fleeting

“Yes, that is very true. I could say I am indebted to that loyalty many times over now.” She recalled how when she returned to the Near Side, temporarily losing her memory of him, he had continued to stand by her side; it was for her sake that he involved himself with Altera and the Umbral Star when he’d otherwise be a neutral observer like the blue Saber was.

Their musing was in part rhetorical, but she couldn’t help but answer it. Recalling both her own knowledge of the Epic and what she had learned from her time with the real thing, she responded. “It took him…some self discovery and he never could overcome his harsher tendencies, but yes I believe he did become a good king in the end. For all his faults, he had humanity’s best interests at heart.”

Ironically, Gilgamesh’s goals for humanity paralleled that of Twice Pieceman’s, yet Hakuno respected, admired even, the Archer but opposed the Master on principle. Perhaps it was their methods, Chaotic Good versus Chaotic Evil she supposed.

“You do seem to be enjoying yourself.”  A caretaker at the animal shelter fit the wildman Enkidu, though ‘wildman’ didn’t seem to match the androgynous, even beautiful figure that stood before her now.  “Spot, I see. Classic dog name.”

“I truly am glad to hear it.” They couldn’t help but be proud of Gil. Even if they felt like they had sinned in becoming close to him, they couldn’t deny they were proud of him, accomplishing much--even if he had less favorable traits as well. But no one was perfect, were they? 

Their expression softened, giving something akin to a sigh of relief at Hakuno’s words. “I see...To think he grew that much..” Enkidu chuckled softly, though there was a small note of bitterness at the fact that their death had likely been the catalyst for that change. It was sad to think about, of course, but thinking logically about it, it was only natural that such a shocking event would bring about such a change. 

Though it had been a punishment for standing against the gods, Enkidu didn’t regret it--only that there were still more things they wanted to do. 

At Enkidu’s mention of the state of affairs they had been pulled away from, Jekyll could do nothing but rub his temples as his brow knit into a furrow. Mildly speaking, he was worried. Honestly he could not hope to claim to be much of an asset in the battles to come – Hyde was the one they truly wanted, and every single time Jekyll had to fight his own battle of will in leaving his body in the clutches of the madman that carried his face.

Madman? Isn’t that a bit much? If I’m a madman, then what does that make you who created me?

“ My own assets aside, if even Servants such as yourself have been abducted by this place, I can’t help but worry. I even believe to have spotted the King of Heroes wandering about this place. ”

Are you ignoring me? You’re totally ignoring me. What do you know, Dr. Jekyll can’t handle being faced with the truth.~

A tinge of annoyance spread upon his face at the voice in his mind poking upon a sore area. But he would not let Hyde manipulate his actions when the other wasn’t even in control. How long had he not spent now maintaining a dual life? Even now that the cat was out of the bag, his tale already told far and wide to the point where it was only few who did not at least know that if there was a Dr. Jekyll there also had to be a Mr. Hyde, he still did not enjoy being likened to the darkness that resided within him.

“ Guilty or not, when you have come to fight enough battles anyone would relish in the peace if this city, would they not? For us who have been granted a second chance at life, perhaps a setting such as this might even be the only place we can actually feel human. ”

Boring, boring, boring, this conversation is boring and stiff! Your age is showing, Henry: do old men like you only care about boring shit like this?

“ You wouldn’t happen to have an aspirin, would you? ”

So Jekyll was just as worried about the situation as they were. Though it wasn’t surprising. What would happen to the operation to save the future of humanity if there was no one to fight for it? “It is rather worrisome. I can only hope that there are still those of us left fighting..” They frowned and glanced around them. “I doubt it would be so easy to believe this is the result of saving humanity’s future. Especially with all of the sheep.” Though they definitely didn’t mind that, personally. 

Still, their eyes went wide upon hearing that title. “Even Gil is here?” They couldn’t help but be surprised. If Gil was here...well, perhaps it was for the best they were without their powers. “Truly surprising...” 

If Enkidu noticed the change in the doctor’s expression, they didn’t comment on it. Well, it was natural for servants to be aware of others’ identities, especially when fighting together. No doubt the other personality was creating a disturbance. 

They smiled, however, as Jekyll spoke again and nodded. “That is true. Perhaps it isn’t all bad, if this is the future of humanity that we fought for.” They could certainly appreciate the setting. The chance to be human again...not that they were ever entirely human...it was too good to pass up, wasn’t it? 

Usually, questions aimed at him during working shifts revolved around the piles of comical ‘bootleg’ sheep idols that appeared to have replaced regular musical artists in this realm. Otabek was well versed in the explanation by now, what he wasn’t so adept in, was turning the clock back a century or more to try and describe how a CD worked.

Luckily, his DJ experience provided him with the technical knowledge to be able to answer fluently–though whether that’d make any sense to the customer or not…Perhaps a demonstration might be better, in this case.

“They’re called CDs. You can store music on them, so they basically fill in for or replace live music.” Was that clear enough? Otabek motioned to one corner of the store in particularly where rows of stands had been set up with headphones, enabling potential buyers to sample the latest popular tracks before committing to a purchase. He guided the customer over and unhooked one of the large headsets before passing it over to them.

“I’ll show you, put these on.”

“CDs, huh..” Still a mystery to the heroic spirit, the fact that it was a music device almost...seemed like magic. But perhaps modern technology was magic in a sense? The Lancer thought they understood his explanation anyway. “I see, so rather than requiring people to be present to play the music, this does it for them.”

It sounded rather convenient, honestly. They could assume the music was recorded onto the device somehow, perhaps not unlike the carving of tablets--well, perhaps not like that at all, but it did help Enkidu make sense of it at least.

That said, they eyed the headset curiously before nodding. They trusted the man, after all. Carefully taking the headset from him, Enkidu stared at it for a moment, before laughing rather sheepishly. 

She nodded. Before she came to Stella City she never expected being able to go to a ball surrounded by so many people and able to have so much fun with friends. A new, entirely positive experience. Definitely a good thing.

“I hope so too. I’ve met several other Servants I remember from before already, so I’m holding out hope.” She’d love to see Nero, Tamamo, even Altera again. Gilgamesh and Archer were already here, so it was definitely possible.

Hakuno shrugged. “I trust whoever is behind this knows what they are doing.” She paused, pulling a memory from another time and place. She recalled how her, another her, had escaped the Moon Cell with Sakura after the defeat of Kiala and how fate and the Moon Cell had simply recreated her as she was to continue the Grail War. “Perhaps we are perfect replicas taken in, and our originals are still at their points in time….”

Enkidu smiled, tilting their head to the side. “I imagine this city will be in for quite a shock then. She’s quite lively, from what I’ve witnessed.” But observing that in itself would be interesting, wouldn’t it? They wouldn’t mind seeing the direction things took. 

“Mm...I would hope so. Otherwise I assume things might get..unstable.” Especially in Chaldea’s case, perhaps. It was definitely a confusing and mysterious situation but even servants weren’t privy to knowing everything about the way the universe worked. But..well, there wasn’t much they could do about that. Fate truly did work in a mysterious way...

Hakuno smiled and gave a nod. “I think it’s a good thing. I’ve never had a chance at a peaceful life like this, it feels like a…fair reward.” After the Grail War, the Far Side, the Umbral Star, a fluffy city with at most strange sheep was Heaven.

“You met the blue Saber too? The world really is small.” Of course, Hakuno could spell out every difference between Nero and Arthur. Aside from the obvious like height and chest size, they had entirely different facial structures, Nero’s hair has a arch on it while Arthur’s doesn’t…she should stop before she starts thinking aloud at the poor Lancer. “…I really couldn’t compare them at all. Saber, Nero rather, is much more of…well, a personality. Lively and bold…” There that excitement was coming back.

“Only indirectly,  I met a Master-” The Master, if his words were true. “-from Chaldea here in Stella.” She took in what they said and…it made vague amounts of sense. Tamamo had remembered Twice from her prior summoning. Not so much how Nero would have memories from the Moon Cell but…

Chaldea was filled with mysteries. Best just smile and nod. So she did just that. “I think I understand what you mean, yes.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I hope you make the most of this life, though it seems you’ve got quite the head start already, attending this ball.” But it was a good thing. A chance to experience something other than fighting for one’s life, fighting for any reason at all. 

“Indeed,” Enkidu laughed. “Chaldea has a way of being full of surprises.” But it was always interesting to meet other heroes. After all, it paid to know who you were fighting alongside, as in the heat of battle, being able to work together was very important. Even so, the Lancer still smiled, watching Hakuno speak fondly of her servant. “Yes, they’re very different people, that’s for sure. I can tell you two care about each other very much.” If servants had been called here, then perhaps... “I hope that the two of you can reunite here, given this city’s strange way of pulling people in.”

Though to hear the master from Chaldea was here...or perhaps it had been one of the others, but then again, Enkidu had heard..less than favorable news on what had happened to the other potential masters. “I see...though that worries me a bit. Chaldea can certainly maintain the heroic spirits summoned but..I can only hope things aren’t too chaotic..”

Even during this one night, Hakuno has seen a fair varieties of dances, from formal waltzing to more informal affairs, but nothing risque that’s for sure.

“Fleeting, yes…” She remembered the other Masters of the Moon Cell, how she was forced to kill them. Some of them were people her own age, with hopes and dreams of their own. Others were merely children only realizing reality too late… “The Grail War taught me that life is fleeting indeed.”

Though the confirmation that Enkidu did meet her Saber, her Nero, lifted her up from that dire thinking. “Yes! You did know Saber?” There was an excitement in her voice not present before….which quickly returned to the blank expression. “C…Chaldea?”

That didn’t make sense. Ritsuka had previously expressed no knowledge of the Moon Cell whatsoever, which implied to Hakuno that Chaldea summoned their Servants from another archive of Legendary Souls. So how could…?

“I imagine that’s a very tough lesson to learn,” Enkidu mused aloud, then shook their head. “It’s a shame, really. I believe people your age should be living their life to the fullest, doing whatever they please...perhaps, in that regard, it’s a good thing you were brought here?” 

Seeing Hakuno’s excitement warmed the servant’s heart. It was good to see such bonds with servants. Kind masters seemed too few and far between, really. “I can’t say I know her well, but I do know of her. I was confused, at first, because she bears a remarkable resemblance to the King of Knights, but I quickly learned they were very different people.” Really, it was almost a little confusing, but luckily, at least the differences were easily spotted when one looked closely. 

“Ah...Do you know of Chaldea?” Enkidu asked, noting Hakuno’s expression had changed once more. “I don’t quite understand how it works myself but...it would seem that some servants have vague memories of previous summons. I have very hazy memories of them myself, like a remembering a dream. But some seemed to remember more vividly than others. I believe your Saber was one of them.”

She gave a smirk at their laugh. “Confirmation somehow only made it worse.” There was a clear faux to the discomfort to her voice though, she was glad Enkidu was enjoying themselves recollecting.

“Not at all. I’ve spent all my time either fighting or preparing to fight.” She was speaking literally. Being essentially ‘created’ in the Moon Cell means she was forced into the war as soon as she could properly think, after all.

Wait, could they have…? “Red and gold dress, see through skirt? Sometimes wears a white formfitting bridal suit instead?” That seemed almost too specific, maybe she should back up a bit. “Kinda short for an adult woman?”

“Indeed. I’m very pleased to see that the dancing, at least, has become a bit more conservative.” Well, in some respects, anyway. It was nice to see how far humankind had come, even if they were more comfortable among the creatures of nature. 

Enkidu’s expression softened, nodding their head in sympathy. “I do regret that there are masters so young pulled into those conflicts,” they murmured. “In a battle like that, being able to enjoy your life seems...fleeting.” They frowned, remembering the master of Chaldea, and the Shielder class demi-servant fighting alongside them. 

“Uruk?” He blinked, raising an eyebrow. Was that a country in Europe he had never heard of or something? “Mm, typically these are just held for fun now.” He had been to one or two serious galas like this, but he had to admit they were a bit rare now a days.

“I… don’t know honestly. You’d have to ask one of those sheep.” He was actually a little curious about that, now.

“Ah...it must not be mentioned in schools these days,” Enkidu murmured. “Uruk was the capital of the ancient Babylonian empire,” they explained. “Perhaps you may be more familiar with the tale of Gilgamesh?” Though it was nice to hear that these sorts of gatherings were just for fun now. “I am glad. It’s rather nice to be able to unwind like this.”

“Right…”Her face went blank as she imagined what an Uruk ball would be like, both as a (likely enforced) tribute to Gilgamesh and the risque dancing Enkidu mentioned. Snapping back to reality, she realized that they had asked about Saber! Did she teach Hakuno to dance, let’s see, checking memories…

“Ah, no, our situation and living conditions didn’t give us much time or room for that. I did witness her dance on the battlefield however.” She paused, a nostalgic look creeping across her face. “I am sure she’d have loved to at least danced for me in the Golden Theater though.”

Enkidu couldn’t help the laugh that escaped them at the expression that crossed Hakuno’s face, no doubt imagining what the parties of Uruk must have looked like. “I can assure you, whatever you just imagined likely wasn’t far from the truth,” they grinned a bit, entirely amused with the situation. Though in part, they missed those times. 

“Ah..no, I imagine there isn’t much time for that during a war, is there?” they mused. Chaldea certainly was plagued constantly between the singularities, so there wasn’t much time to unwind there either. “It sounds quite remarkable.” The Golden Theater sounded familiar...

When the Legendary Soul called out to Hakuno she recognized them instantly. Not only were their androgynous appearance certainly distinctive, but between the relatively well dressed, herself included, patrons Enkidu’s simple white cloak made them stand out. Still, it was comforting to have a familiar face call out to her.

“I am but…honestly I can’t say I’m used to this either. I’ve heard of such events from Saber, my own Saber I mean, but I never expected all of this.”

“Indeed, I imagine the events from the time of many of us servants are a bit different from this,” they chuckled. “For starters, if this were Uruk, there would be tribute to Gil, and the dancing would be a bit more...risque, by today’s standards, probably.” It was interesting to think about, but things like this were enjoyable as well. 

“Did your Saber teach you to dance, by chance?”

“Hm?” He glanced over at whoever had tried to get his attention. Might as well actually give them an answer. “I suppose you dance and converse with other people.” He replied to them while crossing his arms, although he had to wonder why they had so little knowledge about what to do. Plus, that comment about humans struck him odd. Who even refers to other people like that?

“Dancing and conversing..” they repeated, a bit curious, tapping their chin. “I see.” It sounded fun, at least. But the matter of dancing was... “I must admit, I don’t think I’m quite familiar with this style of dancing,” they continued, though they chuckled goodnaturedly. “Times have changed greatly. Things were different in Uruk.” 

“Ah, Hakuno.” Enkidu smiled, spotting the brunette in the crowd and immediately gravitating to the familiar face. It was more comforting to be around people they recognized, especially in an unfamiliar setting like this. Though perhaps they looked a bit out of place, considering their outfit. But then again, it was all they had.

Enkidu was..confused, to say the least. The music, while common to the modern era, was still lost on the Lancer. This wasn’t the sort of party they were used to, nothing like the golden era of Babylon. Or at least, what they’d been alive for. 

Not to mention, the style of dancing was..even more foreign. Even having important knowledge of the modern era bestowed on them upon summoning, there was probably no helping the clay being.