[Suzerain of Sheol]

If she showed all-too-human weakness earlier, in front of her Servant, it is now gone. Far from feeling numb or emotionally-dead, Leila instead has entered a kind of meditative state, operating as best she can via pure reason and analysis. She has never fought a mage-war before; the only violence she has known in her life came in the form of car bombs and suicide vests, and such strategies will not avail the victor of a Holy Grail War. The enemy must be out-thought, out-fought, and destroyed with clinical precision. Every weakness cataloged, every threat prepared for. She has been weighing the opportunity cost of simply draining the ambient mana as soon as the ban is lifted, but she cannot trust Rasputin to be able to save her against the enemy Servants unleashed, even if they cannot manifest their Noble Phantasms. No, a rapid retreat will be in order, the external cellar of a nearby boutique had been agreed upon, and if not there, any door she can open should, in theory, lead her to Rasptuin's territory.

She wants to be frightened, but emotions will not serve here. Cautiously accepting that she cannot yet be harmed, Leila makes her approach, crossing the massive parking lot outside the cathedral (one might wonder what it had been in ancient times, if one's mind were not taken up with plans of war). There are citizens everywhere; if fighting breaks out here, the casualties will be fantastic. Drawing near to the entrance, Leila's eyes fall on a pair dismounting from a motorcycle.

She knows instantly that they are her enemy. They would be an unassuming young couple on any other day, but the perturbation of air mana caused by their breathing tells her everything she needs to know. For a difficult moment, before they notice her, Leila tries to imagine those youthful faces melting in agony at the clutch of her Tetra, a vomitous thought to the woman she had been only a few days ago.

Or perhaps, this was who she always was, and those years of happy marriage had been a mirage. How could she have gotten to this moment if not by preparing for it her entire life? No, Leila Aliyah Elshstein is prepared to kill these two souls before her -- and if they have any right to be here, they too will be more than ready to return such malice.

And yet for that, the most difficult part may be in finding what on earth to say to them now. Nothing blandishing, no feigned sympathies, nor denial of the truth. Grudging respect? They have not earned it.

"I see you prefer to keep your Servant close." A horribly awkward way to start a conversation, but how could conversations with one's victims be anything but?