Not-yet-summer resort: IX
It was incredible that despite all that had happened, there were still things that could surprise Romani.
Which was namely why he was sat down in his chair, staring uncomprehendingly at the screen while the words of Edward Teach played on loop in his head.
He could accept a lot of things.
Maybe too many things.
But it was probably telling that he, of all people, was utterly unable to accept the words that were being spoken aloud. By his own reasoning, they were so firmly detached from reality that not even the realms of True Magic would elevate his senses to a point where he could understand and accept them.
Not even Leo, genius Caster Servant that she was, seemed to accept them right off the bat.
She was leaning over the console, palms flat against the desk and staring at the screen with an unblinking gaze. Something that he only knew because he could see her reflection mirrored on the screen in front of the pair of them, and it soon wasn't just those two.
Within the span of a minute, perhaps less, the entire crew of the command room had gotten up and walked over to their station, all so they could lean into the conversation and listen in on what was being said.
When it had finished, they all stared back at their reflections without a trace of emotion on the face of each and every one of them.
It did not last for long.
"An idol group."
The casual comment was spoken by Kerry, the short haired brunette slowly nodded her head up and down and placed her hands on her hips, staring at the screen as though nothing unusual had been said at all. Her right hand moved up, finding a home on her cheek and started to idly scratch up and down, then she mouthed the words 'idol group' to herself again and again.
Each time she did so, her brows got progressively closer and closer together.
"That's a joke, right?" Maxwell spoke next, the voice of reason that he was, and with his own head hung low, he attempted to ground them all. "Or maybe some sort of mistake being made. Really, there is certainly no way that something such as that could ever be true, could it?"
Meuniere looked unconvinced. "I mean…with a name like 'starfall' and when we consider the magecraft of the Director." The man made a weighing gesture with his hands, but the detail of the reflection was still clear enough that the doctor could tell that even the man was having trouble supporting his own logic.
"...We haven't had contact with the Director for a while…" Kerry slowly added on, giving a cringing expression as she turned to the others. "And the guy seemed pretty convinced that she'd been all but abducted by Nero and Marie…this does seem like the sort of hijinks they would get involved in? They probably just dragged her along or something."
A moment passed.
"...Yeah, that makes sense." Romani broke the silence with a nod of the head, turning his chair around to face the group and bringing up a tiny, if a little strained, smile towards them. "That's probably what ended up happening, especially with how those two seem to revel in the public attention, they're very extroverted…I can't say for the others that Blackbeard mentioned but…a woman with a Teddy?"
"...Doesn't that sound like the Goddess Artemis?" Maxwell ventured, bringing his head back up and giving a thoughtful hum. "I'm not entirely sure where she comes into all of this or the pirates but…It's more likely that the Director did end up getting roped into this fiasco, which means that she will undoubtedly be beyond furious when she returns."
Grimaces spread across the assembled faces.
A sigh came from his left, he turned his head and saw Leo push herself upright, clapping her hands together twice.
"Calmarsi." He didn't know what that meant but it sounded like a request to be quiet, the woman turned around and then flashed a patient smile at the group. "Now then, talk about whether the Director is pursuing a career in song and dance aside for the moment, we do need to actually put our heads towards the words of the Demon."
Nods of agreement went across the faces.
"Didn't the kid get hit in the face with another note from that guy?" Kerry shrugged her shoulders. "Told him to take things literally, right? So…are we looking for a heartbeat or not?"
"I'm not sure that taking advice from hastily scribbled notes on the back of a burger wrapper is really the sort of thing we should be doing." Meuniere adjusted their glasses, frowning as they did so.
Kerry just snorted, then waved a hand in his direction, causing him to blink at the sudden shift of attention from the man and towards himself. Romani couldn't help but feel as though this wasn't going to end well for his reputation. "Why not? Our other unofficial helper is literally a Vtuber."
Ah, there it was.
"Magi*Mari is a respectable source of information!" He blurted out, feeling the need to defend his idol against naysayers.
"The point being-" Meuniere cleared their throat, pointedly ignoring looking in Romani's direction, all but announcing that he hadn't won the point there, or at all. "-that we still don't know the informant in this situation, they could be a Servant of Chaldea but if that was the case, why hide themselves?"
"Probably that Saber servant who guards the Goddess." Maxwell smacked his lips, his eyes turning sharp. "Some relation to divinity and they have proven themselves to be on the verge of becoming hostile, added onto the fact they are clearly determined to protect their Goddess and - by extension - the Singularity itself until ordered otherwise…" he trailed off meaningfully, but they could understand what he meant.
Loose lips and all that.
There was the very real possibility that the Servant would silence anyone who tried to pass along vital information to Fujimaru, this might well have been the safest way that they could actually get some probably info too them, who could tell if the Holy Grail also didn't let them listen in on the Master/Servant bond.
"We've got no reason to dismiss this 'H.F' so far…but I'd hold off on going by their words at the moment." Leo shook her head, raising her voice and frowning thoughtfully as she did so. "But whatever the reason, they would like us to aim our sights towards places that are less than pleasing for this Singularity, especially with the earlier warning…so for the time being, lets see exactly where it leads."
Romani didn't bother to hide his look of surprise. "We're actually going to look for a heartbeat?"
"Or perhaps what can be inferred as a heartbeat." The Caster corrected with a raised finger and a wry smile. Turning back around and leaning towards the screen once more. "The heartbeat of this Singularity is the magical energy of the Holy Grail we detected, the irregular pattern is the key…but that's hardly a surprise. It's inconsistent nature is proof of something being afoot."
"So what do we do then, just watch and wait?" Kerry didn't sound all that pleased with the idea, and it didn't sit right with him either if he was being honest.
Fortunately, Leo abated their concerns with a shake of the head. "Not at all, we're going to be keeping close contact with Protagonista and the gang…not to mention the ever illusive Chris. There is something about her…and I don't think I'm the only one who has noticed either…but I'll hold off on saying that for now. Let's first see how she continues to react."
Romani almost sighed, he was proud of himself for not doing that, but he still couldn't help but palm at his face at the unnecessarily vague words of Leo. It was clear that she knew more than she was letting on, but he doubted she would ever let her thoughts air until she was absolutely certain of them. That meant there was a slimmer chance of her being wrong.
Gawyn found himself a little…ill-at-ease, if he was being honest with himself.
Shuffling a moment and moving to the side to avoid being pushed further by the figure stood by the side, his grimace of discomfort hidden from the world as he stepped a little closer to Master Ritsuka, though it was mostly to try and keep them closer to him than anything else.
There were too many unknowns close to him and he didn't recognise a single one.
It would be all too easy for an Assassin to be here, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Though it was unlikely, admittedly, and it wasn't as if he was the only Servant here who was worried about the health of Master Ritsuka. The others had proven just as capable as this when it came to-
"'Scuse me, lad." He jerked a little when someone bumped into his back, sending him stumbling forwards a half step and whipping around to face his potential attacker, hand flying up to the sword on his back, his fingers just graced along the hilt of the blade before he stopped himself short.
A blink behind his helm, he slowly craned his head upwards until he was staring at the closed eyes of the man right in front of him, or behind him, as they stared down at him with a mixture of amusement and surprise, as though not quite able to understand what they saw.
Perhaps a second passed.
Then a loud bark of laughter erupted from the stalwart man, a booming noise which felt as though he was standing beside a thunderstorm.
With a chiselled form, honed through what looked like decades of combat, and matched with three claw marks across the front of his chest, the bare topped man folded his muscular arms over his chest as his head was thrown backwards to let more laughter spill forth, not that his amusement went noticed amidst the sea of voices that surrounded them.
The man, topped with short spiked purple hair, lowered his head back down and then brought his arms up as though to show surrender, but the amusement still present on them made it clear it was little more than a mocking gesture. "Easy there, boyo. My bad for catching you by surprise, should have figured you'd have been ready to swing at the slightest noise."
Gawyn felt a flicker of something, he didn't like the feeling, shoot through him at the comment. They made it sound as though he would have actually unsheathed their sword and swung at that movement alone.
Silently, he moved his arm away from the weapon and back to his side, the tall man made a show of relaxing, even going so far as to unleash a sigh of relief like that of a wyverns snort.
"Young one for a Servant, ain't ya?" The topic shifted, though the man didn't sound nearly as troubled as the last individual who brought up the topic. Instead they sounded more interested, moving a hand up and rubbing at their chin thoughtfully, giving the impression they were giving him a critical gaze behind their closed eyes. "Still…some fast reactions there, you didn't draw either…not bad there, lad."
"..."
"Not one for talk, are ya?" A chuckle from the tall man, their hands fell onto their hips, their head cocked to the side as a smirk grew on their face. "Or just not a fan of talkin' to strangers, are ya?"
"...Do we have something to talk about?"
A beat of silence.
Then the man let out another rumbling laughter, shoulders trembling and shaking his head from side to side. "Suppose that we don't, do we? Not even been introduced…but then again, we're both here, ain't we? Means we have something in common."
Something in common?
Did they mean…?
Gawyn leaned back a little, raising a brow ever so slightly. "Is this…also your first time at something like this?"
"Quite so." A nod of the head, then a pause as the man put on a frown. "Then again, I've been to plenty of drinkin' parties and seen a bunch of shield-maidens sing, normally together with a big old fight at the end but…nope, never been to somethin' like this. Same as you."
A sharp grin crossed the face of the man. "I just heard that the women here were somethin' spectacular! Couldn't resist coming over here and giving them a little look!"
That…did not make sense to him.
They came here to look at women?
"...Do you intend to do that with your eyes closed?"
A beat of silence.
The brows of the man shot up while their eyes remained closed, the only indication of their surprise, then a rippling snort escaped them as another roar of laughter surged forwards, they leaned forwards and brought up a hand, slamming the flat of their palm against his shoulder and staggering him a little.
He braced for the next blow, tensing himself for a counter-
The man didn't strike again, Gawyn stared in confusion as the man continued to laugh, this time slapping their own knee and bringing up a hand to wipe away something forming under their closed eyes. A long breath finally ended the tirade of laughter as they leaned back up, grinning at him with a smile full of teeth. "Alright then, lad! You're something else, let me tell ya! I'd call you a smart ass-"
An intelligent mule?
What an odd insult.
He took a step away and shook his head at the man, ending the conversation before it could continue further-
"Not even gonna tell me your name then, kid?"
"...Gawyn."
"Gawyn, eh?" He stared up at the man as they narrowed their brows and pinched them together, they spoke his name as though they tasted it. A hum followed, they pinched their chin between their fingers, a small smile came upon their features. "Strong name there, kid. Me? I'm Fergus mac Róich!"
What an odd fellow.
Still, this was the sort of thing he'd wanted to avoid, getting drawn into a conversation with them would end up with him losing sight of-
He stopped his turn, then blinked behind his helmet slowly, his gaze started to cast itself around as he noticed one glaring problem.
"...Master Ritsuka?"
He stepped forwards, stumbling a little when a man in dark armour walked into him, seemingly without noticing him, and almost sent him falling to the ground. He jumped back a little as they continued on their march, all while seemingly engrossed in a conversation with a dark suited man in a bone white mask.
"Master Ritsuka." He called out again, whirling around and frowning more openly as he started to move with a bit more haste, cursing his small size as he found himself unable to peer over the top of those who surrounded him.
A sea of faces and dozens of different ones, from tall to short and from lanky to well built, were each more bewildering than the last and he couldn't find a single one of them that looked familiar to him. Or at least a single one that had been a member of the group he was with.
What was going to happen to Master Ritsuka if he lost sight of them?
Wait…they still had Mash and the others, so all was well…unless they had also been separated from him!?
Dread coiled in his heart, the desire to find his lord intensified further in that moment as he pulled himself forwards.
"Master Rit-oof!"
A single distraction and he walked right into someone, bouncing backwards and catching himself at the last moment, he turned to apologise to them, it had been his own blunder, then he found his jaw lock tight when he saw who exactly it was that he had pumped right on into.
"What's this then?" The glowing slitted orbs of Lancer loomed over him, hands on their hips and a sharp smile coming over their face, though unlike with Fergus this one set him on edge in an instant, he stepped back from the God just a little and kept his posture tense.
They noticed.
They had to have noticed it.
Their smile stretched even wider than before in the instant he made the movement, as though he had pleased them.
"What sort of cub goes wandering away from the pack?" Lancer questioned, seemingly to themselves, as they lowered their body forwards until they were eye height with him. "Don't you know that little cubs are rather defenceless?"
"I am not defenceless-"
Lancer cut him short with a raised eyebrow and a flat look, then they moved to retrieve something from the scraggly matted cloth that they called their attire, fidgeting around as though searching for something before drawing it out. Gawyn narrowed his eyes at the small twig now held in their hands, tipped with some strange red lump.
Their thumb coiled down, then flicked upwards-
A spark, the twig burst into flames-
A gasp escaped him as he jumped back, only for the arm of the Lancer to shoot out and take hold of his shoulder before he could manage so much as a single step, he had barely a moment to comprehend before he was dragged forwards, the all but innocent smile of the Servant continued on as they spoke in muffled tones, forcing the raging inferno at the end of the twig right into his face.
"Not defenceless, is it?"
The burning twig was pulled away and snuffed quickly, releasing their hold on his shoulder and tossing the charred wood away from themselves without a care for whomever was behind them.
"Honestly…Lie to me if you must, but try not to lie to yourself. A little fear is good once in a while, it keeps the young alive until they can get strong, you know?"
Their smile was sharp, a sense of danger flared through his body.
He stepped backwards and narrowed his gaze.
In that one moment, it felt as though there was something wrong with this Servant.
A frown came upon their lips. "Oi, now. What's with that expression? I'm just helping you face your fears are you're going to give me that scary look…Ah well, I got to see something interesting, so it's alright!" their smile reversed into a grin.
They stepped backwards into the crowd, an ominous chuckle in their words. "Make sure you have a lot of fun, little cub. It'll be even more worthwhile if you enjoy yourself."
They vanished.
He frowned.
That encounter was both unexpected and deeply concerning, there was not a single moment throughout their entire appearance where he did not feel the chill of danger. It was as if they could have lunged at him at any moment. Not at all like what he had been shown by Gotthard.
It was like that Servant was trying to advertise their murderous intentions?
Why would they-
"Gurh!?"
He fell forwards, something landed on his back and weighted itself over his shoulders, he struggled for a moment to find his balance before catching himself, only then did the bitter stench of something rather foul strike him. A pervading odour that he found rather repellant to his senses.
Had the grip of whatever latched itself onto him been any weaker, he would have tossed it away from them on instinct.
"Geugh…sorry about that kid…" A voice slurred out words, barely legible to his ears. Turning his head, his face was assaulted by a rather open colour of reddish pink, he snorted some out of his nose and frowned at the individual. Bright red coat and rather open scar across their face.
They were drunk.
There was no doubt about it.
This woman was utterly inebriated.
…How did someone let this happen to themselves, and in this sort of place no less?
"Hey…" Turning unfocused sapphire blue eyes onto him, they leaned forwards and grabbed the back of his head. His efforts to squirm from their grip were slow going and short lived as they squinted at him. Unfortunately their actions brought him closer to their face and their breath. "...Do I know you…or something…? You got this weird feel about you…like I met before…"
"...I would remember meeting someone like you…" It was all that he could say.
"...Huh…" With a loud sniff, the woman leaned up and staggered for a moment, he moved before his brain could catch up and grabbed hold of their arm before they could completely fall backwards onto the ground. It was a struggle for him to keep them upright, pulling them forwards, once again.
They landed on his shoulder.
"Woah…man overboard…"
…What was he supposed to do?
It was hardly as though they could leave her just lying on the ground in this state, could they?
His eyes darted through the crowds, narrowing slightly before they picked out a shape in the distance, briefly obstructed.
A bench.
It would do.
Turning his body over, he slung the woman onto his back and marched forwards, pushing his way through the crowd.
"Set sail! Raise anchor and…yeah…" A moment later, he assumed her forehead thudded into his nape.
…This was unusual.
Emerging from the crowd, he shifted the woman over and laid her onto the bench, she slung there for a moment and then leaned her head back. A rather loud snore escaped from her as she fell into the depths of slumber. It was beneficial rather than having her awake, at least, so he could hardly say this was a problem.
At least this way she would not run afoul of those who could take advantage of her in this state and kill her.
He frowned, then cupped his chin.
Actually, they could just as easily kill her like this as well.
His eyes lowered towards his bottomless box, the item that he had little recollection of owning but knew he had. A strange feeling it was, but he was due to receive one before he finished his training, so this must have been a result of that. If his older self had gone on the adventure, then there were doubtless items that could be used to rouse the woman.
Flipping the lid open, his hand dove into it and rummaged around for a couple seconds.
"What are you doing?"
He halted his actions, then brought his head up and gazed at the speaker.
"Wait a second…" They leaned into his personal space once again, something that was becoming an alarming pattern by this point in time. Though he kept his ground, purely on the fact that the height difference between the two of them was not as great, though the rather large hat provided a slight advantage.
Red eyes widened a little, their jaw dropped and they raised a finger up, pointing it square at his face. "What the heck!? You turned into a brat!"
Gawyn blinked at the words, the somewhat insulting words, and then frowned lightly. "Turned into-oh, you are familiar with my adult self?"
"Adult-what the heck happened to you-no, wait, hang on a moment."
They did something rather odd.
Raising their hands, they removed the hat from the top of their head, the golden shape of a half sun mounted on the front of it. Long silken black hair rolled down over a scarlet red cape and darkened button up uniform of sorts.
The girl placed the flat of her hand against the top of her forehead, with a gaze of absolute focus, she moved it across from her own head and towards his. Furrowing his brows, he kept himself silent as her hand moved just above his forehead and into his hairline. It was perhaps a single hairs length of difference between the two of them in terms of height, little more than that.
For whatever reason, a complicated expression came over the face of the woman as the hand returned, moving to cup their chin while the other hand positioned their hat back atop their head.
"I mean…on the one hand, I'm taller than you, but on the other, it's not like you're going to be a very good lookout post, are you?"
A what post?
This was a strange person, but they knew his older self, which meant they were an ally of Master Ritsuka.
So…they could be trusted, right?
…That was the feeling he got from them.
"Well, it can't be helped." Their abrupt declaration was coupled with an uncaring shift in their face and a shrug of their shoulders. "...Hey, call me big sister."
"...What?"
"Just try it for a second."
"Why?"
"I just want to test something out. Come on. Call me big sister."
"...Big sister."
"...Nah, it's weird when you say it." They declared with a frown, hands falling to their hips and a frown coming upon their face. Red eyes moved up and down before they flickered towards the sleeping woman on the bench. Their nose wrinkled and they leaned back slightly. "What the heck? Are you babysitting drunks now or something? Actually, where the heck is everyone else?"
His eyes turned from them and back to his bottomless box. "I lost track of Master Ritsuka, as far as the woman goes…she fell on me and I do not believe it would be proper to just abandon her."
"...So a drunk falls on you and you just dump them on a bench?"
"I was looking to see if I had something that could aid them…Hmmm." He drew out something rather surprising.
Flowery moss.
Purple moss.
He knew this much, he had been informed of the natural cures for poisons.
Would it work on a drunk? He did not know.
Stepping forwards, he pulled a flower from the clump of moss and prized open the woman's mouth, depositing the flower on their tongue and closing it again. Stepping back and folding his arms.
"...What the heck was that?"
"A cure for poisons."
The dark haired woman made a small noise of understanding, he glanced at them to see them giving sage nods of the head. "Makes sense…Do you know if it will work then?"
"No."
"...Fair enough…What are you going to do if it doesn't work?"
He didn't know.
"What is-what are you doing here and-where is your Master?"
Both he and the dark haired woman turned around, he blinked twice as the shadow of the cat eared woman was cast over him, the rapid fire questions streaming forth from her with an edge of concern. Their eyes darted from his and swung around several times, clearly searching for his Master and then frowning when they clearly saw nothing.
Their gaze shifted from him and then to the woman on the bench, a frown creased their lips before sharp eyes turned to the other woman, the one with dark hair and red eyes.
"Hey, I just got here."
They took in a breath and closed their eyes, the woman known as Atalanta turned back on him and frowned rather deeply. "...Is there a reason that you are not with your Master at the moment?"
…It was a little embarrassing to admit.
"...I…misplaced him."
A snort from the side, he felt his face heat up and shot a look to the dark haired woman, covering her mouth and coughing into it, eyes shining with mirth.
"...You misplaced him?" Atalanta raised a brow, with an expression devoid of emotion for several seconds. Then it hardened ever so slightly before it softened, their head shook from side to side and then glanced up. "Honestly, you…nevermind. Come, I can track down your Master and return you to their side."
"...That would be most welcome."
Taking her outstretched hand into his own, he found himself quickly pulled along by her strength and rather impressive speed, it was only when they were at a good distance did the high pitched voice of the dark haired woman reach his ears.
"Hey! What about this drunk!? What am I supposed to do when they wake up!"
Gawyn frowned lightly, then glanced to the back of Atalanta's head. The twitch of her ears showed that she had at least heard the words, but she gave little impression that she was going to act upon them. Judging by the grip that she had on his hand, he very much doubted that she was going to let him do much of the same thing either.
A shadow fell over the pair, but this presence felt less ominous.
Turning up and looking towards it, he found himself captivated by a pair of dull golden eyes staring down upon him with a sense of confused interest. At least, that was the feeling he got from the tall figure, long white hair streaked from the top of their head with a ragged scarf hiding the lower half of their face.
"Sorry, I felt something and…" The tall man who seemed to feel just like Mother trailed off, staring down at him for a longer period of time before they eventually spoke up. "Might…you be Ash?"
Another flash of something, a headache shot through him. "Why does everyone keep calling me that…I'm Gawyn."
"...Gawyn." The unnamed figure parroted back, turning their head away for only a moment before they spoke again. "...Son of Gwynevere?"
"You know mother?"
He awaited an answer for a good few seconds, even as the Archer by his side kept him close to her. Still fixing the stranger with a dubious stare but otherwise keeping herself silent.
"...It seems I do not know her." They answered after a few moments, shaking their head from side to side and turning away. Making it all of a few steps before they abruptly came to a halt and turned their head slightly in his direction. A slight waver in their voice as they spoke up. Almost as though they were scared of something. "Did…did your mother…give you a role when you were born?"
They knew about that?
But they said they didn't know mother, this was rather suspicious.
"She did, yes. It's what makes me…well…me. If that makes sense."
Silence, then they turned away completely. "...There is a food stall not far from this place to the east. I would recommend it if one is in search of a simple snack. Though I cannot claim its nutritional value, it does taste nice. You should take him there."
The stranger walked off without another word.
Leaving Gawyn rather confused as to who they were in the first place, but with the odd feeling that they were the sort who could be trusted.
"I took my eyes off him for less than a second!" Ritsuka hissed to himself, running his hands through his hair as he looked down at the ground. All the while he could feel the comforting hand of Boudica find a home on his shoulders.
Walking into a crowd of Servants was literally one of the dumbest things he could have done, it should have been obvious they would end up separated, but given that the last time that happened the Director apparently ended up in a girl band and they were still missing members of her team, it didn't bode well for him.
They had literally gone through an entire conversation about how something was amiss here, combined with the interest Hanleth had in Ash, and then the second he turned his back, something ended up happening and he lost the Saber. It was stupid of him to let his guard down like that.
Pulling his hands from his face, he turned about to bring his front to Boudica, the Rider removed her hand from him and offered a slightly apologetic look as she responded to him. "I'm as much to blame as anyone else, given that he was right next to me as well…but its not as though he's going to be in too much danger, I should think."
Right.
She was right.
His mind started to slow down from the initial panic. That was right, it wasn't as though Ash was helpless, he was just getting panicked because they did look like a kid but this was still a kid who was raised from birth to kill.
So it would probably end up fine.
"Yeah…sorry, he just looks-"
"You don't need to explain it to me." Raising a hand, Boudica shook her head from side to side, understanding visible on her face. "Its a little jarring with the idea of a Servant being so young, especially as we know he's…well…alive per say and-" she cut herself off, then frowned. "Wait…is he still undead?"
Ritsuka blinked. "Huh?"
"He's been put to a point in the past before he became Ash so…shouldn't he be human now?"
His eyes started to widen as he realised that the Rider was onto something "That is…wait…you're right! That's precisely it!" he pointed to the Rider with a grin blossoming on his face, the realisation opening up so many new opportunities for this moment. "Right, lets first find the Director and then-"
"Hey, guys." They both turned to the voice, watching as Teach muscled his way through a couple in front of him without so much as looking at them both, all while wearing that same dopey grin. "I got Sammy to save us some front row seats to the show and-" he abruptly cut himself off, then frowned and leaned back. "Uhh…you look as though you've got some lasses overboard."
"We have wha-?" He squinted then looked around and froze. "...Where the heck did everyone else go!?"
This was hardly how she expected her day to end up going, but she wasn't going to dismiss a chance such as this.
Not when it literally went stumbling past her with a lost look, much like an abandoned puppy, and calling out at the top of her lungs, though the crowd drowned everything out.
Pulling herself forwards, she closed the distance between the two of them without her target ever realising that something was amiss. She was upon them before they could even react, dropping her hands gently onto their shoulders and keeping them still, they stiffened at the contact and then whipped around.
A flash of alarm gave way to relief after a couple of seconds. "Oh…Gwynevere-san-"
"Is everything alright there?" She questioned the young Shielder, sparing a glance either side in a rather pointed way, a minute frown coming upon her lips. "Though perhaps that is something of a fool question, as I cannot help but notice that you are rather alone…have you lost sight of your friends?"
She saw the guilty wince in the eyes of the girl, she kept her frown hidden. Doubtless the teenager was blaming herself for losing them. Though whether it was actually her fault or not was neither here nor there.
A gentle smile floated onto her lips, "Don't even think of blaming yourself for something such as this. Instead we should focus on reuniting you, yes?"
Mash opened her mouth, paused, then gave a single nod of the head. "Does that mean you'll help me? I don't want to trouble you-"
"Not at all." She smoothly cut off the young girl, moving a hand around and resting it on her shoulder, turning the girl so that they were now side by side. "Not at all, it is the way of a Goddess to lead humans, isn't it? You're doing nothing that I wouldn't do under my own power…now then…" she paused, then glanced down at the young girl for a moment.
She was still wearing armour. "Have you come expecting a battle?"
"Eh? W-well-it was a Singularity…" Mash trailed off, looking down at themself in bewilderment and then towards her, a raised eyebrow sprouted on their face. "And there was a small fight earlier but its not as though we're looking for one right now. We're actually just around here to find the Director at the moment."
It seemed as though they were becoming quite skilled at losing track of their allies.
"Well then, but if you aren't in the midst of a battle now…why then are you adorned in your armour?" She quizzed further, drawing a blank look from the girl, clearly they didn't understand what she was actually saying. With a light sigh, she stepped back, bringing her own hand up and gesturing to herself. "Do you see my current attire?"
Mash paused for a moment, then slowly turned her head, Gwynevere pretended not to see the trace evidence of red on her cheeks, nor the way the girl couldn't quite meet her gaze for very long.
Naturally, with a simple white bikini and a ankle length fabric tied around her waist with just enough gap to expose her right leg from the thigh downwards, she was unveiling a generous amount of skin to the world and she knew every inch was being appreciated.
But given the girl, it would have been too much to expect her to wear something the same.
"Have you not thought of finding something else you might wear?" She ventured further, then interrupted the girl. "In my experience, you dress for what is expected…if you are dressed in furs, you expect cold, dressed light you expect warmth and if you dress in armour, you expect a fight…look at those who surround us right now."
They might well have been surrounded by dozens of Servants, but they all wore rather casual attire.
Though if there was one thing for Gwynevere to complain about, it was the lack of fashion amongst them…it all looked rather simple.
Her eyes turned back to the Shielder "If you walk everywhere in this park while dressed like that, it would look as though you might be searching for trouble…but I know you aren't at all like that. It's not as though you cannot summon your armour if needs be, yes?"
"That…you're right but…"
"See?" Gwynevere smiled, clasping her hands together and looking down at the shorter girl. "In that case, perhaps this would be a good chance to search while taking advantage of this opportunity…or have you never thought to what you might look if you were to choose a more fitting outfit for this weather…" she leaned forwards, then offered an innocent look. "But it's up to you…Mash Senpai."
The girl blinked, then rolled her lips inwards "But Senpai is-"
"I can use my senses to locate him as we walk." She assured the girl, whether it took longer that it might need to was something that no one would ever be able to prove. "And with so many around, I'm sure that someone will have spotted them…won't they?"
"T-that's right." Mash clasped onto the bait and nodded her head up and down.
"And we will find plenty of people in areas where they are more prone to be during festivals…that is to say, the markets, yes?"
"That's also true…"
"Then we should browse around those, yes?"
"That…that does make sense…"
"Come on then, Senpai." With a gentle nudge, she started to usher the girl forwards, there was only a small delay before the girl started to move in step with her. "Lets do our best."
Ritsuka felt like pulling his hair out.
"I feel like I just got played like a fiddle or something…either that or we were subject to the most horrendous luck." Folding his arms, he drummed his fingers before turning his head from left to right, squinting for a second before he sighed, then turned his head and looked down at the man whose shoulders he was sitting on. "Can't see anything up here, Cap'n."
"Damn…" Teach sighed, then paused for a moment before he looked up and him and grinned. "Maybe the old Queen of Victory might have a better chance if she was on my shoulders…you know?"
Ritsuka stared down at the man, raising a single brow at them.
They just looked back, completely unapologetic.
There wasn't a person who didn't know what he was doing and Ritsuka wasn't sure if he was supposed to be impressed or mortified at the fact the man made such an obvious ploy when he was right in front of the Rider herself, Boudica levelled a flat and unimpressed look at her counterpart.
Her jaw rolled to the side, then she very pointedly leaned back and looked down at her boots, humming to herself and seemingly debating something in her head. He figured that it involved a lot of kinetic energy and angles.
But that was just a guess.
The head of the Rider snapped to the side a second later, he followed her movement and found himself blinking as he stared down at the new arrival, the one who he hadn't even so much as heard the footsteps of as they approached.
Which was admittedly not that big of a surprise.
Chris stared up at them, saying nothing at first, then she moved her hand up towards her glasses and adjusted them just a little before she removed her hand, placing it back down loosely at her side.
"...Are you searching for something?"
His brows pinched just a little, his arms remained folded over his chest "Maybe…why do you ask?"
"Is it a something or a someone?"
Ritsuka kept himself on edge, their sudden intensity compared to before was rather surprising, like she was needling them for info or double checking something.
"...Why do you ask?" He quizzed again.
Chris let out a sigh, as though annoyed, then wordlessly turned around and showed her back to them, he stared down at the bold words which read 'SECURITY' printed on her back and he felt himself flush a little in embarrassment, she turned back around and though she kept her expression blank, he got the feeling she was mocking him a little.
"...Alright, we're missing a couple of people." He admitted after a few moments, "You'd remember them from earlier, we lost track of them."
Silence from Chris, then a single nod of the head. "I see. I will search for them, await an announcement and then come to collect them."
She turned around and started to walk off before he could even get a word out, instead he stared at her with wide eyes as she all but declared she was going to help them. He brought up a hand, calling out as he did so but getting no reaction.
"Put me down for a second-" Blackbeard almost dropped him the moment he asked, he sent a tiny frown at the Rider before shaking his head and taking off after the Saber, keeping his eyes on the purple hair as it pushed through the crowd. Managing to make a much better job of it than he was getting.
"Wait up for a second-gurkg!" He ducked backwards and widened his eyes as Chris was suddenly right in his face, looming over him with that same blank expression. She kept her eyes on him until he was a good distance from her, at least a couple feet, and then watched him in silence as he composed himself. "...Do you mean that you're going to help us?"
"...Was that not obvious?" Her face crinkled a little, he could see the beginnings of irritation on her for all of a second before she blanked her face. "Or did you need to hear the words spoken aloud. I am going to look for them-"
"No, that wasn't what-" He cut himself off, shaking his head from side to side. "I guess I'm just…surprised is all that you're actually going to help?"
That might have been the wrong thing to say, or perhaps it was because he said it out loud, but the posture of Chris tightened instantly, she leaned forwards a little and drew her lips thin. "Why is that such a surprise? I am security here, it is within my job."
"Well…from how you spoke to Ash earlier, you made it sound as though duty wasn't something you really cared for all that much." He gave a slow reply, only a little on edge by her turn but still aware enough to keep things polite, despite the situation he found himself in, he couldn't feel all that worried. Merely curious about the Servant in front of him. "So when you pointed to your security jacket and said that its your job…"
Chris kept quiet after that, her brows pinched together and she leaned backwards. Nor did she actually respond to him immediately, or at all, instead she just seemed content with staring at him like she was trying to figure him out. Tilting her head at an angle after a few more moments of silence.
When she did speak, it was somewhat apprehensive.
"Is this a matter you will complain about, that my words do not match my actions?"
With a half smile, he shook his head from side to side. "Not at all, as long as you're willing to help then I don't actually have much room to complain about in the first place…I suppose what I'm trying to say is that you seemed really put off with the whole duty or responsibility thing." he paused, bringing a hand up and scratching the side of his head. "So I just wanted to ask if you were uncomfortable with helping us out."
"If I was, then I would not have offered in the first place." Her reply was as sharp as it was swift, he caught sight of a minute flash behind her sunglasses and a tightening of her fists but nothing else. "For that matter, your concern is hardly warranted when it is only a matter of time until we come to blows."
His brows shot up "What do-"
"The time will come when you put an end to this Singularity but I am charged with its protection." She continued on before he could even finish, but the moment she uttered the words he knew exactly where this was going.
And it wasn't as though she was wrong either.
"As such we will eventually battle to determine which outcome emerges."
"True…but then why would you help us at all if that was the case?" Folding his arms, he raised a brow at her but otherwise kept his posture loose. She didn't seem to have a response to that either, but he knew where she was coming from. "I suppose both of us are doing things that don't make a lot of sense to the other, right?"
"...Hmph."
His brows pinched together "But your words earlier…is it that you just don't like people who have nothing else to do but duty or-"
"Why are you asking me?" She cut him off rather sharply, then a moment of hesitation before she continued onwards, something different entering her tone of voice. "Do you believe that these are the thoughts that she holds but never voices in front of you? Or perhaps she already has and you believe that we are of the same mind?"
It didn't take a genius to figure out what she meant by that, or rather, who she was referring to.
Rolling his jaw from side to side, he brought his shoulders up and down. "I've actually never asked her about it before, if we're talking about the same person…though I get the feeling that she might answer maybe the same as you with regards to it…but at the same time, she did accept the summons as a Servant."
He caught the faint twitch.
"Maybe you're both alike in that way." Tilting his head, he let the words hang in the air, just to see the sort of reaction they had. As expected, he did receive one, the faint intake of air through the nose of the Servant and the slightly coiled posture, she stiffened at the remark and he found himself the subject of her undivided attention. "If you're that curious, I could ask her what she thinks about it and get back to-"
"Lancer calls you an ant."
The sudden change in topic threw him for a loop, he blinked twice and then bobbed his head up and down as he responded. "He does, yeah."
"He's wrong."
Ritsuka lowered one brow, keeping the other raised up.
"You're a fly." Chris continued onwards, curling her lips downwards ever so slightly, though her tone remained unchanged. "An obnoxious fly."
Despite it all, he snorted at her, though it was insulting it was the delivery of the line and the pause before she added in the additional detail about him. It must have come as a surprise to the Saber as she raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing as he laughed to himself, shaking his head from side to side. "Sorry…just the way you said that is all, but that's fair enough. I'll leave you if I'm being a pest."
He turned about, then paused for a moment, quickly looking back to the Saber. "Though, I'm a little curious, did you and Hanleth know each other in life? Are you just doing this as a favour to her?"
Chris slowly blinked, then turned away from him.
For a second, he assumed she was just going to ignore his question.
"We never met before this Singularity. I did not even know she existed."
And then she was gone, disappearing in an impressive burst of speed and leaving behind only some rather curious questions.
Chris was certainly a bit more complicated than he would have initially thought and perhaps they did get something useful out of this encounter after all.
With his interaction with Chris fresh in his mind, he turned back around and walked back the way he came, waving a hand towards Boudica as he approached, the Rider having maintained a rather close distance to him but not directly over his shoulder, though he could tell she didn't look thrilled with his actions.
"I know it was risky, but I figured it was worth a chance to actually talk with her."
Boudica kept quiet, then closed her eyes and exhaled. "Well, if that's what you think, then I won't force you to change your mind…That being said, judging by the look on your face, I trust that the conversation with the Saber went rather well?"
Would he say it went well?
Yeah, he would.
"I think she's definitely a bit interested in Medusa." He worded back to her, placing his hands on his hips. "But…it seemed more curious than anything hostile. She jumped to the topic pretty quickly when I started to mention her a little more."
There was something about her interest that just felt a little bit off to him, not just limited to what one might think of an alternate self. Or maybe he was reading too deeply into things at the moment.
"...Say, do you think that she's actually an alternate version of Medusa?"
Boudica blinked twice, then her brows shot up. "That seems like a rather sudden thing to ask, what brought this about?"
"I'm not sure…" A grumble, he ran his fingers along his brow as his thoughts turned to the Saber and Rider respectively. Something about it just didn't add up and he wasn't sure why that was. "...Might just be me being a little conspiratorial though, just feels like I'm missing something pretty big…"
A shrug of the shoulders was his response from the redhead. "I can't say that I know the Rider well enough to comment on it and I've only ever spoken with Chris in passing right now," a frown crossed their features. "I can't exactly say that I'm a fan of what I've seen though…but perhaps I've met them under the wrong circumstances, they are offering to help after all so…"
She trailed off, letting the words settle.
Maybe that was just it.
Still…
The thoughts were set aside for the time being, instead his focus turned elsewhere.
"For the meantime, she's said she will help us out so all that's left for us to do is just…follow Teach." He waved a hand towards the waiting pirate, watching the curl of the lips from the Rider by his side, sending her a sympathetic smile. "Yes, yes, I know he's a bit much but at the same time, we're getting jumped on several different fronts and we're here now so we might as well find the Director."
The others will be fine until this is over, then we can have a little look.
"I trust Mash to take care of herself for five minutes, right?"
Boudica stared back for a moment, her expression wavered before it softened. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Mash is a big girl and if she's fought all manner of Demons and Gods then I suppose she'll be safe if left unattended for a few minutes." a chuckle escaped the Rider. "Besides, there's a good chance she'll stumble upon us while we're waiting for her."
That was also very likely.
Mash would be fine.
He could take a small breather.
Gawyn wasn't all that sure what was supposed to be happening, by this point he knew he should have broken out of the grasp of the Archer Servant currently dragging him along with them, it actually should have been one of his first instincts to do so.
Yet he let her keep her grasp on his wrist and pull him along, offering not even an ounce of resistance to her.
She had warded away Lancer.
If he parted from her now, before he found Master Ritsuka, then there was a chance he would encounter Lancer again.
It wasn't a…desirable outcome for him.
…He didn't want to be alone against that Servant, they were the worst matchup for him.
That being said, or unsaid rather, he had yet to actually offer a single word to his saviour or even get one offered to him since they started moving. He watched the faces pass him by in the crowds as he was led through them, seemingly without incident. Though he saw some of the Servants look to them and then step to the side to give way.
He couldn't see the face of the Archer, but he figured that it was enough to act as a warning not to approach.
It was something he was…comfortable with.
The fewer unknowns the better.
Wait, this direction was…
His feet stopped, his arm continued onwards and it took a faint pull on his part to avoid being yanked over. Instead Archer came to a halt the moment she felt his resistance, keeping still for a moment and then turning around, lowering herself down into a crouch before him and keeping those same eyes full of concern for him.
"What is it? Have you seen som-"
"Where are we going?" He inquired, noticing that they had been moving further and further away from where he was certain that Master Ritsuka and the others were going to be.
Archer thinned her lips, then offered a touch of a smile. "Somewhere that is far from the prying eyes of a certain someone…and where we can wait for your Master to actually find you."
There was a heat in her words, like she was leaving something unsaid.
He didn't miss the way she almost hissed out something before catching herself at the last moment, leaving him with the general impression that she was displeased with Master Ritsuka for whatever reason.
Unless…
"It was my fault for being distracted." He muttered, hating himself for sounding as small as he was, but it was a deep shame for him to even admit that he had lost sight of his own charge so easily. It was beyond embarrassing for this to have occurred, he doubted that his older self would have been so careless. "Don't…It isn't Master Ritsuka's fault. I should be out looking for him in case he was also encountered by-"
"It is not your sole responsibility to ensure the safety of your Master." Archer cut him off, it was firm but it was without hostility. "He has other Servants that can protect him, if he has to rely on the instincts of a single child to keep himself safe then…" she trailed off, frowning deeply before shaking her head, the smile returned a moment later. "But if he has any sense at all then he will be more concerned with your own safety."
He opened his mouth to respond that he would have been fine.
Then his words caught in his throat.
His inability to do anything against the Lancer shot through him for a moment and he turned his head down.
The shame of it still burned, the icy grip which had taken hold of his body and stopped anything the moment that little twig was wrapped in fire.
Was that truly all it took to stop him moving?
…How shameful.
"...Can we go back and look for Master Ritsuka?" He moved his arm towards her, taking her wrist this time and drawing her attention to the sudden link between them, staring down at it for a few seconds in silence.
Did she need further convincing?
"It would be easier if it were both of us." A hasty addition, so she understood why he was making the request. "You know this layout more than I and if we encounter Lancer again I-" his voice cracked, he flinched a little. "I…don't think I could do much if he employed the same tactic…"
A light sigh.
"...Very well then. We can go back and look for-"
A noise from behind him, he turned his head back around and towards the distance, his eyes narrowed a little at the sudden collection of sounds, yet unlike the noises of battle this sounded less…chaotic.
Something about it was almost…compelling…
And just like that, his feet carried him forwards, all but unaware of his grip still on the arm of the Archer, pulling her along with him.
Finding the seats had been pretty easy, a glance left and right revealed a host of familiar faces that he hadn't expected to see.
Which also included the missing Servants of the Director, namely Brynhildr and Torin stood not too far down the rows from them, both wearing what he could only describe as glowing bands, wrapped around their wrists with what looked like excitement on their faces.
Quite frankly, this was quickly turning into one of the most bewildering experiences he had ever-
A sound struck through the noise, above all others, and the noise of the crowd started to fade away.
His eyes turned straight ahead to where the great reservoir began, his eyes narrowed at the shape which started to push all the way from beneath the surface, rising upwards from the water without so much as a splash, its ascent was surprisingly gentle, though that didn't take away from the awe it inspired.
Though to call it a dome would have been a little incorrect, it looked more like a giant clam.
His brows pinched, staring at it as it rose until finally coming to a halt, just above the surface of the water.
The lights above their head dimmed and he suddenly found the world dropped down into darkness, save for the fact that the light of the moon shined above their heads, or that of the fake moon and stars. One that he could tell was not Gwyndolin's; he wasn't sure how he knew, he just did.
Though it might have been the way it stretched across the ceiling to match the interior of the dome they resided in, which evidently was not as glass as he suspected it had been.
But that was neither here nor there.
The mouth of the clam opened up, the top half hoisted itself upwards until it ground to a halt at a perfect ninety degree angle.
He could vaguely make out Five pillars in the centre of the clam, figures stood atop them, but it was difficult to see.
Then a spotlight shined down onto the area at the foot of the pillars.
He double taked.
Of all the things he expected to see, Mozart sitting at the hem of a large piano while a man in box black armour - rather well built as well - sat at a large pair of drums.
Then they rose their sticks up, tapping them twice against one another, and sprang into action.
With impressive dexterity and speed for a man in thick plate armour they started to drum away, though what caught him by surprise - perhaps more than he would ever admit - was the fact he knew the tune. He knew the tune but couldn't comprehend it, believing it was some sort of mistake.
When Mozart started to play away on the piano, he was all but certain they were playing what he thought they were playing.
A choir from the background, from a space he couldn't quite see, started soon after, joining in while he could just stare in dumbfoundment at what was happening.
Then came a spotlight, the podium on the far left was illuminated.
Artemis stood with Orion nestled in her chest, stepped forwards with a wide grin on her face, then opened her mouth and against all odds, against everything he understood in that moment, started to sing.
"Where have all the good men gone,~"
"And where are all the Gods?~"
Her hand came up, pressed against her forehead lengthways as she turned as though looking for something.
"Where's the streetwise Heracles,~"
"To fight the rising odds?"
Another spotlight sprang up, this time on the far right.
A tall blonde and a short white haired duo of women, both with their backs pressed against one another and then, while Artemis fell silent, they took that as their cue to start singing.
"Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed,~"
"Late at night, I toss and I turn,~"
"And I dream of what I need!~"
The final three pillars burst into life.
Ritsuka felt himself make a noise that didn't even sound human.
"I need a hero!"
The rest of the verse was tuned out by the sound of Romani spitting his coffee out onto his lap, soon followed by a choking and gagging sound as the man went red in the face, throwing himself back into his chair and pointing at the screen.
The ability to create words escaped him at that one moment.
In the same token, the same could have been said of Da Vinci as well.
Given that she had immediately burst out into an uproar of laughter the second the lights sprang on and the final trio started to sing.
Or rather, their focus was on only a single individual.
That being the one slap bang in the middle of them and upon the tallest pillar.
Clad in a midnight black bikini dotted with gleaming lights like that of a night sky, it was the unmistakable figure of the missing Director.
That was what the rational side of Kerry concluded at that moment.
In actuality, she took after Da Vinci and started to laugh in the second she saw what was going on. Falling forwards and catching herself on the desk, bringing a fist up and down as she struggled to breath amidst her cackles.
"I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night!~"
Mash was wholly unsure what she was supposed to have been feeling at this moment, all she knew was that she was unable to tear her eyes away from the performance.
"Oh? She's rather impressive." She was mutely aware of the comment of Gwynevere at her, side, despite the words the tone remained rather empty, like it was nothing more than a mere observation, but it still felt genuine.
All Mash could do was muster the strength to nod her head up and down, still staring at the Director singing her heart out with an expression she'd never seen on the woman before in her life. Such a carefree emotion full of light, a far cry from the tense or sometimes irritable face she wore elsewhere.
It was…strangely hypnotic, in a way, that she could not tear her eyes away from this sight.
"He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight!~"
Others might have been singing in tune with her, but that was nothing to him.
Gawyn had his eyes solely fixed on the woman at the top, with gleaming white hair and bright amber eyes, he focused on her with something he'd never felt before. It was a warmth in his chest when he saw that expression on her face.
One devoid of anything even resembling unease or worry.
It was…bliss.
Pure and simple bliss.
He didn't know why but the way she looked, the way she moved, the way she sounded, all of them resonated deep within him in that one moment.
Seeing her like this, watching this woman act like this, it felt…
…Gratifying.
As though an invisible burden was pulled from his shoulders.
She was happy.
This place, this chance to do this, was making her happy.
Ah…so that was what it was…
He was…pleased that she was happy, that all of these people were happy.
A sea of smiles, devoid of pain or anguish.
None of it was born of his duty, not a single one stemmed from duty, but as he stared at them, he felt nothing but relief that they were so pleased. That they were so joyous.
This.
This was what he was supposed to do.
This was what he was to protect.
These smiling faces.
That…that was what Mother wanted him to do.
That was what he needed to do for Master Ritsuka.
Protect these smiling faces but it was more than that.
Before he could even realise it, he was smiling as well.
"I need a hero!~"
"I'm holding out for a Hero 'till the morning light!~"
There were many things that could be said to have surprised Kalameet in his life, most of them have come from this world. Incredible that in the short time he'd been here, he had found himself baffled as many times as this.
However, this was something that he was wholly unprepared for.
Seeing Olga like this, watching her make such a pleasing sound with such confidence in her expression and movements.
Yes, it was expected.
His eyes turned to those either side of him, their hands shooting up and down into the air with joyous grins on their faces.
As expected of Olga Marie Animusphere.
He hadn't felt this since the stars fell.
Yes.
It was beautiful…that was the word Vinci had once used.
"He's gotta be sure, and he's gotta be soon and he's gotta be larger than life!~"
"Larger than life!~"
If he wasn't convinced of it before, then he had been thoroughly convinced right now.
There was definitely something wrong with this Singularity.
Despite how much he found himself utterly enamoured with the performance, his eyes instead remained focused on just the simple fact that it was the Director up there and singing. Nevermind the fact she was singing with Nero and it wasn't terrible.
Or an acquired taste, if he was to be polite.
Really, he should have been looking for something amiss here, but it could probably wait until after the song was over.
Yeah…after the song was over.
Then he could get his worries across.
Not-yet-summer resort: Interlude III
"What about that one?"
Flann turned his head to the direction his companion pointed, raising a brow at it for a single second before he exhaled. While it was true that it was far below his standards, it was also something that he knew for a fact had been created by his daughter.
Anything that Hanleth felt the urge to get up and actually work towards was, at the very least, worth his full attention.
"It will suffice." His feet carried him forwards until he paused and stared down at the sign, raising a single brow as he read off the words on the chalk stand just in front of the door. Squinting at it as he tried and failed to understand why exactly this was something that was worth noting.
"Maid Cafe." Reading aloud, he turned towards his companion with a raised brow. "Why are they advertising that as though it is somehow setting it apart from the others? Who else would be working inside of a place where one eats?"
The blonde man shrugged their shoulders, placing their hands on their hips and furrowing their own brows. "Truth be told, I find myself equally puzzled by this turn of events. One would assume that it would be worth noting if the cafe was not run by maids and was instead manned by something else…like knights."
Flann crinkled his brow at the odd image of a Silver Knight serving drinks.
"...I find myself rather baffled by the imagination that can strike you at any given moment." He replied slowly to to Nudd, then shook his head and returned his attention to the door and moved forwards, resting his hand on the front of it and pushing inwards. "That being said, I would admit that it would certainly be something far more adventurous than-wha-!?"
His feet slipped out from underneath him, catching himself on the handle of the door as he stepped in and hearing the unappealing sound of metal shrieking as it was pulled out of place, narrowly managing to avoid slipping onto his backside. Within the span of a single breath, he was upright once again and sending a glare towards the floor.
The glare vanished as he found his reflection looking right back at him.
Flann found himself briefly stricken by the nature of the floor.
Black and white squares in an even pattern, but had been buffed and cleaned to the point where he could see the visible shine on them.
Perhaps if he had not just slipped the moment he stepped through the front door, he would have more praise for whomever was the one who cleaned it. As it stood, it was clear that the maids who worked here were rather enthusiastic when it came to their duties.
Admittedly, it was better than them not caring about them in the first place.
"Are you alright there?"
He registered the voice of Nudd behind him, nodding his head up and down while glancing to the handle of the door. He kept his expression even as he pulled his fingers off it and revealed the crumbled metal which had bent and rolled to perfectly accommodate his grip. To say nothing of the fact the top half of it had been yanked clean out of the door itself.
"I believe I am quite-"
"Alonne! You nearly took out another customer with those floors! I told you to stop using so much polish!"
A rather loud voice cut off whatever he was going to say, his brief flash of indignation was buried as he registered the words, turning his head further into the small establishment and briefly pausing at the sight that was before him. Raising his brow very slowly as he watched a pink haired individual shout into the kitchens with a rather excited tone of voice, all while they pointed to the ground.
It was only mere seconds before a voice came back.
"You demanded my aid in cleaning. Do not underestimate my prowess in the art." Whomever the speaker was, they had a refined manner about them when it came to dialogue, and they certainly sounded as though they took it seriously.
Regardless of all that, Flann curled his lip down and glanced to the floor once again, staring at the mark where he had made a small scuff from his slipping over.
"Goodness, they aren't kidding with all this polish." Nudd whispered as they stepped into the room, Flann watched his fellow God cling to the door as though it was a lifeline and pull themselves in, just about making it into a balance and avoiding falling over in the process.
Flann nodded his head mutely, then turned his focus back to the room and paused as he watched one of the people break away and walk towards him.
…It was difficult to keep his face even.
The woman was shorter than him, but her maid attire was something that was far from being…proper, or at least what he would have assumed was the outfit of a standard maid. It looked more as though it was some manner of costume from a less than reputable place, with her skirt much too high and her cleavage exposed to the world.
That being said, her warm and welcoming smile was just about enough to allow him to overlook the peculiarities with her dress. Just about, but it was still rather odd.
"Welcome, masters, to our humble little cafe." The woman bowed in such a way that it was more like a dance, even spinning on one foot as she curtsied and managed to avoid losing her balance entirely as she came back up, lightly clapping her hands together and glancing between the two of them. "Might I be so kind as to show you to a free table?"
Flann nodded his head, soon being led across the room at a very slow pace.
The floors were treacherous.
He and Nudd were soon seated down opposite one another, a pair of papers placed in front of them with a list of items upon them.
"I will be along shortly to ask for your orders." The woman went on as he got comfortable. "I am Mata Hari, and I will be your maid for the duration of your stay. Please, enjoy yourselves and don't hesitate to let us know."
And with that, she danced away.
Flann turned his head and watched her depart, looking between her feet and the woman herself as she somehow managed to perform a rather graceful routine across the floors and didn't slip face first onto the ground.
…This woman was rather skilled, clearly trained as a dancer of sorts.
He turned back around, then found himself subject to the blank stare of Nudd.
"...What?"
"Nothing, nothing." The blonde replied rather innocently, Flann grumbled quietly and brought the menu up, reading through the list of beverages and foods, recognising none of them. It was as though he was reading an entirely different language, he masked his confusion as well as he could, merely nodding his head up and down and humming to himself.
"...She seemed rather good at dancing, didn't she?"
Nudd commented rather suddenly after a moment.
Flann waited for only a second before he replied.
"...I suppose she did." He agreed, then felt a pang of something shoot through his chest. His lip curled upwards. "Hanleth always did have an eye for talent."
Nudd smiled as well, clearly impressed by his daughters discerning nature.
As well they should have been.
Silence fell between the two of them, then Nudd spoke up.
"I'm going to have a parfait."
He took the lifeline for what it was, if his fellow King was going to have something like that, then it was clearly a dish worthy of their status.
"Then I will as well."