An Immodest Proposal

[crimson_war_demon]

Thus far, Lancer has had little occasion to speak with Lord Matou. His main duty now is to accompany her Ladyship, and assist her in her efforts, and he hopes he's performed satisfactorily in that regard. Now, however, he kneels in seiza before her Ladyship and Lord Matou both, and finds it easier to lower his eyes to the ground than to raise them. Should he look up, he would see Lord Matou all too clearly, and -- no, it is ungracious for him to think such things, and likely even dishonorable. Nevertheless a strange itch crawls up his spine; the sensation is not unlike what a cat might feel, were its fur brushed the wrong way.

"My lord," he begins, "and your Ladyship. Kamanosuke has delivered valuable information about the Lady Tohsaka, but there is a more pressing matter than that. While by the river, I encountered the Servant Saber -- a Western woman, though I cannot venture any other guesses as to her identity. She is as fast as I am, at least, and wields an unusually thin blade, and parried my blows well with it. After several passes, she offered an alliance. Of course," he adds quickly, lest they receive the wrong impression, "I would never presume to make such a decision in place of my Master, and told her as much! However, I gave her my word that I would convey her message to you, for my lord and her Ladyship to do with as they please."

He lowers his head, braces himself for reproach. "Lady Saber has proposed that I meet her tomorrow with our answer, whatever that answer may be."

Comments

[wormintheblood]

Zouken chuckles. He had been expecting something like this, but he had not been quite ready for how ridiculous it sounds. "Honor? You would do better to know who you speak to. Honor is not a virtue the Matou are renowned for possessing." He thinks of the Crest Worms -- of what they do to women, of what they've done to Kaede -- and he chuckles again.

[crimson_war_demon]

"I have never seen her Ladyship act in a dishonorable manner!" His knuckles tent up on his thighs. Careful, some part of him whispers, but that part is subsumed easily by the spike of indignation in his chest. "Forgive me," he says, voice and hands starting to shake, "but I would not wish for her Ladyship to act in a such a way so contrary to what I have seen of her nature!"

[worms_armageddon]

She thinks at once that he knows nothing at all of her nature -- but within moments the thought is subsumed entirely by the realisation that all of a sudden, she has someone to defend her. The knowledge makes her braver; certainly, it makes her brave enough to speak up again. "Grandfather," she begins, and though she cannot quite banish the trembling from her voice, she can at least make herself heard. "I -- I had only thought that it might be reckless to end the alliance so hastily. If we can use Saber's resources alongside our own, we can -- we might stand a greater chance against the other Servants in the war. If -- if you insist that we turn on her, please... please consider that it may not be wise to do so right away."

She hopes against all hope that Lancer will not read dishonour into her words.

[wormintheblood]

"Eh?" Zouken is surprised and a little impressed. He looks at Kaede with a mix of reproach and pride that makes him look human for a moment. But his face quickly hardens back into its usual smirk.

"That would be a possibility," he says. "But consider the circumstances. A servant eagerly offers us an alliance without any information on us. This Saber's master is either themself a fool, or is in turn laying a trap for us. Or perhaps both. Perhaps they do not know who they are laying a trap for." he taps his cane.

"To ally with a fool, one who makes alliances with those they do not even know -- that would be nothing more than a drain on us. Perhaps we could bend them to our will, yes, but there is no master in a Grail War who would surrender their wishes."

"And if they are not a fool..." He leaves it there, his voice speaking of doom for those led into a trap.

[crimson_war_demon]

"My lord, the thought had entered my mind as well, I admit," he says. Whatever his own code of honor may be, it's foolish to expect the other Servants in this war to adhere to it when he knows so little of their lands of origin. Even in his own lifetime, there were those who dared to don the armor and wield the weapons of the samurai while treating bushido as a thing to be adopted and discarded at convenience. Another surge of anger rolls through him at the thought.

"But I did cross blades with the Lady Saber, and in doing so, gained some measure of her spirit as a fighter. Her offer, when she made it, was sincere; I believe this in my heart. I know not what manner of magus her Master is, but the Lady Saber would, I think, at least hear our answer before responding."

Unless her Master is like Lord Matou, but as Lord Matou seems to be assuming as much already, there is no need for Lancer to say it.

"Perhaps she and her Master will spring a trap then -- I cannot say. But whatever the circumstances, the flag of truce was extended, and I do not wish to treat that so callously."

[wormintheblood]

"Heh. You do not wish, hmm? Heh."

"If her offer was sincere, it means only that Saber believed it sincere. A Master and Servant do not need to share all the same wishes. Heh. And if the Master does share the sincerity, then they are only a fool."

His gaze shifts to Kaede. "But you are the master of Lancer. I have told you what you should do. It is up to you to decide what you and your servant will do." And, he does not say, if it is the wrong thing, I will be there to do it right.

[worms_armageddon]

She opens her mouth to question him almost at once -- she is beyond unaccustomed to being granted the authority to disobey. Within moments, though, she has recognised the value of the gift she has been given, and cut herself off before she can protest it. "Thank you," she stammers out, making a concerted effort to meet her grandfather's eyes. It ends in failure; a matter of seconds later, she decides to look at Lancer instead. "I -- I believe Lancer and I are in agreement. We will... we will accept the alliance for now."

[wormintheblood]

Zouken taps his cane ponderously. "Well, then, Kaede." He stares at her piercingly. "That will be that, won't it? I certainly hope Saber is not for the Tohsaka or Einsbern families." He expects them to be moderately prepared for his swarms.

[worms_armageddon]

Kaede flushes slightly, unable to help feeling chastened -- already beginning to doubt that she has done the right thing. "If they are," she says quietly, "we -- we can make new plans."

A thought occurs to her: "Lancer, you sent one of your Braves to spy on Lady Tohsaka. Did he -- could he identify the class of her Servant?"

[crimson_war_demon]

Lancer straightens his back, glad to be of assistance in this matter. "Kamanosuke's intelligence would indicate that the Lady Tohsaka's servant is not Lady Saber," he says. "Recently, the Lady Tohsaka has taken many trips to her horse farm on the outskirts of Fuyuki, and converses frequently with a foreigner there. This foreigner is broad-shouldered and well-muscled, with dark hair and bronze skin. Kamanosuke could not identify his origin, but believes him to be from the south of this continent, or from the deserts to the west. This Servant's skill at handling horses led Kamanosuke to suspect that the Lady Tohsaka summoned Rider to her side, and such an assumption is not unreasonable."

A small glow settles in his chest, warms it. Her Ladyship has shown not only honor this day, but courage -- and consideration of strategy, just now.

[wormintheblood]

"Hmm. This is good news for us. The Tohsakas and the Rider class are not likely to be compatible." Like the Matous and the Lancer class. "And it means Saber is with someone else. Good work, Kaede."

"And do you have any guesses who Rider is?"

[crimson_war_demon]

"I fear I do not," he says, lowering his head slightly. "My knowledge of those regions of the world is very limited."

[worms_armageddon]

"But we have more information about Lady Tohsaka than we did," Kaede says -- it is perhaps a futile attempt at comfort, but nonetheless it is an attempt. "And we know that -- that it isn't likely that Saber is serving one of the other three families. I'm very thankful for all of your help."

[crimson_war_demon]

"And I am honored by your thanks, your Ladyship," he says. His smile is faint, more in his eyes than in his mouth, but it's present nonetheless. "Forgive me if I presume, but might Saber's Master be affiliated with some other clan?"

[wormintheblood]

"Saber might be joined to the Einzbern family." Zouken shifts his cane. "They have yet to make any moves of which I am aware. So I suspect they have one of the more... quiet classes. Assassin or Caster seem likely." He chuckles. "And if Saber is with another clan, it hardly matters which one."

[worms_armageddon]

Kaede shivers slightly at the chuckle, turning her gaze to her feet and the floor. "We'll know," she says quietly. "Soon enough. They -- they won't be able to hide the information easily, when we're... when we're allies."

[crimson_war_demon]

Lancer nods sharply in assent. "Your Ladyship is correct -- and I am confident that you will know how to best proceed with that information, once it is yours."