nothing interested in fighting. Doesn't make it any less unsettling.

     The gunfighter reaches for a fallen, dried-up tree branch nearby and uses the remaining bit of foliage to cover his tracks. From then on, he begins dematerializing and materializing in the trees, both to conceal his presence and to have a better vantage point. The tiny animal tracks would have been ignored, were it not for their habit of straying close to the bounded fields.

Archer brings up his radio and utters a hushed message to Staren. "Small tracks near the bounded fields. I'm thinking we got a familiar somewhere," he says. Maybe some other mage is using it to spy on the Einzberns?

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//INSIDE THE CASTLE HALLS//

The castle is quiet, mostly darkened except in specific places, where crystals or woodless fires provide illumination. Moonlight spills through windows at times. The castle seems nearly abandoned.

KIRITSUGU is here.
SHIROU is here.

The CHAPEL can be reached from here.

Kiritsugu nods and makes a noise of agreement to Shirou's sentiments, if not the words he can not speak in this place without potentially being eavesdropped upon by magical spies. "With any luck, if we succeed in our endeavor, she'll have a warmer home." He can't say outright, 'I am taking her from here one way or another.' But that's his intent. He looks up and down the empty hall, and then turns to Shirou again. He's an adopted son of the Einzbern family. Shirou's an adopted son of the Emiya family. Maybe his 'adoption' was only for the convenience of the Grail War, and Acht and Kiritsugu have never treated each other as father and son would... But he still hopes he - or the other Kiritsugu - is doing or did a better job with Shirou than Jubstacheit has done with ANY member of his family.

"I'm headed towards the Chapel to inspect the preparations for the ritual. Perhaps you'd like to join me," Kiritsugu says. There's no chance in tone or body language, but the meaning should hopefully be clear. 'We are making our move.'

Staren has posed:
    <<I'm thinking the same thing.>> Staren replies via cybercomm. <<So familiars are a thing, then? Let's see if they have body heat I can detect...>>

Saber (346) has posed:
     Saber wasn't entirely certain what she had expected.

     Would Kiritsugu be there, already beginning the ritual which would call her from her deathbed at the foot of the oak appear? Would there already be another version of herself standing on the circle, reciting the phrase which would seal their contract, /"I ask of thee, art thou the master who has summoned me?"/ Her own memories were vague, faded with time.

     Instead, she was met with Irisviel herself, though Kiritsugu had apparently not yet arrived. the Servant was silent as she entered, a subtle expression breaking through her impassive mask as she now added more fine details to those memories. Try as she might, she could not completely mask the recognition in those jade eyes.

     That expression became something else entirely at Irisviel's compliment. Blinking owlishly, she stammered with a tinge of a blush colouring her cheeks. "Ah. O-oh...it is not that it is not to my liking ...I am simply...unaccustomed to such things." Not a lie.

     The blush would have been far deeper had her master said something about it, however. Perhaps itwas for the best that he was resting.

     Involuntarily, her eyes flicked to the summoning catalyst on the altar, making every effort to suppress any emotional reaction to it. Even something so much as recognition would betray her. Regardless, the yearning for that piece of her past -- regardless of its healing properties -- tore at her.

     "I...thank you for you gift, Lady Irisviel."

Maya has posed:
Maya will let the little girl in at the moment she says she's had a bad dream. She lets her come into the room and notices how disturb the young lady is. She takes a moment to listen s she speaks of becoming a cup. Maya gets a look of concern on her face, she knows how things have played out on other woths however for now she moves to give the little girl a hug if she'll let het.

"It's all right, your here now and your safe here."

She alsot hinks she won't let things play out like she knows they have before.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Well at least Shirou knows what Kiritsugu intends to do. So his eyes widen, and he nods. "Just lead on, old man... let's get this over with." He's apparently not looking forward too much to more Holy Grail War business. And that's pretty true! So he falls into step with Kiritsugu, hands in his pockets.

    Short and sweet. he's not feeling confident enough to talk much.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are here.
HUNGRY WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is here.

Staren's scan for heat signatures identifies only that there are hibernating squirrels in a nearby tree, and - if the range is sufficient - wolves upwind of him. They won't be able to smell him where he is, if his magic even allows for that. Are the tracks squirrel tracks? ...A bit too big for that. So smaller than a wolf, larger than a squirrel. Hmm... Setting up the device goes perfectly fine. So far, so good.

And at the next site Staren reaches, those same damn tracks are there, this time seemingly making a circuit around an oddly shaped rock formation - right where Staren needs to set the next device - before wandering off to the north-west. The same direction he needs to go after this one. Something else is out here, and it seems to be on the same path Staren is taking. The footprints are a bit more defined this time, indicating whatever it was was here recently.

Archer's tactic allows him to avoid leaving tracks of his own without issue. The tracks he comes across are partially filled with snow as he makes his own route south, around the perimeter. Wolves are visible near the next site, however. At least a dozen of them, sniffing around the tracks of the smaller animal. So they know it's an intruder as well.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//THE CHAPEL//

The CHAPEL is an absolutely gorgeous, if somewhat haunting, part of the Einzbern castle. It has stained glass windows, pews, an altar, and a magic circle before the latter, inlaid with silver.

AVALON is here.
IRISVIEL is here.
PRETTY PRETTY QUEEN SABER is here.

Irisviel doesn't pick up on the carefully masked interest in Avalon. She does tilt her head a bit and laugh lightly in her throat. "You're more than welcome," she replies politely. Then some of the excitement of an innocent thrilled with new things chases away some of her maturity. "Hey, Saber. You've seen some amazing things, haven't you?" Does she mean because Saber is a Heroic Spirit? Irisviel wanders up to the altar and traces her slender fingers delicately down Avalon's length to the tip, before breaking contact. "It's one thing to hear stories about things, and another to see them. I don't really understand this 'Multiverse'... Is it as incredible as it sounds?" She makes as though she is holding a sword in her hands and swings about an imaginary weapon. "Do you go on adventures and see new places often?"

Iri lowers her hands back to her sides and says, "Kiritsugu said he'd take me with him when he goes to Fuyuki City. And while I'd like to see his home country, it sounds like it would be even more exciting to just step through a 'warping gate' and see entire other worlds as well. Do you think we'll have time to do that?"

Ah, yes. Time.

Because she doesn't have much of that.

Staren has posed:
    Staren decides none of the creatures he's picking up is the familiar. He wonders if it could be invisible to infrared? He sets up the magic mortar and flies to the next site. He's avoiding being seen or leaving tracks, but he could still be heard or smelt, in theory.

    Staren frowns as he sees the tracks again. Again he sweeps for the familiar before setting up the device, but this time he calls Kiritsugu's phone. <<Kiritsugu. We think a familiar is patrolling the sites where we need to set up these devices. We haven't spotted it yet, but I suspect eventually we will, or it will spot us. What do we do then?>>

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//PERSONAL CHAMBERS//

There are various personal chambers assigned to guests, all lavishly decorated. Cold on a spiritual level, but warm enough on a physical one. There are also rooms for the more long-term residents, with more personal touches.

MAYA is here.
ILLYASVIEL is here.

Illyasviel accepts the hug gratefully. Taking comfort in the embrace. When she woke up without her mother there, she felt rather scared and alone. The first name she had spoken when she awoke, however, was 'Kiritsugu'. The details of the dream are fading already. After hugging for a little while, Illya starts to come back to her normal personality and takes Maya's hand, as she asks, "Hey, Maya? Come help me find mama, okay? It's late and she should be in bed!"

She'll try to tug Maya along if permitted. But Maya's job is to keep Illya safe, to provide her healing if the worst should happen to her, and to keep her from becoming a hostage. Would leading her towards where the others are going to be help or hinder that objective? On the one hand, safety in numbers. On the other, that's where the fighting will be if something goes wrong...

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//INSIDE THE CASTLE HALLS//

The castle is quiet, mostly darkened except in specific places, where crystals or woodless fires provide illumination. Moonlight spills through windows at times. The castle seems nearly abandoned.

KIRITSUGU is here.
SHIROU is here.

The CHAPEL can be reached from here.

Kiritsugu nods to Shirou and starts heading towards the Chapel. It's only a hallway and some stairs away. Then his phone buzzes in his pocket, and plays a quiet ring tone that might be recognizable as belonging to a certain movie about a guy who dresses like a bat to fight crime. Wolfbat Man or something. He pulls the phone out along the way, flips it open, and places it to his ear. He doesn't speak, letting Staren address him first. Once he hears the message, without changing his expression at all, he quickly thinks, and asks, "Can you identify what type of animal made the tracks?" Why does that matter? Would it help determine what magus or mage family might be employing it? Possibly. Maiya, for instance, is best at employing bat familiars. Kiritsugu's mentor went up against a magys who used bees. Sometimes they can be a vital clue for determining identity or methodology.

Kiritsugu and Shirou should reach the doors to the Chapel in just a few moments, but if they do, Kiritsugu will pause outside the doors, waiting to finish his call before going inside.

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     Archer swears under his breath. The wolves at this next location are going to take some doing to get rid of. He could just blow the bastards away with his pistols, but that would involve too much gunfire--and prana--to reasonably be considered the work of a hunter. And that's assuming anyone on the lookout will even tolerate a mundane hunter, much less an unfamiliar Servant, in these woods.

     Well, there's nothing for it. He's going to have to use the Henry for this one. $4 a shot isn't cheap, but gunfire alone is better than gunfire and prana. The Servant radios ahead with a comment on the scientist's previous statement. "Familiars are a thing, yep. If you see it, kill it. Preferably before it sees you. We don't need nobody else knowing we're here, Einzberns or otherwise." On the matter of the specific animal, Archer offers Kerry an educated guess. "Bigger'n a squirrel, smaller'n a wolf. If they made it out of something local, I'd reckon it's a rabbit. Maybe a fox."

     Well, that's enough talking. The Servant slides the radio back into his frock coat and unslings the Henry rifle from his back, taking aim at one of the wolves. Pow. Click-click. Pow. Click-click. Pow. Click-click. Three shots from the levergun, three movements of the action, done with superhuman speed.

Maya has posed:
Maya knows that being seperate could be a call but she also knows she's only one person after all and wasn't able to sneak in someone like Badu or Runner. The more she thinks about it she may need to ask Badu for some aid in this, his somewhat alien way of seeing the world and combat skills could be useful. However for now she's more focused on fomrorting the little girl. She knows her job is to kee her safe but she could be overwhelemd, waylaid or otherwise disabled. The magic users of this world are more refined than Septerra's more primal fate magic. She feels safety in numbers may override things when it be comes down to it but it. She thinks it might best to hol for a moment.

"Your mother has some work to do, I know it's late but lets give her a chance to follow up, if she's not back shortly we'll go find her and make sure she gets to bed all right?"

Maya intends to join the others but not before giving them just a bit more time.

She also takes a moment to pull a fate card and scan the room foir anything that might be listening magical or otherwise.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//PERSONAL CHAMBERS//

There are various personal chambers assigned to guests, all lavishly decorated. Cold on a spiritual level, but warm enough on a physical one. There are also rooms for the more long-term residents, with more personal touches.

MAYA is here.
ILLYASVIEL is here.

Illyasviel pouts somewhat at being stalled, but knows her mother's work is important, so she just nods and sighs. Maya pulling out a magic card draws her curiosity however. "What's that, Maya?" she asks. As far as Maya's card can determine... The walls are lined with alchemical symbols, there are silver wires running throughout the floor, and even the ceiling has a glass fixture inside the light bulb observing everything. There was no indication of magical spying all this time. But it's EVERYWHERE in this room.

Staren has posed:
    <<A moment. Dawn, search for a match with these tracks.>> <<Searching... 99% match with the footprints of a domestic cat.>> Staren forwards the picture and some reference images to Kiritsugu. <<Looks like a housecat. So we can kill it without alerting the mage that created it? Good to know. I'd have assumed we'd be made the moment we were spotted or killed it.>>

    Once the device is deployed, Staren flies to the next site.

    He keeps an eye out for cats.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's not making any kind of happy face right now. Not that he's usually smiling much. And he almost never laughs. In that way he's not too unlike his 'old man' here.

    But different in almost every other way. Thank heavens.

    He pauses momentarily when Kiritsugu starts fidgeting with the phone, but says nothing... instead relying on his quizzical expression to get the message across. 'Everything okay?'

Maya has posed:
Maya sees that Illyasviel is willing to accept her justifcation for the delay and she has accienetly gave her self a good diversion for her charge. She takes a mo9ment to reply as she's making note of what she's aware of the card stops glowing blue and she lowers it after a moment. She wonders is this some sort of massive alchemical array akin to the stuff Ed and Al did? She was wary of it and started to wonder about remainiung here for too long.

"This? This is a fate card it's a focus that helps me use my own magic."

She offer the card to the Illyasviel to take a look at, it's made of a heavy material and has a strange rune on one side of it a circle with prongs coming out of it.

Sir Bedivere (482) has posed:
The knight whom Arturia had arrived with had slept soundly for some time, enough so for her to change into the dress and slink down to the chapel. He had remained, unable to rouse himself from his exhaustion. His sleep was hardly restful; it was finally the realisation that he was alone that had tugged him from sleep.

He had donned his own grey three-piece suit, though the well-tailored outfit was no comfort to him. He had reached for a sword that wasn't there; finally donning his gloves, taking a moment to eye the Celtic knotwork of the command seal on his left hand before covering it with the grey doeskin gloves. His hair he had combed out and bound into a simple queue without braiding it, using one of the bronze cuffs to fasten it.

With a last tug of the red stone stud in his left ear, he'd finally left, but it wasn't through any sort of logic that he sought out Arturia -- he followed the link that bound them, instead, concentrating on where her presence seemed to feel strongest.

His footsteps took him eventually to the chapel, where he stopped short in the doorway, staring in evident surprise at the sight of Arturia in such a dress. In spite of the shadows under his eyes, his shock eventually gives way to a warm smile.

It only flickers when he notices Irisviel, hearing that soft voice. For the moment, Bedivere remains silent. Although he wants to admire her in such a pretty thing, at the same time, he knows she has some past history with this woman; history that somehow pains her. It would be unspeakably rude to interrupt.

So he remains silent, waiting for one or the other to notice him. Perhaps Irisviel might notice that he has the feel of a Master about him, if she's a good magus. If the Einzbern homunculus doesn't, though, Arturia doubtless will -- they can hardly ignore one another's presence.

Saber (346) has posed:
     Avalon was not something she could simply ignore, pretending that the scabbard of Excalibur was simply not there. It was only through years of uncompromising control over herself and ruthlessly suppressing her emotions that Arturia managed to keep a tight rein on her feelings even as her longing was almost stifling. Even if the scabbard wasn't the same as the one which had been lost to her, it was still Avalon. It would always be the Everdistant Utopia which represented all her hopes and dreams for Britain.

     And, as always, it lay within her vision, yet remained out of her reach.

     But in spite of that inner conflict, there was something else which had been lost, yet stood right in front of her once more. Saber had lost more than she could ever measure, and though some of it had been returned to her through the miracle that was the Multiverse, much remained lost. Some, like Camelot, remained forever lost. Perhaps it was a trifling thing to miss the homunculus once she had been consumed by the prana of the Servants defeated and transformed into the Holy Grail. But in that short span of time, Saber had counted her as a friend.

     Surprise reflected on the Servant's face for a fleeting moment before it dissolved into a gentle smile. Whether she meant as a Heroic Spirit or simply as someone who had come to them through the Multiverse didn't particularly matter to her. "I have," she agreed with a light tone. "The Multiverse is incredible, indeed...there are a great many dangers, but there are many wonders, as well."

     She closed her eyes for a moment, smiling to herself, before looking into scarlet eyes once more. "And many miracles."

     Not unlike Kiritsugu's, Saber's stoicism seemed to melt into an indulgent half-grin, her voice light and animated. "Aye," she replied. "And there remain many places I have not yet seen, even now. There always seem to be new experiences each day."

     Saber felt the silent presence of her Master then, and her smile changed slightly. It was no less warm, but it was coloured with other emotions, subtle but noticeable.

     But as Irisviel asked her another question, though her smile never wavered, it became determined with her own resolve. Even if they had no time left, she would /make/ time...with her own hands, if need be. "Aye, we shall see worlds beyond the gate."

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//INSIDE THE CASTLE HALLS//

The castle is quiet, mostly darkened except in specific places, where crystals or woodless fires provide illumination. Moonlight spills through windows at times. The castle seems nearly abandoned.

KIRITSUGU is here.
SHIROU is here.

The CHAPEL can be reached from here.

Kiritsugu considers, when he gets the first answer, from Archer. But then he makes a small, almost-imperceptible noise of surprise when Staren identifies the tracks more precisely. His eyebrows come down as turns to look at Shirou while answering on the phone. "Killing a familiar wouldn't be wise right now. But I don't think we're dealing with one. Recently, there was an encounter with a Dead Aposttle by the name of Meteora Abbey, who was able to take on the form of a black cat. She was in the same area as the 'other' Kiritsugu at the time that he was investigating at the Mage Association Outpost." Even on the phone, he's sticking to that story.

Kiritsugu and Shirou reaches the Chapel after Bedivere, because when the two arrive, the doors are open. Kiritsugu doesn't go in right away, and instead points Shirou that way instead. The message should be clear. 'I'll deal with this. You continue with the plan.'

He says, "I don't believe in coincidences. Another strange cat showing up now of all times? Don't look for a cat," he instructs Staren and Archer. "Look for a vampire that may be in the form of a cat."

Staren has posed:
    Staren listens. <<I see. Anything I need to know about vampires on this world? I have a gun with silver bullets, a gun made by a god, and light-elemental-aligned energy weapons. Which should I use?>>

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are here.
HUNGRY WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is here.

Archer's gunshots ring out for miles, but they do their work. The white-furred wolves take damage, much of it lethal, with only a few managing to escape with wounds (which may in turn wind up being lethal) instead of kills due to their somewhat unnatural reaction time and speed. They still seem to be wolves, but perhaps... Augmented by alchemy?

The survivors snarl and try to run from their fellow pack mates as they fall in bloody heaps, but if Archer persists in shooting at them as they try to circle around him, they go down easy as well. They have really nasty teeth. They do not have bullet-time dodge powers of wolf-hax, and they have no ranged attacks of their own.

Soon enough, Archer should have a cleared area to set down the next device. And the time-table might need to be stepped up. Gunshots definitely produced noise, but now there's possibly a vampire out here too? Things are getting more complicated.

Staren has been remarkably free of encounters thus far. Maybe it's his invisibility, maybe it's his flight, maybe it's luck, or the path laid out for him by Kiritsugu to avoid encounters and yet also avoid being caught in the barriers. But as he reaches the next site, that luck might be about to run out. Because there's something awful, like a mass of boiling darkness, crouched on the side of a tree as though it were crouched on a horizontal surface. There are cat tracks all around the tree, and the place to put the disruptor is right underneath that... Whatever it is.

Staren has posed:
    Staren stops as soon as he sees it. He stares at it for a second, invisibly, then sends a picture to Kiritsugu. <<...What is this? Is this the vamnpire?>>

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     Time is of the essence. The Servant clears away the wolves, including the stragglers. He, of all people, knows to call a bluff when he sees one. Just because they look like they're running away doesn't mean they won't try to play smart. Once the last of them falls, he drops a good ten feet to the ground with a grunt.

     Hurriedly, but dextrously, Archer sets up the device. Those wolves were a little too quick, a little too mean, to be normal wolves. Has he been made? Unsure. The casings of the Henry replica's .44-40 rounds are littered around the tree, but there's no time to pick them up. The best thing to do is haul ass, and as a Servant, his feet are very well equipped to do just that. He doesn't bother with a branch. This time, Archer just kicks snow over his footprints, then leaps into the trees, ignoring the pair left behind.

     As far as any onlooker with a suitably absurdist bent can guess, a particularly good marksman fell out of the sky, and then vanished.

     Archer leaps from tree to tree, towards the next spot.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//THE CHAPEL//

The CHAPEL is an absolutely gorgeous, if somewhat haunting, part of the Einzbern castle. It has stained glass windows, pews, an altar, and a magic circle before the latter, inlaid with silver.

AVALON is here.
IRISVIEL is here.
SABER is here.
BEDIVERE is here.

Irisviel clasps her hands together in front of her chest and sighs happily. "I can hardly even imagine it. But I almost can't wait! If I could, I'd pack up and leave right now!" But then her smile obtains a somewhat sadder aspect to it as her gaze lowers. "Unfortunately, it seems there's some business here still." Irisviel turns to look at the Catalyst behind her - which is so much more than just a Catalyst. "Kiritsugu doesn't actually intend to summon a Servant, does he?" she asks. Leave it to the Magus-Slayer's wife to know his mind even when he demonstrates almost no emotion at all. "I sensed a lack of conviction in his words. Something is going on, but he can't talk about it right now. Right?"

Iri looks back to Saber, and seems about to say more, before noticing the figure in the doorway, just beyond the blonde woman before her. Saber probably noticed before her, of course. She hesitates and grins a little as she asks teasingly, "Oh-hoh? Have you only come to watch, Fionnlagh, or did you wish to join us as well?"

She almost suggests providing him with a dress as well so he fits in, but feels that might be going a little too far.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou makes a weird face, but then nods... and heads for the chapel. He strolls on in with his hands still in his pcokets, only pulling them out to more politely greet those inside. He spots Saber, Bedivere, and Irisviel quickly enough. They all get a brief smile from him. But the surroundings... he blinks.

    "A church in the middle of a castle... out in the middle of nowhere." He paces forward towards the altar... and ends up laying eyes on Avalon.

    All of a sudden, Shirou freezes up... he's gone UTTERLY tense, and he sucks in a tight breath. As if something just throbbed through his head. He quickly shakes it and rubs the side of his head.... but seems unable to look away for a little bit. Too. Weird.

    he's seen that before. He knows it. even though he's never seen it and doesn't know it, he might know it better than anyone in another way.

    Weird.

    "Kiritsugu's coming soon. He's taking care of a few last minute things." Well that's nebulous as it gets...

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//PERSONAL CHAMBERS//

There are various personal chambers assigned to guests, all lavishly decorated. Cold on a spiritual level, but warm enough on a physical one. There are also rooms for the more long-term residents, with more personal touches.

MAYA is here.
ILLYASVIEL is here.

Illyasviel accepts the card and turns it over in her hand, looking at both sides. She holds one hand over it and almost seems to be trying to... Feel something without touching it. "It's tingly," she replies to Maya. Not quite magus enough to use thaumaturgy, but her senses being as developed as they are at this stage with only minimal training is truly a testament to the Miraculous Existence that she is. But in that scan that Maya performed, she may have noticed ripples of something - energy? light? - travelling outwards from the room, and off through the walls and outside of the range of that first scan for a surveillance system. There definitely is one in place. Magical wiretaps, etc. Whether they are detecting sound or not is unclear, but they definitely seemed to send reverberations of the magic Maya employed back to SOMEONE or SOMEWHERE.

Illya looks up after scrutinizing the card a bit more and asks, "Can we go find mama now?" She shifts uncomfortably. "I have a weird feeling."

Sir Bedivere (482) has posed:
The pale-haired knight inclines his head respectfully to Irisviel, eyes easing closed momentarily. Although he still looks tired, the truth is that he never quite fell into restful sleep here. He can't. No matter how exhausted he might be, he knows he's in enemy territory. Sleeping here is about the same as if he'd tried to set up a bedroll behind enemy Saxon lines in the midst of a bloodthirsty raiding camp.

Something's going to happen, but he doesn't know what. That bothers him. The best he can do, then, is to stay near Arturia. He watches carefully, though, noting that warm smile directed at him; the other emotions that colour it. He doesn't comment, and his eyes remain flat, perhaps choosing not to trouble Arturia with the knowledge.

Whatever they are, Master and Servant, or associates, they clearly have a close relationship. The stoic King Arturia Pendragon rarely opens up to anyone -- and whoever this 'Fionnlagh' is, he doesn't seem the type to open up easily, either.

"We will take you, if that is what you wish," he offers quietly. His voice is gentle, almost mistaken for a woman's, but only because he chooses to keep it that way. Perhaps he's aware of his height and self-conscious over what was once a foreign appearance, trying to remain non-threatening to Irisviel. His voice also carries an undeniable lilt, an almost musical tone that pins it to the Gaelic-speaking regions of the world. Ireland, perhaps, or just a touch of a Scottish burr. He's definitely not speaking English, German, or Japanese, though; something exotic and foreign to a place like this. And it's not even straight Irish. It seems stranger, something in his diction and dialect somehow lending the impression of an incredibly archaic mode of speech compared to the modern era's tongues. "I only came to be with--Saber." There's an almost imperceptible hesitation at the use of that strange name, but he glosses right over it with a faint nod, violet eyes settling on the King of Knights.

Even as he tries to listen to the surroundings, to use his fledgling filidh's senses to gauge what might possibly be happening, he's still appraising Arturia with his eyes.

"You look radiant," he murmurs quietly, with another one of those warm smiles. It falters after a moment, though, flicking to Irisviel. "I will remain here for a time, if you do not mind. I rarely have the opportunity to see her so."

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are here.
DEAD WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is here.

Archer reaches the next spot, where a whole mess of wolf tracks - belonging to now-dead wolves - have obliterated any sign of cat tracks in the snow. With the progress he and Staren are making, they have almost made a complete circuit of the defensive perimeter. One, maybe two more placements, and Archer woill be done. The snow suddenly turns red. A skeletal arm erupts from the ground, heavily gnawed by wolf teeth. It is followed by the rest of a skeleton, probably belonging to some intruder or hiker. But they probably didn't have black smoke trailing from their bones in life, or several dozen miniature eyes stuffed into the sockets. The skeleton opens its mouth, and a rush of whispers spill forth.

Then it leaps up into the trees to meet the Servant. Probably not in a friendly manner.

Staren would get an answer over the phone fairly quickly. "Vampires can technically be killed by conventional weaponry. It's their reflexes and physical abilities that make that difficult, unless they are a low-level Dead Apostle, like a Ghoul. We don't know Abbey's motives in being here, and a fight might not be in our best interests. If you can avoid combat with her, do so. Otherwise, elimating her before she can act is your best bet. I'll leave the choice of which up to you." When the photo is sent through, there is a brief delay, and then an answer of, "It could be, but I don't believe it is. The Einzbern wasteyard is full of evil spirits. Wraiths. That's probably just a body one inhabited. It should be destroyable through ordinary means."

The evil spirit does not seem aware of Staren, and instead appears to be focused on the tree it's crouched on. What's so special about it that it needed to pick THIS place to hang out? Just it being an ideal spot to place something that will disrupt the Bounded Fields?

Maya has posed:
Maya gets the idea they are tapped but for just what? She may have over played her hand here or she may have just saved her self a good deal of trouble. She wtches Illya look over the gard and grins. She knows the depths the people involved will decend to. It's a chill reminer of Dosiaks deprativy before dying admittance to his sins upon the world. She looks to Illya and nods.

"All right, let's go find her then."

She's going to get going she mvoes to the door smiling.

"Your very obserant you know and yes lets go find your mother."

Maya's still got her deck on her and she's far from helpless as she hads for the chapple with Illya.

Staren has posed:
    Staren hears distant gunshots. So much for staying entirely hidden... <<I'm not good at talking to people>> He comments, re: noncombat solutions to vampires.

    So, this is a wraith to be destroyed. Easy enough. He pockets the scanner, reaches into his bag for a plasma grenade, then wirelessly sets it to proximity airburst. He pulls his hand back to throw... then has an idea.

    He disarms and puts away the grenade, then floats just over the snow. Gesturing and mumbling, focusing and channeling energy...

    After maybe half a minute, a humanoid shape rises out of the snow. A simple golem, programmed to run past the tree, shoulder-checking the wraith, then circle back into the woods, away from any of the target sites.

    If the distraction works, Staren will set up the device. If not, or if the wraith tears the snow apart... oh well, there's always the grenade.

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     /Powclickpowclick/

     Two shots are fired off at the arm, almost instinctively. As the rest of the skeleton rises, Archer puts one more in the kneecap. This thing is made of stronger stuff than that, so it's going to take some creative fighting.

     Not a big deal. As it jumps, so does he, attempting to capitalize on its lack of midair mobility. The Servant heads for another tree in the clearing, swiveling midair and firing the rifle from the hip. He fires three rounds with incredible precision, each one hitting the exact same spot. The spring-loaded tab rests all the way back, signifying the need to reload.

     The skeleton is unharmed. The branch upon which the Servant formerly stood, however, is now considerably less structurally sound.

Saber (346) has posed:
     Saber 's eyes flared slightly in a brief moment of surprise. Perhaps she shouldn't have been; as innocent as she was, Irisviel didn't miss much. Instead, what surprised the King of Knights more was that she hadn't danced around the issue and gotten straight to the point. She was not certain how much Kiritsugu had been able to tell her, but it seemed it was enough for the homunculus to put the rest of the pieces together.

     The petite blonde did not speak, yet she responded with a single shake of her head for the first question and a single nod for the next. If there were familiars listening in, the would not be able to report back what Kiritsugu's plan actually was. Though the necessary catalyst was there, summoning a Servant -- especially the one who would be summoned by it -- under the current circumstances would have set events in motion which could probably not be changed.

     Her earlier blush at Irisviel's compliment greatly paled in comparison to the one which flooded her face at Bedivere's. Clearly, this man -- whether he was a Master, a magus, or something else -- commanded a great deal of regard from the Heroic Spirit. "I-I...thank you," she replied quietly, almost seeming as if she wanted to argue the point. That poise, held flawlessly though their earlier meeting and even until this moment, seemed to crack effortlessly with a simple compliment.

     Fortunately, before she drew just enough suspicion from the wrong sort of observers who might be lurking about, she regained something of that composure. Sea-green eyes flicked to Shirou; the red-haired magus was similarly nobody's fool, prudent enough to keep communication vague. But a slight frown crossed her face at his reaction...and she had a suspicion of what it was. Her face reflected her question, though she held her tongue. Instead, to Irisviel, she reassured. "All will be revealed soon. For the moment, we shall wait."

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//THE CHAPEL//

The CHAPEL is an absolutely gorgeous, if somewhat haunting, part of the Einzbern castle. It has stained glass windows, pews, an altar, and a magic circle before the latter, inlaid with silver.

AVALON is here.
IRISVIEL is here.
SABER is here.
BEDIVERE is here.
SHIROU is here.
KIRITSUGU is here.

Unfortunately, both Bedivere and Irisviel are taken, so no swooning from either of them. Not that Bedivere would, but his good looks are only an aesthetic consideration for Iri. She smiles wider at that promise, putting her arms behind her back and ducking her head slightly to look at the man she knows as 'Fionnlagh', as though he might be hiding some secret expression that can only be seen at the right angle. "Truly? You promise?" she asks. What's the knight going to say? 'No, I lied'? She doesn't get to wait for an answer, because righ then, Shirou comes in. Well, isn't this the merry get-to-gother! So many insomniacs!

Irisviel may have suspicions about Bedivere's relationship with Saber - not just on the Master/Servant level, either. But the most logical conclusion she has been able to come to is that Fionnlagh and Saber are exactly that - Master and Servant. Though Fionnlagh restrains himself, suppresses his emotions, he is much like Kiritsugu in that way. Saber as well. Three shades of the same kind of person. It's an interesting dichotomy. But it's one that has to be put aside for now.

It seems this is the meeting place after all. Iri nods to acknowledge Shirou's words, and then when her red gaze finds Saber and Fionnlagh again, she puts one hand to her cheek and tilts her head, giving a knowing look to them both. She doesn't miss much.

And then Kiritsugu walks in. "There was an intruder outside the bounded fields. It's being dealt with," he explains. He looks at Saber briefly in her dress, stares blankly, and then just turns and looks at his wife instead. "Do you remember my promise that you'd get to see my home country?" he asks. Irisviel lowers her hand from her cheek and has a bit of a ':o' expression. Then her eyes practically sparkle with excitement as she smiles broadly and says, "As though I could forget!" So it's finally happening after all! Only... The reason she was supposed to be going with him was because of the Grail War.

And the War is what's needed to achieve Kiritsugu's dream, right? Not that she really understood it. But she knew it was important to him. And that was enough. Kiritsugu proceeds forward towards the circle in front of the altar while flexing his right hand.

The one with the Command Seals on it.

And that's when a voice speaks from off to the side of the chapel. "It is not time yet for the ritual, Kiritsugu Emiya. What reason do you all have for being here at this hour?" Prana may be detected by those with the ability, and those with certain intuition powers may also be aware of who's coming shortly before he actually speaks or appears. But soon enough, one wall of the Chapel ripples like water instead of wood, and the Einzbern family head pushes his way through to join everyone else gathered there.

Oh shit, Acht.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are here.
DEAD WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is here.

The snow golem succeeds in its mission, eliciting a bone-chilling and utterly horrific noise from the Wraith when it identifies an attacker following being struck. It's a sound like an industrial-strength air pump being used to suck all of someone's innards out and somehow also contains said victim's screams. It is in no way whatsoever a sound anyone wants to hear or will ever forget, and the Wraith repeats it as its 'battle cry' as it gives chase.

Staren sets up the device... And while he's in the process, a hollow in the tree, the opening that the Evil Spirit was lurking over, produces a form. A slightly-larger-than-average black cat, who freezes on the side of the tree, holding on with her claws, and looks down at Staren with bright eyes.

Meteora Abbey the vampire cat says, "Hey, thanks. I thought he'd never leave." Then moves to jump down from the tree to the snow and make more little cat paw prints.

Archer succeeds in shooting the spirit-possessed skeleton, damaging its bones, but it's as much held together by 'spirit stuff' as actual physical material. It can still be destroyed, of course. But it's not until the Wraith lands on the branch and then the branch breaks that it's revealed that Archer did enough damage to the skelly that it can't attempt to save itself. Its limbs don't move right, and there's nothing to grab hold of as it falls through the air. It hits the ground and breaks in several places, or at least disconnects its bones. The black mist seeps into the air and vanishes. The snow goes back to being white.

Enemy dealt with.

Once Archer finishes placing his last two disruptors, he has another mission. Go contact some neutral agents who will provide discrete transportation, to start up the mountain. By the time they get here, hopefully it should all be over - or over enough that the potential hostages can be rescued.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//INSIDE THE CASTLE HALLS//

The castle is quiet, mostly darkened except in specific places, where crystals or woodless fires provide illumination. Moonlight spills through windows at times. The castle seems nearly abandoned.

MAYA is here.
ILLYASVIEL is here.
MAIYA is here.

The CHAPEL can be reached from here.

Maya and Illyasviel make their way through the halls. Maya knows where everyone is gathered, even without magic. Because she knows the plan. Illyasviel, not so much. But she follows along with Maya, holding onto the blue-haired woman's hand. And along the way, who should they run into? A certain assassin's assistant who has been conspicuously absent. Maiya Hisau seems only minutely surprised to see the two of them. She takes in the situation - Maya, with Kiritsugu's daughter in tow - nods, and then turns to head the same way they are. She has a dufflebag in her hand that seems rather heavy and to be clacking and clanking a lot. What's in the bag? Shouldn't be hard too guess.

And with the urgency of the situation increasing exponentially, the pace of the trio should cause them to arrive at the Chapel doors shortly after Jubstacheit makes his appearance. And here's Maya with healing powers and Illyasviel, and Maiya with a bag full of something important. Interesting coincidence, huh?

Sir Bedivere (482) has posed:
"I give you my word, Lady Einzbern," the knight swears softly, inclining his head to Irisviel. In spite of his modern attire, there is a solemnity to the gesture reminiscent of an earlier age; perhaps, even in a suit, his knightly nature shines through, much as Arturia can hardly help but project the regal air of a king. "We shall take you wherever you wish to visit."

He watches her for a brief moment after he gives his promise, although he seems to know whatever it is she picks up on. There's a brief flush against those high, pale cheekbones, and he looks away, murmuring something in embarrassment--

All vestiges of warmth fade from the pale-haired knight's face when Kiritsugu strides in. His gaze slants to the 'magus-killer,' and he gives a faint nod of acknowledgement, the motion almost imperceptible. His eyes then slide toward Saber, regarding her thoughtfully for a moment. As much as he might want to spend another moment or two appreciating her in that dress, there's work to be done.

Before he can elabourate, the patriarch makes his appearance.

Bedivere turns slowly to regard Jubstacheit von Einzbern. Although his gaze is mild, there is a core of steel to his unassuming appearance, and he straightens the lapel of his suit jacket. It may be taken as a self-conscious gesture by some, but perhaps Saber would catch that the action is deliberate, meant to further accentuate the unassuming persona he's been using all along.

Just as he did in Camelot.

"I am sorry." He bows his head, as though genuinely repentant, voice so soft it could be missed in the recesses of the cathedral's soaring hall. "I could not sleep, and I thought to take a walk. Was this place forbidden? I did not mean to intrude, truly."

Much as when he'd addressed Irisviel, there is an odd, archaic quality to his words and voice, and the particular Irish dialect is one of great age. His question, and his seeming concern with disobeying his host, seems to hint to an earlier age when such things were common.

Yet there's no mistaking the way he steps closer to Saber; even though he smiles at Acht, disarmingly, the gesture is clearly protective.

"Your chapel is beautiful," he comments softly. "It has been a long, long time since I have seen such artistry with stained glass. Truly, it is as beautiful as any cathedral." Although he might seem to be wasting time, he's actually stalling for the benefit of his allies. The longer he can keep Acht off his guard, the better; if things come to an outright battle, he himself will be all but useless, and indeed most likely a liability to his own allies. His brief glance and bland smile at Saber is enough to indicate this; she'll pick it up, and understand what he's actually after. Maybe Kiritsugu will, too. The man seems reasonably smart. "And skillful stonemasonry, as well."

Staren has posed:
    Staren looks back at her, silently, frozen staring back at her.

    She speaks.

    "...You can see me?" Staren asks. He turns to watch her. "...What are you doing here? Do you serve the Einzberns?" No, then she wouldn't have to deal with a wraith. "Or are you... spying on them?" He shakes his head. "I don't mind if you are. I'm just being paid to bring down the field. What's /your/ interest in watching all the places I need to go?"

    A calculated exchange of information. Why did he have to end up talking??

Archer of Brown (664) has posed:
     Archer observes his handiwork for just a few moments, then holds the rifle just a hair off-level with the ground and begins reloading it. Gravity is not your friend with muzzle-loaders, as any Civil War soldiers affectionately named 'Stumpy' can attest. The work is careful, but expedient, and once finished, Archer sets up the disruptor.

     The Servant beats a hasty path towards the next waypoint, and in a matter of moments has the final disruptor in place. /He/ doesn't know anyone here, but he knows someone who does.

         Washington, District of Columbia, January 17, 2014, 10 A.M.

     An electronic warble, the tell-tale sound of the common office phone, rings. "Albert Mason speaking," says the senator informally. Evidently, he's not expecting a call from his employee, especially on this line. "Oh, hello. I see. I /see./ Yes, I think I can allocate some resources for you. Do you mind holding for a few while I get in touch with some friends out of town? Thank you so much--I'll be back for you in two or three minutes..."

     A discreet team of professionals arrives in the nearest town--they convene, and arrange to be at the castle within the next ten minutes.

     Three minutes later on the dot, Archer sends Kerry a text. "Look 4 Ford Transit. White. -AB"

Maya has posed:
Maya is making for it at a decent pace and holds on to the young lady's hand as she heads along she's got an inactive card in her hand. She is not entirely shocked to see Maiya Hisaue there. She would be involved at some point. She looks at her and nods simply she's not going as they fall in and make for the chappel with her somewhat unexpected companion.

She enter the Chapel and says "There was something not right in the air and her Illya's had a pretty bad nightmare."

A very apt nightmare which might be more of a supressed memory. Also Maya's still in that fancy dress too. From the tone of her voice Maya considered whatever it was serious enough to move here.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    EEEEERRRK.

    The others around him are probably far better at keeping their cool when caught doing something weird than Shirou is. the red-headed youth looks around every which way for the source of the voice with every bit of noobish confusion he actually has. Where's the voice coming from?

    Eventually he figures out it's some kind of magic though... or rather, a hidden passage? At that point he makes a scrunched sort of face at the Very Old Man. What the heck's he supposed to say?

    Bedivere to the rescue!

    With the knight's explanation given, Shirou relaxes some. "And we all came here from a different time zone. Anyone's sleeping schedule would be a bit messed up from this much travel." He's speaking very politely.

    But the fact that he doesn't like how WAY OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE this place is be subtly known in his own way. Maybe unintentionally.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are gone.
DEAD WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is here.
CATULA I MEAN METEORA ABBEY is here.

The talking cat looks up, considering changing back into her more humanoid form, but that seems like a liability out here. Though she HAS been hounded by wolves and spooked by spirits so far, so maybe vampire cat isn't ideal either. "I can't EXACTLy see you. I see... SOMETHING. Honestly, I can smell you and detect your sound vibrations better than I can see you. Cat senses." Her tail flicks back and forth in the snow as she looks anxiously off in the direction the golem ran. "Let's chat along the way. You're looking for a way in too, right?" She then dashes off across the snow and she moves a LOT faster than a mundane cat would. Not so fast Staren can't keep up, but it would explain why he seemed to always be just a little bit behind while setting up the disruptors.

Along the way, Catula offers occasional words and statements as she leaps over rocks, dashes under logs, and avoids obstacles, all while trying not to get too close to the spirits and wolves. But as they change their location, they may also be changing where they are in relation to the wind's movement... "The Einzberns are able to make life itself. I caught scent of one of those homunculi while being chased by some murder-jerks a few weeks back, way over in England. Followed her all the way here, but couldn't make it through the defenses undetected. I want to have a never-ending blood supply, basically." KITTY LEAP. "No more hunting, no more killing. Make artificial life and suck on it." KITTY SLIIIIDE. "I think I've identified certain angles of attack, but I'm not exactly able to attack them. I was just trying to see if I could-" KITTY LEA-POMPF SNOW DRIFT TOO DEEP.

There is a sickening cracking and twisting of bone and flesh as a woman begins to rise up out of the snow too deep for a cat to stand in. She has black hair, fangs, and is wearing a long, black, stylish fur coat over most of her body, though she seems to be lacking socks or shoes. She stretches her arms over her head and has to fight the urge to lick the back of her hand to cover up her embarassment. She's not a cat anymore, after all! "So, like... You have a way in? Because I'm tired of being chase by canines and creepers."

Saber (346) has posed:
     In truth, Saber suspected that Irisviel had been able to figure out -- at the very least -- the magical connection between to two knights. She doubted the Einzbern had missed anything else, as well. No, the Servant decided. She had more than likely puzzled out at least one more of their connections. The only one remaining was one which would have been impossible for her to know without their true identities. That they were knights was obvious, but not even the Einzbern patriarch could have known that, even before the ritual began, King Arthur was already present...with her Left Hand and Marshal, Sir Bedivere, at her side.

     She would reveal that to Irisviel, soon. But not until they were out of the lion's den.

     The jade-eyed knight returned her former Master's bland gaze for a moment before she turned away as well, her eyes turning back to the pale-haired knight beside her. /It would seem all is in place,/ she inferred through their silent way of speaking. Yet, any further elaboration was quickly stifled; Jubstacheit von Einzbern had arrived.

     In an instant, Saber's stoic mask came down at the same moment as Bedivere's, completely concealing emotion and intent behind the metaphorical armour. She caught the glance immediately, picking up on her marshal's familiar disarming techniques and tactics. Though he was unable to conceal his knightly demeanour, he could -- and did -- expertly conceal his true strengths and project an aura of deceptive weakness.

     By contrast, not only could she not conceal her noble bearing, but her power radiated from her like blinding rays of light. The patriarch would know instantly that the tiny woman in the dress like Irisviel's was a Servant. But that did not, however, mean that everything was exposed. There were still things she could obfuscate.

     Grasping parts of the gown in her small, deceptively fragile-looking hands, the petite blonde rendered a polished curtsey which might have come as a surprise to any who knew her true identity. "I beg your pardon, as well," she replied smoothly. For all he knew, she could be a Caster, useful only to a magus who could fight on the front lines. "I was simply admiring the surroundings, your castle is most impressive."

     /Will this be enough to stall him?/ Bedivere would sense from a subtle shift in her body language without risking a glance at him. Perhaps Jubstacheit had figured out he was her master, but planting a seed of doubt might help. Possibly.

Staren has posed:
    "I see." Staren acknowledges her explanation of detecting him. The device was just about set up -- Staren makes a last adjustment and flies after her. Presumably, she's headed towards the final deployment location anyway. "I am making a way out for other operatives. We are extracting two of the homunculi for our own purposes. You will not interfere?"

    Kiritsugu gets a text: She believes the blood of a homunculus will sustain her indefinately. Is letting her in acceptable?

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//THE CHAPEL//

The CHAPEL is an absolutely gorgeous, if somewhat haunting, part of the Einzbern castle. It has stained glass windows, pews, an altar, and a magic circle before the latter, inlaid with silver.

AVALON is here.
IRISVIEL is here.
SABER the CASTER is here.
BEDIVERE is here.
SHIROU is here.
KIRITSUGU is here.
MAYA is here.
ILLYASVIEL is here.
MAIYA is here.
OH SHIT ACHT is here.

Kiritsugu doesn't stop advancing towards the altar, though his gaze and what direction he's facing have definitely been adjusted in Jubstacheit's direction. The Old Magus King is also not responded to immediately, allowing Bedivere, Shirou, and Saber to handle the excuses. Kiritsugu and Irisviel both have sharp minds, it's true. But Saber is also correct that - had Kiritsugu and Irisviel not been the very ones to summon her - they probably wouldn't have been able to determine her identity as a Servant at all. For his part, Jubstacheit von Einzbern deigns to look at all who speak, not just Kiritsugu. He lets everyone speak who wishes to, and even turns a frowning expression of concern upon Illyasviel when Maya speaks of a bad dream.

It's not that he cares about Illyasviel herself, however. It's what it might mean for her to be having nightmares. If there are design flaws, he wants to catch them early. "This place is not forbidden. You are guests, and I have no reason to deny you access to a place of prayer and worship if you wish to be here," he says, before he eventually turns his gaze back on Bedivere, taking note of the mannerisms of both he and Saber. A Caster named Saber would truly be an ironic twist, but Acht has fortunately not been told Saber's name yet. They managed to avoid that somehow, even during his questioning of everyone. And for whatever reason, he chose not to press the matter, though he doubtlessly noticed the absence of an identity. As long as she is not part of 'his' Grail War, he may not feel it is worth annoying a Master by prying.

He looks up at the architecture all around, as though just remembering it's there. He squints at the window as though seeing it for the first time. And then says, "I have often come here seeking solace during difficult times." The stained glass window depicts Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, along with two others. Seeing her visage seems to remind him at the matter at hand, however.

He looks back down at everyone, just as Kiritsugu reaches the circle. His gaze with that weird 'pressure' continues to track the ex-assassin even as Irisviel speaks up.

"I came to pray for success in the Fourth Holy Grail War, great grandfather. Kiritsugu most likely wished to ensure eveything was prepared for the ritual-" "He can answer for himself what he is doing here, Irisviel," Acht interrupts. Iri closes her mouth and lowers her gaze, suitably chastised. Kiritsugu finally comes to a stop at the silver-inlaid circle. Stalling for time is important, but so is being prepared.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
"Well, Kiritsugu?" Acht prompts. "Why are you here?" He appears to be willing to accept or at least not make an issue of everyone else's presence. Even Shirou's jet lag excuse! It's Kiritsugu himself he is questioning now. "And why..." he adds on. "...Has your associate deemed it appropriate to seize the heretical weapons being kept in storage and bring them here?"

Oh, so that's what's in the bag. Kiritsugu's phone buzzes again. He flips the phone open without looking at it. He meets Jubstacheit's gaze without flinching, even if he can feel the fanatical light of the man's will blasting into him.

He finally lifts the phone enough to look at the screen. This does not please the Old Magus King, who obviously doesn't care for modern technology, and probably doesn't like being IGNORED either.

Kiritsugu has no time to respond in detail, so he hits a few buttons and sends Staren a photograph. Then he lowers the phone and holds out his left hand towards Maiya. She acts without even any words passing between them, unzipping the bag and expertly throwing Kiritsugu's Thompson Contender to him. He catches the single-shot weapon, and then slowly brings it around to aim at Jubstacheit.

"I can not speak for the Union, as I'm not among their Elites. But I came here intending to keep my family out of the Grail War."

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are gone.
DEAD WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is gone.
METEORA ABBEY is here.

Staren receives a single photograph in response to his text. "Sure, sure. I don't want to interfere with anyone. I just want to eat without getting targetted by Church scumbags," Meteora responds as she starts dashing off with even more speed than when she was a cat, heading for the next site. What's the photograph that Staren received? A picture of Irisviel and Illyasviel.

Two homunculi.

The exact thing this vampire wants to eat.

It's unclear if Staren is able to pick up on such a message, but if he can, he should know the answer to his question. 'No.' Kiritsugu does not want a homunculus-eating vampire anywhere near his family.

Just one more to go. One more and they're done. The people inside the castle only need to stall a little bit longer...

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Oh crap. The shit is about to hit the fan. With Kiritsugu leveling a weapon at the old man, Shirou tenses up. So it's straight to strongarming?

    "And I'll second my old man. Forcing my little sister into the Holy Grail War? Only the worst big brother in the world would allow that." Wait, what? Illyasviel is his little sister? And not just in the sense of being a good neighbor?

    There is FIRE in Emiya Shirou's eyes. Fire and determination, but no real murderous intent. Even so...

    "...Trace, on!!"

    Even so, he brings both his arms up and crosses them across his chest to each side. Prana flares brilliantly from each of his palms in opposite directions, congeals... and he rips Kanshou and Bakuya free of the fading forge-fires of his soul in a smooth motion, readying them.

    This is a smarter move than it looks. The twin swords offer a decent amount of Magic Resistance, after all. He needs all he can get.

    Even so, he makes no moves to use the weapons... and unlike Kiritsugu, he seems anything but cold and willing to pull any triggers.

    "You don't place much faith in Kiritsugu, do you...?"

Sir Bedivere (482) has posed:
/Then, I am ready./ Although he doesn't look directly at Saber, she might sense his unspoken determination. Come hell or high water, he will face it without flinching, as is his duty as a knight. He spares a brief but thoughtful glance at Irisviel, before his eyes pass over Saber one final time. /Let us make this count./

He looks upon Acht even as Saber gives a practised curtsey. Before his eyes, she seems to adopt the same meek, submissive air that he wields with such precision. His expression never changes, but he does watch her from the periphery of his vision, sliding a slow glance toward Saber. The brief look he gives her suggests playing along, but it's a subtle look, one the others may not necessarily catch.

He's about to speak, and then before he has the opportunity to prevent anything, Kiritsugu is pointing a Thompson Contender at the old patriarch.

Bedivere stares blankly at Kiritsugu for a moment. His face is absolutely devoid of expression, as though he couldn't even believe the scenario he were witnessing.

His eyes turn back to Acht, and there is a curious clarity there; a steel core, that had not up until now been shown -- he had only showed his meek, unassuming persona to the patriarch before. But the psychological transformation is undeniable, and no doubt noticable to Acht.

"I will not ask your forgiveness after what you can only see as a betrayal. It is beyond our place as guests to ask for that, for we have violated hospitality. For that, I am sorry, and also shamed." He bows his head as though he were truly repentant; Saber would recognise that he is, and likely views their conduct as a breach of given hospitality, no matter how premeditated it was. "However."

His voice is still soft, lilting in that almost Irish manner; soft enough that it demands one's attention just to listen to it -- a perfectly intentional tactic.

"I would ask your cooperation, to avoid needless bloodshed. Please do not make any sudden movements. My allies are considerably less calm than I am, and I cannot guarantee that they will not do anything rash." He doesn't approve of Illya being used, either, and that reality is writ across his stony expression. "We wish for no fight; simply to leave in peace. Please stay your hand, Lord Einzbern. That is my very strong recommendation to you at this moment."

Staren has posed:
    "I need to set up this last device." Staren explains, almost automatically. The picture appears in his HUD. He had been planning to let her feed on the /other/ homunculi. Either they're loyal to the Einzberns, and thus bad guys, or Kiritsugu's wife and child were special, and most homunculi were just basic artificial organisms, like magical-organic robots. Either way, letting the Dead Apostle feed on the other Homunculi would have been okay. But the meaning of the picture is obvious:

    Homunculi are people.

    Kitty won't be getting her meals here. Unfortunately, he wasn't involved with the missions where she was encountered, so it is unclear which of two options to take:

    1. Find a way for a Dead Apostle to live without killing
    2. Kill or decieve the Dead Apostle

    Unfortunately, the information Staren needs to make this decision, he doesn't have. He's vaguely aware that there was some kind of incident with raising the dead and she's connected to that. If this is someone who's gone around raising zombie armies to attack people and sacrificing lives in rituals, obviously, he's not going out on a limb to save her. If this is someone who just wants to live, though, then he'll gladly give her a chance and help her.

    Admittedly, the fact that she's willing to feed on people just because they're homunculi is a mark against her, but it could just be ignorance that she doesn't realize artificial people are people too.

    Kiritsugu obviously can't talk, or he'd have sent clear orders. Staren turns to the Union, who promptly start discussing ways to keep a vampire alive instead of just TELLING HIM IF SHE'S THE *&(^ING BAD GUY LIKE HE ASKED.

    He's running out of time. The last device is almost set up. He asks one more time, and Maiya finally gives him a direct answer.

    "I see." He finishes setting up the device, and turns to her. "You don't want to kill anyone. I will help you find another way to survive, with magic and technology of other worlds -- But homunculi are people, so I can't just let you feed on them. What do you say?" He cocks his head, one hand reaching for his belt, and the beam saber or laser pistol holstered there.

    Kiritsugu gets a text: It is done.

Saber (346) has posed:
     It was a good thing indeed that she had introduced herself to Irisviel alone rather than the head of the Einzberns, and she had no reason to suspect the patriarch had overheard them. Not that she had planned on obfuscating her class for very long, only for the length of time Kiritsugu needed to set his plans in motion. It was, after all, a mere delaying tactic.

     A slight tilt of her head disguised a nod of acknowledgement to the violet-eyed knight before adopting the same tactics. She had trusted him for nearly twenty years both on the battlefield and within the courts to devise their plans; even while she possessed the skill of Intuition, it was of little help in a long-term situation, and certainly not in the area of intrigue, politics, and diplomacy.

     So far, so good...at least, until Kiritsugu drew the familiar Contender.

     She should have expected this, really. It was yet one more personal rule that Kiritsugu had forced her to break by proxy. she couldn't even be angry or disgusted any longer. Instead, what was much more stunning that the breach of personal honour was that the magus killer was directly confronting the ancient mage. That was not something she would have expected from an assassin who optimised his battles by attacking from a distance in the shadows. She had expected that she would be acting in her previous capacity as a distraction while he fired from the rafters. Was it the knowledge he now had that Irisviel's sacrifice would be in vain, and that Ilyasviel would not be spared? Had desperation emboldened the dead-eyed magus killer?

     As Bedivere dropped his meek demeanour, so too did the King of Knights, straightening and resuming her proud stance. However, she remained motionless and silent, instead readying herself for the first signs of aggression and preparing to summon her armour and Noble Phantasm if necessary. Even as she hoped it wouldn't be.

Maya has posed:
Maya nods for a moment to theirt host as she enters she looks at him and takes a look at the chapel itself.

"Places like this are often impressive into the effort that goes into such."

The own Temple where she got her own education was fare more simple but that was due to the resources needed for such had to go into surival and more practical matters, also scrap wouldn't really do to well.

"Sometimes faith is all we have, I have found in trying times over my life."

There's no lies there she speaks the whole truth she look to them for a moment nodding a bit about the grail war. She doesn't go into detail about the nightmare it's not her place.

Then things hit the fan as the gun comes out at this point. She knows what lengths she went to to protect those children who see her as mother.

Maya has a look on her face that's telling there's a look of someone whos ebeen in situations akin to this before she does however have a card in hand and makes ready to bring up.

"The knight is correct we have broken the rules of hospitality and there may be no forgivness for that yet? I do ask for you to coperate we do not whish blood shead. I will not allow this girl to suffer being dragged into a Grail war."

Maya takes a moment to palm her car it's not a very obvious spell just a brief expendure and it's quick given how basic barrier spell is it's somthing learned fairly young and she quitely cast it there's not much to catch notice a faint gold aura for a brief second about bohth Kerry's wife and daughter which should hopefully helpt and not attract too much attention.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//THE CHAPEL//

The CHAPEL is an absolutely gorgeous, if somewhat haunting, part of the Einzbern castle. It has stained glass windows, pews, an altar, and a magic circle before the latter, inlaid with silver.

AVALON is here.
IRISVIEL is here.
SABER is here.
BEDIVERE is here.
SHIROU is here.
KIRITSUGU is here.
MAYA is here.
ILLYASVIEL is here.
MAIYA is here.
JUBSTACHEIT VON EINZBERN is here.
If Acht looked intense before, he looks more so now. However, there are a few things missing from his demeanor. One of the main ones is surprise. Another is fear. He is not worried for his well-being, no matter how furious he may be, but he also does not seem all THAT furious - like he was expecting this. At least from Kiritsugu. When others pipe up, he takes in the subtle AND obvious changes in everyone. Irisviel inhales sharply and brings one hand in a fist to her chest as she grasps her skirts with the other. She turns her gaze on everyone assembled. She knew something was going on... But this? Determination to protect a (oh, hey, SURPRISE) family member. Politeness veiling willingness to fight. Demeanor of one prepared to act even if there might not be a desire to. Compassion for children, and a subtle act to defend Irisviel and her daughter. Most of these people she has only just met. And yet here they are, willing to defy her great grandfather to... What? Save her and Illya? She doesn't understand this change in outlook.

She doesn't understand why Kiritsugu is pretending to abandon the Grail War and give up on his dream. She knows he would never forgive himself for doing that. And yet... She can't tell if he actually IS pretending or not. She doesn't understand. But the white-haired woman steps closer, even as some sort of barrier forms around her to protect her, and stands right alongside Kiritsugu. She doesn't understand, but she believes in him. And she believes in his friends and 'associates' too.

But one voice calls out in protest.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
"What?" it's a young voice. Younger than anyone else here. Even the quiet-yet-attention grabbing tone of Bedivere that has Acht considering his words and what to do about them, is not as faint-yet-noticeable as this tiny high-pitched squeak. The squeak that becomes louder and more firm a moment later. "What are you talking about, Kiritsugu?" Illyasviel asks, her eyes are wide. She actually looks... Horrified by what she's witnessing. "You won't let me fight? You won't fight the Grail War? Big brother Shirou said you were doing it so I wouldn't have to. So that we could all live together." She tries to pull her hand free of Maya's, and looks at the man she only knows as Fionnlagh. "You want to leave, right? So leave. Leave us alone!" Irisviel looks pained as she gazes upon her daughter and reaches out towards her. "Illya-" she starts, but flinches when Illyasviel yells. "No!"

The tiny homunculus clenches her fists and yells over and over, "No, no, no, NO! This isn't right! You shouldn't be doing this great grandfather! What's WRONG with all of you!?" She looks at each person in turn accusingly, furiously, frightened, whether they meet her gaze or not. "Abandon the war? Stay out of it? I'm suppose to be helping great grandfather!" She clenches her eyes shut and screams, "IT'S WHAT I WAS BORN TO DO!"

It seems the 'Old Magus King' as already gotten into her head to some degree.

Kiritsugu is keying in a text message, but his face it tensed, a hint of pain tugging at the edge of his mouth, even as he refuses to turn his gaze from the Einzbern family head. "Illya," he says. "I'll explain everything when we're done here."

"Liar," Illya responds quietly, amidst tears. Kiritsugu says, "I promise. If I thought that fighting this Grail War would help you, or me, or your mother, or anyone, I would still be trying to fight for the Grail. And if I thought your great grandfather had any intention of letting you be free to live with your mother and I and your big brother when the War was over, I wouldn't be doing this. Please, Illya. Listen to your father."

Kiritsugu hits 'send' on his phone. Staren should be receiving a message.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are gone.
DEAD WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is gone.
METEORA ABBEY is here.

The vampire nods through part of what Staren says, but frowns a bit at being told she won't be permitted to feed. The offer of other options, it seems, at least mollifies her somewhat. But she doesn't know Staren from Adam, and if she's going to trust him, she'll likely keep an eye on him until he makes good on his promise. "Well, I don't want to interfere," she offers as there's that gross cracking and snapping and slurping sound again as she crams her human-sized body into a cat-sized one. Then the black cat dashes up a nearby tree and waits there for whatever is about to happen. "...So I'll just stay out of the way and watch."

Staren gets a text message, carefully thumbed in without looking. 'NOW.'

Time to activate those disruptors with the handy-dandy magic remote.

It looks like a long ruby with a button on it.

Staren has posed:
    Staren was about to suggest they get clear, but Meteora's already on it. Good. He flies over to the tree, pulling the remote from a pouch on his belt and hitting the button.

    If the result isn't too loud to talk over, he pulls a tablet out of another pocket and drops it in the snow. "I'll contact you with this later. Right now, things should be getting pretty busy shortly."

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//EINZBERN FOREST//

Outside of the castle, beyond the Bounded Fields that can't even be detected if one doesn't know where they are, there is a dark forest with only the dim illumination of the moon. The freezing cold of the mountains in Germany are numbing. It's kind-of-sort-of-quiet but not really. The snarling and howling of wild beasts can be heard, and there are sometimes things that sound like...

...Whispers.

EVIL SPIRITS are gone.
DEAD WOLVES are here.
STAREN is here.
ARCHER is gone.
METEORA ABBEY is here.

The magi-mortar disruptors fire. They launch their gemstone payload into the Bounded Fields at several different points, from all around the Castle. The fields go DOWN. Previously invisible domes and spheres and walls and lines and beams all moving in intricate patterns that probably would have sliced anyone who touched them into a million bloody chunks suddenly flare into visual range. Just in time for some trucks, courtesy of Senator Mason, to start driving up the road leading to the Einzbern Castle.

All those defenses are momentarily fried. Re-establishing them is as simple a matter as pouring more prana into them for the one who made them, of course. But that's an awful lot of prana all at once, distributed among hundreds or more defenses and barriers. It's quite a spectacular lightshow while it lasts, in either case. It's like an aurora borealis at ground-level instead of in the sky.

Meteora, crouched in the tree next to Staren, whistles. Or whistles as well as a cat can. When the tablet i dropped in the snow, she looks down at it. 1994, so she has no idea what that is, but she'll definitely retrieve it soon. For now, the exit AND entrance onto the Castle grounds are clear. Now it's all up to those inside the castle.

Staren has posed:
    Staren whistles too, watching the light show. Once the defenses are most definately offline, he flies towards the air above the trucks, ready to provide fire support against anything that gets in their way!

Sir Bedivere (482) has posed:
The knight's faded eyes flick sidelong when he hears that voice cutting above all other conversation. He immediately recognises the stricken tone, with its despair and its denial, but the simple fact is that they have not the time for this family drama.

"Forgive me."

Bedivere's voice is quiet. In an instant, he seems to arrive at a decision; when he moves, he moves like lightning, arms snaking forward to seize Illya and heft her up to his torso, clutching her tightly with the intent of keeping her from struggling her way free; one arm wound around her shoulders, one around her hips. The grip is reminscent of a constrictor, although he doesn't hold her tight enough to cause pain -- but enough to prevent her from moving.

"I am sorry to do this, but I fear that your rebellion, however well-intentioned, puts the lives of everyone here at risk. No." And here his voice changes; gains an almost mystical edge -- as though he were seeing the awen, the prophetic visions of the bards -- though Saber knows better. Bedivere is no prophet; merely a very good actor. "You were born to greater things than this. A great fate indeed. But not this, and not this day. Come with us, and I will tell you of it, Lady Einzbern, and your mother and father, too."

He does not turn around, but backs toward the chapel door, carrying Illya against his hip. Although his expression is mostly calm, his eyes are like violet fire when they settle briefly on Acht, and when he looks to Arturia and Kiritsugu, he almost seems to be giving permission.

/Do what you will with him when I have taken the child./

And then he is gone -- they're free to do whatever they will to the old magus, without trauma to the child. Well, any more than being scooped up by a strong knight in the middle of that heated standoff, anyway.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    What nerve and guts it took to pull a weapon on one of the greatest magi ever in his own home. Shirou's own gut churns with shame, albeit for a very differently nuanced reason than Sir Bedivere. It's not just against tradition to threaten this guy in his own home.

    It's simply villainous.

    Even more so when Illya barges into the room. Shirou suddenly feels even worse about this. Pulling weapons on his little sister's great grandfather is EVEN LESS the sort of action one would expect of a hero of justice.

    Little by little, Shirou's idea of just how he's going to be that is becoming less and less certain.

    But seeing Irisviel walk over towards Kiritsugu through all of this just redoubles his determination that, ugly though this is, it must be done. His wavering grip on Kanshou and Bakuya tightens again.

    But his lips are pressed together firmly and darkly. He's under no misconceptions that this is some kind of 'justice' anymore. Even if it is, it's a sour and wrong kind of 'justice.'

    He has no idea that these thoughts might not be Illya's own!

    "Sorry, Illya. You're right. It's an awful thing to do. But not doing this would be worse." He croaks out. Seeing the old man in the flesh, and no sign of the things that Kiritsugu mentioned... well, out of sight, out of mind. He's having a hard time regarding this old man as Really An Enemy... just yet.

    He walks over to stand next to Irisviel, putting her between him and Kiritsugu.

    But he stays quiet otherwise, only giving Sir Bedivere a quick nod and otherwise settling a hard gaze on Jubstacheit. This is Kiritsugu's moment to speak and choose...

    By now, he'd have no trouble deducing that Shirou will not be the first person to act in this situation. But he will definitely be the first to defend.

Saber (346) has posed:
     Though they were on the cusp of breaking the Law of Hospitality, Saber valued the lives of the homunculi more. Though she would have preferred it if they had been able to somehow sneak them out, she could not stand idly by...not when she knew what the ultimate outcome would be.

     Her eyes flicked to Irisviel, and it seemed as if Kiritsugu could indeed surprise her. As far as she had known, he still harboured his wish to end all wars now and forever, and perhaps he did still. Only now, he knew that the Grail could not grant such a miracle without a great cost, tainted as it was. She, however, clearly did not have this knowledge. How could she? No one, not even the patriarch, knew.

     Saber and Shirou, after all, were the only ones present to have witnessed the disaster it had wrought first-hand.

     Those sea-green eyes flicked to the red-haired magus next. What knight wouldn't be proud of that? If worse came to worst, she was gladdened that he had made the honourable and compassionate choice, even if the situation itself was far from it. Still, she hoped it would not come to that...perhaps futilely.

     But then, a new problem arose immediately on the tail of her musings. Ilya commanded the attention from all with her outburst, and Saber's eyes narrowed, accompanied by a troubled frown. It was clear some damage had been done, though what was not was just how much had been done in the time Kiritsugu had been away. She was still attached to her parents, that much she could glimpse even through the imposed wish of the founders of the family to claim the Grail. It was enough to Kiritsugu to sway her a little, at least. All was not yet lost.

     Her gaze then fell on her marshal and Master, though he was already in motion, scooping up the little girl and spiriting her out of harm's way and influence. But as he implied taking care of the ancient magus in whatever way necessary, Saber had something else in mind. The pathway, perhaps, to breaking not merely his body, but his will. /They must be told the truth. It is the only way they might be dissuaded from this fool's errand./

     All traces of her previous misdirection were obliterated completely as Saber drew herself up to her full height...and summoned her armour in a flash of winds, light, and prana. Excalibur remained in its ethereal state, uncalled; after all, Saber did not intend to fight. But before them stood the proud King of Knights, and she was about to set them straight on the truth she had learned from the end of her own Grail War.

     "The Holy Grail War is futile," she spoke softly, yet her voice seemed to carry to every corner of the cathedral with the weight of her authority. "In a previous War, it had somehow been tainted, and, if summoned again, would destroy the world. It can neither grant a wish..."

     Her eyes met those of Jubstacheit without flinching, her words containing unwavering certainty, her gaze implied, absolute truth. "...Nor can it open a door to the Root."

     Oh yes, she had learned about that little tidbit since the end of her War. Saber had not been idle in the five years following it. "It cannot even achieve its true purpose now. All it can do now is destroy, and bring your family to ruin."

Maya has posed:
Then comes something she didn't expect at this point. The old man had seemindly secured the child's loyalyt and part of her heart sinkls but she keeps her self focused. She doesn't see a homunculus no she sees a person. The kid clearly's got a soul far as she can tell. She looks at the old king for a moment he's a clever bastard after all. She knows what her job is is to keep the kid alive. She sees that Bedi has things well in hand with the kid and now she moves over to join Shirou in sheilding Irisviel.

She thougth she'd left having to make calls like this back with the Heratic War and Annu but this was not the case it seem she's ready at this point and is more than willing to act as a living shield.

Then Saber drops the bomb of the tait, the black mud and the horror that lurks in the grail.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
//THE CHAPEL//

The CHAPEL is an absolutely gorgeous, if somewhat haunting, part of the Einzbern castle. It has stained glass windows, pews, an altar, and a magic circle before the latter, inlaid with silver.

AVALON is here.
IRISVIEL is here.
SABER is here.
BEDIVERE is here.
SHIROU is here.
KIRITSUGU is here.
MAYA is here.
ILLYASVIEL is here.
MAIYA is here.
JUBSTACHEIT VON EINZBERN is here.

Illya, still wiping tears from her eyes, mutters, "I don't get it. I just don't get it, Kiritsugu." Even Shirou's admission and explanation seems not to mollify her in the slightest. Then she is snatched up and lets out an 'EEP!' of surprise before she is carried against Bedivere's hip. She's almost 8 years old, and she weighs almost nothing. Maybe it's adrenaline that makes her so light. Maybe it's just the horrors of having a homunculus body. In either case, it is probably not what Bedivere is thinking about most right now. But it's potentially unexpected for her to be so EASY to carry... And so physically weak in her vain, minute efforts to struggle which achieve even less than might have been expected.

She is soon out of sight and out of earshot.

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
The Bounded Fields go down all at once, and Jubstacheit's eyes widen in shock, demonstrating the first sign of surprise so far. They narrow again moments later, and he scowls deeply. "So you intend to leave with the vessels of the Grail even though you have no intent to fight?" The mage family head asks. "Whether I believe that or not does not matter. Because you are interfering with the sole wish of the Einzbern family - my only reason for living. I have nothing else but this. And you are taking it from me?" His magic circuits come alive with a vast amount of prana. Not enough to match a Servant or anything, but enough to restore at least SOME of those Bounded Fields.

Kiritsugu doesn't believe in leaving his enemies alive so they can strike back at him. He doesn't think that's wise to do now either. That was, infact, half the point of why he proposed his plan the way he did. It was WHAT THEY AGREED ON COMING IN HERE. Acht was too much of a threat to leave alive, even if the rest of the Einzberns were allowed to live. His plan was to hope Acht would try to restore the barriers, giving him an excuse to shoot him with an Origin Bullet. All that prana being used at once by such a powerful and experienced magus? It would be almost a certain death sentence. Even if he lived, he would NEVER be able to use magecraft again.

And if he didn't try to restore the bounded fields, then they'd be out of here with Iri and Illya, which was the actual objective. Kiritsugu is struggling internally. Break the cycle of bloodshed, knowing this man will - in all likelihood - come after them later, probably with dangerous allies, and never leave them alone ever? Or handle this sort of person the only way he knows how, the way his entire life has dictated - sacrificing one to save the many. The exact thing he was abandoning the Grail War to prevent?

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
Irisviel appreciates Shirou's standing by them, of course. This is all a lot to take in, but she trusts those close to her. She trusts Bedivere to keep her daughter safe, she trusts Maya and Saber to stand beside them with honor and determination, she trusts Kiritsugu to do what's best for the as many possible as he can, and though she barely knows Shirou, she trusts his nobility and compassion. Then Saber begins to speak. And that preparation, that one action that was all Kiritsugu needed to push him to pull the trigger, is stalled by Saber's dramatic transformation and her words spoken of True Experience and True Knowledge. This is no deception. And Acht... Can tell.

He knew of the taint, but perhaps he assumed it could be fixed somehow. Even now, as he hears all this, he is thinking about the problem. But his prana is still circulating through his body, unused. Irisviel seems shocked, but again... Just like her great grandfather... She can understand the truth of it. And then...

Emiya Kiritsugu (603) has posed:
Jubstacheit von Einzbern stands down. He says, "This is not over." And he manipulates matter in order to step back into the wall he came through. Kiritsugu doesn't lower his gun until he is well out of the room. He has Avalon under one arm, and Irisviel's arm around the other. He nods to Maiya, and then they Get The Hell Out Of There.