Back at the Tohsaka Mansion!!!

"Well, despite my slight anger with him, I do want to have at least a slightly good impression. Having him hate me won't do us any good..." he was nervous to finish the rest of the sentence. Though the plan for the two to possibly have children together had been mentioned, he wasn't sure if it was still on. Her feelings could have wavered after the danger of the grail war subsided, if she had any feelings for him at all. Even that he wasn't sure of. It wouldn't matter of course, he knew they would still be great friends no matter what, but now that everyone was safe, facing his future left him anxious. He loved Yui, but did not know at all how to really navigate that situation. He stared off into the distance as the thoughts swirled through his head.

"I suppose that's true..." Yui also bit her lip nervously. She would like the two to get along, but Lazarus and Tokiomi were about as different as mages could come. She noticed him staring off in worry. "...Are you okay?"

"Isn't it just? I thought the new molding was particularly inspired." Caster chuckled and tossed his hair behind his shoulder. Rider shuffled around him and gasped.

"Woah!! It's even prettier than the village!! But Yui-san, why would we kill your dad?"

"I'm...fine," he placated her with a smile. " I just don't want you to regret our friendship, I suppose..."

For a moment, Yui was genuinely confused. "Regret it? Why would I regret it?" Sensing his insecurity, she moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder. "You've been so good to me ever since we met."

"Yes, but there is no way your father will be happy to see me. Even if I was as polite and kind as possible. Even if you believe they are in the wrong, it's hard not to feel shamed by a parent..." he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't want to speak about the more personal plans around the others. Really he was a very private person.

"Rider, would you like to come see how the herbs are drying?" Caster ushered the other Servant away, leaving Lazarus and Yui to their privacy.

She leaned back and looked at the floor. "I know what you mean..." As the other two Servants left, she sat down in a chair, and her shoulders sunk. She was grateful to Caster's awareness, but she wasn't even sure how she was feeling right now.

"If he wasn't my father... I probably wouldn't like him as a person. But he is. I feel like... Even if I don't agree with him, I still want him to be proud of me."

"Exactly! I feel the same with a few of my relations at times as well. My father, for instance, very much disapproved of me coming here to do this. He sees it as a job for "your kind" of mage. However how will we bridge the gap between everyone if both sides refuse to work together? but, that's another topic..." He also sat down with a nervous chuckle. " I suppose, even though I want to bridge the gap, I still don't want to put you through that feeling. Especially if we..." he coughed, his throat suddenly going dry, " if you still want to possibly have children with me someday...well that will just be complicated."

Yui started to blush heavily as she realized where the conversation was going. She brought her knees together, finding it difficult to look at Lazarus.

"I-I... think that's something I'm still interested in." She traced a circle on the floor with a toe. "I don't know what he'd think. Honestly, he might like the thought of two mages having like a super-mage child." She sighed as her stomach turned. "Though I hate to think that'd be the only reason he would approve."

She summoned the courage to look at him, though her eyes were starting to moisten. "But it's not his decision. He raised me to be an independent woman, and he better understand what that means."

"Well...it very well might be the only reason. I'm not well regarded, though I've done some very good work. Most people of your class would see my blood as tainting to their line rather than a blessing." He leaned forward, putting a comforting hand on her knee, " I know without a doubt that you are a brilliant person, and you'll have no trouble making the decision that you wish to make. I just...wish for your sake that I was a little more acceptable, I guess." he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples, "I do feel perhaps we should discuss family in more detail...I wouldn't want any assumptions to be made, and we haven't had a lot of time to really talk about all this. But if you'd prefer, it can wait until after we speak with your father, and I'll refrain from mentioning it."

She put her hand on his. "You're more than acceptable. Like I said, I think you give mages everywhere a good name." Even as she tried to smile for him, though, she couldn't stop the tears from coming. "I'm sorry... I'm trying to be all confident, but I guess I'm still really worried... I must look like such a daddy's girl..." She knocked her fist lightly against her forehead, as though that would stop the tears.

"Oh...no Yui! You poor thing!" he hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sure it will all be fine in time. I won't tell you not to worry, because I'm also worried, but we can be worried together. I'm here for you." he rubbed her back comfortingly, "I'm not good at expressing it, and we haven't known each other for very long really, but I want you to know that I love you very much. You're amazing as a mage and as a person. Even if you don't feel the same, I'm honored to know you and at least be your friend." he didn't mean to spill so many words and feelings on the stressed woman, but he simply couldn't help it at that point. He hoped he was being at least a small comfort for all she was going through.

"Thank you..." she sniffled. "I do feel the same." She put her arms around him and buried her face into her shoulder.

Damn, she really was falling for him. She tried not to think about Berserker. How was she going to explain that to him? Would he be... okay with that? She really did feel like a pervert.

He held her close for awhile, letting them both breathe and be calm. He was filled with such a warm feeling. There were more details to discuss, but they could be brought up in time. Eventually, he leaned back, taking her hands in his. "We will face the issues together, and be more powerful for it," he smiled widely at her, a slight blush coloring his cheeks.

"Yeah..." She nodded and smiled back. She found herself really wanting to kiss him... But it still didn't seem like the right time. For better or worse, she wanted to wait until her father was home. She took a deep breath. "Shall we wait upstairs?"

" I suppose we shall," he kept hold of one of her hands and stood with her, heading up the stairs and plopping onto the couch, waiting for Tokiomi to arrive. Lazarus checked in with which honorifics to use, suddenly nervous with his linguistic abilities.

In the apothecary room, Rider sat on a crate of bottles idly swinging his feet as Caster ground leaves in a mortar. He tipped his head to the side pensively, gaze shifting from Caster's back to the window nearby, the glass bell chime tinkling lightly in the breeze.

"Phillipus... does Lazarus like Yui-san? I mean, like like her?" The grinding stopped.

"I believe he does, yes." The pestle tapped against the edge of the stone bowl, resonating with a soft clink.

"What about you, though? Don't you like him, too?" Caster let out a slow breath, eyes closed. His hands were flat on the table, palms on either side of the mixture.

"I... Yes, I think I might. I haven't entertained the feeling much, what with a war on." Rider frowned sympathetically.

"But what are you going to do?"

"I am going to do what I will always do - support them, keep them safe. Whatever their plans are, I am their friend and colleague, and regardless of my personal feelings and motivations, I care for them. I won't let their happiness be compromised." Leather boots plodded across the room, buckles jingling quietly. A pair of arms wrapped around Caster's waist, holding him tight from behind, making his shoulders ease.

"Come on, Astolfo. This mysterious Tosaka paterfamilias will be arriving soon; let's see what sort of man he is." His smile was wan, but enough to pacify Astolfo. They walked together down the stairs, close enough to listen in but not to give themselves away.

After the sun had finally come down, Yui jumped when she heard the outside gate creak open. Berserker sat anxiously next to her as the front door opened, and her father, Tokiomi stepped inside.

As a man approaching his late forties, he still looked the part of a dignified mage. He wore a fine red suit and dark blue tie. His hair had grown out significantly since he was younger, almost touching his shoulders--and naturally, his goatee was as finely groomed as ever. The golden ruby-tipped cane in his hand, his Mystic Code, had started to be used as an actual cane.

He entered the living room and was about to warmly greet his daughter, but he stopped as he felt the enormous tension that had been building in the room. He looked to Yui, then Lazarus, and finally Berserker.

"It seems like you must have a lot to tell me." He stroked his goatee. "With Berserker sitting here... I assume all did not go as planned."

[[short break for Lazarus to talk if he wants to, otherwise i'll keep going]]

Lazarus, who had been pacing nervously before the mage entered the room, spoke up, "No, unfortunately it did not, but it could have been quite a bit worse," he offered a hand for shaking, "I'm Lazarus Quinlan, it's good to meet you. Your daughter and I have been assisting each other in the war."

Tokiomi shook his hand, but still looked him up and down, silently sizing him up. "A pleasure. Tokiomi Tohsaka. Thank you for assisting Yui; alliances in the Grail War a rare but welcome occurence."

" I agree! I couldn't believe my luck! I could definitely say Yui has assisted me more than I have her! In any case, I'll let her tell you about what's happened." He sat back down next to Yui. He would at least let the mage get the lowdown on the war before admonishing him.

Yui anxiously scratched one arm. "The Grail was corrupted. By what, we don't know yet. It appeared to Lazarus and offered to grant his immortality, but sacrificing everyone in Fuyuki City to turn him into a Dead Apostle."

That news alone was enough to flabbergast Tokiomi. "A... Dead Apostle? You say the Grail offered this?"

"It was rather cross when he turned it down. Then it exuded some kind of weird mud and tried to consume our Servants."

Tokiomi shook his head. "The Grail is merely a tool. It does not have a will of its own; it merely carries out the will of its user."

"Well, if it didn't have a will before, it does now."

Tokiomi took a few seconds to process the information, before finally dropping the million-dollar question. "So... the Grail. What did you do?"

Yui sighed. "We destroyed it."

"Destroyed it?!" Tokiomi gasped. Yui cringed, predicting that reaction. "After all your training? All the hopes of the Tohsaka family behind you?"

Yui jumped to her feet. "We had no choice! It was literally trying to eat us! It was about to spread out into the street by the time we could stop it!"

Tokiomi gritted his teeth, still clearly frustrated by the destruction of the Grail. "Are you sure about this? It could have been an illusion. A trick, meant to--"

"It wasn't." Yui glared at her father. "We all saw and felt it first-hand. We almost lost Berserker just trying to control it."

Tokiomi breathed hard, staring at the floor. "Then... you did the right thing."

Yui crossed her arms and glared, as though to say "Damn right we did."

Lazarus chimed in, "Not to mention, the grail did not offer itself to her. I don't know what else you could possibly expect her to have done in the circumstances. Would you prefer to have come back to a city full of death?" he stood with Yui, now sizing up Tokiomi as he had been sized. "Whatever happened, it's the fault of your ancestors. Even if one of the other families corrupted the grail, your family still let it happen. Some sort of security measure must have been overlooked. I hope you'll help us find out what that is."

Tokiomi snapped into a defensive posture, clearly provoked by the barb directed at the Tohsaka name. "If anyone is to blame, it is certainly not the Tohsakas. The Einzberns were responsible for the vessel of the Grail itself, so it is likely them. Or perhaps Zouken Matou corrupted it purely out of spite for losing his lineage." He readjusted himself. "Obviously, I will help to find the source of the corruption. The Tohsakas dedicated our lives to it."