Chapter Text
“Mama!! Mama look!!!”
Mama turns around with a smile as Reggi runs up to her. “Hey, kiddo! Wha’s ohh.”
Hehehehehehe! She looks so surprised!!! Reggi knew she would.
“Look, see what I made!!!” She holds up the big conch in her two hands. It isn’t just a shell though!!! It, uhm, it’s got magic in it. Like a lot. Like a lot a lot.
“I’m lookin’,” Mama says. “Um, did, uh. Y’didn’ show anyone else this yet, didja?”
Reggi shakes her head very fast. “I didn’t! I wanneda show you first.”
“Okay,” Mama sighs, “tha’s - okay! Good.” She crouches and ruffles Reggi’s hair. Ehehe! “Thanks fer waitin’ ta show me, hon.”
“Mhm!!”
“Can’t believe she’s already…” Mama mutters. Huh? “Nah, she’s a real quick study now, isn’t she.”
“Mama?”
“Hm?” Mama blinks at her. “Oh! Don’ worry, hon, y’didn’ do anythin’ bad. It’s jus’, uh…” She taps her chin. “Okay! How’d’ja make this?”
“Well uhm,” Reggi looks down at her conch shell. “I uhm, mister Ziz went t’do stuff an’ left me fer a li’l, an’ I got bored, so I was lookin’ around, an’ - an’ I saw a real shiny yellow cup!! Uhm, no. Go - gold? Like uhm, like joo’ry.”
“Jew-el-ry?”
“Yeyeah!!” Reggi nodnods. “So uhm, I wanneda touch it an’ mister Ziz said I c’d touch whatever, so I went t’pull it down but it fell on the floor!! An’ I was real scared ’cuz I thought I brokeded it but it was super duper tough so it was okay. Uhm, but then when I picked it up t’look at it, it was like… felt kinna like I feel inside? Y’know like -”
She makes a real good engine sound! Mama laughs and pats her head. Hehehe!!
“So I was like, uhm, I can - I want one too! So I held it an’ thought real hard an’ I made this!!” She holds the shell up. “It’s not all gold-y but it's shinyyyy. See, uhm, if y’put it in light…”
Uhm… oh! The lamp! Okay. She pulls Mama over to the lamp and puts it on.
“See it’s shiny an’ pretty! Like issa rainbow.”
“Sure is,” Mama says. She’s happy!! But Reggi can hear the ‘but’ coming, so she waits. “Mmkay. Uh, kiddo?”
“Yeah…?”
“First off,” Mama reaches for the shell, and Reggi lets her have it, “this? This is real cool. So proud of ya fer this, y’got no idea.”
Ehehehehehe!!
“Remember what I toldja ’bout yer od though? How it’s uh. It’s a lot?”
Reggi nods slowly.
“This is. Kinna like that too.” Mama gives Reggi her shell back. “I needja t’not make any more of these here, ’kay? Not where anyone can… y’know what, jus’ don’ do it here at all.”
Reggi frowns. “But it’s pretty!! An’, an’ they can help a bunch wi’ stuff -”
“They don’ need the help here, hon,” Ma says, laughing in that way that makes Reggi also want to laugh. “Look! It can be like our li’l secret. ’Kay?”
Reggi pouts down at her super cool shell. “I don’ like these kindsa secrets.”
They’re not the fun kind, like surprises you just have to keep quiet about for a little bit. She might not ever be able to make another shell like this or tell anyone that she can. It sucks.
Ma’s smile tilts, and she runs a hand through Reggi’s hair. “I know. But remember what I told ya when we talked ’bout yer od?”
Reggi’s brow loosens.
“… I can tell people ’bout it if I really really trust ’em.” Her mouth smiles by itself. “My… m’best friends.”
She doesn’t really have friends here. This place is home but it’s also weird and everyone’s old even though some don't look old. But Mama says when she goes out into the world, when she’s older, she’ll meet lotsa people. And some of those people will want to be her friends.
“Yeah.” Mama smiles at her and holds her cheeks. “So it’s jus’ like a real big surprise, see? Jus’ gotta wait a bit longer.”
Reggi looks down at her shell. She wanted to show mister Ziz, maybe, so he would be impressed. Since the… thingy he and Ma are doing isn’t working. But if Mama says she shouldn’t…
“… okay.”
“Tha’s m’girl.” Mama kisses Reggi’s head, and she feels happy again. “A’right, put that in yer bag an’ we can sneak out again, huh?”
Oh! Sneaking out of the Sea is fun!! They get to go to all sorts of places and see all sorts of people.
“Okay!!!” Reggi puts her super cool shiny rainbow shell in her backpack and puts her hand in Ma’s. Now to find a secret door!!!
Reggi yawns and stretches her arms over her head, then stuffs her hands in her jacket pockets as she wanders down the hallways of Chaldea.
Heh. That was… twelve years or so ago? Twelve or thirteen. When she was like six and three-quarters. She didn’t have her memories then, that was during setup time, so she didn’t really understand anything. She does now, though, obviously.
Just casually shitting out a Grail after seeing one for the first time… honestly. She really is bullshit.
“An’ now I’m tellin’ everyone,” she murmurs, considering her hand.
Another Holy Grail rests in her palm; her second partition finished chanting a couple days ago, so she could finish the wish-granter casting. Going off the second partition’s current rate… it'll be another three months (well, 87 days) before she can cast another one.
She smiles and slips her ‘super cool shiny rainbow shell’ back into her cosmic haversack.
Well. She can trust everyone she’s told, with everything. So it’s more than fine. Little Reggi would be over the moon.
“QP for your thoughts, Master?”
Reggi grins at AA as she sidles up, falling into step beside her.
“Hey, AA.”
“Good morning!”
“You can jus’... oh.”
Actually, AA can’t! Her eyes are the wrong shade, she doesn’t have her Eyes active right now.
“It’s nice to ask that and legitimately not know,” AA says, smiling. “I keep saying it, but thanks again.”
Warm fuzzies bubble up in Reggi’s chest.
She’s so…
It’s weird. Like, damn near everyone in Chaldea is objectively aesthetically pleasing, to varying degrees. Maybe it’s just actually seeing AA in the flesh (actual flesh, God bless incarnation), but Reggi’s been struck more and more recently by just how… pretty she actually is.
No. Beautiful.
(Like a young Morgan, some might say… and they are the same kind of faerie, so Reggi can’t be… too mad about people being so wrong.)
Especially when she smiles, or when she frowns or scrunches her nose, or when she’s complaining and baring her fangs properly. Even when she’s genuinely upset, but that’s actually literally the worst, so Reggi wouldn't want to see that, so much. But Reggi’s favourite expression lately…
“You’re lookin’ real cute today too!”
AA blinks, and her cheeks flush (more) as she looks down.
… is that.
There’s just something about seeing her flustered that really appeals to Reggi for some reason? Maybe it’s that she can just make it happen just by telling the truth. It’s not like AA reacts like this to anyone stating the obvious.
“Th-thanks,” her partner mumbles. “Y, um.” She chews her lip for a bit. “Y-you too.”
Reggi’s grin widens, and the warm fuzzies bubble up more.
That’s another thing. Reggi knows she looks good. She has a perk for it and everything. Though apparently, this is just how most versions of her end up. Usually with a tail. Which she has now, but only in Servant mode…
Anyway. Reggi doesn’t give too much of a shit what she looks like, but better pretty than ugly. She's… kinda used to being a looker at this point; she kinda likes it a lot, honestly.
Yet whenever AA compliments her appearance, she feels… really happy. Well, just being around AA makes her really happy, because she’s really great. It’s a… different kind of happiness than she feels hanging out with anyone else, though. It’s…
Ahahahahaaaah~
Kuku shut the fuck up.
I didn’t say anything!
Yeah, you never say anything. Just fuckin’ laugh.
“Um,” AA says, and Reggi blinks. “Is… there something on my face…?” She wipes at the corner of… her mouth.
Ah. Reggi’s also started noticing her lips now. Which… is probably weird, she should probably stop just randomly staring. It’s kind of AA’s fault for biting her lip earlier! But still.
“I don’t mind,” AA says quietly. Oh! Her Eyes are on now. “I, um. I look at you too. So it’s only fair.”
Again, it’s kinda weird that that makes her happy, right??
You appreciate others appreciating your hard work.
Yeah no but this is different. AA wasn't admiring her arms or abs or legs or ass. It’s not like she works on her face.
But whatever! She doesn’t mind AA looking at her either - very much the opposite! So if AA doesn’t mind, then there’s no problem!
AA smiles a bit and leans into Reggi’s side. Aww, she wants hugs. Reggi’s arm snakes around her main Servant’s back and shoulders as she looks forward again.
“I was jus’ thinkin’ ’bout before,” Reggi says, answering AA’s original question. She got kind of distracted. “Durin’ setup, when I made m’first Grail.” AA hums. “Plus how cool it is that I can jus’ tell people shit now. Be my full self, I guess. Got useta holdin’ shit back, but it’s great not havin’ to for everyone now.”
AA hums and nods. “You do hate hiding stuff.”
“I really fuckin’ do honestly.” Reggi’s face scrunches up. “Feels gross. Honestly wonderin’ how many folks at Chaldea I can get away with tellin’ now.”
Grímr… well, CasCú - no, just Cú now. He obviously knows now; she told him during their hunting trip. It was real chill, actually, he just kinda shrugged and went ‘figures’ and went back to roasting the boar. ’Deus said he doesn’t care, so she didn’t tell him… but Tera knows, everyone on Team R knows… the Masters and main Servants, at least, plus Roman. And Baobs. Vinci-chan is… technically not part of Team R? So her too.
Probably should tell the Jeannes, honestly. She should… probably tell Liz too? The dragon girl’s part of the Musical Trio and all, and she’s set to pop up at least one more time during a Rayshift.
The concert they held during NeroFest rocked!!! Really had everyone clamouring. The first NeroFest in general was a great success; everyone played hard, fought hard, and they all gathered a shit ton of mats. Most of the Servants they have now are at third Ascension at least, if not final, especially with the training Ascension being a thing.
(Some of them have gone even further. Morgan… Morgan did something to herself. Something Reggi’s still not sure she understands; she only gave her the one bivalve Grail for incarnation, way back after Orléans, but then again, it’s Morgan, she probably just needed the one. Anyway, the Fae Queen is Top now, as she should be, and her Spirit Origin…
Naturally, the moment Saber Altria learned that Morgan had undergone palingenesis, she also requested it for herself. So that’s three Top Servants Chaldea currently has! It should be four or five, but AA isn’t done tempering, and Tera’s not synced up enough to her mainframe yet.
Still got like six bivalves ready to go too! Kadoc took both of the ones she prepped for Tasia, though they’ve only used one to incarnate her.)
“Gratz on the silver again, by the way!”
AA scowls cutely. “Frickin’ Boney with the come-from-behind win. You know what makes it worse is if I could do the stupid bloody surge thing I could’ve beat Tera before he took us both out. Who thought the last event being a battle royale was a good idea?! Also, I’m pretty sure Lia’s Eye counts as cheating??”
Heheh. She’s - well, she's always cute, but especially when she’s all huffy about losing.
The Caster’s cheeks tint, and she elbows Reggi’s side.
“So aggressive!” Reggi chortles.
“Oh, shut up, you barely feel those.”
Fair enough! Thinking back to who else they can tell, though…
“Liz an’ Jeannes next, I think,” Reggi muses, as AA's arm slips around her back and shoulders. “Since like, practice feels weird with jus’ her not knowin’. An’ Jeanne an’ Jalter'll be Riri’s only other Servants for a while, ’ceptions aside.”
AA nods. “Fair. That's a good idea. Oh, then Gilles will probably…”
“Tha’s fine.” Without all the sacrilege and child murder-rape and shit, turns out he's a real stand up guy. Who'd'a thunk?
“Anyone else on the shortlist?”
“Least AJ, right?” Reggi thinks aloud. “Since he’s gonna be in Novum Chaldea. Jeira too.” The others are flexible, she thinks.
“Mm… probably? Dunno, though. Maybe wait a bit?”
“Mean, all the folks in mission control’d be listenin’ in anyway, right? On missions an’ shit. Even with Roman blottin’ stuff, someone’s gotta’ve noticed how we keep knowin’ shit.”
“Probably, but…”
AA’s brows rise, and she tilts her chin forward. Hm?
… oh. Ritsu’s being bothered again. And Mash and Nero aren’t around…
Reggi flexes her hand and starts to shift her other arm off AA’s shoulder, but her Servant places her free hand on it and shakes her head.
“Hey, I like stickin’ t’you too, but -”
AA shushes her and tilts her head forward again. Reggi’s brow furrows as she looks over.
It looks like… the other three candidates are getting in Ritsu’s space (and part of her seriously regrets waking them up if this is how they’re going to act), but one of them lifts a hand back, Ritsu’s nostrils flare -
and Shadow Heracles catches the candidate’s fist and stares evenly at him, slowly pushing it down.
Weirdly enough, the other candidates suddenly change their mind about whatever the fuck their plan was, and decide to spare Ritsu ‘this time’. A wide grin crosses Reggi’s face as they beat a hasty retreat.
“Hell yeah,” she mutters, then quickens her pace along with AA. She raises her voice as they approach. “Watch out, we got a badass over here!!”
Ritsu flinches, and then sighs and scratches the back of his head as Shadow Heracles fades away.
“You, uh… you saw that, huh?”
“Sure did!!” Reggi lightly punches his arm. “Now that’s how ya take care of business.”
Ritsu makes a conflicted noise as he walks along with them. AA tilts her head.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
“Ah, it’s… that felt weird,” Ritsu says. “Like, I know it… I know what Kadoc-san said, but it still felt like… abusing my power.” He frowns down at his left hand. “… but I don’t want Mash and Nero… and Rika worrying about me. And, uh, everyone else in Team R, I guess.” A wry smile crosses his face. “Plus, as Rika mentioned, this is obviously better than someone else ending up with a broken limb. Or worse.”
“Ahah, yeah, Morgan can be… creative, when she wants to make a point.” AA idly fiddles with Reggi’s fingers. “What are you doing out and about so early, anyway? It’s like half past five in the morning.”
“Had a… strange dream and woke up after it,” Ritsu admits. “Couldn’t get back to sleep, so I figured I’d get an early start. I think… Mash should be waking up by now, and she’ll be waking up Nero,” oh, right, they’re bunking together until her room’s ‘suitable for a consul of Nova Rome’, “so I can go and greet them for once.”
“Make sureta text first,” Reggi pipes up.
“Ah, yeah,” Ritsu goes, pulling out his phone. “Oh, wait. Why are you guys up so early?”
“I normally get up around this time,” AA says.
“Same!” Reggi flexes her free arm, enjoying AA’s hum and glance. “Li'l earlier even. Gotta get m’workout in early!! Guns like these don’ jus’ happen, y’know!”
“There isn’t a perk for that?”
Reggi makes a face. “Ugh, prob’ly, but like, why.” She grins. “I get way more outta trainin’ than most - be a waste notta take advantage, yeah?” She looks forward. “Plus, hm. Iunno. Got a real good feelin’ ’bout today.”
If Ritsu had the dream she thinks he did, then they're heading into one of her favourite Singularity locations in probably an hour or two. Day early, it was released on the 28th originally, but she ain't complaining!
“Lemme guess - you were on a ship in the middle of a real awesome storm, an’ a real beautiful pirate woman with a badass scar on her face was barkin’ orders at the crew? Then some weird guy y'couldn’ make out on another ship started deadass sayin’ LOL in a real cringe way?”
Ritsu blinks and nods slowly. “Y… yeah, how did…” he starts, and then his brow sets. “Oh, wait. This… is a story thing, isn’t it? Like when Mash dreamt of Septem, and Riri of Orléans.”
Reggi grins. “Didn’ even hesitate or stumble that time!”
“Riri’s gonna be so happy,” AA says with a cute smile. Ah, she’s blushing again!
“If I can manage it in front of her, sure…” Ritsu’s phone beeps as he looks at it, and he blinks. “Oh. Yeah, they're awake, but…” He raises a brow. “Nero won’t get up. Which… it's pretty early, but she won't let Mash out of bed either. Mash says… she needs my help?”
“Well le’s getcha to ’em then!”
“Right.” Ritsu texts Mash to let her know that Reggi and AA are coming with. “It’s the weirdest thing, though. Rika had the same dream? That doesn’t happen very often any more.”
Oh, interesting.
In a few minutes they've reached Nero’s room, and they can hear murmurs and Fou’s squeaks as the door slides open.
Man. Reggi isn't one to talk, with her super gym and animal shelter, but Nero’s chambers are ridiculous. Red and gold everywhere, a mini fountain, a balcony overlooking Nova Rome (and wasn't that a bitch and a half to get working), and the most extravagant cushions strewn all over the lush carpet. That marble doorway leads to the baths, and those are an experience.
The emperor’s bed tops it all off: an impossibly fluffy mattress covered in unfathomably soft and warm bedding, dwarfing even a double king size. In the middle of that, Mash is sitting up against the headboard, and an apparently still asleep Nero is wrapped around her waist, one arm draped over Fou perched beside them and her head in Mash’s lap.
“Ah,” Mash perks up as they enter, “good morning, Senpai, Reggi-senpai, AlCas.” Her hand gently runs through Nero’s mass of blonde hair, entirely free of its usual braided bun.
“Sah dudes!” Reggi greets, waving her free arm. AA smiles and waves hers.
“Good morning, Mash,” Ritsu greets, smiling wide. “Hey, Fou.”
“Fou!” Ahh. Heheh.
“Nero?”
Nero mumbles incoherently, shifting at the sound of Ritsu’s voice. Oh, her PJ shirt buttons are done up to her collarbones - probably Mash’s doing.
“Yes, so, um,” Mash says, “Nero won't wake up. She, um…” Her cheeks tint as she looks down. “She needs to be awoken. Properly?”
Ritsu’s brow furrows. “How do you…”
Mash waves him towards the bed, and Reggi can see where this is going, so she hangs back with AA as Ritsu hums and approaches. The bed shifts about as he sits on the edge of it and shuffles over to be near his main Servants.
“Hey, Nero?” he goes, and Nero murbles and shifts again, her other arm reaching towards him.
“Mmn.”
Ritsu raises a brow. “Hm?”
“Mnn…!!” The emperor’s arm flails at him, grasping blindly. Haha, she's pursing her lips pretty hard. Mash smiles a little.
“Y…” Ritsu sighs and looks at Mash, who shrugs.
“I already…”
“Nnn!!!”
Ritsu rolls his eyes and leans over to peck Nero on the lips. Nero’s arm clamps around his back, and she swallows his surprised squeak with a hum of triumph. Reggi and AA flump onto some of the floor cushions and wait.
Man. They sure are into it.
Is it really that fun, locking lips? Reggi’s kinda curious with how much of the rest of the team does at this point, and how frequently. AA stiffens a bit next to her, so she rubs her partner's side to relax her again.
… she wonders how -
Ohp - looks like Nero’s finally satisfied.
Tch.
???
Nothing~ Nothing.
O…kay. Well, it's been… about six seconds? Yeah, about six, by the time Rome’s red rose loosens her grip on her Master enough to let him pull back, panting a bit.
“Very good,” she murmurs, a dopey smile on her face. “And now our beloved.” She tilts his head up towards Mash, whose smile widens as she leans down a bit to meet him. That one's not just a peck either, but it’s a lot quicker, at least.
“Sorry, Senpai,” Mash murmurs as she draws back. “I may have lied a little.”
“Wh…”
Nero hums, pleased, as she sits up next to Mash and stretches, then leans against her side. Mash is dressed, it looks like, but Nero’s still in her pyjamas.
“Our ambush was…” Yawn… “… successful!” Nero declares, still slightly sleepy. She pecks Mash’s cheek, frowns down at her buttoned shirt, then blinks over at Reggi and AA, who seems… genuinely surprised! Her Eyes are off, she must've toggled them when they came in. “Ah, I didn’t imagine it. Good day, Reggi, AlCas.”
“Heyo!” Reggi waves an arm. “These’re stupid fluffy’s usual.” Fou wriggles out of Nero’s grip and hops over into Reggi’s lap, and she coos and pets him.
“Hi, Fou,” AA says, with the cutest smile.
“Fou fou,” Fou replies, flicking an ear. “Mmkyu.”
Hey. The emperor hasn't let me go all morning.
“Royal mascot life's rough, huh.” That ear gets scritches.
“Fou! Fou fou.”
You couldn't imagine. At least I get snacks whenever I want.
“You’re not overeating, right?” AA says sternly, and Fou flicks his ear at her.
Man… [Wild Empathy]'s awesome. It shouldn't work on Fou, since he's sapient, but it's probably a Beast thing.
“I am now prepared to start the day!!” Nero’s clothes flash, and Ritsu squawks and twists around, slapping his hands over his very red face. “Tsk.”
“N-Nero!! You can't just -”
“Well,” Mash is blushing as well, but she doesn’t really seem flustered, “you, um, you get used to it.”
“Don’t just give her a pass, Mash!!”
“These are my chambers,” Nero says imperiously. “I have done no wrong.” Yeah, she's fully clothed in her normal dress now, hair done up and everything. She spins out of bed, then hums and considers herself. “Impeccable as my sense of fashion is, perhaps I should match the group more while in Chaldea. What do you think, my consuls?”
“She’s safe, Senpai,” Mash whispers, and Ritsu slowly lowers his hands.
“I mean, uh. You look. Good? Your normal outfit looks good. What were you thin-”
“I’m glad you asked!!” Nero flumphs between Mash and Ritsu and fishes her phone out of the bedding; Mash’s eyes flick to her back, and then away. “Mash has already given her opinion on some of these, so I would like - hm?!”
Ah, there it is. All their phones beeped or buzzed. Reggi’s made the sound for important pings in Team R's group chat, so it's probably…!
ROOOOOMA
Attention, all active Masters. We’ve narrowed down the next Singularity. Please report to the Command Room in the next couple of hours.
Fuck yeeesssssss.
“Hey Nero?”
“Umu?”
Reggi grins wide. AA’s already paling, and Ritsu and Mash’ll probably join her soon, but they gotta learn to live a little!
“Ready ta shred some more waves?!”
