driftfleet | (no subject)

[Well, they don't need to be connected for Caster to notice that frustration, so she just hugs Hermione again, patting her head.]

There, there, it's okay. Your lovely wife will tell you any story you're curious about! I've fought in the Holy Grail War more often than any other Servant, and I've experienced many of those legends first-hand!

[... By those legends, manifesting as Noble Phantasms, being used to kill her. But let's not think about it that way.]

I have stories just as good, and I'm a lot more fun to cuddle than any ratty old book, after all~!

[ The hug is nice, and Hermione softens a little as she leans into the touch, trying not to feel like a child being patronised. ]

That would be interesting. I know some of the legends, of course, but those came from the Servant's point of views. It might be interesting to hear them as stories - other than the Epic of Gilgamesh, of course. I've read that a dozen times.

[ Over and over and over, until she knew it by heart. That's the influence that particular Servant had on her.

(She's ignoring the wife part again). ]

That reminds me, actually - you're going to be alright on another ship, aren't you? There's nothing here that would stop the bond between us being effective because of the distance, is there?

[She does pout a little. She's going to have to redouble her efforts until Hermione acknowledges her! Her determination is overflowing!

... But she is having to stop and take a moment to consider that carefully.]

... I... do not know, actually. The furthest I've been away from my Master before is one floor, while Rani installed the bypass circuit. Normally, a Servant and Master shares a single, absolutely private space granted by the SE.RA.PH, and when the Master leaves, the Servant has to go too, to protect them.

Within the Moon Cell, it wouldn't be a problem, since it's all virtual space and interconnected Reality Marbles, so the distance would be a little meaningless, but in a physical state... Hmmm, I really don't know.

[For a moment, she seems rather troubled by this. She's not used to not knowing these sorts of things, and while her ignorance itself doesn't other her, when she was alive, her pride and her standing in the court was her deep knowledge that could answer any question.

But then a thought occurs to her, and she brightens up.]

Ah! I get it! You're a sly one, aren't you? If you want me to move in with you, then as your wife, of course I will!

[... She probably knows that isn't what Hermione meant at all. Probably.]

[ There might be a slight spark of panic as Hermione begins to think things through; she does know, however, that she and Diarmuid could be hundreds of miles apart from each other and still feel the connection and their bond, still leaving her able to give him strength when he needed it. She's sure it's much the same for Caster, and she relaxes a little - at least until she explains things. ]

I think we should be alright. There's nothing that the Atroma have done that makes me think that the bond or the Contract would be damaged by distance, and it was fine when I was contracted to Diarmuid. I could still hear him and feel him when we were busy miles and miles from each other, so that might be the case for us.

[ They're both a little troubled by it, but there's nothing they can do for now; they'll just have to experiment with the distances and the shuttles to see how far they can push each other before it starts to be more detrimental than anything good. Tamamo keeps going, though, and of course Hermione flusters into embarrassment, putting a hand over her mouth before it drops away.

So like Gilgamesh, but so vastly different. ]

I think that - that being your Master is good, but you should be independent as well. I don't mind if you want to come and share the same ship as me, but don't do it just because you think it's the right thing to do or because I want it. You should live your own life too, Caster, and - this isn't a War. I think we can protect ourselves.

[ NO WIFE HERE. ]

[There's a small huff. Well, it took Hakuno a long time to come around too, so Caster can be patient.

Though, to be honest, what she's feeling right now is mostly just that Hermione is really cute. She's aware she's going to end up infatuated before too long- She knows how she is as a person, and on top of that, as a Servant, she's influenced by her legend and her life, the life of falling in love with the one she served. So, since she already knows how it will turn out, there's no harm in making moves in advance, right?

... But, there's no point if it scares her off. She knows she can be overbearing, and she does actually like Hermione enough to not stay at full-blast aggressive flirting constantly if it makes her uncomfortable. She'll switch modes, allowing her exuberance to fall away to a more quiet earnestness.]

... If it is all right with you, I would like to go to where you are. Even though we are not in a War, my life is still one that was created for the purpose of serving another. Serving another... That is, living my life for another, is the reason I was incarnated. And making that person happy is what makes me happiest, as well.

Um, I realize I've been kind of forceful about this and that up until now, but really! That's all I want. So... If you want me to stay where I am, then I will! But, if you would allow me to be by your side, then that is the greatest favor Tamamo-no-Mae could ask.

[ There's a moment of pause where all Hermione can do is stare and watch Caster, because she is so different from Lancer, from Diarmuid, from Gilgamesh and even from the short-term memories she had of Rider and Saber and Gawain. It's logical, really, because they're all different people, but the way that it makes Hermione feel is sharp and right there, in her heart, blinking back the emotion to breathe out quickly.

She wants to make Caster happy, and that's the one thing that settles in her mind. Caster might be her Servant, Tamamo might be her Servant, but she was a Master. It was her duty to be there for the other woman just as much as Tamamo thought it her duty to serve her, and she wasn't going to ignore that just because it felt like a lot. She knew what she was getting into when she formed the contract; she had been through it before.

Nodding her head, she fights back her emotion before she speaks, voice a little quiet. ]

You can move to the Vanquish if you want, I don't mind. It's a nice ship and the people there will be good to you, I promise, because they've all been good to me. I want to make you happy as well, you know, Tamamo - and I want you to know that you don't... Need to do anything with me you don't want to. I told you that Diarmuid and I were Partners, and it's the same for me and you.

[ Stepping forward, she reaches out and takes Tamamo's hands, holding them in her own. ]

You don't have to ask for favours from me. If there's anything I can do to help you, to make you happy, then I'll do my best, okay? That's what I'm here for.

[It's one thing to be aware of your nature and fate, and be aware of the fact that you're inevitably going to fall for someone, and probably sooner rather than later.

It's quite another for that person to do something touching, and make you incredibly aware of just how screwed you are.

With a touching gesture like that, it takes Tamamo a moment to regain her composure, trying to fight back the blush creeping along her cheeks. It's... not actually terribly successful, especially with Hermione holding her hands like that, and she seems frozen in place.]

Eh? Ah, no, but- I mean- That is-

[... she seems to have shorted out for a moment, really.]

I- It is the same for me! If there's any way I can make you happy, I swear upon my name that I will do it, and... Um, I'll do my best to be a good wife- ah, no, Servant- Partner? I mean-!

[She finally just ends up so flustered, there's that cloud of golden sparkles, and Caster ends up returning to her spiritual form to hide. It turns out, she's the type who gets weak when the other party makes a move, too. Who knew?]

[ Hermione doesn't intend for her words to have the effect they do, of course; she's just being honest and speaking from her heart, in the same way she's always done before now. It's not exactly easy, but she's learned that sometimes it's the best option and she has to do it.

Caster's reaction makes her eyes widen, though, her own cheeks going a flushed pink before she manages to speak, her voice a little higher than usual. ]

Then we'll be good together, right? There's nothing to worry about - Caster!

[ Hermione glances around, a little nervous, before she huffs a noise and crosses her arms, trying to fight her smile.

At least she knows they're going to be okay together, as a pair. ]

[Caster's voice, still panicked and squeaky, comes from the air nearby. It seems she still doesn't want to take a material form just yet.]

A- Absolutely right! Please don't worry about me, Master! Anyway, the- there's still other things you need to know, right? As a Master, things like combat capabilities and Noble Phantasms and things like that-! Or, ah, the library! There's interesting things in the library!

[She's trying so hard to immediately change the subject and it's going so badly.]

I'm not too worried, don't - don't concern yourself with that. I just want to make sure we're happy with each other.

[ Hermione still feels a little awkward about the lack of material form, but she doesn't let it bother her. She just nods her head, trying to smile as best she can. ]

Okay, um, how about we start with the Noble Phantasm? And then - then we can talk about what combat abilities we might need to use to work together, and I can tell you all about mine.

Ah, right!

[She reappears, having mostly regained her composure. (There's still a slight tint to her cheeks, but if she doesn't think about it, it's not happening, right?)

As she appears, though, she's holding up a... large round mirror, a couple feet long.]

This is my Noble Phantasm and primary weapon. There's no risk about it giving away my identity, though, it's just a sturdy mirror in the style of the time when I lived.

[... yeah, her primary weapon is a mirror. She swings it around a couple times to demonstrate.]

Well... I suppose, to start, how much do you know about Japanese legends, Hermione?

[ Hermione relaxes a little as soon as Caster comes back to her, and she softens, nodding her head.

The mirror is impressive and it reminds her, a little, of the one she had used to hide the Sigil in the Drabwurld; that had taken so much of her strength, however, and her blood, and she hopes that her Servant's mirror isn't the same. ]

That's good - I know your identity is important to you. It's very beautiful, though.

[ Hermione has no comments on the weapon itself - she's seen worse things used as weaponry before, why would a mirror be terrible when magic is at play? ]

I don't know very much, so you might have to guide me through a lot of this.

Well, then... It might be meaningless if I say that this mirror later went on to become the Yata no Kagami... Well, to be brief, it is a sacred instrument that belonged to the gods.

Its true name is the Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu on the Weight Stone Under the Sunlit Watery Heavens... But that's kind of a mouthful, so 'Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu' is good enough! Originally, it was a sacred artifact from the land of the dead, and when I used it, I could retrieve souls from the afterlife or the cycle of Samsara to resurrect the dead, it was an EX-rank super-Noble Phantasm that could banish an entire country to Yomi without a care! But, as a Servant, I can't use that much power anymore, so please don't expect anything too great, okay?

Well, as a Servant, mostly it's just a support-type. Upon releasing the True Name for it, it can do a little bit of healing if I have allies, but more importantly, it lets me cast magic for a while without expending any magical energy. Careful use of that property is how I lasted so long without vanishing here, you see! It doesn't have any real direct attack applications, but if it's used wisely, it has unparalleled support abilities. And, as an instrument owned by a god, it's definitely one-of-a-kind, and not even your King of Heroes would have something like it!

It may not be as flashy as some others, but in the end, it's still a blessing of energy from the sun itself, so isn't it still the coolest Noble Phantasm of all?

I... See.

[ It's a lot of information at once but, lucky, Hermione is the master of absorbing information quickly. She nods her head and listens, taking it all in before she breathes out a noise and tilts her head up to look at Tamamo again, softening a little. ]

That's actually incredible. To be able to use magic without it being exhausting is really, really useful - it's something I wish I'd had more of in the Drabwurld. There's only so many spells you can do in a short period of time before you wish you could have a bit of a break.

[ Whether or not that came from mental, magical or physical exhaustion depended on the time and place, of course. ]

It's incredibly cool, Tamamo. Thank you for sharing it with me.

[She's practically bouncing in place, giggling, her tail flicking back and forth from the praise.]

Of course, of course! It really is the coolest Noble Phantasm, so remember that your Servant is the best of all!

There is one other, but frankly, it's a boring normal attacking Noble Phantasm and not even worth talking about, so let's just move on. What about you?

[ Hermione is struck by how adorable the other woman is, softening for a moment before she huffs out a little laugh. ]

We can talk about that one later. Hopefully there won't be any need for us to use any kind of attacks, boring or otherwise.

[ But, um - ]

What about me?

[It's a good thing Tamamo can't actually read Hermione's thoughts, or she would literally never let her live that thought down.]

You're clearly a magus, and no stranger to combat on top of that, if I may judge from such a dramatic scar. When it comes to being a Master, from what I can tell, I'd place you on the same rank as that Tohsaka girl, or perhaps Rani. But there's still a lot of types of Masters. Honorable knights who support their Servant and fight fairly and justly, or children who simply use nothing but attacking Code Casts to disrupt their enemy. I've even heard of Masters who fight on the front line, and leave their Servant as the support instead.

So! I'd like to hear about what you can do as well! Do you have any special spells? A Mystic Code? Some kind of Formal Wear? Something extravagant like that?

[It's taking all her willpower to not slip something less innocent into that line of questions, really.]

Oh! Right, well. A lot of things are different here, but in the Drabwurld...

[ This might end up being a long story, and Hermione is still a little nervous about what she was in the Drabwurld compared to who she is here. ]

I was a Marchioness, leader of the White Citadel with four other people, and I lead soldiers and people with shards - magical parts of a Gem - into battle. When I was rallying the soldiers I had armour made of gold - it wasn't very protective, of course, but it was there to make a point. Otherwise it was thin metal and leather, so that I could move and use the rapier that the Atroma took away from me. I wasn't the best with my swords, but I did try.

[ She had been Marchioness for a year, a supporter and well known face in Treun for just as long and someone that was recognised across the Drabwurld; that's why assassins had been sent after her, why she had ended up on the front lines more than once, why she had dabbled in practically everything she could. All Hermione had ever wanted was to help people, after all. ]

My magic comes from my own world, where I went to school to learn about it. In the Drabwurld the King and Queen gave me boons that helped my magic grow, and I used my shard to help my powers and learn new things. I can turn into a lion, which is the only magical power the Atroma let me keep, but I used to be able to create magical bubbles that could levitate and heal people too.

[ Is there anything else...

She pauses, trying to think. ]

[She listens attentively, her fox ears periodically twitching.]

Well, that level of Item Construction is something you can leave to me!

But, that is quite something... You can use shapeshifting? For a human, that's quite a rare skill.

I can make things, I just need to have other things around to be able to do it first. Transfiguration was always one of my favourite classes.

[ Shaking her head, she offers a small smile. ]

I was given my lioness form as a gift, but other witches and wizards in my world can turn into animals as well if they have enough power and study long enough. It's called an Animagus.

Oh? It sounds like your world is quite interesting... Well, it's not like I was a magus when I was alive, so I don't know how much I'll understand, but could you tell me more about it?

My world? Of course.

[ Not many people really asked her about her home, England and Hogwarts and the magic, and so she was happy to explain. ]

I didn't find out I was a witch until I was eleven years old - neither of my parents had magic so I wasn't raised with it. I ended up going to a school called Hogwarts where I spent six years learning how to use magic, the incantations and wand movements and the theory and history behind magic and it's uses. I studied Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Herbology, Care for Magical Creatures, History of Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, Arithmancy, Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes. I didn't do all of them for the six years I was actually at school, but I did most of them at least once.

[ She's babbling, but she misses her school, desperately. ]

Oh? It sounds like you've done a bit of everything, rather than specializing... A regular Renaissance woman!

How were you taught? Things like wands and incantations weren't used in my time at all, but is that a form of Mystic Code?

I'm not sure what a Mystic Code is, but we were taught how to move our wrists to use the spell and then taught the words that made it happen. Once we were older and a bit more proficient we were taught how to use spells without saying a single word.

[ As an example, Hermione draws her wand and, without saying anything, makes the tip light up in a gentle Lumos. ]

A Mystic Code is... well, any sort of item that a magus uses to augment their spellcasting. Anything from a staff to store extra prana to a weapon with spells pre-loaded into it...

Still, a general-purpose spellcasting device! It's kind of plain-looking, but it seems like it's pretty useful.