Fate/Endeavour

[Ace Tactician]

"I'll admit that this is an unusual way to start off an endeavor. But sometimes unusual starts make for fond memories to look back upon when sharing humorous stories," Levi said, musing over how this day had turned out before hopping back on his motorcycle and returning home for the evening. Before heading off to sleep he looked through the master bathroom for his mother's collection of various hair clips, ties and other things useful for keeping long hair in place for Lancer to browse through.

-----------

When the morning came around, Levi slept in for another half an hour before he finally got out of bed. He sleepily rubbed his eyes as he made his way to take a shower. There was something about a warm shower in the morning hours that never failed to wake him up fully.

He gazed at his reflection in the mirror on the wall above the sink as he was setting aside his usual outfit for that day. His normally slicked back golden blonde hair was currently a rather messy bedhead, but not for much longer. He always did have more of a slightly rounded face for someone of his age. He was also reminded by gazing over his lightly muscled form that he had been too tired to put a pajama shirt on and had gone to sleep in simple black pajama pants. His mother always joked that her son would grow up to be taller than she was, which was something that became true as he had gotten older.

He nearly switched on the water when he remembered that he didn't turn on his music player. He reached over to the device and set the tracks on the CD to random shuffle. When the first track began playing, he grinned for it was his favorite song as he turned on the water for the shower.

[Elyn]

"...Muh?" Nanae muttered a soft reply to the morning glimmer of the sun. The memory of the previous night's events had slipped back in only after her line of vision became stable once more. She sat up and looked to the window. Soon she'd buy the ticket, and they'd be on their way to Fuyuki. She glanced at the tin from the previous meal. She knew her tactics needed sorting and more precision.
She wasn't completely sure. Was it more desperately than anything, she wanted to live through this, or did she seek to see that 'man' again? Regardless, she needed to live, some way. She furrowed her eyebrows. So many people were more helpless than her in the world, and she couldn't help but feel she wanted to help as many as she could. To Nanae, those who were more unfortunate deserved a stable life, just like her. They deserved some form of happiness and gratification.

Nanae started to look back at her servant to see if he was awake. She'd prefer to tell him of her expedition to buy him clothing before proceeding to do so. "Archer?"

[AnonymousSpeed]

"Morning," Archer looked back over his shoulder and answered, kneeling at the window. He'd woken up before Nanae, unsurprisingly. He was, however, impressed at the fact that he hadn't beaten her by much, having risen only a few minutes before her. After his greeting he returned his attention to what he was doing, alternating between cleaning the crossbow rested on his knee and glancing out the window to see if anything came near. He'd of course looked around from other vantage points since waking up, but he settled into the spot by the window.

"Sleep well?" he asked, keeping his attention on either the bow or what was outside the window. "We've got a long day ahead of us, and then more long days after that." It was important that he be ready to fight at a moments notice, even if it was unlikely any other masters or servants were in the area. He'd not desire to grow comfortable thinking that only to need to be ready on a moments notice. Thankfully he had a bit of experience with such readiness, so it came without much in the means of difficulty to be preparing.

[Bluedoom]

"I'm glad we can agree on something. But don't worry about how I will carry this about. I have the power of change...literally!" Nathalie replied confidently as she gestured towards Rider to follow her.

********

At the parking lot of one of the more eventful areas in the city, Nathalie noticed two bikes , one of which she was planning to get her hands on. Checking all directions to see if the coast was clear(to check if the owner was even around), she quickly raised her hands to her chest, staring deeply at the two bikes, concentrating on their designs. One was black with streaks of red to one side. The other was a checkered pattern of silver and blue. She then crossed her arms to their opposite sides, and clenched her fists, as she conjured her spell, taking a few streaks of the former bike and placing it on the latter, while also switching colours such that the former bike was black with a couple of silver streaks across both sides, while the latter resulted in a bike with overlapping patterns of checks and streaks, which looked odd. Then, turning to Rider, she made the same movement with her arms, swapping the orange colour of Rider's clothes with her brown-coloured overcoat, and the yellow colour of his clothes with the black colour of one of the random vehicles in the parking lot. Then she buttoned up her overcoat- it didn't make sense for anyone to wear an inner shirt and overcoat of the same colour.

"Well Rider, now that you've witnessed what I can do, are you happy? This is good, actually, because you won't stand out now. I wish you had a better taste in clothing, really. We better move out immediately, now, and you're quite skilled at these things, aren't you?" she replied confidently, mentally laughing at Rider's reaction to her plan. Soon, the duo made their way back to their base. Or at least it would be, once she rented a shelter in the residential area near the river.

*****

The following morning, Nathalie took her time to get herself ready for a meeting with the father in charge of the Holy Grail War. She hadn't sensed the presence of other masters in the city in the first day of stay there, and it would be hard to plan anything when she didn't know the whereabouts of all the important people in the War. The first step was to meet the Father, but that task was not anything to fuss over about. She was too tired from all the traveling the previous day to make a trip to the Church, but for the present, it was the only thing on her to-do list.

She calmly stepped out of her room after a relaxing shower in new attire- she ditched the overcoat for the day, feeling the weather to be too warm for her to wear the overcoat. She wore a plain black T-shirt instead, and instead of wearing cotton pants like the previous day, she wore cargo pants and she also put on a pair of combat gloves. She felt more comfortable in them, and it fit the sense of occasion, at the very least. Preparing for war was serious business. It was best that she was at her best fitness at least for the first few days of the war, when she could not predict her opponents' movements.

As she was drying her hair with a towel, she turned to Rider and spoke.

"Well Rider, we'll need to head off to the Church soon, because we might learn more about the War and the other masters. Anything that you'd like to get done today? Or have you been contemplating over our next step?"

Edited March 4, 2015 by Bluedoom

[Snowy_One]

Rider gave a small grin as he sat down on the sofa, reading what appeared to be a small magazine with much gusto. It was not something amazing, little more than an advertising magazine, but he seemed almost livid simply looking at it. "Indeed. I have much of both. I wish to train and teach you a bit so that you might last for a bit should a servant target you, and teach you how to wield my power, and wish to see this 'cherry blossom festival', and so much more! Your world is so... flavorful. Why do your people wear robes like this, decorated with flowers? Why do these women in skirts of grass wear so little yet adorn their heads with flowers? Who is this 'Bruce Willis' and what is a 'movie' and why would he desire to 'die hard'? This world has changed so much." he said with a happy sigh before he stood up.

He then approached her and placed his hand firmly on her shoulder. "Would that this was no war I wish I could travel this world. Not as a wish from the grail of course, but one from the heart and adventure! I would ride out and my lady would ride upon my shoulders or behind me. Alas, such a thing would do little more than attract attention." he said with a smile. "And such a thing would be vain and greedy as well."

[Bluedoom]

"In all honesty, for most of the questions you ask, I have no answers, because I'm not all too familiar with those cultures. However, your wish to train me has piqued my interest. What are you proposing? Not to be offensive but, the art of battle of your time has little place in the modern world, and the way battles occur has changed over the years."

[eclipse]

Lancer was up at about the same time as the sun, but didn't bother to get up. Instead, she closed her eyes, and listened to the sounds of the world wake up. Her exercise was interrupted by footsteps and water. So, he takes a bath in the morning. I made sure to do that last night. With that thought, she hoisted herself out of bed, and riffled through her new purchases. She refrained from speaking her mind, as a strand of hair wound itself around one of her shirt buttons. I really need to do something about this hair. Worse comes to worse, I'll give myself an impromptu haircut.

[Snowy_One]

Rider gave a small chuckle. "Indeed. What you say is true, at least I would think it so, but there is one thing that makes this a special case. You are not fighting the soldiers of today. You are fighting servants of immense power, some from times closer to yours and some before my time I am certain. You will also be fighting against other masters and every edge will be essential. Especially that one."

He pointed to the dagger, shimmering in the morning light, seeming to give off an almost unearthly glow despite not being exceptional.

"Know your weapons, know your materials, and even something as seemingly as wielding a dagger in a world where war has changed will be a key edge, especially when you see what I intend to teach."

[Ace Tactician]

Levi later emerged from the bathroom after his shower, fully dressed and casually combing his hair into its slicked back style. He had chosen to wear straight leg dark blue jeans, a red wine colored short sleeve shirt and a black leather jacket. He had decided to pick out a different outfit than the one he wore yesterday since it wouldn't do to stick out in a crowd despite how much he favored that outfit he wore yesterday. Speaking of which, he didn't detect any other masters yesterday in the Shopping District crowds of people.

He trekked down the hall while thinking of how to proceed. Two other things he could have done while out and about yesterday was swing by Fuyuki Church to meet the supervisor for this war or swing by any of Fuyuki City's points of entry for signs of foreign masters arriving. But surely any foreign masters would have arrived yesterday while he was performing his summoning, so it didn't make any logical sense to swing by those points of entry today, which left him with limited options tactics wise. As he saw it, his best bet was to scout around the city for any signs of enemy masters. He was bound to either find one or be found in the reverse scenario.

He paused his thoughts there for the time being for after breakfast. Before he got to that part of his morning agenda, he figured he should at least say good morning to Lancer. (I've gotten too accustomed to having the whole house to myself.) Levi lightly chuckled as he reminded himself that yesterday had marked the end of that little era of his life as he trekked towards Lancer's room.

[Elyn]

Nanae whipped her head back to the window see him kneeling there. "Ah, um, Good morning!" Nanae blinked. She was little startled, noticing the bow. Nanae took a mental note that Archer was quite particularly prepared. He was most likely the type of person to be precise and always on guard. Compared to him, she must've looked like a lazy bum. She cleared her throat. Don't mess this up, don't mess this up!
"Yes, a very long day!" She clutched her jaw and looked down to the floor, with a small gulp. Not such a bad start... Nanae glanced back up at Archer. "The plane I used here was from a private arrangement, but I never mentioned a trip to Japan to the owner. He might be willing to allow for one more flight, though." She stood up from her chair, and her eyes searched the corners of the room, until she saw a thick shawl, scrunched in one corner. She walked over to pick it up and wrapped it around her shoulders. "So that's where it went... Ah!" Nanae put her right first in her left palm, and spun around to face Archer. "Before the trip, I'll need to get you something suitable to wear, right! Is there a way to conceal yourself in the meantime, Archer?"

[AnonymousSpeed]

"Huh," Archer mumbled, taking one last glance out the window before standing up. "Well, hopefully he will," he remarked, glancing over at Nanae before walking along the perimeter of the room. "And if not, we'll find another means of travel." Though doing rather well at seeming optimistic, Archer was truthfully baffled. Why would someone not secure a means to reach Japan, in a battle which takes place in Japan?

It was to avoid betraying this thought he kept his eyes away from the woman for the moment, instead re-focusing on his surroundings. "Yes, right," he remarked absently, running a hand along the wall as he came to the door. When he arrived, he knelt down by it and opened it slightly before peaking outside. "Conceal, conceal..." he muttered, retreated his head back into the room and closing the door and putting a hand to his chin while he thought. "Hm...well, if I remove some of my armor, I might fit in a bit better. I'd prefer not to be unarmed, normally, but...for the moment I think we're isolated enough that it can be done." Saying this, the man stood up and turned to face Nanae, standing straight yet bowing his head and and holding one hand open, as if asking for approval on the idea.

[eclipse]

Upon hearing footsteps, Lancer bolted upright, weapon in hand. Yet another strand of hair interfered with her vision, which caused her to drop her lance unceremoniously. Back in her own time, her hair wasn't such an unsightly color, and in this strange new world, she wouldn't have spent the night in a place she felt was unsafe. Thus, the person walking down the hall probably wasn't hostile. "Uh, good morning," she said, as she saw Levi in the doorway. "I suppose this is what's known as a 'bad hair day'," she continued, pointing at her unbound hair. As if on cue, another strand fell across her field of vision.

[FrostyFireMage]

I think this is good enough...this Bounded Field should keep us safe - for a while, at least.

Ryouta stretched in the hallway of the mansion his parents owned - an impressive structure, if only dust and the effects of stagnant air hadn't deteriorated the place. He wasn't sure if he managed to set up this Boundary correctly (he felt the need to redo the procedure multiple times to soothe his paranoia) but he assumed that a run-down, seemingly abandoned mansion would be considered a poor choice for a Master's abode.

He had hoped to avoid any feelings of nostalgia or wistfulness but memories of his early childhood flooded back like bubbles in champagne as he set about his work. Such carefree days seemed like an eternity ago, he mused, as his life from now to the uncertain future was ruled by the creed, 'kill or be killed'. Wiping a sentimental tear from his cheek, Ryouta called forth his Servant once again, hoping to devise some sort of strategy.

[scorri]

Appearing on the staircase near his Master, Assassin frowned. "Hmm... I guess it will do. Still, we should be careful how we proceed. Now, did you have anything pressing that you needed to get done today?"

[Ace Tactician]

"Good morning." Levi greeted. "I'd actually label it as a messy bedhead. It's nothing a good brushing can't fix," Levi replied, noting that his mother's collection of stuff to hold long hair back included hair brushes and hair sticks, as strange as that term sounded to him. (They look like fancy chopsticks and yet, their purpose is to hold back long hair into a bun.) he mused as his nostalgia swept in. His mother's favorite pair of hair sticks were the black pair in the small box on the dresser he placed in Lancer's room before he had gone to bed. It was also the pair she wore in her hair the fateful day she was killed by a wrong way driver riding her motorcycle without a helmet. She had told him, it would mess up her hair.

He stepped into the room and moved towards the small box, rummaging through its contents for the black pair, setting out pairs of hair sticks in silver, lime green, and orange before he found the black pair, still enclosed inside the zip lock bag. He gazed at the ends of the hair sticks, noting the small blood stains still embedded on them. (Not the black pair...for it holds the stain of Mother's blood. That wouldn't be fashionable to wear in one's hair.) he thought to himself, pocketing the black pair. "You'll have to forgive me for walking in here and getting lost in memories of Mother." Levi said before he voiced his other thought, "The silver pair of hair sticks would complement your hair color nicely," Levi said, given his thought had come from his memory of his Mother wearing her royal blue kimono on New Year's with the silver pair as her hair accessory.

His eyes fell to the discarded lance on the floor. There was no need for alarm, he had set up the barrier before turning in for night. He wouldn't have slept soundly last night if he'd forgotten to do so. He simply smiled, "There's no need to get concerned for intruders. I cast the barrier spell before retiring to bed last night.. Any such persons who breach my property line are for a shock~" He couldn't resist cracking that pun to describe how the barrier worked, noting that the intruders he referred to were enemy magi.

[GoD]

Sky in the...Forest.

It was morning. And if one could describe how Sora looked as of that moment, 'destroyed' would be the appropriate term. His messy blue hair, his bloodshot eyes struggling to keep himself awake. He had to admit, it was pretty amazing that he could keep his dome of ice for this long, but all of his bodily functions screamed to cease and desist, anymore than this and he would collapse from exhaustion. And also drop ice, or water on top of both Master and Servant; in Sora's eyes that would really hurt his chances of a good partnership with Caster... well that and it was quite rude to drop ice atop a lady, and it would hurt.

Still he didn't want to worry Caster, gods knew that she had done so much for an inexperienced magus like himself, those flowers really helped with both his capacity to store magic energy and his ability control the magic energy. Not by much mind you, but for Sora, who wasn't so much trained by any magus, he had to make do with what he had. Still that begged the question, what happened if he didn't have enough prana to support his Servant. What would she do in that case? Sora made a mental note to ask Caster, when he wasn't feeling like garbage.

The man with the cartoon hair color, looked to his Servant and began to speak. "So Caster, look I know you're working really hard for both our sakes. And I appreciate that, really I do. I'm not a really good magus, and you've been practically a lifesaver. ...But I've gotta ask, can I take a rest for now. Because I feel awful, and I just need to sleep, about now."

[Nanami Touko]

Kouichi flinched again. So loud... Ugh. Perhaps our first order of business should be driving lessons... He sighed. No matter. It was only a few moments after that, that Yulia came into the office. Good, she's dressed properly... Almost properly. It'll do. "You'll be enough. Right. I... Must admit that I am not the best at speaking. If we are to address the Masters of this war, then I'll need you to make the message. I've already gotten all of the familiars ready. We just need to set them off, and they'll run into then, eventually." Kouichi almost smiled. He was rather proud of himself, managing to create something near out of his field, even if they were just simple bird familiars. They wouldn't attack, or hold any magic, but with the city the way it was, they'd be able to find the largest sources of magic hanging about. If any of the Masters had even a bit of sensing about them, they'd be able to tell there was nothing hostile about the familiars, and get the message. At least, that was the plan. They just needed said message.

[Phoenix]

Yulia blinked a couple of times. "You want me to 'make' the message?" It sounded like Kouichi wanted her to put together a fancy speech to send out with the familiars, but if that involved any sort of magecraft, she would definitely need some in depth instruction. She was secretly hoping he only wanted her to make some short letters and tie them to the birds' legs, even though that would be rather sloppy for a secret war between magi. "I'm not very good with speeches either, but if you still want me to handle it, I will. Just tell me what to do and I'll cobble something official sounding together." She gently set the duffel bag down by the door in the meantime.

[eclipse]

"Oh, right. Of course we're safe here," Lancer said, her gaze dropping to the floor. Old habits were hard to break, moreso since she'd been summoned to this world to fight. They hadn't run into anyone yesterday, much to her relief. Upon seeing the silver hair sticks, the corners of her lips turned ever-so-slightly upwards. "These. . .belonged to your mother? If you wish for me to wear them, then I will do my best to make sure that they look good. But first, I'll try this 'brushing' you mentioned." She took one of the combs, then paused. "There's no need to apologize for remembering your family. If what you say is true, she helped to shape you into the person you are today - someone who has a Servant at his command. That's something to be proud of." Lancer paid no heed to the sticks that Levi pocketed. It was technically his stuff, so he was free to do with them as he pleased.

"Now, I think it was like this, and. . .damn, almost had it." The comb had gotten the worst of the tangles out of her hair, but try as she might, a rebel strand always made its way out of her carefully-made bun. "One more time!" This time, she held her hair as if she wanted to make a ponytail - not too low on her neck, but not level with the top of her head. A few baby-fine strands tickled the back of her neck after she put her hair up, which was enough for her to declare victory. "That took longer than expected. I believe the traditional thing after cleaning up oneself is breakfast?"

Perhaps she'd have a chance to learn more about this world. Back at the cafe, she'd noticed some of the pastries for sale. The knowledge she was given stated that they were sweet, but it didn't tell her how sweet, or what kind of sweetness it was. After all, peaches are sweet, but I'm sure those pastries don't taste anything like them.

[Ace Tactician]

His mother certainly had a major hand in shaping his character, had it not been for the influence she had on him, he probably wouldn't be the young man he was today given his Mother wanted her son to grow up to be an honorable young man. And there was the fact his Father worked as an Enforcer for the Mage's Association which often had him away from home a lot leaving his Mother to raise her son by herself, though he still made time to see his son. Levi admired the work his Father did and hoped that someday he would accomplish great things just like his Father. "I owe who I am today to how my parents raised me. It's on my shoulders to build up the family name once again. I'm all that remains... and I'll hold my head up proudly," Levi said.

The mention of breakfast reminded him he hadn't eaten yet and Levi was in the mood for a hot breakfast, specifically breakfast wraps sounded really appealing right now. Though pastries were always a good grab and go lazy option, he was going to need to be at peak condition if he was to survive this war. "Breakfast wraps and pastries...why not do both today? I'll prepare breakfast right away," Levi said, heading towards the kitchen sporting a grin. He was already eager to sit outside and gaze out at the scenery around him while he ate breakfast which had become a habit of his during the time he had spent alone.

As he was setting out what he needed to make breakfast, Levi decided fresh fruit also sounded good. After all, there was nothing like a balanced meal to start off the day

[Bluedoom]

Nathalie ruffled her hair to dry it as she listened to her Servant burst with enthusiasm. "Interesting. You seem enthusiastic about it, so I'll let you fill me in on the details. I notice that the dagger you are pointing to is a hidden edge, so maybe you should start explaining from there." she replied confidently, testing her companion. It would do her well to know what his mind would be like when in battle.

[Snowy_One]

Rider gave a small laugh as he approached, ruffling the girls hair as it dried as he reached over to pick up the dagger before giving it a small whirl about, letting the blade run over and along his fingers as he carefully balanced it out.

"Well made, strong, and durable. Barring malicious intent this dagger shall outlive you, but that it not why it is so valuable. Every weapon holds its own unique properties and strengths. That is why you do not see all swords made of one single design. It is not some ploy to appear fancy or shortcoming on the part of the crafter, but rather a desire to appeal to different needs and bring the most out of different materials. In this case your dagger is made of a material strong enough that it could resist even the strike of a servant! Within reason of course. Your arm might still shatter should the blow be strong enough and it would be foolish to try and spar with a Saber. Even if you could keep up with its speed the strength would be too much. Barring some unique circumstance you are unlikely to even wound a servant with this blade. But, mark my words, this blade can withstand the strike of a servants weapon. Blocking even one blow, especially a blow that was not expected to be blocked, can turn the tide of a battle."

He quickly tossed the dagger up into the air before catching it again. "Especially when you will come to learn more about my abilities and how I fight. I am a rider, but I am also a master of many weapons. I have seen many in action, fought first-hand against many, and wielded many myself. Though the blade and lance are my favored I learned to not shun the others. There may be a time when you will need to use that knowledge, and it is not a minor gift to be stashed away in the back of a closet."

With that he quickly returned the dagger to her. "Knowledge is important, especially when you wield many weapons. Learn to wield them all and you will find advantages you never knew were possible."

[eclipse]

Wordlessly, she followed Levi into the kitchen. Had the food been some enemy or other, they would be overwhelmed by his knife skills. Lancer could wield a sword, if pressed to - pointy end into the opponent's gut, right? Kitchen knives were another implement entirely - if she tried half of what Levi did to the fruit on the chopping board, she'd probably lose her fingers. Cooking was seen as a woman's activity - something that Lancer could do only if the other choice was "starve". I'm a woman now. . .but do I really want to pick up such things? Levi's a man, and seems to do well with it. Eh, watching him couldn't hurt.

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, uh, sorry, not make, just," he cleared his throat and ushered the creatures forward. "Just make up some speech for them. They'll pick it up, and I'll send them off. I need to go and sort some files, anyway, so... Have at it, and find me in the back room when you're finished. Sorry if it's a bit of trouble, but I'm not the best at making those sorts of things up, not on the spot. And I'd really rather get this over and done with, sooner than later. I'm sure you'll manage." He nodded, and picked himself up out of his chair, straightening out his sleeves. He actually did have some work to do in the back, getting all the files for Yulia processed, so no one higher up bothered him about someone working so close to the church. So without another word, he sent himself back there, the magical birds staring lifelessly up at Yulia.

[Ace Tactician]

Levi thought back to the first time he tried this whole cooking thing as he diced the fruit in front of him. He wanted to surprise his mother for her birthday, so he decided making her breakfast would be his gift to her. That day had been a learning experience for him needless to say. At least he didn't set off the smoke alarms. He lightly chuckled as he meticulously placed the cut fruit in small dishes thinking back on his very first try at cooking. (When Mother passed away, it was either learn how to cook proper meals or forever purchase takeout. It's interesting how the taste of food can evoke the mind of different cities in the world.) he mused as the sizzle of the heated skillet sounded from the mixture of adding in beaten eggs meeting various cut vegetables made contact with the surface. "In short, I bring the flavors of the world to my kitchen just by inproving my cooking skills." he mused, thinking back to the first city outside Fuyuki he had gone to in the time he had been younger. His parents had taken a family vacation to the city of New Orleans for Mardi Gras when he has eleven. Oh how he took a liking to the cuisine of the city, he felt like he was in heaven. He had pestered his mother to make some of what they had eaten in New Orleans when they had returned home a few days later.

He shelved his remnisence upon completion of mixture for the breakfast wraps. Carefully, he added enough egg/veggie mix into a flour tortilla before rolling the tortilla up from the opposing end and folding in the ends to form the wrap, then he carefully cut it in half so eating it would be easier. He repeated the process for the other wrap and then assembled the food on the plates. The thought dawned on him that with the way he liked to prepare his meals combined with his New Orleans decorated kitchen, he was getting ready to have friends over. The thing with that thought was...he didn't have any friends. Too much focus on prepping for the war had left him without anyone he could truly call his friend aside from his parents.

The mostly silent atmosphere was beginning to feel rather stifling indoors which made Levi glad he had taken the time to put out an outdoor dining area on the porch near the kitchen. It allowed him to gaze out at the scenery outside while he ate his meals. He liked it better than listening to old news on TV day after day until the newscasters found something new to repeat...er report that is. "I've found dining outdoors is more relaxing than eating indoors, weather conditions permitting. Pleasant days like this one make it a truly enjoyable experience," Levi said, carefully balancing the food plates and silverware as he carried them outdoors to the table on the porch and began setting the plates and silverware on the clean white tablecloth covering the circular table.