Glancing down at the watch around his wrist, the man looked back up at the female standing at the table in front of him. He sighed, "Third time this week, is it not? Why did you call me out?" He grimaced, a look of irritation crossing his features, "I am a busy man, after all."
"And yet," she grumbled, "you still keep meeting me."
Crossing his arms over his chest, he scoffed.
The blonde cracked a grin just as the man joined in the action, "How has your week been, Du Lac?"
The man unbuttoned his black suit, fixing the purple tie around his neck as it was too tight for lunch, "Stressful, to say the least." His violet tresses were pulled back into a loose ponytail, his grey solemn eyes staring at his friend.
"I can imagine. Is the trial proceeding as you would like?" She asked, taking a seat at the table before he followed suit.
Mister Du Lac chuckled, "A prosecutor ought not to discuss confidential trials. If you so want to know, you are, by every means, allowed to swing by the courtroom."
Arturia nodded, "Sometimes I can find these cases rather peculiar and not my cup of tea." She leaned forwards unto the table, her shoulders shaking a bit for a soft laugh.
"Understandable, quite understandable," he breathed.
"Where is Morgana?" She looked about, leaning from side to side, "Is she not going to join us?"
Lancelot shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. She called me a little while ago and explained she has a 'restaurant to run' and we are only 'bothering' her."
A roll from green eyes, "Typical Morgana. I almost feel like heading to the kitchen and speaking some sense into her."
"Oh, please do not cause any drama here." He huffed, "I would prefer to eat in peace and silence…" A change of subject was needed, as Lancelot deemed, "I heard the news about Emiya, how are you fairing?" Upon the arrival of the waiter, they ordered accordingly and the young man scurried off.
She chuckled, settling back in her seat and pushing the thought of her sister aside, "Well, you make it sound as if I got the horns put on me… He joined Thosaka Company. It was a huge let down for me, but with every tunnel comes a light."
"Oh," Lancelot sipped at his red wine, "so I heard." He grinned, "The new boy, with Medea's design."
"Of which I see you sporting on this lovely day," Arturia smirked, "It does look rather fitting on you, mister prosecutor."
Lancelot looked down at himself, lifting his head with a smile on his lips, "Why, thank you." He haughtily shook his shoulders, "Now," he picked up his fork and knife when the food arrived, "How is the new boy doing?"
"The new face of the Pendragon Agency, you mean?" She chuckled, "I am completely amazed with his success."
"He's that good?" The man began to cut through his steak, lifting a dark brow.
Arturia swayed her head like a rowing ship, "Well, I would not say his skill is the best as that photoshoot was his only experience, but the people love him and the Einzberns are ecstatic."
"His first shoot? How did he get through the auditions? They're brutal…"
"He did not. I scouted him, and I do not regret that decision at all."
"Scouted?" Lancelot inched towards her, "You used to pride yourself in not being so desperate as to scout for a model, what changed in that little cold heart of yours?"
Arturia scoffed, "Well, as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures." She gave a shrug, taking a bite of the meal she had ordered.
"Though, I must congratulate you on your keen eye for beauty. He is a keeper for the company, I do admit." The man took another sip of his wine after they had finished their meal, "Oh, and how are you handling Gilgamesh, I hear he comes on too strong as of late."
She rolled her green eyes, fixing her blazer sleeves, "Much too strong, unfortunately. In fact, he invited me out for lunch today and as always, I had to come up with an excuse."
"And that is the reason you invited me out for lunch, I suppose."
"Quite so."
"You do not even try to hide it," he laughed, "I feel offended and used," he feigned a hurt expression as he pulled a hand to his chest.
She waved her hand as if shooing him off, "It was my intention."
Lancelot managed a chuckle before finishing off the glass of wine, "I can tell." He sighed, "In any matter, what I did want to discuss with you, my dear friend, was the details of my engagement."
Arturia's eyes lit up, clapping her hands together and leaning forwards after the waiter had taken their empty plates and she had smiled a warm 'Thank you'. The female now had her undivided attention on her best friend, "Engagement?" She inquired, her brow raising slightly in surprise, "Really?"
Lancelot nodded his head, "That is the very reason I had accepted your request to this platonic," he eyed her, "lunch."
She laughed, leaning back unto her seat and letting her smile light her lips, "As if you need to reiterate that."
"On that note," he cleared his throat, "I regret to inform you, Miss Pendragon, that I can no longer, whatsoever, go on any outing with you."
Arturia's smile dropped and she crossed her arms over her chest, "A rule Guinevere gave to you?"
He nodded.
"Ludicrous." She hissed, "You must be jesting with me."
He stood from his seat with a solemn frown on his lips, "If only I were." He collected his blazer, slipping it on and gliding his fingers over the buttons. A lock of silky purple hair slipped from it's hold and carefully covered his face, his grey eyes flickered towards her for a single second.
Arturia's expression turned sour, "I did not know you were the type to drop your best friends at the sight of a girl, or rather to be submissive to one."
"There are things you do not know about me, miss." He furrowed his brows in concern, then a thin sly smile decorated his lips, "And you honestly need to understand when I am pulling your strings and when I am not."
She rolled her eyes and pushed herself off from the seat, "You nearly caused a curse upon your marriage," she joked, fixing her own clothes.
"Shall I walk you to the office?" He asked, offering his arm for her to take.
"You mean across the street? If you so wish." Arturia took a hold of his arm, following him towards the exit.
They were talking about Guinevere and how the proposal had gone down. Arturia would admit the whole ordeal was embarrassing but quite romantic. They were just exiting the store when Lancelot heard his name being called.
"Prosecutor Du Lac!" He turned about, facing a beautiful female clad in green, "I am such a fan." She smiled, her red glossy lips stretching.
Arturia did not need to even twist her head to know who is was, "Flirt," she corrected under her breath before plastering on her indifferent look and turning on her heel to come face to face with Sileas and Diarmuid.
"Miss Pendragon?" Diarmuid lifted a brow, glancing between the short blonde and her company; not failing to flicker his eyes to their hooked arms a couple of times.
The prosecutor did not even let his gaze land on Sileas for a second longer when he recognized the man, "My, my, my, I cannot believe my eyes." Lancelot grinned, "You must be The New Face of Pendragon Agency," he teased both Arturia and Diarmuid in one go, "My name is Lancelot Du Lac and as your lady here mentioned, I am a prosecutor." He extended a hand to greet him.
Diarmuid took his hand, shaking it firmly, "It is an honour to meet you. My name is Diarmuid Ua Duibhne."
"The honour is all mine," the prosecutor smiled, "It is not everyday that you meet someone as famous as you."
Diarmuid was a modest man, and one could see his uneasiness with the sudden praise. He looked bashful and sort of cute, maybe; Arturia appreciated the blush on his cheeks, "I am not famous," he shook his head before rubbing the back of his neck—it was something he did when he was nervous, Arturia noticed; either rub his neck or his upper arm.
"Oh," Sileas playfully smacked his arm, "Aren't you so cute?" She giggled and kissed his cheeks.
Now—Lancelot later agreed—they were not dating; so why, why did she kiss his cheek? It was a bit irritating to see in Arturia's eyes, really. Sileas' red nails softly gripping his arm, her wide red-lipped smile digging (probably painfully) into her cheeks, the soft stain of red lipstick on Diarmuid's cheek; and her haughty giggle.
It was starting, just as Rin had taken Emiya away from her company, Arturia could foresee Diarmuid leaving her to join Éire Agency; she had to shake off the thought. Arturia sincerely hoped—er, no; wished—that Diarmuid was not that oblivious.
She prayed.
"Well," Arturia nearly groaned, her fingers flipping through the documents in her hand, "if you are not free yet again… then how about we make a formal meeting?"
Diarmuid frowned, "No, it is quite alright. I can cancel my plans with Sileas. Work should come first in this case."
Her green eyes flickered up to him, "But," she pondered, "Aren't you a man of your word?"
He nodded, "And that is why I will cancel. I made a contract with you, no one should steal me from your company; and that includes Sileas."
A soft smile played on Arturia's lips; like the long sweet note of a violin, "Are you sure your girlfriend will not mind?"
Diarmuid's cheeks lit up as if on cue, just as a stop light would, "W-we aren't dating."
A thin brow was raised in question.
He shook his head, confirming her, "No, we are not. She is just a friend."
"A friend?" Arturia tried to restrict her curiosity, "Well, I appreciate your devotion to the job. I was considering a possible shoot for you, how would you like to get some shots of you in the Auto repair? To be honest, you did catch my eye back there and it truly proved to me that it is where you look best. Would you agree with me?"
He licked his lips, a soft nervous chuckle leaving him, "It is where I feel at ease…"
"Then it's settled," she dropped the paperwork on the table and stood, "Be ready for tomorrow; I will arrange the photographers and everything."
"Uhm," he cleared his throat, "what would this shoot be for?"
She furrowed her brows, "A get to know the model one. I have not done it before, not even with Emiya, but you are so genuine that I would truly love it if we could get a couple of pages on you in the Einzbern Magazine. I am completely certain that the Lady Irisviel would jump at the idea."
"I'm not very interesting…" He was a humble man, but Arturia made it her mission to cajole him out of insecurity; just a tad bit.
Arturia walked around him, landing her hands on his shoulders—slightly startling him, "What did you want to be when you grew up?"
"Miss Pen—"
"What would you wish to have been?" She pressured.
"It is quite ridiculous," he admitted, "A knight."
She patted his head, ruffling his hair, "And you say you are not interesting. What about family, do you have any?"
"I have an older brother…"
"Is he as handsome as you?" She asked, not actually meaning anything from it.
Diarmuid sighed, shaking his head, "I'm not handsome."
"Right, then what about your job, how did you become a mechanic?" Arturia asked before she walked towards the large window. And that was how the interview with the most handsome man in the world began.
