A Not So Evil God In Fate/Grand Order

"How ya holdin' up? I heard you guys had it rough back then when I went to check with the doc." Cu Chulainn asked Seth, who was walking beside him. He had met him by chance while walking through the halls and decided to accompany him to the Cafeteria, which was practically their relax zone after a Singularity.

"As good as someone can be after being eaten by a monster. The problem is not my body, anyway. It is my mind. So many things happened that I just want to leave it all behind." The Egyptian God rubbed the side of his head in annoyance. He couldn't deny that his body felt sore all over, though. He had put it under way too much strain.

"That so? Well, not like I don't understand. The combat is good and all, but the aftermath is another thing entirely. Still, what are your plans? I suggest you take it easy for a few days. Nothing about fighting on the Simulator." Caster was sure as hell that was the first thing he would do after a good night of rest, so he didn't forget to remind him to avoid complications.

"Why do you sound like a nagging grandma all of a sudden? I plan to take it easy for at least a week. If we follow the pattern, the era of the new Singularity wouldn't remain unknown for two or three weeks. There's plenty of time to rest in between." Seth shot Cu Chulainn a weird look at his comment.

"Hey, just looking out for you. Besides, I have heard people talking about making some festival to lighten up the mood and whatnot soon. It is a good opportunity to take a break." He merely shrugged in response to his jab.

"Oh, yeah. Now that you mention it, that celebration is near... Samhain, was it?" He was not that much into festivals... and the last time ended with him nearly blowing his cover after he felt a Divine presence, which turned out to be Artemis. Not like it mattered now that practically everyone knew who he was.

"Yep. Although it supposedly goes by Halloween now. Man, I still can't get over the fact that our traditions got so widespread and butchered at the same time." His wry smirk spoke enough of his inner feelings.

"By the way, what's with your hair? Did you forget to wash it or something after a battle?" Cu Chulainn asked with curiosity after his sight caught the red streaks on his black hair.

"Oh, this? It's not blood, it's my natural hair color. It changed as soon as I was born, though."

"Heh? Didn't know you guys could be influenced in certain ways." Caster c.o.c.ked his eyebrows at his statement. That was truly something weird.

"Believe it or not, it's not unnatural in the slightest. For example, my skin tone used to be darker. It changed to my current one after I became the God of Foreigners." Seth merely shook his head after a small sigh.

"Hm? Humanity's perspectives could alter you?" He might be a Demigod, but it's not as if he knew everything regarding his Divine side.

"Not exactly. It's quite the opposite in fact. The process in which we gain Authorities is something akin to what you humans call enlightenment. One day you wake up and you feel something different about yourself. If you can grasp that feeling there is a chance of obtaining an Authority. In consequence, that Authority begins to influence humans in giving faith to you so that you can grow stronger." It was basically making humans categorize you.

"Sounds like the stuff I would totally forget the next morning." Caster shot him an amused look which he returned by rolling his eyes.

"Let's hurry for now. I want to hear how things went there. You know, the shouts full of panic from that Doctor don't tell much other than you guys being in trouble."

That elicited a smirk from the Kingslayer. "Get comfortable for a long story then. I feel like I was there forever."

Just as they were turning past a corner of the hall, they bumped into a blue-haired figure, causing them to pause their steps.

"Rider? What are you doing here?" Despite living in the same space, they rarely saw each other, and it was clear that she came for them specifically, considering that he also stopped walking instead of keeping going ahead.

Seth also figured something was up... and he did not like it. He always avoided Martha due to... reasons, and she was well aware of that, which was why she never tried to actively converse with him. Whatever she wanted, it couldn't be good.

"I need to speak with him, do you mind letting us alone for a moment?" Knew it.

Both warriors exchanged silent glances between each other for a moment before Cu Chulainn shrugged his shoulders. "Sure thing. I will be going ahead, don't take too long you two, or I will start some spicy rumors." The Holy Knuckle, as well as the Evil Knuckle, combined together to deliver swift punishment onto Caster's head as soon as he finished speaking. The man in question just laughed it off, though. Marching off in advance soon after.

Now alone, God and Servant stared at each other, waiting for the other to speak first, something that took more than what they would have liked.

"Speak. What do you want with me?" His tone carried an unnatural but also unintentional edge to it. Fortunately, Martha didn't seem to mind, at least on the surface.

Observing him for a few seconds, the blue-haired woman sighed before she started to speak. "I am sure you had your... motives regarding your identity, so I will not question you about that. I am also sure you had your fair share of that unpleasantness."

If anything, the black-haired man visibly relaxed at her words. It was not near enough for him to lash out, but being asked the same question again and again tended to get pretty tiring. However, it created another doubt. Why would she speak with him then? As far as he was aware, other than the aforementioned topic, nothing stood out for her to break the 'status quo' they had before. "Go on."

Receiving his motion to continue, Rider did just so. "Although it doesn't have to do explicitly with your identity, it has to do with it, more or less. It's about Jeanne—"

"...I knew it." An audible groan escaped his lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose while interrupting Martha in the middle of her speech.

She raised her eyebrows at his comment, finding what he said a little too strange. "You seem more frustrated than surprised."

"Shouldn't I? I feel like I am babysitting a toddler who doesn't know what to do other than throw tantrums. So, what mess did she get herself into this time?" The unamused tone he used didn't sit well with Martha, and she let that be known with a frown on her face.

"She is your Servant and you are her Master. Don't you think it would be a bit 'humane' if you got worried about her state if only a little? At least do it considering how her mood can mess her fighting capabilities." It was good that she didn't expect a positive reaction. Otherwise, she would have been disappointed.

"...Martha. I understand your concern for her as a fellow Saint, but she is a Heroic Spirit—a Servant. She fought a seemingly impossible battle and succeeded when she was alive. You would expect her to have the decency to see the bigger picture instead of getting depressed because his Master is supposedly Satan." His sarcastic tone and frown were clear indicators of his mood. He didn't want to jinx himself, but he was not going to be a damn psychologist for Servants. He had enough with his own problems to start worrying about others.

"...You say that you understand, but you really don't." Rider also shared his frown, along with a disappointing sigh. She didn't know if he was dense or just hardheaded.

"I am over two hundred thousand years old, kid. When my back started hurting your kind didn't even exist on Earth yet. The fact that I continuously choose to ignore her feelings doesn't mean I am oblivious to them. She probably feels hurt and conflicted about her 'dear Master' being the antithesis of what she believes in. I bet she is staying in her room refusing to see anyone, and that's what has got you worried. She feels like she betrayed her God for harboring such feelings in the first place. And yet, no matter how much she wants to bury them, she can't. That is what has her tormented. So? Guessed right?" The Egyptian God asked unimpressed while folding his arms. He pretty much hit the crux of the matter if her expression was anything to go by.

"...I want to punch you right now."

"Come again?" She might have noticed the bafflement in his voice because she let a dry chuckle escape her mouth while shaking her head in resignation.

"I think I asked too much from you, Seth." Why did it feel weird for her to call him by his own name all of a sudden?

Sighing while looking at the ceiling for a moment, the black-haired man returned his gaze to the woman in front of him a few seconds after. "I am not a good person, Martha. And I don't mean it because I have done heinous things far outside of your comprehension. I never do something out of the goodness of my heart, simply because there is no goodness at all. I always do it with a motive in mind."

"...Then why are you helping us?" She opted to put the other matter on hold to satiate her own curiosity. It had been like talking to a wall, so a change of pace might be what she needed to not lose control.

"A favor, a promise, call it whatever you like. To a God-hating overprotective snake who never revealed his true identity to me until I slew him; to a rowdy God who saw in humans the potential to give him the good fight he always wanted, and to one of the first 'perfect humans' who took care of a stupid kid who always got into trouble. They each had their reasons, and I am repaying them for what they did for me. See what I mean? I don't do things for 'good reasons,' at all." He expected his words to clarify her doubts, yet he didn't wait to confirm it. Instead, he just walked past her to where Cu Chulainn had gone to.

Martha's face quickly turned into a scowl. "If repaying favors is your motivator, then repay mine for saving your a.s.s, you damn knucklehead!"

Seth nearly tripped on his feet. The sudden change in attitude was too much for his tired mind to handle. Turning around with his eyebrows raised, he asked her to elaborate. "What do you mean? I don't remember you saving my a.s.s ever. Are you sure you didn't get into a fistfight and received a concussion as a result?"

Rider's eyebrows noticeably twitched at his comment, but she let it slide. "I am not sure about the details, but I feel like I know you from somewhere. Together with that feeling comes the 'knowledge' that I saved you on one occasion. As to how and why; that is unknown to me."

"That has to be one of the worst pick-up lines I have ever heard in my entire life."

"It is NOT a pick-up line and you know it. On a normal person it may pass a random feeling, but not on a Heroic Spirit. I have nothing solid, yet I think one of my versions from the Throne of Heroes met you at some point in time, I can't say for sure." What she said was not a lie. It was rare, but some alternate versions could have 'flashbacks' or just some reaction at meeting someone their other-selves encountered.

'Ah... so troublesome.' He was sure he would be left without air if he kept sighing as he had been doing during the whole conversation. The lives he lived during his imprisonment were something he wanted to forget and have nothing to do with.

The reason why he tended to avoid Martha was that he 'feared' something like this would happen. He was still unsure about how this world worked as a whole, so he did not want to take risks. Apparently, that worked really well—note the sarcasm.

Did that mean he ran the risk of Tamamo Cat suddenly knowing things she should not? Evil forbid. It was already tough to handle Amaterasu as she was, he absolutely didn't need a more crazy version of her if that was even possible.

Still, what to do with this... matter? Being honest, he wanted nothing to do with that crybaby's problems. However, it was true she saved his life in the past. Even though it was not exactly him and it wasn't as grandiose as she made it sound.

'...Might as well get this over with.'

"I don't remember ever meeting you before but whatever. I will talk to her and use a Command Spell if I have to. Happy? Well, see you around." After saying his part, he resumed his walk.

"Make sure to keep your snarky attitude to a minimum when you speak with her." Her mood had improved considerably after his acceptance, and her tone reflected just that.

"Don't push it."

"What are you doing? Her room is the other way." Martha said while pointing behind her with her thumb, something the Egyptian God completely ignored.

"I said I would do it, not when I would do it." Although she couldn't see his expressions due to his face being opposite to her, the smug aura was clearly visible. It was really mocking her.

"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure to take a bath first, you smell of fish." She crossed her arms while looking to the side, making sure her distaste for his trick was noticeable. What she didn't expect was for a torrent of saltwater to wet her when she least expected.

Eyes blinking in quick succession, she took a moment to register what just had happened. And it took another moment to find the culprit increasing his pace away from her.

"COME BACK HERE!!!"

The furious shouts of a Saint with a wide range of profanities echoed through the halls of Chaldea for a while.

Indeed, just a normal day in the place known as the last bastion of humanity.