A bullet train moved through the night, it's lighting illuminating the immediate surroundings more than they already were thanks to the lights around the train tracks. It was heading for the city of Fuyuki, carrying unknowing passengers to what only magi knew would soon end up becoming a battlefield for heroes of legend.
It also carried a master-servant duo currently engaged in a strange staring contest of sorts.
"What is all that?" Bazett deadpanned at Aston, speaking with a voice devoid of any emotion. Servants were supposed to be given a general overview of worldly manners and the likes by the Holy Grail upon summoning..
What then, was wrong with her lancer?!
"I.. Food?" Aston tilted his head in slight confusion, staring down at the trolley he was pushing before once again looking up at his Master, "Is this not the norm?"
"What norm? Truly, what norm is this? Do servants even need to eat?" They did not, she was certain of that much and yet, her servant had pushed a veritable ton of food up to her.. True it wasn't as embarrassing as it would usually be considering there were no other passengers... WHICH was something she had to arrange because HE had no other clothes and REFUSED to take on a spiritual form!
"I don't think so?" The Lancer seemed barely bothered by his master's internal conflict, only setting up her food which AGAIN was strange as all hell! How was he doing that with armour on? Bazett deadpanned more than she thought was humanly possible in that very moment..
At least she could make out his figure in the light coloured decorations and bright train compartment, "What's all that for then?" She pointed at the foo-.., "Did you just bring over everything you could find?"
"Is this not what women eat normally?"
"No!" Bazett shouted at the servant before realising her outburst and settling down slightly flustered, "What woman eats that much?"
"How dare you?" Aston stared down at his master, visibly offended by her words.. This was far less than what his King ate, around Gareth levels of sustenance. She was questioning his abilities as a knight!
"Excuse me?" His Master seemed to be just done with his shit, "Nevermind that, how did you even get all this?" Bazett had given him no money-, wait, didn't that mean she wasn't a good Master? The Enforcer immediately chalked that up to her servant's weirdness.
"Ah..." Aston held up a finger, "Funny story..."
"Go on." Bazett folded her arms and narrowed her eyes, slightly curious but mostly exhausted.
"Soo, I took off my helmet to get some air in the previous deck and there was this nice lady pushing this.." The servant gestured to the food, "I surmised you would be hungry so I investigated and she just said yes when I asked if I could take it... Such a nice person, no?"
Bazett could feel the smile on Aston's face, "So you honey trapped someone?"
"As a knight, that is deeply hurtful but..." He stared at all he'd gathered, "Should I return it?"
"Hah.." Bazett facepalmed, sighing deeply, "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"Well of course because my mas-" Aston was slightly surprised when she cut him off,
"The real reason."
And managed to figure out that he actually had an agenda... He averted his gaze, retracting his hand and spoke in a low voice, "I was hoping to get some time to myself by distracting you.." He confessed truthfully, sighing at the end.
"You should've just asked.." Bazett couldn't help but slightly smile at the strangely wholesome confession, "Go on.. I've something to deal with." She could swear she saw the servant glow before he disappeared but shook her head out of such thoughts and fixed her gloves..
The Enforcer closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply, "There's a rat here.." She looked to the door behind her, sharply turning about and rushing forward at barely cognisable speeds, her foe was an idiot if he thought she hadn't noticed his presence.
* * *
"A strange time to come back to."
Aston sat atop the train, his cape fluttered wildly in the strong winds that he barely registered... Sighing once, the Lancer reached for his helmet, unclasping it before taking it off to reveal a face that could probably be described as handsome if not for the scar running from the right side of his forehead to his neck and possibly beyond..
The Lancer had dull blue eyes and hair that had lost almost all of it's colour save for a few tufts of a dull red here and there standing out among grey hair.
He took a deep breath before slightly smiling, "I guess it's alright.." The fact he was here meant his dying wish hadn't been granted and instead of being lost to history and granted peace, he would fight in insane wars for insane people for an indefinite period of time but well, that was alright.. It would be a good experience if nothing else.
Aston originally hailed from the 21st Century and Grail Wars were a concept he was intimately familiar with but, he could only apologise in silence to those that might think he remembered much after nearly 3 decades of nothing but war, bloodshed and hardwork.
"Really, what drove me to be a knight?"
It was a question that Aston oft asked himself and only a him from the past could ever hope to truly answer.. What he did know however, was that his morals were something he refused to abandon. It was the only thing he had left to treasure.
Serving a King of Legend, battling a dragon, fighting wars, teaching others, protecting, helping, being betrayed, and dying in an attempt to protect his king... His life sure was hectic huh?
Deep down, Aston knew that any life other than a knight's would probably not sit well with him anymore... He wasn't one of those people who could think solely for themselves, nor was he one of those who could use others with no conscience.
He was a knight because tyranny was unacceptable.
He was a knight because he was loyal to his king.
He was a knight for the people.
He was a knight for his king.
Many actual answers were there for who he was now and Aston was satisfied with that..
He'd lived one life working for his family and one working for what he treasured, why would he ever really question himself?
However, being a knight to a king meant he'd also slaughtered with closed eyes, done atrocious things upon being ordered to because loyalty overpowered his personal desires.
In the end, it was just the idle musings of a man who accepted he'd done much wrong.
Aston shrugged, putting on a bright smile before once more donning his helmet, he had a new Master to serve and another one to seek out if faint memories were correct.. Admittedly, his loyalty to the latter was motivated by something more than simple beliefs.
Ah, the King only the masses could see as perfect and not as one to be treasured.
"Mhm.." Aston cleared his throat, "Monologue time over." Aston disappeared from his spot, appearing inside the train and putting his hand on the shoulder of a startled man in a business suit, "Greetings, such a beautiful night don't you think?"
"He's here to observe and possibly remove us." Bazett walked out of the shadows, fixing her tie, "Where were you?"
"Monologuing, my Master. Am I to remove this one?" Aston tightened his grip and slightly tilted his head, "You must feel terrible, stranger. In fact, I feel terrible in your stead. I would want to bury myself alive if I couldn't even complete a recon mission properly."
"You're very rude aren't you?" Bazett folded her arms, letting down her guard now that her servant was here.. An unfortunate truth was that the prowess of servants could never truly be matched by humans.
"Do you require me to heal your ears as well, my Master? I am an angel." Aston truly disagreed with his Master, where could you find a person politer than him? Shaking his head slightly, he pushed the magus in his hand forward making the man stumble, and failing to regain his balance, "Let us fight."
The magus instantly activated his magic circuits and Bazett observed the engagement from the side, ready in case he tried to run away which he most definitely would if he had even half a brain.
What happened next was something she failed to register.
In the span of a single blink, her servant had moved, grabbed onto his spear with his left hand and impaled the magus through the chest with it, lifting him into the air and was now staring at the man with not a concern for the blood that had splattered onto his form.
"What?"
Was this why his Agility parameter couldn't be ranked?
"How sad. My Master, I believe this was just a decoy of sorts? I have trouble accepting this was supposed to be enough..." The Lancer seemed unperturbed, his voice gentle as always even as he pulled his spear back, throwing the fresh corpse aside and walking up to her.
"That was... something.." It wasn't that Bazett couldn't have won against the man but still, she understood more than before why the legends of the past were called as such, "Who are you?"
"I believe I've already shared my identity my Master but I am willing to repeat it if you have some mental illness disturbing your memories." Aston put a hand over his chest and bowed his head,
"Aston, you need only point in a direction and give an order, but, do refrain from pitting me against those undeserving."
"How did your tale end?" Bazett figured that could be a hint to discovering his legend.
"My Master, I suggest using the internet on your quest for knowledge." Aston once again rose to his full height, looking down at the magenta haired woman with a gentle smile on his face.
* * *
If you have any criticism, be sure to share.
A bit of clarification, no, Aston isn't the type to really monologue much but I think you can forgive him doing it after arriving in an age he's mostly forgotten after death.
And to those concerned, I'm sorry he doesn't have the absurd memory that lets you remember a whole life for decades spent in an entirely different time period.
He had no contact with technology or modern society for decades. His technology was a bucket and wheel, his entertainment was duels, jousting, and horse riding. His job was war, protection and slaughter.