(Riser Phenex - PoV)
Serafall's eyes widened in shock.
"I-It was you?"
Aaaand commercial.
"Grr...I hate cliffhangers!" Ravel yells from my lap, violently swinging her fists as the show cuts away just before showing the hooded figure's face.
Chuckling, I kiss the top of her head.
We are watching Miracle☆Levi-tan, of course. One of the earliest seasons, I believe, given it is still going strong six years or so from now.
"Mmm. Doesn't everyone? Though in this case I could probably guess who it is, if you want." I offer.
"No!"
Again I can't help but laugh before squeezing her close.
Her pout is entirely too adorable.
Ahhh...
...
I frown as an ad for a movie plays. Starring an evil asshole cardinal, psychotic exorcists (actually probably less crazy than Whatshisface, ironically), and with a generic plot to smuggle a super holy bomb equivalent into the Underworld to destroy the capital.
...
"Ravel."
"What?" she grumbles.
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course."
Blinking, she turns to look back at me, question in her eyes.
I stroke her hair.
"Last night...I know it annoyed you, when I had Ruval shield you. But you are still very vulnerable to Light. The Graal would have hurt you, just being in its presence."
She frowns.
"Would you like to change that?"
She snorts.
"What, just, get rid of our weakness?" she asks sarcastically.
"Exactly."
...
Her frown only grows, becoming more serious.
"You want to use the Graal," she realizes.
I smile.
"Why?!" she yells, spinning around in my lap and slapping at my chest.
"Were you not listening last night?! Everything it can do to you?! And you want to just...?!"
Laughing, I hug her close once more.
"Ahhh, Ravel. You know how most Devils would react if I offered to remove their weakness? Or if they were even aware I could? And yet here you are..."
She glares at me.
"And how would you react if I offered to make you 100 times stronger, but it could kill me or erase my mind or a hundred other terrible things?"
My smile melts away.
"..."
She huffs.
"That's what I thought."
...
"...You don't have to worry about any of that," I assure her. "I mentioned it last night, but my version of the Graal is not normal. Not even some variant or Balance Breaker. I can get away with a lot more without the same risks."
She narrows her eyes at me.
I smile once more.
"You trust me, right?"
She huffs.
"...Fine. But if you so much as forget my birthday, I will make you regret it!"
"I know it better than my own," I promise.
Not a lie. I still get a little mixed up about my own, occasionally.
Huffing once more, she adjusts herself.
"...So...?" she asks/prompts.
"It doesn't matter, really. All you have to do is sit there. Stay stillish, maybe."
I eye her.
"I will have to modify your soul," I warn her.
"...Ok?"
We stare at each other.
"So?" She tosses her hair. "Just do it already!"
I shake my head.
No concern whatsoever about me fiddling about with her soul.
Her trust in me is...
Closing my eyes, I focus on the Graal's power...but not quite. Rather than using it in the traditional manner, immersing myself in the massive, massive flow of knowledge, I activate it, summon it forth, but hold it at a distance. Then, focusing on what I want, what I desire, what I wish, I turn my attention toward Ravel...
"...restraint next time, Riser. Furniture is easy to replace, but I don't appreciate the staff having to replace the walls. And we will have to bring Golden Calf in to get the floor redone properly, and their wait times are..."
Mother makes a face, grumbling about sloth attracting sloth as she cuts her hellboar.
"I expect we will have to call Falbium if we want it done this year."
Ravel elbows me before I can make any kind of response.
"More juice!" she demands.
Rolling my eyes, I grab the juice pitcher (between us, I note), and lift it to her-
"A new cup too," she adds, pulling her cup away.
Mother sighs.
"Really, Ravel?" she asks
But I meet her eyes, finally understanding what she really wants.
...
Reaching to my chest, I pull out the Graal.
"Riser...?" "Riser, what?"
Our parents watching, I pour grape juice into the suped-up Longinus and pass it to Ravel.
Smugly, she takes a *sip*...
*Blink*
*Siiiip*
*Blink Blink*
...
"So? Wine or Water?" I ask.
"...Divinity," she replies.
"...?"
"It tastes like...divinity?"
She shrugs.
*Sip*
"And mana. A lot of mana."
"Someone will be bouncing off the walls soon..." Mother mutters quietly.
"That's probably the Fate Grail. The new bit."
"Mmmmm..."
"And what does 'Divinity' taste like?" Father asks.
Ravel shrugs.
"I don't know. Divine?"
She shrugs again.
"It...doesn't really mean anything, I don't think. I don't think you can really get stronger from it. It's just...there."
I nod.
I imagine that something like that would have come up before now.
"So, Jesus's Juice is impotent," I jest, drawing a laugh from Father.
"I don't know about the juice, but the cup still feels quite potent to me," Mother admits. "Which raises the question...?"
I snort.
"I'm not about to leave Ravel with a massive weakness if I can help it. And more than that, the Graal is a part of me. Her being weak to, harmed by, a part of me?"
My eyes harden.
"Unacceptable."
"And so you used the Graal to remove it. Immediately after our talk last night."
Waving a hand dismissively, I lean back in my chair.
"Yes, yes. I also mentioned my Graal is abnormal. Literally not of this world, abnormal. I have methods of using it without needing to worry about the same blowback."
My parents glance at each other.
"The same magical/mental blow-back," I clarify. "I don't intend to go around advertising what I can do, or start pulling mass resurrections."
They breathe a sigh of relief.
"Personal projects, my peerage...a few deals, maybe," I shrug. "I don't plan for much beyond that. I will be happy to let most negotiations go through you. You can deal with the politics and ramifications."
"Good, good," Father says. "If you are certain..."
He shakes his head.
"If you are certain you can handle it, we will trust your judgment. And you do truly understand the risks of being overly, flashy, with it?"
"Anyone capable of actually mastering the Graal would be, essentially, an existential threat to every other faction. Thus, most of the world would do whatever it takes to kill them, and few are ever allowed to get anywhere near that point."
He nods and the discussion continues. Caution and warnings, but also targets and trades that may be worth the "cost" once it is officially known that I possess the Graal.