Like Father, Like Son
Medea ushered Berserker into the other room, letting out a sigh of relief now that she was out of the presence of her overbearing aunt and her… vexing Master. Honestly, the man was somehow better at getting under her skin than Jason, and entirely well meaning, so she couldn't even be justifiably mad at him!
"Okay, let's get you fixed up." Medea groused, wiping the Servant of Madness down with a wave of her hand. "You're of limited use as a beat stick in the best of times, the least you can do is not be injured."
"Ar…thur…" Berserker growled.
"Riveting." Medea deadpanned. "Lightly singed, minor wounds, for a Servant at least, a cursed hole in your chest that persisted even in death and a complete lack of priorities. I can do something about the first two, but naught for the latter. Apologies."
"Ar…thur…" Berserker grumbled, ignoring Medea's biting snark.
"Hecate damn it, I don't why I even bother with you." Medea groused, muttering high speed incantations to begin the magic doing its work. The spells chosen were slower than her best, which was punishment for not responding to her properly, but also largely automatic, allowing her to turn her mind to better things.
"Caster can you… make sure she's alright?"
Medea glowered at the memory of her Master's endlessly self-sacrificing nature. Had that nightmare of an Archer stubbed her toe in the midst of trying to murder them all, Medea was half convinced Shirou would drop everything to go kiss it better.
Hmm… maybe she ought to stub her own toe…
Medea shook her head to rid it of unhelpful, if pleasant, thoughts. Though the memory and fear of Archer stuck a bit. "Honestly, the one thing you Berserkers are good for is running right at the enemy and swinging with abandon, and where are you when your Master is confronted by a powerful Servant? Falling down chimneys like Santa, apparently with the fires still lit."
"Ar…thur…" Medea ignored the response, finally able to vent at the perfect combination of human and brick wall.
"And who knows what trouble you
actually got up to. I ought to tether you to Shirou, if just to insure you don't go making enemies every time that we turn our backs. I only refrain because I'm not sure if you could even comprehend what was happening. Perhaps a more literal leash would be more appropriate."
Medea paused a moment, mind filled with the image of herself and Shirou, walking arm in arm down the sidewalk, with Berserker ahead of them on all fours, tugging at the collar and leash as hard as she could to no avail. With noticeably heavier breath, Medea turned to consider Berserker again.
"Ar..thur…" Okay, not a sparkling conversationalist, but she was beautiful in a rugged sort of way. A tomboyish charm in that spiky blonde hair, green eyes that might be piercing if they weren't dulled by madness, clear skin as smooth as marble where it wasn't marred by jagged scars in an appealing contrast.
"There's definitely potential here… Perhaps I ought to make you some more casual outfits so Master doesn't have to lug around two tons of armor. Now let's see…" Medea mused, eyeing Berserker up and down. "Maybe we should really play up the Servant angle. You're a little too rough around the edges for a maid outfit, but… oh yes, I think you could pull off the butler uniform."
Of course, if she were justifying it as part and parcel of being a Servant, Medea would herself be expected to wear a maid outfit around Shirou… Would he prefer classical Victorian look, a traditional Japanese twist, or maybe the short skirted French look? Perhaps she'd shelve the aesthetic for now, until there was more data.
Perhaps instead of running counter to her strengths, Medea could lean into Berserker's strong points. There was a certain appeal to going full caveman, putting Berserker in furs and bone. Turn that horned helmet into an ox skull. Accentuate with golden ornamentation in tasteful amounts and places. Feral, but cute. Especially once Medea remembered that in combat Berserker would often smile manically, revealing a downright adorable little fang.
Or Berserker looked young enough to pose as a fellow student and follow Master to Homurahara Academy. Medea would need to get one of those serafuku to see if Berserker could pull the look off. To better protect their Master of course, and keep Berserker from running off whenever. No other reason. Of course.
Which brought her full circle to the leash idea. Of course, Berserker's look would need updating for that. There was no issue with a simple pair of cat ears, attached by either magic or headband, but Medea could get so much more… dangerous with the look. She'd want Shirou's permission before making such a radical decision though.
Still, there was merit to showing a little more skin than a full suit of armor did. Maybe some short shorts, a little crop top… Hmm, maybe a bit too much skin. Ooh, a leather jacket to complete that tough gal look Berserker had going on. Yeah, that would be a good look. Still missing a little something though.
Medea snapped her fingers as the epiphany occurred to her. What could add spice to any outfit, improving it instantly? Glasses. Indeed, a little megane tied the whole thing together in her mind. The only question now was which outfit she would dress her little doll, Medea shook her head,
Berserker, her
Master's Berserker up in. What outfit to dress Berserker up in?
With endless possibilities before her, Medea could only settle on one course of action. Make several copies of Berserker in miniature, each with their own outfits, so she could compare them all at once. She could even repurpose one of her old potion cabinets into a display case!
"Ar...thur..." If Medea had been paying attention, she might have noticed the looming dread seeping into Berserker's tone.
A/N: Medea gets a hobby. It will be Shirou's duty as her Master to support her in this endeavor, while never asking questions.
P.S. I went to look at the quest's Mordred art for reference, and the naked hole-in-the-chest one in 2.7 is just a broken link atm. Dunno if that's just me or something QM side.
