By the Bonfire: A song from the heart.
Elizabeth tapped her foot against the floor as her stool as she continued to glare at seemingly nothing, the dragon girl holding a frown on her face while completely oblivious to the outside world.
She paused at the sound of something sliding over to her across the table, the girl frowned and looked up to see the smiling face of Siegward staring down at her. Then stared towards the mug he had pushed towards her, her expression turned sour.
"I don't like coffee-"
"It's hot chocolate." Siegward replied with a faint chuckle, leaning back and pulling out a small canister of whipped cream and spraying down atop the mug and the hot liquid before he pulled back and stared at it. "You know…cream was something of a rarity back in Catarina." he remarked, furrowing his brows "It was something only the upper class had access to."
"Same." Elizabeth nodded her head before she stared at the mug "...I'm supposed to be watching my weight."
Siegward blinked "Can Servants such as ourselves even gain weight?" he asked aloud, blinking repeatedly before he cupped his chin "Hmmmm."
"I'd rather not risk it either way." She scowled, moving to push the mug away before the scent hit her nose. The girl paused for a few moments as she stared at the mug, then looked up at Siegward before returning to the hot chocolate "However…" she muttered out as she grabbed it and slid it closer to her "I suppose I can accept the gifts of adoring fans." she preened.
Siegward raised an eyebrow at her before he made an expression of understanding "Ah yes…you are some manner of idol, no?"
"I am." She boasted, leaning back into her chair "And dare not forget it, pig. You are speaking with the cute idol Eliza-chan!" her smile stretched from ear to ear "Well? You're honoured, aren't you?"
Siegward blinked "...I do not know what an idol is."
Her expression fell "Oh, right…you're one of those ones." she scowled, looking down at the mug "I suppose you can take solace in the fact your first idol is going to be the number one idol in all of the Throne!" her expression brightened slightly before it dimmed, looking over to the corner of the room and narrowing her eyes. "If only I didn't have to deal with her."
Siegward turned towards the noise, raising a lone eyebrow as he found Elizabeth glaring at the strange assembly of Gareth, Verndari, Marie, d'Eon and Mozart. The girl's eyes fixed themselves completely upon the French Monarch.
"She's such a nuisance." Elizabeth clicked her tongue "That Queen…she's a natural born idol and she doesn't even realise it. Even with her flaunting that royal status of hers, she can just bat her eyelashes and make some kissy faces and suddenly she's got droves of people falling at her feet."
Siegward scratched his cheek "Is that was that is? I thought it was just being really popular…"
"Of course being an idol is about popularity, pig!" Elizabeth groaned at the Catarinan "That's the entire point! But I'm a pop idol without a stage! How can I even compete with someone who can be that popular with or without their proper environment?"
Siegward stared at her blankly "I do not believe I would be the best individual to ask this of…"
"Obviously." Elizabeth rolled her eyes and pointed at him "You haven't even heard of an idol before!" she paused "Still…were you there for my debut in Rome?"
Furrowing his brows, the Catarinan blinked for a few moments in thought before he paused and slowly widened his eyes "Ah…that at the start of the ceremony…that was you?"
"Naturally." Elizabeth grinned "Who else could such a voice belong to?"
Siegward made a strangled noise before he looked down at the girl and then back towards the kitchen "Hmmm. What of the Simulator?" he suggested "It might offer you some manner of stage?"
Elizabeth sighed "It's not quite the same…I want my performance to be dazzling to have hordes of real people flock to me with their fawning expressions and cheers. Not a punch of computer sprites telling me how much they love me…that's just fake."
"I suppose you could invite some of the Servants to attend?" Siegward proposed "However I would recommend some practice beforehand."
Elizabeth stared at the mug with a frown "...Well that's just obvious, isn't it pig?" she muttered, moving the mug to her lips and taking a sip of the hot drink, leaving behind a small white smear of cream on her upper lip. Siegward wordlessly slid the napkins over to her before he made his way back to the kitchen.
The idol girl continued to stare at the mug before she let out a long sigh then blinked "...A concert for Servants, is it?" she paused before slowly nodding her head and sporting a wide smile "Hmmmm."
"You look like you've just opened up the Ark." Archer remarked as Siegward wandered back into the kitchen with a distant expression. He saw Boudica give him a flat look in response, prompting the Archer to simply give her a lazy shrug before he returned his attention to Siegward "Well?"
"I believe I might have allowed my kindness to get the better of me once again…" Siegward replied with a troubled expression "And some - if not all - of us might end up paying for it."
Archer and Boudica raised their eyebrows at him in puzzlement.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Boudica inquired with a tilt of the head, Siegward let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead.
"I gifted the small crossbreed girl a hot chocolate because she looked rather down but it seems she was a little green with envy about some popularity trouble." He explained, then looked up at the two "The conversation then seemed to move into her wishing to hold regular concerts so that she could regale an audience with her singing prowess."
Archer let out a groan, already guessing where this was heading and moving to hold his face in his hands.
"Well…I suggested the Simulator for her to try and practice with a stage of some sort." Siegward went on "She said the idea of performing to a 'computer' was unappealing to her so I…suggested a Servant audience."
Boudica gave a slow blink "You mean you told the girl who can deafen people with her singing…to invite everyone to a concert?"
"Well…I didn't want to try and dissuade her from her dreams." The knight defended himself "She seemed so taken with the idea and it seemed wrong to talk her down…" he paused, the blinked in realisation "Also I do not know if she would have even listened to me…she kept calling me 'pig'." the Knight stared down at his gut "...I'm not that overweight, am I?"
Archer rolled his eyes and shook his head in exasperation. Boudica gave a light chuckle before placing her hand on the Sabers shoulder in a comforting manner.
"You're not overweight. From what I've heard, she calls Master much the same so for her its probably just what she calls people."
Siegward's face scrunched up in confusion "Why would you refer to someone as an animal instead of their name if you've only just met them?" he frowned lightly "It seems rather insulting."
"For most, I imagine that is the point." Archer gave an uncaring shrug as he moved back to the kitchen "For Elizabeth Bathory? I assume she just can't see humans as anything more than pigs. Unsurprising given her history."
"Her history?"
"Hmm." Archer nodded "A rather sordid tale involving bathing in the blood of young women in order to keep herself young and fresh, or so she believed." the Archer grunted "As for how many she tortured and killed to satisfy that belief…it is guessed to have been around six hundred."
"Goodness me…" Siegward frowned, moving his hand and covering his fist with his chin, then turning towards the girl "But she doesn't seem so violent…she looks like a child."
"Yes, well…we all have our strange quirks." Archer muttered as he started to fry up another dish "Most Heroic Spirits are killers, the only real difference is what we kill people for."
"Well I-"
"Have never killed someone for a disgusting reason such as that?" Archer cut him off "No, I suppose you wouldn't. However, that is something you need to remember." he turned towards the Saber with a steeled expression "Most Servants either get to the throne through their deeds, many of which involve taking lives with some notable exceptions." he nodded over to where Marie was "But they are few and far between. We all may look like ordinary people…but most of us have taken many lives."
"Well…I suppose when you think of it like that-"
"Alright, no." Boudica gave Archer a swat on the arm "There's a difference between killing some marauding bandit gang and killing a group of innocent women to bathe in their blood."
"Obviously." Archer sighed "But the point is most Heroic Spirits might not be as innocent as they appear to be." he nodded at Elizabeth "Make no mistake, that girl over there is just the first of many."
"That aside." Boudica turned back towards Siegward and cringed at him "...Really? After what happened at that little festival?"
Siegward gave a nervous chuckle and a shrug of the shoulders "Sorry?"
"Well, what's done is apparently done." The Rider sighed, palming her forehead in exasperation "All we can hope now is that we somehow manage to avoid being invited to her little concert." she paused, then looked around at those present before she gave out another sigh "That's going to be unlikely, isn't it?"
"My luck has never been that great." Archer admitted rather tiredly "That said, I am certain I should be able to find some excuse to avoid it…probably."
"I feel as though we might be blowing this out of proportion." Siegward chimed in, frowning slightly as he looked between the pair "Now, I understand her initial showing was rather-"
"Deadly to be around."
"...Troubled." Siegward corrected "But there is nothing to say she didn't merely let her nerves get to her." he explained away "She said 'debut' no? Which means it was her first performance!" he gave a wide hopeful smile "So perhaps her next time - with a much smaller crowd - will be less...erm…" he paused, failing to find the right word which wasn't flat out offensive.
Boudica stared at him for a few moments before she shook her head at the Knight "I should hope you never lose that ray of optimism, Siegward." she remarked, giving a light chuckle "Although you should probably try to manage your expectations just a little."
"Well…I like to be a little hopeful sometimes." Siegward rumbled, giving a look over his shoulder towards the idol girl "I'm sure she might eventually get to where she wishes to be…" he paused. "That said, I sincerely hope she does not partake in the activities which you claim to have marred her past."
"It's not like there are that many people left." Archer mused "And I'm told she prefers the blood of virgin girls." he turned around, smirking at the pair "And any of those are very likely to be Servants who would be more than capable of defending themselves."
"Hmmmm." Siegward hummed, turning back to Archer then slowly nodding his head "I suppose there is that."
Whatever else, he doubted that this was going to be a short term issue.
"I don't understand." Ash bluntly stated as he stared at the cards in his hand with a slight frown "What is the purpose of this?"
"You mean Old Maid?" Ritsuka blinked "I mean…" he looked at Mash, then furrowed his brows at her oddly determined expression before he dismissed it and turned back to Ash "It's a game. I suppose the purpose is to have fun?"
Ash gave a single blink, then stared down at his cards for a few moments in silence "...I do not understand."
"Erm…think of it like reading tells." Ritsuka shrugged, earning a tilt of the head from the Saber "I'm trying to guess which card is which by your expression."
Ash blinked again "Ah." he nodded "So it is akin to watching the movements of your opponent and waiting for them to make a mistake where you then capitalise upon it. But also ensuring you are not fooled and end up with the Jester card."
"Er…yeah, sure." Ritsuka replied, giving a single nod "We'll go with that explanation."
"I see." Ash hummed "Yes, that would prove useful in combat." he admitted, then stared at Ritsuka with a sudden intensity that had the boy still himself as the emerald eyes bored into him in an unblinking soul piercing stare.
The Saber gradually lifted his steel gauntlet from under his cape, moving his left hand towards the cards in Ritsuka's palm while his right held his cards.
"Oi! Pig!" Ritsuka jolted and Ash almost looked ready to hurl something towards the door as it suddenly shot open, Elizabeth storming into the room and freezing as she saw the three sat down on the floor all holding cards. "...What are you doing?"
"We're-"
"Doesn't matter, Pig!" Elizabeth shook her head, marching over to Ritsuka and grabbing his shoulder before pulling him up to his feet in a single rough motion "We've got something more important to discuss!"
"W-we do?" Ritsuka managed to get out in surprise as she spilled him towards the door, leaving Ash and Mash alone in the room.
"Wait for me, Senpai!" Mash quickly called out, dropping her cards and rushing after the pair.
"...Does this count as a temporary retreat?" Ash called out as he slowly rose to his feet, placing his cards face down on the ground before turning and taking powerful strides after the group. "Does this mean we will resume later?"
Ritsuka managed to eventually pry himself free of Elizabeth's grip and fell into a steady pace just behind her as she walked through the halls at a much faster pace than he could manage but still clearly not using her full Servant agility.
"So…where are we going?" He asked, directing the question towards the girl's back. Elizabeth didn't answer for a few moments, choosing instead to lean forwards slightly and look as though she was moments away from breaking into a power walk.
"Where are we going?" Elizabeth parroted the question back with a puzzled tone of voice, looking over her shoulder and giving Ritsuka a look as if he had said something monumentally stupid. "We're going to set up the stage for my performance!"
Ritsuka almost wished she hadn't responded "Stage?" he repeated the word back slowly "So…you're going to be singing again?"
"Exactly!" Elizabeth beamed at him with a wide and prideful smile before her expression returned back to one condescension "That much should be obvious, shouldn't it pig?"
"I…guess?" Ritsuka replied, scratching his cheek and turning around to see Mash and Ash keeping pace with him. The former looked just as dubious about this as he felt.
The latter still maintained a rather blank expression, although the way his brows were furrowed slightly was all the info Ritsuka needed to know that he was probably going to be answering some questions once again. Explaining idol girls to a zombie ghost from another world wasn't something he ever imagined doing in his life.
But he apparently lived in interesting times.
"Elizabeth-san?" Mash called out to her, picking up her pace and moving to fall into step with the Master "When you say stage, do you mean the Simulator?"
"Naturally." The girl nodded before raising a single finger "But don't be too naive Deerlet-" Mash mouthed the word to herself in bewilderment "-we're not just looking for the right stage…everything has to be perfect." she smiled a little wider "Which means we need the right fans!"
"Fans." Ritsuka repeated the word. "...Where are you going to get those?"
Elizabeth stopped walking, turning around and glaring at him with narrowed eyes "What is that supposed to mean, pig?" she frowned heavily "Are you suggesting I don't have fans?"
"Huh?" Blinking in surprise, Ritsuka's words eventually managed to catch up to his brain before his eyes widened and he raised his hands in surrender "Oh, no! I didn't mean it like that." he hurriedly explained to her "I mean where are you going to get the audience because it's not like there's that many-" he cut himself off, slowly closing his eyes as realisation set in "You're inviting all the Servants, aren't you?"
"Of course." She replied as if it were obvious "Although the pig who makes food in the kitchen and dresses like a vegetable gave me the idea to begin with."
"Siegward-san did?" Mash blinked in surprise, turning her head and giving Ash a curious expression as she studied his face for any sort of reaction.
Ash merely shrugged in response to her before he spoke "Siegward has never been one to speak ill of another. I suspect he merely told her this as a suggestion for whatever reason."
"Well, it's certainly an unforgettable one." Ritsuka replied back to him before looking down at Elizabeth "I suppose you want me to try and help invite the Servants then?"
"You're going to be working as a pseudo-manager for the moment." Elizabeth waved her hand dismissively at him before turning around and continuing to walk through the halls "Which means you will be in charge of making sure that everything is prepared for my concert tonight."
"Tonight?" The Master did a double take "That's a bit soon, isn't it?"
"You think I will leave my fans craving for more so soon after I arrive?" Scoffing, the girl gave him a smirk as if he were a child. "How silly you are, little pig."
"Why does she keep calling him swine?" Ash leaned towards Mash, whispering down at her with a puzzled expression on his face.
Mash furrowed her brow and shook her head at the Saber "I am not sure either, Ash-san." was her honest answer "Maybe…it's like a term of endearment?"
"An insult?" Ash frowned, leaning back and then staring at Elizabeth "...Why do you call him Pig?"
"Huh?" Elizabeth turned around at Ash's sudden question and gave him a puzzled look "Because he is a pig." she gave an uncaring shrug and then turned back around as if nothing had happened.
Mash gave a slow blink before her lips curled down ever so slightly into a disapproving frown "Or she might be insensitive." she muttered under her breath before shaking her head and resuming her usual expression of reserved stoicism and following after them once again.
"So you want me to just…make a concert ready for you?" Ritsuka clarified "Just like that…for tonight?"
"Yep!" Elizabeth nodded her head "It is your duty as a Manager after all to see to the needs of your charge, in this case me." she gestured to herself "So I leave it in your hands…" she turned around and pointed at his chest, narrowing her eyes slightly "Don't let me down, pig." turning about face, she marched through the doors in front of her and back into her room.
Ritsuka blinked several times before turning back towards Ash and Mash stood behind him.
"...I feel as though we've been roped into something troublesome." He grumbled after a few moments, reaching up and rubbing his forehead "So we're going to need some advice on idols."
"Is there anyone with that sort of advice, Senpai?" Mash tilted her head as she asked the question, Ritsuka furrowed his brows for a few moments before his eyes widened slightly.
"I know just the person!"
Romani blinked at the display of the three currently stood in front of him before he slowly turned his chair towards the rest of the room.
The other Operators were staring at him with expectant expressions - even the usually stoic Maxwell seemed moderately amused by the situation - before he turned his chair back to face Ritsuka, Mash and Ash.
"Okay…so why come to me?" He asked in a strained but already resigned tone of voice.
"Magi*Mari." Ritsuka replied with a faint smile, crossing his arms in front of his chest and earning a sigh from the Doctor in response. The man groaned, leaning back into his chair and rubbing his face with his hands.
"Alright…I'll grant you that one but who is this even for?" He got out, lowering his hands and staring at the trio suspiciously "Leo didn't put you up to this, did she?"
"Da Vinci?" Ash tilted his head, raising an eyebrow in a puzzled fashion before he shook it "No. I have not consulted Lady Da Vinci about the topic. Ritsuka seemed to believe you to be a good source of information on the topic of 'idols'."
"He did, did he?" Romani's eyes fell onto the boy, giving him a flat look before he shrugged his shoulders "I suppose I might know a bit…" he admitted with a reserved expression cupping his chin and assuming a pose that made him look more like a wise figure "But what do you need this knowledge for?"
"Elizabeth-san wanted to-"
"Tell her nothing R-man!" Kerry blurted out the second she heard the name, frantically shaking her head with a panicked look on her face "Tell her nothing!"
"E-eh?" Mash blinked in confusion "But-"
"Nothing!"
Romani was looking similarly dubious about the request "I don't know, Fujimaru-kun…I get trying to help her but remember Rome…"
"I mean she has her heart set on it." Ritsuka pointed out "And I don't know…" he gave a half shrug and a pensive expression "It just feels wrong to say no to her."
Romani remained silent for a few moments, crossing his arms he tapped his fingers repeatedly against his limbs as he pursed his lips in thought. After a few more moments of contemplative silence, he eventually let out a light sigh before giving the Master a half smile "You're really something else, aren't you Fujimaru-kun?"
Ritsuka could only respond with a 'what can you do?' expression on his face.
"Well…I assume you're going to have this done in the Simulator, right?" He asked the trio, earning nods from them before he turned back around "Well…I suppose I can give you my idol expertise on what an ideal stage for Magi*Mari would look like but remember, no two idols are ever the same. What works for her might not work for Elizabeth."
"She has different tastes." Ritsuka muttered under his breath "That makes sense."
"My aid has a price, Fujimaru-kun." Romani warned, turning back to him and giving the Master a serious expression "...Please don't invite any of us to her concert!" he blurted out with a pleading tone "Please!"
"Alright! Alright!" Ritsuka stepped back at the sudden intensity in the man's voice, raising his hands in surrender and giving him a shocked look "I won't invite you guys!"
"Thank you!" Romani sighed out in relief before he smiled more genuinely at them "Now then." he leaned forwards slightly "Let's get to work on this!"
"You are oddly motivated towards this goal." Ash commented with a puzzled tone "Is there some purpose to idolatry that I am not seeing?" he paused for a few moments before he frowned "As you have made it thus far sound akin to the worship of a God."
Romani opened his mouth to reply before he paused, eventually closing it again "I mean…it's not? But it sort of is?" he winced "I'm not going to be very good at explaining it to you…am I?"
"I don't think anyone can explain it to him very well." Ritsuka pinched the bridge of his nose before he furrowed his brows "So…finding out what she likes?"
"Senpai, didn't Elizabeth-san say that Rome was her debut?" Mash pointed out with a thoughtful expression, Ritsuka blinked at her before nodding his head "Then should we not examine the footage of her debut in Rome and see the type of staging she created and go further beyond that point?" she paused, then cupped her chin "It would be elementary to assume Elizabeth-san utilised her own style for her debut, which we should be able to incorporate in setting up her stage for later today."
Romani chuckled at her "You really have been reading a lot of those Sherlock Holmes books, haven't you?" he gave her an affectionate smile as she paused and flushed with embarrassment "I think you looked like a real detective there for a few moments, right Fujiamru-kun?"
"I think all she needs is the long coat and the pipe." Ritsuka chuckled at her, causing her face to turn brighter red.
"P-please don't tease me, Senpai!" Mash whined before turning to Romani "And don't say unnecessary things Doctor!"
"But you've made a good point, Mash." Romani encouraged her, turning around in his chair "And you're actually right. She said her debut was in Rome so if we bring up the footage - and mute it to be safe - we should be able to see what she goes for."
Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the mirror across from her, her long pink finger guards rapping against the desk before she leaned back in her chair.
She wasn't entirely sure if she had made the correct decision not to oversee the creation of her stage. However, this was an opportunity for her to see if her 'Master' had what it took to be her manager. She was aiming to be the Number one idol in all of the throne which meant that her Master would have to have what it took to get her to that point.
If they failed to create an adequate staging for her by the time she arrived then she would know they were unfit to be her manager and she would have to look for someone else who could. She'd still stick around, if all of humanity got incinerated then she wouldn't have anyone to perform for.
She could hardly be considered the number one idol if she didn't have the backing to prove any of it.
Also she really wanted to establish her position before anyone else had the opportunity to. She could just tell that the French Queen could become an idol if she put her mind to it. The fortunate news was that at the moment, she didn't seem to be aware of just how powerful she could truly become (in the entertainment world).
This was her chance to assert her dominance and to do that with all those Heroic Spirits coming here would mean she would need an exceptional manager. One who could deal with the stresses of short time constraints and everything else that came with being the manager of a soon to be popular idol girl.
Her mind drifted back to her debut and she felt that ugly sensation well up in her again.
Despite what everyone else thought, she wasn't all that ignorant when it came to her performance. She was aware there might be a few teething issues…
However, a true manager would stick through all of them and help her become the perfect idol. If the pig called her Master was indeed her manager, then this was his opportunity to prove it.
"You're crazy if you think I'm helping out with that again." Pharros instantly shut Ash down as he asked, the Saber frowned before nodding his head in response. "Besides, I've got other projects to work on as well…as happy as I am I got to make speakers, I'd rather not go through what happened in Rome."
"Understandable." Ash affirmed without much in the way of resistance "It was unpleasant to witness."
"Why are they even doing this anyway?"
"I do not know." Ash shook his head "I have not had it explained to me, nor have I been informed quite what an 'idol' is. I am left to assume it in some part relates to idolatry?"
Pharros squinted at him "...You mean like…worship?" she asked in an odd tone, at his nod she reached up and scratched her cheek "Well, that is certainly a bit weird. Although I heard that there was this cult which worshiped Dragons so maybe it's like that?"
Ash blinked, then nodded his head at her "The Way of the Dragon." he muttered out in sudden realisation "I had not considered that possibility. Perhaps it is because of her crossbreed nature and her dragon blood that none can understand her wailing."
"Or she just can't sing." Pharros pointed out with a half shrug "That's a possibility as well."
"None have the dragon blood to my knowledge." Ash replied "Save the Kioyhime woman, however she appears to have some rivalry or hatred of the girl. Considering she presented the warning, perhaps it is unpleasant to her as well?"
"I really can't tell you." Pharros shook her head in response, crossing her arms and leaning back slightly "However, you don't know why they're doing all this?"
"Ritsuka said he would feel bad if did not aid her." Ash replied "As a Master, I am told he has a duty to ensure his Servants are kept content and they - in turn - have a duty to serve him. I assume he is doing this because he understands his duty compels him to aid her regardless of his personal feelings."
Pharros grimaced slightly "Well…not like I have a duty to her-"
"No." Ash agreed "But you do have a duty to Ritsuka." he pointed out, the woman paused and slowly turned back to him "As his Servant, he has given you the command to aid him regardless of your personal feelings. Therefore your aid is expected."
Pharros stared at him for a few moments in silence before she let out a long and pained sigh, waving her hand "Fine…I can get you your…strode lights?" she muttered out the word "I don't even know what those are, when do you need them?"
"Within the next seven hours."
"...Well then." Pharros shrugged before cracking a grin "I've never worked on such a tight deadline before so this is going to be something! Also never heard of a strobe light before!" she turned around, closing her room door behind her and leaving Ash alone in the hallways.
The unkindled turned away from the door and started to move away before it suddenly opened up again and Pharros arm lashed out and clamped down around his.
"Where are you going?" She frowned at him before dragging him inside "I need help with all the heavy lifting!"
"Slide it a little to the left!" Ritsuka called out, waving his arms to punctuate the point "A little bit more…" he then held up his hands "Alright, stop!" turning to his left "How is that looking?"
Archer crossed his arms, giving it a discerning eye before turning to Arash "It looks even enough to me. You?"
"I'd say it's looking good." Arash gave a smile and an affirmative nod towards the Master "Although you could have asked the Simulator to do all this for you, you know?"
"Feels a little bit like cheating if I did that." Ritsuka replied, then gave Verndari a thumbs up "Alright, it's good there! Thanks for the help, Verndari!"
"Nonsense." Shaking her head, Verndari leaned back "I am always happy to be of use, my Liege…regardless of the manner of task you have me perform."
"Hahahaha!" Leonidas let out a booming laugh as he leaned against the large speaker he had pushed near the stage "This barely counts as a warmup for myself! However, I welcome any form of exercise!"
"You remind me very much of some of our old drill instructors." Verndari called out to the man with a slight hint of nostalgia "Although they were much less rigorous than you, I must admit."
"I assumed so." Leonidas nodded his head towards the disguised woman "I have seen your training regime. It is certainly useful for one who has never exercised before, however it lacks the essentials to truly push the upper limits of the human body!" he raised his hand to his head to emphasize the point "And then go beyond those limits." he raised the hand even higher.
"I see…" Verndari muttered out "However, it would not do if our Liege was driven into a state of exhaustion by pushing themselves beyond their true limits." they pointed out, Leonidas shook his head.
"I have done this thousands of times over." He affirmed to her "I am confident in all my techniques." he turned towards Ritsuka "However, I am curious what we are doing with this gear?"
"I admit my curiosity, my Liege." Verndari turned to face him, tilting their armoured head "When you called for the Servants to assemble in the simulator - with the exception of the stone bishop - I assumed we might be running practice drills…I was not expecting us to assemble…" she gestured to the makeshift stage "Whatever this is." she paused. "I mean no offense."
"It's fine." Ritsuka assured her with a gentle smile "We're actually helping to assemble a concert for Elizabeth."
The room turned silent.
"...We're doing what now?" Someone called out from the opposite end of the room where they were sorting out the seating arrangement, their voice containing an obvious hint of dread within it. "...Why?"
"Because she asked us too?" Ritsuka replied "And because I thought it would be a nice distraction to kill time while we wait for Roman to find another Singularity." he paused "Also I think group work like this is really good at building up a team dynamic."
"This isn't a team dynamic!" Mozart called out "This is lining ourselves up to be whipped! What are we, masochists?"
"Be quiet you pervert!" Marie slapped him on the arm. "It wouldn't surprise me if you were a masochist."
"I will neither confirm nor deny such baseless accusations." Mozart pressed a hand against his chest and leaned back in mock pain. "Although getting shouted at by you does things to me."
Marie rolled her eyes at him while d'Eon gave him a look of veiled disgust before they all returned their attention to Ritsuka.
"So…do we have to stick around for it?" Mozart called out with a slight hint of desperation in his tone.
"Yes." Ritsuka called back, earning groans from all around him which prompted a frown to form on the Master "Alright, alright!" he held up his hands "I know she might not be perfect but she's trying her hardest here and clearly wants to achieve this. Maybe we are all going to end up regretting it before the night is over but I would regret it if I never made the effort to help her." he gestured towards the stage "This right here is what we're fighting for."
"Bad music?"
"Ye-no!" He called back to the voice "Doing insane nonsense like this because it's fun! We're all going to put together a concert for Elizabeth Bathory with help from a legend of Ireland, Persia, Britain and even from another world!" he threw his arms wide "Maybe it will suck…but I'm sure as heck going to put my all into making sure Elizabeth enjoys every moment of it because I want to and because when else are we ever going to get an opportunity to do something like this?"
The room fell into another silence as they looked around, sharing glances with each other before many of them just shrugged their shoulders and returned their gaze onto Ritsuka.
"Nice speech, kid." Cu shouted back, raising a thumbs up at him "Besides, rushing off half-cocked towards a shit situation is how half of us ended up as Heroic Spirits in the first place!" he cheered, waving his hands "Come on! Let's set up this battlefield guys!"
"Well, I wasn't quite thinking of it like a-"
"Indeed." Sasaki chuckled from where he was leaning against one of the walls at the side of the simulator "While I cannot ever claim to have seen a battle like this, I am one for new experiences. Perhaps it will end quite terribly but I am intrigued to see just how far we can take this."
"Again, not what I was-"
"Never been to a theatre before." Andre grumbled out, wiping his hands on his apron and resting his hammer where he had been placing up scaffolding for the overhead lights "Never seen a singin' dragon before neither…" he shrugged "Might as well…even if it does turn up shit."
"This is really starting to sound defeatist-"
"Umu!" Nero called out from where she had been posing atop the stage "This will indeed make for a fine venue for my own performance!" she beamed, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest "It would be wrong not to encourage challengers to my talent of the theatre!"
"Now I'm getting a sense of dread-"
"Woof!" Sif let out a loud supportive bark as they released the chairs they had been dragging over, Ritsuka just stared at the dog before Gareth called out over the top of the voices.
"Exactly! This is quite fun, isn't it?"
Ritsuka did a double take "How did you even understand him?"
"You truly are kind, Anchin-sama." Ritsuka let out a shriek of surprise as a voice tickled the back of his neck, the Master spinning around and finding Kiyohime stood behind him with a troubled smile "Although, is this truly something you are willing to subject yourself to?"
Ritsuka breathed out, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling down at the Berserker "Honestly? I can't tell you that right now but I think we could all use a good distraction every now and again…even if you are Servants it just…well…I feel like I've at least got to support you all in some way and if Elizabeth wants to sing then I'll help her as best I can." he paused "Even if it might end up deafening me."
Kiyohime released a gentle giggle at him "Very well, if it is what my Anchin-sama wishes. I suppose I have no complaints." she looked past him and smiled more softly "And I did find your speech rather endearing."
"Really?" Ritsuka blinked "I just made it up as I went along."
"That means you were speaking honest truths from the heart, Anchin-sama." She raised her left hand and pressed it against his chest "Which is more valuable than you can possibly imagine."
"Hey kid! Stop trying to get it on with the dragon girl and come over and help!" Cu shouted out from throwing up banners "You got us all together, I'll be damned if you don't try and chip in."
Ritsuka let out a sigh, giving an amused shake of the head but not before giving Kiyohime a nod of appreciation "Thanks." he turned away from her, jogging over in the direction of the stage and leaving the Berserker behind with a slight pout on her face.
"It was just getting good though…" She muttered lowly.
Arash watched her with a raised eyebrow before turning to Archer, the tanned servant merely shook his head in exasperation before he walked off. The Persian let out a chuckle in response before similarly leaving the girl to her fantasy.
"Alright then…" Pharros muttered out as she placed the next spotlight on the trolley "It was just eight you needed, right?" she looked towards the Saber, when he nodded she smiled widely "Excellent! This was actually a little fun. I don't know about your time, but we used oil lamps and the sun for light sources."
"The lighting remained the same in that case." Ash informed her as he moved behind the trolley and grabbed the handlebars, then pushed it as the Caster opened up the doors. She gave him a mildly disappointed look although not directed at him.
"Really?" She clicked her tongue "I was hoping that we'd have been able to find something a little better…" she muttered, cupping her chin "Maybe using sorcery or miracle lighting?" she gestured to the ceiling of Chaldea "These people have been able to use lighting, haven't they?"
Ash shrugged "I have not given it much thought. Most often I do not understand what is being discussed and therefore decide to ignore it unless I feel it is important enough to affect my objective."
Pharros placed her hands on her hips and sniffed "That's a little boring of you, what about a natural sense of curiosity?"
Pausing, Ash slowly turned his head towards the Caster. His lip curled into a minute frown for a few moments before they thinned out. "I would rather avoid such temptations." he replied curtly, pushing the trolley once again "I have suffered many times for my curiosity enough to know it is best to avoid pushing the limit of it."
"Why have limits if you aren't going to break them?" Pharros asked, falling into step with him and pointing at the spotlights "That's why I helped build those things anyway. I'd never even considered the idea of using miracle power for lighting and yet here we are! Imagine what I could have achieved if I knew I could do that?"
Ash remained silent as he pushed the trolley, not looking down at her which earned him a roll of the eyes from the Caster. "You're just one of those 'I like being boring' types, aren't you?" she sighed before shrugging her shoulders uncaringly "It's fine. I have met many like you in my travels so I'm not too bothered by it."
She paused for a few moments "So are you going to remain for the performance?"
"Unless I am told not to, yes." Ash nodded his head "I find it best to accompany Ritsuka at all times when my aid has been requested." he paused, furrowing his brows "I also wish to know why he has gone to such lengths for this activity."
"I'd like to assume it's fun, but given that we've actually listened to her singing voice…" She trailed off with a grimace "I can't assume anything after that."
"Hmm."
The pair fell into another silence as they approached the doors to the simulator, the doors hissed open and allowed the pair entry into the large room.
Ash paused as he gazed around the location, his lips pursing and brows furrowing slightly.
"Senpai!" He heard Mash's voice echo out "Ash-san and Pharros-san have arrived with the lighting!"
"Good!" Ritsuka's voice called back, Ash turned to the direction of it to see Ritsuka standing atop a podium while looking as though he had been adjusting some manner of ornament. The Master turned towards the entrance and soon spotted the pair, a relieved smile spread across his features as he jumped down and jogged over to them "I wasn't sure you'd get them ready in time."
"You doubt my ingenuity?" Pharros smirked at him, raising a lone eyebrow and resting her hands on her hips. "I'm almost hurt."
Ritsuka halted his movement "Uhhh…"
"I'm joking." She assured him with a wave of her head "I'm grateful you brought this to me." she smiled, leaning back and crossing her arms "Between building these and that strange washing contraption, I haven't had this much enjoyment in some time. Next time get me to make a trap room, will you?"
"Hahaha…oh, you're serious…" Ritsuka trailed off as she nodded her head "I'll think about it?" he got out, looking to Ash for support and seeing the Unkindled more concerned with his surroundings "Ah, right." he coughed into his hand "Well, we figured Elizabeth was going for some sort of modern take on Gothic style so this was the result…"
He waved his hand towards the buildings behind him, the large stage laying in the centre of a town square looking completely juxtaposed to the architecture surrounding it.
The glowing neon lights of 'Lizzie-chan!' were flashing repeatedly mounted atop a metal scaffolding rising above the staging area.
"...I…see…"
"We were actually a little worried about whether she wanted steampunk or goth." Ritsuka continued on "So we took a vote and decided to go with gothic and had Roman select the most appropriate town." he gestured to the location "So…welcome to Budapest in the year 1545-"
"Technically we are in Buda, Senpai!" Mash called out from across the area "It did not become Budapest until 1873 when Buda, Pest and Óbuda unified to form the city!"
"Thanks, Mash!" Ritsuka called back "...Welcome to Buda, then."
"This is…oddly familiar to Irithyll." Ash muttered out before shaking his head "Very well then…Shall I assume you are prepared to begin setting up the lights?"
"Hm? Oh, right!" Ritsuka nodded, turning to Pharros "Can you help with that please?"
"Sure." She smiled back at him "I built them, may as well ensure no one else breaks them…" she grimaced "Especially after last time when I spent so much time on that voice amplifier."
"I don't think anyone is going to try to smash them this time." Ritsuka assured her, however the noticeable pause after the sentence ended was soon followed by "Probably."
Pharros stared at him for a few moments before she shrugged her shoulders. "That's probably the best I'm going to hope for." she grumbled and then grabbed the trolley herself "Come on then. Let's get this all sorted out so I can make my escape."
Elizabeth noted the halls were mostly abandoned - not that they were usually populated, but they felt more empty than usual - as she continued her trek towards the Simulator where Pig had told her to go.
The fact he was summoning her meant that he had at least been able to fulfill her request. Or he was planning on begging for her mercy for his failure, one of the two. That said, even if he had succeeded there was still much to consider when it came to a proper staging. Lighting, location and design all had to be taken into account.
She supposed she could overlook some initial mistakes considering it was his first attempt.
Coming to a halt at the door, she pressed the entry button and walked inside.
She promptly gaped in shock. Rows upon rows of familiar houses of her home country littered her vision, a slightly dark grey overhead cloud system which was neither depressing nor overly joyful. Her eyes fell upon the cobblestone road at her feet as she soon began to walk across it.
Her ears were already picking up the sounds of chattering from up ahead as she navigated through the rather simple layout of the city. She could vaguely see flashing lights just above the crest of the next incline as she approached as the voices got louder and louder.
As she crested the small hill, her eyes widened and her jaw almost unhinged.
Lying dead in the centre of what would have been the market was a colossal stage which looked as though it had been pulled from several centuries in the future. Lining the upper sections of the metal struts at either side were rows of spotlights which shifted from colour to colour as they roamed freely towards the large assembly of Servants and some staff gathered there.
"There she is!" She jolted at the voice, immediately noticing the Pig pointing towards her with a smile, she noticed the other Servants all turned to her with mild expressions of dread on their faces quickly being hidden behind polite smiles.
She couldn't hide the jubilation she felt nor did she even bother to as she strutted down the street towards the staging area, making sure not to look too excited as she did so.
Ritsuka was waiting for her with his arms crossed and a relaxed posture "We tried to look at how your debut went and based it off that." he explained to her, gesturing behind himself "What do you think?"
She stared at it for a few moments before her lips twitched upwards "...I suppose it is fitting for me. Although I wouldn't be adverse to some improvements." she looked around "The scenery is missing a few chains but other than that-" she missed the way several Servants furrowed their brows as the suggestion of chains "-I would say for a first time it is adequate."
Stepping past him, she walked towards the stage and manifested her spear in her hands and twirled it so the microphone section was near her face before climbing into the spotlight and spinning around. "I suppose I can humour my adoring crowd!" she called out, unable to hide the excitement that time.
She didn't care that much for the pained expressions on their faces, right now she was happy.
Ritsuka took a seat next to Mash and Ash as he waited for Elizabeth to start singing. The Saber leaned towards him and whispered out.
"Why did we do this?"
"Because it was fun." Ritsuka replied back "And because I wanted to." he shrugged "It seemed harmless enough and it was a way for everyone to get involved." he paused "Even if it might turn out a little…" he trailed off meaningfully.
Ash stared at him in silence, then leaned back into his chair and stared at Elizabeth "...Fun? That was what we did this for?"
"Yep." Ritsuka smiled, nodding his head and suspiciously moving his arms to be in close proximity to his ears.
Ash's lip curled down slightly at the reasoning however he didn't voice his objections aloud.
No matter how much this was troubling to him.
"Prepare yourself for the new hit idol of Chaldea!" Elizabeth's voice boomed through the speakers as she took in a deep breath and called out through it "Bwaaaaahhhhh!"
Ash's expression tightened. This was par for the course every time someone did something for fun.
AN: Last time we had two people hating each other.
Now we just have everyone suffering through a concert in light hearted Chaldea shenanigans.