Chapter 3

Luvia ran a critical eye over the room, taking in the rather spartan furniture and mid-quality-at-best fixtures and draperies. Not too bad considering it was the Norwich Student Dormitory, rather than one of the Edelfelt family's usual mansions, but it couldn't be denied that there was room for improvement practically everywhere. Starting, of course, with security.

"Mikael, I'll need a few items to strengthen up the defenses in this place. About a dozen of the Siam rubies, and of course the black spinels. We'll need to think about the mundane defenses too, perhaps switch out the glass for something a bit more resilient."

Her cousin nodded as he walked around the room, snapping a few photographs for reference. He was a few years older than Luvia herself, and had already matured into the powerful build and thick blonde beard typical of Edelfelt males. Although unable to inherit the family Crest, his good supply of magic circuits had granted him one of their more infamous Mystic Codes, currently hidden in the folds of his long blue coat. It gave him purpose and made him useful in a pinch, but also made him a bit... snippy at times.

"Won't the Clocktower take offense?" Mikael mused as he looked around, satisfied with his work, and slipped his camera back into his pocket. "They have their own magical defenses set up, after all."

"Yes, but student dormitories aren't exactly a priority for our elders. As you can tell from the state of this boundary field," she sniffed. "Besides, this entire floor belongs to us now, so we can go ahead and set up our own fields without worrying about interference from other students."

"Except for Tohsaka." He didn't even try to hide the disapproval in his voice. "You should have followed the elders' recommendations and just killed her."

"The elders recommended termination because they didn't think I could get her to capitulate. This way, we obtained control of a new territory with some decent laylines, some valuable patents, and generations' worth of mystical research. Not to mention the prestige of claiming not just one, but two of the Wizard Marshall's apprentices." She gave him a mischievous smile. "Are you still upset about the pledging ceremony? I thought it went quite smoothly."

"Smoothly?! Aunt Sanni hated her on sight!"

"A point in the girl's favour. May I remind you that Aunt Sanni invariably declares her disapproval of anything new or innovative, including cell phones, automation, and women's suffrage." She had also been one of the most vocal opponents of Luvia receiving both Crest and the position of headship, citing certain "deficiencies of sex and experience" while managing to implicitly add "and character" to the list. It had proved most satisfying to present her latest accomplishment to the family, one to add to a growing list of things she wasn't supposed to be able to do. She still savoured the look of consternation on that withered face -

"- and she managed to spill a whole tray of drinks on Frans! In front of the entire hall!"

Luvia tuned back in as Mikael warmed to his topic, his voice steadily rising with each recounted offense, and smiled wryly."Perhaps he shouldn't have referred to her as the Yellow Peril."

"Admittedly in poor taste, but hardly a justification. It's not as if Tohsaka speaks enough Finnish to have understood." He sighed heavily, running a hand through his cropped blonde hair before fixing Luvia with a baleful stare. "Trying to integrate her into the family is an unnecessary risk. You are inviting a snake's daughter into your home, to dine at your table and sleep by your hearth. One that is furious with you, at that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin cigarette, lighting it up and drawing deeply in defiance of Luvia's frown. "At the very least, won't you consider having her sign a self-geas scroll to bind her fully?"

Luvia sighed in turn. "You've missed the entire point of the exercise. The resources we've gained through this are nice enough, but they are mere trinkets. Rather, we are sending a message that the House of Edelfelt can offer a velvet glove as well as an iron gauntlet; to encourage our enemies to cooperate with us for mutual benefit instead of fighting us to the bitter end. The effect is rather lost if we force our new allies to submit to a geas, don't you think?"

Mikael slowly tapped his cigarette, deliberately dropping ash onto the floor. "I think that this stunt is hardly going to change the Vendramins' minds; obtaining that contract is a pipe dream." He looked her firmly in the eye. "I also think that you're kidding yourself if you think you're being strategic in this. You feel sorry for her, plain and simple. And that foolish sentimentality is going to see us all betrayed and ruined." He stalked away, leaving the acrid scent of smoke behind him.

Luvia waited until the footsteps had disappeared into the distance, then sat heavily on the edge of bed as she collected her thoughts. She wasn't the type inclined to self-doubt, but perhaps she should take a moment to consider her own motives. Viewed objectively, there were good reasons to bring the Tohsaka to heel in a comparatively gentle manner. The Edelfelt family had an not-unearned reputation both for competence, and for walking away with the prime cuts of any conflict they were involved in. While a profitable practice, it did have the disadvantage that some potential clients declined their services for fear of losing more to their erstwhile allies than they stood to gain from victory.

She suspected that this was the cause of the Vendramin clan's continuing refusal to hire the Edelfelts to aid in their ongoing feud with the Durnovo, despite their dire need of the raw firepower that she could offer. Normally that wouldn't be of much concern. There was no shortage of work for mercenaries in the Moonlit World. But she had good reason to want this particular contract. For once, the Edelfelts were not after another family's treasures, but rather a rare opportunity to recover one of their own. As well as a personal opportunity to quiet the naysayers among her kin and further establish her control. Hopefully the Vendramin might recognize her lenient treatment of an ancestral enemy as a signal that she was willing to be reasonable about spoils, and take the bait.

At the same time, she couldn't deny that Mikael had not been entirely wrong about her drive to find an alternate solution to the Tohsaka problem. As she read over the dossier in preparation for negotiations, she had felt a bit of reluctant admiration for the girl. Despite losing both parents early in life and having little in the way of guidance outside of a priestly friend of the family (albeit a former Executor), she had nevertheless survived a Holy Grail War, a conflict well-known for its savagery even among magi. She had all the responsibilities as both family head and overseer thrust on her at an early age. And she was as relentlessly, as cruelly bound to the harsh realities of magus life as Luvia herself. Pouring over the accompanying photographs of a dark-haired girl with the sharpest aquamarine eyes she had ever seen, Luvia couldn't help but think that an execution would just be such a waste.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by a abrupt knock on the door. Well, speak of the devil. Luvia stood and smoothed out her blue dress, checking herself once in the mirror to ensure everything was in order, before calling out. "Enter."

After a moment's hesitation, Rin stepped into the room. Her face reflected a sort of ill-tempered resignation as she nodded tersely to Luvia. The blonde took the opportunity to look over her newest charge, and inwardly smiled in approval. As in Turku, she had shed the (admittedly fetching) sweater and miniskirt in favour of a more staid black slacks and a silk blouse. In red, the Tohsaka's traditional colour, but it suited her so well that Luvia was inclined to let it go.

Then the girl had to open her mouth and ruin the moment. "Was it really necessary for you to reserve an entire floor of the dormitory? That seems excessive, even for you." Then, with a renewed burst of irritation, "And with all that space, why on earth did you insist I take the room next to yours?"

"Because I need to keep an eye on you, obviously. Judging from your antics in Turku, you need quite a bit of training before you're fit to be unleashed in public." Rin flushed with anger and embarrassment while Luvia struggled to hold in her laughter. While she'd largely approved of what had transpired at the ceremony, there was no need to let Rin know that. There was something strangely appealing about needling her, taunting the volcano to see how long she could maintain her facade before the inevitable eruption.

But enough fun, she had called her in for a reason after all. "Speaking of public, we need to set some ground rules while you are studying here in London. As you now represent the Edelfelt family, even if to a lesser degree, you will need to comport yourself with appropriate grace and dignity. I'm sure you can manage it despite your rough start." She ignored the murderous look thrown her way and pressed on. "While you will be sociable and agreeable with our peers, as befits good breeding, you are to maintain an appropriate distance. With your appalling ignorance of Association politics and alliances, you risk befriending or offending the wrong party. As such, I must insist that you seek permission before you attempt to forge anything more than superficial friendships."

"Don't worry, I've had a lot of practice keeping people at arms-length," said Rin, although she wasn't quite able to keep the crease from her brow. "I suppose I should have expected that some things never change," she softly muttered to herself.

Luvia continued as if she hadn't heard. "Needless to say, any and all intimate relationships are strictly forbidden to you. We need to cement your allegiance to the family. I'll marry you off to a suitable cousin when the time comes. Until then, no complications." She had expected a squawk of protest or other outburst of temper, but to her surprise, Rin simply gave her a morose nod. "You have no objections?"

"Why should I? Arranged marriages are standard among our kind. Besides," she gave Luvia a tight smile, "It's not like you're asking anything of me that you're not asking of yourself, too."

Of course. Even Tohsaka, raised in the wilds of Japan, would have early on absorbed the truth that most magus unions were loveless affairs, designed not to bring happiness but to optimize bloodlines. It was an unpleasant fact of life that Luvia herself had struggled with in the past – still struggled with, in her moments of weakness. She felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for the girl and, before she even realized it, she had reached out and grabbed Rin's hand. Gave it a comforting squeeze.

If she had surprised herself, she was even more astonished when the other girl closed her eyes and squeezed back. The warm pressure of her palm and delicate fingers felt strange, but not unpleasant. Then realization set in on both sides and each yanked their hand back as if it were on fire. Rin stared at her suspiciously while Luvia tried to resume her aloof manner.

What had possessed her to do that? After their acrimonious recent history, she had no reason to think Rin would welcome her touch, however well-intentioned. It's just that she looked lonely, and you understand that particular brand of loneliness all too well, don't you?

Luvia forced the unwelcome thought away and coughed awkwardly. "There's another matter. Although you have been duly accepted into the Department of Mineralogy as the Wizard Marshall's apprentice, there's a problem with your chosen schedule. Specifically, the bit where you're planning to attend Lord El-Melloi II's lectures."

"What? Look, I know that Modern Magecraft Theories isn't exactly prestigious, but I think it's been unfairly overlooked. Some of Lord El-Melloi's work in particular -"

"Denied. He is the worst sort of magus; the sort to be avoided by any self-respecting practitioner of the arts. Drop his lecture and find something worthwhile to do with your time."

"No. I want to hear what he has to say." Rin stared up at Luvia defiantly. "I don't agree with everything he says, but he's right that magi place too much emphasis on bloodlines and legacies." She flinched in the face of Luvia's glare, but stubbornly continued."One of the greatest magus I ever met didn't have a lick of breeding or training; hell, he didn't have know how to activate his magic circuits properly. But he brought about a miracle, something that all the Lords in their power could never have managed. So I want to keep an open mind. I don't want to close off any potential avenues, even if they don't come from an approved source." Then the energy seemed to drain out of her and she dropped her gaze to one side, continuing in a quiet tone. "I won't fight you on the rules about friends or romances. But please let me manage my education. I have things I need to do here at the Clocktower, things I can't forget about."

Luvia grabbed Rin's chin, earning her a muffled gasp, and forcibly lifted her head so that their eyes met. She stared deeply into those startled aquamarine eyes, searching for any hint of subterfuge. She saw only confusion and apprehension; of course, there was the possibility that the girl was simply an excellent liar -

"Luvia?"

"If these projects of yours in any way interfere with your duties to the family, or reflect badly on the Edelfelt name, there will be consequences. Have I made myself clear?"

Rin shivered at the intensity of her stare, but to the girl's credit, she did not look away. "Crystal."

"Good. Then on your own head be it." The blonde let go and took a step back, letting the other take a moment to collect herself.

Rin coughed. "Will that be all?"

Luvia tapped her chin thoughtfully. "There's something else, after all. It's past seven, and I imagine you haven't had dinner yet. Left to your own devices, you'll probably poison yourself with some horrible London pub food. I suppose I have no choice but to show you something at least a little civilized."

"... How the hell do you manage to make even a dinner invitation sound like the trial of Sisyphus?"

"I'll choose to ignore your ingratitude. Shall we be off?"

Rin was finding it increasingly difficult to figure out how she felt about her new family head (and wasn't that an unfamiliar concept, after a lifetime of aloof independence). The woman had threatened her with the unspeakable, stripped away the core of her identity, and never seemed to pass up an opportunity to piss her off. Rin was pretty sure she hated her, from her excessive (yet gorgeous, damn her) blonde ringlets, to her arrogant smirk, and right down to the soles of her stupidly expensive shoes.

If only she wasn't also so damn relatable. The old families invariably impressed upon their children the paramount magus virtues of power and nobility, rather than mere human virtues like compassion or humility. Sometimes, late at night as she was preparing for sleep, Rin found herself wondering how things would have turned out had her father survived the war, had been around to mould her into his vision of a proper heir. Hell, only weeks ago she had been callously declaring that she would kill her own sister in the name of her duty.

Not to mention that for all Luvia's disagreeable temperament, she'd been almost decent in terms of what she was actually forcing on Rin. It could have been much worse, especially since she was pretty much honour-bound to take whatever was dished out. Letting her study under Lord El-Melloi II was a concession, one Luvia was hardly obliged to grant. Maybe it was a treat dangled in front of a newly acquired dog to encourage it to behave? Or had it been a moment of genuine sympathy? Her hand still tingled where they had briefly touched before she remembered to put up her guard.

Whatever else, she couldn't fault the blonde's taste in eateries. Dinner had turned out to be a surprisingly low-key affair at a trattoria on a side street, miles away from the extravagant restaurants that Rin had been dreading. The egg pasta with pomodoro sauce was straightforward but delicious, as was the coffee served afterwards. She could almost have forgotten she was accompanying one of the most feared young heiresses of the Magus Association, if not for Aleksi, the ever-faithful bodyguard, discretely keeping watch from a separate table near the exit.

She'd expected Luvia to rip into her table manners, or something equally obnoxious, but the blonde seemed lost in thought throughout most of the meal. Even now, she had her cup held halfway to her lips, her eyes focused somewhere in the distance. Maybe some light conversation would be helpful, to try and bridge the gap between them; they would be living in close proximity for the foreseeable future after well, might as well try to make it bearable.

Rin hesitated, then coughed a little awkwardly. "This place is nice. It feels a bit down-to-earth for a professed aristocrat like you, though."

"Sometimes simple things are best." Luvia looked almost melancholic as she set down her cup, and Rin felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for her. She had thought something similar once, looking at a certain red-haired boy trying again and again to achieve an impossible jump -

"Besides," the blonde continued, "too sophisticated and you would stick out like a sore thumb."

All sympathy evaporated on the spot as Rin felt her temper boil up again. That would teach her for trying to connect with a raging bitch. At times like this, it was all too easy to remember that Rin loathed her, and likely always would.

She was so busy fuming that she barely registered Luvia settling the check before they headed out into the evening. As they walked along the side streets, she considered how she might revenge herself on her oppressor, silently turning over options in her head. The default, and the one she used to favour back home at Homuhara, would be to simply ignore her affronts in favour of out-achieving her. That was the dignified thing to do, the Tohsaka thing to do. But damned if it wasn't tempting to just smack her right in her stupid face with a well-aimed Gandr -

"Planning something underhanded, are we?" said her would-be target, even as she maintained her stride.

Rin startled, and before she could catch herself muttered, "How did -?"

"Ohohoho, you're predictable to a fault. Every time you go quiet and get that look in your eye, you're thinking about petty vengeance. I had ample opportunity to learn the signs in Turku."

"Your sorry excuses for relatives had it coming," she snapped out. She had intended to maintain an icy demeanour, but as always Luvia seemed to crawl under her skin and bring out the worst of her temper.

"Have a care, Rin. Deserved or not, your retaliatory antics earned you a considerable amount of ill-will."

"You're one to talk about antics, you smug cow." She really shouldn't be antagonizing the person who held so much power over her future, but anger propelled her tongue. "For all your talk of grace and elegance, your constant little insults are just about the height of bad manners."

Luvia looked almost defensive as she raised her chin. "Hmph. I'll have you know I am the picture of proper nobility. It's not my fault you bring out the worst in me."

The unexpected similarity to Rin's own recent thoughts only added fuel to the fire. "Don't you try to pin this on me, you - " She cut herself off mid-sentence as her instincts, finely tuned from the Holy Grail War, whispered to her that something was wrong. The street was suddenly quiet, far too quiet for a Monday night in London even in the comparatively secluded streets on the way back to the Clocktower grounds. There wasn't another person in sight, and even the sounds of traffic and ordinary city life seemed muffled, as if coming from a long distance. The air felt increasingly heavy with an unpleasant static.

Luvia was equally tense as she swept the area with her eyes. "Aleksi's gone. If only I hadn't been distracted - "

The shadows on either side of the street suddenly seemed to both darken and lengthen, looming over both girls as they unconsciously moved closer together in defensive postures. Rin felt a powerful wave of nausea as she watched the shadowy forms coalesce into long tendrils of solidified darkness, dredging up the horrible memory of Sakura's cursed Shadow. But it quickly passed as she realized that they didn't feel the same; while these shadows radiated an icy chill, they felt like a comprehensible application of magecraft. They lacked the horrible crawling feeling of the Shadow, the utter fundamental wrongness that had burned the minds of all who saw it.

The thought gave her courage and she quickly reached into her pocket for a gem as the tendrils writhed threateningly above them. When they abruptly tapered into spear-like points and charged down to impale her, she was ready. She hurled the ruby and detonated it, the flash of flame creating an opening in the dark wall that she promptly dodged through. Not a moment too soon, as she heard cracking concrete behind her as the spears tore through the ground she had just vacated.

As she hastily palmed an orange tourmaline, she noted that the shadows were already reforming, rearing up like a malevolent snake. Another blast of fire kept it at bay while she forced herself to stay calm and think about what she knew about shadow-based magic. As frighteningly fast and flexible as it could be, it lacked in raw punching power. If she could narrow down the enemy's location and force them into a head-on confrontation, it shouldn't be too hard to take them down.

Easier said than done; the tendrils were relentless, stabbing relentlessly forward and tearing up the pavement, sending chunks of asphalt flying, as she avoided them by the skin of her teeth. She heard a roar of wind behind her as she stumbled back, hitting something warm with her shoulder.

"Careful, you plebeian -" Luvia had scarcely begun her tirade when Rin, obeying the danger sense that had repeatedly saved her life in the War, unceremoniously caught her shoulder and yanked her down. An instant later, a black scythe-like appendage hissed through the air above them. While Luvia dispersed it with a burst of hurricane-force wind, both girls scrambled to their feet and ran. The spreading shadows followed doggedly at their heels.

Rin was just wondering how long she could keep this up when Luvia grabbed her arm and steered her towards one of the doorways in the buildings lining the street. The other magus kicked the door open easily (Reinforcement, Rin noted distantly) and dragged her in, throwing the door closed behind her. In unison they climbed a nearby flight of stairs, the hall lighting flickering erratically in their wake.

Rin could feel her heart pounding in her ears as they paused to catch their breath on the third floor landing. "You know that won't stop them, right? And this place is full of shadows, why fuel their magic further?"

"They may be hidden, but they aren't intangible. If they want to pursue us, they'll have to come in as well. And a confined space narrows down where they can strike from." Without warning, Luvia moved forward into Rin's personal space, brushing her ear with her lips. Rin felt herself flush as she stammered, "What do you think you're - !?"

"Hush," the blonde whispered, "If I pin them down, can you take them out?"

Rin swallowed hard and nodded. Satisfied, Luvia reached into her sleeve and produced a very odd-looking gem. The bluish-white striations identified it as larimar, but in an unusual cut that left the edges jagged. Moments later, tendrils of black shadow oozed from the stairwell and spread out to surround them once more. Elemental blasts kept them back for a little while, until suddenly the darkness seemed to perceptibly thicken and the tendrils lashed out with renewed strength.

"Now!" Luvia threw up the odd larimar and shattered it in the air, unleashing a rapidly spreading mist that soon covered most of the stairwell. Within seconds, it crystallized into a latticework of serrated ice crystals that criss-crossed throughout the space.

Delicate as the crystals were, they also tinkled loudly when a black shape vaulted through them from the floor below, trying to pass by to the upper reaches. Fortunately, Rin was prepared.

"Gandr!"

The curse flew from her index finger with all the force of a bullet and struck the figure dead on. With a strangled yell, it dropped to the platform with an audible thud and laid there, groaning softly.

Rin moved forward to incapacitate, only to have Luvia put a hand in front of her to hold her back. The Edelfelt heir stepped forward and stood over the prone form. The shadows slowly ebbed away, revealing a as the shadows slowly ebbed away, revealing a pale middle-aged man with thinning black hair. A set of faint scars running over his left eye marred what would otherwise have been a handsome face.

Luvia looked entirely unconcerned as she leaned over him. "Is this to your satisfaction, Jacopo Vendramin?"

The man gave her a tight smile and picked himself up, carelessly brushing dust from his black dress shirt and pants. "Indeed, you and your servant's performance proved quite adequate. We will be in touch." Then with great dignity, as if he had not just fallen a dozen feet to land flat on tile, he nodded their way and headed down the stairs.

Rin immediately sidled up to Luvia. "What's going on here? You know that guy?" she hissed.

The blonde magus patted her hair down to settle it, the very image of serenity. "I'll explain later, when we're in a better location." Her expression turned sharp around the edges. "Gandr,hmm? Well, at least you've managed some proficiency in the spells you stole."

"You should be glad. That "stolen" spell is what brought down your mysterious friend in one piece."

"True, I can't deny its effectiveness. Very well, let's return for the time being. As exciting as this was, whatever cloud that Vendramin cast will be dissipating. I'd rather avoid any unnecessary awkwardness."

After a bit of discrete work to repair the worst of the damage to the stairwell, they headed out into the street and walked along in silence. After a few minutes, Rin cleared her throat.

"Hey Luvia? Just to make things clear, I'm not your servant."

"Don't be silly, Rin," she said with her most gracious smile. "Servants get vacations, after all. You, on the other hand, are forever at my beck and call."

"You - !" Rin sputtered as the blonde walked on ahead with a light laugh and a definite spring in her step. At least her confusion about her feelings had evaporated. She absolutely, definitely hated Luvia Edelfelt.

Author's note: And so the plot finally rears its ugly head. Apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out, life keeps getting in the way. At least it's a longer one this time? Next time we finally get to a certain vampire and all his considerable... quirks. I'll try my best to get it out in a timelier manner.

omaomae, thank you for the review and the kind words. Agreed that Rin's frankly cruel treatment of Sakura in Heaven's Feel is quite off-putting, especially coming on the heels of her sympathetic portrayals in Fate and UBW. I figure though that she made her choice once and for all between being a magus and a human being when she rushed Sakura with Zelretch's blade, and found that in the end, she couldn't bear to hurt her sister. It's an important bit of character development, and one that I want to keep expanding on as this fic moves forward. As for Luvia, in official canon she mostly serves as a foil for Rin, so there's a ton of room for expansion and interpretation. Hopefully I'm not doing too much violence to her character.

sen, thanks for the support.

As well as everyone else who is reading. Feel free to drop me a comment or PM if you have any thoughts.