3.2

With the Tresillo being punished for the rest of the day, I was unlikely to have access to any of their resources for today's operations. That in and of itself wasn't too significant, the mercenaries were always more beneficial as an intelligence gathering arm for me than as, say, a means for me to beat Saber into submission. Though if what Isabel's summarized notes from the events of last night were any indication, they were doing a rather excellent job of it considering the challenges they faced. They hadn't managed to set up a full surveillance net over Miyama Town as of yet, Archer's interference had ensured that total surveillance over the area wouldn't be available for some time, but nearly all strategically relevant locations had been identified despite that so I allowed myself to be content with that. Any subsequent operation within the district would be done with the benefit of a greater degree of information control than our previous escapades, a fortuitous turn of events and one that I gave Isabel's team full credit for accomplishing.

It was thus unfortunate that Tohsaka had chosen for our meeting to occur, not within the Miyama district, but the Shinto area on the other side of the city. The Hyatt Hotel, more specifically, which was only a few blocks away from Galliasta's Tower. Disconcerting as the girl's choice of locale may be, it did allow me some degree of insight towards Tohsaka's psychology.

When put into a negotiating position, both parties would naturally gravitate towards a location favorable to themselves and detrimental in some way towards the opposition. In due course, a negotiation between equal partners would usually result in the chosen destination being neutral to both, where no notable advantage existed between either party. That the Shinto area was suggested as the neutral zone indicated that she still believed the area to fall under her sphere of influence more than mine or simply held a disposition which was interested in me believing that the Shinto area was where she resided.

I doubted that though, not that she'd try to obscure her location in such a way, but that she actually lived there in the first place. It had been a bit embarrassing, but over the course of the morning I'd realized that I'd met the Tohsaka magus before, in a mansion noticeably close by to one of Fuyuki's leylines. Putting aside for the moment the embarrassment and potential psychological impact my appearance on that day had on Tohsaka, it meant that her sphere of influence was directly within the Miyama district. There was the possibility that she had merely been visiting a friend or relative of course, but the speed with which Archer responded to Isabel's team nixed that possibility in the bud. A Servant wouldn't have responded that quickly to a foreign intrusion when that intrusion occurred on the other side of the city of where they supposedly lived after all.

Which begged the question of why exactly she chose the Hyatt Hotel as her particular meeting place. Did Tohsaka somehow know where I was operating from? It shouldn't be possible, I'd only met with her in the Miyama district, and unless she'd picked something up from the long, long, walk to the Church, she shouldn't have had an inkling towards where my base of operations was. There was a strong possibility that the Priest had told her, I already knew Kotomine wasn't operating as a neutral party, but the rage and irritation the girl had for the man was genuine. I couldn't imagine her being that upset at the Priest if he'd given her such useful information, not unless she was a spectacularly good liar, in which case I wouldn't know if she was anyway.

Regardless, what was verifiable was that Tohsaka had willfully arranged for a meeting on the entire opposite end of the city, far and away from any possible defenses situated within her mansion. Such a situation practically begged for an assassination attempt on the girl, and if the purpose of my meeting was not to verify her suitability as a potential Master I might very well have done so. In that, at least, lay an advantage. Tohsaka was likely trying to determine some way to gauge my reliability, and choosing not to jump at such an obvious bait may very well convince her that I was trustworthy.

Whether that spoke to some deeply embedded arrogance that she could survive baiting a potentially hostile Servant, or that she possessed the skill and wherewithal necessary to survive an assassination attempt, was difficult to determine with the information given. Despite that uncertainty, I doubted that Archer would be feeling so laissez faire about his Master's safety after the close call she'd experienced last night. The odds of neutralizing her today was likely to be low, if for no other reason than that surely, they'd have something in place should I try to kill her.

I glance towards my watch, another design that was small, fashionable and possessed of a parallel evolution in design philosophy that ensured it was only tangentially aware of the concept of practicality. Nonetheless, its tiny little hands told me that it was about twenty minutes before noon, so at the very least I wouldn't be late. Tohsaka had not gone so far as to elaborate on a specific location within the hotel for us to meet, so I reasoned that waiting by the lobby of the main entrance was a fair enough area to wait for her.

Cognizant of the fact that I was unwilling to walk out into the Akinese public wearing what I was beginning to delightfully identify in my head as my Servant uniform, I'd once again asked Galliasta's concubines for their help. Perhaps it was the fact that so much had happened since I last spoke with them that my previous experience with the girls had somehow slipped my mind, but the gleam in their eyes and the exuberance with which they set about dolling me up ensured that I would not make such a pedestrian mistake anytime soon. Worse yet, I'd decided to be somewhat honest with the girls, telling them that I was planning on meeting someone for lunch and dinner. That did not make things any easier for myself, and after much fussing and questions and details about who I was meeting with, I now had two outfits; one for my lunch meeting and the other for dinner.

This time, they'd opted not to put me in that pastel monstrosity from before, which I was thankful for, though once they pulled out some of the racier elements they'd intended to stuff me into I had to put my foot down. In the bloody aftermath of that battle of wills, I was now clothed in a one piece, long sleeved, black dress that closed itself around my neck with some degree of discomfort. The dress's design was visually interesting, starting at a pitch-black hue around my shoulders and sleeves, until one's gaze went down and reached a series of geometric designs in grey which continued all the way until the end of my skirt that ended around my knees. A belt tied it all together, literally, setting itself upon my waist as a pair of knee-high boots complete the ensemble.

All told, even I could concede that Galliasta's concubines were remarkably eagle eyed in the many ways one can, in their words, 'rock an outfit'. While I had to admit that I was somewhat getting used to my 'uniform', the clothing given to me by the Grail was less than appropriate for blending in with the crowd. While the dress that the concubines had prepared for me was eye-catching in an all-together different manner, it wouldn't attract the kind of attention that so often precipitated smug Servants and battles to the death. Maybe if I was lucky, someone would simply consider me to be a rather well put together young woman instead of the mystical superweapon that I'd accidentally become somehow.

At the very corner of my senses, I felt the presence of another Heroic Spirit, perhaps a bit to the north and above me, which would roughly correlate to a position opposite the main entrance of the hotel, thus giving the Servant an eagle's eye view of the hotel lobby. Beyond the typical trickle of anxiety that seeps into my system every time one of my kind showed itself, I wasn't too concerned; the hint of oil and steel and ash I was getting off this one told me that it was Tohsaka's Archer, which meant his Master was likely already on her way. After all, a Servant with such potent long-range capabilities wouldn't need to announce his presence like that unless he wanted to, so I think it was safe to assume that I would be met by his Master and not a saturation bombardment of the surrounding area.

A few minutes later my hunch was proved right, and Rin Tohsaka entered the scene. From a completely objective analysis of her clothing vis a vis her body, she seemed aesthetically pleasing, with a crimson sweater thing and a black skirt that seemed scandalously short, though that was only vaguely ameliorated by her own thigh-highs. I suppose that, worn with a certain confidence, it would have granted her a certain degree of grace; as it was, her effort was completely undermined by the uncertain gaze she graced her surroundings with. That was to be expected I suppose, while I was no Assassin, I doubted that my 'attempt' at killing her would have done anything to set her at ease.

I rose from my seat, taking care to note that I was as presentable as could be expected of me, and approached her in the open. Soon enough she spotted me, which seemed to set her heart at ease, only for her anxiety to spike once more. Eyes barely keeping focus on me, her fingers travel-some and incapable of staying still. I gave her a soft smile as I finally reach her; as much as I'd have liked to jump into the meat of the matter, I suspected doing so now would be less than constructive.

"You look very nice." I comment, causing her head to swivel so quickly and so abruptly I feared she might have snapped her own neck. Her eyes snapped reflexively to my own clothes, whereupon the embarrassment seemed too much to bear, as her gaze seemed to latch on to my clothes and away from my face. I nearly frowned, I didn't overdress, did I?

"Yo-you look nice as well, Caster." She eventually ground out, and my smile brightened. Not overdressed then, that was good. "I hope you weren't waiting too long, I wanted to get here earlier but something came up and-"

I waved a hand to her, forestalling whatever else she wanted to say. "Don't worry about it, really. I only just arrived." I lied smoothly. "For a moment, I was wondering whether I should reveal myself honestly."

She blinked at that, confused, so I clarified with a wry smile. "Well, it's just that what with Archer hanging over us both, I wasn't certain whether I'd be able to make it to you without getting peppered by half the blades in your Servant's inventory."

Tohsaka's eyes widened at my words, her gaze taking me in, and it seemed that my comment struck her dumb for a moment. I suppose that was only fair, if I were a Master in this war, I wouldn't have considered myself to be particularly inclined towards a positive mindset if an opposing Servant had so casually noted her security arrangements. At least not when such arrangements were so candidly mentioned aloud. Nonetheless, I waited a few moments until the girl had regained her ability to speak.

"We-I-Archer would never do that." Rin eventually eeped out. "He's just here to watch over us while we- while we talk."

I gave her words some thought, before eventually frowning.

"That seems rather unlike him." I pondered aloud. From my interactions with him and from what I'd seen of him in battle, he didn't seem like the type to so meekly watch over his Master and a potential enemy, especially when the aforementioned enemy could so easily kill his Master at will. Perhaps if his Master was bait, and he had a weapon capable of killing me with minimal fuss, then perhaps I could see him holding his fire. He seemed, if nothing else, a delightfully logical sort. It was a shame I was aiming to replace him.

Her brow quirked at that, a curious look on her face. "Oh? And what makes you say that, Caster?"

A shrug. "Common sense really. A negotiation between Masters might be permissible because, being mortal, there is a certain assumption of equitability in terms of ability. A Magus might be superior to another, but at the very least they'd both be Magi. In a negotiation such as this- well, forgive me Miss Tohsaka, but I feel that your Servant would be well within his rights to be nervous for you."

Tohsaka blinked at that, before rallying and giving me a considering look, the faint blush of her cheeks soon becoming the only hint of her earlier unease. "Ah. So, are you saying that I should be negotiating with Isabel, or that I should be worried for my safety when in your presence?"

I smiled. "Neither, we're speaking in hypotheticals after all. I would not dare impugn a lady's judgement upon who she would cavort with, neither would I imply that such a lady would be anything but safe in my presence. I'm a woman of my word after all."

It was a useful thing, to have had several decades of experience in fending off foreign dignitaries with far more experience in wordplay than a teenage girl. It was also useful to play into the reputation I'd built of being a creature of scrupulous duty and unbending honor, I'd worked damn hard at building that reputation after all.

She blinked at my words, taking a moment to digest them for a moment, before averting my gaze. Silence fell over us both as we considered one another, without the rigors of combat or potential for violence, less important details could be appreciated. We were roughly equivalent in height, though I noted rather pettily that she wasn't even wearing heels for the occasion while I, in turn, had had been given boots that didn't overtly increase my height. Digging through that pale mask she wore, I considered the strong possibility that the girl seemed rather nervous. That was only fair I suppose, betting one's life on the existence of someone else's 'honor' was not bound to be a particularly comfortable experience for anyone, nevermind doing so with a creature capable of snapping her neck faster than she could blink.

Nonetheless, the fact that she was here spoke to her bravery, and I didn't find all that much pleasure in leaving her in such a state of unease. "Well, Miss Tohsaka-"

"Rin." She replied quickly, which I frowned at before she clarified herself. "Rin. I'd prefer it if you called me Rin."

I suppose that was fair enough. Negotiations between polities did not resemble negotiations between people in any meaningful way, and I suppose I'd lose nothing by allowing her this small concession. Nonetheless, some equivalency was a given in these sorts of things, and I allowed my amusement to shine through my eyes. "Very well. Rin it is then, but only if you'd call me Tanya as well."

Her smile froze at that, for the briefest of moments, before she nodded. 'Tanya it is, then. Have you eaten yet? I haven't eaten yet. Do you still like Akinese? There's an Akinese ramen shop on the third floor we could try, if you'd be willing to."

I blinked at the sudden rush of words as I processed her question. How did she know I like Akinese? "Well, yes I suppose but-"

"Great." The girl grinned, her hand making a sort of spasming motion before she paused, as though struggling with something internally. A few seconds later, whatever hesitation she may have had dissipated entirely as she grabbed me by the hand and led me deeper into the hotel.

I'd been in my share of hotels in my time. There was a period right after the war, when annual meetings between OZEV states were a given but when the infrastructure to support such meetings had yet to be established, that a variety of hotels had sprung up around Berun to service foreign dignitaries. Partly due to the fact that I didn't want to be perceived as some distant Hegemon, as well as the fact that it was simply more expedient to stay in the same building as the dignitaries I'd been planning on talking to, I grew used to staying within those hotels, much to the frustration of my security detail. As such, I had the unique position of watching the hospitality industry mature as an institution, a position that became much more enjoyable after a few quiet suggestions had allowed those institutions to more quickly rid themselves of the rot and outdated policies that mired them in sluggish mediocrity. The experience repeated itself after Albion, Akitsushima, Germania, Magna Rumeli and the Unified States established the League of Nations, and I had to suffer through another round of inept hospitality service until the accord was signed and I could assign a diplomatic group to handle that forum without my immediate supervision.

Compared to those dark days at the Blisswood Pines, the Hyatt seemed considerably more pleasant in comparison. It seemed to deliberately ape Germanian design, though thankfully in its use of more modern technology and basic principles, not so much the, admittedly dry, nature of our architecture. Holographic panels showcasing the available restaurants, services and events peppered the air every few dozen feet or so, and I noted the luggage being carted off by waist high drones with more similarity to mobile garbage bins than the presumably state of the art machinery they actually were. I also couldn't help but notice that the security for the Hyatt was considerably more adroit than what would be typical for a civilian institution, in that there seemed to be cameras scanning through every inch of the grounds. Tohsaka, that is to say, Rin, did not seem particularly bothered by this, and so we passed through the hotel in silence, her mood not particularly conducive for conversation.

Eventually however, the silence had to pass. Whether due to her inexperience with these kinds of negotiations or a desire to keep the conversation moving, by the time we finally seated ourselves in a restaurant that seemed more tourist trap than Ramen shop, its Rin that breaks the silence first.

"Is it all that you expected it'd be, to be back in the world again?"

I blinked, before glancing over to the girl. Her eyes seemed intent on the window outside, the hustle and bustle of the city below seemingly distracting her. It was an admirable effort, and if not for the fact that her eyes were focused on nothing at all down below, I might have even believed it a casual question. Nonetheless, I had no reason to answer dishonestly, so I didn't.

"Honestly, it's like I never left." I responded dryly, as I took one of those warm little towels they gave us and began wiping my hands with it. "The sun still shines, people remain irrationally bound to rules that only make sense in their own heads, and powers refuse to cooperate with each other unless it is the absolute final option. It's as though I never died in the first place."

Rin blinked at that, drawn away from the window by my words, and she didn't seem to know whether to frown or to laugh. I smiled slightly at her discomfort.

"I'm joking, at least only partly. I don't recall having quite so much latitude with what I can do with my magic, and I certainly never knew anything about you Magi." I frowned at that. "Disconcerting really, I feel like a lot of the small mysteries during my time in office are now revealed to be neither all that mysterious, nor all that small."

"I'm not surprised." She ventured cautiously, her hands following my example as she reached for the warm towel. "My Father always said that the Magus families were always very cautious in countries with your influence; the closer it was to Berun, the more dangerous it was to move around freely. I think he said once that, back in the eighties, a Magus in Berun would have about twenty minutes after using a spell before someone comes looking for them."

"Well it's the first time I'm hearing about this." I muttered in irritation, much to Rin's amusement, as she tried to obscure her smile with a dainty hand. I knew I gave Elya a great deal of latitude when dealing with certain internal threats, but this was all a bit much wasn't it? It was one thing to obscure that one operation with the communists all those years ago, but I feel rather put off that I was only hearing about the magical equivalent of the illuminati after I died. "Though I suppose that would go some way of explaining why I never met most of your kind, if my security forces were so adroit in clearing out such incidents."

Rin shrugged. "I doubted that your people on the ground would have even realized what Magi were if they even did manage to catch them. My Father said that the Clock Tower was very particular about making sure that information about our world never reached the Mage population as a whole, and you in particular."

I blinked. "And why was that?"

"Because my Father and his allies pushed for it." She noted, with not a bit of pride. "Tohsaka Tokiomi was much more cognizant of what was happening outside the moonlit world than the rest of his compatriots. He saw the rise of the Magic of the Spheres as something to be studied and considered, but that it should not be done while you were alive. I think he saw you as something of a threat, someone who could not be allowed even a foothold into our world. The Clock Tower generally agreed, though the vast majority of his suggestions were ignored; Magi kept going to Berun for example, even when my Father thought doing so was too dangerous."

I blinked again. Vaguely, I supposed that I should be flattered at the regard some dead magus had in relation to me, even if it seemed almost pathologically paranoid of him to do so. Still, I wasn't about to interrupt her, not only because this glimpse into a hidden world I never knew was actually somewhat fascinating, but because whatever anxiety that had previously kept her quiet seemed to be slowly eroding as she spoke. I wasn't entirely sure whether it was due to the fact we were talking about things she was at least halfway knowledgeable about, or whether it was due to the pride she felt for her father, but I knew better than to interrupt her at this point.

"Well I know that Berun isn't exactly the ghastliest place in the world." I smiled, my tone obviously joking. "But I can't imagine it to be so notable that mages flock to it as you described, not if it was supposedly so dangerous."

She shook her head. "It's nothing to do with whether it's ghastly or not. It's that Berun was, and still very much is, the capital of the world. If anything of importance was to happen, it was assured that whispers of it would be heard in Berun before anywhere else. There were some that found that appealing, and a few others that didn't, but thought to involve themselves in the city for fear of losing out against their rivals."

Ah, well that did make sense then. That was game theory at its most basic, to maneuver oneself in the most advantageous position and simultaneously block your opposition from doing the same. I leaned in close. "But not your Father. He seemed a cautious man, at least from what you've described."

The magus seemed about to respond, before freezing for a moment and averting her gaze. A moment later, one of the shop's staff arrived, all smiles and gentle obedience, to take our order. I deferred to Rin's choice, pork ramen with a variety of side dishes, and merely ordered the same thing she did. Her ears turned red at that, the waitress smiling indulgently at us for some wretched reason, until she received our orders and left.

The interruption had, irritatingly enough, cut into the tempo of our conversation. Rin had become silent again, eyes adrift somewhere else, and for a moment I considered what to say next.

"I never knew my Father." I noted, and gratifyingly enough I'd instantly caught her attention. "I was an orphan after all, and though I never particularly tried to find out the truth of the matter, I was told that he was some member of the military that died for the glory of the Fatherland. Of course, that's what they'd tell everyone then. Such institutions were meant to nurture the dregs of society into something worthwhile, and such a mindset embedded into a child would be fairly useful."

I wasn't lying per se, this was exactly the truth of my history; the history of this world anyway. In times long past, when I was but a simple functionary, my Father had been a dry yet completely acceptable member of Japanese society. The kind of man that would show up to his job, execute it with unremarkable efficacy, and repeat the process nigh infinitum until the day he died decades later. I doubted such information would be particularly useful in this case, either for greasing the wheels of this conversation or relatability, so I didn't feel very badly about stretching the truth.

Rin perked up at that, and at the very least I was assuaged that my 'Father' in this reality was of considerably more use than the other one. "That sounds difficult." She remarked, eyes set on me, and I shrugged.

"I suppose, though I was really rather used to it." I smiled. "But considering the course of my life, I don't think I would have changed it so much. I think that conflict has a way of bringing one's character to the fore, not the miscellaneous rubbish and rot that we so often pick up and carry with us for far too long, but the real core of what one can be. It certainly wasn't pleasant at the time, but even I had to admit that such conflict shaped me into the person I am today."

My gaze shifted to her, and I noted that despite her earlier aloofness, she was now hanging on to my word. "Or like how this conflict is likely to shape you for years to come."

She blinked at that, before realizing her posture and her attention was noted, and attempted to retreat to her shell of mildly interested aloofness. "I suppose you're right, Caster-"

"Tanya." I reminded her gently. She blushed.

"R-right." She muttered, her attempt at aloofness falling flat on its face. "Tanya."

I leaned back for a moment. Finally, at least we were getting somewhere. "Now, far be it from me to enjoy such pleasant company when offered to me, I imagine there was a reason that you invited me out here. I presume that it has something to do with the war, and while we are ostensibly on opposite sides of a seven way….I think an old acquaintance would have called it a clusterfuck, that does not mean we must be uncivilized to one another."

Rin nodded suspiciously at that, as though cautious at where exactly I was going with this. I smiled. "As such, I'm glad that you reached out to me. Barring the unfortunate misunderstanding from last night, I would rather not fight you or Archer unless absolutely necessary."

She seemed to blink at that, eyes narrowing and her gaze sharpening, and for a moment I consider whether it was a mistake to remind her that I could have nearly killed her last night. Was quite capable of doing so, if not for my whim. She placed her hands to her lap, seemingly settling something deep within her, before her eyes flickered back to me.

"Don't presume to be so familiar with me, Tanya." The girl spoke imperiously. "Of all the competitors, the Three Houses of Tohsaka, Matou and Einzbern are the clear frontrunners to win this war. It's true that I reached out to you first, but that just means you should be honored to have been approached at all. I could have just as easily allied myself with Emiya and gone on to win the war without you."

I blinked, taking in her words for a moment. That was true enough, she could have done so and I think I would have found myself rather hard-pressed to neutralize her bloc all that cleanly. At the very least it would have necessitated the use of Lancer, but I wasn't about to let her know about that particular ace in the hole.

Nonetheless, the fact that she didn't reach out to Emiya, despite apparently having known him prior the war, told me that the possibility of such an alliance in that direction was more unlikely than it would initially appear. I was inclined to think of that uncertainty as a benefit: while I could theoretically operate in an alliance between Saber, Archer and myself, the mechanics of such a relationship would be much more complex than a simple alliance between the Tohsaka group and myself.

Nonetheless, there was no need to antagonize her, so I merely nodded. "True enough. Those three families have participated in this war for decades, and as such you three would doubtlessly be the most experienced in waging this kind of war. My own experience in waging war does not so readily apply in the kind of environment we find ourselves in, but I suppose that enough of it carries over that I believe I can make a few presumptions."

Her eyes narrowed at that, but I didn't stop to allow her space to think on my words for too long before I continued. "The primary insight that I could offer is that if any one of those three Houses were capable of overwhelming the other two and winning the war, it would have been done so a long time ago. Despite the fact that this conflict is not a continuous one, thus giving each Family time to prepare, and given the…four prior chances each Family has had to break through the stalemate, it has yet to happen. Which means that each group likely exists in a state of functional stability-."

Understanding bloomed in her eyes, and she opened her mouth, only for me to continue over her.

"-which means that, as circumstances currently exist, neither you nor the Einzberns nor the Matous are currently capable of ending this war by yourselves." I quirked my brow at her. "Certainly, all three of you would likely try, but repeating the same mistake with the assumption that things would magically change seems somewhat foolish don't you think? If I were given to hypothesizing, I suspect that this is the reason for why the other four participants are here; to help tip the balance of power from one side or the other."

My words seemed to have riled the girl up, and she nearly growled in response. "That is not at all the reason for the seven participants, Tanya."

"Well yes, perhaps the original reason was due to some magical conundrum that needed solving." I conceded easily enough, much to her apparent frustration. "But that hardly matters for any rational actor involved in the war. If a stalemate exists between the strongest factions involved in this war, it behooves one to make an alliance with one of those factions so as to increase their odds of success. As a representative of the Tohsaka, you have to realize this as well. It's why even though you remarked that you could form an alliance with either myself or Emiya, you did not go so far as to say that you would win this war alone."

I blinked sedately at the girl, who seemed perhaps three steps away from having a psychotic break and butchering everyone within the restaurant. Thankfully, I'd timed my approach well, and right before she could say anything more our orders arrived. The waitress seemed to note the sudden change in atmosphere, but wisely got out quickly before the aftereffects of our conversation could spill over to her.

The waitress had scarcely left earshot when Rin spoke again, eyes bright. "If that's the case, Tanya, then it makes more sense for me to ally with the Einzberns or the Matou, wouldn't it?"

I nodded, snapping my chopsticks in one smooth motion. "True. But if it was that simple, it would have happened by now, no? You three families, the Tohsakas, the Einzberns, the Matous-, all of you have been at this for far too long, with far too much effort and loss, to stop now. The logical thing would be for the three of you to have joined forces and wipe out the other four applicants in the war, that might even have happened in the first few wars honestly, but what would happen then? All three of you would be back to where you started, stuck in a three-way stalemate, except this time without any leverage with which to use to break it. If any of you were capable of talking out your problems, we wouldn't all be in the fifth iteration of this war by now."

Perhaps it was the heat from our orders creating some kind of illusory effect, but I could swear that there was actual steam blowing out of Rin's head at this point. I ignored her, looking down at my order and muttering thanks before I dug in.

I did not believe I was wrong. Everything I'd described tracked with what I understood about the Holy Grail War, and explained the actions of both the Tohsaka and Einzbern so far. The latter had been arrogant and imperious and dismissive, but had very deliberately not antagonized me to the point of outright hostility, presumably in case I needed to be reeled in to her side if necessary. The former had gone so far as to ensure a boy who knew nearly nothing about this was properly informed so as to potentially set up a possible ally, and when that investment had failed to pan out, immediately went on to arrange a meeting with me to secure a potential alliance.

One could keep as many secrets as one wanted, but unspoken words meant nothing compared to one's action, and when those actions were compared to the competitive framework of the Holy Grail War, it left few other alternatives.

Eventually, Rin spoke again, practically grinding out her words through her teeth. "Let's say that you're right, that what you've described is the reality of things as they are. What will you do now?"

She seemed expectant of an answer, so I chewed on my response, both figuratively and literally. After a few moments, I responded.

"I don't know." I admitted. "I haven't decided yet."

"You don't know?" She hissed. "I thought you were the Kaiserin, I presumed you'd have a plan thought out by now."

"Well yes, I suppose I do, in a sense." I shrugged, which seemed to mollify her. "Let's say I have several plans, I'm merely…digesting, so to speak."

My answer seemed only to incense her further, and I felt compelled to clarify my position lest she do something rash. "From what I understand, the most reasonable option from my perspective would be to ally with one of the three major families and leverage that position into a means with which to win the war."

Left unspoken was the other plan, to collect a group consisting of the other three unaligned participants in the war and form a coalition to neutralize the Three Families. That, in and of itself, was likely to have both the most and the least complications- Lancer was already on board after all, but an alliance with those other three would include Saber, an opponent I had no real way of neutralizing effectively without going for her Master first. The fourth duo was a mystery, though considering their performance in the war so far, they were likely to remain in the shadows and watch from afar. Honestly, that was the most prudent thing to do, and if not for the circumstances I'd found myself, something I would have preferred doing as well.

I wasn't sure about the efficacy of this path to be quite honest. I'd have to rely on the element of surprise, or risk the other three banding together in an effort to survive my coalition. Additionally, my strike against Einzbern, Matou and Tohsaka would have to be total; all three had to be knocked out of the war lest one survive and potentially split my coalition and turn them against me. Then, even in a situation wherein we succeed and all three are removed, those that remain would be incentivized to turn on the others at the first opportunity, which depending on the surviving members could easily lead to a no win scenario.

Not the most effective plan, but it was certainly on the table, and it was better than walking around the war without a plan in the first place.

She leaned back, seemingly satisfied. "Well then, that settles things. If you're inclined towards the most beneficial alliance with one of the Three Families, it would make the most sense for you to align yourself with me."

Rin seemed quite pleased with herself for coming to that conclusion, a self-assured look on her face that quickly faded as it became clear that I hadn't said anything to confirm or deny her assertion. Her eyes narrowed, her visage turning to irritation.

"What?"

Her tone may as well be chipped out of polar ice for all the warmth it possessed, and I gave an apologetic smile. "I would hate to displease you unnecessarily-"

"Far too late for that, I think."

"But one cannot make an informed choice without, well, being informed." I say, keeping a pleasant smile on my face. "I'm sure that the Tohsaka are powerful and wise, but surely you can't expect anyone to come to a well-reasoned decision without being aware of all the facts first. It would be far more beneficial for me to possess all the facts, and thereafter, joining you with the assurance that I picked your side regardless of whatever else the rest had to offer me."

Rin stared at me, her eyes narrowing, calculation in her eyes as she seemed to dwell on my words. I took the sudden reprieve as an excuse to continue my lunch, which seemed to further incense the girl even further. Nonetheless, she remained quiet until my bowl was finished and I sighed with contentment, whereupon she whirled on me with a concerning degree of aggression.

"Okay. Alright." Rin muttered, her hands having long since left her lap and were now pressed against each other on the table. I think she was trying to replicate my hand gestures, only that she was too infuriated to really do so. "You want facts? You want information? Fine, okay. You want to know about the Einzberns? The Matou? Okay! I can work with that!"

I blinked, only for her to lean over, eyes narrowed. "I'm willing to trade you any and all information the Tohsaka would have on the Matou and the Einzberns. Entire generations worth of information on our 'stalemate', all for your perusal. How's that for 'what I can offer you'?"

She seemed to wallow in silent victory after that, drunk on having apparently come to a worthwhile solution to…whatever problem she was trying to solve in her head, really.

Still, if her intent was to keep me within her orbit of influence, it was certainly an effective approach. It had been clear to me for a while now that Galliasta's information on the Three Families were, for the most part, insufficient. What information he possessed had gone through multiple hands, multiple voices distorting the truth, and it was obvious that at least some of that information was suspect. The Einzbern had, after all, planted a lead with the intent to lure potential enemies into a pre-prepared killzone. If not for the Einzbern Master's whim, I'd probably have had to fight my way out with a rabid Berserker on my heels, not exactly how I would have preferred to end the night.

Eventually I looked over to Rin, still crowing in pleasure, and coughed gently to grab her attention. When that failed to do so, I did it again, whereupon she jerked away from her reverie and turned to me.

"Okay, that's more than acceptable to me." I remarked, placing my eyes onto hers, noting her delighted expression. "What are your terms?"

She froze at that, and for a moment I imagined that a thousand thoughts seemed to stream into her head all at once as she considered her options. I waited patiently for her to decide on a course of action; far be it from me to pressure someone into a decision without allowing them to consider all the facts. It would just make me look hypocritical if I pressured her here really, even if clumsiness on her part would likely benefit me.

"M-my ter-" She began, only for her voice to squeak, necessitating for her to reach towards a nearby glass of water which she demolished in three quick gulps. I continued to wait patiently regardless, and by the time she finished her glass she turned her attention to me with revitalized triumph.

"My terms-" Rin repeated, her lips carefully enunciating her demands. "Is that any and all such information would be granted to you in trust. You can't share this information with anyone else, including your Master. Beyond that, I have security concerns, so any reading of this information should only be done in t-the Tohsaka Manor."

She paused briefly, glancing over to me to see my reaction, whereupon I nodded in agreement. That seemed reasonable enough, certainly I would have probably demanded the same if I was in control of such valuable information. The Tohsaka Master almost purred in delight at that, before continuing.

"Ahem. Beyond that, I want a state of non-aggression to exist between your group and mine." She noted boldly. "You might not want to throw your lot in with me, and irritating though that may be, I understand. However, I will not allow anything I tell you to be turned against the Tohsaka once you've learnt what you needed to. It also means that we don't necessarily have to come to each other's aid in case of an attack from another Master, but then by doing so you'd be risking the loss of my resources if they somehow succeed in besting me."

Ah, I see. How remarkably cunning of her. Beyond the perfunctory details, that non-aggression pact essentially meant that while she wouldn't stick her neck out for me unless she had anything to gain from it, it also forced me to bail her out if I considered that her life was under significant threat. I could easily imagine that whatever information she'd have on hand in regards to the Einzberns and Matous would likely be hidden behind some magical lock and key. If she died, then I'd lose my source of information.

"Very well, though I hasten to add that any deliberate falsehoods in the information granted to me would dissolve this non-aggression pact. Upon learning of all the facts, should I seek to side with the Tohsaka, then that would be all well and good. But if you would seek to paint the other two Families in a negative light so as to influence my decision via deliberate manufacture and distribution of any falsehoods, then our deal is over."

Rin scoffed at that. "Fair enough. I would also add that we should share any relevant information regarding the safety of the other participant whenever applicable-"

"Objection." I noted calmly, much to Rin's apparent irritation. "Relevant information is much too vague. If I were to hear from, say, the Matou Master that you were an irritant and needed to be disposed of, in passing then I imagine that I'd have to constantly report any and all such information, even if it ultimately amounts to nothing. If we have to entertain this particular addendum, I'd say that we should share such information that portrays a credible threat to the other party."

Silence fell upon my statement, which I took as her mulling over my addition. Eventually, when that silence endured far past what would be considered reasonable, I looked away from my meal and towards the Tohsaka Master.

Her gaze was set to the table, a hard, expression on her face that was equal parts cold and vulnerable at the same time. Her grip on her chopsticks had tightened enough that it threatened to crack beneath her fingers, and there was a slight increase in her breathing that suggested an elevated heartrate. Her eyes were narrowed, as though deep in thought, and the glassy nature of her stare changed not one bit even when I reached my hand out to hers.

"I-If it means that much to you, we could just share any relevant information." I noted lamely, somewhat concerned by the sudden change in her persona. Rin blinked at my words, before eventually shaking her head, the gesture seemingly much more weary than it had been seconds ago.

"N-no, it's fine." She waved my concern off, though she did not move her hand away from mine. "Your suggestion is good, I agree."

I frowned. I doubted that it was anywhere close to even resembling fine, considering Rin's sudden loss of vitality. Despite that, I knew better to pry, and merely smiled gently instead.

"Let's take a break for now. It's been an exciting lunch period for the both of us, and I think we've hashed out the meat of the matter."

She gave a grimace, before shaking her head. "Fair enough, though I think that I'll be retiring for now. It's been an…interesting negotiation, certainly, but if you have no intention of standing by me as an ally, then I'll have to settle my affairs and prepare for the war in my own way. Even if you aren't going to harm me, there are other participants that wouldn't be quite so agreeable as you."

My frown deepened. This was serious then, both in regards to Rin's mood as it was for our agreement. I suspected that if I let her go now, then while the letter of our agreement would stand, I doubted that the potential for an alliance would be very much in the cards. Despite the frailties in her bloc, as seen with Kotomine's influence, I was not so eager to write off a potential alliance with Tohsaka Rin unless absolutely necessary.

"I have nothing else to do for the afternoon." I smile, tactfully leaving out my dinner with the Einzbern child. "Let me come with you. At the very least that way I could settle any concerns about you backing out of the agreement. I'm sure there are plenty of things in the Tohsaka library that I'd find particularly interesting."

Emotion flared in her eyes again, and she made a face at me, causing my grin to widen. Experience had told me that a sad, morose, woman was far more difficult for me to handle than an angry one. Perhaps it had something to do with my emotional obtuseness, but at the very least I was more comfortable with outright anger than I was with quiet depression.

"Are you saying that you think I'd back out of my word? Me? The Heir of the Tohsaka?"

I licked my lips. Intonation and phrasing were the important part here. "No, not at all." I answered glibly. "But it is a convenient way for me to watch out for you without me injuring your pride. It's obvious that you're uncomfortable in some way, and even if we aren't in a formal alliance for now, I derive no pleasure in seeing you hurt."

Rin blinked at my announcement, before blinking again. Several moments passed in confused silence before, just as suddenly as her bad mood had manifested, her face transformed into a tomato. The girl made a panicked sound in her throat, halfway between a dolphin's squeal and a cat's death rattle, before she snatched her hand, still held in my grasp, away from mine.

"I-I'll pretend I didn't hear that." She eeped out, her eyes panicked. I leaned back slightly, reeling my hand back to the rest of me, even as she seemed to struggle with what to say.

"Of course."

"And you'll be leaving, yes?" She said again, her gaze anywhere but in front of her. "Leaving with me?"

"If you want me to."

"I-I'll be returning to my home. There are preparations I have to make, and I wouldn't want you to be caught unprepared-"

"I always wondered what the inside of your house was like. It seemed rather nice on the outside."

This reminder, that I remembered our first meeting, seemed to be too much for her. Rin quieted down, head to the floor, essentially dead to the world as I waved for the waitress to come over with our bill. When the waitress did arrive, she seemed to be doing her absolute best in containing her mirth, her smile only slightly peeking out of the bounds of propriety. I gave her a shrug, Rin was a teenager after all, and thus prone to irrationality and impulse. For whatever reason, this only seemed to amuse the waitress even more, and she walked away with a grin plastered onto her face.

"Fine, you asked for it." Rin ground out, standing suddenly as she focused her gaze on me. It seemed particularly difficult for her to do so, so I merely stared back at her expectantly, which didn't seem to set her at ease. She turned away, taking half a dozen steps towards the exit before turning around, frowning at me, then walking off once again.

I sighed as I stood to follow her. It was easier when 'relevant information' simply amounted to who I had to kill and where they were hiding from me. Things were much more complicated with this Holy Grail War nonsense, even if I had to concede that I was having much more fun than I initially anticipated.

Author's Note: In case one has yet to see it, Eiznel over on spacebattles made some wonderful fanart of Caster Tanya that you really should take a look at. It really is wonderful, and might as well be canon as far as I'm concerned.

Edit: Corrected error on Tanya's musings on the other Servants.

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