Emiya V

It was too warm.

Not that it was uncomfortable. No, it was very comfortable. The heat wasn't unpleasant in the least, rather more like a day in mid Spring, with nature already born, but still in the process of growing. The sun didn't beat down like during that fool's travels through the desert. He might be overdressed, but that was likely his fault considering his attire. No, the heat actually would be what one would expect from where he was standing, a set of rolling green hills with a small pond situated in one of the valleys between them. Almost a scene out of a child's picture book really, one that would likely have a pink bunny rabbit as the main character.

'But no,' Emiya thought to himself as he surveyed the scene, 'it is still too warm.'

It wasn't just too warm, but too nice. The grasses were greener than it should be, the flowers were popping out of the ground in far too uniform of patterns and colors to be real. The wind was blowing just as one would need to avoid a drip of sweat. The smells were too rich, the sun bright but not so bright as to demand one to cover one's eyes. The water in the nearby lake was bluer than anywater had right to be. All of these things seemed to meld together too, enhancing and enforcing each other. All together, it was as if he was in an impressionist painting of a bright spring day, like he was standing in the world as it should be, rather than as he knew it to be.

'Where am I?' he took a step forward, suddenly feeling like he was being pushed down by a massive open palm, 'What is this place?' he kept taking a step forward, 'This massive pressure doesn't make any sense.'

"Hahaha."

Emiya stopped, and looked around. That laughter…no…

"It can't be," he said aloud, though he felt as though the words themselves were being dragged to the ground. He grimaced, and he tried his best to open his metaphorical ears, and hear the voice again.

"Ohhahahe!"

"That voice," Emiya said, his eyes widening at the girlish laughter.

He would know that voice anywhere. He tried his best to straighten out his back, to allow him to project as well as he could in the surrounding meadows and hillsides. As he did so, it felt like the hand pushing down on him only applied more and more force. Still, he grit his teeth and then with all the air in his lungs let out a shout.

"ARTORIA!" he screamed, hoping beyond hope these words were powerful enough to cut through whatever pressure was holding him down, "ARTORIA ARE YOU HERE!" he continued to look around, trying to guess where the voice was laughing from, "I CAN HEAR YOU! ARTORIA!"

He then stopped, coughing, as he fell to the ground. It'd taken all his strength to make those calls. As he strained his eyes to try and see what was in front of him, he finally saw something on the hill. It was a long blue dress, flapping far too much for the very light breeze that he was feeling. He tried to keep his eyes focused on the girl in the dress.

He knew it was her. It had to be. The golden hair gave it away. He tried to stand again, but as he did so, he saw another figure appearing before her. It was taller, and male, and was advancing towards the girl on the hill with great deliberate pace.

One with bright red hair…

"Nooooo-"

"Ooooooo!"

He was covered in sweat. He could feel his eyes bulging from his skull, and his lungs desperately trying to bring as much air into them as possible. As he gulped down air, he tried to regain his bearings. He took a few seconds, as the air was pushed in and out of his throat, to figure out exactly where he was. It was difficult though, as his eyes kept returning to those hills and fields, and what he knew was in them.

'Avalon,' he remembered his fight with Shakespeare, how the playwright had taunted him with his "Tragedy", that ultimately the girl he knew, the one true saber…she was somewhere waiting for the boy she loved. Waiting…for Shirou Emiya. He grit his teeth, his breathing having regained some normalcy, before shaking his head, and raising his hands to his shoulders, and rubbing them, trying to keep them warm without any clot-

'Oh shit,' he said to himself, 'I'm-,' he stopped, finally realizing he was underneath a set of sheets, and then quickly raising them up to show his lower body, and feeling at least a small sigh of relief, 'Half naked,' glad to still have his pants on, he looked around, and could see his shirt and coat sitting on a chair in the side of this small room. He blinked, and pulled off the sheets. He swung his legs around, and set them down on the floor, before pushing up and reaching out for the rest of his outfit, 'well, at least this means I'm not somewhere hostile.'

That was affirmed almost immediately, when suddenly the door nearby opened, and a mid sized man in his mid-fifties walked in. The man stopped and stared at him for a moment, blinking as he stared at Emiya, who had to turn his head down to look at the man whose threads of hair barely provided his scalp any cover. In the old man's hands were a small bowl with water and a rag, and as Emiya stared, he caught up to this man's duty.

"I suppose I have you to thank for caring for me while I was out," Emiya bowed his head at the old man.

"Y-yes," the man looked like he was seeing a ghost…which to be fair, he sort of was, so points to the old man for realizing his situation. Emiya almost felt like playing up the injury, but decided it would be being a bit too much of an asshole, so he nodded.

"Well," he grabbed his black undershirt and pulled it over his head, "I give you my thanks then," he pulled it down, and felt some satisfaction as it clung to his skin, "Do I need to pay you or-"

"Oh good ser," the man waved his hands, "Think nothing of it, the Hound had managed to pay for the services of the True Knights," he pulled up the towel, and seemed to try and get close to Emiya, "Ser, perhaps it would be wise to try and apply this cold rag to your head," he shook his head, "You had a fever when you arrived, and I must say that you were the worst of all your group when I took you under my care last night."

"Thank you," Emiya grabbed up the rag, and did feel that it was cooler than anything else. Not like it had been refrigerated or anything like that, but good nonetheless. He placed it on the top of his head as he pulled the blanket onto his shoulders, "Thank you, I know being a…," wait, what was the term for a medical officer in this world again?

"Maester?" the man asked after a few moments of silence, before providing his name, "Maester Strephon."

"Maester, yes," Emiya nodded, "being a Maester must be difficult, always so many different ailments and sicknesses to catalog and attempt to treat," he nodded at this primitive doctor, "I can't thank you enough for your care."

"Good Ser," Strephon pointed at the bed, "You had horrible fever last night," he attempted to back away for a second though, "Might I suggest you lay down and rest for a short while longer," As Emiya gave him a look the man backed away, "Tis a mere suggestion good ser."

"No trouble," Emiya sighed, fully pulling his coat on and adjusting it so he was covered as normal, "I can't afford to waste time waiting here," he then stopped and blinked, "Actually, I was with a gr-" he stopped and remembered something, "Oh, you said I came here with them, correct, how are they doing right now."

"Ah, your companions are, well they were all better than you," the old man shook his head, "I was entrusted to heal four of you, while the Hound discussed matters with our commander, and offered up payment of course," Emiya nodded.

'I suppose if that mission took me out for a while, it would take out most everyone else,' he then stopped, 'wait if Cu's currently negotiating with this man's commander…'

"Can you specifically tell me who was hurt, and how they are doing," he sat down on the bed, "I'll let you give me a look over while you do so," he then smirked, "I should be fine, but still, I imagine it would do your nerves good to at least have a quick look?"

"Ah, yes," the old man seemed to lose some of the stress in his posture, "If you would not mind."

"I do not," Emiya nodded, and then allowed the older man to walk up next to him, and begin to look him over more closely, "So, is anyone else from my group up and moving right now?" the older man nodded, but Emiya soon added, "Any of my comrades have injuries as bad as I do?"

"Ah, well the Hound and the Ash Valyrian were both fine enough," the old man shook his head, "They both refused to let me look at them, the first from bravado, and the second," he winced a bit, and Emiya just nodded, "Though as I've seen that scar beneath her face a few times, it's enough to tell me why she may question my intentions with her body."

"She has issues with men," he admitted, Strephon nodding, "I can't imagine…well…"

He'd run into this before. Before he'd given his life and soul to Alaya, he'd been a wanderer through warzones in an attempt to be a great hero. It had been harrowing, the bodies had been bad enough, but…but the living could be even more horrifying. As a younger man, the fool might have run off to hunt down the perpetrators of these crimes, like he had attempted when he'd found out what Matou Shinji had done to Sakura. Instead, he had tried to learn from those who were willing to help with…crimes of this nature. He'd become adequate with it, but he'd never be good at it. Too much of a different sort of trauma defined his existence, so the most he could do was offer rote advice on emotional support and allowing the victim to control how they would process the event. And frankly he doubted he'd be able to help much with Jeannette.

'Mocking her desire for a reverse harem probably doesn't code me as a friend,' he admitted to himself. He had never thought that Ritsuka would bring the copy of the Saint of Orleans aboard Chaldea, but he had, and Emiya had done his best to keep out of the witch's way.

"The hound did let me look at the boy though," the Maester continued, hoping to get away from this rather uncomfortable topic, "He is remarkably healthy for a boy that has spent his whole life traveling the roads of this land," he then stopped, "He might need some more meat on his bones, but otherwise I'd say he's fine."

"Good," Emiya nodded, mentally making sure to up the protein content of the boy's meals. Colan tried to eat the same as Xuanzang…so he'd probably need to talk to the monk about helping the boy by laying out that her diet wasn't something he should be attempting.

"The two women besides the girl from Volantis," Strephon continued, "well, they were in a similar position to you ser, though less so," he pointed to Emiya's muscles, "Your bodies were strained and exhausted ser. As though you had undergone some great exertion of effort," he seemed to somber for a moment, "Your limbs seemed quite like some of the slaves we have encountered before, their bodies nearly torn apart by the work they have been forced to undertake."

"That might be why it's so surprising why I'm up and moving right now then?"

"Ser," the Maester nodded, "Men and women who the True Knights have taken under their wing have survived such ravages to their bodies," he then stared at Emiya directly in the eye, "But all needed months of time to return to what they were. That you have recovered in a night," he stared at him, "It is beyond all explanations one could find in the Citadel."
"I don't doubt it," Emiya nodded, "Though…when you come from Assha-"

"Ah," the Maester quickly looked away, "That is…more than enough of that discussion, yes, I think quite so," Strephon grabbed up the wet rag and placed it back in the bowl, "I will leave your…techniques to you, good ser," he seemed to shudder as he walked away, "I have enough troubles without diving into forces inscrutable to men."

Emiya smirked to himself. Honestly, they were lucky how easily the idea of Asshai served as an explanation of who they were. It was extremely well known for dark magic and strange mysticism, so much so that you would be hard pressed to find anyone among the elite or ruling classes who didn't know what Asshair was. But it was so remote that almost no one had actually been, so they could rely on the city's terrifying reputation without the fear of discovery.

"There was one more of us," Emiya finally said as the Maester had opened the door to leave, "A young man with deep black hair," he stared at the older man, a slight fear of worry for his master only held down by his own certainty that he was okay, "Did you have the chance to see him."

"No I have not," Strephon admitted-

"She wouldn't let him in," Emiya thought as he made his way across the hallway that separated his room from the one they'd placed Ritsuka in to recover. Eimya's master had been in rough shape, yet Jeannette had been insistent that she would not allow any of the members of the True Knights to actually touch or inspect him.

On the one hand, this was not actually too bad an idea. Better to not take a chance that Ritsuka could be hurt. Their master was by every measure the most important member of the team, not only for this recovery mission but for the future of true history. They needed to take as few risks as possible…

But that also meant that when someone like Cu was willing to vouch for someone, they would need to take advantage of it. Having a healer look after Ritsuka might be important. Not only was Ritsuka, as a normal human, more vulnerable to injury than one of the servants, he was also still dealing with the wound that Kirei Kotomine had given him not two weeks ago. He was still likely recovering from that wound, and they would probably need to keep an eye on him to make sure he wasn't about to kill himself from going beyond what his body currently could take.

'No matter how much he'll piss and moan about that,' Emiya admitted to himself.

Finally, he made it to the room that the Maester had said Jeannette had assigned to herself and to their Master, and sighed as he made to knock on the door. Just as he was about to knock, however, he heard her voice inside the room.

"-does it feel weird?"

Emiya stopped.

"I mean, it still hurts like a bitch," Ritsuka said. His voice was a mix of a chuckle and a sigh, but at least he was up and from what it sounded like moving. Emiya felt the edges of his mouth curl upward, at least glad that there didn't appear to be much damage.

Other than that grievous wound he had nearly died from.

"I'd expect it to," Jeannette spoke up. He then heard Ritsuka suck in a breath, and the woman suddenly shout out, "Sorry!"
"It's okay. It's okay," Ritsuka's voice was higher pitched than before. Emiya could imagine that the French girl had touched the edge of the wound around Ritsuka's heart, "Still not used to it," the master forced out one of his fake laughs, which he used to try and cover up whenever he was feeling some kind of anxiety, "Ha, but don't worry, will be just like any other scar. Will heal with time."

And then the room was silent. Emiya stood there for a second, only for his mind to slowly put together that Ritsuka-

"I just said something I shouldn't have," Ritsuka admitted out loud. Emiya winced as he heard a huff come from where he supposed Jeannette was, and he realized that now, the witch had come to understand something that he'd learned in the fool's travels.

Some scars never really heal.

For a few moments, Emiya imagined that the two were just sitting across from one another, Ritsuka trying to figure out how to move the conversation forward, and Jeannette…

And Jeannette…

'God damnit,' Emiya cursed inside his head.

"I…I think I need to apologize," Ritsuka's voice finally cut through the stale air, and Emiya just nodded at that. Best to try and get through these issues on her side, and try and make her more comfortable. The snort seemed to indicate that Jeannette was receptive.

"Oh, your sorry huh," she said, her voice full of her false bravado, "Well, you should be, you let me be stuck on this rotten mudball for three decades, Ritsuka," Eimya could imagine the girl holding up a hand with three fingers directly in Ritsuka's face, "Thirty fucking years," she repeated, before adding, "I mean, look at me. I'm a hag now."

"You aren't a hag," Ritsuka said forcefully, "But yeah, it's inexcusable that I left you alone for that long," Emiya could imagine the boy rubbing his forehead in frustration, "I mean that. I needed to be down here much sooner than I was."

Emiya squeezed his hands together in a tight fist.

'I've been too slow.'

"Yes."

After Jeannette's reply, the room was silent again.

"Is there anything you need?" Ritsuka asked, "Like, anything," Emiya heard rustling in what sounded like a pocket, "Would you feel better to be sent back to the Storm Glider so you don't have to be here anymore?"

Emiya nodded, thinking that Ritsuka must be offering the girl one of the rings. It might be best for everyone to send Jeannette back. After everything she'd been through, going to a modern medical facility with a warm bed, good food and a well trained staff might be very helpful. Honestly, just being around her sister might be a good treatment in and of itself. For all that Jeannette claimed to despise the saint, it was impossible to deny the affection that the witch reluctantly had for her original self.

For a few seconds, there was a few sounds of movement, before everything stopped. Emiya imagined that the girl was likely holding one of the rings in her hand, contemplating it.

"Will you be coming back as well?"

"...no," Ritsuka said, "I…Jeannette, if I could go back I would," Emiya heard an exhaustion in the boy's voice, "God, am I tired. And this place," Emiya could imagine the bags under Ritsuka's eyes, "It just seems like such a rotten place. Even aside of what happened to you," but then his voice hardened, "But…but I have to try and help my other servants that are stuck here," Emiya nodded at that, "There are still eight unaccounted for, and the thought of what happened to you might still be happening to one of them," Emiya could hear the sudden cringe in Ritsuka's voice, "I need to get out there an help them. Otherwise, what kind of Master would I be."

"Eight," Jeannette spoke up, "But I thought there are only four of us that you and the Harem Protagonist found," Emiya winced at the title. Yes, he knew what it was like to have multiple girls interested in you, but the fool only ever dated one girl at a time. He wasn't a real slut like Fergus.

"Arash was a gladiator," Ritsuka explained, "he…he died fighting some kind of monster servant here. I couldn't resummon him from the throne, so I don't even know if he's still there" Emiya felt the shame of his comrade's death creep up his spine, "The group's going to need me to help empower them, to make it so they might be able to handle whatever mage summoned that monster servant," he shook his head, "So, I'm sorry, but I can't go now. I have to stay here, to make sure the rest of my comrades get home."

The room got quiet again.

"Then I'm not going," Emiya heard a flick, and could imagine the ring swirling through the air towards Ritsuka, "If I'm not here, you'll probably end up dying. And no way am I letting that happen," Jeannette then spoke up far too quickly, "Because you being alive is the only reason I still exist you see. Remember, I'm only able to exist in the throne because of you and the Chaldea system."

"Yeah," Ritsuka sighed, "I suppose I need to apologize about that too-"

"You should apologize for listening to the Harem Protagonist's dumb dad," Jeannette fired back quickly, "That and the Mage Association," Emiya could almost imagine the pose the woman had likely taken, full of fake elegance and pomposity, "You had the power to rule the world in Chaldea, and then decided to shut it all down, and what did that get you?"

"Stabbed in the chest?"

"Exactly," Jeannette's smirk was clear in her voice, "You obviously need me around at all times to make sure you don't get in trouble," the smirk must be getting bigger, "So I shall stay here to keep you out of trouble."

"...," Ritsuka let out a small snort, before finally saying, "Yeah, I suppose I'll always need you by my side," and now Emiya could really imagine Jeannette's smirk at the moment. It probably was bisecting her head. But then Ritsuka spoke up again, "Though I think I owe you another apology as well."

"Oh," Jeannette was almost cackling as she spoke, "What is this apology about?" Emiya could imagine her placing a finger on her chin in mock consideration, "You owe me so much, what could this one be for?"
"For kissing you," Ritsuka said quickly.

…

"Um, well," Jeannette was already sputtering, "That wa-I mean-"

"I didn't realize what you had gone through," Ritsuka continued, and Emiya was shocked to not hear any sort of smugness in his voice, "After all that, I come up and invade your personal space like that, in that way. It wasn't right."

"Well…Right," Jeannette said, and Emiya…he heard a blush, but he heard a sigh in that too. A sad one, "I suppose I just got used to men not understanding I had anything like personal space," he could hear her footsteps, "Though…don't…," Emiya stepped back to allow it to appear like he wasn't listening in on them, "Don't blame yourself for that," she finally said, "It…you…," and then he heard the door latch come undone, and saw the witch appear.

She had managed to switch out Ritsuka's clothes for a long black robe, luckily not anywhere the same color as she had worn while leading the cult. She had bags underneath her eyes, and Emiya had to guess she had stayed up most of the night with their Master. Her cheeks were tinged with red, but it wasn't the same. Last night's overreactions had likely been her old personality reasserting itself very strongly, and now that she had begun to merge her two minds together fully, she was probably less emotional in total. Of course, she was a thirty year old woman rather than a teenager now, so it made sense for her to be more mature now, but it still seemed depressing.

'This place takes so much from everyone,' Emiya nodded at the woman as she appeared. She looked at him, looked like she was about to insult him, before growling to herself and walking past him with her head held as high as possible, 'She even seems more mature now,' he then looked inside the room to see Ritsuka sitting against the wall shirtless, a frown as deep as the black scar on his left breast, 'Though, maturity is something that's often thrust upon us, and often it isn't good.'

"Hey Emiya," Ritsuka raised his left hand. His eyes flinched a bit, and he looked down and cursed himself, "Freaking black key, man," he seethed, before turning to Emiya, "I thought those things were just holy steel meant to kill vampires and dead apostles," he placed his hand around the wound, "So why does it hurt so much. I'm not either of those?"

"I think you are underestimating how the fact that a blade of steel is more than enough to cause permanent damage to a body," Emiya sighed at his thick headed master, and a dark part of him darkly compared him to another boy with red hair, "Even with the holy touch of the Saint of Orleans, most people would need weeks of rest to recover from that sort of thing," he then remembered the face of the priest of the Fuyuki church, "Of course, knowing Kotomine, he probably added something to make it worse than usual."

"Well he sucks."

"I completely agree," Emiya nodded, a smile on his face, "Kotomine Kirei sucks a lot."

The two just proceeded to stare at one another for a while, Master and Servant, Student and Teacher. Emiya had taken great pride in helping the boy sitting in front of him grow up over the past two or so years, since he'd been the first servants summoned by the Chaldea system. There were times the boy reminded him far too much of the red headed fool, but he couldn't help but think highly of this kid. Where Shirou would often attempt to push his father's ideals due to his hollow resistance, this boy was more comfortable in himself, and thus more comfortable in the natural hypocrisy of life. That he'd had a part in him growing into a strong young man was something he could be proud of. Hell, he was proud of it.

'And I let him down,' Emiya thought, as he looked at Ritsuika's eyes, he saw the face of a dark skinned man over the face of the boy. Arash would probably haunt him as long as he still had memories of this mission, and-

"I'm sorry Ritsuka," he finally said, "I…I'm sorry I failed you."

"Oh," Ritsuka, clearly still somewhat focusing on his conversation with Jeannette, shook his head and looked down in defeat, "Yeah, I guess…maybe I shouldn-"

"Please don't try and take the blame for this one," Emiya rubbed his temples. Ritsuka did have a tendency to blame himself for all the failings of Chaldea, and that had a tendency to run him ragged. It also could be annoying when appropriate assignment of guilt was needed, "I made you a promise that I would get our comrades back, and Arash is gone now."

Ritsuka's eyes turned downward, a clear frown on his face, "Emiya, I knew Arash," his eyes were a mix of sadness and understanding, "He would have always been one of the first people to throw himself to protect others, and when it came down to it, he made his decision," he shook his head, "I'm not happy about it, but I don't blame you for that. Really, it's my faul-"

"No it isn't," Ritsuka seethed, "Stop taking blame that isn't yours," he then looked directly at Ritsuka's wound, "And because of my failure, you have had to join a mission you absolutely should have taken off," he looked Ritsuka directly in the eye, and added, "I've put my Master in danger, a complete failure as a servant."

For a moment, Ritsuka stayed silent. And then he burst out laughing. For a moment Emiya just stared at the boy, before suddenly, he began to laugh too. He couldn't help it.

"Emiya," let's be honest," Ritsuka laughed, "There wasn't a chance I wasn't coming down here the moment we got the second coffin ready and I got the all clear to leave my bed."

"Yeah," Emiya nodded, before stopping for a second, "I am surprised that Nightengale let you get out so early for this mission," he shook his head, "I mean, even if you are walking about like this, I would have expected her to try and keep you under observation as long as she could," he only barely saw sweat begin to cover his forehead, "I mean, I wouldn't think she'd ever let you go on this miss…," he began to see Ritsuka shake a bit, "She doesn't know, does she."

"I may have not mentioned that I was meeting with Da Vinci to get in on the mission," Ritsuka rubbed the back of his head.

…

"She'll break your legs to make you stay in bed next time you see her," he observed and Ritsuka only shook more. Emiya sighed, remembering the sound of Da Vinci's voice during their last conversation, "I suppose we both have punishments waiting for us when we get back, huh?"

"Yeaaaaaahhhhh," Emiya's master groaned, continuing to rub the back of his head, before giving him a smirk, "Good news is I have command seals," he then shook, "Though…I'm not sure they'd actually hold her back."

"Or that it'd be a good use of those to waste on getting her to listen to you," Emiya shook his head. Still, he was chuckling at the idea of the famous nurse stalking Ritsuka through the hall, massive amounts of bandages being held in her hands as she prepared to wrap him up like a mummy to keep him from any activity. After a few moments, they just stopped, and let the silence hang. He looked up at the boy, and looked at the sadness in his eyes.

"You're worried about her, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Ritsuka nodded, clearly understanding exactly who Emiya was talking about, "I…I wonder how much I screwed up, to see her like that," he clenched his hand, "Ya know when we were at the beach, and making those comics," his smile got far too big for its own good, "I've never been happier," he smiled, "I mean sure, BB was trying to do…whatever the fuck she was doing," Emiya could only nod at the thought of that AI, and wince in his heart at the similarity between the girl that computer was based on and the girl Ritsuka was pining for, "But, I was able to just, you know…able to hang out with her?"

"I suppose with the time loop you did spend quite a lot of time together, didn't you?"

Ritsuka nodded, before stopping, "And, well," his hand came over his wound, "When I was being taken care of, every time I was able to pull together a thought," he threw his hands out, "I thought, "If I live through this, I'm going to make sure I'm with her"," he shook his head, "That I love Jeannette, and wouldn't trade her for the world."

"But," Emiya groaned, recognizing another girl in these words, "You aren't sure that she'd be willing even for all the world."

"And that I'm worried about that instead of completely focusing on what she's been through!" Ristuka threw out his hands, "I just feel like I'm being an asshole!" he groaned, before resting his head in his hands, "I just don't know what to do," he admitted.

"There isn't much you can do," Emiya said, "Just be there to support her," he shook his head, "Though, I'd suggest maybe be ready to let her go," he saw hurt in the boy's eyes as he stared into Emiya's eyes, "You don't want to hurt yourself pining for someone who won't love you," he looked up, "It only makes things worse, holding onto someone who can't love you the way you…the way you need them to."

"...Em-"

"I know, I'm speaking from experience."

The two just continued to stare at one another, before Ritsuka just shook his head, and stood up. He slowly walked over to his black button up shirt, and grabbed it up and put it around his body. He winced slightly as it covered his wound, but ultimately, he got it inside his clothes, and he buttoned them up to appear formal. He then looked over at Emiya, and smiled.

"Well, I think despite all we've learned," Emiya's master said, "I think ultimately we can call this part of our mission a success," Emiya couldn't help but nod. They'd gotten out relatively unscathed. Just a bit of exhaustion really, "So," he pointed at Emiya, "Still got that compass thing?"

"Ah, yeah," Emiya nodded before pulling it up, and scowling as it twisted around in his hand, "Shit, it's sensing the rest of our group," he looked at Ritsuka, "We need to get everyone together before we know where to head next," he smiled, "We should probably get everyone together and see if we can make a plan about what to do next."

"So," Cu was looking at the thing, "It's pointing Northwest," he let out a low whistle, "I guess we all got lucky then," he laughed, "We are still going in the right direction for the next comrade of ours."

They were all together, the group of five servants, one master, and one little hanger on. Like he and Ritsuka, both Xuanzang and Nitocris seemed very tired, though both were smiling. Colan had already done his part, bringing some food and drinks for the rest of them. Around them dozens of men were walking around. They were not in their armor, though many still had their weapons around them. More than a few were looking at the group, and in particular the three undeniably attractive women sitting at the table. They were doing their best not to stare, many often looking up at the banners hanging along the wall of the white sword on the black background. It honestly looked like a rising sun, with rays of light shooting off into the dark from the blade.

'Clearly that sword means something,' Emiya thought, 'But there are enough questions for me to deal with besides this.'

"So," Ritsuka looked over the group, "Any idea what's Northwest of here?"

Cu rubbed his chin, before grabbing the compass, and holding it in the palm of his hand, "This is probably a bit too north for it to be either Lys or Tyrosh," his eyes became fierce, "so that's a bit of a relief," he glowered as he looked forward, "I ain't going back to Lys again, no matter what you say Master."

"As long as no one we need is there, I won't ever ask you to go," their master said quickly, and Cu gave him a wolfish smile, "But, what might those cities be?"

"Well," Cu sighed, "If I had to guess, it's either going to be Myr or Pentos," he sighed, "And just by how north it is, I'd say Pentos is probably our best bet," Ritsuka nodded, "So, that means we probably," Cu growled to himself, "Need to get back to the river and head up that way," before shaking his head, "Though if it is Myr, we might be better to try and keep to the ground, so we can make it over there as well as we can."

"Alright," Ritsuka nodded, smirking to himself, "So we'll head north west in the cart then," he smirked at the rest of the team, "We'll need to pick up supplies and stuff, but we can probably make it across this area in a month or so," he smiled, "Which means Storm Glider time, probably a day or to," he sighed, before holding up the small device, "Da Vinci wasn't able to update comms much beyond what you had, so we'll have to be judicious on how we use it."

Emiya nodded at that. They couldn't use the device that would likely run out of battery after only a bit of use all willy nilly. Only in an absolute emergency would they use the radio, and even then, they'd have to be smart about how they used it. As Ritsuka hid it again in one of his many pockets, he looked around the table, and then smiled as he stared directly at Colan.

"Hey, I don't suppose I've had a chance to really introduce myself," Ritsuka stuck his hand out right in front of the boy, "My name's Fujimaru Ritsuka, and I'm everyone here's…friend," he finally said, clearly just remembering what connotation the term Master my imply. The boy looked up at him with suspicion, his eyes surveying Ritsuka's body, likely trying to figure out how someone so thing and reedy could be the master like he was. The boy then stoically stuck out his hand, and grasped Ritsuka's who took the opportunity to shake it, "We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other," Ritsuka laughed, while Colan continued to eye him warrily.

"Don't mind him," Cu spoke up, "The boy's still trying to get used to the idea I'm not just an ordinary man," he then leaned back, smirking to himself, "Though if you look around," his crimson eye suddenly peaked out from behind his eyelid, "You'll see that everyone around here pretty much already recognizes that too."

Emiya looked at some of the men around them, and realized it just hadn't been the code of this company that had kept them away from them. While many of the men were looking at the women in the group, it only took one look towards Cu for them all to back away. One particularly brave man tried to step forward with some drinks in hand, but another older man grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him back. Emiya returned his attention to Cu, an eyebrow raised, and he could tell that most of the rest of the group had similar expressions on their faces.

"So going to tell us what this is about?"

"Oh," Cu smirked, "You see, me and most of the assholes filling up this place," he waved his hand around, "We were on opposite sides of Robert's Rebellion about a decade and a half ago," he smirked to himself as he rested his head on his arms as he leaned backwards, "I was on Robert's side, and he's now the King of the Seven Kingdoms. So…"

"These are all the exiles from the losing dynasty," Nitocris cut in. She then suddenly began to turn her head quickly to everyone around her, "Why are we staying with people who you fought against in a massive war?"

"Oh," Cu chuckled, shaking his head, "Well ya see," he pointed at one of the back rooms, "Old Oswell and I met during the final days of the war, and we came to something of an agreement," he stopped, thought for a moment, and then added, "Well, more like people over us came to an agreement, and we more or less followed what they said. Still, we kind of have similar oaths about some stupid shit, so we kind of help one another out when we can."

"So have you helped Oswell out?"

"I didn't kill him?"

"Thought so," Emiya groaned as the rest of the servants grumbled as they stared directly at the Irish hound. Cu just barked out a cackle in response, before suddenly, he stopped, as finally one of the knights around them advanced forward beyond the unmarked but somehow existing lines separating their group from the rest of the hall.

The knight was a tall man, burly enough to almost resemble Gawain. He stood tall and proud, with his sword directly at his side, a hand resting on the pommel in case he needed it. His eyes hung straight forward, his jawline was set in something like a grimace, and most of his face was covered in bushy red hair. As he approached, he did his best to remain presentable, standing straight right across from them.

"Ser Cu," the man said, "Ser Oswell has granted you time in his solar as you requested," he motioned with his head towards the door Cu had been pointing towards earlier, "He said he is willing to discuss matters with you and your group in privacy."

"Like the matter of pulling that steel rod from his ass?"

Emiya saw the man's hand tighten around the pommel of his sword. Ritsuka glared at Cu, who groaned at his master's appearance.

"Fine," Cu moaned, before looking back, "I'll go see the old rat with wings," the man's hand seemed to grow tighter, "Man, lighten up."

"Good ser," finally Nitocris stood up, getting between Cu and the knight glaring down at him, "Please excuse his behavior. He was raised by dogs?"

"Hey!"
"Quiet," Nitocris turned around, before turning back, waving her hands about in an attempt to placate the man in front of her, "As you can see, he barks far too much for his own good. Like most dogs do," the man stared down at the former pharaoh of Egypt, before sighing, and nodding his head at her. He let go of his sword, before motioning toward the door that they were to meet Oswell in.

"I am sorry for my intrusion my lady," the tall man said. Nitocris waved her hand in return.

"No trouble whatsoever," she smiled at him, "Ser…"
"A Ser Rolly," he said, "I don't have a family name. Ser Oswell found me wandering the Disputed Lands, and took me in as someone who could earn his knighthood," he shook his head, "Here, we set aside what we were before, all previous allegiances or families, and attempt to serve as true knights. I proved meself, and Ser Oswell made me a knight," he glared at Cu, "A man like that is rare in this world. Rare when so many would look at a blacksmith's son as nothing to make a knight out of."

"Yeah," Cu waved him off, as he finally walked up to the room, "Keep your pants on," he then pushed the door open, "See you when we get out."

Slowly the group entered the room. Quickly they took up positions to fight their way out if needed, though as casually as possible. Emiya remained close to the door, his hand along the wall to use a light trace to feel if there was anyone hiding trying to block the door, and Xuanzang on the other side of the door ready to land a blow if needed. Nitocris took a bit of a middle route, coming up right next to Emiya, preparing to help if needed. Ritsuka took the seat right on the opposite side of a plain box that Oswell was using as a desk, and Cu stood right next to him with Colan just a bit behind. On the other side of Ristuka stood Jeanette, and Emiya could see some flames dancing along the skin of her right hand, before they were snuffed out when Ritsuka looked at her disapprovingly.

'Well,' he sighed inwardly, 'At least she still knows to listen to him.'

"Is good to meet all of you in the waking world," the knight was an older man, gray hair sprinkled along his head and into his massive sideburns. His black batlike helmet sat next to him, as he looked them all over. He was holding his hands together, trying to parse out how the group worked together, and as his eyes moved together, they came down on Ritsuka, clearly seeing that despite appearances, he was the one in charge of this little band, "Though I must say, there were times I thought I'd not see some of you until the next life."

"Yeah, yeah," Cu grumbled, reaching out to play with one of the papers on the desk only for Ritsuka to reach out and smack his hand away. Cu glared at the boy, who only smiled back before they both returned their attention to Oswell, "Thanks for your help. I suppose I owe you one now, huh?"

"Two if I were feeling less than cordial," Oswell's eyes seemed to linger on the image of the dog ripping it's teeth into the neck of the great white bull on his chest, "I did already help you and your boy when you had to get out of Lys," his eyes moved up, "Without my hospitality, your hunters might have killed the wild dog before he made it out of the disputed lands."

"Oh, come on," Cu pointed his finger forward into Oswell's face, "After helping you get out here. I pretty much covered for you all the way out of Starfall."

The two men continued to glare at one another. It wasn't like Cu's rivalry with anyone else, Emiya noticed. Cu with Fergus or Diarmuid was usually mostly friendly sparring, and he'd imagine the same would be for Ferdiad should the ever find him in the Throne of Heroes. Even the fierce rivalry that Emiya had with Cu was far more amiable at this point, reliance on insults aside. No, this one…this one felt like they were more or less forced to the same side by something, and would both much rather just finish the other off.

'Suddenly,' Emiya sighed, 'I'm even more grateful that we all haven't been killed.'

"If you'll excuse Cu," Ritsuka finally spoke up, cutting the fight between bat and dog off, "We are going to be heading northwest pretty soon, probably by cart," he smiled, "We aren't actually sure if we are headed to Myr or Pentos, so we have to keep our options open."

Oswell eyed Ristuka warily, before nodding at that. He then pulled out a small piece of paper, before asking, "So, how much food do you think you'll need?"

What occurred next was around an hour of discussion. Ritsuka was talented at working with people who ordinarily wouldn't give him the time of day, and his charisma did seem to wear down Oswell's exterior fairly quickly. They were soon supplied with a good amount of food and water, as well as wine and other spirits. Ritsuka had somehow brought some jewels and gold for the trade, which Emiya suspected were given to him by the Sheba. They also spent time discussing how to route out their travel to make the shortest trip that could result in arriving at either of their possible targets, and also where they might need to be prepared for other mercenary companies that might not take as kindly to them.

"I must offer you my thanks," Ritsuka smiled after the last bits of negotiations were finished up, "I don't know how we would be able to make the rest of this trip without you."

"Think nothing of it young ser," Oswell bowed his head.

"So we'll be leaving fairly soon," Ritsuka admitted, "Probably this afternoon if we can manage," he gripped the paper in his hand with the order that he had managed to negotiate for, "So we won't be using up any more of your hospitality than we need to," Ritsuka bowed his head, "Again, thank you for your kindness."

"I am merely sorry that this is all I can provide," Oswell nodded, before giving a side eye at Cu, "Such a strange group you find yourself in," he seemed to refuse to use Cu's name, and from the anger in his eyes, he could tell it was personal, "But, I suppose tis not the first time you were in a group such as this," he seemed to stare off into the ether for a moment, before sighing, "Though, at least that group seemed to make sense," he shook his head, "After all, a bunch of wolves hunting the countryside for a missing packmate."

"Right," Emiya could hear more emotions mixing with the anger in the back of Cu's throat. There was rage, yes, but also sadness and fear. Emiya almost wanted to prove further…but they needed to be ready to head out soon. He'd probably just ask about it when they were back on the wagon.

"Oh, before I forget," Ritsuka spoke up, "I was wondering if you'd met anyone like us during your travels," Emiya looked over at Oswell, who seemed to be perplexed by the question, "You know, strange people with great powers?"

"I…I'm not sure about that," Oswell observed, "I've heard legends, but the greatest warrior I ever met has and always will be Ser Arthur Dayne," his eyes moved back up to one of the banners with the pure white sword, "And he died like any other man, with blood coming from his guts," he sighed, "Though perhaps if you have a description."

"Well," Emiya finally spoke up. This was probably his best chance to get an idea about what was happening in the Seven Kingdoms, which seemed to be an important conduit of the world, and likely one of their final destinations, "We were wondering in particular about a young woman you might have run into," his mind flashed to the girl with the golden hair on the breeze swept hill, "She has golden hair, and green eyes. Good with a swor-" his eyes widened.

Oswell's eyes had also widened. He clearly knew something, and he was staring directly at Emiya, his brow furrowed. Yet ultimately, that wasn't what had caught his attention. It was that Cu had gone straight as a board, muscles seeming to tighten like a spring loaded trap. The back of the hound's head seemed to be covered in sweat, and his eyes were moving back and forth in rapid bursts. He almost seemed to stare at Oswell, as though trying to communicate with him not to keep talking, but Emiya suspected that Oswell would have ignored him even if he could understand Cu's strange movements.

"Yes," Oswell nodded, "A girl with golden hair, and emerald eyes, with skill in the sword," he then pulled his hand over his face, "And a fine complexion, and a sense of duty to those around her and her own morality?"

"You've seen Artoria," Emiya wasn't asking a question. He moved past Cu away from the door, and got close to the desk, "Please, can you tell us where you've seen her."

"I must apologize," the knight continued, "I haven't seen her, well, since I left the Seven Kingdoms," Emiya wanted to curse out loud, but Oswell continued, "But yes, I met her once, on the battlefield," he then looked over toward Cu, "I would have thought that your friend would have communicated that he fought side by side alongside that girl."

…

Emiya and every other member of their team slowly moved their head to face Cu. It was now obvious that he'd been hiding that he'd met Artoria already. Emiya's muscles began to strain, and he imagined himself grabbing the dog by the scruff and ringing his neck. The other servants were a mix of shock and disappointment in Cu's behavior, including the look of shock from Colan himself.

"Well," Oswell coughed, "Yes, I suppose I shall let him discuss the details with you," it was only then that Emiya realized he must have unleashed quite the blast of killing intent, "I hope your travels are safe, and you find your way to your comrades."

They were quickly out of the room, and Emiya walked right next to Cu, who was doing his best to look straight forward, keeping his eyes from meeting anyone else's. But he wasn't a fool. He had to know this wasn't going to end well for him. So finally, he sighed, and turned to the rest of them.

"Okay, so I'm pretty sure I know where Artor-"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US!"

Emiya was surprised it wasn't he who was shrieking. No, it was Xuanzang whose hands grabbed at the Irish Hound's shoulders, shaking the taller man in frustration. As she did so, Emiya could almost imagine her accidentally smashing his head into one of the tables, but despite everything, Xuan had far more control than to do something like that. After a few moments, Cu finally managed to break free, and pull himself away from them.

"Alright, I haven't been entirely truthful," he stopped, took in a deep breath, and said, "Artoria and I fought together in Robert's Rebellion."

"Well," Risuka spoke up, "that's…good," Ritsuka said, "If you were comrades, then you can introduce us to her and-"

"And I think it'll be harder than that," he pointed around the room, "Remember, it's harder to wake someone up when they have strong connections to this world," he pointed his thumb at himself, "Me with Colan," he then pointed his index fingers at Nitocris and Jeannette, "These two with their slaver family and their creepy burning religion."

"Hey!"

"But her, she might be a really tough nut to crack," he groaned, "Well you see," Cu looked Emiya directly in the eye, "She married my old Lord Eddard Stark, and well," he sighed, "What do you think noble ladies do in the Se-"

SLAM

Emiya glared at Cu as he slowly slid down the stone wall of the room. He had managed to grab Irish Hercules by the side of the head hand slam it directly into the wall. The dazed look on his face indicated that the maneuver had hurt a lot, and had probably stunned him from any kind of response. For a second, Emiya had to marvel at how rage could help a D class strength guy like him toss around Cu like a rag doll. Everyone else just stared at him for a few seconds before slowly moving away.

"Yeah," Emiya finally said, as he watched Cu try and pick himself up, "I think we're going to have to talk about some things when we get back in the cart.