The church was dimly lit and only one person could be seein in it. The War's Overseer is a man from Fuyuki, a priest and member of the Assembly of the Eighth Sacrament, Kirei Kotomine.

He was mildly interested in meeting the Masters face-to-face a little over a week ago after gathering intel on them. However, there was an eighth person of interest in the mix, information gathered due to the family she comes from.

"So this Lorelei von Einzbern is not a Master but was sent to Tokyo? Is she to witness the conclusion or does Justbacheit have something else in mind? And why is the Matou family head with her?"

Inside an apartment were two people. One's a woman with long silver-white hair, red eyes, and delicate features wile the other is a man with gelled-back blue hair, red eyes, and appeared like an aristocrat or at least someone high in the social hierarchy. They met only yesterday in the streets of Shizume.

The man, formerly called Zolgen Makiri but is now called Zouken Matou, bumped into a woman on the sidewalk who was seemingly searching for something. "My apologies. Are you al-" He cut himself off when he saw her face. A person he hadn't seen for two decades came to his head. "Justeaze?! ...No, you must be a clone of her."

The woman narrowed her eyes, as if insulted by the mistake. "You have the scent of a maggot. You aren't human, are you?"

"No. I'm a Dead Apostle. I was also a founder of the Grail War. That's how I know Justeaze. Now I know the Einzberns have created a clone of her to be the vessel for the Lesser Grail given her magic circuits are compatible with it and that it can use the Dress of Heaven to interact with the Greater Grail without the need for a Servant. Are you that vessel?"

"What if I am? Are you looking to kidnap me so you can reach the Root? I'll warn you that I'm not helpless."

"Of course not. I just want to witness the Heaven's Feel ritual being completed. But there could be times where you need backup. If we work together I can be that backup. I find it amazing Old Man Acht sent you to Tokyo without any guards."

"Zouken."

The bell-like voice brought him back to the present. "What is it?"

"You said last night it appeared I was searching for someone. The person I'm looking for is..."

Yukari began tying two pink ribbons in Saber's hair. Saber glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "What purpose are these for?" She said it in a business-like manner.

"They don't serve any useful purpose. But they'll make you look cute," Yukari replied without losing concentration in what he was doing.

"Looking cute will not benefit me in battle."

"I know. However, you're a girl but you never let yourself live as one." He held a mirror in front of the Servant's face. "How does that look?"

Saber didn't reply but her cheeks got redder the longer she looked. It looked like she genuinely liked it. Just then, Tenkei walked in.

"What in the world's in your hair, Saber?! It looks childish!" He currently wasn't in a great mood due to Assassin doing a lot better than him at target practice. In other words, he's pouting like a child.

"And what's wrong with being a child?!" Sukuna shot back from his position at the table, playing on a handheld game console. "Ah, Saber! Don't take those out! They look great! Now look at what you've done, old man!"

"What did I do?!"

Yukari had a hand to his chin in thought. "I meant to ease you into dressing more like a girl, but perhaps hair ribbons are too childish. Saber, come with me! We're going straight to makeup!"

"Lancer?" A voice outside a room of the men's dorm called. "The Captain said you wouldn't respond to his telepathic command to see him in his office so he sent me to fetch you!" Akira walked into a room of the mens' dorm where Reisi told him he sensed Lancer. He saw the spearman laying on a couch in it, lightly snoring away. "Oh brother..." He reached out a hand to shake him awake.

Tatsuya grabbed his wrist before he could touch fabric. "You shouldn't do that."

"Eno? I thought you were on patrol. And why shouldn't I?"

"If you read near the beginning of The Tain you know what happened to the last guy who tried waking Lancer."

"Hm? No, I haven't read it. What happened?"

"Lancer was just a kid but a punch from him made that messenger's brain paint the wall."

All the blood drained from Akira's face. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to let him sleep five more minutes...or for another hour..."

Adolf barged through the door of his apartment room now that he was done with work for today, a headache building. "I hope you're happy! I heard the parents of the boys you traumatized yesterday are having to look for a therapist! We're currently having to fight to not have this taken to court!"

"It wouldn't have happened if they never picked on me in the first place!" Neko protested. She had wasted no time in changing into more comfortable clothes once she got back from school. Then she looked at the giant Servant next to her. "Isn't that right, Berserker?"

Berserker didn't agree with her. He was the only one of the two who looked embarrassed. Aside from the threat of a lawsuit, this is like the aftermath of when he accidentally scared those kids shitless while going to meet with Jason.

Rider hurried to practically shove the now-drunk girls he brought to the bar out the front door after they began throwing drink glasses down. He doesn't know why he didn't when they began throwing up on the counter and peeing on the floor.

All the color left Masaomi Dewa's face. "Oh, Rider..."

Izumo was smiling at Rider, but one side of his face was twitching and a vein in his forehead bulged. Rider gulped. He had a feeling he should leave before the explosion. Before he could, a broom and dust pan went flying at Rider. He caught them in both hands before they could hit him.

Izumo was still smiling at him, but now had both of his hands on his hips. "Don't think you're gettin' out of cleanin'."

Rider looked at the bartender with disbelief. He expected a Chiron-level scolding, not this! "Wait, I may be called a Servant, but that doesn't make me your household slave!"

"Don't talk back! That mess is your fault! And you won't stop here! You'll make the entire bar spotless! This includes the second floor too! I'll have your heel if even a speck of dust is left!"

"You're kidding, right?!"

"I'm not!"

"Fuck you..!" Rider growled under his breath so Izumo wouldn't hear him.

Izumo's ear twitched. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing."

Reisi was sitting at a large table of a dorm room with his lieutenant, his Servant, and his Special Squad all sitting around it. As soon as the words "strengthen bonds through games" left Reisi's lips, every member of the Special Squad simultaneously looked pale like they're sick.

"Is this punishment because Benzai and I saw what happened earlier?" Himori blurted out then covered his mouth when he received intrigued stares, most notably from Andy.

"Wait, something happened? Is that why the Captain had a talk with me?"

Seri's cheeks flushed. "Nothing happened! It was a normal work day!"

"I just thought since it was a slow day today we should still have enough energy to do some bonding. Especially now that Lancer's been summoned," Reisi said. He reached into his longcoat and pulled out a deck of cards. "So which card game do you want to start off with?"

Collective groans from the Special Squad. "I can't believe how lucky Mr. Fushimi is to get out of this!" Akira hissed in Ren's ear.

Lancer spoke up. "I dunno how good I'd be at any." Momentarily relief washed over the officers. Maybe this would get them out of their boss humiliating them over and over. Then they returned to dread. Reisi would just come up with some new torture.

"Oya? You were skilled at chess the other day."

"Yeah, 'cause my dad invented it! Well, a close varient called fidchell. So I played it with Láeg a lot when I was alive."

Reisi shuffled the cards. "I see. Let's start with an easy one. Perhaps Old Maid. You and Ms. Awashima can share a hand for the first round and she can show you how to play."

A rather loud groan from Andy. "C'mon! Aren't you able to show mercy to us?!"

"Doumyouji! Apologize at once!" Seri snapped.

While Berserker gazed down at Neko curled up in his lap while she read an assigned chapter in her textbook, an image of something he doesn't recall went through his head.

A little girl with silky hair as white as snow and big red eyes was curled in his lap. A little girl having to endure constant pain due to her connection to her Servant. A little girl with a tragic fate in this battle that she had been aware of for ten years. A little girl who was abandoned by her dad and misses her mom, who already suffered the fate she'll have to. She smiled up at the giant Servant.

"Never leave me..."

"Is something wrong, Berserker? You went tense all of a sudden."

Neko's concerned voice snapped the Silver Servant out of his trance. He looked around and saw he hadn't just gone tense. The wooden chair at the nearby desk was in splinters and clutched in his fist was crushed wood.

With his free hand he stroked the top of Neko's head, a rumbling in his chest that everything's okay.

I do own some mythology books and checked some out from the library. It wasn't for any assignment but my own leisure. Some, like The Tain, actually made me laugh and my mom wondered how I found comedy in that genre.

People may have figured out I'm having Berserker be close with Neko because she and Illya have the same English VA, but sadly not the same Japanese one.