"So, I hear Mash finally confessed her feelings to you?" I asked Ritsuka, sitting down at our table for lunch. Apparently, my fellow Master had been daydreaming or something, for he almost jumped clean out of his skin!
"Ah, good afternoon, Jacob!" Ritsuka said, swiftly regaining his composure with grace that would have made Mash proud. It wasn't enough, however, to prevent the very Mordred-like smirk forming on my lips. Said grin only grew bigger as I watched my friend grow rather pale and wide-eyed as my question was fully registered by his brain. "Wait, 'finally'? You mean you already knew?" Ritsuka asked (read demanded) incredulously.
I didn't even bother to muffle my laughter as I steepled my fingers together in front of my face. "Oh, yes. Pretty much everyone did. The whole thing has been quite the topic of conversation among the staff and Servants in the last few months. And it looks like I just won $50 from Drake, since you haven't denied it," I added in a friendly but teasing manner. Rits cupped his face with one hand and groaned into his palm, his ears so red that they were almost glowing at this point.
"You actually betted on it?" His blue eyes glared at me half-heartedly between splayed fingers. I shrugged.
"Can you not blame me? It was honestly starting to get painful." My expression quickly sobered after that, however. "Okay, humorous time is over for the moment. What did you say? Please tell me that if you turned her down, you did so gently." If the latter had happened, I would be surprised if he hadn't been kind in going about it, but one could never be truly certain about it.
Especially since I knew that Ritsuka had never been asked out, and so wouldn't have had an idea for the ideal way to turn a girl down.
To my immense relief and even greater pleasure, Rits vehemently shook his head. "Quite the opposite. I told her that we should give it a try. I mean, look at you and Mordred."
"I hope you're not implying that this is something normal?" I asked with an arched eyebrow. As much as I might have wished otherwise, if it weren't for the current situation, it was very likely Mordred and I wouldn't have become a couple. We were far from being considered a 'normal' relationship.
Ritsuka shook his head again. "No, not at all. I meant, dating one's partner." I quickly nodded in understanding. "I suggested to Mash that we go on a date before our next deployment." I hummed and nodded again, slower this time.
"Not a bad idea. In all honesty, I'd imagine that the two of you would have an easier time with this. While Mash is still a bit…sheltered, I hope you won't take offense on her account for me saying that she would be less complicated in this matter than Mordred?"
Ritsuka shook his head. "Not at all. Mordred's kinda the walking definition of prickly, after all." I let out a short bark of dry laughter at that. It was a good thing that the Knight of Rebellion wasn't around at the moment. Whether she liked it or not, Mordred was far from being considered as an approachable person, as much as I love her.
"So, what are you thinking of your first date being?" I pressed. Normally, I wasn't one for gossip, but by this point, I considered both Ritsuka and Mash to be family, along with many of the staff and Servants. Ritsuka raised his glass of apple juice and took a slow sip from the glass before sitting it back down. Looking back up at me, he leaned forward slightly. I copied the action, recognizing that what my fellow Master was about to say was something he wasn't quite ready to become common knowledge.
"I was thinking about trying what you and Mordred did. A dinner date. It seems simple enough," Rits told me in a low whisper. I nodded, humming softly as I leaned back in my chair, this time Ritsuka being the copycat of my actions.
"That's not a bad idea. I'll do my best to keep it from being a similar comedy of errors that filled mine." I paused, eyeing my friend carefully. "Unless you want them?"
Ritsuka shook his head with a rueful grin. "I'd rather pass on that, if it's all the same to you," he said with a chuckle, and I joined in doing so. "Any advice?"
"Take it slow and enjoy yourselves. At least for you. Don't let yourself become driven by the urge to make sure everything is perfect. If Mash really does love you like it seems to be, she'll find it just as wonderful as if you were taking her to dine at one of the finest restaurants in the world. Be yourself. Of course, don't be rude or dismissive of her, either."
"I see," Ritsuka said, and to my approval, his body language indicated that he was taking my advice seriously. "So, make sure we both have a fun time, then?" I made a finger gun gesture at him lazily.
"Bingo. However, I feel that I have to ask you this: do you plan on trying to maintain a romantic relationship with her once this is finished, should it last that long?"
Ritsuka nodded, a firm and defiant look on his face. "I do."
"Good, then I look forward to hearing how it goes. Let me know if you need any help in arranging things, especially with Iroh." Ritsuka relaxed, content with the change in direction of the conversation.
"Okay. I have a question of my own to ask you now, though, Jacob." I took a bite from my sandwich, chewing quickly before swallowing.
"Fire away."
"When this is over, what do you plan on doing regarding your relationship with Mordred? Since she will be considered by many to be a familiar and all, the Mage's Association and the UN might have a thing or two to say about it."
I frowned. It wasn't a new question, for good or ill. I had been wondering about it myself. However, at the present moment, I could think of only one way to handle it. Even if it was a less than ideal answer. "Mordred and I will figure it out when the time comes," I said with a note of finality in my voice. Ritsuka nodded, looking down sheepishly.
Another minute or two passed by in awkward silence as we both ate our lunches. Finally, Ritsuka looked back up. "So, did you have a good time last night?"
It was my turn to blush and stammer, especially as I remembered how and what I had woken up to. "You could say that," I said softly. Karma….go sod off.
Embarrassment aside, it had been good. No, good didn't feel like a strong enough word to me. It had been an extraordinarily wonderful night for Mordred and I. Even if Mordred, upon fully waking up and realizing how she had fallen asleep, had spent a solid five minutes 'ranting' (read panicking) over it. I suspected that the reason why had more to do with her hesitancy still possessed over openly displaying gestures of affection to one another outside of our shared room or similar private settings.
I still hadn't mentioned to her how I had found a picture of us sleeping on my phone. It was fairly likely that whoever had taken the picture was also the person responsible for covering the two of us with a blanket. I wanted to thank him or her for it….as well as for the adorable picture that I would treasure forever.
Ritsuka smiled back at me. Was that a knowing look in his eyes? My own narrowed as a result. "Alright, what's up with that look on your face?"
"I take it you haven't heard the latest gossip?" Ritsuka said, smirking a bit more as he once more turned the tables against me. My eyes widened, and I then leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table as I hid my face behind my palms as a long groan escaped from my lips.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Ritsuka laughed, and continued laughing. After the first minute had gone by with said noise unabated, I splayed my fingers out a bit to look through them. "What's so funny?" I asked Rits.
"That's payback for teasing. No, the only reason I know is because Mash mentioned something about Mordred shouting earlier. I take it that nothing bad actually happened?"
"Nope. And I'll thank you for keeping quiet on the ribbing, hm?" I retorted. Rits merely shrugged with a smirk. Oh god, Mordred, Drake, and I were starting to infect the poor lad, weren't we?
"Speaking of our favorite blonde knight, where's Mordred?"
"Marie's having another one of her lunches. I presume Mash was called for it as my knight was?"
"Yeah. Probably going to talk about me and her, aren't they?" Asked my fellow Master half ruefully, half-resignedly. I shook my head slowly before flashing him a wry smile.
"Oh, there's probably going to be some of that going on. But you should count on the fact that Jeanne requested to include Jeanne Alter into the meeting to provide Mash, and indirectly you, with cover."
Ritsuka's eyebrow twitched slightly as he stared at me, dumbfounded for several minutes. His mouth opened and closed, but aside from the occasional click of his teeth meeting one another, not a single word made it past his lips. Finally, he was able to speak, thank god.
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Jacob?" Ritsuka asked nervously, perhaps rightfully so. I shrugged, raising up my glass of water and taking a long sip from it. I lowered the glass onto the table before shrugging rather helplessly.
"We'll soon find out…"
Mordred couldn't believe what was happening. She couldn't believe it, even though she had been one of the Servants given forewarning about this!
In front of her sat a clearly irate Jeanne Alter, still in her armor, but without weapons or that cloak of hers. Her arms were crossed, a defiant scowl carved across her mouth as her yellow eyes smoldered angrily.
Next to her, Mordred was still trying to comprehend just how the bloody hell Jeanne d'Arc could sit next to the Dragon Witch. The one Servant that had been so hellbent on destroying everything about Mordred's closest friend. She looked nervous, but in the way that Mordred knew was over how this would go, and not over her personal safety or anything.
At least Marie, seated on the left of Jeanne Alter, seemed to be more on edge, even if it was barely noticeable. Her eyes were a bit guarded, and that exuberant smile of hers felt a bit forced. Closer to the trio of female French Servants, Mash's eyes darted around as she sat awkwardly. The only other Servant present in the room was Astolfo, who as always seemed to be off in Lala Land at times.
"So, how are you enjoying your time here, Alter?" Marie asked politely. To her credit, the Flower of Versailles was doing her best to be her usual self. The Knight of Rebellion didn't suspect that the forced nature she was displaying was a sign of any lingering resentment over Alter's role in the Rider's demise. Regardless of personal feelings, everyone had signed up with the expectation of dying that day, and every day since.
No, Mordred suspected it had more to do with Alter's more abrasive nature that she was wielding at full power. Right now, the term 'Dragon Bitch' felt appropriate, and more than just as an insult. After all, if it walked and talked like a bitch, it was a bitch.
"Barely," she sneered. "Everyone seems so focused on worrying about themselves. Perhaps that noble sentiment the Masters displayed was simply a front, hm?" Mordred's fingers curled tightly around her cup, and she was somewhat surprised that it didn't crack from the pressure. It seems Marie had been serious about requesting for a number of cups and plates that were strengthened with Mystic Codes to reinforce them.
Jeanne frowned reproachfully. "That's not fair, though. This is only your second full day here since you were summoned. Especially since you spent the first day hiding in your room."
"Didn't stop people from concocting the most ridiculous of rumors, though," she shot back, and Mordred rolled her eyes in exasperation, finally speaking up.
"Well, you've got no one to blame other than yourself. You were the biggest threat in the First Singularity, so that already gave you a bad reputation among quite a number of staffers. Not to mention the majority of the Servants from that period who were summoned. Vlad's already asked Jacob to never put him on the same team as you. Atalante and D'Eon asked similar things."
"Mordred is right," Mash spoke up in her usual, demure tone. "The longer you maintain any sort of barriers or hostility to us, the worse it'll get for you. The other Servants respect Jacob Senpai and Ritsuka Senpai, but that respect can only go so far in dealing with you." Alter, naturally, snorted dismissively at the warnings, not even beginning to look back at anyone and instead check her nails. Even though they were covered under her damn gauntlets! Mordred bit down on her tongue to contain her frustration as the Dragon Bitch delivered her retort.
"Oh, so that's what this is all about, huh? Trying to 'rehabilitate' the Avenger, and thus increase your standings in the Masters' eyes, like helpless minions?"
"Do you have to be such a bitch?" Mordred snarled instinctively. "We're trying to help. Jacob said that he would welcome you to Chaldea, but he's not Chaldea. He doesn't speak for everyone. You should be lucky any of us are giving you a chance!" Astolfo nodded slowly in support, though keeping out of it for the moment.
Jeanne Alter was the first Servant to be summoned who had been purposefully antagonistic, without any serious outside influence or extenuating conditions to mitigate her words, actions, and overall behavior.
So far, the other main antagonists Chaldea had encountered didn't really live up to the Dragon Witch's Chaotic Evil alignment. Blackbeard was a pervert, but he hadn't wished to destroy everything. Jason had been an utter dick, but in his own twisted thinking, had wished to do good. Romulus had wanted to save his people.
Of course, Mordred would grudgingly admit to the fact that Alter had proven herself capable of possessing redeeming qualities. To a degree. Blast it, why couldn't her partner have summoned Alter with the inclusion of those memories?
It certainly didn't seem to help that Alter had not only somehow discovered that Mordred was dating Jacob, but seemed hellbent on provoking the knight at every last minute, with comments ranging from her past (with the Battle of Camlann and the rejection of being Father's child being particular favorites) to what seemed like subtle hints that maybe Jacob wasn't pleased with dating Mordred.
While the latter would have absolutely affected her self-confidence earlier, after last night, she knew that was a false statement, and that Alter was only trying to work her up. Still, it was partially effective, if only in angering the Knight of Rebellion, and that had proven to be more than enough of a reward to continue motivating the Avenger into harassing her.
Jeanne Alter smirked cruelly, raising a pale eyebrow. "Funny, from what I've heard, the same could be used to describe you."
Mordred's hands slammed into the table, and she started to rise up in her seat, her hackles raised. Her smug smirk growing even further, Jeanne Alter rose to meet her. But before either could completely clear their seats, a pair of hands dragged them back down. For Mordred, it was Mash and Astolfo, while Marie and Jeanne handled the Dragon Witch.
"Come on, you know what Jacob and Ritsuka said," Mash interjected, with Astolfo nodding his head like a Rider possessed.
"Keep it in the sparring ring," the former Rider of Black added. Exhaling violently, Mordred forced herself to relax, though not without great difficulty.
"It wouldn't be that much of a challenge," she said, glowering at her verbal tormentor. Jeanne Alter's smug finally died an ugly death, and the Dragon Witch scowled back. The Avenger tossed off the hands of Marie and Jeanne, and stood back up.
"I am done with this 'get together'," she announced sharply, and before she could elaborate or try to deliver another insult, Alter stormed out. Jeanne shot Mordred and the others an apologetic look before getting up to follow her lookalike.
"That went better than expected," Mordred muttered as she watched the retreating form of Jeanne be obscured by the door closing silently behind her. In the awkward silence that settled in Marie's Salon, (Mordred still cringed at that) the Knight of Rebellion may just as well have shouted those words. Still, Marie and Astolfo kept silent, the former looking thoughtful, while the latter shifted uncomfortable in his chair.
"Mordred, I couldn't see how this could be worse," Mash said in an uncharacteristically snappish tone. Ah, sort of a rare treat for Mordred to see the endearing Demi-Servant show frustration or exasperation on topics not involving Ritsuka Fujimaru. Mordred grunted and shrugged, placing her hands against the back of her head and leaning back in her chair, hauling her boots up onto the rim of the table.
"Well, the room could be on fire, Jacob and Ritsuka could be running in to try and intervene in a Servant battle…need I go on?" Mordred asked dryly as Mash groaned at the casual response. The Demi-Servant began dragging her hand down her forehead but not knocking off her glasses.
"Mordred," she said in a disappointed groan. Mordred grunted a bit crossly.
"What? We're dealing with a rage-filled Avenger. There's not a whole lot we can really do on the matter, is there?"
"Then what do you suggest, Mordred?" Marie asked tiredly, slumping into her own chair. Mordred shrugged again, taking her feet off of the table and resting her elbows there instead as the blonde knight chewed on the corner of her cheek for a few minutes, before finally answering.
"Well, let's see what Jeanne does would be my first suggestion. After that, it's a matter of finding out what happens down the road. Jacob is planning on bringing Alter with him, and I'll be keeping an eye on her best I can. Hopefully, whatever crazy plan Jacob and Jeanne have concocted actually works."
Jeanne Alter's teeth gritted as she stormed by the occasional Servant or staff member as she made her way through the seemingly-endless hallway of Chaldea to get to her room. With each suspicious glare, her temper burned brighter and brighter, until she almost felt like she was on fire.
How dare they? How dare they pity her? How dare they judge her? Had anyone else, even among the Heroic Spirits summoned, gotten a firsthand experience at just how intense fire could be? They were little more than insects. Things to be ignored, even if you stepped on them.
And yet, not everyone seemed to be treating her with guarded looks and comments, or otherwise flat-out ignoring her. Her Master, for example.
As far as she could tell in Orléans, not once did he show any kind of anger or rage towards her. Sure, he had shown shock and dismay when she had proudly declared her handiwork when they first met at the recent ruins of La Charité, but that was it.
No hint of him cursing her name or image. Even at the end, after everything she had thrown at the blasted mouse, Jacob had not once indicated a personal level of hatred towards her. What's more, there seemed to be some sort of warm, tingly feelings that he made her feel with his kindness.
Even after she acted like she was going to kill him the second she had been summoned! Gah, why couldn't Gilles be here? Not the uppity Saber one, but the real Gilles. He'd make sense of this madness. He was an expert on it, after all.
Before she could further bury herself in the warmth of those thoughts, of the times where she wasn't having some sort of fucking existential crisis, she finally noticed the pair of boots following behind her. Sensing it wasn't the fucking Knight of Rebellion, she suspected it was one of two people. Snarling silently, she spun around on the back of her heels to glare at her follower.
"What do you want?" Alter growled, trying, and unfortunately failing, to burn holes through the body of that damn Holy Maiden. The Avenger's anger only grew by the moment as the Maid of Orléans offered her a smile.
"I want for us to be sisters."
….
"What?" Alter finally said, cocking her head to the side. The rage was replaced momentarily by confusion. There was no fucking way that Jeanne had just asked what she did…
Was there?
The damned Holy Maiden merely smiled at the Dragon Witch warmly. "I said that I want for us to be sisters, Alter." The Avenger stared incredulously at the Ruler.
"I know it sounds a bi—"
"What in the nine circles of hell are you blathering about?" Alter roared like one of the creatures she could command. "Me? Jeanne d'Arc, the Dragon Witch, be sisters with Jeanne d'Arc, the foolish Holy Maiden? Is this all some sick nightmare of Gilles?"
"No, I am quite serious about this," her counterpart replied without skipping a beat. "We are related in a way, if you think about it. Like family, but two different individuals who share a similar face. So why shouldn't we consider one another as sisters?" Jeanne's cheeks then darkened slightly as she scratched her cheek absentmindedly. "That, and I wouldn't mind having another sister in my life."
Alter felt her mouth flap open and close rather frantically, causing her brain to angrily curse the Dragon Witch out over her lack of composure. Finally, she managed to regain the capability of speech, there really was only one way she could respond.
"Hell no!" Alter jabbed a finger aggressively at the Holy Maiden's face, her gauntlet-covered appendage shivering in rage. "I'd rather we just ignore one another!" To her satisfaction, she finally got a negative reaction from the Ruler.
Jeanne frowned, a hint of sadness hurting her eyes at the Dragon Witch's statement. "I disagree. We share the same Master, and are likely to be deployed together sooner or later one day." Alter threw her head back and barked dismissively.
"The mouse might be many things, but he isn't that stupid!" The cruel grin that had formed died an ugly death as Jeanne flashed Alter a smirk of her own.
"Oh, was that a backhanded compliment of our Master, sister of mine?"
"Take it as you will, and don't call me your sister!"
"But—"
"Go bother someone else, Holy Maiden!" Alter demanded, spinning around and storming off to her room. Listening for any sound of that blonde bitch following her, Alter was satisfied to hear only her own boots clicking against the tile. Regrettably, she wasn't able to escape the thoughts bouncing around inside her brain.
Be her sister? Pah! That sounded like a bad comedy! Either it was from pity, or that nauseating level of friendliness that Gilles had wished out of Alter back in Orléans. Regardless of which one was responsible, it still caused Alter's already-boiling blood to burn hotter.
She didn't need pity or kindness! She was Jeanne d'Arc Alter! The dreaded and cursed Dragon Witch, who tried and almost succeeded at burning down the country that had rewarded her services with betrayal. Betrayal, and a fiery death.
And yet, and yet, a rather unfamiliar sensation was starting to creep into her soul as she stewed over this latest turn in events. A warm feeling. Not of fire, but sitting by the firesides. What the hell?
Growling once more, Alter finally reached the door to her room, and smashed the button open. With a low groan, the mechanically-operated metal slab slid open. Stepping into her quarters with a single step, the furious Dragon Witch slammed the inside button, closing the room as the overhead light flickered on.
The room was still sparsely decorated. Alter didn't know what she wanted to put up on her walls. Pictures of dragons? Too childish. She didn't have anyone or anything else that came to mind. But that wasn't what she was concerned about, as she stormed over to her bed and threw herself onto it face-first.
With an angry, but muffled, snarl, Jeanne Alter screamed into her pillow in frustration. She screamed and screamed until her throat began to feel raw. Why did everything have to be so bloody complicated in this goddamn place?!
Original Endnotes: And done! What do y'all think? Good mixture of fluff and angst?
Like I mentioned in the last update, this chapter was probably going to be a day later than normal, and so it was. Back to every four days now though, so Chapter 103 will come out on July 8th. Now, the next chapter is going to be the start of the Fifth Singularity. The reason I am skipping over Ritsuka and Mash's first date is because in all honesty, it's going to be a lot like Jacob and Mordred's, but without third parties intervening. I will be doing a chapter of one of their later dates though!
As always, thanks for reading, and also for all the support you've given both me and this story! Means a lot! I hope you enjoyed it, and please let me know what you think of this chapter! Have a wonderful day, and see you on the one-year anniversary update for The Will to Fight!
Updated Endnotes 01/26/23: As always, the fully-updated version of The Will to Fight can be found on my account at Archive of Our Own if you want to skip the wait~ Otherwise, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and see you next time!