(A/N: Here again after so long with my new FF)
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Fuyuki City, 2004
"Are you my servant?" Bazett asked this question to her servant, who had fallen to the ground the moment he was summoned.
Already feeling frustrated with her servant, Bazett could feel that this Holy Grail War would not go as smoothly as she had planned.
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2 Days ago Clock Tower, London
As Bazett walked through the empty halls of the Clock Tower, the only thing that could be heard was the echo of her shoes tapping against the ground. She was thinking about the phone call she had earlier, 'Why would he have summoned me? I've heard rumors that a ritual in a far east town is about to start once again. Could it be it..?'
"Hey! Are you Miss Bazett Fraga?"
Forced out of her thoughtful state by the sudden call, Bazett looked at the source of the voice and saw a young man whom she did not recognize.
Tilting her head to the side, she asked: "Hmm, indeed that's my name, but I can't seem to recall you. Did we meet somewhere before?"
When he got the answer to his question, the young man's eyes lit up with admiration, and moved close enough to Bazett to make her feel uncomfortable: "Ohhhh, so you are the famous Miss Bazett. I've heard a lot about you. Is it true that you are one of the most important figures in the Clock Tower? What does your family's magecraft do? What is the reason for your coming here today!?! Is it true tha-"
Sensing that the young man's questions would not come to an end, Bazett interrupted him.
"Pause." Bazett interrupted the young man in a calm and stern voice. Then she continued: "First, answer my question, who are you?" Bazett asked, frowning at the young man. She was obviously not going to be happy if she didn't get an answer to her question this time either.
The young man must have realized his rudeness since an apologetic smile appeared on his face: "Hahaha... Sorry, sorry, I couldn't help myself, Ms. Bazett, I'm Flat Escardos! I'm a student from Lord El-Melloi II's class!" The young man, Flat, gave a comedic salute to Bazett as he introduced himself.
"Flat then, I'm afraid I don't have enough time to answer all your questions, I have a meeting with your dear professor." After Bazett said this, she walked away without giving Flat a chance to say anything else.
Walking a little further, Bazett reached her destination and knocked several times on the office door.
"Come in."
Hearing a tired voice from inside, Bazett opened the door and stepped into the office. The first thing she noticed was how messy the room was and the strong smell of nicotine. Then she saw a girl in a black robe organizing the bookshelves. The girl didn't seem to take notice of her arrival and continued her job.
"Take a seat, Bazett." An exhausted man at his office desk, dealing with tons of paperwork, told her.
"Of course." Bazett nodded her head in agreement and sat down in one of the empty chairs available as she waited for the man to speak.
After taking a puff from his cigar, the man spoke: "I appreciate your sense of timing... Have you met my student Gray here?" Lord El-Melloi said to Bazett, as his eyes pointed at the girl in the black robe.
Hearing her name mentioned in the conversation, the girl, Gray, turned her head toward them, lowered her gaze slightly, and spoke in a barely audible voice: "H-Hi, nice to meet you, I'm Gray." Then she went back to what she had just been doing without adding anything else.
After Gray timidly introduced herself, Bazett just waved at her.
"Sigh... You'll have to excuse her. She's not very good with people." Lord El-Melloi said when he saw Gray's shy behavior.
"It's fine, really." Bazett exclaimed with a calm demeanor.
"Well, now shall we get to the topic at hand?" Lord El-Melloi said, and after he saw Bazett nod her head, he continued: "I assume you know that there is a ritual that takes place in the Far East every 60 years. The Holy Grail War. Only this time around, it's happening again sooner than expected. Just like the previous wars, the Clock Tower has decided to send someone to represent us there. I have spoken to the other Lords, and we have come to the agreement that you're our best choice available right now." Lord El-Melloi explained his reasoning.
Bazett could not hide her surprise and expressed it, even though she had prepared herself that she might hear something like this: "Are you certain sir? I'm sure there are others in the Clock Tower who are more capable than I am."
"Given your remarkable close combat skills and your experience as a sealing designation enforcer, my colleagues and I thought you would be the right choice." Lord El-Melloi said with a reassuring smile. While he took another puff from his cigar.
"So..." As Lord El-Melloi sighed with a heavy heart, he continued: "We do not know exactly when this Holy Grail War will begin, but it's likely going to be very soon. Your plane ticket is already booked, due tonight at 19:30. You will fly to Fuyuki, Japan. Just showing your Association ID at the airport will be enough. After landing in Fuyuki, go to the town's church, where the priest will explain the details and provide you with a place to stay. I know this might be coming too fast for you, but the sooner you get there the better. That way you can familiarize yourself with the city before the war starts." After saying this he took out a small card from one of the drawers in his desk and gave it to her.
When she saw the address written on the card, she said: "Understood, I'll give it my best effort." Just as Bazett was about to get up from the chair and leave, Lord El-Melloi spoke.
"Oh, one more thing Bazett. There's a package for you. Walk a bit further to the right after you leave this room, and you'll see the secretary's office of the Modern Magecraft Theory department. Tell the person there that I sent you, and he will give it to you."
Bazett didn't question what the package was and just nodded her head, walked to the door, and opened it. Before she left the room, she heard behind her.
"Good luck, you'll need it."
When Bazett turned around and saw the serious face of Lord El-Melloi II, she said: "Thank you, sir." Then she left the office and closed the door.
Following the instructions given to her, she walked a bit and found the office of the Department of Modern Magecraft Theory. She went in and saw a man reading a book on the counter. She walked over to him and spoke:
"Hello there, Lord El-Melloi II said that I have a package to pick up. I assume you were going to hand it to me."
"Ahh, yes just a moment please!" The man opened one of the counter drawers and started looking for the package in the drawer.
But when she saw that it was taking quite some time for the man to bring out the package, Bazett narrowed her eyes ever so slightly and said to the man in a bit concerned tone: "Is everything alright there?"
Hearing this, the man started to sweat profusely and he stammered: "Ha-Haha-Hahahah don't worry, this drawer is a bit of a mess you see..." At the same time, the man was thinking to himself: 'Damn it! Just where the hell did I put this thing!?!'
Bazett just nodded and waited for the man while looking around the room aimlessly.
"Yes, I finally found it!" The man said as if he had won the lottery while taking out the package from the drawer. But just as he was about to hand it over to Bazett, he pulled it back a little and asked: "Uhm... I almost forgot, can I see your Association ID, as per the rules, you know, procedures."
"Sure, no problem." Then Bazett took out her wallet from the right pocket of her pants, found the ID card that the man was asking for, and gave it to him.
The man took the ID and put it on a magic circle that was already on the table, and after a few seconds, a blue light started to glow from part of the ID. Seeing this, the man picked it up and returned it to Bazett: "Thank you for your patience Ms. Bazett, and sorry for the wait. Have a great rest of your day." The man said while smiling at Bazett.
"Thank you." Bazett said, then left the office and began descending the seemingly endless stairs of the Clock Tower. After a lengthy descent, she emerged from the building, took a moment to look around, and then walked to the side of the road.
Standing on the pavement and waiting for a few minutes, she finally spotted an empty taxi and signaled it to stop. Once the taxi pulled over and she got in, Bazett told the driver, "Take me to Holland St., Kensington please."