"Ahh, it's so nice to feel the seasons changing! When the snowdrops start coming up, you know it's gonna be warmer soon."

It feels, for the moment, like the best course of action would be to approach the figure in the mist, but Astolfo's intuition is more keen than his sanity. He hesitates on the precipice of that vital decision, his steed's feet shuffling beneath him as he stares transfixed into the milky-white of the gloom. Perhaps it's fortunate that young Arturia would choose that moment to call out; he turns toward the sound of a familiar voice, snapped from his reverie.

"... Oh, it's Lily!" Unsettled as he is to ignore that well-known silhouette in the distance, a friend that he can see takes precedence over a friend that he can't reach. He urges the hippogriff in her direction, and the beast lets out a whistling neigh in response, all too relieved to be away from that unsettling vision. Something was off about it in a way they both sensed but did not understand. "Are you okay? This weather's really weird, right?" He leans down to inspect her for any sign of injury.

She had been caught out by the mists' invasion; struggling her way back towards familiar territory deeper in Cotes-Fantasci. At times, the knight did question if sights were even features belonging to Spirale — had she not paid attention to changes in the land to let herself become so lost? and nowhere had there been any wandering company to verify their location.

Eventually, that was bound to change, and as luck would have it, the signal of a Servant in the area gave Lily a tether to track their movements and move in accordance with their trajectory. Though moving with caution, their speed was impressive, and the knight did resort to brief sprints not to lose the trail. A link she was capable of establishing long enough to catch up once they'd taken pause and she could wade through the mists to prevent a misunderstanding if they should have felt themselves tailed in preparation for an ambush.

Though considering who she found, there was no doubt he'd have fended off any trouble — though he seemed distracted in the moment. "Astolfo? Hey, Astolfo!"

"Jeez, it's really foggy. Kinda reminds me of Assassin of Black's Noble Phantasm." Astolfo reaches down to brush his hand through the feathered neck of his mount, scanning their surroundings through slightly worried eyes. They wind through the narrowed pathways, the sound of hoofbeats and claw-clicks dampened by the heavy, wet air. "I haven't seen many people, either. Unless..." The paladin sits upright with a muted noise of surprise. It's far off in the distance, mostly obscured by fog, and he can't see the finer details of the darkened figure, but he would know that silhouette anywhere.

"... Sieg?"

How else does one celebrate getting all of their powers back? The famed paladin swoops through the skies above Spirale on the back of his hippogriff, laughing uproariously with joy. To the naked eye, he seems to be blinking in and out of existence... But this, of course, is simply his Noble Phantasm doing what it does best: Slipping between realms at a rate that's almost too fast to see.

"Yahoo! We're back to normal, Lil' Hippo!"

Giant → HYPERGIANT. Astolfo is now fully unlocked!

Oh no.

"I'm done for, huh." The paladin lays flat on his back in the snowy, icy street, his arms spread by his sides. He coughs weakly, sending up a plume of warm air into the cold, and manages a thin smile.

"It was fun, though, right? I'm glad..." Cough, cough. "... that I met you." He closes his eyes, wheezing out a breath with a tone of finality. Beside him, a bag full of empty candy wrappers rustles in the wind — far more candy than anyone should eat in one sitting, Heroic Spirit or otherwise.

Death by discounted holiday chocolate.

"I promised that we'd go out on a date right? LET'S GO! I have everything set and ready! Yolanda showed me that you can resevre a place!" what? He probably means reserve! He's grabbing his friend's hand and taking him to a restaurant. It isn't HIGH class. BUT it is an all you can eat buffet. "Let's eat to our heart's content! HAPPY Valentine's Day~ ♥"

"Woah, you remembered! Who's Yolanda, though?" Alas, this is a question that will continue to go unanswered, mostly because he won't press the issue. A food-date is the best kind of date, so the Mystery of Yolanda can wait until his belly is full! He skips after Sun with a merry laugh.

"Happy Valentine's Day! I'm gonna eat until I'm sick!" The paladin maneuvers his friend's hand in a solemn handshake, officiating their vow to consume as much as possible. Truly, the spirit of the holiday is alive within these two: Those who overeat together stay together!

There is a giant rock the size of a basketball outside Astolfo’s door. Most notably, the rock is in the shape of a heart  and rests on top of two scribbled pieces of paper. One of them reads:

—

To Astolfo-dono ♥:

Today is Valentine’s Day. I have taken your advice and written to my various “valentines” as well as given them what I want.

I spotted this large stone sunken in the middle of a stream during my stroll in Cotes yesterday. I thought it bore a curious resemblance to your name, so I brought it here for you to see as well. The stripe across its center is very interesting, because most stones tend to be plain. Perhaps it sought to capture my attention that way.

This is my gift to you. I hope you enjoy it. If it is too much of a burden, please let me know and I shall take it back to the stream and restore it to its home.

Respectfully yours,

Taroutachi

—

The second note is more light-hearted and includes a carefully-drawn, if simple, doodle:

“Pff... Bahahaha!” It may seem mean-spirited to laugh at a gift, but Astolfo never does anything with malicious intent. He’s actually quite touched!

“Oh, man, this picture... It’s perfect! Yeah, that’s totally me!” He takes both notes with great care, skipping merrily as he brings them inside. The rock is another matter, but of course he likes it just as much as his other two gifts; he just needs both hands free in order to lift it.

“Heave... HO!” With a Heroic Spirit’s strength, he raises the stone fully above his head. It really is a good rock! You can do a lot with a good rock, especially one that’s shaped like a heart. “I don’t get why he thinks it looks like my name, but it’s really cute!” For lack of anywhere else to put it, he brings the entire stone indoors, carrying it into his room to join the letters. Is he going to stub his toe on it in the middle of the night because he forgot it was there? You bet. But he loves it anyway, and he'll love it even after he busts his pinkie toe on the pointy end! 

"Sure! Or, well... I used to. I haven't been here for a while. But we'll find something if we walk around for a little while!" He offers his arm to her, as any proper prince would, and grins.

"Stay close so you don't get lost, okay? I, Astolfo, will help you fill your closet with the cutest clothing you could ever want! On my honor as a paladin!" That seems a little extreme, but alright.

this servant is listing off so many options it's almost overwhelming her. maybe she could go to this servant for any kind of advice, they have good enough intentions.

though she has to wonder...what is s*nrio?

"i see...that could work." actually that was right up her alley. "do you know if there is a shop that sells these kind of clothes?" maybe she will splurge just a little.

"Now? Like right now?" Astolfo casts his memory back, a hand touching his chin in deep thought. "Hmm... I only have enough magic to let Lil' Hippo fly for 20 minutes, but I don't think we've used any of that time up today, so... Yeah, sure! If it's really far then we'll have to run the rest of the way, but that's fun, too. Right?" He claps the hippogriff on its muscled flank, which produces a resounding thwap. Of course, the huge beast doesn't budge an inch beneath that comparatively weak palm. Its thick musculature is made of sterner stuff than that.

"Here, climb on!" With practiced ease, Astolfo vaults onto the hippogriff's back, bending over with a hand extended in case Sun needs a lift. "We can get a biiiig lunch somewhere. Or is it dinner-time?"

Sun may or may not have heard everything Astolfo has said. It's hard to tell because Sun is looking at the beast, eyes wide, mouth opened in this BIG dumb smile and he doesn't stop stroking the bird's feathers. He DOES look however when wings unfurl and he gasps soft. "Hippogriff is so pretty." He looks up at Astolfo, "Can we go for a ride now?" He loved flying! Ever since Monkey King flew them both up in the sky, the feeling is something he can't forget.

It's freeing.

"I can show you ALL the fun places and yummy places to eat!"

"Da...ro...dachi?" Astolfo squints at the characters, reading them to the best of his ability. The Grail has plenty of influence over what he knows in his present form, but his own limitations are still in place; namely, he isn't an expert at deciphering other languages, or even a layman. Maybe one of those author-type Casters would do a better job of it. "Is that right? I'm close, aren't I?"

"You're pretty close, too! It's Va-len-tine's! And it is really fun, so try not to worry too much about what you're gonna do, okay? You can have as many Valentines as you want, and you can give them anything you want! Even if it's just a little picture or something." Maybe Darodachi has some hidden artistic talent... He'd like to see him draw a kitten. Then he could caption it 'Be My Meowentine!' It's the perfect gift.

His name...

Taroutachi hesitated. Of course he knew enough to read and write, but he had never bothered to perfect it like some of the other swords did. Still, would it not disappoint his new companion to refuse the offer? He had the bold, bright energy of Hotarumaru with the easy acceptance of the tantou—it bolstered his spirits, and he would see it thrive if he could.

"Indeed, Ba...Warentine's sounds like a joyous occasion for all involved." He's still trying with the pronounciation.

"I do not have much practice with...writing, but I will do my best."

He flips to a new page in his "notebook" and starts writing his name. It's neat enough, even if the characters are rather large:

太郎太刀

After a pause, he adds the hiragana beneath it, just in case:

たろうたち

Astolfo Fun Facts! ✨

Any Servant (such as a Ruler-class) who can see the statistics of other Servants will notice that Astolfo's profile has been heavily edited. He has access to powerful magic through his Noble Phantasm "Casseur de Logistille: Destruction Declaration," which allows him to perform feats of magecraft. Rather than using this to his tactical advantage, he instead graffitied his statblock with rambling remarks and doodles. He also covered his gender, preferring to let people guess for themselves on that matter.

Astolfo has great respect for King Charlemagne and considers himself a knight in "Charlie's" service above all else, even his existence as a Heroic Spirit. Nevertheless, they have a uniquely terrible sort of chemistry wherein they bring out the worst in each other: If left unsupervised, they will undoubtedly get up to mischief. Although Charlemagne considers Astolfo an idiot (in the gentlest and most affectionate usage of the term), Astolfo is shockingly adept at convincing his King to do stupid, dangerous, and otherwise fool-hardly things, purely for his own amusement. It's for the best that eleven other paladins were present to dilute their chaotic behavior.

Speaking of other paladins, Astolfo is biologically related to two of them: Bradamante and Roland. His hippogriff originally belonged to Bradamante, one of his cousins. He found himself in need of flight during his journey, so they traded with one another; Bradamante received Rabicano, his magical horse made of hurricane and flame, and his enchanted lance, Argalia. Because his most famous adventure involved flying to the moon while hitched to the aforementioned hippogriff, the Throne of Heroes recorded it as his possession, and determined his class to be Rider. Bradamante, in turn, was recorded as a Lancer. She does not seem overly thrilled about this. If Bradamante were to be summoned as a Rider, she would also have ownership of the hippogriff, but Astolfo seems incompatible with the Lancer class (though his primary weapon is indeed a lance).

Astolfo's relationship with his cousin Roland is unusual. Though he proudly wears the ribbons Roland gave to him in life, he also accuses his fellow paladin of being an out-of-control pervert with a number of alarming fetishes. He seems almost in awe of Roland's degeneracy. Roland, in turn, speaks to Astolfo like he's a child. One could say they're more like brothers engaged in sibling rivalry than cousins.

In Fate/Grand Order, Astolfo is classified as a genderless Servant. He is immune to skills, Charm spells, and Noble Phantasms that target men and/or women specifically. He does, however, have the "Appears Feminine" trait, so Blackbeard's Gentlemen's Love skill will restore his HP. This is the only skill in the game that impacts Servants with the "Appears Feminine" trait.

Astolfo's first major story appearance in Fate/Grand Order is during Subsingularity II: Agartha. He and D'eon are guest Servants during this chapter; however, they leyshifted into the singularity by bribing a certain staff member and are not rogue Servants confined to the singularity. In short, this means that both Astolfo and D'eon are canonically present within Chaldea during Fate/Grand Order.

[FATE/APOCRYPHA SPOILERS] Though Astolfo and his Master did not win the war for the Greater Grail in Fate/Apocrypha, they both survived the conflict. Sieg's transformation into Fafnir also turned him into a limitless font of mana. Despite being separated by different planes of reality, Sieg's mana still reached Astolfo through the veil, making him effectively immortal. He chose to take advantage of this for a time and went on a plethora of adventures, just as he did in life. Some of his journeys are recorded in the short story Fate/Apocrypha: Story of Survivor (which has not been translated into English). During this time, he visited with some of the other surviving Masters, tried and failed to reach Sieg on the Reverse Side of the World, and researched how Ruler Amakusa was able to summon Assassin Semiramis. Once he was satisfied with what he'd learned, he released himself from his Contract with Sieg to await another summoning.

"A bird? Hmm... Kind of! Half of one, maybe?" He places his gloves against the sharp, curved beak of his mount, gently wobbing the creature's head back and forth. To its credit, the beast tolerates this, and Sun's gentle stroke, without any complaints. Though its eyes are fierce, it regards the monkey-fellow with a mild, non-aggressive temperament. One of its rear hooves nudges at the ground below.

"It's a hippogriff! My Otherworldly Phantom Horse. Sometimes I call him Lil' Hippo." Astolfo presses his face against the hippogriff's face, his lips hovering dangerously close to a beak that could sever his nose with ease. Clearly they're comfortable with one another. "He's a special kind of friend. As long as someone's giving me magic, he'll always be with me! And since the city is giving me all the magic I need, I could have him out all the time, if I wanted to." He leans back, reaching for the creature's feathered-and-furry side to unfurl a massive wing. "He can fly, see? Ta-da! So if you ever need to get across the city real fast, me and Lil' Hippo can bring you!"

"Really?" He beams. Oh, why did his newfound friend have to say something like that, because NOW he'll tell everyone this new information he has just received. Sun likes to think he does the best kind of princess carry! Yolanda seemed to love it.

"I don't get tired, but you have a friend here too?" but Sun had thought that his friends...were.....

Sun Wukong's eyes lifts and he's left staring up at this strange bird-like creature. He's not sure what it reminds him of, but he just knows he's never seen a bird like this.

"Whoa..." Sun approaches close. He's a little hesitant, but seeing Astolfo pet the creature and be friendly gives Sun the courage to reach a hand out and touch the softness of its feather.

"Is it a bird?"

Oh, he knows that word very well! Astolfo beams at Taroutachi, his little fangs glinting as a flush spreads over his cheeks. Is he... embarrassed, perhaps? No, it's more likely that he's pleased as punch!

"Being called 'cute' by a handsome guy is seriously the best! Ahh, Valentine's Day is great, don't you think?" He tucks his arms behind his head, grinning all the while. "Hey, hey, show me yours, next! I wanna see how you write yours! Then maybe I can show you in English?" The operative word here is 'maybe.'

Thank goodness he'd managed to find some writing implements in the strange residence they'd settled him down in. He had a feeling some things could only be described by hand—such as this curious name imprinted on the paper.

So it wasn't just swords who had troubles with their handwriting...

Taroutachi smiles in spite of himself, brushing a finger over the clear if slightly clumsy characters.

"Astolfo-dono...I will remember it."

"This style of writing is very..."

What was the word the tantou used?

"...kawaii. Yes, it is very cute."

"All my stuff is gone!" Astolfo sprints out of House 109, waving his arms wildly.

"Hey, somebody help! I've been robbed! ROBBED!" If he bothered to check his messages, he would see that all of his belongings have been safely relocated to a new house... Obviously he hasn't looked at his phone in some time.

"Perfect! You can trust anyone who does a good princess carry." This is not strictly true, but it's Astolfo Logic at its finest. "Once you get tired, I can start carrying you, instead. And so can my friend!" He brings two fingers to his lips and whistles shrilly. As if from a dream, his hippogriff bursts through the nothingness of midair, circling above their heads before alighting onto the pavement with a click of nails and a clomp of hooves. "There, there, good boy," the Rider croons to his steed, stroking its soft feathers.

"Reuniting in person is much better," he says with a nod. Oh, he a hundred percent agreed with that! "But maybe you can check and see if your friends are here." Sun knows the feeling well. Though, his feelings were a mixture of not wanting to see the very same person he did want to see. Was that complicated?

"Okay! I can do that very well. You'll be treated like a maiden. I'll even carry you like a princess----" he doesn't even know this person's name.

"Loose clothing is nice, too! Maybe something like a sundress? You can wear leggings with it if it's too cold. Ooh, or maybe a cardigan! Something with cute patterns, like flowers or kittens!" He is now fully immersed in the visualization of such a tall, pretty lady in a S*nrio dress. "Leggings go with everything, so you can put anything on top once you find a nice pair that fits you... Like a big comfy sweater with sleeves that go over your hands!"

well she hadn't been thinking too much about anything casual clothing, always unsure if she would even look good in them. having owned 'at home' outfits before, barghest can't say she really knows anything about clothing or what looks cute on her.

barghest is sure that this person is a servant, even so...they don't seem like a bad person.

"maybe i could try wearing that...i normally enjoy wearing something more loose..." it's embarrassing to even talk about how large her own body is.