(Servants' Quarters)
"... uh, which room is Sasaku's?" Shirou asked a passing Agesipolis who was leaving the Servants' Quarter a bit late for the day's scheduled meeting. Because they had been summoned so recently, the couple looking for directions were still at 'level 1' without the benefit of Scathach's Enhancement ritual. As a result the Masters had already excused them from the upcoming event as Servants started assembling in the Briefing Room.
"That, with the vine," the Shielder replied, pointing it out for them quickly before continuing on his way to the Briefing Room.
"Hmm, I see they've decided to place logos on every door here. Because something straightforward like numbering would be too... straightforward," Shirou remarked, looking at several of the doors that they passed. Most were quite simple, not unlike the iconography used by the Four Houses, but the door they stopped in front of had a vine, as previously pointed out.
Which was to say: a vine is much larger than the mental image of a single cluster of grapes might lead one to expect. Reaching out to touch a leaf, he noticed that its green color came from the patina of copper leaf overlaid on the door's textured surface, while the red coloration that hinted at the presence of grapes was from a similar technique, but with the copper kept in stasis in its purest form.
Shrugging off the door's overblown appearance, Shirou quickly knocked twice before Sakura might become impatient and put her own hand to it. It was likely carefully warded, and apologizing for that being wrecked was not a great hello.
"One moment," came a familiar voice from within. A brief moment later, Servants could move quickly after all, the door was opened from the inside to show a schoolgirl who looked uncharacteristically unkempt. For the individual anyway, since children could hardly stay looking neat for long.
"... were you taking a nap?" Sakura asked incredulously, looking around Sasaku to see Iri and Matthew sleeping behind her with a clear spot for a third similarly-sized individual.
"Uh, sure." The other girl unconsciously tried to smooth out several creases in her shirt before realizing the effort and its pointlessness and giving up. "How's your first day been, Chaldea a bit more familiar now?"
Despite the patter, which Shirou probably caught on to but obligingly did not attempt to lampshade, the Ruler was taking the opportunity to passively observe and analyze Sakura's signature while the latter was distracted by the number of things all occupying her attention. Thankfully, it seemed that the previous chaotic time-variance in said signature had died down significantly, though it would definitely not pass muster in any of da Vinci's usual tests for Spirit Origin stability.
"Yeah, of course. Don't you need to get to that briefing on time?" Sakura answered with a touch of impatience.
"Fortunately I won't have to grab my backpack and run for it with a piece of toast in my mouth," the Ruler chuckled while leaving. "Or a Proof of Hero biscuit. Remember to close the door tightly when you leave so all the energy outside doesn't infiltrate into the room."
"Will do," Shirou said seriously, watching her go.
...
"Did Doru explain everything already?" Matthew asked after a moment of empty silence had passed. Sitting up in the bed, he was the first to speak now that the family were alone together. "That he did," his mother nodded briefly.
For his part, it was unsettling, though not unfamiliar, to see the fissure-like marks webbing across the parts of her skin that could be seen. Around the time that she started becoming more "publicly" active, she was able to control her magecraft to the extent that such visible scar signs were not any issue. Before that point, it required a layer of magecraft to hide it, which came with its own set of problems. Needless to say, any magus with a half-way decent amount of awareness would not be able to enter the same room as her without realizing that something was up.
Nodding, Matthew hopped out of bed and sat down next to it as Iri got up and moved to sit on the edge of the mattress. Taking his cue, Sakura sat down behind him like some sort of old style martial arts training montage, raising her hands until they were about level with his back, roughly half a hands-breadth below his heart.
Shirou motioned over their heads to Iri: don't interrupt,please before asking what had been on his mind for a while now, "Sakura, where did you get those particular specimens? We didn't have any of our own facilities for raising them."
"They're the same ones that passed the magecraft to me," she replied in an absent-minded tone. "These live longer than the smaller ones, and I couldn't properly develop a set with just how many were dividing up my attention."
"... wait, I thought Zouken was stuck in those," Shirou frowned, remembering the actual end of his 'grandfather-in-law' (not technically since he married Sakura only after Zouken was legally dead).
"Did I give that impression?" she blinked a few times, trying to remember specifics though a haze of time and confounding alternate memories. "They were a critical link, sure, but once I had him, there's no more accurate location than just 'somewhere with me' and that was while there was anything left so speak of. Which there definitely wasn't fifteen years later.
"Oh."
The two adults did not notice the winged Mystic Code that was passively and quietly lying where it had been left on Sasaku's pillow.
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(Chaldea Briefing Room)
"Ok, so for now we've got Artoria, Marie, da Vinci and Elizabeth for Merlin's quest chain," Gudao summarized. "Leaving a couple of free spots looking for volunteers."
"Ahem," Euryale spoke up first. "I think Asterios and I would round out the group." There was no doubt or hesitation in her voice.
"Sure, we'll have someone let him know what's up before we Rayshift in. Speaking of which, we do have a destination by now, right da Vinci?"
"We started picking up something," the Rider replied from the Control Room. While she had not expected to be identified as an important member in a Mysterious Santa's letter, the 'responsibility' was not unwelcome. "It's below the usual Detection Event threshold, but since we were actively looking for it, I can tell you that it seems to be developing slightly. Almost like it's following some stages of setup.
"I can't really approve of anyone, Santa or not, just using Holy Grails for such things," Jeanne voiced her disappointment in the magus' reckless behavior.
"He probably has a reason, or at least he'll give you something that sounds plausible if you end up calling him out on it," Artoria shrugged it off.
"Sounds like someone needs to teach him a lesson about time and place," Martha grumbled.
"Don't forget the fried chicken," Tamamo Cat added.
"It's quite the Christmas tradition in Japan nowadays," Chloe explained for those present, so most of them, who didn't know that cultural feature. "But um, are there Phantasmal Chickens around? It would have to be quite a lot even if only us Servants could eat the stuff."
(One Rayshift later)
"Well, this seems like one of the usual echoes of the Wyverns' War Singularity," Euryale commented as the group arrived at the first sufficiently stable signature. "You don't think we're supposed to harvest those 'birds', do you?" She and Chloe had quite an experienced eye at downing the flying beasts.
"Now's not the time !" da Vinci quickly looked around as something started beeping in an alarming tone. "Wait a sec, are they about to drop right on top of us?!"
"Ahem." A calm, practically amused voice addressed the group after they had quickly adopted a defensive formation. "It's me; seasons greetings from Chaldea."
Euryale spotted her first, though only because da Vinci was looking at a readout pinpointing the newcomer Servant's ingress point. "Well hello there...?"
"Chloe," said Chloe, hopping out of her sleigh. Just from a surface glance, the item was made of a mix of modern and exotic materials. The sort of work that caused da Vinci's immediate approval to overflow.
While most of those present understandably would first think of her along the lines of 'an adult Chloe,' Artoria couldn't help but feel like she was much more like a differently-colored Irisviel. In part because the Servant in front of her wore armor that was definitely more serious in composition to her warrior's eyes than the Chaldea Chloe's outfit, but in particular because her air was very different. Much more... focused in nature.
"Good to see you again Chloe," Gudako smiled now that the tension had disappeared. "I'm guessing Merlin couldn't show?"
"He's kind of busy being... imprisoned, you know," was the explanation. Chloe was a little surprised when everyone nodded immediately, but had a job to do. "I brought the goods, so to speak. Long story short, this sleigh is a-"
"Isn't it a Mystic Code of modern make?" da Vinci was very excited by this. Many magi hungered for the old and lusted after the ancient, but to an inventor's soul, the promise of bringing forth new advances held its own special appeal.
"A good eye. You'll need to use this to avoid the pain of Rayshifting back and forth from Chaldea just to travel around this area. I say area, but it's more like a collection of small bubbles - the sleigh will enable you to easily cross from one to another while still carrying all of these..." With a flourish, Chloe reached into the sleigh and pulled out a stereotypical Santa sack which appropriately enough appeared full of what were presumably presents."
"So, these are the presents I'm supposed to give out?" Artoria sounded doubtful for a moment.
"Yes. Though I must say," Chloe looked over the group. "You can't actually get in the sleigh since it's really like a group Coffin type deal, it really only brings you across section borders."
"I think Asterios can handle all of that, can't you?" Euryale asked her usual partner.
"Yes !" the young Minotaur answered enthusiastically as Chloe tossed the sack over to Artoria who caught it easily. "Word of warning, you need to hold onto that sack. It's will probably just disappear somewhere if you leave it be for too long. Don't."
"Is that a magical sack of presents, then?" Marie asked out of curiosity. "Santa magic or something of the sort?"
"Exactly." Chloe's answer surprised the group, and the following details even more so. "Basically, the Christmas Holy Grail pops up, as it does, but this time around your well-known magus friend managed to manipulate it into this shape rather than something more... dangerous."
"Is it even Christmas if Human History doesn't exist anymore?" Elizabeth frowned, perhaps wondering about her own earlier experience with BB's plotting around a convenient 'extra' Holy Grail the AI had found somewhere. Surely it couldn't have been...
"Well, what do calendars in Chaldea read? I know, not every Chaldea has exactly the same circumstances let alone date, but it suffices that each one you observes this sort of seasonal effect in the appropriate season for their reference frame."
By this point, Asterios had walked over and simply picked up the sleigh. Much to the massive Servant's surprise, it was extremely light; he said as much when Euryale asked if he would be able to pull it along for the group.
"It only really looks like a sleigh," Chloe agreed with him. "Not super fragile - a little incidental damage shouldn't disable its core functionality. Have a care that everyone is holding onto it when you need to cross a boundary; then power it up and you can just walk through. But you picked a good spot to jump in since your first delivery might as well be the one right in front of you."
"A palace of the French royalty, is it?" Marie would have been easily able to identify any actual such structure due to her particular affinity, but unsurprisingly what before them was something else, born of the Wyverns' War Paris.
"The sack has the appropriate items, you'll know what to do when you see them. Sorry, but going into further discussion on that will mess up the sequence, so please go with the flow here."
"Got it." Gudao spoke up to get her attention for something that had been on his mind for a while. "By the way, over in Chaldea we somehow summoned a pair Servant: Emiya Shirou and Matou Sakura."
"Did you indeed?" Chloe shrugged as though it was not news to her, although it definitely wasn't due to having met the duo on the Throne of Heroes. "I'd tell you to be careful with the girl, but I see you're aware."
"Bit odd to call her a girl, since she's already had two children and all," Gudako demurred while implicitly agreeing with the warning.
"When you've been at our level for long enough, anyone new might as well be a kid," Chloe didn't seem unhappy about the new addition, however. "Anyway, got appointments to make, work to do, you know how it goes. Good luck with the present-giving !"
(Inside an ostentatious palace)
The group cleared out a number of werewolves that were loitering on the palace grounds, and then some skeletons that had taken up residence within. In order to safeguard 'the goods', Artoria and Asterios were kept in the middle with the Masters, though the first had her Caliburn to hand and the other carried the sleigh like a backpack, with Euryale and her bow on his left shoulder and a large axe in his right hand.
"Somehow I feel like the sight of skeletons disintegrating before the blast of my dragon breath is mocking me, somehow..." the dragon idol Servant carried her microphone stand like a polearm, as befitting a Lancer, but couldn't shake off the growing sensation that the mindless undead were terrified of something else. Of course, she wouldn't know that her concerts in the Wyverns' War Singularity had etched themselves into even the remaining echoes of the land.
"I believe that would be because you're raising quite the racket in this peaceful place," an elegant knightly swordsman showed up, making no mystery of their disapproval of that fact. "How can anyone make such a catastrophic cacophony is -"
"Ehe," Marie was gently pushed forward by Artoria who, upon noticing that they had encountered a non-Chaldean Servant, had quickly delved into her sack and pulled out what she could only assume was an appropriate present due to the large white lily topping the present box. Of course, her good (Instinct) suggested that someone else might better execute the handover.
"Merry Christmas?" the black-hued Queen of White Lilies said cheerfully, pressing the present into d'Eon's hands. Fortunately, despite the other's apparently aggressive words, the Saber had not drawn their saber.
"Um, it's an honor..." d'Eon seemed caught flatfooted by the development as Marie tried to perch the flower on their large and elegantly brimmed hat. "I'm not sure what would be appropriate in this situation -"
"I don't think there's really any standard protocol for this," Gudao remarked wryly, seeing that no one else seemed about to step up.
"I see. Thanks for the gift, but as you can see I have nothing for the usual present exchange which seems to be the thing nowadays."
"Don't worry on that account," Artoria blinked yellow eyes, recalling her particular role. "As a Santa, this was always going to be a somewhat one-sided of affair, you see?"
"Still, it would be nice if we could take our time and share some tea in Chaldea," Marie said with a more relaxed expression. "I'd so far as to say it's a recommendation."
"These things aren't like booking passage on a ship..." da Vinci chirped. "But certainly if you can get over, we'd welcome you."
"After this is resolved, I'll be returning to Chaldea of course," Marie continued blithely as though to put the lie to the other Rider's words. "When you get back to the Throne look for me, any of me probably, and bring the box. They'll be able to help."
"Wait, you can just do that?" Elizabeth sounded incredulous, probably because BB had fed her some narrative about doing her a great favor.
"Is that how you got in?" Gudako asked Asterios, who shook his head. Euyale took up the explanation in his stead, "He got help from Medusa, but I don't know who she asked."
"I see..." Up until that point, the Masters had assumed that, since they were last encountered in the same Dumpling Event before being summoned, the three had come as a group. But this new piece of information had some very interesting implications to ponder. When there was time for that.
"Huh, isn't that how all exchanges work at that level?" Marie asked innocently, as though it was obvious.
"You say that, but as non-Heroic Spirits there's no way we can guess how these things are resolved," Gudao muttered. "Maybe you can explain it on our way... up north somewhere."
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Notes:
You may recall Asterios featured on the Lightning Reindeer CE from Christmas 1.
That box was basically d'Eon's bond CE, if you were wondering.