Amount of Hugs needed: 18,404
Amount of Hugs found: 17,146
AN: Aware that Hayate's speech currently is annoying to read. It will be dealt with soon… I'm as tired of writing it as people likely are reading it.
It continued, showing grief for something that didn't understand how to cry in sadness, or maybe in grief over a Monster not dying to their Hero. She didn't know, and neither could she force herself to care.
It was her fault.
She was consumed by her need to "take revenge" on the girl with the hammer for breaking Kaa-sama's blade, and it caused her to neglect everything else when it came time… Too caught up in it she made her employer die coming to her 'rescue'… A mark of shame forever carved on her soul, and nothing would ever rid her of it.
At some point in her spiral of self-deprecation, she managed to hear over her thoughts of shame and the pattering of rain, a soft crunching of grass. She paid no mind to it, even though it was undoubtedly someone who came to get her for some reason or another, she wouldn't be surprised if it was Chrono-san coming to inflict some kind of punishment on her.
She'd deserve it, regardless of how severe.
"Nanoha Takamachi. Lift up your head and look me in the face."
Without any hesitation she rose from the ball she'd been in and faced Chrono, her mind pausing completely in everything as she waited on her judge and jury. His face was streaked with water from the rain, but bore no signs of anything resembling grief.
… Was he like her? Unable to cry?
"Your actions have directly cost the life of Admiral Lindy Harlaown. How do you plan on atone for your mistakes?"
It was a question, but it was delivered as if he already knew the answer… which was a strange change from how Chrono had acted before. From an indifferent, weary, exasperated kid, to a cold, emotionless Monster… he would have made a good Takamachi, had he been born in the clan. Regardless of that though, she had an answer to give.
With only the shuffling of cloth permeating past the rain continually drowning the world outside, she fell to her knees, taking Razing Heart from around her neck and letting the jewel dangle from her outstretched hand.
"I will become an Ace for you. No matter what happens, I will fight for you in whatever you need me to do, kill whoever it is you require me to kill, and do any task that you require of me. Upon the name and Pride of the Takamachi, I swear this oath."
Razing Heart pulsed, and she felt something latch onto her heart. She didn't know exactly what she had done, only that it was almost certainly acknowledging her oath stated. Looking up found herself staring back at Harlaown-sama, the only difference between the beginning and end of her oath being his eyes were closed now.
"… I see."
Coldness seeped from Harlaown-sama as his eyes opened again, with only a minute amount of hate escaping his gaze. She said nothing, only straightening her back to wait for whatever was to come, no matter what it was. Harlaown-sama's coldness remained even as he debated something in his mind, before eventually speaking again, authority trying to be formed in his voice.
"We will discuss this in more detail tomorrow evening. Until then, you do not deviate from anything you normally would do. You will not leave here in the evenings or nights, nor will you engage the Wolkenritter if you happen upon them. Am I understood?"
Her head bowed deeply, as she uttered a single word, before he turned around and marched off into the rain, Onee-sama followed after him after giving her a kiss on the forehead, humming something as she went. When both were lost in the rain, she got up from her place, turning in place before heading in a different direction through the rain.
Into the forest she trained in, spent time in for no reason, and occasionally just slept in. Was it bad to do so in the rain? Yes, but she deserved it for failing Lindy-san.
Morning came quickly, after she passed out.
It was normal to be without dreams of any kind, but this was strange compared to even then, it was like closing her eyes for a couple minutes, before waking up and it was four hours later, with her slightly wet from the rain that had persisted for a while longer. Regardless of that, she got up, she did her chores to the point of what she did normally, even if her heart wasn't into it, and set about to go to school, leaving Harlaown-sama to his own devices.
The walk over to the bus stop allowed her to hopefully get herself under control so that Arisa-chan and Suzuka-chan wouldn't notice she wasn't alright. The bus arrived a little later, which helped a small bit more to get herself under control, whereupon she got on, went to her usual spot and nodded off as the bus continued.
She wasn't counting time, but the first of her friends to arrive was Arisa, looking… very pissed off, enough that even she was surprised by the sheer venom in her gaze. Sure she was a volatile keg on her best days, and she had numerous disputes with her parents and sister… but this was a new high for her. Arisa-chan didn't even relent in her anger as she stormed down the aisle, slammed down into her seat and let a growl out.
With curious eyes she looked over at her friend, face near explosive with rage at whatever had happened, and simply tilted her head. While other people would probably ask what was wrong, that'd almost certainly set off Arisa-chan on them, and with her own weight still on her along with this being a bus… it was better to just see if she would open up herself. After a couple of seconds, the door closed and they were off, and Arisa-chan had yet to even look at her, so she just went back to what she was doing.
Hopefully Suzuka-chan would be able to get Arisa-chan out of whatever happened… she was rather good at that without resorting to letting Arisa-chan just vent through punching someone.
Several minutes later and a number of passengers getting off, Suzuka-chan arrived on the bus, and immediately noticed the rage coming from Arisa-chan, though she paid it zero mind. Suzuka-chan rarely cared about if Arisa-chan was in a good mood. Without even giving a second glance, Suzuka-chan walked down the aisle with a tranquil air surrounding her, coming to a stop to her other side and sitting with a grace that rarely was seen from Suzuka-chan.
"I take it you want to wait until we hit school before you explode, Arisa." It wasn't so much a question, as it was a statement, but Arisa growled under her breath and nodded, and that was the only conversation they had the entire way to school.
A couple more stops passed by before they finally got off, Arisa still seething, Suzuka calm and acting completely opposite to normal and herself smiling despite feeling horrible. Apparently last night was a… trying time for them all.
After a while of walking, during which they kept to themselves, the sounds of normal children laughing and conversing drifted in the air to them, and just served to highlight how abnormal the three of them were compared to the rest. Not that she really cared, and she doubted Suzuka-chan or Arisa-chan cared, since that was just the way they were, and the way they would almost always be.
Finally, the moment they were within the gate, and off to a somewhat secluded place Arisa-chan blew up. "I HATE MY FUCKING SISTER AND MY SHIT PARENTS!" Both Suzuka-chan and herself blinked at the violent outburst, sure Arisa-chan stated how much she disliked her family pretty much any time something her sister liked, or her parents wanted her to do… but it had never gotten to the point of "Hate" before.
Regardless, both of them just waited for Arisa-chan to continue, because if there was one thing that was going to turn things violent before the school day officially began, it would be interrupting Arisa-chan in one of her tirades. "'Oh, Arisa. Come have dinner with us.' Alright fine, I suppose I can do that once a season. And guess fucking what!"
"My sister's being a bitch like normal, and as usual, is hating me for existing! Is it my fucking fault that I was born a genius?!" Arisa-chan growled out the usual thing that came from her tantrums, her sister being a pain in her side as usual. It was… strange to see two siblings mutually hate each other like that… "Mother commented on how the table was quiet except for my kid brother babbling about his day to Father. And of fucking course, sister has to go off and throw crap at me being the reason there's no conversation."
"Well guess fucking what? Yeah, it's fucking my fault! I barely know them, because the only one I care about is my kid brother, since he's the only one that calls me by my name!" … Yeah, that sounded about right. Well, except for the part where it was Arisa-chan's fault. Was it her fault for not knowing them? Certainly, but it was also her family's fault for not understanding Arisa-chan, which in turn caused her to not get to know them in the first place.
"Oh, but that's only the start of the fuck-up that was last night, and this morning." … This… did not bode well if that was just the start… with the addition of the morning adding more. Suzuka-chan was apparently in agreement given the way she was actually paying attention fully and had her eyes wide. "First, I didn't take too well to that provocation from my sister, so I did my normal thing and let impulse happen. Which happened to coincide with an adrenaline rush that made me smash my knife through the table to the hilt, and then my hand decided to break the table where I was~. Isn't that just lovely to start an argument with?"
… This… was not going to end well was it?
"Then when everyone has their attention on me, I go ballistic on my sister and then my parents, going over why I Hate them, with my kid brother watching this go by shivering. My sister who hates me just because I took up all of my parents' attention, because I was a genius. My parents for never calling me my fucking name in six fucking years." … Oh boy, it was now a full rant… and she was hoping to get away from all the issues she had. Now she was a part of Arisa-chan's issues now.
But… Arisa-chan was nowhere near done… "Just… Did I want to be a genius growing up? Fuck no, I hated every minute of the "fame" and "attention". Did I get to be me? Nooo. I'm the kid that'll get through college by the time I'm seven!" With that, the anger evaporated as Arisa-chan deflated and crumbled to the grass, staring up into the clouds without really looking. "I just wanted to be Arisa, the girl that has issues that aren't related to knowledge, and just wants someone to see who she actually is, and what she likes."
"'Course, Mother and Father didn't take kindly to that, or to me breaking stuff, which felt great. Got sent to my room without having eaten anything, not that it mattered since I ate earlier."
"Then came the morning, and everything kept on growing. Father demanded to know if I had learned anything, and my response was, and I quote, 'Pissing you off makes you say my name. So I'll keep doing it until it sticks'. Needless to say, Father didn't take kindly to that and cut me from using any of the family resources until I "Got my act together."." … Damn… that was… bad. Last night was apparently terrible for everyone here… unless Suzuka-chan had a pleasant night, which at this point was highly unlikely.
There was silence for a moment as Arisa finally let out a breath and smiled with a lot of teeth showing, something that happened usually just before she got into a fight, and instantly put her on guard before she just deflated. "Haa… that helped way too much."
"Hey Nanoha-chan?" She tilted her head to the side in acknowledgement and questioning, which Arisa-chan took to continue. "You got room at your place to stay don't you? I'd rather not go back home right now since it'll just keep on escalating until I'm kicked out or I kill someone." "Wait, Suzuka-chan, why don't you come over as well, we can have a sleep-over and just hang out for a while.
"There are people staying over as part of a Job. But there are a few spots in the main house. Won't your parents take it poorly if you just leave them without notice."
Arisa-chan shrugged, answering without any real care given. "At this point, I honestly don't give a fuck. Spent six fucking years hoping they'd call me by my name, and at this point I just need to get a way for a while." She got up from her seat on the grass and stretched, not really looking at her or Suzuka-chan for the moment. "I'll call them later if they're not busy as hell like usual and if I can't get them, I'll just tell Edmund to tell them."
And just like normal for them, both her and Suzuka-chan said nothing after that, mostly just because when it came done to it, when one of them decided on something, there was nothing that would sway them. Even Suzuka-chan refused to budge unless things went fully against her.
And that would have been the end of it, if Suzuka-chan hadn't tilted her head, placing her finger against her lips in thought before speaking as they started moving towards the building. "Mmm… Kaa-sama shouldn't mind as long as I ask her." Suzuka-chan's eyes closed briefly before she spoke up again, moving to a different thing. "You said those guests of yours were there for a job right?" … "They wouldn't happen to be related to that stuff that happened earlier in the year, would they?"
Seeing as how she couldn't backtrack without making it even more obvious, she just nodded and said nothing on the subject, making Arisa-chan speak up before Suzuka-chan could get another word in. "Well, if they are, we'll just not ask about it yeah? Not like it's that hard to do." Suzuka-chan looked like she wanted to argue for a moment, before relenting with a sigh and just followed after Arisa-chan to school.
She didn't say anything else, merely putting a fake smile in place and following behind her friends for another day of relative boredom that would hopefully not be broken by something else happening in the afternoon or night. She wasn't looking forward to the next few days… but maybe, just maybe, she could redeem herself the next time her foes arrived to fight them…
"Oh…" A sound from Suzuka-chan caused both her and Arisa-chan to look over, Arisa-chan with an eye raised while she simply tilted her head until Suzuka-chan continued. "Hayate-chan's going to be hospitalized tomorrow. Her condition's getting worse… We should go and see her, right?" Mmm… that was right to do as a friend, so the answer to that was yes, they should see her… and maybe it would be a good thing on Hayate-chan's health if they showed up?
Arisa-chan was the first to reply, mostly because she still had to deliberate what exactly to say, "… Firstly, how the hell did you find out about that, Hayate sure as hell didn't tell us the last time I saw her… and boundaries were set." After a couple more steps forward with no answer, Arisa-chan sighed, shaking her head in what she assumed was exasperation before moving on, "Okay, second. Don't see why not, if we all come from Nanoha's it'll end up as a nice thing for Hayate. May even help her."
For her part, she just hummed when they turned to her and nodded her head in agreement, she didn't have too much to add and it would be a nice thing to take her mind off of the constant battles she had fought lately. A nice refreshing day off that would let her cool down and hopefully get her mind off her failure. And with that confirmation, Arisa-chan gave a smile and marched into the building with both her and Suzuka-chan in tow.
Whatever happened next was going to be much more… difficult, especially keeping secrets from Suzuka-chan and Arisa-chan. And that didn't include the pulse of magic from last night, whatever that was. Truly, the next few days were going to be hell.
He didn't so much as twitch as the sound of a teleportation behind him, doing so would've ruined the piece he was working on, and the past several hours calming down would have been for naught. Thankfully though, he recognized both of the signatures behind him, and a portion of his heart not currently burning rose in joy.
Heat was at the right temperature now, removal then shaping before another round of the furnace.
Miyuki took one look over his shoulder at the two, tilting her head slightly before focusing back on the task, she wouldn't know them, and that was almost certainly for the better, especially now with them working. It wasn't an important piece at all, but a second hand was helpful in ensuring that he didn't lapse… even if she was entranced with fire constantly.
Pull it out, take it to the small anvil, start shaping it into the back of another hand, place it back in.
With a weary sigh he finished up, placing the piece back into the furnace and rising to his short height, Miyuki rising with him with her gentle smile constantly there… he'd refuse to admit it, but her presence and aura of contentment made him feel slightly better. Not much, but able to function without blowing up at the slightest angering thought. And with that he finally turned and looked towards his Grandfather and Aunt.
Grandfather, technically his adopted grandfather, was a man that had somehow managed to live for a long time, a fact his appearance managed to convey. His grey eyes surveyed the world with a deadness to them that only momentarily was outshined by joy at seeing him, his uniform was similar to so many within the ranks, with nothing truly separating him from the rest, and his face was framed by grey hair that had somehow become greyer since he had last seen him.
Aunt Lotte on the other hand looked deceptively young, like she had just turned an adult, despite having basically raised him up until the incident. Not a grey hair on her, not even on her tail and ears, though her eyes barely shined with as much tiredness were in them. And just like Grandfather, she wore a uniform that wasn't out of place for most of the officers, if one didn't know who they were, a difficult task to be sure, they could be mistaken for the same rank as himself.
Without saying anything, he snapped a salute to them both with his still flesh arm, a sad smile graced Grandfather's face before he said with a tired voice. "At ease."
With familiarity his hand fell to behind his back, clasping his metal arm behind his back as he stood ram-rod straight, even as Grandfather sighed and started to walk off with Auntie Lotte, gesturing for him to follow. He did so as the other Enforcers and crew went off to do their own things, something that they deserved after the past nights, while Miyuki followed after them without a pause.
The soft crunch of grass punctuated every step they took as they headed towards the main house, silent up to the point where they reached the table, Nanoha's father taking one look at them from the kitchen before vacating to do… whatever it was the man actually did. With that depressing smile still in place, Grandfather pulled one of the chairs out and tiredly sat down, Aunt Lotte taking a position behind him and allowing a small smile to grace her features, as he and Miyuki took the seats opposite Grandfather.
"I'll assume that Lindy is sleeping since she wasn't here to greet me. Her people have such…" Upon seeing his impassive face, Grandfather trailed off and slumped in his seat, eyes closing as he drew in a breath. Aunt Lotte wasn't much better, clenching her hands tight and looking straight down, body trembling with either fury or grief. At this point, it was for the best that he go ahead and brief the Fleet Admiral on what happened last night.
"We engaged with the enemy over the last several nights. During the night myself and the Admiral fought against Signum." Upon the uttering of that night, the Fleet Admiral looked up at him with an intense look that nearly made him freeze entirely, Aunt Lotte staring at him in a similar manner. Still aside from a momentary pause on having the two stare at him so, he continued the debrief.
"Our host engaged the other three and had been for about ten minutes before we got there. Admiral Harlaown and I were easily handled by Signum, and in the battle, Signum mortally wounded the Admiral. The Admiral then called for a retreat, with our host picking me up and dragging me away as she stood her ground. After returning here, an hour later, a message came through from Admiral Harlaown… at which point confirmation of her death was obtained."
He stopped and waited after that, somewhat dreading what the Fleet Admiral and Aunt Lotte would do with the information he gave. For several long minutes, he held his breath as Miyuki calmly got up and messed around with something in the kitchen, rattling glass and ceramics from what he could hear, and did nothing as Admiral Graham closed his eyes in contemplation. Finally, when Miyuki returned, placing a cup of tea in front of him and the Fleet Admiral before sitting down again, without a cup of tea herself for some reason...
He wouldn't understand Miyuki for a while it seemed.
Grabbing his cup quietly, he sipped a bit of the tea Miyuki had made… it wasn't as good as Lindy's had be-
"Haa…" Snapping straight back to Grandfather as a sigh that managed to express pure tiredness was expelled, he witnessed as Grandfather looked up to the cloudless sky and muttered something to himself that he didn't manage to catch. Aunt Lotte stopped staring at him finally and went to her tea, taking a small sip before placing it back and getting up, casually taking out a little box and placing it in front of him.
He didn't see anything else from her as Grandfather pushed himself up from the table as well, cane clacking against the floor as he did. With an idle movement, Grandfather took the cup of tea and took a long drink before placing it back down, closing his eyes in thought before declaring. "Lotte and I will be exploring the town, and possibly meeting with our… foes in order to get Lindy's corpse for burial."
"Understood Fleet Admiral." A short nod of acknowledgement, and another sip of his own before both he and Miyuki got up, pushing their chairs in and waiting for Admiral Graham to continue or leave… well he was doing that, Miyuki was doing it for whatever reason she did anything.
Taking a moment to give a nod of acknowledgement, Grandfather paused for a moment before stating, "We shall be back before the Sun rises." With another nod of acknowledgement, both Grandfather and Aunt Lotte disappeared from sight, just as noises slowly grew from the direction they went in. He didn't bother with going to check, unless something exploded, or an alarm was raised, it wasn't worth getting worked up over, especially with all the things that needed getting done.
Sitting back down as Miyuki went off to do… whatever it was she needed to do, he took a look at the box, it wasn't big nor brightly decorated, at most it held a bunch of small scrap piled neatly into it. … It wasn't as if he'd figure it out by looking at it, and knowing what he asked for beforehand, shaking the thing was… inadvisable.
So, with that thought, he reached for it and gingerly opened the thing up, past some cushioning thi-
…
A smile grew unbidden on his face, first for the card that rested on top of the second item, a small thing the size of S2U, white-trimmed with a pale-blue backing and a bright blue gem embedded in the middle. "Good to see you again. Durandal." S2U made several whistles in clicks, making him snort in amusement just before Durandal replied. "A pleasure to see you again, little Squire. I cannot say the same for the brat you made."
A series of quite aggressive whirs and whistles erupted after Durandal's comment, both Devices levitating themselves to 'stare' at one another, which quickly devolved into a match of quick-fired machine-insults that he struggled to keep up with. It-
…
"S2U. Durandal. Enough."
And with that, the chattering stopped completely, and before they could react, he snatched the two out of the air and stored the two away. Would it aggravate them? Yes. Was it necessary? Also, yes. There was no need to bring the dead into this, and there was no reason to be called less than scrap. He did know that the moment they were let out again, he was going to get an earful from both, which would be good for them to bond over.
There were reasons why Aces normally held only one Device. And this was only one of the minor reasons.
With them dealt with, he sat back to a degree, brought up the tea and drank the last of the cup, letting out another sigh before straightening up and finally getting to the other things still left in the box. His eyes widened, and a smile of near-glee tore at his face at its sight appearing. Unassuming, the thing was basically a long metal cylinder, with cartridges placed around the outside, parts humming as they worked about inside.
If one didn't know better, they would throw the marvel of magical technology away without a thought. It wasn't like it was everyday that a piece of modern Belkan tech was given willingly to someone outside the Church.
He'd always wanted to get his hands on one, reading about them had been a thrill, knowing one could store mana away for later use could make machines that were just better. Now with his hand on one… he'd finally fix the problem with his own prosthetic.
… After he looked at the thing in detail.
It wasn't like the Church forbid others from making them, it was normally too complex an art, and there were many other things other Devicemakers and artisans needed to make instead of something fit for Aces and officers.
With a subdued smile gracing his face, he rose from the chair with the cartridge system in hand, the voices now close enough to discern words if he focused on them. But he didn't care, his mind focused solely on the possibility of remaking and understanding the tech in his hand.
Last night may have been a horrid affair, but today was looking to be one of the greatest in his short life. He could only hope that he wouldn't have to deal with many more days like last night… but knowing his luck, he might as well plan for the inevitable fallout of a good day.
Scrub the plate clean, check it over when done, rack the plate. Start the process over again.
"Yes Hayate? You came to ask me something?"
A small "Eep" of noise came from behind here, followed by the near silent wheeling of her Master as she approached from the doorway she had been watching her from.
Scrub the plate clean, check it over when done, scrub the spot that remained, check again, rack the plate. End the process with washing hands, then face Hayate.
One step at a time helped focus on now instead of the past and the inevitable future. One step to keep moving forward.
Hayate was looking at her with concern written on her face, not unsurprising if she had seen Vita, who suffered the brunt of that girl's wrath, or even Zafira given he was nursing some serious injuries as well. Still she waited for Hayate to find her voice instead of prompting her to speak, it wasn't like she had to be anywhere, and it was always better when her Master found their own words unrushed.
"S-s-i-ig-n-n-u-um-m… i-i-is s-s-om-me-e-t-th-i-i-n-n-g-g g-g-o-o-i-in-g o-o-on-n…? Vi-i-t-t-ta-a a-a-an-n-d-d Z-za-a-af-f-i-i-ir-ra-a…"
Her face didn't twitch as exactly what she expected was asked, merely kneeling down to be at eye level with her Master and calmly looking into her eyes without a trace of anything. "There's a couple of people around that are picking fights with Vita, nothing to worry about Hayate." Her words ended without any other action, though she supposed that she should have given Hayate something to help give an illusion of things going right.
Unfortunately, it had been too long, and she didn't understand how to even try. So she instead went with what she did know, and that was twisting the truth in a more favorable light for Vita and the others.
Hayate's face fell for a moment before a look of anger appeared. "W-w-w-h-h-hy-y w-wo-o-ou-ul-l-l-d-d t-t-th-he-y-y c-c-co-o-m-me-e a-a-af-f-t-te-e-r-r V-Vi-i-t-t-ta-a? S-s-sh-h-h-e-e-e h-h-ha-a-as-s-n-n-n't-t d-d-d-do-o-n-n-ne-e a-an-n-n-y-y-t-th-h-h-i-in-n-g-g b-b-b-a-ad-d-d…"
"People do things for reasons that only they and those that are with them can understand Hayate. That's what I have learned over the years I've served." Each of the prior Masters had some dream or ambition they wanted to reach, some would go through everything in their path, others would compromise. But none she remembered in recent times had ever managed to make them reality. "I wouldn't think too much on it Hayate. If worse comes to worse, I will take care of it."
That seemed to put her slightly at peace, though she still looked worried, on top of having the look of wanting to ask a question. So, with a few simple words, she asked. "Do you have something else you want to ask, Hayate?" Red colored Hayate's cheeks in response as she looked down and mumbled something, which even as soft as they were, she heard as easily as
"… C-c-ca-a-n-n-n… C-c-c-a-a-a-n-n y-yo-o-o-u-u w-w-we-e-a-a-ar-r a-a-an-n o-o-u-ut-t-f-fi-i-i-t-t f-f-o-or-r-r m-m-me-e-e-e?"
She looked blankly without much change in posture as Hayate fidgeted and brought up the box that was sitting innocently on her lap, holding it out for her to take. Without hesitation she took the box, placing it on the counter and delicately opened it with all the accumulated grace she had gained over the many, many years.
Within was a few articles of clothing, mostly white cloth with black interspersed through as accents and detail markings. The main piece was what looked to be a single thing that went from shoulder to mid-thigh, even on her, and was where the majority of the black cloth was arrayed in designs and such. It reminded her of Servant clothing back in the palace… it was best not to remember those days of glory and misery.
Still, she didn't mind wearing it, especially with her Master being the one to ask. Everything and anything that was asked of her would be done, regardless of how simple or difficult it was.
Without a word, she took the box out of the room, past a suddenly very worried Hayate and headed to the bathroom to change. Less than five minutes later she came back out, looking much like a simple Servant, before returning back to the Kitchen. She heard a gasp before her gaze focused on Hayate again, the sickly girl clasping both hands together with a look of pure bliss on her face.
"B-b-b-e-ea-a-au-u-t-ti-i-f-f-fu-u-l-l-l…"
Beautiful? She wouldn't call herself beautiful, she was just a Servant to her Master, one that fought and killed. But then, it wasn't her place as a Servant to question what Hayate said, it was like a sword commenting on its appearance, its owner would call it something, and the sword would say it's just a plain old sword… unless it had a soul stuck in it.
Before anything else could happen, a knock sounded on the door, causing both her and Hayate to look over, just before a coughing fit wracked Hayate's body. Shortly after ensuring Hayate wasn't about to die that moment, she walked over to the door right as a second knock happened and seeing no reason to further keep whoever it was waiting, she opened the door.
…
Well, this was a surprise.
A nod of respect was given. "Admiral. To what do we owe your company?"
The last time she had seen the man, he stood tall and proud, a slight bit weary in the eyes, but otherwise unbowed by the universe. Now, after at least a decade or two, Gil Graham looked as if the weight of an empire was upon his shoulders and nothing was going right. The only thing that changed that image was the momentary look at seeing her clothing attire, which she could understand for once.
"Am I not allowed to see old friends, and retrieve things meant for my family, Signum?" She said nothing in response, moving out of the way as the old man clicked his way into the house, his daughter following behind with just as much weight upon her shoulders.
Hayate looked confused for a moment at seeing the Admiral, looking over to her for whatever reason before apparently finding whatever she had looked for and wheeling herself towards the man. She couldn't see what was on Gil's face, but it couldn't be bad since Hayate looked up at him, trembling from the coughs but resolute regardless.
Gil grunted as his body moved, dropping to a knee to look her Master in the eye at her level, but doing little else. It was Hayate that spoke first between the two, shaking voice carrying in the silent house. "A-a-a-r-r-re-e y-y-yo-o-o-u-u… a-a-an-n-no-o-t-t-th-h-e-e-e-r-r o-o-of-f S-s-si-i-ig-g-g-n-n-u-um-m-m's-s f-fr-r-r-i-ie-e-e-n-nd-d-d-s-s?"
"Mmm… I can't say that I'm her 'friend'. But… I am on good terms with her." There was a pause for a moment, certainly due to something that Gil was doing. "I apologize, but I have walked for a good few hours, and it would do this back of mine good to sit down."
A shaky "Of course" followed by a vicious coughing fit came from Hayate, Gil's entire body deflated, a weight upon the man's shoulders growing just from looking at Hayate's sickly state. His daughter was similar, and it took a moment for both of their visitors to get seated.
Seeing that nothing was going to happen, she returned to the kitchen, intent on finishing the last bit of work of the day.
Pick up a new plate, scrub the plate clean, check it over, rack the plate. Start the process over again.
"Ah… where are my manners?" Pick up a new plate. "My name is Gil Graham, or as your people say it, Graham Gil." Scrub the plate clean. "As for my reason to being here, I came to check up on my grandson and daughter-in-law." Check it over. "But I heard that Signum was around and had to see her new Master."
"Y-y-yo-o-u-u-u'v-v-v-e-e m-m-m-me-e-t-t S-s-si-i-ig-g-g-n-n-u-um-m-m's-s o-o-t-th-h-h-e-e-er-r M-m-m-ma-a-a-s-s-st-t-t-e-er-r-r-s-s?" Scrub the spot that remained. "What were they like?" Rack the plate. Start the process over again. "A-a-ah-h, I-I-I'm-m Y-y-a-ag-g-ga-a-am-m-m-mi-i-i H-h-a-a-a-y-ya-t-t-t-te-e…"
Pick up a new plate. "You're the third I've met, Miss Yagami, although… I only interacted with one of them." She remembered both times… horrid memories and content memories. "The first of those was a woman that protected her home from danger, we had disagreements, but those were settled before she died." Scrub the plate clean.
"… The second was my son. You remind me of him, Miss Yagami." Check it over. "I have a feeling you two would get along well, had he not died from his illness." Rack the plate.
"… Y-y-o-o-ou-u w-w-e-e-e-r-re-e v-va-a-a-g-gu-u-e-e-e a-a-ab-b-bo-u-ut-t-t t-t-th-h-e-e-e-m-m, G-g-gr-ra-a-a-h-h-a-am-m-s-s-sa-an-n-n."
She could imagine the sad, tired smile on him, seeing it so many times in the past. "Forgive an old man for forgetting much and refusing to get lost in the past." Clean one's hands, scrub off the filth. "… I have much weighing on me, and it wouldn't be fair to share it with you, would it?" Place the towel down and look back to the conversation.
"I-I g-g-gu-u-u-e-e-es-s-s-s n-n-n-o-ot-t-t…"
"How's about instead… I'll tell you about some place I've visited instead, and then you head off to bed since you don't look too well, hmm?" Coughing replaced any response, proving his point, but Hayate still managed to nod, making the sad smile on the Admiral to brighten for a moment as he closed his eyes. "Well then, I'm not too great at this, but I suppose I can tell you about something or another…"
"… Mid-Childa is considered the jewel of the Time-Space Administrative Bureau, a center for everything that makes civilization great. It may not be as exotic as other worlds, its grass is green, its waters blue, and it has no real natural phenomena, but it's a beautiful world untouched by the progression of mankind."
"… Its people are kind, gladly giving aid any that come to their world without asking if they required it. They did with me after all." Hayate's head tilted, an amused chuckle from Gil sounding while Lotte looked on with similar amusement in response. "Did you expect me to be like my daughter-in-law? No… I was born and raised here on Earth before leaving for the Bureau."
She caught his eye as he relaxed for a moment, inclining her head in the direction of the door leading further into the house, to which she got a small nod and a sigh. "I think I'll leave the rest of the telling for another time… perhaps if fate is kind, I could show you and your Knights Mid-Childa in person, Miss Yagami."
"For now though, I believe you need to rest. It was a pleasure, Miss Yagami."
With that, Hayate devolved into a short-lived coughing fit, whereupon she moved over, calmly and gently taking hold of Hayate's wheelchair and moving her off to her bedroom. It wasn't too long before her Master was tucked away, sleeping fitfully, and so she returned to meet with the Admiral and his Familiar, both looking far beyond their age, even though the Admiral was nearing the end of a normal human's life.
"… Just like with Remilia." She tilted her head to the side, the name meant nothing to her, yet it felt as though it should, something that Graham took notice of. "I had forgotten. That you don't remember the names of those you and your fellows served before."
She said nothing, merely taking out Laevatein and allowing that which was stored inside to rest in her hands. Blood dripped into her hands from where she held it, but even so she strode forward dutifully and presented it to Lotte. The familiar's hands did not tremble as they took hold of the body, she remembered enough to recall that this familiar and mage were no strangers to loss.
Once the body was handed off, she turned to Gil and looked into his eyes, dead gaze meeting a rival for a moment before she spoke. "… Will you be joining the battle in several days' time?"
The elderly man, weary yet proud, did not waver as he gazed upon her. No, he looked upon her as one of the old Kings would, judging a lowly peasant for whatever they had done. In the end, it came to a stop, with a clicking noise from his device hitting the floor as he slowly turned about and headed for the door.
Only at the door's edge, after Lotte exited did the Fleet Admiral look back at her with a steely gaze, devoid of the exhaustion that had permeated him throughout the meeting. Under that gaze, she felt nothing, looking straight at the man that terrified numerous individuals throughout the worlds without even a hint of anything.
"I have already had my vengeance against you for what you did to my family, Signum of the Burning Sky. I will engage in this battle to ensure that my last remaining bits of family survive." Before the next set of words to come, she felt a weight try and settle on her, only again she was unmoved. It wasn't anything she hadn't dealt with before, and this was middling at best. "Should you harm my Grandson. I will kill you."
For a moment, instead she saw him younger, with two familiars at his side wreathed in lightning, a memory from long, long ago, during a worse time on a barren world under a storm-filled sky.
And then it was gone, and she was back in the home of her current Master, staring at an Ace that had lived long past its prime. "You need not worry. As I told Lindy, I will not land a single blow upon him. That oath takes priority."
"… It took me a long time, but now I can confirm it. Tell me Signum, why are you so weak?"
She didn't give a reply, merely raising her left hand to her breast, grasping her linker core and bringing it forward. The pink-red thing was a pitiful sight as it manifested, dull and missing chunks of what should be a perfect sphere. Drastic measures were made…
A Knight of Treachery was always destined to disobey their Master's orders… "… I see. You used yourself instead…" 'You will not harm anyone to fill the book!' that had been her order… and as was normal, she spit upon it, for her Master's sake. It was at the point, that any more would kill her… but it would save Hayate since the book would be completed.
She said nothing about that though, instead replying to the Admiral's words with nothing but certainty in her voice. "If I had not. You would not be seeing me today, nor would Lindy be dead." In the end, it came down to she wanted her Master to live, and everything spiraled from there. "All the fault lies upon me, as is normal, Fleet Admiral."
For a moment longer the two of them locked gazes, before Gil broke contact wither, clicking away as he raised his hand in farewell, one last parting word delivered before the door closed. "Die well, Signum."
And with that business taken care of, there was nothing left to do. No preparations, no chores, no discussions or caring for her siblings and Master. For the first time in several decades, she had a moment to herself… and so she walked over to the couch, sat in the seat, and rested.
It would be so nice… but duty came before desire. Perhaps she'd be able to rest after this was over.
What a naïve hope that was.