trans_9 | Winnowing the Doubt [Open]

If there was one thing that Saber needed to do no matter what her circumstances were, it was to keep busy. But if there was one thing about her that remained a constant, it was her caution and reserve. Perhaps she should have volunteered for one of these missions on the various worlds, but the Servant remained suspicious of the whole matter... not to mention that she needed to find a long-term solution to her prana problem before she threw herself into anything like a serious battle. Her transient body hadn't dissipated, which meant she was anchored to the material plane somehow; it might have been that Stacy herself was Saber's temporary 'Master', as bizarre as the concept was. But she had no way of knowing what might happen if she pushed herself beyond her reserves.

She had kept her activities to a minimum as a precaution -- spending much of her time sleeping to conserve her pool of mana and searching out better meals than the unidentifiable (and inadequate, by the King of Knights's standards) mass Stacy provided for nourishment. However, she could not afford to let her skills deteriorate. She needed to practise. Fortunately, the Sensoriums were up to the task.

The plant-suit she had accepted as this reality's 'civilian attire' was replaced by the raiment of a Heroic Spirit: gold-trimmed blue dress and blue-etched silver cuirass, gauntlets, tassets, and sabatons. Yet, to the naked eye, she appeared unarmed; Excalibur remained hidden within Invisible Air: the Bounded Field of the Wind King. With her unseen sword in hand, Saber moved through training patterns with the natural ease of a veteran warrior who had known little but war her entire life... and even after her death. Out of all the mysteries surrounding her, at least she knew this. Perhaps things would become clearer with a little workout.

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Ronnae snickered, "Well, he claims to be the most powerful Overlord in the whole cosmos. Somehow I don't doubt him... During a private sparring session in the sensoriums he pushed me past my limits, and yet he seemed fairly unphased by it all. And I won't say that I'm not up to par, I've beaten creatures of enourmous size and strength, Archmages of immense power and death knights of vile unholy strength." She shrugged.

"So there's at least some verity to his claim."

Unfortunately, the description brought up some very unpleasant memories of the final battle she fought before awakening to a blanket of alien goo. Or rather, the specific Servant she fought. "I have heard similar claims from another," she recalled, a scowl briefly breaking through her otherwise placid mask. "But though it is unfortunate, his bragging was not without merit."

However, so long as none of them insulted her chivalry or demanded that she throw away her sword and become his bride, Saber had little cause to complain.

Ronnae tilted her head curiously, wondering who Saber meant as the cause for her sudden change in demeanor.

"Must have been an unpleasant opponent then? Or maybe a comrade?" She asked in a timid voice.

"An enemy," she said flatly, and she struggled somewhat with keeping her hatred of her nemesis hidden. "He was not the only Servant to insult my pride as a knight, but at least the other I could speak to as a civilised person. But him..."

She shook her head. "I can only pray that, had he been preserved as I, that he may never awaken from his slumber. He would cause the ship no small amount of trouble."

Ronnae nodded as she listened to Saber before sighing. "The ship needs less troublemakers and more people willing to do what is needed... Or someone who can materialize real food." She quipped, trying to cheer up the mood with an awkward smile as her cheeks pinked at her joke.

It was Saber's turn to sigh. "Food... fortunately there appear to be some who have secured proper provisions, but it would be most fortuitous if there were even more."

Her expression turned faintly wistful. "At the very least, it is possible to find skilled chefs here. The same cannot be said of my kingdom."

She smiled happily, "I'm a fairly good cook thanks to my parents. And I plan on stocking up heavily on stuff that will last me long until the shore leave after next. You can always pass by my house if you ever desire a meal Lady Saber."

Saber remembered that Ronnae had mentioned her cooking abilities before, and had been curious about that. At the time, she had not had access to foodstuffs from offworld. But now...

"I would very much like that," she said, and meant it. "I have been to several of these different worlds, and so obtaining food to prepare should prove to be easier."

Ronnae clasped her hands together smiling happily that her friend had accepted her invitation.

"Great~! Just come by whenever you wish Lady Saber~ I'd be happy to prepare you something nice and filling when you wish it so. Only thing I ask is a bit of help buying more food, I'm preparing my house to be able to magically store the food and keep it fresh so we have enough to be happy until every shore leave." her face beaming with glee, she herself loved a good meal, much different than the concoction the crew had so happily called 'slop'.

That was not much to ask, really. In fact, Saber had fully intended to hunt, shop, scrounge, or whatever was necessary to get any sort of decent food. The problem had been finding someone with enough skill to actually prepare it... her own skills were somewhat lacking.

"You have my gratitude," she replied with the formality which she deemed appropriate. As far as the Servant was concerned, Ronnae was a lifesaver.

"Anytime~!" She mused cheerily, giving the knight a happy thumbs up, sticking her small tongue out playfully. Lifesaver or not, Ronnae always held her friends above anything else. If she could bring a smile to their faces, she'd do it in a heartbeat!

Winnowing the Doubt [Open]

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