A Comfortable Rhythm
"Good morning, Director."
"Good morning." Olga nodded back to the staff members who entered the locker room just as she left, dressed in a conservative set of workout clothes, colored orange like her usual getup. She stretched her legs, getting the feel of them one more time, before making way towards one of the few remaining treadmills.
Halfway towards it, she heard a melodic tune coming down from the training room. Her brows furrowed, stopping to level her eyes at the archway that separated the rooms. She began walking, finding her feet moving her towards the source, the sound of the music becoming clearer and clearer, sounding vaguely familiar from the last time she was in Europe.
"…shot in the dark but I'll make it.
Know with all of your heart you, can't shame me.
When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be."
She was surprised to see that the Puppeteer wasn't alone in the room, noticing the pink haired Lancer copying the Master's moves with ease. Ayako herself, with her loose orange shirt both clinging and slipping off of her, heavy with her sweat. The music was reaching its end, and so was her performance, ending with both her arms spread apart and her feet crossing the other. She held the pose until the song finally ended, before relaxing her entire body, slumping unceremoniously onto the floor. The Lancer Class Servant began clapping ecstatically, hopping and skipping around the Master.
"That was fun, Birdie! I want to do it again, let's play another song!" Elizabeth said, dropping to her knees besides Ayako.
"Geez, Liz. I can't keep up with your energy." The Puppeteer said, sounding as tired as she was when she came back from the Singularity. "Maybe next time, alright?" the Lancer pouted, enough to almost draw a reaction from Olga, especially when Ayako ruffled the Servant's hair. "What's up, Director? You need me for something?" She asked, glancing behind her.
"Nothing, Aozaki." Olga replied, taking a step back unsurely, her hand closed to a fist behind her back. "I… don't know what brought me here."
The Puppeteer raised a single brow at Olga's answer, slowly pushing herself off the ground. The Servant went to gather Ayako's belongings, giving her the bottle of water, before the both of them made to leave. She stopped just a step before Olga, their minute difference in height mattering little.
A comforting smile formed on her face. "You're welcome."
Olga blinked. Repeatedly. "…what?"
"You had that look on your face." Ayako gestured with her bottle. "I've seen it plenty of times when mom helped out some people. Once in a blue moon, of course, she's not a charity case." She then continued walking with the Lancer by her side, walking towards the exit and not bothering herself with the locker room.
"Aozaki!"
The Puppeteer stopped, turning on her feet to face the Director. The few people that were also in the gym were now looking up, seeing what was going on between the two people. Two sets of golden eyes, staring at one another. A calm neutral gaze, against one of that was shielded by a head of white.
The Director looked up, her golden eyes watered, rubbed by a quick flick of her hands. "Thank you." She said, loud and unfiltered.
Ayako's eyes widened, only for a single moment, before she smiled and nodded back. No further words were exchanged, as she turned on her heel and continued walking out. When she was out of view, Olga wiped her eyes, ridding the tears from breaching. She looked at the few that were in the room with her, but she didn't shy away, nor did she quiet them with a glare. She simply went back to the treadmill she initially came for, and went on with her plan, like nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Aside from her shoulders feeling just a little bit lighter.
"Quite the meticulous process, ain't it lad?" the Druid asked Ritsuka.
"It is." The male Master answered, his eyes locked on what Ayako was doing on her table.
Once again, Ayako found her workshop crowded, as curious eyes found themselves at her doorstep. She didn't really mind it herself, but it did distract her from working, as she chiseled the weighted hunk of stone down into smaller pieces. At the very least Cú Chulainn was helping her in that regard, a staple within her workshop since Medea was bringing Ritsuka up to their level. Or somewhere close to it, with the limited time they all had.
Her workshop wasn't as crowded as last time though, since Koleen was busy with her own stock, taking with her Elizabeth and Mash. Da Vinci was also holed up in her own workshop, busy with god knows what. Ayako hadn't been in the Genius' workshop since they finished with the Director's new body. Sanson and Kagiso were manning the infirmary, almost putting the second last doctor out of a job with how well they were doing. That left with the rest of the Servants in the workshop with her, along with Ritsuka himself, who was waiting for Medea since the Greek Witch was also looking over Ayako's work.
"Is it really necessary to carve them yourself, Anchin-sama?" Kiyohime asked, looming over from behind her.
Another shiver ran up her spine whenever the Berserker referred to her with that name. Which was all the time. She probably was never going to get used to that, especially since it was starting to get on her nerves. She hoped it wouldn't get amount to beyond that.
"It's to get the stones to be in tune with me." Ayako replied, with her hands glowing with magical energies as she carved the stones into the smaller pieces she used. "They're nowhere near as strong as the gemstones used in jewel magecraft, but they work well for rune thaumaturgy."
"Besides, gemstones are a waste of resources." The Druid agreed with a half-nod.
The Puppeteer chuckle knowingly. "Yeah. Back at the Clock Tower, I've seen the Edelfelts and Tohsakas blow through it like nothing. No, thank you, I say."
"Pardon me, Ayako, but I don't think it's wise to hold off on that backup of yours." The Puppeteer stilled, reminded of an important thing she had waylaid by the Ruler.
"Oh damn, I forgot." She dropped the stones on the table, rubbing her face in annoyance. Mostly to herself.
The Druid also stopped what he was doing, looking to the smaller Master. "Shall we continue this some other time?"
"Yes please." Ayako said, setting the stones aside and placing them back to the corner of the room, now looking more like a makeshift quarry. She then stood up, making her way towards another corner, two labeled crates of the materials she had purchased and gotten from Koleen. Her hand silently reached for her communicator, pressing a button to alert something in her bedroom next door.
With this, Medea also stood up, placing a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder, causing the male Master to turn his attention to her. "Let us leave, Ritsuka. Creating a puppet is like surgery, too many bystanders will only hamper her."
She then turned her icy blue gaze onto Kiyohime, slightly glaring at the Berserker. "That includes you, Kiyohime. Your presence will be a hindrance to Ayako."
"What?! Don't be absurd. I won't do anything to distract her!" she cried back scandalized.
"Yes. You'd be standing in the corner, menacingly." The Druid said nonplussed. He withdrew his staff and bonked her on the head.
"Ow! Stop that!" she growled at him, leveling a glare that did little to amuse the taller Servant.
"You know, you guys fighting will be an even more of a hindrance to me." The Puppeteer said, hands on her hips as she glared at the two Servants unamused.
"Yes, it's best that you two leave now." Both Servants were picked up by the scruff of their clothing by the Ruler, now standing between them with a calm smile. It was a hilarious sight to see, Martha holding the taller Cú Chulainn up off the ground.
He didn't seem to take issue with it, though Kiyohime folded her arms over her chest, pouting and turning away from the Ruler. "Fine. I'll wait outside."
"That's better." Martha said with a nod, letting both Servants go.
"See you later, Ayako-san." The male Master waved to her.
"See you at dinner!" she called back as both he and Medea left her workshop.
Kiyohime followed suit, throwing occasional glances to Ayako, only to be ushered out by an impatient Druid, almost poking her with his wooden staff. A small puppet familiar walked in, carrying Ayako's essentials, just as the door closed behind them, where an argument broke out immediately, their words worming through the metal walls that separated the room. Ayako sighed, crouching down beside the crates, seeing its contents in detail. She noticed footsteps approaching her, but her attention was fully focused on the various materials she was pulling out, piece by piece, and setting them on the table. She sighed to herself before moving to door to pick up her familiar, along with her toolkit.
"Alright. Time to get to work, Aa-chan." She said to the familiar, who replied with its characteristic unintelligible language. Those words were also said for the Servant in question, silently watching over her with intrigue. "Anything catch your fancy, Martha?"
The Ruler Class Servant shook her head, taking a seat on one of the few stools in the room. "I'm merely curious to see the amount of work you put in to yourself. And to see how similar, or not, you are to my brother."
"Not even close, I bet." Ayako said with a chuckle as she sat back down, letting Aa-chan walk around the table. She cracked her fingers and knuckles over the table, along with her neck and shoulders. "Been a while. Let's hope I'm not rusty."
"Well, for your sake Ayako, I hope not." The Saint said in good nature, drawing a laugh from the Puppeteer.
Meanwhile, in another room.
"This… smells horrible, Koleen." The Demi-Servant said with a grimace, covering her mouth as a horrid cough escapes her. The Lancer beside her also coughed, hacking harshly in the room.
"It's supposed to." The Witch said, looking completely unfazed as the smoke covered most of her face, looking down onto the cauldron. She stirred the cast iron pot with a large metal spoon, letting the room be colored with its pink and blue light. "It's like a stink bomb, but much more potent. I almost killed someone with this."
"On purpose?" Elizabeth asked through coughing fits.
"No! God no!" She said, denying it with fervor. "I'd never kill anyone. Unless they deserved it."
"Who did you subject this to then?" Mash asked, taking out a handkerchief, covering her mouth to act as a filter.
"Some asshole kids." Koleen said with furrowed brows and a sigh. "I was a kid back then too, and they… broke the camel's back. So to say."
"Wait, isn't that a bad thing?" Elizabeth asked, mostly out of curiosity than any sort of concern.
"Yes, it was." Her shoulders slumped in memory. "It was the only time my parents were truly angry at me."
"So what makes this one different?" Elizabeth asked again before Mash could, steering the conversation away from the Master's sad memories.
It worked, as Koleen was immediately distracted. "Nothing yet, I'm planning on adding something to it."
"Like the claw?!" Mash almost jumped in surprise by the sudden excitement coming from the Lancer.
Koleen chuckled. "Maybe. We do have a wider arrange of materials to throw in." she turned to the Mash with an inviting smile on her face. "What do you think we should put in it?"
"Uhm…" the lavender haired girl looked around the room, her eyes searching through the materials that Koleen had scattered throughout. She moved towards one small pile. "How about these? You haven't done something with them since Orléans."
"Huh… good idea. Toss 'em in." Koleen said, her hands still constantly stirring the pot.
Mash nodded, carrying the wyvern fangs in her hands, approaching the cauldron. "Should I… be careful?"
"Make sure it doesn't splash back." The American Witch warned. "It's not as caustic as Witch's Blood, but it'll still burn you up."
"Okay." Mash answered with a nod, dropping them in one by one.
The effect was not instantaneous, the color changing gradually with each wyvern fang dropped. The blue and pink color coming from the pot now welcoming a dark black to its shade. Elizabeth backed away fearfully at the change, hiding behind the Witch, while both Koleen and Mash furrowed their brows curiously. Koleen's stir didn't waver, stirring and stirring the pot, as the tri-color concoction bubbled up menacingly.
"Ugghhhh, it smells like death in here." Elizabeth covered her mouth, gagging at the smell, threatening to release the breakfast she had taken part in.
Mash, upon sniffing the new smells, immediately stepped away until her back touched the wall, her eyes wide with tears straining.
Koleen herself also sniffed the concoction, nodding to herself, before she took the cast iron lid that was beside the cauldron, covering the pot. "Now we wait for that to finish cooking."
"How is this not bothering you?" Mash asked incredulously, staring at the young American woman as if she had grown another head.
"Oh, it's bothering me a lot." Koleen said unabashedly. "The moment we leave, I'm running straight for the closest bathroom."
Elizabeth laughed earnestly, before immediately covering her mouth as she gagged. Whatever comment she had for Koleen died the moment the Servant opened her mouth.
"What are you going to name it, Koleen?" Mash asked, speaking through the handkerchief.
Koleen looked back at the cauldron, eyes squinting in thought before she eventually shrugged. "I'll think about it later."
"There are a few things I'd wish to discuss." Olga Marie said to the room.
The Ground Team; the Doctor, still not fully relinquished of his responsibilities as Acting Director, and also as Head of Medical; Kagiso and Sanson, representing his department; Da Vinci, as Head of R&D, along with Helix and Violet as her Section Heads; the Head of Security, Derrick; the new Head of Sanitation, Yusuf. There were many more departments unrepresented and without a clear structure of hierarchy, for they were simply lacking the qualified people for the roles, even with the Doctor's more lax requirements.
All in all, these were the last people with a commanding position within Chaldea. And they were all staring at the Director with rapt attention.
"It is in regards to the Masters in cryostasis." She said, waiting for any sort of response from any of them. There was none, urging her to continue.
She turned to the Doctor beside her, his trusty tablet within his hands. "How are our supplies now?"
"Enough to keep us going." He answered her, before further elaborating. "Two months, before we run out, but that shouldn't be a problem with the supply runs."
Olga nodded, as her golden eyes swept around the room, meeting the eyes of everyone else. "If we take the Master Candidates out of stasis, how will our supplies last then?"
Roman visibly grimaced, going through his tablet again. "We'd need to account for the sudden increase in people to heal and feed. With what we have, we'd last for less than a month." It was Da Vinci who answered, an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face. "It also means that the Ground Team will have to account for that with increased supply runs."
"You're not including Servants into the mix, in calculating the supplies, are you?" the current Head of Security asked, his soft voice carrying through to her.
The Genius shook her head. "No. The mana generators, and the Masters failing that," she gestured with a nod towards the Ground Team. "are enough to reinvigorate us. And food is a luxury."
"A luxury that some rather rigorously partake in." Violet said, though mostly in jest, despite the serious tension.
It was at least met well, with a few chuckles in the room. "True." Da Vinci responded. "Some noble appetites can't be settled so simply. And that's a fact that's not just true for us Servants."
And how true that was. Despite being a noble herself, Olga couldn't very well deny such a fact. It was fortunate that there wasn't a loose cannon of a magus in the room, it was bad enough what they had to deal with in regards to the other surviving Masters and members of the crew.
"So, it is certain, that our supplies will be a problem again if we bring them back. And that the Ground Team will be straining trying to keep it up." Olga reiterated for the room.
Knowing looks crossed a few of their faces, finally understanding where she was heading with this. Fittingly, they all remained silent.
"Where are you heading with this, Director?" Yusuf asked, leaning a bit closer to the table, one of two people within the room who had no experience with the moonlit word prior to Chaldea.
She breathed in, bracing herself for the inevitable. "I have decided that, we will not awaken any of the Master Candidates from cryostasis."
Those who had figured out what she had intended nodded in understanding. Those that didn't, took a few seconds to process what she had said.
The Head of Sanitation, with the deepest grimace on his face, nodded. "That, makes the most sense." He said, sinking back into his chair.
Derrick rubbed his face with his gloved hands. "I can't imagine going through our materials, just taking care of them. Snobby bastards."
"It's… horrible. But, being in cryostasis is literally the best thing for them right now." Violet said with a nod.
"Especially if they have close to fatal wounds." Helix said, turning to his superior with a troubled look. "What if we release them one by one?"
"That will mitigate the sudden uptick of an increase in our upkeep, but it will still increase it all the same." Kagiso answered with a nod.
The American Witch sighed, somewhat tiredly. "Miss Violet's right. Them being in stasis is most likely a better condition than if we were to unfreeze them."
The Director was surprised to see how much they agreed with her decision. She expected some level of resistance. Not none at all.
"What of the possibility of us requiring backup?" Ayako asked, getting the rooms attention. "Yes, Kagiso has mentioned his plans on eventually joining us. But, what if we need more?"
"Then we will awaken one of the B Team Master Candidates."
The Doctor turned to her, bewilderment etched on his face. "Not A Team?"
She shook her head. "Most of the Ground Team consists of members of B Team. Kagiso himself is also B Team. They have also spent their time before all of this practicing together, in the name of teamwork and cohesion." She further explained. "Either of the two will be perfect."
"There's nothing wrong with that plan. I'm game." Da Vinci said to the Director, folding her arms and nodding to the white haired young woman.
She carefully breathed a sigh of relief, trying to keep her composure. "Good, then its settled." She shifted her gaze to Ayako. "There is one more thing I wish to discuss. Aozaki."
"Yes Director?"
"Can the Servants use your puppets?" she questioned.
"My puppets?" Ayako asked back.
"Of course, no one else comes close." It was Da Vinci that answered, a smirk growing on her face.
The Puppeteer shifted her eyes from the Servant to the Director. "They can, but they'd be living like people, like humans. And the puppets and materials themselves would need to be reinforced, heavily, to keep up with the strain. I'm pretty sure that the more they tap into their power, their actual Servant containers, it will break apart." Her eyes squinted, narrowing on the Director. "Why?"
"The possibility arises for this to lessen the upkeep for our mana generators. If at least some of them are housed in puppet bodies, it will allow us to both summon and sustain more Servants." She explained.
Ayako's brows rose in realization. As did everyone else's in the room, barring Da Vinci. The Section Head of Hardware Engineering leaned in closer, turning to the Puppeteer. "Wait, can Servants even use them?" she asked.
"If it's made to support a Servant, yes." Ayako said with a confirming nod. "I've read homunculi used to house divine spirits before. Hell even humans can be used as a container." She said with a shrug.
Olga cringed at the reminder, with Mash herself turning her face away, though most of the room failed to notice. "So, can you make them?"
Ayako blinked her eyes bewilderedly. "Make them? I have supplies to make two more of me. If you want me to start making puppets to house Servants, then we'd need to go back out, and look for even stronger materials." She answered a shake of her head.
"Is your body now not strong enough?" Ritsuka asked, looking worriedly at the Puppeteer.
"They're strong, for a human. Even with this," she gestured to her own body. "I'd still need a spell to protect myself if I ever went up against a Dead Apostle. Let alone a Servant." She turned back to the Director. "We'd need new materials, and the Casters helping. It's not going to be easy."
"Yes this is actually quite the taxing project, if we decide to go through with it." Da Vinci said with a serious nod. "Not that I'm against it, but you should know, Ayako would probably only make the puppets for any new Servant we summon."
"She can't make them for our current Servants?" Mash asked the Genius.
"We'd have to die first." Sanson, the only other Servant in the room, replied.
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "It's a minor setback, since we have their Saint Graphs recorded, but any body she makes will always be just a backup. You can't easily replace your old body with the new, unless you kill yourself."
Most of the table grimaced. The Director, even more so. But, there was still hope. "You can confirm to us then, that you can make bodies to house new Servants we summon?"
Ayako looked around the room, seeing everyone's eyes on her. She sighed a troubled sigh, unheard of from her time within Chaldea. "You're very persistent about this, Director. I can make them. But you yourself know that I'd have to finish making my own backups first. And after that, I need to also replenish my runestones. If we go out on another supply run to get stronger materials, then I'll see what I can do."
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh…." Ayako's eyes fluttered close as she landed on her bed, her slightly wet back soaking into the sheets. Her fingers curled up around the blanket, bringing it over her body, as she began rolling on the bed. "Aa-chan, I'm so tired…"
The puppet rose from its makeshift bed, looking quite disheveled itself. It cracked its puppet joints before it moved towards the edge of the table, its golden strings leaving its body and propelling it towards Ayako. It landed in a soft thud, as it began running up the blanket to where Ayako's head would be. It dropped to its knees, patting the blanket with its small puppet hands. When Ayako groaned, it patted again. When another muffled groan was its only response, it began slapping the blanket with abandon.
"BAAAAAA!" the puppet was launched into the air as Ayako unfurled the blanket suddenly, its unamused expression still plastered on its face. It was caught within Ayako's grasp, hugging the puppet familiar close to her. "Aa-chan, I missed you. I've been so busy this past couple of months, you know?"
It spoke back to her, its gibberish understood by only her, trying to get itself into a comfortable position within Ayako's hold. Then, when it was pleased, began leaning into her.
"I miss everyone, Aa-chan. Even the bigger you." She said to the puppet, referring to her aunt.
The puppet was silent, its small face showing a grimace. It bore some kind of kinship with the actual Aoko, being created with a piece of her after all.
"I think we can do this, don't you?" she asked the puppet, looking down on the small familiar.
The familiar looked up, meeting Ayako's golden eyes, and nodded.
"Good, Aa-chan… good." Her hold on the puppet loosened, letting the familiar drop onto the bed. It stood itself up, looking back up at her. "'Cause I don't know what I'd do if we don't."
The puppet's face became somber, shared by its creator, before it suddenly smiled confidently, with its small hands on its hips. It pointed at Ayako, and began saying something in gibberish. Ayako listened to what her familiar was saying intently, a smile slowly forming on her own face, before she finally nodded. She pushed herself up, sitting herself on the bed and letting the blanket fall off her.
"You're right, Aa-chan. Thanks." The puppet smiled triumphantly, gladly accepting Ayako ruffling its neon bright red hair.
As it turned to fly back to its makeshift bed, a series of knocks came from her door. "Ayako? Can I speak with you?"
The Puppeteer turned to the door just as her puppet was midflight. "Huh? Mash? Sure, come in."
The door to her room slid open, and in walked the Demi-Servant. "Ayako, sorry if this is a bi- Oh my god! I'm sorry! I'll come back later!" she immediately turned upon noticing Ayako's state of undress.
"Its fine, Mash. I was just about to sleep, so it's all good." She said, not really caring that Mash of all people was seeing her wearing the clothes she'd usually wear to bed. An orange camisole top, with loose shorts. "Come on, we're all girls here, its fine."
The lavender haired girl stood facing the door, hands clenched and slightly shaking, before turning back around, her face tinted pink from her cheeks. Mash nodded, mostly to herself, as she began walking towards the chair next to Ayako's desk, bringing it closer to the bed. Ayako waited with a small smile, internally wondering to herself at how much Mash has changed in these couple of months. She held back the grimace, remembering the magus who so wanted to be human, who so wanted to befriend the Demi-Servant.
"What's up?" she eventually started, seeing Mash just fidget awkwardly on the chair.
"Have I, thanked you before?" she asked suddenly.
"For making the Director a new body? Yeah you have. Plenty of times actually."
Mash chuckled at the joke, before shaking her head, her hand pushing her glasses back on. "No. About, another thing. Before Fuyuki."
"Before Fuyuki?" Ayako asked with furrowed brows.
"Yes. You, kept pushing Ophelia to… talk to me." Ah. Ayako nodded in understanding. "Why?"
"She wanted a friend, even if she was too dumb understand." Ayako chuckled to herself. "Most magi are dumb, in regards to being human, so I can't actually fault her for that."
"I, never really understood why. And of all people, why me? She could've tried with anyone else." Mash shook her head, her face showing a hint of regret.
"Well, people are complicated creatures, Mash. Why do people do the things that they do?" Ayako shrugged, mostly for show. "Sometimes the reasons are simple and straightforward. Sometimes, they're difficult and convoluted."
"Why you, of all people, within A Team?" Ayako continued, with Mash listening with rapt attention. "Why not anyone else within A Team? Or maybe she's not comfortable around men, so why not with the other female member? I don't know. Maybe she saw you, all alone by yourself most of the time. Wanted to approach you, but she just doesn't understand how."
Ayako sighed, taking a short pause before continuing on. "People, are weird. Complicated. Full of so many aspects that make them, so unique among a vast sea of mush." She unknowingly smiled, surprising the Demi-Servant. "Magi, are assholes. Without a doubt. Even my mom. But, if any of them want to experience what it's like being human, I'm more than ready to show them."
"And for Ophs? She wanted friends. Genuine people who would care for her, and in turn for her to care for. And as a magus, she had such a hard time even trying to achieve that basic concept. Which was why I befriended her in the first place. She needed it."
"And so did you." The smile on her face disappeared, a sad frown taking over. "I wasn't part of A Team, so I couldn't be there, with both of us being busy with our respective teams. So, when she wanted to be friends with you? I was more than eager to help. And it hurt, to know that she's still in stasis."
"But then, someone else came and brought you out of that spiraling pit of despair." The smile returned on her face, as the Puppeteer leaned closer to Mash, placing a hand on the Demi-Servant's. "Ritsu-chan's been doing wonders while I'm not around. Do you know how much you've changed, Mash? I don't know if you'll even recognize yourself if you were to look back."
Mash's mouth hung open, her hand turning and closing around Ayako's. Then she too started smiling. "Thank you, Ayako."
"You're welcome." She then moved herself back, spreading her arms apart invitingly for Mash. "Now give big sis a hug."
Mash started sputtering at the sudden turn, her face gradually turning red. "W-wh-what?"
"Come on." She beckoned with her fingers. "A hug for your big sister."
Mash looked unsure, glancing to the door and making sure it was closed, before she stood up and approached the Puppeteer. Arms wrapped around her, hands rubbing her back and patting her head comfortingly. "There there." Ayako said with closed eyes.
It lasted a few seconds, before she let the Demi-Servant go. "If you ever need to talk, remember my door's open."
"I will, Ayako." Mash said with a smile.
"And don't be afraid to pursue Ritsu-chan! I'm sure he'll reciprocate!"
"Ayako! Goodnight!" the door would've been slammed closed if it weren't automatic as Mash rushed out of the room.
When she heard the footsteps go farther and farther, Ayako sighed, laying back onto her bed. "Man, Liz is right. I am a therapist. Maybe I should take Psychology when this is all over…" her eye lids slowly closing, as sleep began to take her. "Aa-chan, can you turn off the lights?" Unseen shuffling echoed, the lights shutting off as the familiar did as asked. "Thank you." Ayako said as the darkness overtook her room. Within seconds, both Ayako and her familiar embraced their Antarctic slumber, as another day in Chaldea came to a close.
Her bedroom door slid open again, and a figure slithered into it, their form covered in darkness as the door closed behind them. The figure smiled, their golden, glowing eyes clinging on Ayako's sleeping form on the bed. They climbed into the bed, pulling the blanket over their form as well. "Anchin-sama…" Kiyohime whispered, wrapping her hands around Ayako and falling asleep as well.
The morning after, the residents of Chaldea heard a very uncharacteristically high-pitched scream coming from Ayako's room.
She refused to talk about it when asked.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
all of those people, barring Yusuf, have appeared in the past chapters. Violet and Derrick were involved in one of this Chaldea's first meetings, ya'll remember them, i'm sure. Yusuf was mentioned, in that same meeting. funnily enough, they didn't have names yet back then. they do now.
besides that, there's not much else to say, aside from us being able to see what goes on as Chaldea slowly fixes itself. it'll only get better for them from here on out (before it suddenly takes a turn for the worst.)
funfact, the song that Ayako and Elizabeth were dancing too was Clean Bandit's Rather Be, if you guys were curious.
in regards to Septem's progress, i have a clear idea now on what i want. problem is, i'm being a bit lazy right now. i still have a backlog, but hopefully i can get them done soon.
now, on to the reviews!
King0fP0wers: i also kinda wished i had Lancer Kiyo, if only so she'll have an obvious out to not be insane. but, i'm gonna have to cook something up.
Naruto Sakura Uzumaki: it was just a no name magus that Ayako and her mother knew of back in the present, since that anomaly took place in an area that was familiar to her. maybe i'll have a name down the line. nothing now.
madmage101: thanks man!
well, with all said and done, i hope ya'll enjoyed your time!
drop a review in you don't mind, and i'll see you all next time!