At first, it was nothing.
The first time George saw him around, he simply viewed him as an ally. He vaguely remembered the man from Orleans, but that was it. Other than that, he didn't remember the Saber of Black.
Ritsuka had exhausted himself with Servant summoning to get him. He'd pulled several clones of ones he'd already had and no longer needed, before finally stumbling across Siegfried.
"Saber, Siegfried." He recited it almost as if he'd practiced multiple times. "I have answered your calling. Your orders."
Ritsuka smiled at the Saber. "Stand, Saber," he ordered. "It's a pleasure to meet you again."
Siegfried looked at Ritsuka in confusion. "'Again'?" he repeated. "I'm sorry. Where have we met before?"
The smile dropped off Ritsuka's face. "We'd met in Orleans. Do you not remember?"
"I don't. I'm very sorry."
Ritsuka sighed. "Eh, don't worry about it. All that matters is you're a part of the family now. Come with me." He motioned for the door and walked away from the Summoning platform. Siegfried was quick to follow.
George had witnessed the Summoning process ever since his Ascension permitted him to enter Ritsuka's world with several others. It was intriguing to watch, as Ritsuka would lay 30 Saint Quartz gems in a particular arrangement and summoned card after card. Some of the cards transformed into Servants that, more often than not, fell limp as soon as they landed. The first time he'd seen it, he tried to rush in to help, but was stopped by the Caster woman, da Vinci, who explained they were simply "empty replicas" and that Ritsuka would handle them. It was rare to see a new Servant that was actually alive, much less one that Ritsuka greeted with such joy. The few times he'd seen him act like that before was with that Irish Lancer with two spears and the masked woman with white hair.
A whirring noise made him turn towards the door. "Come on in!" Ritsuka called out.
Gripping Ascalon in his hand, he made his way towards the door to greet this new ally. He was accompanied by several other Servants as well as that Kyrielight girl.
Siegfried was initially calm when the door first open, but his eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw the amount of people at the door. "What on earth do you need me for?" he asked, staring at Ritsuka in disbelief.
"Actually," one of the Lancers, Cu Chulainn, spoke up, "if he's that happy to see you, it means he likes you. You're in for a long haul but it'll be worth it."
Siegfried huffed and smiled sadly. "Your joy is misplaced, Master," he answered. "I'm only good for slaying Dragons. I cannot do much else."
"So I've heard…" Ritsuka muttered. His expression quickly lit up again. "However, I might have a solution to that." With that, he motioned to George. "This fella here? He might be able to help you. Granted, you'll be slaying Dragons but you're gonna get a lot of mileage, like Cu said."
So now the spotlight was on him. Lovely. "I assume we will be working together quite a lot, then," he sighed. He was always nervous around heroes of other faiths, but that didn't stop him from getting to know a good handful of them. "I am Georgios, but most know me as Saint George. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Siegfried turned his attention to George. "Very brave of you to reveal your True Name in front of so many others."
"We're all sorta friends here!" A pink-haired girl in a witch's outfit bounced up next to him. "Hi~! I'm Elizabeth! Nice to meet you!"
"Is that right," Siegfried asked, concern clear in his voice. "If that is the case, I am Siegfried."
Once introductions were made, Siegfried had been sent to await them in the Singularities. Ritsuka, meanwhile, was already plotting another trip into the Ember Gatherings.
"Okay, Friday evening, so…" One could hear Ritsuka's voice from the monitors as he and Mash typed furiously to retrieve data.
Friday. He knew exactly what that meant. Sabers and Riders at the Ember Gatherings, and Casters were lurking at the Training Grounds. The first time he'd been taken to one, he did surprisingly well. Ritsuka was one of those rare Masters who sought not power for himself, but for the Servants entrusted in his care. Granted, he did favor Cu Chulainn, but Ritsuka preferred to give everyone a fighting chance.
"Everything's almost set up!" Ritsuka called out. He motioned for the other Servants to come closer and studied his team. "Davie, Kojiro, you two lead the charge," he said. David and Kojiro nodded and made their way towards their respective Coffins.
"Hey, wait!" the Hound of Ulster yelled. "What about me?"
"Now now," Ritsuka interrupted him, "You know I wouldn't leave you out. You, George, and Princess will back them up."
So, it's his turn again. "Yes, Master," George answered. The dragon Berserker echoed the Saint and the three made their way to their own Coffins.
"We need one more, Senpai," Mash reminded her Master.
Ritsuka chuckled. "I know, Mash." He then made his way to the Summoning platform from earlier. The last thing George heard before falling unconscious in the Coffin was Ritsuka reciting the temporary contract cantrip.
Hours were spent literally defeating Arm after Arm until everyone was about to collapse. They'd collected several Blazes and Embers, most of them for Sabers.
"Nice job, team!" Ritsuka said.
"I don't wish to see another Arm for a few days," David groaned.
"Too bad," Cu Chulainn snickered. "You've got two of them." The joke made David groan in exasperation.
Mash was the first to enter the room. "Senpai, are you okay?" she asked.
"Tired, but I'm good," Ritsuka answered. "I've got a couple more things to finish up before I conk out-"
"No! If you're tired, you must rest! You mustn't strain yourself!"
Ritsuka sighed. "All right, I guess it's off to bed with me. Don't have too much fun without me, guys."
Kiyohime was the first to run over to him. "Shall I escort you to bed, Master?" she asked.
"Princess, please. You must be exhausted too. Try to get some sleep."
That girl was always trying to do favors for him. It concerned George, to say the least. He'd pulled Ritsuka aside one day and made him promise if Kiyohime went truly berserk on any of them, George would be the one to put her down.
"That goes for the rest of you," Ritsuka finished. "I apologize for working y'all to the bone, but I had the time to spare. Please, rest yourselves for the next Singularity. We're in for a long haul." With that, Mash escorted Ritsuka out of the room.
Morning came rather quickly. The first thing Ritsuka did was place a good chunk of the Saber Embers on Siegfried, which gave him a major power boost. Siegfried insisted Ritsuka should use them on a Saber worthy of his time, such as Artoria or Fergus, but Ritsuka said Siegfried was worth all of them. Not long after, Ritsuka had Ascended Siegfried and escorted him outside the Summoning chamber.
Ritsuka had already been assembling a team of often disregarded Servants like him, the "Underdogs", he'd called them. Most would normally pass them up in favor of Cu Chulainn, Artoria, or Gilgamesh - someone who had fame and the power to back it up. Ritsuka was one of those rare Masters who set up even those who weren't favored to be greater than they thought.
Thus, how George came to know Siegfried much more since then. He'd already become acquainted with Diarmuid, a Lancer with two tragic tales attached to his name, Arash, an Archer of Arabic legend who brought peace, and now he knows Siegfried, a hero of Germanic legend that had slain a dragon, as he did. Ritsuka said that the two would work well together, and wanted to test them out. The group dove headfirst into the Treasure Vault - not the most thrilling adventure but still worth a try.
For the record, I myself don't have Siegfried, Diarmuid, nor Carmilla though I wish I do *sob* I want Siegfried to use alongside George, Carmilla because she's cool, and Diarmuid...he needs a hug. Badly. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!