Sea of Monsters Chapter 2:

Beauty of the Sea

(Warning: The chapter contains talks of some uncomfortable subject matter. Viewer discretion is advised)

Day 3

"There's no way you did that!" Drake said.

Ushiwakamaru laughed. "I did it. I leapt across eight boats in the battle."

Drake's eyes widened. "Damn, you're stronger than I thought."

"Well you are no slouch in combat either." Ushiwakamaru said. It was only a day after they set sail upon the strange seas. Everyone knew that they wouldn't be finding an island right away, so they all broke off to make the voyage easier and safer. The Chaldeans were no exception, and helped wherever they could. The Chaldean Trio were doing odd jobs here and there, like scrubbing the deck or learning from the crew how to tie some knots. Alexander and Okita tried their hand at lifting some of the heavier things on the ship. Medea took control of the crow's nest, hoping to at least figure out their location. Much to Drake's confusion, the Caster refused the idea of any of her crew helping her in this endeavor, wanting to do it alone. Drake took a look up there and saw that the blue haired woman did not even show a change in her facial expression.

"She's definitely not the friendliest individual." Drake said.

"There's a couple of reasons for that." Medusa said.

"Really? Let's hear it." Drake said.

"How knowledgeable are you in Greek Mythology?" Medusa asked.

"Not a whole lot, just a few stories." Drake said. "I know of the Argo, the tales of Perseus, and Hercules, but not much else."

"I guess Ritsuka is the most knowledgeable between the two of you then." Medusa said. "But no matter. Do you know why she is called Medea, and I Medusa?"

Drake shook her head. "Did your parents name you both after those two characters?"

"No, it is because we ARE them." Medusa said. "You see, we used to be alive, but after our deaths, we were recorded into the annals of history. And in doing so, we can be summoned via magic."

"No kidding? Well, after everything I've seen lately I shouldn't be surprised." Drake said. "And I assume Ritsuka and Tatsuko summoned you all?"

"Well most of us." Medusa answered. "There was one that was summoned by them and Mashu, but aside from that, it was those two that brought us here, and became our Masters."

"Well let me ask you another question." Drake said. "Is Medea going to be a problem on my ship?"

"Well aside from acting bitter, and a bit standoffish, she won't be causing any problems." Ushiwakamaru answered. "She won't attack anyone out of respect for Lady Tatsuko and Lord Ritsuka."

"Sounds like she has a good relationship with them." Drake said.

"It's not as good as you think." Medusa said. "Medea is more or less neutral to Tatsuko. But towards Ritsuka, she was pretty nasty towards him for a month or so, but after a certain incident with Okita, she's become more respectful to him, but she's still cold and distant to him."

"Damn, sounds like they have it rough. Especially the boy." Drake said.

"That's putting it mildly…." Medusa muttered. "But enough on that, let's change the subject."

"Aye, that sounds like a good idea." Drake replied. "How about I tell you some of the things I did so far."

As the pirate captain began to tell the two Servants her past exploits, Tatsuko and Mashu continued to help scrub the deck. Ritsuka was with them before, but he was called over to help some crew members with a particularly difficult scrubbing area, leaving the two girls alone to talk to each other.

"You know, I never thought I'd be scrubbing the deck of a ship." Tatsuko said. "It feels weird."

"I agree." Mashu said. "We are almost done though, and I have some snacks in my shield that we can eat."

"Would Drake be okay with us eating?" Tatsuko asked. "We're supposed to be working on the ship."

"Drake already gave her approval of this." Mashu said. "Since we're technically not part of her crew, we are allowed some leeway."

"Well if she's okay with it, then I have no complaints."

The two girls continued to scrub for a few more minutes until the area was completely clean. The orange haired Master and the Shielder stood by the railing as they received their snacks from Mashu's shield.

"It must be nice for you to see the real world, even if it is through time travel." Tatsuko said.

Mashu's eyes widened. "You know?"

"Yeah, Ritsuka figured it out too." Tatsuko said.

Mashu gulped. "Figured it out?"

"Yeah, you were homeschooled like Ritsuka. So you never really got the chance to experience the world because your parents sheltered you."

Mashu said nothing, causing Tatsuko to shrug. "Okay, how about we talk about something else. Oh I actually was wondering about something. Where did Fou get that little cape and tie?"

Mashu's eyes beamed. "I made those for him. I wanted to be able to make something for him that could make him stand out if he ever got lost and come back to me. So I decided to make something that would look cute."

Tatsuko giggled. "Well you certainly have an eye for that."

"Fou, Fou!"

The two girls smiled as Fou rubbed his face on Mashu's cheek. The Shielder then rubbed her finger under the critter's chin, eliciting chirps from her furry companion. "We only take it off him when it is time for bed, or when I need to groom him. And whenever I put it on him, Fou always sits still and wags his tail."

"He really seems to love you." Tatsuko said.

"I think so too." Mashu said. "I actually have a question, if you do not mind. What is your opinion on the mission, so far?"

"Honestly, I didn't think that the pirates would be so accommodating." Tatsuko answered.

"Maybe these pirates are not as bad as history made them out to be." Mashu replied.

"Well regardless, we don't have to worry much about them." Tatsuko said. "Anyway, let's try to keep the conversation about ourselves so as to not upset anyone."

Mashu nodded. "I have actually been wanting to ask what your life was like in Tokyo. You really never talked about yourself much."

"There's not much to tell." Tatsuko said. "But I can tell you at least some things. Just ask away, and I'll answer to the best of my abilities."

"Did you ever take one of those bullet trains?" Mashu asked.

"Yep. That's how I had to get to school." Tatsuko said. "And I absolutely hated it."

"Really? But why?"

"Well when things get crowded, people tend to bump into each other." Tatsuko said. "However, some men would….take advantage of that whenever my female classmates would be on the train. I never experienced it myself since I always made sure to be sitting down when on the train."

Mashu shivered. "I…..think I understand what you are trying to say, and it makes me feel icky…"

"Well I'm pretty sure you know this already, but my school life wasn't any better." Tatsuko said.

Mashu's eyes widened. "There is more to it….?"

"Yeah, I was a straight A student. And I worked my ass off to earn those fucking marks to prove I wasn't some delinquent because of my hair color."

"Is it okay if we try to talk about something that you actually LIKED?" Mashu asked.

Tatsuko nodded. "Well I did have a pen pal. I always looked forward to his letters."

"You had a pen pal?"

Tatsuko smiled. "His name was Renji. I received my first letter from him when I was…..going through some shit. And as we corresponded, he helped me get back on my feet a bit."

"He sounds like a very kind man." Mashu said.

"He is." Tatsuko turned to Mashu and grinned. "How about I tell you some of the things we talked about."

"Are you sure it is okay?"

Tatsuko nodded. "Yeah, it'll be fine. Besides, it's nothing really too personal."

"I see." Mashu muttered. "Then I would like to hear it."

Tatsuko nodded and began to tell the Shielder some of the things she and her pen pal used to write to each other about. As she did so, Mashu could not help but see how much more relaxed the female Master was in this moment. The Shielder smiled as she saw Tatsuko finally letting her hair down, and with a bright smile.

"Is it okay if I take over?" Alexander asked.

Medea nodded. "I was getting tired of being up here anyway."

The Caster then dissolved into a group of butterflies, and teleported down to the deck. Medea then turned to see Medusa walking calmly towards her, the blue haired Caster looked to see Ushiwakamaru continuing to talk to Drake. Medusa cleared her throat to grab the Caster's attention with a large bottle of wine in her hand.

"I'm guessing you're wanting to share a bottle and talk?" Medea asked.

"Right on both counts." Medusa said. "Don't worry about the crew, they know you're on break and I have no work to do."

Medea shrugged and took a glass for Medusa to pour the wine in. The Caster took a sip, and nodded in satisfaction. "It's pretty good."

"Drake certainly knows her alcohol." Medusa said as she took one gulp of her wine.

"Let's cut to the chase. You're not wanting to discuss fine wine with me." Medea said. "What do you want?"

"Just wanting to….extend an olive branch, as it's called." Medusa answered.

Medea raised an eyebrow. "And why would you want to do that?"

"Emiya and Cú seem to be letting bygones be bygones." Medusa answered. "I don't see why we can't do the same."

"Because my Master killed you in one timeline." Medea countered.

"We were participating in the Holy Grail War." Medusa countered. "If the roles were reversed, I would have done the same."

"Yes, but still, my Master KILLED you." Medea said.

Medusa raised an eyebrow. "I know that blue haired shit head made me weaker, but how did your Master manage that?"

Medea grinned. "Oh? Curious about your humiliating death?"

Medusa rolled her eyes playfully. "You're not going to get under my skin that easily. Now how did your Master do it?"

"He destroyed your head." Medea answered.

"Did he harm Sakura?" Medusa asked.

"No. We spared her." Medea said. "After you died, she just….shut down. That blue haired fool left her to save himself, but Souichiro and I took her somewhere so she could be looked after."

Medusa sighed. "I should thank you for sparing her. But I also can't help but fear that it was a short reprieve, considering how her adopted family treated her….."

The Caster looked at the Rider curiously. That all changed when she saw the look in her eyes. Medea's eyes widened as a shiver ran through her spine. "I…Souichiro and I had no idea….."

"It's not a subject that I like talking about." Medusa said. "The only ones that know aside from you are Ritsuka, Tatsuko and Emiya."

"I can only imagine Fujimaru's face when he learned." Medea said.

"I was surprised at how demonic his face became when I told him about it." Medusa said. "I wasn't frightened, but it's still surprising how a nice kid like him can make such a face."

"I know what you mean." Medea said.

Medusa raised an eyebrow. "You've seen it too?"

Medea nodded. "Artoria, Fujimaru and I were in the same room one day and after some light questions, Artoria told him what I did to her. Needless to say, he made that exact face you described."

"Then how is it that he's not avoiding you?" Medusa asked.

"Artoria stepped in." Medea answered. "She said that she's finally willing to move on from the incident and let it go, and asked Ritsuka to do the same. It was still….difficult for the following few days afterwards, but he did as Artoria asked."

"When was this?" Medusa asked.

"A week before Nobunaga, Okita and those Mini-Nobu's arrived."

Medusa's eyes widened in shock. If what Medea said was true, then she would have known about this months before everyone else. Even when Ritsuka was mad at her, he still chose to get in between her and Okita to save her life.

Medusa took another sip of the wine and took a deep breath. "You got lucky then. Try not to lose that luck."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Medea asked.

"Ritsuka's wanting to give you a chance despite what you did to Artoria." Medusa said. "He may be accepting and kind, but we all know that has a limit. And yet here you are, having been proven the exception."

Medea remained silent as Medusa offered the Caster her glass back. "Just think about what I said, and we can change the subject."

Medea looked at the Rider, then to the full glass of wine, and gently took it from Medusa's hand. The Caster took one sip and then turned to the purple haired woman. "What would you like to talk about?"

"About how the Gods were foolish for cursing us." Medusa joked.

Medea let out a light laugh. "Okay, that was pretty good. I still can't believe that Athena could be that petty when she cursed you."

"Now now, remember the prelude to the Trojan War." Medusa said.

"If you don't mind me changing the subject, I was curious about something." Medea said. "How did Captain Drake obtain the Holy Grail of this era? I saw you and Ushiwakamaru speak with her, so I thought she might have told you."

Medusa chuckled. "She did tell us. And the story is quite amusing."

"Oh? And why is that?" Medea asked.

Medusa grinned. "She defeated Poseidon to get it."

Medea's eyes widened. A mere pirate. Defeated one of the most powerful Olympians. For a Grail.

"How…..how did she do that?" Medea asked.

"It's quite the story." Medusa said.

Medea smiled. "I'd like to hear it. It sounds interesting."

Medusa nodded before pouring another glass of wine and handed it to the Caster. The blue haired woman took a sip and smiled at the reflection.

"You know? I'm actually glad you decided to….extend the olive branch."

Medusa chuckled. "So am I."

The two women continued to drink their wine as the Rider told the story of how Drake conquered the God of the Seas. As Medusa spoke, Medea glanced the Chaldean Trio from the corner of her eye, and mentally sighed as she stared at Ritsuka. She knew that Medusa had a point, she should listen to what Medusa suggested, but after everything that happened, something kept nagging at the back of her mind. It told her not to trust the black haired teen. He was weak, yet had charisma.

She could not help but be reminded of…him.

"The stars are really beautiful tonight." Mashu said.

"Yeah, they really are." Ritsuka said. The rest of the day went by without any notable incidents. The crew of the Golden Hind and the Chaldeans kept an eye out for any islands they could scout out, but they did not find anything. They didn't know when they would find the next island, but since the Grail that Drake had obtained could give limitless food and drink, they wouldn't need to worry about running out of provisions. The day started to wind down after sunset, and Ritsuka sang for the crew again until nightfall, with much applause to be heard from the crew.

"So Mashu, has your opinion on Drake changed since we set sail?" Ritsuka asked. "Or is it the same?"

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that as well." Tatsuko said.

"My opinion of her has improved." Mashu answered. "But there are some things about her that still confuse me."

"She definitely seems to be friendly enough." Ritsuka said. "However, she does seem a little unpredictable."

"I mean she's a pirate. They're supposed to be like that." Tatsuko said. "I mean if she was absolutely heartless her crew would turn on her."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow and grinned mischievously. "I'm surprised you'd say that, Tatsuko. I'd have thought you'd say she's your type of woman."

Tatsuko laughed. "Oh she definitely is. I ogle her any time no one is looking."

"Really?" Mashu asked.

Tatsuko nodded proudly. "She ticks almost all of my boxes for my ideal girl. Older than me by a few years? Check. Energetic personality? Check. Has big boobs and a nice butt? Double check. Has one of my ideal hair and eye colors? Check! Seriously, she's almost the entire package! How could I NOT appreciate the eye candy?!"

Ritsuka chuckled. "I still can't believe you have a very specific preference. And yet it never ceases to be funny."

Tatsuko giggled. "Thanks. Always happy to make you laugh. Then again you do seem to attract girls yourself. I mean look at Kiyohime. One look at you and she was instantly smitten."

Ritsuka chuckled uncomfortably. "Let's not talk about that….."

"Okay, I'll drop it." Tatsuko said. The orange haired girl turned to Mashu with a curious glint. "Say Mashu, I've been wondering about something. How do you fit so many items inside your shield? I don't see anything that looks like a compartment."

Mashu smiled. "I learned how to make some things from Davinci, and the rest was me using Magecraft to enhance it."

"Huh, that makes so much sense." Tatsuko said. "Though while we're on that subject, I've also been wondering why neither of us see you use Magecraft."

"Actually, you have seen me use them." Mashu said. "I just never thought of announcing it before."

"Really? When did you use it?" Ritsuka asked.

"I use it when I am in combat." Mashu answered.

"Seriously?" Tatsuko asked.

Mashu nodded. "In fact, my Magic Circuits are of high quality. That was one of the reasons that I was chosen as a Master Candidate. However…."

"However?" Ritsuka said.

"Despite their quality, I was not raised as a Magus." Mashu replied. "Therefore, compared to you two, who have below average Circuits, my usage is less refined compared to how you do things. One could say that mine is very basic and limited."

"If that's the case, how do you use it in battle?" Ritsuka asked.

"I use it to manipulate the trajectory of my Shield whenever I throw it. That way it will land where I need it to." Mashu answered. "I also use it to enhance my speed whenever I am against faster opponents."

"Do you use an Element when doing this?" Tatsuko asked.

"Yes. I use the Wind Element to perform these feats." Mashu answered.

"And I suspect that you have another Element up your sleeve." Ritsuka said.

Mashu looked at the male Master in surprise for a moment before nodding. "Yes. I use the Earth Element to help me stand my ground, or even as a platform whenever I launch myself into the air with the aid of my Demi-Servant form's strength."

"Earth Element, eh?" Tatsuko said. "Well I guess we have something in common, but it seems like you need more time to develop your skills."

"You know it's pretty interesting." Ritsuka said. "Both you and Mashu have the Earth Element, but Mashu goes a bit further and also has Wind."

"Why is that interesting?" Mashu asked.

"Because Doc has both of those as well." Ritsuka said. "Not to mention she has the Water Element as well."

"Damn, when you said she was talented, you weren't kidding." Tatsuko said.

"She's incredibly talented." Ritsuka said. "But she never gloated over it, and in fact, told me once that Magecraft is merely a useful tool, and not something that should be abused."

"That is a good lesson to teach." Mashu said.

Ritsuka smiled. "Yeah. She always found a way to teach me these things despite our living arrangements."

"Sounds like your caretaker had a good head on her shoulders."

The Trio turned around to see Drake, Okita, Medusa, Ushiwakamaru and Alexander walking towards them.

"Were you guys listening to us?" Ritsuka asked.

"Not all of it." Okita said. "We only caught you mentioning how Mashu and Doctor Williams use two of the same Elements."

"I had a feeling you were using some form of Magecraft." Medusa said.

"Now I have to ask." Alexander said. "How come you never told anyone this before, Mashu?"

"I did not believe that it was important." Mashu answered.

"She's right." Ushiwakamaru said. "It really isn't that big of a deal."

"Exactly." Tatsuko said. "Now, since you're all out here, why don't you join us and look at the stars?"

"Sounds like a plan." Drake said. The four of them joined the Chaldean Trio leaning on the railing. The seven of them decided to try and create a game by making up constellations from the stars they could see in the sky.

That was when they heard the bellowing.

Everyone on the Golden Hind stopped what they were doing and looked around the ship to find the source.

"Maybe it was a whale?" Tatsuko asked.

"Could be." Ritsuka answered.

The communicator sprang to life with Davinci looking at a monitor and Roman shaking his head. "Whatever it was, it wasn't a whale."

"Are you sure?" Okita asked. "It sure sounded like one."

"Nope." Davinci. "The readings confirm it's some sort of phantasmal beast."

The Chaldeans looked at the Caster with widened eyes. A moment later, a golden light shimmered below the Golden Hind.

"What is that?" Mashu asked. "I never heard of anything that can glow like that."

Another song was sung from where the light was.

"Well I guess we know where it's coming from." Tatsuko answered. The light started to move away from the ship, causing everyone to become anxious. Drake kept her fingers on her pistols just in case.

"Everyone get ready for anything." She said. "There's no telling what we're dealing-"

Not a second later, a large creature surfaced from the center of the golden light. It was the size of a whale, but it didn't look like one. Its hide was completely golden except for the underbelly, which was a rich dark brown. On its head were two large symmetrical horns.

The creature sang once more, causing everyone to stare at it in absolute awe at its radiance.

"I don't believe it." Iris muttered over the comms. "I never thought we'd ever get to see one of these."

"What is it?" Tatsuko asked.

"That's a Sea King."

Everyone turned to see Medea walking close to the side of the ship alongside them. The Caster watched as the creature bellowed. "And judging by its coat, it's a full blown adult."

"That's an adult?" Ritsuka asked.

Medea nodded. "When a Sea King reaches maturity, its hide becomes golden."

"It is so…majestic." Mashu muttered. "I have to take a picture."

"Oh same here!" Okita said. "We promised Iris we'd take pictures!"

The Shielder and Saber found their cameras, and snapped a couple of photos. The Sea King turned to face the Golden Hind and continued to sing. No one moved a muscle, for they weren't sure what to do at that moment. A moment later, the Sea King swam closer to the ship, and dove under the water.

"Did I do something wrong?" Mashu asked dejectedly.

"No, you didn't." Medea answered. "It probably didn't even-"

The Sea King's head emerged from the water closer to the ship. The crew and the Chaldeans stared at the phantasmal beast in shock as it stared at them a little closer. Drake looked at Medea with a concerned glance. "Why did it come back?"

Medea flashed a small smile. "It's curious about us."

Ushiwakamaru raised an eyebrow. "Curious?"

Medea nodded. "Sea Kings have a curious nature. When they see something they haven't seen before, they want to check it out."

"So it won't attack us?" Okita asked.

"No, Sea Kings aren't aggressive by nature." Medea answered. "However, if it feels threatened, then it will fight back. So as long as you guys don't provoke it, we'll be completely fine."

"You seem very knowledgeable about their behavior, Medea." Davinci stated. "Have you seen these before?"

Medea nodded. "Yes, back when I traveled on the Argo….."

Davinci winced. "I see…..sorry for making you-"

"Save your apology." Medea replied. "I'm not upset. In fact, seeing them was perhaps one of the only things I do like reminiscing about."

The Sea King continued to stare at the onlookers, especially at the Chaldean Trio. A moment later, the phantasmal beast moved its head closer to them, taking great care to not destroy the ship. As soon as it was close enough, it started to sing again, causing Medea to chuckle.

"Try touching its head." The Caster suggested. "It won't harm you."

"Are you sure such a wonderful creature would be okay with us touching it?" Mashu asked.

Medea nodded. "If it's this close, it means it knows we're not going to attack it."

"You're sure about that?" Drake asked.

"Yes, Sea Kings are incredibly intelligent." Iris answered. "If it thought you guys were going to attack, it would have done so."

"Correct." Medea replied. The Caster returned its focus back to the Chaldean Trio. "Well what are you waiting for? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

The Trio nodded, and together, reached their hands out and patted part of the creature's head. The Sea King sang as the Chaldeans and the crew of the Golden Hind worked up the courage to do the same.

"Their skin is so smooth." Mashu said quietly. "It is like touching a blanket."

"Yeah, I thought it was going to be rough." Tatsuko replied.

A few minutes later, the Sea King had enough of the touching, and backed away from the ship. It dove under the water slowly, allowing the people on the ship one last look at it.

"Oh, it looks like it was tired of us." Mashu muttered.

"Maybe." Iris replied. "Though I did notice something interesting.".

"What did you see?" Alexander asked.

"That Sea King was a female, and it was alone." Iris answered. "Sea Kings always travel together in pods composed of family members."

"Really?" Okita asked. "Maybe it got separated?"

Ritsuka looked at the sea and smiled. "I don't think so. I think it's pod was already here."

"Are you sure?" Drake asked.

Ritsuka pointed at the sea. "See for yourselves."

Everyone on the ship looked at the sea. They saw nothing for a few minutes, that is, until they heard the song of the Sea King. Two golden lights, and three white lights shimmered in the ocean. A moment later, five Sea Kings emerged from the water for air, singing to each other as the crew watched them under the full moon.

The lighter colored sea kings were of a light green hue with white beards. Their horns weren't as large as the golden ones, but large nonetheless. The crew stared at the scene in absolute awe as the Sea Kings submerged under the water again, only to have their heads emerge as they swam away.

"I'm so glad we're recording this." Davinci said quietly. "This is breathtaking."

"Yes, I agree." Mashu said with a smile. "They are absolutely beautiful."

Ritsuka looked back at Mashu and saw her warm, gentle smile as she stared at the Sea Kings.

While he acknowledged that the phantasmal beasts were beautiful, he felt like he couldn't agree with her.

He couldn't help but think to himself that there was a certain girl who he thought was even more beautiful.

OC: And so another chapter of pure exposition is made.

CV: Those are needed sometimes lol.

OC: Of course. And WE'RE going to need a lot of that.

CV: Oh definitely. But that wasn't all, we also had the appearance of yet another Phantasmal Beast.

OC: And it is yet another Monster from Monster Hunter. Ladies and gentleman, I believe the monster in question needs NO introduction, but here we are. Say hello to Ceadus! Or rather the Sea Kings!

CV: And not only a regular one, but also the Golden Ceadeus, the elder and more powerful variant.

OC: Yup. I remember making the rough draft of this scene. It began with the bellowing they did and everyone freaking out. I believe it was also my second rough draft scene made for Okeanos overall. This was back when we had a bigger party in mind for the Singularity but when we downsized the team we just gave the lines to other people.

CV: This was one of the moments I wanted to show the most, since the Ceadeus is one of my favorite monsters.

OC: And soon we will be showing my favorite hehehehe. Now as for why the Sea King/ Ceadus was friendly to the group? Well we decided to base the behavior of this creature off of not only whales, but also its original personality in Monster Hunter Tri, where it wouldn't attack unless provoked. And we also decided to make the horns not grow over the eyes so that they can see and not cause any unnecessary harm. And with that out of the way, we have the conversation between Medea and Medusa, which is actually one of the things I was looking forward to. Medea was one of the more prominent antagonists in two routes, while Medusa never got much focus unless the Heaven's Feel route was played. And since they only interacted once where Medusa died to Medea and Souichiro, the two of them are practically STRANGERS to each other.

CV: That was a bit of an oversight in the original VN, to have two Greek anti-heroes but not have them have any sort of meaningful interaction.

OC: Yeah, but now we have the chance TO fix that. Though we also had a nice little chat between Tatsuko and Mashu as well. I realized we never had them have a one on one conversation before now, and that was an oversight on our end. So we decided to fix that.

CV: Yeah we need to start their deep friendship early, although we took a bit longer than expected.

OC: Yeah, we run into that alot, don't we. Though I do LOVE how they were just acting supportive of each other, and we also learned something interesting about Tatsuko. She had a pen pal that got her through some tough times.

CV: We all need someone like that in our lives, especially someone like Tatsuko.

OC: I remember that I've been wanting to hint that she's had a tough time, but YOU always make sure to reign me in.

CV: We couldn't let it all too early, dumping all the exposition at once doesn't work.

OC: Well it will be shown sooner or later. But we do KNOW when, hehehehe.

CV: That we do, and I think it's funny lol.

OC: Let's not get ahead of ourselves. For those who are concerned about the bullet train thing, don't worry, she never had anyone do that to her. She was smart and sat down and covered her skirt. Then again we do have THE big revelation of the chapter; Mashu has Magecraft, and two elements!

CV: Mashu do be showing all of her skills.

OC: I know some people will be wondering why she would be having these powers since she never showed any usage or acknowledgement of knowing Magecraft, but here's the thing. She was stated in the game to have perfect Magic Circuits. So there's no RULES saying she can't have these abilities.

CV: Besides, Mashu is cute and adorable, so she gets everything she wants.

OC: You can never deny the eggplant. And we also had the revelation that she also made Fou's cloak and little tie. I'm pretty sure that he already had it before coming to Chaldea, but we decided to have her be the one to have made it for him to show how much they care for each other. AND it gives Mashu another hidden talent, and that is making cute clothes for animals.

CV: That will come in handy later with Servants like Lobo lol.

OC: That is SO true lol. Though we DO have another fun moment with Mashu revealing she also learned from Davinci on how to make certain things, and how she actually made the near bottomless compartment in her shield.

CV: She made her very own Mary Poppins infinite bag, how amazing and reliable!

OC: I mean how else can you explain how she keeps loads of things in her shield?

CV: True, and this is honestly a funny explanation so just roll with it everyone.

OC: It's A fun way to make a nice gag into something authentic. She's got a lot of COMMITMENT'S to her friends, so she'd need something like that.

CV: Basically lol. We need to show her reliability in every way.

OC: But we also show how seriously Ritsuka takes Hannah's lessons to heart. Essentially when it came to her lessons on Magecraft, it doesn't matter WHAT you use it for, it is how you use it. And I'M THINKING that it's a good lesson on how to not abuse your powers, and try to use them for good. She's a really reliable teacher in that regard.

CV: She needed to teach Ritsuka to be the better version he could be, and I think she did a pretty good job.

OC: Well aside from the trauma he has, but that's not really her fault in any way. And it's also interesting how Ritsuka revealed that Hannah has three Elements at her disposal, and OF the three she has, she shares two of them with Mashu. Wind and Earth.

CV: She is a damn good prodigy isn't she?

OC: Well to be fair, we came up with that scenario because the idea of a powerful mage taking in a Mage that is weaker in all aspects, but teaching them that magic isn't everything, and that it doesn't matter how powerful you are, but the content of your character that matters is a breath of fresh air. YOU WOULDN'T GET THIS from other powerful Mages, who only care more about their own careers or research, so to make a character who essentially flips the script is a nice change of pace.

CV: Exactly, Hannah is one in a million, and Ritsuka is damn lucky to be with her.

OC: And now he's not ANY OTHER GUY. He's fucking Ritsuka Fujimaru, and he's got lots of morals. And we show that with the conversation with Medea and Medusa. When we wrote in his hatred of a…..certain group of….creatures, as I like to call them myself, I realized we almost shot ourselves in the foot with Medea, who did some…..creepy things to Artoria. So we decided to have Artoria tell Ritsuka about if offscreen, have Medea reveal he gave her some nasty looks until Artoria told him that she's letting it go and not being mad at Medea anymore, and the fact we had it happen before the Guda Event was to show that Ritsuka has forgiven her too. We JUST couldn't show it on screen since that would be somewhat…uncomfortable for us.

CV: Yeah, having it on screen would've been hard to do, and rather troublesome as well. So, we went for this alternate route.

OC: I think this is for the best. I didn't WANNA to hide this fact from Ritsuka, but we also couldn't show it on screen, otherwise He'd be frozen….or something bad from Medea considering how she treats him. So it's a good thing we decided to have Artoria TELL him offscreen ahead of time.

CV: That would've been a rather heavy conflict for the pair.

OC: Yeah, and that is something they can't be having right now. And I'm glad HOW that was resolved. Just like how I just moved into my new house….yeah…..I had to move again everyone….Thankfully it wasn't as tiring as the last attempt.

CV: Sorry that happened to you bud, but at least this week should be calm right? Besides, I have a small vacation so we won't have to worry about time, at least for me.

OC: Honestly? I'M FEELING that this week will be better. So there's GOTTA be a silver lining to MAKE here.

CV: I'll ask Boss to send us to a quiet place this week so we can have some rest. We've been working well enough for her, so she should agree.

OC: I think YOU should tell her. She'll UNDERSTAND if you make your case.

CV: Alrighty then, I'll go tell her after we're done here.

OC: Oh I wouldn't do so today. She's NEVER GONNA listen considering what today is…

CV: Consider today's…? Oh right, April 1st. I kinda forgot.

OC: Yup. So to our viewers, I have a special surprise just for YOU. So, I have a funny story to tell. So it was one year ago today when I showed Vlad a particular rough draft scene for Shinjuku, and everyone was listening to the radio when a particular song came UP. I wasn't even thinking about it, but in the end, I accidentally Rick Rolled him. But not today. Oh no, today I decided to do something very special. Something that is NEVER GONNA be replicated. That's right, I have Rick Rolled each and everyone of you. APRIL FOOLS EVERYONE! Well, by the time some of you read this it won't be, but it's the thought that counts.

CV: Welp, got us good buddy, got us good.

OC: Okay now to get serious lol. Now I know people will be wondering why Mashu has Earth and Wind as her Elements, and there's actually an explanation. We just thought that Earth makes sense because of how many times she has to stay firmly planted on the ground to tank hits, and for Wind, it allows us to explain how she can throw her shield with ease. With that Wind Element, it gives her a bit of a boost in combat considering her Agility Stat is…not good.

CV: Those were chosen specifically to fit her skillset and to compliment her fighting style.

OC: Yup, although she does have one major drawback. And that is that she doesn't have much experience using said Magecraft, and her usage of it is pretty crude and minimal. So while she has the better Magic Circuits and capabilities, she's not as adept at it compared to Ritsuka and Tatsuko, who, despite being terrible Mages, have had years to practice, and therefore are more creative and experienced with it.

CV: Exactly. While Ritsuka and Tatsuko can make use of their Elements for elemental attacks, if limited, Mashu only uses her own to enhance her abilities.

OC: Well considering she's more of a support person, it makes sense. Oh would you look at the time. Thank you all for reading this chapter of Chronicles. Please stay tuned next week! OwenChaser and CosmicVlad, signing off!