2:08 am, The Streets of Athens
Heping hobbled through the foggy streets. Beside her, Lancer walked as well. He had specifically asked to, and she wasn't one to complain, though it did strike her as odd. His normally cowardly demeanor had left him somewhat, and while she struggled along, one hand bracing her spine which, according to Rider, had apparently been bruised to the bone, Lancer walked with quiet stoicism, each step restrained but forceful. He kept his rake manifested, apparently ready for an attack at any moment.
Under normal circumstances, the walk to her hotel would've taken around ten minutes, but her pain directly impacted their pace, and they had already been walking for about fifteen. Before that, she had been unconscious on the top of the Acropolis. Apparently, while she was out, Rider had come to her side and performed some light healing magic. According to him, -or, more accurately, Lancer's translation of his diagnosis- she would be more-or-less recovered by morning, but should be careful, and not take on any more labor than necessary.
Or, as Pigsy put it, "Take it easy, eh?"
"Excuse me... Pigsy?"
"What?" He spoke quickly and with agitation.
-"And don't call me Pigsy."
There was a bench up ahead, on a street corner, "May I take a rest? I am exhausted."
"Eh? You can put yer butt down when we get back. Now chop-chop! -oink-"
"Really... I need to stop. Please."
Lancer paused, his small, pudgy body seeming to compress with some type of anger, before stomping his foot in frustration, "Fine! Five minutes and no more, got it!?"
Heping approached the bench and began to sit down, "Pigs- ahem- Lancer, why are you in such a hurry?"
As she raised her eyes back to the street, she saw him twirling his rake with a form far too impressive for his toddler-like body.
"Pigs-?"
Lancer leaped in the air and released the head of the rake from the chain, raking it across the pavement as it surrounded itself with mystic winds. When he landed, he turned around and repeated the action, this time with fire instead. He continued on like this for several moments, tearing apart the earth with blasts of wind, fire, and light, until there was nothing left of the pavement except for scattered asphalt.
She couldn't help but be taken aback. While her Servant was known for his emotion, he was also, to put it bluntly, something of a pushover. While a tantrum, even of this caliber, was certainly possible to consider, the idea of its possibility was far from her mind.
When he finally stopped, he just stood there in the crater, facing away from her, before falling back onto his bottom. He sat there, away from her, in silence.
"Pigsy..?"
"-oink- Don't call me Pigsy."
"Did I do something wrong?"
He paused. His expression couldn't be seen, but his body appeared to tense, before finally relaxing. He responded calmly and softly, his words barely audible, "And what the Hell woulda given you that idea? -sniff- You didn't do a thing wrong."
"Then-"
"I'm just pissed. Couldn't do a damn thing, ya know? If Monkey were here-"
An unfamiliar voice spoke from down the street. "Um.. Excuse me."
They both turned anxiously to the direction of the voice.
There, about twenty feet away, was a boy, or perhaps he was better described as a young man. He was fit, athletic but not necessarily muscular, with pale skin and clean-cut if somewhat long pink hair. He wore a black jacket and jeans with a yellow t-shirt. There was a golden earring and an equally golden chain on his belt buckle. He waved slowly with an equally cautious smile, keeping his distance.
There was something odd she had noticed.
No matter where she was or why, after about 10 o'clock, there were never any people around.
Why?
How?
She didn't know, but she knew at least that it was true.
That meant there were only two options.
He was a Master-
Or he was a Servant.
"Oh, NO!" Pigsy leaped to his feet and bared his rake, "Take one step closer and I shove this rake up your ass and out your mouth, ya hear me!? It has been a VERY long day and I WILL take my anger out on you, got it?!"
Before Heping could chastise Lancer for his presumptions, the pink-haired boy raised both his hands defensively, "I mean no harm. Your Master there is the first one, other than my own of course, I've encountered, and I have some questions, that's all. I swear on my mother's name, I will not attack unprovoked."
"Uh-huh, is that right? Then why don't ya tell us your mother's name, eh?!"
He seemed to pause here, seeming to consider his options, but ultimately returned to Lancer's question. Placing his hand over his heart, he confidently declared, "I swear on my mother's good name, the name of Medusa."
Medusa?
She'd heard the name before, but couldn't remember the context.
"Hah! You just revealed your True Name, you loser! Now get outta here before I-"
"Lancer!"
"Huh?"
She looked at him with tired eyes. Even in her exhaustion, this was too much for her to let slide, "He revealed his name. We should trust him."
"Huh!? Whaddya mean?! This is a war, dammit! We can't trust anyone!"
As if remembering his presence, both returned their gaze to the apparent "son of Medusa."
He stood there with his lips pursed. There was no visible emotion, only some form of concerned patience.
Heping gestured to him, "You can approach!" before looking back to Pigsy with sharpness in her tongue, "You will sit here with me. If it goes badly, you can protect me."
He was clearly dissatisfied, and seemed too stubborn to move, but as the son of Medusa approached, he reflexively moved between him and his Master without meaning to, inadvertently falling back to the bench she was sitting on, just as she had initially requested.
"I'm sorry about that," he began, "You see-" he rubbed his hand through his hair, "I thought the reason you sat down like you did was because you were aware of my presence."
'So he's not Assassin, at least.'
"Heh. Some Assassin you are -oink-." Pigsy bit.
The son of Medusa turned his head in apparent confusion, "Assassin? I'm Saber, but, if you're willing to make a trade, I can give you information on the real Assassin if you answer my questions."
Pigsy grumbled under his breath.
"Wait, you have information on Assassin?"
"I do, but I need to know that you have what I'm looking for."
"And that would be?"
"The overseer."
Heping was confused. Wasn't the whole point that this war was unknown? The Church and Clocktower were supposed to be unaware; had they dispatched someone? She supposed that she really shouldn't have been surprised. If the Chinese mages could sense it, surely the Church and Clocktower could as well, couldn't they?
"...Sorry. I do not know of any overseer."
She could see him visibly swallow. "None?"
"No."
"I suppose that does answer my question, then." He looked up behind her to the Acropolis. "You were involved in the fight there earlier, weren't you?"
In her mind, 'Don't answer him , oink, he's fishing for info he doesn't need to know.'
She ignored the pessimistic Lancer, "I was."
"Do you think an overseer will be dispatched after that?"
She thought for a moment, trying to consider as much as possible, "I would be surprised if word did not spread, though I cannot say what that means."
"I suppose that's true. Sorry to put so much on you when we've just met."
She couldn't help but be surprised by his up-front politeness.
'Are we really enemies? He does not act like it.'
Helping couldn't help but return the kindness, "No, no. It is no problem. To approach an enemy like you have means that this must be of great concern to you."
He chuckled in good nature, "I suppose that much is true."
A thought tickled the back of her mind, "Why do you need the overseer?"
He looked to the ground in contemplation before returning to her, his eyes somehow much stronger than before. "I'll tell you why, but I need you to promise me something."
'Hey, hey, hey now. What're you gettin' us involved in this time?'
"What is it?"
"I want you to tell what I say next to any and all Masters you're friendly with, as well as any who plan to threaten me or my Master."
Usually conversations like these were preceded with promises of secrecy, to promise the opposite was suspicious, but suspicious in such a way that it was more credible. Something so unspeakably odd that it could only come from some form of honesty.
"Very well."
"...My Master is not a combatant in this war. She has no aspirations for victory, only survival, and I share that goal. I will swear my sword, as Saber, to anyone who can protect her until the end. Whether I succeed or fail, I will fall on my sword regardless; her protection is my first priority. This is why I seek the overseer, or anyone else who can get her out of this city alive."
"Oh... I see."
"Now-" Saber sat in the crater that Lancer had carved out of the Earth, "I'll tell you what I know of Assassin-"
....
Heping laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling; lamp lit next to her. She wore pajama pants as normal, but was topless except for her bra, allowing her wounds to breathe as much as they could from under the muscle-relaxing pads. A similar pad, a bandage, was plastered on her forehead.
Pigsy sat on a chair in the corner of the room, "You need to get some rest, boss."
"I know."
"Oh come on. You were out cold not too long ago, what's the problem now?"
"I am just thinking."
Pigsy just sighed. She heard the crackling of plastic and crunching as he began to dig into his box of cookies.
"Do you believe Saber?"
He responded with his mouth full, "Uh? 'Bout waht?"
"His Master."
"Whaddya askin' me for? How should I know?" He kept eating his cookies.
"Him... Rider... they all seem like such nice people."
"So what? Don't let appearances fool you: each of them is here because they're willin' to kill to get the Grail. No matter what, each of 'em is a rat-bastard, especially the mages who summoned 'em. Evil people biting off more than they could chew."
"Saber's Master is not like that."
"Well... we don't know that for sure..."
"I am not like that."
"..."
She turned to him, ignoring the pain that shot through her back as she did, "And I do not think you are either."
"What do you mean? Of course I am."
She kept looking at him, doing her best to read his animal expressions.
"I spent nearly all of my mortal life killing for the sake of my goals, and for Sanzang. That was my life then, and it's my life now." He deflated slightly, "There's no world where I'm a good person."
"I disagree."
"And I don't give a shit what you think. I'm here 'cause I want the Grail, and I'm willing to kill for it."
He paused, anticipating some form of response, but, seeing none, continued, "Besides, all the Servants except Caster have shown themselves. It's only a matter of time before bodies start to drop."
Something about that felt off, then it occurred to her, "What about Archer?"
"He showed up while you were out. He and Rider duked it out. Can't say for certain, but I'm willing to bet that's your brother's partner."
"Oh."
"Can you handle that?"
She turned away from him onto her other side, "This is war I suppose."
"Yup."
"-But it will be on my terms."
"It won't be easy, you know."
The pain in her back swelled with his words, "I know." She looked over her shoulder for a final time, "Why do you want the Grail?"
"Hm?" A bit of drool slipped from his mouth, "Why if I had the Grail...hehe..." He lifted the cookie in his hand in a mock toast, "a heaven of limitless fried rice, booze, and women, all for me! Rehehehe!" He took a triumphant bite from the cookie.
She turned back and closed her eyes, contemplating his answer.
"Although..." he muttered, "...Maybe I'd wish for enlightenment. As long as I get back to Heaven, I think that's enough."
A smile crept across her lips. For some reason, a reason her tired mind couldn't discern, his addition brought some comfort to her.
Something that assured her.
No matter what he said-
No matter how much he protested-
He was a good person- er- pig? Either way it didn't matter.
Even as a Servant, even as a pig, even as a celestial general before that-
He was human.
He was different
...
She found pleasant sleep that night.
....