A different kind of whale (Worm/FGO-based Gamer) Chapter 5

 Chapter 5: 1-4 [Checkpoint]

January 2nd

Before she triggered, she didn’t know what ‘holiday rush’ really meant. Oh, there was this vague sense of business and rush, of shopping sprees and household chores. As a child, and then a teen, holidays were the time when ‘adults were busy’. Then she triggered, became Panacea and…

Well, the statistics had been enlightening. As enlightening as the workload was crushing. Amy had powers well suited to helping people and so, she had to help people. One after another, day in and day out. Sometimes it felt like she had a social life only because Vicky dragged her into having one. Even then, her conscience gnawed at her, bit by bit.

After triggering, Amy learned the true hell of holiday rush. As it turned out, people with a lot of free time tended to get really stupid ideas. Before alcohol or drugs even got involved. Then you added fireworks into the equation and you had a special slice of misery all for yourself.

“Chin up, Panacea,” One of the nurses who dragged her into the break room for some… mandatory breather, leaned back in. Amy returned the look without even bothering to hide the cigarette hanging from her lips. The entire room smelled faintly of cheap smokes anyway. “We’ve got Challenger parking at the front.” Amy stifled a groan and instead opted for an extra long drag. Fucking Challenger. “Got someone with her too, don’t recognise her, but she has that cape look to her. Not cuffed, so, you know, silver linings.”

“Alright. The usual room?” The nurse nodded and Amy stood up from the sofa with a groan, putting the remainder of her cig in the ashtray and pulling her hood and scarf up. Once more unto the breach, this time to deal with a woman whose power meant she needed to get into no holds barred scuffles with others and an unknown, but hopefully a hero. The lack of cuffs meant almost definitely that, thankfully.

She shuffled through the corridors towards the, ah, ‘parahuman reception’. Pretty much just any other room, but separated from the rest of civilian accessible portions of the building for guaranteed privacy reasons. Really, mostly used for independent capes. The Protectorate had the hospital attached to PRT headquarters for these things and supervillains… Amy didn’t particularly care to figure out how they got patched up normally, but when captured, they were held in the PRT hospital too.

Opening the door, she was greeted with the sight of Challenger, thankfully, blissfully unharmed for once in the history of their acquaintance. As well as another woman (teen?) with an uncovered face, even if Amy would have probably preferred the parahuman to have some sort of mask. The face was… definitely bestial, sunken, red eyes with moth eaten irises, protruding jaw, lips too wide and showing off warped, sharp teeth in what may be an attempt at a smile. Very red in general. And not even because of the, frankly, butchered arm the woman was sporting. At least it wasn’t bleeding. Definitely a mix of first aid and powers.

“Panacea!” Challenger greeted her with woman’ usual exuberance before dipping her head. “You look like shit.”

“Wait, right, American New Year.” The red cape realised with a wince that looked nothing short of horrifying on her features, “Really sorry about adding to the rush, at least I kept Hookwolf and thirty-something nazis from ripping the Docks with an all out gang fight with the ABB? So less work overall.”

“Starting early this year, aren’t they?” Amy mumbled before rubbing her eyes and standing a little bit straighter. “Right, kinda obvious with you being here, but gotta observe formalities. My name is Panacea, I can heal you at a touch, do I have permission to use my powers on you?”

“Epopeia, a pleasure, and go right ahead.” The Changer(?) said with a bob of her head, before her brow scrunched up in concern, “Just, uh, if you notice what may look like malformations on the nervous system, they’re supposed to be there and prooobably best if you don’t mess with them. Power thing.”

Sure, whatever. Powers were weird, even if Brockton Bay was on the tame side when it came to biology. She leaned over the woman, trying not to look too hard at the… revealing outfit. Which, in turn, meant it was either staring at Epopeia’s face or Hookwolf’d arm. 

Focus Ames, focus. Just think of Hookwolf’s typical patients. Incredible, how many people thought they could take on any of the Empire’s capes just because they got powers.

She put her hand on the red cape’s bare shoulder and focused as her power got to work on…

What?

She was vaguely aware she blinked and stared at Epopeia, it probably looked like she was looking at her face, but…

What?

Yeah, sure, there was something weird with Epopeia’s nervous system, some sort of… she wanted to say, secondary nervous system? Or, at least, something resembling one? But that wasn’t… too weird. As she said, powers could do some real weirdness, even without Case 53s.

[Data?]

No, what was really off about Epopeia was her brain. Her completely corona-free brain. As far as her power was concerned, the woman in front of her, who came in with an arm more bone than flesh, was one hundred percent baseline human. But…

That’s just…

That was clearly wrong.

[Data!]

Her power answered her astonishment with a startling ease, even as she kept the reins on her reaction and kept reconstructing Epopeia’s arm. There was something off about her brain, now that she, barely, managed to look past the lack of corona. Some sort of chemical alteration, if she had to hazard a guess. A result of her inhuman physique? The musculature was… off too. She weighed… well, the weight didn’t match what her power said the woman’s muscle and bone density was, and there was absolutely no sign of malnutrition. Quite the opposite, in fact.

As far as Amy’s power could tell, Epopeia’s body was a marvel of human biology, operating well at its peak. It was operating at the peak of a person with a much larger build. Most importantly, it was operating at the levels of a mild strength enhancing Brute.

While not having powers, as far as the science behind parahumans would claim.

Was it connected to the secondary nervous system (name pending)? She didn’t know. But this was…

She needed more information.

[Agreement.]

“Heh, didn’t know you liked them with an ugly mug, Pan-Pan.” Amy startled as Challenger called her out on her fugue and she focused again. Her eyes widened slightly as she realised Epopeia’s arm was whole and healthy again (more than healthy) and that she spent the last few minutes seemingly staring at another woman’s face. Before she jolted and took her hand off Epopeia’s shoulder, her power registered a small spike of activity in the other woman’s brain, different from the alterations already there. It felt really tempting to just go back and unravel the mystery but…

“That’s two for two with women making eyes at me when I look like an oni and a yharnamite got freaky, I’m almost scared to see what people on PHO will be saying.” Epopeia chuckled self-deprecatingly as she flexed her healed arm, idly pulling away the bloodstained bandages to reveal… completely intact red bandages matching those on her left? 

Definitely some kind of power interaction (but she shouldn't have powers).

“My interest in your body is purely platonic, hotstuff.” Challenger chortled as she slapped Amy on the back. “Can’t guarantee little miss healer isn’t dreaming of a little bit of Nightingale Effect style romance~.”

“I-I am not-!” Amy managed to choke out, feeling her face burn under the scarf. She growled and flexed her fingers before slumping with a sigh. She really didn’t need an extra workload of figuring out how someone could have powers without a corona.

But…

It felt…

Relaxing.

Her own power came to her easy and instinctively and eager, almost, for the first time… since she could recall, really. Even while she was only healing. It didn’t push against her control to demand more of her.

…

She should really make sure that the secondary nervous system wasn’t a bad thing. Just in case. Totally.

“Joking aside, from that look, I assume we’re scheduling a followup checkup once the holiday rush is over?” Epopeia asked suddenly. Her face was hard to read, but there was something… intent, there. 

“At least a few.” Thank god. She could kiss Epopeia for that out. “I wouldn’t normally do this unless your power was actively screwing you over but…”

“You really like her tits.”

“I really like your ti- Challenger!” She shrieked in mortification, whirling to face the Protectorate heroine who just looked with an unapologetic grin. She growled again, a bit louder, just to feel something other than mortification and steeled herself to face the Red Cape (the other red cape, damn you for your inconvenient colour scheme, Challenger). “I just have some concerns.”

“I got a few hunches there, but not something to talk about with people not under medical oath. As much as I appreciate your charming interjections, Challenger.” The not-parahuman huffed, “Yeah, that’s fine by me. I got some stuff I’d like to discuss with you anyways. Also, fuck, now I’m wondering if like this I got yellow or brown fat.”

“Save the technical talk for your dates.” Challenger shook her head with a grin. “Anyway, you’ll have to leave your number with Epopeia and pray, Pan-Pan, the poor thing has no phone right now so can’t swap numbers easily.”

“Great, answering unknown numbers and hoping it’s not a scam.” Amy sighed but did as instructed. At least she would know not to expect the call today. Small mercies of the holiday season.

“Hah, I’ll call at around six-fifteen in the afternoon, that should let you know it’s me.” The red anomaly chuckled.

___________________________________________________________________________

Emily put away the report with a grunt as she looked up at the woman sitting on the other side of her desk. Her fingers drummed a steady beat against the wood as she regarded Challenger with exasperated frustration. The unmasked cape in front of her was frustrating to deal with, at times. Not the worst parahuman Emily had the misfortune of working with, no, not by a mile, but her quirks were…

“Year barely starts and the Empire is already on the move.” She summarised. Mostly because Hellhound decided to celebrate her New Year by pissing Hookwolf off. Fucking parahumans, always starting trouble.

“It’s what it is.” Challenger shrugged easily and Emily resisted the urge to grind her teeth. With how Challenger’s power worked, one would assume she would be more… eager to make some permanent changes in the parahuman landscape of Brockton Bay. Not for the first time in her life, Emily found herself heavily disappointed in her assessment of parahumans.

“So, we've got a new cape too?” She prodded instead. The report had been frustratingly sparse on details, and Challenger didn’t bring them in for power testing, or for talk, or anything. Emily knew better than to ask about recruitment attempts. Challenger didn’t do those in the first place. Barely complied with Protectorate guidelines as it was.

Challenger nodded as she reclined in the chair, crossing her legs. “First of all, almost definitely not a Bet native. Arrived within the last two days at most. Doesn’t have a phone, tried to dress it up but it was definitely ‘don’t have one’ not ‘got stolen’ or ‘got lost’. Subtly different slang when relaxed. Very casual about being unmasked, but that could be chalked up to her being a Changer.”

And here was a silver lining of working with Challenger. The woman was observant, underneath casual battle junkie tendencies and deliberate disregard for rules and guidelines.

“Changer into Brute, then? Fairly typical combination. Sometimes, I wonder if it shouldn’t just get folded into it as a sub-variant.”

“Brute for sure. Enhanced physicality across the board, pain dampening and minor regenerative ability.” Challenger rattled off. “Comes with its own change of clothes, strangely enough, not that it covers much. But the outfit is in some way vital to the function of the power. The armwraps came back immediately after Panacea restored the relevant arm.” Challenger paused, rocking the chair slowly as she thought. “Has another form, low Stranger, just a perception filter. Didn’t notice her until she was in the middle of Hookwolf’s men, cutting them up.”

“I have long since given up on trying to convince independents against lethal force.” Emily sighed as she massaged her temples. Not that she would cry particularly hard in this instant. Fucking nazis were the blight on her city.

“Mhm. Curiously, Stranger form is faster than Brute, smartheads would probably tackle a Mover rating on, too. Just speed, tho, otherwise nothing fancy. It comes with weapons too, and those can be shared between forms. The Brute didn’t demonstrate any weapons itself, so I would posit it doesn’t come equipped with any. Good quality too.”

Emily nodded to herself. Stranger-Mover would be a pain in the ass at the best of times. Stranger-Mover who brought a decent street-level Brute along the ride? Fucking hell.

“Also…” Challenger added slowly as she righted her chair and leaned forward, completely serious and focused. Email found herself sitting a little bit straighter just for how off this was for the cape. “There’s something off about her, biology wise. Panacea zoned out for a good moment when using her power on Epopeia, and then wanted regular check-ups.”

Emily considered what the Protectorate knew of Panacea’s power. Then, she considered the other capes appearing out of thin air with forms removed from the baseline.

“You think we have another Case type on our hands?”

Challenger dipped her head in an approximation of an aborted nod. “Can’t tell with the information I have and the observations I’ve managed to glimpse. Our best bet would be managing to convince Epopeia to submit to a full power testing and medical exam here, buuuut…”

“Our reputation with independent parahumans.” Emily groaned. “Dismissed.”

She waited until Challenger left her office before allowing herself to put her head in her hands. Fan-fucking-tastic. A possible Case. Should she just kick it higher up and go back to her job? Would the Chief Director even care, with such limited information? And if she did, would Emily get some extra manpower? Fucking parahumans. Fucking office politics.

She would have to think about it. Maybe until after Challenger had her own ‘appointment’ with Epopeia.

___________________________________________________________________________

Hell’s Brew was a small coffee house at the edge of the Docks and the Downtown, just off the Boardwalk. It was an unassuming building, its door decorated with a mosaic in shades of red and dark brown, supposedly representing flames used to fry coffee beans. The interior was dark, the owner preferring to keep the display window hidden behind heavy curtains and the lights only partially powered. It did, however, have excellent chairs and sofas for one to sink into and really relax, and the coffee was genuinely good and strong. It also served tea and a choice selection of alcohol, all of fine quality, but it was clear the house was a passion project.

The house was closed for the start of the year, officially, but the owner and their social circle made use of it anyway. The coffee was good, and the furniture, comfortable. And, with no way to subtly peek in and the half-lit ambience, it was a very comfortable private setting. Perfect for a gathering of capes.

“We really should rethink letting Bitch waltz into our territory and use the shelters here. Just draws the heat from the Empire.” Terracotta grumbled as he stared into his cup, his balaclava pulled up enough to reveal his lower face and allow the Chinese man to drink his coffee. “Especially since Undersiders have started hitting our businesses.”

“A lesson must be taught, on that I’m in agreement.” Big Brother inclined head, voice languid. The pqrahuman was unmasked and wore a business suit in lieu of costume. If not for the spider pin with a kanji for ‘eye’ on the lapel, Big Brother would be utterly unremarkable. He supposed that was the point. Secret identity was somewhat redundant when you had one of those ‘perfectly average’ faces. “But when not running with them, she breaks no rules, and if not her, Hookwolf would find another reason to start trouble, and it undermines his own businesses, so I see no reason not to keep slowly reeling the young lady in.”

The man lazily lounging in the particularly big and plushy chair (practically a throne, one might think) grunted, motioning for the owner to continue as he was doing even as he leaned forward. “But this time it wasn’t just a small fry, now was it?” Lóng growled quietly, his voice having the unfortunate quirk of always sounding aggressively rough. They had to learn other tells of his mood because of that.

“A new cape, yeah. Seems like her powers are colour coded.” Firefly nodded from where she was nursing a cup on her lap while she herself was seated on the counter, swinging her legs merrily. The owner gave up on correcting her long ago. “Visited the family stand yesterday. Thought she was just some kind of low-tier Stranger, lots of indigo, was gonna bring it up at the next official meet.” The half-Japanese half-Vietnamese girl explained merrily. “Wasn’t sure at first but then she slurped an entire bowl of unagidon without liftin’ her bandana so, y’know.”

“Not quite the pettiest use of powers I’ve heard of, but definitely up there.” Big Brother commented idly. “And she was in the Asian Market today, before running off to confront Hookwolf. Not that she knew it was him, at the time.” The cape added with a small smile.

“Terracotta?” Lóng inclined his head towards the Chinese cape.

“Caught a glimpse of indigo, yes. Challenger wasn’t trying very hard when she showed up, probably thought she might let us soften the gǒu first.” He supplied.

“The hero is a crafty one. A decent fighter too, unlike many who simply rely on their powers.” The dragon admitted, rubbing at his chin.

“Still, what Firefly says matches my own observations. A very fast Stranger with simple perception filter ability. Seems to work best when she is in a crowd.” Terracotta chimed with a small nod.

“And, as it turns out, it might be a Changer with multiple load-outs.” Firefly nodded along, then took a deep gulp of her coffee and sighed. “Indigo for fast Stranger with perception filter and some proficiency with knives.” Oni Lee actually looked up from where he was brewing another batch of coffee at that, with something resembling interest in his posture. “Red for some kind of Brute. Initially slower than the Stranger, but has some kind of ability to burst up.” The colourful cape recounted, tapping her lip with a finger, mouth opening and closing a couple of times.

“Something else?” Lóng asked.

Firefly made to shake her head, before slowly nodding. She straightened a little bit. “This is going to be just my conjecture, boss…” She paused, before steeling herself as Lóng nodded and reclined back in his chair. “I think she might have more forms. At least one more. The first one was indigo, the second red. It would make some sense to balance things out with a green form. Melee focused, brute forced Red on one end. Stealthy, finesse based form in-between for Blue. Well, indigo so it kinda muddles the precise shade of my theoretical other end of the spectrum.” The girl admitted with a crooked smile. “But yeah, Green. If I had to come up with anything for that supposed Green… A skirmishing form. Some kind of hit-and-run focusing on speed, possibly ranged to balance out her options.”

Lóng nodded slowly as he took the information. “Makes sense, if not provable in any way save for her choosing to reveal such an ability, should she have it. Anything else?”

“Viable for recruitment, but nothing that would lead to unmasking.” Firefly concluded after a moment. “Chinese-Spanish mix.”

Lóng nodded and rapped his fingers against the side of his chair. “That leaves the matter of debt. She helped, when she didn’t need to. Nothing significant, but owing anything to an outsider rattles all the same.”

They all nodded at that. One thing to lean on the community you’ve built over the years when trouble came, another to have a stranger (heh) get involved.

“The last I’ve seen her,” Big Brother drawled slowly. “She was receiving medical attention from Panacea at Brockton Central Hospital. I’ve instructed my Eye to keep her shopping safe despite her not having returned for it yet. I could arrange for a recompense to easily find its way inside the bag.”

“Do so. I’ll leave the precise amount to your discretion” Lóng agreed. “As for the recruitment, I’ll think about it. Good job on not dying to Hookwolf, you two.” Terracotta and Firefly nodded, the girl grinning. She supposed it was fair. Many underestimated long established capes while fresh on their powers. Not Empire, most of the time, but being part of something larger gave that confidence an unnecessary boost. Firefly, at the very least, wasn't expected to make it too long, given the girl’s personality. Maybe they will stay with ABB for a decent amount of time.

___________________________________________________________________________

[Supply Run: Objective Complete!]

[Reward: 1x Saint Quartz. You now have a fridge fuller than before. Received $500 from ABB. Received Big Brother’s and Firefly’s ABB tokens.]

“...Well, the ABB now knows I can make enchanted items.” Outis muttered as she eyed the roll of bills at the bottom of the unnaturally deep bag, together with a pair of traditional square hole coins. One with a spider and a japanese kanji, the other with a firework in full bloom, both in red and green of course.

Huh, getting into fulu could be fun… assuming Violet Caster gave her the muscle memory to get the calligraphy right. At least even END E would make sure her wrist wouldn’t cramp. May even be relaxing and there was something to be said for flinging around talismans and coins like she was a Touhou character.

A Wraith gingerly tapping her on the shoulder jarred her out of her musings. Apparently they were done getting everything she’d bought sorted, so may as well go to the Great Hall to hang out with Liz while food cooked.

…Hopefully it wouldn’t take long, she hadn’t eaten anything today yet. Unless you counted the apple juice and energy bar that’d been shoved into her hands after Panacea was done with her as a meal, anyways.

“Oh, you poor, naive thing.” Is what she got from a cooing Elizabeth instead. The dragoness, upon spotting her entering the great hall, just waved her over with a piece of ham, inviting Outis to the head table where she had a small spread of ham, eggs and fish. “A proper meal takes time. We’ll have to avail ourselves with something quick and simple, I’m afraid.” She scrunched her nose and looked down for a moment. “I know, I know, it does reflect poorly on the host, even if the circumstances permit the lapse, but at least you don’t have to worry for your recovery, I’ve made sure there’s plenty of calories and protein.”

“Much appreciated.” Outis said as she took a seat to the Countess’ right, letting out a soft sound of relief as the cushions took her weight. Without an Install, the day was starting to catch up with her. Speaking of– “How was your day, Elizabeth?”

“Uneventful. Took care of Csejte’s inventory before having a small rehearsal.” The Idol explained in between bites. “Need to make sure the castle is properly taken care of, even if it ought to be in good condition, having just been erected. And gotta be ready for the debut at all times~.” She winked at Outis before giggling. “Just some old songs to keep in shape.”

Humming, the pinkette propped herself on her elbows as she focused on Outis properly. “Of course, that means as your hostess, I do have a very important topic to broach. Namely, your accommodations, Deerlet.” She batted her eyelashes at Outis. “Well, yours and others, but you are a far more important guest, no?”

“Part and parcel of being the linchpin keeping everyone here, even if I’m sure the likes of Gilgamesh would disagree.” Outis replied diplomatically, keeping the flutter of her heart under wraps with long practice. Liz, even this version without the propensity for torture, was dangerous. That was Charisma for you, she supposed. “...Well, I’m not sure how much it is me and how much is Da’at, but since we’re bound together the point is moot.”

“That pervert.” Liz muttered darkly under her breath, cheeks reddening ever so slightly. Well, looked like that particular bit of CCC had been true, “I really don’t care to discuss him, so let's return to more pleasant topics.”

“Let’s. While we were one I learned that it isn’t out of the norm to share the solar with an important enough guest, but whether I merit that is up to you. I’d sooner gnaw off my arm than presume to dictate who a lady allows into her private quarters.” The black haired girl said before popping a couple folded slices of meat and cheese into her mouth. She also knew that a truly distinguished guest would have the lord and lady give up the solar altogether to them, but like hell she was bringing that up.

“The system is quite convenient when it wants to be, hmmm?” Elizabeth commented as she rested her head on her balled fist, her tail lazily sweeping low over the floor.

[Smoothing things over is part of my purpose.]

“And you have my thanks for that.” The dragoness waved at the air. Her gaze swept over Outis for a moment, slowly taking her in as she thought. “Well, you’ve already enjoyed the luxury of my bed, so it would be quite cruel to force you into lesser accommodations. Especially since we only have ‘retainer’ quality otherwise, for the time being. Soooo~” Her smile turned impish before she continued. “I would not object to sharing it properly~.”

“I feel for your future fans, you’re going to tease the poor things so much.” The woman said with a shake of her head, covering up the surprise and treacherous twinge of her heart with humour. Not that it did anything for the dusting of pink on her cheeks, damn her pale complexion, “But far be it for me to refuse your kindness.”

Truth be told, she slept best when she had someone to cuddle, and couldn’t sleep at all unless she at least had a pillow clutched to her. Even with yesterday’s exhaustion she’d still woken up wrapped around one of Liz’s. Besides, she was sure the Countess would love Outis’ excessive body heat.

“It is decided then!” Elizabeth cheered. “We will have to get you a proper wardrobe as well, but that can wait until the shops for these things open. For now, it is just you and me, and perhaps another Servant you decide to let out, until the meal is ready… which would be dinner time, at this rate.”

[Elizabeth Bathory Bond Level 2 gained.]

“Cheeky thing, aren’t you.” The Countess commented with false demureness, drumming her nails against the table. “There are some personality types who would hate having their feelings laid bare like that, you know?”

[I know how to handle tsunderes.]

Outis couldn’t help a snort. God, but she was coming to love these goobers and it’d only been a day and a half.

___________________________________________________________________________

The ghostly staff of Csejte managed to prepare a veritable feast in the few hours left until evening. Elizabeth, naturally, managed a completely accidental humblebrag by apologising for the meagre size of it all, even as the main table was enveloped by the veritable cloud of steam from the piping hot bowls of csirkepaprikás, lecsó and sólet. In general, the theme seemed to be ‘very red’ and ‘paprika’. Not that she was complaining, mind, everything looked delicious.

“We would offer some bread and sausages but… well, trust me Deerlet, you haven’t truly eaten bread ‘till you tasted freshly baked langos, still hot and steaming, fresh from the stone oven.” Elizabeth crooned as she patted the Wraith serving them. “And my staff are… strict about the quality of meat, sausages especially, so it will take some time before we have any, as they will be making them from the ground up.”

“Looking forward to it. It’ll be interesting to see how they stack up against chorizo, butifarra and fuet.” Outis chuckled, running a finger over the edge of the holographic deck of cards in front of her. They may as well bring an extra guest to help with all this food and while she didn’t think this one had near as monstrous an appetite as the Pendragons, the sooner she had him on the board, the better. “For now, though, there’s another guest to welcome.”

A flick of her wrist and the Archer Card flew to the feet of the main table. The circle manifested, the orbs of white began their dance turning rainbow before a pillar of azure light woven with strands of silver heralded the arrival of their new ally.

Then, the pillar dispersed, not into motes or just fading away, but into a swarm of light blue butterflies. All fluttering away from the elder gentleman bowing before them, an overengineered cane definitely hiding either a hidden blade or a gun judging by its head tucked under his right arm.

“Mmmm. The circumstances of this summoning are most certainly more unusual than even the previous one's.” James Moriarty mused as he raised his head, revealing a genial, polite smile. “Still, I must say that the current company says interesting things about your order of methodology, Master.”

“A shining paragon of morality riding on a high horse I am not, Professor.” Outis chuckled, perfectly at ease despite having an infamous murderess to her left and the Napoleon of Crime at her front, “Truth be told, before my first day in this world was out, I had decided to work as something of a mercenary with principles. Then you answered the call and, well, I wasn’t about to let a half-formed plan get in the way of a golden opportunity.”

Moriarty regarded her in silence for a moment. “Fwahahaha! Good! Very good!” The man chuckled as he clapped. “Milady, may I?” He asked, shifting his attention to Elizabeth momentarily.

“Tis was I who suggested an additional guest at my table in the first place, Professor.” The Countess motioned for the table. “I hope you do like spice.”

“My dear lady, the Empire took over a third of the world for some extra seasoning.” The mastermind replied as he gracefully rounded the table to take a seat on the opposite side of Outis to Liz. “Sometimes, we used it to cook instead of making more money by reselling, even!”

“Scandalous.” The Master of Cards drawled dryly, the corner of her mouth curling as she relaxed in her seat. Truly, she couldn’t ask for better company.

___________________________________________________________________________

AN: Okay, now that Moriarty is here, don’t expect any other Servant to be manifested or Installed for the rest of the arc (which has another five chapters to go). This is IC because Outis wants to slowball things to fool the funny flying post- and precog as to the extent of their abilities and also because they want to actually get to know the Servants and build a rapport rather than just dumping five randoms together and hope it turns out for the best. Technically that doesn’t cover Installing but Outis feels it is a poor idea to just jam a Servant in her soul without having talked with them first and gotten permission.

OOC it is because we want to keep a semblance of pacing and also to properly establish the character voice of each Servant that’s going to be booling around regularly.