Summary: For one of the greatest Magi to ever live, Medea was a lot of things. The student of Circe and Hecate, the former mage of the Argonauts, the ex-wife of the hero Jason, the Witch of Betrayal…

But before all of those things, she was an older sister too. And when meeting a Master who was far too innocent for her own good — she had to step back and be soft again, right?

Note: Atsuko Tanaka, Medea's Japanese voice actor, was someone I didn't know for that long compared to my partner, who grew up with her thanks to Professor Layton and the Curious Village. I only really knew her for her work on Fate itself, not to mention Amida from Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans, but the news of her death today (August 20, 2024) as of this note and start of the chapter still haunts me.

So to the first three-star Caster I summoned in FGO and the Caster I knew as a Caster, I decided to write. To hopefully see Tanaka-san rest a bit better.

The theme for this chapter is the ending song to Today's Menu for the Emiya Family, the song titled Collage. Because it's from the show that introduced me to Medea, and I'm still very grateful for it. For those looking for some alternatives, please look at (1) the first ending song from Bocchi the Rock that's sung by Kessoku Band, Distortion; and (2) the opening from The Magical Girl and the Evil Lieutenant Used to Be Archenemies that's sung by Lezel, Incomplete Rendezvous.

Here we go.

Day 83: Not Just Betrayal

Medea wasn't overly fond of love. Hera, Eros, Aphrodite, and the other gods had long since tainted that for her, from the spell that made her go to Jason, the reasons behind her killing her own brother, to even the end of that time, where she had to cut down her own sons to prove a point. It wasn't the best of times, playing along with the gods' whims, yet to be summoned back to life just to fight one…

Well. The Fuyuki Grail War — even if it had Souichirou — couldn't really compare in terms of scale.

Fighting for the sole purpose of saving all of Proper Human History was something she could imagine even that red-haired boy from once upon a time frothing at the mouth when comprehending it. Servants were supposed to be just that — weapons for whatever purpose the Throne decided. Fighting for a Holy Grail, for selfish mages' whims, what have you. To come back to the original reason behind Heroic Spirits, to save humanity—

Well.

The world was certainly in a state of crisis if the only mage left in the last bastion of humanity would have to give up her daily life up until then to restore the lives of so many others. Not to mention having worse Magic Circuits than that red-haired boy.

(And that boy was already so infuriating. How Saber liked him was beyond her.)

Still. Vy Duong was a… cute Master, at the very least. Fidgety and shy, nothing at all like the stoic Souichirou who had stolen her heart a lifetime ago. From her growing brown hair that spilled around her shoulders, her big brown eyes behind equally round glasses, and her petite stature that made most Servants tower over her (that would've even put Saber to shame if not for Saber being right there and being surprisingly shorter than her chosen "Princess"), she was definitely something.

And said something also included… cooking?

"Shiitake mushrooms, carrots, onions, ketchup—"

Yes. Cooking. Medea couldn't help but stare at the scene the young woman was making in the kitchen of the Chaldean Dining Hall, leaving a bemused Boudica and Cat to look on from a table nearby as cabinets and pantries were opened one after the other. Because to cook, Vy had tied her somewhat long hair up into a messy ponytail, shoved her Chaldean-provided blouse and skirts into a form-fitting pink apron, and apparently had to go flitting around for ingredients in a kitchen she was quickly appearing to be unfamiliar with.

"Leftover rice, eggs, cheese, sesame oil, olive oil — darn, gotta substitute avocado oil for that — frozen veggies, salt and pepper…"

Medea felt more than saw the red Archer who was so irritating to her once upon a time come up behind her to watch, so she waved a hand over her shoulder. Cursing him wouldn't change how Souichirou just wasn't here. What she could do was get answers instead. "You. Archer."

EMIYA's grunt of acknowledgement grated on her ears despite how much she held onto her nerves. It didn't make his long-suffering sigh of a reply any less frustrating. "...What is it, Caster?"

"You handle the kitchen with Boudica and Cat. Why are you…?" Medea trails off and points her finger towards the scene Vy was making. It was hard not to notice how Vy's tiny figure was getting dwarfed by the myriad of storage containers and tupperware of spices and various other ingredients being piled up onto the kitchen counters in her search for… well, whatever she wanted to make. "Why are you just letting that happen?"

EMIYA sighs again, something that sounded more tired than exasperated to Medea's trained ears. At least he wasn't projecting something. "…Master asked," he eventually relented. "Something about 'stress relief' and 'needing time away from a computer.'"

Medea blinked, turning on her heel to find EMIYA rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as he glanced elsewhere. Because when did the unflappable Archer look so put-off? And was it just her imagination, or did he make air quotes earlier? "...I thought she was supposed to be writing a report on the previous Singularities for the stand-in Director?"

EMIYA shrugged, lowering his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Andersen's reading her rough draft while she cooks. I heard from his grumbling that it's almost 15 pages." With a pointed exhale of what sounded like, "Could be her longest draft yet," he closes his eyes when turning back to face Medea. Despite the visibly obvious disrespect that came with Archer, the slightly crooked tilt of his mouth and eyebrows seemed to hint at something else. Something that Medea couldn't even remember seeing from him in regards to his original Master. That red-wearing little girl. "Plus," he suddenly hides a chuckle behind the palm of one hand, making Medea blink again, "she noticed how Dr. Roman skipped lunch and got the idea to cook as a break. And once Be Vy gets an idea in her head, I can't really stop her. And she asked nicely."

It took all of Medea's remaining fortitude to not show the lapse of composure on her face.

Be Vy. That was a nickname Archer seldom used. Especially for their shared Master. Yes, it was Vietnamese for "baby" and most certainly affectionate, if Vy's happy squeal and subsequent tackle hug at his first time calling her that way was any indication, but for Archer to use it? It was almost… familiar. Close.

Almost like—

Medea shook her head while waving off his questioning stare. "Shouldn't you go help, then?"

EMIYA still chuckled, hiding it behind his fingers as — as a light brushing of color filled his usual blank expression. "She insisted on taste-testers more than helpers," he said, the slightest wobble in his voice betraying the same feeling Medea could sense from his previous words. Something warmer than what he projected in Fuyuki. Something younger. Even his pointing a thumb in Vy's direction at the newest sound of a skillet and spatula being taken out of the kitchen cupboards looked more fitting on the red-haired boy than him. "So why not go and help her yourself? Being such a busy Witch you are by asking me."

Damn him and his meddling. Even one Grail War later, he still knew what buttons to push. Medea huffed, shoving past him and his muffled laughter in favor of dispelling her mantle. The tupperware tower had grown in height since Medea had looked away, but when maneuvering around it, the petite figure of Vy intently peering over a notebook in the center of the crowded kitchen was obvious. Her lack of noticing Medea's presence was hard to miss too. And Medea could've sworn the exaggerated swish sounds of her pulling up her own sleeves to help would've made it more obvious to the young Master that she wasn't alone.

"For omurice, I have to at least cut up the ingredients first… so where's the kitchen knives…?"

Yet Medea closed her eyes and withheld the urge to sigh. Because was this what Archer was used to? It was no good, so— "Master? Shouldn't you at least boil a pot of water for the vegetables?"

She could take pleasure in Vy's surprised yelp later. She had work to do.

(Even when hearing such a squeal made the creator in her so tempted to sew the young girl something. Saber had to go first in wearing something frilly to make up for everything in Fuyuki. Vy could come after.)

(Ignore the temptation, ignore the cute temptation.)

Watching the aforementioned pot of water until it was ready to boil was something Medea was not expecting to do in her daily agenda. Fight for humanity, yes. Cook to help a clumsy Master? Not so much.

But here she was, watching the water inside Vy's chosen pot slowly bubble as the sound of a knife hitting a cutting board past the bodies of baby carrots echoed behind her. Vy was humming quietly as each carrot piece was tossed into a strainer basket with a pile of already cut shittake mushrooms, her work appearing slightly uneven but still neat to Medea's trained eye. Each slice was also careful to match Vy's slow pace, her ponytail swinging gently behind her back as she worked at her task.

Considerate, yes, but— "Master?"

Vy hums a quiet Muu in lieu of an answer.

"What is this exactly for?" Medea turns on her heel while being careful of the bubbling pot behind her, crossing her arms over her chest. "I heard from the others—" That red Archer, really, "—that you needed a break from your report, but that didn't mean you had to cook."

Vy hums again, a quiet kind of noise that didn't have a specific meaning to it as she tossed the last of the carrots into her basket of veggies. The tupperware of frozen green peas was coincidentally near her right hand, so she sidestepped one pace just to uncap it. "…Just because I didn't have to, Medea-san, doesn't mean I didn't want to." She pours the thawing peas into the strainer with the rest of the veggies, a barely audible mumble of, "don't spill, don't spill," brushing the air before she shrugs her shoulders. "And I did tell Shirou I wanted a break from the writing. Besides!" Vy turns and beams for a moment — a moment too long because Medea could feel herself flinch — the smile on her face clumsy yet radiant as she went on and said, "Dr. Roman and everyone in the staff could use a good home-cooked meal, so I thought I could try my hand at omurice to use up the leftover rice and eggs!"

At that moment, Medea blinked and saw the interior of a completely different kitchen. An older, less modern kitchen.

Handmaidens at every corner, smiling faces, an older man's laughter, and a younger hand holding hers—

…Why couldn't this stay?

"Which also means Myaster writes way too much for the Doc to read!" Cat suddenly piped up from afar, interrupting Medea's thoughts and unintentionally making Vy squeak in response as a large paw got raised in the air. "Too many ingredients, woof! Lots of side dishes too, woof! Definitely need a palate cleanser to be a housewife, woof!"

"And I've been working on it, Cat, really!" Vy screeches, raising her voice for what felt like the first time that day as the Berserker meowed in her direction. "That's why I asked Andersen-sensei for help! A-And last I checked, there's nothing wrong with eggs!"

"In that case," Archer EMIYA interjected mildly, making Medea frown from other, far less pleasant memories, "shouldn't you be focusing on the boiling water, Master?"

Medea did her best to ignore the sudden urge to pinch her nose as the pot behind her started to foam over the edges, much to Vy's shocked squeaking. This was… this was just too much. Even for a former witch.

Why did it have to be so light here like there could be hope again?

Medea already knew no one here would have an answer.

"Uuuuu…"

With a shaky hand, Vy poked at the new serving of food with her chopsticks. The half-cooked omelet that made up the egg portion of the "omurice" — while looking no way raw — visibly sagged over the plate of ketchup rice and veggies at the prodding. And, much to Vy's visible disappointment, the egg proceeded to flop onto its side like a wet yellow blanket not even a second after she retracted her hand from the impromptu chopstick check. From the slightly charred marks on its edges and the occasional hole in the yellow spread from previous chopstick pokes, the egg was definitely not cooked to perfection like how the cookbooks made it out to be. Something about "shaping the omelet" made it sound easier than it actually was, what with Vy's occasional whimper and inaudible mumble when trying to maneuver the frying pan earlier. Boudica and Cat tried to say something before all this, but their Master had a plan and she apparently wanted to see it through. All by herself too. If not for how pitiful she looked now, Medea could've thought it admirable.

(Because at least she wasn't Jason in terms of shoving the work onto others.)

(Onto her. The way Vy was acting made it clear shoving anything onto Medea was the last thing on her mind. Even if watching it firsthand made it harder to believe.)

She's acting just like that boy—

Medea shook her head at the sound of another Uuu, ignoring the urge to step away instead. Vy merely nodded to herself, placing her chopsticks to the side in favor of grabbing a clean spoon, using it to start shaping the rice into the characteristic omurice "dome" shape. "E-Even if this one didn't turn out pretty," she muttered to herself, apparently unaware of (or just not minding) Medea and the other Servants hovering over her shoulder, "I-I hope this at least tastes good… if not for me, for Dr. Roman and Da Vinci and Mash at least…" Despite that, she makes a petulant Muu noise. "Why is the egg so hard, though…? I just want Big Robin to eat this too…"

Boudica and Cat took that moment to duck away into a corner and squeal. Medea couldn't hear any of it.

Instead, Medea lurched back. Behind her eyelids, she could see a Greek feast, beyond the pigs, the kykeon, the people — and she shook her head again.

"What's this about me?"

Vy yelps loudly, something akin to a high-pitched BWAH, jumping a foot or so into the air just as EMIYA sighed in his place standing in the doorway.

(What was it with men and their entrances? Because of course that red Archer would announce another greener one's presence with a pointed sidestep, even if both continued to adamantly refuse they were alike.)

(Men.)

"…Whoops." Right behind him, the "Big Robin" their shared Master had an affection for approached the door threshold, a familiar (cute) blue Saber lingering at his side as he stepped over said threshold and into the Dining Hall. The green Archer — Robin Hood, not some kind of insignificant speck of a hero like Jason made himself out to be, the Throne whispered into her ear — merely tugged at the collar of his mantle when hearing Vy's squeak, his wry look clearly apologetic. Arturia smacking the back of his shoulder not even a second later looked deserved as Robin rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, Master — Vy." It was hard to miss how he had to hastily correct himself when referring to the young woman, a faint dusting of pink coloring his ears and cheeks as he walked into the area. "But I heard something about me?"

Vy flushes a bright pink to match him, her shoulders shaking as she slowly turns on her heels to face him (and carefully hide the plate of omurice she was poking at before with her silhouette, Medea notes). "Um… uh…"

Arturia sniffs the air over Robin's shoulder, a curious smile on her face. "I smell something good. Were you cooking, Princess?" Arturia catches a glimpse of Medea at that moment, clearly freezing, but she hides it before Vy could notice. "Unless…"

"Hello to you too, Archer and Saber," Medea said with a pointed smile of her own, ignoring how Saber freezes again in favor of floating over to Vy's side and placing her hands on their shared Master's shoulders. "I was just helping Master finish her cooking, in fact. So don't you dare say anything about me poisoning it. The least I did was boil the water."

EMIYA scoffs in the background at that very moment, muttering something like, "that's rich coming from a witch to a nameless poisoner," which made Robin tense and shoot him a dirty look, but Medea could care less.

Instead she could focus on the tiny shoulders under her hands, how small they felt even as they shook a little as Robin and Arturia walked closer. "Ummmm…" Vy was flushing a brighter red, her expression betraying everything before she sighed and quickly shook her head. "C-Can't lie, so uh. E-Excuse me." Despite her flustered state, Vy carefully takes a sidestep (while being careful not to bump into Medea herself, aw), exposing the messy omelet rice place behind her as she fiddled with her fingers. "I… I wanted to try to cook omurice, but it… um. It didn't work out."

"Omurice?" Robin echoed, sharing a look with Saber before approaching the plate, taking the spoon Vy left behind to poke at one of the egg's edges. "Vy, you didn't have to—"

"L-Like I told Medea-san and Shirou and Cat, I wanted to!" Vy squeaks, cutting him off while throwing her hands out in front of her in her own metaphorical surrender. "I-I really, really wanted to do it on my own after reading so much manga about them from before Chaldea, but, but the carrots seem a bit hard even after a boil and, and the egg didn't turn out pretty, so—"

Medea could only watch as Saber reached over to one of the kitchen drawers to pull out a spoon too. Vy was still rambling, having shut her eyes in embarrassment while blurting out something like, "Mom would've done a better job, I just wanted to at least try after writing five thousand words for Dr. Roman—!", but none of it mattered.

Not when Robin and Arturia both scooped up a spoonful of egg and rice to suddenly stuff into their mouths.

Medea blinked just as Vy (expectedly) jumped with another WAH, her hands worriedly flailing in the air as both Servants chewed. "Y-You two didn't have to eat that! It was a test plate I botched that I was gonna eat to punish myself, a-and I was gonna make more—!"

"But it's good," Robin said suddenly past his spoon.

Medea felt herself smile, long before she could stop it and hear Vy's voice drop to a petite and shy, "…Eh?"

"The egg is soft," Arturia adds after a beat, taking her spoon to get another scoop and eat. "Even if the carrots are a bit raw and crunchy, Princess, the rice is well seasoned. The other veggies even compliment the egg well." Past some rapid chewing, she eventually said, "I find it hard to believe eating this would constitute as a 'punishment.'"

Vy flushed pink again. "U-Uuuuu…"

"Besides." Robin grins once he pulls his spoon out of his mouth, reaching for a part of the plate Arturia didn't touch while raising his other hand to gently pat Vy's head. "Compared to the bland food I had in life, little sparrow," he said in a softer voice, his hand lingering on Vy's hair in a way that made it hard for Medea not to notice, "this is just fine." He ruffled her hair, much to Vy's quiet shock, smoothing it down not a second later before stuffing another spoon of omurice into his mouth. "If you still feel bad about it, just try again. I'll stick with you for as long as you need me to."

Vy freezes at that moment, and Medea finds herself doing the same.

Perhaps that green Archer didn't think much of it. It was a simple saying in hindsight, too easy to roll off the tongue and ease a young girl's mind (especially coming from a man who must have certainly been a playboy in life if Cat's quiet hissing from afar was any indication), but once Vy was carefully slipping out of Medea's grip, she couldn't stop her.

Not when seeing Vy wrap her arms around that green Archer for a tight hug made her remember Ryuudou Temple.

The kind monks who didn't bat an eye. The many stairs leading up to the quiet halls. A clean kitchen, barely touched until she went in. A simple, usually silent glasses-wearing man breaking his demeanor when calling her Caster past a plate of simmered taros—

Medea felt herself slip away long before she could hear Vy murmur an inaudible "Thankie," in Robin's chest. Seeing the flowers pop up around Saber's figure didn't matter anymore either.

When Souichirou was long gone from this place, none of it truly mattered.

The burnt remains of Fuyuki weren't so different from the wrath of the gods. The chariot that took her away to Athens wasn't much of a comfort either, considering what she left behind. And after everything with Jason, it was hard to really feel anything in regards to the flames licking at her heels as she walked. The once bustling city that now made up Singularity F made her memories feel as dull as her own nerves, her mantle barely helping the heat as she walked.

She already knew it was pointless. Souichirou was just a single man. He wouldn't be here, simulator or not. There was just no bringing him back after death, no matter how much magecraft tried to claim the impossible. Only True Magic could do it, and there was so much she could do now with the world Incinerated and her own existence tethered to a weakened observatory and an equally tiny Master.

Yet the last thing she expected when walking towards the ruined temple that sparked memories of better days was for the environment to flicker like data and for something to hastily tug at her mantle.

"M-Medea-san! P-Please, fwah, wait for meeeee!"

Medea blinks, feeling her throat throb from the sudden force tugging her back, and turning around revealed Vy panting and lingering behind her. The tiny hand with all three red lotus Command Seals marking her as "Master" ended up being the culprit holding her back, also helped by how the knuckles of said hand were turning white from how tightly she was squishing one hem of Medea's cape in-between her fingers, but what really mattered was that she was here. Alone, puffing for breath while hanging onto her. And she was clutching a white… a white take-out box?

Why was Vy here, hugging a white take-out box to herself while hanging onto her in this disappearing Fuyuki? Even if the simulator was slowly turning itself off at the touch — most likely from the Director and other staff disabling it ASAP — that didn't change how absurd it all looked.

Did she notice something? Or, worse, did she follow her here into the world of danger — digital or not be damned — just because she could?

"...Master? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your—" Medea tried her best to hide her disdain at the memory, covering up with a haughtier, "your Big Robin?"

"I-I was, but I still wanted to give you something! I-I already gave Dr. Roman his serving too, so—!" Vy puffs past the collar of her Chaldean Standard uniform, slowly standing up straighter to face Medea with a clumsier smile. Compared to Souichirou's rare looks, Vy's expression was nothing but honest even past the sweat and oily swipe of her cheeks. "You disappeared just after Robin and Art-san started eating, a-and I wanted to give you a serving too!"

Medea blinked just as the ashes of Singularity F faded in favor of the white walls of Chaldea, the new scenery letting her do nothing but look into Vy's big brown eyes with shock. "...Child," comes out in a voice that sounds almost foreign to her if not for the edge of softness seeping into the syllables, "I am the Witch of Betrayal. There's no need for me to eat."

"But you still enjoy it, don't you?" Vy smiles a little wider while letting go of Medea's mantle, slowly retracting her hand to the to-go box clutched to her chest and gingerly offering it to her. "I made sure to get the egg a bit neater this time!"

With the take-out box slightly wrinkled at the edges from how tightly she had clutched at the styrofoam, the faint scent of ketchup and fried egg floating out past the closed box flap, and the shaky hands still holding up the whole thing, Medea stared for a moment. At the box, at Vy, glancing between them both before eventually settling on those big brown eyes behind equally round glasses. "…Vy." Medea says the name softly, taking in how gentle it sounds on her tongue even past the sawdust of memories and burning flames in favor of a wry smile in return. "You didn't have to."

"But I wanted to! How many times do I have to say it?!" Vy pouts, but the determination that makes her think of that boy and Souichirou emerges in her voice at that moment, her sagging ponytail even adding to the look as she shook her head. "Witches can enjoy human things too! And for the witch who answered my call back in Fuyuki, the least I could do is cook her something that helps this place feel like home!"

Home. What a strong word. Yet the stars that shone in Vy's eyes in that moment — small as they were behind the glasses that helped her see — reflected Medea's image alone as Medea stared at her.

It wasn't really salvation. Not truly. But those stars —

It still promised something.

"...Alright then, child." Medea takes the box before Vy gets the chance to try and shove it into her personal space bubble, holding it close before taking a few steps closer. The young woman's cheek is soft to the touch even past her gloves once she reaches out, but the starlight in her Master's eyes doesn't disappear even when Vy blinks at her. "You are really hard to betray."

Vy blinks again, faster this time. "Is that… uh, a good thing?"

Medea smiles and cups Vy's cheek in her palm, brushing some hair and oil aside to clean off the skin there. It was at least squishy and in no way hollow that came with death. And since she was alive— "It's nothing. Let us go back to your room, Master. I see something that I need to fix before I can eat."

"Um…. what is that, exactly?"

"Nothing important. Just, do you have a comb, Master?"

At least in this life, she could see another person have a better end.