[She was going to stop there first anyways, so that saves her two trips.
For it to be bad enough to have gone, however... Or maybe someone took him. Either way, Rin decides she'll see for herself soon enough.]
I'll be there shortly.
[And with that promise, she hangs up. Telling him to stay awake would be pointless. Actually, she thinks it would be good if he fell asleep again. He'd probably complain about what she plans on doing, so there'll be less fuss if he's not conscious for the preparations. Feeling comfortable with that, Rin sets out for the infirmary.]
And by the time Rin gets there, Zaveid is dead asleep - phone in hand and still on a "your call has ended" screen. Seems he didn't get too much further than her hanging up before falling asleep again.
... And maybe if it wasn't for the fact that the resident healer doesn't seem worried at all, the way he's so still in his sleep would probably be worrying. But, then again, maybe wind spirits don't need to breathe as well as food or sleep?
And if Rin cares to check, there's just wisps of his mana in the air about them - like he's got a little bit of wind, because it's actually a part of him. ]
[She does, of course. It's important to get a baseline, and she first wants to see how poorly he's doing. That he doesn't breathe doesn't disturb her. Archer didn't always either; in fact, because of the familiarity with her Servant, she first wonders why Zaveid doesn't just dematerialize to recover before remembering he's a different type of spirit, unlike the ones in her world.
But as proven before, they're just similar enough she thinks her plan will work.
Rin works quickly. He's practically leaking mana now which is worrying, so she doesn't waste time. Or maybe it's the reverse, and the wind is trying to support him? Either way, about ten minutes later Rin holds a cup of a bitter smelling tea under Zaveid's nose and gently shakes his shoulder repeatedly to wake him. The first sign he's rousing, she speaks firmly.]
[ He is completely out of it while she works, and despite the similar - rather short - time between him being awake and her waking him up... it takes him a while to actually open his eyes and focus.
See, he could vanish - if his vessel was here. But he doesn't have one, he can't rest hidden away, because he's not here-
It takes him a moment to focus on her, still, with his slow blinking of maybe he's going to fall back asleep, but he manages to get up on one elbow and.. do as she said. He probably knocks back about half the tea before he realizes -. ]
....Think... you over-steeped... [ Ugh this is bitter??? ]
already tried lots of sugar, dunno if... over-steeped tea's gunna do anything..
Maybe a little. [Maybe just enough to disguise the tang of copper. She takes a few steps back from the bed, half-turning to reach for a chair.] Drink it all, nevertheless. Medicine isn't supposed to taste good. It's a fundamental rule, you know.
[And despite what he says, so long as Rin's plan worked right, given another minute or two and Zaveid should start to feel better quickly upon finishing the cup.
There was a lot more zip in there than there was an amethyst bird.]
Think... that's bull... y'can make just about anythin' tasty ...if y'try hard 'nuff. [ Zaveid grumbles his lazy protest, but does his best to focus on the cup again.
Yeah he doesn't finish the second half as quickly as the first half, and then he's staring blankly at the cup for a moment or two.
The mana in the winds strengthens as his does - noticeably keeping about even. They're part of him, definitely, and so he looks at her after it starts settling that uh, yeah, the tea did something. ]
... So you've got magic tea, huh?
[ There's.. something, about the way he asks that, that is also 'what did you just do'. ]
[She sits with an oof, already feeling fatigue in her bones.
When there's a Holy Grail about, maintaining a familiar like Archer is no problem, but here in the castle and this other world, it's 100% her. No wonder magi don't normally do this with spirits or other powerful beings; the mana drain is ridiculous.]
It's more like I created a direct path between me and you. It's costly, so I'll end it in 24 hours. Maybe less, at this rate. You sound improved already, so it appears to be working well.
[Familiars are one of the most common acquaintances among magi, who are otherwise solitary things. To make one, the mage must put a piece of their bodies inside the body of the familiar. With Rin's jewel birds, she uses her hair. For Zaveid now, she used her blood.
She anticipates he'll be angry with her when he realizes it, and fairly so, but his condition seemed bad enough she decided to take the lead. If he couldn't maintain consciousness long enough to close his phone — and he'll find it closed for him now, on his bed — could she even expect him to coherently understand what she'd ask his permission to do, much less anything else? When Rin has a solution, she isn't the type to twiddle her thumbs. She can weather his anger, because you act when you can act.
And so with her blood acting as a catalyst, Rin sits and manages the bond between them. It's only thanks to her fine control she can split her energy between herself and him to a fair 25/75 split. It'll be a few hours before he feels the full kick of it, but mana passes into him steadily now, like a slow moving stream.]
[ It does catch his attention, and he studies her for a long moment. ]
That's all it does? You just straight giving me mana? [ He's doing that thing again, where his words and tone and the way he's saying them don't entirely match up. His eyes are a little too intent for that to be a casual question.
He is still a leaky bucket, but maybe this familiar thing is plugging a few holes, or she's giving him enough mana that it doesn't immediately drain away. Its hard to tell. ]
[That makes her raise an eyebrow, and Rin props her head up with one hand. Is he trying to give her a chance to explain or set her up? ]
You're not an infant that needs to be spoon-fed, Zaveid. You're a being sensitive to magic, and your eyes are too sharp for that. I can't address your concerns if you expect me to raise them for you.
[It seems she wants him to figure it out first, or suspects he has and is just not telling her. Former or latter, if he expands his senses around that invisible, direct path between her and him, there's magical energy. A pact, weakly formed, that if he pressed might yield certain effects: transmission of thoughts, if he chose to push words, or transmission of senses.
There's nothing coming from Rin's end, because she's very deliberately avoiding doing so. She's made him her familiar for the day, but she has no intent of using him as one.]
[ So he's silent for a minute or two, doing just that. What kind of magic is that around the flow of mana? He pushes and tests with his own - Run is basically the anchor and that's about it, but he can shove on his end.
So if this is aburst of something that feels like curiosity - if a bit dry, it's likehes trying to find all the tricks because he's been cheated before.
And then he backs off too. He figured out how to sort of distance himself with these because of Ozuma's attempt to help. ]
Alright. One question then. This thing - you aren't doing anything. What can you do to whoever is on the other end?
Nothing so sinister. If this were permanent and you were a cat or small bird, I'd set you to perform errands maybe. Fetch me this item, or scout this area. That sort of thing. For something more like yourself, there could be a bit of that, but primarily I'd have you fight for me.
[She stirs a finger in the air, tracing the wind.] It's not as if I can compel you to do any of it, however. Independence is an important trait in familiars, and the less simple they are, the more independence they have.
[It's important to have familiars capable of reasoning, who can learn and react without input if need be. And for something like a Servant, even at the risk of betrayal it's absolutely necessary, being the only ones strong enough to fight other Servants.]
[ Okay, so he can't ... not feel the relief, in the strength he does, and it might have washed over to her. ]
Good. That's basically what I was worried about, temporary or not. [ Zaveid has issues with the idea. ]
And you can cut it whenever it feels too much for you. I uh. Was actually gunna ask if you asking about my vessel and pact stuff meant you would be interested in being uh, ... technically more of a squire than a shepherd.
[There are rose thorns in her left arm, fangs that constrict and bite at her nerves; her Magic Crest noting an unusual strain, and helping her generate mana faster. You wouldn't be able to tell she's in pain from the look on her face, however. Smiling, Rin shakes her head as if amused by something.
Geez, she thinks privately to herself, untransmitted, if I followed through on "whenever it feels too much" it'd defeat the point now, wouldn't it?]
I'll take you up on that later. [For now she's used to this, in one form or another.] Thank you.
As for that... [Her brow creases, minutely. Hesitation reads there, and some bafflement.] You're asking me?
[ Zaveid stares at her for a moment, trying to place exactly... what that was supposed to read as. ]
A, you seem used to somethin' similar. Yeah, you, might as well, s'not like I [ really have that many other people to ask, a tiny flicker of loneliness making it over. ] know that many people who could wrap their head about it.
B, hell yes I'm asking. It's.. [ How would Lailah put this. Why couldn't Lailah be here? Lailah would solve just about everything, to be honest, she's so much better with people and- ]
It is a burden, bearing a seraph. I dunno if it will be for you like it is for our humans - humans don't have magic on their own, at home, so who knows what all you'll get. [ Actually, he might know. He'll probably make it easier for her to work magic, at least some kinds, if his memory serves right. ]
But ... vessel is accurate. I won't be in your thoughts, but I would be able to see or sense the world as you do, make use of you as a place to rest or be a surprise if there's worry of an ambush or something.
[This feedback reminds her a lot of what Ozuma had done, and she does feel a bit remorseful for it. A peculiarity of attempting this with someone from a foreign world, maybe? She doesn't think Zaveid would trust her enough to share these little tinges of himself purposefully.
Then again, she also hadn't expected this question, despite being the one to propose he find someone. Many people have left lately, she knows (she knows), but there's dozens more where they came from. Surely he'd ask one of them first? Surely...
Rin frowns at him, hands folded to her chest. He's not wrong, that other people wouldn't accept it as simply as she had. More so, he'd be hard pressed to find someone as well suited among the castle residents. Trained since childhood to maintain a Servant, different as Masters and Vessels may be, she was practically born for such roles.
Yes, it's the role she's always meant to play... And that's just the problem. Even without touching them, without looking, Rin is conscious of the stigmata on her right hand; the precious Command Seals.
[It's a fraction of a second, that look of conflict, before she resolves how she must answer. Rin inclines her head, resolved.]
I have no objection to any of that [referencing all he's just implied], but I apologize. I must decline all the same.
I only have enough mana to support myself and one other. In the event my Servant is also summoned to this place, I can't put myself in a position where I'd be unable to maintain them.
Completely understandable. [ Without a trace in tone that he's caught on to her reasons being his own. Well, there is a hint that he has in the tilt of his smile and level of an eyebrow. ]
The shepherd - seraph pact doesn't exchange mana. You're a vessel, that's burden enough.
Yeah. It's a safe place for the seraphim helping the shepherd, which is basically all the seraphim get out of it. The shepherd gets purification out of it, if the prime seraph has it, and you'll probably find an increase in reaction times and strength.
[He already said it was a burden before, so this might sound like she wasn't listening, but she was. Of course it would be a strain for the vessel, anything worth doing has its drawbacks. But coming from a world of mages, everything she knows is based around the idea of equivalent exchange.
So there's anticipation of a catch here, but also mounting excitement. Kind of like finding a sale at your favorite store. It's pretty obvious, anyways, that with her one caveat taken away, she's quite interested.]
Humans who can't see me who'll probably freak out if you pull twisters from nowhere. You might start seeing people as monsters if their hearts are twisted that much. [ He shrugs. ]
And those monsters might be drawn to you. They kinda think seraphim are tasty. [ No big deal, right. ]
Some of those could be boons in the right situation. If you couldn't sense the nature of those things you fought, it could have ended much worse, after all.
[She remarks this, raising a knuckle to her chin and looking off to the side. Certainly they have their drawbacks too, so she considers them carefully.]
Have you encountered monsters like that often in this castle?
It will be a bit of a pain. All you can do is kill them or run, since I can't purify without killing anyway. [ He fishes under his pillow, then against the wall and sets a black and silver gun next to his phone. ]
Uhhh.. one or two. Haven't been chased or gnawed on yet. Always a plus.
[ He thinks for a moment, then snaps like he forgot something. ]
I think I heard something about a fever for a bit. I wasn't Shep's first, more like his fifth, so he kinda didn't react at all.
.. Well, I don't think Lailah'd take a like.. five year old as a shepherd, so you're safe on that. [ Look, she's right on his issues with time. His shepherd is about 17. Not that you'd get that as an answer if you asked him. ]
Think its like... a week? [ Vague shrug. Remember, him and time. ]
Probably less. Humans can't sleep for a week without it being bad, right?
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[She was going to stop there first anyways, so that saves her two trips.
For it to be bad enough to have gone, however... Or maybe someone took him. Either way, Rin decides she'll see for herself soon enough.]
I'll be there shortly.
[And with that promise, she hangs up. Telling him to stay awake would be pointless. Actually, she thinks it would be good if he fell asleep again. He'd probably complain about what she plans on doing, so there'll be less fuss if he's not conscious for the preparations. Feeling comfortable with that, Rin sets out for the infirmary.]
> action
And by the time Rin gets there, Zaveid is dead asleep - phone in hand and still on a "your call has ended" screen. Seems he didn't get too much further than her hanging up before falling asleep again.
... And maybe if it wasn't for the fact that the resident healer doesn't seem worried at all, the way he's so still in his sleep would probably be worrying. But, then again, maybe wind spirits don't need to breathe as well as food or sleep?
And if Rin cares to check, there's just wisps of his mana in the air about them - like he's got a little bit of wind, because it's actually a part of him. ]
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But as proven before, they're just similar enough she thinks her plan will work.
Rin works quickly. He's practically leaking mana now which is worrying, so she doesn't waste time. Or maybe it's the reverse, and the wind is trying to support him? Either way, about ten minutes later Rin holds a cup of a bitter smelling tea under Zaveid's nose and gently shakes his shoulder repeatedly to wake him. The first sign he's rousing, she speaks firmly.]
Drink this.
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See, he could vanish - if his vessel was here. But he doesn't have one, he can't rest hidden away, because he's not here-
It takes him a moment to focus on her, still, with his slow blinking of maybe he's going to fall back asleep, but he manages to get up on one elbow and.. do as she said. He probably knocks back about half the tea before he realizes -. ]
....Think... you over-steeped... [ Ugh this is bitter??? ]
already tried lots of sugar, dunno if... over-steeped tea's gunna do anything..
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[And despite what he says, so long as Rin's plan worked right, given another minute or two and Zaveid should start to feel better quickly upon finishing the cup.
There was a lot more zip in there than there was an amethyst bird.]
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Yeah he doesn't finish the second half as quickly as the first half, and then he's staring blankly at the cup for a moment or two.
The mana in the winds strengthens as his does - noticeably keeping about even. They're part of him, definitely, and so he looks at her after it starts settling that uh, yeah, the tea did something. ]
... So you've got magic tea, huh?
[ There's.. something, about the way he asks that, that is also 'what did you just do'. ]
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[She sits with an oof, already feeling fatigue in her bones.
When there's a Holy Grail about, maintaining a familiar like Archer is no problem, but here in the castle and this other world, it's 100% her. No wonder magi don't normally do this with spirits or other powerful beings; the mana drain is ridiculous.]
It's more like I created a direct path between me and you. It's costly, so I'll end it in 24 hours. Maybe less, at this rate. You sound improved already, so it appears to be working well.
[Familiars are one of the most common acquaintances among magi, who are otherwise solitary things. To make one, the mage must put a piece of their bodies inside the body of the familiar. With Rin's jewel birds, she uses her hair. For Zaveid now, she used her blood.
She anticipates he'll be angry with her when he realizes it, and fairly so, but his condition seemed bad enough she decided to take the lead. If he couldn't maintain consciousness long enough to close his phone — and he'll find it closed for him now, on his bed — could she even expect him to coherently understand what she'd ask his permission to do, much less anything else? When Rin has a solution, she isn't the type to twiddle her thumbs. She can weather his anger, because you act when you can act.
And so with her blood acting as a catalyst, Rin sits and manages the bond between them. It's only thanks to her fine control she can split her energy between herself and him to a fair 25/75 split. It'll be a few hours before he feels the full kick of it, but mana passes into him steadily now, like a slow moving stream.]
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That's all it does? You just straight giving me mana? [ He's doing that thing again, where his words and tone and the way he's saying them don't entirely match up. His eyes are a little too intent for that to be a casual question.
He is still a leaky bucket, but maybe this familiar thing is plugging a few holes, or she's giving him enough mana that it doesn't immediately drain away. Its hard to tell. ]
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You're not an infant that needs to be spoon-fed, Zaveid. You're a being sensitive to magic, and your eyes are too sharp for that. I can't address your concerns if you expect me to raise them for you.
[It seems she wants him to figure it out first, or suspects he has and is just not telling her. Former or latter, if he expands his senses around that invisible, direct path between her and him, there's magical energy. A pact, weakly formed, that if he pressed might yield certain effects: transmission of thoughts, if he chose to push words, or transmission of senses.
There's nothing coming from Rin's end, because she's very deliberately avoiding doing so. She's made him her familiar for the day, but she has no intent of using him as one.]
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So if this is aburst of something that feels like curiosity - if a bit dry, it's likehes trying to find all the tricks because he's been cheated before.
And then he backs off too. He figured out how to sort of distance himself with these because of Ozuma's attempt to help. ]
Alright. One question then. This thing - you aren't doing anything. What can you do to whoever is on the other end?
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[She stirs a finger in the air, tracing the wind.] It's not as if I can compel you to do any of it, however. Independence is an important trait in familiars, and the less simple they are, the more independence they have.
[It's important to have familiars capable of reasoning, who can learn and react without input if need be. And for something like a Servant, even at the risk of betrayal it's absolutely necessary, being the only ones strong enough to fight other Servants.]
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Good. That's basically what I was worried about, temporary or not. [ Zaveid has issues with the idea. ]
And you can cut it whenever it feels too much for you. I uh. Was actually gunna ask if you asking about my vessel and pact stuff meant you would be interested in being uh, ... technically more of a squire than a shepherd.
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Geez, she thinks privately to herself, untransmitted, if I followed through on "whenever it feels too much" it'd defeat the point now, wouldn't it?]
I'll take you up on that later. [For now she's used to this, in one form or another.] Thank you.
As for that... [Her brow creases, minutely. Hesitation reads there, and some bafflement.] You're asking me?
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A, you seem used to somethin' similar. Yeah, you, might as well, s'not like I [ really have that many other people to ask, a tiny flicker of loneliness making it over. ] know that many people who could wrap their head about it.
B, hell yes I'm asking. It's.. [ How would Lailah put this. Why couldn't Lailah be here? Lailah would solve just about everything, to be honest, she's so much better with people and- ]
It is a burden, bearing a seraph. I dunno if it will be for you like it is for our humans - humans don't have magic on their own, at home, so who knows what all you'll get. [ Actually, he might know. He'll probably make it easier for her to work magic, at least some kinds, if his memory serves right. ]
But ... vessel is accurate. I won't be in your thoughts, but I would be able to see or sense the world as you do, make use of you as a place to rest or be a surprise if there's worry of an ambush or something.
1/2
Then again, she also hadn't expected this question, despite being the one to propose he find someone. Many people have left lately, she knows (she knows), but there's dozens more where they came from. Surely he'd ask one of them first? Surely...
Rin frowns at him, hands folded to her chest. He's not wrong, that other people wouldn't accept it as simply as she had. More so, he'd be hard pressed to find someone as well suited among the castle residents. Trained since childhood to maintain a Servant, different as Masters and Vessels may be, she was practically born for such roles.
Yes, it's the role she's always meant to play... And that's just the problem. Even without touching them, without looking, Rin is conscious of the stigmata on her right hand; the precious Command Seals.
Saber. Archer.]
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I have no objection to any of that [referencing all he's just implied], but I apologize. I must decline all the same.
I only have enough mana to support myself and one other. In the event my Servant is also summoned to this place, I can't put myself in a position where I'd be unable to maintain them.
[You know. Because hypocrisy.]
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The shepherd - seraph pact doesn't exchange mana. You're a vessel, that's burden enough.
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...It doesn't?
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[ He hesitates then shrugs. ]
And more power later, if you grow into it.
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[He already said it was a burden before, so this might sound like she wasn't listening, but she was. Of course it would be a strain for the vessel, anything worth doing has its drawbacks. But coming from a world of mages, everything she knows is based around the idea of equivalent exchange.
So there's anticipation of a catch here, but also mounting excitement. Kind of like finding a sale at your favorite store. It's pretty obvious, anyways, that with her one caveat taken away, she's quite interested.]
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And those monsters might be drawn to you. They kinda think seraphim are tasty. [ No big deal, right. ]
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[She remarks this, raising a knuckle to her chin and looking off to the side. Certainly they have their drawbacks too, so she considers them carefully.]
Have you encountered monsters like that often in this castle?
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Uhhh.. one or two. Haven't been chased or gnawed on yet. Always a plus.
[ He thinks for a moment, then snaps like he forgot something. ]
I think I heard something about a fever for a bit. I wasn't Shep's first, more like his fifth, so he kinda didn't react at all.
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A bit? That'd better not be ten years to me and a blink to you.
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Think its like... a week? [ Vague shrug. Remember, him and time. ]
Probably less. Humans can't sleep for a week without it being bad, right?
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