Beati pacifici. 'Blessed be the Peacekeepers.'

These were the first words anyone encountered hanging above the double doors of Security Central. The scientists had thought it was in simple jest, but they were not aware just how much of an attitude and secrecy issue mages had. There were arrogant and prideful types among the other groups, but none more so than the Magecraft Division, and Marisbilly had been intelligent enough to plan ahead. Acting as a police force, Chaldea's Peacekeepers were to uphold the delicate balance of law and order within the facility. They had a fairly regular job until the Fuyuki incident.

Since Chaldea became a lot closer and dropped most of their hostility for the bigger picture, the Peacekeepers saw relatively little duty at all. Nearly half had been reassigned to help reinforce the crippled departments, and the security robots simply filled the gap. The remaining personnel and robots could do little in servant clashes, which prompted Scathach to take matters into her own hands at Cu's suggestion. The pair had been unofficially helping coordinate safety efforts by getting volunteer servants to help stop conflicts, though it usually came down to drafting nearby heroes. It had remained unofficial since serious issues were very rare.

But times had changed.

There had been hope after the plan involving Kiyohime pulled through, things would be smooth sailing from then on. The arrival of some recent servants, as well as the potential for even more, finally prompted the request for something official. Far too many incidents had taken place before an official group was forged, and some now demanded its creation. Once more, Security Central had found its purpose once more besides basic disciplinary action.

Okita, proudly wearing her signature battle attire, shuffled the paperwork together on her new desk where her black scarf was discarded. It was one of the two large officer's cubicles in the department, flanked by many smaller ones and the necessary rooms for Chaldea's police force. It remained bland of decoration since the employee's untimely demise, but she would have to do the decorating later. There were more important matters at hand than simply making her modern concept desk and filing cabinets look beautiful. Still, she had a smile on her face after finally earning her own niche in Chaldea.

After begging Scathach endlessly since they approached the masters, Okita had become Captain of the newly founded Chaldean Defense Force.

It was quite a dramatic name upgrade from Head Peacekeeper, but it brought back memories, both pleasant and sad, of her time in the Shinsengumi. Eager and determined, she wished to lead this group in recompense for her past, and because she believed her personal experience made her well suited to managing the police force. Scathach needed to remain focused as an advisor, but she was glad the lancer was still willing to lend her aid if necessary

With a sigh, she looked at the clock. 0922. "Alright, Okita… Let's see who volunteered."

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

Fragment 35: With Harmony in Mind

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

Her anxiety was slowly eroding her usual, enthusiastic confidence. "Thank you for your assistance, Anishka."

"It is an honor and my duty, Miss Okita. As the most senior employee at the moment, I feel privileged to assist you."

Okita straightened her nerves in the hallway. Going straight down led to the lobby of Security Central, whereas several doors lead to officers or staff rooms. It was similar to the rest of Chaldea, save for the lack of glass due to potentially rowdy criminals. Reinforced glass, however, was currently being installed in the brig on the opposite end of the hallway to prevent another hacking incident. The solid, windowless door they stood closest to was her current destination, and her first real trial as the Captain.

Feeling her heart beat loudly through her chest, she quickly counted the number of servants' magical energy signatures in the other room. The masters had told every servant of the newly forming group and its purpose, recommending anyone interested to at least hear how it would operate before deciding to join or not. This was a far larger number of servants she thought would be interested, and she was not as great at public speaking as her former superiors like Hijikata. To be honest, she was a little nervous considering she was replacing Scathach, a long-time veteran of Chaldea, as Head Peacekeeper. There were some other, new doubt-inducing reasons too…

This is what she wanted though. Anishka looked at the quiet saber patiently and curiously. "Are you alright, Miss Okita?"

"Just steeling my nerves… we servants can get nervous too," she admitted with a tiny smile. The saber soon nodded, and exhaled slowly. "I feel like a kid... I'm just talking to my peers. Let's go before I lose more of my nerve and Nobunaga makes fun of me."

Anishka smiled as she opened the door to the room for Okita, who strolled in confidently to hide her stress. To her silent cheer, she continued to march to the head of the nearby long table without stuttering in step, though slight nervousness remained as all eyes turned to her. Her eyes casually gazed across the room, not meeting eyes of any servants to simply calm herself. She glanced briefly at anything from the hanging paintings where servants leaned against walls, to the lone ceiling fan that spun slow and steady. Save for the water cooler, the modern-styled conference table and chairs were the only real furniture.

Upon running out of things to distract herself, she cleared her throat as she stood before the gathering of servants. Quickly, she looked upon all of them with a small smile before nodding. If she could get this over with quickly, there was less of a chance she may mess up in some way… or cough up blood. That would definitely not be an ideal way to start this little outfit.

"Good morning, fellow servants, and thank you all for coming to this meeting. I'm sure you understand you have not volunteered for anything yet, but I hope you will consider doing so after I explain how this is going to work."

'So far so good,' she quietly complimented herself. Thankfully, no one seems to have even interrupted yet, but judging by the crowd, that wasn't too likely. She quietly eyed Gudao and Mashu near the back of the room, who nodded to her quietly in their Chaldean uniforms. She continued with her anxiety quickly dissipating.

"I, Okita Souji, shall be the Captain of the newly titled Chaldean Defense Force. It is a group of volunteer servants dedicated to helping the Peacekeepers uphold the calm atmosphere we have all come to enjoy in Chaldea. With dangerous incidents on the rise, there is now a need for our presence. We do not wish to continue drafting servants at random to help when so many of you are interested in simply volunteering."

Quietly, as she spoke, she glanced over the servants present and was beyond thankful some had appeared. She had been complimented as capable in her own right, but some of the heroes in this room would be much greater deterrence for escalating situations. In particular, Scathach and Cu were here to help her as promised, though the presence of both Siegfried and Karna was a relieving sight. They weren't the only strong heroes here, and she was happy about the undoubtedly strong force that would be assisting her. That was, if everyone decided to help of course. She had to close the deal right.

"As Captain, I assure you I will not hold any power over anyone here except for coordination duties during an incident. In the worst case, I have the authority by the masters to emergency draft other servants should the need arise, but I hope it will never come to that again. Every volunteer will be always on call, though there are no shifts to worry about. That means no one who volunteers will be expected to stay in Security Central so you may enjoy your time as usual… though, I'm afraid you'll still be stuck switching shifts, vault guardians. That is not our jurisdiction."

The assassin jokingly sighed in his seat, making a few chuckles rise around him as George patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. Ushiwakamaru raised her hand, and Okita smiled and nodded to her to state the question. She braced herself as her nervousness grew. "What do we do as volunteers then?"

Quickly, Okita began to lay down the groundwork for everyone, thankfully losing all jumpiness at the ease of the question. Volunteering for the Chadlean Defense Force merely meant if you were present in Chaldea, you had an additional duty to help maintain the peace if called upon. With the help of radios, the endeavor would skip over the masters so as not to bother them if they are in the facility. By allowing everyone to go about their day as usual, it also meant the force would be spread throughout Chaldea to respond much faster to any potential problems. Already, the job seemed to ring well with those present.

Scathach calmly raised her hand. "Okita… I understand you volunteered to take the position of Captain in my stead, so I may enjoy my time again… but that should apply to you too. You should not be the only one stuck holding a shift in Security Central to coordinate or manage paperwork. What if you are deployed?"

Okita remained silent as she looked to the servants in front of her. A few nods agreed with Scathach as she kept explaining. "I waited until this meeting was running before raising the point, but I simply do not wish for you to overtax yourself. You should choose lieutenants to help in your endeavor."

With a small smile, Scathach returned to leaning against the wall besides Cu. Thankfully, the point she just raised didn't put her in any sort of spot, nor did it present a new problem. Having a chain of command would help with organization, and the extra assistance in the office would be wonderful. To be honest, she wasn't looking forward to the idea that all incident paperwork would have to be filled out by her; She could definitely use some help with that.

"I see your point, Scathach, and I will be glad to pick some lieutenants to help me once I see who is still willing to volunteer."

"Not to interrupt you, Okita-san," Sasaki spoke quietly before glancing around the room. "Knowing what we know so far, who is staying?"

Of the thirty servants present, there wasn't a single hero who did not raise their hand in agreement. Okita looked around at all the volunteering heroes in surprise. She glanced the firm, approving smirks of Leonidas and Kintoki as thankfully as she did the small smiles of Nightingale and Arash. A few of the Arturia's knights were also gladly raising their hands while they stood alongside d'Eon and Jeanne. To her amusement, Xuanzang was holding up Tota's other hand, even if he already had one raised. As she gazed across the room happily at the volunteering servants, she felt content that they may never have to ask for an emergency draft again.

"There's your answer… Captain," Sasaki chuckled as Okita smiled gently. "All of us are interested in making sure Chaldea doesn't turn into a smoldering battlefield. Heavens knows, we deal with it enough as it is on deployment. It looks like all we need to do is prepare for our first day as peacekeepers, unless you have anything else you wish to inform us of."

"You mentioned radios. Do we all share the same radio channel, or do we get separate ones?"

"Who are your lieutenants going to be?"

"Can we arrest anyone?" "How is anyone going to keep a servant behind bars?" "Hey, we have some casters here."

"Will we get fancy ranks or titles we can show off?" "Do we really need those if we're volunteers?"

The meeting soon devolved into chatter amongst the volunteering servants, but Okita hardly minded. This was definitely not going to be like the well-disciplined Shinsengumi. They were a loose connection of servants willingly working together to uphold Chaldea's peace among their peers, but they would not need that strict military conduct. She simply smiled at the group as Sasaki tried, in vain, to maintain order for her. Her small giggles did silence the group, though that was not her intention. She was simply glad this was going far better than she hoped.

"Most of my speech was persuasion, but since that's meaningless… I guess we can move on to asking questions, one at a time though, please. Some staff and employees are setting up the radios for us while we-"

Some of the group gasped as Okita quickly covered her mouth with a bunch of napkins from her pocket. The small specs of blood could be seen on the cloth as she quietly crumpled them. With a sigh of defeat, she shook her head and smiled softly. "I was so close to making it to the end too…"

'Could have been worse…' She giggled as the group chuckled. There were plenty of reliable servants for her now.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ III ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

Okita sat at her desk once more, filling out the last paperwork to have everything recorded for convenience. With one final signature, she now had five lieutenants she could count on to help her manage the organization. She gently pushed the piece of paper forward to join the other, so the last promoted servant could sign at the bottom. As Karna did so, Siegfried handed her his promotion paper back with a nod.

"Thank you, both of you, for accepting the positions," she spoke softly.

"Of course. We will do our best," Karna answered for both of them.

Siegfried simply smiled and nodded. "Let's hope we are not called upon too often."

She was well aware of both of their backgrounds, and should not have been surprised they did so. Siegfried was a hero who could never turn down a request for help, as was Karna. Volunteering for the group should have come with no such surprise, but accepting the position as lieutenants did. They would certainly be iconic members of this little outfit, and she was more than glad to have their prestigious and reliable support if a serious incident would arise. At the very least, any trouble involving both Arjuna and himself would be handled almost immediately if Karna was in the force.

"I'd say you're set along with the other two. Are you certain you still wish for my help this first week?" Scathach asked from her spot leaning against the back wall.

Okita turned to her with a quick nod. "I'm thankful you're willing to advise me, but more so you'll still be a volunteer."

"I could be a lieutenant as well if you did not wish for me to enjoy my time," Scathach noted with a small smirk. "That is fine though. I appreciate your consideration for my own leisure. I'll be sure to help smooth the road ahead for you."

"Thank you, Scathach," Okita replied with a bright smile. This was already going much smoother than she hoped, but she still did have some nervousness at the entire ordeal. She did not look forward to doing damage control when one of Chaldea's more abrasive and powerful servants decides to act up. At the very least, she hoped another Ikedaya Incident would not occur. Fainting during an incident would potentially mar the reputation of the group, and she did not wish to do that to any of her supporting volunteers.

"As I have already lectured, though, be sure to enjoy your time as well. We do not need you turning into what Gudao was previously. You live here too."

Okita nodded slowly. That was another thing that was bothering her. The balance of the entire situation would be a true trial, though she was prepared for it. She would be free to roam Chaldea and do what she wished as well, considering she could manage through the radio as needed. That said, paperwork was given and collected at Security Central, so she should likely set up a schedule of some sort. It would settle in time.

Still, she held one last uncertainty in her gut. Many servants had volunteered to assist her, yet many, like the three in the room, held true legends compared to her own. They would be taken far more seriously in a situation compared to her story. She was still willing to lead, and ready to do what needed to be done for Chaldea's sake, but the lingering worry would remain. Though there were others present who could be argued as weaker in comparison to her, the fear some would not take her seriously concerned her.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ IV ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

"So you're truly my enemy now, huh? Great!"

"Must you put it like that…"

Nobunaga grinned from her spot at dinner, kicking her red kimono covered legs under the table eagerly. Benkei, Ushiwakamaru, and Sasaki stared at the two rivals in amusement from their side of the table. They had unintentionally picked white kimonos to wear, though Benkei's had sakura petals on his. Okita simply sighed and shook her head as she sat quietly in her own light blue variation with cranes. She silently wished for Tamamo and Kiyohime to arrive so she wouldn't have this conversation with her best friend.

"Of course I must! We're finally real rivals! The great Nobunaga versus Captain Okita of the Shinsengumi!"

"I do not wish for you to purposefully turn this into a vendetta and drag my defense force into our rivalry," she sighed back and stared at her plate.

"But I have so much planned now!" Nobunaga started eagerly, but Okita simply ignored her. "Hall-side prank bombs filled with whip cream! Firecracker door alarms! Oh! That's it! I'll make a new one with a sprinkler system and… and…"

To her surprise, Nobunaga had fallen silent. Left in curiosity, Okita looked up to see the warlord staring at her in both confusion and frustration. "Hoy… You've been looking bothered like that all day. You're a taichou again. You should be happy. What gives!?"

She blinked. "But I am… I got plenty of wonderful help I can rely on. Scathach is advising, Karna and Siegfried will graciously help me with-"

"That's it!" Nobunaga shouted, gathering the attention from surrounding tables only momentarily. Used to her outbursts, they simply returned to their own conversations while she leaned in to Okita. "Your wording says it all! And where's your enthusiasm!? Why are you troubled!?"

"I-I'm not trou-"

"I-I don't st-stutter when I'm c-caught," Nobunaga mocked with a click of her tongue, making Okita pout. "Where's my confident saber rival!? You're also so enthusiastic and upbeat when you do something that makes you happy, but you're being lame right now! What gives!?"

Okita remained silent as she considered the archer's words, but Nobunaga simply brushed her long black hair to the side and continued. "It's pathetic. You were Captain of the Shinsengumi yet here you are questioning yourself for some reason. Were you not the one who asked Scathach for the position?"

While glancing towards the other three companions, she sighed. "I just… I don't have as much of a legend compared to many of you. I know I'm strong, but what if a servant questions my authority? What if they don't take me-"

"Nope! Stop that! Stop that self-depreciating crap right now!" Nobunaga declared as she shoved her face close to Okita's. The saber didn't back up since she was familiar with it. "What is wrong with you!? You're a force to be reckoned with on the field! Your little three hit thingy-thing proves that by itself!"

"It's called her noble phantasm…" Benkei couldn't help but add with a small snicker. Nobunaga grumbled at him, making the other two laugh. It was clear he did it so the argument didn't get too heated, and Okita appreciated the gesture. Still, Nobunaga continued on her tirade.

"You're swift like the wind! You hit with the force of tornado, yet dance so gracefully! You're the perfect example for the Chaldean Defense Force! Powerful when provoked, quick to find resolve, and graceful during peace! A wonderful friend to have, and an enemy to be wary of when provoked! So stop acting like some unworthy bakamono and start looking like the invincible, reliable samurai who's going to lead her group in assuring Chaldea's peace!"

Okita looked at her friend as she pulled her face back, placing her arms akimbo. Their friendship and rivalry was always an interesting balance, but if there was one thing she could always count on from the crazy Nobunaga, it was her willingness to set her straight. Any lingering doubt about her viability soon vanished. She felt stupid, but at the same time relieved.

Just by being here proved they were all worthy heroes. Even if some were clearly stronger and more famous than others, the throne had recognized all of them to be recorded. Battle was not simply a flat summary of facts, but an ever-changing possibility thanks to the unique circumstances. It didn't matter if any one of them was weak, for they were fighting together and could cover others' shortcomings. The same would apply to her current situation, where her own insecurities and doubts suddenly seemed miniscule.

The saber was no king or general, but she was still a leader. She didn't need any charisma, earth shaking abilities, or other high standing ideal when she already had the experience needed to run a group of this size. Just this morning she had been telling herself she was ready, yet now she was having uncertainties? No wonder Nobunaga had the gall to give her some lip about it. She volunteered to be the leader, without any doubt. She finally something worthy to do with her time that didn't involve trying to figure out what to do in Chaldea. Okita was now Captain of the volunteered Servant Peacekeepers, and she only needed to be her usual, enthusiastic self for them.

"We are now truly rivals, and you must act like it! I will be sure to undermine you properly, for I am now the Moriarty to your Holmes! The scissors to your rock! The-"

Okita suddenly smirked as her ahoge twitched. "Not to interrupt your speech, but by your examples, are you saying I'm destined to beat you? How nice of you to finally accept that! Yatta! A great moral victory for the invincible Okita!"

Nobunaga quickly flared as Sasaki chuckled. "That's not what I meant and you know it! Don't twist my words!"

Despite her frustration, she soon found herself laughing with Okita. The rest of the table joined in as Nobunaga flopped back into her chair as a waiter robot brought over the appetizers. As it placed the table's chosen calamari in the middle for all of them, the two rivals quickly calmed themselves down.

"Thanks, Nobu," Okita giggled, as Nobunaga nodded her head happily.

"Out of your funk finally! Good! I was getting worried I'd have to bomb you later."

"Please don't… the cleaning robot still finds confetti from that last one."

"Good evening, everyone," Kiyohime greeted as she walked over in a vibrant green kimono. She took her seat casually next to Okita before continuing. "Tamamo is helping Boudicca with a last-minute dessert request, so she will be a little late. Oh, yes! Congratulations on your new position, Captain Okita!"

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Kiyohime."

"You're welcome. As the new Captain, Gudao informed me I should tell you about the new event planned for this weekend. It will need some security, so I presume you are the one to go to for that."

Okita blinked as the rest of the table stared at Kiyohime in interest. "…event?"

Kiyohime simply smiled mischievously as she opened her delicate white fan. "Yes. I've finally used one of my golden tickets for a special event involving Master Gabby… I'm sure it will be an interesting form of entertainment when the day arrives. I eagerly look forward to it."

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ V ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

The next day was off to an interesting start already.

Okita, wearing her battle attire once more, watched quietly from her spot in Serenity's room as the assassin fiddled with her fingers. She looked both enthusiastic and uncertain while she sat on her bed in jeans and a sleeveless, black crop top. Gabrielle and Rena sat beside her in comfort, while Gudao and Mashu sat on the couch nearby. Despite the small, reassuring touches, the assassin's focus remained on the caster before her.

"Is it really going to…?" she trailed off. The Hassan's hopefulness shined a tad brighter as Gabrielle wrapped an arm around her exposed midriff, and tossed her friend a reassuring smile. Serenity smiled softly back, and her fiddling fingers on the lap of her denim pants turned calm.

"It'll be okay! Medea and Paracelsus are incredible," Gabrielle giggled, earning a small smile of appreciation from the caster.

"Paracelsus and I ran a test, but there's only one real way to find out its full efficiency," Medea explained as she fished the specialized talisman from a pocket of her black skirt. The caster held it up to her own purple blouse to display it for the servant before her.

Okita walked forward momentarily to view the item in question, and found herself mesmerized by its design. It was clear the two casters had done a spectacular job crafting the silver ornament. The chain that held the charm remained simplistic, but the tiny golden intonations did wonders for both. Shaped like a small heart, the talisman itself was embedded with a sapphire gem that was surrounded with golden, vine-like etchings. It was the perfect balance of size and simplicity, though the fragile jeweler's chain was likely reinforced in case of accidents.

"It's beautiful…" Serenity murmured as Medea approached calmly. Rena floated into position just in case of a reaction.

"Kyuuuu…"

Fou's ears twitched as it observed from its perch on Mashu's head. Flanked by Gudao in his master's uniform, the couple remained quiet as Medea placed the newly constructed jewelry around Serenity's neck. It didn't matter if the blue-haired woman touched her or not, thanks partially to a past memorial essence that gave her own healing and cleansing abilities a significant boost. The assassin still felt uneasy that the caster occasionally touched her skin, but Rena remained on floating standby close behind. Judging by Medea's calm demeanor, there seemed to be no need for concern yet.

Medea took a few steps back to view her handiwork, while Serenity eyed the talisman. To her delight, she elicited a giggle as it opened like a locket. The craftsmanship from the two casters was admirable if it was able to double as normal jewelry. As she watched the assassin play with it, Medea turned to Okita. The saber quickly glanced to her and nodded. It was the moment of truth, since Medea was effectively immune to all poison. Serenity looked to the saber as she quietly approached.

"Okita…?"

Serenity's eyes widened and she gasped upon Okita placing a hand on her bare shoulder. Rena eyed the saber quietly as the room fell into silent anticipation. Serenity's nervousness was palpable, but with every passing second it vanished. Okita watched as the assassin's eyes slowly turned from the hand to face her, as the surprise quickly turned into delight. Her emotions flew wild, as Fou quickly hopped over to sit itself on Serenity's lap to cuddle into her bare stomach. Gabrielle giggled as Serenity brought a hand to her mouth to hold back her sniffles.

Okita looked at the hand she soothingly rubbed Serenity with, happy she didn't feel any of the symptoms.

"Perfect. The expected results," Medea smiled proudly. "It took a lot of ascension materials and careful, collaborative crafting… but I hope it's exactly what you wished for, Serenity."

"KYUUUU!" Fou cried out as it went flying from her lap, only to be quickly caught by Okita as Serenity burst into action.

"T-Thank you!" Serenity stammered loudly as she practically launched herself at the caster. While she threw her arms around Medea, the caster froze in surprise and discomfort. It was clear she still wasn't too fond of such forward displays, but she slowly hugged back as the assassin's tears fell freely from her eyes. Fou looked over in Okita's arms, only slightly peeved at Serenity for not warning it. Her smile was incredible. "I-I… Sorry about your c-clothes… b-but… This is… I'm s-so happy."

"You can thank us after the final test," Medea explained softly as she handed the assassin over to Gabrielle. Okita smiled as Serenity hugged the master, just as the door to her room slid open to reveal her fellow Hassans. Cursed Arm and Hundred Face walked in with battle attire after just coming from a spar, but their expressions quickly grew brighter upon seeing Serenity's tears of happiness. Before they could say anything, the final subject walked in behind them.

"Oh geez, you alright, Serenity? I hate seeing girls cry," Tyler asked as he walked around Cursed Arm's large form.

"Tyler…?" She asked quietly, before breaking her hug with Gabrielle. Serenity looked to Medea quietly, only to receive a small nod.

By Okita's observation, Tyler was clearly not out of the loop. It appears the Hassans had informed him as he casually, but in slight concern, watched Serentiy approach him. Cursed Arm stood between Tyler and the doorway in case he got cold feet, but it wasn't happening. He simply gulped to suppress any nerves as Serenity stopped before him. Suddenly as worried as she was previously, the assassin slowly reached her hand out. Okita could clearly see she was still affected by the previous incident she heard about, but was more surprised by the employee's action.

In a clear attempt to make things easier for her, and before she could pull away, Tyler reached out and held her hand in his gently.

She gasped, and stared at their holding hands with a slight blush. Tyler definitely wasn't though. His eyes were locked on Rena as he braced himself for the worst. Rena and the employee were sealed in a rather amusing staring contest, with the robot actually playfully raising and lowering its launcher in anticipation. Okita giggled at the sight since there was clearly nothing to be worried about. The human had made direct contact for over thirty seconds and there was no sign of potent symptoms. To the group's surprise, it was Tyler who yelled the first words.

"Sweet! So you can touch people! Thank fucking Christ Rena's not going to stick me with one of those damn needles again!"

The room erupted into laughter, though Medea's was a lot more subdued as she stared in exasperation at the employee. Serenity's tears were once more freely falling down her cheeks as she let go of Tyler's hand. She threw her arms around him, making him stiffen for a quick second, but not out of discomfort. His eyes were glued to Rena again as he casually returned the assassin's enthusiastic embrace. The robot was still jokingly playing with the launcher, much to his chagrin.

"Aw shucks… I'll just have to ask Jekyll or Roman if I can be allowed to administer any of your shots~!" Rena chirped, making Serenity giggle as she broke the embrace to hug Hundred Face. After breaking apart again, her giggling only intensified as she played with her new talisman in one hand, while staring at Tyler's incredulous expression.

"After all I've done for you, you little mechanical terror…" Tyler declared, only making the robot laugh happily as it bounced in midair. His expression soon shifted to an enthusiastic grin as he nodded to Serenity. "Congrats on the stunning necklace! That's awesome! I'm happy for you!"

"Thank you!" She replied happily as Gabrielle hugged her friend once more.

"Now you can do anything here!" the female master cheered as Rena hovered beside her dear friend. The room's occupants soon started swarming the assassin, happily making their first contact while Medea and Okita held back to watch. The saber did want to happily join in, but she waited her turn.

"I don't suggest hugging Blackbeard though." "Eww, why would she hug that dirty pirate!?" "She's free to hug whoever she wants! That's all that matters!"

The saber smiled at the scene while gently petting Fou. She still wasn't certain why she was specifically called to witness this, but she was glad. Serenity had been a kind ally in the Jerusalem singularity, and now her only source of anxiety and trouble had been eliminated completely thanks to Medea and Paracelsus. She quietly considered finally asking the masters, or Roman, for a relief for her weak constitution. At the very least, coughing up blood was a rather minor concern since she carried a handkerchief.

Small moments like this made her glad to be here, and reaffirmed what she was doing. The peacekeepers were simply making sure Chaldea would remain standing to let these events happen into the foreseeable future. She worried for the distant days when Chaldea's mission was completed, and the uncertain future thereafter. Plenty of time remained, which was long enough to warrant her group's task to champion this beautiful peace. The room fell a little quiet as Gudao cleared his throat, and Medea surprisingly stepped towards Okita.

"Now, the reason we called for you specifically to assist, Okita. It has to do with your newfound position as Captain of the Peacekeepers," Gudao began.

Okita tilted her head in confusion as Medea simply sighed. "As stated before, this talisman was incredibly expensive to produce, and only possible thanks to my nullification magecraft embedded as a passive boon. Only certain materials resonate well enough to craft something of this design."

"You did a great job though. This necklace is stunning," Tyler stated as he looked at the talisman around Serenity's neck. Medea smiled lightly at the slanged compliment, though Hundred Face's expression proved she was quickly making the connections. Okita was too for that matter.

"How much ascension materials are we talking about?" Cursed Arm inquired first. Gudao sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Nearly twenty forbidden pages were used up, and they were just one ingredient," the male master admitted, raising quite a few servants' eyebrows. "As you can likely guess, several servants won't be receiving any ascensions for a while. Normally it's not a concern, but we need to remain truthful…"

Okita's expression flashed with concern. "Some prideful servants won't be getting their next ascension. Is Gilgamesh one?"

"Not quite. Thankfully, Gilgamesh was not one of the affected… The real problem is one servant still won't be receiving any for a while longer."

Okita looked confused, though Medea's unusual, sympathetic smile only unnerved her. Fou looked at the saber's face in curiosity as it quickly fell upon realization. Gudao scratched the back of his head while Gabrielle chuckled nervously. The remainder of the group looked around in confusion while Mashu tugged on her boyfriend's sleeve to get him to explain. Okita simply stuttered.

"…D-Do you mean to tell me…?"

"Sorry, Okita," Gudao sighed with a sympathetic smile of his own. "Those two golden skulls we found for Nobunaga were necessary ingredients. They had very specific properties when ground up and alchemically combined with phoenix plumes... or so I've been informed."

Okita's eye twitched. Nobunaga hasn't received an ascension since that shooting rivalry ignited with Billy the Kid. That had been nearly six months ago, and she was still stuck at only her second saint graph upgrade. With all the complaints Nobunaga made about that over the months, this was not going to be good news by any means. Her little pranking sprees had increased as a direct result of the neglect, so to tell her that they had used both of the remaining materials she needed… Okita's knees suddenly felt weak.

"Oh… oh no…" Okita groaned. It was only her second day, and already her job was about to heat up quickly. "I'll… I'll go tell her myself then…"

"Good luck…" Medea offered, making Okita groan louder. She would definitely need it.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ VI ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

"I know this will be hard to take, but I assure you it was for the best… noooo… that won't work with her…"

As her mind was abuzz with ideas, the saber slowly made her way through the halls to her room. She needed time to think about how to properly deliver this terrible message to Nobunaga, who was likely just going to go on a crazed prank spree in revenge. Armed with more than just simple prank bombs now, her armory of practical jokes has increased in variety from what she's peeped. Confiscating the contraband was only going to make her next ideas for fun worse, but she was still glad the archer had yet to even use her newfound stockpile.

As to why, she has yet to figure out. She couldn't possibly be hording for the grand opening of- "You look troubled, Okita."

With a blink of surprise, the saber stopped and looked up. "O-Oh! Konnichi- Ah! I mean, hello, Madam Blavatsky! How are you?"

The approaching caster giggled. Helena approached in a black strapless sundress, making her quietly question if it's the only color of clothing the caster ever wore. Helena's hat was casually readjusted by one of her flying Olcotts as she smiled at Okita. "I'm great, thank you. Busy with the job already?"

"I'm about to be…" Okita sighed. "Do you happen to know where Nobunaga is?"

"She's in her room, playing with the gifts I just got her," Helena explained simply, making Okita blink in silent curiosity. "I'm glad to say that you probably won't have to worry about her being too much of a prankster for a bit, or hopefully anymore. The gifts should curb her need for entertainment."

Okita simply shook her head. "I don't think so… Not that I question the quality of your gifts, Madam Blavatsky, but she's going to hate the news I have."

"Is that so?" The caster asked with a small tilt of her head. Okita nodded as two employees passed by in quiet conversation. "I guess the only proper way to find out is for you to deliver the news and see the reaction for yourself. Best of luck, Captain."

"Thank you, I'll likely need-"

"Madam Blavatasky." The radio on her side chirped. It was Karna.

A flying automaton quietly picked up the radio and handed it to the caster. Okita was making a note to remind them the peacekeeper channel was not for personal use, but the seriousness on Helena's face made her reconsider. "I'm here, Karna… Don't tell me…"

"It is as you fear. Edison and Tesla are currently arguing over how best to cook a steak. They've been getting rougher about it near the library, and it may bother the readers. It is not a conversation I wish to be involved in."

"Of all the…" Helena grumbled as she smacked a hand against her face. Okita withheld her giggles. "I'll be right there."

With a sigh, Helena shook her head and handed the radio back to one of her Colonel Olcotts. "I apologize for not asking you first, but Karna and I took another channel because of how often I would likely need to stop those arguing geniuses… This is already the third time today."

"So long as it's to keep the peace, I don't mind," Okita nodded. Tesla and Edison's little spats never grew overly violent, and if anything, they were comical situations. Depending on where it was though, it was either appreciated by the bystanders or not. In this case, it clearly wasn't. "I give you my luck."

"Aspirin would be preferable," Helena joked as she waved goodbye.

Okita quickly went on her way again, pondering quietly what could possibly make Nobunaga calmer. She had tried countless times, as did her friends from the Sanctuary, but for Helena to do it so quickly? Either Nobunaga deceived her into getting something more interesting to stockpile, or the gift really was absolutely spectacular. As she walked towards her room, she sighed, and sincerely hoped it was the latter.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ VII ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

"Nobunaga, are you in there?" Okita knocked on the door again. There was happy chuckling followed by the sifting of items. The saber raised an eyebrow as it sounded like she was trying to hide something, and sighed upon realizing Helena was likely just tricked somehow into being an accomplice.

The door quickly slid open, though Okita had to take a quick step back as the archer swiftly looked around the hallway. It was already unusual for the warlord to be in her full battle attire with no deployment or sparring session. Her concern continued to grow as Nobunaga's suspicious visual check completed. Before Okita could even ask, or receive a greeting, the Demon Archer grabbed her by the sleeve and tugged her swiftly into the room.

"Nobunaga, what are you hiding!?" Okita immediately asked as the archer locked the door with a grin. Out of courtesy and with practiced skill, she removed her shoes before being tugged into the room. This was not the first time it happened. "Does this have anything to do with Helena's gift!?"

"Oh, she told you? I don't have to do much explaining then! You'll see in a second!" She reassured, making the saber completely confused. Normally she would be in total denial at this point and swearing her to secrecy. It would even be followed by some grumbling, but she was far too chipper and it was a little unnerving. "It's the best gift ever! Better than glitter bombs!"

"For the sake of Chaldea, I hope it's better than glitter bombs without being bombs…" Okita grumbled as she crossed her arms.

She glanced around the warlord's room, noticing the closet was suspiciously closed and the bed looked a tad messier than usual. Her mind wandered into the possibility she was hiding some sort of gift of that sort, but it was quickly discarded when she noticed Nobunaga's newly bought Kotatsu was surrounded by a lot more pillows than before. As she stared at the red and black additions peaking from under the golden cloth, her eyes shot wide open as the table covering moved. Did she get a pet of some sort?

"Roman and the supervisors are still discussing the possibility of having pets, Nobunaga!" Okita quickly assumed, only for Nobunaga to laugh maniacally. The saber quickly huffed. "That definitely proves it! You're hiding a pet aren't you!? Why must I always have to-"

Okita quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief as she coughed, before her glare returned to Nobunaga. She simply kept grinning and interrupted before the saber could continue. "Okay troops! Come out!"

"Nobu!" "Nobuh!?" "NobuNobuNobu!" "Nobuuuuu!"

"W-W-What is this…!?" Okita sputtered as the closet door flew open, just as two flanks of the kotatsu's blanket were raised. Even her ahoge shot up as she tried to comprehend the situation. "I-I don't- WHAT!?"

To her total surprise, nearly a dozen small caricatures of a battle ready Nobunaga came out of hiding. Most tripped over each other as they ran out of the closet, while some struggled to climb the small walls of the surrounding pillow near the kotatsu. Barely twenty centimeters tall, which was roughly the size of Helena's Colonel Olcotts, they were very clearly the gift the caster gave to the Demon Archer. Based on their unusually large and pupil-void eyes, plus high squeaking voices, they didn't seem to be like the floating combat automata Helena had for herself. Their uniforms were especially vibrant too.

If anything, they were absolutely adorable as they raced around the archer's room. "Helena got you chicchanabitos!?"

"Yup! I told her I was jealous of hers, so she gave me a little squad to play with!" Nobunaga laughed happily. "You're the first to know!"

"Nobuuuu!" one of the little ones exclaimed at the saber's feet, as its eyes turned into small, enthusiastic slits. Okita quickly dropped to her knees, eyes sparkling in adoration, as she looked at the little Nobunaga that observed her. The rest of the dozen quickly joined to stare at the saber. "Nobuh?"

"These chibis are so cute! Ohhh so cute!" Okita cooed as she gently picked up the one that had stared at her longest. It squirmed in her grip, but cheered with flailing arms. She quickly hugged it as the rest of its group swarmed her knees, seemingly waiting to be picked up.

Nobunaga walked over and sat on the mat, quickly getting their attention. A few jumped into her lap and began playing around with each other while the warlord laughed. Another ran behind the divider, only to return dragging a long chest its size. Three more of the chibi Nobus came over to the chest as it opened. To Okita's horror, they pulled tiny rifles from the container. Nobunaga only laughed harder.

"Nobuuu!" One exclaimed happily as it fired the rifle at another one. The cartoonish weapon sounded like a pop gun as it fired, nailing another Nobu with what looked like a teensy mana-forged cork that quickly vanished. Unperturbed, the other Nobu simply fired back as Okita laughed at the sight in relief.

As she placed down the little Nobu she held, Okita watched her best friend. She seemed a lot happier with this gift, and she silently wondered if Nobunaga might turn a new leaf; Only she was privy to this side of her. There was the slightly kinder side to the Demon Archer, where her ego, selfishness, and often abrasive ideas didn't get the better of her. It was simply reserved until no one was looking, except her. Perhaps this little squad would make her consider otherwise?

It definitely wasn't likely, but it was obvious this little army was providing the Demon Archer with all the entertainment she could desire. But what if they were used for her usual tricks? Her smile faded slightly, noting that this force could actually make her pranks more efficient and disastrous… though also much cuter. It still wouldn't likely be appreciated. Noting the fading expression, Nobunaga simply laughed.

"Helena made me promise not to use them for any of my pranks or she'd take them away," she admitted, with notable disappointment. "That's fine! I don't want to lose my army of minions, and I can just plant the bombs myself anyway!"

Okita smiled back and nodded. "Great!"

"Yup! I get my own little army to match yours! But mine is cuter!" She joked as a little Nobu faceplanted onto the mat in front of them.

It seems all would be fine then… until she remembered she was there for another reason. Her expression fell instantly, and Nobunaga blinked in confusion. The chibis were still playing around them, though some had begun erecting a diving board at the kotatsu. "Huh? What's wrong now?"

"Um… there's a… erm..." Okita stuttered, making Nobunaga reach over and smack her arm. She shook herself. "It's about your ascension skulls."

"Ohhhh~!" Nobunaga shrilled in excitement, causing the chibi Nobus around her to cheer. "They found skulls finally!? About damn time!"

Okita laughed with increasing nervousness. "They did… but Medea and Paracelsus had to use them for Serenity's Cleansing talisman…"

Nobunaga's expression instantly evaporated to reveal stupefied shock. Okita cursed herself, noting she could have done a better job delivering the message, but was placed on a sudden spot. It didn't help these adorable automata had distracted her. Nearly a minute passed in silence, but Nobunaga's expression didn't change. Okita grew increasingly worried as one of the chibis quietly tugged on the warlord's sleeve. "Nobuh…?"

"My… my… skulls…" Nobunaga began as her expressions flew wildly. Anger one second, followed by frustration. There were a few moments of sheer depression mixed in with total shock. It was very amusing for the saber to watch, but at the same time, she felt bad for her best friend.

Okita flinched as Nobunaga fell backwards onto the tatami mats. Too shocked to move, the saber could only stare dumbfounded as Nobunaga rolled over and began banging her fists against the mats in a mini tantrum. Her eyes remained shut, even as all the chibis rushed to her side in an attempt to calm her down. "That's not fair! They were mine! Not fair, not fair, not fair!"

The Saber blinked and sighed. She crawled over to Nobunaga and began rubbing her back gently. Still she flailed. "Serenity's was a pressing safety concern, Nobunaga. You understand that, right? It's alright… you can wait a bit longer… You have the chibis to keep you preoccupied."

"It's still not fair!" Nobunaga groaned as she fell still. Okita was silently thankful this was her reaction, and not vengeance induced rage.

"At least you won't have to worry about losing one of these, erm… Nobus if they accidentally touch her. Do you have names for them yet?"

Okita was clearly trying to divert the conversation, but she could see the wheels in Nobunaga's mind churning. She sighed. It seems the warlord was already planning her pranking revenge, and she would have to warn the masters of the impending storm. At least as Captain she could help prepare.

"Please don't make your payback too crazy… I'm the one that has to do that paperwork now."

"No promises…" "Nobuuuuu!" "Nobunobu!"

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ VIII ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

Two days since formation, and not an incident in sight. Blackbeard's midnight food raid didn't count.

"At least she's not likely to start another gunfight with Rena."

"Maybe we should have safety advisories for an increase in prank bombs for the foreseeable future?"

The saber noted her companions' suggestions with small nods as she finished doodling some ideas about contingency plans into her notepad; There needed to be a plan if all six were deployed. Wearing a simple white skirt and black blouse, she looked up quietly to eye her two other lieutenants sitting before her in the conference room of Security Central. The two Irishmen were a small curiosity to her upon eagerly volunteering to be lieutenants. If Karna and Siegfried could be seen as the muscle, and Ushiwakamaru the strategist, then… well, she wasn't too sure what to consider these two.

Fionn simply glanced at his radio as it sat on the table, joined by hers and Diarmuid's sets. The pair of casually dressed lancers, both wearing the same white dress shirt and black slacks, sat casually as Okita finished a very rough schedule for herself. The pair had arrived only a few minutes ago to keep her company while Scathach was on the supply sortie, though she was still partially uncertain why they volunteered to be lieutenants. Was it at Scathach and Cu's suggestion, even though only one of them offered to take a position?

"You're staring at me rather curiously, Okita. I can at least assure you, I am single," Fionn joked as he brushed his long, blonde hair playfully.

Diarmuid sighed beside him. "Please do not mind him, Captain. He does this all the time."

"Just like dear Diarmuid does this all the time. Clearly taking my future bride was not enough for him, but he had to abscond my incredible sense of style too! For shame, Diarmuid! Have you no sense of guilt that you continue to harass your lord?"

The black haired lancer stammered as Fionn began laughing. "My lord that is not-!"

"You must learn to take jokes, Diarmuid! How many months and you still do not understand I jest? I forgave you already."

Okita blinked at the pair before her. Yes, she was clearly confused why these two had volunteered for higher positions. Granted, being a lieutenant only meant they were willing to help her with paperwork and management, as she had clearly informed them. At worst, they'd simply help coordinate any Peacekeeping efforts in her absence. Upon hearing that, the number of volunteers for the promotion had dropped to five. Still, these two were willing to accept those extra hardships with no personal gain.

"I don't mean to sound incredulous, but why did you two wish to be lieutenants?"

Diarmuid and Fionn looked to each other with serious faces, before the blonde simply nodded to his fellow lancer. Diarmuid met Okita's gaze before he started. "We're not that astounding compared to some of the others, but we still have our personal reasons to assist you where we can."

"I desire to work for the sake of the people, as I always have. It is the proper path to walk, and I gladly do so. Simply fighting for humanity's sake isn't enough, and I would gladly work the extra bit to keep Chaldea peaceful. A wonderful flower as yourself must not be forced to endure this alone."

Okita blushed lightly at the compliment, while Diarmuid sighed. "As a knight who has made significant mistakes, and has felt the intrusion of others' upon one's desires, I felt I was obligated to help however I can to ensure it doesn't happen here. I simply wish to help maintain order in however capacity I can."

It was then that it clicked for her. Fionn's healing capabilities and Diarmuid's specialized spears made them ideal as additional volunteers, but it's the sense of purpose and integrity that made them wish to be lieutenants. They didn't need to have a promising aspect like the other three, but were just simply willing to serve the community with motivated drive. The title only came with extra duties and a shared responsibility, so it was simply a sense of selflessness that made them wish to help her.

A calm balance was the goal for all of them. They simply wanted to maintain the calm atmosphere that Chaldea has become known for. Sure there would always be the crazy antics of some, but it was part of the charm of this place. As a facility where they could explore different ideas and make unique bonds, they were simply those willing to go the extra step to help protect this now incredible dream. A small smile graced her face as she nodded with understanding.

"Thank you both for helping me with my position. I hope we don't have to do too much management… or paperwork. Let's do our best!"

"Of course! Can't let the Camelot Knights get all the glory for righteousness and virtue! To think, none of them wished to volunteer as lieutenants," he joked playfully. "Perhaps they're simply too loyal to go any further from their king. What beautiful loyalty! You could learn a thing or two from that, Diar-"

The accused lancer quickly kneeled before Fionn with a hand over his heart. "Forgive me, my lord! I did not wish to-"

Fionn only laughed harder than before. "You really need to take my jokes better. This is far too easy."

Okita could only blink in confusion, as she smiled sympathetically to Diarmuid as he sat back in his chair. If this was the blonde servant's idea of getting back at Diarmuid for all the trouble he caused, it was at least a peaceful way to do so. It didn't mean she couldn't feel bad he received this sort of unique punishment. She couldn't imagine having to deal with this so many times a day-

The radios blinked to life, drawing their attention. "Okita, this is Siegfried. We have a situation near the cafeteria. Potential Code Foxtrot."

"Understood! All peacekeepers in Section Three, please respond immediately!" Okita reported quickly.

Without acknowledging each other, the trio swiftly shifted into battle attire and spirit form to make a beeline for the location.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ IX ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

"Siegfried! What's the problem here?" Okita declared in an authoritative voice as she materialized with Diarmuid and Fionn on her flanks. She was pleased to see Karna and Ushiwakamaru were also present in combat clothing. With proximity protocols, she was beyond proud to note other nearby peacekeepers had arrived, mainly in the form of Gawain, Bedivere, and Lancelot. It was only the first incident, and already they had succeeded in making a powerful showing within thirty seconds of the call going out. To say she was pleased was without a doubt.

"I apologize, Captain Okita. But this one involved me directly." Siegfried stated as he crossed his arms over his armor. He briefly glanced her stare before returning it to the servant a dozen meters away from him. "I did not have any choice in this manner, no neither does she, it seems. Your name was Brynhildr, you said?"

Quickly, Okita observed the new servant and identified her as the culprit of the called code. Foxtrot meant this was a personal dispute between two servant, and judging by how she focused only on Siegfried, it was definitely the case. The new lancer, or so she assumed by her drawn weapon, was clearly a beauty. Silky ethereal hair, porcelain skin, and gorgeous blue eyes stared longingly at Siegfried. From the design of her lilac armor pieces, to her pristine black underdress, she stood with grace and collected poise. But still, there was the underlying tension and regret in her grip.

It clicked. Okita fully understood and stepped forward quickly. As she passed Arash, she stopped, keeping a hand on her katana as a reminder rather than a threat. She earned the gaze of the newcomer. "Miss Brynhildr. It is great to have a Valkyrie within the halls of Chaldea. I hope you enjoy your stay here, but I will warn you now. Legend or not, we are all allies here. Everyone. We will not tolerate any violent conflict. We cherish our peace."

Brynhildr's gaze fell slightly, losing some of the regret and tension as she stared at the saber. "And who might you be?"

"Okita Souji, Captain of the Chaldean Defense Force. We are the peacekeepers of Chaldea," she declared proudly. "None of us wish for any hostility to come to anyone within these walls. We do not impose our will, but simply keep the calm atmosphere every servant wishes to return to. I hope you understand."

"I see… The masters spoke of you before the… supply sortie, was it?" she mused in a soft voice. Did everything she say sound so angelic? There was an underlying tone of sadness and regret that tugged at the heart strings. "I'm sorry… but I can't. I have no choice… for it is him."

"Please, let us explain," Ushiwakamaru stated calmly, dematerializing her katana to show her peaceful resolve. "This is Siegfried. He is not-"

"He looks just like him… Sigurd… Even in name… I must…" she practically whispered as she took an unconscious step forward. "I'm sorry…"

The tension rose. Even still, more peacekeepers were arriving as Arash materialized near her. Unfortunately, it was also drawing a larger crowd from the nearby cafeteria, more curious at the standoff than lunch. He looked at the situation quickly before his eyes widened in understanding. Okita and her flanking lancers looked curiously at Arash as he quickly walked to the center of the standoff.

"Oh! Brynhildr! It's me, Arash! So you finally arrived huh? That's great!" Arash beamed happily and loudly, making all eyes turn to him as he swiftly approached the lancer. Even Brynhildr suddenly seemed surprised. "I trust the summoning wasn't too rough? Gotta hate those rough landings, right?"

"Arash. It is good to see you once more… but… Sigurd is here… and therefore…"

"Oh nonsense, we can talk about Sigurd a lot later!" He laughed in a much friendlier tone than even his usual bit. Okita only now realized he was doing it all on purpose. "Come on! Let's go somewhere else and talk about it!"

"Arash… I'm sorry, but I am forced to…"

"We can talk about that later!" Arash spoke in his enthusiastic voice before calmly, yet quickly, took her arm in his and began motioning her back down the hallway. "You got the tour already, right? How about I introduce you to some other servants from our war! Oh, don't worry, many of them are friendly! Serenity's in an especially happy mood lately too!"

The lancer could barely get a word in as Arash coaxed her down the windowed hallway, though her expression did seem to shift to curiosity as opposed to remorseful purpose. He turned back to Okita quickly and winked before mouthing quickly, 'I got this, Captain.'

Still surprised, Fionn approached to snap her out of her puzzlement. "Arash and Brynhildr participated in a war together. I'd say he was the best one to deal with the situation with his understanding. His overenthusiastic distracting certainly worked. That said, that was a wonderful first declaration, Captain."

"I didn't do much but stall though… It was all Arash," she quietly admitted, though Diarmuid shook his head.

"It was simply like battle. There will always be one of us more suited to handling a situation, but it is you who speak for all of us and give the order."

She quickly smiled at the compliment. They were right. All of them were a team, and they showed their might for the first time in a quick and efficient manner. Arash simply was the best fit of all of them to correct the situation in his own way, and he did it peacefully too with no injuries or collateral damage. That's the best outcome she could have asked for in any given situation.

"I'll be sure to tell Gudao and Gabby about this!" Roman chimed in as he appeared from the gathering crowd. He approached while clapping his hands happily. "Situation diffused so quickly, and with such an awesome display of unity and timing!"

"Thank you, Doctor Roman," Okita bowed with a happy smile. Before anyone could stop her, her enthusiasm tripled. She jumped into the air and cheered. "Yatta! Well done everyone! The first real victory of the Chaldean Defense Force!"

As the laughter ensued thanks to her excited state, Roman clapped once more but laughed nervously. Quickly, Okita's demeanor calmed down as she stared at the doctor. He only scratched the back of his head with a sympathetic smile. "I'm truly happy this is going to work out so well, but… you're going to have to fill out the first incident paperwork. I believe the stacks are still in the filing room of Security Central?"

Okita's face dropped, while Diarmuid and Fionn chuckled beside her. So much for a total victor- She held her handkerchief to her mouth quickly in despair.