Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission. With a new mini-Lostbelt (or perhaps a Lostbelt in the making) having popped up, it fell to Vy and her Servants to resolve the situation. No one was expecting an old knight to oppose them. Even in another doomed universe, a May King makes his choice as to who to fight for.

Note: As much as Fate/Extra Last Encore still irks me to this day with its portrayal of Kishinami Hakuno as a character, the arc that covered Dan Blackmore and Robin Hood is one that I strangely find dear to me. So, this is my way of covering it and how Chaldea might've dealt with this mockery of a Moon Cell Grail War if they were able to enter it at a point from it becoming a Lostbelt.

This is also my way of honoring all my Grailed Servants and how, as of this note's writing (5/22/2021), Robin Hood is officially my first ever Bond Level 10 Servant. Fate/Grand Order may be a flawed gacha game (looking at the total spendings I've put into this game, ack), but it's still a game that brought me a lot of good moments and let me express my creativity in a different way. Tamamo is here on my special other's recommendation because of covering Fate/Extra stuff in general.

Nothing quite like honoring my first Bond Level 10 Servant with a story that (hopefully) corrects his only anime appearance that is more than a few seconds throughout the Fate franchise. I went into writing this with Episodes 4 and 5 of Last Encore in mind, because of how much I still go back to them in spite of my own grievances.

The song I will recommend here is Feel Invincible by Skillet. 'Nough said. For an alternative, I'll point you to the trailer music used for Avatar the Last Airbender: Book 3 Fire.

Oh, and CW for implied death, violence, and the usage of guns, of course. And some Lostbelt lore. You have been forewarned. Otherwise, please enjoy. :)

Day 15: Old Knight's Rest

It wasn't the first time Vy had seen Robin Hood take on a serious expression. After all, he was still a Servant despite everything they had seen together, and fights were not beyond him. It didn't make the change any less jarring, because the Robin who gently smiled at her in the Novum Chaldea Dining Hall hours before and the Robin in front of her right now felt like two different people if not for the emotion still surging through their Master-Servant connection.

The Robin Hood in front of Vy really did resemble the rogue that had once taken on an army all by himself with the dark look on his face.

"…Little sparrow," he started, nearly making Vy jump if not for Arturia reaching out to rest a steadying hand on Vy's shoulder. "Do you trust me?"

"O-Of course I do," Vy responded immediately, glancing around the ruins of what looked like a former mansion living room that they had all landed in to try regaining some composure. This was supposed to be a simple Rayshift, another mission to resolve a blip of a strange Lostbelt that had shown up before the Indian Lostbelt could be located by Sion, so why— "There's no way I wouldn't, Big Robin."

Archer's shoulders relaxed the slightest bit at Vy's answer, a long exhale leaving his lips. Past the hood of his cloak, Vy could then see a glimpse of a softened green eye reflecting her image. "Thank you," he said gently, a smile in his voice before he took a breath, the air dropping a few degrees with the action. "Now what I need you to do, Vy, is to take Rider, Saber, and Caster with you and run."

"Huh?" was all Vy had to say before all she could see was green. Shaking her head only vaguely informed her that the No Face May King was covering her head now, with the cloak barely letting her hear the other Servants.

"Little sis!" Tamamo squealed loudly in protest.

"Robin, what the fuck—" Vy could vaguely hear Achilles yell, but someone was lifting her up and she tried not to squeak as the green cloak on her head was then wrapped around her body, leaving her in a helpless burrito-like state. "What are you doing?"

"If my hunch is right," Robin said above her head, making Vy aware of how he was carrying her now, "the enemy we're facing in this mini-Lostbelt is one I know really well. And that enemy is going to be gunning for our Master no matter what we do."

"What do you mean by 'gunning,' Archer?" Arturia snapped, a metal boot stomping against the wooden planks of the floor. "You can't possibly mean—"

"The enemy feels like my old Master from before Chaldea," Robin bit out in return, and Vy tried to wiggle through the No Face May King covering her to try listening in, words stifled in her throat once she heard the words. "And he's a sniper, Saber. If I'm not wrong about where we are, he will try to kill the little sparrow once we leave this room."

"WHAT?!" Mash screamed over the intercom.

It was telling how Tamamo hadn't said anything after her previous outburst.

Vy didn't need the entirety of her vision to know both Achilles and Arturia were taken aback, because their emotions through the Master-Servant bond were enough of a sign to read the atmosphere. "…With a gun?" Arturia said, quieter, but Vy could hear the underlying rage. "Without even facing her, he's going to aim for the head of our Princess?"

Robin Hood sighed above Vy's hair, and Vy did her best to hold back an embarrassed yelp once she was moved and then dropped into Achilles' arms of all places. "…Sir was like that back then," was all Robin Hood explained, and a hand gently rested on top of Vy's head through the No Face May King. "And I don't want to be right about this, but knowing our luck, he's going to be facing us and he'll want Vy's blood because she's the only Master left in this dump of what I think is a former Moon Cell Holy Grail War."

If the room could freeze, Vy felt like it would've done so long before Robin said all that. Moon Cell. SERAPH. Of course. She still couldn't forget Kiara, BB, and everything else that happened on the former Seraphix oil rig. Still, she shivered through the cloak covering her. It wasn't the first time someone was targeting her life. Being the last Chaldean Master meant the people opposing Proper Human History wanted her dead. But this—

"I get that some people want a fight," Achilles interrupted with an impatient huff, supporting Vy by the undersides of her knees and her shoulders, "But aiming for a Master's life before even saying anything is a bit much, even for a former Master, Archer."

"My tails are simply not standing for this either, greenie!" Tamamo quipped, albeit with less strength than usual in her voice. "Explain!"

"You'd have no idea, Rider," Robin shot back, the hand on Vy's head tensing the slightest bit with the words. "Maybe Caster and Saber would, but I can't explain everything now when this is still a Lostbelt. So you three need to run on Rider's chariot with the little sparrow towards the clock tower on this floor once I give the signal."

"What are you going to do, Archer?" Arturia said, a hand on Vy's shoulder through the No Face May King as Vy continued to try to wiggle out of her cloak-burrito to get a better look at everyone's faces. "Are you—"

Robin Hood sighed, the hand on Vy's head patting all over again. "I'm going to fight the Servant that's coming close. There's something I need to settle with them if my gut feeling is right again."

Vy felt the panic bubble up in her voice before she could hear herself. Still, past the green of the No Face May King, she found herself saying, "R-Robin—!"

What if something happens— I can't leave you, why are you giving your cloak to me when you need it—

The hand on her head stilled before patting her again. "Vy."

Vy felt her voice die in her throat at the sound of her name. Past the cover of the No Face May King, she could barely make out the gentle smile and warm look on Robin's face as he stared down at her, visible green eye at half-mast as he returned her gaze. "Trust me. I'll be okay."

Just wait for me, little sparrow, his mental voice added, gently echoing in her mind as he stared at her. It almost felt like he was hugging her without actually doing it from how warm the thought sounded throughout her brain. I'll be back soon.

Before Vy could open her mouth again, there was a soft whoosh and Robin Hood was gone.

"…I guess that's our signal," Tamamo groaned. "Darn Ikémon leaving without me — how rude!"

All Vy could say in response to the Caster's words was an intelligent, "…Huh?"

Up in the only clock tower in the Second Stratum of the Moon Cell, Dan Blackmore opened his eyes.

"Another Wizard has come," he murmured, shouldering his sniper rifle. "Archer."

A whoosh of air preceded the barely audible footsteps echoing in the area. "Another fight, Sir?" The only Servant in the clock tower sighed. "SERAPH is still in tatters, the Holy Grail is nowhere to be seen, most of the participants are dead, and there's no rules to this war. Are you sure about this?"

"Of course, Archer." Dan got up from his seat against one of the pillars of the room, taking a bullet in his hands to start loading his rifle. "The Holy Grail means nothing to me."

Archer said nothing as Dan looked through the rifle's scope past the window and aimed.

"I will kill, and I will win. All to ascend to the third floor. This time, the Moon Cell should welcome me." Dan took a breath once the door to that fallen mansion opened from afar. "I welcome you, young… Wizard…?"

Archer paused over Dan's shoulder, his arms crossed in curiosity. "What is it, Master?"

"I… I don't see the enemy Master. I can see there are Servants, but where is the Master?"

I don't like this, Arturia said quietly, the thought echoing in everyone's minds as Vy did her best not to wiggle in the No Face May King's shade. Keeping up a green cloak cover on a moving chariot wasn't exactly a walk in the park, even if the forest underneath them looked really pretty. Still, Xanthos whinnied in time with Arturia adding, Even if Archer had said to proceed without him, to leave him alone—

He won't be alone, Saber, Achilles interrupted, snapping the reins of his chariot almost immediately to let the horses know they needed to go faster, albeit quieter considering there was only so far Robin's Noble Phantasm could go in concealing them all. Tamamo decided to go down there with him. He'll be fine.

Unable to open her mouth, Vy simply thought, …You sure, Achi?

Even when in the cover of Robin Hood's Noble Phantasm, Vy knew both Saber and Rider were giving her concerned looks. She could feel it.

Princess… Achilles started softly, taking a hand off the reins to wrap it around her shoulders in a reassuring squeeze, You just gotta trust in him. He said as much, didn't he?

I-I know that! Vy shook her head, tugging on the green cloak so that it concealed them all a bit more. I know that, Achi… I-It's just…

Arturia reached over and rested one metal-gauntleted hand against Vy's left one, her armored fingers brushing Vy's Command Spells. You love him as much as you do all of us and didn't want to see him go like that?

Vy tried not to blush, instead ducking her head and nodding. She didn't have to look up to know the other Servants were smiling.

Princess, it will be alright, Arturia said softly through their link. Robin Hood knows how to take care of himself. And Caster is with him, as Rider said. We'll solve this Lostbelt together, even if we're physically apart for now. Her touch was still warm even through her armor, a metal-covered thumb tracing the edges of Vy's Command Spells. Do not worry.

Aye… Th-Thankie, Art-san.

Achilles let out a tiny snort. What about me, Princess?

Th-Thankie to you too, Achi!

What felt like a smirk tickled the back of Vy's brain. But before Achilles could verbally respond, the bell tower from afar rang once. That was all it took for their cover to be blown and for sunlight to blast Vy in the face. Arturia was already jumping up from her standing place near Rider, Excalibur sheathed in Invisible Air as she deflected the next incoming projectile from atop one of the chariot's edges, tossing the No Face May King into Vy's arms all the while. "RIDER!"

"ON IT!" Achilles let Vy's shoulders go and whistled, making all three steeds on his chariot whinny loudly. Vy wrapped her arms around Achilles' waist from behind to hide, Robin's green cloak squished between her and the Rider Servant as a makeshift weight for now. "PRINCESS, HANG ON! WE'RE GONNA RUN!"

"A-AYE!"

Somehow, the enemy had sniped them. Without seeing them, without even a moment of hesitation. Vy already knew if not for her Servants, the bullet that ricocheted off of Arturia's blade might've gone through her head since the first one already tore off the protection of Robin's Noble Phantasm. It was tense enough as is.

S-Stay safe, Big Robin, Tama-san…

Robin carefully hid a flinch at the sound of gunfire echoing above his head, instead treading carefully through the forest foliage as he readied a bolt into the Yew Bow.

If I'm right about this, Sir is here. And if he's here, then…

A dainty hand suddenly was resting on his left forearm, making Robin blink and turn his head just in time for Tamamo to slap a giant ward to his forehead. He bit back an instinctual curse in favor of blinking owlishly, and in return, Tamamo's ears flicked towards him in what looked like irritation.

"Did you know you might be fighting your former Master before we got here, Archer?" Tamamo said in a deeper voice, and Robin blinked again. "Because as much as I appreciate you looking out for our Master by giving her your cloak, you essentially gave away a weapon that you need here in this dreary forest." With a huff, she pressed the ward harder against Robin's head, making it stick all the more as she added, "At least take an invisibility spell if you're going to go all out on your own."

Robin scoffed under his breath. "Believe me, if I knew we were going to be fighting Sir, Caster, I wouldn't have let Vy come here," he snapped, ignoring the urge to rake a hand through his hair. "But thanks for the good luck ward. If I'm right—"

Tamamo's yellow eyes, previously hardened in his direction, widened before softening into a look that Robin could only call a mix of sympathy and pity. The hand she had used to put the ward on his head slowly lowered to rest against her chest as she said, "…We'll have to fight another you?"

Robin didn't answer that question, choosing to avert his gaze and notch another bolt into his Yew Bow, tapping the bowstring to make sure it was taut enough.

Tamamo's gaze, even when Robin couldn't see it, felt wrong as she shook her head, both of her bushy tails swishing behind her. "I understand where you're coming from, but you didn't have to send my little sis away like that," she said softly. "She would've understood."

"That doesn't mean I want her to see another version of me go out the way I'm planning him to go," Robin bit out past gritted teeth, shaking his head. "She's seen enough already with having to destroy three Lostbelts. The last thing I want is for her to see another version of me die."

"Archer, I don't think that's your decision to make," Tamamo said in the same soft voice.

"I want it to be, Caster!"

In spite of the ward on his face, Robin could see Tamamo reaching out towards him with the same hand from before out of the corner of his eye. "Are you doing okay, Archer?"

Robin forced his mouth shut. That was a question he didn't want to unload right now, not when they were far away from Chaldea. Instead, he turned his head elsewhere as he said, "…He's coming."

The chill climbing up his spine was real and dangerous.

Tamamo's ears twitched in his direction. "I know." She withdrew her hand, reaching into one of her kimono sleeves to pull out more paper wards. "I'll support you just this once, greenie, but don't push yourself. Your little sparrow in my little sis would not like to see you die either."

Robin held back a scoff, rubbing his thumb against the bridge of his nose. "To think I'd be teaming up with you, goddamned fox, but…" The shadow approaching them from the treeline above their heads was hard to ignore, so he quipped lightly, "I don't mind it. And you raise a good point."

"Of course I do! I am our Master's big sister!" Tamamo puffed proudly.

"Of course you decide that on your own…"

"Wow, and here I thought I was going bonkers over seeing another me," a familiar voice rang out from the towering treetops. "What happened to your cloak and not associating with giant foxes, other me?"

Robin rolled his eyes, steeling himself while aiming his Yew Bow upwards.

"Who knows, other me," he said in his best imitation of a sing-song tone. "Maybe you should socialize with more people. I find the fox to be pleasant at the moment, actually."

"Ooooh, so you do have a nice heart underneath all those twisted yew branches of yours, Archer!" Tamamo cooed loudly, her two tails swishing behind her robes as she said the words. "Now in honor of your compliment, let us fight!"

Robin wasn't surprised to hear both himself and the enemy above them sigh in unison.

"What is it—" Arturia cursed while midswing of Excalibur, slicing another bullet in half, "—with Masters and using armed weaponry?! How many bullets does this adversary have?!"

"Um," Vy said weakly past Achilles' armor, yelping once Achilles turned the entire chariot to the left to avoid the next volley of bullets, clinging to the Rider as she said in a smaller voice to Arturia, "I-I don't use guns if that helps, Art-san?"

"As much as that's appreciated, Princess, considering how sweet you usually are," Achilles interrupted with a sarcastic laugh, "I don't think that exactly changes how we're getting shot at from here!" Under his breath, he muttered, "I'm running as fast as I usually do, how the hell is an old geezer still sniping at us with pinpoint accuracy?"

Xanthos let out a very horse-y whine of a neigh in agreement, making heat climb up the back of Vy's neck to cover her cheeks.

"Er, I could try to aim with Gandr to throw the sniper off? To see if that works?" Vy offered weakly.

Arturia and Achilles spared Vy a single glance in almost sync past the rain of bullet shells. "No," they said immediately.

"But—"

"No, Princess," both Servants repeated firmly. "You're stressed enough as is." Then, in separate quips, Arturia said, "You would be risking your life if you aimed past Rider's protection, Vy," just as Achilles added, "Open sniping is just asking for someone to shoot you, Vy!"

Vy did her best not to pout, instead hugging Achilles tighter from behind. "Then what are we going to do? I-I don't think we're exactly getting any closer when—"

Another gunshot rang through the air, making Vy flinch at the exact same time Arturia cut the newest projectile coming their way clean in half with the Promised Sword of Victory.

"W-Well, with that still going on!" Vy nearly shrieked from panic, ducking her head and pressing her forehead into the back of Achilles' armor. The faint scent of smoke wafting off from Robin's cloak (no thanks to it being sandwiched between her and Rider) was barely any comfort when the wind was still roaring past Vy's ears.

"You have a point, Vy," Arturia said in a less frustrated, more solemn voice this time. "We're at a standstill when the enemy is still sniping at us and we can't exactly get closer. As much as I have confidence in my swordsmanship, there's only so many bullets I can deflect while in the air."

"I could try to charge us in with my chariot!" Achilles quipped with a bit more cheer. "Knock down the clock tower to avoid the gunfire!"

"And you might make our Princess into mincemeat from the momentum, Rider," Arturia snapped with a flick of her blade. "Not to mention the mana drain she already deals with on a daily basis. Not all of us are immortal."

Even when standing up tall at the head of his chariot, Vy could feel Achilles wilt through the arms she still had gripping his waist for balance.

"I-I'm fine right now, Saber," Vy said instead in her best attempt at mustering up courage and deflecting Arturia's attention away from Achilles. "But if charging in isn't any good, what about regrouping with Archer and Caster?"

"Th-That's a fair course of action, Senpai," Mash said over the intercom on Vy's right wrist, thoughtfulness cutting through whatever worry was permeating her voice. "Right now, the last thing we want is for you to go in the red when there could be another opportunity for enemy attack."

"True that. Though," Achilles added with a slightly disappointed, slightly morose tone, "I can't guarantee Archer's gonna be happy with us…"

"Um," Vy ventured, doing her best to ignore the continuing parade of gunfire, "not to be rude, Achi, but why?"

Achilles turned his head in Vy's direction just as Arturia turned back to face the sky to cut more bullets, yellow eyes wide with disbelief. "You… don't know?"

"About what?"

"Achilles, please quiet yourself," Arturia interrupted with the barest hint of anger in her voice. "Less talk, more flying."

"FINE!" Achilles yelled, and Vy felt her stomach start to give out once the horses whinnied again, the air underneath Vy's feet dipping with the sound of their cries. "SORRY FOR THE LACK OF WARNING, PRINCESS, BUT WE'RE GOING DOWN!"

"P-PLEASE SAY THAT BEFORE YOU START DIVING—!" barely left Vy's lips in time before she was doing her best not to scream.

1, 2, 3. Robin thought to himself. 1, 2, 3. Am I really this predictable? Dodging the invisible arrows felt like going through the easy mode of the Chaldea Simulator at this point, and Robin didn't know what to make of it. The only obstacles around simply consisted of the partially decomposed skeletons of people he didn't want to give himself time to think about, a faded and torn brown school uniform left abandoned to the mud, and a chipped red sword stabbed into the grass of a flower field that he and Tamamo briefly found while running.

The school uniform and sword in particular seemed like they belonged to a Master-Servant duo from this Lostbelt, but it was obvious with Chaldea's coming that they had failed a long time ago — bad enough that there were no other grave markers to honor them. And in the nick of battle, there was no time to mourn or think about anything else.

Duck, dodge, roll became a rhythm Robin got used to in the span of a minute. His other self was certainly relentless with his "sniping," but otherwise…

For another you, I wasn't expecting him to be so… Tamamo waved one hand in the air in her best "eh" gesture, filling in the unsaid blank with a smaller, elementary? Boring? This is worse than what I remember from the Moon Cell! There could've been so much more "wsh-tsch" than just this!

Should I take that as an insult or a compliment? Robin thought mid-loading of his Yew Bow.

Both! Tamamo quipped. You're better!

Great… Robin still aimed his Yew Bow up at the trees while mid-sprint and fired. As expected, he could hear the curse before he could see the source of it, and if that was going well— Any updates?

His magical energy is definitely faltering, and I can't sense his Master from here, Tamamo said in a deeper voice again, shaking her head. We're making progress, but I'm not sure how long that will last when we've seen how Lostbelt Servants can be.

Robin still notched another arrow into the Yew Bow, taking aim while closing his eyes. Then the least we can do is buy more time until— The sudden sensation of a familiar sparrow flying by was enough to throw off Robin's composure. OH DAMMIT—

"COMING THROUGH!" Achilles bellowed loudly, barely letting Robin and Tamamo jump out of the way before the metal chariot that defined the Greek Hero of the Trojan War plowed through some of the nearby trees, leaving leveled sand and broken tree trunks behind in its wake. Despite the air roaring through his ears, Robin could still make out the very familiar high-pitched screaming of a certain little sparrow (something along the lines of a fearful "ACHIIIIIIII!"), and he felt tempted to sigh. The invisibility ward that Tamamo gave him having fallen off during the hustle didn't exactly help his mood.

Oh dear, Tamamo sounded like she was smirking. It appears our Master has arrived with our cavalry!

"WHAT THE FUCK, RIDER?!" Robin found himself yelling, lowering his bow out of habit from the sudden entrance. "I TOLD YOU TO GO TO THE CLOCK TOWER!"

"KINDA HARD TO DO THAT WHEN YOU'RE GETTING SNIPED AT, ARCHER!" Achilles bellowed back, shaking his head enough to rustle his green spiked hair as the horses at his chariot all whined. "YOU TRY DODGING ON-POINT BULLETS WHILE FLYING IN THE AIR, I DARE YOU!" The forest where he landed was definitely in shambles now, leaving enough of a clearing for Saber and — and Vy to jump off the chariot.

"Little sis~!" Tamamo cooed almost immediately, nearly running over if not for the enemy presence still lingering above their heads. Strangely, the other Robin wasn't reacting at all, deathly silent in contrast to the carnage laid out in front of him.

Of course, Vy wasn't better off. It was obvious Vy was clearly shaken if the swirls in her brown eyes were any indication, but the No Face May King was still in her arms, riddled with only one bullet hole and with no scratches anywhere else.

Robin felt his shoulders relax just a bit. You're okay… Little sparrow…

"…Ahhhh, I see how things are now. That makes sense," his other self finally decided to chime in with a bit more strength in his voice, making everyone tense. Saber thankfully jumped in front of their Master almost immediately, the concealed Excalibur in hand as she glanced around for any sign of danger. "You fell for this young lass of a Master, huh, other me?"

"No comment!" Robin shouted back at him, shaking his head. There was no way he'd be giving his other self more ammunition to use against him when he needed to go. It didn't help that with Vy close by, he could nearly taste the surprise she was feeling in their Master-Servant bond.

"Another… Big Robin?" Vy mouthed in a barely audible whisper, her hands clenched near her chest as her eyes widened behind her glasses.

"And… huh? Are you serious, other me? 'Big Robin'? What kind of name is that?" The other Robin laughed, making Robin's blood start to boil a bit. "I didn't think I had it in me to settle for a baby chick of a lass for a Master! Though, I can applaud your taste a little, she's a cutie!"

Vy flushed a light pink just as Tamamo stepped out from past her tree, hands on her hips. "How uncouth of you to comment on a lady's looks without being outside to let her see your face, bowman!" Caster said haughtily, her mirror floating beside her ears almost ominously. "How about you show yourself and we can fight one and one in the sun, hm?"

"No dice for you, pinky," the other Robin quipped, a sarcastic laugh ending his statement. "I am but a bowman! And if the other me is any indication, hiding is all we can do. But things are finally going to plan. There's a Master in my area now, and even if she's out in the open—"

Oh FUCK— Robin thought, raising his bow.

Vy didn't even get the chance to blink.

"I can at least make Sir a nice pincushion when that's all that's left for me!"

Something was soaring through the air, Robin turned his head once from the fear, and then Vy's Command Spells were glowing red.

"SABER, ARCHER! RELEASE YOUR NOBLE PHANTASMS!" Vy screamed with all her might. Two spells faded on the back of her left hand at once with the command, leaving one red lotus flower petal left. "CASTER, PLEASE SUPPORT THEM!"

Tamamo's mirror glowed as the Caster raised a hand in the air. "Roger that, little sis! Curses are my specialty!" was the happy purr. "One minor Blessing of the Amaterasu, coming right up!"

On the other side of the clearing, Invisible Air was dispelled almost immediately as Robin felt the Yew Bow power up all on its own, and with the wash of Tamamo's magic coming down on every ally present, Robin didn't hesitate once he met eyes with the King of Knights.

"EXCALIBUR!"

"YEW BOW!"

Both Noble Phantasms were shot off immediately, engulfing the new clearing and the surrounding forest with magical energy, but even up close, Robin knew he wouldn't stand a chance against King Arthur. In a way, he almost pitied his other self for being on the opposite side of the Promised Sword of Victory. The bright yellow light of Excalibur's beam was enough to illuminate the sky itself, pushing away any incoming storm clouds to reveal the blue sky up above and definitely incinerating whatever arrows his other self shot off. Even then, Robin knew that the light served as a good enough cover. It was already concealing Tamamo's freezing and occasional burnings of other incoming arrows from his other self plus the occasional incoming firearm projectile from the clock tower, so if Excalibur could do that much—

Robin was already glad he had refined his yew poison when shooting off his Noble Phantasm. It was funny thinking about what the other Servants back at Chaldea could offer as feedback, considering how Medea and Paracelsus definitely knew what they were talking about, not to mention Wu Zetian. Thus, a twisted sense of satisfaction swirled in Robin's gut at the sound of a pained grunt echoing in the air — a sure sign his Yew Bow made contact with its target and exploded once Excalibur's light started to fade. With that established, he made sure to rush over to Vy's side once the smoke started to settle, taking the No Face May King from her arms to wrap it around her shoulders instead. He could feel Vy's surprised stare boring holes into his head, but he opted to ignore it once the fumes started to clear.

Something brown-colored and human-like proceeded to collapse into the clearing with a sickening whump noise, causing Caster and Rider to rush to Vy's side and stand around her in a hastily-made guard circle. "J-Jeez…" echoed in front of them all as Robin held up his crossbow again. "Two Noble Phantasms at once? And long range support? S-Seriously, other me," a bloody cough interrupted the other Robin's train of thought, but he still soldiered on with an amazed, "your Master has guts. H-How can she support four Servants?"

"For a bowman, I'm surprised you took the full brunt of my Holy Sword and are still breathing," Arturia quipped quietly, Excalibur clutched between both hands as she readied its golden blade, the air pulsing around it. "As for how our Princess keeps supporting us, that will be our secret to keep and not one you should hear."

"Princess, huh…" The human-like lump on the ground then moved, the formerly green cloak dissipating in favor of revealing the bloodied, charred remains of the other Robin Hood. The sense of satisfaction Robin was feeling before immediately dissipated at the sight of his other self, because seeing a mirror image battered and close to dead left a strong enough impression to not allow any feeling of victory to remain. Still, the other Robin smiled up at him, visible eye barely open from what appeared to be sheer willpower. "Th-Then, lemme ask the other me something."

Arturia carefully lowered her sword once Vy put a gentle hand on the Saber's forearm. Achilles too, previously having held his spear up in the other Robin's direction, slowly lowered his arm too, albeit with the green tip sharp and still ready to strike at any notice. Tamamo was the only one still brandishing a few paper wards and her mirror, her two tails all puffed up in suspicion.

Robin didn't lower his Yew Bow, but still took a step closer to his other self and away from his little sparrow to tilt his head. The least he could do was honor a man's last request. "What's up?"

The other Robin let out a shaky, barely audible breath. "Wh-What makes… the difference… between you and me? How did you… how did you get so strong?" A weak, pained laugh left the other Robin's lips as he looked up at everyone in the clearing, and Robin couldn't miss how his other self's gaze lingered on Vy for a time. "What… What makes the lass so different from Sir?"

The most loaded question of this entire pain-in-the-ass mess. Robin took a breath, then gently loaded another arrow into his Yew Bow, taking baby steps closer to his counterpart. "…We might've started from the same place. The same Master, the same experiences. But the difference is how I was able to meet a Master who understands me."

Archer… Vy's voice gently echoed in the back of Robin's mind. It sounded like she was tempted to run over and take his hand in hers to squeeze.

"Yeah, my little sparrow is still a lass. There's a lot she could learn, and she's not as decorated as Sir when it comes to accomplishments. But she's my little sparrow, a girl who learns from everything around her and tries to help everyone around her. She fails sometimes, and she definitely overworks herself to the point you can't leave her alone, but she has the heart to save the world. She did accept a rogue like me, after all." Robin couldn't help the smile forming on his face in spite of the loaded arrow he had in the Yew Bow, and he took careful aim. "Maybe in your next life, you'll find your own sparrow, other me."

Saber, Rider, Caster — I don't care who does it, one of you just go and cover Vy's eyes, Robin thought almost immediately. She shouldn't see this.

The other Robin laughed again, coughing blood at the end of it. "M-Maybe… E-Even after putting down that busty red Saber, I still lose in straight-up fights. S-Still can't fight one-on-one, and you just had to bring b-back-up too, huh… I-I envy you for finding a powerful blue Saber to ally with…"

Robin pulled on the string of the Yew Bow.

"I-I'll be heading out first, Sir…"

Robin could've sworn he heard a small, "Rest well, other Big Robin," over his shoulder before he fired.

A small walk later, Vy was gently tugging at some of Robin's fingers. The other Servants had gone on ahead (only by half a meter or so, per an unspoken agreement to keep Vy in range of view) to patrol the area and deflect any incoming gunfire, so it was just Robin staying at Vy's immediate side. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised, but he still felt himself tense once her fingers were brushing his, grabbing them to squeeze once she got close enough.

Robin, about earlier… Vy's voice sounded far more hesitant than when they had come into this Lostbelt together, even resembling a meek schoolgirl (if he could go so far as to call it that with her high pitch) as she continued with a tinier, Are you okay?

Robin withheld a sigh, glancing at his Master out of the corner of his eye. Vy was definitely fidgeting from anxiety in spite of the No Face May King covering her shoulders — enough of a sign he had to keep things on the down low. So he decided to keep his voice mild in response. It might be better not to ask that right now, little sparrow. This Lostbelt isn't resolved yet.

Robin already knew that talking about the Moon Cell would take too long, and he didn't want to risk Vy's emotional state considering how sensitive to others she could already be. It didn't help that Robin could already feel the concern and anxiety coming off of Vy in waves thanks to their Master-Servant bond, and the last thing he wanted was to unintentionally explode on her when she was just being her usual kind self.

Robin…

Not now, Vy. It'll be too long of a story.

I-I could guess that… Vy's hand slowly retreated from his, letting go so that she could shrink into herself, but another sideways glance on his part proved she wasn't entirely letting the worry go. If anything, she seemed more tentative, but still focused on what she wanted to say. But Robin…

You still feel hurt to me, echoed through their bond almost immediately. Robin already knew Vy didn't intentionally voice that. Emotion sharing (or "emotion spilling", as the good ol' Dr. Roman used to call it when diagnosing these situations from afar through the intercoms) was still troublesome, even if he expected it this time.

Even after three Lostbelts, Vy was still an open book that couldn't stop caring about others for the life of her.

So, Robin let himself sigh, just a little bit, before reaching out and resting a palm on top of her hair. It was still soft to the touch in spite of the whiplash she had experienced when riding on Achilles' chariot with Saber earlier, and he patted it gently. I'll be fine, little sparrow, he said in his best voice. Focus on the mission first and then I'll tell you later.

Vy looked up at him through his fingers, unintentionally (yet cutely) batting her eyelashes. Promise?

Promise.

I'll hug you on that, Vy warned in a stronger voice, but she was smiling and looking like the lovely lady Robin still wanted to look after again, hope shining in her brown eyes past her glasses. But thankie, Big Robin.

Don't mention it.

This time, Robin took the initiative to grab Vy's hand first before she could retreat. She blushed at the contact as soon as it registered, but she didn't pull back from the touch. If anything, the small smile on her face simply grew once Robin squeezed her fingers, and she seemed to have a new small skip in her step as she continued to trail behind him.

Just from looking at her, just from feeling Vy's fingers grip his own as they walked forward together, Robin already knew he pitied the other self he had to put down. Despite him aiming for Vy's life, despite following Dan's orders, it was still another version of him that was trying to stay loyal to his Master. But that other him never met Vy. And with how rare of a girl Vy already was on her own, it was sad enough to think about.

Don't worry, little sparrow, he let himself think.

Vy blinked as he squeezed her hand a little tighter, raising her head to look up at him with wide brown eyes, and Robin smiled.

I'll never let you end up like Sir.

Dan kept both hands on his sniper rifle. Judging by the surrounding walls covering the forest of this Second Floor in the remains of SERAPH, the Holy Grail War hadn't ended yet. The only concerning part was how he couldn't get in contact with Archer anymore. After that large beam of light that permeated the sky and shattered the gold rings that previously kept the sun away, everything had gone silent.

Don't tell me Archer has disappeared…

Dan wasn't unfamiliar with death. After all, more than a millenia ago, he had already died in battle with Archer during the Moon Cell Holy Grail War, before SERAPH had collapsed from the yellow rings in the sky. But Archer had been resurrected alongside him when the Moon Cell decided to bring them back. Archer was the only one who had stayed when Dan decided he had to kill every other Master who visited. Archer was the only one who was willing to listen.

All Dan wanted was victory. All Dan wanted was to ascend to the next floor. That was why he killed so many Masters. Why he kept winning against any enemy that arrived on his Floor. It was why he kept fighting for years, enduring nothing but battles day after day.

Without Archer…

Dan could already hear footsteps behind him. They were frantic, hurried, and almost panicked from the sound echoing off the brick walls. He pushed back any thought of grief to instead raise his sniper rifle, closing one eye while keeping the other trained on his scope.

3… 2… 1…

The footsteps were growing louder.

0. Dan aimed at the only entrance to the Clock Tower and pressed his index finger to the trigger.

The resulting gunshot echoed loud enough to ring even in his dulled ears as the bell sang once. The loud chimes rang in the room in time with the amount of bullet ricocheting, and out of the corner of his scope, Dan could see the image of a long-haired brunette girl start to fall back against the staircase, blood spurting from her chest.

I have finally—

The last thing Dan was expecting was for the girl to disappear into smoke. There wasn't even any splatter — all Dan could see then was purple clouds of smoke. Dan didn't even get a chance to blink, covering his mouth almost immediately with his sniper hand and using his other hand to pull up a Code Cast screen.

Poison—?! But Archer isn't—

The pop-up button asking for the Code Cast initiation flickered in front of his hand once, and then Dan felt himself duck before he realized he was doing it. Above his head, he could make out a glimpse of a green spear, sharp and focused, nearly slicing off the area where his neck would've been, and Dan scrambled.

3, 2, 1— Dan put his finger to the trigger again. Losing his cool wouldn't do him any good. This was still a battlefield. All he had was his gun. And if Archer wasn't here anymore—

0.

Dan fired again. He could see the bullet curve from his point of view through the scope, accompanied by a flash of gold (huh?), but with the swirls of violet mist still surrounding his area, Dan couldn't be sure of whether it hit a target. All he could hear was a loud clang noise of metal hitting metal. Instead of thinking about that, Dan did his best to keep his mouth covered. If he let go of his rifle now, he could possibly cast Poison Immunity, but he would be left unguarded. But if he tried to power on through, rifle ablaze, he'd risk inhaling the poison air, and then it would be trouble in just trying to survive.

Dan counted his heartbeats.

3, 2, 1…

Another set of footsteps echoed against the brick floors of the clock tower room. Dan took aim, ignored the screaming of his lungs, and fired in that direction.

0.

It took a moment for Dan to realize he was coughing. Glancing down at his hands revealed them to be bloodied and stinging with pain, and his rifle—

Someone had bent the barrel of his rifle to the point of it appearing like rubber, leaving whatever bullet left in the chamber misfiring. It explained the small sparkling pieces of metallic black dotting his once white gloves, and the blood on his hands. But, but his throat— Why did it feel like it was burning?

How—

Dan could feel his vision start to flicker in and out of the sudden onslaught of darkness. Poison. When did he start breathing in the poison? His stomach was starting to scream, he could feel his limbs start to move without him wanting them to, but yet his vision was still working.

It made the sensation of his heart falling through his ribcage all the more painful when Dan looked up to find Archer pointing the Yew Bow at him.

Sir Dan Blackmore. A former sniper, a decorated military man, and a person who, at the end of his time in the Moon Cell Holy Grail War, was just trying to find his place in the world through a hopeless wish to see his wife again.

Even when seizing up in his own blood and with his own weapon bent by Caster to be unuseable, there was something about Dan's green eyes that Robin Hood immediately recognized from his time in the Moon Cell.

Wisdom, experience, and most important of all — pride. Those three things were all still there in this Dan's eyes. It may have been stomped upon somewhat no thanks to the plan Robin Hood and the other Servants had agreed upon for the sake of preserving Vy's safety, but if the faint lights in the green irises were any indication, it was still there. This Dan was already accepting the outcome of his actions. Even if this was a different Dan, even if this was a Dan that didn't hesitate in shooting a Master, those green irises were still flaring with that old fire that, once upon a time, Robin envied.

So, Robin wasn't expecting Dan to smile up at him once Caster was letting her illusion magic fade. "Y-You're…" Dan coughed, but still continued in a strong voice, "You're not my Archer now, are you?"

Robin took a deep breath, taking an arrow from one of the holsters on his belt to notch it against the bowstring of the Yew Bow. "I haven't been that Archer for a long time, Sir," he said quietly, pulling the string back to aim. "But I still remembered you. And the you I know would've never done this." It was hard enough holding back the bile in his throat when remembering the makeshift graveyard he and Tamamo had found while running from his other self. All the gravemarkers there lacked names. And if that lone red sword was any indication, humans weren't the only casualties in this Lostbelt in the making.

This farce of a Moon Cell Holy Grail War had gone on long enough.

Dan chuckled quietly, almost as if they were in a personal room together rather than an isolated clock tower by the sound of his voice. He didn't seem to mind even his own seizures, blankly staring at his own twitching limbs before raising his head to meet Robin's eyes again. "Y-You've changed," he said, a shaky cough permeating the end of his statement. "Th-There's pride in your eyes now. Wh-Where did you—" Another bloody cough interrupted Dan's train of thought, this time enough to stain the ground in front of him with red, leaving flecks of it on some of the white hairs of his beard. "Where did you find it… Faceless King?"

"It… took a while," Robin admitted. Then, Robin allowed himself one sideways glance, just one, through the fringe of his hair, and found himself looking into the brown eyes of a single girl. "But I have a little sparrow to thank for it."

Vy was staring straight at him with concern, shock, and sympathy in her eyes, tears dotting the edges past the glare of her glasses as her hands covered her mouth. Her hair framed her face enough for the horror to be clear on her features, causing the slightest twinge of guilt to ring in Robin's stomach. Heck, Robin could read her thoughts without even having to hear them, and thus he offered her a small smile.

Wait for me a bit longer, little sparrow. Just close your eyes. It'll be over soon.

Robin had no clue whether Vy had heard his thoughts. But she still took a step back to stand behind Saber and Caster, clutching her hands to her chest as she slowly nodded in his direction, her lips drawn into a thin line.

That's my little sparrow for you, Sir.

Robin glanced at his fellow Servants for a moment too, and Tamamo winked at him in contrast to Arturia's own steely nod. The last ally in Achilles simply gave him a small shrug of his shoulders from the other side of the room, a wry yet understanding grin on his face, so Robin took another breath and turned back to the remaining Master on the floor.

Dan's breathing was becoming shaky, probably on its last dregs by the time Robin was facing him again, but Dan himself was still persisting in spite of the poison, his teeth stretched in a proud smile despite the blood staining them. "I-I see…" he mumbled once he noticed he had Robin's attention, his hands shuddering painfully against his sides. "You… You found your own Anne, haven't you, Robin Hood?"

"Having a Master that understands you does wonders, Sir," Robin agreed quietly, but not without a hint of somberness leaking into his voice. "And I think it's about time you go back to your Anne. She's been waiting for you."

Dan exhaled. "P-Perhaps… but I-I've changed, Archer…" Another round of coughing resulted, and Robin Hood took another breath. "Do you think…" Dan shook his head, his hands still reaching for his rifle if not for his muscles continuing to spasm without his consent. "Do you think, with these hands, Anne would still…"

Robin tugged on the bowstring of the Yew Bow a bit more, taking careful aim. The prolonged poisoning had gone on long enough.

"Who knows? I thought I couldn't hold anything at all, but a girl looked at me and called me 'Robin,' Sir," Robin Hood said softly. "A little sparrow, despite all odds, gave me a face and a name to call my own. Who says your Anne can't give you a heart?"

Dan closed his eyes and let his hands fall to his sides, rifle forgotten. He was smiling just like the Dan Robin remembered after that Second Elimination Battle, so long ago. "I… I'll have to take you up on that gamble then… Archer…"

"Yeah…"

Goodbye, Sir. Robin closed his eyes to let the last loaded arrow in his crossbow fly. Thank you for everything.

"The Mini-Lostbelt has been resolved," Mash said solemnly over the intercom on Vy's right wrist. "The seed to what would have been a Tree of Emptiness has been destroyed. At least, I think so?"

Tamamo brandished one of her paper wards in the air with an extra skip in her step, beaming as she said, "I know so when I made sure to burn it with all the Flames of Hell I could muster, my dear Mash! We should be done!"

"Ah. G-Good job, Tamamo-san, Senpai, everyone!" Mash said with a bit more forced cheer, and if her hologram was showing up for all to see right now, Robin had a feeling she would've been fist-pumping to go along with it. "W-We should be starting the Rayshift back soon."

"Aye…" Vy said quietly, and to be honest, Robin couldn't blame her.

His own state of being covered in blood waist-down wasn't exactly presentable. Sure, Robin wasn't unfamiliar with being cloaked in mud and dirt, considering the flecks of red on his face felt like nothing at the moment. But there was something about having Dan's blood on the rest of him that made Robin feel sick.

Another checkpoint in Saving Humanity again, so… what next?

Robin didn't even get the chance to raise his head from the sight of his bloodied boots before a dainty hand was coming close to him out of the corner of his eye. Robin blinked, then felt himself recoil just a bit once a white handkerchief was gently wiping at his cheek, taking some of Dan's blood away and leaving tingles in its wake. Glancing in the direction of the handkerchief led him to looking into Vy's brown eyes again, and in spite of the obvious questions lingering in those irises, Vy just smiled.

"We're all going to have to stop by a shower room later," Vy murmured softly, continuing to wipe at Robin's face as she stood up on her tiptoes to reach his height. "But before that, is there anything you want to eat when we get back to the Wandering Sea, Big Robin?"

Robin blinked. "…Eat?" he said weakly.

"Even as a Servant, you can still enjoy eating, right?" Vy continued in the same kind voice, having switched hands so that she could wipe at Robin's other cheek. "And considering everything we just went through, I think I can spare the energy to cook something for everyone. You just get dibs on the first dish." Vy smiled up at him, a light pink flush covering her cheeks. "So, what would you like to eat, Big Robin?"

I'd like to be with you, echoed in Robin's brain first. Outwardly, he sighed and put a hand to his hip. "How much energy are we talking, little sparrow?"

It was now Vy's turn to blink up at him, her brown eyes widening with surprise at the turn of the conversation. "Um," she started mildly, a small pout quickly overwriting her face, "Would it help if I said I don't mind how much energy it takes?"

"Senpai…" Mash said warningly.

"That's not helpful," Robin said half-seriously at the same time it took for Tamamo's tails to bristle.

Vy's pout simply grew on her face, a little bit of frustration showing in her eyes at being called out. "I-I really don't mind, Robin, really. I have the battery to do it!"

"Forgive me for interrupting, Princess," Saber said quietly from over Vy's shoulder, "but that could easily change once we return to Novum Chaldea."

"You were running all over, Senpai!" Mash added hotly. "Rest should be your first priority!"

Vy lowered her hand from Robin's cheek, tucking her bloodied handkerchief back into one of the many pockets in her Winter Chaldean uniform almost petulantly as she raised an eyebrow in Saber's direction. "I-I get that, Art-san, Mash, but I wanna try!" she said in a higher pitched voice. It took everything in Robin's Spirit Origin to hold back a sudden snort of laughter. "N-Not to mention we got by this mission with only two Command Spells used! I-I think I'm good! Sleeping too much isn't good anyways!"

Pffft.

"All bets on Princess falling out of her Rayshift Coffin from exhaustion once she wakes up back in Novum Chaldea?" Achilles added cheekily with a raised fist.

"I'll bet on that!" Tamamo cheered happily, rushing over to rest her hands on Vy's shoulders. "And I will be the first one to catch her!"

"Rider, Caster," Arturia said in disapproval, a metal boot tapping the floor for extra emphasis. "Bets aren't going to convince Vy to rest."

"Hey! I'm gonna rest after I cook something for you all!" Vy pitched in, her voice taking on both fondness and annoyance all at once as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her cheeks puffed outwards as she proceeded to mutter, "Sheesh, just lemme do something after you all did the fighting for me, why don't you…"

Robin couldn't help the hopelessly fond smile that started to form on his own face as he reached over to press a clean hand against Vy's hair. The gesture was enough to make her blink and look over his way, but the light was still in her brown eyes as she dropped her pouting in favor of a bright smile.

"You didn't answer my question yet, Big Robin," Vy hummed, gently butting her head against the palm of his hand. "You worked the hardest today, so I say you got the first pick from the chef! I-I may not be as good as Tama-san or Shirou, but I can try! So say the word!"

It took a moment for Robin to realize he was caught between laughing and crying, instead shaking his head to regain his composure. Crying wouldn't change anything, and he still hadn't answered Vy's question. Hell, his unintentional silence was all it took for Vy's smile to drop in favor of a worried face, and she reached out for him with both hands. "Big Robin? D-Do you need a hug?"

My little sparrow is just one of a kind, isn't she, Sir? Maybe she might be…

Robin shook his head again, taking both of Vy's hands in his before she could move any closer and possibly trip in whatever puddles of blood were left on the floor, pressing his forehead to the tips of her fingers. "P-Pho is fine," he admitted, a shaky breath leaving his lips. "Chicken or seafood. A-And I'll see about the hug when we get back. Just don't push yourself, Vy."

Just stay the way you are, little sparrow. Stay this kind and warm for the rest of your days and don't change.

Robin felt the hug coming before it happened. When it came to Vy, he probably should've expected it, considering the openness of all her Master-Servant bonds. Still, Vy was tugging on his hands, arms were winding around his back, and the next thing he knew, all the other Servants were there, in spite of the blood and all.

"I-I thought I said I'd see about a hug," Robin said after everyone took a moment to settle, ignoring the small hitch in his voice. "I didn't say anything about group hugs."

"It felt like you needed one," Vy said in an unrepentant tone, squeezing his waist tight. "So I wanted to give you one." In a smaller voice, she then added, "I dunno about everyone else, though."

"I was merely following my little sister's example," Tamamo said, the pout obvious in her voice without Robin even needing to turn his head to observe her. But her two tails were wagging behind her robes, and if the occasional flick of her ears was any indication, it was obvious Tamamo's pouting was fake.

"We all have our weak points," Achilles chimed in with half of a laugh, and for a second Robin could've sworn the Rider sounded regretful at the last part. "Plus the Princess has the right idea about physical comfort being the best thing. I just decided to help out."

Out of curiosity, Robin chanced a stare at Saber, and the former King Arthur shrugged her shoulders through her blue mantle, her crown tipping downwards against her blonde hair. "Even if I am… not the best at comfort," she tried awkwardly, "that doesn't mean I can leave a comrade alone. That would go against the honor of all knights." Her smile looked half-hearted, but her arms still circled around both Vy and Robin with a firm grip. "Vy acting on her own merely spurred my own action."

"Knights, huh…" Robin glanced down at the girl still wrapped around his middle, and rested a hand on top of Vy's head. "Little sparrow…" he tried in one last weak protest, "your clothes will get bloody."

In spite of whatever reasoning Robin forced into his voice, he probably should've expected Vy to raise her head to give him a "what the hell" look. "I'm wearing all black, Big Robin," she said in a no-nonsense tone, shutting her eyes before bumping the top of his shoulder with her forehead. "Blood doesn't show on black. Plus blood doesn't mean much in the face of hugs." A huffy, warm breath brushed his neck past his tunic collar, just in time for Robin to hear Vy sigh. "…You did what you could, Robin. And thank you for protecting me."

Don't push yourself for not being there for me in the previous Lostbelts either, okay? You're still my best Archer. So, thank you, Robin Hood. Thank you for staying with me.

Robin felt something in his nose seize up, and with no response, he merely ducked his head to press his mouth to the crown of Vy's hair just before the Rayshift took everyone back.

Emotion sharing was still so troublesome.

Later that night (after a rather rambunctious dinner session between the Servants and their Master), a knock at his door proceeded to take Robin out of the fuzz in his brain. Without thinking, he looked up from his small workplace of poison test tubes at his desk, blinking. "Who's there?"

"I-It's Vy," echoed faintly past the metal door, and Robin blinked again. "Could I come in?"

Who would refuse you, little sparrow?

He still pressed a button near the desk to let the hinges of the door open, and Vy slowly stepped into the room, a pillow in her hands and glasses remarkably absent from her face as she walked closer. Vy squinted at him for maybe a second or two before letting her facial features relax into a small smile, her slippers squeaking against the floor as she slowly crossed the room to reach him. From the way she looked, Vy could've resembled a baby penguin with her height and how her legs were dragging behind her. "H-Hi, Big Robin."

"Hey, little sparrow," Robin said quietly, getting up from his chair and meeting Vy midway to take one of her hands in his for reassuring himself, if nothing else. Any accidental falls wouldn't help anyone. "What's the matter?"

Even in the dimmed lights of the room, it was obvious Vy was hesitant about something because she didn't meet his eyes immediately. If anything, the pink button-up shirt and pants that made up her pajamas seemed all the more dull in the face of her blush, the color enough to highlight her ears. "…Earlier, during our mission to that Moon-Cell-like Lostbelt," Vy started, hanging her head, "I asked if you were okay. A-And I know we were going to talk about things when the mission was done, but now I'm starting to think I shouldn't ask. F-For privacy and all. And then I couldn't sleep, so…"

Robin found himself heaving a sigh, raising his free hand to rub the back of his neck. It was this kind of thing that made him regret letting Vy face Sir to begin with. She couldn't stop caring. "You were worried about me, little sparrow?"

Vy's ears looked red in the light as she slowly nodded, her long brown hair tousled and messy as she refused to look up at him. "Y-You don't have to tell me everything, though. Just, um. C-Could I…"

"Hm?" Robin leaned over to reach her height a bit, tilting his head.

"Could I stay with you tonight? Like in Hawaii?" Vy whispered, raising her head to look up at him with wavering brown eyes. "I-I could only think about being with you, a-and it was hard trying to sleep alone. A-And it felt like I shouldn't leave you alone tonight either."

Robin averted his gaze almost immediately, doing his best to ignore the flush climbing up his neck. Raking his free hand through his hair didn't do much to help the warming atmosphere of the room. This was why emotion-spilling was still troublesome after two years. "Vy…"

"P-Please?" she added in a softer voice, tugging at his hand. "I-I'll do my best not to kick you in my sleep, if I do."

Still a little sparrow in the end, even after three Lostbelts, huh…

Robin turned back to look into those brown eyes, a smile playing with his lips. "No kicking, little sparrow."

Vy simply beamed back at him. "Aye. I'll do my best. Thankie, Big Robin."

I should be the one thanking you, little sparrow.

Instead of voicing that, Robin let Vy hug him with no resistance, her pillow left forgotten on the floor. Maybe tonight, just this one night, Robin could rest with his little sparrow like how Sir did with his wife Anne, so long ago. Just maybe. It was a nice thought to have the face of the next challenge that would inevitably come.

Note: For one last little bit of trivia/brainstorming that was hinted at in this chapter — The Lostbelt shown here happened because Deadface!Twice H. Pieceman wasn't able to do shit and this version of Dan Blackmore and Robin Hood killed off Nero and Deadface!Hakuno in their first fight (shown in episode 4). Rani's fate in this alternate world isn't all that great either. Think of the baddest-bad-bad ending of Last Encore, if you must. The Lostbelt just didn't get a full-grown Tree of Emptiness because I'd like to think the Foreign God (through Tamamo Vitch) didn't care that much for it, not to mention it's still in the Moon Cell. I'll let you ruminate on it as a reader.

Otherwise, I'm gonna go rest because Bond farming in FGO takes out a lot from a person. I'm just hoping Robin's happy being with me.

See you all next time.