I'm back and Alice folks! How long has it been? 5 months? Sorry about that. During that time I caught a disease called laziness and writers block. Not sure how long it will go on though. So in the meantime, enjoy yourself on this interlude.

Though I might have made Shirou and Angelica too OC.

Reviews and critics are welcomed, flames too!

It has been approximately 3 weeks since Angelica and I find ourselves stuck here.

Trust was hard to build between one another during our stay here. Especially after we tried to kill each other.

During that 3 weeks. Angelica had already reawakened her magic circuits, while I haven't.

So far, nothing. Turns out, not every method works for every people. Kiritsugu, being the terrible teacher that he is, didn't even bother teaching how to open my circuits after he is done.

Go figures.

Angelica has taken the time to teach me proper English. Even though our relationship is rocky at best. But she still think that teaching me English might improve our odds. Like magecraft, progress is slow. But at least it is still something.

I yawn a little.
It is fairly early in the morning. I don't think anyone besides the two of us is awake.

Usually, we aren't allowed outside access before the appointed time. But we managed to sneak off using the window from both our rooms. Though our landing isn't exactly graceful (My legs still hurts..), we succeed on not waking the rest of the inhabitants.

The plan was to get into the forest and gather the necessary ingredients for some sort of concoction. We already have a few of them down. The rest of them are pretty hard to get, requiring far more careful planning.

The stomach acid of any snake and a rather poisonous mushroom.

...
Yeah.

Currently, we are walking through a thick forest, south of the orphanage and near the village.

"Do you think this is wise?" I ask her.
She stops for a moment to think about her answer.
"No." It was short and simple, but it did its job pissing the hell out of me. Especially when she said it in a completely monotonous voice.

"Why the hell are we here then?"
My irritation grows. I should be sleeping right now.

I don't even know why I agreed to do this. She didn't even bother telling me the use of the concoction. Maybe it was the spur of the moment, the way she demanded me to-

"- sneak out with me tomorrow, before anyone else wakes up. We are going gather some key material."

That made me submit to her so easily. The way her cold blue eyes, devoid of warmth and emotion seemingly gaze into the my soul, freezing everything inside and forcing me to submit to her every wil-

"Brrrrrrr..."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, It just felt cold all of a sudden."

"Hmm..." We walk in silence after that. Nothing but crickets chirping and blowing wind to fill the void.

There isn't anything for the both of us to talk about. We were former enemies too. Even after 3 weeks have passed, there is no guarantee that we will at least be civil with each other.

We are only working together because of a shared goal after all. Everything else is a distraction, at least for her.

So this is a chance for me to thaw the little bit of ice that remain cold between me and her.

Thus without really knowing which topic is good enough. I say the first thing that came into my mind.

"Nice weather we are having." She said.

"Nice weather we are hav—!"
We both stop walking and awkward silence ensues. I cough several times on my hand and look sideways. "Couldn't find a interesting topic to talk about too huh?" "Hmmm... yes."

I sigh and continue walking forward, brushing past her. "At least we tried."
She followed. "Yeah..."

Welp, I can't deny progress. "Are you tired at all?"
"No, are you?"

She seems certain of her answer. But I know that is just her putting a strong front.

Prideful, prideful indeed.

"Pretty sure I am." "So why did you agree to come with me then?"
"Because you told me to."
"Am I to assume you would follow my every whims and demand?"
"Hell no."

"Then why did you agree? Back then, you could have refused. So what's the reason?"
She keep pressing on. Her eyes shows no emotions. Just empty dull blue.
But curiosity can be seen as light as day in them.

Lost all my emotions my ass.

"Well, I can't just let a pretty girl like you wander all on her own, who knows what might happen." I quip with exaggerated hands motion. Raising my shoulders in a 'I don't know' style.

"Oh? Fascinating." She remarks. "Yeah, you see. I fancy myself as quite the gentlema-"
"You are one of those perverts aren't you? The one that would wait for the right opportunity such as this to ensnare girls to add into your harem."

Without so much as a sideway glance, she keep walking forward. While I found myself tripping over nothing and face planting into the ground.

"Oi oi oi, what are you babbling about now?!"
I almost shout.

"Accompanying a girl into the woods so that she might feel safe. That's something a knight in shining armor would do, isn't it?" She might be facing directly away front me, but I can see the tiniest bit of her lip raising upwards.

"How many girls have you ensnare? I'd wager 3 and I'm your next target."

"Oh real funny, you aren't even much to look at." I quip back at her. Knowing that my argument is pretty invalid.

"That may be now, but when this body had matured?" She glance at me with her eyebrows raised. Her face a stoic mask.

"You had your fun yet?" Annoyed, I pick myself up front the ground and go catch up to her.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, anyway we should get going. The sun is almost up. The caretaker might notice our disappearance soon." She said, without missing a beat.

"All right, but you haven't tell me what the concoction is for yet."

"Oh? How forgetful of me." She grab her head in mocking fashion. So this is Angelica now huh?

"It is to awake your Magic Circuits."