026 - Around the bonfire

Jeanne D'Arc

Wandering around a battered fort as everyone around her busied themselves between emergency repairs and preparing a celebration is something of a nostalgic feeling. This happened more than once and more than twice while she was still alive. Once upon a time, she would've seamlessly joined the efforts, but her attempts at lending were more and more often met with polite but firm rebuffs as her name and face became well known amongst the troops.

That's the price of prestige and respect, as Charles used to take delight in reminding her. Oftentimes, it didn't matter whether she wanted to lend a shoulder or not, the troops would take offense at the mere suggestion of her 'lowering herself' to do their jobs.

It also leaves her without much to do beyond wandering around.

She's already been politely kicked out of the battlements, the storehouse, the courtyard and the kitchens due to trying to sneak some help in. The only place her efforts were welcome was the infirmary, but there's only so much she could do for the wounded and dead before there was simply nothing else to do.

As the day neared its end and the sun started sinking over the horizon, Jeanne found herself drawn towards the huge bonfire that was lit in the middle of the courtyard. Towards someone sitting by it, to be precise. A young girl of pure eyes carrying a huge shield, who gave off a feeling like a Servant but not quite, just like Jeanne herself.

"You are… Kyrielight-san, right? From Chaldea?" She walks up to the girl, a tentative smile on her lips. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Ah… D'Arc-san?" Upon being called out, the girl turns around and tilts her head in the most adorable of ways. "I don't mind, but are you fine with this? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Please, just Jeanne is fine." Jeanne asks, already taking a seat. "Why would I be uncomfortable?"

"Ah, same here! Please just call me Mashu!" The earnest girl hurries to reciprocate before shifting uncomfortably in place. "And, well… I'm sitting so close to the fire, so I thought…"

It takes a moment for Jeanne to even realize what Mashu is talking about. Of course, she was supposed to have been burned at the stake mere days ago. Case is, the circumstances surrounding her death are one of the biggest and bluntest holes in her memories. Even if she had the memories though, she doubts they would ever react so… extremely as to resent the fire. Things happened as they had to happen, it wouldn't be fair for her to carry a grudge about it.

"Oh, that. You don't need to worry about it." Jeanne reassures her, waving a hand to inject some levity. "I don't really remember that part."

"Is that so…" Even after being reassured, Mashu still looks a bit uncomfortable. How sweet of her. "What brings Jeanne-san here?"

"What brings me here… That's a good question, actually." Jeanne hums thoughtfully, staring into the dancing flames for a while before finally giving an answer. "I suppose I was feeling curious. What's it like, being a Demi-Servant?"

"Being a Demi-Servant? I guess… I guess it's the best thing to ever happen to me. Thanks to that, I can leave Chaldea and explore the outside world. But more than that, it gives me a chance to stand beside Senpai." The girl answers with a bright smile, though it slowly fades away as she trails off. "It's also… very upsetting. I am supposed to be the shield that protects Senpai, the champion to fight her battles, but…"

"Things didn't quite work out to plan, did they?" Jeanne gently pats Mashu's shoulder as the girl lets out a disheartened sigh. "They never do"

"Senpai is stronger than me, she can go toe-to-toe with real Servants, while I am but a mere copy. No matter what I achieve, no matter how hard I try, it feels like it'll never be enough." Mashu complains with a pout and not quite a whine. "I have the skills of a Servant, but I lack the memories that should accompany them. Power without the experience to use it is just a waste. My body is nowhere near the level of a pure Heroic Spirit, either. And I don't even properly understand my own Noble Phantasm. I can't even deploy it without help."

"You feel like a fake, like a pretender trying to fill shoes too big for her." Jeanne mutters softly.

"Yes, that's right!" Mashu perks up at these words, expression brightening at the display of empathy. "How did you…?"

"Because I feel the same." Jeanne confesses with a sheepish smile.

"Jeanne-san?"

"Don't look at me like that, it's not that weird." Jeanne can't quite help a chuckle at the expense of Mashu's confused expression. "My summoning here was… extremely irregular. My memories were a mess, my power barely a shade of what it should be and I could no longer hear the Voice of God. If not for Leysritt and Sella, I would've been completely lost. It's thanks to their help and advice that I took up my flag and lent my aid to those trying to fight off the Dragon Witch all over France. I shiver to think how things would've played out without them."

"Leysritt-san and Sella-san? I haven't met them yet." The girl comments, leaning a bit closer in obvious interest. "Apparently, they are homunculus?"

"I don't believe that truly matters." Jeanne chides lightly, the smile slipping her lips for the first time as she shows a sterner expression. "They are great people who helped me when I needed it most, regardless of how they came to be."

"Oh, no, no! That's not what I meant at all!" Mashu hurries to clarify, leaning back with both palms raised in surrender. "I was curious because… because of personal reasons.

"Oh." Jeanne wasn't exactly the sharpest person in life. Others picked up the slack for her when it came to logic problems or critical thinking and her moments of insight were due to the Voice of God more often than not. But she was good at empathy and understanding what people were really trying to convey with their words. "You too?"

"Please, keep it a secret?" It's Mashu's turn to look sheepish. "I'm not supposed to let others know."

"It's not my secret to share." Jeanne reassures her. "My lips are sealed."

"Thank goodness…" The girl sighs in relief before her expression turns hesitant again. "Um, about what you said earlier… How do you deal with it? How do you keep moving forward, in spite of everything?"

"The same way you do, I think." Jeanne muses. "Even if we're not enough, even if we feel like fakes, we can only keep doing our best to move forward. Because we can't bear the thought of doing anything else, because we want to live without regrets."

"What if my best… No, nevermind." Whatever Mashu was about to say, she thinks better of it, shaking her head before giving Jeanne a bright, grateful smile. "Thank you for your kind words, Jeanne-san."

As Mashu bids her farewell and leaves the campfire to retreat for the night, Jeanne's smile grows a bit brighter. She's not sure how much this conversation has helped the other girl, but she certainly feels better now. To keep doing her best so she can live on without regrets… it might have been her own words, but saying them out loud has helped quite a bit with her own doubts and hesitations.

Elizabeth Bathory

In life, Elizabeth Bathory had a… complicated relationship with maids. As a young girl, maids were both servants existing to cater to her every whim and unfathomable existences capable of accomplishing anything. And the less it's said about her older self, the better. That pretentious shriveled-out prune of a hag saw them as livestock, but it was that livestock that ultimately led to her end.

Of course, the actual thoughts running through her head at the time were considerably simpler, the Draconic Super-Idol Eli-Chan™ isn't one for deep introspection to the point where hearing her getting philosophical could be taken as a sign of the end of times, after all.

It didn't change the fact that she has some very mixed feelings about traveling around with two maids. Especially because, with Liz and Sella, she wasn't dealing with the average maid servant anymore. They have become the legend, the legend her living self both loved and feared. Liz and Sella are the Legendary Super Maids!

They are perfect, they are elegant, they can do anything( and they give the best headpats). But then you turn around and they're suddenly the scariest creatures in the world!

"You won't find your Anchin here. We wish you the best of luck in your next try and may all your wishes be fulfilled."

A shiver goes down her spine and she scuttles a bit closer to the fire bonfire. What's wrong with this stupid French night anyway? It's way too cold!

"I know you have dragon blood and the heat doesn't really bother you." A voice suddenly comments from right beside Elizabeth, catching her by utter surprise. "But if you stand so close to the fire, your clothes might catch fire."

"Fugiah–!" Elizabeth jumps away from the unexpected voice, neatly tripping with her own seat and falling ass over teakettle on the cold and dirty ground. Fortunately, her lightning-fast Servant reflexes allow her to bounce back to her feet too fast for the naked eye, so nobody saw her little faux-pas. "Wait, no! I mean! Who the heck are you? Where did you come from? I don't sign autographs outside scheduled events!"

"Oh, don't mind me." The voice continues. "I just saw you sitting here alone and thought I'd strike up some conversation. I have a bit of a proposal too."

Elizabeth finally looks up towards the source of the voice, finding herself face to face with a pretty young woman of golden eyes and vivid orange hair.

"O–Oh are you one of my piggies?" Elizabeth tries to recompose herself, puffing up her chest and adopting a confident demeanor. "Here to bask in the presence of the Draconic Super-Idol Eli-Chan™?"

"Piggy? Sorry, I'm not really interested in simping after just any random underground idol." The girl immediately answers in a deadpan voice, ruthlessly crushing Elizabeth's frail and delicate heart. "But if you impress me enough, I might just become your producer."

That line changes everything.

"A– A producer!" That's it, the first step all idols require to truly make it big! Play it cool, Eli, play it cool! "I– I mean… I won't say that offer isn't interesting, but I can't take just anyone for such an important role, you know? I have high standards too, you know?"

She won't sell herself cheap, not even to a young and pretty redhead with a cheerful disposition and easy smile. Even if she checks a lot of Elizabeth's boxes, appearances aren't what matters here, but merits, merits! She has already done a lot of image training to resist the charms of handsome older men trying to woo her into their agencies, so she can do this!

Surely!

Certainly!

Probably.

The pretty redhead's eyes twinkle mischievously and Elizabeth feels a knot forming on her throat and her knees go weak.

… Maybe.

"I have experience wrangling multiple women of wildly different backgrounds into friendly cooperation towards common goals, in spite of them all being attracted towards the same romantic interest. " F– For real? But that's… only the best of the best producers can manage something like that! N– No, Eli, don't fall for the first pretty face who offers you a good deal! "I'm also a certified three-star chef according to the last Michelin Guide…"

Guh–! Targeting her stomach like that, such ruthless marketing tactics! If not for the Super Maids preparing all her latest meals, she might've immediately caved! But no, good food that guarantees you'll never have to eat burnt squirrel and drink boiled grass has nothing to do with being an idol! Stay strong, Eli-chan!

"And Chaldea's budget for R&R events is in the eight digits."

"...Sold!"

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