Pine Garden

[Bern]

Neptune

Why is he getting so close? He's clearly not thinking of sexual favors or he'd be more upfront with it, I got this close to him in the first place anyway. Judging by his build and the power hidden beneath he'd beat me.... Then if I can't get away I'll just have to press on. Having made up her mind Neptune grinned smugly and responded, she still had him on the hook after all.

"Words lie but actions don't. And I'm not about to suck your dick just because you want blind trust. Blind trust kills and you should know that. Now you could force yourself on me, pretty sure you'd kick my ass if I resisted, but that's not a good way of getting me on your side. I'll work way better if I actually like you... And you're getting there but don't push it. I'm not your subordinate or call girl or whatever..." She breathed in and out to calm down. "That being said most things are negotiable with me so if you want anything I hope you'll ask for it more directly.."

[SINIB]

Tsumiko

Tsumiko woke up the next morning, tucked tightly into bed. She didn't really know what to do, exactly. After all, if she got out of bed, she was going.to mess up the covers, and it was so cozy and warm underneath them...

She really couldn't believe this wasn't a long dream, and didn't want to do anything to interrupt it.


Inside her head, a foolish woman with raven-black hair and aquamarine eyes sat alone inside the mansion of her creation. She squatted upon the floor next to her bed clutching at her forehead, looking down at the floor and groaning. Right now, she was still in bed, marveling at her new life. She could handle the hangover right now. Even if it hurt, she could still manage to do her job and hold it back.

But, as soon as Tsumiko began her day, moving around, and god forbid, fighting...

Rin groaned, collapsing down onto the ground. "Uuuggghhh... I fucked up..." She'd drunk enough last night to kill a few grown men, only saved by their magical crests and their natural regenerative powers. "I'll have to-apologize to Sakura... and Archer..."


Sakura hummed merrily in the kitchen-Shirou had been out late dealing with Rin, and she was only too happy to help him a bit with the chores. She glided along the floor as a shadow, washing dishes and preparing breakfast for both of them.

[Elf]

Emiya

Emiya scowled at the alarm clock as he was awoken to beams of sunlight filtering in from the blinds.  The alarm had been shut off on purpose, and not by him.  Sakura did it, he thought with a smile as he ran his fingers through his thick, white hair.

It had been a late night.  Rin had taken control, poor, broken Rin that he had no idea how to fix.  Tohsaka, you're supposed to be the reliable one, the one who helps me from being an idiot, not the other way around, he thought with a shake of his head.

Just he had no idea how to fix this.  This wasn't some battle against himself in his head.  This wasn't fighting Gilgamesh, or worse, Saber.

Moonlight filtered in and haloed on blonde hair and dull steel armor.  Eyes to shame the finest emeralds met his.  In that moment, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen or will seen, and the image of the blonde maiden in plate would be burned into his head even after a thousand years in Hell.

He stared up at the ceiling and sighed.  "I couldn't save her either."

A chortle replied to him and there was a soft thump on the bed before loud purring assaulted his ears and soft fur rubbed against his hand.  He looked up and smiled at the black cat before rubbing its ears.  "Thanks, Buddy," he said as Tohsaka curled upon his chest and settled there.

He heard noises in the kitchen and smelled food being cooked.  Of course, Sakura's in the kitchen, he thought with a wry smile before he gathered up the cat and headed down to the favorite part of his home.

[SINIB]

Emiya

Emiya scowled at the alarm clock as he was awoken to beams of sunlight filtering in from the blinds.  The alarm had been shut off on purpose, and not by him.  Sakura did it, he thought with a smile as he ran his fingers through his thick, white hair.

It had been a late night.  Rin had taken control, poor, broken Rin that he had no idea how to fix.  Tohsaka, you're supposed to be the reliable one, the one who helps me from being an idiot, not the other way around, he thought with a shake of his head.

Just he had no idea how to fix this.  This wasn't some battle against himself in his head.  This wasn't fighting Gilgamesh, or worse, Saber.

Moonlight filtered in and haloed on blonde hair and dull steel armor.  Eyes to shame the finest emeralds met his.  In that moment, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen or will seen, and the image of the blonde maiden in plate would be burned into his head even after a thousand years in Hell.

He stared up at the ceiling and sighed.  "I couldn't save her either."

A chortle replied to him and there was a soft thump on the bed before loud purring assaulted his ears and soft fur rubbed against his hand.  He looked up and smiled at the black cat before rubbing its ears.  "Thanks, Buddy," he said as Tohsaka curled upon his chest and settled there.

He heard noises in the kitchen and smelled food being cooked.  Of course, Sakura's in the kitchen, he thought with a wry smile before he gathered up the cat and headed down to the favorite part of his home.

Sakura

As he came down the stairs and into the kitchen, he was greeted by a lazy wave of a tendril which sprouted out of the top of the blob which happened to be cooking him breakfast, preparing several dishes simultaneously. "Fufufu." It laughed with Sakura's voice. "Like this, not even you can keep up with my elite cooking skills!"

It slowly began to coalease into a more familar form, and a purple-haired young woman emerged from inside of it. She tilted her head and smiled. "Good morning, Senpai. I cooked all the food this morning. You were pretty busy last night dealing with my useless sister." She walked over to the cabinet and picked out a glass, filling it with water before offering it to him. With the ease which she was moving around the kitchen, she'd probably spent the entire night familiarizing herself with it.

"Have some water. I'll bet your head hurts."

[Elf]

Emiya

"Well, a lesser person would complain that you're cheating, but I'm confident of my technique," Emiya said as he took the water.

Tohsaka the cat gave his person a look that pretty much said, "You're full of bullshit, you know that right?"  But the house panther kept purring contently in Emiya's arms.

Emiya took a long draft of the water and frowned.  "She needs help, I just don't know what to do with her," he signed, broad shoulders dropping.

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura walked behind him and rubbed his back with her cool, slender fingers which seemed to sap the heat right out of him. "If the answer were so simple as to be found within a night, Rin would have figured it out herself."

She shook her head. "She seems to be having a hard time of it. With her hangover, I mean." Even as the purplehead comforted him, her feet melted off into the void while tendrils busily finalized their breakfast. "And a lot of other stuff, too..."

[Elf]

Emiya

"Is the hangover going to affect Tsumikio?"  His grey eyes widened with panic and then narrowed with anger.  He leaned into Sakura's cool touch, easing the heat that always seemed to radiate from the forge within for the moment.

"I know," he said in a soft voice with a sigh.  "A big chunk of that 'other stuff' is my fault."

[SINIB]

Emiya

"Is the hangover going to affect Tsumikio?"  His grey eyes widened with panic and then narrowed with anger.  He leaned into Sakura's cool touch, easing the heat that always seemed to radiate from the forge within for the moment.

"I know," he said in a soft voice with a sigh.  "A big chunk of that 'other stuff' is my fault."

Sakura

The tendrils wrapped around his torso and she pulled herself close. "What are you talking about? You're not the same archer who fought in our grail war-you can't think stuff like that. The only way to move forward is to look ahead and take one step at a time, you know?"

She wrapped her arms around him and contented herself with the knowledge that now, at least she could do this much. "I don't know. Usually it doesn't, but... She seems to have drunk a whole lot last night. Way more than usual."

[Elf]

Emiya

Emiya wrapped his arms around Sakura and shook his head.

"Yes and no, about being the same Archer in your Grail War.  Depending on when it happened, I may have 'records' of your Grail War and the version of me who fought in it.  I like to keep myself aware of my battles; sometimes it's hard because there's a lot of clutter here."

He tapped the side of his temple with his finger. 

His frown grew.

"She had drank enough to kill several full grown men.  Luckily Tsumiko's body can regenerate, but the poison's still in her system."

[SINIB]

Emiya

Emiya wrapped his arms around Sakura and shook his head.

"Yes and no, about being the same Archer in your Grail War.  Depending on when it happened, I may have 'records' of your Grail War and the version of me who fought in it.  I like to keep myself aware of my battles; sometimes it's hard because there's a lot of clutter here."

He tapped the side of his temple with his finger. 

His frown grew.

"She had drank enough to kill several full grown men.  Luckily Tsumiko's body can regenerate, but the poison's still in her system."

Sakura

"I'm having her sleep in a bit. She'll be down in half an hour, probably." Sakura replied quietly, calmly. Too calmly, as if this was just normal to her. "And regardless, the you who is here now wasn't there. It's as much my fault as it is anyone's, Shirou." She held him tightly, as if she were holding on for dear life. "I was the one who did all this, you know." She said quietly.

Ding. The timer went off, and the shadows turned off the heat silently. She simply stood there, holding onto him and pressing her face into his hot back.

[Elf]

Emiya

"I know, but I want to help you fix it," Emiya said with a shake of his head.  "And you should want to fix it.  The two of you have been punished enough."

He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.  "Timer's done, you don't want it to burn."

[SINIB]

Emiya

"I know, but I want to help you fix it," Emiya said with a shake of his head.  "And you should want to fix it.  The two of you have been punished enough."

He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead.  "Timer's done, you don't want it to burn."

Sakura

"It's off. Just a little longer." Sakura squeezed into him, squishing her chest against his back before it slowly began to shrink. He could feel her facsimile of a heart beating against his back. "I'm already happy-I mean, I get to do this sort of thing with you now, right?"

[Elf]

Emiya

"Good, I'm glad that you're happy," Emiya said with a smile.

He squeezed her hands and laughed.  "It's sort of amazing how you can do this."

[SINIB]

Sakura

Sakura squeezed his hand, and within the moment it would take him to blink, the food had appeared upon the table, fully plated. She squeezed it again, before finally letting go and doing a small spin. "I'm not exactly human anymore, but it's not all bad. Being a shadow monster has a few perks here and there, you know?"

She rushed around and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the table. "Come on, eat. I want you to rate my cooking!"

[Elf]

Emiya

"You know, I honestly don't know what to do.  No one's told me to eat something of theirs in a long time.  It's mostly people asking me for food.  Like in Chaelda," he said with a shake of his head.

Then he scowled and said, "Saber Alter asked me to make her Spam.  Spam Sakura.  Just the idea of it was insulting."