V.

It was almost as if Louise's body understood how much it would be called to task the following evening, because she did not wake that morning until much later than usual. It was just past noon when she opened her eye and peered once again at the now familiar gray sky of the chilled Parisian winter. The rain was not falling, and judging by the dry panes of the window, had stopped sometime during the previous night. This was little comfort to her though, the heavy and fast rolling clouds threatened a coming storm of some sort, and the phantom traces of her breath visible in the air, like transient fog that was gone as soon as she noticed it, promised it would be a frigid one.

As she rose from the bed to the chilling room, Louise instinctively drew the blankets back tighter over the still sleeping Rosa. She had at first been worried at how much the other woman slept, but then she realized that the combination of recovering from her harsh injuries, plus the constant draining of her mana by the ring, had all left her body starving for rest. She was also comforted by just how much Rosa's condition had visibly improved. She was much less pale than she had been before, and she suffered from far fewer spasmodic fits, having only woken once during the night in a manner that required Louise to help soothe her back to sleep.

-"I see you're awake, Master."- Rider's voice, a detectable tone of patient familiarity in it, was in Louise's head. He seemed to have a shockingly good ability to sense whether she was asleep or awake. -"You could have slept longer if you'd wished. Unless you have still more preparations to make for tonight."-

-"Not many."- Louise replied as she pulled on an oversized sweater and some thicker lounging pants, not wanting to dress to leave yet, but needing something warm enough to combat the chill in the room. -"I think I'm mostly done on that front honestly, I'll be down shortly."-

The next few hours passed by at a strange rate for the little household. Louise felt restless almost immediately upon getting up, but had nowhere to vent her pent up energy. Contrarily she felt strongly that the best thing for her would be to simply relax and let the time pass by. She had not lied to Rider, she really had completed the majority of her preparations for that night, which was good in a way that she was already as prepared as she could be, but it left a strange hole in the day, a feeling that there was something she should be doing and was ignoring, though such an obligation did not exist.

Rider did not so much pick up on Louise's anxious energy as he was himself independently emitting his own. Ever since Louise had revealed to him that her own sister was one of the other combatants in the Grail War he had looked toward the eventual confrontation with considerable unease. He would never have faulted Louise for wishing to avoid the fight, he himself having been unable to knowingly turn his sword on Aramis and Athos when circumstances had contrived to bring them into opposition. And those men had not even been his siblings since childhood as Camille was to Louise, though he had always thought of Athos as a second father.

Louise had withheld from Grimaud the truth of who they were going to confront that night, knowing full well that despite anything she could have told him or how much she was at peace with it, he would have argued endlessly and belligerently against her and Camille fighting. Despite his ignorance of the full weight of what was to come, Grimaud could easily feel the restless energy that was all too palpable between his unusual house-guests. He knew that something important was imminent, and though he knew better than to pry into what he had come to call "magely things" he still wished to do what he could to bring some level of composure to Louise.

Grimaud crossed from the kitchen to where Louise stood at the window looking out into the alleyway and, standing beside her, handed her a cup of hot chocolate he had just prepared for her. "It's awful cold out today, something warm always feels good in weather like this." He offered her a smile just as warm as the beverage as he spoke.

"Thank you, Monsieur." Louise accepted the drink and gave her own smile in return, though hers was visibly more forced and unsure than his had been.

"On cold nights, when one has important errands to run, it's good to make sure you take a coat. Even if you'll be spending most of the time indoors or in a car, you'll have to be out in the cold at some point, and you'll be grateful for the warmth, even if it's just to cross from one door to another." Grimaud had never thought of himself as someone terribly well made to be a mentor or teacher of any kind, but he wanted to try his best to give some words of comfort to Louise.

Louise looked a little askance at the old man for a moment, more perplexed by his overly simple and incredibly banal advice than anything. She then laughed, only a little, a light exhalation more than anything. "The wisdom of the common man." She said smiling, this one more warm and genuine.

"We can't all be mages gifted with amazing and unbelievable powers." Grimaud replied, raising his mug in a small salute of respect.

"Perhaps it is best that way." Louise said back as she raised her own mug and tapped it against Grimaud's. "Thank you, I'll be sure to take the extra layer along."

"And for goodness sake," Grimaud's tone was like that of a concerned parent, "wear your gloves for the ride this time."

Though the day had slowly dragged by, night did eventually fall, and the temperature with it, much of the leftover rainwater from the night before beginning to freeze in places where it lay. Louise, for the first time since parting with her sister at the church, put on the uniform of the Saint-Hermine family. The pants still felt restrictive, and the boots still chafed her ankles, but there was something else, when Louise looked at herself once more wearing the white and black uniform, that made it feel off.

-"It's almost time, Master. We don't want to be late."- Rider telepathically called from downstairs.

Louise, remembering Grimaud's advice, scooped her leather jacket from the back of the chair on which it rested, and placed it over the uniform shirt. She walked over to the bed where Rosa was sitting up and looking anxiously at her.

"I have to go." Louise said, bending down over Rosa and planting a small kiss on the top of her head. "But I'll be back later tonight."

"You have to promise." Rosa responded.

"Do you have that little faith in us winning?" Louise asked, forcing her tone to be playful despite her own increasing anxiety.

"No." Rosa shook her head, a sad look of resignation on her features. "But something just made me feel like you might not come back." She gripped tightly onto the sleeve of Louise's jacket as she spoke.

Louise bent over again and gave Rosa a long, passionate kiss, Rosa returning the embrace with an equally passionate mix of love and concern. When Louise's lips parted from Rosa's she hovered near, only inches from the other woman's face. "I promise to come back to you." She whispered.

Louise rose then, Rosa instinctively releasing her sleeve. As she walked to the door she spent one last longing gaze on the woman she loved and offered a small wave as she closed the door behind her.

Louise quickly descended the stairs where she found Rider waiting for her. The Servant casually tossed his Master's helmet to Louise, her gloves tucked up inside it. Louise caught the projectile with a smirk and crossed to the front door. Grimaud, from where he sat at the dining table, watched the pair as they left.

"Take care." The old photographer called out to them. "And come back safe."

Louise, unsure of what words she could offer, only nodded her head and raised her hand in acknowledgment of his words as she pushed aside the blanket to leave.

"You watch over her." Grimaud said to Rider. "I'll blame you if anything happens to her."

"You can place your trust in me, Monsieur." Rider replied with a slight bow as he too left the abode.

Louise was already starting her scooter as Rider joined her outside. As the Master pulled on her gloves and buckled her helmet, the Servant assumed his spirit form in order to follow behind her. Despite the cold the bike warmed up quickly and Louise rapidly sped out of the alley Servandoni, not because she was running late or in any hurry to arrive, but because she had a feeling that if she lingered outside that small house that now held so much for her, she might lose the resolve to go. Her will was as set as it could be given the circumstances, and she didn't want to risk anything breaking it.

The pair traveled in silence for most of the journey, the plan of attack having been discussed at length the day before. Rider was mulling over what Louise had told him before, about how she wanted to face Camille, when he was surprised by the feeling of her voice in his mind.

-"I know I had told you at the cafe that day, to focus on Camille's Servant, and to leave my sister to me."- Louise's mental tone felt almost exasperated to Rider. -"But I had an idea, and thought I might offer a slight change to the program."-

-"Indeed."- Rider responded.

-"Camille will be able to anticipate nearly everything I can do."-

-"A concern I had not bothered to voice, as I was sure you understood it aslo."-

-"But,"- Louise's mental tone, Rider thought, was suddenly almost smug. -"She isn't as well informed when it comes to you."-

-"With all due respect Master, and I do not mean to downplay the rather surprising success you've had up to this point,"- Rider for all his usual cajolery, was trying to be honest with Louise, -"But if I am to face your sister, even for a small amount of time, what will you do to hold the Servant back? You have survived direct combat with several Servants up to now, this is true, but surviving two, and tempting fate a third time seems like the greatest form of hubris."-

Louise took a moment to respond, fully understanding Rider's hesitance and would have, at any other time, been in complete agreement with him. -"Because this time I have something with me that will allow me to stand on a Servant's level. Though..."-

-"Though?"- Rider did not generally like when any plan involved that word followed by a long pause.

-"Though it is not a terribly long lasting advantage."- Louise smiled ironically as she thought about the device she had prepared. -"And if I employ it, we will need to win immediately, or a hasty retreat will be our only option for survival."-

-"Won't your sister know what it is when you deploy it? Surely you both learned the same magecraft as one another."- Rider needed to be more convinced, considering the plan already sounded incredibly risky.

-"It won't matter, even when she does recognize it. Because there won't be anything she can do about it."- Louise was reassuring herself just as much as she was Rider. -"And don't worry too much about me. It will, with all likelihood, knock me almost completely out of commission, but I have a potion with me that will at least get me back on my feet afterward."-

-"Glad to see you're thinking ahead."- Rider replied, almost consoled.

Louise at first considered herself lucky to find street-side parking just across from l'Hotel Shangri-la but, upon noticing just how empty the street was, realized there was more to it than luck. The Avenue d'Iena was completely deserted for several blocks in all directions, and considering the cramped parking situations Louise had observed on most of the Parisian streets during her stay, it didn't make sense for such a large and popular thoroughfare to be this empty. Rider materialized beside his Master as she pondered the quiet and lonely street.

"Well it seems at least that she is preparing adequately for the confrontation, at least as far as leaving bystanders out of it is considered." The cavalier said to Louise with audible relief in his voice.

"Doesn't it remind you of something?" Louise asked, Rider's comment having sparked a remembrance within her.

"Nothing comes particularly to mind." Rider responded, his words weighed with thought as he searched his own memories.

"The night we were attacked by those strange soldiers," Louise took her helmet off and stuffed it and her gloves into the bag attached to the side of her scooter, "when you led them away from me I got a chance to survey the area, and it was strangely deserted during the whole duration of our fight. I found it odd at the time considering the sheer amount of commotion we were making, but now I wonder if Camille had something to do with it."

"And you think those soldiers are connected to her or her Servant somehow?" Rider asked as he thought over the implications.

"It would only make sense." Louise responded. She rubbed her hands together as she breathed on them rapidly. She generally only wore the gloves while riding, but the biting cold was making her immediately regret having removed them, and was instinctively moving towards the entrance of the hotel, and the warmth the inside promised. "Think about the other enemies we've encountered. None of them used anything even resembling those phantasmals. Throw in this phenomenon of the empty battlefield, and I believe we can safely guess at least one of the abilities our opponent possesses."

"Indeed. I've had some of my own suspicions about those soldiers I've been wanting to confirm for quite some time, and if you're right," Rider's hand slowly moved to the hilt of his sword, his fingers wrapping around the grip enthusiastically. "I may get the chance to confirm my suspicions tonight."

l'Hotel Shangri-la, where the Juge had invited them, was comparable to the Mandarin Oriental where Ali was staying and, if anything, offered an even more ostentatious first impression than the latter. Where the Mandarin had a simple lobby entrance that opened directly onto the sidewalk, Shangri-la was equipped with imposing iron gates that stood between smooth concrete pillars which, every dozen feet, separated further sections of the sharp black fencing. The interior court was only sparsely populated with plant life and consisted mostly of a stonework drive for arriving guests to pull up for check-in. Louise had considered parking along this drive closer to the front door, but had decided against it when she thought of how the gates being closed against her could make escaping with the vehicle difficult. She had grown rather attached to the little bike and was not so eager to give it up.

The building itself continued the extravagant impression the gates had lent. The front of the five story structure was covered in all manner of ornate carvings; glowering lion's heads, flowing patterns, and what looked like mock rolled-up drapery, all dotted the surface. The front came to a small concave overhang, situated between two rounded balconies on the floor above, where the entrance stood, pane-glass double-doors closed against the new arrivals. Standing before these doors was, surprisingly, an unassuming man in what appeared to be a hotel employee uniform.

His face was one of complete serenity. A bizarre smile, that looked born more of outside influence rather than genuine emotion, seemed etched onto his features. The fact that it was more bizarre for this man to be here when no one else was, along with his unnatural expression, gave Louise the distinct impression that she hadn't been the only one to make use of the Saint-Hermine family's hypnosis techniques.

"Good evening, Madame and Monsieur." The doorman said as they approached closer, the tone of his greeting strained and mechanical. "You have been expected with the utmost eagerness. Might I take your coats and luggage?" His arms extended towards the duo in jarring jolts in a manner that matched his uncanny tone.

"No, that will be quite alright." Louise replied, doing her best to keep her own tone natural and calm. "You said we were expected. Might you be able to direct me to where we are to meet with our hosts?"

"Oh of course." The doorman turned his body sharply to extend his arm toward the entrance, his head taking just a little too long to swivel around to match the motion. "Right through the main entrance, you then take a left and follow the signs for the grand ballroom. Here," His hand impacted heavily and clumsily with the door handle before his fingers registered needing to grip it, "allow me to get the door for you."

Louise and Rider passed closer than they were comfortable to the peculiar individual as they stepped through the entrance. Once they were inside they heard him forcefully close the door and a sound like chains rattling was heard wrapping around the handles.

"Do enjoy your stay." His voice was muffled through the thick glass, but still audible as he then turned and left the premises.

"Is your sister always so lacking in subtlety?" Rider asked, more astounded at the audacity of the extra touch that was chaining the door closed than worried about it.

"She knows I am no fool and that I would not take this meeting for anything other than what it is." Louise replied, more entertained by the steps Camille had taken than Rider was.

The two walked cautiously through the gilded hallways of the hotel; The tall vaulted ceilings prevented any feelings of claustrophobia or being trapped, but in exchange made Louise feel as if there were too many avenues from which enemies could appear. Eventually, and without incident or interruption, the pair could see the open double doors that led into the ballroom to which the doorman had directed them. Though no one stood at the hosts podium, there was still at least a small program stand that held a piece of paper displayed. Louise approached the stand before entering and read the words:

Saint-Hermine Reunion of Heirs
Tonight's Program

In Attendance

Camille Antoinette Saint-Hermine

Louise Bernyce Saint-Hermine

Accompanied by:

Their Servants

"You don't think I'm a little dressed down for the occasion do you?" Rider asked, his characteristic playful tone in his voice.

"Military formal counts for most events like this." Louise replied.

The pair crossed the threshold into the ballroom and, at a glance, took in all that the possible battlefield offered. The massive space was filled with large round dining tables, each one encircled by eight seats, each place set with the full array of dishes necessary for the sort of high class full course meal a place like l'Hotel Shangri-la could provide. Tall, thin, well manicured potted shrubs lined the wall along which Louise and Rider had entered through, while the surface of the walls on either side were mostly dominated by large framed paintings, reproductions of famous historical works. The wall on the far side across from the pair was primarily made of huge multi-pane circle top windows, each one almost a dozen meters across, their drapery fully pulled back to reveal the Parisian night just beyond. The entire room was bathed in a low and warm, orange light that seemed to fully illuminate certain areas completely, and yet kept its glow from others, obscuring them in low shadows.

One area that was fully illuminated was a type of raised stage at the far end situated in front of the huge windows. It was less than a meter off the ground, but the raised nature made it impossible to ignore. There was a long rectangular table sitting on top of the stage and, though it had seven seats positioned behind it, only two were visibly occupied. At the far right end sat Maria Badeaux, who was fiddling an unlit cigarette around in her hands, the rules of the elegant establishment clearly forbidding her from actually lighting it. In front of her sat the remains of a devoured meal and several empty glasses. As Louise and Rider entered, the Juge gave a sort of knowing look and a light hand gesture to them. At the center of the table sat Camille. She rose as she saw Louise enter and gave a low bow to her sister.

She wore a long evening dress of a rich maroon color that would just barely sweep the tops of her feet as she walked. A delicate sheer layer, of a similar shade, that wreathed the lower part of the dress lent the unnatural appearance of a bloody haze to where Camille's leg was exposed beneath it through the dress's long side slit. The plunging neckline of the garment left Camille's exposed decolletage to act as a white field that made the deep black color of a pendant, one which Louise had never seen in her sister's collection before, stand out all the more prominently. The black half palm gloves Camille wore matched the deep shade of the stone pendant. Though Camille's right shoulder was completely exposed, the left was lost under the mass of a heavy white mantle that was gathered off to the one side of her outfit, a stripe of glittering silver embroidery running its length.

Louise was taken aback to not see her sister, whom she had always thought as dedicated to the Saint-Hermine name as she herself had been, not wearing the symbol of their lineage as she did. The mode of dress Camille had adopted, instead of paying homage to her existing line, seemed to cast it off and granted her the appearance of being the head of her own family.

Before Camille, laid delicately on the table, was a long rapier still in its sheath. Louise immediately recognized the white sheath and grip, the simple hand guard, and engraved pommel, as belonging to one of the Saint-Hermine family's dueling sabers. With a silent gesture Camille indicated its twin laying on one of the round tables, the handle turned towards Louise.

"Greetings, dear sister." Camille said, a strange sort of sad smile on her face that betrayed the formal tone she was forcing as false. "Thank you for accepting the Juge's invitation tonight. It does me good to see you again, and to see you've kept your promise."

Louise, who approached slowly and with caution, while doing her best to not let any hesitation show, returned a far more genuine smile to her sister. "I'm very happy to see you again as well. Was there any doubt I would let another one of our foes defeat me before I saw you again?"

"I know I had mine." The Juge replied first, raising the cigarette in a mock salute.

Camille grimaced towards Maria before turning her eyes back towards her sister who seemed to be entertained by the Juge's derision. "I apologize for Maria's behavior, she's far more casually minded than we are."

"Were we always so formal with each other?" Louise asked, slightly piqued at the idea that the two of them did not have a comfortable sibling relationship. "I seem to recall plenty of times that you were less than the exemplary daughter of the Saint-Hermine family." She laughed lightly remembering some choice moments of Camille's younger years.

"We are when we know that the particular occasion requires it." Camille responded with more bitterness than Louise had expected out of her sister. "I hardly think now is the time for childlike raillery and cajoling."

Louise was slightly taken aback but restrained herself from making another playful remark, seeing that her sister was more preoccupied than she had expected. "Very well. I know I stand before the heir to the Saint-Hermine name and that I should behave with the proper amount of respect such a title requires."

As Louise finished, the form of a Servant materialized immediately to Camille's right side as though appearing from its Spirit form. The Servant's body was almost completely wrapped in long red robes that flowed and billowed out behind it as though a small magical wind were at the same time blowing them about as it lifted the being off the ground. The robes, which obscured the entire left side as well as the lower part of the Servant's body, were wrapped just under the right arm, exposing a large white garment that draped over the shoulder and hung down just below the elbow, a long red gauntlet covering the rest of the exposed appendage. The being's head and face were like-wise completely concealed, wrapped as it was in the same red fabric, a featureless metal mask that, with the exception of a thin slit that served for breathing and sight, was completely smooth and polished to a reflective shine. Camille seemed to acknowledge the appearance of her Servant with a gesture of her hand, as if bidding him to wait.

"I? The heir to the Saint-Hermine name?" She asked, her voice sounded almost as if the words had offended her.

"Of course." Louise responded as if the thing were a simple matter of fact, confused at what seemed to have angered Camille so suddenly. "You are the first born, and the only biological child of our father, who else would be deserving of the title?"

"If I was meant to be the heir, than why this competition between us?" Camille said, her tone rising.

"I do not know." Louise responded, more taken aback.

"If I was meant to be heir, then why were the de Franchi only instructed to assist you?"

Louise was caught off guard by Camille even knowing about the de Franchi brothers' interference. "How did you-"

Camille cut her off. "If I'm meant to be the heir, than why are you even-" Camille bit back the words, almost afraid of fully committing to her anger at the betrayal of their father.

Louise, who suddenly and painfully understood what was meant in that broken sentence, could only stand frozen, her eye wide and dilated, blinded by the light that had revealed Camille's true feelings.

Camille, looked to the Juge on her left, and then to her Servant on her right and, finally committed to her course, finished the thought. "If I was meant to be the family heir, than why did Father even adopt you at all?"

Louise had prepared herself for many of the different ways in which she had imagined the confrontation might develop, but she had not prepared herself for something like this. She had always thought she and Camille had held each other in a mutual sense of sisterly love and genuine connection. That the lack of true blood relation had never been a factor. She had always felt only the greatest affection and respect for Camille, and thought that it had been reciprocal.

"I love you, dear little sister, I truly do." Camille said, her voice shaking as she lifted the sword from the table. "But I hate father for giving you to me."