Your first steps towards Orario are mostly uneventful. The road you take is well worn by those before you, and though your destination is far away, you are excited by the prospect of traveling and by the promise of all the things you had yet to experience.
After staying in one place for so long, the feeling of adventure is intoxicating.
The scenery here is tranquil. Instead of the ancient forests and mountains that you were accustomed to, what lies ahead of you is all flat plains of wild grass and rolling hills.
You are sure that when day breaks, the road would inevitably fill with traveling merchants and adventurers. But right now, you are alone.
And so, guided by the waning light of the moon, you walk down the well trodden path.
Towards Orario. Towards the center of the world.
The steady clip-clop of hoofbeats rouses you from your sleep.
Tiredly rubbing tears out of your eyes, you sit up against the tree that had served as your makeshift bed for the night. The sun had risen, washing the world with color.
Squinting against the harsh morning light, you cautiously peek down the road, hoping whoever was approaching had no ill intent.
It is a small group of two people, riding atop a wagon pulled by a single tired looking mule. It reminds you very much of the traveling merchants that would stop by the village and sell exotic goods of coffee, ceramics and faraway spices.
You've never been skilled at blending into your surroundings. Or perhaps it was your long hair, drifting at the faintest whispers of a breeze. Either way, it doesn't take long before they spot you.
"Hullo there!" A rough male voice calls out to you.
A wrinkled old farmer stares at you from atop a simple wooden wagon. Next to him sat a younger man with a plain looking face framed with short locks of dull blue hair.
You guessed they were most likely father and son, or perhaps a traveling merchant and his armored guard…?
You want to reply, but a grandiose yawn encompasses your mouth. Instead, you opt to lazily wave at them in what you hope can be interpreted as a cordial greeting.
It wasn't long before the two men and their mule pulled up next to you. You purse your lips at them, your brain still foggy from just waking up. Did they want something from you or...
"Are you heading to the city?" A smooth deep voice addressed you, coming from the young man in a somewhat rumpled black shirt.
He catches your eye immediately. It wasn't the unique hair color; you knew Orario had no end of that, but instead was the quiet confidence in the way he carried himself.
He was tall and well built. If he stood next to you, his eyes would just barely reach the top of your head. A massive longsword laid haphazardly on the seat next to him, making it impossible to mistake him for any other farmer.
"Yes." You say, idly wondering how he could even manage to swing that thing around. From the size of it alone, it must have weighed at least a hundred pounds.
"Get in then." He nodded towards the back of the wagon. "Ben here won't mind pulling a young lady like yourself." He patted the neck of his mule fondly.
You draw back, intent on declining the offer, only to freeze at the hint of disappointment in his eyes.
...When you think about it, gods were a good judge of character, and you don't sense any malicious intent emanating from him.
There was no reason to begrudge human company if all he wanted was some companionship. Besides, it was easier to get on than to decline, and your legs were sore from all the walking you had done earlier...
You hesitantly climb onto the cart.
"Hup!". The old man shook the reins, causing the mule to reluctantly start moving again. "I'm Odo, and this is Leo, my guard." He smiled, turning back to look at you over his shoulder. "We're headed to Orario to set up at the market. Good business you know, adventurers."
Ah, no wonder. That explained the bags of spices and lobes of ripe yellow squash piled up in a small mountain just next to you.
Odo, the older of the two travelers, reaches into a burlap bag and graciously hands you a piece of dark bread. It was dry and tough, but you're thankful for it nonetheless.
"I'm Aeolus." You say, between huge mouthfuls of bread. You were starving.
"You're named after the goddess of the wind?" He assumed, but you quickly shook your head.
"I am that goddess." You corrected gently, watching his eyes widen with surprise.
It seems gods were uncommon outside Orario after all - you muse. It made sense. Most deities you knew resided within the city walls. Despite the revelation, they are still comfortable in your presence. You're glad they don't suddenly look at you with eyes of incessant worship.
...So you find yourself gaining human companionship for some time.
The journey to Orario isn't far, but due to the slow pace of the wagon, it wasn't possible to make it to your destination in just one day. So you aren't surprised when you find yourself sitting next to a fire pit, slowly roasting the carcass of a rabbit Leo had caught earlier today.
You had decapitated, skinned, and cleaned the animal, busying yourself with the tasks while Leo hunted for some more dry firewood. You were impressed by the blue haired traveler; he didn't even use a snare, instead catching the rabbit with pure speed alone.
If he wasn't already part of a familia...
"It's probably a lost cause..." you sighed to yourself as you glanced towards the firepit that cooked the rabbit. It was coming along nicely, along with the butternut squash you had wrapped and snugly nestled among the coals.
It doesn't take long for you to finish the batch of cooked game. You began carving the meat, slicing them in roughly equal portions before handing it to your hungry companions.
"Loki, Freya, Astrea, Hermes, Miach, Apollo and Ganesha… I think I got most of them…" You listed, naming all the fellow deities you knew already had established familias. Of them all, only Astrea and Miach were gods you were close enough to call friends.
"Is there an Aeolus familia yet?" Leo wondered, having not heard your name in the long list of gods.
"Not yet, I only recently descended." You explain, pushing aside a lock of hair over your ear tentatively, turning to meet the gaze of the male in front of you. "Are you… looking for a familia?"
"Mhm." He nodded. You perk up at the unexpected response.
"You're certainly going to have no issue finding one, with that massive sword you carry around." You praise awkwardly, before suddenly tensing, internally mortified with yourself.
"Well… it hasn't been easy." Leo rubbed the back of his head. "With so many people lining up to be an adventurer these days, most gods only want elves or amazons."
You shrug wordlessly, nonchalantly tossing some firewood into the campfire. You desperately want to invite him to your family, to claim him with your falna, but as an obscure goddess who has no familia, no wealth and no home, you are scared of rejection.
Leo seems to know not to push. He takes the dismissal in stride and starts talking about other things - the strongest familia in Orario (the Freya familia), theories of the dungeon and of old adventurers who lost their lives exploring its depths.
It's nice actually, how he tried to make you comfortable despite knowing so little about your personality and character. (You marvel at how you had happened to met someone like him )
A part of you wishes you had the courage to just ask.
"Psst." You feel something tap the top of your head. Groaning, you curl back into yourself, longing to cuddle the warm blanket closer to your sleepy form. You release a huff of frustration when it suddenly pulls away from you.
"Goddess!" You feel another two light slaps on the side of your cheeks, causing you to sit up with some difficulty.
It is a new day, and the rhythmic rise and fall of the cart on the journey to Orario had gradually lulled you into a state of sleep.
Slowly opening your eyes, you see Leo, the young man with dull blue hair peering down at you. His giant broadsword was strapped to his back.
The closeness of him breaks you out of your trance. The warm "blanket" you had tried to pull closer to you had probably been him, you note with mild embarrassment.
"We've arrived." He tells you, looking away quickly lest you see the light blush threatening to break out across his face.
"We're here…" you mumble, looking up at the imposing city that housed this world's strongest gods. The Labyrinth City Orario is massive, and the tower of Babel standing proudly at the heart of the city is intimidating. Even for you.
Your stomach fills with anticipation and unease. How would the gods and goddesses react seeing you again?
But a jolt of the cart interrupts your morbid thoughts. In the distance, the Orario gatekeepers make quick work of the line to enter the city. It would be your turn soon.
"Next!" You hear the two gatekeepers call out, and the cart jolts forward yet again, moving towards the entrance to the city. A tired sigh escapes your lips, shutting your eyes to avoid any curious looks in your direction. It felt like even outside the city, there were way too many adventurers and guild employees bustling around.
Odo and Leo talk to the guards, handing over their entry permits and moving efficiently like they've been through this song and dance a thousand times. You cower behind them, trying to keep a low profile.
When you pass, you notice one of the gatekeepers staring intently at your nervous form.
"What about that pretty lady over - Oh! Aeolus!" Ganesha exclaimed as he spun you around to face him, eyes glinting in delight as he discovered that it was indeed you. "I was wondering when you would show up!"
"Don't be so loud…" you heavily sighed at him, noting how the excited shout had drawn interested passerbys into your conversation.
"B-but I was going to ask you out on a date-"
"Not right now." You bashfully denied with a tone of disinterest, embarrassed at how everyone crowded around you to listen in on this conversation. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way…"
Quite some time had passed since you first entered the gates to Orario. You had originally planned to spend the day at the guild and register your familia, but you didn't want to separate from your friendly companions so soon.
"So, what's first on the list?" You softly inquired, walking alongside Leo, as you both headed deeper into the city. Leo pulled out a handy tourist pamphlet in response and began flipping through the pages.
"I was thinking of first finding a place to stay" Leo responds, staring at the various inns and restaurants dotting the side of the street.
Of course.
"And after…?" You trail off, waiting for him to complete your sentence.
"Getting a falna." He grinned. "Heard the Loki familia was recruiting recently."
"That's... a good plan, but are you sure they'll accept you? I heard they're looking for promising recruits..."
"Are you saying I'm not a promising recruit?" Leo stops and glares at you.
"No. Not like that" You stammer. " I mean… what about joiningmyfamilia?" You blurt out quickly, flushing at your honest admission. Please -
"Alright, alright - I'll join both of them together, eh? Like a two for one deal."
"...It doesn't work that way." You grumble.
"I'll join you then."
"Fair enough," you chuckle, a soft burst of affection settling inside your heart.
Orario is big enough that you can barely navigate from one end to the other in just an afternoon. Even just following the main roads, there are so many inns and apartments to choose from. It's everything you can do not to feel overwhelmed. (you make sure to stick close to Leo, afraid to get lost in the sea of buildings)
You end up deciding on a run down inn next to the city entrance. You choose it because it was convenient for Odo, who had set up a stall close by, but also because it was cheap - costing you only 600 valis per night. (The equivalent of a fancy meal at a expensive restaurant).
After taking a quick shower in the communal bathing hall (kept hot courtesy of magic stones), your amble way to the restaurant Leo was dining at.