By the Bonfire: That little bit of cheer.
Days in Chaldea were certainly getting more interesting, that was how Boudica would describe it in a way that didn't come out as being overly concerned despite the fact that it would be earned perhaps a hundred times over if what had gone on during the last week had been any indication. In fact, what had been going on during her tenure here was nothing short of impossible, even as a Servant she struggled to wrap her head around half of the things that had been going on.
Just when you thought you were getting settled in, someone would come and sweep not just the rug but also the entire floor out from underneath you and leave you right back at square one.
"I think it looks clean."
A small gasp escaped her as she whirled around, soon closing her eyes and letting out a faint sigh as she lowered her arms to her side and shook her head. Siegward stood behind her with a curious expression painted on his features as she opened her eyes back up and levelled them with a playfully irritated look. "Don't try to sneak up on me when I'm washing dishes."
Siegward inclined an eyebrow at her, then glanced down at the plate she held in her hands before bringing his eyes back to her. "I'm sorry if I gave you a bit of a fright, I just noticed that you were doing an awful lot of staring at it." he paused for a moment, then she watched the playful twinkle enter his eyes and prepared for the inevitable remark.
He brought his hand up, cupping his chin and angling his head to the side. "Hmmm. Unless you have mastered the art of cleaning with your eyes, in which case…might you take me as your humble student? I've long since stared at things but never once have they-oof." he let out a flat noise as she playfully slapped him on the shoulder with the back of her free hand.
With an earnest chuckle, he stepped around to the side of her as she returned her focus to the sink. "While I do tease, I was somewhat concerned. You were rather deep in focus and I feared that something might have been ailing your mind." he paused for a moment, then continued on. "If you need someone to lend an ear, then mine are available to be detached."
A short breath escaped her. "I wouldn't so much say that I was concerned, just trying to play catch up with everything that has been happening around here, is all. Seems as though just when you get used to something, another problem just flies right into your face without any warning." halting her movements, she turned to Siegward and shrugged her shoulders. "Might be me worrying about when the next problem is going to spring out of the ground."
The man regarded her silently, moving his hand up to brush at his bushy moustache for a few moments before he let out another short hum. "I have found that life is seldom full of dull times for those who held a bit of excitement in their lives. Why then, should our afterlives be any different? For better or worse, all our lives were marred with interesting times beyond our control."
A single finger was raised as he continued. "It should be a case of waiting for the next moment of interest when it strikes us, not concerning ourselves with if. Be they good or bad, just walking the road and expecting the next shock is all that we can do." he lowered the finger and placed his hands on his hips, nodding his head up and down. "What do you think, good Archer?"
The tanned man grunted as he walked past them "A rather optimistic way of phrasing that trouble is always brewing if you ask me." Despite his words, Boudica couldn't help but notice the ghost of a smile on his face as he spoke, though it just as quickly vanished as he continued on. "That being said, there is such a thing as avoidable trouble and I would say that this was certainly one such moment…but that is for me to think and for our Master to choose differently."
"You don't sound all that upset about it."
Archer hummed and shrugged as he moved back across the kitchen to the ovens "I've made it no secret that I am a rather different individual to all of you. The choices I would make might not always be considered the right ones to make at the time." he paused, then turned around to face the two of them, folding his arms over his chest. "Though there has been a disturbing number of attempts on his life from Servants within his own roster…I would consider it rather foolish to just accept them back without problem."
Siegward hummed in response. "I believe those are less the cause of malicious nature and more of mistaken ideals and troubled souls." with a solemn look, he glanced away and lowered his arms to his side. "There are few things that can wound as deep as a broken heart."
Archer, meanwhile, just frowned to himself before turning away from them. "We all have our problems. It's a matter of putting them aside for the greater good that troubles me. When facing the end of humanity, I would argue that someone suffering from a broken heart would do well to consider their own position and whether they might put others at risk by remaining."
"A rather cold attitude to life."
"If you say so."
It wasn't that Boudica exactly disagreed with him, in the interest of the greater good for humanity she had put aside her hatred for Nero. Or at least put a lid on it, getting angry wouldn't be anything more than self-gratification at this point. What was the point of killing a Servant for a crime they committed in life?
Her eyes lingered on the back of the Archer Servant before she slowly turned from them and towards the counter, having noticed some movement from it. Though if she had missed the movement, she wouldn't have missed the faint creaking noise as the currently unnamed Berserker sat themselves down into the stool which let out a faint whine of protest.
Berserker glanced down at it for a moment, a brief look of surprise on their face before they turned back with a grunt. The first thing Boudica noticed was the lack of joy on the face of the Servant, if anything they looked somewhat listless, their arms placed on the counter and their eyes drooping downwards with a frown on their face.
Drying her hands, she approached the counter and came to a halt opposite them, leaning forwards and lowering herself slightly to catch their attention.
Berserker jumped a bit at her presence - somehow having missed her - and straightened out and fixed her with an odd look, opening and closing their mouth several times before they finally dropped their expression, giving her a single nod and speaking one word. "Morning."
That certainly didn't seem right.
"Everything alright?"
"Yes." Berserker answered quickly, much too quickly for her liking. Prompting her to gaze at him in silence with an utterly blank expression. Their mismatched eyes met hers for only a few moments before they retreated from her gaze, flying in every other direction that wasn't facing her. All the while, their expression grew increasingly more uncomfortable before they finally caved.
Dropping their shoulders, they let their head hang. "No."
"Hmmm." She hummed as she gave them a once over, the brief thought that something relating to the Gods had prompted this from him. She had seen his reaction against even Caffrey and now Chaldea was virtually a pantheon with the number they currently had roaming around. "Would you like to talk about it?"
For a moment she thought they might have refused, the way their eyes darted up to her and she saw the flash of hesitation in their eyes nearly convinced her that they would shake their head and tell her no. Yet as quickly as it had arrived, it soon vanished and was replaced by only exasperation. They slowly nodded their head up and down as they brought their left hand up, placing it against their forehead and supporting their head with it.
"I'm just a little surprised by how swiftly my understanding of everything has changed." He grumbled quietly, though he sounded less annoyed and just genuinely confused. She hummed and encouraged him to continue. "I go my whole life thinking that the Gods were…not as I have met them. I had an image of them made from my experiences with them and yet with all of this news of Gwyn and his own family turning against him…I'm just puzzled."
Boudica nodded her head up and down. "I can't speak for how the Gods are when you were back home, but you'll find no shortage of Pantheons around here where the Gods are often bickering with one another…more often than not over whether one of them had been sleeping with a human or making bets over champions…" she paused, the bare minimum knowledge provided by the Grail aiding her somewhat. "Other times because they just didn't like one another."
Berserker looked more troubled by that than she had expected, which was a little unusual because he never once struck her as someone who liked the Gods, yet the news of them being divided and often at war with one another seemed to trouble him.
"...I met the Gods as they were united. I just thought they were all like that." He replied after a moment, scratching his hand over his head. "Though…I did know of one who didn't agree with the others so perhaps that should have been my first clue. I just didn't think about it at the time…"
A hum, she pursed her lips as she looked them up and down. "Is that what has you troubled? That the Gods aren't as you expected them to be?"
Smacking their lips, Berserker shook their head from side to side "No, that isn't it. Though it is something I've been thinking about, I'm more troubled by my own…arrogance once again, I suppose." She blinked at them, while many things sprung to mind, arrogant hadn't been one of them, she would reserve that to those who actually deserved the title. "Just after we visited Ritsuka I thought that Chaldea could do something to make them more lively…they all looked much too sad for my liking so I thought about finding a way to have them feel less…sad."
With a near helpless shrug of his shoulders, he rested his other arm back on the counter and shot her a mild grimace. "I was probably getting ahead of myself at the time but it just popped into my head. I remember feeling more motivated when I had a goal to work towards even if it turned out to be a mistake in the end, I still felt alive but I look around and it just feels a bit…cold."
They paused, then thinned their lips. "No. Not cold. You don't feel like you have the same bonds. There is talk of betrayal and theft and I can't imagine something like that being right. So I wanted to do something to make everyone closer, secure the bonds but…I couldn't actually think of anything."
Boudica had to take a moment to recover herself, it felt as though she had been bombarded with a lot, not to mention the rather depressing and overly critical way they had spoken about themselves and the time they wanted to make something. Though that would be addressed at another time, for right now there was this peculiar little plan they had tried and failed to concoct.
"Why didn't you ask Da Vinci for help?" That would have been one of the first things she thought they would have done, given how close they were with the Berserker for some as of yet unexplained reason.
Berserker stilled, then frowned and shook his head. "That…I didn't want to have to constantly trouble Vinci with my problems. I know she would probably help me if I ask but I…I just felt like this would be something I could do to…" he trailed off for a moment, she saw the flicker of shame in his eyes before he turned away from her, blocking her view of them. Yet she had still seen them. "...I decided to do this and to go to Vinci would feel as though I was just accepting failure once again. I hoped I could accomplish this one thing but it seems as though I'm stumped-"
"Nonsense." They both turned to see Siegward there, having appeared without any prior warning, the man giving Berserker a serious look as he leaned forwards and rested his hands flat against the counter. "Hear me, young man. I shall accept no one slandering themselves such as that. You wish to bring about a festival to make merriment and keep it a surprise? Then that is all the better."
Berserker blinked twice at them, then opened his mouth to speak, only for Siegward to cut them off with a raised hand. A gentle smile formed over his face as he did so. "And this was to bring the bonds of all in Chaldea closer, yes? Then it would be wrong to exclude yourself during this time…even when one plans for joy, they can do so with their friends. You wish for this to be a surprise? Then all the better. I can think of no more a worthy goal."
While she wouldn't have gone that far, Boudica couldn't help the pull of her lips into a smile at the man before she turned to the Servant in front of them and nodded her head up and down, jerking her head to the Saber Servant at her side. "While he's certainly excitable over this sort of thing. He isn't wrong. You're hardly going to bring everyone together if you're sitting here putting yourself down over struggling. But that's fine."
She assured them before they could take her words negatively, waving her hand from side to side. "That's all part of the process. Besides…I wouldn't mind giving you a hand in this sort of thing."
"Make that me too-wan!" Another bark from somewhere had them all jolt at the loud noise, their heads turned as one. Boudica had to sort through her memories to try and place the Servant that had all but appeared next to them without any sort of prior warning. Perhaps she was getting a little too complacent with being caught by surprise, they weren't even using any sort of presence concealment in the first place.
With puffy orange hair and a large bushy tail, hands and feet replaced by paws, the very animalistic Servant rushed towards them and then loomed an arm over the top of Berserker with a sharp grin on her features which didn't look all that hostile, yet Berserker responded to her sudden appearance and proximity to him by sharply rising from his seat and out of her grip before she could even complete the movement.
His eyes were wide for a few moments, he took an audible sniff before he narrowed his gaze at the Servant, looking her up and down with rather deliberate movements before he squinted. She'd never seen them look that confused before but then again, it wasn't that she could really blame him. She was trying to wrap her head around the sudden appearance as well, torn between annoyance at the sudden eavesdropping and relief that someone else was going to lend their aid.
The Servant remained frozen for a short moment, then placed her paws on her hips and sported a visible frown at the clear rejection of physical intimacy. "Hey, I'm not that bad-wan. Weren't you the one talking about getting close a second ago?"
"No it's just that…" Berserker seemed to struggle for the right words before they took another sniff of the air, this one lasting a little bit longer, and then replying in a troubled tone of voice. "You just smell divine."
"Why thank you-wan!" The response was rather childish, the Servant preened at what she assumed was a compliment and seemed to puff herself out a little more. "Keeping this coat of mine luscious and well groomed is a basic responsibility for someone who wishes to become the very best they can be for their goshujin-sama!"
A single finger was raised and Boudica focused her eyes on the long black claw which erupted from the tip of it and pointed straight towards the ceiling. She wasn't the only one as Berserker similarly went cross eyed as well, given that it was directly in his face. "In fact, I get the feeling that I might have been putting too much care into my appearance. It's almost like a bunch of really interesting things just happened and passed me by without anyone coming and letting me know! So you can be sure that I'm not going to let this chance slip past me and I'm going to jump right back into the limelight where I belong-wan!"
Berserker kept his eyes on the claw, then turned his head towards her. The helpless gaze he directed towards her was rewarded with a small shrug of her shoulders. He looked a little downcast at that for a moment, so she brought her gaze back to the Servant and gave them a more scrutinising look. "I get the feeling we haven't actually been introduced to one another."
"Hm?" The woman turned to her, their ears immediately went ramrod straight as they retracted the claw and whirled on her, slamming their paws into the counter and slowly leaning forwards. Boudica felt a strange sense of foreboding as she started to lean away from them with a feeling of bemusement gradually rising through her. "...Strange-wan. I don't think we've actually been in the same room before. I guess we just kept walking past each other."
Then their eyes turned onto Siegward "How come you didn't introduce me-wan? I thought we were friends!"
"I was under the impression we were cordial acquaintances at best." Siegward responded with a tone of honest confusion, especially when he raised his hands in surrender at her very nearly heartbroken expression. "I am not against us being friends, but our last meeting started with you throwing food and a table at us without warning. Then you asked to be let into the kitchen and even excluding the fact you're covered in fur…well, the last time I saw you make food it turned into an explosive."
They opened their mouth to reply, then slowly creased their brows together, the indignation gave way to confusion and then annoyed understanding as they folded their arms over their chest. "I knew that doing something so in the moment would end badly-wan. I didn't think the consequences would be so dire. How is a maid supposed to serve anyone if they can't be allowed in the kitchen to make food?" she whirled on Berserker. "That doesn't make sense, right? It's like something that has to be illegal."
Berserker was put on the spot once more, then turned to her and asked with a strained tone of voice. "What's a maid?"
"A servant of sorts." Siegward responded with a wave of his hand and a look of befuddlement on his face.
Boudica could see that explanation ending only one way.
Berserker blinked, then pointed a finger at his chest before he spoke again. "So…am I a maid?"
She felt a headache strike her, bringing her hand up and rubbing her forehead as she did so before pulling it down. Pointing first to Berserker. "No, you're not a maid. It's not the same sort of Servant that we are, just someone who works for a noble or something along those lines." She turned next to the new Servant. "And we can introduce one another. I'm Boudica, Rider class Servant."
The Servant made a face and then nodded their head up and down. "I never knew a rival such as this would exist, but it is fitting we should greet each other in such a dignified way-wan." a smug grin appeared on their face as they placed their hands on their hips once more. "I am Tamamo-cat of the Tamamo-nine. Berserker Servant and the greatest fox around."
"...Sorry, did you say Fox?"
"I did."
"...But you call yourself Cat?"
"Yep-wan."
Boudica debated whether she should ask for more information but decided against it, probably being much too troublesome. Shaking her head, she waved her hands in an effort to shoo away the bewildering conversation she had just been involved in. "Anyway, if you're happy to help then I'm sure that Berserker won't mind some more assistance…"
She trailed off as she recalled their reaction to those of divine heritage, then turned and shot them a small look before she continued on in a searching tone of voice. "There won't be a problem, right?"
Berserker didn't say anything, he pursed his lips and then shot her a quick look before he shook his head from side to side and gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes but there was a clear attempt for it. "No…I think that I shall be able to manage fine with her help. It would be…wrong to tell others not to when I'm trying to bring them together, after all…thank you for your help."
"Aren't you nice and polite-wan." Tamamo-Cat praised with an approving nod of the head. "I think that you might have the makings of a decent enough butler if you really-"
"We're not getting into that line of thinking again." She cut right through that sentence before it could take root, silencing the follow up by levelling Tamamo-Cat with a flat look which managed to get the point across if the pout was any indication. "I suppose the first thing we would need to consider is the type of festival or celebration you would need to hold in the first place. There's probably a couple close to right now but it could be anything. Unless you were aiming for something specific."
Berserker glanced down, thought flooded across their face for a moment and was soon followed by dejection as they evidently failed to come up with anything. Giving a quick shrug of their shoulders, accompanied by a barely audible mumble under their breath. "Not sure. Just something."
"Hey, that's fine." Reaching across, she spoke softly as she placed a hand on his arm in a comforting manner, he didn't react to the movement save for a short look at her before bringing his head away and facing another part of the mess hall. "Just means that we have a lot of options open for us. I can already think of a couple of ideas but this was your suggestion in the first place. Besides, to my knowledge there are some holidays that are coming up which we might be able to plan around."
"Holidays?" Berserker's immediate reaction was to parrot the word back to her with a raised eyebrow, she had to hold back a blink at the genuine confusion on his face as well was establish just how much this Servant actually knew, considering they didn't even appear to be aware of what a holiday was. Then again, they might not be human so there was no reason to assume that they would.
Their brows scrunched together, they brought their free hand towards their chin and rubbed it with a clawed finger, a faint brushing sound as it moved along their skin before they spoke again in a slow and uncertain way. "Those are…special days for humans, aren't they? Where they do something…?"
"Yeah." Tamamo-Cat confirmation seemed to put him at ease if the relaxation of his shoulders was any indication, though perhaps it was a little telling he was expecting to be wrong. The eyes of the animalistic Servant widened and almost shone with excitement as she started to vibrate. "Oh! Christmas! Christmas is coming up and that goes hand in hand with parties and feasts-wan! This is the perfect chance to spread cheer and get back into the light after so long away."
"The purpose is more towards spreading cheer." Her words were barely even regarded by the Servant in any way as they seemingly became lost in their own fantasies, that being said their sudden realisation did grant her some ideas, she brought her focus back to the armoured Berserker before her and drew her arms back to her hips. "She does have a point though, Christmas is coming up and that is one of those modern holidays which is rather popular with people. Considering Master celebrated Halloween, I figure they would do the same here."
"Another festival of joy?" Siegward rumbled by her side, she mentally slapped herself for forgetting that he would be in a similar boat, especially when Berserker turned on the man with a look of surprise on his face, leaning forwards and tilting their head.
"You don't know it either?"
"I confess that I do not know, my good fellow." Siegward shook his head from side to side, the dejection lasted for barely a moment before the cheer flooded his words once more, his arms being spread wide. "But that is no reason to exclude myself! I am happy to indulge in the joys of other cultures. It reminds me of my travelling days." his arms lowered back down as both he and Berserker turned on Boudica expectantly.
A hand was brought up to her forehead as she rubbed it back and forth, not bothering to fight back the smile that was forming upon her lips. "Keep in mind that this knowledge comes from the Grail. Christmas didn't exist when I was alive and it's probably changed over the years-"
"A gathering of friends and family accompanied by the giving of presents." A faintly amused tone behind her, she turned and caught the tanned Archer approaching with a steel pot in his hands, having clearly been privy to their conversation. He placed it down with a clunk as he continued to speak. "Though it is supposed to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, I doubt there will be many Servants here who know or would regard them with any degree of importance, aside from Saint Jeanne."
He added on the name almost as an afterthought, though Boudica was sure there might be at least one or two more who would celebrate the birth of Jesus, then again she wasn't one of those.
"The holiday itself has become more a time of gathering." Archer continued on as he removed the lid of the pot, leaning back to avoid the steam which rose up, accompanying a faint smell of vegetables. "As I said earlier, in modern times it is where one will assemble their family and friends for general merriment and to spread cheer to one another, normally by giving presents…or relying on Santa to give presents."
"Santa?" Berserker quizzed behind her, Archer grunted once.
"If you would believe it, they are a figure who can move across the entire world, watches over the lives of children and those who have behaved poorly will receive coal while those who have behaved well are treated to presents." A beat, he turned to them with a touch of a smirk. "It's an incitement for young children to behave themselves, else come the time of Christmas they find themselves lacking in toys, games or whatever else they asked from Santa."
A hum from Siegward. "Asked, you say? You make it sound as though they were sending him requests."
Archer shrugged, placing the lid back on the pot. "Some do, they assemble lists of whatever they would like to receive that year and then it will be carried off to Santa through magic. When he arrives, they will often leave milk and biscuits for him and for the reindeer that pull his sleigh, they will leave carrots."
Another pause. "There is more I could say for it but that is the simplest version."
"Ah, do not worry yourself about that, Archer." She turned to Siegward, as well as the jolly tone that he now held, she saw the glimmer in his eyes as he stroked his moustache with renewed vigour. "I would say that you have provided us with a much needed idea for this plan. Though I am curious…how long until this Christmas is upon us?"
"Three days."
Siegward stopped moving for a short moment, then he lowered his arm to his side, the frown that he now wore was a touch more troubled. One that Boudica now shared with him, she was certain he had come to the same conclusion as her, with the length of time they had left, there wasn't a lot of planning they could have. Even without the need to sleep, three days to assemble a party wasn't a lot of time for them.
"Time means nothing to me."
The words were delivered so suddenly and with such confidence that she had to blink, she turned to the speaker and saw Berserker standing tall, the uncertain posture he once had was all but banished away as he stared at them, his mismatched eyes swept over each of their faces before they landed back on the tanned Archer.
"I am not one to concern myself with the human passage of time, not in this regard. You say this is a festival for giving and cheer? Then we shall work to see it done. Even should this Santa have been slain in the Incineration of Humanity, I will work to see this through."
Bringing up their right hand, they pointed it down into the counter and looked dangerously close to putting their finger through it.
"I have made an oath to see this through to the end, now that the path has been opened to me, I shall not turn my eyes from it. I see only the end goal and wish it realised." Drawing his arm back, he slammed his fist onto his chest around his heart, producing a weighty clap as he did so. "If you would still aid me, then I would ask you to lend me your strength so that we might overcome this obstacle together. If this Christmas is to bring about bonds and cheer, then I shall make this the grandest Christmas that has ever existed…Can I call upon you for this?"
Whether it was the nature of their goal or the earnest look in their eyes, perhaps even the fact it was a plea for aid, she found herself unable to speak for a few moments. When her mind finally caught up with her, she felt her lips pull themselves into a smile, her arms brought themselves up and folded over her chest as she leaned on one side.
"I believe I said as much already." She said, looking him in the eyes as she did so and nodding her head once. "This is something I can definitely get behind." a glance either side of her at the others present, then back towards Berserker. "And I believe I can speak for everyone present that you will most certainly receive some help."
Berserker's expression all but collapsed, whatever tension or uncertainty had been in his face vanished in a moment and was replaced with simple and pure relief. His eyes closed and a breath slowly emerged from the back of his throat, dropping his head forwards, he all but collapsed onto the counter and it was only his hands falling down and catching him that prevented his complete fall. "That means more to me than you could possibly imagine, sister."
"...Wait, what did you just-?" The immediate notion of thanking him was washed away when it registered with her what he had just called her, needing a double take and repeating the sentence in her mind again and again to ensure she had heard correctly. Her brows scrunched up before she opened and closed her mouth. Eventually, she let out a breath of her own and brought up her hands, rubbing at her eyes. "...You can just call me Boudica, you know?"
"All humans are my brothers and sisters." Berserker replied matter of factly "Regardless of era and location. I can't not refer to them as such, it would be a disservice."
Suddenly his worry about bonds made an awful lot of sense.
Still, that was something that had hit her right out of nowhere. He made it sound so natural when he said it as well, as long as he wasn't being snide or malicious then she supposed she would let it slide for the time being, especially if he didn't seem to know any better. There was still something about him that was decidedly inhuman, at the end of the day.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the clearing of a throat, Siegward lowering his hand from in front of his lips - she saw the ghost of a smile on his face - and glancing to those around him. "So then…when should we start?"
That was the real question, as soon as possible seemed to be the best answer she would be able to give.
Something that Berserker looked just about ready to answer with before they paused, their eyes turned unfocused and their body locked up. Clear surprise wrote itself over his features and for a moment, she found herself a little concerned at the reaction. Then he whirled around at speeds that - even to her - looked like little more than a jump from one place to another, his eyes fixed firmly on the entrance of the cafeteria.
Her interest piqued, she leaned over the counter and turned her head towards the still closed door, inclining an eyebrow at it. She could sense Servants approaching if she really focused on it but she couldn't make out all that much of what - or who - was actually approaching. Yet for the sudden reaction of Berserker, she was left to assume it might have been a God based on the way they froze up.
She soon realised she wasn't alone, a swift glance to either side revealed that the others had similarly noticed the surprise on Berserker and were now all looking in the exact same direction with varying degrees of apprehensive curiosity. She looked back at the door and squinted at it almost expectantly.
A hiss of metal.
The door opened up and a figure stepped into the room.
What struck her immediately was the facial similarity to Nero and that was where it ended, first and foremost was the raw power that the Servant was exuding just by being in the room, with a faint similarity to Berserker to the point she would have thought there was a connection, clad in blackened plate metal with a matching skirt down to their ankles, their strides were accompanied by the clanking of steel.
"What the…?" She heard the faint whisper at her side, she turned and the sight that greeted her was very much not one she had been expecting.
Archer - who usually looked unflappable - was wearing an expression of pure shock on his face, eyes wide as saucers and lips parted, he'd gone ramrod straight and kept his arms down, his gaze unblinking as he tracked the approaching Servant into the cafeteria, not even making much more of a single sound beyond his initial surprise, she doubted he even caught her staring.
Bringing her focus back to the Servant as they marched, there was something about them which almost resonated with her, the same sort of feeling she got when she was around Gareth, as though there was something that connected the two of them.
The pale golden eyes of the Servant swept over the cafeteria before landing on her and the audience that were transfixed by her appearance, there wasn't an ounce of emotion on her face as she stared right back at them, then her eyes narrowed just a touch in what might have been interest before they returned to their similar disinterest, something that perhaps might have been the end…
Had Berserker not called out a moment later.
"Artoria, I didn't know you could shrink as well."
Dead silence.
The head of the now named Artoria mechanically turned towards the speaker, as did Boudica's own attention shift towards Berserker who looked the picture of innocent curiosity, looking right at the newly arrived Servant with what could only be described as pure joy, though it quickly started to fade away without a reason as they then bit their lip and glanced to the side.
"Ah…no, wait…" They mumbled out under their breath before waving their hand from side to side. "For-forget I ever said anything. We've probably not met one another before-"
"Not in this incarnation, yet you were brazen enough to speak with me in such a manner." Boudica snapped her head back, Artoria was now a few feet from her and standing before the counter, her attention divided between the kitchens and the Berserker. "I would accuse you of encountering another version of myself…were it not for the peculiarity of your words. Had you been aware of me, you would know that my appearance did not change during my life as King."
"It didn't?" Berserker went back to sounding confused now, she watched as their brows furrowed a bit, bringing up their right hand and scratching the side of their temple. "But the you I met rode a horse and everything…do you still have the spear?" another pause before they cringed rather heavily and made a series of noises. "A-actually, it would be best if everyone just forgot I said that."
Artoria's expression had barely shifted, yet something seemed to pass through those pale golden eyes for a brief second before it vanished. "You do not look surprised by my appearance. Most would hold a different expectation for King Arthur."
"Are you supposed to look different? You're still wearing black armour…you're only a little shorter than I remember…do you not have the horse anymore? You went everywhere…I'm…just ignore me-"
"Refrain from embarrassing yourself in such a manner. Either speak what you mean or stay your tongue." Boudica frowned for a moment at the blunt manner of speaking, watching as Artoria seemingly had little else to say on the matter as she turned to Archer and looked him dead in the eyes. She wasn't entirely certain what was happening and it felt as though she'd somehow walked into two separate conversations without context for either.
"...Saber." Archer greeted with a cordial tone of voice, nodding his head once as he did so, having recovered himself from his earlier stupor.
"Archer." Artoria replied then leaned forwards, a shower of blue light and the armour peeled away from her body, the undercoat black dress remained in place with the long sleeves. "If you are to be granted leave to work in the kitchens, I shall assume you have some degree of competence in the art of food preparation."
"...I mingle, yes."
"Hmph. A hamburger."
"Of co-excuse me?" Boudica nearly laughed at the expression that Archer now wore, instead she brought up her hand and covered her mouth, pretending as though she was deep in thought and shooting a quick look towards the direction of Siegward, the man was making less of an effort to hide his amusement, rolling his lips inwards and fighting back his laughter, the trembling of his shoulders giving him away.
"Are you hard of hearing?"
"You…what?" Archer's expression cycled through several emotions before it landed on shock, bringing up his hand and pointing a finger at her. "You want me." he then pointed at himself. "To make you…a hamburger?"
"Hmmm. You make a sensible point. A single hamburger is far too lacking for me." Artoria remarked with the same emotionless voice she held since she started speaking, then gave a single nod of the head. "Make it a double hamburger, extra cheese and don't forget the pickles."
"Potato fries as well."
The heads turned to the speaker, Berserker looked around at the faces and only tilted his head and shrugged. "What? I think the fried potatoes go well with burgers."
"Good. Someone with taste." Artoria praised and Boudica was still finding herself mentally stumbling around as she tried to make sense of what was happening around her, all while Berserker preened at the praise and nodded his head up and down as though he had managed to do some grand good. "Do you expect me to repeat myself, Archer?"
It might have been a question but it was phrased as a warning, she clearly wasn't going to ask twice and it had been apparent what she wanted. Boudica stared at her for a moment longer as she finally managed to make sense of what was happening and then gradually shifted her focus from Artoria to Archer, the tanned man still stood with his hand still pressed against his chest from where he had pointed earlier.
He blinked a single time.
Then let out a sudden breath that was very near a cough as he turned away from Artoria and started to shake his head from side to side, repeating the words 'a double hamburger.' under his breath as he did so. The shock still clearly audible in his tone of voice.
As amusing as that was, it was still a rather shocking turn of events to see the Archer reduced to such a state with what was probably a fairly ordinary order of food. He hadn't reacted quite that strongly when Berserker made a similar order, yet the moment Artoria did so, suddenly he was acting like the sky turned pink or something.
Quietly humming, she turned her eyes back to those in front of her and noticed immediately the look in Berserker's eyes, flickering between her and Artoria who had assumed a spot next to him, having pushed her way between the two Berserker servants and sat herself down without a care in the world.
Moments passed, then Berserker cleared his throat as he brought his focus to Artoria completely.
More silence.
Artoria spoke with a curt tone of voice. "Should you wish to speak with me, then I urge you to do so quickly." they sounded neither rude nor annoyed, but there was an underlying sense of urgency in her words.
Berserker winced for a moment and then nodded his head up and down, seemingly agreeing with her. "Yes, you're right…as usual." she very nearly missed that last part. "We are starting to think of something to do for Christmas and I wished to ask if you would also like to lend your aid to this cause?"
Boudica raised her brows just a touch, given how uneasy he had been about asking for help earlier he was now virtually jumping at the chance of asking the literal first Servant who walked into the room. Well, he did seem to claw back some confidence which peeled away a bit the moment he started speaking with Artoria. Really, she was just a little curious as to what was happening.
"No, I am telling you what shall happen." Berserker changed his tone a moment later, raising himself up as it were and looking down at the Saber Servant. "Myself and my siblings, with the aid of others, are going to create the grandest Christmas to ever exist on the face of this world. Whether you provide help or not, it will go forward. I am offering you a chance to be a part of that."
Artoria said nothing, not immediately, instead they seemingly stilled the moment Berserker had stopped speaking. Then turned their head nearly mechanically towards them while their eyes betrayed nothing. Looking up to the Servant with an unblinking gaze which turned rather intense, without even being directed at her.
Neither of the Servants broke eye contact with the other.
"Hoh?" A low noise of interest from Artoria. "You seem confident enough to make such boasts. Still, that you shall ask me this means you are prepared to pay stipulations for my assistance?" pale eyes narrowed. "A King does not so freely lend their aid to all who come asking."
It was Berserker's turn to narrow his eyes. "Stipulations? You would ask for something in exchange for your aid…Yes. I am asking you for something, you should ask me for something. That is a fair exchange between us." they concluded with an accepting nod of the head. "What would you demand in return?"
"There is a matter of Chaldea's repeated triumphs over me that has incurred…a scratch upon my pride as a King." They sounded almost dismissive yet Boudica noticed the brief fire move through their eyes. "As such, I would not lower myself to a background role in this plan of yours…Traditionally there is a role that is at the forefront of Christmas. I shall assume that."
Berserker blinked once, then tilted his head and spoke in a bemused tone of voice. "You want to be Jesus?"
"..."
Boudica brought her hand up and rubbed her brows, before this was over they could probably do with more help.
…And there might be another they could ask.
"I know the holiday, yes."
His tone betrayed nothing, neither did his eyes, it was almost eerie the lack of emotion she could see in his face and hear in his words. All the same, he stood in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest.
"You are planning something for it."
The declaration was met with a nod of the head, it was hardly as though it wasn't the obvious reason for asking someone about Christmas.
Ash turned away from her, unfolding his arms and placing his hand against the doorway to lean against. His lips pulled downwards as he spoke. "Had you asked me before, there would have been a time when I would have dismissed it entirely. Told you to focus your efforts elsewhere and to leave the matter be…I very likely would have believed this effort foolish and then wished no part in what you were doing."
Her face softened as she listened to them. "I'm only asking because I would like you to be there and I'm sure others would be more than happy to as well."
"You're asking on behalf of Siegward."
She winced. "That obvious?"
Ash's lips pulled upwards into a thin smile. "Maybe, but I know Siegward enough that he would not allow something like my previous actions to sour his opinion of me." the smile vanished as he turned back to her and looked down. "...He has asked often, has he? I know he made a single attempt to meet with me which I…rebuffed."
"You don't need to sound ashamed of that." Her hand came up to reassure him. "I'm not going to pretend to understand what you are still going through, but I know that you need your space. It's why I'm saying you don't have to help us with this…but it would mean a lot if you could show up just for a little while."
A faint grunt from him and a nod of the head. "I imagine that seeing me walking around would put his nerves to rest, if nothing else it would be better that he knows rather than to leave him in uncertainty…He does not know you have come to me, does he?"
"...I told him and the others I was going to find more help that would keep it a secret but I didn't specify." A lopsided smile made its way onto her face, a half shrug soon followed as he remained stone faced at her actions. She kept quiet that she didn't want to get his hopes up, Siegward really did care about Ash and thought of him as a friend but she wasn't about to make excuses for things she didn't know about.
"...I will help you." He declared rather suddenly, briefly surprising her with how easily he accepted the role, though he followed through a moment later. "It is a human holiday so it is right that humans celebrate it…I have vague recollections of what is supposed to occur if you should need ideas on what best to do. But I won't make assumptions."
Boudica let out a faint breath, her expression softened and the smile on her lips became a touch wider. "Thank you. Really. And it's not just a holiday for people. It's for everyone to celebrate, including you." bringing up her hand, she pressed a finger into his chest. "I know you aren't the most festive but…just remember that."
"I cannot forget." Ash replied with a vague tone of voice, then shook his head from side to side. "I would suggest the Simulator but that would be easily detected by any with sense, if hiding the party was your goal…"
"We haven't got a lot of time either." Boudica winced "We managed to get the help of King Arthur but some of her demands were a bit odd…and Berserker folded to them almost instantly." she added as an afterthought, not all that bothered in the grand scheme of things.
"I have…a rough plan to provide you with the venue you require." His words were delivered slowly and with a noticeable bit of apprehension. "I will speak with Romani Archaman and return to you with news. In the meantime…I'd make ready plans to make your venue portable."
Boudica blinked "Portable?"
"The location known as Lapland is important for Christmas…" Ash explained with a bit of strain, as though he was focusing rather hard on something with a slight crinkle of his brows. "And I believe it would hold more weight if it were held there. But without a Singularity, we cannot arrive in that location…but I have other ideas around that. Tell me the room you are all planning in, I shall meet with you later."
