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“Actually, what did I just say?” The Shielder - Riesbyfe - takes her weight off of the shield, only to be left attempting to catch it as it tips forward. Sion of course steps back immediately - who knows what would happen if it touched her, even if she is a…
But the weapon dissolves into a shower of golden sparkles, and Riesbyfe is left staring, first shocked and then shortly after devastated.
“Gamaliel! Oh, oh no Sion whatdidyoudo the Cardinal’s going to kill m--”
“It’s just in Spirit Form!” She butts in, trying to de-escalate. A panicking Servant was a dangerous situation at best. “You should be able to just focus on calling it back and--”
That earns her another confused look and… When did the shield come back?! That takes both of them by surprise, with Sion staring and Riesbyfe jumping, holding on tight to it to avoid it disappearing again. After a few moments though, Riesbyfe is laughing good-naturedly at her Master.
“Why’d you do that Sion? You scared me!”
“I didn’t.”
“But you control the Etherlite even if you’re nice about it, so…”
“I don’t use Etherlite.”
A heavy silence falls between the two of them as Sion adjusts her glasses and the Shielder looks her up and down several times. The Sion before her has different hair and eyes, different clothes and mannerisms and she hasn’t even called her by her name so…
“What happened, Sion?”
“Ah! Well, nothing’s happened yet! We’re still just preparing, so I called you to help me set the stage--”
“To you.”
“Nothing happened to me. The Throne really must have jumbled your information from the beginning, didn’t it, if you act like you know me but… Well!” She claps, finishing her adjustments and stepping forward, offering the Servant a hand. “Let’s start from the beginning then! My name is Sion Eltnam--”
“Atlasia.”
“Sokaris. I left that name behind. I am an alchemist of the Atlas Institute, come to the Wandering Sea in an effort to prevent the end of the world. And your Master. Riesbyfe, was it? I don’t recognize that name.” A member of the church to be sure, but if she didn’t know the name, there was no chance of her becoming a Servant without being host to something else… But clearly, that something else would have to be lying dormant. A divine spirit, perhaps?
“You aren’t my Sion.” She looks lost, disappointed, in a way the alchemist doesn’t know how to deal with. Except for how she’s been taught to deal with everything.
“Well, if there’s another Sion running around, I’ll just have to sue her, won’t I?” A statement that’s just like Sion and yet nothing like Sion at all. The two women keep looking at each other, Riesbyfe pensive and Sion expecting, and not much is said after that until Sion feels her offered hand being taken.
“Well. It’s wonderful to meet you, Sion Eltnam Sokaris.” Once again, the shield dissolves in a wave of golden sparkles, and its bearer comes to kneel in the center of the circle she hasn’t yet stepped outside of. “What was that you said about preventing the end of the world?”
“Well, on the first day of the New Year, the world is going to end! As according to my calculations. We’re here to begin to create the means to undo that. This space of caves around us will become a base of operations safe from the destruction where we can wait for the appropriate reinforcements to arrive.”
This is nothing like a futile fight against a man who doesn’t exist, or laying dormant in the back of someone’s mind as they toil away. This is not her Sion, nor her world, but, it seems, there is reason for her presence yet.
“A noble goal.”
“So. You?”
“I swore an oath to serve as the shield of Sion Eltnam Atlasia. You are not that same girl, but I shall serve you as though you were.”
“Then our contract is sealed! Welcome aboard, Captain! You wouldn’t happen to have experience in construction, would you?”
“Er… Sorry, not really. I’m more…” She pulls her hands back, standing up as she does so, and mimes punching, careful not to hit Sion.
“I see. Interesting… We’ll work it out regardless! You should still be capable of assisting with moving heavy objects, so come on!” The alchemist - soon to be the last alchemist - turns on her heel and begins making her way down one of the many cave tunnels, only briefly glancing over her shoulder to ensure her Servant is following.
Regardless of what sort of predicament her summoning had landed her in, she was no longer tackling the challenge alone. Even if it would not be easy from here - coating the walls with plating, installing a proper kitchen and room amenities, and adjusting TRISMEGISTUS II and connecting it to a command input like Chaldea would be used to… Perhaps she could find a way to use the computer to make up for Riesbyfe’s apparent lack of information from the throne.
Not that it seemed to be the largest problem.
Even if what Ries thought of her Master was continually confusing, at least she understood the internet.
They’d get along just fine.