Tohsaka makes sure the scorched earth left by the blast wave isn't about to spark a firestorm. Then she, her Servant, and the small man make their way back inside. Once seated, Taiasu rummages through his pack and tosses onto the table five more small glowing crystals, each distinct in color. The girl sits at the table, staring at the five crystal shards.

None of them were crimson, and each time she touched one, she had to fight her instinct to recoil. The violet shard made her skin tingle. Amber felt dry. Sapphire felt cold, and she could feel some strange pressure from the emerald-colored shard. The lapis shard just made her skin feel wet. The amber-colored shard catches her eye.

Wait… This is the same color as…

Her eyes widen slightly. "So what was that other stone?"

Taiasu glances up at her. "Huh? Which one?"

"The one you held before you started to glow?"

Taiasu's eyes go half-wide. "Oh, that. That's not like these. That's a special crystal. It's… well, the shortened version is that it's a library of knowledge accumulated over generations." He pulls out the stone in question.

He stares at the stone, smiling as one might at an old friend. "This stone houses many lifetimes' worth of knowledge about the ways of the Monks of Ala Mhigo," he says. "The longer we have it, the more we build our skills, the more books in that library become open to us."

Tohsaka's head tilts. "We? Then there's more?"

"There are," he says, nodding. "They're rare, but not unique. Without these, becoming a skilled monk would take years, and becoming a master would put me well past my prime to go adventuring. And mastering more martial disciplines wouldn't be possible."

Her eyes widen further. "More…? So there are more types of these stones?"

He nods again. "Each stone is pretty similar, but also different in a few ways. Flat like the sort you'd skip across a lake, and small enough to hold in your hand. And each containing a treasure trove of knowledge."

He brings out an obsidian colored stone, in the rough shape of a throwing star, etched with three red lines curving into a circle around the center of the stone's face.

The next he brings out is rose gold and shaped like a heart with rough edges. Etched In its center is a sigil like a smoother version of its overall shape.

Another he sets on the table looks like a piece of granite, carved like a misshapen pentagonal prism. Etched in the center of the broadest face is a black figure with what appears to be flames lashing out from it.

The last stone is pale green. Its edges are the softest of the five, and it's shaped like a harp, similar to the harp etched into its center.

"There are more… I just sort of stumbled into these. Skill, persistence, or just dumb luck, but I have this many."

"So you've mastered five martial disciplines, then?" Archer asks.

"Well… I wouldn't say 'mastered'. More like, I'm confident in my skills," he says. "I cut my teeth with this one." He holds up the amber colored stone. "I started as a pugilist. You know. Kicking, punching, that sort of thing."

Archer scoffs. "Fighting without weapons sounds like suicide, if you ask me."

"You'd think so… but it works pretty well. And I'll tell you this." That silly grin again splits the small man's face. "There's little and less that's more satisfying for one who's knee high to an ant than walking up to a dragon and socking it."

Archer smirks. "I could see that… Wait… did you say dragon?"

His brow goes half-up, but Taiasu only nods before continuing with his story.

"After I learned all I could about pugilism and reached a plateau, I'd chanced upon someone in need of a… Well, they said he needed a research assistant," Taiasu says, smirking. "The truth was, he needed someone to keep him alive. He talked a lot about aether and ancient battlegrounds, but…"

He glances to the floor, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I didn't listen that close. He was pretty high-minded and arrogant, and it made it difficult for me to care what he had to say. But I'd agreed to help him, and a man is only as good as his word, so there was no backing out for me."

He glances back up at Tohsaka and Archer. The former is giving him her consideration, while the latter stands beside the grandfather clock, staring out the window. Taiasu shrugs and continues.

"The man had another research assistant. An Ala Mhigan monk named Widargelt. The researcher found him lacking," Taiasu says, frowning. "He dragged me to this old battlefield and had me dispatch some resident denizens as part of his experiment. Had most of them dealt with when the last one started casting a rather dangerous looking spell."

Tohsaka's head leans to one side. "Denizens?"

"Er… yeah. You know…" He rubs his head. "No, you wouldn't, sorry… Hydaelyn has a lot of… unfriendly fauna. You know, monsters. Most people don't go wandering around for that reason."

"Oh… But you do?"

Taiasu nods. "Me and every other adventurer!" he says with a big grin.

"So the last of those fiends was about to blast me. I wasn't sure what to do, but that's when Widargelt showed up, decked in the strangest looking yellow armor I'd seen. He landed this insane flying kick on it. Took him out right there and then. Had seen nothing like it before then," he says, smiling. "After that, we both started glowing like the sun, and I felt something in me… open. Widargelt said it was my 'chakra' opening." He shakes his head.

"No idea what he meant. Said something about the leftover energy of an ancient battle flowing through me. Still don't fully understand the what of it. Just had to agree with him like a dope. But he was right in that something had awakened in me that day."

Tohsaka rubs her chin.

"Well… I don't know how things work on your world, but it sounds analogous to what we call Leylines here," she says. "A place where magical energy just seems to accumulate. They built this house on one."

Taiasu's face goes blank. "I… can't even pretend to understand half of that."

Her eyes go half-wide. "They don't have mages in your world?"

He shakes his head. "No, they do… I just never got around to learning anything about the magic disciplines. I'd intended to… at some point. Anyroad, Widargelt told me he was a monk, and their way was to train their mind and body." He stands in his seat. "'The fist is our weapon,' he said. 'The energy within us moves the fist. The chakra is the seat of that energy,'" he says, trying to emulate the voice and mannerisms.

Tohsaka raises her hand, and Taiasu stops mid-thought "Huh?"

"Sorry, what did you say? 'Anyroad'?" she asks, head tilted.

"Yeah, anyroad. You know, whichever road you take?" he says.

Tohsaka laughs for a second. "Sorry, I didn't mean… I've just never heard that expression before."

"Huh? What do you say here?"

She rubs her chin. "I'd imagine the closest expression we have would be 'anyway'. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

Taiasu shrugs and continues his story. "Widargelt said that the chakra exist within all living things, but not all living things can open them without a great deal of training and discipline… and that I was an exception. Something about my great inner strength forcing them open." The small man laughs. "Never heard anyone describe me like that before. Said he'd never seen it happen. Told me I was meant to walk the monk's path, then he gave me that crystal. First one I'd ever seen, let alone held, and I just blundered right into it. Called it a 'mark of his order', but for me it was a catapult off that plateau."

"Sounds like fate was kind to you," Tohsaka says with a gentle smile.

He shrugs, stares fondly at the stone for a few seconds more, then returns it to his pack.

"Maybe it was." He lifts the black stone with the red swirl in the center from the table.

"I learned how to be a rogue, and later a ninja. I owe that to Yugiri Mistwalker. That much and more," he says, cradling the stone in his hand. "Each one of these has a precious memory attached, and a long story to go with it."

"Hold on. Rogue? Like a highwayman?" Tohsaka asks, eyes narrowing.

He shakes his head, smiling.

"Not exactly. I mean, they use the same set of skills, but it's how you use those skills that matters. One of my friends, Thancred… He used to run with that sort of crowd, and that's what got me interested… Let's just say I owe a lot of my interests to a lot of my friends."

Her eyes go back to normal as she nods.

"I'd had my work with the rogues guild finished for some time when I got a call from their leader, Jacke. I was doing well to make out every other sentence he spoke. He big on thieves' cant, but even the—"

He claps his mouth.

I can't tell them about the Echo yet… We'll be here all night.

Tohsaka nods. "Yes, big on thieves' cant, I'm familiar. Go on."

Taiasu nods. "He said his men had eyes on some newcomers at Wineport. What struck him odd was how they knew little and less about them, so he wanted me to do some digging." Taiasu's face turns up in a soft smile. "Figured I owed him for helping me learn my way around the sharp end of a knife, so I agreed."

"Sounds like he didn't want people muscling in on his turf," Archer says, smirking.

"Maybe. Jacke had said they claimed to be refugees, but something about them still rubbed him wrong," Taiasu says, his smile shifting into a knowing smirk. "Turns out he's got some keen intuition. Made my way to Wineport, and no sooner it was I'd met my contact than things got… bizarre. We heard a scuffle and ran across a waif of a woman standing over three unconscious thugs. Two of 'em must've weighed three times what she did."

Tohsaka laughs. "Not suspicious at all."

"Yeah, my first thought too," Taiasu says, laughing as well. "It was almost cliché. She laid it on a bit thick. 'I had just come to town to purchase some supplies,' she said. 'I was suddenly accosted by three burly drunkards.'" His impression falls flat, and he coughs and clears his throat. "She said they were mugging her, but when they saw how little she had, they got into it with each other, and next she knew they were all splayed out on the ground like we'd seen when we first arrived," the small man says, still smirking. "Would have been plausible, but that the 'burly drunkards' in question were relatively unscathed. That didn't help sell her story. Rather than challenge her there, we let her be on her way, and followed her shortly thereafter."

Tohsaka's eyes shine as she nods. "So what happened next?"

"Well… we were following her and came across a trio of men in peasant garb. They weren't peasants. Just masquerading, by their weapons. No peasant carries around knives like those guys had. All three were down, and two were already…" He frowns and shakes his head. "The last was on his way out. Said he'd failed, passed me this stone…" he says, caressing the black stone in his hand. "Last thing he said was to take it to some folks named Oboro and Tsubame. Never even heard their names before, but… well, it was his dying request."

"Ever the philanthropist," Archer says, smirking.

Taiasu's eyes narrow. "Hey, if you can help someone, you do it! I mean… that's how it should be, at least…"

Archer's smirk dissolves into a frown, and the small man tilts his head.

"What, something else to say?"

"No… Just remembering something. Never mind me." His sarcastic smirk returns. "Please, by all means, regale us."

Taiasu shrugs. "We caught up with the woman, and another trio of downed 'peasants'. That's when things got… weird," he says. "This guy… with long black hair… He had his face painted black around his eyes and was wearing red chest armor with chain sleeves and black leggings. He just drops in from nowhere. Starts chiding this girl, claiming she was hiding from him. The way he was talking and moving, it was hard to take him seriously." His frown deepens. "Then things got dangerous. I'd stepped between them. This guy seemed to mean her harm, but she just rushed past me with these two blades out." He closes his eyes as he recalls the scene. "Guy had his out in a second, too. Then this shuriken flies out, striking the ground between 'em, and they both stop in their tracks."

"Sounds like your first contact with an actual ninja." Tohsaka says, smirking.

"No, that was Yugiri… I can talk about her later, I don't want to get off track." He frowns, rubbing his forehead. "Again, at least if I can help it. Seeing this guy in red was pretty jarring. Name was Karasu, but he didn't act a thing like I thought a ninja should act. He was big on theatrics. Yugiri is a more proper ninja than this guy could ever hope to be… Or maybe he was just big on breaking stereotypes. So Oboro was the guy who threw this shuriken. That's what the weirdo, Karasu, called him. So it was clear the woman was this Tsubame," Taiasu says, holding the stone in his hand. "They were the two to whom we were asked to deliver this."

He shudders a moment before continuing. "Karasu called my mate and I 'extras', like it was all some stage play. Tried to off me. Before I could see it, he'd sent a shuriken flying at my head. Guess my body just reacted. Next I knew, I could feel the wind from it grazing my ear, and hear it burying itself into the stone face of a cliff behind me."

"Guess that rogue training came in handy then?" Tohsaka says, nodding.

"Probably. It was useful for a lot, but that just made me feel even more indebted to Jacke," he says, sighing again. "I'll never be able to repay every debt I owe. Karasu left right away with a flashy display and some smoke bombs to cover his exit. We got the rundown from the two. Said they came from a small village in the province of Doma. Called themselves shinobi. Talked about how they fought against…" Taiasu shakes his head. "No, that's just going to get confusing."

"Huh?" Tohsaka raises an eyebrow. "What's confusing?"

"Er… well, the politics. Wars and such," he says, waving his hands. "It's all connected, but it's too much to talk about right now. This was part of that. Tsubame said they could have won freedom for Doma, but that Karasu guy betrayed them. Oboro was lamenting his fallen kin, and I made to hand him this…" He gestures with the small black stone.

Tohsaka nods, but says nothing, letting him continue.

"That's when it started shining. Oboro said it was calling out to me. Called it a sign. Said we were 'fated to fight as one'. A bit dramatic for my taste. Were it not for Yugiri and our fond friendship, I'd have just handed the stone to him and been done with it. But that's not what happened. I'd been in awe when I saw Yugiri fight, and I wanted to know more. Oboro said he'd train me as a ninja if I helped them learn the details of the country. They were new there, so they knew little and less. I agreed, and they started teaching me ninjutsu. That's how I came into possession of this stone, and how I got my start as a ninja."

Taiasu places the black stone in his pack and reaches for the next stone.

"This one—"

"Taruko-kun," Tohsaka interjects softly. "I'm sorry… I am. This is fascinating, and I'd love to hear more. I really would, but…"

She looks at one of her many clocks, and his eyes go full-wide.

"AH! I'm sorry! I got so into it I didn't even think!"

He lifts the remaining three stones and places them within his pack.

"Everything just builds up and… I've only ever been with people who already know it all, so I don't get to share it often. But I'm glad you liked them!" he says with a wide smile. "I don't want people to forget… These things may be tools to some, but they're much more than that for me." He stands up from the chair and cuts his figure with a deep bow.

"Thanks for listening."

Tohsaka blinks a few times. "Not at… all. Like I said, it was fascinating."

"Yeah, but you could learn to trim the fat a bit." Archer says, smirking.

Tohsaka shows Taiasu to her room.

"You'll sleep here," she says, gesturing to a futon and bedding she'd rolled out.

"In here? This is pretty nice for a guest room," he says.

Tohsaka shakes her head. "No… this is my room…"

"Your room? Then where will you sleep?"

"Here. In my bed…"

Taiasu can feel heat flooding his face.

"Wait… I can't sleep in your room if you're sleeping in your room."

Her brows arch upward. "Huh? Why?"

"That's…" He looks down, and his face turns even more red. "I can't… I'll go find someplace else, I'm sure there are lots." He goes to gather up the bedspread.

"What? No way. I will not be responsible for any inter-planetary, or worse, inter-dimensional diplomatic firestorm that would result from you wandering around my house, getting into… god only knows what. You're staying here where I can keep an eye on you."

"No… it's fine…" He prepares to protest again, but her glare causes him to reconsider.

She frowns, looking at his feet. "And usually, when a guest enters a house, they remove their footwear."

"Ah… Um… sorry… I forgot…" he says, rubbing the back of his neck.

Leaning down, he removes his red leather boots, and then takes a glance around the room in which he is evidently going to be sleeping for the night.

It has an eloquent bed. Large for one person, with four posters, and a canopy, with a white bedspread covering decorated with flowers, leaves, and various other floral designs. It matches the rest of the room well. Three windows, each with curtains that have the same style as the bedspread, a small table with two chairs, a mirror above a small cabinet on which rest two candles, and a closed jewelry box between them. All of it rested on a plush, red carpet.

He spends a few seconds taking it in with a soft smile.

This suits her well, I think.

"I'm still not comfortable with this…" he mutters, scuffing his bare feet against the carpet.

Tohsaka's eyes narrow. "What's the problem?"

"The problem… if you don't know the problem…" Taiasu goes hard red. "It's that… I'm a… guy."

Tohsaka's eyes go quarter-wide and she tilts her head.

"Huh? You're a guy?"

The soft carpet muffles the sound of his head impacting the floor. He leaps high enough into the air to be at eye-level, his face as red as the carpeting.

"YES, I'M A GUY!" he yells, shaking the windows, and blowing Tohsaka's hair back slightly.

She covers her face, grinning as he descends back to the ground.

"Oh… you were making a joke…" he says, pouting. "That's mean… you're mean…"

"It's fine. I don't have a guest room prepared. I like to consider myself on top of things, but I wasn't expecting one today, so that's not an option. Even if you do try anything, Archer will turn you into a pin-cushion, so there's no problem. I'm pretty sure even I could throw you through one of these windows regardless of how… strong… you are? Hey how come you're so strong?"

Taiasu stares at the carpet. "I'm not that strong… At least, no stronger than your average Hydaelian adventurer."

Tohsaka tilts her head. "All of them are as strong as you?"

He shakes his head. "No, I'm average. I'm stronger than a few, but weaker than most."

"Wow… So your world has a bunch of people that could match a Servant in battle?"

"What's a Servant? I mean, in this context?" Taiasu says, his head tilting sideways. "I've heard the word used a bunch, but I haven't gotten a proper explanation yet."

"Er… uh…" Tohsaka stumbles for words before her head slumps forward as she sighs. "Archer is a Servant," she says gesturing toward him as he stands silently in the corner. "All the details would take far too long to explain, but for the sake of this discussion, they're… well, super strong, skilled, super durable—"

Taiasu's brow arches into his hairline. "Fiends! They're like monsters on Hydaelyn, then!"

A deep frown cuts into Archer's face.

Tohsaka nods. "I mean… if that helps you understand it, then sure, let's go with that. So back to what I was saying, are there many people in your world strong enough to fight with Archer?"

"So there are monsters in this world after all… Ah, sorry." He shakes his head to get back on track. "Strong enough to fight Archer? Maybe… I haven't met them all. Also, I don't know, but I don't think he tried that hard…"

"You try cleaving a kewpie doll bouncing around on a pogo-stick…" he says in his well-practiced disdainful tone.

Tohsaka ushers Archer and Taiasu out so she can change into her sleep wear.

A few minutes of awkward silence pass before Archer casts a sidelong glance.

"So what are the other three?" he asks.

"Huh? Three what?" Taiasu asks, looking up at him.

"Those other three stones. What are they?"

"Huh? You wanted to hear about—" Taiasu's smile spreads again, but Tohsaka opens the door to her room, ending their discussion.

"Later, or we'll never get to bed," she says as she brushes out her hair.

On bringing them back inside, her bright yellow attire draws in Taiasu's gaze.

"Cats…?"

He tilts his head, less interested by her dress than the patterns playing across it. A simple, long-sleeved top and bottom, decorated with a bunch of cat faces.

She huffs, crossing her arms. "Yeah, so I like cute things, and cats are cute. All girls like cute things, so what's the problem?"

"Tohsaka… You're a girl?" Taiasu says, tilting his head.

She takes this about as well as he did, her face going full tilt as she lifts him up off the ground, winding up to throw him through a window.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll stop!"

Tohsaka pulls back her bedspread and climbs in, pulling it over herself. Taiasu climbs into the futon prepared for him, electing to sleep over the covers.

"Alright… Archer, keep an eye on him. If he does anything untoward… Well, don't kill him," she says toward where Archer stands invisible. "Just… you know, kindly dissuade him." No voice responds, but she seems content with that.

"As for you…" she says, staring at Taiasu now. "Tomorrow, we need to figure out what we're going to do with… or about… you. We can't have visitors from other worlds running around, it'll cause an incident."

He stares at the floor. "I only came because I wanted an adventure. I didn't want to cause problems for people…"

"Well, for now, do like your 'old man' said and try to keep a low profile… we'll…" She yawns heavily. "We'll leave tomorrow's problems for tomorrow."

The small man sighs, laying himself down on the futon she had prepared for him.

Her words soak in.

Old man…

Taiasu remembers something.

"Tohsaka…" he says, softly.

"Hm…?" she says, sleepily.

"I forgot to tell you the third thing…"

"Just… tell me tomorrow…" she says, closing her eyes.

"What if I forget…?" he asks, but she's already fallen asleep.

The Day Ends