In his new room, Raynell lay sleeping. The first rays of sunlight shone through the windows and touched his face. He blinked himself awake before noticing something odd. Laying curled up on his feet was Aiko, happily drooling in her sleep.
Not having any of it, he rolled her off of his legs and got up. He felt his stomach rumbling and decided to head to the kitchen after putting his blanket on the sleeping Aiko. He roamed through the halls, looking for any sign of food. After ten minutes of aimless wandering, he saw his friend and Shirou cooking. “Good morning! What do ya have cooking?”
“Oh you know, rice and rolled eggs with seaweed salad and green tea on the side. Miso soup, grilled fish with grated daikon radish and boiled eggs. How’s the night by the way?” Iihito responded.
“Slept like a dream. It’s so nice to finally have a bed to sleep on. Woke up with the fluffball on my legs though. She’s still asleep.” He looked around the kitchen and into the dining hall. “Oooh! I’ll be at the table. Call me when it’s ready!”
“Kay.”
Setting himself down, he began to hum to himself a merry tune, swaying his head back and forth. He tapped the table to compliment his impromptu melody, the smell of the food making him salivate.
Slamming the door open, Taiga roared her usual greeting. "SHIROU! FO- who's that?"
Silence was all that greeted her.
A short while after, a still wet Aiko sat beside Raynell with a towel in her hair. "Hey Tiger."
Rounding on Aiko, Taiga roared yet again. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING TIGER?"
Iihito pretended she didn’t hear Taiga berate Aiko.
Raynell looked on in confusion. “Tiger?”
Pointing at the poor confused man, Taiga yelled at him as well. "Don't call me that!"
Snickering, Aiko whispered to Raynell. "I'm literally saying her name, but in Japanese. Tora. It really doesn't register until I point it out though huh?"
Nodding in understanding, he asked Taiga, “What’s your name then?”
Glancing over him from her seat, Taiga introduced herself. "Fujimura Taiga."
He smiled. “Pleasure to meet you, Taiga! My name’s Raynell.” He stuck out a hand for a shake.
Placing Taiga’s breakfast on the table, Iihito interjected. “Forgive him, he is a foreigner. He isn’t used to Japanese customs.”
“It was a bit of a surprise for me too when I first met him.” Shirou said, placing Aiko’s and Raynell’s meals on the table.
Kiritsugu nodded along. “Yes, he’s an associate of Aiko. He just got to Japan. He was a stowaway who snuck here, we’re working on identification as we speak.”
Raynell eyed the meal in front of him. “That’s right! After eating nothing for days, I can’t wait to dig in.”
“Well, we’ve prepared lots of food. Feel free to eat your fill.” Shirou smiled, resting his eyes.
“Oh, and give me a review of the food I’ve prepared too. I’m no Shirou but I think it’s at least passable right?” Iihito added.
Having finished her plate, Aiko held up a card with a seven on it. Where did she get the card? Nobody knows. There was a marker in her lap, however.
Raynell was enjoying his food too much to comment about anything. Just a moan of delight as he gorged himself.
Kiritsugu consumed his breakfast in silence while Shirou gave off a smile towards Iihito.
In her usual boisterous fashion, Taiga loudly made her judgement. "Seconds please!"
Shirou stood up, to grab Taiga seconds.
“Well, I guess that means good enough, I suppose.” Iihito shrugged before returning to her meal.
Deciding to make a bit of conversation while she waited for her second bowl, Taiga looked over at Raynell. "So. You must be of legal age right? There's a party going on with the school staff later, but a plus one is mandatory…"
Raynell scrunched his face in disgust for a moment. “I don’t drink, but I’ll gladly go to the party!”
Taiga began to puff up her chest in falsified pride. "That's fine. As long as you're old enough to get in, that won't be a problem. They just couldn't handle me last time after a few drinks."
Aiko snickered, and poked him in the ribs and whispered in his ear. "Unless you want a major headache, we should probably redirect her from that idea."
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll be fine. There aren’t many things that can annoy me. As long as they have non-alcoholic snacks and drinks, I’ll be happy.”
Smirking, Aiko's breath tickled his ear. "Heh. Don't say I didn't warn you."
“Sounds like a skill issue on your end.”
~~Aiko and Raynell playing a video game. Aiko is frustrated.~~
Later that day when night had almost fallen, Taiga was waiting for Raynell outside the front gate. Waving him over, she kick started her scooter, and patted the backseat. "Come on! We're almost late!"
Raynell hopped on and yelled, “GO! GO! GO!” and laughed when she twisted on the gas. Immediately, the two of them ran into a red light, a slew of vehicles blocking their path to the bar. Raynell tapped her left shoulder, causing her to lightly press the front brake. He then twisted her shoulders when the rear wheel lifted off from the ground, causing the bike to twist until they were facing backwards. Then he pulled back on her, causing the rear wheel to slam on the street. The resulting force caused the bike to flip haphazardly in the air. Bystanders watched in bafflement at how the scooter flew over the busy intersection and landing on the other side facing the correct direction. “WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOO HOO HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”
Parking in front of the Neko Hanten, Taiga cheered. "WHOOO! HELL YEAH. DAMN I'M GOOD."
Shutting off her bike, she dragged Raynell into the party, where some of the staff for the school were already drinking without her. It seemed that they expected her to be a no-show, considering a few of them spat out their drinks when they saw her enter.
One of them forced a smile after wiping some of the alcohol off of his suit. “Taiga! You’re here… Where did you find a plus one for you?”
Taiga shrugged. "He just showed up on the Emiya family's doorstep one day. I decided he'd do just fine."
Raynell nodded his head. “That was yesterday. Stowed away on a ship to see a friend. Turns out she lives next door to Taiga. One pleasant talk over breakfast later and here I am!”
A woman in a yellow dress dropped her glass. “Stowa- Taiga, you brought a STOWAWAY here!?”
Waving it off as if it wasn't a big deal, Taiga seemed impatient for a drink. "Don't worry about it. I can vouch for him." Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "He's good enough for Kiritsugu at least."
Raynell scratched his cheek, looking away from everyone’s intense gazes. “He only let me in because my friends were there.”
An older gentleman choked on his drink. "There are more of them?!"
“More of who? I don’t know what’s going on. Is Kiritsugu someone important around here?”
A man dressed in priestly robes spoke in a slow, deep baritone. "Mr. Emiya finds it hard to trust people. That he let you into his home is really interesting."
Raynel nodded in acknowledgment. “I noticed. He remained skeptical until he brought my friend out to verify.”
Speaking up from where she was at the table, Taiga slurred her words. "Yuh shee? Ees gud."
“Huh… She’s a real lightweight, isn’t she.” Raynell shrugged his shoulders. “Seems like I got my work cut out for me.” He got himself a small plate and grabbed some appetizers from the table. He ate each of them with pleasant slowness, savoring every bite.
Slamming open back another drink, Taiga roared, smashing the cup on the ground. "BRING ME ANOTHER!"
The priest continued to stare at Raynell with a curious expression but said nothing.
“Miss Fujimura, please slow down. At this rate, you are going to black out before the main course arrives.” A man called out, trying to tend to her,
Looking as if she was going to fall over in her seat, Taiga drunkenly reached for another drink. "S'okay, I got thish."
Raynell sighed as he walked over to Taiga and bopped her hard on the head. The glaze over her eyes cleared as she became lucid, a slight slur still in her voice. "H-hey! Not cool!"
“D… Did she actually sober up from that?” A woman asked, seeing Taiga in a not-so-drunken state.
He raised a lazy thumb. “A bit. It’s a Médico family technique. The women use it to get the men to pay attention to them instead of blacking out.” He saw Taiga drink another round and grimaced. “Not going to be as effective the second time…”
“Oh, I see…” The woman said before pretending to draw her focus elsewhere.
The priest's eyes shone in recognition of the technique.
~~One drunken tiger later~~
Singing a popular Japanese song so loud that the windows nearby were rattling, Taiga clung tightly to Raynell's back. "You wrap your arms around me~" She sang before they got on the scooter and shot off towards the Emiya residence. Nothing out of the ordinary happened as he decided to take things slow and enjoy the scenery. While driving, he drove past an abandoned park. The wrongness that permeated from it ate at him, and he decided to do something about it.
He parked Taiga’s scooter at the edge of the road. Not wanting to leave her alone, he slung her arm around his shoulder and walked to the center. He set Taiga down on a tree, crossed his arms, and began to pray. “Dear Heavenly Father. I thank thee for allowing me to see two of my dear friends once more. And for protecting me and guiding me in this new world. I ask of thee to heal this place so that people could return and have good memories as they once had. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Peace filled his chest as the moon above shone brighter, holier. The evil pervading the park lifted, and the foliage seemed more welcoming than the oppressive aura it once had.
Satisfied, he slung Taiga’s arm back over his shoulder and made his way to the scooter again. He drove back home in silence and pondered about the future of the park. Going back in a few days seemed appealing.
Back at the manor, Aiko sat on the front porch with a bored look on her face, cleaning what could only be a Fat-man miniature rail nuke launcher as she reassembled it. Raynell saw her and asked, “Where did you get that?”
Perking up, the nuke launcher disappeared from her hands. "Where did I get what?" She asked with false innocence.
“Yeah, one of her powers is to spawn guns. Rocket launchers are technically guns so yeah… She got herself a nuke launcher.” Iihito walked in, noticing Raynell’s question and a barely conscious Taiga.
With a finger on her lips, Aiko winked. "Shh. That's a secret."
Raynell shrugged his shoulders, jostling Taiga a bit and startling her. “Ok. I think me and Taiga need to sleep. It was a bit rough handling her, but overall, it’s been a fun night!”
“Right, just make sure she isn’t drunk. I’d rather not deal with Taiga with a hangover the next morning.” Iihito said before giving off a yawn.
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