1stknight | PSL (closed)

[Dazai didn't get hit by the metal arm, but he did find himself to be alone in his apartment pretty quickly. Someone had just decided that he would wait out the embarrassment in his spirit form.

Bedivere couldn't believe that Dazai was such a lech. Had he been hiding this side of himself until today? Or was this the act, and his calculating self was the real Dazai? Bedivere had no idea, and it was why he had fallen into embarrassment so quickly.

Bedivere would reappear some time later, when Dazai was at the door ready to go. He still had pretenses to keep up, after all. And if he pointedly avoided talking about Dazai's comments, then maybe he could pretend they had never happened.

There absolutely was one near the Por Mafia's territory, which made that one risky to check out. Early in the morning was safer than most times of the day, But there were eyes and ears everywhere and Dazai and Bedivere had to be careful. They were too late, though, as the warehouse from the reports had been 'cleaned' recently. That is to say, it had been practically destroyed by some local teenagers. Most would not question that, but Dazai should have recognized the lie there instantly: nobody who lived in Port Mafia territory would mess with a Port Mafia building, not if they wanted to live. So the graffiti story was a cover-up. Someone just wanted that warehouse destroyed, but discreetly.]

[Bedivere vanishing on him was new. If he was in a suspiciously good mood, as if he discovered a delightful gem buried under layers of sand on the beach, Kyouka sure wasn't the right person to rat him out on it.

(Or maybe she was. She observed much and had gotten comfortable enough to share should Atsushi ask about Dazai once that talk was over.)

In any case, Dazai usually went for the charming flirt approach instead of dropping racy lines. Something about Bedivere made him want to toe that line, though it wouldn't be until much later that he'd find out that, yes, a form of intimacy was on the table as a drastic form of recharge.

For now, they could shift the conversation to milder topics and put their morning talk behind them. On the way to the destroyed warehouse, they passed by a food cart. Its usual clientele was a mix of regular workers from the various cargo ships nearby.]

I think I'll order something. [He murmured this on the way back, calculating the distance between the food truck and the warehouse. How far was 'far'?] Would you be able to check out the rubble in your spirit form before following? Or would I need to 'get lost' nearby until you returned?

[Just because he'd quit the mafia four years ago didn't automatically mean he was unrecognizable. The Agency was, after all, well-known even to small-time criminals tied to various organizations, and there was that time they had to collaborate with Mori to flush out Pushkin from his cave.]

[Bedivere didn't say as much, but he was grateful that Dazai didn't bring up the conversation from that morning. He was easily embarrassed, it seemed, and he didn't want to think about that fact when they had work to do. Focusing on the Grail War also kept distracting thoughts out of his head. He really didn't need to start questioning his own attractions to his king when that past was long buried. And he wasn't going to think of Dazai in terms of attraction, nope. They would have a strictly professional relationship.

(Or so he intended. In reality, when Dazai decided to turn the charm up, Bedivere would be doomed.)]

This should be close enough. But don't be too obvious, hmm? There is trouble here.

[Bedivere didn't know about Dazai's past with this area, so he wasn't thinking in terms of that. Rather, he had noticed the 'curious' eyes watching them ever since they had gotten to the neighborhood. It wasn't an enemy, those looks were too curious and guarded for that, but it felt like the two of them might become unintentional prey of someone looking to take advantage of a sudden change in situation. Given how noodley Dazai was, Bedivere was particularly worried for his sake.

But Bedivere did duck around a corner to go invisible and investigate further. Dazai had time to eat his early lunch. Or he could strike up a conversation with the local workers who were also on break, if he wanted to press them for information. Bedivere would be gone for a while, he had a lot to see.]

Of course.

[That wasn't a point he'd argue, and using a command spell to get himself out of trouble was waste. Already, Dazai had planned an escape route that'd take him close to Bedivere in case he was recognized, but it was a shame he didn't have a chance to get used to being given small reminders like this from his very own temporary knight.

Bedivere, after all, would be out in the world once this was over, saving orphans and all sorts of people. Dazai could make his peace with that, thinking he knew where to draw the line before he became too fond of the guy.

Once he reached the food cart after they split up, he got himself several sticks of yakitori - the bamboo skewers might be useful - and caught up on the hyperlocal gossip, listening in at first while keeping an eye out for mafioso and other sources of trouble. He'd ask a few roundabout questions if anyone brought up the explosion - kids these days were getting wilder, weren't they, if blowing up a warehouse was now part of the party games.]

[The gossip was largely what you would expect in an area full of shipyards. Complaining about bosses, talk about plans for after work, one guy talking about his pregnant wife while others congratulated him, that sort of thing. This wasn't too deep in the Port Mafia's grasp, so most of the men here weren't members of the mafia. They were in the grey area of "the work they do is for a shady group, but the work itself is legit."

The trade-off, of course, was that most of what they knew was rumors. So when the talk did eventually get around to the explosion, they all had fantastical ideas about what had gone on. A drug deal gone bad, A lover's quarrel involving a certain red-headed ability-user, you name it. None of them had any stories about magic circles or rituals to summon people, though.

There were a couple men keeping quiet during the talk, though. Even when Dazai spoke up, the men kept quiet. Dazai, with all of his mafia experience, would be able to pick up on them being plants right away. They were the actual mafia members, the ones who worked with the regular guys to make sure secrets weren't getting out. And while they didn't recognize Dazai, they did see that he was trying to get information out of the group. And that meant that Dazai was going to be watched.

One guy was discreetly messaging someone on a phone too. Be careful, Dazai.]

[Blegh, spoil sports.

The mafia's investment in monitoring the situation, however, was a clue in and of itself, so Dazai steered the conversation back to lighter topics before whoever was on the other end of that report decided that these guys at lunch should meet the cleanup crew: speaking of wild acts of vandalism, did anyone hear about that commotion at Motomachi Shopping Street from a few weeks back, where someone decided to drunkenly paper up several store fronts with terribly photoshopped posters at 3AM? The news said it was some proposal attempt that had gone awry when the guy got the jitters and too much liquid courage - whatever happened to him?

Dazai slipped away once the workers got the ball rolling again, holding on to a couple of bamboo skewers while polishing off his last yakitori stick.

If he was being tailed, he'd take an alternate route back to Bedivere. Speculating on why Mori had someone look into this could come later: it could be anything from them tightening security because another suspected ability user managed to mess with their territory, to someone from the Mafia actually having a Servant on hand and...

Well. He'd probably find out more once he's heard Bedivere's findings. Just in case, he began to tally just which ability users might've been dragged into this war, and what wishes they might have for the Grail.

Just in case.]

[Nice save, Dazai. These men would make it home to their families this night, maybe.

As the conversation shifted and Dazai snuck away, the two men followed him at a distance. He was being tailed, but it looked like he had a small bit of time to get to Bedivere before they caught up. As long as he didn't take too long to get there he would make it, though as he got closer to the destroyed warehouse the men tailing him started to pursue more closely. The jig was up.

Bedivere, meanwhile, had made his way into the warehouse in spirit form. Once he was safely inside, though, he had manifested again to begin his work. Digging through rubble was a challenge, and he had to be careful not to injure himself. But eventually he was able to get to what he had been looking for: a charred room with the remains of a summoning circle present, as well as the catalyst. Someone hadn't thought to take that with them, it seemed. Bedivere picked up the scrap of leather and pocketed it before leaving the room. He could remember what the circle looked like and draw it for Dazai later.

As he stepped out of the warehouse, he rounded the corner to go looking for Dazai. Tracking Dazai's magical signature wasn't hard with their connection, so he made a beeline right for him. Unfortunately, he failed to notice a red-haired woman in a kimono walking past him as he tried to walk casually down the street.

A woman who turned to watch him as he walked away. Something Dazai might be able to notice from his view of the situation.]

[Ah. Great. That was one hell of a confirmation, if the executives were getting involved.

Pros: The two guys tailing him might just not come close unless Kouyou gave them the order to. Her presence here might mean she wasn't the new Master.

Cons: Kouyou was here, and her personal involvement was either a request from Mori or her own initiative. The latter was more likely if the new Master was under her wing.

Dazai could safely say it was neither Kyouka nor Chuuya. The former, he just saw this morning and there was nothing unusual about her, unless the command seals showed up in other places of the body. Not the latter either, because Kouyou knew that Chuuya could handle himself, and this warehouse's destruction? The pipsqueak could be more thorough than that if he tried, without leaving this kind of an open mess.

Great.

So instead of walking up to Bedivere, he stopped in the middle of the road. Saber was in sprinting distance if he needed to intercept anything while Dazai focused on the woman a few paces behind him.]

Ane-san. It's rare to see you taking a stroll in a place like this.

[She might know what he was talking about: Dazai knew her as someone who'd prefer walking in a park or garden.]

[One thing could be said about Bedivere: at least he was smart enough to get what Dazai was playing at, and to keep walking past Dazai instead of going right to him. Nothing to see here, just a man walking. Honest.

(Bedivere would actually turn a corner and get to a higher vantage point, if he could. Dazai was handling the confrontation, so Bedivere wanted to be on the lookout for any surprise attackers.)

Kouyou let Bedivere go, too. She was less concerned with him, even if she could guess that he was involved with Dazai's investigation in some way. She didn't know the whole truth of the situation, but if Dazai was sniffing around, then something was up. But she acted as if she didn't notice Bedivere at all, and instead focused her attention on Dazai.]

Even I have to work sometimes.

[But she had stopped walking, and she was turned sideways so she could look back to Dazai without facing him fully. Her umbrella kept the sun out of her eyes, but it also kept her sword close enough to draw if it was needed. A standard defense for her.]

That is why you're here too, isn't it? We only ever talk anymore when it's related to work.

[It was a good defense, and Dazai's awareness of the trick didn't diminish its effectiveness. It's not like he had anything other than a handful of bamboo skewers to defend himself from that.

Not that they'd come to blows if he could help it. Words were still his best weapon, and he knew Kouyou was more interested in why he was here. In this situation, Bedivere's likely intervention if things got messy was but a bonus, for all that it was a premature show of his hand.]

It's not too terrible of a change, is it? I doubt you miss any of my phone calls. [She had plenty of good reasons to distrust him while he was with the mafia. If anything, his change of allegiances made things peaceful. As far as Dazai knew, she didn't miss him and the mess that was his head.] More to the point: yes, we did receive a report about an incident that occurred here. Should I tell Kyouka-chan she has a new adoptive sibling?

[Let's pretend for now this was related to a new Ability user. How much would Kouyou confirm or deny this claim?]

The Agency has been busy, I see.

[Her voice was calm and delicate, as it often was. But the polite words hid an edge to them. Not one directed at Dazai specifically, interestingly enough. Her ire fell elsewhere. But his talk had brought up an annoyance that he very well might feel the stab of, if Kouyou decided to get physical about it.

His answer gave away so much, too. Only someone who knew about those strange magic rituals would know of the beings it created. Which meant that the Agency had already found at least one other Master, or they themselves were involved in this war. Kouyou had heard of the summoning circle found last night with a dead master next to it, but a dead master didn't mean an unsummoned servant.

Really, Dazai's only saving grace at that moment was a misconception on Kouyou's part: since Dazai was a nullifier, clearly he couldn't be a Master too, or so she thought. Nullifying magic blocked the magic needed to complete the ritual in her mind. If she had known that he was a Master, she may have lashed out at that moment.

(For her part, her hands were clear of any Command Seals. She was not the Master of the Servant summoned in Port Mafia territory.)]

Kyouka-chan has no need to get involved here. In fact, the entire Agency would be wise to not get involved in this mess. Take those children of yours and run to the countryside for the next month.

[She knew that wouldn't get anyone to actually leave the city. But that was her one good deed, spurned on by a desire to protect Kyouka at the very least: this fight was going to be bloody, and the Agency better keep an eye on its employees if it wanted to avoid casualties.

The fact that Kouyou was telling Dazai about this, of all people, was another important hint: whatever had happened here, she didn't agree with it. And she had to go beyond Mori to even throw a vague warning out.]

[So she knew the details personally, as well as the scope of the possible fallout. And here Dazai was, in the middle of coming up with details of a made-up case.

He tapped the side of his jaw with the bamboo skewer as if in idle thought and not the signal that it actually was. The two tails that followed him were far away enough for them to not overhear this conversation, but it wouldn't do for Mori to get the wrong impression if Kouyou stayed for too long.]

Alright. They're overdue for a vacation, anyway.

I'll be in touch later, hmm? There's a way to keep their relaxation time uninterrupted. [Here, he gave her a meaningful smile - he had a plan to minimize this mess, so do give him a little more to work with.] If there's anyone who knows Kyouka-chan's preferred selection of countryside inns, it's you.

You're right, I know her better than anyone. And the next time I speak to her, she should be out in the countryside.

[Dazai knew how to contact her, so when it was time he would call. She had no doubts about that. She would have to figure out how to lie about the situation to him, though. Her warning only went as far as to keep them all away. She wasn't about to betray who the Master in the Port Mafia was, or who their servant was.

Not yet, at least. Once the Grail War was over, all bets were off. Mori really had made the wrong choice this time.

So Kouyou turned away from Dazai, the umbrella covering her from view. She hesitated a moment there, though.]

Now is a good time for you to scamper home to your Agency, Dazai-kun. The next time you trespass in Mafia territory, the punishment will be severe.

['the punishment', not 'I will punish you.' Because it wasn't her that he had to be afraid of.

But with that said, she started to walk away. Now was the time for Dazai to leave, if he wanted to get out unscathed.]

[He studied her expression as as she spoke, well aware that she wouldn't just spill the beans. Still, misdirection was also information, if not a little more tedious to work with.

That warning about punishment, though? He cocked his head in thought. Been a while since he was threatened like that. Kouyou wasn't one to play messenger for Mori in the days when Dazai directly reported to the boss, which meant -

Ah. So this went beyond merely being aware of the circumstances.

His smile sharpened. Just a teensy bit. The stakes were just about right to incentivize Mori in going down the deep end again.]

An unpleasant circumstance I'm sure we'd all rather avoid.

[He nodded at her before heading off. Ordinarily, he'd correct the implication that he was still under Mori's thumb and therefore still tied to the mafia, but Kouyou wasn't the actual person he was irritated at.

So yeah. Time to go before he overstayed his welcome. Bedivere, he knew, would follow, though Dazai waited until they were alone in a narrow alley next to a vending machine, closer to the Agency and well away from the docks and anyone who might've stalked them. If Saber was in his spirit form, now would be a better moment to reveal himself. Whatever the case, he'd first ask:]

Find anything?

[Wait until Dazai found out what Mori's wish was. Because make no mistake, regardless of which member of the Mafia had a Servant, that wish was going to be Mori's.

Bedivere had not gone into spirit form, instead choosing to stay visible in case he needed to jump in to save Dazai. Such efforts were unneeded, though, and soon the two of them were walking away from the Port Mafia territory.]

There was indeed a summoning circle in there. Someone made an effort to destroy it, but pieces of it remained. I also believe I found the catalyst for the summoning, but it is best if I show you that in private.

Whoever tried to cover up the scene, they didn't know what they were doing. A mage would have known how to erase their summoning circle. So it was an untrained magic-user, possibly following a guidebook instead of being taught how to summon.

[His thoughts flashed back to that red-haired woman. Maybe her?]

The woman I passed, who you talked to. Could it be her? She didn't have the signature of a Servant, but she could have been a Master.

[That Mori would move to have his wish granted was already a given. Now it was a matter of who he picked to make it a reality, and from that alone he could strike off Kouyou and Hirotsu from the list. Perhaps Chuuya, too - that hothead preferred to fight his own battles, and he wasn't expendable. Motojiro Kajii wasn't moldable, and there was the likelihood he'd use the Grail for himself to grant his own feverish science dreams.

That left Akutagawa and Q. Newcomers to the party were automatically disqualified by virtue of not being trusted as far as Mori could even trust someone. Akutagawa was too willful, and a stubborn determinator wasn't what Mori needed when it was time to collect the prize.

It had to be Q, and that kid was both starved for attention and eager to play.

Fuck.

A familiar yet unwelcome chill had settled into his bones as he listened to Bedivere narrate the results of his investigation. This was probably the first time Saber would see him without a trace of cheer, his smile sharp and grim.]

They must've ambushed a candidate.

It's not her. I know who it is. [Here, he gestured down the alley.] I would've wanted to look at the other site, but it's important that we return to the Agency and look into which Servant they got.

This new Master...

[There was more he wanted to add, because Q? Bedivere would likely not want to harm a child, and Dazai was inclined to agree. There was a reason why he let Q off when he and Chuuya found the kid trapped in a basement. However, this was best explained once they were back at the Agency, where he'd have access to records of the mass hysteria Q's ability caused. Shaking his head, he began to lead the way.]

It won't be pleasant to fight him.

[Ah. So it was bad, huh? That look was enough for Bedivere to get how serious the situation was. Whoever the Master was, they were bad news. Bedivere would have to question Dazai to see if he wanted to avoid conflict entirely, or face them head-on.

(Dazai was right to assume Bedivere wouldn't want to kill a child, though. Even a child as crazy as Q.)]

Let's take the train, then. It's the middle of the day, our travels should be safe.

[Or so he assumed, at least. What he didn't know was that a certain Assassin was already trailing after them, presence concealed, gathering information on them. Assassin wouldn't strike for a couple days yet, but their secret involvement in the Grail War was no longer a secret.

Bedivere did like the train rides, though. Modern technology was still mystifying to him, and instead of getting absorbed in a phone or something he busied himself by watching the scenes of the city from the train window. This city really was beautiful. It was worth saving.

Once they reached their stop, they would see a crowd of people at the exit to the station itself. It looked like there was some kind of hold up ahead? But even if he was standing on his tippy-toes Bedivere couldn't quite see what it was.]

The path must be blocked, is there another way out of the station?

[(Presence Concealment was a menace.)

Given that Q didn't have control over his own Ability, there was always the possibility they'd have to face him. Dogra Magra might latch on to another Servant for the same reason that No Longer Human interfered with Bedivere's arm, and the resulting fallout might parallel the chaos he caused when the Guild dropped by.

Behold: Mori and his gambles.]

There should be another route from the tunnel.

[Y'know, the ones off-limits to passengers. At least Bedivere might not question why Dazai knew where those were located.

But first things first: to find out why people were being kept in. The usual cause of delay stemmed from trains breaking down, not whatever this was. Dazai led Bedivere around in search for a security guard or someone from maintenance - hi, hello, did something happen outside?

If they didn't know, someone else in this crowd was bound to check twitter for news.]

[Another route through the tunnel, and yet Dazai waited to see what was causing the holdup. A contradiction, but it was one Bedivere could understand. If it was a Servant causing trouble, then they had no choice but to respond.

There was indeed word about what was happening outside, luckily. It seemed like there had been a murder in the street at the entrance to the train station. It was just one victim, but they had been run through by a large bladed weapon, and the woman who had been wielding it had disappeared into the crowd. Stories of her beauty, of her silvery hair and lanky body, they persisted. The beautiful killer who offed a man and had somehow disappeared.

Bedivere gave Dazai a curious look before whispering to him.]

Should we track whoever it was? Or go back to the Agency first?

[Whoever it was, they were likely a Servant. And if they were a Servant who killed normal people so recklessly, then stopping them was important. But going into the situation blind was a risk too. They had no information on her, besides the fact that she was a woman and used a long bladed weapon.]

[Welp. Good luck to whoever Ango sent to check on this mess. And Dazai was confident the Special Abilities Department was going to get involved, because this was a very public killing]

There may be more casualties if they figure us out.

[That, he murmured in reply before guiding Bedivere to a barrier clearly marked 'No Entry' that led down the tunnel. If the woman was a Servant, it was in their best interest to assume that she and her master might be in the vicinity and watching the commotion from someplace else. As much as he itched to investigate the scene, he'd rather not risk civilians.

That didn't mean he was out of options, however, and he texted Atsushi to check the news. Kunikida would figure it out from there.

Once they were in the tunnel, he'd ask while looking for the other exit:] What are the chances a Servant would act without or defy their Master's orders?

[Welp, time to go down the no entry hole- okay I can't make that joke yet.

Bedivere followed after Dazai though, staying close and keeping an eye out for anyone who might have looked in their direction. Dazai was right, if they got involved then civilians could have died. But he was curious as to what caused that mess. It did sound like a servant, most people didn't use bladed weapons in this day and age. But who was it? And what class?

Bedivere ran through the possibilities in his mind. It wasn't a Saber, as he was Saber. Assassins carried blades, but they would have gone unnoticed. Berserkers also had blades, but there would have been more deaths if it was a Berserker. Archer and Caster didn't fit, and Rider probably wouldn't fit. That left Lancer.

he had to think for a while to figure out what female Lancers there were. But as he tried to think, Dazai's question distracted him.]

It depends on the servant's temperament. I am a Knight, and it would take a lot for me to disobey an order. But a famous pirate, or a rather strong-willed person? They would act without permission, yes. Even if we are Servants, we still have some free will.

[SoonTM]

I see. Then, we're looking at two main possibilities if a Servant's the culprit: either they thought the person they killed caused offense, or their Master ordered it to see who'd come looking.

[They found the exit soon enough, usually used by the maintenance workers. The ladder rungs were easy enough to climb out of even in the dim lamp light]

Mind going into spirit form for a while? This leads to a street near the train station.

[What he wasn't about to say was that incoming traffic's probably stopped because of the incident, and he'd have an easier time coming up with excuses on why, exactly, he chose to pop up in the middle of the road.

Assuming traffic did stop and he got out with little problems, he'd make a show of being disappointed with yet another failed suicide attempt and maybe flirt with a visibly offended driver if they were cute before heading back to the sidewalk.

Now, for an important question: was there anyone watching as began his trek to the Agency?]

Of course, Master.

[Bedivere, the fool he was, didn't think Dazai meant it would lead literally to the street. So he went into spirit form, and he fought very hard to stay in spirit form as he watched Dazai poke up out of the street from a hole in the ground. The car in front of him had to slam on its brakes to not hit him, and the flustered driver only got more flustered when Dazai flirted with her.

It was hard to tell if someone was watching him, because that 'someone' was being careful about it. But if he was paying attention, he would notice a blonde-haired woman outside, a fair distance from the train station but still within sight of it. She didn't move to get Dazai's attention, but her eyes did follow him, and it was a safe bet that her feet would follow him too.

Would Dazai lead her back to the Agency? Or would he take a different path?]

[Whoops. Sorry driver lady. Did complimenting her on her heart-stopping beauty make up for the distress?

But no, he couldn't linger too long - there were too many people around, which also made it difficult to tell if he was being followed.

If his stalker made herself obvious by, say, being caught on those mirrors hanging above several crossroads as the crowd thinned out, Dazai would make a detour to a shopping district to lose her. Doubly so if her clothes stood out or if Bedivere noticed someone following them and gave some sort of signal, should that be possible in his spirit form. If Dazai had the misfortune of not seeing her, he'd be back at Agency and have Bedivere materialize at the stairwell.]

[It flustered her more, but she was sure the compliments were an apology of sorts. She would just go about her day after that with an interesting story to tell.

The woman following Dazai wasn't trying to be obvious, but she really, really stuck out in Yokohama. Bright blonde hair, a height a few inches taller than most women (thanks both to her European genetics and her high heels), and she was dressed in pinks and reds. It was hard not to notice her, even if she wasn't trying to be noticed. So yes, Dazai would see her in those mirrors.

To the shopping district, then? Bedivere hadn't noticed anything unusual yet, but a tall blonde woman wasn't quite as strange to him as it would be in Japan.]

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