#thankie ere-chan

[writer-and-artist27]

[Image Description: Four screenshots from Fate/Grand Order showing in order, (1) the Bond Level Up screen for Lancer Ereshkigal, where her Bond Level has gone up from 9 to 10; (2) the “Craft Essence Extracted” screen that shows Ereshkigal's Max Bond Craft Essence of “Flowers Blooming in the Underworld”; (3) a screenshot of Ereshkigal’s Servant card, with emphasis on all 10 of her bond diamonds in the level screen being filled and about to be enhanced to Bond 11; and (4) a “Bond Level Limit Released” screen that shows Ereshkigal’s Bond Level limit being broken to reach Level 11. End Description.]

Back on Christmas Eve 2019, Ereshkigal surprised me on a single ticket pull. I was still a new player back then, barely having any 5 star Servants, so for my first 5 star Lancer to be Ere-chan...

Well. There's a lot I'm grateful to her for. For holding me up through Camelot and so on. Getting me through Part 1.5. Letting me bond with her when things could be scary and downright mind-breaking in Part 2.

Thankie, Ere-chan. Thankie for staying.

This story is for you. Song and all.

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Ereshkigal could hardly remember a moment before her time as Vy's Servant where she could feel the sunlight. For all of her life as the Queen of Kur, the ruler of the Underworld, she had only seen souls and darkness.

So many cages made, so many dead to house for eternal rest.

So many who couldn't talk to her. Even with her authority as the Goddess of the Underworld, Irkalla.

It was her duty, of course. Watching over the dead. Being lonely was a mere byproduct she couldn't complain about.

It was why it was so out of place and unexpected to witness the flower she knew as Vy summon her to the original Chaldea three years ago, surprised tears in her eyes and hands clasped in front of her chest. Ereshkigal knew from those teary brown eyes behind her glasses that this Master was different from the other humans. Was it the brightness of her soul that made the sun feel pale in spite of its warmth? Or the faint sensation that she was a little lonely too, just like her? In spite of all the company she kept and the warm smile she kept painting onto her face, whether naturally or by force? What was it really? Ereshkigal was still unsure as to what compelled her to answer the girl's call in the end.

The flower of her Command Seals — the lotus flower that kept them together — seemed all the more dim in the face of how much respect and kindness the little mousy Chaldean Master kept giving.

It was odd enough seeing the Caster version of Uruk's own Gilgamesh demure in the face of Vy pouting and firmly telling him "no" when it came to berating with his younger child form, but to see even Ishtar — her own sister Inanna — grow affectionate towards the young Master was a different kind of sensation.

It was only with the advent of Ashtart's kidnapping that Ereshkigal decided.

Chaldea could only be warm when Vy was in it.

Not even the bright rainbow flame of a Bond Chalice meant much in the face of the red lotus petals on the back of Vy's left hand as she offered it to Ereshkigal with the same smile.

The calm of her vessel's heart was immediately disrupted at the sight of the thing, skipping some as Ereshkigal raked her eyes over Vy's figure. For a moment, she could have sworn there was a slightly taller, somewhat plumper dark-haired woman behind the Chaldean Master, giggling and wrapping her arms around the younger woman from behind, but a blink had her disappear as quickly as Ereshkigal noticed through her vessel's eyes.

Could that have been—?

Vy's precious family was still wandering the world somewhere after the Foreign God's Bleaching. Whether dead or in a state of half-being, half-living, no one in the Wandering Sea was truly sure. The entire state of Proper Human History itself was in peril, after all.

But Vy murmured sometimes. Saying, "cảm ơn, Dí Thúy,"* and "Bé Vy con thương Ông Ngoại,"** when she thought Mash and the others weren't looking.

Only Ereshkigal and some others could really see the transparent hands patting Vy's head when the lights were out. Pale lips pressing kisses to the girl's hair when she was asleep in time to the occasional tapping of a Buddhist gong. Irkalla had a feeling not even that Egyptian pharaoh Nitocris could talk to them, though. And if she was right about who was there, especially with the Holy Grails augmenting her powers—

"Ere-chan?"

Irkalla startled. Vy, her little grape — no, her flower — was blinking owlishly at her again, her hands gloriously warm against Ereshkigal's own cold ones as she reached over to take them in her grasp, squeezing the bright gold Bond Chalice between them. "Are you okay, Ere-chan?"

This time, the goddess could clearly see the faint outline of the woman from before, standing behind Vy with a soft smile, and Irkalla nodded. "That is my line, my flower."

Do not worry, Thúy Duong. Ereshkigal thought to herself, reaching over to pull the Chaldean Master into a tight hug before she could say anything else. Your baby girl of a niece will be safe within Chaldea and my Kur. I swear upon it — she won't join you that quickly.

The woman standing behind Vy smiled brighter and with a mouthed "Thank you", turned back into the heart shape that made up her soul as she flew back to what laid beyond Irkalla's Underworld to join her father waiting there.

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*Cảm ơn, Dí Thúy = Thank you, Aunt Thúy

**Bé Vy con thương Ông Ngoại = Baby Vy still loves Grandpa

[writer-and-artist27]

[Image Description: A screenshot from Fate/Grand Order, showing the evolution of Lancer Ereshkigal’s Saint Graph. Her level cap is shown to have been increased from Level 90 to Level 92. End Description.]

Well. It looks like my Big Three in Arturia, Robin, and Achilles will be getting a new member to their ranks soon… :) Once QP cooperates, anyway.

@siegfaerie, we have a winner to the new Grailed Servant game! :D

On a more serious note, Eresh was my first ever 5-star Lancer that I coincidentally pulled on Christmas Day when her banner first came to NA. And considering she helped me beat LB4 by enduring Ash’s “hot wheels” with her Invincibility skill, this is the least I can do for one of my favorite goddesses. Thankie for everything, Ere-chan.

[writer-and-artist27]

"Legal" Advice

As thanks for the story you gave me, @partialdignity. I love you platonically. <3

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Are you sure you don’t want one of us to accompany you inside, Vy?

I’m sure, Ere-chan. Ms. Lan Yi’s been with Chaldea longer than any of us — I think I’ll be okay with her.

The Lancer Pseudo-Servant still looked less than convinced in her black dress, her hands tightly clutching the handles of her spear, but she still loosened her grip once Vy was reaching over to hold some of her fingers. Be safe then, little flower, Ereshkigal said through their bond, red eyes soft in Vy’s direction. I��ll be with the others outside.

Vy smiled while squeezing Eresh’s fingers once or twice back for good measure. Affection went places, after all. Aye. Love you too, Ere-chan. I’ll see you soon.

Vy could barely hide the giggles bubbling up in her throat at the sight of Eresh flushing enough to match a cherry, instead letting the Lancer go with a small pat to her hands before eventually turning on her heels to face that one office door in the Wandering Sea.

One step is all it takes.

Vy closed her eyes, took a breath, and gently raised her right hand to rap her knuckles against the door.

“Ms. Lan Yi?”

“…You don’t have to use the ‘Ms’ title, Vy,” called out past the door, and it was now Vy’s turn to flush a little in the face. “And there’s no need to linger. Come on in.”

The door proceeded to slide open, exposing the older woman sipping at a steaming cup of tea at her desk with an accompanying tea set and a small plate of what appeared to be mooncakes nearby. Vy tilted her head at the only other chair in the room, and Lan Yi wordlessly gestured with one hand towards it, not even pausing her tea drinking.

“Thankie then, Ms— I mean, Lan Yi,” Vy corrected herself, gently pulling the chair up to sit down. Looking up at Lan Yi didn’t really yield any insight into what she was thinking — if anything, Lan Yi seemed quiet as always as she steadily returned Vy’s stare. Vy felt her palms start to accumulate sweat as she pressed them against her lap. “Um…”

“You seem to have something on your mind,” Lan Yi said after a moment, interrupting Vy’s internal panic while putting her teacup down on the table. With a soft wave of a (very pretty) manicured hand, another teacup appeared between them on the desk, saucer and all, and Lan Yi gently took up the nearby teapot to pour tea into it. “What’s wrong, Vy?”

“N-Nothing!” Vy felt herself blurt out first, only to cower a little underneath Lan Yi’s quiet stare as the new teacup was then pushed in Vy’s direction. Heat still flooding her face, Vy ignored the instinctive urge to play with her hair, simply taking the offered cup off of Lan Yi’s hands to glance down at the surface of the liquid for a second. Then, she felt herself whisper, “I-I wanted to say ‘thank you’, actually.”

In the tea’s reflection, Vy could faintly make out Lan Yi scooting back a bit in her rolling chair, causing just enough of a scene to prompt Vy to look up for herself. Sure enough, Lan Yi was giving her a wide-eyed look that, once Vy noticed it, was already getting schooled into a neutral expression, as if the previous moment never happened. “…What brought this on, Vy?” Lan Yi said, her tone kind enough to make the air feel a few degrees warmer than it was before. “I do not recall doing anything to warrant your thanks.”

Vy did her best to cradle the teacup in her hands to take a sip, even if it was shaky and bordering on nervous slurping, shaking her head to Lan Yi’s inquiry. “I-I heard through a certain grape vine that you said something to the new Director and it’s why I’ve been able to sleep easier during my daily naps lately,” Vy confessed, a fond smile starting to form on her face with the admission. “It didn’t feel right to let things go by without saying thank you.”

To Vy’s surprise, Lan Yi sighed, her tone coming out mild and almost bordering professional as she replied with, “Vy, I am Chaldea’s legal advisor. It’s part of my job to reinforce the rights all staff should have.” The words were punctuated by a particularly dainty sip of her own tea, and Vy tilted her head at the older woman to wait. Soon enough, once Lan Yi finished her mouthful of tea, Vy could see Lan Yi swallow rather thickly past her cup. “You shouldn’t have to thank me when your personal rights shouldn’t have been violated in the first place.”

“But I wanted to, Lan Yi,” Vy continued in an equally quiet voice, the smallest hint of desperation leaking into her tone as she put her own teacup down. “Because not everyone has done that for me, and I wanted to express my gratitude to you for doing just that.”

Especially after someone I once loved easily put me down without a care in the world. Despite it all, you’re not doing that. You’re still staying with me, through everything. Even if I don’t know you as well as the Servants and Mash…

Vy wasn’t sure if it was a spur of the whim or her heart showing itself yet again on her sleeve, but Vy leaned forward in Lan Yi’s direction over the table to add in a briefly confident voice, “A certain Hero of Charity told me it’s good to be honest about things like this, anyways.”

You deserve nice things too, Lan Yi.

The reference was enough to throw Lan Yi out of whatever funk she had found herself in, because Vy found herself watching in amazement as Lan Yi’s cheeks flushed a dark color. The older woman proceeded to cover her mouth with one hand, gray-green irises flickering back and forth between her tea cup and Vy’s own eyes. “…Of course it was Lancer,” Vy could faintly hear past Lan Yi’s fingers, her eyebrows furrowing enough to wrinkle what Vy could see of Lan Yi’s forehead through her long hair. “Is that all, Vy?”

“I was thinking of baking you something if you were okay with sweets?” Vy said in a higher-pitched voice, unable to help the glee starting to bleed through because Lan Yi was actually relaxing. That never happened before, except when — when Dr. Roman was still around. The air felt warm. Comfortable. Like Vy was home. “If you weren’t okay with that, I just wanted to spend time with you, Lan Yi. Outside of work, I mean.” A little laugh left Vy’s lips at the thought of a certain Goddess of the Underworld lingering outside the office. “A lot of people have been telling me I need to take better care of myself, and you’re cozy to be around, Lan Yi, so…”

Lan Yi gave Vy another look through her fingers, eventually lowering her hand to study Vy for a moment. Vy tilted her head in return, evenly matching Lan Yi’s look in intensity.

“…How are you at The Legend of Zelda, Vy?” Lan Yi said finally.

Vy blinked. “…Er, would it offend you if I said I never played a single entry?”

For the first time that entire conversation, Lan Yi beamed. “Oh, Vy,” her voice came out tinkly and warm, a side Vy had never heard or seen before, “allow me to teach you the ways of gaming.”

[writer-and-artist27]

Unsaid Things

Written while sleepy again, albeit this time in the early morning when no one but my parents are awake. Taking place a bit after the first sleepy drabble-thingie, and covering some things my boyfriend said in real life after all the salt and pain that it took to get Kama in my Chaldea, just in Passing Days- terms. Also acknowledging the events of a certain Extra Day in Passing Days proper, with some Mana Transfer ramifications discussed. I think.

Enjoy? o(_ _o)ノ☆

I was listening to this while writing. Here you go, @xviicprc, @panyum, and @withanina. Take this as you will.

Is this a Roby drabble kind of thing? I feel the ship in my head. Though, I probably need coffee.

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Once the summoning circle had faded, Vy had given her usual bright smile to greet the latest newcomer to Novum Chaldea. Kama, on the other hand, didn’t look all that receptive of the gesture, crossing their arms and tapping their heels against the floor of the Summoning Chamber. Even with a kid’s figure, they still seemed quite petulant. Or could Robin even say that? “So,” Kama said with an air of exasperation, “you actually summoned me. Even after all the trouble I caused you and Ayako?”

“You did cause quite a bit of trouble, yes,” Vy said mildly, shrugging her shoulders. Robin Hood did his best to not stare holes into the back of Vy’s head from the understatement. Still, Vy continued with an equally light, “But if our last fight was any indication, you aren’t beyond becoming a better person. And I did offer you a chance to come here before that battle, so I’m just acting on it.”

“I am a goddess of love, Vy,” Kama spit out through gritted teeth, yet still taking the plate of Embers Vy offered them anyways. “I am beyond the thought process of a mere human.”

With the same smile, Vy said in a soft sing-song tone, “But you still answered my call in a human’s form, didn’t you?”

“…” Kama proceeded to bite into one of the Assassin embers from the plate in their hands with a face.

Vy giggled lightly into one of her hands, rocking herself back and forth on her shoes in the uniform provided by the Far Side of the Moon. “There’s a lot of things here that I think you can find interesting, Kama-san. I don’t know how it will go for you in the future, and you have every right to duck away if this place is not good for you in the end, but for now, just take this new start as a ‘punishment’ and atonement for everything in Ooku. Bad things can’t be left unaddressed.”

“P-Punishment?!” Kama shrieked, now mid-bite of an Assassin Gem.

“To be more specific,” Vy took a small step to the side, letting Ereshkigal and Archer EMIYA walk forward instead. “I think some of my Servants know you and want to say something before I can lead you around.” Kama’s eyes widened once Vy finished with a light but hesitant, “Well, Ere-chan and Shirou were insistent on it.”

“More Eresh than me, but—” Archer EMIYA tried to say with a modestly raised hand.

“Indeed we do, little grape!” Ereshkigal puffed her chest out proudly, hands on her hips and ignoring EMIYA’s quip, just as EMIYA raised one conflicted-looking eyebrow towards both her and Kama in question. “As a fellow goddess, I can lead you around and help Vy start your new course on love! We’re allies now, so we can do that much!”

“Wh-What could you say that I don’t know — HEY! Where are we going?!”

“On a Chaldean tour, of course!”

“Why would I—”

“A new path of life has to start somewhere for you, Kama, doesn’t it?” EMIYA said quietly, interrupting whatever Kama had to say. “And considering you had us become a part of your Ooku earlier, it’s about time we let you become a part of Chaldea.”

“…”

“You can’t stay lost forever, Kama,” EMIYA finished. “It’s about time someone makes you a map to get back to what love should be.”

Robin Hood stayed silent. He knew if he said anything, it might ruin the atmosphere his little sparrow made. Thus, he passively watched as Ereshkigal proceeded to grab Kama’s hand and start leading them out of the room, EMIYA following behind the two gods with a shrug of his shoulders. The fact that Kama was barely protesting at this point was still strange for him to process.

But there was still one last thing to do. Once the new trio had gone through the sliding doors of the Summoning Chamber to exit into the hallway, Robin raised his arms in Vy’s direction.

As much as he didn’t like how it came about, he nonetheless expected Vy’s sudden collapse into his arms. Almost like a switch had been turned off with Kama’s absence, she had stumbled and then flopped back against his chest, her straight brown hair looking a bit more frazzled now with the physical contact. It was telling of Vy’s physical state with how she sighed and raised one hand to clutch at the front of his tunic. “Th-Thankie for the trust-fall-save, big Robin,” Vy said after a moment, exhaling slowly as he lowered her to a sitting position. “I kinda wish the Summoning didn’t take that long.”

“You and me both, little sparrow,” Robin said in a softer voice, buckling down on the urge to do more for the girl resting against him. She’s barely conscious now. So— “Why did you go so far for Kama, anyways?”

You do remember she — no, they — tried to turn me into a giant skeleton, right?

Vy giggled again, a bit weaker this time, as she turned her head and nuzzled the crook of space between his shoulder and neck. “…They reminded me of you.”

“Huh?”

“Back when you were summoned, big Robin,” Vy elaborated with a breath and a tighter grip on his tunic, “you said that you were a coward and a bandit no good Master should ally themselves with. That when the time came and you revealed all your tricks, I should’ve cut ties with you. But I didn’t. Still won’t.”

Robin raised one arm from Vy’s figure to gently rest his palm against the top of her hair. “How does that exactly—”

Vy raised her head from his shoulder to pout. “Just let me finish, please?”

Robin fell silent in response. He couldn’t tell if it was out of respect or clamping down on the sudden urge to kiss her.

Vy smiled up at him again, looking softer and kinder in spite of the dark eyebags on her face. “Thankie. But back to what I was saying. When Kama was fighting us, in the end…” Vy shrugged her shoulders, using her other hand to hug Robin’s waist and lean further into him. “They reminded me of you. And Mash. Because, when it comes down to it,” Vy’s hand on her waist drew a small circle through the cloth of his tunic, a small sigh on her lips again, “you all were hurt. You all dealt with things I still struggle with understanding at times. You all expected rejection. So, it felt like if I rejected Kama just because they had hurt me and everyone else at Chaldea, it felt like I’d be rejecting you and Mash.” Vy’s legs curled up against Robin’s sides as she shrank into his embrace, closing her eyes. “And I love you and Mash too much to ever do that.” Vy exhaled shakily, shaking her head. “I-I could never give up on you two. The least I could do—” Especially since I was hurt in the past too, once upon a time, “was to just give Kama a chance.”

More so since I feel like I can’t give it to myself.

Robin Hood inwardly wanted to sigh. This little sparrow of his. How selfless could she get?

Instead of voicing his discontent aloud, he let go of his heart, just a bit, to press a warm kiss to Vy’s exposed forehead. “…Just don’t risk yourself like this again. I can still feel the mana drain from you, little sparrow.”

“I’ll…” Vy yawned, her eyelids drooping. “I’ll do my best…”

Robin pulled off the No Face May King to cover Vy’s figure with it, leaving just her head exposed for all to see. “You better.”

“Aye…”

Once Vy started gently dozing off against him, though, he let himself sigh, just once. “Don’t push yourself, little sparrow. I can’t lose you after I’ve lost everything else to my name.”

[writer-and-artist27]

I associate you with your big 4!

(Not as much Eresh atm but still)

Considering I have yet to write a fic where Eresh got her Grails in Passing Days (then again, 2840 specimens [and still counting more] sitting in the lab to be returned to their owners is nothing to laugh at), that's totally fair. :)

Art-san, Achi, Big Robin, and Ere-chan make huge impressions when seeing my support list and my writings for them.

Thankie, Rex. <3