By the Bonfire: Scary Spirits

"So…" Ritsuka clapped his hands together, leaning forwards "Does anyone have any idea what we're going to do for the upcoming holiday?" he looked around the room expectantly, managing to earn utterly blank stares from the majority of the staff members.

Except Kerry, but he didn't know if she counted or not.

"Fujimaru-kun…" Romani turned away from his monitor, giving the Master a raised eyebrow "It's the first day of October, isn't it a little early to be planning for halloween?"

"Yeah, but people put up Christmas lights on the first of december." The Master countered, Kerry giving a sage nod in response "So I don't see why we shouldn't at least make plans for it." he paused. "Also we did plan early for that dumplings festival as well, but we failed to consider the possibility of being robbed."

"I would like to ask how we could even have suspected that we would get robbed." Meuniere asked as he turned around in his chair, leaning forwards slightly and giving a puzzled frown "It's hardly as though we were expecting a Goddess from ancient Greece to break in here with the express purpose of looting us."

"Given what most of the Greek Gods are famous for, we should be thankful that's all she did." Maxwell grunted dryly, looking over his shoulder towards them "Even worse for Artemis considering all those she ended up cursing to death for slighting her."

"Talk of the ancient curses of the Gods aside." Romani interrupted the discussion with a perturbed expression, shifting the focus back to the original topic "What exactly did you even have in mind, Fujimaru-kun?"

"Maybe a couple decorations?" The Master shrugged "A party or something? I think it would be good fun either way."

"Assuming that we don't encounter a Singularity before then." Romani replied with a gentle smile "And who knows how long that would take to resolve." he sighed, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms "I'm not entirely against the idea but at the same time we have to be realistic about this. A big celebration just isn't all that feasible for us to do - given our circumstances - and we just don't know when another Singularity will be detected or not."

Ritsuka slumped slightly "I know that…but it would feel weird if we just let the holidays slip past." he paused. "I mean…we wouldn't do that with Christmas, would we?"

"Hope not." Kerry swiftly replied "Christmas is the best time of year. You can drink all you want and no one can complain about it."

"We can still do that." Romani assured her with a raised eyebrow "And please don't try to get drunk while on the job." he reiterated with a strained look "But back to the original topic, I suppose a small celebration for Halloween wouldn't be out of the question if the remainder of the month is relatively quiet."

He raised a hand before Ritsuka could give a cheer "But only if the Director approves of it." his finger retracted "My own opinion on the topic aside, big scale stuff like this still requires her permission as it would use most of the resources to organise."

"Damn…" Kerry slumped "That's the fastest a Halloween party has ever died."

Ritsuka furrowed his brows "Why? She let us do the little moon celebration, right?"

"That was before we got robbed." Meuniere remarked, rubbing his forehead "She would probably use that as an example of how lax we were and that someone took advantage of us while our guard was down." he paused "I mean, she isn't really wrong in that regard but she would still blow it way out of proportion." gesturing around the room, he continued on "I'd also like to believe we'd be better prepared in the event something like that happened again-"

"Dumbass." Kerry slapped a hand over her face, interrupting the man "You just jinxed us."

Meuniere opened his mouth to reply before he closed it again and furrowed his brow "O-oh…" he hissed, then gave a nervous chuckle as he scratched his cheek "Woops?"

"Forget about it." Kerry waved her hand dismissively "That's a problem for future us to deal with."

"That sounds terribly irresponsible." Romani remarked with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head and turning his attention back to Ritsuka "But if you can convince the Director to allow a small celebration for Halloween then I will do everything I can to help you." he paused "Within reason." he continued on, throwing a thumb over his shoulder and back at the desk "I've still got a lot of work that needs doing."

"When don't you?" Kerry chuckled then stared at the doctor "Wait…are you doing this for the overtime pay?"

"W-what!?" Romani blurted out in surprise, turning to the woman and gaping at her "No! Why would you think that?"

"I don't know, you've put in more hours than the rest of us." Kerry shrugged "Hell, you actually spend more time here than the actual Director." the woman turned to the others "Actually, what is the overtime rate around here?"

"We get paid overtime?" Maxwell stared at her in surprise "I didn't know that."

"You only work your hours though." Meuniere pointed out "So I don't think you'd know about overtime at all." turning around to face his monitor, he continued on "Our overtime rate is pretty standard though. I think it's about half our current hourly wage added on top for however many hours we do."

"So just the 1.5 system?" Kerry grunted, scratching her chin "Fair enough…does Da Vinci get paid?"

"Leo?" Romani blinked "Why would she get paid?"

"I mean…she does put in a lot of work around here." Ritsuka gave a half shrug "She's pretty much an established staff member, isn't she?"

"Well, yet but that doesn't mean she would have to get paid for it."

"So we're using unpaid labour?" Kerry replied with a serious face, doing her best to hide the twitching of her lips.

"Wha-" Romani sputtered "Unpaid la-!? We summon unpaid labour regularly!" he exclaimed "Why would you even pay the Servants for their work?"

"I thought they got paid in food?"

"You mean like a pet?" Kerry blinked, then scratched her chin "Actually, that sounds pretty similar to Da Vinci."

"What?" Romani stared at her with a dumbfounded expression "Are you saying that the Leonardo Da Vinci is like some pet cat we keep around?"

"Well…she always does stuff for praise." Kerry rattled off, raising a finger "Makes a lot of noise when she wants attention-" another finger "-more often than not, gets you to clean up after her-" another finger "-and asks for food." She shrugged, "Sounds like a pet to me."

Romani blinked at her several times "...I mean, she's more like an over enthusiastic child."

"Damn, that's a good example." Kerry lamented "Better than my pet one at any rate."

"That aside, Servants don't get paid." Romani reiterated "What would she even do with the money?"

"...Buy stuff?"

Romani gave her a flat look, Kerry rolled her eyes and waved her hands in surrender.

"Yeah, yeah…I know." She sighed, "I was just asking."

"I know." Romani admitted "But try not to bring it up around Leo." he stressed "Could you even imagine how much money Chaldea would owe her for all this? The entire site would end up bankrupt."

Ritsuka blinked "That much?"

"Fujimaru-kun." Romani turned to the Master and stared him straight in the eyes "She would have been on overtime pay from the very moment she was summoned. Which was well over a year ago."

Ritsuka's brows gradually rose up. "That's…a lot of overtime."

"Probably helps that Servants don't need to sleep." He paused, then slowly turned to Ritsuka "By the way, how many other Servants have you actually told about this plan of yours?"

Ritsuka blinked "I thought they were summoned with knowledge of the era?" he tilted his head "Wouldn't they already know about Halloween?"

"...Oh."

"Romani?" The room looked towards the Doctor's desk as Da Vinci's voice echoed through the screen, containing an obvious tinge of amusement within it "Is Ritsuka there?"

"Yes." Romani replied, already dreading the answer "Why?"

"No reason." She giggled "I was just wondering if he knew that our resident cute paladin came to me and requisitioned a full tin of orange paint and a small pot of black paint." dead silence soon gave way to another giggle "And he was accompanied by a certain round knight at the time."

"Gareth?"

"...Round Knight." Da Vinci replied "Not that sort of round."

"Wait…" Romani's brows furrowed "Do you mean that-" the communication line soon cut off, with the Doctor still staring at the console with a slight hint of dread before turning his attention towards Ritsuka. "Erm…Fujimaru-kun? Would you be able to-"

"Already on it." Ritsuka sighed, standing up and shaking his head "This is either going to cause a headache, or I'm going to laugh like there's no tomorrow. That's normally how it goes with Astolfo at any rate."

"I'll say." Romani chuckled, "I don't envy you though."

"I wouldn't envy me either." Ritsuka replied with a good natured smile as he moved towards the door "See you around, R-man."

"Se-" Romani cut himself off with a sigh, Kerry's laughter echoing throughout the command room and earning a groan from the doctor.

Ritsuka was already half way down the hallway from the command room before he immediately encountered Ash, the Saber looking somewhat puzzled. The Master raised a lone eyebrow at the Saber before walking towards him "Hey, Ash!" he called out, earning the Saber's attention.

"Ritsuka." He nodded to him in greeting, lips thin "Is there some manner of cultural event that is to occur?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Both Astolfo and Siegward appear to be in high spirits." Ash replied with a faint frown "Or at least, more active than usual. I was hoping that either yourself or Mash would have some form of answer for me on the matter."

"Oh, right." Ritsuka nodded his head in understanding "It's the first of October, so they're probably excited for Halloween…actually, do you have Halloween?"

Ash stared at him blankly, Ritsuka cringed in sudden realization "Ah, right…you've never been to a festival before the moon one, have you?"

"No." Ash shook his head "Nor have I ever heard the word 'Halloween' before today." he tilted his head, frowning "Is it important?"

Ritsuka shrugged "Depends on how you feel about it." he admitted honestly, gesturing to the hallway "Come on, I was going to look for Astolfo anyway." he commented as he started to walk, giving the Saber a sideways glance "So, you saw Astolfo?"

"Earlier, yes." Ash nodded in affirmation "He seemed to be engaged with Siegward in the cafeteria where the topic of 'Halloween' came up." his brows furrowed "I do not know what was said, only that in the next moment both Siegward and Astolfo had vacated the room with great speed without even stopping to explain."

"They must have run off to Da Vinci then." Said Ritsuka as he scratched his cheek, throwing a thumb of his shoulder "She just called to let us know that Astolfo had requisitioned some orange and black paint from her." he paused "I didn't even know we had paint to begin with."

"I did not know that either." Ash replied "Although I now realise I never made an effort to discover whether or not we had some. I did not deem it important enough to ask." his lips quirked downwards "Perhaps an oversight on my part?"

"Probably not." Ritsuka reassured the Saber "Astolfo might be very hyper-active but he's hardly malicious. The worst that ever happened thus far is that one broken washing machine." he paused "Actually, that sort of worked out in our favour because I think Pharros one is waaaay better than the one that we previously had." cupping his chin, he gave a thoughtful ful "I wonder if the Director would approve of Pharros making improvements to all the other washing machines?"

"Is it necessary?"

"I wouldn't say it's necessary." Ritsuka shrugged "But it would probably make everything a little easier in the long run. It's just better." he admitted "Might not be the best use of her time but I think it would be a good investment."

"Then it is simply an improvement upon current equipment?" Ash inquired, earning a nod from the Master "In that case, I see no reason to reject the request for betterment. If only in regards to mundane apparatus."

"Eh, we'll see." Ritsuka shrugged "I suppose we'd eventually have to explain why one of the washing machines is vastly superior to the others. I suppose I could say that Pharros was experimenting with modern technology. Not exactly a lie."

"It omits the detail that Siegward punched a hole through the front of it."

"Well, I get the feeling that telling her that is just going to make her more annoyed than she would be otherwise." Ritsuka chuckled in response, "And what she doesn't really know, can't end up hurting me."

"Hmm." Ash nodded his head, he supposed it made sense to neglect certain information. It would spare Olga avoidable stress at the very least. "Very well." he agreed as they came upon the elevator "You were explaining Halloween?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah." Ritsuka nodded his head as the doors opened up, Mash blinked in surprise at the pair "Hey, Mash."

"Senpai, Ash-san." She nodded to the pair with a faint smile on her face before she fixed her full attention on Ritsuka "Ah, Senpai. Astolfo-san-"

"Got some paint from Da Vinci? She just called." Ritsuka gently cut her off "Were you coming to inform me?" the girl nodded once "Alright, come on. We're going looking for him to see what exactly is going on." she stepped back as Ritsuka and Ash moved into the elevator.

Pressing the button for the floor beneath them, Ritsuka looked over his shoulder towards Mash "Oh, by the way. Have you ever celebrated Halloween before?"

Mash blinked at him before shaking her head "No, Senpai." she replied with a hint of disappointment before her expression brightened "However! I have familiarised myself with its history and current meaning!" she paused "Does that mean you are going to try and celebrate it, Senpai?"

"If all goes well? Yep." He smiled at her, turning around and leaning against the wall "I was actually explaining it to Ash as well."

"Ah!" Mash excitedly turned to the Saber "Halloween itself is based upon the ancient Gaelic Ritual of Samhain, where it was said the boundary between the Otherworld and the human world was thin upon the final days of October. So during that period, the people would make attempts to appease wandering spirits and Fae by leaving offerings outside of their home and carved pumpkins to ward off hostile spirits."

Ash stared at her in silence for a few moments before his brows furrowed and his features darkened "We are on the verge of being assailed by the dead?"

Mash blinked once "I…don't think so?" she shook her head "The meaning of the festival turned into a holiday with much of the original purpose lost." she turned to Ritsuka "Actually, the doctor informed me that the original Samhain was actually a ritual designed to ward away the Fae folk and the spirits of the dead."

"Oh, so all that stuff is real?" Ritsuka tilted his head, letting out a small 'huh' noise "That is less surprising than I thought it would be."

"A lot of old pagan rituals are built upon truth, Senpai." Mash explained before she winced "Although the degradation of the mystery surrounding the festival means that it no longer has the same influence upon the Fae and spirits that it used to." she paused "Although they cannot interact with the world as strongly as they used to around the time of the inception of the ritual."

Ash tilted his head "So it was a festival to protect them from Darkwraiths?" he hummed "That much I can understand, but if it is no longer necessary, why is it still practiced?"

"Ah, that comes from the Christan faith." Mash explained "Halloween is an abbreviation of 'All Hallow's Eve' which takes place on the final day of October. This is because the first of November is regarded as All Hallows Day where the Saints in Christianity are venerated." she continued on "With the second of November being a remembrance of the dead. The influence of Christianity near the time of the festival meant that all three soon became conjoined into Allhallowtide. Where they would ward off evil spirits, honour Saints and remember the dead." she explained "It became a religious holiday in effect and was spread along with Christianity."

"I…see?" Ash slowly nodded his head "Then it is a celebration for those of the Christian faith." he went on.

Ritsuka shrugged "For the most part? Yeah, I suppose. Although a lot of people who aren't religious get involved with it as well. Normally you just dress up as some spooky creature and go out to get free sweets."

Ash blinked several times at him "You…adorn yourself in costumes and demand alms?"

Mash winced, "That might be a cynical manner of looking at it." she replied slowly "But it is typically done in good fun." she paused "O-or so I am told…" she muttered out "I've never done it."

"...So, this ritual now serves no purpose beyond…self-satisfaction?"

"I…" Ritsuka bit his lip and hummed "I guess? I mean, I wouldn't phrase it like that." he shrugged "There are still a lot of people who regard it as important." he turned to Mash "Actually, would Cu celebrate Halloween?"

Mash blinked "I don't know, Senpai. I am aware that the Ancient Irish Hero-King Fionn mac Cumhaill slew Aillen on Samhain which is said to have won him leadership of the Fianna." she replied "But beyond that, I am not aware…many of the original records for Celtic Mythology were lost before the AD era, but it is thought that the ritual of Samhain goes back at least two thousand years." she shrugged "We could ask, Cu-san?"

"...Yeah, I'm a little curious about this now." He paused, "Also, Fionn?" He turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Ah, the Ancient Hero-King of Ireland and probably their most famous figure, after Cu-san." She replied "Many of his feats are quite exemplary and he would make for a powerful Heroic Spirit." she went on "Although that would depend upon which Class he was summoned into."

"Why?"

"His best Class would be Caster." Mash replied "But as leader of the Fianna, he might also be summoned as a Saber or Lancer, due to his feat of slaying Aillen with a spear throw or his sword, Mac an Luin." she paused "But he is more famous for eating the salmon of wisdom and being blessed with great knowledge. One of his childhood foster mothers was Bodhmall, who was said to have been a powerful druidess of the time. So she would have presumably taught him magecraft."

"Huh." Ritsuka blinked "The more you know." shaking his head, he returned his attention to Ash "That aside, it's probably best to compare halloween to that festival we did a while ago-"

"Where we were robbed?" Ash interjected, earning a groan from Ritsuka.

"Why do I get the feeling that is all people are going to take away from that for a while?"

"Because we were robbed by a Goddess." Ash replied blandly "I am not certain that is a common state of affairs."

"Alright, alright." Ritsuka held up his hands in surrender "We were robbed, but I don't see why that is the only takeaway from everything. Everyone still managed to get a little enjoyment out of it, right?"

Ash stared at him in silence.

"...It's just to lighten people's nerves." Ritsuka went on "Think of it as a retry from the unfortunate moon dumpling fiasco."

He continued to stare at the Master in silence.

"...We're just trying to get people to have a little fun?" He went on, giving a faint shrug.

Ash's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned back to face the entrance to the elevator "Hmmm." He merely grunted in response, crossing his eyes and staring at the doors. "If that is the sole purpose of this endeavour, then I do not see a need to partake in it."

Ritsuka let out a sigh, turning towards Mash and seeing her give him a similarly concerned look before she shrugged her shoulders. Looking as unsure as himself about what to do in regards to the Saber.

"Are you sure?" Ritsuka asked, staring at the Sabers back. Ash gave a single nod in affirmation. The Master let out a gentle sigh before slumping his shoulders "Alright then, I won't force you."

"Samhain?" Cu blinked at the trio in surprise before he blew air out of his lips "Shit…is it already that time of the year?" he grimaced, shaking his head "Nasty time of year that is." he paused "Unless you're in the habit of wanting to fight nasty beasts from the Otherworld, in which case it's a blast."

The Irish lancer frowned in thought "Teacher might have mentioned it once or twice but I can't see her not being involved in some capacity." he gave a wry chuckle as he pointed at the group "Anything involving dead spirits and shit from the Otherworld normally attracted her attention, although that was only if it involved the Land of Shadows as well."

Ash nodded his head, crossing his arms "You mentioned her before, some manner of guardian against Darkwraiths?"

"Guardian?" Cu parroted, scrunching his face up and tasting the word "I guess that could be a way of phrasing. Another would be cleaner." he grimaced "Land of Shadows normally attracts all manner of nasty things that end up lingering, she just makes sure they move along into whatever next life awaits them." he shrugged "She's actually probably got a little in common with you, from what she told me she used to get a bunch of Divine Spirits - forgotten or otherwise - turning up which she then slew."

"Hmm." Ash hummed in response "I see. She taught you?"

"Oh, yeah." Cu cackled "Beat my ass black and blue as well…she probably still could." he winced, looking left and right "Old hag really packs a nasty fuckin kick, between you and me."

"Should we ever meet, I will endeavour to avoid her legs."

"Good fuckin luck with that." Cu responded with a dead serious look in his eyes "No, I'm serious. Good luck. She'd take one look at you and probably try and have your hide." he shrugged "Nothin' personal, but she'd just view you as some escapee from the Otherworld or Land of Shadows."

"And view it as her duty to put me down." Ash replied "That is understandable."

"...You're oddly accepting of that."

"It is hardly surprising. Many Paladins of White devoted themselves towards the slaying of undead. I would hardly be remiss to complain about one more when so many others exist." He paused "Having said that, I never encountered any of the Paladins of white…their religion was all but extinct by the time of my…existence."

"Fun." Cu sniffed, turning back to Ritsuka and Mash who had been following the conversation with odd looks on their faces "So, Samhain?" he smiled at the pair "Alright, I'll humor you. What are you gonna do because I don't know about you…" he snickered "But I don't think we have enough Servants on hand to fight off the amount of dead who would come knocking on our door."

Ritsuka and Mash stared at the Lancer in disapproval while Ash merely blinked, the man rolled his eyes and held up his hand "Alright, alright. Too soon." he sighed "Still, if you can't make fun of shitty circumstances, what can you make fun of?"

"...Planning a small celebration." Ritsuka responded after a few moments of silence, his hands dropping to his hips "Just to keep things on the casual side. Some food…maybe a couple drinks as well but I'm still-"

"Underage, I heard." Cu smirked "Then again…I heard the strangest thing that during your deployment to the ocean singularity-" Ritsuka's jaw snapped shut with his eyes going wide. "Ah, so you had your first drink and I wasn't there?" the Lancer gave an expression of disappointment "I'm hurt kid."

He turned to Ash "What happened?"

"He was suffering from a hangover, so I lent him a Divine Blessing as a cure."

Cu coughed on air "D-divine blessing for a hangover cure?" he punched himself in the chest repeatedly while devolving into a fit of laughter "S-shit! Hahahahahaha! T-t-that's the best fuckin thing I've ever heard! Hahahahaha!"

The trio watched Lancer continue to laugh - at this point earning the attention of everyone else in the gymnasium - while Ritsuka flushed with embarrassment with Mash continuing to give him a sympathetic look.

Eventually, after a few minutes of continuous laughter, Cu eventually straightened himself out and wiped away a tear under his eye. "A-alright…phew! Haven't laughed like that in a while." he turned to Ash "Where do you even get something like that?"

Ash shrugged "I found them. From what I discovered they were made by the Queen of Lothric although there was rumour she was Gwynevere, daughter of Gwyn."

"You just…found divine blessings lying around?" Cu tilted his head before shrugging once "Alright then. What are they then, medallions?"

"Water."

"Blessed water? Fair enough." Cu sniffed, he turned to Ritsuka "Did it taste good?"

Ritsuka looked down at his feet "...Yes." he admitted after a few moments of silence.

"Well, there you go then." He beamed at the Master "Iron face here is free to give you all the holy water he wants, although using one for a hangover isn't what I would probably call a worthwhile use but that's just me having more stomach for drink than you."

"Cu-san." Mash interrupted, bringing the focus of the group to her "We were also wondering if Astolfo-san and Siegward-san had been here?"

"Those two?" Cu frowned "Haven't seen 'em." he shook his head, turning to the gym "Hey guys!" he hollered out "Has anyone seen pink hair and onion man?"

"No!" Leonidas shouted back "And I personally find it somewhat saddening that I have yet to see them attempt my training regime!" he slammed a hand against his chest "I am determined to get them here." his helm fell upon Ritsuka "That said, Master!" he pointed at the young mage "I expect to see you here bright and early tomorrow for your exercise routine!"

"E-ehe…" Ritsuka let out a nervous chuckle "S-sure!" he called back "Whatever you say…"

"Could be worse." Cu snorted "Could be my teacher."

"She was more rigorous?"

"No." Cu shook his head "Probably about the same when it came to physical exercise…but she normally included battle exercise as well." the Lancer winced at a phantom pain "And she would be trying to kill you the whole time."

Ash tilted his head "What good is battle training if you are not learning how to deflect lethal strikes?"

Cu stared at him "...I mean yeah, there is that." he admitted rather uncaringly "But she didn't so much ease you into it as she pretty much said 'Survive the next five minutes' and then come at you like a beast possessed."

Ash looked him up and down "Considering your prowess, I assume it worked?"

"Well, yeah." Cu snorted "Didn't quite meet my end against her…" shaking his head "That aside, haven't seen the little guy." he paused "But a celebration of Samhain, actually you call it Halloween now or something, don't you?" he tilted his head "Weird. Anyway, I'm always up for a drink."

Ritsuka rolled his eyes "Well, I suppose that was a given though, wasn't it?"

"Eh, I'm a simple guy." Cu shrugged "I like what I like."

"Fair enough." Ritsuka replied without much in the way of protest, then turned to Mash "Well, if he's not here then we'll go and look elsewhere."

"Yes, Senpai."

"See you kids around." Cu waved to them, then turned to Ash "By the way, fancy a spar?"

Ash blinked at the sudden request "I…am not used to holding back my strength against an opponent." he replied slowly "If we fought, I would be attempting to kill you."

"And?" Cu raised an eyebrow "That's sort of how I fight as well." he chuckled "Like you said, what good is training if you aren't learning to dodge fatal attacks."

Ash hummed in response "I see. I suppose that is acceptable." he paused "And my experience in fighting agile spearmen is limited." he frowned "The fastest I fought was Gundyr, but we were equal in terms of agility."

"Guess you can phrase it like that, yeah."

"It would also improve my own capabilities with spears." Ash went on, cupping his chin "My preference for swords aside, I am just as capable with lances and the like."

Cu gave a slow blink "Oh really?" he crossed his arms "...Well then." he cracked a grin "I guess I can help about with that."

"Try not to kill each other." Ritsuka called back to the pair in a parental tone "If you're going to fight, at least have someone who can heal you nearby!"

"Eh?" Cu snorted "What kind of Hero can't take a few stab wounds?" he joked "Besides, me and him have about equal in terms of Battle Continuation." he slapped the Saber on the arm "We'll be fine."

"Hmmm." Ritsuka gave a single, low hum in response while giving the pair a half-lidded stare before shaking his head "Whatever you say…No Noble Phantasm though!"

"Yeah, yeah." Cu waved his hand "I ain't that stupid." he turned to the Saber "...So what kind of weirdo spears you got, anyway?"

"Well-"

"You can talk about your spears later." Ritsuka called out to the pair "We've got a Rider to find."

Ash gave Cu a shrug "Later it is then."

"Eh, alright." The Lancer gave an uncaring shrug as he watched the trio depart before he was suddenly struck with understanding "Hey wait! Phrasing kid! You gotta remember phrasing!"

"I feel like we might be walking around for a while at this rate." Ritsuka groaned as he rubbed his forehead, walking out of the Cafeteria and shaking his head "I sort of hoped that either Archer or Boudica would have at least known."

"It was worth a try, Senpai." Mash reassured him, patting the Master on the back "I'm sure it would all work out in the end though!" she exclaimed with a hint of cheer "Besides, even as excitable as Astolfo-san is, he won't cause that much trouble!"

"That sounds like you're about to jinx us." Ritsuka replied to her before giving the Shielder a faint smile "But yeah, you're probably right." he shrugged, "Chaldea might be big, but there are only so many places he can go."

Ash stared at him "Would it not be easier to summon him with a command seal?"

"I mean, yeah?" Ritsuka admitted "But it would probably be a big waste of one and I can definitely see the Director getting mad at me for using one for that." He explained "Anyway…I'm trying to just think of where else he might be…"

Ash paused, "Have we been to his living space yet?"

Ritsuka slapped a hand over his face "...No. We haven't." he replied slowly "And he's probably there."

"A-ah…" Mash winced "I-in fairness, Senpai! It does seem like a spot much too obvious to be the right place! A red herring!"

"Knowing my luck it's just a normal herring." Ritsuka grumbled to himself "Come on, this probably relates to halloween anyway-"

"Halloween!?"

"Bwah!?" Ritsuka jumped in surprise, spinning around to face the new voice and suddenly finding Elizabeth's grinning visage directly in front of him.

"You said Halloween, right Pig?" She inquired further, leaning closer and causing him to step back "Right?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Excellent!" The girl beamed, returning to her original posture and puffing out her chest "I was worried I might have missed it but if it is almost upon us, then that is perfect." she chuckled to herself, giving the trio a glance before she moved around them "I have so many plans for this next concert…I've always wanted to perform on a holiday…" her voice trailed off as she went further down the halls.

Ash watched her depart with a growing frown on his face before he eventually spoke "...Are we going to assist her with this next 'event'?" he quizzed with obvious disdain in his voice, earning surprised blinks from both Ritsuka and Mash.

"I mean…if she asks?" Ritsuka replied, giving the Saber a light frown "Are you alright?"

"...I simply do not believe we should be engaged in such frivolous and pointless activities for the sake of doing them alone." He responded after a few moments, giving the Master a sideways glance "But if it is your order…I will…aid as best I can-"

"You don't have to help if you don't want to." Ritsuka shook his head "I hardly want to force you into doing something you obviously don't like."

Ash's expression cooled "...I am grateful for that." he replied after a few moments "That said, I am coming to the realisation that others do not share my sensibilities when it comes to time management." his eyes narrowed "...Or life style." he muttered under his breath before resuming his walk. "Come then, we have a room to search."

"Alright then…" Ritsuka frowned, crossing his arms and staring at the retreating Saber "...Do you think inviting him to the Elizabeth concert was a mistake?" he quizzed Mash with a raised eyebrow.

The Shielder frowned in thought, "I think it might not have been a good first event for him to attend." she replied, then furrowed her brows "Actually…I do not know if Ash-san has attended an event that did not end in a rather unfortunate way."

Ritsuka opened his mouth to reply before he closed it again, thinking back on the situation and realising that Mash was correct and that all their previous attempts and relaxation normally ended in either a fight or discomfort for a majority of people.

"...Yikes." Ritsuka grimaced, "Now I'm hoping for a quiet Halloween." he paused. "And now I've jinxed us all…woopy."

Mash winced "I-I'm sure it won't be that bad, Senpai!"

"Yeah…" Ritsuka muttered, then frowned "Actually, what would Elizabeth even do for Halloween anyway?" he asked himself as he started to walk after the Saber "Her genre is already pretty gothic, so she would really need to go far out for Halloween."

"Maybe she would change up her style?" Mash guessed with a shrug "I don't know, Senpai." she winced, "The Doctor is much better with matters relating to idols than myself." she frowned "Actually, it might be one of the few things he is good at."

"Well…may as well see if we can find Astolfo, I'm sure it isn't that b-" He paused and threw his hands up "I'm just gonna stop speaking out loud now."

"Okay…" Astolfo leaned back, sticking his tongue out between his lips while one eye was closed "That's good!" he raised his free hand and gave a thumbs up "That's looking really good so far!"

"Are you sure?" Siegward asked with a hint of worry "I am still rather taken aback by this use of my armour but if you say so…"

"Trust me." Astolfo smiled up at the Knight "Everyone is going to love it." he spoke in an assuring tone "Besides, everyone loves festivals right? Have you been to any?"

"Oh, there were plenty in Catarina!" Siegward exclaimed with a hint of nostalgia "I took my nephew to many fairs and tournaments when he was young…" his voice trailed off "Well…I used to anyway but that is something else." shaking his head, he continued on "Hmmmm…I believe one of the best ones was a grand festival for the celebration of the harvest just before the season of winter." the Knight explained "There was a grand gathering which involved the baking of food…There was also a pie eating contest."

Astolfo snickered, "Did you take part?"

"Ohohohoho!" Siegward let out a roaring laugh "You are staring at the winner for five consecutive years!" he paused "A-actually…I believe Yhorm might have been right to worry about my armour being filled out." he realised with a sudden concern "Can I worry about that now?"

"I don't think Servants can get fat." Astolfo blinked "I don't think all that much though, I don't like it." he admitted "If we do get fat, can we lose weight? Is it burned into our Saint Graphs?" he gasped "Can we get taller!?"

"Hmmmm…These are many important questions to which I do not know the answer…" Siegward admitted moving to cup his helmet chin before Astolfo squawked.

"Don't move so much!"

"A-ah!" Siegward froze "Sorry!" he hastily moved back to the way he was "How far along are you?"

"Almost done!" Astolfo replied "Everyone is going to love this so muc-"

The door opened up, Ritsuka walked into the room "Alright, sorry to break in like this but-pfffthahahahahahaha!" who immediately broke down into laughter as he beheld the sight, hunching over and supporting himself by resting his hands on his knees "Hahahahahaha!"

Siegward and Astolfo stared back at him in silence, then looked past him as Ash and Mash crested through the entrance of the door and both froze.

Mash's eyes widened to dinner plates before she slapped her hand over her mouth and turned around, a few giggles leaking out from her mouth.

Ash's brows gradually rose up in sheer bewilderment as he stared at the Catarinan.

"Hahahaha!" Ritsuka hobbled back, falling against the frame of the door and continuing to laugh.

Astolfo and Siegward exchanged glances, even with his helmet covering his head, Astolfo could feel the smile on the Onion Knight's face. The Paladin didn't even attempt to hide his own.

"W-w-w-wha-?" Ritsuka managed to gasp out as his laughter died down, pointing in Siegwards direction with the smile still on his face "What even-? Wha-hahahahehehe…" shaking his head, he wiped his eyes clean of the tears that had started to form under them "Why?"

Astolfo shrugged, "It's festive."

"Indeed!" Siegward boomed, turning to the trio in the doorframe "When Astolfo came to me with the suggestion I was dubious but after seeing such wide smiles I am confident I made the right decision!" he exclaimed as he threw his arms wide "For this festival, I shall not be Siegward, Knight of Catarina!"

The rounded armour of the Catarinan had been painted bright orange.

The distinct face of a jack-o-lantern had been painted on the front of his helmet with black paint for the eyes and mouth.

"I am the Sir Pumpkin of Patch!"

Ritsuka descended into another wheezing fit of giggles as he slid down the wall and covered his face, taking in deep mouthfuls of air as he tried to control himself. At this point, even Mash was seemingly having a hard time at not laughing out loud. Instead she had retreated around the corner and closed her eyes.

Ash was the only one still staring at the duo with a blank stare and a single raised eyebrow. "...For some reason, this behaviour does not surprise me." the Saber spoke after a few moments "Do as you will then." he shrugged.

"By the way…" Siegward turned to Astolfo "How long does this paint take to dry?"

Astolfo gave a slow blink "I have no idea." he replied honestly as he lowered the paintbrush in his left hand, scratching his chin with his right "Da Vinci said she made it special for us so…I assume it dries quickly?"

Reaching out with his right hand, he pressed against one of the spots he had painted earlier and retracted his finger before staring at it. "Yep, dry."

"Hmmmm." Siegward let out an intrigued hum "That is rather impressive, no?"

"Yeah…" Astolfo sniffed "...Lets go and introduce Sir Pumpkin to all of Chaldea!" he exclaimed as he rushed towards the door "Later, Master! Mash! Ash!"

"Indeed!" Siegward boomed, following after the Paladin "Farewell, friends!" he called out to them "We shall meet again soon!"

Ritsuka was still wheezing.

"I'm telling you, they're gonna do something." Cu insisted as he leaned over the counter for the Cafeteria "You know, like they tried last time."

"After what happened last time?" Archer raised a dismissive eyebrow before shaking his head "Even if Master wanted to, the Director would never allow it."

"Ane?" Cu snorted and shook his head "She's just a bit wild but she's still got a soft spot somewhere." pointing at Archer, he gave a grin "She let that moon festival shit happen, not to mention she even participated in that Nerofest or whatever."

"Umu, you speak of Pale Rose?" Archer and Cu turned towards the third voice, Nero slid towards them with a wide smile "She is certainly a woman of great spirit to match her great beauty!"

"See?" Cu gestured at Nero triumphantly "Even little miss loves herself thinks the lass has spirit."

"We're not debating her spirit." Archer rolled his eyes, "We're debating her flexibility."

"Umu." Nero nodded her head sagely as she cupped her chin "Indeed…She does not look as though she would be accustomed in the art of intercourse, perhaps that would require me to-"

"Not that sort of flexibility!" Archer sharply cut her off as Lancer cackled in the background, he sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose "Look, the point is that even if there was to be some manner of celebration for Halloween, it would like be a quiet affair that didn't disrupt anyone-"

"Behold everyone!" Astolfo's voice boomed out from the entrance, the Servants - and staff - turned towards him as one as he stood with his arms wide and his grin virtually ear to ear. "I present to you, Sir Pumpkin of the Patch!"

He stood aside as heavy thuds signalled the arrival of the familiar shape of armour that was Siegward.

The main issue was the colour scheme.

The Servants gawked at the Catarinan as he strode in wearing bright orange armour and a head looking like a halloween decoration. The Knight eventually waved to them all "I hope to celebrate this holiday with you all in the most festive of ways!" he exclaimed with clear joy.

Archer could already feel the smug smile on Lancer's lips, his own mouth curled down slightly before letting out a groan and palming his face.

"What on earth are you doing!?" Boudica's voice cried out in a mixture of shock and obvious amusement if her struggle to hold back laughter was any indication. The woman had retreated into the kitchen the moment Nero had showed up, yet she had been able to quell her dislike of the Empress long enough to re-emerged and see the arrival of 'Sir Pumpkin'.

"Ah, Boudica!" Siegward turned towards her "I am preparing for the celebration of this Halloween which Astolfo told me about!" he cheerily replied "He said that the act of self-decoration was common and that my armour could be modeled to look like a pumpkin." he explained further "Loath as I was to decorate my armour, Astolfo told me it would bring great merriment to Chaldea and after that I could hardly refuse!"

"M-merriment!?" Boudica held her hands over her mouth and shook her head "Y-you…Halloween isn't until the end of the month."

Siegward stared at her in silence "...It's not?"

"No!"

"Oh." Siegward sniffed "Well then…" he turned to Astolfo, the Paladin awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry…got a little excited when I thought of the idea and just couldn't wait."

"No concern." Siegward shook his head "We need only clean the paint off and it will be-"

"Tehe."

"...What do you mean 'Tehe'?" Siegward asked, tilting his head slightly as Astolfo tapped the tips of his fingers together.

"W-well…Da Vinci said it was special paint she made and she hadn't actually gotten around to making a paint remover from it."

Dead silence followed in the wake of the announcement.

"So…I shall remain looking like this for some time?"

"Y-yeah."

"Ah." Siegward shrugged "Well, as long as Sir Pumpkin can bring joy to Chaldea, I do not mind-"

The Cafeteria door opened up once again as Olga strode into the room.

She froze when the humanoid Jack-o-lantern turned and faced her. The pair stared at each other for several seconds before she let out a long sigh, turned around and then walked out of the room.

"...At least she didn't shout?" Astolfo ventured.