thehometree | But my life is more than a vision--

| characters | Archer, Shirou, Rin, and whoever wants to join them in their endeavor. Feel free to tag multiple headers and jump threads within them!
| date/time | Monday, May 4th, onwards through the rest of the week.
| location | Outside the tree, near the mists.
| rating | PG for now, who knows later.
| summary | A complicated series of domestic scenes unfold as Archer, Shirou, and Rin set to work building a miniature kitchen out where they can have real fire, only to be interrupted by a storm.

It's been almost three weeks since Archer and Rin arrived in the center of the tree and gained their wings, only to be met by Shirou and Saber as well. That's just about enough time for it to dawn on those who might be concerned with the domestic details of day-to-day life that they have such a thing here, in between the confusion, the struggle to organize, and the fears of more giant spiders.

Archer's highest priority might be the salvation of all the souls around him, as much as he hates it, but bit by bit a new concern creeps up on him, almost unconsciously. Every time he serves Rin a subpar, barely-cooked meal, it pains him a little deep inside where he thought he was only hollow.

He decides to act.

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[ At first, Archer doesn't respond. He glances over at Saber, then deliberately turns his face away and keeps working on reinforcing the makeshift roof of the building.

But the thought of Saber standing there, sadly expecting food, tugs at the blackened husk of his heart. The thought of sitting down to a meal with her just kind of nags at him, popping unbidden into his head and refusing to leave.

How embarrassing.

After a time, he gets up from his work on the kitchen and strides over to Saber. ]

You can leave, you know. Set the food down and leave us to our tasks.

Very well.

[ She does not argue against his suggestion, instead she accepts it without objection almost automatically. It is better this way, lest her presence will disrupt their cooperation. She kneels to unpack what she gathered for them and entrust the ingredients to Archer. ]

If I leave immediately, do you promise to eat your serving?

[ She cannot ask him anything else. It makes her feel sick with guilt to demand anything else. He told her he died protecting Rin and she had assumed the worst circumstances of her involvement. Even so, she knows Shirou enjoys eating the result of his cooking, at least it seems he did when they lived together in Fuyuki. ]

It is a poor cook if he does not sample his own meal before serving it to others.

[ What's left of his heart gives a small pang as she unquestioningly accepts his suggestion. He almost stops and tells her that it's not supposed to be that way, that she's supposed to be at the table with them.

Not that there is a table here. ]

There's no need for me to eat. The tree itself provides me with prana, and unlike you, my Servant body is not incomplete and in need of further nourishment.

[ She chose to vanish after destroying the Grail; what place used to be hers, she has already given it up. And it is unbecoming to regret your choices once taken. ]

I did not need nourishment because my body is like this. [ Saber says, raising an eyebrow in surprise he still believes she did. ] First, I took it because it supplied me prana, but even when I no longer needed it, I simply ate it because I enjoyed Shirou's cooking.

[ He made her enjoy eating when she disliked it before. ]

I believe that you enjoy food too, Archer.

I enjoy nothing.

[ It's almost honest. Almost.

As much as he'd be loath to admit it, he enjoys the thought of Saber eating at his table. ]

And Shirou's cooking is abysmal. Find someone better.

That is a lie.

[ She remained unfazed by his insincerity. He surely enjoyed chores and insulting himself, for example. ]

Then let Rin do it. Would you still refuse to eat if that were the case?

Tch...she'd hardly let me refuse if she needed someone to taste her meals, but that's besides the point.

So I am answered.

[She can be at ease.]

Her cooking is different from Shirou. [Rin usually cooked spicy food to them.]

Naturally it is, but I do most of the cooking for now.

[ And he lets slip something that's more important than it seems-- ]

She won't work with the glow-worms as a heat source.

Hm...Why is that?

[ She raises her eyebrows, surprised. She doesn't remember Rin having a particular dislike for insects. ]

And what about the fireflies?

[ He pauses a moment, quickly assessing just how much to tell her. ]

In our timeline, we fought an enemy who used bugs as familiars. It was rather unpleasant.

I suspect the fireflies would have the same result for her.

Insects as familiars? [ She wonders which Master is that. But familiars are usually small animals, so she doesn't find that odd.

What is strange that it has seemly caused a lasting impression on Rin. ]

This could pose a problem. Is she eating properly?

[ This is definitely not something he wants to discuss with Saber. Actually, he's rather grateful she doesn't know. It's good to know there's a timeline where she stayed pure and free of such things. ]

Yeah, I'm seeing to her needs. It should be fine.

[ "Pure" is debatable. Caster captured her and dressed her up in a white maiden dress to proceed to sexually tormented her. Either way, she's a grown up king who can learn the secrets of penis worms without flinching.

She suspects there's more than meets the eye with that dismissing explanation. ]

Hm. So tell me, did your cooking skills have improved with age or did they rust?

What?!

[ He looks at her in astonishment. She can't ask a question like that of a hero like him--it's base and unmanly. ]

Answer my question, Archer.

[ She can and she just did with a smirk appearing on her face. She is challenging him, for Rin's sake. ]

But my life is more than a vision--

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