16—Skyline
With the sun's base touching the horizon, stretching each shadow into infinity, the unease radiating through the damp, dead park intensifies.
Exploring this place.
Being observed unseen by what Rin still suspects is another Master in hiding.
An unexpected encounter.
All business which has been concluded.
Now there's the new business of figuring out what to do with the even more than before oddly dressed off-worlder.
Wincing, Taiasu reflexively covers both ears as Tohsaka glares down at him, her arms folded, her eyes narrowing further with each passing moment.
The last time he'd felt this feeling around her, it was when she'd yanked and twisted one so hard she'd nearly separated it from his head. Given that was the second time she'd seized him in such a way, he's not about to permit her a third chance.
Seeing this, she arches her brow, frowning thoughtfully down at him.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Taiasu glances up at her, his small frown hidden behind his mask. "I didn't want you twisting them again."
Kneading the bridge of her nose, Rin lets out a long, slow sigh.
"Don't be dumb. I wasn't going to. But I have a bunch of questions for you still. Somehow, even more than before. So you're coming with me again, got it?"
"I'm going with you?" Letting his hands down, Taiasu folds his arms and stares up, tilting his head. "I mean… I guess—wait, hold on."
Suddenly, his brow is pressing downward, and his hidden frown sharpens.
"Didn't you just spend the past several minutes trying to… shoot me, I think? With… whatever those things were?"
"Huh? You mean my Gandr Shot?" She blinks down at his question. "What about it?"
"W-what about—?!" His folded arms drop to his sides as his mouth falls slack. "You tried to shoot me with those things, and now you're acting like it didn't even happened! And you want to drag me along with you? I think you're missing a few steps, don't you?!"
"Not really, no."
Her tone is as dismissive as her words would suggest as she stares at the back of her hand.
And those words send Taiasu to his back, smacking his head into the ground where he twitches in disbelief for a second, staring at the yellows and oranges of the setting sun stretched across the sky, before springing to his feet and glaring up again.
"Y-You're something else, lady!" Vexed, he briefly grinds his teeth behind his tightly pressed frown. "I don't even know what those things were, but they definitely didn't seem friendly. After something like that, you could at least apologize. Especially if you want me to come with you."
"Apologize?" Again, she blinks down at him as her mouth narrows into a small circle. "I already did, didn't I?"
Stiffly, Taiasu shakes his head twice.
"Not that I can remember!"
"Really?" She stares at the ground, pressing her hooked finger to her lip, trying to recall the whirlwind that's been the last several minutes. "I could have sworn…"
After a few seconds of that, with nothing coming to her, she shrugs.
"Alright, fine. I'm sorry I tried to shoot you with my Gandr. Satisfied?"
"N-No!" Taiasu stomps his foot. "There was nothing in those words or your tone that makes me believe you're actually sorry for a second! You just said them because I said you should!"
Shaking her head, Rin sighs again.
"Well, you're not wrong. I just don't know why I should apologize."
Again, Taiasu's mouth falls slack as he gawks up at her.
"B-Because you tried to shoot me!"
"Yes, after you froze Archer into a statue. I thought I was defending myself."
"Defending yourself?" At her words, he throws his arms down at his sides. "But I told you I didn't kill him, and I wasn't going to do anything!"
"Seriously?" Rin palms her forehead, shaking her head and frowning at the ground. "And you just think I should believe that? After what I saw? If you'd been someone else and I'd believed them, they could have had those deadly looking blades in my back and chest in a second, right? We can't afford to take words at face-value, Taruko-kun."
Something in her words sounds familiar.
Last night, outside Shirou's house, Illya said something similar when she explained to him his tendencies could end up getting himself or the people close to him killed.
This is what that girl… what Illya was talking about… She's not wrong. I thought this world was peaceful, but it seems I was mistaken…
"Fine… I get it." With nothing to respond to the contrary, he can only let out a despondent sigh. "Sorry."
"Sorry?" Blinking down at his words, it's now Rin's turn to be surprised. "Now you're apologizing? Why?"
"Because I said something stupid." Frowning, he folds his arms, looking down and away. "Even though you thought I was an enemy, I thought you should have accepted what I was saying. I still don't fully understand, but it feels like you're right."
Still, the thought crossing his mind forces his brow to crease deeply inward.
"I still think you should apologize too, though." Breathing out another frustrated sigh, he scuffs his foot against the ground. "Especially if you want to drag me along with you for another game of question and answer."
"We already went over that, right?" She refolds her arms, staring down at him. "I didn't do anything wrong—"
"But you did make a mistake." Eyeing her from the side, he turns his frown up at her again. "At least, you should know that now. Even if you thought I was an enemy, you know I'm not now, right? So you should apologize for trying to shoot me now that you know that, right?"
"Ah—"
Again, she blinks down at his words, which strip her of any reasonable response.
Because they're true.
Though it's only with the benefit of hindsight that she now realizes it, and though the Rin from a few minutes ago was acting prudently in self defense, the present Rin must understand that the small man before her now is the same non-enemy that he was just a few minutes past.
And quickly, she finds her mind wrestling with these rather minor facts.
That she was both right and wrong at the same time.
And of course, there's her pride, which won't let her admit that he's right, and that she made a mistake, let alone offer a sincere apology for her mistake.
"Well, you're just gonna have to live with it shrimp!" she belts out, her hair tousling as she snaps her head to one side, arms still folded and her slackened expression reforming into a fresh, sharp frown. "Just like how you're coming with us, whether you like it or not!"
Silently, and from a distance, Archer continues observing their back and forth.
The more he watches, the more he can feel his lips curling up in an amused, relieved smirk as it becomes clear there is at least something pre-existing between these two.
For a few minutes more, they bicker back and forth, getting nowhere, until Rin finally lets out a frustrated groan.
"Look, this is how it's going to be!" she yells, glaring down at him. "I have questions I need you to answer, so you're coming with us to answer them!"
"Yeah?!" Taiasu snaps back. "Are you gonna force me to?!"
"No, but I can order him to!"
She juts her thumb toward Archer, who struggles to withhold an amused laugh. Taiasu follows her thumb, wearing his own slight smirk.
"Really? I could just freeze him again and be gone in a flash, you know."
And with those words, Archer's amused smirk splits, and he lets out a haughty chuckle.
"You think you could? Now that I know, you think I'd even let you get that close again?"
"You think you could stop me from getting that close?" In his tone, both Rin and Archer can detect a hint of smugness. "After all, it wasn't that hard the first time."
"You…" And that smug tone pulls Archer's smirk down into a hard frown. "You little…"
"Settle down, boys!" Rin snaps, and both look toward her again. "I'd only do it if I had to! It'd be a lot easier if you just came with us willingly!"
She can feel herself getting a headache, and she massages her temples, trying to work it out.
"So, what's it gonna be?! Do I have to make Archer subdue you, or—"
"I wouldn't have a problem with it, if you'd just apologize sincerely!" Taiasu cuts her off, his hands clenched at his sides. "Why is it so hard a thing for you to do?!"
"Are you still on about that?! Why is it such a big deal for you?!"
The air between them grows hot as they exchange seething glares, until finally they both snap their heads away again, huffing, arms folded, practically mirroring each other.
Something in his words stirs her thoughts.
She knows he's right, but still doesn't want to admit it.
To herself, or out loud.
But she also knows that it would be much easier if he was willing, and the quickest way for that to happen would be for her to swallow her pride, admit her mistake, and offer a sincere apology.
Kh… Damn it! This sucks! It's that, or I have Archer subdue him, but that could turn into a great big mess! And there's still whoever that other person is, watching us! I can feel them…
With that problem still to deal with, and less time to spare, she draws in a deep breath, then lets it out slowly, trying to steel herself to offer a proper response.
"Alright… Fine. I'm sorry…"
Less dismissive this time, and Taiasu can actually detect a hint of sincerity in her words, which cause him to turn his head to see her with her back still to him, head leaning forward, rubbing her arm and staring at the ground.
"I'm sorry for trying to shoot you with the Gandr, and for mistaking you for an enemy."
She can't turn around, because she knows her face is twelve shades of red right now, and growing hotter with each passing second, since she can feel Archer's smug, smirking stare burning into her neck.
"Alright, thanks for apologizing properly." Just hearing the words, and the tone of her voice as she says them, Taiasu breathes out with relief as his tension and frustration both leave his body, letting him relax again. "And I'm also sorry for the misunderstanding. So where are we going, then?"
"Huh?"
Rin turns her head, eyeing him from behind.
She still can't turn around yet.
Not until she gets her face under control.
"Really? Just like that?"
Taiasu nods.
"I said, didn't I? I just wanted a sincere apology. So where—oh, right." Some unspoken realization cuts into his thoughts and words. "I can't walk around like this, can I? But if I do what I did, you won't be able to see me… Um…"
He scuffs with his foot, dropping his stare again.
"Do you remember what I asked Sakura yesterday?"
"What?" By now, Rin can feel that most of the red has drained from her face, so she turns around fully toward Taiasu, looking down, tilting her head. "What about yesterday?"
It takes a few minutes more for him to explain about what he'd asked Sakura. The more he talks, the more Rin can recall until she finally understands what he's getting at.
"So you want to ask me the same thing, is that it?"
Beneath his mask, his face goes a shade of red as he gives a slight head-nod.
In most cases, the relationship enjoyed by adventurers in parties is brief. The number of such instances is uncountable, so the chances of running into the same one twice is slim, and it's only ever a working relationship.
So forming a party with someone who's already an acquaintance is quite new for him, and there's something awkward feeling about it.
Fortunately, the mask does well in hiding that, and he's able to answer her question, pressing forward despite himself.
"Y-Yeah… Otherwise, you won't be able to see me…"
Sighing, Rin shakes her head, but finally nods.
"Alright. I don't get it, but fine. I'll work with you for now—"
No sooner have the words been given breath than they both sense an otherwise imperceptible connection forming.
Feeling that, Taiasu's hidden face bears a fresh, warm smile to go along with his affirmative head nod.
"Alright. Then I'll do this, so I won't be drawing any attention…"
Though Taiasu has again concealed himself, he and Rin cannot converse freely.
There's still the matter of their unseen, unknown observer, and what to do with them.
Just how much had they seen? Were they aware of Taiasu? Did they see his scuffle with Archer?
Given how far away they must be, that she wasn't able to detect them before, it seems unlikely. Probably, they were just tracking her movements from a distance.
Still, there's no reason to make it easy for them, whoever they are, so to really drag them around, she makes sure to take her time as she shows Archer, and now Taiasu, the key points of the city.
The harbor, the bus station, both with which Taiasu is already familiar, the shopping district, and along the way stopping for a bite to eat.
Neither of her two associates are permitted to partake from the meal, naturally, as they'd draw far too much attention.
Finally, with the sun well below the horizon and the town fully cast in shadow, their tour ends outside the tallest building in the city, about seven in the evening.
Filled with different businesses, an otherwise generic office building which permits individuals to view the city from the roof.
For Taiasu, how they make it to the roof is a new experience.
Upon entering, they stop before a set of doors recessed into a wall. Next to the doors rests a single button with an arrow decal pointing upward.
When Rin presses the button, it lights up and, after maybe a minute, there's heard a distinct chime, and the doors slide open, revealing a cramped space.
She steps inside, and Taiasu hesitates for a moment before following.
Once the doors have slid closed behind them, he turns to spy her reaching out with her hand to press a similar button on a panel rife with similar buttons. At least forty, and this button has the largest number among those with numbers.
It, too, lights up when pressed, and after a moment, Taiasu can feel the ground shift beneath his feet.
Ah, I see… This must be a lift.
Not an unfamiliar form of conveyance, though mostly they have fewer buttons, are more distinct than a simple room lined with metal mirrors, and usually would be guarded by something needing to be done away with before one could gain access.
The lift accelerates to its top speed, and after a minute, slows its ascent until it stops. It shifts again, then dings as the doors slide open, revealing a new floor and a set of stairs.
Quietly, Taiasu follows in Rin's wake as they ascend the last few flights of stairs until they reach a dead end door.
Once open, it exposes the roof and the city's skyline.
A stiff, chill wind causes Rin's skin to bristle as it attempts to force the door from her grip.
To no avail, as she firmly maintains her grasp on it.
Taiasu slips around her, and she waits until he's past, then pushes the door closed behind him.
Were it not for his concealment, it would have, as usual, been the other way around.
She hasn't forgotten that she means to find out why he was in the park, and not with Sakura at school.
The first among the many questions she means to ask him.
But for now, those concerns are set aside as she takes in the city's view from its tallest skyscraper.
"What do you think, Archer?" she says, brushing her hair back, letting it be pulled aside in the wind. "About the view from this place, I mean? It's the highest vantage point in the city."
With no one around for them to be concerned about, Archer re-assumes material form, revealing himself seated on some ventilation ductwork.
Noticing this, Taiasu drops his concealment as well, feeling better for it. After his bout with Archer, he'd been feeling more acutely the burden it's been placing on his aether. Especially as he's been using it for hours.
To see the view for himself, Taiasu briefly pokes his head over the edge.
What he sees steals his breath, and makes his stomach flop, flipping his heart up into his throat.
It's not as if he's a stranger to great heights.
After all, the adventuring lifestyle affords many advantages to those who choose to pursue it. One such advantage being a veritable menagerie of varied beasts and machines that one can use to swiftly traverse vast distances and ascend to dizzying heights.
But without access to these, there exists the genuine concern of one missed step, resulting in him tumbling to a quick and painful end after having fallen just long enough to wish well every friend he's ever made.
It wouldn't be the first time he'd ever suffered such a fate, usually at the hands of a stupidly misplaced step, or being shunted off the edge of a platform suspended high above the ground, or worse, a bottomless abyss, by some irate primal or other fearsome foe.
But in those instances, it's always been a foregleam provided by the Echo of events which could be, and how to avoid them.
Since those cases were always in the heat of a pitched battle, there'd never been a chance to consider the great distance from where he was, suspended high above, to where he'd end up, falling far below.
Now, there is no distraction, nor any guarantee that what he's experiencing is some fringe benefit gifted by the Echo, and he's learning rapidly something new and unexpected about himself.
H-Heights! I d-didn't know… I was s-scared of heights…!
Before vertigo takes hold, he stumbles back a step, pressing his hand into his chest to steady his slamming heart before he falls backward with a soft plop. If Rin notices, she pays it little concern as she waits for Archer to voice his thoughts on her question.
"I'll pray for the man you make yours," Archer mutters. He then breathes out a tired sigh. "All you've done is drag me around town the entire day."
Rin frowns thoughtfully.
"That's not true. It wasn't just so we could see everything. I was hoping our voyeur might slip up so I could see their face." She sighs, shaking her head. "But no such luck…"
"I see…" Smirking, Archer nods, then turns his gaze to the city lights far below. "But this is a nice place. If it weren't for whoever's been tailing us, we could've come here first and saved ourselves a lot of time. And probably some headache, too."
He eyes Taiasu from the side as he mutters that last part.
"What are you saying, Archer?" As Rin replies, she keeps herself facing forward, looking out over the city. "It's a grand view, sure, but all you can get from here is an overview of the town. You have to go see things from ground level if you want to learn the town's layout."
"That's not true," Archer says, smirking lightly. "My class isn't Archer for nothing. You can't use a bow unless you have an acute sense of sight."
These words catch in Taiasu's ears, and he sits up, turning his head toward the man who returns his gaze to the city.
So that's how he could see me? To put that damned arrow in my shoulder? Hmm… He's like one of those beasts back on Hydaelyn that I can't hide from, no matter what.
Just recalling the first time he'd been so easily made brings a sour frown to his face.
As Archer comments casually, Rin's eyes widen as she turns her head to look at him.
"Really? So can you see as far as my house, Archer?"
Snickering, he shakes his head.
"Nothing so fantastic. But I can count out to you the precise number of tiles on that big bridge we crossed."
There's no trace of boasting or conceit in his voice. He's simply stating an objective fact.
Realizing this, Rin's eyes widen further as her thoughts tumble out.
"No way, the tiles on the bridge…!?"
It should be impressive, since for that level of clarity, one would require a powerful telescope typically used for stargazing from rooftops like this one.
"That's surprising…" She breathes out a sigh of wonder. "You really are an Archer…"
"Rin…" He turns his gaze from the city toward her now. "I'd like to think it's not the case, but are you making fun of me?"
"Of course not." She smirks at him from the side. "I just didn't believe it much. Even though you're called Archer, you don't really seem like one. I mean, you know about things like Reality Marbles, you fight with swords, and seem to prefer it over your bow."
"Hm…" he mutters thoughtfully. "I see what you mean. Still, I may have to question you further on the matter when we get home."
With that said, he returns his focus to scoping out the town, while Rin turns toward Taiasu, who's laying flat on his back, staring up at the night sky, looking like he's counting the stars in the heavens.
And speaking of those who fight with swords…
The lull forming in her discussion with Archer provides her with an ideal opportunity, and she moves toward her other associate, who turns his head at her approach. Frowning thoughtfully, she stands over him, folding her arms and staring down.
"So why were you at that park?"
There's nothing she can think of to break the thin veil of ice and start finding answers to her questions, so she dispenses with pretense and just starts asking.
"At that park…?" Taiasu turns his head forward again, returning his gaze to the sky. "I guess… I was drawn there. I sensed something strange about the place that made me think of similar places back home."
Rin's frown deepens, and she looks for a place where she can sit.
The ductwork supporting Archer seems as good as any, and she brushes off a spot before seating herself.
"Okay, but why were you close enough to be drawn there? You're supposed to be with Sakura, right? She's supposed to be keeping you out of trouble. Or are you telling me you could feel it all the way across town?"
"Oh…" He breathes out a sad sigh. "So what you really meant was, 'Why am I not with Sakura'…"
"Yes, basically. So answer me that, please." She leans back, propping herself on her arms and turning her own gaze skyward as a few stray clouds flutter past in the sky, obscuring a few of the stars and dimming the moon. "Did something happen?"
Taiasu sits up, then nods.
"Yeah. I wanted to let her have a break… And she was upset at me."
"Upset?" Rin looks down, tilting her head, arching her brow. "What happened?"
"Well…"
His gaze drops and he turns his head to one side.
He's split.
Part of him wants to gloss over it, but that part grows weaker by the moment, since even inadvertently omitting what happened between him and Illya was the start of all of this.
No… That's not true at all. Not that I didn't tell Sakura about it. It's that I screwed up that badly to begin with, then that I said nothing about it…
Taking a deep breath, he turns his gaze forward, resolving to disclose everything.
Rin listens quietly while he speaks about that night.
How the Echo went off, what it showed him, the girl, or rather young woman who looked like a girl, and her attempt on his life, and what happened after.
"Wait, hold on…" It's at this point she has to interrupt. At hearing him talk, her throat has gone dry, and she forces down a hard swallow. "You met this girl… she tried to kill you…?"
Leaning forward, she buries her face into her hands, slowly repeating what she's heard, trying to make sure she understands things accurately.
All Taiasu can offer by reply is a slight and contrite head-nod.
Barely, Rin can see it through her fingers covering her eyes, and it's that which snaps her from her stunned disbelief.
"And then you invited her over… for dinner." Though even toned, her words carry with them a hint of ice. "Are you out of your mind?"
"Listen, if you're going to yell at me, Sakura already did, and she explained to me how stupid and dangerous what I did was. And I'll tell you the same thing I told her, that I'd have fought—"
"Yeah, and DIED, and then what do you think would have happened you little—oh my GOD, I thought at worst, you were harmlessly annoying, but THIS?!" She stands bolt upright, her hands trembling into tightly clenched fists at her sides. "This goes beyond sanity! Beyond reason!"
"I know that!" Taiasu springs to his feet as well. "I won't try to justify my actions because that's impossible! All I can do is explain what happened, and why! What I saw through the Echo was just so…"
Again, like the many times before when he'd been explaining what had happened, his voice trails off briefly.
"It was so upsetting. I just wanted to do something for her… I didn't think things all the way through, I know that! It's no excuse, but it's just… And she did agree to stand her Servant down for the evening. And it turns out she was Shirou's sister."
The red tones in Rin's face dim before his words, his explanation, and that he at least seems to understand the magnitude of his failure. But beneath that seethes barely restrained apoplexy, and she lets out a heaving, deep sigh.
"Unbelievable… I want to stay angry at you, but it would just be a waste of energy. Everything you said is true, I guess. I suppose I should just be glad nothing went wrong. But I can't calm down yet… Not until…" Grinding her teeth, she takes two decisive steps forward. "Sorry, but I won't feel better if I don't do this."
"Huh?" Taiasu tilts his head, looking up to see her glaring down at him. "Do wha—?!"
Before he can finish his question, he's seeing stars dance between his eyes and the roof tiles as his head snaps forward, Rin fully slamming her fist down onto the top of it.
It proves an instant cure for her vexation.
It's actually been building since their discussion in the park, and with it out of the way, her face breaks out in a satisfied smile.
It's similar for Taiasu, though there's no smile to go with his own feelings of relief.
Not that he enjoys being struck, but much of him felt he got off easy for his dumb blunder. So being throttled makes things feel correct.
Still, to his surprise, the place where she struck feels tender, and the spots floating before his eyes take several seconds to fade.
J-Jeez, not that I didn't deserve that. But is her freaking hand made from adamantite?!
Despite her contented smile, as Rin stands up again, she has to shake out her hand, wincing as it throbs for suffering the equal and opposite reaction for her action, and a similar thought crosses her mind as she breathes out her own relieved sigh.
"Ow… I think I've punched softer brick walls."
After turning, she returns to her selected seat and plops down, letting her shoulders slump forward as she rests her elbows on her legs and her chin in her hands.
"I'm still a little irritated. You need to understand not everyone in this world is nice, and that you're incredibly lucky things didn't end badly for you and everyone in that house."
"Yeah, I know that already…" Taiasu says, wincing as he pats the sore spot on his head. "Illya, Sakura, and now you all made that clear. I hope it's the last time I have to hear it about this particularly stupid move on my part."
"Fine, as long as you understand." She rubs her hand gingerly. "That little love tap was mostly for my sake, anyway. I wouldn't be able to calm down if I didn't do something. So that explains why you're not with Sakura. So, what? You've just been wandering the town since then?"
"Mostly." Taiasu sighs, flopping down and letting his hands fall into his lap. "It didn't seem fair to hang around, me being the reason she was so upset. And it gave me a chance to let her rest, and to get better acquainted with the town."
"You say that, but I can't imagine she'd be very comfortable not knowing where you've been all day, right?" Rin casts her gaze back over the city. "She's probably worried sick."
"I doubt that," Taiasu says, shaking his head. "In fact, I know she isn't…"
"Oh?" Rin looks back, arching her brow. "And how's that?"
"We've been in touch a few times throughout the day, that's how."
"Okay? And how's that?"
Verbatim, she repeats her question, and Taiasu reaches into his pack. When he brings his hand out, it's closed around something glowing softly. Rather than force Rin to stand and come over to see, he simply walks over to the same ductwork and hops up onto it himself, seating himself next to her.
"This."
As she looks down, he opens his hand, revealing the same small, glowing, iridescent pearl he'd shown to Sakura.
"It's called a Linkpearl. It lets us communicate over great distances. She's still getting used to it. Except for the few times she's checked in on me, her thoughts have still been popping into my head, like when Shirou told her to stay at his place…"
"I… see… That's pretty incredible—wait, what now?" Somehow, it feels like in his quick explanation, he's buried a lede that takes a moment for her to find. "Emiya-kun did what?"
"Er… crap." Taiasu drops his eyes to the roof, thunking his feet against the ductwork and frowning. "I don't think I should have said that…"
"Uh-huh." Rin eyes him from the side, then turns her head fully. "Well too late now, blabbermouth, so spill. What happened?"
Taiasu sighs, slumping forward and deepening his frown.
"I'm not sure. It just came in bits and pieces, but I guess Shirou asked her to stay over for some reason. She seemed…" His deepened frown shallows, then lifts into a warm smile. "She seemed really elated about it."
"Really…"
Rin turns her stare forward again, wearing a newly minted smile.
Good for you, Sakura.
The smile doesn't last long, before dipping into a thoughtful half-frown.
"Well, whatever. It's probably a good thing. And I should let her know you're with me, so she won't get worried when you don't show up for dinner."
"Oh, right. That's probably… wait, what?" Taiasu turns and tilts his head, finding another buried lede, and taking a moment to dig it up. "That I'm with you?"
Rin nods. "Yeah. I mean, you didn't think I was going to let you run around two cities, causing who knows what for chaos, did you?"
"Hey!" Taiasu's mouth wrinkles down in an annoyed frown. "I was doing fine until—"
"—you weren't, right?" She turns her head, showing a sardonic smirk. "Yeah. Besides, don't you have any sense?"
She winces the moment the words pass her lips.
It feels like a question with an answer that is becoming patently obvious.
"Huh? Sense about what?"
"Think, twerp. Sakura is staying over at Emiya-kun's house, right?"
"Uh… yeah?" Taiasu says, nodding dumbly. "So obviously, I can't stay at her place. I'd just stay at Shirou's, right?"
Slumping forward again, Rin groans out a frustrated sigh.
"Seriously, just how dense can you be?"
Despite having little practical experience with romantic social encounters, she's at least aware of them on an academic level. And it's clear to her that at the very least, the foundation for one such encounter has been firmly cemented.
Now, she has to figure out how best to explain this delicate social delicacy.
But before that, she also needs to find out if he's even aware of the situation.
"Alright, I can't make assumptions, so tell me something." She rights herself, then turns her head, staring down at Taiasu again. "Have you noticed the way Sakura is around Emiya-kun?"
"Huh? How she is…?"
Taiasu hears her words, but it takes a moment for him to grasp their subtext.
Quickly, his face glows red, showing through the exposed places on his mask, and he's forced to divert his gaze down to the roof once more.
"I… what… do you mean…?"
Despite his efforts, his understanding is written so plainly on his face and how he holds himself, that Rin can only smirk and chuckle.
"That's a yes, then. So if she's staying over at his place, don't you think maybe it might be a good idea to let them have some privacy?"
"Privacy…?"
Taiasu lifts and tilts his head, thinking briefly before the obvious realization dawns on him.
One so clear he groans into the palms of his hands.
Of course, she's right. I didn't even think of that! The best thing I can do for her is to let them have some time alone together…
After rubbing the red from his face, he turns his head again, meeting Rin's eyes. Those stirring gemstones which, along with the sudden shift in their discussion, nearly launch his heart into his throat, and he has to swallow it down again.
"Y-yeah… I see what you mean. I guess so."
Rin's smirk softens into a more sincere smile.
"Good. Seems there's hope for you, after all. So at least for tonight, you'll be staying at my place. Consider it a favor to Sakura. Besides all that, I'm still curious about you and this other world business, and I want to know exactly why you're here."
"Oh, yeah… That…"
His voice trails as his hand moves unconsciously toward the pack of small stones strapped to his waist. Neither his tone, nor his movement, escape Rin's notice, and she tilts her head.
"What, you have a clearer answer this time?"
"I might… But it would take a while to explain."
"That's fine. It's getting chilly, anyway. You can explain it back at my place." She stands, then stretches. "And the other things I want to ask. Maybe I should write them down…"
Sighing, she walks back toward the building's edge, casting her sweeping gaze to the street below to give it one last look. As much as he can bear, Taiasu watches until she's just at the building's edge, then turns his eyes away, focusing them on the roof before his stomach performs a gymnastics routine.
Archer, now finished drawing his own mental map of the city, turns his stare toward her again.
As she sweeps her gaze across the ground, it becomes obvious just how much her own eyesight pales before his.
All she can see are the lights below. Like street lamps and the headlights from cars. Vaguely, she can pick out small dots like ants, which must be people walking home from work.
It's impossible to make out the people distinctly, or the type of each car driving around.
It's like being able to see them, but glean nothing meaningful. Similar to before, when she'd noticed someone observing them, but not been able to find out who.
"Well, whoever that person is, they must be based here, in Shinto…" she mutters, staring at the ground far below.
Straining her eyes, she tries to get a better look.
There are seven of us in total. I don't know who they are, or what Servants they have. Probably, they're all doing like me, walking around town, collecting information on the other Masters…
Suddenly, the fine hairs on her neck and arms stand up as she feels someone's eyes upon her.
There's no reaction from her command spell, so whoever owns those eyes must be no one special. Still, she strains her eyes further as she tries to find the owner of those eyes.
"From below…?"
Almost everyone is still moving about, minding their own business.
But there's a single speck she can make out standing still, and from the way it holds itself, she can tell that it's looking up at her, almost as if admiring the night's moon.
Speak of the devil… Though I almost can't tell who it is. It feels like my instinct is telling me, though. Or maybe it's his hair. But that's a surprise. Why is he still out at this time of night?
Archer traces her stare to the ground, then looks back up.
"Found someone, have you, Rin?"
She shakes her head.
"No one important. Just someone I know. An ordinary person, who has nothing to do with us."
Her tone is tinged with irritation as she turns her back to the roof's edge and moves away from it.
There's no way he could see me from that far away. It must have been a coincidence. But I'm still angry I screwed up and that he might have seen me acting as a magus. Especially after I spent all that time chewing out the little twerp for his stupidity…
