Summary: On one quiet day in Novum Chaldea, Scathach has an idea to improve communication between Master and Servants. A tired Master does her best to follow up.

Note: Inspired by days that I've come home from work and the gym, dead tired and unable to talk much. My parents understood me just fine and my real life Robin often called me anyways because, in his words, "I love hearing your beautiful voice!"

"Even when I'm tired?" I'd ask him, and he'd just retort, "You're still adorable."

And well, gotta put that inspiration somewhere. The Grail Front event gave me some too, so anyways.

The theme for this chapter is Be Somewhere by buzy, the opening used for the Rockman EXE Stream season of the anime. I grew up with this show for a while, so to revisit it this way feels nice. Oh, and as an alternative song, I'll recommend the first opening to the anime adaptation of Komi Can't Communicate, being Cinderella by Cidergirl. :)

Please enjoy.

Day 41: Silent Treatment

"Master."

"Mm?" Vy looked up from the piece of toast she just started nibbling on, brown eyes unfocused in Scathach's direction as the Lancer placed a hand on her hip. "What is it… Shishou?"

"As much as that title…" Scathach decided to let the saying lie once she took in the state of Vy's figure. Tangled hair. A crumb of bread lingering on the corner of the lips. A blouse with a collar that should've been straight on the girl's shoulders. Even the normally alert spark in those bespectacled eyes were now dulled to the point Vy wasn't saying a word about the bunny outfit Scathach was wearing. Must have been too fatigued to even point out the absolute absurdity of the garments, courtesy of Tamamo Cat. So with a heavy heart, Scathach allowed herself a sigh before shaking her head. "Never mind. I have an assignment for you, Vy. 'Homework', if you will, to make up for not partaking in a Grail Front today."

Vy carefully put her toast down onto a nearby plate after finishing the tiny bite she started, giving Scathach her full attention with a quiet "Muu" noise. Scathach didn't even need to hear Vy's unspoken question — her gaze already conveyed her confusion over the upcoming "homework."

Feeling her bunny ears twitch some past her hair, Scathach shouldered Gae Bolg Alternative between her ear and neck. "You struggle to communicate when you are mana-exhausted, correct?"

"Mm," Vy said with a slight nod, a stray strand of hair sticking to her forehead from sweat as she did.

"Then my homework for you is to try to communicate with your Servants in a manner outside of telepathy." Once Vy was tilting her head at Scathach in honest bafflement, the Lancer let Gae Bolg dispel itself to give herself room to shrug. "Communication is important in the Master-Servant relationship, Vy. And there may come a time where your Magic Circuits would be so depleted you can't use telepathy. Finding another method to communicate aside from verbal confirmation would be useful, especially if you ever find yourself in an actual Holy Grail War outside of Chaldea."

Once Vy flinched, though (with a telling "Eep" too), Scathach honed in on that with a speed that would've put her students to shame. Maybe even some of Vy's own Grailed, if she could possibly take some pride in that.

"Don't tell me it's happened before, Master."

Vy's lips formed a very thin line at Scathach's thought process, not shaking her head but not nodding it either. Nothing left the girl's throat as she awkwardly poked at her half-eaten toast.

"...It's happened, Vy?"

Scathach didn't even have to hear the embarrassed "Uuu" noise.

Oh gods, give me strength. Instead, she merely closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose while raising her head up towards the ceiling. "No wonder that green Archer of yours stopped being so fidgety. We have a lot of work to do."

"Are you sure about this, Master?"

"Muu?" Vy carefully turned her head to look at Chiron past his hair as he carefully walked them both to the nearest study room in Murasaki's library, his hooves making gentle clop-clop noises against the carpet. Whether he minded her tight grip on his clothes to hang onto him, he didn't give any sign of it as he walked forward in his centaur form, carrying her there while being careful of her weight on his horse back.

"I understand Scathach's reasoning in wanting you to find another way to communicate outside of telepathy, but you've been working hard at the Grail Fronts recently, Vy." With a tiny toss of his head, Vy could see Archer's green eyes flash with concern in her direction. "Writing your responses could exhaust you more. Especially when you planned to tutor the… er, the magical girls with me."

Ah. Even Sensei struggles with the term known as 'magical girls.' Especially with the powers and logic they have.

Despite feeling her fingers fumble at her pockets from fatigue and shared embarrassment, Vy shook her head as she looked for the small slab Dr. Roman and Da Vinci gave her back in the original Chaldea. Chiron stopped walking in the time it took for her to find it and hold it up in her arms, quickly jotting down her thoughts with a pulse of mana into the first marker she could grab for extra speed.

I don't mind, she eventually "said" to the Greek Servant, giving Chiron enough space to read the answer once she held it up towards him. It'd be something to let Illya, Kuro, and Miyu know about. Plus I like helping them with their own homework, Sensei.

"Vy…" Chiron said softly. "Not that your intentions aren't in the right place, but are you absolutely sure? You may be more exhausted later on."

Vy took back her whiteboard to write out a crooked Aye to him.

Chiron inhaled a long, deep breath once he read her response, pressing his hands together in front of his chest as if praying for a moment. "May Father Cronos give me strength," Vy heard him mumble steadily, lowering his arms only when he noticed her gaze, and once he proved she had his full attention, Chiron smiled wryly. "As long as you do not push yourself, Master, I'll take you there and extend my support. I merely reserve the right to call for Achilles if you truly exhaust yourself."

Vy didn't even have to mouth the quiet Thankie bubbling up in her dry throat when she smiled back.

"So this variable goes here…?"

"Yes, just like that. You need to carry it over in order to figure out what value it is."

Despite her silence, Miyu could tell Vy was keeping a careful eye on her, Illya, and Kuro from her seat near the wall. With her absent twirling of a whiteboard marker and the faint spark of alertness in her gaze past her glasses, it was obvious Vy was watching, waiting for a moment one of them would raise their hands and ask for help in their shared study room. Even with Chiron's careful guidance, Vy stayed quiet, observing them patiently with the occasional "Mm" noise echoing in her throat. If it was anyone other than Vy, Miyu had a feeling Sapphire would've found the action offensive and require a restraining order in retaliation. But because it was Vy, Miyu knew things would be alright.

Still, it was odd seeing Chaldea's only Master so eerily quiet. Miyu heard the stories, read the records of what Vy had gone through to get to Novum Chaldea, to save the people she cared about. The bouts of silence she readily went into as well, even against her own conscious will, just to stay awake and aware. It all was so unbelievable to Miyu, even after meeting someone like Illya.

If Illya was a bright star, Vy might've been someone closer to that of a small sun. That was all Miyu could really say about it.

Still, silence was an odd thing for Miyu to grasp for someone like Vy, someone who everyone in Chaldea loved as one of their own. Because why say nothing when her words meant everything?

"Hey, Master?" Kuro raised her hand high in the air over Chiron's quiet whispers to Illya, unknowingly voicing Miyu's own confusion as she went on with a completely honest, "Why are you silent today?" Despite Chiron shooting Kuro a look of quiet disbelief and chiding reprimand, Kuro was unrepentant, continuing on with a louder, "Did someone ask you to do something? Because today is supposed to be your break day!"

"Kuro!" Illya cried out, taking her face away from her algebra assignment. "That's rude to ask all of a sudden!"

"It's only rude if she doesn't like it, little sis!"

"I'm the BIG sis, Kuro, get it right!"

"No way!"

Despite the outburst and resulting argument, Vy only tilted her head curiously back in Kuro's direction, the whiteboard propped in her lap slipping from the hems of her skirt and starting to lean towards her knees with the gesture. With a slow, careful blink, Vy considered, then turned her gaze towards the board still resting against her legs, ceasing her marker twirling to uncap the thing and start writing instead. It took a few minutes, but Vy eventually raised her whiteboard up in Kuro's direction as a "reply," stopping any other response and only turning it towards Miyu and Illya too once Kuro finished reading.

My own homework, the board spelled out in careful English letters, some ends a bit smudged from Vy's hand most likely. Scathach wanted me to find other ways of communicating with the Servants outside of telepathy and talking. This was the only one I could think of.

"...Really?" Kuro said hesitantly, sounding uncharacteristically quiet with the statement. "That's it?"

That's it, Vy wrote a few seconds later.

To no one's surprise, Illya then spoke up with a demure, "But then you didn't have to come help tutor us, Sis… It's hard to tutor if you can't talk."

Vy blinked at Illya this time, and a smile slowly formed on her lips as she shook her head. With one more turn of her whiteboard and a bit more scribbling, she proceeded to turn her whiteboard towards them again. It may be hard, Illya, her whiteboard spelled out, but it's not impossible. It's why Sensei is here too. And I wanted to be here. You girls mean a lot to me.

Miyu found herself blushing. She couldn't even blame Kuro for starting to stammer over her words for a second.

"And thank you for the acknowledgement, Master," Chiron said with a slight bow of his head in Vy's direction, a warmer smile tugging at his mouth in return. "However, I still request you not push yourself. Achilles may have the fastest feet to reach you, but I doubt he'd be the only one who'd start worrying if you collapsed."

I would worry as well, was left unsaid.

The one-sided jab was still enough to make Vy pout, breaking the silence and making Miyu giggle once a quiet "Muuu" noise echoed in the study room. With a shrug of her shoulders, Vy petulantly turned her head away to focus on her whiteboard again, jotting down a quick, May I come over there then, to Illya once the clean surface was facing the table again. The question mark ending the statement was smudged once Vy moved her chair over to sit next to Miyu, right across from Illya and Kuro. I can help with the problem you're stuck on, was pushed in Illya's direction, making the girl go wide-eyed as Chiron smiled over their heads.

"But Sis, this is algebra, I'm not sure how…" Illya trailed off. Whatever look she could see in Vy's eyes must've convinced her, because Illya closed her mouth and then carefully slid her homework sheet across the table. "…I'm stuck on how to find out what the original equation is here." Illya ignored Kuro's sudden bout of snickering in favor of pointing at one specific, wrinkled part of the paper with a face. Illya must've written and erased at it for quite a while judging by the look on her features.

Out of curiosity, Miyu peeked past Vy's shoulder once the Chaldean Master carefully picked up the sheet to look it over, catching a glimpse of a blurred functions table and various blank spaces in said table before Vy let out a soft "Ah!" Putting the sheet down, Vy turned back to her whiteboard, writing a bit faster than before as Kuro and Miyu both blinked.

A good way to look at an equation like this is to think of it like a cake oven, Illya, Vy spelled out on her board, pointing to her rough drawing of said appliance with an eager hand. With the small temperature dials and the rectangular door, it was all surprisingly careful detail to put in for such a tiny example. You put in whatever x is, and after whatever the cook time, y comes out as the cake ready for the customer. Make sense?

Bewildered, Illya nodded. It even stopped Kuro in her attempt to try making bunny ears behind Illya's head.

So the table you're given already provides you some hints as to what that 'cook time' is, Vy added after a moment, having used a different colored marker to carefully draw out the problem Miyu only peeked at before and highlighting the given information. Basically, x was 2, 4, 6, etc, and after the oven was applied, y ended up becoming 4, 24, and some other blanks. With that in mind…

Miyu, Illya, and Kuro could do nothing but watch Vy in fascination as her hand glided over the whiteboard, erasing the previous oven drawing to write out a simple y = x(?). With a tap of her marker, Vy pointed at the question mark. You need to substitute the values you were given for x and y to try solving for the question mark before you fill in the rest of the table. What made x = 6 become y = 24?

Illya's eyes widened. "…4?" she squeaked once Vy passed her back the original paper. "That's it?"

That's it! Vy beamed with what appeared to be a rainbow over her head as she nodded. Good job, Illya! Let's try this for the next table!

"O-Okay!"

Ruby made some kind of petulant noise from Illya's pocket, something about a Magical Girl needing to know basic multiplication, but once Chiron was glaring at the Magical Kaleido-Stick when Illya wasn't looking, it withered.

But over Vy's other shoulder, once Ruby disappeared Miyu could eventually see Chiron's grin start to grow large enough to match their shared Master in brightness. It came to the point that, in the light of it all, she chose to ignore Kuro pretending to roll her eyes as she retracted her hand from behind Illya's back. From Vy's smile, Miyu could conclude the silence was nice. For once in her life since meeting Onii-chan and getting tangled up with the Ainsworths before Chaldea.

This… really was nice.

"Master?"

It took a moment for Vy to realize someone was gently shaking her shoulder. A few, long blinks eventually cleared up her vision past her glasses, revealing blond hair and a black dress. But the hand on her shoulder — it wasn't cold. Huh?

Wait. There were callouses. Gloves.

"Ere…chan? Billy?"

It took a second too late for Vy to realize she unintentionally broke the first rule to Scathach's "homework," making her fumble in trying to cover her mouth with her hands, but the named Servants merely started to chuckle amongst each other in good humor, Ereshkigal in particular looking happy as cold manicured fingers gently brushed some stray hairs out of her face.

"What are you doing falling asleep in a place like this, my flower?" Ereshkigal murmured, moving slightly to the side so that Billy could reach over and take one of Vy's hands to help her sit up in her chair. Chair. There was a chair behind Vy's back. When—? "Even if Murasaki Shikibu prepared this study, those magical girls of yours and Chiron left a little while ago."

All Vy could say was a soft protesting "Muuu" past the cracks in her fingers.

"Chiron's the one who called us over, actually," Billy added with a soft whistle, brushing some dirt off Vy's shoulder while taking care to smooth out any wrinkles in her blouse. "Said you'd need to recharge after a long tutoring session. But sleeping in a desk chair isn't the best for posture, Master, so the Mesopotamian goddess and I decided to wake you up."

The thankie was already on Vy's tongue if not for her fingers registering the sensation of her whiteboard sitting against the lap of her skirt, a whiteboard marker lax in her palm. Write. She had to write something. Talking nor telepathy were options, so—

"Wait, don't push yourself, little flower—" was all Ereshkigal could say before Vy was uncapping the marker and scribbling as hard as she could muster, trying to make the words before her throat instinctively could, making Billy hastily retract his hand from all the motion.

Did you two need something, though? Vy eventually got out to the duo, thankfully before her fingertips started to scream from the onslaught of fatigue. I wasn't supposed to talk today, but I can still help you if there's something going on.

Ereshkigal lurched back just as Billy took a deep breath, his bright eyes turning dark past the shade of his hat. "…Vy," Billy started first, kneeling some to match Vy's sitting height while reaching out to place a firm hand on her shoulder. "What makes you think we needed something from you?"

Isn't that… how it always goes? Vy responded with a slower hand of her own, tilting her head at them. Events with Elizabeth and past summers had things happen because of Servant wants. And you two are alive again, so you can ask for things, right?

It was Ereshkigal's turn to inhale sharply as Billy's hand tensed against Vy's shoulder, the slow shake of his head proving Vy had the wrong idea. "Master, as much as that's true in any other situation, that's not why we came here," he murmured in a softer, tenser voice, his grip tightening as Vy stared up at him. "We're the ones supposed to look after you, not the other way around. Those events happened because those specific Servants," Vy blinked at Billy hiding a rough cough of "Damn BB" around a fist, "got too greedy."

But that's still unfair to you and Ere-chan, Billy, Vy wrote out in quiet protest. You two constantly help me with the fight against the Crypters and whatever unfair cosmic bullshit the Foreign God pulls. She chose to let Billy's sudden bout of snickering at her written curses pass. The least I can do is give you something in return. Especially when communication is the bare minimum for a Master-Servant relationship and yet is held up like some kind of standard other Mages don't bother with.

Ereshkigal and Billy still shared a look before turning back to Vy with equally matching faces of fond exasperation. "…Is that all there is to it, my flower?" Ereshkigal starts next, kneeling to Vy's sitting height too while being careful of Billy's presence to take Vy's non-writing hand in hers. "You're not pushing yourself, are you?" Black manicured nails barely tickle the back of Vy's knuckles as Ereshkigal rubs the tips of her fingers over Vy's hand soothingly.

What about you? The sentiment itself was left in the air, lingering with no answer, leaving Vy's throat to dry up with nothing to support it.

Vy opened her mouth instinctively before turning back to her whiteboard. I mean… her cheeks heated without her permission as she eventually wrote out the confession, I'm not going to lie and say it's easy to remember when to rest. I sometimes think… Vy found herself swallowing thickly, barely taking any comfort from the cold touch of Ereshkigal's hand over hers. I sometimes think I don't deserve the help you all have been giving me. But it's because of that help that I'm still alive and able to be with you. So even if I can't talk, Vy raised her head to give her best attempt at a smile through the fugue starting to leak into her brain, I want to do what I can because it's you.

The last thing Vy expected was for Billy to stand up to full height and let go of her shoulder. Despite Ereshkigal sending him the closest to a polite glare she could muster, Billy adjusted his hat while walking over to the nearest large whiteboard on the study room's wall, taking one of the markers sitting on the board's sill — was it a red one? — to consider. Without a minute to spare, he proceeded to uncap the marker, touching the tip to the board's surface to —

Vy did a double take.

Billy was using the red marker to write. Just like her.

Then what do you want to talk about, Vy?

Vy blinked at the message once Billy stepped back to let her read, Ereshkigal's grip on her hand loosening as she noticed it too. Once Billy noticed their stares, he merely grinned, turning back to the whiteboard to write underneath the previous statement with larger letters.

If you're going to talk by writing, the least I can do is talk the same way so you don't feel awkward, right?

Vy raised her head to meet Billy's gaze, and in response, Archer's smile widened. He then proceeded to gesture to Ereshkigal with his free hand, making waving motions as if to say, Come on, there's space!

"Hehe." It took Vy a moment too long to realize the sudden giggle came from Ere-chan, and turning her head revealed the Goddess slowly standing up too, turning her head to look back at Vy while refusing to let go of her hand. "Do you want to try, my flower? Archer has the right of mind here and I'll do my best to accommodate." Not even Vy's uncertain face made Ereshkigal budge, because the Mesopotamian goddess tugged at Vy's hand a bit more. "We have time before your daily nap and it won't violate your 'homework' from that immortal from the Land of Shadows."

Vy glanced between Billy and Eresh, feeling her jaw slacken some. Something warm was running through her veins, nearly making her think of another board from another time, when she was smaller and could only draw green things, imagining the Man in Green way back when.

This is my home too, even when I can't talk as much as I used to, huh, was left unwritten on her whiteboard from Dr. Roman as Vy relented in letting Ereshkigal pull her up from her seat. Her markers from Da Vinci in hand, she faced the whiteboard and Billy's smile nearby to uncap one.

Then… could we talk about anything but the Foreign God? Maybe some funny stories you two know?

Ereshkigal took up a pastel yellow marker to match Billy's red to draw out a soft smiley face. Then, without hesitation, she wrote out her own carefully curved letters.

If you'd like, I can start by recounting a story of how Kama took to the tour I gave them of Novum Chaldea, my flower.

Vy smiled.

Yes, please.

It was a start to something Vy never experienced before. But it was a good one.

"…You definitely took your time."

"What can I say, time flies when you're having fun. We had to erase the whiteboard and clean up the study room for Murasaki before coming here, mind." Billy shrugged in response to the light glare Shiki was giving him past the collar of her infamous red jacket, the same grin on his lips as he carefully shifted Vy's weight against his back. The little lady, silent as before, kept sleeping against his shoulder like a baby as her arms loosely draped around his neck. Whether she noticed she had arrived at the Grail Lounge she created for her Grailed Servants, it wasn't clear.

At least Vy was finally asleep, resting after exchanging stories about Servant antics and things she didn't get to see. It was a treasure not even the Grailed Assassin in front of him could take away, not that it looked like she wanted to. Ereshkigal had merely rested a careful hand on Shiki's shoulder once she opened the door to let herself in first, giving Billy a polite and thankful smile as she did. And even if Ereshkigal didn't do so, the look in Shiki's dark eyes softened almost immediately once she caught a glimpse of Vy's sleeping face past Billy's hat as he kept her upright in the piggyback ride he was giving.

"You really are unbelievable," Shiki said after a moment's pause, forcing her gaze away from Vy's sleeping face to focus on Billy again. "What is it with you Archers and spoiling her?"

"It's not spoiling when she doesn't take it for granted, Shiki," Billy retorted quietly, carefully letting Vy down in time for Shiki to walk over and raise her arms to take the girl in a hug for more safety. To a proper bed too, maybe. Knowing the other Grailed Servants, this daily nap would probably be a long one in Vy's career of having them. "Talking by writing can be pretty fun, y'know."

"You…" Once Vy's head lulled against Shiki's neck, Shiki glanced down at her with an unreadable expression before turning her gaze elsewhere. Billy wasn't sure how Robin got to understand a mysterious person like her, but the last thing he expected to hear was a quiet, "Invite me next time, will you?"

"…Huh?"

"If writing by whiteboard is so fun, call me over next time," Shiki grated out past her teeth, being careful of her tone thanks to the sleeping Chaldean Master in her arms. A soft uncharacteristic pink started to brush her cheeks as she growled, "You and the others get plenty of time with her. I want it too, or else it's unfair."

Billy grinned. So the mysterious red Assassin did feel things sometimes. "Got it. Need help with carrying her inside, though?"

Shiki gave him an incredulous look. Then, with an exaggerated sigh, she rolled her shoulder back towards the Grail Lounge's door. "Get Robin, will you? Vy will need her cloak."

"You mean her boyfriend's cloak, right?" Billy teased.

Shiki tossed her head. "Shut it and just get him. She likes hugging him enough that she can't seem to sleep well without him lately."

"Fine, fine."

Later on, Scathach would look at this scene from the security footage in Novum Chaldea and grade Vy's homework assignment with two words: "resounding success."