Yay, I've started another new story... I have a problem. But I'm glad I got this first chapter done in a shorter span of time than I usually need to write a chapter. That being said, don't expect frequent uploads. I tend to get lazy and I have other stories that I want to write as well. So yeah, chapters will come out when they come out.
Well, that's enough from me. Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 1: Budding
White. The room was white. Almost blindingly so when one factored in the light that bounced around the room. A young man stepped onto the white floor and grabbed the clothes on the table at the other end of the room, he dressed himself in the same routine way he had been doing for the past seventeen years, one hundred and eighty-three days, six hours, thirty minutes and twenty seconds.
His clothes consisted of a plain white t-shirt, white capri's and white slip on shoes, the outfit looked more like the clothes of a hospital or asylum patient than a regular persons. Only the black choker around his neck betrayed the white colour scheme, the red orb in the middle and a splash of colour to his outfit.
The young man paced around his room for a while, the only sound being the echo of his footsteps until the door finally opened. Stepping outside the room, the young man headed for his destination, never missing a beat, never pausing for even a split second. Finally, the male reached his destination, he placed his hand on the scanner and entered the room as soon as the door was open.
Within the room resided a young woman. A young woman who was currently watering some flowers while humming a familiar tune. She looked over to the young man, a graceful smile spreading across her face at the sight of his arrival. Motioning for him to come closer, the young man complied.
"Good morning." The woman greeted. "Are you ready for today's configurations?" She asked as she placed the watering can she was holding on the floor beside her.
"Good morning, milady." The man responded to the greeting first. "Yes, I am fully prepared to undergo today's configurations. Please change whatever you deem necessary." Came the answer to the question.
"I see." The woman mumbled, her gaze leaving the man and returning to her flowerbed. "Do you know what these are?" She asked, seemingly testing the man's response.
"They are flowers." He answered without a second thought. The woman giggled at this response, she had expected it but found it funny nonetheless.
"Well, you're not wrong." She admitted between giggles. As she recomposed herself, she rephrased the question. "What I meant was, do you know what kind of flowers these are?"
The male didn't answer at first, his head turning so he could have a better view of the plants in question. Staring at the small, white flowers, the man found no answer coming to mind. He did not know what type of flowers he was looking at, he was vaguely familiar with some of the flowers that had previously been grown in this flowerbed but he could not name these new flowers. Thus was the thought process he experienced whenever he was asked about the new flowers, he never knew what they were until he was told.
"I do not know." The young man admitted, no shame or embarrassment contained within his voice.
"These flowers are known as edelweiss'; they belong to the same family as daisies and sunflowers." The woman informed him; she always had the answer to these questions. It was natural, she knew what he didn't.
"They are... small." The young man commented, the young woman raised an eyebrow as her gaze shifted back to him. "They must be delicate, yes?" He questioned as he cocked his head to the side.
"All flowers are delicate." The woman told him. "Most living things are actually, people especially so." Her voice lost some of its mirth as she added this comment. That cheer returned as she changed the topic. "Anyway, we should stop wasting time. Let's get started." The young lady proceeded to enter a room off to the side of the current one, the young man following three steps behind her.
This new room was as white as all the others, though did have a splash of colour in the form of a multitude of monitors. The two most prominent monitors displaying a heart monitor and a live feed of the fluctuations occurring within a brain, the data on both of these monitors belonged to the man. Said man was approaching a table in the centre of the room, he laid down on it and waited for what was to come next.
The young woman on the other hand, was standing by a desk with two computers on it. The first computer showed a miniaturised version of the heart and brain monitors with some extra data running down the left side of the screen, the second computer were the controls for the scanner attached to the table the man was laying on. She typed something into the computer and the scanner whirred to life, the lights adorning it flashing green a few times before finally remaining static.
As the scanner began moving up and down the table, the young woman began the configurations on the man. She began by asking the man some questions.
"What is your name?" The lady asked, a serious tone replacing the previously cheerful voice she had spoken with.
"My designation is zero-zero-five." The man responded without a moment's hesitation, he had answered this question many times over the years.
"Good." The lady commented. "Who am I?" She asked.
"You are Lady Mist." 005 answered without missing a beat, this song and dance was all too familiar to him.
"Correct." Mist confirmed. "What is your purpose?" This was the big question, one which 005 had had drilled into his brain alongside the answer.
"To destroy the goddesses." Was the immediate reply.
"Why?" Was the simple question that followed.
"They are a threat to the delicate life forms inhabiting this world, they are too irresponsible with their power and are unworthy to wield it. If the goddesses are removed from this world then its inhabitants will become finally become independent, rendering the need for a deity obsolete." 005 repeated the words he had been told since day one word for word.
"Exactly right." Mist nodded as she began typing on the computer again.
Silence enveloped the room as neither inhabitant spoke. 005 lay perfectly still upon the table, like a doll waiting to picked up. Mist continued to type on the computer, occasionally clicking the mouse as she navigated the different windows on the screen. Both of them were used to this silence by now, it was always prominent until Mist initiated a conversation. Speaking of the young lady, she stretched one arm above her head with the other latched onto it as she wheeled her chair back.
"Done." She yawned as the scanner came to a halt at the end of the table. "The new settings won't take effect until tomorrow, I'd recommend sleeping in your pod 'til then." The young woman explained as she made for the other room.
"As you say, milady." 005 nodded as he rose from the table.
Leaving the room, 005 made his way back to his 'bedroom'. Once there, he undressed and stepped back into his pod, allowing it to put him into stasis until the next morning. Where the same process would likely repeat.
Tomorrow would be just another day.
It was supposed to be just another day.
005's pod opened and subsequently released him from stasis; the young man proceeded to get dressed and began to head to the usual room. However, his routine journey was interrupted by the sound of an alarm, the intruder alarm. Rushing to the usual room, 005 found Mist furiously typing away at a bank of consoles in an extension to the room usually hidden behind the wall. That room contained the monitors linked to the security cameras.
"005! Get ready for a showdown, the goddesses found us." Mist informed the young man without turning to face him. "It's time to put all our hard work to the test, it's all or nothing." She added as she continued to type on the keyboard. "Are you ready?" She asked, a hint of worry hidden away in her tone.
"And willing, milady. I will destroy the goddesses as my duties command." 005 nodded, a serious expression taking to his previously emotionless face. "As the Goddess Destruction Unit, you have my word."
"Thank you." Mist whispered as she ceased typing, the screen she was focusing on showing the four goddesses outside the door to the room. Purple, black, white and green, who knew that such an odd choice of colours could instil this much fear in person. If she wasn't so sure of 005's abilities, Mist might have fled the scene.
As the door burst open, the goddesses entered the room, floating above the floor as they approached the two occupants of the room. 005 met the goddesses halfway, standing between them and Mist.
"This is as far as you go." The young man stated as he spread his arms out.
"I assume you're the last line of defence?" Purple Heart asked as she floated closer than the rest of the goddesses. "I ask that you stand down, we are only here to talk with her." The goddess explained as she pointed her sword towards Mist.
"If you are only here to speak, then why bring your weapons? Why destroy our home? Why barge in like criminals? Why not contact us beforehand?" The young man questioned rapidly, his head tilting to one side slightly.
Purple Heart was taken aback by the questions; she looked to the other goddesses to gauge their reactions. Though they all seemed as confused as she was by the man's questions. It was weird, his questions and body language implied he was confused, but his expression remained neutral. His lifeless eyes didn't help, those ochre orbs revealed no hints as to the young man's emotive state.
"Argh, damn it! Let's just get this over with!" White Heart yelled as she readied her axe. The young looked at the axe, then to Green Heart's spear, Black Heart's sword and finally his gaze landed on the katana that Purple Heart wielded. The young man's arms returned to his side as he raised his head and spoke.
"Threat identified, protocol dictates complete annihilation. Initiating combat mode."
005's arms and legs glowed with a white light that dispersed as quickly as it arrived, leaving small cubes of data hovering around the now revealed extensions to his body. A pair of sleek, black, robotic legs and arms had formed around their respective appendages. The pair that encased the young man's legs was fairly simple looking; they had a curved point at the base and looked more like they were meant to be used as a form of protection rather than serving any other purpose. The arms however, looked fairly more complicated. Thin yet noticeable grooves lined both arms, converging at the needle-like point at the end of both arms. There appeared to be multiple joints on his arms and the point looked like it might be retractable.
"The goddesses are obsolete, removal from this world deemed necessary." 005 stated. "Searching for appropriate quote... quote found: 'Bring it'." He added as he raised both arms and pointed them towards Purple Heart, his right arm pulled back and ready to strike.
"Don't get cocky!" White Heart exclaimed before rushing in, she passed Purple Heart and raised her axe.
"Blanc, wait!" Purple Heart called out, but her words fell on death ears. She knew that once something set White Heart off next to nothing could stop her, which made coordinating attacks more difficult than it needed to be.
White Heart's charge at the young man didn't falter and as soon as she was in front of him she brought her axe down, attempting to end the fight in one strike. Sadly, White Heart had underestimated her opponent. The young man was still standing exactly where he had been, the goddess's axe now struggling to push down on the man's arms that had been raised in an X-shape to catch the weapon. White Heart pushed down on her axe with more force, the man's arms shook and he had to bend his legs to keep himself stable. As White Heart gradually applied more pressure the man's arms began to slide out from under the axe. However, instead of breaking through his guard and crushing the young man, White Heart found her axe being thrown upwards as the young man pushed himself back into a standing position after pushing his arms upwards to throw the axe off of himself.
Taking advantage of the goddess's confusion, 005 rammed his arm into White Heart's stomach and pushed her back before going in for another strike. A flurry of attacks connected with random parts of the goddess's body before she was elbowed in the face and kicked back with more force than any of the previous strikes. White Heart slid back across the floor, grinding to a halt near the other goddesses.
"Are you okay?" Green Heart asked as she approached her fellow goddess.
"Damn it." White Heart grunted. "He's not as strong as what we've fought before, but that speed..." The goddess trailed off before grunting again as she clutched her side. "Tch, he knows where to aim too." She added.
"It seems we shouldn't underestimate him then." Purple Heart noted as she and Black Heart moved forward. "You ready Noire?" She asked the goddess beside her while readying her katana.
"Of course." Black Heart nodded as she readied her sword. "He's no match for the two us."
The pair charged forward, drawing their weapons back as they closed the distance between themselves and the young man. When they got close enough the two goddesses swung their weapons at the man, only for him to dodge out of the way. Both goddesses refused to relent and continued to swing at their target, who bobbed and weaved to avoid every attack. White Heart had been right about his speed, he was evading their attacks with relative ease and showed no signs of growing weary. The onslaught of attacks came to a stop when 005 blocked their most recent swings. The three remained locked in this position, neither side risking taking damage. Their stalemate ended however, when Green Heart attacked 005 from behind. The young man quickly slid his arms over the weapons they were locked with and pushed off of them as he swung his body between the two goddesses in front of him. Landing on the ceiling, the young man took a second to assess the situation.
This proved to be a mistake.
"Tanzerin Trombe!" A familiar voice called out. 005 just managed to catch a glimpse of a spinning White Heart before her axe collided with his body and sent him flying towards the ground.
The young man's body crashed into the ground in front of Mist. 005 lay there for a few seconds as he regained his bearings, switching between the ground the ceiling and going back to the ground in a manner of seconds had left him dizzy. Stumbling to his feet, 005 turned to face the now approaching goddesses. He raised his arms just like he had before.
"I will not allow you to harm Lady Mist." 005 stated. He didn't move from his spot, but he was ready to attack if he had to.
"That's enough 005." Mist patted the young man's shoulder before stepping in front of him. "It's game over, we've lost." She admitted. "A few more attacks like that and you'll die. You're a DPS class, not a tank." Mist smiled as she faced her protector.
After hearing the admission of defeat, the goddesses lowered their weapons, except for White Heart who seemed to be ready for a round two. The four goddesses watched as Mist took off 005's choker, the young man closed his eyes and froze in place. It was as if he had become a statue.
*BEEP*
A beep echoed through the room.
*BEEP*
Followed by another and another and more still, the beeping grew faster the longer it persisted. The goddesses looked for the source of the noise before noticing that the choker in Mist's hand was generating the noise, it had also begun to flash red. The flashing quickened in time with the beeping. A chill ran down the goddesses spines when they realised what the choker was, they flew out of the room the same way they had entered.
*BOOM*
The choker exploded and set off a chain reaction with the explosives that had been planted around the facility.
While avoiding any explosions that threatened their retreat, the goddesses found themselves flying straight towards the exit. Worryingly, the explosions continued to grow in size the closer the goddesses got to escaping, one such explosion caused a support beam to fall in front of the exit. Slipping through the gaps left, the goddesses managed to escape before one final explosion engulfed the facility.
Looking to each other, the goddesses came to a silent agreement to return to their nations and put the day behind them. In the end, they were all just glad nothing drastic had occurred.
It had been a week since what had happened at the facility and a cleanup squad had been sent out to clear away the remains of the building, this was to ensure that no monsters would come to use the ruins, what little of them there were, as a home. One member of this squad was IF, she had been chosen by Planeptune's goddess to oversee the cleanup process and to protect the workers should any monsters attack. There were plenty of guards around to secure the perimeter, but the more firepower the better.
As she surveyed the area, IF thought about what she had heard about this place. Apparently some lady with a negative view of the goddesses had been performing experiments on a young man to make him into a weapon capable of bringing down the goddesses. The fact that the building she had been using was in its current state was more than enough to tell that that plan didn't work out. According to the goddesses, both the man and woman had been engulfed in the initial blast. Even if they had somehow survived that, the rubble that came crashing down would have crushed them. IF continued thinking about the events she had learnt transpired until a voice caught her attention.
"Hey! I think I found someone!" One of the workers called out, drawing the attention of everyone else. As everyone crowded around, the worker shifted some of the rubble around to reveal that there was indeed someone buried underneath them.
The person in question had a boyish looking face and messy, shoulder length, seafoam green hair, their eyes were closed and face looked to be contorted in pain. As the workers began removing the rubble from atop the unconscious person, IF thought about what this meant. Obviously, this person they just uncovered had to be one of the two people the goddesses mentioned. Going strictly off of appearances, IF would hazard a guess that this was the young man that had been experimented on. But if that was the case, why weren't there any signs of him having been caught in the explosion. His face had a few scratches and bruises, but there were no burn marks and his skin was pale when it should have otherwise been charred black.
Once the workers had finished removing the rubble, IF ordered a couple of them to take the person to the medical tent that had been set up in case anyone got injured. Watching as the workers carried the person away on a stretcher and everyone else got back to work, IF considered what course of action to take. She could wait until the person wakes up and try to get some answers from them now, or she could have them arrested once their wounds had been dressed and interrogate them back at the Basilicom in the cells underneath the tower.
For now, the guild member would wait until the person's wounds had been treated.
Hours passed as IF observed the workers going about doing their jobs. Seeing as everything was going smoothly, she decided to check up on the patient they had discovered a while ago. Lifting the flap to the medical tent, IF walked in and spotted a familiar face.
"Hey Compa. How's the patient doing?" IF asked her friend as she took a seat at the small table in the centre of the tent.
"Hi Iffy." Compa replied. "He's stable and I managed to patch up his wounds, but there's something that's been bothering me..." The nurse explained before she trailed off.
"If he's not breathing then his bandages might be too tight." IF offered immediately, Compa did have some problems when it came to properly wrapping bandages around someone.
"No, I already loosened his bandages." Compa informed her friend. "What's bothering me is how few wounds he has." She admitted.
"Shouldn't fewer wounds be a good thing?" IF questioned.
"Of course!" Compa nodded. "But he fought with Nep-Nep and the others, got exploded and was buried under all that rubble. Yet he only has a few scrapes and bruises, a cut on his forehead and two broken bones." She elaborated. "He's either super-duper lucky, or something protected him." Was the conclusion the nurse came to.
"I see. When you put it that way then yeah, it does seem weird." IF put a hand to her chin as she thought about how someone could get out of the situation the patient had been in with so few injuries, especially considering that there were only a few relatively serious injuries.
"Ngh... Ungh..." The patient groaned from the bed he was resting on. Compa and IF focused their attention on him as he tossed and turned whilst sweating, after a minute or so he stopped and returned to lying on his back. After another minute, he sat up. His ochre eyes were open and darting about the tent, they stopped after spotting the two people sitting at the table.
"Where am I?" The young man gasped as sweat trickled down his body and got soaked up by the bandages. Both Compa and IF stood after processing the situation, IF dragged her chair over to the bed and sat next to the patient while Compa starting preparing some new bandages.
"You're currently on the site of a cleanup operation set up on the outskirts of Planeptune." IF explained.
"Planeptune?" The young man questioned in a shaky breath.
IF raised an eyebrow after hearing the confused tone in the man's voice. Was it possible to have not heard of one of the nations? Then again, he had been in that facility for who knows how long, there was a chance that he might not know some things that were common knowledge.
"It's a nation run by the goddess Purple Heart." The guild member added to her explanation, hoping that would clear things up.
"Nation? Goddess? Purple... Heart?" The explanation seemed to have the opposite effect, he was just getting more confused.
Now IF was actually curious. It was one thing if he didn't know the name of a nation, but now he was acting as if he had never heard of one of the goddesses. Someone he had fought against only a week ago. Thinking of the goddess reminded IF of something, which led to her coming up with a theory. A theory she was going to test immediately.
"Can you tell me your name?" IF asked the patient.
"Name... My name..." The young man mumbled, this didn't serve to alleviate the guild member's worries. "I... don't have one." Was the answer the girl received after waiting for the man to think.
'Don't have one?' IF thought. 'I was expecting him to say he doesn't remember. Is that what he meant, maybe?'
"Do you mean you don't remember your name?" IF asked, seeking clarification.
"No. I remember, I don't have a name." The man confirmed.
IF decided to set that matter aside for now and see what answers she could get.
"Can you tell me anything else you remember?" The guild member asked.
The patient went silent for a little while, his face scrunching up every so often. Considering he kept making such a displeased face, IF could already guess at what was coming.
"I'm sorry. I don't remember anything else." The man apologised, bowing his head to show his sincerity.
"You don't need to apologise." IF sighed. "It can't be helped if you don't remember. Just rest for now, and listen to what the nurse says." She ordered with a slightly amused smile. That smile disappeared as soon as she stepped outside the tent. IF went back to observing the workers with one question on her mind.
What to do now?
It had been a few days now and the majority of the facilities ruins had been cleared away. Luckily, this meant that IF and Compa could return to the Basilicom, sadly they still had no idea as to what to do with their unnamed patient. Both of the girls had been leaning towards taking him with them and letting Histoire decide what to do with him, but that could put Neptune and Nepgear at risk. While the two could handle themselves, it was still concerning after hearing about how the young man could last against all four goddesses.
Seeing as they would never get anywhere just by thinking about it, the two decided to ask the man himself as to what he wanted to do.
"You want me to meet the goddess of Planeptune?" He questioned, it was a rather sudden question considering he only recently woke up with no memories.
"That's up to you. If you don't want to then we won't force you. However, she could help with your current predicament." IF explained to the man.
The man thought about it for a while. If he met the goddess then she might be able to help him somehow, but would it be worth wasting a deity's time with a matter such as this? Apparently the goddess was an understanding individual, though the young man wanted to gauge that for himself rather than trusting word of mouth. Although he would have to meet with her in that case, but then he might end wasting her time. Realising that he was going in circles, the man decided on how he would make up his mind.
Chance.
"Pick one." The patient told IF as he held both of his fists in front of her.
"Huh?" The guild member was confused by the sudden request but complied nonetheless. Pointing to his left hand she said. "This one."
"Alright, I'll meet with the goddess then." The patient nodded.
Deciding to ignore how the decision was reached, IF remembered something that would be quite important when the man met Purple Heart.
"You'll need a name." She reminded him.
"Ah... right." The young man sweatdropped, he had, ironically, forgotten about that detail. "Hm... a name, huh?" He pondered. Thinking on it, the young man felt something tugging at the back of his mind. It felt important, but whatever it was kept eluding him. Focusing on this feeling, the man found himself almost saying something before the word disappeared again. He kept his focus on identifying the word, it was right on the tip of his tongue yet it was also in the furthest recesses of his mind. Just as he was about to give up on remembering the word, Compa walked in with a bundle of small white flowers. Upon seeing these flowers, something clicked into place.
"Edelweiss." The patient gasped as he finally remembered the word.
"Is that the name you're going with?" IF asked. Receiving a simple nod, the girl stood up. "Right, the only other thing we need to do is get you some new clothes. Those rags won't make a good first impression." She said in reference to the horribly torn white clothes the man was wearing.
"Oh, are we ready to go?" Compa asked as she walked over.
"Almost, I just need to go finalise a few things with the workers and guards and then we can head back to Planeptune." IF explained as she left the tent.
"Okay, then. I'll change your bandages while we wait." Compa told Edelweiss, who gulped in fear.
Planeptune, the land of purple progress. Ruled by the goddess Purple Heart. The land with the most advanced technology and civilization. Or so said the pamphlet Edelweiss had been given. His own thoughts would be somewhere along the lines of: But how do they utilise them? Although he had to admit, the sleek buildings that towered above him were a sight to behold.
While taking in the sights, Edelweiss noticed that the tallest building in the city was in the centre. It must have been quite an important building to get such a valuable position. Just what was that building for he wondered.
After walking about for a while, the group of three stopped outside of a clothes shop. Once he was pushed in, Edelweiss was instructed to pick out an outfit that fit him. Looking around for a while, the young man eventually found a few articles of clothing he liked. One was a plain white, long-sleeved dress shirt, another was a black pair of jeans, he also found a pair of black socks and a pair of red canvas shoes. Edelweiss was rather happy with his choice, but a comment about his choice being plain sent him on the hunt for some accessories.
Continuing the search to make an outfit that fit him, Edelweiss found a few accessories that he liked. The first was a thin, square, black and white chequered neck tie. The second was a sweatband of similar design to the tie. The third were a set of three finger bands, two black and one white.
After having gotten everything together, the young man was shoved into a changing room alongside his chosen outfit. The young man took his time changing, mainly to examine his wounds. Or he would have, if there were any wounds to examine. They were all gone. He even prodded areas that had previously been painful to think about.
Nothing. He was all better, somehow.
Putting his speedy recovery aside, Edelweiss finished getting dressed. He stepped out of the changing room to show off his new outfit to IF and Compa.
Looking him over, IF and Compa noticed a few points that added a personal touch to Edelweiss' outfit. For one thing, he had the top two buttons of his shirt undone and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Second, the tie was rather loose and passed his waist by a noticeable margin. Third, the sweatband was on his right wrist. Fourth, he wore the two black finger bands on his right index and ring fingers, with the white band on his left middle finger. Finally, the ends of the legs of his jeans covered part of his canvas shoes.
Overall, it didn't look half bad. Especially for something put together with no prior thought.
Having accomplished the first task on the agenda, the second task was taking Edelweiss to the Basilicom to meet the goddess. Something the man in question was getting increasingly more nervous about.
And why shouldn't he? He was about to meet a deity!
As the trio passed by the guards and entered the tower in the centre of the city, Edelweiss could only think about everything he was about to do wrong. Stepping into the elevator to head up to the meeting room, the green haired man sucked in a deep breath before releasing it shortly after. He did this a few times to relax himself, he had the strangest feeling that something like this had happened before.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened.
Edelweiss followed IF and Compa out, swallowing down the fears that were building up. He just had to be on his best behaviour, shouldn't be too hard. Though he couldn't help but think that this meeting would end in disaster. Whilst still lost in his thoughts, the young man stopped a few paces behind his guides. He was complete unaware of the Purple haired woman who had begun to stare at him.
"So you're the person that was found in the rubble of that destroyed facility?" The woman questioned, snapping Edelweiss from his thoughts.
"Huh...? Uh! I mean... yes! Yes, I am." The green haired man stumbled over his words. Well, this was off to a good start.
"Relax, please. We're only here to discuss your situation. I can assure you, you are not in any form of trouble." The lady assured, the calm tone in her voice ever so slightly easing Edelweiss' nerves.
"Right..." Edelweiss took a deep breath before introducing himself. "My name is Edelweiss. May I assume you to be Goddess Purple Heart?"
"Yes I am. It is a pleasure to meet you Edelweiss. Take a seat and we shall discuss your current predicament." Purple Heart offered.
Edelweiss took a seat and the talk began.
"-And you haven't regained any memories yet?" Purple Heart asked.
"No." Edelweiss admitted.
The two had been speaking for a while now and had finally gotten to discussing the present and future.
"I don't even remember my home... If I had one." The young man sighed, his nerves had disappeared as he continued to speak with the Goddess and he had begun to speak more casually than when he introduced himself.
"I see..." Purple Heart trailed off as she took a moment to think. "If you don't have anywhere to go, why not stay here?" She asked the man, catching him off guard
"Ex-excuse me." The young man spluttered. "I thank you for the offer, but wouldn't letting someone like me stay here be inappropriate?" He asked.
"I didn't say you'd be staying for free." The Goddess pointed out. "You would have to work under my Oracle, taking orders from her and myself. And in return, we could offer you a room and the same pay as the other Basilicom workers." She explained. "What do you think? is it a fair deal?" Purple Heart asked the young man, a small smile taking to her lips.
"Well I don't have any alternatives..." Edelweiss mumbled. "It's as fair a deal as I'll get, I'm sure. If you're willing to have me, I'd be glad to take you up on your offer." The man nodded, giving the Goddess a confident smile.
"Very well then. Shall we go see my Oracle; she has a right to know about her new subordinate." Purple Heart stated with an amused tone as she rose from her seat.
Edelweiss got up from his seat and followed the Goddess so his new life could begin.