Rin Tohsaka sat across from Alaric with one arm crossed under her modest bosom and the other twirling one of the twin tails of dark hair that fell to the front, with the majority loose and falling down to her back.

"Grrr..." She let out a small snarl and her clear aqua eyes narrowed further. Rin glared at her former student, or rather, at the vixen sitting besides him all aloof and smug. A small, barely noticeable to all but Rin herself, grin tugged at Luviagelita Edelfelt's lips.

To others, the Edelfelt heir was only gracefully observing the commoners enjoying a day outside with their families, mothers feeding their children or those raunchy students in the corner of the fast food restaurant who'd just gained freedom from their classrooms.

Alaric interrupted their silent competition by clearing his throat and rested both his gloved hands on the table between them, "Teacher dearest..." His words were meant to be endearing, but his dull and lackadaisical countenance was a fatal counter.

Still, for a moment, Rin forgot about Luviagelita and focused her gaze on him, "...Yes?"

Alaric von Dietrich, as she'd come to learn in the time they spent as teacher and student, was someone who morphed his words to suit the person he was addressing in a way that even made up for his strange tone. It was upsetting in a way.

"I have business in Japan again, at a later date."

Rin slowly nodded, and allowed a small smile to cross her features, "I'd host you at our own mansion but as you probably know, much of Fuyuki is burning."

"Ah yes, quite unfortunate. Those gas companies better believe they will pay for their lack of security and scrutiny regarding their lines." Luviagelita interjected, tossing aside one of her drills, "I could lend you one of the Edelfelt mansions of course, we must own at least one elsewhere." 

Rin's hand curled up into fists but she forcibly calmed herself and maintained a polite smile, "Where? If you don't mind me asking."

"Kyoto."

"No!" Rin shot to her feet all but shouted, and accusingly pointed a finger at Alaric, "You nearly started a war with the Onmyodo last time! And almost got yourself killed too! You think the Clock Tower won't hand one magus over to maintain relations? They will. Have you learned nothing staying here?" Her words were undeniably harsh, and loud enough to stop the commotion of the already sparsely populated restaurant.

"I-I mean..."

Everyone stared at her and the Tohsaka heir shrunk back into her chair to stare at her knees, blushing in shame.

She looked up and glared at Alaric.

"Bah, it's not my fault they're 'traditional' and scroungers that get satisfaction out of recalling their great Abe no Seimei. No wonder everybody thinks they're backwards and useless. I just wanted to expand my knowledge of Curses, they know a bunch." Alaric grumbled. He grabbed his cup and pulled off the cap before tossing it aside and gulping his milkshake, "But no, I'm an overstepping foreigner that'll taint their art and blood."

"Savages... Art only grows with personal interpretation. And I doubt yours could have been a demeaning one." Luviagelita voiced her agreement and nodded only to be left stupefied by his next words.

"If Tamamo no Mae was alive, I'd learn from her, just to spite them." Alaric closed his eyes and nodded wisely, "Also because she probably would know a lot more."

Rin sighed and felt like crying out of helplessness, "This is why they hate you." They believed her a heretical monster, he believed her a treasure trove of spells. She just had to try and mitigate the incoming political incident, and also make sure he didn't put himself in danger. More so because she could see Luviagelita bringing it up and somehow joining him, "Fine, I'll be your guide!"

"No one asked you to though..." Luviagelita sighed into the palm of her hand, "See this is why unlearned savages are soo-"

Rin glared at her, "Why are you even here?" 

"Why are YOU here? This was meant to be a talk between old friends. I allowed you along and now you talk as if I'm the one intruding."

"Wha-..." Rin's jaw dropped at the sheer audacity of her words, "He had business with me! You're the interloper! Besides, is it alright for the 'great' LADY Edelfelt to be out with a lowborn magus? Wouldn't it taint your glorious image?"

Neither of them asked Alaric for clarification because as time and occasion had proven, he never paid enough attention to their squabbles. Even now, he was just curiously eyeing the burgers they'd wholly disregarded in favour of arguing and slowly but surely, reaching out for them.

"Please, as if I care about the opinion of someone presumptuous enough to assume wrongly, let them know, I say! Truly, you underestimate nobility all too much."

"Hey, where do you get off calling me a commoner?" The Tohsaka were nobility too, not quite respected in the Clock Tower for they were Asian and their only contribution to the Fuyuki Grail War was land, but that didn't make them commoners!

"My!" Luviagelita feigned a loud gasp, "It seems you've disillusioned yourself, you poor thing! Everyone knows even the smallest of nobles possesses some modicum of wealth. You possess nothing even resembling wealth!" She raised the back of her hand to her face and let out a haughty laugh, "I knew you were lacking mentally but I never believed you were simple!"

"I have money! Lots of it!" Rin shouted back, blushing deeply, "Screw you! Which noble goes around wrestling like a goddamn gorilla?!"

"This is why I call you unlearned! A woman that can handle herself is much preferred."

"That just means your entire personality is centered around attracting men. You're a whore."

"..." For the first time in their conversation, Luviagelita was gobsmacked, "Uncouth, backwards, savage!"

Rin raised her hand and struck at Luviagelita but the latter smacked her hand away, so she tried again, only this time a woman in a dress suit interrupted them both. She grabbed either of their hands and stared at them with a difficult smile, a vein popping out on her forehead under light brown hair styled into a bun, "Can you ladies please take this outside?"

Both Luviagelita and Rin only then realised that many had stopped eating to observe their quarrel, some had even stopped outside, curiously watching them through the window. Both huffed at the same time and reached for Alaric to find his seat empty.

"He left a while ago. No wonder, you insulted him more than each other."

Someone, Rin couldn't pinpoint who, pointed out, shaming her further. Luviagelita shrugged and pushed her way out of the crowd, her features stoic and unbothered. Rin knew though, the Edelfelt was just as embarrassed as she was.

But,

Why was it that her student always left her in these situations?!

...

Meanwhile, Alaric was sprawled on a wooden bench in a nearby park. He ran a hand through his dark, streaked hair, and a small grin crawled onto his lips, "They should be about done by now." It wasn't that he didn't want to stop the two, it was just that it was impossible without drastic measures that would compromise his current dynamic with either.

And because there were more immediate matters to attend to.

They were teenagers, they could do whatever they wanted, other than get attached to him.

"Hm... A little bit of this... A little bit of that..."

There was a certain thing that many magi didn't know, had no way of knowing if they didn't possess the affinity for Void/Ether. Any magecraft or pertaining system, active or delayed, could be dismantled, and if need be, replicated by a holder of the affinity for Ether/Void, for they manipulated the very foundation of all magecraft.

As such, it had taken him a glance to learn most of what his professors sought to teach him. Then spent the time needed to create superior formulas of his own. Subsequently, it had taken him a glance to parse the summoning mechanism of the Fuyuki Grail War and summon without need for ritual.

This also meant that he'd instantly noticed the discrepancy in the method employed by Lord Animusphere to summon the King of Magecraft, Solomon, once he met the servant, and how it was superior in that the servant was mostly self sustained.

Over the course of the next few days, he'd honed and refined that same method, finding that it didn't need the presence of a Holy Grail like the defective Fuyuki System. The black glove currently over his left hand was there to hide the presence of command seals that resuscitated themselves.

"Humanity has a strange preference when it comes to choosing heroes." Alaric smiled and leaned forward. He rested his hands on his knees and regarded the servant stoically, his eyes hidden under his sunglasses, "Are you sure you'll be able to fight?"

"Rest assured, Master. While I admit I am mostly unaware as to how this has come to be, I recognise your will." The one who answered was a woman. Her face was young, filled, possessing a beauty that felt unreal in some manner. She had pure amethyst eyes, framed by a set of thin brows that went perfectly with her fair, smooth skin. Some of her long blonde hair fell to her neck while the rest was tied in a single, thick braided ponytail that fell below her hips.

The blonde woman, no, servant, wore armour that covered her stomach area, no breastplate, displaying the size of her not so modest bust, and knee high, purplish stockings with plain heeled sabatons on her feet. The cloak she wore had a golden cross sewn into it, and that, was cause for concern for Alaric.

"I intend to do my utmost." She gripped the thin sword at her waist and lodged the flag in her other hand into the earth, "With the Lord as my witness, this much, I, Jeanne D'Arc, can promise."

Alaric gave a small nod, "I can admire that. I just hope you aren't the type to get me stabbed because I bored you somehow." He shivered, recalling some very bad memories, "Hope we get al-"

As he'd come to learn sooner rather than later, the servant he'd summoned could be a little too enthusiastic and stalwart at times.

Evidenced by how she'd let go of her weapons and gently grabbed his gloved hand with both of hers, wrapping her thin, smooth fingers around it, and stared at him with shining eyes, "Heavens no! I could never bring myself to harm one with aspirations as admirable as yours."

"That's... nice." Alaric recalled how King Gilgamesh had called him 'a retarded and useless mongrel' that could never achieve anything and had never grown up, and then laughed in his face.

Jeanne only then noticed the sudden proximity to her Master and backed away quickly, "F-Forgive me! I was a bit too straightforward." She lowered her head, blushing in shame, "I... I hope my calloused hands didn't bother you too much."

Alaric was reminded of the stark difference between Gilgamesh and... people that weren't Gilgamesh.

x

And that's that. I hope you enjoyed it.

Alaric isn't alone in being able to parse magecraft and teachings at a glance, a number of others can do it too.

For the skimmers, he summoned her by directly activating the spell without a ritual or chant. Like Flat Escardos summons Jack the Ripper in Strange Fake.

Comments? Thoughts? Anything? Plez?