What would the team dynamics be like if just one of the other members of Team A were revived at this point? I haven't played the game so I don't know who these people are. Also, what would things have been like if an extra made it through the initial explosion, giving Chaldea 4 Masters instead?
What would the team dynamics be like if just one of the other members of Team A were revived at this point? I haven't played the game so I don't know who these people are. Also, what would things have been like if an extra made it through the initial explosion, giving Chaldea 4 Masters instead?
Well, a good-sized chunk of Team A was genuinely pretty twisted as people, but each one was uniquely so. How it would turn out would very much depend on which specific one emerged unscathed from the blast.
Saying anything beyond that would be spoilers for the Lostbelts.
What would the team dynamics be like if just one of the other members of Team A were revived at this point? I haven't played the game so I don't know who these people are. Also, what would things have been like if an extra made it through the initial explosion, giving Chaldea 4 Masters instead?
For starters? Also, spoilers follow, with onlyone being outright quick-spoiler'd (for LB7), so beware:
1. Kadoc Zemlupus (might) not have quite the same degree of an inferiority complex as in canon, but given his prickly personality? Unlikely to get along well with the twins and/or Mash and having a 'co-workers only; we are NOT friends' relationship with Taylor.
2. Ophelia <can't be assed to spell her family name>? Too distracted by being Wodime's 'secretary' to be any sort of sempai to the twins, but would have less-adversarial/confrontational relations with Taylor and keeping her soft spot towards the eggplant kouhai.
3. 'Akuta Hinako'? Utterly standoff-ish without her beloved Xiang Yu OR her one-time best friend Gao Changgong/Prince of Lan Ling and just wanting to be left alone... although probably quietly amused by the various antics.
4. 'Scandinavia Peperoncino'? The proverbial 'heart' of the would-be Crypters who keeps attempting to get everyone to socialize, all-the-while keeping a tad distant himself, as along with Beryl Gut, Pepe is Team A's dirty tricks guy.
5. Kirschtaria Wodime? Doing his level best to be the sempai to the twins that Taylor has and probably doing a good job of it, his odd personality quirks aside; also doubling up as a magecraft instructor along with Waver El-Melloi II.
6. Beryl Gut? Disliked by the near-entirety of Team A (minus the sheer idealist that is Wodime and/or Daybit?) AND Chaldea's command staff for his twisted 'affections' towards Mash, but more-or-less non-apologetic about it all.
7. Daybit Sem Void? Given his canonical limitations re: the five minutes per day worth of memories, and no more, unapologetically blunt and highly concise in ANY conversations, making him too awkward to interact with.
Finally have time to devote more of my time to reading and not working my butt off. Well then: Taylor and Arash, how far along are they in their slow burn as of the latest chapter? I normally skip ahead when reading, but with romances of this sort, you have to appreciate the buildup, even if I have to spoil myself a bit.
4. 'Scandinavia Peperoncino'? The proverbial 'heart' of the would-be Crypters who keeps attempting to get everyone to socialize, all-the-while keeping a tad distant himself, as along with Beryl Gut, Pepe is Team A's dirty tricks guy.
5. Kirschtaria Wodime? Doing his level best to be the sempai to the twins that Taylor has and probably doing a good job of it, his odd personality quirks aside; also doubling up as a magecraft instructor along with Waver El-Melloi II.
Honestly these 2 are probably the best ones that could be revived in story, not only for the fact they're insanely powerful (especially Wodime the farther back you go), but the fact they're both synergistic with Taylor in different ways, with Pepe being double the underhanded and Wodime being the most obvious danger letting Taylor and either Arash or Jackie be their sneaky selves.
This story and this chapter brought to you by my wonderful supporters, whose kindness and generosity have made it possible to devote so much of my time and attention to writing, especially Eric, s22132, AbyssalApsu, Mark, Peter Parker, and Alias 2v10. You guys are absolute legends. To show my gratitude, they had the chance to read this and upcoming chapters before the public release. You can find out more HERE.
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And now that the shameless plugging is out of the way... Chapter CLXVII: Roman Holiday
"Another excellent simulation, Taylor," said Da Vinci, smiling. "Bravo. The traps might have been…somewhat basic, but for the limitations you had to work under, quite wonderfully done."
The debriefing after the simulation was over was fairly quick. In truth, the twins hadn't done all that much wrong. They sent Emiya out to scout the possible locations I could have chosen to secure as my base of operations, then put a plan into action on the last possible hiding spot they had originally accounted for, and even theorized that I could listen in on planning session and come to the only conclusion they could have with what they had on hand themselves.
They had even remembered and learned from our last simulation and used knowledge from the Fuyuki Singularity to figure out that I was likely to eschew the temple entirely and hide out in the cavern instead. I was…actually kind of proud of them for that, and for the subsequent decision to send Emiya in to attack "me" directly while they distracted Siegfried up at the temple.
Strictly speaking, they had made just about every right decision they could have, under the circumstances, and the only real failure had been their inability to realize that when I said they had access to the full breadth of their mystic codes, I meant all of it, including the Shadow Servant function. Not that I could entirely fault them for not realizing that they would have it inside the simulation, but they'd missed the hint I'd dropped for them at the start, and if they hadn't, they probably would have been able to actually win.
Unfortunately, that was the only winning move I'd left them. The rest of the simulation had been built entirely to be unwinnable and to punish them using their knowledge of my previous tactics and strategies, because the enemy wouldn't be that easily read and there were dangers to overthinking the enemy's plans. Expecting me to be under the mountain in the cavern was one of their biggest mistakes, and it had…unintentionally cost Emiya his "life."
I felt bad about that.
"You don't think I was too harsh on them?" I asked, watching the door they had left through. Jeanne Alter in particular had thrown me a nasty look as she went, evidently very displeased with how I had taken her out.
Because "losing" Emiya again had very obviously hit Rika hard, and while she'd tried to hide it, her quietness during the debrief spoke volumes. If it had been intentional, I might have been able to address it better, but frankly, I'd underestimated exactly how potent it would be to remove the "flash" component from Aífe's flashbang rune spell and layer them across the tunnel.
They hadn't seen it, but the twins and Mash weren't the only ones startled when the mountain started shaking like it was about to erupt.
"Don't be absurd," Marie huffed. "We've already solved five Singularities, and the next three won't be any easier. If they forget to take advantage of everything available to them in the future, it's going to cost them a lot more than some hurt pride!"
"A bit blunt, Director, but a very valid point," said Da Vinci. She sighed. "As hard as Rika took it when we lost Emiya back during Okeanos, I'm afraid she's going to have to get used to the idea that we might take more casualties in the future. With how easily Sakata Kintoki and Nicola Tesla were dispatched at the end of the last Singularity, it's frankly a bit of a miracle that the King of Mages decided not to kill anyone else on our team."
It was my turn to sigh. She had a bit of a point. Solomon killing Andersen so easily was one thing — Andersen wasn't a fighter, and it wouldn't have taken much to do him in anyway — but Kintoki was a powerful warrior from Japan's era of mystics, a figure straight out of myth, and the mythologizing of Tesla had turned him into an incredible Servant, too. They had both stood up to that Lancer version of King Arthur, after all, and played some part in her defeat.
And Solomon had killed them both so casually that it was frankly no less terrifying now than it had been then. That Jackie had survived… No, it was probably some kind of joke on his part. As though he was proving that I had become "more pathetic" since Gold Morning by showing how much I cared about her.
Fuck you, I thought darkly. I forged my weaknesses into strength, and he just sat behind his power like he was untouchable. Invincible.
Scion must have thought so, too.
"Ugh, don't remind me," Marie groused. "Either one of those two would have been incredible additions to Chaldea, and yet they both died before we could establish a contract and record their Saint Graphs in the FATE System for future summoning!"
Especially when one of them had an EX Noble Phantasm. That hadn't become any less ridiculous, and having that on our side would probably have been gamechanging against future Demon Gods.
"Yes, well, it's not as though we didn't record any data about them at all," said Da Vinci with an awkward smile. "I want to say we should still be able to use it to summon them in the future, even if it wouldn't be quite as much of a guarantee…but our track record with summoning the Heroic Spirits we intended to summon hasn't been all that stellar, has it?"
"At this point, anything less than three Quasi-Spiritron Crystals might be too little to even consider," Marie agreed grumpily.
Da Vinci's smile became more genuine. "Why, Director, I thought you considered Saint Quartz to be a valuable and very limited resource! Too limited and too valuable, in fact, to spare more than the absolute bare minimum when using them to summon a Servant!"
Marie made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat. "Just because I'm acknowledging the realities of our circumstances doesn't mean my opinion has changed! Ideally, a simple catalyst or a recorded Saint Graph pattern should be enough, but even if the FATE System is working properly enough now to guarantee that we can actually summon Servants and get results, that doesn't mean I'm satisfied when they aren't the results we wanted."
Da Vinci raised a hand. "Message received, Director. I'll see if I can narrow down the variables some more and try to refine the FATE System into what it was originally intended to be, but I have to be completely honest and tell you that I'm not sure it's possible. At the end of the day, even the Fuyuki Grail System it's based off of wasn't always guaranteed to summon the exact Servant the Master wanted."
"Which is why I'm not insisting on it harder," Marie agreed grimly. "That we managed to summon Emiya back properly and got the correct Emperor Nero when we attempted to summon her are the exceptions at this point, not the rule." She lanced Da Vinci with a hard stare. "Having said that, I'm still expecting you to put in your best effort when it comes to narrowing down the variables that messed up our previous attempts! Even if the most you can do is tell us that there's nothing else we can do, that's still more to go on than what we have now!"
"And it's on my list of things to investigate," Da Vinci promised. "Unfortunately, at the moment, the next Singularity is still taking priority, and on that front, I'm afraid I don't have any more news for you than I did a week ago."
Marie grunted unhappily. "Any estimates? A timeline for when we could expect to know more?"
"For the time being? No." Da Vinci shook her head. "There is too much in flux with the Singularity and its formation right now. Truthfully, Director, it might take me another month to get anything of worth. It's resisting our efforts to scan it that much."
Marie clicked her tongue. "So we still don't have any idea what that bastard meant when he told Taylor that she could put her demons to rest or whatever."
"No, I'm afraid not."
Truthfully, I worried that the Singularity being so elusive and hard to pin down had more to do with what was in the Singularity than with how it was forming. There was one thing I could think of that would make observing its location and time period difficult, because the only thing that made sense for what Solomon had said was that I would be seeing some old faces in the next Singularity.
A passenger or two could definitely skew the readings, the way mine did for my Corona. The only trouble was that I had no idea how that would work in a space-time already as twisted and messy as a Singularity, because passengers weren't limited to a single reality the way we humans and Servants were. It shouldn't be possible for them to get trapped like that.
Not unless Solomon was even more powerful than he had let on in London.
Da Vinci turned to me. "In any case, Taylor, how did things perform? I realize you didn't have much opportunity to test out what it was like to have a Servant's strength and speed inside that simulation, but since you were playing the role of a Caster, I suppose that's only to be expected."
"It felt…" Good was a word for it. For how little I'd gotten to test the limits of it, it had felt like I was so much lighter and sprier, and frankly, I thought it was probably better that I didn't try it too often. It would get to my head. "About how I expected. Charging up that Gandr and making it strong enough to take out Jeanne Alter was…effortless."
Like I could have done it a hundred times over and fired them back to back without breaking so much as a sweat. And being able to leap up to the top of the temple gate, relying on my flight pack only to stabilize my landing? Intoxicating. It was easy to see why Brutes often felt so confident in a fight.
"I'm sorry I couldn't calibrate a faster reaction time for you," Da Vinci said apologetically, smiling, "but even though your body's physical limits are easy enough to modify in the simulation, I'm afraid that is a limitation of your brain and central nervous system — and there's a limit to how far I can adjust those."
Because it was still just a simulation, and my reaction time still ran off of the speed at which my neurons could fire. Yeah.
"Still," she went on, "it's good to know it worked properly. That will be useful in calibrating future simulations, should we summon or contract a Servant in the future whose strength and speed might change under specific circumstances. Monstrous Strength and such the like."
I shifted. "I did have a question about one of the things I asked you for before we started."
Da Vinci cocked an eyebrow and waited for me to speak.
"If the twins had actually attempted to use the Shadow Servant function of their mystic codes, would it have worked, or was I lying to them?"
Marie's face twisted into a complicated expression, but Da Vinci only laughed.
"Just who do you take me for, exactly?" she asked pompously. "I am Leonardo da Vinci, Taylor! Uomo Universale! Programming the simulator to keep the other Servants on the sidelines unless and until they were summoned as 'Shadows' was child's play! Of course it would have worked!"
I guess it wouldn't have mattered if it didn't, but it was good to know. The mere act of trying — whether or not it succeeded — would have been enough for me to let them have the victory.
"Stop being overly dramatic," Marie snapped at her. "You're not talking to a new recruit, remember? Both of us know full well exactly how capable you are." Under her breath, she added, "As though I could ever forget it."
Because she owed her life to Da Vinci's genius. Twice over, even, both with storing her soul in an Unregistered Spirit Origin and then with crafting a puppet body for her to inhabit that was so realistic it was essentially indistinguishable from her real body.
"Sorry, sorry," said Da Vinci, although she didn't sound particularly sorry, "it's just been a while since I've had the chance to do something like that. Hard to play up my talents when everyone here is quite familiar with how impressive I am, yes? Although I'm sure Emperor Nero would be suitably impressed, were she to find herself faced with an example of my genius. Perhaps Hippolyta might as well, given that she hasn't had a chance to see the full extent of it yet."
"Good luck with that," said Marie. "Now, I've got a job to return to, and so do you, Da Vinci. Are we done here?"
"Ah, one last thing," said Da Vinci, holding up a finger. "You see, Emperor Nero has requested that a proper communal bath be installed in the facility, so that she might enjoy a taste of home, as it were. I thought it prudent to ask you for permission before making any promises."
Marie's mouth twisted and her face contorted, nose scrunching up and brow furrowing, but after a moment, grudgingly and quietly, she allowed, "I guess it's not like we don't have the rooms to spare, do we?"
"All things considered…" Da Vinci left the sentence hanging.
Marie heaved out a deep, heavy, soul-weary sigh, like she just didn't have the will or the energy to fight about it. "Fine. If you can find somewhere in the facility where it won't disrupt anything or endanger any of other important functions, then Nero can have her bath." The words looked like they physically pained her. "And until then, she has permission to make trips into Septem to bathe in her own baths."
Abruptly, she held up a finger of her own. "But only once a week! I'm willing to let that slide, but daily Rayshifts into an already resolved Singularity for no reason other than to bathe is just too frivolous and I won't allow it!"
A thought occurred to me. "Why not today?"
Marie looked at me, startled. "What?"
"There's no reason why not, is there?" I said, explaining my reasoning. "Things have been…slow since we got back from London, and we had to spend a large part of our time there cooped up in Jekyll's apartment anyway. It would do everyone a lot of good to have a chance to get out, stretch our legs, and relax away from the facility for a little while every now and again.
"In fact," I went on, because now that the idea had come, it made more and more sense the more I thought about it, "if the Singularities start taking long and longer to pin down confidently enough for us to deploy, then it might be a good idea to make regular excursions into the already resolved ones."
Da Vinci's eyebrows rose almost as though to match the deepening furrow of Marie's. "If you'll forgive my surprise, it's a bit unexpected to hear that from you, Taylor," she said. "Not that I think you're a sourpuss or anything, but you've been quite insistent on making sure the twins get the proper training and education, including Mash's swimming lessons. Hearing you suggest regular vacations is…a bit out of character."
Maybe it was. But I could remember a time two-and-a-half years ago, back in my time with the Chicago Wards, where I'd been so focused on training and preparing that I hadn't made time to relax at all. Even if they'd all mostly gone along with it, those Wards had hated me for it, and I wasn't unaware that several of them had had relationships strain and fail as a result of my dogged persistence.
Like Ava. Cuff. I hadn't pried, but I hadn't been blind to how her and her boyfriend had split because of how little time I'd let her have to just…go out and be with him.
I was trying to be better than I was back then. A better person, a better friend. Learn from my mistakes and regrets, because at the end of it all, one of them had been how little time I'd let myself just be a normal person and do normal things with the people I cared about. It was one of the reasons I'd suggested having regular movie nights, too.
"It wasn't as important when we were deploying a week or two after coming back from our last one," I said. "But the time between our deployments is getting longer. From Fuyuki to Orléans was two weeks, but from Orléans to Septem was six, and so was Septem to Okeanos and Okeanos to London, and now you're saying it might be another month — or more — until we know enough about the next one to make the Rayshift into it. Keeping up morale is just as important as keeping our edges sharp."
"Our New Year's party was just two weeks ago," Marie pointed out, "and we had a two-day Christmas party just a week before that! If people need to stretch their legs, then the simulator is functional enough to even accommodate Servants now."
"But that's not the same as actually going out," I argued. "Sure, it'll help, and maybe we need to let the rest of the staff know they can use the simulator like that, too, since they can't Rayshift, but Rika and Ritsuka have been putting their lives on the line the same as I have. Don't they deserve to go out and see the world that they're risking everything to save?" And then I drove the point home mercilessly. "Doesn't Mash?"
Whatever Marie had been about to say died in her throat.
"We still need to visit London to get the plans for Renée's room, too," I continued.
"That I can actually do using the simulator," Da Vinci corrected, but not unkindly. "It will still be necessary to keep her occupied for a day so that I can complete all of the renovations to her room, and while that, too, could be done in the simulator, I think it might be better for her to revisit London and…say her goodbyes, as it were."
Marie squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, and then heaved out a sigh. All of the fight had left her completely. "Fine. We can schedule future vacations for the Masters to make, and…you can go out today to Rome. That doesn't mean," she added firmly, "that it's going to be a weekly or daily thing. We might be a lot better off now than we used to be, but even with so many Grails, there's still a limit to how often we can Rayshift! That's not exactly cheap, you know!"
"I know."
And I knew I was adding to the things she would have to account for when this was all over. I didn't plan on putting more into that burden than I had to, so I would keep to my word and to her stipulations, and I would make sure that the twins did, too.
But…there was a lot I was going to have to say my own goodbyes to when this was all over. Things that I was going to miss. People I was going to miss. And…maybe it was selfish, but I didn't want the only memories I had of our time together to be us fighting against the end of the world and staring at the same white walls between every battle.
Half an hour later, Romani blinked at us, nonplussed. "Really?"
He wasn't the only one casting Marie surprised looks, but if Marie noticed the technicians and their glances, she didn't make any sign of it.
Who was I kidding? Of course she noticed.
"Yes, really," Marie told him. "Is it really that surprising?"
"Well, no, I guess not, just, um, that it's coming from you, Director," Romani stumbled over his own words. At Marie's thunderous look, he rushed to say, "N-not that I think it's a bad idea or anything! Or that you're cruel or heartless or anything like that! I-in fact, I think this is a really good idea, a-and I'm honestly kind of ashamed I didn't think of it myself!" To himself, he asked, "Why didn't I think of it myself? Especially after the beach vacation a couple months ago!"
"I'm not heartless, Romani!" Marie snapped at him.
"And I said that I don't think you are!" Romani replied, trying to placate her. "I'm just… Yeah, it's a bit surprising, Director. I-it's certainly doable for us, but…the UN and the Association are going to question it. W-we won't be able to pretend that we're checking the viability of it this time, a-and there's only so many times we can blame it on Emperor Nero's whims before that excuse starts getting suspicious, too!"
"I'm not an idiot, either!" Marie told him, and quieter, head drooping, "I…already know that the Association is probably going to replace me. The fact that I…let this happen under my watch…!"
I stepped closer to offer my solidarity. "Lev Lainur tricked everyone."
"But I'm the Director," she bit out. "Responsibility for it is on my shoulders, no matter what. I…"
She took a shuddering breath, squared her shoulders, and cast a quick glance around the room, but if the rest of the staff had heard her admit that she was going to lose her position when this was all over, none of them gave any indication. Smart of them, all things considered.
"The most important thing for us to do outside of deploying inside the Singularities is to see to the Masters' mental health," she said stonily. "We don't have the luxury anymore of relying on multiple teams to pick up the slack if something happens to the main team, so our job as those who stay behind is to support the Masters in whatever way we have to. If the Association has a problem with that," she added, fire seething into her voice, "then I'll tell them exactly what I think of their penny-pinching!"
Someone on the crew coughed, trying to hide a startled laugh, and Marie rounded on him immediately. "What?"
Dead silence answered her. No one at their stations dared turn around and admit to having been the one to laugh, although I was pretty sure it was Meuniere. Marie swept her gaze around the room for several tense seconds, and then let it drop. She turned back to Romani.
"Make the arrangements," she ordered. "It's almost lunchtime, isn't it? We'll give them the afternoon to relax in Rome. We can afford to do at least that much."
"Right," said Romani, nodding. "I'll get everything set up for that, Director. I…guess Marcus is going to have to help Renée with dinner, if Emiya is going to be out for the afternoon." Off to the side, one of the technicians groaned and hung his head, and Romani looked over at him, "Sorry, Marcus. At least you won't be alone, though, right?"
"Of course, Doctor," said Marcus, although he didn't sound particularly enthusiastic about it. I had some sympathy. He thought he'd escaped kitchen duty when, first when Emiya showed up, and then again when we brought Renée back with us, but it was proving to be inescapable.
"I'll let the twins and Mash know at lunch," I promised.
Romani sighed. "That's a load off of my shoulders, at least. Thanks, Taylor. But I guess that leaves it to me to let the rest of the Servants know, doesn't it?"
"I think, between me, Ritsuka, and Rika, we'll manage," I told him wryly.
Of course, as expected, when the twins found out that we were going to be heading back to Rome for a dip in Nero's bath, Rika was immediately excited.
"No fooling?" she asked me disbelievingly. "But I thought we failed your test or whatever! This sounds like a reward, Senpai!"
"For your hard work," I clarified. "We've cleared five Singularities in five months. The Director thinks that deserves a break, every now and again."
I'd told them a while back that, as Masters, they had one of the highest pay rates in the whole organization, and Rika had said something about being a millionaire before she was twenty. I…probably should have mentioned back then too that — with things the way they were — she was unlikely to see much, if any, of that money when this was all over. We were going to be so wrapped up in inquiries and investigations that I doubted anyone would make good on our wages, let alone the hazard pay.
Rika turned to Nero, who had taken to sitting with us at meals, even when she wasn't supposed to be eating anything. "Did you hear that, Best Buddy? We're going back to Rome, to the baths!"
"Mm-mm!" said Nero, smiling broadly. "It seems that even your Lady Director must acknowledge the superiority of Roman bathing! These tiny 'showers' are indeed ill-suited for one such as myself and my cherished companions!"
"Are we going along, too, Mommy?" Jackie asked.
I offered her a smile. "Of course."
It was…admittedly, one of the reasons I had suggested it to Marie. The tub in my room's adjoining bathroom was tiny, barely big enough to fit me, let alone both of us at once, and Jackie… She deserved the chance to experience that enormous bath in Rome. To enjoy it, as we had back during Septem.
There was so much that I wouldn't be able to show her here in Chaldea, and even with the simulator, so much that she would be missing out on. I wanted her to have at least this.
"Wait," said Ritsuka, "all of the Servants are coming along, too, right?"
"Yeah."
His face twisted into an awkward expression. "And the baths…will still be coed, won't they? Like they were last time?"
Rika squeaked. "Oh."
Mash's face slowly began to redden, starting at the tips of her ears and spreading across her cheeks.
"We all still have our swimsuits from when we went to the beach," I said reasonably. "There's no reason why we can't wear those. It's not like we're going to the baths to actually get clean or anything, so it's not like we have to be completely naked."
"Th-that's right!" Mash hurried to agree. "S-Senpai, we can wear our swimsuits again!"
Ritsuka looked relieved, too. "Yeah. We can, can't we? It's, um, definitely better than worrying about everyone being naked."
"I thought you had to be when you went to the hot springs in Japan," I pointed out.
"Most hot springs aren't coed," Ritsuka informed me. "So, um, it's really not all that different from being in the changing rooms at school. Everyone just minds their own business and makes small talk."
That…wasn't my experience with the changing rooms in school, but I guess my experience wasn't typical. Most people didn't have to worry about a group like the Trio dogging their every step and doing whatever they could to make their life miserable, so I guess for most people it was like Ritsuka said: you got changed, you showered if you felt dirty enough after swim class or whatever, and everyone just pretended that they weren't surrounded by a bunch of naked people.
"Some places let you wear a swimsuit into the hot spring," Ritsuka added, "but for most places, yeah, you have to be naked, and, um, like I said. Not coed."
"Mm-mm! Such strange customs you have in this future!" Nero said. "Why hide the beauty of the human form? True, not everyone can be as magnificent as I, but that is no reason to hide yourself in shame!"
"Blame the Church," I said dryly.
Nero took it entirely seriously and nodded. "It seems they have much to answer for indeed!"
…I was just going to leave that one be.
"Anyway," I said, "I don't have a connection to all of the Servants here, so I'll have to leave a couple of them in your hands, you two." On second thought, at least one more, too. "Jeanne Alter, as well."
The twins winced. "Uh, yeah, Senpai, probably a good idea," said Rika. "She's, um, still kinda pissed at you, you know."
"She was saying something about cheap shots," Ritsuka agreed.
Yeah, I figured. That was why I was going to give her some room to be angry for a little while, and why I was leaving her up to them.
"Hopefully, she'll cool off in the baths."
Ritsuka and Rika shared a look and didn't seem to think that was likely. In all honesty, I thought that they were probably right. She was an Avenger, after all. If what Ritsuka had said about Dantès was to be trusted — or more to the point, if Dantès himself was to be trusted — then she was entirely built on grudges and grievances, and it wouldn't be easy for her to let go of them.
Maybe I was going to have to let her get even somehow to make up for it, because I wasn't sure an apology would do. It was an exercise, and while it had been sneaky and underhanded, I didn't regret it, and that would no doubt be obvious to her.
Once we were done eating, our group made its way back to our rooms to get ready, contacting each of our contracted Servants to let them know about the trip to the baths and that everyone was invited. Surprisingly, a couple of them turned us down — Shakespeare, as Ritsuka reported, expressed no interest in the idea, and El-Melloi II bluntly informed me that he had had more than enough of Rome while he was there.
Everyone else, however, was more than happy to join us, in no small part, it seemed, because it was a chance to get out of the facility for a while.
The ability to simply reach down the bonds connected to us made it the work of only a few minutes to let everyone know about the trip, so it was really only about half an hour after we were done with lunch before we were all heading to the Rayshift Chamber, all but us Masters already dressed in their swimsuits. Marie and Romani were waiting for us there, already facing the door when we came in, and their eyes swept over the assembled group, taking note of who was there and how many of us there were.
"Is this everyone?" he asked.
"Billy Shakes and Hot Pops are staying home on this field trip," Rika informed him.
Marie's eyebrow twitched, but she had long gotten used to Rika's eccentricities, so the nicknames slid by without comment.
Romani tapped something out on his tablet as Marie nodded, and she said, "We'll discuss future trips at a later date, but for now, you'll have the afternoon in Rome to relax however you see fit. I expect, however," and she lanced a meaningful glare at the more rambunctious members of our group, "that you'll keep property damage to a minimum. Everything has already been corrected, so any damage you do to the city or its surroundings would require our intervention to fix for any future use we might have!"
"Why're you looking at me?" Mordred complained.
"She's looking at all of us, British," Jeanne Alter told her. "But hey, you know what they say about guilty consciences and all that."
"Fuck you!"
"What the Director is trying to say," Romani chimed in, "is if you want to be able to enjoy the baths in Rome again later on, try not to make a mess while you're there, okay?"
"I'll keep these two in line," Aífe promised.
Mordred gave her a look, lip curling. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"ANYWAY!" Romani said loudly. "The longer we stand around like this, the less time you guys'll have, so let's get you set up and send you on your way, shall we?"
Mordred grumbled, but didn't protest, and the twins, Mash, and I all found our usual coffins and climbed in. It…still wasn't comfortable, but sheer repetition was making it easier, and as the lid slid closed over me, I closed my eyes and took deep breaths to try and keep myself calm.
Thankfully, it wasn't long before the huge doors whooshed closed with the hiss of hydraulics, and then a voice was announcing, "Rayshift in three…two…one!"
The world fell away, and I dropped through a canal of stars, traveling through the infinite cosmos on a journey that lasted forever and no time at all. The next thing I knew was my feet slamming into a solid surface, jarring me back to reality, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself standing in front of a familiar enormous mansion.
It looked much the same as it had the last time we were here months ago. There were, of course, no people around, so the rest of the city around us was eerily silent, but the building itself looked untouched, as though it had been perfectly preserved in the moment of our leaving at the end of Septem. But for the complete lack of people around to give it life, we could have been visiting the day after we were last here.
Nero gasped. "It really is still here!"
"I guess they really can put us where they mean to sometimes," Rika snarked.
"Our off course landings probably have something to do with the Grail," said Mash. "In that case, it makes sense that there wouldn't be any trouble getting us to the right spot without it here, wouldn't it?"
"Too bad it doesn't work the other way around," said Ritsuka with a bit of humor.
If it did, then we never would have met Aífe, and there were a lot of fights that might have been a lot harder as a result.
"Wow!" said Bellamy as he slowly turned to take it all in. "So this is Rome, huh?"
Emiya gave him a nudge. "If you'd prefer to walk around and take in the sights…"
Bellamy laughed. "Maybe later! I haven't had a hot bath in ages, so I want to see if it's as good as everyone says it is!"
"Me, too!" Bradamante agreed. "I was only here for the very end of the fighting, so I never got the chance to experience the baths for myself!"
"You're in for a treat," said Aífe. She slid a sly glance Nero's way. "Right, Emperor Nero?"
"Of course!" said Nero. "Come, come! Mm-mm! Allow me to show you all the glories of Roman hospitality!"
She strode off and into the villa, giving us all a very good look at her… Yeah, that was probably what I should have expected of Nero. How she'd gotten Da Vinci to make her something like that so quickly, I had no idea, but there was no way she would have worn an ordinary one-piece or a regular bikini, not if there was something more extravagant that did a better job of flaunting her "magnificent self."
"Wow," said Rika. "Best Buddy didn't just bring the cake, she brought the whole factory."
Ritsuka let out a pained groan.
Emiya chuckled. "Stay strong, Ritsuka."
The look Ritsuka turned his way said better than any words could exactly how unimpressed Ritsuka was with that comment.
As we followed Nero into her mansion and through the hallways towards the baths, Bellamy's head continued to swivel. The others who hadn't been here during Septem and had never been here in life looked around, too, but he was the only one who wore his awe so openly, gawking at the murals and the frescos and the architecture.
Jeanne Alter and Mordred were impressed, too, but they didn't seem to want to admit it. Hippolyta, by comparison, had the polite interest of an art snob who was faintly amused by the works of modern artists, the kind that privately thought they were little more than rough scribbles on a canvas.
It wasn't long before we wound up back in the apodyterium, where we paused only long enough for us Masters to switch out into our swimsuits, and then Nero led us into the baths proper. The heat and the steam hit me long before we actually stepped out into the room, and the faint perfume not long after.
"Behold!" Nero proclaimed, throwing her arms wide. "The cornerstone of Roman culture!"
It too looked much the same as it had the last time we were here. Even though it had been months and even though there wasn't anyone here to maintain it, the bath water was still hot and the rose petals were still fresh, and most importantly, the water was still clean. When things were corrected at the end of the Singularity and people were returned to their proper places in history, it seemed that — just like with the other things that got left behind in London and Okeanos — anything that didn't belong and had nowhere else to go remained as it was, including El-Melloi II's little spell to keep this place fresh.
That was the only explanation I had for anything, at least.
"It's big," Jackie whispered.
"This is it?" Jeanne Alter asked. "Don't we have a pool bigger than this back home?"
I wondered if I was the only one who noticed her wording.
"Sacrilege!" Rika said with a theatrical gasp. "You call yourself a woman and yet don't know about the wonders of a soak in a hot bath?"
"I don't, and even I know better than to pass this one up, Bumpkin," said Mordred.
"Hey!" squawked Jeanne Alter.
A little ball of white fur suddenly raced past all of us and leapt into the tub, squeaking, "Fou fou-kyuu!"
And it landed with a splash, sinking below the water for a brief moment before it resurfaced and tossed its head back.
"Oh," said Mash. "It looks like Fou came along again."
"See?" said Rika, gesturing. "Even Fou knows just how good a hot bath is!"
"That he does!" Nero agreed.
"Alright, alright," said Jeanne Alter, "I'll get in the stupid bath and see what all of the fucking fuss is about!"
I looked down at Jackie and gave her a little smile. "Come on. No sense standing around all day, is there?"
She smiled back up at me. "Mm!"
Loath as I was to follow the little gremlin's lead, I led Jackie over to the edge of the tub and eased myself in, enjoying the heat of the bath as it seeped into my skin. Once I was all the way in, I reached out, took Jackie under her arms, and carefully set her on the interior ledge on the inside of the bath — intended, I had to assume, for guests to sit on and relax without worrying about drowning, and likely also meant as a step to make it easier to get in and out.
As though that was the signal and permission for everyone else, the rest of the group followed in my wake, and everyone else climbed in to join me and Fou. I settled down in the meantime, using the ledge as a seat like I had the last time we were here, but Jackie was just a little too short to do that and keep her head above the water, so I sat her down on my lap.
Jackie made a curious sound in the back of her throat, but once she got settled in herself, she relaxed and leaned back against me, resting her head against my shoulder. Something akin to instinct had me wrap my arms around her loosely, enough to keep her steady without smothering her.
"We like this better than the bath at home," she told me quietly, like it was a secret. "This way, Mommy can stay with us in the bath, too."
Unbidden, a small smile curled at the corners of my lips, and I let myself relax, too, leaning my own head back against the lip of the tub. "Mm."
"There is no bath like a Roman bath!" Nero announced from somewhere to my right. "Mm-mm!"
"You got that right!" Rika agreed. "God, I missed this! Hot showers just aren't good enough! You know, I think the last time we were here was the last time I had an actual bath?"
"Careful, Master," Emiya teased her. "If you relax too much, your soul might leave your body."
"Worth it! Totally worth it!"
"Oh, wow," I heard Bellamy say. "Man, even the best baths had nothing on this back in my day. Emperor Nero really wasn't lying. This is the best!"
"It's too bad we don't have a jacuzzi," said Rika. "Hey, Emiya, do you think if we went back to the Fuyuki Singularity, we'd find some place that still had a hot tub in stock? One with underwater jets and everything?"
"If it's a hot tub you want, I'm sure that Da Vinci could come up with something, Master."
"Poor Da Vinci," said Arash, laughter in his voice. "Just when she has one project finished, we hand her another one."
"Shit," Jeanne Alter muttered, sounding upset. "This…actually is pretty nice. Damn it."
"Just wait until you get the chance to have someone pampering you while you relax," Rika said knowingly. "Whole other experience, that. Man, what I wouldn't give to have a spa day. First thing I'm gonna do when this is all over is book a resort for a whole day and let someone turn me into Play-Doh."
"Play-Doh?" asked Mordred, confused.
The chatter slowly faded into background noise, and I let out a long sigh as the water eased aches I had forgotten even existed. The heat of the bath and the sweet scent of whatever perfume had been laced through it filled my head with a pleasant fog, and for just a little while, I could forget about the looming threat of the next Singularity and what might await us there. I could forget about all my worries and problems. I could forget about the end of the world.
Right then, it was just me, the little girl I'd adopted, and a group of people that…were probably the first real friends I'd made in almost two years. And that was enough.
— o.0.O.O.0.o —
This one...meanders a little. Partly? Because I didn't have a clear plan for the later, like, two-thirds of the chapter when I started it, but I really wanted to have that moment at the top and wanted it to happen before we got to the next chapter.
So...Yeah. In a normal book, this is a chapter that probably would have gotten a lot of revision and excised (or at least moved to another chapter) the bottom half, but the realities of a serial like Hereafter make that untenable.
Next chapter is another interlude. And after that, we start moving towards America. There's still several things that need to happen before we get there, so this is going to be one of, if not the longest, intermissions in the story so far, but the next Singularity looms.
Right then, it was just me, the little girl I'd adopted, and a group of people that…were probably the first real friends I'd made in almost two years. And that was enough.
