V.

Armand Busoni looked toward the church entrance to identify the cause of so much noise in his quiet sanctuary, and was exhausted just by perceiving the duo who had entered. Unlike the last pair that had just departed, The Abbe was already familiar with these two. As they differed from the others in the Abbe's familiarity they differed just as completely in energy and temperament. Leo and Zoe de Franchi were a pair of brother mages from Corsica who had spent every minute since their simultaneous birth in each other's company. They had grown together and studied to be mages together, and now they were masters in the Holy Grail War together.

Leo was the older brother by five or six minutes and the more composed of the two. This was not to say that he was dour or over-serious, far from it in fact, he was just as inclined to celebration and energetic exchanges as his brother. He was however more given to considering situations and people, and what consequences may come from the improper handling of both. His countenance was slightly more drawn than his brother, and his chin and facial shape benefited from the short but full beard and mustache that dominated his lower features, the dark facial hair darkening his otherwise pale complexion. His dress was formal without being stuffy. Pressed navy blue slacks with a silver trim were complimented by his black, belted leather shoes. He wore a tie that drew the eye upward, with its swirling patterns of purple, gray, and black, situated as it was within the center of a splendid black tailcoat, the silver trim of it matching the pants. The intricately carved walking stick, while superfluous, served as his primary magical focus and perfect final flourish for his appearance.

Zoe was much like his brother in that he enjoyed the company of others and all manner of celebration that could be had in good society, but where his brother tended to give more serious consideration to the situation at hand, Zoe was happy to simply let things take their course and play out naturally. As a result people often mistook Zoe for being excessively complacent, when the truth was that he was just more reactionary in his decisions. While some similarities were visible in the brother's behaviors and speech, their appearances were quite different. Zoe's face was clean shaven and slightly rounded, the lack of facial hair like his brother's making his light peach skin appear brighter than Leo's even though they were nearly the same. Where Leo kept his hair short and neat, Zoe let his dark locks grow long and flow freely down to the small of his back. His feminine dress was also in stark contrast to his brother's. He wore a long white and pink skirt of a light billowy fabric that was decorated in subtle floral patterns, a pair of white open-toed shoes whose heels were just over two inches were visible beneath the swirling garment. He wore a white blouse, that featured several prominent bows, underneath a long cardigan that fell to the same length as the skirt. A slight dance in his step, a sign of his marginally higher energy than his brother, set his many bracelets and necklaces jingling as he walked.

Both brothers, so different in appearance had one unifying visible detail. They each wore on one ear, Leo on his right and Zoe on his left, a long chain that terminated just before reaching their shoulders, and ended in an impressive alexandrite stone. The earrings were a set meant to be passed on to the heir of the de Franchi family, their own power serving to enhance the abilities of the wearer. However when the boys were old enough they had declared that as they were born together they would serve as the heir together and chose to split the treasure and share its powers. This dedication to cooperation was also the defining feature of the twins as masters.

"Really Zoe I believe you have been far too indulgent with them. I mean, letting them run about Paris without us, doing as they please? I don't think it's the most informed strategy." Leo was chastising his brother as they entered, or as close to chastising as Leo could get with his amicable handling of his twin.

"Relax Leo, they've not gotten into too much trouble yet. And besides, as I'm sure the good Abbe is about to inform us, the rest of the masters aren't even all gathered yet. No proper start to the Grail War? No proper danger for them to encounter. This lets them get the lay of the land. After all it has been a long time since they saw Paris. Better for them to get reacquainted." Zoe playfully dodged his brother's reprimand as he danced up to the Abbe's pulpit.

"Good afternoon Abbe." Leo was quick to greet Armand after their slightly rambunctious entrance. "I trust the day finds you well. Did you just have a visitor? We passed a rather odd looking man outside."

"I can answer your question easily." Armand hoped he could end the meeting with the brothers quickly, they had left him rather drained during their previous assembly. "Your brother was speaking on all of the masters being gathered. It is true that up until this moment that not all of the participants were present and prepared. However, with the appearance of the gentleman you just saw I can now guarantee you that all seven masters are ready."

"Was that him then? That shady fellow in the hood?" Zoe had sat at one of the pews and was wiggling with excitement.

"Merely a messenger on the seventh master's behalf. He apparently did not see fit to come here himself. I am given to understand some mages are like that though." Armand was not going to withhold the information about the seven masters all being ready, but he was not going to give the twins an unfair advantage over Mordaunt by revealing his identity to them.

"Can't be a very prestigious master this one if that's how his messengers look." Said Leo.

"Smelled funny too." Zoe added.

"Didn't even have the good manners to say hello."

"Not so much as a wave."

"Quite rude."

"Is there anything else I can help you both with?" The Abbe was already exhausted by the de Franchi twins and they had only been there a few minutes.

"Just any more advice you might have, my good priest. I don't know to what extent you are allowed to advise us, but your place as mediator did make me want to come back for some input." Leo was quick to shift to a more serious topic and put away his banter with his brother, much as he was enjoying it.

"Well the two of you hardly need my help. Summoning two servants as one is quite the advantage. I've looked over past records and it does not seem to be a particularly common occurrence."

"We were just as surprised as you." Zoe was more than happy to brag about what he perceived as their chief advantage. "But, then again, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised given the manner of our summoning." Zoe shot a smug look at the two part command seal on the back of his left hand. Leo gave a furtive glance to the matching seal on his right. "We are two masters as one. Two servants as one. And four total command seals to boot. We're hardly in a bad spot for this whole thing."

"Zoe can be a little cocky at times. And though he has a tendency to run his mouth-"

"Shut it." Zoe interrupted.

"But in this case I am inclined to agree with my brother. Ours is a most secure position. The advantage Archer presents is too much to ignore."

"Secure indeed." Armand spread his arms as he spoke. "As I said there hardly seems to be anything else I can offer to help you both. I was about to write the letters, but I will skip writing yours and tell you now. The seven have gathered. The servants are summoned and assembled. The Holy Grail War has begun."