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A grail war was brewing.

Every spirit, from their demesne in the Throne of Heroes, could feel it - sense it; and on some level, sense their role in it, should they have one. Precognitions arrived in momentary sensations; feeling the hilt of a blade in one's hand, or manifesting a phantom pain.

When Mordred; the exalted Saber of Red, felt her spirit tethering itself to the material world - preparing to conjure her to take part in such a grand battle, with such bold and worthy opponents, she was elated. The thought of crossing blades and cracking skulls inspired her through her momentary trip between realms - following the guidance of that which her mortal self left behind. In the aether, Mordred reached out - and found her hand curling around the hilt of a sword. With one violent tug; the hilt remained immobile - but allowed her to pull herself into the mortal world. Light cascaded off of her as she manifested - blade in hand; as offered by a robed figure before her.

With her feet planted firmly on the ground, Mordred surveyed her surroundings. She could tell that she was in some sort of mansion; in a room enclosed by wooden walls, illuminated by candlelight, and occupied by several other hooded figures - like the one at her feet, all were kneeling; positioned around the periphery of the room. By the look of the seal drawn at her feet, carefully drawn in wax - she could tell that she wasn't summoned by a nobody. These people had to know what they were doing - and that brought a smile to her face. Lifting the blade up and away from the kneeling summoner, she looked it over - recalling it foundly as a blade she'd used in her youth.

"Looks like someone really wanted me here." she declares boldly; a cocky smirk spreading across her lips. Twisting the artifact blade around in her hand, she points it toward the figures around the room. "On your feet!" she barks. Kneeling down a little, she knocks the hilt of her sword gently against what she can presume to be the head of the one that held her sword prior. "You too. Looks like you guys really mean business - so, tell me; who among you is worthy of being my master?"

One by one, the others stand - in doing so, they shed their hoods. Whether deliberately or not; the order in which they do so guides Mordred through the generations of what she can only assume to be a family of mages. She first sees the grizzled and wizened faces of the eldest; followed by the dignified faces of their children - lastly, the young and awed faces of their children. Mordred pushes out her chest a little - allowing them to bask in her magnificence.

With most of them having revealed themselves - the only one still hiding behind their hood was the one knelt before her. There's a period of silence as they continue to linger in their position - broken by one of the older members of the congregation. "Oh, honored and heroic spirit," he begins, glaring down at the kneeling figure. "we call upon you today to represent our venerable home in an impending conflict - a battle for the holy grail, and all it may provide. In doing so, we have elected the..." He clears his throat. "Finest representative of our family to serve as your master. Her command of the arcane is unparalleled, and her mind is among the greatest, though her... Desires may not always be appropriate."

Mordred leers. Desires - what was he going on about? Taking a step forward, she reaches down and grabs her apparent master's hood - yanking it upward and evoking a hushed gasp from the mage beneath...

Quickly, Mordred learns why they'd stayed hidden. Buried beneath the robe was the rather broad and unshapely figure of a woman - who despite the ritual decorum displayed by the rest of her family, was clad in an unflattering set of sweatpants and a bright pink tee-shirt displaying a number of girls wearing frilly outfits. Her hair was brown; lacking luster and falling sloppily over her shoulders. Her uneven bangs fell over her bespectacled eyes - and Mordred could see the faintest hint of freckles upon her soft, rounded cheeks. Her mouth hung agape - in mixed awe and surprise from having been so suddenly revealed.

The elder mage cleared his throat again. "This is Katherine. You may address her as master, as you see fit."

Averting her eyes from Mordred, the chubby girl stands and takes a step back. "O-or you could ca-call me... Kay. Or Kay-chan." Mordred leered - but as she saw the luminous surface of a command seal on the back of her hand, she knew she was bound to this woman.

As bad as she seemed now - Mordred wondered how much worse this could get.

"You want to what!?" Morded shrieked. Before her, Kay recoils, holding her hands up defensively as the tomboyish servant glares at her.

Kay whimpers, stammering out. "I-I-u-u-uh... D-don't want to... Fight." Beyond being warbled with fear; the dumpy-looking girl's voice comes out huskily and dully. "I m-muh-mean... I don't know why they put me up to this, even if I'm... A little better..." She seems to shrink into herself. "G-grail wars are dangerous - I don't want to die!"

"So, what, ya wanna drop out - what the hell kinda attitude is that? Ya went through all the trouble of summoning me, and all ya wanna do is just..." She gestures to Kay. "Sit on your ass or somethin'?" To her immense disappointment, Kay simply nods. Mordred raises a hand to her forehead, groaning. "What the hell kinda master are you...?"

She turns away from Kay, pacing around the... Colorful room she now found herself in. Mordred felt like she'd stepped into another world when she entered Kay's room. Whereas the rest of her family's manor was rather... Refined, in its aesthetic and decor, such nuance was lost on their 'greatest' mage. Her walls were plastered with posters; cabinets lined the room, filled to the brim with figurines and replicas - all falling into a vaguely similar aesthetic to something Mordred had seen in... Contemporary Japanese art. Though Mordred had no passionate opinion on it; seeing Kay's overwhelming passion for it made her a little annoyed.

With Mordred turned away; Kay begins to mutter. "Y-you're not the only one that's disappointed..."

Snapping back toward her, Mordred growls "What was that?"

Kay seems to shrink again; hunching over with as much as she's been intimidated. "W-wuh-well... S-since I didn't want to fight, I k-kinda hoped they'd summon someone with a l-little more, um..." Kay rises up a little, a crooked smile crossing her lips. "Eyecandy. Like Gilgamesh, or Cú Chulainn..." A dull chuckle escapes her lips as she looks over to one of her posters - showcasing two men in suits, in each-others' arms.

"Tch." Mordred snorts. "They'd never stoop low enough to serve someone like you." she asserts - feeling bold as she speaks; but quickly realizing how her words could be turned against her. Her cheeks quickly reddening, she jabs a finger at Kay. "Y'know what - whatever; I don't care who you are, or what you want. You summoned me here to kick some ass - that's what I'm gonna do. I don't care if I've gotta drag ya onto the battlefield," she marches up to Kay, nearly butting heads with her as she leans closer. The brash servant jabs a finger against Kay's chest - dimpling in against her soft figure. "I'm gonna win this thing."

Snapping quickly from her fantastical reverie into fear once more, Mordred can feel Kay begin to tremble. "B-but... N-no, um..." she stammers out. She raises a hand - and with speed far exceeding what Mordred would expect from the timid girl, Kay snatches the servant's wrist. Her grip is shaky and clammy - by all accounts, something the Saber should be able to easily free herself from - but as she tries to pull away, she finds Kay's grip holding firm. Confused, she looks down to her hand - and sees the command seal tattooed upon it glowing an ominous shade of red.

"No - no you don't, c'mon-!" she begins to protest - but Kay remains undeterred.

"I-I don't wanna f-force you, but... Can't you s-s-see things my way?" With those words spoken, Mordred feels a weight come over her - like a phantom force pressing down upon her. Kay releases her - giving her a chance to stagger back; each step feeling like she's wading through molasses. The further she gets from Kay, the blurrier the room gets - her vision fogging over; distortion encroaching inward from the corner of her vision until the entire room fades into abstract shape and color...

And then, the distortion clears - so too does the weight bearing down upon the servant. With her vision clear - Mordred sees Kay holding her hands over her mouth.

"C-careful!" she chides, quickly waddling over to Mordred and nudging her aside. Turning around - Mordred could see that she was nearly an inch away from bumping into one of Kay's cabinets. "Y-you almost knocked over Hajime-chan!" Kay reaches out to a figure of a girl in a frilly outfit - one that's displayed on her shirt. A chill creeps over Mordred - a deep and insidious feeling; like avoiding a near-fatal accident.

"Sorry!" she blurts out, looking down at the figure. As that chill begins to clear, a more positive sensation wells up within her - like she's seeing an old companion. "Hajime-chan... You have good taste."

What? Mordred thinks. "What...?" Kay muses. "Y-you really think so? You..." She smiles a little. "Have you seen Mahou no Chimu Sweet, too?"

Mordred furrows her brow, shaking her head. "No," she begins - raising a hand. "I- I do mean it, but I haven't seen it, but..." She growls. "I don't know what I'm sayin'." She raises a hand to her face - but finds her fingers bumping up against something hard and firm. Carefully reaching to the bridge of her nose - Mordred finds herself pulling at... A pair of glasses. They aren't particularly stylish - bearing large, round frames. Trying to look at Kay without them was like trying to look through frosted glass. Putting them back on revealed a look upon Kay's face she hadn't seen before - excitement.

"You've gotta see it then." Her tone is... As elated as her voice could allow; still coming out as dull, but bearing a sense of passion where there had been none before. "It's a masterpiece; very underrated. Stay there, I'll get us set up."

Kay waddles over to another cabinet; lined with an array of plastic and cardboard cases. Pulling one out, she moves over to a large screen mounted on the wall opposite her bed - and soon, a shower of pink sparkles plays out across the screen, displaying the three girls emblazoned on Kay's shirt. Just looking at the title screen, Mordred was... Transfixed.

"S-some people say it only really gets good in the Lady of Unfortunate Fate and Final Death arc, but... If this is your first time, I think it'd give you a lot more context if you start from episode one! It's only about sixty episodes until that arc really begins, after all."

The fire burning in Mordred seemed to fade as she looked at the screen - though still tentative, she figured that it might behoove her to get to know her master a little. After all - maybe she could inspire her to fight if she just knew a little bit more about what she liked...? At least, that's how she justified it. "Yeah... Sure, whatever." Mordred brought a hand to her stomach - feeling a layer of softness upon her firm abs that simply wasn't there before, but... Moreover, she felt hungry. "Got any food?"

Kay plopped onto her bed and smiled. "I was feeling a little hungry too - I guess we're on the same page a little more than I thought. Don't worry - I have just the thing."

Mordred slurped another bunch of noodles from her styrofoam cup as she watched another episode end - she had only begun to chew by the time she and Kay began to hum the ending theme together. For a while, she stopped counting how many they'd seen together - and likewise, how many cups of ramen she'd gone through. Looking down on herself, she was distantly aware that they'd had... Something of a toll. Gone was the lithe form of the Saber of Red - an even layer of pudge had spread across her body. A rounded gut stuck out over her shorts; and flab all around formed a pronounced muffin top. It wasn't too visible from her point of view - but a dusting of blonde hair had sprung up underneath her belly.

After swallowing, Mordred opens her mouth again - a pair of metal braces glinting off of the dim light of the TV in the otherwise dark room. "I didn't think Nanako-chan would get out alive." she explains, looking over to Kay. Her voice is excited as ever - but so too has it developed a nasally quality.

"I thought the same thing when I saw it for the first time! But then, Caped Hero swooped in to save the day..." Kay sighs dreamily. "Don't you wish you had a Caped Hero in your life, Modred?"

What a ridiculous question - did she want some pretty boy hero protecting her? "Gawsh - obviously." Mordred replies. Setting down her now-emptied cup, she pats her stomach again. "Mmmh, do you have anythin' sweet lyin' around?"

As the opening theme of the next episode began to play, Kay nodded. "Of course!" She pulls out a cardboard box from between her legs, handing it over to Mordred. It's visibly warm - and a little moist - in her hands. Peering inside, she pulls out a long cookie stick; half covered in chocolate. "Ooh - I got an idea! Hand it here!"

Mordred immediately complied - offering Kay the cookie; which she snatches with her lips. Bobbing it upward, she offers the other end to Mordred. With red flushing into her cheeks, she leans forward and takes the other end between her lips.

Staring, bespectacled eye to bespectacled eye, at her master, the two inch closer to each-other on the stick. "Mh." Kay murmurs, trying to get her attention.

"Mhn?"

Speaking from the corner of her mouth, Kay murmurs "Did anyone evur tell yuh that yur freckles luk cute?"

Mordred eeps. More important than the realization that she had them - Mordred wonders if anyone had ever complimented them. She wonders if anyone had ever complimented her - and comes up blank. "N-nuh... Thanksh." she stammers out bashfully. The two grow closer - their lips nearing each-others; and the scent of ramen on each-other's breath becoming more apparent...

Until Kay whips away; snapping off her half of the stick. "Ooh! We're missing the start of the episode!" Panicked, Mordred looks away.

"Oh geez - after this one is done, can we watch it over again?"

Kay eagerly nods, reaching over to the box in Mordred's hands to pull out another cookie. "Of course!"

"Uuuuuugh." Kay groans as she enters her room - closing the door behind her and leaning against it; barring it from opening from the outside. "Y'know, this grail war stuff is really a drag... They keep bringing me out to tell me what's going on... Can't they just text me?" she dully whines.

With a stick of pocky sticking out of her mouth, Mordred concurs. "I'm jusht glad they're not botherin' me about it." She sits up a little and snorts - a recent quirk she'd picked up. Her nose seems to have upturned a little - providing such a quirk, and only worsening the high and whiny tone of her voice. Even when she shuts her mouth, two brace-bearing teeth stick out from her lips; a product of the underbite she's adopted.

As Kay moves closer, Mordred tries to get off of Kay's - now their shared - bed to meet her... But, as she rocks back and forward, trying to build up momentum, she can't seem to get up easily. Kay chuckles - having been in the same boat before.

Since her summoning, Mordred's figure has greatly... Evolved, from her lithe form, to one she proudly declares as... Heavyweight. Everything, from her cherubic cheeks, to her broader chest and arms, to her sagging gut and wide hips, is covered with a pronounced level of fat. Kay still fondly remembers the day she finally shred her top - having to console the panicked Saber for nearly an hour with how embarrassed she was. Of course, Kay had plenty of hand-me-downs for the servant; they were the same size, after all.

Even so; Mordred still bore her midsection in some sense. Her gut peeked out from between her new sweatpants and her Mahou no Chimu Sweet shirt - the pudgy surface of her stomach now covered with a noticeable treasure trail. "Kay-chaaaaaaaaan..." she whines. "Can I get a little help?"

Coming closer, Kay rubs her servant's head - mussing up her greasy and frazzled hair further. "No can do, Mori-chan. You've got nowhere to be but here. Besides - we've still gotta finish the Olympic arc of Free Skates!"

Mordred's eyes light up. "Oooh! Y-yeah, you're right! Ishn't thish the arc where Akihiko and Miyata..." Wheezily, she chuckles; a crooked smile forming on her lips. "Kiss?"

Kay plops down on the bed beside her - evoking a dangerous creak from it. "I'm not gonna spoil it, if that's what you're asking." With a remote in hand, she queues up the next episode - in a marathon Mordred never wants to end.