Fate: Beyond the Gate

13

To the ambience in mana in the air, to the overall feel of foreign mystics in a land where the Age of the Gods had yet to end, it was all so surreal and breathtaking at the same time.

Gray was momentarily caught in a daze, but this changed quickly when she noted the stunned expression of the members of the El-Melloi family that had been accompanied by Lady Reines and Waver earlier. They were the ones who'd already set up a bounded field around the exit of the Gate, camouflaging it from sight and creating a basic detection system around the premise.
Evidently, they'd only been expecting Gray, and not such a large crowd and were tongue tied.
"As expected of the El-Melloi, coveting all this for themselves…" A member of the Sophia-Ri family muttered before shaking her head. "Send back a report to the head."
"Understood. Should we inform the rest of the Tower as well?"
Gray felt the hairs on the back of her neck tingle, feeling as if she'd started a disaster. Perhaps it would have been best if she'd just stay still? Balling her hands into fists, she preened her ears and listened fixedly on the conversation around her.
"No. Understandably, its easy to infer why the El-Melloi suddenly had such a vested interest in the Gate to ask for more exploration time. They want to monopolize as much as they can before the rest of the Lords and the families take action. The El-Melloi's are already ahead of the game. Why should we give the others prior notice when we can follow the El-Melloi suit? We may not be the first, but the Sophia-Ri family still has much to gain at this discovery."
"That, that makes a lot of sense. We'll keep the information for the head's ears only, but what of the El-Melloi members…?"
Gray suddenly found herself and her fellow compatriots under the intrusive gazes of the Sophia-Ri, but the main person in charge shook her head.
"Detestable as they are, the El-Melloi's aren't stupid. They won't rat us out now that they've been found. Instead, knowing Reines and El-Melloi II, they'd rush to consolidate their foundations. Besides, would we rather waste time infighting, or explore the prospective nature of this new world?"
"U-Uhm, ugh," Gray tried to work her mouth to voice her objection, but she didn't get far before tucking her head into her shoulders from the intensity of the stares directed at her.
She didn't have the authority, identity, nor sway to speak against the crowd even if she tried. If only her teacher were here, or barring that, Lady Reines.
"Then we are agreed?"
"Naturally. We'll keep the Gate's exit as a rally point back to the tower, but we can establish our own family camps in suitable locations."
"In fact, its even better here for most of us, as Clock Tower regulations may not even apply, so… a free pass on all research methods?"
The eyes of numerous magi gleamed, and they spoke as if Gray and the other El-Melloi members were just air.
Helpless, Gray could only watch as many magi began to part their separate ways, driven by their own prerogatives on the prospect of freed limitation on their research, and interest in this new world.
Left behind, Gray pursed her lips, feeling as if this wasn't going to end well.
She needed to find her teacher. He'd know what to do, some sort of plan maybe?

Gray schooled her features and began her own search after questioning the El-Melloi members about where Lady Reins and Waver had gone.
-Elsewhere.
After the successful defence and repulsion of the Empire's invasion of the Warrior Bunny Kingdom, the group had made a temporary camp on the spot to rest from fatigue. Primarily though, it was so that Reines and Tyuule could have a proper, uninterrupted, and heated discussion about 'terms' of leasing to consider the situation moving forward.
At the same time, Waver was constantly surrounded by other Warrior Bunnies on the premise of asking for advice. Blinking, Waver thought nothing much of it and instead pictured all the Warrior Bunnies around him as students from the Clock Tower queuing to ask him questions on his lectures. This winning mentality allowed him to maintain an upright and straight-faced demeanor unaffected by the severe temptation of well-proportioned women of all types with bobbing bunny ears around him.
They were just student. Nothing more.
What could they want from someone like him, anyway?
Waver inadvertently deluded himself.
The admiration of the Warrior Bunnies only grew. That, and it was no secret that Waver ranked higher than even Bram of the Sophia-Ri family for the Tower women's 'most desired to sleep with.'
Waver had grown and adopted such a sophisticated display of aristocratic demeanor that he was quite well received in the Clock Tower, let alone as a 'Male Warrior Bunny strategist.'
To Shirou, it was quite clear from the unfriendly looks in that the Warrior Bunnies were sending him and the others that they just didn't want anyone close to Waver even remotely associated with Reines.
Shirou, Tuka, and Caila were able to infer the nature of this due to the enhanced hearing of their elven heritage, and the colder and colder tone Tyuule used with Reines.
What a pitiful man.
Shirou could imagine what was in store him as Reines's gains continued to increase.
Shirou, Tuka, and Caila looked at Waver with varying degrees of emotion, but Tuka and Caila themselves were ignorant that they too had taken a similar approach to the Warrior Bunnies.
Seeing the large number of women, and knowing the reputation of the Warrior Bunnies to bed men of other races, Tuka and Caila were sticking tight to Shirou lest their Apostle be seduced.
Shirou sighed, feeling quite helpless on the matter, but trying to respect his boundaries.
For the longest time now, he felt as if there was something off about the flowers blooming in the grass around him. It was like he was being watched and judged if he did anything untoward.
Shirou coughed, and took a few steps back, such that Tuka and Caila were no longer pressing against him.
Again, it could have been his imagination, but the flowers rustled, appeased.
Tuka and Caila glanced at each other, but still couldn't infer what they did wrong, if at all, but neither of the two would pursue anything anyway. Not against their race's apostle.