Sparrow Shadow and Dark Discovery

Medea looked from the direction of the tori gate to Daichi. "So soon? I'll see who it is." Her form shimmered out of sight, and her presence could be felt moving to the stairs.

Atalanta followed, bow in hand, but lowered. She didn't want them to think they were a couple to be trifled with.

Medea stepped out from behind a thick tree, her high-waisted chiffon skirt blowing gently in the breeze. A satiny eggplant blouse was layered underneath an eggshell sweater - even in the dead of night, one must make an appearance.

"Atalanta, darling! What a pleasant surprise, what brings you here? And this must be your enigmatic Master? I'm a Caster, and it's a pleasure." She offered a hand for shaking.

"A pleasure to meet you. I am Kirei Kotomine." Kirei shook her hand, bowing his head stiffly. "I heard about the meeting. An interesting turn of events, isn't it?"

Atalanta nodded and smiled at Medea, "We're here to see the greater grail."

Her smile fell, but only for a second. "Of course, you're more than capable of deducing its location. Please believe me that I'm not plotting to lead you astray, but there is much to discuss on that matter. Follow me." She walked briskly to the spare room where she and Daichi were staying and made use of the outer doors.

With a gesture to the other man, introductions were had. "Master, this is Mr. Kotomine, the master of Archer. Mr. Kotomine, this is my master, Mr. Sato." She looked over her shoulder at Daichi, voice carefully schooled into calm. "They're here to see the Greater Grail."

Daichi nodded his greetings. "May I ask what your intentions are regarding the Greater Grail?"

Atalanta cut in, "We need to inspect it. Kirei is the mediator. I hope there won't be resistance."

"A Mediator with a Servant? You'll have to tell me about that one later."

The huntress smiled, "Astolfo would tell you it's destiny, I'm sure. We'll go with that for now."

Kirei tried not to smirk. "I've heard of the plan to attempt to cleanse the Greater Grail. As the Mediator, I want to be fully prepared. The Church has invested heavily in the Holy Grail War being kept under control, and if there are going to be any problems, I need to know ahead of time."

"Yes, I'm sure it's an interesting story. And I don't intend to put up... resistance," Daichi said, eyeing Atalanta's bow. "But 'inspection' could mean many things. Although I'm happy to hear you wish to ensure that the cleansing goes smoothly." He had his business face on, the ever-servile CEO's assistant. "Very well, I'll lead the way. Caster, if you'd bring up the rear?"

She laughed, tone warm. "He seems like a charming young man, I can see why you'd have a bond."

"The Greater Grail is corrupted. I have seen it myself, and I must advise that Atalanta and I stay as far from it as possible. Its pull is incredibly powerful as to be likely fatal for Servants like ourselves." She paused, and looked Kirei up and down. She rubbed her thumbs against her knuckle outwards, as if spinning wool, and a thread appeared. She rolled it into a cord, and held it out to Kirei.

"A failsafe, to monitor your motivations. It is both a vacuum and a well, a bank of immense power. As I'm sure you have guessed, any mage, regardless of how trained, could become a force of reckoning with the Grail's access." She tilts her head to the side, her expression one of sympathy and protocol. "Just a precaution, you understand. May I see your wrist?"

Atalanta glared at Daichi, as if to say 'don't get snippy'. "And what about your intentions, Medea?" she asked, though her tone with the woman was friendly. "I don't think it's fair that you can judge his and we can't judge yours. You're a powerful mage yourself."

She smirked. "Fair cop. If there's anything you have attuned, I, at least, am open to using it. Although I can assure you that my motivations will ring largely as 'oh gods above and below get me away from this murder tower.'"

"A precaution, you say..." Kirei echoed, staring down at the thread. His arm didn't move. "Rather bold for a participant to ask this of the Mediator. If anything, I should be the one with concerns."

"And that won't be necessary," Kirei answered to Medea's suggestion. "As much as it means, let us just take each other's word for it. Your anxiety about the corruption is more than enough to convince me."

"We weren't sure if we indeed had the Greater Grail on our hands. Now we are sure, and what's more, the corruption is extensive. Add to that the fact that only minutes after we uncover it, you show up. Convenient timing, if nothing else." Daichi talked as he walked, his shoes clicking smartly on the floor. They came to a side entrance, near to where he started his excavation. "I'll need to perform a short earth moving spell to clear the way," he said by way of warning.

"I can take care of it this time, dear." She raised her arms and chanted, the earth parting and stairs from the rock forming below them. "After you," she said with a bow.

"Thank you," Atalanta followed Kirei and Daichi, looking up at the massive greater grail. She didn't bother to hide her awe.

Kirei thanked Caster respectfully and headed down into the abyss with Atalanta.

The Greater Grail was magnificent and terrible. It towered over them, shrouded in smoke, pulsing with energy. He stepped closer to it, just to the base of the mound where he could get a good look at it.

Kirei was in awe, but there was something more than that. Just like when the Grail appeared to them in the theater, he could feel it reaching out to him. Only this time it wasn't just him; Atalanta could feel it, too.

Unlike with Medea, who felt a starving hunger, Atalanta felt an odd connection to it. It must have been the mud Kirei had used in her summoning, but it was calling out to her as though she were a part of it.

She could feel its burning desire. A desire to be born into the world, to create itself. It desired existence.

Kirei standing next to her, wasn't moving, but he was looking at it longingly, wantingly. He wanted to go closer.

Atalanta put a hand on his shoulder, "We can't touch it..." she just barely avoided adding a 'not yet'. It was pulling on her, and she knew she should be upset about this, but she wasn't. The opposite, in fact. She wanted to help it, and she was sure Kirei did too. She stared at it with him in silence for quite some time, before saying, "Do you have any thoughts, or shall we go home and contemplate?"

Daichi pulls even with Kirei and Atalanta, taking a moment to watch their faces as they look at the corrupted Grail. He remains silent, but draws his own conclusions.

Medea watched them quietly. "Will you help us cleanse it?"

When Atalanta touched him, he snapped out of it. He looked between her and the Greater Grail, lost for words for a moment. He wondered how much he could say with Daichi and Medea present.

"I have... many thoughts... and many questions. Either way, I don't think we can't deal with this now." He turned to Medea. "This force is beyond any of our capabilities. I don't have much magical ability myself, but I will assist the cleansing in any way I can." A lie, or at least mostly a lie. He had ideas. "I suppose we should return home for now."

Daichi leads the way again, trusting in Medea to see that their guests don't linger. "Very well," he says. "Perhaps the church has others who might have a better idea of how to approach this."