049 - A welcome and an invitation
Marie Antoinette
Truth be told, Marie was the first one to be surprised by the apparent effectiveness of her prayer to Lord Re'em. Her words back then had been nothing but a lark, a flight of fancy spoken in an effort to distract her friend from the gravity of their predicament. The only one she actually trusted to see them through was her Master, but now Elizabeth might start taking it seriously.
…Ooopsie?
No, wait! Master obviously takes her faith very seriously too, so this will only make her happier. What a fortunate little accident, everything worked out in the end. Talk about good timing!
She barely has the time to properly congratulate herself for her wisdom and good judgement when the Command Spells finish their job, leaving the two of them standing in front of their Master, Mashu and a cute girl with a cute frown in her cute face Marie has never seen before. It's always nice to meet more cute girls!
"It's good to see you again, Master!" She greets with a small curtsy, before a naughty idea sparks in her mind and she adds a mischievous line to her greeting. "Thank Lord Re'em!"
"Lord Re'em provides." Master nods sagely without missing a beat, before approaching the two of them with a warm smile on her lips. Pooey, she was hoping for a bigger reaction. "It's good to see you too."
"P– P– P-san!?" Elizabeth stutters in disbelief, hesitatingly taking a single step forward to meet Master. "This is–? I was–! And they are–!?"
"And you, of course. I'm glad you're alright." Master turns towards Elizabeth, spreading her arms in a welcoming gesture. "This producer would never live with the shame if she got Eli-chan killed before she could even get her into a proper stage to— Ooof!"
Master gets cut off when Elizabeth tackles her into a hug without another word, wrapping her arms around Master's body and burying her face on Master's shoulder. As it's good and proper.
Hugs make the happy parts of your brain work better and with more enthusiasm, they also make your heart beat faster, so the happiness can properly spread through all your body. That's why Marie likes to sneak one or two at every chance, hugs are incredible like that.
And something tells Marie that Elizabeth didn't have nearly enough hugs in her life.
"Waaaaaaah, P-saaaaaaaan!" She cries out, bawling her eyes out without pulling away from Master's shoulder. "I thought I was going to diiiiiiiiiie!"
For a moment, even Master seems at a loss for words, overwhelmed by the extremely emotional reaction. But she recovers quickly as expected, an easy smile finding its way back to her lips as she closes her eyes and wraps her own arms around the crying dragon girl.
"There, there. It must have been very scary." She speaks out in a soft, soothing voice, gently rubbing Elizabeth's back with a hand at the same time. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, I helped as soon as I could."
"It wasn't soon enough, idiot!" Elizabeth finally pulls away to send Master a pouty glare. Somehow, the shiny, tearful eyes and puffy, reddened cheeks only make Elizabeth look even better. Marie is really lucky to have so many cute friends, what a time to be alive! "I demand compensation! Daily hugs until I get over the trauma, and cuddles!"
"Oh, my. What a demanding Idol..." Master shakes her head with a chuckle. "I guess these terms are acceptable."
At first, it looks like Elizabeth is going to keep complaining, but then her eyes widen and she freezes in place. Marie is treated to a veritable smorgasbord of expressions as Elizabeth's thoughts and emotions play out all over her face. Shock at her demands being so easily accepted, realization of the leverage her emotional outburst has granted her, glee slowly morphing into elusive shiftiness as she considers the many possibilities now open before her.
Marie has to hold back a giggle when Elizabeth starts nervously licking her lips, her unspoken thoughts transparent like glass as she considers whether she should be happy with her price or be greedy and try to get even more. For an Idol claiming to sell pretty lies with every performance, her friend can really wear her heart on her sleeve sometimes!
"I also want to eat delicious foods!" She demands in the end, even as she turns her head to look away. "A–And get nice massages every evening!"
In the end, Elizabeth is an ambitious person, so of course she goes for it.
"Sure, sure." Since she looked away, she misses the amusement twinkling in Master's eyes when she reaches with a hand to start patting her head. Marie didn't, so she doesn't miss the cute way her friend startles at the unexpected contact. "Truly, Eli-chan is a high-maintenance Idol."
That could have been everything, Marie can certainly think of worse fates than being pampered by Master after extracting some nice promises to look forward to. And yet, Elizabeth barely gives herself a moment to enjoy the treat before straightening her back and puffing up her chest. Emboldened by her previous successes, she pulls away from Master to have the space to raise a pointing finger.
"And P-san will become my personal attendant as punishment!" She demands smugly. "Serving me on hand and foot until I forgiv– forever!"
The moment these words are uttered, Marie lets out a disappointed sigh. Her friend really needs to learn some moderation. It's good to be ambitious and seize every opportunity the world has to offer, but one also needs to know how much is too much.
"Ghack!" Master chops Elizabeth's head, causing her to shrink back and instinctively reach with both hands to protect her forehead against further smacks. Cute. "Owiiiie…"
"Now, let's not get too greedy there." Master chastises, her smile somehow going from indulgent to chastising without shifting a single muscle. Marie feels the sudden need to applaud, that takes some skill! "I don't believe the Lady Director can afford to lend her only field operative in the middle of an active crisis. Saving the world is a bit of a priority, you see."
"Hmpf, fine." Elizabeth attempts to recover by crossing her arms and lifting her chin imperiously. It's not very effective, but Marie will give her points for effort. "You are lucky I am such a generous and understanding idol, you know? I still expect everything else!"
"Of course, I already promised, didn't I?" Master agrees easily before turning her attention to her. "And you, Marie? Would you like compensation too or will you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
"Hmmm… I don't think there's anything that needs to be forgiven?" Marie muses, resting her pointer finger on her lips. "But it wouldn't be fair if Elizabeth alone got all the treats, right? How about you give the same treats to everyone?"
Elizabeth doesn't look very enthused at Marie's request but, before any protest can be voiced, she gets distracted by more pressing worries. That means Servants. A group of three Servants making themselves known, accompanied by a fresh group of crimson-clothed legionnaires. Marie isn't as well-versed in the art of war as many of her fellow Servants, but even she can tell these three are to be taken seriously.
"Heed our parlay!" The one at the front calls out in an imperious voice. "By the will of our Crimson Empress, the visitors from beyond time and space are invited to the Imperial Capital as honored guests."
Ara? They want to talk?
Mashu Kyrielight
Even as she protectively steps between their group and the newcomers, Mashu's knees are shaking.
It's ironic, after her last epiphany, after she resolved herself to start believing in her own strength… It's all she can do not to cower in front of the newcomers. This has nothing to do with her usual insecurities and sense of inadequacy. This is a whole different thing altogether. It's not self-doubt or hesitation that whispers doom and gloom into her ear, but absolute certainty.
She knows it beyond any shadow of doubt. If she tries to fight these three head on, she will die. Elizabeth-san and Marie-san will die. Olga and Senpai will die. They won't even amount to a bump in the road to them. That's just how dangerous they are.
"Senpai?" She calls in a hesitant whisper, glancing behind herself to find Senpai examining the strangers with an fascinated expression on her face. "What do we…?"
"Well, well…" Senpai mutters to herself, seemingly having missed Mashu's question. "Ain't this interesting?"
"Well?" The (woman) warrior at the right insists when her leader's words go unanswered. "I will have your answer to this great honor now."
"Unless you're planning to defy our Crimson Empress?" The red-clad (woman) demon on the left side proposes with a mischievous smirk. "I wouldn't mind joining a treacherous plot or three."
"Don't be daft." The (man) s̸̢̙̔̂͝l̸̰̜̈͑͂a̸̪̦͓̾ü̸͖͓̪̊́g̸̡̻͝h̵̡̦̜̒͝t̷̺̬̱͊̑e̷̘̠̓̾̾r̶͕̱̂̑ę̷̪̤̑͗ř̵̖́̐ at the front chastises with a frown. "The Empress' chosen champion bested us all in single combat. We're honor-bound to follow her."
"Speak for yourself, kid." The demon ripostes easily. "This Heavenly King didn't rise to power by putting honor above brains."
"And yet it was betrayal that ended your reign of terror, Demon." The s̸̢̙̔̂͝l̸̰̜̈͑͂a̸̪̦͓̾ü̸͖͓̪̊́g̸̡̻͝h̵̡̦̜̒͝t̷̺̬̱͊̑e̷̘̠̓̾̾r̶͕̱̂̑ę̷̪̤̑͗ř̵̖́̐ insists, tone thick with disapproval. "One would expect you to learn your lesson after that."
"Just as the weak fall to strength, the mighty fall to cunning. And history immortalizes their defeat as that of a monster while propping the victor into the role of a hero." The demon shrugs uncaringly. "That's just how life goes, all the more reason to stick to tactics that have always worked for me. Or even against me."
"Enough." The warrior rejoins the conversation with a frown of her own. "That twisted mind of yours is exactly why you're not allowed to act on your own, Nobunaga."
"Tsk, you had to go and speak out my true name in front of our guests." The demon complains with a sigh. "Truly, diplomacy without peer and elegance beyond belief."
…Mashu is fairly sure that's intended as an insult.
"Flattery won't get you anything, I don't need elegance when I have my blade." The warrior retorts, the faint red dusting on her cheeks betraying her lie… and the fact the jab flew right over her head. "I shall stick to where my talents lie and leave diplomacy in the capable hands of our Empress."
"Yes, yes… It's not like it was a serious proposal, anyway." The demon surrenders, throwing her hands in defeat. "You're no fun."
"We don't need fun either." The s̸̢̙̔̂͝l̸̰̜̈͑͂a̸̪̦͓̾ü̸͖͓̪̊́g̸̡̻͝h̵̡̦̜̒͝t̷̺̬̱͊̑e̷̘̠̓̾̾r̶͕̱̂̑ę̷̪̤̑͗ř̵̖́̐ huffs before turning his attention back to them. "Your answer, honorable guests?"
Carefully keeping the three Servants within her field of vision, Mashu tilts her head to the side just in time to catch the tail end of a silent conversation between Senpai and Olga. After Senpai moves aside in clear invitation, Olga shakes her head in frustration and takes a step forward, drawing all the attention to herself.
"You say we are invited as guests, and yet our last attempt at diplomacy was answered with violence." Olga challenges with bravery that makes Mashu feel very proud of her friend. "What happens if we refuse?"
DEATH
Mashu reacts on instinct, her shield rising to protect those behind her even as a wave of pure feeling washes over them like a physical thing, weighing on their shoulders even as it threatens to wash them away. A choked, pained gasp escapes Olga's lips after experiencing the mere splash radius of something even a Servant would struggle to withstand face on and… is the grass dying around their feet?
"Oho? That's not an answer I was expecting." The demon claps her hands. A wide, gleeful smile on her lips. "What now, Yamato?"
"Bold of you to assume you can spit on our Empress hospitality and walk away unscathed…" The s̸̢̙̔̂͝l̸̰̜̈͑͂a̸̪̦͓̾ü̸͖͓̪̊́g̸̡̻͝h̵̡̦̜̒͝t̷̺̬̱͊̑e̷̘̠̓̾̾r̶͕̱̂̑ę̷̪̤̑͗ř̵̖́̐ trails off dangerously, the handle of his blade creaking under the strength of his grip. "Or at all."
How did things escalate so quickly!?
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