It was with great effort that I forced open my eyes. I felt exhausted, or maybe it would be better described as feeling drained, but at least I didn't have another one of those blasted dream/memories. Recently, they seemed to be ones from my other Servants, though not as frequent or vivid as Mordred's. I started to push myself into an upright sitting position when I finally realized that something seemed different.
I stilled slightly as I felt something warm wrapped against my torso. I blinked in confusion, looking down to see a slim yet muscular arm embracing me. Tightly. I looked to the side, and the memories of last night came rushing back as I noticed a sleeping Mordred tightly cuddling me.
That's right, I confessed to her how I felt. We kissed. It felt fantastic. There was still one question, however, that had to be answered.
What were we now?
We certainly weren't going to ignore the whole mess that last night had been, and honestly, a part of me refused to allow that possibility to happen. I meant what I had said, to the Knight of Rebellion, that I love Mordred Pendragon. And, if her response is any good indicator, she had similar feelings towards me.
I wanted to get up and pace, but Mordred was apparently a bit clingy in her sleep. While it wasn't exactly physically uncomfortable (indeed, it was rather adorable), it did mean that I was unable to move, and so I just patiently awaited my blonde partner to wake up.
After around ten minutes, I felt her body shifting slightly, and I looked down, sensing she was close to awaking.
Mordred's eyes slowly opened, and she blinked sleepily, part of her hair sticking up. I was unable to hide the soft snicker of amusement at how adorable a sleepy Mordred looked. In hindsight, I should have tried harder to suppress the sound.
Mordred made a high-pitched yelping sound as her cheeks exploded into a bright red, and before I knew it, both of her palms and her feet (thankfully she had swapped into her 'everyday' clothing before we got into my bed) against my side and sent me flying from my bed.
I landed in a sprawled heap, groaning as my back hit the cold tiles. I heard Mordred gasp slightly as she realized what she had just done, and two emerald orbs looked at me.
"Oh, shit! Jacob, are you okay?"
"I'll live," I groaned, pushing myself up off of the ground and staring at Mordred with a lopsided smile. "So, how ya feeling? Better, I hope?"
Mordred immediately looked away, and for a moment, she looked vulnerable. I didn't comment, just sitting on the cold floor, watching and waiting patiently for her to finish formulating her response. Finally, Mordred nodded slowly, before looking into my eyes, a look of unease present.
"Did you really mean those words you said last night?" Mordred asked softly, looking tense, apprehensive. I found myself cursing Morgan yet again, but I quickly smothered the flames of anger before they could turn into an inferno. I fixed my eyes onto hers.
"You are my knight," I said, flinching slightly on the inside as I realized just how cheesy it sounds. "I have been, and always will be, proud to be by your side."
Mordred scoffed, rolling those lovely eyes of hers, before smirking. "Idiot," she said affectionately, reaching out and ruffling my hair up playfully. Thankfully, seeing as how I already had a bad case of bedhead, the action couldn't make it any worse.
"Indeed. We're still partners, you and I. That just includes romantically as well," I said with a simple smile.
"You make it sound so simple," Mordred grumbled, though with a small, cautious smile. I shrugged casually.
"Hey, we might encounter some bumps here and there from time to time, but we'll get through them. Together," I said with a smirk, and Mordred snorted in amusement at my lighthearted response. Then, almost in unison, both of our stomachs let out loud rumbling noises, causing us both to blush in embarrassment.
"Well, looks like we know now what today's next order of business is going to be. Let's get ready and then go eat," I quipped, and Mordred nodded in agreement.
I couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious when we stepped into the cafeteria. I resisted the urge to rub at the mark on my neck, but all it would do would be to bring more attention to it.
After Mordred and I had finished our little heart-to-heart, we had taken turns getting ready. Mordred had gone first, and then it was my turn. Looking into the mirror, I couldn't help but sigh at the hickey Mordred had given me. At least it didn't really hurt, especially considering that it had come from a (rather impulsive) Servant.
Thankfully, our entrance didn't draw too many stares, and furthermore, the cafeteria was rather empty today. Mordred and I went our separate ways and followed our basic breakfast routine, before sitting down at our normal table.
As always, Mordred had two to three times as much food on her tray as mine held, but by this point I had accepted the fact, and was able to eat my own food as she demolished hers. However, the solitude we shared wouldn't last for much longer, it turned out.
"Looks like the two of you had a nice time last night," Ritsuka suddenly said, sounding way too cheery. Looking out of the corner of my eye, I could see one of Mordred's eyes twitching slightly, just like one of my own, as the other half of our quartet sat down. Mash had a mixture of a sympathetic and exasperated look on her face, while Rits grinned cheekily.
"Looks like someone's ready for their next lesson in combat," I retorted with an equal amount of cheer, taking a bit of pleasure at seeing Ritsuka's grin slip off his face as he paled slightly. Also, was it my imagination, or had he looked rather stiff as he sat down? Mash coughed politely.
"Ritsuka Senpai's lack of tact aside, are you and Mordred…er…together, now?" Mash asked, her cheeks a soft red, her eyes darting down to her tray. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but snigger a little at the cute display given by the pink-haired girl.
"Mordred and I are partners," I said simply, and Mash made a soft 'Oh' of understanding, while Ritsuka tilted his head slightly, before shrugging and accepting my response. I felt Mordred nudge my leg under the table, flashing me a quick smile of gratitude.
I nodded my head slightly towards her. I figured she would prefer to not have her dirty laundry aired to everyone, so to speak. I looked back at Ritsuka as he began eating his own breakfast. After finishing chewing and swallowing, my fellow Master resumed speaking.
"That's good to hear. I assume you'd like to hear what happened while you two were…busy?" Ritsuka asked politely.
"I'd imagine that would be for the best, so yes. I trust everything else went well?" I asked, carefully watching the blonde knight sitting beside me from the corner of my eye. Ritsuka grunted.
"More or less. Jeanne offered to take Astolfo and Artoria for a tour, and also to Isabella to see if they had any particular outfit or clothing they would prefer." Ha, that sounds like something the kind-hearted Ruler would do. I made a mental note to thank her for that. Even though Mordred required my absolute attention last night, I still felt bad about not finishing up a proper introduction with my newest Servant.
"There is one thing, however. Do you mind if I speak with you alone this evening?" Ritsuka asked, eyeing Mordred nervously. The Saber scoffed loudly.
"If you keep treating me like I'm going to go off about anything related to Father, I'll be joining you and Jacob in your next training session," she said, smirking viciously for extra emphasis.
Before Ritsuka could stammer out a reply while Mash sighed next to him, I heard a pair of footsteps drawing closer. I looked up to see the last person I was in the mood to deal with today coming to a halt a few feet away from our table.
"Master Aronson, may I ask for a moment of your time, to speak with you in private?" Artoria was standing next to us, her eyes fixed on mine. She had apparently already visited Isabella and selected her off-mission outfit. A simple white blouse and a blue skirt.
A part of me wanted to tell her to screw off, an illogical part, run by my emotions. However, I knew that it would be unwise to do so. Instead, I looked at a stiff-looking Mordred, who had a sort of panicked expression on her face. I shot her an inquisitive look, and after a moment's hesitation, the Knight of Rebellion nodded her head slightly, albeit reluctantly.
I suppressed a weary sigh and stood up slowly, looking at the King of Knights with a guarded look.
"Very well."
Mordred forced herself to relax as her father left the cafeteria. A gnawing sensation of frustration, however, had killed her appetite, so the Saber idly picked at her half-finished breakfast with her fork. She ignored the nervous and concerned looks Ritsuka and Shieldy were giving her, lost in her thoughts.
As a result, the Knight of Rebellion didn't notice the danger until it was too late.
She almost jumped out of her seat in shock as a hand gripped her shoulder in a vise-like grip.
"I see that today is going to be a Girl's Day," Marie purred, the bubbly Rider sounding threatening for the first time that Mordred could remember. She leaned in close to Mordred's face, before looking up at whoever was gripping her shoulder, her blue eyes alight with mischief. "What do you say, Jeanne?"
"I couldn't agree more, Marie," Jeanne said in her normal warm, friendly tone. Mordred tried to bolt out of her seat, but the Ruler tightened her grip, reducing the action to a vail thrashing. "Mash, would you mind accompanying us?"
"Me?" Shieldy asked, wide-eyed as a familiar (and irritating) svelte Servant wrapped one of his arms around her neck.
"No, silly, the wall! Course she means you!" Rider of Black crowed, his eyes flicking towards Mordred as she read the silent words he made with his lips. She felt her eyebrow twitching slightly in irritation at the words.
Payback's a bitch!
"Actually, Ritsuka said that he needed help with his sword fighting!" Mordred said hurriedly, staring pleadingly at her partner's fellow Master. The Japanese magus blinked.
"What're you talking about?" He said, sounding like his normal, clueless self. Normally the knight would have been getting quite a kick out of it, but somehow the fact that it was in regards to her situation made it feel less funny than normal.
"Hmm, sounds like you're quite free then, aren't ya?" Astolfo said with a wide grin. His fellow French Rider nodded happily.
"Oui! And we know that Jacob is preoccupied at the moment, and you're usually either training, eating, or hanging out with him. Seeing as how the former has been ruled out, and you seem to be done eating, I think this is a perfect time for you to try something new! We'll talk about our pasts, hobbies, love interests," Marie said, putting an extra, teasing emphasis on those last two words.
Mordred's eyes widened as she began to put the dots together. The Rider had quickly established herself the reputation of Chaldea's leading gossiper, so of course the brat would want to find out everything that happened! Mordred tried to think up of a way to escape, but before she could react, Astolfo had made his way over to Mordred's other side, and together the cross-dressing Rider and Ruler both hooked an arm around her. Using their combined strength, and before she could summon her armor or Clarent, they began dragging her away, while a hesitant Mash was urged forward by Marie.
Now unable to escape without causing some sort of mess, the knight glared and shouted out the only words she felt could accurately describe the situation at that very moment.
"DAMN IT!"
I paused for a moment, a chill running down my spine. I just felt like something really bad had just happened….eh, I'm sure it's just my imagination. Shaking my head, I resumed walking.
Artoria and I spent the next few minutes walking further away from the cafeteria in silence. Finally, we had apparently reached a suitable distance, for she paused and turned around slowly, her eyes bearing into mine. The intensity they held had me swallowing slightly, despite being eight inches or so taller than her.
"What are your intentions in regards to Sir Mordred?" The words were delivered bluntly, and I couldn't help but be further reminded of my partner just then. Then I realized just what she had asked, and how she was looking at the hickey my partner had left on my neck.
"I thought you weren't acknowledging her presence?" I said in a mildly rebuking tone. To her credit, Artoria didn't react to the bait, maintaining her rather impersonal persona instead.
"Despite her rebellion, I still consider Sir Mordred to be one of my knights. Therefore, it is my responsibility to look after their welfare."
"….Just one of your knights, huh?" I said, feeling my right eyelid twitch ever so slightly. I wanted to be cordial to the legendary King of Knights, but it seemed that every time she opened her mouth, that damn goal was getting harder and harder to maintain.
Artoria nodded, her neutral mask hidden. God, how I hated that. It could be anyone, too. I just despised not being able to see a person's true thoughts. The crinkling of the corner of the eyes. The twitch of a lip. All the little hints of how someone truly felt despite how fine or horrid words they uttered.
"I ask you again, what are your intentions towards my knight?" I exhaled, the breath coming out with a sibilant hiss.
"Mordred is her own person. She has the right to make her own choices. My 'intentions', as you put it, are to be the best partner I can be for her, and to make her happy," I stated, resisting the urge to sneer, and add a mocking 'something you failed'. Damn it, my temper was getting the better of me.
"If you hurt her," Artoria began to say, and two things happened.
The first was the incredulous realization that Artoria was trying to give the old parental figure lecturing boyfriend/girlfriend. The second thing was that my temper snapped.
"Like you did?" I sneered, and for once Artoria showed some sort of emotion. She recoiled, a shamed look on her face. "A bit late to be acting like the father you're supposed to be."
"I—"
"Save it," I interrupted. "I neither know, nor particularly care to know, what happened. I already saw everything from Mordred's perspective. I also saw how you killed one another. You need to decide if Mordred is your child, a knight, or an enemy. She can't be all three, and you have no right to pick and choose between them!"
I took a deep breath, trying to regain some semblance of control over my anger. "Don't ask me this again, nor any other questions about Mordred, until you decide what your connection is between you and Mordred. We're allies, and I will be courteous, but currently we are not friends. Good day," I said sharply, spinning around and march down the hallway.
Thankfully, Artoria didn't follow me, and a few minutes later, I came to a halt halfway back to the cafeteria. I stared at the wall for a few seconds, before letting out an angry hiss and kicking the wall.
"What a damn mess," I snarled, before stiffening at the sound of movement.
"I don't really care much for those who eavesdrop," I said loudly. Instead of the sound of footsteps scurrying away in a hasty retreat, the hallway echoed with a bout of hearty laughter. Out from behind the corner of the intersection up ahead came a short, portly Chinese man. Despite the shape of his body, my instincts were telling me that it wasn't flab, nor was he reminiscent of the excess Caesar's body had displayed. He was a balding man with long, white hair, and shrewd eyes that also contained humor, mirth, and other friendly emotions. He had a lopsided smile as he stopped a few feet in front of me.
"It is hard to eavesdrop when one is virtually shouting to the high heavens," the employee said with a dry chuckle. I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed, rubbing at the back of my head sheepishly.
"Ah, yes. I suppose I should apologize for that. Forgive an old man for checking out what he thought was a disturbance." Despite the reproachful words that had my cheeks flushing, his tone was utterly light-hearted.
"Ah, right. This isn't exactly the most private of settings, either. Forgive me, I'm just ruffled," I said, taking off my hat and ruffling up my hair, falling back on one of my old habits for stress relief.
The man looked at me, stroking his beard, before finally smiling again.
"Would you care for a cup of tea?"
"…..huh?"
My newfound companion had introduced himself as Iroh Huǒlóng. Apparently, he was not only the head chef of Chaldea, but he was also an avid tea drinker. He took me over to the kitchen, which was surprisingly empty at the moment, and turned on the stove before fusing over a well-used teapot. I wasn't able to follow the exact process of what he was doing, but I still watched in polite silence. Once the kettle was being heated by the stove, Iroh turned around and gestured at a small table in the corner, motioning for me to sit down. I did so.
However, I did have one question that was bothering me, and so I asked the older man just why he was doing this.
"Sharing tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights," he said with a toothy grin, and I couldn't detect any hint of deception in his voice. If he had an ulterior motive, he was doing a damn good job hiding it. I hummed in response but fell silent, still focused on relaxing from my spat with Artoria.
Finally, the tea was ready, and he brought over a small tray with the kettle and two plain teacups resting on the surface.
"This is jasmine tea," Iroh began to explain, placing one cup in front of me, and a second before him. "It's a very good and relaxing tea. Have you ever tried tea before, by any chance?"
"No, I haven't. I usually stick to water," I admitted. Iroh's constant smile grew wider, and he chuckled softly, picking up the kettle and pouring out some of his brew into both of the cups with impressive ease. Setting the kettle back onto the tray, Iroh eased himself into the free chair and wrapped his fingers around his cup.
"Well, then, you're in for quite a treat!" He said, raising his cup and making a gesture of cheers that I tentatively repeated, before raising his cup to his lips.
Iroh took a long sip of tea, letting out a loud sigh of contentment when he swallowed.
"Ah, there is nothing like a well-made cup of jasmine tea to soothe the nerves," Iroh Huǒlóng said breezily, lowering his cup and staring across the small table at me. Turns out, this was Chaldea's head chef, and an avid tea savant.
I stared at the steaming mug of tea he had prepared and poured out for me. I had never tried tea before, and so couldn't help but stare cautiously at the contents inside the china. Iroh chuckled. "Go on, give it a try. It's an old family recipe that has never yet disappointed even the most ardent coffee drinker," the elderly man said, his face scrunching up slightly at the mention of the caffeinated beverage.
Not wishing to come across as churlish, I raised the brim of the cup to my lips, and blew softly, not wanting to somehow burn my tongue. Once I felt satisfied with that, I took a small sip. My eyes lit up as a wonderful, relaxing taste entered my mouth. It wasn't bitter, nor was it too sweet. It tasted good. Really good.
Apparently, my expression of enjoyment was plain to see, for Iroh leaned back and laughed happily. "I see that the recipe has acquired yet another fan, huh?" He said jovially.
"It's very good," I replied. "Thank you."
"Glad to be of help. Perhaps sometime, I could tempt you into trying another old family recipe?"
"I wouldn't be opposed to that," I said, before tilting my head slightly in curiosity. "So, you're from a family of tea savants or something?" I asked.
"Not quite. My family used to be key court magicians for the emperors of various dynasties in China. From the Shang and Zhao, until the fall of the Ming. No matter who the emperor was, we were always respected, and feared. The Fire Dragons," Iroh said fondly. "That is what we were called. We're still one of the foremost magus families in China, too. I'm the current head of the ."
Huh, so he was a pyromancer. A pyromancer and a wielder of ice, having a cup of tea. I'm sure there was some sort of joke to be found in there.
"So why is the current head of a reputable and venerable family working as a mere chef at Chaldea?" I asked, blurting out my question before I could catch myself. I winced slightly, nervous about the possibility of having offended the magus, but Iroh merely laughed.
"Oh ho, don't look like that. The answer is quite simple. I wanted to have some peace, away from my family."
"Succession disputes?" I said with a hint of distaste. I always thought that the way that the vast majority of mages took the issue to an unreasonable level. A look of sadness appeared on Iroh's face as he nodded.
"I had a son. He was a wonderful man. A good man. He would have been a wonderful heir."
"Was?" I asked softly, not missing the underlying meaning to Iroh's words.
"He died twenty years ago in a vehicular accident. My family lost its heir apparent to our Magic Crest, but more importantly, I lost my son. Now, my niece and nephew are competing over the position."
"Who do you think would be better?" I asked cautiously.
"My niece is an ill-tempered, arrogant woman. She is closer to a traditional mage, and many in the family consider her to be the most viable candidate. As you might be able to tell, I disagree with that sentiment."
"So, you prefer your nephew, then?"
"I did not say that. He has a good heart, a desire to maintain his own honor. However, he has yet to realize what he wants in life."
"Oh?" I asked, taking another long sip of tea before placing it down, needing to refill. Before I could reach to refill the cup, however, Iroh deftly poured more tea from the teapot, and I muttered a soft thanks.
"Yes. But, enough listening to an old man," Iroh said with a lopsided smile. "Why not tell me more about yourself?"
I blinked, before narrowing my eyes slightly, searching the tea master's eyes for any sort of ulterior motive.
"Well, I'm an oddity in that I am both an American magus and also one whose family doesn't have a Magical Crest," I said cautiously. Iroh raised an eyebrow at that last part, no doubt especially because of how relatively flippant I was about admitting that fact. Almost every magus family, no matter how big or small, would dare admit to such a fact. Almost.
"Oh? Sounds like a story there," Iroh commented, his voice only holding curiosity. I shrugged.
"The last member of my family to grasp our Crest was killed over in America in 1776. It proved well-hidden or something. Some of the other magus families did what they do best: scheme and backstab. In less than a hundred years we lost all influence, and were on the verge of being wiped out, or so I've been told. Then, my great-great-grandfather heard word of a supposed sighting, and the remains of our family moved there. We never did recover our Crest, but we found ourselves happy in America."
"It doesn't bother you, not having a Crest?" Iroh said incredulously. I shrugged my shoulders.
"Crazy though it may sound, not one bit. Sure, many people consider me to be a third-rate magus at best, but I'm happy with my life….more or less," I added sheepishly, as Iroh raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm….a third-rate magus without a Crest, saving the world? That is certainly going to leave a bitter taste in many a magus's mouth," he mused, and I couldn't help but wince. Oh, hell, that was going to be a problem, alright.
"That can be dealt with at a later date. I was born on June 8th, 1998. I have no siblings, but two loving parents…"
As I continued conversing with Iroh, I found myself happy with the fact that I had apparently made yet another friend here at Chaldea.
Original Endnotes: Nothing like making a new friend while bonding over a well-brewed cup of tea! Yes, this Iroh is based off of General Iroh from Avatar, so I hope no one rips my face off. I just wanted to make a staff member of Chaldea that Jacob could have as a friend who could give advise without using an internet idol (sorry Roman). But what did you guys think?Also, nothing more fun than writing Mordred being awkward at relationships! A hill has been climbed, and now onto the mountain...or something. Still, did you think that it was a cute opening? :)
Ah, Artoria, how you use words so skillfully...or not. Yeah, who totally saw this issue working out well between Artoria and Jacob in the short-term? XD
Also, looks like Astolfo is getting his revenge in a way! Course, that does make for another chapter that'll make me nervous tow rite, because a good chunk of it is going to be the Marie-hosted 'Girl Time', but hey, it'll be interesting!
Which brings me to an important announcement. I am most likely not going to publish chapter 50 until after New Years. If I do manage, then great! But if I am gone for over a week or something, don't want y'all to be freaking out lol. Also, another exciting piece of news: I'm planning on resuming the SummerFes story in a few weeks! Who is excited about that? :)
Anyways, as always, what did you guys think?
Now, for the fun part, the questions! First up, seeing as how Covid-19 and 2020 has been a year from hell, what's the best event you've had happen this year? Second question, for those who play FGO, which Servant are you hoping to get in the New Year summoning campaign 5-star Servant guarantee? I'm hoping for Ereshkigal myself.
Anyways, now that's all over, thank you guys and gals once again for the lovely support, and encouragement! Hope you enjoyed another chapter, and I eagerly await to read y'alls thoughts and comments, and I wish you all an early happy New Years! See you by 2021!
Update Endnotes 9/10/21: Hope everyone's year has been better than 2020