lost in t h o u g h t s [c]

[attr="class","crachel"]Rider

She has decided to roll with it.

Immediately she could sense something was wrong. Was she not meant to be her servant's anchor to this world? Cassie knew the Grail would be supplying an amount of the mana, but she was also needed to sustain his form in this world. She had been expecting a decent pull of her mana after the initial summon, but she felt no fatigue. Her brow furrowed as she looked her servant over. His armor and sword suggested he was indeed a heroic spirit of old. Had she done something wrong? Was the incantation she had modified to fit her family's magecraft been wrong? Her eyes flickered to the Command Seals that now shone so brightly on her right hand.

It almost seemed like a mockery to her now. He introduced himself as the Rider class, which was not the class she had been anticipating at all. The catalyst she had used had been meant for one of the Knights of the Round Table. A Saber class to fit with the knights her ancestor had surrounded himself with. "Rider? I--something went wrong. Ah, what did I do wrong?" she mused with a shake of her head. The summoning circle had been perfectly drawn out, and she had recited the incantation to the best of her ability. She had used a catalyst to increase her chances of summoning the type of servant she wished to ally herself with. Was it the catalyst itself?

Cassie took a moment to look back to Rider and study the parameters given to him. Her expression morphed into shock as she registered nothing was listed. She would surely not call herself an elite magus by any means, but she was not a slouch with little mana to anchor her servant to this world. "Your parameters are unlisted, and your mana draw is next to nothing. Why? I know Servants can vary in strength, but you are little better than a familiar in this state." Her expression had melted into one of discontent, but she could hardly blame Rider for this predicament. Had she not been the one to summon him after all? A soft sigh escaped her as she placed her hands on her hips and glanced upwards.

"I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Cassandra Amell, and I suppose I am your Master in this Grail War," she greeted politely. Her gaze flickered back to the catalyst she had used before she lifted her marked hand to point at it. "Tell me, do you recognize the piece I used that summoned you?"

[attr="class","crachel"]Rider

I'm used to doom at this point.

Cassie ran a hand through her loose hair as she bit back another sigh. Why would she not be able to see his lack of stats? There had to be a reason for such a thing, right? His Noble Phantasm was ranked quite high, but she had learned that Noble Phantasms were the embodiment of a hero's legend. "I suppose it cannot be helped now. This is not a game of poker where I can fold my hand and start over." What was she going to do in the war with such a weak Servant? The last thing she wished to do was voice her discontent and offend him. There had to be a good explanation for his weakness, right?

Little stronger than a human? Did that mean she could defeat him herself as he was? Cassie had the odd urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Nearly all of her time had been spent researching and preparing herself for the Grail War, and she had been chosen to participate. She knew her chances of winning the grail were slim, but now even that low probability had gone right out the window. Instead she watched as Rider took in the catalyst with obvious recognition. Well, at least that part of her problem was becoming clear now. Cassie was going to throttle her family's archaeologist when she met him next. Her arms were crossed over her chest as her own brow quirked as well.

"I was attempting to summon a Saber class Servant from the time of Camelot. I was promised by one of my family's trusted sources that this piece was a part of the foundation of Camelot's castle. Obviously, that was not the case, and this is an artifact from another source entirely," she answered. Now she wished to know the exact heroic spirit she had managed to summon, but that was one he would have to reveal to her on his own.

[attr="class","crachel"]Rider

Forever doomed separately.

Even more embarrassing? Cassie tilted her head to the side as she regarded Rider once again. Her carmine eyes widened when he admitted her source had been correct. She turned her gaze to the piece of stone once again as she regarded it somewhat dubiously. The Knights of the Round Table had been warriors without peer and had lived on in fame for many centuries now. There was no doubt that they varied in strength amongst one another, but to have unlisted stats? Again, there was not much she could do about it now. Perhaps in her heart of hearts she had been hoping to summon her own ancestor, but that had not been the result of this summoning.

"Not the one I wanted...?" she asked with slight confusion. There had not been a truly specific one she had been expecting, but it did seem she had summoned one of the lesser known Knights. The way he glanced away in shame had guilt lancing through her veins for having slighted him in such a way. "Please, forgive me. Perhaps you were not who I was expecting, Sir Gareth, but it is truly an honor to meet someone that once served alongside King Arthur." Cassie placed her hand over her heart as she bowed to him in respect and apology. Her summoning had worked as she had wished for it to, and she was grateful that a knight had been summoned to her side.

"I promise to do my best to bring you no dishonor or give you a task that goes against your conscience," she vowed firmly. Her entire childhood had been spent learning the chivalry and honor of a knight to the realm. Cassie had no true way of knowing if a Knight of the Round Table would consider her worthy, but she would do her absolute best! She raised from her bow to smile brightly at Sir Gareth. "I also promise to find out a way boost your stats. Surely that is an anomaly even for heroic spirits"

[attr="class","crachel"]Rider

Then I will just sleep forever.

Cassie shook her head at him, because she firmly believed there would be a way to do so. All she had to was figure out what was making him weak like he was. Her eyes flickered to her command seals for a moment, since they were a representation of true magic that had been lost. They were her only insurance policy on being able to bend her servant to her will should the need arise, or if she needed to summon him to her side immediately. Wasting them idly would be rather stupid of her unless it was an emergency. "I will still continue to try regardless. You are my Servant, and it is my duty to aid you as you will me."

For now, her best strategy would be to present him as her familiar. He was so weak that he should escape the notice of other Masters and Servants. Cassie glanced at her hand before deciding she would cover her hands with gloves to obscure the seals. It looked like her hopes for winning the Grail had decreased to simply surviving this war as unscathed as she could manage. Death did not scare her, but she had no wish to run headlong into it carelessly. These were worries that could wait until the Grail War had officially started. She had succeeded in summoning her Servant, and her home was carefully warded against any intruders.

"Oh, of course! Forgive me for lingering down here. The rest of the manor is much more comfortable," she replied with a smile. Spinning on her heel, she beckoned Rider to follow her from the basement and up the stares. So many questions were burning within her, because she sincerely wished to know what it had been like to serve King Arthur. There was only so much history could get correct, and her family records were rather faint the farther back she read. "The Amell estate is within the countryside of Wales, so we are pretty secure out here for now with several wards to detect any malicious presences. Well, those of the magus variety. I imagine heroic spirits are another level entirely."

[attr="class","crachel"]Rider

Wolfie is mine forever. <3

Cassie bit back an amused smile as he seemed to study the interior of her family's manor. It had been in her family for a few centuries now, but it had been upgraded throughout the years. Technology was not something her family disdained like other magus did. Modern conveniences had their uses that would take too long with magic to replicate. "Well, that is a relief in itself. It would give us some time make an escape when we are sought out," she mused. Her hand rested on the hilt of her own sheathed sword. Her blade was particularly potent against spirits and familiar. Would it be able to work on servants as well?

The Assassin class servant? Yes, one of them would post a threat. "I suppose such a thing cannot be helped, then. I have enough funds to pay for our travels." It seemed her life was going to become significantly more complicated than she had anticipated. This Grail War was on a global scale, which would make them harder to find. It also meant they could come across another Master without even being aware of that fact. Cassie would have to search for the forged identifications her family had already created over the years. One could never be too careful when it came to the secrecy of magic after all. All she had to do was modify a few of them to fit for Rider.

"I hope you will not suggest Antarctica. I doubt I would fare well in the cold," she remarked with an amused smile. There were plenty if island nations that they could hide upon as they traveled. Would they spend the entire war running, though? Cassie wished to have the chance to earn the Grail on her own merits and not by simply waiting for everyone to beat one another. "Is there anything else you would like to know?"

[attr="class","crachel"]Rider

Even asleep she is mine.

Her brow quirked at that rather blunt statement. Well, it seemed he had a more direct side to him. No doubt she would be learning much about her Servant during their participation in the Grail War. "Seclusion is a good thing. I cannot say I have ever been to Australia before," she mused lightly. It was a country with unbearable heat and dangerous wildlife from what she recalled. Honestly, she had never given Australia much thought beyond seeing it on a globe or map. There were plenty of places within the world they could disappear to, though. All of it would be worth it if she could see her wish through, no?

"I will pack basic necessities. Anything else can be purchased as we travel." It was best to avoid using anything electronic to pay for her items, since such methods could be easily traced. Her family had emergency funds stashed away in their safe, and there were some jewels and other such things to use for money. "My family's magecraft revolves heavily around the sword. We specialize against spirits, and our Magic Crest is Neidrarian," she explained as she gestured towards her sword. It was an unorthodox method, since most mage families spent years passing on their crests to their heirs. It gave her the advantage of easily accessing the history of her family's magecraft, but it also meant she had to have her sword on her at all times.

"I can dispel familiars, spirits, and demons easily. Whether my sword can dispel a heroic spirit is doubtful, but it should still have some effect on them." It had been an earlier thought of hers, but she hoped Rider could confirm it for her. As for a firearm, then they were already in luck. "My father kept a lockbox with a handgun inside. My family is rather fond of modern conveniences, and there should be a spare set of clothing as well," she replied as she glanced over Rider. Her father had been around the same height as the heroic spirit, but it was hard to gauge his size with his armor on. Cassie turned to lead the spirit and up the stairs to the wing where her parents resided.

[attr="class","crachel"]Rider

Yeah, no.

Well, at least she had a brief way to defend herself. Cassie sincerely hoped there was a way for them to remove whatever was binding him in such a way. Sure, there had to be a bounded field of some strength sealing his parameters, right? All of them were unlisted in a way that hinted at such. "Well, it will be a useful distraction at the very least should a Servant go for me. Here is to hoping we do not encounter a strong Servant right away," she mused with a shake of her head. Seeing him take on an astral form was quite interesting, because she could still sense his presence in front of her.

Her head tilted to the side at his question. Had he expected her to be without a family? Did those that participated in the Grail War have no family to leave behind to mourn them? Cassie shrugged her shoulders somewhat as she gripped the pommel of her sword. "My mother is, at least. My father passed a few years ago, but we still have his possessions. At the moment, she is traveling abroad while I participate in this war," she explained. Her mother had been quite distraught with her decision to potentially throw her life away in this endeavor. Cassie wanted to win this War with all of her heart to have the Holy Grail grant her wish. Little else mattered to her right now.

"I will change my name if it helps, but mother is a smart woman. She was the first person I told of my desire to participate in the Grail War, and she made necessary precautions for herself." Cassie had no wish for her mother to be killed simply by association. Would people truly go that far for the Holy Grail? It was not like she needed an answer to her question, because she knew how deep the greed of mankind could run. She paused before the master bedroom suite of her mother before leading Rider inside. The walk-in closet she pointed to would contain more than enough clothing for him to choose from.