Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Taylor

Eramana smiled contentedly as her limousine drove through the American city. You'd hardly believe that just a few weeks ago one of the Endbringers had rampaged through here, but the only sign of the damage had been the glassed beach and the balding and bespectacled man directing workers near the docks and shore that Eramana had seen when she had her driver take her to the beach for a photograph.

There was a new hero who had garnered international attention, one who'd been operating in this city for a few months, and it seemed that this Princess was responsible for the minimal damage. And Eramana had always been fascinated by the more… Mystically inclined heroes and villains. How some of them actually seemed to benefit from their props and incantations.

The local Parahuman Response Team's office hadn't been severely damaged and had been opened up to the public again by the time Eramana had arranged for this trip. Her limousine pulled into the publically open parking lot and she and her attendant stepped out and made their way to the entrance. Eramana stopped to snap a picture of the building with her camera before going in.

It wasn't exactly crowded inside. Just workers going about their day. It made sense, most people would be getting back to normalcy after the attack. Most likely, the office had been opened to the public to reassure the people.

Still, it was open, and Eramana checked the directory and made her way to the gift shop. Pictures were nice, but you couldn't come to a cape hotspot without getting a souvenir T-shirt or two.

She drew a bit of attention to herself, of course. A fair-skinned and fair-haired woman of her beauty in such an expensive white dress and wearing five hundred dollar sunglasses would draw a sight. She knew that wealthy tourists visited the town, but she was old money and looked like it.

In truth, she was in town for business, but that was no reason not to have a little fun before she went to her meeting.

She stopped just outside of the gift shop. It seemed she'd spoken too soon about the public not coming. A father in mirrored sunglasses and his little girl, maybe ten to twelve, wearing a t-shirt depicting Princess floating in the air while swinging her wand forward at the people looking at the shirt hastily pulled over the clothes she was wearing beneath, tag still on, were stepping out of the gift shop. The girl was cute.

Eramana stepped out of the way so they could pass before heading in herself. She searched through the gift shop's supply of shirts and selected two, one depicting the Local Protectorate team in heroic poses and the second the shirt the girl had been wearing in Eramana's own size.

When Eramana brought the shirts up to the register, she asked the clerk "So, does Princess work for the Parahuman Response Team?"

"Uh, no," the teenager working the register said. "We're just licensing her image. She's been pretty popular ever since well, it's national news now."

"International," Eramana corrected.

"Huh?"

"I'm from Europe," she shared, "We got news of what your Princess did within two days of the attack… Is it true that she cut Jörmungandr—sorry, Leviathan, in half?"

"I asked," the young man said, "no. She just stabbed the hell out of him. So, did you come all the way here just to buy a T-shirt?"

"No," Eramana said with a laugh. "I'm here on business. Just having a bit of fun before my meeting."

"Well, both shirts will run you—"

"Oh, it doesn't matter to me," Eramana said as she handed over her bank card. "I'm quite, quite rich. Just run the card, I'm good for it."

"If you say so," the teen said and did so. "So, what is it you do?"

"I research human biology," she said. "I think I'm close to a breakthrough in understanding something major, but..." She raised a finger to her lips. "I can't share the details."

"I get it… so uh, what's up with the tall guy?" the young man gestured to Eramana's attendant.

The tall, muscular man was dressed as an old-school valet… He wasn't exactly much to look at with that mug. "He's my attendant. To protect me if I stumble across a violent confrontation or to carry heavy things for me. Right Joffery?" Joffery nodded. "Joffery doesn't speak much."

"Oh, okay then… have a nice day."

"And you too," Eramana said with a smile and left.

Eramana checked the time once she returned to the limousine. She'd have to get going, her meeting was soon. Without a word, her driver took off and made to the place of business she was meant for… she'd memorized the address, but couldn't recall the name at the moment. Something a little... on the nose, to use a local turn of phrase, if she recalled.

Her Joffrey was looking a bit pale this morning. He might be due for a medical check-up, but of course, he wouldn't say anything and he was far too loyal to leave her side unless she forced him too, not that she had much reason to be away from him.

Time passed far, far too slowly on the way to her meeting. Nothing was interesting to see on the way either, and her Joffery was never much one for conversation. In short, Eramana was bored and she'd never coped well with that nonsense.

Finally, after an agonizingly slow drive, a much more frustrated Eramana told her driver that she expected the meeting to take a while and not to leave the engine running and then she, accompanied by her attendant, entered the large building.

Eramana retrieved a sheet of paper from her purse and showed it to the fair-haired woman at the front desk. The woman read it over and simply replied "this way, Ma'am."

This angered Eramana a bit, as she was a Lady, not a ma'am, but she held her tongue.

The woman led Eramana and her attendant to an elevator clearly marked "executives only" and opened it with a key. "They'll be waiting for you in the basement office," the desk-woman said as she stepped back, allowing Eramana and Joffery to enter the elevator. One of the buttons was actually labeled basement office. Eramana wasn't sure if that was convenient or just lazy, but she pressed it regardless.

The door closed and the elevator began to descend. And descend. And descend. Eramana tapped her foot impatiently. How long did it take to go to the basement? They started on the ground floor.

Finally, the doors opened and Eramana was greeted by the sight of a wooden decorative table and three men. On one side of the table stood a man in an expensive business suit. On the other was a larger man in a matching suit and for some reason a metal tiger mask.

And in the middle, actually sitting at the table, seated on a throne of blades and dressed in a concealing armor of the same, was Kaiser. The man she was here to see.

Of course. He had to make a show of this. Damned parahumans and their need for drama.

Kaiser. Anders. The man stood from his iron throne, walked around the table, stood before her… And kneeled. "Lady Einzbern," he addressed, "please tell me to what I owe the pleasure of a visit from one of Gesselschraft's finest researchers?"

Eramana von Einzbern, the last perfect homunculus on Earth Bet, was not amused.

She noted that the unmasked man, a man she vaguely recognized, seemed… Uncomfortable. She removed her sunglasses and noted that he avoided her gaze. "Mister Flieschier? Or do you prefer Krieg? What is your opinion of me and my work? And please, be honest."

Krieg took a full minute to answer. "I'd rather take my chances on Bonesaw's operating table than get on your bad side, Lady Einzbern."

Eramana was about to say that she didn't know who this Bonesaw was, she wasn't familiar with American capes, when the man in the tiger mask scoffed.

Eramana sighed. This had been such a promising day. "Joffrey?" She said, prompting her attendant to step out of the elevator. "The man in the tiger mask is being rude."

Joffrey cracked his knuckles and did what he did best. The only thing he could do, really. Eramana had done so much research on Parahuman biology but had never figured out how they work. She had, however, figured out just the right combination of physical stimulation, psychological conditioning, and just a hint of what little Alchemy still worked to Awaken someone's Origin. Joffrey had been an angry young man who signed on with a group of Neonazis to feel strong, and thanks to her his Strength was unrivaled. Too bad he was basically a mindless brute who could only follow orders. It was his own damn fault for having second thoughts after she'd already started awakening him.

Ten minutes later, Eramana was no longer bored or frustrated and Krieg left to go get a mop while Joffery shook the blood from his hands.

Kaiser had muttered something about how he should have given Hookwolf's position to Cricket instead of Stormtiger. He didn't seem to realize that Eramana's perfect ears had caught that, and she let him think she hadn't.

"To answer your earlier question, Mister Anders," Eramana began. "There's a little something my family has been researching for generations now. And thanks to your city's new celebrity, I think I'm close to a breakthrough that should help me get to the Root of the problem. And your people are going to provide me with lodging while I conduct my research."