A Blossoming Journey

       Lily did have a point. A pie would be quite the challenge, and since Waver had never made one, it could be an opportunity to learn how. Then again, he couldn’t reason how learning to make one would be useful for him, but this wasn’t about him. Peering over her shoulder, the pages in the cookbook showed different desserts, easily spotting a peach pie that seemed simple enough to make. “Hmm… They might actually be able to enjoy it more too if we make a pie since it’s bigger than a few cookies. And I already know how to make cookies. The gist of it at least,” he commented, pausing her page turning to move back to the recipe he had seen. “But how about that? What does it say we need?”  

       A peach pie clearly needed peaches, and if he remembered correctly, Martha had gotten a few the last time she had returned from the market. Moving away from the Saber’s side, he went to the table and scooped up the fruit bowl, eyeing the few peaches and other assortment of fruit in it. “If we don’t have enough, we could add something else in it to balance it out. I don’t really know what complements peaches, but it can’t be hard.” The worst part he assumed had to be putting together a crust, something he had little to no experience in making. 

       “If we had blueberries, they would go well together… but I think Martha only bought strawberries.” Which were in the fridge. “And some apples. I can’t say that sounds appetizing. They’ll be eating it, so I wouldn’t want to waste their food on something they won’t even like.” 

❀ “Alright, I think that sounds great!” Lily was quick to agree, looking very eager at the suggestion. She remained still for a moment as Waver flipped back to the page of the peach pie, reading the ingredients out loud. She’d need to act as a translator for all of this, and she didn’t want to mess anything up.

“It says we’ll need sugar, flour, cinnamon, peeled peaches, lemon juice, and pie crust. Wait...” She seemed to pause for a moment, her face wrinkling in confusion. “Pie crust? Hold on, I’ll look for a recipe for that as well! It has to be somewhere in this book too!” Keeping note of the page the pie recipe was on, she resumed her page-flipping once more, before falling onto a recipe and letting out a content hum. “Here it is! Ok, this says we’ll need flour, unsalted butter, salt, sugar, and water.” Reading off the list once more, she paused for a moment to look at the fruit that Waver had found.

What my muse finds cutest about yours

❀ “The fact that his dogs follow him around all the time!” She was easily taken in by the simple sight of the hounds--Her eyes practically seemed to sparkle now as she spoke.

What my muse finds cutest about yours

❀ “Hmmm... Well, the way that my Master’s face seems to brighten up when he’s done something right or is successful is awfully cute to see!”

     IT WAS FINE TO have moments of childish whims of fancy. Even a powerful man such as he had times where he put aside kingly status to have what could be constituted as ‘fun’ by his definition of it. So, doing these silly things with Lily was hardly an issue for him — at least as long as no one saw him that was. He had a reputation to uphold, after all. He could not be caught seen running around trying to catch a horse! As soon as the young Saber made it to three, he had made to move forward, though she had already rushed off towards the herd and frightened them with her enthusiasm. The horses probably thought she was mad as she rushed about, hoping to tame one of them. The sight was truly amusing if anything, a grin so easily tugged upon the Pharaoh’s lips.

     Quickly his eyes darted around to find one of the steeds that would be less difficult to deal with, his eyes falling upon one that was a chestnut brown in the distance who seemed more interested in eating than in the commotion taking place. Most of the horses had calmed down, simply watching Lily’s antics with the kind of tenseness only herding creatures could have. Good, good. That’s the one he would aim for. With his incredible abilities, that horse would be eating out of his hand in no time. Using Lily as a distraction, he made his way over to the beast in question, stepping as close as he could without startling it. Lifting its head, the horse seemed to now notice his presence, staring intensely as if to see just what he would do. It was times like this he wished he had food on his person, but it was not as if he ahd expected to be put in this situation.

     ❝Now, now, calm down. I just want to maybe ride you for a little…❞ Stepping just a bit closer, he had just reached out to touch the horse when it finally seemed to catch onto the chaos. Nostrils flared as it looked upon its fellow in the distance being chased, and so just like that, it too began to run. ❝W-What?! Wait!❞ Scowling, Ozymandias was forced to give chase.

❀ While things weren’t going perfectly with Lily’s attempts, she was at least relieved to see that Ozymandias’ attempt didn’t look to be any more successful. She had heard him trying to call after a horse himself, drawing her attention away momentarily. Were she not chasing a horse herself, she might have stopped to laugh about the situation--It wasn’t every day you saw both a knight and a Pharaoh chasing after horses... But she still had a challenge to win.

Just chasing the horse as she was wasn’t doing much--She could keep up, yes, but it wasn’t helping to calm it down in the slightest. There was only one option that seemed logical to her now, and she was going to go with it. Infusing another few mana burst into her steps, she moved quickly to sprint beside the horse, before leaping up in the air and landing atop it in a swift motion.

“Please, calm down! I don’t intend to hurt you!” A hand went to grip the horse’s hair and try and steady herself in fear that she might be thrown off. Just being on the horse wasn’t the same as taming it, after all--She would have to make sure the animal was calm and allowed her to actually ride it.

But her riding skill would make it fine, right? Wrong.

“That’s it! Please, just-”

The girl let out a shout as the horse reared itself onto its hind legs, effectively throwing her off in the process. As she hit the ground, she could only watch in shock as the horse ran off without any chance of her following it.

       With that logic, it was hard to argue. Glenn and Martha had done more than enough for him by allowing him to stay in their home, yet it hadn’t been their decision to do so from the start. Just thinking about it tinged him with the faintest guilt. “I guess so,” Waver mumbled, looking down to the tablet’s surface while he drew idly circle with his finger. “They have done a lot for me, and I haven’t really returned the favor.” Not that he stuck around the house aside from eating and sleeping. More often than not, he was cooped upstairs in the bedroom or lingering about the city looking for something that could benefit him and his Servant in the war. 

       His spirits slowly lifting, Waver gave her faint grin before sighing and moving to a low cabinet that was pressed against the wall. “When you word it that way, I can’t really say ‘no’ or try to convince you otherwise.” Learning something new would be good for the both of them, and the Mackenzie would have a nice treat waiting for them too. All in all, there wasn’t anything that could go wrong. Well, unless they burned down the house. Waver wouldn’t ever forgive himself if he destroyed an elderly couples home. 

       “I’ve seen Martha look here sometimes. I assume there are some books.” Whether he could read them in English was the main issue. Easing onto the floor, he slid out a few hardcovers, glancing over the front and back of one only to place it back. “A lot of these are novels,” he complained, nose wrinkling at the cliched bargain bin romance cover, “I think that… Oh!” Further toward the back seemed to be a few cook books, some specializing in Japanese dishes and other from other countries but the one that stuck out the most displayed a grand table filled with various desserts. Quickly scrambling from the floor, Waver eagerly held out the book to her. “This should work, right?”

❀ The grin on Waver’s face seemed to make the Saber grow even more excited--Knowing that he was on board with it was almost a bit of a relief.

“Great!” It would be much easier without any sort of argument or bargaining. As Waver moved, so did Lily behind him, standing up on the tips of her toes to see what he was doing from behind. She could only let out a small giggle as he pulled out the novels, catching sight of the titles quickly before he put them back. Those certainly wouldn’t help out with any sort of baking. The cookbooks that he found did seem to be much more promising, though.

“Oh--That will work perfectly!” The Grail was certainly useful in allowing her to understand languages so easily--Taking the book that was held out to her, Lily was able to flip through the pages and read the recipes with ease.

GENERAL

Name: Arturia Pendragon Nickname(s): Saber Lily, Lily Age: 17 Species: Servant

PERSONAL

Morality: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / grey / evil Sins: lust / greed / gluttony / sloth / pride / envy / wrath Virtues: charity / diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice Primary goals in life: To become the perfect King that can lead her nation to peace and prosperity

PHYSICAL

Build: slender / scrawny / bony / fit / athletic / curvy / herculean / babyfat / pudgy / obese / Height: 5′0″ (154 cm)  Weight: 92 lbs (42 kg) Scars/Birthmarks: N/A Abilities/powers: Am I supposed to list her skills here? I’ll be real I’m too lazy for that

FAVORITES

Favorite food: Anything sweet, probably with a preference to pie! She’s quick to grow a sweet tooth when summoned. Favorite drink: Most likely tea Favorite color(s): White and pink Favorite music genre: Pop music Favorite book genre: Fantasy/Adventure novels Favorite movie genre: Superhero Favorite season: Spring Favorite curse word(s): Bold of you to assume she has the capability to swear Favorite scent: Floral scents, and things being baked in general (bread, desserts, etc.)

FUN STUFF

Sings in the shower: Probably on occasion Likes bad puns: Definitely. She’ll laugh at jokes and puns no matter how bad

“…..” Julius just stares, and waits. The thing is with people who attempt to lie obviously is that eventually it all crumbles without you needing to say or do anything. And so, he just goes back to what he was doing. Tea. A nice splash of milk, with a couple of sugars. Grabs the sandwich he had just finished and sits down. 

“Of course, Saber.”  Wait for it… oh. An adorable attempt to say the least there. She was actually trying to hide it within her dress now… and there it was. Another meow. A sigh passes his lips once again now, seeing that his Servant would just continue to dance around this issue. 

“Lily. Please, come sit down with me. It appears we need to have a talk…. and take the kitten out of your dress, I very much doubt it wishes to remain there.” Taking a sip, Julius sits back for a moment, rubbing his temples in the meantime. 

“We are friends, are we not? Do you not think that I would be willing to hear you out on such a matter?” His almost stern expression softens now. “Let me see your new little friend then, might as well get a good look at them.”

❀ Lily wasn’t sure if she should feel relief or fear that Julius wasn’t saying anything more. She had a glimmer of hope for a moment that she’d get away with this--Only for Julius to call her out for her little attempt with complete accuracy. Her shoulders seemed to drop in defeat at that comment, letting out a small sigh before pulling the kitten out, and moving to hold it up against her chest instead.

It seemed to be a calico kitten that she had picked up. The little cat seemed to be in poor condition--Its body showed clear signs of hunger, and it seemed rather scruffy. No doubt its rather upsetting appearance was the reason why Lily had taken pity and picked it up in the first place.

Remaining silent for a moment, there seemed to be an expression of guilt on her face while she moved to sit down, still hugging the cat close.

“I guess, it’s just... Sir Ector wouldn’t have allowed me to take in an animal like this. I guess I was just afraid you’d say the same...” She spilled the truth rather quickly, looking down at the kitten in pity for a moment before glancing back to Julius. It was at least a relief to see that he didn’t look upset with her, but a bit of the guilt still lingered.

     [ Thankfully, her arms weren’t as bad as he’d anticipated. They would heal in time, which caused a small huff to leave the Admiral’s lips as he stood back up from where he’d knelt. He almost forgot the young girl before him was still yet a Servant. Still, he wondered why she’d attempted to fight something - or someone right before their training? Though the question did puzzle him, he decided not to pry. Surely, she had her own line of thinking. Considering the stark contrasts in their culture, the difference between them was something that Yi Sun Shin had expected. ]

“I got a little tired out and dropped my guard. Tomorrow should be better, if you’re still fine with that. It wouldn’t be fair to spar with you without giving it my all. ”

“ That is fine, ” [ The Rider nodded, ] “ However, do not feel shame, nor discouragement in your recent retreat, for if you are standing - that is a small measure of victory in itself. Remember Saber, you may fall, hurt yourself many times over, but you only need but succeed once. At the same time, that should serve as your motivation but to train harder next time we meet. ” 

     [ Slowly, the Admiral sat back down on a lush patch of grass as he set a small rucksack from his back on the ground. ] 

“ However, if we do not train, it does free up some time to have tea. Will you join me? Though I’m rather afraid that this tea isn’t one from your country, so I’m not sure if this will be to your tastes. ” 

❀ Lily was glad that he didn’t push things any further or ask any questions--But she did feel a bit of shame rising up in her as he spoke next. She didn’t want to be reminded of her retreat like that, but...

Maybe he was right about that. She did make it back in one piece, and without any life-threatening injuries. That did seem to be a bit of an achievement in of itself. Altogether, his words seemed more encouraging than anything else to her... And really, it did seem to make a difference on her mood.

The girl was only silent for another moment before responding.

“Of course.” Looking up now, there was a small smile tugging at her lips while she nodded her head.

Looking from the desserts to the young girl, Tea could do little more than tilt her head a bit in confusion. The ‘stolen’ desserts in question were the ones she’d seen everyone take, unless everyone just decided together they’d be stealing them they had to be free. Right? 

Taking the offered up bribe she looks it over with her face still pinched in confusion before it lightens up with a revelation. Perhaps-! This was pretend? Was the Lily servant playing that she was a cat burglar? It made sense to her.

“I saw nothing little Lily, er I mean-“ Leaning in she gestures for the girl to come closer so she can whisper. 

“Wh- Who are you pretending to be? A pirate? Or perhaps a famous thief?“

❀ Lily was rather surprised that Tea still took the sweet--But she supposed the treats were rather tempting. She had taken them too, after all...

“I-I’m sorry?” The question seemed to come out of nowhere to the girl, and flew right over her head. The confusion showed on her face, and she had to take a moment to think the question over once more before trying to respond.

Chaldea being full of Servants, multiple of them even staying in spirit form, sensing someone closing in on her was something Nero paid no attention to; after all unless being called to, there was no reason to think anyone would need her specifically. Thus, the sneak attack in the form of a flower crown being placed on her came as a complete surprise.

Reaching with her hand to touch the flower crown, recognizing the shapes of the roses Nero gave a thankful smile back at the younger Saber. Though she could not confirm the colour of the roses in that moment, the comment gave her a strong enough of an inkling.

“’Tis quite masterfully crafted.” Admitting it, she could only imagine how hard it would be to form a flower crown from the stiff flowers. “Thy delivery speaks volumes of thy training as well.” It was not easy to surprise her, especially by sneaking up and Nero could not help but to congratulate Arturia— her skills were growing considerably.

❀ The look of pride on Lily’s face only seemed to swell at the praise from the other Saber, her smile practically stretching from ear to ear. It had taken quite a bit of work to get it completed, and even more time for her to work trying to ‘perfect’ it--She wasn’t going to give anything less than her best to someone she cared about, after all.

“Thank you! I’m glad you like it!” Her voice seemed rather energetic now as she spoke, the girl seeming to be rather chatty now that it had been received in such a positive manner.

“You really think so? I just wanted it to be a surprise! I thought my heels would make too much noise going down the hall, and so would my armor... So taking them off temporarily just seemed best for sneaking up from behind.” Pausing for a moment, Lily was silent while processing her thoughts and speaking up once more.

Action Meme

❀ The sudden flick was more than enough to tell the Saber she had been caught in the act.

A single cookie dropped form her hand instantly back onto the plate of the older knight, the girl letting out a small cry of shock. It wasn’t that the flick hurt her, but it certainly wasn’t nice. Turning up to look at him for a moment with a pout, she didn’t seem to be truly angry at him–Rather, Lily was taking things in good heart.

“Hey! You said that you were my knight, didn’t you? And I can rely on my knights, can’t I?” There was a fake-accusatory tone to her voice, the pout still remaining on her face while she spoke, her arms now crossed in front of herself. “Then can’t I rely on you to help me when I’m out of sweets? I think that’s unfair of you to break a promise like that!” Of course it wasn’t a promise for sweets at all, and she knew it. But she’d joke with him now.

Action Meme

❀ It was the clashing of metal that woke the Saber up from her sleep. The noise wasn’t comforting in the slightest--It was far too close, and one that sounded all too much like battle. And a battle it was. As soon as the drowsiness lifted from her eyes and she moved to sit up, she could make out the figure of a Lancer  in front of her, fending off a wyvern with admirable skill and strength.

The girl was both terrified and mesmerized at the same time. The panic of the dangerous situation kept hold on her, yet the wonder at the hero fighting in front of her kept her watching with wide eyes, and a hand clamped over her mouth to keep herself from shouting. The last thing she needed to do was scream and distract him.

“Was that...?” She stopped herself before finishing the question. It was obvious what it was. An enemy, that had found an easy target, asleep against a tree. A target that by all means should have been a quick kill. Despite her best efforts to keep her emotions under control, the girl could feel tears quickly welling up in her eyes. She felt guilt over the situation, and immeasurable gratitude to the Lancer. Had he not noticed, there was no way she would have been able to defend herself.

Action Meme

❀ Lily had admittedly been paying more attention to what lay ahead of her than what lay below while she was scouting out a floor of the building--And that only served to hurt her in the end, as she stepped on a rather weak and crumbling patch of cement in the old skyscraper. The girl had no warning as the ground gave out underneath her, sending her into a free-fall down the the next floor. She couldn’t help but close her eyes in fear the moment she felt her feet lose the stability beneath her--She knew what would be coming next, and she’d prefer not to watch it incoming.

So, it was a surprise to Lily as she felt herself not hitting the hard ground, or falling through any more floors, but rather being stopped by a pair of gentle arms. Her eyes slowly opened in hesitance, only to take in the sight of a rather confused and concerned Rider looking down at her.

“I...” That was a bit of a shock. A good one, but still not expected at all. Her face seemed to flit through a variety of emotions--Surprise, relief,confusion, shame--Before she finally managed to speak again.