[ It's hard to take her seriously in general when her huffs and pouts are so cute... even though she is smushing his face with her hands, and suddenly their refreshments are in his care rather than hers. ]
What, it's just a little nibble...
[ He says, his voice distorted because of her cheek squishing. He's teasing, of course, since he accomplished his main goal... said-goal being showing off to the public yet again. Quite a few red faces were spawned from that ear nibble and the noise she made. ]
Fine, fine... I suppose someone needs to scare the unsavory ones away. Make sure they know who you belong to.
I hate to break it to you [ does she really tho ] but you're counting as one of the unsavory ones right now.
[ Only right now, she says...
With another of those little huffs, she takes her drink back from him (of course hers has a cute little umbrella in it...) and turns on her heel to start leading him further into the crowd. ]
Come on, then. You said you wanted something to eat, right? So let's go.
[ Looks like Ai's the one who's sulking a little this time. ]
[ He says, not looking hurt at all as he follows after her... clearly satisfied with having reminded her that she's just as easily bullied as he is. It seems he's finally enjoying himself at least... all it took was bullying Ai a little, though. ]
To think my own Master considers me unsavory... ah, I don't think I'll ever recover...
At least pretend to sound less happy about it. Besides, you can't complain about people thinking you're unsavoury when you came to the beach dressed like that. You're basically advertising that you're up to no good.
[ Not that he's actually caused any trouble yet, but she knows full well it's just a matter of time.
For a moment, it seems like she's just going to walk on ahead of him in a bit of a huff but finally, she slows down enough for him to catch up. Once he does, she turns to him properly and offers her free hand. ]
Here. It's busy and I don't want you to have to pick another fight if we get separated again.
[ Or rather... she'll forgive him for now so long as he behaves himself. In front of everyone else, at least. ]
[ He has every possible bad vibe a person can have. Though it fits him more than say, a normal beach outfit, that's for sure. ]
Oh, alright...
[ Still, he's all too glad to take her hand in his again before sipping at his own drink... melon soda, just as he asked. At least he's consistent when it comes to taste in sweet things. ]
That's probably the best I can expect from you, huh...
[ But she does look a little mollified now that they're making their way along hand in hand. She'd meant it one hundred percent when she wasn't expecting him to throw himself into... whatever summery activities people do on the beach, but having him sit and sulk about the whole thing had dampened her mood a bit.
This, though - holding hands and walking up and down the beach together - it's more than enough for her. It's as close to acting like a normal couple the two of them can get, even if it's only playacting. But even this is more than she ever would've been allowed to do back home.
It's a good thing they're holding onto each other, too - it's busy enough here that they'd definitely get separated if their hands weren't linked. ]
You know, I've been meaning to ask... what exactly did Nagiko-chan mean when she said summer was "cursed"? It's busy, but everyone looks like they're having a good time.
Ah, that... well, let's just say that summers at Chaldea tend to get rather... out of hand.
[ Maybe one day when they sleep, she'll find herself in that theater again, and instead of a showing of Avalon le Fae, there'll be a showing of that crazed Artoria-themed Servafes. He can't say he's not fond of continuations of a story, after all. ]
I mean, you saw her, right? It's ridiculous to think that a Servant can change their entire spirit origin by putting on a swimsuit, and yet now she's a Berserker. Having a "swimsuit spirit origin" became a trend of all things.
[ An organization dedicated to the preservation of the human order, where countless Heroic Spirits gather... if it feels like a joke, then that's because it is. ]
...Well, for the most part, it's all fun and games for the most part. Except there always tends to be some kind of threat that has to be dealt with. Not that I have any experience with that kind of thing.
[ . . . There's a long moment where Ai just looks at him with an expression of someone transparently trying to work out whether or not she's being bullshitted. Nagiko's definitely a little more... more than usual, but the idea that putting on a swimsuit is enough to do that...
She mulls over it all for a few seconds... then sighs. ]
You know, I've heard enough about Chaldea at this point that I'm not even questioning it. You guys can't have even one normal week there, can you?
[ She peers up at him curiously. ]
You haven't changed a bit, though... [ which is to say, he's exactly as much of a grouch as always. ] I guess you're not wearing a swimsuit, though.
Yep, I'm the same as always. I don't care for trends, after all. I'll be keeping my spirit origin the same way it's always been, regardless of what I'm wearing.
[ That and by virtue of being a Pretender, his spirit origin is already in a constant state of change. ]
Well, I wouldn't worry too much. Sure, the chances of an uneventful summer with Servants around are slim, but you should just enjoy yourself however you want in the meantime.
You of all people saying it like that just makes it feel like we're begging to get jinxed...
[ But she sounds more fondly bemused than anything. Things get crazy here... all the time. She's used to it by now. At least there... probably won't be any nobbus again. Probably. ]
But either way, I'm glad you're just sticking to being yourself. [ She gives him a little smile. S-somehow, it's even brighter than usual coming off her sulking... ] Call it bad taste if you want, but I prefer you like this to... whatever's going on with Nagiko-chan right now.
[ Summer Nobbus… horrifying. It’s already tragic enough that Ai has gotten a taste of the Nobbu farming experience, let’s not put her through that again…
Although in terms of truly cursed holidays, she is in no way prepared for Halloween. ]
Hm? Ah, well…
[ He masks it with grumpiness, but… her words are more than just a little flattering. He refuses to let it show on his face, but he squeezes her hand back anyway. ]
…Whatever floats your boat.
[ At least with whatever’s happening to Nagiko… shes still having fun? Hopefully the same can be said for her poor Master… Hibiki, who must now contend with her “delinquent” Servant.
…that or with Nagiko forfeiting the brain cell, they’ve become an unstoppable force of chaos in the form of two lesbians. Hm. ]
[ She gives him another of those just-barely-too-bright smiles - the kind you can practically see sparkling in the sun - before her attention finally gets pulled away from him. ]
- ahah! There we go!
[ Off she goes, tugging him along to a food stall surrounded by people. How she managed to work out what they were selling without being able to actually see it is a mystery but she sounds pretty confident as she declares - ]
[ He protests, but he doesn't resist being dragged along. Honestly, crowds really aren't his thing... the Faerie King is his way of being around large crowds of people, so it's weird being in such a crowded place as, well, himself.
He supposes it's only fair that, with all of the pushing he made to get her to be honest, it's only fair she returns the favor. ]
Yakitori, huh... not my usual palatte, but sure.
[ That's because all he eats normally is junk food... ]
Of course it's not. Yakitori's real food. [ She sticks her tongue out at him - it's stained a little minty green from the soda. ] Not all of us can survive on conbini snacks and sweets, you know.
[ She takes once last pull on her straw before cheerily turning and presenting her drink for him to take. ]
Alright! Stick right here and I'll go get us a skewer each! Getting through crowds like this is one of my special skills.
[ Excuse you?? Last time he let you out of his sight, you got hit on! And easy for you to say, sneaking through crowds... you can do that because you're so damn small! He doesn't have that advantage, damn it!
Ugh, nothing he can do about it... he'll just have to force and squeeze his way through after her... and holding both of their drinks, too! God she's such a handful...
Yet where he would usually just stand back and not go through the trouble, here he is pushing on through after her. ]
[ True to her word and yet, impossibly - she's actually doing a good job of weaving her way through! Life spent as a girl below a solid chunk of the population's eye level has made her pretty good at knowing how to dip and weave her way through a crowd of people who don't even notice she's there. She's so focused, in fact, that she doesn't even notice he's following along until she's already gotten to the front. ]
Oberon...? [ She sounds surprised. For some reason. ] You didn't have to follow... but I guess that makes things easier.
[ She points at the grill, where a number of skewers are sizzling away. ]
Which kind do you want? There's just meat, or meat and veggies... oh, looks like they've got torikawa! That's the skin grilled up so it gets all crispy, I'll get that... what about you?
[ She's too attractive for her own good, damn it. What happens if a larger, more stubborn group shows up next time? He's not putting up with that, thank you very much. ]
...how should I know? I don't eat this stuff normally...
[ It does smell pretty good, though... ]
...you seem to know what's good. Torikawa, was it? I'll just have what you're having.
Oh, come on! What're the chances of that happening again? [ High. Astronomically high. ] But if you want to go everywhere with me today, I don't mind at all. ☆
[ She gives him a wink that practically twinkles before turning back to the vendor and giving him a cheery peace sign. ]
Two torikawa please!
[ And while they're waiting, she casually leans over to take a sip from her straw while Oberon's carrying the drinks... they're in peak obnoxious couple mode right now, huh. ]
[ Somewhere off in the distance, Nagiko and Hibiki are fighting an eldritch god in their swimsuits, and here are Ai and Oberon being the most obnoxious couple in the world.
Summer with Servants, everyone. ]
Don't let it get to your head. I just don't wanna deal with chasing unsavory guys away if I don't have to.
[ Yes, because that's all there is to it, definitely. It's not like seeing her smile and sparkle like this gives him life. Why would you think that? It's also not like he's hyper-aware of the indirect kiss they just had by her taking a sip of his drink, why would that be the case? ]
Uh-huh. Sure thing. Because you just hate stirring up trouble, don't you?
[ She sticks out her tongue again, like she's just daring him to deny it - but then the vendor calls out their order and she snaps to attention. ]
Right, yup! That's us, thank you! [ She dives back in, not-so-politely elbowing past a guy who is definitely staring at her for a little too long as she does so, before returning with their yakitori in hand. ] Tah-dah! Alright, swap time... oh, jeez, how are we gonna do this?
[ She giggles and swaps one of the skewers to her other hand, freeing up one to take her drink with and handing his food over. So smoothly done!! ]
[ Ai's been getting stared at ever since she got to this beach, there is not a single moment when she isn't drawing attention to herself. That doesn't mean he doesn't promptly scare off the guy who was staring at her with a frankly terrifying glare that prompts him to scurry off.
He drops that glare before Ai can see it, though. He finds joy in showing off the fact that Ai is his, but he still needs to establish that he's not planning on sharing, right? ]
Hoh... very smooth. Thank you very much...
[ He'll take his skewer and promptly chomp off a piece, just as messy of an eater as ever. ]
Right? I told you! [ She's sparkling again... is it really that exciting to be getting food together like this? Apparently so. ] It's a little greasy so it's not really something an idol should be having buuuut...
[ She takes a very pointed chomp out of her own skewer, looking pleased as punch. Nice and crunchy. ]
Right now, I'm just a totally normal girl. So I can eat whatever I want!
[ He doesn't share her enthusiasm, but... seeing the way she smiles makes up for it and more. It's tiresome, and yet because it makes her happy, he feels all too willing to put up with it.
Love is one hell of a thing, isn't it? ]
Yes, yes... except you're more than just a normal girl, right?
[ It's that realization that makes him decide that he needs to flirt and be even more obnoxious with her more. He wraps a hand around her waist and pulls her against his chest, knowing that the people who Ai's drawn into staring at her are watching. ]
You're mine, after all.
[ He can't just be content with eating his skewer, now can he? ]
[ Somehow, it's even easier than usual to manhandle her about today - she goes stumbling into his touch with little protest and even less resistence. In fact, even though they're definitely making a bit of a scene in front of all these other people queuing up for yakitori, all she does is tut-tut at him. ]
Oh, come on. It's true but what does it have to do with torikawa?
[ The perfect response to nip a few stares in the bud. Given that she's not stepping out of his arms despite her fuss, maybe she's not quite as oblivious to all the attention she's drawing as she's play acting at being after all. ]
You're so clingy today. You're really sure summer hasn't gotten you all amped up like Nagiko-chan?
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Wh- hey...!
[ She immediately grabs his face, smashing his cheeks in her hands. No biting!!! ]
Who's calling who high maintenance? I really wasn't kidding when I said I'd get mad, you know!
[ Huff puff, pout pout. It's a little hard to take her all that seriously in the cute swimsuit, but still... ]
If you're that worried, actually come with me instead of sulking off by yourself!
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What, it's just a little nibble...
[ He says, his voice distorted because of her cheek squishing. He's teasing, of course, since he accomplished his main goal... said-goal being showing off to the public yet again. Quite a few red faces were spawned from that ear nibble and the noise she made. ]
Fine, fine... I suppose someone needs to scare the unsavory ones away. Make sure they know who you belong to.
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[ Only right now, she says...
With another of those little huffs, she takes her drink back from him (of course hers has a cute little umbrella in it...) and turns on her heel to start leading him further into the crowd. ]
Come on, then. You said you wanted something to eat, right? So let's go.
[ Looks like Ai's the one who's sulking a little this time. ]
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[ He says, not looking hurt at all as he follows after her... clearly satisfied with having reminded her that she's just as easily bullied as he is. It seems he's finally enjoying himself at least... all it took was bullying Ai a little, though. ]
To think my own Master considers me unsavory... ah, I don't think I'll ever recover...
[ Someone is having fun playing this up... ]
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[ Not that he's actually caused any trouble yet, but she knows full well it's just a matter of time.
For a moment, it seems like she's just going to walk on ahead of him in a bit of a huff but finally, she slows down enough for him to catch up. Once he does, she turns to him properly and offers her free hand. ]
Here. It's busy and I don't want you to have to pick another fight if we get separated again.
[ Or rather... she'll forgive him for now so long as he behaves himself. In front of everyone else, at least. ]
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Oh, alright...
[ Still, he's all too glad to take her hand in his again before sipping at his own drink... melon soda, just as he asked. At least he's consistent when it comes to taste in sweet things. ]
I'll try to behave... for now, at least.
[ Emphasis on "for now", huh? ]
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[ But she does look a little mollified now that they're making their way along hand in hand. She'd meant it one hundred percent when she wasn't expecting him to throw himself into... whatever summery activities people do on the beach, but having him sit and sulk about the whole thing had dampened her mood a bit.
This, though - holding hands and walking up and down the beach together - it's more than enough for her. It's as close to acting like a normal couple the two of them can get, even if it's only playacting. But even this is more than she ever would've been allowed to do back home.
It's a good thing they're holding onto each other, too - it's busy enough here that they'd definitely get separated if their hands weren't linked. ]
You know, I've been meaning to ask... what exactly did Nagiko-chan mean when she said summer was "cursed"? It's busy, but everyone looks like they're having a good time.
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[ Maybe one day when they sleep, she'll find herself in that theater again, and instead of a showing of Avalon le Fae, there'll be a showing of that crazed Artoria-themed Servafes. He can't say he's not fond of continuations of a story, after all. ]
I mean, you saw her, right? It's ridiculous to think that a Servant can change their entire spirit origin by putting on a swimsuit, and yet now she's a Berserker. Having a "swimsuit spirit origin" became a trend of all things.
[ An organization dedicated to the preservation of the human order, where countless Heroic Spirits gather... if it feels like a joke, then that's because it is. ]
...Well, for the most part, it's all fun and games for the most part. Except there always tends to be some kind of threat that has to be dealt with. Not that I have any experience with that kind of thing.
[
Fucking liar.]no subject
She mulls over it all for a few seconds... then sighs. ]
You know, I've heard enough about Chaldea at this point that I'm not even questioning it. You guys can't have even one normal week there, can you?
[ She peers up at him curiously. ]
You haven't changed a bit, though... [ which is to say, he's exactly as much of a grouch as always. ] I guess you're not wearing a swimsuit, though.
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Yep, I'm the same as always. I don't care for trends, after all. I'll be keeping my spirit origin the same way it's always been, regardless of what I'm wearing.
[ That and by virtue of being a Pretender, his spirit origin is already in a constant state of change. ]
Well, I wouldn't worry too much. Sure, the chances of an uneventful summer with Servants around are slim, but you should just enjoy yourself however you want in the meantime.
[ If nothing else, it's guaranteed to be fun. ]
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[ But she sounds more fondly bemused than anything. Things get crazy here... all the time. She's used to it by now. At least there... probably won't be any nobbus again. Probably. ]
But either way, I'm glad you're just sticking to being yourself. [ She gives him a little smile. S-somehow, it's even brighter than usual coming off her sulking... ] Call it bad taste if you want, but I prefer you like this to... whatever's going on with Nagiko-chan right now.
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Although in terms of truly cursed holidays, she is in no way prepared for Halloween. ]
Hm? Ah, well…
[ He masks it with grumpiness, but… her words are more than just a little flattering. He refuses to let it show on his face, but he squeezes her hand back anyway. ]
…Whatever floats your boat.
[ At least with whatever’s happening to Nagiko… shes still having fun? Hopefully the same can be said for her poor Master… Hibiki, who must now contend with her “delinquent” Servant.
…that or with Nagiko forfeiting the brain cell, they’ve become an unstoppable force of chaos in the form of two lesbians. Hm. ]
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- ahah! There we go!
[ Off she goes, tugging him along to a food stall surrounded by people. How she managed to work out what they were selling without being able to actually see it is a mystery but she sounds pretty confident as she declares - ]
Yakitori...! It's not summer without that.
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[ He protests, but he doesn't resist being dragged along. Honestly, crowds really aren't his thing... the Faerie King is his way of being around large crowds of people, so it's weird being in such a crowded place as, well, himself.
He supposes it's only fair that, with all of the pushing he made to get her to be honest, it's only fair she returns the favor. ]
Yakitori, huh... not my usual palatte, but sure.
[ That's because all he eats normally is junk food... ]
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[ She takes once last pull on her straw before cheerily turning and presenting her drink for him to take. ]
Alright! Stick right here and I'll go get us a skewer each! Getting through crowds like this is one of my special skills.
[ And off she goes... ]
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[ Excuse you?? Last time he let you out of his sight, you got hit on! And easy for you to say, sneaking through crowds... you can do that because you're so damn small! He doesn't have that advantage, damn it!
Ugh, nothing he can do about it... he'll just have to force and squeeze his way through after her... and holding both of their drinks, too! God she's such a handful...
Yet where he would usually just stand back and not go through the trouble, here he is pushing on through after her. ]
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Oberon...? [ She sounds surprised. For some reason. ] You didn't have to follow... but I guess that makes things easier.
[ She points at the grill, where a number of skewers are sizzling away. ]
Which kind do you want? There's just meat, or meat and veggies... oh, looks like they've got torikawa! That's the skin grilled up so it gets all crispy, I'll get that... what about you?
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[ She's too attractive for her own good, damn it. What happens if a larger, more stubborn group shows up next time? He's not putting up with that, thank you very much. ]
...how should I know? I don't eat this stuff normally...
[ It does smell pretty good, though... ]
...you seem to know what's good. Torikawa, was it? I'll just have what you're having.
[ The typical couple response...! ]
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[ She gives him a wink that practically twinkles before turning back to the vendor and giving him a cheery peace sign. ]
Two torikawa please!
[ And while they're waiting, she casually leans over to take a sip from her straw while Oberon's carrying the drinks... they're in peak obnoxious couple mode right now, huh. ]
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Summer with Servants, everyone. ]
Don't let it get to your head. I just don't wanna deal with chasing unsavory guys away if I don't have to.
[ Yes, because that's all there is to it, definitely. It's not like seeing her smile and sparkle like this gives him life. Why would you think that? It's also not like he's hyper-aware of the indirect kiss they just had by her taking a sip of his drink, why would that be the case? ]
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[ She sticks out her tongue again, like she's just daring him to deny it - but then the vendor calls out their order and she snaps to attention. ]
Right, yup! That's us, thank you! [ She dives back in, not-so-politely elbowing past a guy who is definitely staring at her for a little too long as she does so, before returning with their yakitori in hand. ] Tah-dah! Alright, swap time... oh, jeez, how are we gonna do this?
[ She giggles and swaps one of the skewers to her other hand, freeing up one to take her drink with and handing his food over. So smoothly done!! ]
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He drops that glare before Ai can see it, though. He finds joy in showing off the fact that Ai is his, but he still needs to establish that he's not planning on sharing, right? ]
Hoh... very smooth. Thank you very much...
[ He'll take his skewer and promptly chomp off a piece, just as messy of an eater as ever. ]
...Mn. Not bad.
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[ She takes a very pointed chomp out of her own skewer, looking pleased as punch. Nice and crunchy. ]
Right now, I'm just a totally normal girl. So I can eat whatever I want!
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Love is one hell of a thing, isn't it? ]
Yes, yes... except you're more than just a normal girl, right?
[ It's that realization that makes him decide that he needs to flirt and be even more obnoxious with her more. He wraps a hand around her waist and pulls her against his chest, knowing that the people who Ai's drawn into staring at her are watching. ]
You're mine, after all.
[ He can't just be content with eating his skewer, now can he? ]
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[ Somehow, it's even easier than usual to manhandle her about today - she goes stumbling into his touch with little protest and even less resistence. In fact, even though they're definitely making a bit of a scene in front of all these other people queuing up for yakitori, all she does is tut-tut at him. ]
Oh, come on. It's true but what does it have to do with torikawa?
[ The perfect response to nip a few stares in the bud. Given that she's not stepping out of his arms despite her fuss, maybe she's not quite as oblivious to all the attention she's drawing as she's play acting at being after all. ]
You're so clingy today. You're really sure summer hasn't gotten you all amped up like Nagiko-chan?
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