Tohsaka Mansion - A New Day

Berserker and Caster alighted down outside the mansion, and Berserker immediately ran inside, slipping through the Boundary Fields protecting it, and running down to the basement.

Before Yui could even get a word out, Berserker leapt straight into Yui's arm. Not remembering her own strength, and still carrying her hammer, she knocked Yui back against the wall.

"!!!" With a gasp of surprise, she helped Yui regain her balance, then just rested her head on Yui's chest.

Yui wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "I'm glad you're okay," she said with a smile. "Both of you," she added smiling at Caster.

Caster flipped his hair over his shoulder, a faint, confident smile on his lips. "Yes, well, it was a bit dodgy near the end, but Berserker made a fine show. I must say I'm pleased for us both to have made it back in one piece."

For his part, Lazarus immediately drew Caster into a big bear hug. "Absolutely brilliant!" he exclaimed. "You almost defeated her! If she hadn't been a coward and run away you would have had her for sure. And you've come out relatively unscathed. I'm so proud of you both." He beamed from ear to ear as he slowly released the poor servant, giving him a soft clap on the shoulder.

His eyes went wide as he was pulled in, his cheeks turning a rosy pink. Upon his release he coughed lightly, regaining his composure.

"I'm pleased to hear that, Lazarus. If we run into her again, I hope the circumstances won't let her weasel away so easily!" He grinned, his devious expression tempered by the still-lingering blush.

He stepped over to Berserker and retrieved his robe after gently ruffling his fingers in her hair. "Would either of you be able to mend her gown? I don't want her to feel too cold or uncomfortable."

When Caster came over, Berserker pulled him into a hug as well, though somewhat bashfully.

"Well, being the clothes she was summoned with," Yui said. "They are made of spirit particles, like her. She should be able to repair them by expending a small amount of mana."

Berserker cocked her head for a moment, then nodded, as though just remembering she could do that.

She then frowned as she remembered the battle. "There can be little doubt about Lancer's identity now, with a history as famous as hers. The question is, how does a person like Elizabeth Bathory become a Servant?"

Lazare shrugged, "Well, not all great figures are goodly. Most of the assassin class is that way. It doesn't seem too out of line with the usual turn of events."

Caster nodded in agreement. "Notoriety and infamy make one a legend just as easily as heroism and good intentions."

Yui screwed up her face in confusion. "Actually... No, that can't be right."

"The Holy Grail War was designed with very particular rules in mind. It's designed to summon Heroic Spirits, and while any person who passed into legend could be called a Heroic Spirit, the families designed it so that only good-aligned Heroic Spirits could be summoned. Basically, summoning an evil Servant should be impossible."

Lazarus was quite for a few moments. " I would then have to say, that their view of good people is a little skewed. But that's okay! It explains a lot." he said with a chuckle.

Caster snorted lightly. "Strigoi - these Dead Apostles - should be impossible, yet here we are. We can safely consider the 'hows' once they're no longer a risk."

Yui groaned in frustration. "It's not just a matter of opinion, Lazarus," Yui said. "The difference between good and evil Heroic Spirits is a fact, recognizable by the Grail. Having the Grail spit out an evil Servant means... I'm not even sure what it means. But it's not supposed to happen. It's like the sun turning black or north turning into south."

"And don't even get me started on the Apostle," she added, rubbing her temples. "The Grail is also only supposed to select magi as Masters. And it chose a vampire. A vampire! A powerful being indeed, but with no Magic Circuits. He can't even support his Servant without feeding it human souls. Something is deeply wrong here."

She slumped down into a seat and sighed in frustration.

"Ah I see...well I'm sorry Miss Yui. A lot of this is a little new to me. My family would laugh at defining good and evil so easily. What criteria are the servants supposed to meet exactly? I can understand the Apostle being odd though. And I agree that it's very strange."

Caster's tone turned apologetic, his eyebrows shifting in contrition. "I doubt there will be any easy answers, but we'll get to the bottom of it." He crouched at Yui's side, a hand on her arm. "If we focus and keep working together, hopefully we'll be safe through whatever gets thrown at us."

"Well... Servants are selected from Heroic Spirits, which are defined by their legends. The gist of it is that when a person is worshipped or venerated by a large enough amount of people, their existence crystallizes into a unique kind of spirit. Any person who accomplished great deeds, who acquired great fame or notoriety, can qualify."

"The reason for the sharp distinction between good and evil is because their existence is centered around their legends more than their actual identities. For the same reason, Servants can be born from people who never actually existed, if their legends are powerful enough. It also can change the identities of some Servants. There's little evidence to support Bathory actually bathing in the blood of her victims, but it's such a strong part of her legend that it manifested as reality."

"So, basically, legend venerates individuals as heroes or villains. There is a small gray area, but for the most part, the Grail can recognize their alignment and filter out unwanted spirits."

She turned to Caster as she crouched by her. "Thank you. I hope everything will turn out. I'm sorry if this point might seem academic to you guys, but... If something like this has turned out so wrong, other aspects of the War could be wrong too. I don't know what to expect."

"Well it's obvious by what you've said that something is amiss...and we do still need to take care of that apostle." Lazarus thought for a moment. "Why don't we get some rest, formulate some plans, and think on it in the morning?"

Caster turned to Berserker and offered a hand. "Would you assist me in preparing some food? I know I could go for a morsel of something good. Would either of you like some too?" he asked Lazarus and Yui.

"That sounds like a good idea... You are right in that we have to take care of the Apostle before anything else." She smiled at Caster. "I would love a small meal before bed."

Berserker nodded excitedly, taking his hand.

" I will be in my room if anyone needs me," Lazarus said before heading upstairs. He took a quick bath and then huddled up in bed to read.

Caster made a quick meal of pork dumplings wrapped in cabbage, the meat mixed with minced apple, onion, and raisins. He showed Berserker how to toss the rest of the apple in lemon juice, and how to peel the skin away at parts of a slice to make it look like a rabbit. Wiggling his fingers, he spelled the air to jump one across the cutting board and into her hand with a wink and a smile.

After the dumplings were steamed, he sent Berserker with a dish for herself and Yui to share, then took a plate up for himself and Lazarus, entering the room without knocking. "I've cornered you now, you can't work yourself into skipping dinner."

Berserker excitedly cooked with Caster, quickly picking up on how to use the tools. When Caster made the rabbit apple slice jump into her hands, she laughed and giggled heartily. She didn't have the heart to eat it, but instead pecked Caster on the cheek with it, giving him a little rabbit kiss.

When the meals were done, she bade Caster goodnight with a wave and returned to Yui's room with the meals.

"Oh! I wasn't planning on it! I just got distracted! Thank you so much," the mage did his best to clear away the outrageous pile of books and papers he had accumulated onto the bed in the short time he had been up there. Eventually he simply wrapped it all in the top blanket and deposited it on the floor. "It smells delicious." he remarked as he took a plate.

Caster pouted slightly. "I like that blanket, I'll have you know." He sat next to Lazarus on the bed and stretched his legs with a relieved sigh. "I hope you like it, I understand that a lot of ingredients and tastes differ from my time." He cut into a dumpling and popped the bite in his mouth, happily wiggling his feet.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Lazarus quickly picked the blanket off of the floor, spilling it's contents haphazardly and draped it over their legs. "There. All better." He bit into a dumpling and made a muffled, but pleased exclamation. After swallowing he said, "You're such a good cook! This is perfect!"

"You-" Caster watched the books and papers scatter across the floor. He shook his head with a fond half-smile. "You didn't have to do quite that, but thank you. So," he began, arranging the blanket closer to his waist, "have you encountered anything like this before? The Apostle, I mean?"

" I haven't, actually! I've read rumors of course. I never thought I would actually get to meet one. It's very exciting, though perilous." he chuckled at the last bit.