By the Bonfire: Visitors upon a bedside

"What up little dude?" Was probably the best she could have said when entering the room, truth be told there had been a little bit of a mouth before brain moment as she entered, probably planning something like saying 'hello' or 'how are you feeling?' but the moment she saw him she just decided to play it cool and nod her head once while speaking.

In a polite way, he looked rather down in the dumps judging by the glum face, also the bowl of porridge sitting on his lap looked rather sad as well. The least they could have done would be to chuck in a couple of berries or something, maybe drizzle on a bit of honey. They might have done but from her angle of entering the room, she couldn't actually see them doing anything to it. Literally just a bowl of porridge.

What a wake up meal that was.

Ritsuka blinked twice at her, then looked somewhere between smiling and looking all confused, scrunching his nose up like some kind of puppy before he replied to her in a bemused tone of voice. "Fairly certain I'm taller than you."

"Not on that bed you ain't." Again, brain moved slower than her mouth and she ended up blurting out the first thing that came to mind. She was used to rapid fire conversations so this sort of thing was a little outside her area of expertise.

"Have some tact you idiot." The chiding voice of Maxwell from behind her caused her to internally cringe, shooting a small look to see the older man stepping into the room with a dull look aimed her way before he exhaled, shaking his head and shifting his attention to Ritsuka on the bed. "Word reached us not long ago that you were awake once more and given that it had thus far been a slow day in the command room, we all opted to take a small trip down and visit you."

Kerry sent him a side eyed look, sure Maxwell was playing stoic and all that but at the same time, this was the guy who currently had his hands behind his back to hide away the small scarf he had spent his time knitting since they bought all those supplies. She hummed to herself and looked away, barely catching the man shooting her a look before he returned to Ritsuka. "I would ask how you were feeling but I figure as though that would be…a poor thing to ask at the moment."

Ritsuka stared at them for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders, making a go to have another spoonful of porridge. "I'm alive and there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage to me so…I can't complain about that." she watched his expression, it might have been the lighting or the way his head was angled or perhaps even the tone of his voice but he was probably hiding a lot there.

Didn't blame him and she wasn't gonna force him if he didn't feel up for it. God knows that she wouldn't want anyone forcing her to talk about something that she didn't want to talk about, that and he had just woken up so she was sure that he had better things to focus on that getting all down in the dumps.

Her eyes landed on the porridge and then she pinched her brows "...Wait, you're seriously just eating plain oats?"

Ritsuka nodded his head midway through a bite.

"Not just oats." Meuniere supplied from the side, leaning forwards and adjusting his glasses before he nodded once, lips curling upwards and turning back to the group as he finished adjusting his lenses. "I believe the oats have been seasoned with milk."

"Wow…really adventuring out aren't you?" Kerry dryly replied before she shot a narrowed gaze at the bowl. "I mean, who brought that to you? Or did you request plain old oats or something? We've got like…four different cooks around here and you get oats?"

The boy looked between the bowl and then for a second before he looked almost embarrassed "Hey…I like oats. Pretty simple and very filling. Like classics, you know?"

"Classics, yeah…like tap water." Kerry looked towards the side of the room and stared at the doctor who had remained silent as he looked over his desk, fixated more on the work than he was on what else was happening in the room. "R-man, you really giving Ritsuka here some boring old oats?"

Romani grumbled under his breath as he turned his chair. "Guess that's sticking around…" facing them, he offered a small smile that showed he was at least happy to see them, or grateful. Probably one of the two, maybe even both. Then again, he probably didn't like the idea of having to be in here, he didn't seem like one of those doctors, especially given he spent most of his time not in here. "And I'd say getting his strength back up is more important than flavour right now, he's gone days without eating so something light seemed sensible."

She opened her mouth to reply, then paused and slowly closed it again and before she felt a pout coming onto her face. "...Damn, you're right." She was less mad at Romani and more mad at the fact that he had a point, eating something light was probably the best sort of choice to be made or something like that. She wasn't a nurse or doctor and didn't know that much about the human body to comment on it.

"You don't need to sound that put off about it…" Romani slumped in his chair and shook his head from side to side. "That being said, I'm surprised it was you three who arrived first. I thought we would have gotten jumped by some of the Servants by now."

"Jumped?" Maxwell parroted the words back, his expression straining "Are you expecting them to rush in here and steal away the porridge?" he shook his head, quickly changing his expression. "But no, the Director caught the Servants in the cafeteria and told them to decide in an orderly fashion how they would visit young Fujimaru to ensure that they didn't come bounding through the hallways like a runaway freight train."

Romani made a noise of understanding "Ah, makes sense. They're probably deciding on who goes to visit first then or something. I was just a little confused."

"Speaking of, where is Mash?" Meuniere commented, drawing a noise from Kerry's throat as she realised that he had a point. She would have expected to see the younger teenager around here somewhere, given that she stuck to Ritsuka like a barnacle stuck to the bow of a ship. Probably an offensive analogy, now that she thought about it…maybe the same way that a bee clung to a flower?

…Wait, that was probably equally terrible for all the wrong reasons.

Romani was thankfully oblivious to all the thoughts she was currently having of what was probably his adoptive daughter, turning his head back to the desk and sorting through some of the papers. "Mash stepped out for a moment to go and get a board game. Seems as though she's developed a liking for chess and then Fujimaru-kun was kind enough to offer her a game."

"You ever play chess?" Kerry looked towards Ritsuka, the boy nodded his head up and down "Are you any good?"

Pausing, the dark haired boy rolled his jaw for a moment before holding up his hand and waving it from side to side. "I'm probably around average…I think. I mean, I would like to think so. I mean, I've lost games before and I've won games before but I think that's sort of a given when you play chess…just been a while since I actually did." he flexed his hands open and closed. "Also get my brain moving again and all that."

Maxwell hummed in thought for a moment "Where did she have the time to play chess?"

"Leo was teaching her bits and pieces from the sounds of it. They just happened on one of those times when Mash was talking about down times in the Singularities, periods where nothing was going on." He was silent for a moment before he snorted. "Leo recommended bringing a travel chess set and even offered to make one, at least that's what Mash told me."

Kerry chuckled "As long as it ain't monopoly…actually, that would be pretty funny. Might even invite some of the Servants to…" she trailed off, grimacing and realising just how bad an idea that might pan out in being. Evidently she was not alone with those thoughts as Ritsuka himself made a pained expression. Monopoly freakouts were a ritual of the game but at least the people freaking out didn't have the strength of an elephant. Worse if they ended up playing with a Berserker and they landed on a hotel street or something. "Y-you know what? Let's not."

Meuniere chortled at her side "Yes, quite. I can only imagine the devastation of someone being put out on Mayfair, or being sent to jail."

"That's a solid end game strategy though." Romani defended, looking up from his desk once more. "At least if you want to avoid landing on any of the really money losing properties. That being said, I think some of the more level headed Servants would probably appreciate something calm like that. Though now I'm wondering how the Servants with high luck would benefit from it because that would probably count as cheating…" he trailed off with a thoughtful look on his face.

Ritsuka spoke up "I'd ask where we would even get a monopoly board but we could always just make one or something. Maybe make a personalised one called 'Chaldea' or something along those lines. We have utility cupboards and bathrooms to serve as those things." his expression looked a little more lively as he spoke, something that brought a smile to Kerry's own features even as she debated whether or not they could make one.

"What about the properties though?"

"Just different parts of the rooms or something." Ritsuka further explained "Replace houses and hotels with…uhm…I got nothing on that front." he slumped slightly, though the thoughtful look remained on his face as he took another bite of his porridge. "Probably monopoly is just easier to do, I guess."

"Something to put a pin into the future, in any event." Maxwell pointed out, allowing just a bit of leeway on the subject and the potential for it to be returned to. Nice of him, though he was still holding that scarf behind his back, any longer and she would actually just take it from him at this point. Though when he cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly, she knew he was finally going to move from it. "On another matter, I was using some of my break time and given that you were the one who purchased the materials for me…I felt it only fitting that you be the first to benefit from it."

He slowly unveiled the rainbow knitted scarf he had purchased with the wool, "The colours were specially dyed by Da Vinci…seems she didn't need much of an explanation when I asked for her to alter some of them." he chuckled under his breath as he approached the bed and slowly placed the scarf at the foot of it.

The expression on Ritsuka's face was positively photographic, eyes wide and arms frozen, his attention locked onto the item of knitted clothing as though he wasn't sure it even existed. In fairness to him, it was rather sudden. The teenager lowered the spoon into the bowl of cereal, then slowly set it to one side on the little table on wheels. Kerry idly noted that Romani had looked up and was staring at the gift with the same look of surprise before a gentle smile crossed his features.

Maxwell, brought his hand up, coughing into his fist once more "While I'm not entirely sure how much use you might get out of it in the future - given the climates vary depending on Rayshifts - I still felt it best to knit you something that holds some practical use in the future…it was either this or a pair of gloves but I wasn't entirely sure how long the latter would take given I haven't knitted in some times which left me with the scarf." he explained, or practically rambled at this point.

Ritsuka, meanwhile, was now holding the scarf with that still shocked expression on his face before he slowly unravelled it, running his hand through the fabric before his face cracked slightly. Silence accompanied the short sniffle of the teenager as he closed his eyes, reaching up and rubbing his hand across the front of his face, a small wheezing noise leaving him before he managed to eventually speak. "Th-thanks…it's great…"

He brought the scarf up, sniffling as he did so before wrapping it around his neck and allowing it to hang down. Adjusting his head as though to make it more comforting and then leaning back with it. Wiggling on the bed for a moment before he gestured up to it, a faint smile on his lips and a tiny bit of life back into his eyes as he spoke. "How do I look?"

No one said a word for a few moments.

Then Kerry decided to be the one to take the big leap forwards. "Like Tom Baker."

Both Romani and Ritsuka snorted loudly at that, the doctor - heh - leaned back into his chair and brought his hand up to hide away his expression as some muffled laughter came out from between his fingers, eyes gleaming with mirth. Ritsuka, meanwhile, let out a faint chuckle as well though Kerry was more surprised that the Japanese teenager even understood that reference in the first place. Modern Doctor Who, sure but the old stuff? Unless he was just laughing for the sake of it.

Though the next comment from him killed any doubt in her mind "Just need some jelly babies to carry around." he got out in between laughs as he shook his head from side to side. His mirth was somewhat infectious as she soon found herself with her own wide smile as she stared down at him. He looked happier, if just a bit, which she considered to be a mission accomplished for her time here.

"I'm glad you enjoy it." Maxwell replied with that same stoic expression on his face, yet Kerry couldn't help but note the slight relaxation in his face from her distance. That and the bit of warmth in his eyes, nor the twitch of his lip upwards. Evidently pleased in his own little way, then again, the guy did have a wife and kid so he probably knew all about cheering people up in the touching ways that really mattered.

Kerry turned her head as she heard the door behind her hiss open, she caught sight of Mash stepping into the room, the teenager paused and blinked as she suddenly found herself staring at three other people in the room. Surprise shone through her eyes for a moment as her lips parted, a single visible eye darting between all of them before she finally spoke, Kerry noticing a small box tucked away under her armpit. "Ah, did you all come to visit Senpai as well?"

"Yeah." She responded to the younger girl, placing her hands on her hips and nodding towards Maxwell. "That and he wanted to drop off a little present for Ritsuka and wasn't sure how he was supposed to do it so he brought me and Meuniere along to try and save face." she glanced out of the corner of her eye, noting the man in question flatten his features and regard her with a dry look for a few seconds.

She flashed him a smile that was all teeth, closing her eyes as she did so.

A laugh rippled from her throat as she opened her eyes up again, watching at Maxwell rolled his eyes at her and turned away with a shake of his head, huffing under his breath as he did so. Her attention returned to Mash, the lilac haired girl staring at her for a second before she glanced past and then watched shock washed over her features, her eyes lingering on the new scarf around Ritsuka's neck before her eyes darted towards Maxwell. "I didn't know you were so talented, Maxwell-san!"

The man cleared his throat awkwardly as the younger girl lavished him with praise. "It looked wonderful, Senpai!"

"Yeah…" Ritsuka commented with an approving nod of the head "I like it." his eyes returned to the girl before they roamed down to the box. "That the chess set, then." he adjusted himself in his bed, sitting up straight and placing his hands on his lap.

Mash approached before she paused and frowned slightly "You should finish your porridge, Senpai." she spoke in a serious tone of voice which had Kerry roll her lips inwards to avoid showing her smile. Soon followed by Mash saying "And you should take off the scarf so you don't accidentally spill anything on it and ruin it. I'm sure that it would hurt Maxwell-san's feelings."

"Snrk." Ritsuka glanced at her, she went stone faced for several seconds before she whirled around and clapped her hands together. "Well, we should probably return to the command room. Don't want to overstay our welcome and all that. Glad to see you're up and maybe we'll visit again, right guys?"

"If the time emerges, yes." Maxwell remarked behind her, his own tone of voice shaking slightly with obvious mirth. "In the meantime, I take it that doctor Roman has already told you to relax, then I shall parrot his words. Take care of yourself and try not to spill anything. The scarf is machine washable but…well…stains are stains for a reason." he commented before following her out of the room.

Meuniere was the last one to exit, nodding his head once to Ritsuka and flashing him a smile. "Happy to see you up, take care of him, Romani."

"Will do." Romani offered a single wave of the hand in parting.


"I simply do not understand it." Verndari commented aloud as she looked over the board, her hand cupping the chin of her helmet as a thoughtful hum rippled from her throat. They had explained the game to her in detail and yet each time they did, she could not make sense of some of the roles. Namely the identities put to each of them, for example a 'pawn' was a rather derivative and insulting way of labelling those in the service of a King.

Turning her head towards Gareth, she maintained her frown all while her friend regarded her with an almost amused smile, a single hand on her hips while her other hung limply at her side. "It is just a game for developing strategy, it's not something that you really need to put a lot of thought into."

"You say such things and yet the longer I gaze at the board, the more I find myself puzzled by these titles." Turning to the board once more, she brought her eyes up and stared at the dark haired boy on the bed, all while the Shielder was sitting on a small stool by his side, the table in between the two of them with the game of 'chess' already midway through. Or so they had said, it was difficult to tell who was winning. "Why does it have the shape of a battlement yet hold the name of a bird? And why does the Queen showcase such prowess on the battlefield while the King is so feeble?"

It didn't make a lot of sense to her, she would have called it a cultural thing except virtually every King and Queen she knew of should have had the roles reversed in this instance. The King should have been the one to demonstrate ferocity on the board while the Queen was the one to be protected. Was this another case of hidden genders or along those lines? Or was there something behind the creation of the story that she remained ignorant of?

Ritsuka, her Lord, gave her a bemused expression for a few seconds before eventually making a small noise as his eyes moved between the board and her. The confusion lasted for a few seconds before he shrugged his shoulders. "To tell you the truth, I don't actually know…I've never thought about it before today."

There was another short silence, then his brows furrowed and he turned his head towards the healer, keeping his brows pinched as he asked his question. "You got any idea why Chess is like the way it is? Because now I'm curious why the castles are called…wait, a rook is a type of bird?"

"Yes, Senpai." Mash dutifully responded, all while her eyes remained firmly fixed upon the board. "It is a member of the Corvid family, within the same range as crows, ravens, jackdaws and magpies. They are larger than crows and jackdaws and are easily identifiable from ravens by their white beaks." she looked up and then sported a similarly bemused look as the master. "And I…do not know why the rooks are called rooks."

Gareth chuckled under her breath, drawing the eyes of those in the room "Sorry, it just seems strange that none of us actually know why it's named that way and now we're all thinking about it." The smile remained on her features as she brought her right hand up and scratched the side of her head. "It's weird that even with the Grail, I don't know that much…I know the game of chess and how to play it but the origins aren't really there."

The healer made a small noise as he placed his arms upon his table, lips pulled into a thin line and brows raised up his forehead. "Another of life's great mysteries that will remain unanswered." A brief pause before he spoke again. "I mean, we could probably find out and it wouldn't take anything close to like…five seconds but…one moment, I'll send a message to Leo and see what she has to say about it. She's good for this sort of thing."

Turning on his messaging device, he tapped away on it, as he did so, Verndari found her attention returned to her lord as he glanced towards her with a curious expression. "On that topic, did you have any sort of board games in Drangleic?"

"Board games…" Verndari hummed, noticing that Gareth was now leaning forwards with no shortage of interest upon her face, much in a similar way that Mash now looked mildly intrigued. "We…there were tasks of strategy which would fall into these categories, I suppose. Though they were based upon honing the mind for combat rather than anything else…fielding units and such things, ensuring the building of trade lines and places of commerce for the people. Ensuring that the lands could be kept at peace and such."

Ritsuka hummed "Sounds fairly detailed."

"It was something that those with the sense devised as a means of passing the time while also keeping themselves aware of battle." Verndari explained, she recalled her own time making the attempt at the game and being horribly trounced by all others at the field at the time. It was quite the unfortunate situation but she had been assured that they all went through periods of trial and error when they first began the game. Though Ser Raime had glared at Ser Velstadt when the latter tried to reassure her with the failures of the former. "It was a game devised by the mind of Chancellor Wellager and found itself as a…passing curiosity within the court during the off hours of the watch."

"How good were you, Verndari-sensei?" Mash asked with a tilt of the head and that same look of intrigue as before, though now she could see that the shielder had asked the question that was burning on the lips of all others within the room. Fighting back a sigh, she brought her arms up and crossed them over her breastplate.

"I was…passable. Though, in truth, I cannot speak for my success as I would frequently find myself against those who had greater lengths of time than I did to hone their mastery of the game and maximise their efficiency." Shaking her head from side to side, she continued onwards. "Therefore, I cannot speak to my true skill beyond…middling. Enough to last at least several hours-"

"Hours?" Ritsuka repeated the words back to her in surprise "How long did these games last?"

"Until all opposition was crushed." Verndari announced, clenching her fist as she did so to punctuate the sentence. "Which was…erm…" she cringed ever so slightly behind her helmet, thankful for its existence as she slowly loosened her hand. "Barring the arrival of dire news, these games would continue until one was decimated. They were large maps and disasters and random events could start at a moment's notice."

"Random events?"

"Bandit raids, floods, dragons, Kingdoms from across the ocean." She rattled off, raising a finger each time. "Poor harvests as well, those could affect how many cities you could keep running, not to mention the upkeep of the standing army, town guard and militia. A great many factors."

She fell silent, watching as everyone traded looks between one another before Ritsuka turned back to her and raised his brows. "What was the name of this game again?"

"...We just called it Kingdom." That was just what it was known as, nothing more and nothing less. You created a Kingdom and made sure it reigned supreme above all others. Thus it was just known as Kingdom.

"...Think you could make it again?"

"If that is your command, then I shall make my best attempt." She responded in a tone of absolute seriousness. Nodding her head once and then immediately turning towards the door, this was something that would take some time to fully create and out consume many hours to ensure all of the pieces were just right. But if that would make him at least moderately pleased, then it was quite literally the least she could do. The shame of London still burned in her mind, to enter the field and then be taken out so swiftly was shameful, what was the use of a shielder if they could not even protect their Lord for a fraction of a second.

"Ah ha!" She paused when the healer's voice echoed through the room, turning her head towards the man and watching as he swung his chair back around to face them. "Alright, so first thing is first, Leo asked me not to send her messages like that again which were marked as 'urgent' because she was actually worried for a moment."

The room as one stared at him in silence.

"Heh…A-anyway, she said that Rooks earned their name because of the persian word for chariot sounds like rook." He paused for a moment before elaborating further. "And the piece was designed to resemble a chariot in some iterations of the game, but others just call it a tower or a castle. Either or seems to be fairly acceptable but I guess Rook just caught on? That's what Leo says so I'm just going to take her word for it."

"Then why not just call it a chariot?" Verndari felt the need to ask, if this language came from this land of 'Persian' then why would they use the language of a foreign kingdom when describing something with the language of their own Kingdom. That didn't make a lot of sense to her.

The expression of the man faltered for a moment before he offered a helpless shrug of his shoulders and said nothing else. Evidently, that was all the information she was going to get out of him. It was an answer, she supposed. Turning her head onto Gareth, it lingered on the blonde for a few moments. Studying her expression, there seemed to be no break in her visage, but Verndari would not be so easily deceived with it…she imagined there was some loss within her friend for the death of her mentor, in spite of all else.

Drawing in a breath, she turned on the door once more and then opened it up, stepping out into the hallways.


Kalameet could understand the stare of confusion, given that the two of them had never really met before, but it looked as though there was something else when he looked at him. Not fear but a strange look that he couldn't quite place. He spared a glance to Boudica at his side for a few seconds, seeing what she was doing but the woman didn't seem to be in a rush to say anything.

His eyes flickered back towards the boy, Ritsuka, and the silence between all of them remained. There was sure to be some manner of human custom that he needed to do here. What was it that had been done last time? It was some manner of grabbing a person's hand and shaking it up and down. Was that what this situation called for? That was what humans did when they met one another for the first time.

With an internal nod of the head, he quickly schooled his features and took a single step forwards, leaning forwards and casting his shadow over the bed. The dark haired human looked up at him with the same look of bemusement, though now there was a touch of apprehension in his eyes, perhaps it was because he hadn't said anything yet. That was probably it. Bringing his right hand up, Kalameet turned it to the side and slowly extended his flattened hand towards the boy before stopping it.

Keeping his eyes locked dead onto the blue orbs of the younger human, he watched as they flickered between his own and the hand that was pointing towards him. The silence stretched onwards, Kalameet was getting the sneaking suspicion that he might have done something wrong here, his eyes turned either side of him to the expressions on the faces of the other humans in the room.

Thankfully, they didn't seem to be too concerned, turning his head a bit further he was able to spy Boudica's expression. The human woman nodded her head once to him as a show of encouragement, the smile on her face never changing. Then he was doing something right here, good. That was good. His eyes fell back onto Ritsuka and remained there. Then he split his lips and showed his teeth, curling them up as best he could to mimic the expression of Boudica.

Someone made a strange noise, almost like a pig before it was followed by a muffled sound of laughter and an almost whistling noise. Though Kalameet kept his attention on Ritsuka, the boy regarded the hand for a moment, then brought his eyes back up to Kalameets and raised his brows gradually the longer he stared at the expression, eventually his own hand brought itself up and placed itself within the hand of his own.

Confident with this newfound success, Kalameet slowly raised the hand up and down, curling his fingers around just enough to surround the smaller palm but not tight enough to actually end up touching it. He knew that some humans could be fragile and Ritsuka was in a state of recovery from being injured, so he would be extra fragile.

"Ritsuka Fujimaru." The boy spoke with a nod of the head, Kalameet almost spoke his own name on instinct, fighting back the urge as he recalled why he hadn't told anyone it in the first place.

Instead, he mirrored the nod of the head and spoke his class. "Berserker." loosening his hold on the hand, he stepped back and drew his arm back to his side.

Ritsuka frowned for a few seconds before wetting his lips "This might seem a little rude of me to ask but is that…is that going to be a permanent name for you?" He paused for a few seconds before he brought his hand up and waved it from side to side. "Sorry…I guess what I mean to ask is…is it a personal reason?"

"...My name isn't worthy to be spoken of in Chaldea." Kalameet replied with an assured tone of voice, he was merely stating a simple fact. Though the expression on Ritsuka's face seemed to twist for a few seconds. Maybe it was the same sort of worry that Olga Marie had when he refused to speak his name. The human might not have been his summoner, but he was his brother now so it was best to make sure he understood he was safe. "If you get into a fight around me, I'll still use my Noble Phantasm."

The look remained on his face for whatever strange reason, perhaps that wasn't the only reason why he was concerned. Kalameet felt his lips slowly pull themselves into a frown before he glanced to the side, seeing that Boudica was looking at him with the same saddened expression as before, though this time it lasted less time than before, fading and the smile returning with a warm note to it.

"He means well, if you're wondering." She spoke after a few moments of silence, nodding her head towards him. "I've been around him enough times and Da Vinci also seems to trust him quite a bit."

"I'm not sure why Vinci does that-"

The man, Romani Archman, choked loudly. Kalameet cut himself off and turned to the human, now with wide eyes and looking at him with complete surprise, bringing his hand up and pointing at him with his mouth slightly parted. He kept silent for a few seconds, then his jaw snapped shut with an audible click before he slid away on his strange seat and turned towards the blue square and started to type away on it. He recognised it as similar to the talking magics of Vinci but this lacked a face.

Romani paused for a moment, briefly glancing at him once again, then looking back to the blue screen.

Kalameet blinked before he turned back to Ritsuka, ignoring the odd display given that nothing seemed to come of it. "I'm not sure why Vinci places trust in me because we have never met in person until we did. But she…I don't think I'm worthy of her confidence-"

"It's a matter of how people view you, Berserker." Boudica gently cut him off, Kalameet glanced at her once more, staring up at him with the same gentle smile on her face. "For that matter, you've done nothing to warrant distrust either. Just have a little bit of faith in people, even if you can't have faith in yourself." her eyes remained on him for a few seconds longer before she turned to Ritsuka. "Anyway, his lack of a true name aside, the only thing that I really have against Berserker is a lack of table manners…but we've made some progress here and there."

Kalameet fidgeted, so long as it kept the Goddess away from him then he would sit through it. She didn't have much of a reason to approach him otherwise so if he learned the art of cutting up food with tiny weapons, then he would spend much less time around her. Though the same couldn't be said for the moving boulder. He'd…avoided being in the same room as them. Leaving whenever he caught sight of them.

"Table manners?" Ritsuka commented aloud with a curious tilt of the head "Well…if that's the only problem then its fine." he let out a breath as he adjusted himself on the bed. "Just getting over it is all. Heard about the Director summoning another Servant but I wasn't expecting to meet you this early on…" bringing his hand up, he once more rubbed the side of his head before gesturing towards Kalameet. "Just a lot to take in is all…How are you finding Chaldea so far by the way?"

A question he wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to answer, not completely. How did he find Chaldea thus far? It was everything he had been expecting it to be, beyond any of his wildest expectations. Even walking the halls was an experience, he had never seen such sights in his life, such smoothed steel or different people. All manner of flame-kin gathered in the same place with each of them working towards a common goal. Something that had not happened since it had been aimed at his own people.

Yet there was still something that puzzled him, the state of Chaldea and the experience of the flame-kin. So close to one another and yet so far, something he could not describe with words. The humans and the summoned ones like himself, they did not interact with one another as he would have expected them to. For that matter, there was still that feeling in the air that something was terribly wrong but no one spoke of it openly. It reminded him of times long past.

"...It has been an experience I never thought I would have." He replied to the question after he put some thought behind how to answer it. "I am not sure I can explain it very well, but it is…new. Even with my broadening imagination, I could not imagine a place like Chaldea ever existing, let alone someone like me walking through it. I am…thankful for the chance, even if the reason behind my being here is…" he trailed off, frowning to himself and glancing to the side.

He felt rather guilty about being so pleased to be here in the first place.

Shaking his head, Kalameet continued on "I'm finding it enjoyable so far. To be honest with you." raising his clawed gauntlet, he aimed a finger towards the neck of Ritsuka, pointing towards the strange multi-coloured fur wrapped around his neck. "For example, I never would have had the chance to see something like that if I hadn't come here."

Ritsuka blinked once, then twice, then looked down to where he was pointing before confusion flooded his features, his head was brought back up and angled itself to one side before speaking in a slow and rather puzzled tone of voice. "Y-you mean a scarf?"

"Scarf…is that what they are called? Very interesting." He muttered to himself, leaning forwards and squinting at the item of clothing. "Do they all look like this?"

"U-uhmm…no?"

"So it is a special scarf." Kalameet nodded his head in understanding, then leaned back and rolled his jaw. The idea of differences was still something he was coming to terms with but he was starting to appreciate it. All these new experiences that would never have happened if everything remained the same. He was more amazed that these humans weren't always in a state of amazement every time they saw something like that. He would never imagine himself getting tired of seeing them, yet he couldn't sense the same level of excitement in these humans.

"Something like that…" Ritsuka replied slowly, nodding his head up and down before he crossed his arms over his chest, a thoughtful look coming across his features, it lasted some time before he started to talk again. "I take it you like making things?"

"...I tried once." He looked away from the young human, lips going taut as he worked to keep his expression perfectly straight. "It…didn't work very well."

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that." The boy commented in a tone of genuine sadness, he didn't even need to hear the details to show sympathy. That was kind of him, though it was a kindness he suspected he would not be awarded if the boy knew precisely what he had been on the verge of making. Or trying to make it at any rate. Though if he said anything, it would draw attention to himself.

"On a slightly less depressing topic." Boudica spoke up, clapping her hands together and drawing the attention of the room onto her, a smile upon her face as she spoke. "I'm happy to say that Siegward has promised to make you something special for when you get out of the bed and into the mess hall once again." she lowered her hands onto her hips, then winked at the boy. "But don't tell him I told you. I think he might be trying to keep it a surprise…"

Kalameet furrowed his brows, turning to the woman and tilting his head. "A surprise? Are they normally shouted out as loud as you can?" They might be different surprises for humans, but for him a surprise was keeping as silent as possible until the moment was right and then rushing in. Perhaps surprises for humans were just entirely different things compared to surprises for him.

Boudica chuckled to herself as though he had said something funny. "Well, I did say think." she replied with a faint smile "But chances are he wouldn't mind either way. I know he means to visit you soon and leave a mug of coffee for Romani as well-"

"Yes." Kalameet noticed Romani punch the air with a pleased look on his face, only to freeze when he made eye contact with him. He kept silent as he lowered the fist to his side and slowly turned, twisting his head to break eye contact and hiding his expression from him.

"...Quite." Boudica carried on after the brief interruption. "But enough about all of that. I'm just stopping by to make sure that you're not overexerting yourself. I know you're probably tired of hearing about it." she brought her hands up, showing the flat of her palms to the boy as she continued on. "But I figure that I'll just remind you as well, just to make extra sure that it's really sticking. Because you have that same stubborn look in your eye that the Iceni had when I told them to get bed rest." an odd look came upon Boudica ``It's nostalgic for all the wrong reasons. So I'm trusting Mash to keep you in that bed for as long as is needed."

"Don't worry, Boudica-san!" Mash, an odd name for a human but that might have been him, nodded her head several times with a bit of enthusiasm in her as she spoke in a louder than needed tone of voice. "I will make sure that Senpai recovers to one hundred percent before he is allowed out!"

Ritsuka glanced between everyone in the room before he let out a long breath, closing his eyes and leaning back onto the bed. "Guess I've got little choice in the matter." It was curious that the words didn't sound like they were serious.

Boudica, meanwhile, nodded her head approvingly to the girl "I know I can count on you. In the meantime, if there is any sort of meal you'd like, then don't hesitate to ask." she gestured to herself with a confident smile. "I know all about getting strength back up after sitting out for a while, alright? Just…" she trailed off for a second before she spoke in a slightly softer tone of voice. "...Don't worry about it. Just give me a call if you need something."

"...Thanks Boudica."

Kalameet kept his eyes on Ritsuka for a few seconds before he let out a short rumbling hum. This was the sort of thing he had been expecting to see from the very beginning, yet it was still shrouded in what he could only describe as sadness. The loss of his family had clearly hurt the boy, he was dealing with it in his own way. Yet if he stayed like that, then things would only end up getting worse. He needed to figure out something to make the boy seem light again, the same sort of way that Kalameet had his eyes opened.

This time, however, Ritsuka would remain in the light.

…Yet what was he supposed to do.

Ritsuka had lost family, they had fought and died but they might come back? He didn't know all the specifics, he had come back so they would come back. Yet the feelings of loss would remain even if they did. He still felt the loss for his sisters even if they would come back. The loss for his people even if they came back. So Ritsuka would also be feeling that same sort of loss. So he needed something…

Vinci would probably know.

Though…maybe it was better to include all of Chaldea, find a way to draw them all into it. It might be him getting ahead of himself, but that didn't make it wrong. If he could do something to help them, then he would do that. Turning away from the room, he approached the door once more and then glanced at the buttons at the side. Pressing the same one he had watched Boudica press and opening the door.

Vinci might know, but at the same time…this was something he needed to do.

He wouldn't ask Vinci, he would find some way of helping them himself.


Though he could not speak for the progress of the master, he could say that they were doing well enough. Even as he would have described it as not something someone fresh from waking up should do. But it had been some hours and the young master hadn't complained, or perhaps he didn't wish to complain.

If such a complaint could be heard, that was to say.

He spared a glance to his side at the doctor and watched his expression, the man looked troubled enough yet he had not opened his mouth to speak. The man was a clear coward, though his lack of bravery when it came to using his words would not be the sort to extend to when it truly mattered. He knew the sort, if there was such a real problem he would have spoken already.

All the same, he returned his attention to the young master as he stretched closer and closer, extending his fingers towards the tips of his toes. All while the bare chested spartan king watched him with his arms folded over his chest. His expression was fixed into an almost blank mask before he made a small noise. "I believe that is enough progress for now. Your strength returns as I expected it."

Ritsuka slowly looked up and blinked "I can still do more-"

Leonidas brought up the flat of his hand and cut him off "Do you know what the greatest danger on the battlefield is? It is not the sword of your enemy, nor is it the climate you fight. It is a man who does not understand his limits and throws himself into danger without preparing himself."

He was silent for a moment before speaking again "I know I have been fond of telling you to ignore your limits, but only when you are in prime condition. A weakened man shall cripple himself in such a state." the silence persisted before a grin came upon his features. "That being said! I am glad to see that your body's days of idleness have not dragged your health down! Once you are rested, I shall return to claim you once more! Then we shall show even the great heroes who walk through Chaldea, the strength of the ordinary man! It shall inspire them to reach greater heights of prowess!"

Sasaki allowed himself to remain silent, all while keeping a thin smile upon his features as his eyes rested upon the young Master, then gradually moved over to the other person in the room. The golden wings of the young girl and the slightly bemused expression on her face as she floated in the corner, standing next to young Kyrielight showed quite the curious image.

"Such as this thin fellow!" Ah, that would be him that Leonidas was speaking about. Sure enough, the Spartan was pointing towards him. "Do not be fooled by his baggy clothes, Master. This man hides a lean frame underneath it all and yet it is perfectly suited for a spear. Lightning fast thrusts and hidden strength. Even as he is thin, there is clearly power behind him."

Chuckling lightly, Sasaki slipped his hands into his sleeves and shook his head from side to side. "I do not believe that I am worthy of being lavished with such praise. All I do is swing my sword back and forth, whether or not there is any skill in my movements is for those watching to decide for themselves."

The young master stared at him with clear incredulity, straightening himself out and keeping his eyes fixed upon him. Sasaki responded with an innocent smile, as though he had not said anything at all that could be misconstrued as strange.

"...uh-huh." The doubtful reply came from the doctor to his left, turning his head and glancing at the man as he regarded him with the same manner of stare as the others in the room, though it only lasted until he shook his head and aimed his attention back towards the computer at his desk.

"And you, frail man!"

"Bwah?" And like that, the doctor snapped his head back up and blanched when he found that Leonidas was now pointing squarely towards him. The doctor raised his hand and then pointed at himself while looking around, there was a desperate lit in his eyes as though desperate to find someone hiding behind him who also happened to fit the description. It might have been slightly teasing of him, but Sasaki made a show of sliding himself to the side to put even more distance between himself and the doctor. Something the man noticed immediately and then paled further.

With the air of a man standing before the gallows, Romani turned his attention back to Leonidas and offered a wave of the hand. "Y-yes?"

"I've noticed that many around Chaldea seem to exercise by spending their time sitting upon their chairs." Leonidas announced, a frown now upon his face as his eyes narrowed. "This will certainly not do. More so for one such as yourself who is to heal the others, surely you should match if not exceed the fitness of those within this facility." pointing down, he continued on before he eventually allowed a large smile to cross his features. "The woman with fire in her eyes was taken to my training, I suspect she will be one of the first to join once more and if she is to join, why should her subordinates be exempt?"

"T-that's very kind of you to offer but-"

"I think you'd do great, Roman." The young master slipped the dagger in while looking him dead in the eye, Sasaki maintained his cordial smile, even as he felt the mirth creeping upon his features at the expression of the doctor. At least the young master had the decency to look the man in the eye as he delivered the metaphorical killing blow. "It would really be a great motivator for everyone, you know? I'd feel better about it…"

Romani's expression twisted for a few seconds before he relaxed and slumped in his chair, dropping his head and letting the rivers of acceptance sweep him away. "I know when there's no getting out of this. Just manage your expectations with us, alright? Most of the staff probably won't be too happy at the idea of running circuits."

"Running?" That came from the young Goddess. The girl made a show of turning and looking over her shoulder at her wings for a few short moments before she turned back and tilted her head to the side. "But if it's fortune with running you need, I can offer you a blessing or two-"

"The offer is most generous, Lady Goddess." Leonidas politely cut her off, turning to her and raising the flat of his hand, shaking his head from side to side. "Though this is something that requires a more skilled touch to it rather than the blessings of the Gods. Though I doubt you would find much argument during the thick of battle for a blessing." he allowed with a faint chuckle under his breath. "In the mean time…" he turned towards Ritsuka one final time "I am glad to see the fire remains in your eyes. Fan it well, less the embers be flickered out. I shall await your triumphant return to the field of training along with your companion. Though I know she needs no such encouragement!"

Mash nodded her head vigorously "Yes, Leonidas-sensei! I shall commit myself one hundred percent to learning your teachings!"

"Excellent! That is the sort of shout I like to hear!"

Sasaki let out a small breath before his eyes lingered on the young master, watching the expression of the boy even out for a moment. A trace of darkness lingered in his eyes, yet it was difficult to see, buried beneath the light. That was good enough, there was a darkness in the soul of every man who saw blood, though whether they were totally claimed by it was another matter. So long as the young master remembered his own light, then he would be fine.

Well, it was for the future.

"Young master, if you would be amicable, between the vigorous training I have little doubt you will be doing in the future once you step beyond these healing walls." He brought his hand out of his sleeve, gesturing around them. "I would ask if you would enjoy a spot of tea. I understand that such ceremonies are seen as more of a novelty in the modern era but…I see no reason why we cannot indulge in such things. I hear that the Lord Nobunaga is quite skilled at it. You might even invite the Lord Okita, if she has an interest in such things."

The young master released a pleasant chuckle as he nodded his head up and down "I think that would be fine…actually, I know Marie likes all sorts of tea parties."

Sasaki kept his expression neutral as he nodded his head up and down. This was quickly turning into a public event, but that was fine. He was rather content with keeping company that could appreciate the little things in life. Though whether the Lady Marie would be interested in such a thing at present…well, she would likely attend. Perhaps the atmosphere might do her some good as well.

Giving an affirmatory hum, he turned to the door, content that his master was at least in good physical health and gradually rising spirits.

That was good enough.


Olga stared at the board with her arms folded over her chest, eyes slightly narrowed as she moved her hand towards the rook, moving it forwards several spaces and taking the knight before removing her hand from the board. She glanced up and watched the expression of Fujimaru, no longer lying down and now sitting on the side of his bed.

For whatever reason, he was wearing a brightly coloured scarf indoors, it was well crafted but she didn't know where he had even gotten it from in the first place. Well, he seemed to like it given that he was wearing it indoors. Unless he was cold, but that would imply he was running a fever. He didn't look like he was so perhaps it was just indulging him or something.

"Maxwell made it for me." It took her a moment to realise he had spoken, blinking once and then directing her eyes back to him, noticing he was looking at her with a small smile on his face, his left hand grabbing the base of the scarf and holding it up slightly. "From the wool that I bought during the whole Halloween thing…came by to deliver it earlier. I like it."

Maxwell made that? She didn't even know that man could knit. Further to the point, it really was well crafted. If he had told her he had brought it with him, she…well, she probably would have called him a liar first because you couldn't bring in outside objects without express authority from the Director and she had signed off on all the belongings of the outside additions. She could have sworn she recalled his name crossing her desk with minimal luggage. Dental supplies if she recalled correctly.

But if she raised her suspension of disbelief, she would have believed him if he told her he bought the scarf. As long as he was fine with it, then there was no reason to dissuade the idea of him having it. Besides, it looked rather…novel, in a way. "Hmmm. So long as you do not allow it to overheat you when you try and rest, I have no qualms with it."

"Thanks, director." She faltered slightly at the earnest nature of his voice before nodding her head once. Watching as he directed his eyes back to the board and maintained the nearly imperceptible smile. "I met Berserker, by the way. He seems nice…a little odd, but nice."

Was he not going to mention the fact Berserker was concealing their true name?

"I see." She merely replied, keeping her eye on him for a few seconds. "Though I am moderately pleased to see that they have ingratiated themselves well within Chaldea thus far." that being said, there was something about them that struck her as vaguely familiar, as though they had met before but each time she thought about it, she couldn't place their face. It was probably just her mind. "At any rate, I trust they were not alone when they approached you?"

"No, they came with Boudica." Fujimaru explained, hand returning to the board and moving another piece. "It was a little weird…not Berserker but I get the feeling he's not been around places like this before. He seemed weirdly fixated on my scarf…" he muttered for a few seconds, then shrugged his shoulders. "A bit…sad as well, like he lost something but other than that, I think we could get along well enough."

She paused in moving her hand for a few seconds. "...Even without knowing their true name?"

That gave Ritsuka pause for a few seconds, he fell silent and slowly drew his lips into a frown. "...I'd prefer to know their name, but they're your Servant Director." he explained "And if you're letting them use their class then that's fine. I trust you."

"I-I see." She was ashamed of the way her voice cracked, as though being told something as trivial as that was going to be enough to break her. But it was the first time she had heard something like that before. Clearing her throat, she turned her attention to the board once more. "Of course, yes. Jeopardising your safety would be foolish of me. Berserker assured me they would not withhold their true name if a desperate situation arose."

Fujimaru nodded his head up and down "They told me about that. It's weird…I trust them, they seem pretty earnest." he paused, then closed his eyes and reached towards his face, rubbing between his eyes for a few seconds before letting out a small huff. "Yeah…here's me, not learning my lesson about that…but it's…"

"You do not need to explain it to me, Fujimaru." She cut him off with a shake of her head. "Though I cannot force you to be more suspicious of Servants, the fact remains that…whether you know someone for years or for days, they are just as capable of betraying you." she muttered under her breath before exhaling. "But that is neither here nor there. No amount of suspicion will change the intentions behind someone. Though this is hardly a suitable topic."

The boy hummed and drummed his fingers on his knees "So, we're starting a travelogue for another world?"

Olga sputtered for a moment, then glowered at the teenager, Fujimaru's reply was a faint but genuine smile. She allowed him that much, only in the interest of keeping him placated. "It is an encyclopaedia of known legends and phenomena. The fact remains that we have been routinely blindsided time and time again…therefore, I decided it was time to correct that oversight. Sulyvahn has been directed to aid in the foundation of its construction as best he can. Though the Servants from other era's will offer their assistance on quality control."

Fujimaru chuckled at that "Yeah…Sulyvahn would probably add his own little author's notes at the side." his lips gradually thinned. "...Weird to hear about it sometimes. Doesn't feel real, the whole other world and then Siegward talks about these big festivals and Verndari talks about these board games he played but…but then you get to Ash talking about it and…I just can't put two and two together, it just…how do things even get that bad?"

She had no answer for that. Perhaps because there was more than one, everyone seemed to have their own bias as to who was at fault with it. Perhaps they would never get a clear answer on who was responsible. "Concerning yourself with the fate of a dead world will not aid us in determining the fate of our current world." It might seem cold to say, but it needed saying.

"Yeah…yeah…" Fujimaru nodded his head up and down, falling into another silence.

"I understand many of the Servants visited you."

"Heh, yeah. A lot of well wishes." The boy's expression softened as he clearly recounted them. "Not everyone, but it's only been half a day and I hear that you were telling everyone not to rush to my bedside."

Olga crossed her arms and nodded once. "That I would even need to tell them at all was shameful. These are grown men and women and the moment I broke the news it looked as though they were going to charge me like infants." she waved her hand "I can understand that you are their Master and thus their concern for your health is a given but I assumed they would have more sense than to charge straight towards you all at once."

The dark haired teen raised an eyebrow at her for a few seconds before he shrugged his shoulders. "That was…huh…wasn't expecting that. I'll probably get a few more visitors though. Leonidas showed up to say that he would be virtually counting the seconds until I was fit enough to join him in the training room again." Olga raised her eyebrow as she watched an almost proud smile come upon his features as he threw a thumb over his shoulder. "Also I got Romani involved in it."

She glanced over his shoulder to the doctor, the man offered a weak nod of the head as a way of confirmation. "Hmmm. It would keep the staff occupied with something when they are not working." they still needed breaks and…she had found some sort of minor peace with the routine of exercise.

"Hmmm. That's what I figured…though I suspect that Scathach will probably take a look at all of it as well." Fujimaru remarked with a shake of his head "Haven't seen her about but I was told that she's still alive…well, I know she's immortal but yeah. That sounds awkward to say but…maybe she'll visit or something. Heard we also have a couple of other Servants who came with you. Brynhildr and Torin."

Olga blinked "You read the report?"

"Bit of it." Fujimaru chuckled, "Read the report on Tarkus…wish I could have met him. He seems like quite a character."

"...He was." She muttered under her breath before clearing her throat. "Still…keep at the report and inform me when you have read all of it. Though…" she glanced towards Romani for a moment before she wet her lips and leaned forwards, dropping her voice lower. "Suppose you wanted to approach a…Servant in regards to something that might be troubling them…how would you go about doing so?" she paused for a moment before she elaborated. "You have greater experience as a Master therefore…"

Fujimaru raised his brows at her, then made a small noise. "...I'm sort of a straight-forward person, Director." he replied, bringing his hand up and scratching the side of his neck. "I'd…I'd probably walk right up to them and ask if something was the matter. But that might be a little clumsy of me, all things considered…though I'd probably phrase it differently."

"A…direct approach to them." Olga hummed to herself, she wasn't sure how much success that would have with Marie but it was worth looking into. It was an approach she preferred as well, cutting right to the heart of the matter, so to speak. "...I will think on that."

The teenager looked her up and down before he glanced back to the board, then moved another piece. "Checkmate."

"...What?"

"...eh heh."

"What do you mean 'eh heh'!?"

Did he plan this, did he get her when her guard was down!?

Well…she would show him!

"Again!" She snapped, drawing all the pieces back, this time she would pay closer attention to the board.

"...Yes, Director."


AN: This Chapter exists as a sort of breather because the heavy stuff is going to slam into us next.

Also a little teaser with Kalameet and the upcoming Christmas event.