[NM] Inoue House

The morning of the First Day broke as Fuyumi slept sat at a low worktable in the middle of her bedroom floor. She was sitting with her legs tucked to one side, her chest resting on the tabletop, arms folded with her head on top. An affectionately used sewing machine decorated with glittering and foam-filled stickers sat next to her head, the rest of the table covered in clothing made to fit Scarlett precisely.

Sunbeams fell onto her curls through the window and she moved an arm to shade her eyes, flexing her pins-and-needles tingling fingers. Her stomach woke her the rest of the way, gurgling and rumbling like her own personal thunderstorm. She yawned and stretched, then plodded to the kitchen to start making rice and a tomato salad.

Scarlett had already slipped into one of the new dresses, a simple dress in lavender with a black floral print. He was sitting by the dining room table, flipping through a magazine featuring fashionable houses and impeccably kept yards, twirling a curl around his fingers. When he saw his mistress, he beamed and rose.
"Good morning, my lady! I trust you slept well, although I heard that machine of yours running quite late into the night. I thank you again for your kindness, making these lovely dresses for me! You have a great talent!" He followed her into the kitchen. "Pray tell, what are you planning for us to do today? I confess I am grown anxious to begin this Holy War."

Fuyumi smiled broadly as soon as she saw the dress on Scarlett. "Oh thank goodness it fits! And I'm so glad you like it!!" The electric kettle at her elbow bubbled away as she dug through the pantry for packets of miso soup. She pulled out a few along with a shaker of rice seasoning made of egg, nori, and dried plum, and arranged them on the table. Black pepper and sea salt were cracked over the salad, along with dashes of vinegar and oil.

"As for today's plan... since the War's started, maybe we can really start out in earnest for whoever has been attacking those people? I can't shake the feeling that another combatant must be involved." The miso soup powder plumed into lacquer bowls followed by just boiling water, small cubes of tofu puffing up with moisture.

"I've thought about defenses, too. I'm wondering since this place is pretty nondescript if maybe we can leave things as they are? Just lay low and act normal." She grinned, sprinkling seasoning over bowls of hot rice. "But first, breakfast!"

"Great idea!" Rider beamed, twirling on one foot. "Surely, even if this isn't another Master or Servant, they are a villain that should be dealt with!"

Rider then paused and thought about what Fuyumi said about defenses. She then nodded confidently. "I'll leave that up to you! I don't know the first thing about magic! What's for breakfast?"

"Just something simple, but it'll be enough nutrition for whatever comes our way!" She paused, "At least, I hope so!"

Fuyumi sighed happily at the first bite of rice, savory salt and sweetness mingling together. She chewed pensively, looking Rider over. "I thought Grail servants were supposed to be at least familiar with magic, what were you before now?"

"Oh! Well, I do of course know that exists at least! But, I never really dealt with any spells or barriers! Magic doesn't have much of an effect on me, so I don't worry about it, too much!"

"As for what I was," Rider added, putting a finger to their chin and humming. "I believe the modern word for it is a 'Paladin.'"

"Paladin, huh? Like... a knight?" Her eyes glittered as they widened. "Of course you are! A knight in shining armor! Or in this case," she giggled, "a lovely handmade dress."

"After breakfast we can start charging attuning crystals and hide them around the area of town where the people were taken. The biggest flaw in their plan is they keep striking in the same place, so hopefully they won't get clever enough to change now..."

"Of course!" Rider giggled, twirling in their dress. "Good idea! It's only a matter of time before the strike again, and we'll be ready for them! Should we go ahead and wait around the area ourselves when night falls, too?"

Fuyumi smirked and wagged a finger from side to side, snapping like a metronome. She went through her bag and pulled out a round disc wrapped in silk. "Waiting around personally might be too dangerous, as anyone sensitive enough to pick up magical signals might notice us too."

She whisked the silk off of the disc, revealing a pitch black mirror. When she placed it on the table, it looked as though a slice of void itself had opened up in the wood.

"We can use this as a map - along with an actual map - when any of the attenuators are triggered. It won't hold any magic users in place, but we'll get a sense of their pattern and which direction they're going, and tail them from there!"

"Oooh, that's neat! Sounds like a plan!"

After clearing away the emptied dishes and putting away leftovers, Fuyumi pushed the mirror into the center of the table, placing five crystals on its surface - one for each cardinal direction, and one in the center.

She cupped her hands on each side of the mirror, strains of magic flicking between her fingers and the mirror's sides.

Bind ye now and Bound ye be
Take this power that I free
Open the fields and sense the unknown
Watch over magics and ferry them home
Hum ye now with blood's own light
Bring my fellows to my sight!

The five crystals stood sharply on pointed ends, glowing a bright red before flickering out and falling onto the smooth glass.

Fuyumi sighed with satisfaction, wrapped the mirror once again, and put the crystals into a small coin purse shaped in the form of a crocodile's head. "Now we place and wait!" She tossed Rider her helmet and ran out to her bike before zooming into the city.

[[She has no problems placing the crystals throughout the area, and doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary while doing so.]]

Fuyumi wiped the back of her hand across her forehead as soon as the last crystal was in place. "Phew! Okay, let's get some lunch and head back to the house!" She grabbed Rider's hand and lead them to a small cafe diner mere blocks away, humming with contentment.

"Oh, please, yes!" Rider agreed, already practically drooling, stars in their eyes. "I've been aching to sample this age's drinks and snacks!" As they headed to the cafe, Rider took the lead, skipping happily down the street in their pretty dress, turning several heads.

Fuyumi laughed and skipped behind them, catching them by the shoulders before they breezed past the door. "Come on! I'm getting omurice, you can try some!" A bell over the restaurant door jingled as they went in.

Fuyumi settled in with a plate of egg folded carefully over rice fried in demiglace sauce with vegetables and drew a crocodile over the egg with ketchup. She scooted her glass of iced chai to the side to make room for the mirror, just in case any wards had been tripped.

Rider stole a piece of the omurice with their fork and popped it into their mouth. A shiver ran up Rider's spine. "Ohhh, boy this is so good! I like this age. I think I wanna live in this age forever! Waiter!" she added, shouting at the top of their lungs. "Bring me the sweetest drink you have, and put it on my friends' tab!"

Fuyumi laughed and jostled Rider's hand. "You don't have to yell, the waitstaff comes around to the tables and takes care of everything! See?" She pointed to a young waitress, cheeks flushed with surprise, assuring another table that the outburst would be taken care of.

"You just have to be more patient in this age, even if you really FEEL like yelling."

Rider clapped their hand over their mouth. "Sorry! I guess I get carried away too easily!"