Chapter 3: Floor Staff
"Woah!" Illya rushed into the house, her eyes wide with childlike glee. Irisviel giggled and walked in behind her.
"Welcome," Atalanta walked up to Illya and Irisviel with a smile on her face. "Thank you for bringing her here."
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to save my daughter," Irisviel smiled back. "Now Illya, introduce yourself to our new caretaker."
"Hi, Miss! My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern," The young girl curtsied, her eyes showing barely contained excitement.
"It is nice to meet thee, Illyasviel," Atalanta smiled down at the child. "My name is Atalanta."
"Nice to meet you too, Miss!" Illya replied, looking up at the huntress. "Your ears are very pretty."
"Why… thank you," Atalanta's face flushed slightly. "Come, you two. Let me introduce you to the others."
Atalanta walked in just in time to see Sakura clamp her mouth before covering with her hands. Her face was red and she let out a muffled cry of pain.
"Archer!" Atalanta shouted. "What hast thou made?!"
"Mapo tofu," Archer chuckled, but there was no humor in that laugh. Medusa glared at him and Archer just sighed. "Jeez, some people can't take a joke."
"It hurts… but it tastes so good…" Sakura mumbled as Medusa grabbed the glass of water on the table and handed it to Sakura, who promptly gulped down the entire glass.
"Medusa, Sakura, this is Irisviel and Illyasviel," Atalanta gestured towards the two newcomers.
"H-hi…" Sakura eyed the two before flicking her eyes at the dish.
"Hi!" Illya bounded over the two, causing Sakura to flinch. She curtsied then smiled up at the two. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too…" Sakura murmured, positioning herself closer to Medusa, who wrapped her arms around the child.
"It's nice to meet you too," Medusa had a gentle voice as she spoke. "Sakura's a little shy, you see. Some mean people wanted to hurt her, so she's still having trouble talking to people."
"Who was it?" Irisviel asked. She had forced a smile while clenching her fists. "I just want to talk."
"Matou Zouken," Medusa grimaced and Sakura shrunk at the mention of the old worm's name. Irisviel's smile faded and magical energy started to swirl around her.
"That…" Irisviel had a look of pure rage. Even Illya took a step back. "I knew he was up to no good."
"I killed him myself," Medusa shook her head. Irisviel's rage subsided and her angry look was replaced with a tired frown.
"Thank you, Medusa," Irisviel shook her head.
"I just did what I needed to protect Sakura," Medusa replied as Sakura lost interest and took another bite of the tofu, shouting and flailing wildly. Luckily, Atalanta had predicted the event and a glass of water was already on the table by the time Sakura had taken the bite. The small girl desperately grabbed the water and drank it down.
"Owie…" Sakura coughed as she set the glass down.
"I think it is time to recruit more people to help us out," Atalanta said, heaving a sigh. "Medusa, can thee help me out? I shalt require thy expertise."
"I can watch over Sakura if you want," Irisviel offered. "Kiritsugu taught me how to use the television so I think I can put up some shows for the children."
"Very well," Medusa placed Sakura down and knelt down so Sakura could look into Medusa's blindfold.
"Sakura, can you be good for Miss Irisviel?" Medusa asked, placing a hand on her shoulders. "She won't do anything to hurt you, alright?"
"Are… are you sure?" Sakura's eyes wandered around before settling on Medusa's face.
"Of course," Medusa smiled as she rubbed Sakura's head. "Everyone here wants to help you, alright? We want to see you happy."
"Thank you," Sakura whispered as she hugged Medusa. She stayed like that for about a minute before pulling away. She apprehensively turned around and walked up to Irisviel.
"What do you want to watch, Sakura?" Irisviel asked.
"I've… never watched television," Sakura admitted.
"That's alright," Irisviel replied with a tender smile. "Little Illya here has never watched television either."
"Yeah!" Illya cheered excitedly before looking. "What's television?"
"Let's go discover together," Irisviel ushered the two out of the room as Atalanta, Medusa, and Archer watched.
"Do you want me to come too?" EMIYA asked as he finished washing the dishes.
"I do not trust thee, but thy opinion might be valuable," Atalanta said as she turned towards the terminal room. "Follow me."
EMIYA looked at the terminal with a mild level of fascination. A terminal that can summon any servant with a click of a button was quite the interesting prospect.
"I suggest we summon Chiron to be the teacher," Atalanta said as she clicked on the servant. It seemed that he could be summoned as a centaur. Medusa scowled.
"He is a good teacher," Medusa admitted with a scowl. "Please do not summon Perseus, though. I just might have to kill him."
"Duly noted," Atalanta nodded as she scrolled through the names.
"Jeanne d'Arc seems reliable," EMIYA said.
"That she does," Atalanta replied as the legend of the Maid of Orleans flowed through her head.
"I think that's good for now," Medusa rubbed her chin. "We don't want the children to feel uncomfortable with so many adults."
"I agree," Atalanta said as she clicked the icons for the servants. "Let's go greet our new guests."
Jeanne opened her eyes and looked around. The house was nice, but nothing she had seen before. Standing next to her was a man with long hair and a bow slung over his shoulder.
Chiron, Jeanne's True Name Discernment skill let her determine the identity of the man.
"Greetings," Jeanne nodded to the man, who nodded back.
"Greetings," Chiron had a small smile on his face. "It seems we've been summoned for a most interesting purpose."
"I…" Jeanne stopped when information flooded her mind. A smile grew on her face. "If God wills it, then it shall be done."
The two then turned when they heard footsteps. A woman walked in with green hair and piercing, yellow eyes. The saint instantly felt the connection to her and knelt down on one knee before her.
"Greetings, Master," Jeanne said, keeping her eyes closed and head down. "I am Jeanne d'Arc, a servant of the Ruler class. God has willed us together, so I shall help you to the best of my ability."
"Rise, Jeanne," The woman, who Jeanne deduced as Atalanta, said. "Thou shalt make an invaluable asset in our goals."
Atalanta then turned to Chiron as Jeanne stood up. "I am glad to have a teacher of thy caliber with us."
"I'm honored by your words," Chiron nodded. "I shall teach the children to the best of my ability."
"Good," Atalanta nodded before turning around. "The children are in the living room. Follow me."
Illya let out a shout of victory as Magic Mari valiantly defeated her foe. The cacophony of sights and sounds the TV displayed had completely enthralled both Illya and Sakura, and while Sakura sat and watched with a look of amazement, Illya was jumping up and down and shouting at the TV. Neither Irisviel nor Sakura minded, though. Irisviel doted on her daughter while Illya's antics caused the faintest ghost of a smile to sprout on Sakura's lips.
Irisviel looked up just in time to see Atalanta and two new servants walking behind her.
"My greetings, Irisviel," Atalanta nodded her head in greeting. "This is Jeanne d'Arc and Chiron. Jeanne will be helping you take care of the children while Chiron will be the teacher."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Irisviel," Jeanne bowed at Irisviel before smiling at the children. "I shall be in your care."
"Please, call me Iri." Irisviel returned the smile. "If you need anything, feel free to ask."
"It's nice to meet you," Chiron then stood next to Jeanne. "I'd like to discuss personalized educational plans with the children once you have the opportunity."
"Of course. I'm glad that you care enough to personalize their education," Irisviel replied. "The children are lucky to have you."
"Many thanks," Chiron responded with a smile.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I believe we can do it," Atalanta declared, catching the attention of everyone. She received nods and smiles from the other servants, and her lips curved into a smile of her own. Finally, things were starting to come together.
Thank you for reading! I have compiled a list of children I have lined up so far. If you want to see the next three children at the end of every chapter, I can do that. Suggestions are still open, but I will only be sticking to nasuverse children for now. Thank you