Shirou grimaced as he walked the halls in wet socks. There were a lot of things that he'd taken in with a smile, or at the very least indifference. Walking while dripping wet was not one of them.

By the virtue of his profession, he would usually be outfitted in fairly heavy armor. While Reinforcement was able to stem the added weight, it was a lot more uncomfortable, even detrimental if the water caused his hair to get in his vision. Hence, why Shirou would usually avoid getting wet unless absolutely necessary.

Watching over a hovering-between-life-and-death leader while waiting for people to come and help him was one of them. Not that he had to like it.

Thankfully, the medics had arrived fairly quickly. By ten minutes, they were all back inside, with Shirou doing his best to dry out his hair.

"Lord Emiya."

He was distracted from his actions as Adrianne came walking up to him, a light hop in her step. He internally sighed, already knowing what she was going to say, "Lady Valliere." Still, it would not do to show that, for all that he found her company pleasant, her hate towards the Empire sometimes felt out of hand.

Then again, the magus supposed that he wasn't the one that had been hunted down for his entire life due to undue racism.

"I have heard from Ranger Hodor that the King of Elbe was captured during thy inspection." She stopped in front of him, standing straighter than normal, if that was even possible, "Truly, I had thought mine own people were jesting. Instead, I was witness to the man as he was brought to the healers!"

Shirou stayed quiet as he listened to the elf. He could see where she was coming from, why she looked ecstatic at the idea of getting a single man as a prisoner. He still couldn't feel happy about it, regardless.

Prisoners of war were often not treated well. He trusted the JSDF to not do anything untoward to the man. They didn't have any reason to. Unlike them, the elves were a different matter. They held a grudge towards anything Imperial, and one of their leaders had practically landed right in their laps.

He would need to tell the commanders about it. It wouldn't look good if a POW were to wind up mysteriously dead.

The elf opened her mouth to continue, unaware of how uncomfortable the topic was becoming to the magus, when a soft cough distracted the both of them. Shirou almost visibly sagged in relief, even as Adrianne threw a soft glare at the offender. The Enforcer's brows raised up.

"Yanagida-san."

"Emiya-san."

Akira Yanagida. First Lieutenant. A straight laced man if Shirou had ever seen one. He had seen him often enough that they had a passing acquaintanceship. The two of them had mutual respect, despite the lack of trust from the rest of Yanagida's fellow soldiers.

"I would like to speak to you regarding some important matters." He threw a glance at the elven leader, "In private, if you would."

"Of course." Shirou accepted readily, throwing an apologetic glance at Adrianne, who gave a disappointed yet understanding look at the two of them.

"We shall continue our conversation at a later date." She spoke as she nodded. He gave a short nod in return, and followed Yanagida through the halls.

The hallways were much dirtier than normal, having been splattered by all sorts of debris in the scramble for defensive positions. A far cry from the almost clinical cleanliness that he had observed when he had first seen them.

"You seem to have gotten no small amount of rapport with the natives." He glanced at Yanagida as the bespectacled man spoke calmly. For his part, Shirou only shrugged.

"I suppose you could say that. I would say it's more of 'they like me because I helped them' than outright liking me."

"You say that, yet whenever one of those elves even looks at one of us, they look like the only reason their not cursing us is that we can't understand them."

"You can't?"

As they turned a corner, Yanagida looked at him from the corner of his eye, "Whatever 'spell' Cato-san did faded shortly after the battle. He hasn't cast it on me again, only on the Lieutenant General."

"I see." And Shirou did. Magecraft, or whatever was the equivalent that Cato did, was usually well guarded. That the old man had used it was likely a sign of needing to do it rather than actively wanting it. Though, thinking back, he likely shouldn't be thinking that way.

Cato was no Clock Tower magus, and Shirou shouldn't hold him up to the same greediness that punctuated the latter.

Silently, Yanagida stopped in front of a door, opening it. The two of them entered a small office, with the lieutenant going around a desk and sitting down. Shirou did the same and lowered himself onto a surprisingly comfortable office chair.

"Onto official business then." The man adjusted his glasses as he started typing something onto his computer, "First off, you disappeared for a while, only to come back just as enemy forces assaulted the base. Where have you been?"

Shirou frowned at Yanagida's tone. It felt as if the man was accusing him of something. Though, given the circumstances, Shirou could see that people thinking that he himself orchestrated this entire scenario wasn't out of the question.

For all that the JSDF personnel knew, he could have some mind altering abilities that instigated the attack. Magecraft and magic usually blurred the lines of what was possible, after all.

"I was out making a map of the area surrounding us, when I stumbled across an elven village." When in doubt, go for the truth, "I stayed there for a little under a month, before a dragon attacked. I killed it, but due to the damage that the fighting caused, the elves' home was burned to the ground."

Here, a bit of guilt sprouted up in his gut. He knew that he wasn't entirely at fault. The red lightning that the dragon used did more damage than he did. Yet, he was the one left alive in the end. No one else would be feeling that guilt other than him.

"I want details on this dragon later." Yanagida typed furiously on his computer, even while regarding Shirou with a calm look, "After that, I suppose you met with First Lieutenant Itami?"

"We did. Itami-san offered to help with the injured."

There was a knowing glance, "And asylum alongside it?"

"...Yes."

At that, the other man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses, "For the love of-" He took a breath, "Okay, we'll talk about that later. Continue."

"We eventually made it to the outskirts of Alnus Hill, where Cato met with us initially. He was the one that told us there was an attack, and offered information on the Imperial forces in exchange for giving his people the help they needed."

"And Itami accepted. Again."

"Yes."

With another sigh, Yanagida pushed up his glasses as he shifted in his seat to look at Shirou, "Okay. Two things. One, I want a detailed report on this dragon you supposedly fought, as well as the various terms that you used, locations, and whatever else you found." Doable, and the magus was already going to do that for Zelretch. He would just need to copy and censor a few more details.

"Two, you're going to have to tell the refugees to leave. Or at the very least, have Itami do it."

The Enforcer frowned, "May I ask why?" The idea of turning away refugees, people who actively needed help, was a sour thought for him. He had given his word that he'd help them, both him and Itami. That someone was telling him to go and do the exact opposite made him quite a bit annoyed.

"Itami doesn't have the authority to take in refugees, and he himself knows that." The lieutenant shifted in his seat, "I don't like it. I don't think anyone here does. We still need to do it though. We can't risk political or legal issues when our situation is as precarious as this."

Shirou found himself torn between his instincts to help and the practical considerations of the military operation. Yanagida's concerns were valid, but Shirou couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility towards the refugees he had promised to assist.

"I understand the complications," Shirou began, choosing his words carefully. "But turning away people in need doesn't sit well with me either. Is there no way we can find a compromise, perhaps by liaising with higher authorities or establishing a temporary arrangement?"

Yanagida sighed, clearly sympathetic to Shirou's position but still bound by the need for military protocol. "I wish it were that simple. The situation is fluid, and we're dealing with political sensitivities beyond our control. Itami might have acted in good faith, but we have to follow the chain of command. If there's any chance of these refugees finding safety, it has to be through proper channels."

Proper channels. Those two words made something click in his head. Time and time again, he'd heard those words uttered. Time and time again it simply meant 'we don't want the trouble this could bring'. Shirou was tired of it. All he wanted was to help the people he'd promised to help, and even then, politics and people saving face came first.

He breathed in as he thought. Gears borne of the political hellscape that was being a foreign Enforcer in the London Clock Tower started turning in his head.

"You say proper channels, and yet, I am not part of the JSDF, am I?" His mouth started speaking, even as he furiously thought about how he would do this. He could remember the ranting that Rin would often do, dealing with the bigots that thought them to be lesser than them. Of how she could and would one up them. All hidden behind false smiles.

"I suppose not." Yanagida narrowed his eyes, "Why?"

"I want all the refugees to be under my name." And yet, for all those late night rants, Shirou could never truly grasp the intricacies of political intrigue. No, that wasn't true. He knew how to play the game, it's just that he preferred the blunt approach. Less hassle, in his opinion, "I - no, scratch that. The Mage's Association will take full responsibility for their actions, regardless of what it may be. All I ask is that you provide an area where they can stay."

"I can't accept that." Yanagida shook his head, "We simply don't have the space to house an entire village, let alone provide for them on a daily basis."

"You misunderstand." A solution had formed. He had invoked his status as a representative of the entire Mage's Association. By doing so, it was cleaning the hands of the JSDF for any perceived responsibility. The public would be less incensed when they inevitably found out that the JSDF turned down the refugees, thinking that the Association had already given them safety.

Of course, he conveniently left out that he wasn't even sure that he was still part of it. A small lie that wasn't even a lie. He just didn't say anything.

Yanagida would accept. Shirou was sure of it. The man was smart enough to understand what Shirou was implying, "I merely meant land. It doesn't need to be housing or whatnot. Just give them some space near Alnus and nothing more."

"That's…highly irresponsible."

"I have full confidence that we'll make do." Not just them anymore. Them implied that Shirou wouldn't be a part of it. Not anymore.

Yanagida was silent for a moment, staring at Shirou intently, looking for any sign of faltering. When he didn't, Yanagida snorted, "Fine, I'll bring this up to the Lieutenant General. For now, take the northern areas, there's less bodies there."

Before Shirou could thank him, the other man spoke once more, "Know this, Emiya. Should anything happen to these people, it will be entirely on your hands. Do not drag the JSDF into this."

"I understand. Thank you. Is there anything else?"

"No, you're free to leave. Just give

He stood up from the seat, feeling much lighter than in the past few hours. Finally, he felt he had achieved something that was nothing more than good. He turned to the door and made his way towards it. Opening it, he paused, as a final thought came unbidden.

"By the way, shouldn't the Lieutenant General be doing this interview?"

Yanagida looked up from his desk, a wry smile on his lips, "Someone had to tell the higher ups about the clusterfuck that happened around here. Lieutenant General Hazama was just the bravest among all of us."

Shirou nodded sagely. He left the room, his steps light, and feeling no small amount of pity for Hazama.

Face to face reports were usually the worst, and with something like this, the man was likely getting more than an earful.

A/N: A volcanic eruption is currently making the outside look like Breaking Bad's Mexico filter. Just wanted to share that. If you like what I do and want to support me, check out my P-atreon at P-atreon•com(slash)Almistyor.

Thank you to my newest patrons: Jellow345 and Bradley Wynters

And a special thanks to: Oliver vazquez, brutalcrab, Tassimo and Bradley Wynters.