Nasuverse Heaven's Facepalm
- Thread starter deviatesfish
- Start date
Just because it's blurry, does not mean it isn't there. And like I said, the cross-dressing was the only bad part about it.
I'd much rather see Shirou own Lancer instead, and overpower the Love Spot's influence with sheer GAR ^_^ But I really don't like Zero!Lancer, and Shirou's my favorite character so... :sweat:
I'd much rather see Shirou own Lancer instead, and overpower the Love Spot's influence with sheer GAR ^_^ But I really don't like Zero!Lancer, and Shirou's my favorite character so... :sweat:
HeavenÆs Facepalm
True Name: Shirou
Class: False Caster
Alignment: True Shirou
Strength: D
Agility: C
Mana: C
Luck: F---
Endurance: C
Class Skills
Independent Action: B
Magic Resistance: D
Item Creation: D (Capable of creating feasts which can sate the hunger of Kings.)
Personal Skills
Clairvoyance: C
Magecraft: C-
Mental Pollution: C
Nobol Pantasmos
Unknown
Kiritsugu frowned at this sheet of information for a long time. No matter how hard he glared at it, it didnÆt want to change. He sighed. At least the æon-paperÆ stats of the other two were what he had expected to be around King ArthurÆs league. It is a curiosity that the man is the weakest, but if the other two treats him as an equal, then perhaps there is something to him.
Kiritsugu didnÆt hope, but he couldnÆt help but wish that this strange Servant named Shirou would be able to protect his wife through this War. It wouldnÆt do for him to win, only to have all that he loved torn away from his grasp, after all.
Saber frowned as she walked down the stairs, out of the air plane. There was something she had forgotten, a minor detail that nagged her at the edge of her mind. But she couldnÆt remember what it wasà only that it was something to warrant her attention. Still, if she couldnÆt remember it, it must not have been something too important, right?
As she sat down in the front passenger seat of the car that was prepared for them, Saber allowed her mind to wander. The first few days were calm and peaceful, until that night she clashed with Lancer. Well, now she wouldnÆt even have to worry about that. Yet, as Shirou and Rin climbed on to the backseats of the car, that nagging alert in her mind only seemed to throb and ring harder than before. She wondered what was it that caused her to be on such high alertà
àand then Irisviel sat down in the driverÆs seat.
Morgan Freeman would say, ôI could tell you a grand story about what happened that day. It was a tale of love and sorrow, friendship and betrayal, an epic for the ages. But IÆll spare you of that.ö
And so IÆll spare you of that.
Instead, I will tell you what happened afterwards.
Years later, people would still remember this awesome day, and tell tales of it in hushed and awed whispers to their children. It was like the urban legend of the woman who silently visits cake shops; a new urban legend had begun. The citizens of Fuyuki tell tales of a Ghost Rider, a woman with ghastly white hair driving a Mercedes Benz accompanied by a chorus of banshees screaming shrilly. Some of these urban legends tell that the Ghost Rider is accompanied by her victims, a blonde, a redhead, and a brunette. But these ghost stories will have to wait until another time.
Saber was the first to stumble out of the car, grumbling something along the lines of ôIÆm going scouting!ö while she covered her mouth and ran as far as she could. She didnÆt care where she was going. The second time was worse than the first; somehow her experience with IrisvielÆs driving has only upset herself more. Could Heroic Spirits even get upset stomachs and headaches?
She stumbled into a shopping mall without a care of who she bumped into. One of those children was a red-headed Japanese boy, who immediately fell and cried. Saber persevered and continued on, looking for something to stop the world from spinning around and round.
She finally stopped in front of a department store, where she fell to her knees. ôS-such a shameful disgraceà!ö She growled, trying to right herself. Just then, something golden appeared. As if by divine intervention, the old and worn Lion ride she had seen before stood before her, brand new and sparkling. The childrenÆs coin-ride machine seemed to almost call to her, ôGao gao, Saber! Gao gao!ö
In the blink of an eye, she found herself atop the Lion. The slow rocking of the ride soothed her heart. After a few more times, Saber leaned in and hugged the head of the plastic Lion fiercely, yet with a peaceful mind. Whimpering through her tears, she muttered, ôLion-chanàö
From across the department store, a little boy tugged on his motherÆs skirt and shouted, ôMom, mom! Look that foreign lady isù!ö
ôShh,ö the mother hushed her son quickly and whispered into his ear loudly enough that everyone could hear her, ôIgnore it, dear.ö She gave Saber a baleful glare before dragging her son away to tortureùI mean, to try on new clothes.
Saber sighed again contently, ignorant of the happenings of her surroundings, ôLion-chan, youÆd never betray me, right?ö
And just as she asked that, the machine broke down.
True Name: Shirou
Class: False Caster
Alignment: True Shirou
Strength: D
Agility: C
Mana: C
Luck: F---
Endurance: C
Class Skills
Independent Action: B
Magic Resistance: D
Item Creation: D (Capable of creating feasts which can sate the hunger of Kings.)
Personal Skills
Clairvoyance: C
Magecraft: C-
Mental Pollution: C
Nobol Pantasmos
Unknown
Kiritsugu frowned at this sheet of information for a long time. No matter how hard he glared at it, it didnÆt want to change. He sighed. At least the æon-paperÆ stats of the other two were what he had expected to be around King ArthurÆs league. It is a curiosity that the man is the weakest, but if the other two treats him as an equal, then perhaps there is something to him.
Kiritsugu didnÆt hope, but he couldnÆt help but wish that this strange Servant named Shirou would be able to protect his wife through this War. It wouldnÆt do for him to win, only to have all that he loved torn away from his grasp, after all.
Saber frowned as she walked down the stairs, out of the air plane. There was something she had forgotten, a minor detail that nagged her at the edge of her mind. But she couldnÆt remember what it wasà only that it was something to warrant her attention. Still, if she couldnÆt remember it, it must not have been something too important, right?
As she sat down in the front passenger seat of the car that was prepared for them, Saber allowed her mind to wander. The first few days were calm and peaceful, until that night she clashed with Lancer. Well, now she wouldnÆt even have to worry about that. Yet, as Shirou and Rin climbed on to the backseats of the car, that nagging alert in her mind only seemed to throb and ring harder than before. She wondered what was it that caused her to be on such high alertà
àand then Irisviel sat down in the driverÆs seat.
Morgan Freeman would say, ôI could tell you a grand story about what happened that day. It was a tale of love and sorrow, friendship and betrayal, an epic for the ages. But IÆll spare you of that.ö
And so IÆll spare you of that.
Instead, I will tell you what happened afterwards.
Years later, people would still remember this awesome day, and tell tales of it in hushed and awed whispers to their children. It was like the urban legend of the woman who silently visits cake shops; a new urban legend had begun. The citizens of Fuyuki tell tales of a Ghost Rider, a woman with ghastly white hair driving a Mercedes Benz accompanied by a chorus of banshees screaming shrilly. Some of these urban legends tell that the Ghost Rider is accompanied by her victims, a blonde, a redhead, and a brunette. But these ghost stories will have to wait until another time.
Saber was the first to stumble out of the car, grumbling something along the lines of ôIÆm going scouting!ö while she covered her mouth and ran as far as she could. She didnÆt care where she was going. The second time was worse than the first; somehow her experience with IrisvielÆs driving has only upset herself more. Could Heroic Spirits even get upset stomachs and headaches?
She stumbled into a shopping mall without a care of who she bumped into. One of those children was a red-headed Japanese boy, who immediately fell and cried. Saber persevered and continued on, looking for something to stop the world from spinning around and round.
She finally stopped in front of a department store, where she fell to her knees. ôS-such a shameful disgraceà!ö She growled, trying to right herself. Just then, something golden appeared. As if by divine intervention, the old and worn Lion ride she had seen before stood before her, brand new and sparkling. The childrenÆs coin-ride machine seemed to almost call to her, ôGao gao, Saber! Gao gao!ö
In the blink of an eye, she found herself atop the Lion. The slow rocking of the ride soothed her heart. After a few more times, Saber leaned in and hugged the head of the plastic Lion fiercely, yet with a peaceful mind. Whimpering through her tears, she muttered, ôLion-chanàö
From across the department store, a little boy tugged on his motherÆs skirt and shouted, ôMom, mom! Look that foreign lady isù!ö
ôShh,ö the mother hushed her son quickly and whispered into his ear loudly enough that everyone could hear her, ôIgnore it, dear.ö She gave Saber a baleful glare before dragging her son away to tortureùI mean, to try on new clothes.
Saber sighed again contently, ignorant of the happenings of her surroundings, ôLion-chan, youÆd never betray me, right?ö
And just as she asked that, the machine broke down.
If she lost herself completely to despair, would that cause her to turn into Saber Alter? ...Kind of want. And I'm a little iffy on the stats, at least relative to Rin. Maybe I'm reading differently than Fish intended, but the narration makes it sound like Rin has higher stats than Shirou. Higher Mana is kind of a given, and I could certainly see Agility being higher. But I kind of have trouble seeing Rin as having higher Strength or Endurance. Unless that's not how it was intended, but it's kind of hard to tell with just the one sheet and some narration. But I definitely approve of the alignment. No other word describes how Shirou is, and he has, in his own way, transcended such limitations as "Good" or "Evil" or "Lawful" or "Chaotic." Shirou is.
ôàAnd today, on the Nikkei, prices rose for theàö
Rin froze in the middle of the street not caring that Saber was running away from her. Her neck turned slowly towards the sound that had caught her attention as the gears turned in her mind. This is it, she thought as she stared at the television sets in the electronics shop.
Without a second glance at her companions, she left Shirou and Irisviel with a jumble of words too quick for mundane people to decipher, ôI have business to attend to, be back later!ö By the time the two had even looked up to see where she went, she was long gone and had left only a trail of dust.
ôStocks! I knew I should have paid more attention to stocks, but if I have knowledge of the future, I canÆt possibly fail!ö Rin ran for a few seconds before pausing and muttering to herself, ôbut how or where do I go about this?ö
It was perhaps her lucky day that Irisviel had driven into the commercial district before Saber ran out of the car. Or perhaps not, Rin mused as she found herself lost in a sea of people.
With so many people around her, Rin felt slightly dizzy. She wouldnÆt be able to find out where to go, but this Average Japanese High School Student looked like he knew where he was going. So Rin pulled the Average Japanese High School Student with the looks of an Average Japanese High School Student aside and asked, ôExcuse me, do you know whereà stock exchangeàö The noise of the city around her was so loud that her words were almost drowned out.
The Average Japanese High School Student blinked at her once before answering over the noise, ôYouÆre looking for the trading floor? ThereÆs one two blocks down, butàö
Rin didnÆt listen to the rest of the boyÆs words, confident that she knew what she was doing, once she got there. So she slipped into the crowd and traveled the distanced and direction the boy pointed at. To her surprise, his information was accurate, because she found herself walking into a building with a large sign that read ôFuyuki Stock Exchangeö.
There was a lady at the æInformation DeskÆ who looked up at Rin as she entered, but otherwise, the building seemed to lackà people.
Rin saw a sign that pointed to the stock exchange and knew that all she had to do was go and let her future knowledge do the work. But then the Information Desk lady greeted her, ôHello, are you here for theùö
ôYes, yes,ö Rin cut the lady off regally, ôI am here for the stock exchange.ö
ôOh, well then, would you like aùö
ôI can do it all myself,ö Rin added. It wouldnÆt do to have mundane humans realize she had future knowledge, or worse: what if they saw what she was doing and stole her profits somehow? She studied the kind, gentle smile of the Information Desk lady and thought about how devious the woman was.
ôWell, if you are sure,ö the lady nodded. ôIf you have any questions, please donÆt hesitate to ask.ö
Rin nodded as she walked in, ôIÆm sure.ö
Rin was not a Shirou, she figured out where the exchange was and easily too. It was strange the most of the building lacked people, but Rin thought that perhaps she was lucky for once. She knew what she was doing after all! She had seen the stock market on televisionà
Well, alright. Rin admitted to herself, she had not watched the stock market work on television. But she read about it on the newspaper!
That has to count for somethingà
àand then Rin looked up.
She saw tickers everywhere, with thousands of red and green English letters accompanied by numbers, constantly changing. Her shoulders sagged a little, before she lost her self control and yelled, ôWhat are these eldritch symbols?!ö
Rin spent several minutesùor maybe an hourùtrying to make sense of all this, but even with all the information lying around she got nowhere. Defeated, she stomped back to the Information Desk and asked the lady at the counter, ôC-could you help me with thisà please?ö
The lady smiled kindly and asked, ôWhat would you like to know?ö
ôC-can you explain the symbols for me?ö Rin asked, red-faced.
ôAh, you probably donÆt recognize them!ö The lady clapped and smiled, ôThatÆs because here at the Fuyuki Stock Exchange Museum, we preserve the old symbols for many of the companies that went out of business before the Fuyuki Stock Exchange had closed down to merge with the Tokyo Stock Exchangeà excuse me, miss, but why are you shaking? Are you alright?ö
Museum.
Rin felt a twitch developing in her left cheek. Long hours dealing with Shirou was one thing, but thisà She kept her composure here and growled out through grinding teeth, ôIÆmà justà fine.ö Then she stomped out of the museum without another word.
She found the Average Japanese High School Student not far from the museum, standing around and adjusting his Average Japanese High School Student Glasses. Rin realized she couldnÆt blame anyone but herself for being so hasty. So she took several deep breaths and walked up to the boy again.
ôHello again, did you find what you were looking for?ö He asked with a smile.
Rin fought to keep herself from growling and then replied, ôYes, I did. But now I need to find something else.ö
ôOh?ö The Average Japanese High School Student blinked.
ôYes,ö Rin sighed, ôYou see, now I need to find a place where I can actually trade stocks.ö It felt like admitting defeat, but Rin knew that this was only temporary. Once she used her awesome, future knowledge, all the profits would be hers!
ôThere are a couple of brokerages around,ö the boy nodded, ôIÆm not too knowledgeable on this subject, but you could try the brokerage down the street. It looks like itÆs pretty big; itÆs called Schwab or something.ö
ôIs that all?ö Rin asked.
The boy shrugged, ôI donÆt know?ö
Rin frowned at him, and then walked away. After taking a few steps, she turned around at stared at him suspiciously, again. Her eyes narrowed warily for a few seconds before she felt satisfied that he had left nothing out. Then she turned and went to this æSchwabÆ brokerage. She hasnÆt heard of it before, so it couldnÆt be too big. But she wouldnÆt want to start off with the biggest brokerages, she reasoned to herself. They would ask for too big of a cut from her profits, she just knew it!
This time, she checked everything exhaustively. The building belonged to another landlord, but this American company that was there was a stock brokerage. It seemed legitimate to Rin, so she walked in and found plenty of people walking around, many of them dressed in what mundane people must consider professional uniforms. Personally, she thought they all looked like butlers.
A Greasy Looking Man walked up to her, with a smile. She noticed that he was wearing a small name plate pinned to his chest that had his name and his occupation æSales RepresentativeÆ on it. He greeted Rin with a bow, ôGood day, miss. Are you with us already or her to set up an account?ö
The manÆs straight-forwardness surprised her, but she was a composed and noble magus, not to mention the protector of this city. She returned his greeting suavely, ôI heard about how innovative your firm was, and decided to make an account here.ö
ôWonderful, if you would just come into my office, we can set you up,ö the man nodded. ôIÆm surprised you have heard of our ventures into taking our brokerage on to the internet, but I suppose it is a bold move by our company.ö
Rin didnÆt know what this æinternetÆ was, but she remembered hearing about it from her classmates back in high school. Or did she overhear her classmates talking about it while pretending not to notice? It doesnÆt matter, either way as long as she knew what it was, right?
As she was led into the clerkÆs office, she marveled at how well furnished the room was. Clearly, this firm was making good money to afford such things, including that strange, box-shaped device on top of the manÆs desk that seemed to have many strange, eldritch symbols on it.
ôNow, to start you off, I will need to register your identification, but after that, you will need to specify what kind of account you would like to open,ö the man seemed to not pay any attention to her and instead focused on pressing buttons on that board he had connected to his box-machine.
Rin suppressed a scowl, ôI would like to make the best account.ö Obviously.
The man stopped clicking and turned to her slowly and sighed softly, as if saying æoh, one of those kinds of clients.Æ He relaxed his composure into a friendly stance and said in a much slower pace, ôMiss, there are different types of accounts tailored to different peopleÆs needs, nowàö
Then he sprouted off some arcane language that caused Rin to feel cross-eyed. But she didnÆt show it, obviously.
ôàAnd you would need to make a deposit nowàö The man rambled on tediously.
Rin blinked, ôW-wait, why would I need to make a deposit?ö
ôWell, how else are you going to buy stocks, miss?ö The man chortled, as if Rin had made a joke.
ôAlright,ö Rin fumbled through her pockets and pulled out a thick wad of English Pounds. ôWould this be enough?ö
The man stared at her as if she was either crazy or a criminal, but then looked down at her money. Then he frowned and stared harder at her money before muttering, ôIf this is a joke, miss, it isnÆt funny.ö
Rin blinked again. ôàWhat do you mean?ö
ôLook, Schwab is an international brokerage that accepts Pounds, butàö The man waved, irritated, at RinÆs money and scowled, ôYou should know that counterfeiting is a crime, miss.ö
ôàWhat?ö
ôOh, donÆt get me wrong,ö the man laughed again, ôItÆs funny that you pulled this joke on me, but you should know, if you are going to use fake money this real, at least make the date right. I mean, if youÆre going to have it say æ2002Æ, thatÆs just ludicrous.ö
ôàOh.ö Something cracked within RinÆs mind. Perhaps it was the realization that her money was now worthless pieces of paper (not that she carried her money around with her or something!), or perhaps it was the realization that she was officially broke. Whatever it was, it caused Rin to nod numbly.
ôNow, are you ready to talk business, miss?ö The Greasy Looking Man asked.
Rin looked down at her hands and then back up at the pile of money on the manÆs desk. She shook her head, ôLet me have a moment please.ö
Then she walked out of the office, leaving the money behind.
She might come to regret this decision later, when the man notices that her other bills were all of the time period and were all legitimate. But thatÆs another story for another time.
Dusk had found Rin sitting on a curb, looking all the broken and defeated girl that she had never looked like, ever. It just so happened that the Average Japanese High School Student found her there, as people got ready to go home from work. ôWhatÆs wrong, miss?ö He asked as he stood above her.
ôOhàö Rin couldnÆt even bring herself to look up at the boy or question why he was carrying around a knife. ôNothingàö
ôYou look kind of sad,ö the boy muttered before adding in a louder tone, ôHere, why donÆt you go try your luck at the scratchers or something. I have some change. I heard they usually turn out some small prizes.ö
At the rustling sound of Japanese Yen, Rin looked up and saw the kindest boy she had ever met. ôY-youàö
ôAh, I know, itÆs probably nothing,ö the boy scratched his cheek, ôbut I have to go. Good luck!ö With that, he ran off somewhere, leaving Rin alone.
Rin looked down at her palms, seeing a bill for 1,000 Yen and smiled. Perhaps a æscratcherÆ was what she needed, whatever it was. After inquiring some passing mundane people, she found that a scratcher was what the past slang was for a ælottery ticketÆ. ôWhy didnÆt he just say a lottery ticket?ö Rin grumbled as she shrugged. It wasnÆt her money anyways, so what did she have to lose?
She walked into a convenient store, where there were lottery ticket machines, according to friendly past-people. She walked up to the counter and asked the Lazy Looking Part Timer, ôexcuse me, where is the lottery machine?ö
ôOver there,ö the lanky boy grunted without looking up. He pointed to the entrance, where a large dispenser machine stood.
Rin walked up to it, thinking, ôThis is simple enough. I give it money and it gives me a ticket.ö And then she thought, ôI really should have paid more attention to lottery tickets.ö
And then Rin thought, ôI think I can remember the winning numbers from the newspapers I read around this time. It was a very memorable time after allàö
She walked up to it and saw a slot to insert the 1,000 Yen bill, which she tried to. The machine made a mechanical noise or two before spitting the bill out.
Rin blinked, but perhaps it was because she inserted it in the wrong direction?
She pulled the bill out and turned it around and then inserted it again. The machine churned for a moment, before making the noises and then spitting æherÆ money out again.
Rin felt a frown creeping up to her face.
She pulled the bill out again, and flipped it around before inserting it again. And again, it was spat out.
Rin unconsciously clenched her fists before turning to the clerk and asking, ôHey! WhatÆs wrong with this machine?ö
The lazy teen didnÆt look up and responded with a, ôNothingÆs wrong with it.ö He seemed to reading some kind of magazine and drooling.
ôBut it doesnÆt take my money, there has to be something wrong with it!ö Rin argued.
The teen shrugged, ôNah, itÆs probably something wrong with your money.ö
Suddenly, Rin didnÆt feel so charitable to the Average Japanese High School Student anymore. But she kept her composure, ôThen can you change this for a different bill?ö
ôNope, thatÆs against store policy,ö the reply came instantly.
ôWha-where does it say that?ö Rin growled.
The teen shrugged, ôI donÆt know.ö
ôJust change my damn money!ö Rin slammed the bill down in front of the teen clerk so hard, he bounced up for a moment.
This got the teen to actually look up and see Rin for the first time. He looked rather frightened and a little arousedùmuch to RinÆs disgust and annoyance. ôA-alright,ö the teen muttered in a subdued tone. He then took her bill and changed it for a crisp, newer looking bill.
Rin whipped her head around, too annoyed to even thank the teen for finally listening. She went up to the machine and j-j-jammed the bill in with all her anger. But it so happens that she touched some buttons on the keypad. Or perhaps Rin had channeled some prana. Or perhaps the machine was just having some errors.
Whatever the case, it was then that the lottery machine ate RinÆs money and burst into flames.
ôThat canÆt be safe,ö the clerk muttered from below the counter.
Rin felt the tick that had developed earlier that day growing in strength. But it was then, that a pretty blonde popped in.
ôIs everyone alrightùRin?ö Saber gasped.
Rin couldnÆt help herself. She leapt at Saber, hugging the Servant before crying on her shoulders like a baby. ôOh, at least I found you, Saber.ö
ôR-rin?!ö Saber gasped again, for completely different reasons after she noticed a hand or two snaking down her spine to other places, before whispering, ôWeÆre in public, Rin!ö
ôOh, it was horrible,ö Rin continued, as if nothing hearing the blonde girl within her grasp at all. ôI lost everything, all that moneyàö
Saber blinked twice and tilted her head, ôBut Rin, couldnÆt you just get money from the Einzbern?ö
(Scene Break)
ôI think I just heard Rin,ö Shirou muttered, looking up from what he was doing.
Irisviel crossed her arms, ôArcheràö
ôAh, sorry,ö Shirou scratched his head nervously, ôI mean, I think I just heard Caster yelling something about blowing up the worldà I need to pay more attention to my surroundings.ö
Irisviel nodded.
ôButàö Shirou frowned, ôIÆm pretty sure IÆm not lost. WeÆre at the docks, see? I know where we are, so we canÆt be lost!ö
Rin froze in the middle of the street not caring that Saber was running away from her. Her neck turned slowly towards the sound that had caught her attention as the gears turned in her mind. This is it, she thought as she stared at the television sets in the electronics shop.
Without a second glance at her companions, she left Shirou and Irisviel with a jumble of words too quick for mundane people to decipher, ôI have business to attend to, be back later!ö By the time the two had even looked up to see where she went, she was long gone and had left only a trail of dust.
ôStocks! I knew I should have paid more attention to stocks, but if I have knowledge of the future, I canÆt possibly fail!ö Rin ran for a few seconds before pausing and muttering to herself, ôbut how or where do I go about this?ö
It was perhaps her lucky day that Irisviel had driven into the commercial district before Saber ran out of the car. Or perhaps not, Rin mused as she found herself lost in a sea of people.
With so many people around her, Rin felt slightly dizzy. She wouldnÆt be able to find out where to go, but this Average Japanese High School Student looked like he knew where he was going. So Rin pulled the Average Japanese High School Student with the looks of an Average Japanese High School Student aside and asked, ôExcuse me, do you know whereà stock exchangeàö The noise of the city around her was so loud that her words were almost drowned out.
The Average Japanese High School Student blinked at her once before answering over the noise, ôYouÆre looking for the trading floor? ThereÆs one two blocks down, butàö
Rin didnÆt listen to the rest of the boyÆs words, confident that she knew what she was doing, once she got there. So she slipped into the crowd and traveled the distanced and direction the boy pointed at. To her surprise, his information was accurate, because she found herself walking into a building with a large sign that read ôFuyuki Stock Exchangeö.
There was a lady at the æInformation DeskÆ who looked up at Rin as she entered, but otherwise, the building seemed to lackà people.
Rin saw a sign that pointed to the stock exchange and knew that all she had to do was go and let her future knowledge do the work. But then the Information Desk lady greeted her, ôHello, are you here for theùö
ôYes, yes,ö Rin cut the lady off regally, ôI am here for the stock exchange.ö
ôOh, well then, would you like aùö
ôI can do it all myself,ö Rin added. It wouldnÆt do to have mundane humans realize she had future knowledge, or worse: what if they saw what she was doing and stole her profits somehow? She studied the kind, gentle smile of the Information Desk lady and thought about how devious the woman was.
ôWell, if you are sure,ö the lady nodded. ôIf you have any questions, please donÆt hesitate to ask.ö
Rin nodded as she walked in, ôIÆm sure.ö
Rin was not a Shirou, she figured out where the exchange was and easily too. It was strange the most of the building lacked people, but Rin thought that perhaps she was lucky for once. She knew what she was doing after all! She had seen the stock market on televisionà
Well, alright. Rin admitted to herself, she had not watched the stock market work on television. But she read about it on the newspaper!
That has to count for somethingà
àand then Rin looked up.
She saw tickers everywhere, with thousands of red and green English letters accompanied by numbers, constantly changing. Her shoulders sagged a little, before she lost her self control and yelled, ôWhat are these eldritch symbols?!ö
Rin spent several minutesùor maybe an hourùtrying to make sense of all this, but even with all the information lying around she got nowhere. Defeated, she stomped back to the Information Desk and asked the lady at the counter, ôC-could you help me with thisà please?ö
The lady smiled kindly and asked, ôWhat would you like to know?ö
ôC-can you explain the symbols for me?ö Rin asked, red-faced.
ôAh, you probably donÆt recognize them!ö The lady clapped and smiled, ôThatÆs because here at the Fuyuki Stock Exchange Museum, we preserve the old symbols for many of the companies that went out of business before the Fuyuki Stock Exchange had closed down to merge with the Tokyo Stock Exchangeà excuse me, miss, but why are you shaking? Are you alright?ö
Museum.
Rin felt a twitch developing in her left cheek. Long hours dealing with Shirou was one thing, but thisà She kept her composure here and growled out through grinding teeth, ôIÆmà justà fine.ö Then she stomped out of the museum without another word.
She found the Average Japanese High School Student not far from the museum, standing around and adjusting his Average Japanese High School Student Glasses. Rin realized she couldnÆt blame anyone but herself for being so hasty. So she took several deep breaths and walked up to the boy again.
ôHello again, did you find what you were looking for?ö He asked with a smile.
Rin fought to keep herself from growling and then replied, ôYes, I did. But now I need to find something else.ö
ôOh?ö The Average Japanese High School Student blinked.
ôYes,ö Rin sighed, ôYou see, now I need to find a place where I can actually trade stocks.ö It felt like admitting defeat, but Rin knew that this was only temporary. Once she used her awesome, future knowledge, all the profits would be hers!
ôThere are a couple of brokerages around,ö the boy nodded, ôIÆm not too knowledgeable on this subject, but you could try the brokerage down the street. It looks like itÆs pretty big; itÆs called Schwab or something.ö
ôIs that all?ö Rin asked.
The boy shrugged, ôI donÆt know?ö
Rin frowned at him, and then walked away. After taking a few steps, she turned around at stared at him suspiciously, again. Her eyes narrowed warily for a few seconds before she felt satisfied that he had left nothing out. Then she turned and went to this æSchwabÆ brokerage. She hasnÆt heard of it before, so it couldnÆt be too big. But she wouldnÆt want to start off with the biggest brokerages, she reasoned to herself. They would ask for too big of a cut from her profits, she just knew it!
This time, she checked everything exhaustively. The building belonged to another landlord, but this American company that was there was a stock brokerage. It seemed legitimate to Rin, so she walked in and found plenty of people walking around, many of them dressed in what mundane people must consider professional uniforms. Personally, she thought they all looked like butlers.
A Greasy Looking Man walked up to her, with a smile. She noticed that he was wearing a small name plate pinned to his chest that had his name and his occupation æSales RepresentativeÆ on it. He greeted Rin with a bow, ôGood day, miss. Are you with us already or her to set up an account?ö
The manÆs straight-forwardness surprised her, but she was a composed and noble magus, not to mention the protector of this city. She returned his greeting suavely, ôI heard about how innovative your firm was, and decided to make an account here.ö
ôWonderful, if you would just come into my office, we can set you up,ö the man nodded. ôIÆm surprised you have heard of our ventures into taking our brokerage on to the internet, but I suppose it is a bold move by our company.ö
Rin didnÆt know what this æinternetÆ was, but she remembered hearing about it from her classmates back in high school. Or did she overhear her classmates talking about it while pretending not to notice? It doesnÆt matter, either way as long as she knew what it was, right?
As she was led into the clerkÆs office, she marveled at how well furnished the room was. Clearly, this firm was making good money to afford such things, including that strange, box-shaped device on top of the manÆs desk that seemed to have many strange, eldritch symbols on it.
ôNow, to start you off, I will need to register your identification, but after that, you will need to specify what kind of account you would like to open,ö the man seemed to not pay any attention to her and instead focused on pressing buttons on that board he had connected to his box-machine.
Rin suppressed a scowl, ôI would like to make the best account.ö Obviously.
The man stopped clicking and turned to her slowly and sighed softly, as if saying æoh, one of those kinds of clients.Æ He relaxed his composure into a friendly stance and said in a much slower pace, ôMiss, there are different types of accounts tailored to different peopleÆs needs, nowàö
Then he sprouted off some arcane language that caused Rin to feel cross-eyed. But she didnÆt show it, obviously.
ôàAnd you would need to make a deposit nowàö The man rambled on tediously.
Rin blinked, ôW-wait, why would I need to make a deposit?ö
ôWell, how else are you going to buy stocks, miss?ö The man chortled, as if Rin had made a joke.
ôAlright,ö Rin fumbled through her pockets and pulled out a thick wad of English Pounds. ôWould this be enough?ö
The man stared at her as if she was either crazy or a criminal, but then looked down at her money. Then he frowned and stared harder at her money before muttering, ôIf this is a joke, miss, it isnÆt funny.ö
Rin blinked again. ôàWhat do you mean?ö
ôLook, Schwab is an international brokerage that accepts Pounds, butàö The man waved, irritated, at RinÆs money and scowled, ôYou should know that counterfeiting is a crime, miss.ö
ôàWhat?ö
ôOh, donÆt get me wrong,ö the man laughed again, ôItÆs funny that you pulled this joke on me, but you should know, if you are going to use fake money this real, at least make the date right. I mean, if youÆre going to have it say æ2002Æ, thatÆs just ludicrous.ö
ôàOh.ö Something cracked within RinÆs mind. Perhaps it was the realization that her money was now worthless pieces of paper (not that she carried her money around with her or something!), or perhaps it was the realization that she was officially broke. Whatever it was, it caused Rin to nod numbly.
ôNow, are you ready to talk business, miss?ö The Greasy Looking Man asked.
Rin looked down at her hands and then back up at the pile of money on the manÆs desk. She shook her head, ôLet me have a moment please.ö
Then she walked out of the office, leaving the money behind.
She might come to regret this decision later, when the man notices that her other bills were all of the time period and were all legitimate. But thatÆs another story for another time.
Dusk had found Rin sitting on a curb, looking all the broken and defeated girl that she had never looked like, ever. It just so happened that the Average Japanese High School Student found her there, as people got ready to go home from work. ôWhatÆs wrong, miss?ö He asked as he stood above her.
ôOhàö Rin couldnÆt even bring herself to look up at the boy or question why he was carrying around a knife. ôNothingàö
ôYou look kind of sad,ö the boy muttered before adding in a louder tone, ôHere, why donÆt you go try your luck at the scratchers or something. I have some change. I heard they usually turn out some small prizes.ö
At the rustling sound of Japanese Yen, Rin looked up and saw the kindest boy she had ever met. ôY-youàö
ôAh, I know, itÆs probably nothing,ö the boy scratched his cheek, ôbut I have to go. Good luck!ö With that, he ran off somewhere, leaving Rin alone.
Rin looked down at her palms, seeing a bill for 1,000 Yen and smiled. Perhaps a æscratcherÆ was what she needed, whatever it was. After inquiring some passing mundane people, she found that a scratcher was what the past slang was for a ælottery ticketÆ. ôWhy didnÆt he just say a lottery ticket?ö Rin grumbled as she shrugged. It wasnÆt her money anyways, so what did she have to lose?
She walked into a convenient store, where there were lottery ticket machines, according to friendly past-people. She walked up to the counter and asked the Lazy Looking Part Timer, ôexcuse me, where is the lottery machine?ö
ôOver there,ö the lanky boy grunted without looking up. He pointed to the entrance, where a large dispenser machine stood.
Rin walked up to it, thinking, ôThis is simple enough. I give it money and it gives me a ticket.ö And then she thought, ôI really should have paid more attention to lottery tickets.ö
And then Rin thought, ôI think I can remember the winning numbers from the newspapers I read around this time. It was a very memorable time after allàö
She walked up to it and saw a slot to insert the 1,000 Yen bill, which she tried to. The machine made a mechanical noise or two before spitting the bill out.
Rin blinked, but perhaps it was because she inserted it in the wrong direction?
She pulled the bill out and turned it around and then inserted it again. The machine churned for a moment, before making the noises and then spitting æherÆ money out again.
Rin felt a frown creeping up to her face.
She pulled the bill out again, and flipped it around before inserting it again. And again, it was spat out.
Rin unconsciously clenched her fists before turning to the clerk and asking, ôHey! WhatÆs wrong with this machine?ö
The lazy teen didnÆt look up and responded with a, ôNothingÆs wrong with it.ö He seemed to reading some kind of magazine and drooling.
ôBut it doesnÆt take my money, there has to be something wrong with it!ö Rin argued.
The teen shrugged, ôNah, itÆs probably something wrong with your money.ö
Suddenly, Rin didnÆt feel so charitable to the Average Japanese High School Student anymore. But she kept her composure, ôThen can you change this for a different bill?ö
ôNope, thatÆs against store policy,ö the reply came instantly.
ôWha-where does it say that?ö Rin growled.
The teen shrugged, ôI donÆt know.ö
ôJust change my damn money!ö Rin slammed the bill down in front of the teen clerk so hard, he bounced up for a moment.
This got the teen to actually look up and see Rin for the first time. He looked rather frightened and a little arousedùmuch to RinÆs disgust and annoyance. ôA-alright,ö the teen muttered in a subdued tone. He then took her bill and changed it for a crisp, newer looking bill.
Rin whipped her head around, too annoyed to even thank the teen for finally listening. She went up to the machine and j-j-jammed the bill in with all her anger. But it so happens that she touched some buttons on the keypad. Or perhaps Rin had channeled some prana. Or perhaps the machine was just having some errors.
Whatever the case, it was then that the lottery machine ate RinÆs money and burst into flames.
ôThat canÆt be safe,ö the clerk muttered from below the counter.
Rin felt the tick that had developed earlier that day growing in strength. But it was then, that a pretty blonde popped in.
ôIs everyone alrightùRin?ö Saber gasped.
Rin couldnÆt help herself. She leapt at Saber, hugging the Servant before crying on her shoulders like a baby. ôOh, at least I found you, Saber.ö
ôR-rin?!ö Saber gasped again, for completely different reasons after she noticed a hand or two snaking down her spine to other places, before whispering, ôWeÆre in public, Rin!ö
ôOh, it was horrible,ö Rin continued, as if nothing hearing the blonde girl within her grasp at all. ôI lost everything, all that moneyàö
Saber blinked twice and tilted her head, ôBut Rin, couldnÆt you just get money from the Einzbern?ö
(Scene Break)
ôI think I just heard Rin,ö Shirou muttered, looking up from what he was doing.
Irisviel crossed her arms, ôArcheràö
ôAh, sorry,ö Shirou scratched his head nervously, ôI mean, I think I just heard Caster yelling something about blowing up the worldà I need to pay more attention to my surroundings.ö
Irisviel nodded.
ôButàö Shirou frowned, ôIÆm pretty sure IÆm not lost. WeÆre at the docks, see? I know where we are, so we canÆt be lost!ö