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"Semiiii." you drawl from the stands.
"Do *not* call me that."
"But--"
The Assassin whips around to face you, furious. "I do NOT have any more money for your godforsaken snacks! And for goodness' sake, Master! If you are to call me by my True Name, then do so properly!"
"But it's the name you registered for the qualifiers under," you point out.
"You forget that I have a partner. A meddlesome partner," she shoots a glare at her fellow Poison Girl-- "who would do best to sleep with one eye open when we are no longer on the same side."
The Assassin of the Nightless City, who had spent the better part of the pre-fight banter looking out at the crowd and pretending not to listen, sticks her tongue out rather cutely at Semiramis. This does not help her temper.
"Enough niceties, Master." she growls. "If you want any more snacks from me, then I hope you are prepared to die eating them!"
"We'll see about that. Do your worst!" You laugh heartily, because it could be the only time you do so and live.
"Master..." Sieg, one of your Casters, sighs.
Billy nudges you from his place at your side--on standby in case anything happens to the Casters. "Uh, you done rilin' her up, Master? 'Cause I think you should be."
You smile in spite of yourself. You weren't sure what to expect from the Battle in New York, but you've been having a lot of fun. "Just about, yeah. Get 'em, Sieg!" You cheer at your frontline.
You see Sieg smile at the encouragement--but it isn't long before Semiramis lunges forward, spiked palm extended to puncture the homunculus' heart. The Caster quickly raises his sword and deflects the strike as best he can. Wary of the blade's edge, drawn close enough to show her her reflection, she jumps back. With a wave of her hand and a nasty scowl on her face, she summons a flurry of poison-soaked chains, and sends them flying toward the opposite end of the stadium. Keeping one eye on the other enemy Assassin and another on your own team, you prepare to command your Servants into the fight as it kicks into high gear.
You exit the stadium with an armful of french fries, as well as some burgers AND some tickets to roll the lottery with. Out of the corner of your eye you spot Semiramis dragging her partner away by the ear, the two's bickering fading into the distance.
"Do you need any help with that, Master?" Sieg rushes up to you, already taking some of the bags on your arms into his. You reluctantly let him.
"It's just... it's such a shame we have to trade all this stuff in for prizes," you admit. "I wish we could have some of this stuff to eat."
"It does look very tasty." Sieg nods in agreement.
"Where did the rest of them go, by the way?"
"Oh. Billy said he had something to do in town, and to go ahead, and Gilgamesh..."
"Just went off, without saying anything?"
Sieg nods.
"Well, that's fine." The Caster had been acting a little off ever since you'd arrived in New York, but who could blame him? He was also running the event.
"If you say so. Let's get back to the prize counter."
The walk back from the stadium to the hotel is, thankfully, a short one. The sky had grown dark, though it was light from the many skyscrapers, streetlights, and colorful billboards filling the sky instead of any stars. You wondered how you looked to the typical passerby, if there were any; dressed in your Mages' Association uniform and carrying armfuls of fast food from the stadium of all places. You assume Sieg's demanifested his sword for the time being, but he's carrying a huge load of food too. This reminds you...
"Say, Sieg. If you don't mind telling me--what did you eat, when you were a dragon on the other side of the world?"
"Oh? Why do you ask, Master?" He peeks at you, the pale red of his eyes alight in the face of your curiosity.
"I'm... well..." You kind of don't want to say, because it's a little embarrassing, but Sieg wouldn't laugh. "I'm just really hungry, carrying all this food but not being able to eat it."
"Pfft--haha." He chuckles, the sound of his voice light. "I suppose I understand you. Let's see, though, what I ate...?"
You pause for a moment, Sieg thoughtful in his silence.
"...Flowers. Maybe dirt."
"Your digestive system must be nuts."
"Right, but I didn't really eat those things, per se. I consumed mana from my surrounding environment as I guarded the Greater Grail, so I suppose you could consider that eating too... but it wasn't particularly enjoyable, it was simply a function of my body."
"Huh. Wait, enjoyable? Does that mean you find eating in your current form nice?"
"Yes. Do you remember, in my world, when we shared meals together? I think eating like that is better than what I was doing."
You realize that his diet on the other side of the world was reminiscent of his origins as a homunculus, and the idea leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.
You turn on your heel to continue your walk. "You know, I bet nobody'd notice if we ate a couple cartons of these fries."
"I don't think we should."
You turn back to look at him. "You're not hungry at all?"
"No, but we've been out here a while--" he hefts up the plastic bag-- "So they've become rather soggy..."
"Fair point. Then, what do you want for dinner after we cash all these in?" You ask.
"Hmm." The Caster watches as his breath comes out in faint white puffs in the cold air.
For a moment, the two of you walk like that; the sound of the plastic bags' rustling and the occasional car whizzing past filling the silence.
"Something warm," Sieg decides.
"That sounds good to me, but try to be a bit more specific," you laugh.
"Something hot!" He declares.
"That's more like it!" You laugh.