Chapter Two
No Rest For The Weary
The sound of boots clicking echoed throughout the halls. The short brown boots of a young girl emitted clicks with every step she took down the white spotless hallway. The young girl continued down the hallway with its white walling and white floors that had a hospital like vibe to them. After a few moments of walking she passed a large black logo painted onto the wall as the hallway curved and lead off in another direction. As the young girl passed the logo, words revealed themselves reading "Chaldea Security Organization." Once the young girl turned around the bend she continued forward down the hall. Light creeped through large windows that lined the hallway she had entered, each evenly split apart going up to the ceiling, however as the young girl looked outside it was revealed that there was no sun in the sky only clouds filled the sky as a snowstorm raged outside. A frown formed on the young girls lips and a sigh escaped from her lips, before she continued on down the hallway. Several more minutes passed before the young girl came to a stop in front of one of many doors, the girl looked to the side and placed her hand on a panel next to the door. The door swooshed open granting her access as she stepped inside…
"Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed as she entered the room and placed her hand on a panel next to the door causing the lights to flash on, illuminating the room. The sound of Mashu's boots clicking drew closer until I felt her hand on my shoulder as she vigorously shook it. "Senpai come on! The Director wishes to speak to you!" Mashu said. I grunted and pulled the sheets over my head as I ducked under the covers and snuggled my head into my pillow.
"No. Go away Mashu." I murmured from underneath the covers.
"Senpai…. The Director says she really really needs to speak to you." Mashu asserted.
"Tell her I'll talk to her tomorrow." I groaned as I wrapped my arms around my pillow. I heard a sigh escape Mashu's lips and her hand once again rested on my shoulders as she pulled the sheets back and I winced at the blinding light flooding my eyes. I turned my back to Mashu and burrowed my face into my pillow closing my eyes once more.
"Senpai you can't keep putting off the Director, you've been cooped up in here for Four Days since we returned from the Singularity. You're starting to be like Scathach who holds up in the bedroom all year long…" Mashu said as she placed her hand on my shoulder.
"What was that?" An irritated voice came from the corner of the room and Mashu's head snapped to where the voice had come from. Sitting in the corner of the room in a reading chair was the crimson headed Scotswoman.
"Oh Scathach! I didn't notice you when I walked in!" Mashu exclaimed fearfully as she raised her hand up. "I apologize! Please I didn't mean anything by what I said! I just was saying Senpai has been hold up in here for awhile…." Mashu said nervously as she reached behind and rubbed the back of her head. Scathach narrowed her crimson eyes at Mashu not convinced, but eventually returned her gaze downwards to the book in her lap and flipped a page over in her book. Scathach crossed her legs in her brown reading chair and her toes rubbed against one another inside of her black leggings.
"I wouldn't waste your breath Mashu, he refuses to get out of bed unless its to use the restroom or eat…" Scathach said as her eyes darted from line to line in her book. Mashu ruffled her eyebrows and turned her attention back to me as I felt her hand on my shoulder once more.
"Senpai come on, you can't lay in bed forever." Mashu murmured.
"It's not forever." I replied. "It's just until I'm ready to get out of bed. I've spent the past week getting shot at, stabbed at, burned, walking, and hardly getting any sleep. I deserve this rest alright." I said grunting as I pulled the covers over my head once more. There was a heavy sigh this time from Mashu's lips and I laid there in the darkness of my covers.
"The Director said you would say that. So she told me that if you don't get out of bed and go talk to her today she'll pump your room full of nerve gas as you sleep so you'll end up sleeping forever." Mashu said reciting what the director had told her.
"Ugh!" I groaned loudly. I threw the sheets over my head and rubbed my eyes as I sheepishly sat up in bed. "Do you think the Director was being serious?" I asked sending Mashu a quick glance.
"She seemed serious." Mashu replied and I groaned once more.
"Of course she's serious, the Director is always serious." I said rubbing my forehead. "So vicious she'd gas her own employee in his sleep." I said and swung around in my bed and scooted forward to the edge and slipped into my shoes. Mashu let out a chuckle as she stood over me and I looked up at her. Blinding light came from behind Mashu's head and I rose my hand up to my face as my eyes adjusted to the light.
"Haha that's the Director for you, cruel as always." Mashu said and I brought my hand up to my mouth as I yawned.
"I liked when I had to answer to Anderson instead of the Director, I don't know how you've dealt with her all this time." I said as I stretched my arms out over my head.
"Oh well I've managed, mostly by staying on her good side." Mashu said as she put her hands behind her back.
"Hey I stay on her good side, if anybody gets on her bad side its Roman, yet somehow he's still alive and the Head Doctor at that." I said and Mashu let out another chuckle.
"Romani keeps his head down for the most part, but the Director can't afford to fire him." Mashu said. "He is a very talented Doctor and Mage so it would be foolish for the Director to fire him." Mashu said as I rubbed my wrist.
"Yeah I know." I said thinking back for a moment. "Roman has patched me up more times than I can count Mashu." I said looking back up at Mashu. Mashu smiled at me and nodded her head. "Anyway I guess I best get going Mashu." I said standing up and walked over to a chair where my suit jacket was resting. Picking it up. I walked over to the door with Mashu accompanying me as I slid into my jacket and I stopped in front of the door buttoning up. I turned and faced Mashu as I pressed a button on the panel next to the door that caused it to swoosh up.
"Where is Jeanne currently at?" I asked as I buttoned up my collar. Mashu rose a finger up to her chin and thought for a moment, she then rose her wrist up and pulled back her sleeve to look at her digital watch.
"Well I haven't seen Jeanne, but I believe she's currently at Chaldea's chapel right now praying as she always does at this time. She prays there every morning." Mashu said as her arm returned to her side.
"Alright I haven't seen Jeanne since we got back so I'll stop in and check on her after my meeting with the Director." I said rubbing my shoulder instinctively where Jeanne's command seal currently was.
"Shall I accompany you to the Director's office Senpai?" Mashu asked and I shook my head.
"No Thank you Mashu that won't be needed." I said and a look of disappointment swept over Mashu's face. "But please if you could get me a coffee, I'll meet you in the cafeteria." I said and Mashu's face lit up.
"Okay Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed. "I'll be waiting for you! You better not forget about me!" Mashu said raising her hands up in a fist.
"Haha I won't forget Mashu. As soon as I finish speaking with the Director and check on Jeanne I shall meet you in the Cafeteria. You have my word." I said placing my hand on Mashu's head and rubbing it. "Hopefully it won't take too long." I added smiling.
"Alright I'll be waiting for you Senpai." Mashu said and I nodded my head at her. I turned my attention to Scathach sitting in her chair paying us little mind. "Scathach I assume you'll be fine without me?" I said.
"I won't even notice your absence." Scathach replied as she flipped another page in her book and I sighed. Mashu and I stepped out into the hall and the door swooshed shut behind us. I turned and faced Mashu who was standing behind me.
"The Cafeteria is on the way to the Director's office. You won't mind if I accompany you till then Senpai?" Mashu inquired.
"Of course not Mashu, I don't mind at all." I said nodding my head and Mashu smiled. "Let's get going, I wouldn't want to keep the Director waiting any longer. Otherwise she might just gas the whole complex." I said chuckling and Mashu rose her hand up to her mouth and chuckled along with me. The two of us swung around and started walking down the hall towards the Director's office.
Mashu and I made our way down the hallway passing through checkpoints where we provided our Chaldea Identification cards to security guards before continuing. Our footsteps echoed through the hallway and we passed several employees and I greeted them with a smile and a wave, but other than that it was a silent walk. After walking for a little while longer the silence was eventually broken by Mashu.
"Senpai?" Mashu said and I tilted my head to face her.
"Hmm? Yes what is it Mashu?" I asked.
"We still don't know anything new even after Orleans, someone had to have given Gilles the Grail." Mashu said cupping her chin. "And Gilles didn't provide us with any details as to who it was before he disappeared along with the destruction of the grail we can't analysis it, so we're still at Square one. It's becoming quite irritating…" Mashu murmured.
"Ah Yes. I agree it's aggravating that we still know nothing, and it was unfortunate that the grail was destroyed but have patience Mashu." I said and Mashu faced me surprised. "Everyone here at Chaldea is working hard to analysis the data we have gotten, and I'm sure Clock Tower is doing what they can. If anything comes up I'm sure we'll hear about it, until then we just need to wait. Eventually we will pull back the curtains to who is behind all of this or what is causing this. Small steps Mashu. Small steps." I said and a smile formed on Mashu's lips and she nodded her head.
"Yes you're right Senpai we just have to keep working hard!" Mashu said in agreement, then Mashu's eyes trailed off and I cocked my head. "However speaking of Orleans, I'm worried that Jeanne might still be mad with you after your fight with Alter Jeanne…" Mashu murmured and I raised an eyebrow.
"What about our fight with Alter Jeanne? We beat Alter Jeanne." I said remembering back to when Jeanne drove her sword through her other self and I still remember holding Alter Jeanne in my arms before she faded away.
"Well…. Jeanne told me about the fight and well… Jeanne seemed frustrated that you didn't tell her about your time with Alter Jeanne and you seemed almost as if you were going to choose Alter Jeanne over her." Mashu said and I rubbed my cheek.
"Geeeeez…. Yeah but I didn't! I choose her in the end." I said pointing out and Mashu gave me a disapproving glance. "She also choose to continue our pact and come with us to the present. If she was so frustrated with me why would she continue our partnership? Why not just end it there and fade away with the singularity?" I inquired and Mashu let out a sigh as she pushed her glasses up.
"Normal Servant's don't really have much of a choice if they want to end the pact, once a servant enters a pact with someone they are stuck with that person." Mashu said. "The only way the pact would end is if you let it." Mashu added.
"I would have ended the pact if she wanted me too." I said.
"Yes I know you would have, Senpai." Mashu said. "I don't know why she didn't end the pact with you and she made it quite clear she wanted to continue her partnership with us. I'm just saying that Jeanne clearly has some grievances that you might want to keep in mind. Only she can answer those questions you have." Mashu said.
"I'm going to talk with her, okay?" I said raising my hand up. "I will ask her about her concerns and I'll apologize and hopefully clear everything up." I said as I turned my gaze down the hall.
"I'm glad to hear that, I just do not wish for things to get like they are with Scathach between you and Jeanne." Mashu said.
"Oh trust me, there's no way our relationship could get as bad as the one I have with Scathach." I said raising my hands up once more as we came to a stop outside the Cafeteria. "Well we're here." I said as I lowered my hands and slid them into my pockets.
"Yes I'll go fetch you a coffee Senpai and then wait for you." Mashu said nodding her head.
"I'll be here as soon as I'm done with the Director and Jeanne." I said and Mashu nodded her head. "I'm sure there will be a lot to discuss. We'll discuss the singularity during our meeting and see if anything has arisen." I added hoping to reassure Mashu about her previous concerns. "Also by the way, have you spoken with the Director about Orleans?" I inquired swinging around to face Mashu before taking off. Mashu only shook her head in response.
"No Senpai, the only person I think the Director has spoken with about it is Roman and Roman hasn't told me anything." Mashu said as I scratched my cheek.
"Well alright then, I'm off Mashu. See you soon." I said turning around and heading down the hall as I waved Mashu goodbye for now.
"See you soon Senpai!" Mashu exclaimed.
Several minutes later
I approached the Directors office at the end of the hallway with the spanning glass window, where the usual armed guards stood outside of her door with black SCAR-Hs at their chest and pistols cocked in their holsters. I presented my identification card to the guards and they nodded me through. The doors to Director Animusphere office swooshed open and I stepped inside and was immediately hit by the strong aroma of wood. My eyes blinked rapidly for a moment and I looked around to my surprise to see that several pieces of older wood furniture had been moved into Olga's office, they all had a fresh sleek polish to them. Nestled in between two wooden bookcases was a roaring fireplace in front of a coffee table and leather couches. Almost all sense of modernism that had been in Olga's office had completely disappeared. I turned and faced the Director who was sitting at her desk with her face in her hand as she looked down at a folder laying in front of her. I cleared my throat and her head shot up to face me standing at the doorway.
"Ahem Director did I come at a bad time?" I said placing my hands behind my back.
"What…? Oh No." Olga said shaking her head as she closed the folder and placed it on a stack of folders and papers. Olga took the stack of paper work and patted them down on the desk straightening them and pushed them over to the side. "I see you finally made your way over here…" Olga said crossing her arms as she leaned forward on her desk.
"Yes I apologize for the delay, however I'm here now." I said as I walked towards her desk and stopped in front of her. "If I may ask, what were you looking through Director?" I inquired and Olga glanced over to her side.
"Oh… I was just looking through some of Lev's…. I mean Doctor Lev's notes and his reports. I'm still blown away by his theories and his expert analysis of things, he would spot things others would miss." Olga said as she rubbed one eye and then the other. "I really wish he was here right now…." Olga murmured.
"Doctor Lev certainly was an interesting character from the one encounter I had with him." I said as I grasped the arm of one of the chairs across from Olga and took a seat. "He was the Director of the Eleventh Archaeology Faculty at Clock tower correct? I read some of his work in my magic studies." I said as I crossed my legs and grasped my knee.
"Yes that is correct he was Director of one of the Faculty's at the Archaeology Department, famously referred to as Rocks Road." Olga said with a light chuckle. "He was a man deeply committed to his work and was mocked for it, some calling him a research fanatic or an indoor chairman." Olga said. "However despite all of that he was very approachable man and was good friends with my father." Olga said intertwining her fingers. "My Father saw that Doctor Lev deeply cared for Humanity, dedicating his life to protect it. So my Father asked him one day, "Lev if your life goal is to protect Humanity, then there is no better place for you to work than my Organization Chaldea." and like that Lev stepped down from his position at Clocktower and came to work for my Father…." Olga said before trailing off.
"Was Doctor Lev a prominent mage? His theories were very well received in the magic community and very interesting reads. If I recall correctly he created Shiva which allows us to observe the anomalies in our history?" I said.
"That is correct he did create Shiva which was another reason why my Father sought him out, several of our theories and formulas are based on Doctor Lev's research." Olga said as she intertwined her fingers. "And why Yes! He was quite the prodigy at the Mage Association, he achieved the Fourth rank in Clock tower at the young age of 20." Olga exclaimed.
"That's very impressive…." I said and trailed off for a moment.
""Lev was one of the only people here who dressed old fashion as I'm sure you noticed…" Olga said. "I asked him one day why that was, do you know what he said to me?" Olga asked me and I shook my head in response. "I'm the only one here who dresses old-fashioned. It's my pride as a magus to try and display courtesy towards the history of the Animuspheres. This may be a modern place, but it's also the workshop of the Animuspheres. So, even if it's only me, its natural to dress like a magus." Olga said as she closed her eyes and a smile formed on her lips before she let out a chuckle. "Lev was a very intelligent man and had a certain Etiquette to him, but I never could break through that shell of his…." Olga murmured and then trailed off. The Director seemed to speak very highly of Doctor Lev, everyone seemed to admire Lev, but the Director seemed to look up to him more than others from what I've observed. "It's just a shame I never could converse more with Lev, I'd like to see if I could have seen more of the man everyone spoke so highly off…" I thought to myself and I glanced off to the side and then I remembered that the furniture had changed. I turned my attention back to the Director who still seemed lost in thought as she rest her head on her hands.
"Ahem Director I noticed that all the furniture in your office has changed since I was last here." I said coughing and Director snapped out of her thoughts and faced me.
"Oh! Um Yes. This is all of my father's original furniture that he originally had in his office, it's been away getting refurbished." Olga said as she glanced around her office before stopping on me.
"Wow has it been away for that long? It's been almost a year since I was last in your office." I said scratching my cheek.
"Yes, these things take time you know. They must take great care when refurbishing it, this furniture is centuries old, it's been handed down throughout my family since the beginning of the Animuspheres." Olga said. "I'm Thankful that it wasn't here during the incident last year, who knows what damage could have been inflicted…." Olga murmured with a weary sigh.
"I would have thought you were more of a Modern furniture type of person Director, so I had assumed the furniture that had been in here was more to your taste." I said, hoping not to incur her wrath.
"Well there's a bit of modernism sprinkled around my office I like to think, my computers are modern, the fireplace is of a more modern type, and my telescope is modern." Olga said turning in her chair to face the window behind her desk, where a fancy looking black telescope faced outwards. "When does she even get the chance to look at the stars? It's always snowing here." I thought to myself, however it was best not to ask her. "My office is certainly not like my fathers, but I like more traditional furniture. I find it a lot more cozy and it let's me relax." Olga said turning around to face me.
"I can relate to that I like traditional furniture as well, however there's an appeal to more modern furniture that I quite like. I can't quite explain why, but I like it. Not the cheap modern furniture of course, but I think you know what I mean." I said crossing my arms and Olga nodded her head.
"To each their own, it really all depends on a persons taste." Olga said and leaned forward on her desk once more as she placed her crossed her arms on the desk. "Now I didn't call you down here to chit chat Christopher, I called you down to discuss the Singularity and going forward." Olga said returning to a professional manner and I straightened up as if at attention. "Now would you like some coffee before we continue?" Olga said motioning towards a coffee machine sitting on a table not far from her desk.
"No Thank you Director, Mashu and I plan on having coffee together after this." I said raising my hand.
"Very well." Olga said nodding her head as she intertwined her fingers. "Now while you've been secluding yourself to your bed for the past four days and ignoring my summoning…." Olga said narrowing her eyes at me and I felt her gaze pierce through my head. A sweat broke out on my forehead and made its way down my head. "Our Scientist and Mages have been analyzing the data we've acquired, and your operation was a complete success as 15th century France has returned to the way things should be. So that in turn means Human History has returned to way things should be… for now." Olga said and I breathed a sigh of relief. "France continued on and with it so has Humanity, we've managed to dodge another bullet. However that was only one bullet out of Eight in the chamber with the first bullet being Fuyuki. We still have six more singularities ahead of us, but good work on prolonging our survival for just a little longer." Olga said.
"Thank you Director." I said nodding my head. "Prolonging our survival for just a little longer was a minor comfort, but not very." I thought to myself.
"It was most unfortunate that the Grail was destroyed, we could have analyzed it for further data." Olga said sounding a little displeased.
"I know Director, I'm sorry…" I said before being cut off by Olga as she raised her hand.
"No need to apologize, it was unfortunate, but your mandate was to destroy the Holy Grails or bring them back. So long as you destroyed them and correct the Singularities that's all that matters. However bringing an intact Grail would be a remarkable accomplishment…." Olga said and I could tell she was still annoyed. I know the Director was disappointed, however In the back of my mind I was glad the grail was destroyed. Such a powerful relic as the Holy Grail was too dangerous for anyone's hands even our own, even if it did peak my interest.
"I'll keep in that mind in the next singularity Director, however in the heat of combat…" I said before being cut off once more.
"Yes, Yes I know." Olga said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Let us not linger on the subject any longer." Olga said and I nodded my head.
"Yes Director." I said.
"Now despite our success and all the data we've received and studied so far we still have no idea what or who is causing the singularities." Olga said as a frown crept on her lips. "We know the Grails are the root cause of the singularities, however we don't know how they get there or how they are acquired." Olga said. "Gilles and Alter Saber disappeared without any chance of questioning them; how they got the grail since they never acquired the grail in our timeline. So we are wandering around in the dark…" Olga said.
"Once again I apologize…" I said and Olga waved her hand dismissively once again. "Has there been no word from Clocktower on their end of the Investigation?" I inquired and Olga shook her head.
"No Clocktower hasn't found anything, and if they have they haven't told me. It would appear as if whoever pulled off the attack last year didn't leave a trace." Olga said.
"Director perhaps if you allow me to lead an independent investigation under Chaldea…." I said and was cut off my Olga's hand.
"No I don't want us to get involved. This is Clocktowers independent investigation and if you or anyone here gets involved they are only likely to get pissed off. And right now I like things the way they are, we are on thin ice with Clocktower and I don't want to crack that ice or melt it per say. I'll be giving my full report of our success to Clocktower at the end of the week and that shall hopefully harden the ice you could say." Olga said.
"I'm not quite sure as to why they don't want us to get involved?" I inquired curiously.
"The easiest way to put it, is that it's like your FBI and police. The police don't like it when the FBI get involved in their cases. It's the same way with Clock tower." Olga said.
"When you put it like that I understand now Director." I said with a heavy sigh. "It's unfathomable though that even powerful organizations like ClockTower stoop to such pettiness." I thought to myself. A Silence broke out for a few moments and I looked up from my lap at the Director who was eying me quietly.
"Christopher I must admit I'm surprised you rejected Alter Jeanne's offer." Olga said and I was a little taken aback by her comment.
"W-why is that? Should I have accepted her offer?" I asked.
"No I don't believe you should have and whether you did or not was not my call to make, I'm just surprised that's all. Alter Jeanne was by far a more powerful servant who could have aided us greatly." Olga said cupping her face.
"Well it was the right thing to do Director. We here at Chaldea Security Organization seek to protect and safeguard Humanity and I'm not sure if Alter Jeanne could have ever fully come to terms with that. Not only that, but it is unsure whether or not she really would have been able to have really made a pact with me since she was of Gilles own creation, so I don't know if she actually had the Freewill to make that offer or decision." I said as Olga tapped her finger on her desk. "And morally speaking it was the right thing to choose Jeanne, betraying my partner after everything we had been through and suffered would be a betrayal of my morals and ethics." I said tapping my fingers on my arms "That and betraying someone such as Jeanne D'arc would be truly despicable after everything she had been through in her life and no doubt it would have haunted me for the rest of my life." I said gazing off outside behind the Director, Olga grinned at me amused.
"All very valid points and in the end it was your choice so I'll leave it at that, if you think you made the right decision then there's nothing else to say." Olga said. "Now that does bring us to our next subject. I'm very impressed that we have managed to acquire a Ruler Class Servant, you managed to acquire Jeanne D'arc as your Third Servant and she did so on her own volition. This surely will be a great asset to Chaldea, having a Ruler class servant in our possession." Olga said still tapping her desk.
"Well Director…" I said tugging at my collar. "Jeanne really isn't a Ruler Class anymore. She wasn't summoned by the Holy Grail to obey and she does not oversee any Grail wars, and she has none of the abilities associated with the Ruler Class." I said gulping as I eyed Olga nervously waiting for her to vent.
"I know." Olga said and I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Jeanne told me she has none of the Ruler class abilities anymore, even after defeating Alter Jeanne and returning to full strength. However while it is unlikely she will ever get her True Name displacement skill or the Command Spells given to her by the Grail, she still is a great asset to us even as a Saber Class." Olga said. "I just don't know how you did it, you got Jeanne to come with you, No actually she wanted to come with you. It is usually very unlikely that servants will want to stay in the present or stay with a Master." Olga said and tapped her desk once more. "Do you perhaps possess mystic eyes Christopher or is there some sort of ability you possess that compels people to want to follow you?" Olga said and I rose my shoulders shrugging.
"I-I-I don't know?" I exclaimed. "When I go to the Grocery store and checkout, the cashiers don't tell me that they want to come home with me." I said and Olga chuckled amused. "So I don't really know why Jeanne wanted to come with me. However she wanted to and who was I to refuse? If she wanted to continue to help and come with me, I wasn't going to tell her no." I said and Olga finally stopped tapping her desk and brought her finger to stop.
"Well I guess you just really gained her trust." Olga said. "However as I'm sure you are aware as your servant she really wouldn't have had much of a choice if you had forced her." Olga said narrowing her eyes.
"Would you have wanted me to force her to come with me?" I asked.
"Absolutely, while Alter Jeanne was your choice. I think you should have forced her to come with you, she is just too great of an asset to give up." Olga said sternly and wagged her finger at me. "I'm not quite sure if I would have felt comfortable forcing Jeanne to do that." I thought to myself quietly. "Luckily you did not have to do that, but as always the choices you make in the field are ultimately up to you unless it is something Major." Olga said and crossed her arms. "So in the end we managed to secure a Great asset like Jeanne and we completed the mission. Now while we are still at a lose for why this is happening, this mission was an overall success." Olga said and I nodded my head. "Chaldea shall take the data we gathered and continue our analysis into the year to come and this shall hopefully help us with the next singularity and once the next Singularity draws closer we shall hopefully know when and where it is taking place. So you can breathe easy for the next year back at home until we once again need you. However before you depart I'm sure there will be several more things we need to discuss. This was a small victory and hopefully our small victories will lead us to more clues that will help put the puzzle pieces together." Olga said and I pushed myself up out of my seat and stood up straight in front of Olga.
"Understood Director." I said raising my hand up to my head saluting her.
"Dismissed Operative." Olga said with a dismissive salute and I lowered my hand to my side and swung around and made my way out of Olga's office leaving her to her work.
Once the doors to Olga's office swooshed closed I took a deep sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from my forehead. "Well that went smoothly, that was one bullet dodged indeed, now time to go dodge another bullet with Jeanne." I murmured and one of the guards at the door chuckled and I glanced at the guard. "Gerald don't even start with me." I said turning to face him.
"Start what?" Gerald said cheeky behind his Black ski mask. "It's just amusing to see how Chaldea throws you around. One day you were sitting at a desk doing nothing and now you're being tossed back in time to try and save humanity from beings more powerful than ourselves. And to Top it off when you're not getting shot at or stabbed, you have to deal with that feisty Red head and now I see you have a Blonde to contend with. All these Lady Troubles you got, makes a man jealous." Gerald said and I knew exactly what he meant.
"YEAH. I remember sitting at that desk when you checked up on me and after you left I got that email." I said blinking rapidly. "And now I wish I hadn't gotten that email. That way I would still sitting at the comfy desk job. I never asked for any this." I exclaimed. "Also you probably shouldn't call Lancer a feisty redhead to her face if I was you, just some friendly advice" I said jabbing my finger into Gerald's vest and Gerald chuckled along with Adam.
"I know you don't need to tell me. Believe me." Gerald said. "I'm just saying maybe you should ask for a raise with what they keep putting you through." Gerald said.
"Oh No. I'm not going back in there and ruining the Director's mood, she's in a goodish mood right now and I'm not going to ruin it. You go in there and ask her yourself." I said and Gerald chuckled.
"Yeah alright, alright. I hear you man." Gerald said and I turned around preparing to head out. "And Hey Chris." Gerald said and I swung around to face him once more. "We're all rooting for you in the Security Department, Humanity's future is on your shoulders." Gerald said and I sweat dropped.
"Oh Thanks Guys. No pressure." I said and Gerald and Adam chuckled as I took off down the hall. "I'm no savior of humanity." I murmured as I slid my hands into my pockets…
Several Moments Later
After a brisk walk through several security checkpoints and navigating Chaldea's complex I found myself standing outside of the door to Chaldea's chapel. It had been quite a while since I had been to our Chapel and I had thought I would never be stopping here again. However a lot has changed as things always do… I rose my hand up to up to the panel next to the door and tapped a button on the screen. The door swooshed open and revealed a dimly lit small room. Red carpeting covered the floor of the room and the walls were painted white. Dark wooden benches went down the sides of the room with 6 benches in total, light fixtures were placed parallel of one another on the walls, and at the end of the room there was a mural painted of Christ on the wall with an altar and some potted plants in the corners of the room. I stepped inside the room and the door slide shut behind me. The lighting dimmed after the doors swooshed closed and I glanced around and there was no sign of Jeanne. I stepped further down the aisle towards the Altar and it was there that I found Jeanne kneeled in front of the first bench with her hands up in prayer as her head rested against her hands. Jeanne looked completely different now, she no longer was dawning her knight armor and now wore a White Turtleneck with a long white skirt that had purple streaks going down it, while she still had on her purple stockings and a pair of light brown boots that went up to her knees. Resting on the bench in front of her was a light tan coat with white furry lining. I silently approached Jeanne and grasped her coat hanging over her bench as I sat down on the bench behind her bench. I folded her coat gently and held it in between my chest and crossed arms as I leaned back in the bench staring forward reserved as I wished not to disturb Jeanne during Prayer. Several minutes passed by of a quiet silence. I sat there deep in thought as I pondered back on what Jeanne had said in France and I wondered if Raelin truly was up in Heaven above being well taken care of. It was then when something brought me back down to Earth.
"Chaldea's chapel is rather nice don't you think." Jeanne said softly and I snapped my attention forward and saw the back of Jeanne's head.
"Oh umm… Yes I suppose it is Jeanne." I said as Jeanne continued to have her back to me.
"I see you've finally emerged from your room. How are you feeling?" Jeanne asked.
"Oh well I'm feeling Good. Still a little tired though." I said as I reached up and rubbed my eyes.
"You've been sleeping in for four days now." Jeanne said.
"Yes so I've been told, but I still feel worn out from Orleans." I said.
"Well then perhaps you should return to your quarters and get some more sleep." Jeanne said sounding apathetic.
"Well I just got back from speaking to the Director after basically being forced to drag myself out of bed." I said.
"I see so I can assume you discussed the Singularity with her." Jeanne said.
"That is correct." I replied.
"So naturally you came here after your meeting with the Director. Did you perhaps come here to pray, if so I suppose I shall leave you to it." Jeanne said as she seemed prepared to get up.
"Actually I came here looking for you." I said squeezing Jeanne's coat towards my chest.
"O-Oh…. What is there to discuss?" Jeanne muttered as she faced downwards.
"Jeanne are you still mad at me for not telling you about my meeting Alter Jeanne?" I exclaimed.
"N-No! I'm not mad…" Jeanne muttered continuing not to face me. While I certainly did not pretend to understand women, I knew that when a Woman said she wasn't mad she was mad.
"Listen Jeanne, I know that I should have told you earlier and I meant too okay." I said. "Or are you upset because you think that I was really considering accepting Alter Jeanne's offer to betray you. Or is it because I agreed with some of the points she made?" I said and Jeanne continued to remain silent. "HEY! Jeanne don't start acting all cold on me, acting cold doesn't suit you!" I exclaimed irritated as I placed a hand on her shoulder. Jeanne swung around and looked at me angrily.
"Chris, don't raise your voice! We're in the Lords House right now!" Jeanne said scolding me with her finger wagging at me. I took my hand off of her shoulder and leaned back into my chair with my hands up.
"Sorry." I muttered and Jeanne swung around and faced forward ushing the room back into silence and causing me to sigh. Several minutes of silence passed as we sat there not speaking with one another…
"... I-I know that okay. You don't need to tell me." Jeanne said quietly so much so that I almost didn't hear her. "I'm just frustrated okay." Jeanne added.
"I know and you have a right to be frustrated, I should have told you. However I still choose you in the end Jeanne because you're my partner and not only my partner but a very intelligent and kind young woman who went through a lot." I said and paused for a moment as I reflected back on what I had seen. "A lot that I personally wish you never had to have had gone through, and if I betrayed you I would have regretted it for the rest of my life." I said, my tone filled with sadness. "You saved my life several times as I'm sure you will continue to do so in the future and you trusted me with your life as I entrusted you with my own life. So I would have never betrayed you, not then and not ever. That's all I have to say Jeanne, I'll leave you to your morning Prayer." I said respectfully as I stood up from my seat and placed Jeanne's jacket over the bench before I turned around and headed towards the door to leave Jeanne be. Just as I reached the door and prepared to leave I heard footsteps behind me.
"Wait Chris!" Jeanne exclaimed quietly and I turned around to see her walk up to me. "W-where are you going!" Jeanne stuttered as she stood in front of me with her jacket tucked in between her arms.
"I'm going to go have some coffee with Mashu at the Cafeteria." I replied and Jeanne fidgeted in her spot.
"M-may I join you?" Jeanne asked.
"Of course I'm sure Mashu wouldn't mind." I said placing my hand on Jeanne's shoulders and nodding.
"Thank you Chris." Jeanne said as a smile formed on her lips and she looked downwards. "We can talk more about this later." Jeanne murmured and I nodded my head. "And I'm sorry I was just scared that you might have betrayed me for Alter Jeanne so I got angry at you for something you didn't do which was stupid I know, but I'm really glad you didn't betray me." Jeanne said looking up at me with a smile as her cheeks were a rosy red.
"Your cheeks are all rosy Jeanne, if people see you like this they are gonna think something happened in here." I said reaching up and pinching Jeanne on the cheek which only caused her face to turn a deeper shade of red.
"Chris S-stop that!" Jeanne exclaimed as she batted at my chest and I chuckled as I let go. "Jeanne really does look so cute when she blushes I couldn't help myself." I thought to myself as my hand returned to its side.
"Come on let's go Jeanne, It would be rude of us to keep Mashu waiting any longer." I said as I turned around and faced the door. I reached up and tapped on the panel next to the door and it swooshed open.
"Y-Yes you're right! Let's go!" Jeanne said and the two of us stepped out into the hallway together.
Once we were out in the hallway Jeanne slipped into her coat and stepped in front of me and faced me.
"What is it Jeanne?" I inquired as Jeanne glared at me.
"Why'd you have to tease me when I was apologizing to you!" Jeanne exclaimed curling her hands into fist as she raised them in front of herself.
"Haha, Sorry Jeanne." I said as I raised my hand up to my mouth and chuckled. "You just looked so cute I couldn't help but pinch your cheeks." I said.
"Cute…" Jeanne said puffing her cheeks out and I chuckled even more. "Let's hurry up and go already!" Jeanne said as she turned around and headed off down the hall with me following behind her as I continued to chuckle. I rushed to catch up with her and the two of us walked side by side as we made our way down the halls. I smiled at Jeanne as she continued to face forwards not facing me. Jeanne's glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes after a few moments and then darted forwards.
"What are you smiling at?" Jeanne murmured.
"Oh I'm just amused at how you're trying to act mad." I said and a vein popped on the back of Jeanne's head.
"I am mad at you! For teasing me!" Jeanne barked as she punched me in the shoulder. "Ahhh Chris you idiot, here you were telling yourself a few seconds ago that you knew when a woman was mad and it turns out she really is mad." I thought to myself as I was taken aback.
"Alright, Alright! I'm sorry!" I said putting my hands up before I placed them behind my back.
"Hmph." Jeanne grunted and a few more moments passed by before she spoke up. "So you've really been in your room for the past four days." Jeanne inquired and I sweat dropped once again.
"Yeah…" I replied. "I did say after I got checked up by Doctor Roman that I was going to crash and wasn't going to come out till I felt rested." I said as I nodded my head at two Chaldea Employees passing by.
"Well what caused you to leave?" Jeanne inquired turning to face me.
"Well it's like I said someone threatened to gas me in my sleep unless I answered her summons." I said and Jeanne's eyes widened.
"The Director threatened to gas you in your sleep!" Jeanne exclaimed. "She can't be serious." Jeanne added.
"I'd rather not find out if she had been serious." I sad and Jeanne ruffled her eyebrows. "But, don't worry Jeanne I'm fine, no need to fret." I said reassuringly.
"Well Mashu did tell me that the Director wished to speak with you and was getting rather agitated, but I didn't think she'd go that far." Jeanne said and I glanced upwards as I crossed my arms "Well that's because you haven't known the Director as well as I do." I thought to myself as I looked back down at Jeanne. "So besides the Singularity, what else did you and the Director discuss." Jeanne inquired.
"It was like you said, we discussed the Singularity. The Director informed me that our operation was a complete success and human history has once again been corrected to the way things should be..." I said before trailing off.
"What is it Chris? Shouldn't that be a good thing?" Jeanne inquired looking into my face.
"Ah Yeah! Of course, but that's not it…...We still know nothing about who was behind the attack on Chaldea a year ago. We also still don't know who is behind these singularities and the Director expressed her displeasure of the destruction of the Grail. I'm also trying to wrap my brain around this situation…" I said and guilt washed over Jeanne's face.
"I'm sorry Chris! I truly am!" Jeanne apologized.
"It's alright Jeanne don't worry about it." I said raising a hand stopping her and Jeanne looked at me confused. "I'll tell you another time." I said and Jeanne nodded her head.
"Okay…. I also have yet to have been informed on what happened at Chaldea last year, you said you were attacked." Jeanne said just as we reached the Cafeteria.
"Yes we were attacked last year, someone sabotaged our Generators and set off a chain reaction of explosions around the facility. This caused a malfunction in Chaldea's core and Mashu was injured along with dozens of employees killed." I said and Jeanne gasped.
"That's horrible!" Jeanne gasped as she placed her hand over her mouth.
"I'll tell you the rest of the details later…" I said as I glanced around the Cafeteria looking for Mashu. After a moment I spotted Mashu sitting at a table by herself with two cups of coffee. When Mashu spotted me she waved at me.
"Senpai!" Mashu greeted me as Jeanne and I approached her table. "Jeanne-san!" Mashu exclaimed, taken aback. "I didn't know you were going to be coming too otherwise I would have gotten you a coffee too. I can fetch you one right now if you like!" Mashu said.
"No! No! I'm fine, but Thank you Mashu." Jeanne said as I pulled a seat out for Jeanne and she took a seat. "Thank you Chris." Jeanne said as she scooted forward. I pulled out a seat next to Mashu and sat down. "Chris was gracious enough to allow me to join you two after we talked." Jeanne said as she rested her arms on the table.
"Nonsense Jeanne you can join us anytime you please. You don't need my permission to do anything." I said and Jeanne smiled graciously.
"Ah Y-Yes! Sorry! Thank you!" Jeanne said nodding her head.
"So you and Senpai talked." Mashu said to Jeanne and faced me. "I assume you and Jeanne-san settled things." Mashu murmured to me quietly.
"Well Mashu, Chris and I talked and got things out of our system. There's still some more I wish to discuss with him at a later time." Jeanne said cautiously causing me to glance at her out of the corner of my eye. Mashu snapped her attention towards Jeanne.
"I see! Well I'm glad to hear that!" Mashu exclaimed and Jeanne nodded her head. "Here's your coffee Senpai." Mashu said and handed me a Styrofoam cup. "I added two creams and three sugars like you always have." Mashu said.
"Thank you Mashu." I said nodding my head as I brought the cup to my lips and took a sip before placing it back down.
"So I assume things with the Director also went over smoothly." Mashu inquired.
"Yeah I suppose as smooth as one in my position could have hoped for. If it hadn't I wouldn't be here." I said and the three of us chuckled. I took another sip from my coffee and Jeanne glanced around the cafeteria.
"Where is Lancer?" Jeanne murmured as she faced us.
"Lancer? Lancer is in her bedroom reading." I said placing the cup down on the table once more. "Which is probably for the best, the less time her and I are in contact the better off this whole facility is." I murmured looking down at my reflection in the black liquid inside of the coffee cup.
"Do you and Lancer not get along?" Jeanne inquired.
"I guess you could say that..." I replied looking up to face Jeanne.
"I see…" Jeanne murmured scratching her cheek. "Does Lancer read a lot?" Jeanne inquired and I cleared my throat.
"Oh yeah. Quite frequently. There are very few times you'll see Lancer without a book in her hand." I said and Mashu nodded her head in agreement. Jeanne appeared to be ruffling her eyebrows in frustration and I cocked my head at her.
"...Lancer still hasn't told me her name…" Jeanne murmured sounding distraught as she cupped her chin and turned her gaze towards me.
"Oh No don't give me that look!" I said raising one of my hands up. "If you want to learn her name you're going to have to get it outta her, if I tell you I'll never hear the end of it." I said as I grasped my coffee cup and rose it to my lips taking another sip. Jeanne rubbed her cheek as she still seemed distraught by not knowing Scathach's name.
After a few moments passed by Jeanne, Mashu and I resumed our conversation, continuing to chit chat about a various range of topics for the rest of the morning….
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