Fate/Broken Destinies -Second Cour-

A pleasant melody fills the air. The blind girl is playing the viola for her sister, Hideaki and you, but unbeknownst to her, legendary heroes from the past are spectating. Lancer is sitting on a chair next to Akira with his eyes closed, enjoying the tune to the fullest. Archer is standing in the back of the room, on the other hand, staring at the young lady with keen interest.

It’s undeniable that she is absolutely stunning right now. The peaceful look on her face, her precise movements with her delicate hands, all contributes to make her look even better than she normally would. The music has a nostalgic undertone, which you don’t mind if not for the fact that it highlights the absence of Saber.

Your Servant refused to materialize, explaining that she would rather stay in spirit form except for when the situation requires otherwise.
Thinking back to her words, you gently stroke the back of your hand where your Command Spells are, as if attempting to grasp the physical manifestation of the bond that existed between you two.

This is not something the ‘old’ Saber would have said. After the incident at the school, she seems to have withdrawn further deep within herself, leaving out a mere shell of who she used to be. The ‘new’ Saber seems to be entirely goal-oriented, and even if you have not interacted much with her, such a change could be beneficial to you.

With no more moral restraints, your Servant could be the ultimate tool for this task, but you can’t help feeling a tinge of regret for how things turned out to be in the end. Shaking these insecurities off, you recollect yourself and clap your hands at the end of Lilly’s performance, like everybody else.

The blonde girl takes a bow, and the Servants dematerialize. Even if she’s blind, she can hear quite well, so Servants are absolutely not free to roam in the house. Or at least, that’s what Akira said. You’re glad you’re used to call her by first name, so you can still refer to her older sister more formally calling her by surname.

Lilly puts her viola aside and pulls her chair closer to the to the table and next to her sister. The two start conversing, while Hideaki, who’s been watching from the back of the room just like his Servant, seizes the opportunity and goes back upstairs. You, on the other hand, decide to sit on the sofa opposite to the TV.

You’ve never been too fond of technology, just like most magi, yet staring at your reflection in the black screen helps you concentrate.
This Holy Grail War so far has been an absolute bloodbath. You don’t mind that some Masters died, however the fact that innocent people had to pay with their own lives for those guys’ folly still bothers you.

In addition to that, a lot of mysterious circumstances surround this ritual, and you feel like you’ve just been scraping the surface so far. Surviving Avenger’s Noble Phantasm, the ‘Sword that Killed the Unicorn’, the rebellion of the Harway family and last but not least, Ruler’s intervention last night and his new persona, all of these phenomena and riddles remain unexplained.

You divert your attention to the sisters once again. While Lilly is a polite young lady, Akira is still the same tomboyish and easy going person as always. Given how she behaves and dresses, it would be easy to mistake her for the eldest of the two. The only noticeable difference in her usual demeanor is the protective attitude she has around her sister.

“Say, Akira, how did you come to meet Frederick?”, Lilly asked during the conversation in her usual, refined tone.
You introduced yourself earlier over a cup of tea, but you really didn’t go into the details of your meeting with her sister, so her interest is more than justified.

Akira is clearly uncomfortable because of the question, mumbling something about work and ‘head-hunting’. You assume she doesn’t mean that literally, so it must be some sort of business slang. Lilly chuckles softly, then turns her attention to you.
“You must really be special, mr Frederick. My sister never introduced any of her boyfriends to me”.

Akira’s face changes color, from her usual albino white to a deep red. Grasping the situation and the implications of Lilly’s statement, you move in to defuse any misunderstanding.
“Oh, me and your sister don’t have that kind of relationship, miss Satou. Our partnership is merely professional”. That wouldn’t be even false, if you consider ‘being a magus’ a profession.

“I see, I see. In any case, I’d like to know more about you”, Lilly says, lifting herself up from the chair she was sitting on with the help of a crutch. “Would you mind coming with me to the Shanghai Tea Shop? My cousin works there”
You gulp. You and Yuuko didn’t part on the best terms, but when you look at Akira for help, she’s repeatedly tilting her head to the side, as if to urge you to get out.

>Stay in and talk with Akira
>Accept Akira’s suggestion and leave with Lilly
>Write-in

>>314158
>Accept Akira’s suggestion and leave with Lilly

>>314158
>I murdered a boyfriend of waitress in Shanghai. I am at war with your sister being one of the participants. Trust me, for your own sake, you do not want to know much about me.

>>314197
>>I murdered the boyfriend of waitress in Shanghai.

We didn't, he died in battle.

>>314214
She doesn't need to know that if we want to avoid Shanghai

>>314261
Maybe she should also not know about the war at large, then?

In a family of magi, only one heir is raised to become a magus. The other is raised normally.

>>314311
We want to avoid visit to Shanghai, not bonding with her

>>314399
Ok, if this ends up winning, I will make sure you'll carry the message across regardless.

>>314420
I'll go with the other Anon's choice.

>>314158
>Accept Akira’s suggestion and leave with Lilly

Leave with Lilly but go to another place. Like the Subway sandwich shop.

Seems like around 50% of the people want to leave, and 50% do not.
We'll be waiting for a tiebreaker.

If you're new to the game, I usually wait for at least 5 votes to be expressed before moving the story forward

>>316345
I wish someone would vote already.

>>314158
>>Accept Akira’s suggestion and leave with Lilly

Not without some reticence, you stand up and nod. Then, realizing that Lilly might not have understood, you repeat your answer out loud while Akira tries to stifle a chuckle. As you head upstairs to change into your more formal clothing, you hear the footsteps of the Satou mage behind you.

Waiting until you’re near your room, she finally speaks up.
“Sorry about this, Ainsworth. But I think we need to patch up things with Yuuko, at least until Lilly goes back home. You said that the Holy Grail War isn’t a team sport, and this is very true. But we were forced to turn it into one. There is one last thing we need to do together, then we’ll part ways”.

“Are you sending me there as a sacrificial lamb or as a messenger, Akira?”, you ask her. After all, Yuuko is still the single most powerful magus in this war. She could tear you to pieces without too much effort.
“Don’t be silly. She might hate you but even she will struggle to keep the facade up in the presence of her beloved cousin. The Ainsworths are good arbitrators, aren’t they? Get a good deal for us”.

“And what will I gain from this? The right to stay under your roof? I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I am more than capable of providing for myself”.
“What you will gain is a truce between the strongest Master and you, especially while Harway and Berserker are still on the loose. You think she hates you because you burned down the school, but you’re wrong. She’ll hate me and not you”.

“Why? It was I who set the school on fire”
“And it was I who told you to do so. You were under no obligation to protect that school, but I was. Yuuko might look like a simpleton, but she knows very well who of us is at fault here. I am telling you, Frederick, you’re the only person here who can pull this off. “

Akira is staring at you with her crimson eyes, but she’s not using them to freeze you in place like she did the first time you met. This time, her gaze simply conveys her determination and confidence, as well as her faith in you. You already agreed to go, so there’s no real point to this conversation anyway, you think.

You turn around and open the door to your room.
Behind you, Akira is demanding that you behave properly in the presence of her sister, and that you treat her like a gentleman would.
“After all, any boy would be lucky to be with her, and you’re no exception. In fact, she might be too good for you”.
“Choke on your spirits, Satou”, you retort, closing the door and entering your room.

Saber materializes immediately. Her deadpan expression hasn’t faded away from her face, and her posture looks more rigid than usual.
“Master, is this endeavor safe?”, she asks.
“I think so, Saber. I am sorry, I can’t treat you to a parfait this time”.
“Not to worry. Servants don’t have any necessity to eat. I will be escorting you”.

Saying this, Saber re-enters spirit form. Her words felt like a stab in the back, but you have no time to mull over it.
Your only good clothes are old-fashioned, but they’re still better than the uniform of a school that doesn’t exist anymore. Now that you ponder about it, it’d be better for Lilly not to know what happened to Yamaku, or at least it shouldn’t be you the one who’ll tell her.

The blind girl is standing downstairs, her thin cane in her left hand, much better dressed for the occasion than you are.
A polite smile on her face, she seems to be waiting for you. “Are you ready, mr Ainsworth?”
“I am. I think we can leave now”.

You walk to the door and open it, but your escort seems to be still waiting for something. Akira, who’s been watching the scene from a distance, coughs loudly. Lilly turns towards the noise of the door opening, still smiling. There’s clearly something that you’re missing, but you have no idea what it is.

“Would you mind if I clang to you arm, mister? I believe walking would be easier for me that way”, Lilly finally spells it out for you.
You feel like hitting yourself for your stupidity, but decide to just oblige as soon as possible to put an end to this embarrassing situation.
Offering your arm somewhat bluntly, you wait until she gets into a comfortable position, then leave the house.

You attempt to recall the way to the Shanghai, since you’ve only seen it yesterday and by car.
“Now we should turn left”, Lilly says, taking you by surprise. Apparently your reaction didn’t go unnoticed, because she chuckles softly once again in her signature laugh.

“How do you…?”
“I used to live with my sister before I moved to the Yamaku Dormitories”, she answers before you can even finish your question. “you might call this ‘muscular memory’, just like those pianists who can play with their eyes closed. My apologies for interrupting you”.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. In fact, and I can’t believe I am saying this, you might even be too polite. You and your sister are worlds apart”.
“Akira has her good sides, too. I just think she’s very selective, showing them only to the people she deems to be worth it”.
“That is definitely true, although I’ve only seen her acting protectively around you”.

On the road to the Shanghai, you keep making small talk with Lilly in order to alleviate the insecurities you have about dealing with Yuuko. ‘A person who has nothing to lose is the most dangerous thing in the world’, your father used to say. Only now you recognize how right he was. Before long, you’re standing in front of the entrance.

“Welcome to Shanghai! Thanks for patronizing the establishment”, a familiar voice greets you.
The waitress bowing in front of you is your former ally: the Shirakawa magus is staring at you with fiery and inquisitive eyes, with her head slightly lifted. She has all the rights to be furious and mad at you, but she’s clearly trying to fight these feelings.

“No need to be so formal, Yuuko. It’s just me and mr Ainsworth”, Lilly tries to ease the tension. Oddly enough, Yuuko hasn’t stuttered at all.
“I am still supposed to treat my customers equally, you now? But, as your cousin…”
Yuuko gets up and wrap her arms around the tall blind girl. “Welcome home, Lilly”.

Taking a step back, Yuuko turns her attention to you. The enmity in her eyes hasn’t subsided.
You need to think of how to handle this

>Go along with it naturally and hope Yuuko will understand anyway
>Try to talk with her privately about Akira’s proposal
>Write-in

>>316628
>>Try to talk with her privately about Akira’s proposal

>>316628
>Try to talk with her privately about Akira’s proposal

>>316628
>Try to talk with her privately about Akira’s proposal
I don't really like either option but I can't see a better alternative.

>>316628
>Try to talk with her privately about Akira’s proposal

There's four votes for one thing. Can we just go with that?

Alright guys, it took me longer than it should have but I think I am wrapping this up. There's simply no longer a consistent interest for the quest, and while I am sorry for disappointing you, what I can promise is that my time instead is going into developing two more quests which I hope will catch your interest. My timing was bad, probably taking a hiatus before the exams crippled (no pun intended) the fanbase's interest, and I take full responsibility. I stand ready to answer any and all questions you might have for me here or preferably on our discord. It was a fun ride, thank you all.