"What's wrong, Rider? She a friend of yours?"
Medusa could only stare in shock as Lev's servant stepped out of the shadows. Her grip loosened over so slightly, but the man remained firmly pressed onto the wall, unresponsive and stone-like (although not entirely stone yet).
"Oh Medusa! Beloved, idiotic sister. Since when did you have the audacity to handle my master like that, without my permission?"
Medusa's mind rushed into a frenzy of conflicting emotions. The piercing gazes of both her contracted master and her dear sister weighed in on her with equal forces.
"Eu...Euryale..."
The goddess in question sighed. "Quite a shame Stheno isn't here. I'll have to laugh at how dirty and bloodstained you are all by myself."
Medusa heard her master, who stood out of her sight, take a step backwards. "Euryale, that sister you told me about? She's a real cute thing, that's for sure."
Despite the compliment, Medusa could sense the sound of a subtle gripping of a knife. She knew what it meant immediately.
"E-Euryale," She struggled to muster even a hint of authority in her tone. "I am t-truly overjoyed to see you, but this is a Holy Grail War-"
"So what?" Her sister interrupted in her signature demanding tone."Just because things have changed doesn't mean that you can push your dear sisters around! Know your place!"
Medusa briefly wondered if such a thing as a paralysing voice were possible, as she found herself caught slack-jawed and frozen still. The pause allowed her to hear her master mutter 'hypocrite' behind her.
A soft cough from Euryale. "But... I suppose I'll let it go this one time. Do what you like with him, I've grown tired of him, all three of him. What kind of man is unable to acknowledge my beauty? What does it matter that I look like a child? Ridiculous."
"Is that so..." Shiki murmured, turning the knife in her hands so she held it like an icepick. "Rider, I need to sever the mana connection. Put him down."
"That'll kill her!" Medusa found herself interjecting with a strength she hadn't had a second prior.
"Not if I can help it."
All three of them were alerted to the sound of a new voice, belonging to a certain redhead that had just entered the hotel suite. In stepped someone whose general aura practically shouted 'mage' to the high heavens, an eccentric character with an orange coat, red hair and an attitude of utter confidence.
Shiki settled. "Miss Red. About time."
"You're lucky I owe you a favour, otherwise I would've killed you right now." Touko Aozaki shoved her jacket into Shiki's arms. Shiki let it drop to the floor.
"Anyway, Euryale is it? Would such a beautiful young woman like you be willing to make a contract with me? I'm sure I'm much better than that goody-two shoes Lev pinned to the wall over there."
A smug smile formed on Euryale's face. A resounding success. Touko seemed to have charisma when it counted.
"Well, if it lets me be with my dear sister for longer, then I'll allow it. Very well."
"Well, that was easy." Touko turned on her heels to face Medusa's master. "Are you going to kill him?"
"You know I hate doing that. I'm just going to cut the connection, that's all."
Ryougi turned to Medusa.
"And don't say thanks. I would've killed her if I had to. Servants are fair game to me."
In retrospect, Medusa found it strange how she could not seem to get angry at the casual dehumanisation of her beloved sister. But she could not gather enough anger to overcome the overwhelming amount of gratitude she felt in that moment.
Instead, she let out two quiet words.
"...thank you."