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The word “summer” carries a lot of connotations with it among the staff and Servants of Chaldea. Chaos, for one thing. Danger. Disasters. That’s not to say it’s all bad, though--between the mayhem, there’s often some time to relax and enjoy the beach, a much-needed respite from the much higher-stakes situations Chaldea is generally embroiled in. It’s Ritsuka’s favorite time of year, even if she has to endure time loops and con crunch and Blackbeard’s insistence on being part of every summer singularity somehow.
Worth noting, however, is that Ritsuka is very accustomed to these summers, having experienced quite a few of them by now. The same can be said of the majority of her Servants, as well as the rest of the human staff… with one exception.
“So that’s why you didn’t help out at all,” Ritsuka says with a teasing edge to her voice, nudging Kadoc with her elbow as they walk the streets of Hawaltria. “Overwhelmed, huh?”
“...A little,” Kadoc admits, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “Do you seriously deal with stuff like this every summer?”
“Weeeeeell,” she tilts her head back slightly, looking up to the clear sky as she considers, “I guess this time was a lot more… drastic than normal. But yeah, there’s usually some weird situation or another that results in a singularity. It’s not so bad, though!” With that, she just grins and waves a hand in the air flippantly. “Figure it out quickly, then I get some time for a short summer vacation before the singularity disappears. They’re here for like, a couple weeks max, then it’s back to the grind.”
The look Kadoc gives her is… complicated. It seems he still isn’t used to her blase attitude regarding matters as severe as singularities--but dealing with them is her entire job! She’s an old hand at it by now. Why shouldn’t she be so casual about it?
“Anyway,” Ritsuka continues, “that’s why I was so insistent that you had to come out here at least once! Be honest, when was the last real break you had?” He has no answer for that, to which she gives him a smug grin. Got him.
“I’m not really much of a beach guy, though…”
“Yeahhhhh, I kinda figured, honestly.” She looks him up and down as she says, “You don’t exactly look like someone who gets a lot of sun.”
“Ugh.” Kadoc rolls his eyes. “I look like a ghost next to you right now, don’t I? Wait, don’t answer that.” He absolutely does, pale skin contrasting against both his own dark clothes and the perfect tan of the girl next to him.
“Lemme guess, you go all red like a lobster instead of tanning, right?” In lieu of a response, he just frowns at her, and she bursts out laughing. “Thought so! Don’t worry, I brought lots of sunscreen. Your delicate skin will be just fine~!” The more annoyed he looks, the harder she laughs, all the way to the beach.
---
The beach is about as busy and noisy as one could expect. After all, even under normal circumstances, they aren’t exactly the calmest of places, overrun with tourists, excited children, and the squawking of seagulls. But here, in a singularity, populated by Servants? This goes a hundredfold. Jack is hunting for crabs while Nursery Rhyme searches for pretty seashells; a game of volleyball is taking place at a speed human eyes can’t follow; Gilgamesh and Ozymandias’s laughter can be heard from the opposite end of the beach.
Ritsuka’s eyes light up at this. Meanwhile, Kadoc slumps over in defeat. Gone are whatever scant hopes he had for a peaceful day off…
While he's wallowing in the misery of his introverted preferences, Ritsuka is already picking out a spot for them to claim as theirs. The first thing she sets down is a small stereo, which she hums along to as towels, a cooler full of soda and snacks, and even an umbrella are arranged around it.
Sulking over how many people there are won't make the beach any less crowded, of course, so Kadoc starts helping her set up after a moment. “So that's why you asked about what kind of music I like,” he comments, gesturing to the stereo, which is currently blasting some pop song--decidedly not what he normally listens to.
“Yeah! I knew you like rock,” Ritsuka explains, finally sitting down once everything's set up, “but not, like, what kind. Or if you like other genres too, or anything like that… Anyways, I got my hands on a few CDs, so hopefully there's something you like in there.”
As she finishes her explanation, she casually strips off the tank top and shorts she was wearing to reveal a bikini underneath, and Kadoc’s face promptly goes tomato red. Doesn't she have any shame?! He directs his attention to looking through the aforementioned CDs instead, hoping Ritsuka didn't see how flustered that made him. (She's busied herself with applying sunscreen, so he might be in the clear, but there's a concerningly cheeky edge to her smile.)
“Let's see here…” he mumbles, half to himself as he rifles through the small stack of discs. “Nah, nah, maybe?, no… Oh shit, MCR--eugh, Danger Days though.”
“Hm? Something wrong with that…?” When Kadoc looks back up at Ritsuka, he sees that she is looking at him in utter cluelessness. “I just grabbed it ‘cause I thought the name sounded cool.”
Well, it's not like she would've known. Kadoc can't help but frown as he sets it aside, though. “It's their worst album. Total sellout pop punk shit with no substance,” he explains, examining the rest of the CDs. Then, “Eh, I guess you might like it, though.”
“Kadoc…” He looks over to her again, and she's pouting at him, with the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes he's ever seen. “You think my taste in music sucks?”
Shit. Fuck. Abort mission. “Ah--no, no, that's not what I meant! It's just… not really my thing, y'know? That pop sh--stuff.” She's still looking at him like that (somehow, he's beginning to doubt he actually hurt her feelings), and he sighs. “...Most of the stuff I like doesn't really suit a scene like this anyways, so… Fine, we can give this a shot.” Instantly, she perks up and claps her hands together with a cheerful “Yay!” that makes him absolutely confident she was messing with him.
---
For all her insistence that Kadoc come to the beach with her, Ritsuka, thankfully, doesn't push him to join her in the water, or in any of the spur-of-the-moment activities she gets dragged into. It seems she's content to just know he's there, having a proper break, even if all he does is sit there munching on watermelon and listening to music.
…Loathe as he is to admit it, the album's not actually half bad. None of the other CDs she brought looked interesting, so he's just had this one on a loop the whole time, and a few of the songs are starting to grow on him.
It definitely fits the vibe, at least, he thinks. From where he's seated, he can see Ritsuka and a couple of Servants starting to build a sandcastle. She's really into it. Cute.
Just as he starts to actually crack a fond smile, Ritsuka looks up and notices him watching. He pales, hoping she didn't see that look; she just grins and waves, calling out, “Kadoc! Come help us with this!”
Getting his hands all covered in wet sand doesn't exactly sound like his idea of a good time, to be honest… but she does look like she's having fun out there. And aren't they supposed to be here together? He's just been sitting there the whole time while she's been running around like an overexcited puppy. Kadoc frowns a bit as he realizes that he is, in fact, being a total loser right now. Or, he imagines that's what Ritsuka's thinking, anyways. So, with a sigh, he gets up and heads over there.
Ritsuka seems, momentarily, a little surprised that Kadoc actually decided to join them. Surprised, but very happy--somehow, her smile is the widest it’s been all day.
---
Alas, even in a singularity (well, most of them, anyways), all days must come to an end. It’s looking like the singularity itself might be ending soon, too, so they’re not staying overnight--it’s back to Chaldea with everyone once they’ve packed up.
Ritsuka must be some kind of perpetual motion machine, because she seems to still have exactly as much energy as she did when she showed up at Kadoc’s door that morning to invite him out. Kadoc himself is decidedly not the same; he’s drained, not to mention sunburned as expected, despite the frankly excessive amount of sunscreen he used.
Still, when Ritsuka asks, “Soooo, did you have fun?” as she hauls their bags onto her shoulders, he gives her a rare smile and says, “Y’know what? Yeah, it wasn’t that bad.”