With all due respect, Your Highness... I was not seeking one Spirit in particular.

[ likely, he will find that very aggravating. but Neria wishes to make one thing incredibly clear before they pursue anything further. ]

I needed only a Heroic Spirit that was willing to partner with me. It matters little to me if that Spirit is loyal or finicky, or if they are rude. It is the partnership and conduit that counts, is it not?

[ and if a Servant wanted to try to be lackadaisical, then it would be to their own detriment. Neria has the power and potential to kill her rivals...but not when they're guarded by other Heroic Spirits. in that way, Gilgamesh - and whomever she might have summoned - likely would have been a means to an end. and, truthfully, his arrogance bristles her enough that she wishes she could banish him at this point.

however. ]

I want to win the Holy Grail War. I want to prove my worth as a Master and as a mage. I--

[ she realizes how childish it all sounds. in the end, those aren't the things she wants. something changes about her demeanor, something harder, something low and simmering.

something darker. ]

I want what is mine. I want power.

[ she has power. has it in spades. this sickness she's allowed herself to be given... she can outlast her enemies. skill and might are on her side from her studies alone. she just needs an edge. she just needs a little more. her gaze falls on Gilgamesh, assessing, appraising. quietly, she says: ]

I want to take the rug out from under them and make them kneel. I want to rise above them. All of them.