Optimistic Negotiations

A castle. Archer in familiar casual green dress. Ignoring the two guards, she entered one of the rooms. A woman with silver hair, golden crown, and cheek marks. She was busy writing something down. She was her mother. Infuriated Archer asked her about the woman with the slimed arm. Confusion written all over the silver-haired woman. Then realization. Then anger. She left somewhere for a meeting.

Another room of the castle, only darker, abandoned. On the sheetless bed was another woman. Dark curvy hair and different set of cheek marks. Archer sat next to her. She asked the same thing her mother could not answer.

The woman's eyes widened. They turned watery. She brushed the tears away one eye at a time. More came back. She turned back to hide her weeping. Archer sat there quiet and saddened. Two tiny tears find their way to her cheeks.

With eyes red and little sobbing, the woman talked. She explained everything. The more Archer listened, the more the truth shocked her.

XXX

The darkness in Marco's room bothered him: it meant he had awaken way too early. His phone confirmed it – six minutes past four.

His eyes closed. Archer's attacks had left him exhausted. He remembered throwing his pants on the chair and lying down just for a sec. Then the dream with Archer. The woman who she called mother. The other woman, which she made her cry. It felt like this dream was a continuation of his last. A story unfolding in his sleep, without having idea what was going on. One of the strangest dreams he ever had. Considering last two days, there was no way it was coincidental.

Marco rolled to one side of his bed. He searched for a way to ask Archer about the dreams without sounding creepy. If they had something to do with the Holy Grail War and her, which he was sure of, she would understand. For some reason, he felt this was a delicate topic to her. And once again, Archer was not happy with him.

After their encounter with an enemy Servant, somehow Archer saw who her Master was: a girl, maybe older by a few years than him, maybe younger. At first Marco was not sure what to do with this information. It was an advantage, but in what way? Archer wanted to trap the girl. That should be enough to worry the enemy Servant, make her sloppy, and give Archer the edge to take her out easily. Marco found this plan suspiciously close to kidnapping. He was not ready to do it, even if it meant losing the War.

His counter-offer became the reason Archer was mad at him. If there was a way to resolve this without risking lives, he was ready to try it. If it was without risking Jackie's life, then he must try it. So Marco wanted to have a talk with the other Master. Outcome lied between two spectrums: best case scenario – the girl would become their ally, or, by some kind of miracle, give up being a Master. Worst case – Archer would have to deal with Assassin. Of course, much darker outcomes were possible and even without exploring them, he knew. After last night's demonstration of Archer's abilities, Marco was a little more confident. And there was the possibility she wasn't going to fight Assassin alone.

He rolled again. The clock showed four fifteen. He was surprised how slow time passed, when you mentally replayed events, instead of dreaming. There was no way he was going to sleep anytime soon.

At these early hours his parents were either sleeping, or doing something he didn't want to imagine. From the corridor he could hear a deep male voice snoring. That gave him the courage to get downstairs. He turned on the kitchen lights, gently illuminating the rest of the floor. The guest room, where Jackie and Janna slept, was completely closed. The TV couch had a badly folded blanket, meaning his Servant was somewhere on guard duty. He grabbed a glass of milk and sat on the dining table.

Marco didn't like his plan, but it was the one with possible best outcome. Janna did not approve. Again she made the case of Servants being extremely dangerous. And Archer was even more furious than when they had the "your girlfriend is a Master" talk. He could not blame them, for the risk was high. Waiting for another attack form Assassin was even higher. Then Jackie agreed with him and said what he was thinking, only in a more reassuring way. Eventually the group decided to give him a shot. They also came with a few backup plans, which seemed to ease up Archer. Still, Marco felt she had yet to swallow his ideas completely.

The cold drink left his teeth painfully chilled. It had the opposite effect of calming him down. Massaging his lower lip, he waited for the microwave to do its magic.

Assassin's failed attempt opened Marco to the idea that an attack could come from anywhere, anytime. Now that they knew an enemy Servant was after them, being tracked down was both real and frightening. Then Jackie's summoning ended with destroying the catalyst and no Servant. Any number of factors were different enough to make his summoning a success and hers not. The environment. The stressed out atmosphere. The slightly modified summoning circle. Jackie herself….

Two bright digits on the black display indicated Marco's milk was almost ready. He stopped the microwave, avoiding its sounding signal for "ready". Except for the handle, the ceramic mug was too hot to hold. He took a careful sip. Pleasant warmth filled his belly and he realized that was the feeling he was looking for. Satisfied, Marco sat back on the table. He took another sip.

On the other side of the table the air slightly vibrated. Out of nowhere tiny fireflies came together, forming a human shape. An instinct yelled deep down from Marco's gut. He tried to get up, to put some distance in between. Only to stumble in his chair. Archer finished materializing, sitting against Marco. He leaned on the table and tried to act as if he did not had mini panic attack. The blonde gave him a suspicious look.

"You should be sleeping," she said.

"I slept. How's your barrier holding up?"

"Nobody tried to get in or out. Seems we haven't been followed."

"Good."

Part of Marco's dream popped in his mind. Archer's expression wasn't giving away if she was still upset with him or not. Her short sentences did not help either. Best to play it safe for now.

"Archer, help me get something straight," he started. "You said Servants can sense each other and that's how Assassin tracked us down."

"Correct."

"Then how come she got down with us in Janna's basement without you realizing it?"

The girl crossed arms. "Each Servant class has a unique ability to help him, or her, in the War. Assassin's called Presence Concealment. Basically she cannot be sensed that easily, or at all."

"That's sounds scary. What about your ability?"

"The Archer class have Independent Action skill. Thanks to it I can fight without relying on a Master's mana. For a limited time only. And since you're... well normal, I'm sure it will come in handy."

"Can you use it to fuel that powerful attack you mentioned before?" he asked.

Archer shrugged shoulders. "I doubt it will be enough for a full-blown Noble Phantasm, without spending most of my own mana."

"I see." Marco had a sip. The milk had lost its pleasant warmth. "There is something else. I keep having, well, had two dreams-"

"With me in the center of them, right?" Archer's expression hardened.

He raised an eyebrow. "How do you know-"

"They're not just dreams," her look shifted to an unspecified spot on the table. "When a Master and a Servant have good connection, the Master occasionally gets to see his Servant's past. In the form of dreams."

"Really? Well besides you being there, I can't really make any sense of them. You don't look that different from the dreams."

"That's because whatever you're seeing, it must have happened shortly before I've died."

Marco swallowed painfully. She was alive? He had thought of Servants as magical being waiting to be summoned in his world. The dreams of her past proved otherwise. The girl had an adventurous life, a mother, friends both human and not in their nature. Something had happened, something had taken her life. She was around his age when it all ended.

The silence was both awkward and crushing. Nobody had taught Marco to deal with such delicate topic. Something had to be said.

"Do you want to… maybe talk about it?" he asked.

"No," Archer's tone was cold as steel. "And don't mention your dreams to anybody. It will jeopardize my identity and my-… our chances of winning the Holy Grail War."

XXX

Their early morning chat left Marco with more food for though. For better or worse, sleepiness came back with full power, ending their conversation on somewhat bitter note.

Morning arrived in the form of Jackie sneaking in his room and getting the jump on him. For a moment he thought it was another dream. When he realized it did not include Archer, a form of relief came over him. Then Jackie intentionally shrugged him with an elbow, shattering the illusion. The extra two and a half hours of sleep left Marco refreshed.

School started and ended as typical as it could be. Jackie and Janna did not felt the need to sneak behind the school cafeteria. Marco was on board with that. Having a high school experience right now was the best he could imagine to a normal life. Not that he was focused on what was happening between classes, much less in the classroom.

Most of his thoughts were on Assassin's Master. He ran a few mental scenarios about her, what would he say, how she could react. Some had a positive conclusion – not getting into a fight. The rest ended as Archer and Janna had warned him. Some had even more pessimistic outcome. He found out to be making them too bad on purpose. Was it to prepare himself or to explore himself? Or a little of both?

At end of school, even after a generous lunch, Marco had developed a distracting food craving. On the other hand, an hour later he had karate lessons. Because of the War, he had skipped the last lesson and did not want to make a habit of it. Going to the dojo half-starved wasn't going to do him any favors. Together with the girls he visited the Mall to grab a snack. The massive shopping building had not only different fast-food establishments, but the dojo was there as well. Marco had long since made peace that his training ground was part of a place where people go to buy questionable clothing, watch half-baked movies and satisfy their junk food cravings.

Sensei was thrilled, even relieved to see Marco back. He didn't even mind letting Jackie and Janna watch on the side. Even if he was not the best karate teacher in Echo Creek, Sensei had respect for the art. Also expectations for others to follow the dojo's rules just strictly as he does. That was enough for Marco to put his confidence in him in the first place.

It helped him relax and not worry about tonight, or tomorrow, or when the War would end. Each exercise made Marco feel like a different person. Not as a martial artist, but as someone who he was last summer, last week, and a few days ago. With each strike he performed, a strange mix of peace and confidence ran through his entire body with empowering lasting effect. While Janna didn't seemed interested, Jackie had her full attention focused on Marco. Her eyes trembled, shined. She knew, for this was not the first time Marco had brought her, but it was the first time she looked so consumed. And somewhere between the empty benches, Archer silently stood in her Spirit Form. At least Marco hoped she was here. Else brining Janna and Jackie with him was not only pointless, but dangerous.

Two things had to be done before visiting Assassin's Master. First, Marco had to call his parents to warn them he would go out with the girls and they will be late. It was the truth, just not all of it. Next, the group had a short talk with Archer about the enemy Master. Specifically, where exactly her house was and what she looked like. Jackie repeated it all to make sure she had understood. Once they were all set, Archer entered her Spirit Form. Her job was same as last night – stay close and be ready for a surprise attack.

The sky was colored in this magical mix of sunset and night. Without slowing down, Marco double-checked his surroundings. Family-sized houses, some sharing gardens, some separating them with fences. They were getting closer. He noticed Jackie and Janna were not as chatty as when they left. Their silence both helped him focus and made him nervous.

One house was smaller from the rest. By Marco's estimate half the size of his own home. With a single level and tiny garden, outlined by the other houses' fences. As he got closer his pace lowered, until he completely stopped. The house looked depressingly lonely. Its two small windows with half-lowered curtains made it look like it was expressing its sadness. Archer's description was impressively accurate. Marco remembered something about the Archer class having excellent sight and perception.

"This is it," he simply stated.

"What now?" Janna asked.

Marco looked around, hoping to find some indication Archer was here. But that would defeat her purpose of staying invisible. No sign of her anyway.

"Let's see is anybody home," he said.

His finger stopped just a centimeter from the doorbell. Chills ran down his back, as if somebody had his gaze locked onto him. He checked both windows. The darkness inside was discouraging. He pressed the button.

Seconds passed in silence. Marco had started wondering what to do, when the door lock cracked. He was met by a girl about his age. Long curly chestnut hair. Sharp lemon green eyes. Again, Archer's description was pinpoint accurate.

"Can I help you?" she politely asked.

One of her hands kept the door open. The other she was behind her back. A part of Marco's mind raised dozen various reasons why she was hiding it. He brushed them away and bet on the logical answer: this girl was Assassin's Master.

He carefully removed his right glove and showed the back of his hand. "You know what these are?"

The girl barely raised eyebrows. Her eyes jumped around Marco, most likely focusing on Jackie and Janna. She also showed him her hand. The Command Spells were three flames arranged in a form of a leaf.

"Bold move. Come in." she invited them.

The room was both modest on size and furniture. Dark gray couch. Twenty-four inch TV. Coffee table with closed laptop on it. One corner had most basic equipment to qualify it as a kitchen. On the other end of the room the girl stood, wearing dark dress with long sleeves.

"First, introductions," she said. "I'm Rebecca."

Marco and the girls followed her example.

The chestnut-haired girl crossed arms. "Alright, Marco, Jackie and Janna. How did you figured out I'm a Master?"

"My Servant," Marco said. "She tracked yours to here."

"So you're the ones who Assassin failed to kill," Rebecca said. "Give me a good reason why she should not finish the job right now." The casual way she said it disturbed Marco.

"Wait, hold on a sec," Jackie raised both hands. "We're here to talk. No need to get crazy ideas."

"Then let's talk."

Marco and Jackie's eyes met. This was his plan, his chance to make it real. Good words were surprisingly hard to come by. He decided to start simple, but on point.

"Lately people seemed to randomly disappear. If you've seen the news, then you know police have no idea why it is happening."

Rebecca started walking around in circles. "I've heard. If you're asking me for an opinion, I've got one. Most likely a Master is feeding his Servant or some similar ritual that requires human sacrifices. Can't really say without investigating."

"That's horrible" Jackie said.

Rebecca stopped on one place. "Agreed. If somebody is empowering his Servant, then he must be stopped before things get out of hand."

A sparkle of hope flashed in Marco's mind. "Exactly. That's the main reason we've become Masters: to protect innocent people."

Surprisingly, Rebecca let out a mocking laugh. "I'm sure you've got some noble reason to do whatever you want to do. But it's flawed. In a war casualties and collateral damage are expected. And our war is not much different."

"Maybe you're right," Marco started. "But even one live saved is better than letting it go. We will do whatever is needed to avoid turning this into something… worse."

"Will you help us find and stop the Master, who is responsible for the disappearances?" Jackie asked.

Rebecca's look fell on the blonde girl. "You're forgetting what we're part of. We should be fighting each other, not teaming up. Just ask your Servant. It's interesting to see what she thinks about getting along with the enemy."

"And if this Master becomes too strong to deal with?" Jackie continued.

"Why wait until you regret it?" Marco joined her. "What if tomorrow he takes away somebody you care? What if he abducts your mother, or father?"

Rebecca's expression changed, replaced by restrained anger. Marco double-checked his words, but found nothing to wrong in them. She had formed fists and they were getting red. He carefully stepped back, as if his steps could trigger a landmine.

"Get out," Rebecca ordered through teeth.

The story has been rebooted as "Starnight: RE".