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[ Pi leans into Ereshkigal's hand and purrs loudly, clearly enjoying the attention. Ratio smiles fondly, relishing this moment of complete peace and comfort. He hears the slight pain in Ereshkigal's words, but does not comment on it, if only because it seems like something she must deal with on her own. Or at least without input from him, given the position he's currently in.

He blushes when Ereshkigal strikes the mark. Was it that obvious? Well, it may have been him who proposed, not Aventurine, but the end result would have been the same either way. ]

I hadn't intended on revealing our engagement, but yes, we are now betrothed to each other.

[ And now his joy makes sense. With the cats back, and the promise of marriage, how can a man like Ratio not be as happy as he is? ]

Edited 2025-03-03 23:00 (UTC)

[ W-Wow...! Shocking! Did she accidentally step on a spoiler?! It looks like she did! That's enough to make her forget about her own problems and beam at him while - you guessed it - sparkling. ]

T-That's wonderful!

[ Alas, there is no avoiding it any longer: Ratio gets a big hug!! Hopefully the cat doesn't mind too much being squished between the two of them. It's a long and tight hug, because that's a really amazing thing to celebrate.

She still has to talk to him about the contract... But first: ]

You are going to get married, doctor! I hope I'm invited.

[ Pi meows loudly in protest and begins wriggling in between them. Meanwhile, Ratio's frozen, completely unused to receiving hugs from anyone other than his lover—no, it's fiancé now, isn't it? ]

Ah... thank you. But please keep this to yourself right now. I would like it to be announced on my fiancé's terms.

[ He shifts to give Pi some room to breathe, but otherwise does not reject the hug. Only once Ereshkigal pulls back does he continue speaking. ]

I am unsure if we will have a marriage ceremony here, but perhaps an engagement party... we will discuss this soon.

Edited 2025-03-05 20:05 (UTC)

[ She smiles brightly. An engagement party sounds like so much fun! Is she going to be a triple bridesmaid?! Ehehe. ]

I am looking forward to it.

[ With that said... S-She should talk about the other thing, shouldn't she? She'd love to talk more about happy Ratio is right now, but if she doesn't speak of the contract now, she may just end up forgetting! ]

I must confess however, I had something else I wanted to speak of with you. [She takes on a more solemn tone as her smile returns to normal.] When we last met - besides the fear you held for your cats - it is evident you also felt inadequate to face the kaiju. And while I held my own, this vessel presents some limitations I have been struggling with.

[ Essentially, they're both not exactly at their best where kaiju combat is concerned. And until now, she'd been unsure because a Master-Servant contract implies she must trust someone with her life... But she would trust him with life now, wouldn't she? So: ]

After much consideration... [A pause.] I wanted to ask you if you would agree to form a contract with me.

[ Free from the pressure of the hug, Pi settles down again, and Ratio strokes her head absentmindedly as he turns his full attention to Ereshkigal. Immediately, his brow furrows and he frowns as he recalls what he learned of the contract when they'd first spoken about it. The most salient piece of information is that it requires complete trust from the Servant, who would be Ereshkigal in this case.

If she was proposing this, then it means she trusts him now. It's... admittedly, quite touching. He hadn't known she'd warmed up to him to that extent. On sentiment alone, he'd love to agree to the contract.

But of course, his rationality prevails here as several concerns and questions start forming in his mind. ]

If I recall correctly, you mentioned that as a divine spirit, your energy requirements are greater than the average Servant. It would be best to verify if I am capable of providing the mana you need before we form the contract.

You also mentioned dream sharing as a potential concern, which leads me to presume that it is not merely that, but perhaps... akin to what we experienced when the Alitta Virens caused our implants to malfunction.

Is that correct?

Not quite. There would be no interacting with the dreams or me- Only watching. Though seeing how we are not in my world, hopefully you would be spared this side-effect.

[ Honestly, completely dependent on how much the person in control of Ratio's life wants him to have nightmare. That's the great thing with Fate/ lore: everything depends on the mood of the writer! ]

You are capable, I have already ascertained as much. [She smiles.] However, there are quite a few more things I would have you know before you make your decision.

[ Ereshkigal takes a step deeper and sits wherever there is a seat. If not, she'll just stand right next to a wall. ]

Most who become a "Master" do so without knowing everything it entails. [...She hopes she doesn't need to tell him that if he ever calls her "Servant" he's getting a A-Rank slap straight to his face.] The risks for you are minimal here... But I would still have you be aware of them. The foremost of those risks being the target that will be painted on you by enemies capable of sensing the link between us. A smart kaiju would likely go after you if possible rather than fight me if given a chance.

[ Yeah let's say Ratio invited Ereshkigal into the room when she changed topics because I totally forgot to put that in my last tag LMAO. There's a chair for her by the desk that she can sit in no problems. Meanwhile, Ratio sits on the bed and finally allows Pi to roam freely, now that there's no risk of her escaping into the rest of the base.

Quark and Joule are also in the room. Quark, being the curious one, comes up to Ereshkigal's feet and starts to sniff. Joule, on the bed, pads closer to Ratio and loafs next to him. Absently, Ratio rests a hand on her. ]

Are the dreams one-way or mutual?

[ He doesn't mind if she sees his entire life, as he has nothing to hide, but he wants to know anyway. ]

What indicators would manifest as a result of our connection? I must know of them if I am to disguise them.

Mutual. [She tilts her head and closes an eye.] The flow of mana can be perceived by some. The best way to hide it is to keep the flow as close as possible to zero except when needed. And then there are the command seals. A red mark that will appear on the back of your dominant hand.

[ Okay, here comes the lengthy explanation. Sighs, why does she have to keep explaining her world lore? It's so stupid! The woes of being a goddess... ]

You see, if a mage summons a powerful heroic spirit - what's to stop that "Servant" from killing their summoner and finding an alternate source of mana to survive in the human world? [A pause.] To prevent such a scenario, the contract grants the mage three command seals that can be used to compel obedience from their Servant if needed. However, those command seals are a limited quantity.

[ She beckons for the cat that's at her feet, to take it on her lap and pet it. Ehehe, cats are so cute! And well-behaved too. ]

Of course, that's for contracts where the two parties do not trust each other. [Not their case, or she wouldn't be here in the first place. Besides those rules were made for heroic spirits, as a divine spirit it would be harder to compel obedient in her.] You, however, could use those command seals to greatly empower my next attack. Think of it like allowing me to temporarily break my limits. [You could even call it... A limit break!] You could also summon me to your side in case of emergency.

[ Like if say, a friendly kaiju suddenly becomes murderous. ]

[ Ratio's expression is thoughtful as he reviews the information he's been given. He has gloves, so there's no need to do anything to conceal the command seals, and he has impeccable control over Imaginary energy, so presuming it is one and the same with mana, that will also be no issue.

Meanwhile, Quark, who is chunkier than the other two cats, looks up at Ereshkigal and allows her to pick her up. She takes a moment to sniff around, curious of the new humanoid she's never seen before, even placing her paws on Ereshkigal's chest so she can sniff at the goddess's face.

A noise comes from the corner of the room. It's just Pi, whose attention is being occupied by a cardboard box that has clearly been left for the cats to play with. ]

Is there a drawback in forcing you to overcome your limitations? Other than the use of a command seal.

[ He's unlikely to ever be in real danger, especially since he's learned his lesson this time around, when stumbling about half-distracted nearly got him considerably injured a few times against the raging Imugi. In that case, the most likely scenario he'd ever call upon Ereshkigal for is... Aventurine's safety. But with that man, it's difficult to determine when he's truly in danger, and when his gamble is going to pay off. Hopefully, there will be no need for the man to gamble his life on this planet. ]

[ Such a cute chunky cat! She gently boops her adorable little snoot before petting her. H-Honestly she's getting tempted to get one! But she's not sure she would be able to take care of both a cat and her baby deer, whenever she'll get her back. ]

It's absolutely safe, unless of course you mention something along the lines of "expand every last ounce of your energy in this attack even if it kills you." [She sighs. Mages can be twisted, she's sure Ratio has figured out as much by now.] Even then, as I am a divine spirit, it probably wouldn't work on me.

[ She's not supposed to be summonable at all after all. Count on gods to ruin everything! Perhaps if he used all three seals at once and at point-blank range... ]

The more vague your commands with a seal, the more diluted the effects are. If you give the order "save everyone" or "obey everything I ever say," it's pretty much a wasted seal. That's why orders that focus on an attack or a specific act are far more potent.

[ She looks back from the cat and up to the doctor with a sad smile. ]

You are the one who would take the most risks here, doctor. It takes its toll on the body to provide large quantities of mana in a short period of time. [Aka, a kaiju battle.] I can promise it will not kill you... But you may need more rest than usual after kaiju battles, especially the first few times.

[ Quark dodges the petting after a few pets, but only so she can nibble at Ereshkigal's hands. It seems the cat is in a playful mood and wants the goddess to play with her.

Specificity equals potency. That makes it far easier to decide when and how to use command seals, if he ever needs to. It's not likely to come up though, since he has so few of them it means they must only be used in extreme circumstances.

But he understands why such a contract exists in Ereshkigal's world. The 'Master' gains control over a powerful entity while the 'Servant' gains fuel to attack and survive. There is likely more to these spirit summonings than he knows, but it at least has logical basis. ]

A final few questions. Presumably, the contract ends upon expending all command seals. Is there anything stopping us from reforging the contract afterwards to replenish command seals? Additionally, is it possible for either of us to terminate the contract unilaterally?

[ Mhm... Yes, she sees no reasons why the contract can't be reforged. This should be similar to a Chaldea contract, and Ritsuka renews her seals after every missions as far as she knows. But Chaldea also gets energy from Merlin directly, who is pretty much as close to a human battery as you can get. She tilts her head and ponders for a moment. ]

Well, there could be consequences if you tried cheating the system... Like using a command seal for each of my attacks and renewing the contract in between them. [Even Ritsuka never did that, as far as she knows.] Normally command seals are generated by an outside source, like a Holy Grail. So here your body would pay the price.

[ D'aww, why is the cat so adorable. She starts playing with it - wait a second doctor, while she takes her brooch off and dangles it to draw the cat's attention with it, ehehe. ]

To be completely safe, I would advise an one-month wait period between each renewal.

[ To be honest, he'd love to experiment and see just what exactly this contract would allow for, but he already has some reservations about what it might require from him. Even though Ereshkigal has said he would be fine, he needs to experience the drain first before he can make any further decisions. ]

...Alright. I have no further questions. What are the procedures to forge this contract?

[ Rejecting the contract was never truly in the cards, so long as it proved no threat to his life. He's happy to help Ereshkigal reach her full potential in battle. Whatever Ratio loses in comparison will hopefully pale to the benefit she, and by proxy, the rest of the Outsiders receive.

He reaches over to pick up Quark from Ereshkigal's lap and places her on the floor, nudging her towards Pi. ]

Shoo, Quark. You can play with her after we're done.

[ Sorry, it's probably best she be put out of the way until after everything's said and done. He also nudges Joule, who quickly gets the hint and moves to another corner of the room. ]

[ T-The cat! Her disappointment at the cat being taken is immense and the damage caused to her morale is irreparable. Still, she gets why he wants the kitties out of the way... She stands up and cants her head-- ]

It can be as simple as a handshake, but...

[ Isn't he forgetting something? She smiles and takes a step forward. ]

Don't you want to talk of it with Aventurine first? [You know, especially since they're newly betrothed.] Big decisions like that are usually discussed with one's fiance.

[ Just a handshake? He was expecting something grander, given that he was dealing with divine spirits and contracts forged with energy, but... Well, it's convenient and easy, at least.

He tilts his head, brows furrowing in confusion. Big decision? Was this really as big as she claimed it to be? He'd viewed it as a mere business transaction, albeit one couched in mutual trust. ]

This is a deal that will only affect you and I. What reason is there to involve him? Unless you're suggesting the risk to my health is greater than what you've indicated, in which case I would naturally retract my agreement.

[ Basically, it's going to make him more tired than usual after Kaiju missions, but that's it, so there's nothing for Aventurine to worry about. Right? ]

No, if anything it's likely to be lesser. [She's pretty much looked at the worst case scenarios and based everything off of them-- In all likelihood, he will be just fine.] I just thought... I don't know, if it was me I would ask.

[ Maybe she's way too formal about those things. Or maybe... ]

But I suppose it's because the one I was to contract on my world I also... [Love her. So of course she'd ask Ritsuka about her opinion before doing this. But that's not at all the case with Ratio. She shakes her head.] You're right, there's no reason to involve him.

[ She smiles and extends her hand for him to take. ]

[ It's sweet that she cares for Aventurine's feelings despite their rocky start, but the pair have been working together for a long time. They know how each other operate, and Aventurine would know that Ratio isn't the type to risk his own life for profit or gain. ]

You needn't worry. He will understand.

[ This is not a decision that will come back to bite him in the future, surely.

He grasps her hand firmly with a small smile, bracing himself for whatever he might feel as a result of forming the contract. ]

I look forward to working with you.

[ She says nothing when he grasps her hand - she doesn't even smile. She instead looks at him very solemnly... ]

[ The mark of the command seals appears on the back of his hand, a shape that is [the choice of the higher entity who write everything Ratio does in his life]. ]

[ Meanwhile, Ereshkigal remains silent for a moment. She looks at the mark on the back of his hand and-- ]

Finally your soul belongs to me.

[ And lo: the goddess stares at him with the most evil and malicious smile she is capable of! She also speaks in a very deep and scary(?) tone, one that is most unusual for the goddess. If he tries to break the handshake, Ereshkigal is using her famed A-Rank strength to make sure he cannot. ]

Everything up until now was a ploy to steal your soul. The contract is sealed and cannot be undone.

[ And-And lo! She immediately lets go of his hand and smiles at him in a more familiar manner. She drops the ominous and deep tone, too. ]

Ehehe, this was just a little joke. [Did he fall for it? She hopes so, she's tried her really best to be scary and evil right there.] It's done, though I suspect you won't notice a thing until our next fight.

[ As the command seal forms, Ratio feels a connection being drawn between him and Ereshkigal. It feels like an artery, a pathway that allows the latent Imaginary energy resting in his body to flow towards the goddess. Ratio is taken by the sensation, along with the command seal forming on the back of his hand.

It's only when Ereshkigal speaks up that he realizes something is off, and he looks at her with a somewhat alarmed expression, though he makes no effort to pull his hand out of her grip. ]

...

[ It looks like he wants to retort, maybe explain that the joke was too easy to see through, too serious to make for something like this, or any other complaint he could muster, but instead his mouth closes and he just rubs his face with his other hand, groaning in exasperation. ]

What is it that compels people to delight in playing tricks on me?

[ Yes, he was fooled for a second there. ]

Edited 2025-03-13 16:29 (UTC)

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