Tohsaka Mansion: A Post-Battle Rendezvous

Yui smiled weakly. "Thanks. It'll be nice to get something into my stomach before going back to sleep. I think I'll be sleeping in late, myself."

She went to the table and sat down, with Berserker sitting next to her. She stared at her Servant for a few moments before touching her food.

"I had a dream about Berserker's life tonight," she said aloud. "It was very sad, but it reminded me a little of myself."

Berserker looked up at Yui in slight surprise, then cast her gaze downward sadly.

Dinner was Hamburg steaks with fried eggs on them, cooked in the shape of flowers. The patties themselves were atop lightly toasted, buttery and thick slices of crustless white bread, and drizzled with a delicately sniffed and Caster-approved steak sauce.

Pan-fried mackerel, split open with the skin crisp, served as a side along with a salad of wilted greens and leeks with a balsamic and fig dressing. Dessert was a sandwich made of warm waffles, smears of a chocolate hazelnut spread, and dollops of whipped cream - extra for Berserker, as promised.

Caster was plating a leftover portion for Lazarus while it was still steaming, capturing its warmth in a magical bubble. "What was it like? If Berserker doesn't mind me asking, I mean. It's not unusual for colleagues of our circumstances to dream about each other, right?"

Yui looked over at her Servant. " I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable. Would it bother you if I talked about your story?"

Berserker shake her head bashfully. Yui looked back up at Caster. "Have you ever heard of the legend of Frankenstein?"

[[ since she's a Heroic Spirit the Grail would have given him general knowledge about her.]]

"An attempt at the creation of a perfect man, a modern Prometheus, given life by harnessing the power of electricity from the sky." He crossed the room and sat at the table, eyes cast down in front of him.

"Brought to being by a shrewd, aspiring man of great hubris and little foresight..." Caster sighed and turned his gaze up at Berserker, eyes full of contrition and sympathy. "Inspired, in part, by my own work."

Berserker continued to look down silently at the table.

"I don't know how that must feel," said Yui. "To have your own work used like that. Although, I guess it can't be to bad if it gave birth to her," she added with a smile.

"He rejected his creation, and when he refused to make her a mate, she followed him across the world, killing those close to him. Eventually he died in madness, and in despair she burned herself on a funeral pyre."

"Honestly," she continued, "he must have been mad to find her disgusting. I think she's beautiful."

Berserker looked up at her in mild surprise, then smiled and blushed.

Caster smiled warmly and nodded. "I agree. Our legends are who we have been, what we're remembered for, but they don't have to be who we are. We were made into Heroes, into what we are now, by how our actions were perceived by the people of our time. By their hearts and memories."

He reached across the table and gently placed his hand over Berserker's. "We can be greater than the men who made us. You are greater."

Berserker held his hand tightly as tears welled up in her eyes. Yui couldn't help but tear up either, seeing how touched she was.

"Mmnh," Berserker mumbled softly.

"She says 'thank you'" said Yui. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Thanks so much for the meal. It's about time to head to bed; I think I'm going to sleep in after such an exciting day."

Caster nodded. "I'll take care of the dish washing myself, and I suppose I should make sure Lazarus doesn't have so much fun he starves." He sighed and shook his head, more like a patient housewife than an inconvenienced minder.

Smiling again, he went to collect the still-warm plate from the counter. "Goodnight, Miss Yui. Until morning." He bowed slightly, then took the plate outside, balancing it on one hand.

"Lazarus! The mortal human body needs nutrition for continuation of being alive, let alone focus!"

"Actually!" the mage explained shooting up from a deep trench he'd dug into the yard. "Though it seems counterintuitive, I focus better on an empty stomach. My actual hunger fuels my soul's hunger. Also, less food in the belly leaves more room for magic to flow. I did experiments. It's true!" he assured him as he forced energy down, packing the mud as hard as he possibly could. There was a golem ready to be brought to life next to an extremely large pile of moist earth. One or two of the shrubs were dying from the magic that Lazarus was drawing up from the leyline, but it was definitely worth the defenses he was amassing. The dogs were jumping and yipping at the dirt that sprayed up from the earthen walls to the moat.

"Then for my own peace of mind? Come now, I put hard work into this, and you'll need more calories sooner or later." He looked over the moat, honestly impressed. Lazarus had indeed accomplished much, and were he not a mage, could likely be an engineer or architect. On the other hand, he hoped Yui wouldn't miss those shrubs.

"I absolutely promise I will eat every meal you've prepared for me when I'm finished." Lazarus said it as he walked backwards, making his way around the moat and packing the dirt in. His smile was broad and honest.

Caster sighed and shook his head. "I'm going to take it back inside, the barrier will keep it warm and fresh until you dispell it." True to his word, he placed the plate on the table, washed the remaining dishes, and read quietly in the study.

"Thank you~!" The mage called as he rounded the side of the mansion.