Holy Grail slumber party!

[fox_of_sawayama]

WHO: Mitsunari, Shiki, Hayate, Signum, Nanoha, Fate
WHERE: Moenari's palace.
WHAT: The Holy Grail War at its most moe... (Branch your logs, paste AIM logs, whatever. This is a free-for-all!)


"There can't possibly be any harm in letting them stay the night! They're just little girls, not assassins! Er, no offense, Shiki." Shiki (if that was even her real name) had warned Mitsunari that his life would be targeted by other Servants seeking to win the Holy Grail war, but he'd promised to allow Hayate and her friends to use Jurakutei Palace for a sleepover party. "This is the safest place in the entire kingdom. Besides, Hayate's tutor will be there to supervise them. What's the worst that could happen?"

Comments

[killed_shiki]

"The worst that could happen," Assassin spoke slowly, as if to a small child. "Is that you could be killed. That's always the worst that could happen."

[fox_of_sawayama]

"You're right. Being murdered by a pack of little girls would be the worst that could happen. The humiliation alone might kill me. Fortunately, it's not very likely. I've known Hayate for years, so I'm sure she's not a Servant or anything like that."

[killed_shiki]

Assassin leaned against a doorframe, arms crossed. "If they're on their way, then they're on their way. It would be more suspicious to turn them away now."

"But I'm going to be watching you and them from the moment they step through that door. There are a dozen ways this could be a trap."

[fox_of_sawayama]

"Er... right. Do you think you could watch in a... um... less menacing way, then? Maybe even smile a little?"

"But that's not an official command or anything!" he clarified quickly. Using a Command Spell to force a Servant to perform an act against their will was akin to torture, as far as Mitsunari was concerned, so he'd covered the seal on his hand with a bandage. Smiling probably went against Assassin's very nature. "It's just... a suggestion."

[nightskymaster]

The two were interrupted by one of Mitsunari's servants, announcing that the girls had made it.

Taking off her coat, Hayate did not seem like she could smile any wider. This would have been the first overnight playdate that she had hosted, and she could not have imagined anything better than having it here. "Nanoha, Saber, I'm really glad that you could come! I'm sure our Lord will be happy to meet you too. He always says that I should make more friends."

[killed_shiki]

Assassin gave Mitsunari one last evil glare, then turned to face their new guests.

As she turned, she became a different person. Her posture, her face, her movements all shifting subtly. Most prominent and out of place, though, was the brilliant smile replacing her usual diamond-cutting stare.

"Hayate, right?" SHIKI sounded much more relaxed than Assassin. "Mitsunari's told me about you."

Assume Mitsunari just told Light about this plan, Video

[justasplanned]

You're doing WHAT!?

[Video]

[fox_of_sawayama]

A sleepover party, Yagami. I'm sure they would have invited you, but it appears to be one of those "Girls Only" things.

I'm... not actually sure what I'm doing here...

[Video]

[justasplanned]

What in the name of the Crystal King possessed you to offer this? Our home is hardly small, my Lord, I'm sure they could have managed.

[Video]

[fox_of_sawayama]

B-but little girls like princesses and things like that, and I'm not even using most of the palace...

[Admit it, Moenari. You're powerless to resist a request from a loli.]

[killed_shiki]

Are you always this easy to coerce?

[justasplanned]

...my Lord, there is nothing wrong with saying no to my sister.

Well, if nothing else, I'm glad she's met some other girls her age. But even still, you are a busy man. Or at least you better be busy, I've sent a number of reports that you really should be reviewing regarding Amestris's movements and interviews with some of their people.

...

Do you have a new servant, my Lord?

[killed_shiki]

Dinner with the new girl was proving... surprisingly non-awkward! SHIKI was more than capable of making engaging conversation. Also, surprisingly skilled at coming up with cover stories, judging by the details she's coming up with regarding her relationship with Mitsunari. Whether he likes it or not.

But there comes a time when certain unavoidable issues must be addressed.

"Archer, was it? That's an unusual name."

[nightskysword]

"Only in Dagaria," Signum says levelly, sipping her drink in a ladylike fashion. "It's reasonably common where I come from."

"Shiki, though...any relation to the Sawan clan?" she asks. Hey, she lives in what's practically a library, and looking up legendary swordsmen is never a waste of time in her opinion as a Servant or a person with hobbies.

[fox_of_sawayama]

Mitsunari looks uneasily from one woman to the other, feeling as though he's missing out on most of the conversation. At least he can be reasonably sure that they won't try to braid his hair, as the younger girls suggested.

"Oh, you must mean the famous swordsman! His supposed sword was on display in Poennon's central museum, but I think it's likely he was just a mythic figure."

That would explain why the summoning spell produced a female Shiki, after all.

[killed_shiki]

SHIKI ignores Mistunari's comment and continues eating as if nothing is unusual, although it seems suddenly pertinent that she's holding a knife as she does so, even if it's a dinner knife.

"Let's put our pretenses aside for a moment." She fixes her laserlike stare on Archer. "What are you and 'Alicia' hoping to accomplish by coming here?"

[nightskysword]

"Don't discount legends just because details may have been distorted over the years," Signum replies to Mitsunari. "You'd be surprised what turns out to be actual history."

Then, she turns to Shiki.

"Hayate wanted to play with her new friends. Governer Mitsunari graciously offered his castle," Archer says with a small shrug, her calm voice not matching the stare she's returning to the other woman. "I have no particular say in her daily life, I merely accompany her."

"I'm also curious why the good governor bought you here, miss. Aside from the obvious," she says, allowing herself a small smile.

GAMES

[ihu2carl]

"Has anybody here been to a sleepover before?" Nanoha sat down on one of the cushions on the floor. "Usually, they have games, like truth-or-dare or hide-and-go-seek... But this castle is a little big for hide-and-go-seek, isn't it?"

[nightskymaster]

Unsurprisingly, Hayate shook her head. She had always wanted to, but the severe lack of children around her age put a damper on that. Thinking, she put a finger to her lips. "Well, there are a lot of places to hide," She started, "But you're probably right. It would be pretty hard. What's Truth-or-Dare?"

screw tagging order, everyone jump in at any time

[ihu2carl]

Nanoha smiled. "It's a game where you choose whether you should tell an absolute truth or do whatever the other person says! For example, if you asked me truth or dare and I said dare, you could tell me to hop on one foot for fifteen minutes, and if you said truth, you could ask me if I'd ever fallen out of a boat."

Debriefing

[killed_shiki]

[Eventually, the world's most awkward slumber party ends! Without any fatalities, even.]

[Shiki waves as the last guests leave, waiting until they're out of earshot.]

Congratulations on surviving your first encounter with the enemy, Master.

Re: Debriefing

[fox_of_sawayama]

I survived three little girls and a home tutor. You're ridiculing me, aren't you?

[He frowns, watching the guests leave.]

So Miss... Archer or whatever her name really is... she's a Servant like you? Someone summoned her? "Archer" is the class that can be separated from its Master, correct? What if... someone sent her to watch over Hayate?

[He slaps his hand to his forehead, cursing.]

Yagami! Yagami must be her Master! I'm going to be murdered by my own advisor!! But why would he bother sending a Servant to do it when he could just lock me in my office and kill me by overwork!?

Didn't even notice the deleted comment whoops

[killed_shiki]

[No more SHIKI anymore! Assassin is back to full-on Assassin now.]

I think she was telling the truth when she said she was there to accompany the girl. Wishful thinking will only get you killed. I'd bet money that Archer's Master was here tonight.

Alicia was a Servant, too. I don't know what class, but with her small build, my first guess would be Rider or Caster.

Ahaha, neither did I!

[fox_of_sawayama]

And a Rider or Caster type would stay fairly close to its Master, correct? So if two of our guests were Servants, then the other two must have been...

[Mitsunari looks a little ill.]

That's... that's not possible. Hayate can't possibly be a Master.

[killed_shiki]

Why not?