Saber could've facepalmed at the invitation. This was supposed to be a negotiating table and yet the brat was taking it as a chance for actual teatime! Then again, he was relaxing a bit more, taking an assertive stance. A preference for the possibility that conflict could be resolved peacefully, perhaps? She couldn't be sure if it was boundless optimism or just his lack of awareness.
Her past experience with other magi informed her they never relaxed their guard much. Even when they did, it was only in the safety of their fortresses behind mystic traps and barriers. This boy's home was hardly impregnable, least of all impervious to intrusions by Servants. Two times invaded already. The first one wasn't even an Assassin, just a brute-forcing Rider.
She'd need to be the fortress for him. And wasn't that an irony, equivocally being a near-mutinous army guarding a naïve and foolish lord…
"I will arrive with my Master soon." The lookalike bearing a casual grin bowed a bit before leaping up the property wall with one bound. "Rest assured, we will make our presence known once we are nearby."
The Servant then dispersed into spirit form, disappearing as swiftly as she came. Saber didn't relax just yet. She could still sense the bastard samurai. But the brat sighed and nearly fell to his knees. Disappointing, compared to her previous Master… then again, that was a comparison she hoped would never come true.
She turned to him, dispersing only her sword as she helped him to his feet.
"Do not let your guard down. I can still sense her presence."
"You think she'd go back on her word?"
"The Assassin class is not known for honoring their deals. Though, despite being known for their Presence Concealment ability, this is the first of her kind I've noticed that doesn't utilize it fully. She'd been observing us from afar before, only intervening when our talk became… a little heated. Yet, she doesn't give me the impression of a professional silent killer. Only a fleet-footed interloper."
Saber huffed, unapologetic about her earlier behavior but keen enough to teach the boy in what he needed to know to stay alive. Inexperienced as he was, this was not the time to expunge upon him her rage.
"That copycat… She fights more befitting of a Saber than an Assassin. Still, you must be careful around her. And do not simply drop your guard when she claims to fight for your sake! That is a fool's errand."
"But she's—"
"She may have been truthful about her intent, but if you dare think all Servants share her amicability, think again!" she scolded. "You are a Master of this War. Do not disappoint me with your naiveté, boy."
"Saber, I—…" she silenced him with a glare. It took him a couple of seconds but soon he slowly nodded in confirmation. "I'm sorry… I'll… I'll be careful next time."
"See that you do. The less you are informed, the more of a disadvantage you are in. You cannot take their words at face value. Always assume the worst is to come and do not hesitate to act if it does. This is but a learning experience, but the next time could spell your end. Worse still, betrayal. Your father of all people should serve as an example."
His expression shifted a bit at that. It was one of incredulity. Of honest disbelief. "You… you don't mean…"
Saber's hand squeezed tightly around the hilt of her blade. But for his sake, he dispelled the frustration and her weapon into fragments of light.
He didn't know. Of course he wouldn't. He was a fool. But from the determination in his eyes then and now, she could see him as an earnest individual. Misguided, but earnest… She could see him becoming a better fighter, a better Master. Though, with how amateurish he was now, any improvement was better than nothing at all.
And withholding truth on her part would serve only as detrimental in the future.
"Your father and I… we were about to win the war. I had but one foe left to face, one more obstacle to remove before we'd have succeeded and claimed our personal wishes… But…" Gritting her teeth for but a second, the maturity of her age suppressed it lest she intimidate the boy yet again. "At the close of the battle, whence I thought he was to aid me against that venomous vixen, he used his Command Seals… and ordered me to destroy the Grail."
The boy wore his heart on his sleeves, expression shifting in confusion. "But… why?"
"That is something I plan on prying from the man myself. Even if I have to flay his skin off his back, I—!" She sharply cut herself off with a breath. Collecting herself, she didn't know what came over her. Or perhaps it was the freshness of the experience of betrayal that brought it on? She wasn't certain. She was about one thing, however. "Justified or not as he was, I will not permit even you to get in my way. I will cooperate with you in this war, but only that! I will not bow, I will not break. And if you try to stop me as he did, I will shut you away. Even if you aren't around, so long as you live with those seals on your arm, I will persist until there is nothing left of me. Is that understood?"
Emiya Shirou nodded. But unlike any other who would've feared her for the veiled threat of imprisonment, he stood tall. "I won't hold you back. I… I may not yet be a capable magus, but I've been training. I will try my best to support you."
Pale orbs blinked, staring deep into initially determined then shy amber orbs. Her silence must've bothered him. That or her scoffing smirk because the young man was the first to break eye contact.
"W-what is it?"
"Emiya Kiritsugu… is not a man who'd put his life on the line for the sake of others. But as a magus, he was capable, lethal, and effective against our foes then. I will admit to not approving of his methods, but I can now at least see the merit in his uncouth ways." Saber then stepped forward to tap his chest with a metal-clad finger. "You, however, are a naive fool. One who willingly throws himself in the center of a battlefield with little regard for his own safety. I shall make it a point lest you accuse me of not stating it ever. I need not your protection. Not when you yourself are incapable of competing against Servants. That is, unless you want to get us killed, in which case, I may see you locked in a box for the foreseeable future."
"However… I do not deride you for your selflessness. Only your inexperience. " She stepped away from him, letting her armor dissipate as she no longer detected Assassin's presence. Left with her dress, dark as the night against her pale skin, she turned to make her way back into the home. She stopped two feet from the door to add, "You… are not like that man. That alone is enough of a reason for me to not treat you as my enemy. I will continue to judge you, and observe as you put in the effort to keep your word. Though I cannot see your strength as something acceptable for one to be my Master, your character… already puts you leaps and bounds ahead of my previous one. See to it that you don't disappoint me."
"I won't Saber, I swear."
She could tell it from the pitch of his voice that he was excited to be given a chance. Without a doubt, he was still uncertain of the truth of the matter between herself and his father, but if he was as earnest as she expected him to be, then maybe…
No. She wouldn't rely on him. Saber couldn't allow him to be a crutch. He was but a means to an end. One that would serve as her anchor until she found someone better, he failed her, or she won.
For now… perhaps he could be of some help in filling her decade-long blank.
"Come, we must speak of the meeting to come."
"Er… eh?" Saber was already entering the home when she noticed the brat was still looking at the devastation around. "B-but… shouldn't we clean up first?"
"Worrying about cleanliness and keeping this encounter a secret is indeed a priority. However, as the fool that instigated a meeting with another Master not five minutes earlier, without preparation, without caution, and very little consideration placed on what it may imply to other Masters secretly observing from the shadows, I'd say the marks on your yard are the least of your worries, Master."
"I… I understand, Ar—Saber."
Her lips curled in the corner. He was learning.
"Very good. Now, hurry along. The sooner we are prepared, the sooner we can move on to topics less dire but still pressing. I will need you to inform me of what you learned of the Fourth War as I believe I have more to correct than your initial misgivings."
Shirou did his best not to wince under the intense state of his own servant.
"I hope we don't have any misunderstandings between each other then. I… I hope you and my father can come to an accord."
She hoped so too. Else she was splitting someone's head and she wouldn't think her good-natured Master would appreciate it being his family.
"We shall see. Though I was summoned of this nature almost opposite of my original, I am still willing to forgive such transgression. Given the appropriate justification, that is."
She turned to give the boy a reassuring nod. He flinched however. Despite apparently being taller than her now that they stood side-by-side without her boots or being on uneven terrain, he still found her intimidating.
"Relax. And feel grateful I'm in a rather merciful mood right now."
Suddenly, a growling could be heard. Saber's eyes snapped down to the belly of her dress before shooting back up to the boy's eyes. He stifled a grin, but she saw it. She wouldn't call him out on it, however. She wasn't that petty.
"It seems I'm feeling a little famished after ten years of being in limbo, Master. Perhaps you can prepare a meal alongside the tea you oh, so graciously wish to serve our guests later."
"S-Saber, is it really the time—?!"
"I'm sorry. Were you implying you don't need me to be battle-ready after all? When we're going to meet a potential enemy Master and Servant soon?"
The boy was already moving. "I'll get it done, ma'am!"
"Very good…"
No. Saber was not petty. Whoever would imply such a thing?