It was an odd experience, having nothing to do. Ever since she had arrived in Valencia Rin's life had been a constant maelstrom of turmoil, battle, and suspicion. The lull was disconcerting. She had no leads on Omega until Genjo's letter arrived, she had no intel on the other Masters that would let her either recon or attack them, and unless the map showed a magical spike there was nothing to do but sit on her hands.
Still, Rin had never been a girl to sit idly by when events were afoot. Given her intentions to modernize the Tohsaka family organization she decided that the first step had to be with her. As much as she dreaded it she sat herself down in front of Ilya's archaic computer and set her mind to the task of ferreting out its secrets. She summoned Shirou haughtily and he came as obligingly as ever. Rin's inquisitive mind made her an apt pupil under his tutelage, even if she did have to resist the urge unleash a wave of telekinetic force and slam him across the room.
Rin couldn't recall ever meeting a single person as infuriating as Shirou. She knew exactly why too, not that it helped matters. Everyone that Rin knew was her superior, like her father and the other Lords of the Mages association; her subordinates, even friends like Genjo the records keeper; or her rivals whom she looked down on even more than her trusted servants, people like Magnus and Kirill. Even Ilya had a sort of hero worshiping adoration for her that made her seem more the wide eyed younger sister than a true equal. Shirou didn't fit into any of those boxes. Instead he was something else and Rin had trouble categorizing him.
He didn't seem to take anything seriously, something that the somber minded Rin found flippant and irreverent. His response was always a joke, or a quip, or a jibe. He had a farcical, self deprecating sense of humor, jokingly poking fun at himself as much as he poked fun at Rin. When they were just starting out she asked him to show her the World Wide Web and he chuckled harder and harder the more she pressed him. He had nearly split his sides laughing at her before he told her that she could just say 'the web'. Rin had fumed and turned a cold shoulder on him. Even so, Rin was a fast learner and for all his joking around Shirou was a good teacher.
Rin soon found that to a methodical, organized mind like her own the operations of a computer were relatively simple. She got the impression that Shirou was giving her a watered down version but she also got the feeling that he wasn't an advanced user himself. He showed her all about saving and moving files, how to search the web, and a number of other simple operations. But he couldn't answer her questions about how the computer stored data other than to mumble something about 'disk space' and 'ram'.
While Rin was getting a handle on what could and could not be searched for using the internet she stumbled across a news site and made several shocking discoveries.
The first was the report of another murder that been committed in the port district. The police hadn't released any details except that it matched the profile of the previous four killings in the area. They told the reporter that they had linked the investigations and recommended that all citizens stay indoors after dark. The reporter speculated on the possibility of a serial killer, which the officer refused to comment on. But Rin knew the true cause of the killing. It was Assassin, draining prana from his victims and then dispatching them in the most grizzly way possible. A perusal of the map showed another magical null zone above the address where the fifth murder had occurred, corroborating the theory.
The second and most sobering report was the coverage of the explosion in the down town district the previous night. Several news networks had gotten their hands on it and each seemed to be telling a different story. Some claimed it was terrorists, some a burst gas main. There were reports that police were investigating local gangs and others that the military would be called in to quarantine the area. One report that made Rin's stomach turn over said that there were faint traces of nuclear fallout detected at the scene. No other reports repeated the theory though, and it was one of the smaller networks with a reputation for reporting two headed bat children as breaking news, so Rin breathed a little easier. The point was clear though, it was going to be increasingly difficult to keep the coming servant battles secret from the public, the police, and even the military if things escalated that far.
Apart from her disconcerting discoveries the remainder of the day passed in an idyll. Berserker had made a home for himself in the library. He seated himself beneath a lamp and thumbed his way through a growing stack of books with his scarred fingers, his one good eye roving the pages line after line lost in concentration. Shirou worked in the garage making modifications to one of the cars there. In the space of an afternoon he had reassembled most of the engine, reattached the wheels, and mounted a bulky contraption up on the roof. Ilya followed Shirou like a puppy and, oddly enough, Estavio followed Ilya like she followed Shirou. He exhibited a fatherly and protective air towards her but remained unobtrusive. From his behavior Rin gathered that he had taken it upon himself to chaperone her. Her infatuation was quite obvious to everyone in the house except Shirou himself, much to Ilya's frustration.
For the first time in her life Rin found her self surrounded by friends. Her training in the Clocktower had been a battle of wits and intrigue, constantly maneuvering for an advantage over the other prospective acolytes. Her life in her father's household was similar, working to make a place for herself amongst her father's lieutenants. It was oddly freeing to be in the house with Ilya's laughter, Shirou's good natured irreverence, and Berserker's concerned stoicism. There was nobody to make demands of her or judge her. Except herself.
I can't let it distract me. She thought, lassoing herself back into reality. This is a war, not a vacation.
Still, she found herself drawn to the garage where Shirou and Estavio worked and Ilya watched. They talked and laughed the afternoon away. Rin's icy formality seemed a barrier to her but as the afternoon wore on she felt more and more at ease wither her childhood friend and her household staff. No, that wasn't exactly right. The truth was Rin felt more and more at ease with her friends. All of them. By the time the sun began to set and the sky took on that hazy, liquid quality that heralds nightfall Berserker and Melva had joined them as well. Shirou told them stories about his travels, Melva gossiped with Ilya, Shirou and Estavio shot automotive lingo back and forth that went right over Rin's head. She even saw Berserker sporting a muted smile, the edges of his mouth pulling at the scars that cris crossed his face.
As the sun set Rin pushed herself up and bowed to the happy friends seated around the workbench.
"Ah, it's getting late. Me and Berserker have errands to run." She said.
A plan had been formulating in her mind all day. It was a bit of a long shot but still worth following up on. Ilya protested but Estavio laid a hand on her arm and she desisted. The gesture surprised Rin. For a servant Estavio seemed to have a very large influence on her friend. She supposed that Ilya looked up to him as something of a surrogate father figure. She didn't know much about Ilya's home life but if it was anything like her own she probably hardly saw her father at all, and never in a familial way. Such was the life of an heiress of a magical empire.
Ilya and Estavio shuffled out along with Melva, the three of them dispersing as they headed through the house towards their bedrooms. Rin found it odd that Melva and Estavio didn't share a room but she supposed it was just because they were so old fashioned.
Shirou stood up as well, yawning and shaking himself.
"Yeah, guess it's about time for me to head out too. I'm gonna go patrol down by the dock area, maybe get a glimpse of what our buddy Assassin is up to."
Rin's head whipped around.
"What?" She said.
"Well, he's the only one that seems to be operating in a particular area. That makes him the only Servant that we can really track down." Shirou replied.
Rin's brow furrowed.
"That's not what I meant. He's a Servant, not some misbegotten conjure. He'd kill you in an instant. There's nothing to gain from fighting him now. He's too powerful. What tactical advantage could we possibly get from fighting him?"
Shirou looked surprised.
"Tactical advantage? Rin, he's killing people. I'm not gonna sit idly by and let that happen." He said resolutely.
"Y-you idiot!" Rin raged. "If you fight him he'll kill you, and then what good will you be to...to anyone?"
"I'm not gonna fight him. Check this out." Shirou said, his face splitting into an excited grin.
He led Rin over to the car he had been working on throughout the day. He had gotten it back in working condition and then mounted a massive contraption on the roof. It looked like a public address system except instead of loud speakers it had a series of reflectors and halogen tubes. Shirou reached in through the car window and flicked a switch. Rin was instantly blinded. The car lit up like a torch. Spotlights, shop lamps, and light bulbs illuminated the garage like it was broad daylight. Shirou had rigged up a mobile ultra-bright light source.
"Okay, that's actually pretty clever." Rin admitted.
"But it won't do you any good. Assassin only needs the shadows to fuel his special abilities. Even without them he would be more than a match for you. He's a Servant. Even without his tricks he's stronger, faster, and far more deadly than anything you've faced."
"Well I can't just sit around here while-"
"You can and you will!" Rin shouted, interrupting him.
Berserker placed a stern hand on Shirou's shoulder and shook his head. Shirou looked back and forth between Rin and her Servant, his expression one of baffled frustration. Eventually he threw up his hands.
"Fine. But if Assassin kills again it's on your head. I'm goin' to bed." He growled as he stormed out.
Rin stamped her foot in anger as Berserker rejoined her.
"Is it wise to antagonize him?" He asked once Shirou had gone. "He may be our only lead to the Omega weapon."
"We're his only lead too. Besides! It's not like I care what that...that nitwit thinks. Let's go!" Rin huffed.
Shirou had a way of making her angry no matter what he did.
...
She took the Bentley and drove in silence, re-tracing the route that they had taken to meet Magnus. The Restrurante de Lujo was still closed after the battle within, its doors criss crossed with yellow police tape. A quick scanning spell showed that there was nobody inside but Rin still beckoned for Berserker to be cautious as she snuck inside. Magnus would to have had a reservation. And that meant...
Ah. The log book that the maitre'd had on her lectern was still there, undisturbed by the rush to escape. Rin quickly flipped through until she found the most recent page and scanned downwards until she saw the name Barthomeloi. And right next to it a phone number.
Bingo. Rin thought.
With that she could track down where Magnus was staying. If she could find his base of operations in the city she would have a distinct advantage over him. They made it back out side and away from the restaurant without any trouble.
Why can't everything be this easy? She thought as she drove home. If only picking up vital intelligence on our enemies could be as easy as popping down to the corner store for a bottle of milk all the time.
But her knuckles tightened and she slammed on the brakes as the Bently swung back into the garage.
Shirou's modified light car was gone.