Yay, new chapter, and a solid 7.5k words to boot. Did I expect to write it this long? No. Am I happy? Oh hell yes. Enough talk, important note time.

This story is now rated M, and by the time you check chapter two, that note at the bottom is gone. As for a certain section, I debated dumbing it down, but I don't think it would have as great of an impact. I'll guess I'll have to wait and see how you react.

A new Chapter for DB is out tomorrow when I do some proofreading. I should also clarify something with me saying 'I don't want to follow canon'

While I'm not against it, it sometimes feels like no one will read it because "at this point, I might as well re-read the books/manga/re-watch the anime."

That is my fear when I make stories like this, having a potential comment like that. However, with Axton being a part of this DanMachi universe, I have the power to change events at will. I also still need to do some further research on some lore bits that can prove useful.

With that said, enjoy!

"Speaking"

Personal Thoughts

*Ability/Spell*

...

Axton expected Ais, or maybe Tiona at the door, but not her. Not Riveria Ljos Alf. "Uhm…" Riveria had that 'we need to talk' look on her face, and knowing Axton didn't have an argument and the High Elf did, he let her in.

Axton's room was separate from his sister's, for privacy reasons, and for some weird reason, at Loki's insistence. Of course, his room had the essentials, and even a Goliath skin hung on the wall, one of his proud trophies from leveling up to level four. Ais was there with him, and she also leveled up that same day. The two are never far apart when it comes to levels. They even bolstered similar stats, Ais is ahead in Agility, Axton is ahead in Endurance/Defense. Their status is nothing to scoff at, but that's not the point.

Riveria gently set the bowl of food down on a desk that was tucked into the corner. "Eat, then I will talk as you do." Axton opened his mouth to retort, but Riveria continued, "And do not say you're not hungry, your stomach says otherwise and I know you didn't eat much on the expedition."

Axton ran a hand through his hair, she was right, and he wasn't about to call her out for mama'ing him again. One hit to the head was bad enough, and Riveria has spells. Her jade eyes searched his golden-onyx eyes. While sometimes they come off as well, in certain lights, they become darker. Axton sighed before gently grabbing the utensil provided and started eating, much to his stomach's relief. If it was able to speak, it was praising him like one does to their messiah.

Riveria waited until he started eating before asking, "What was it about?"

Now, Axton could play the ignorance card, but he knows she's smarter than that. He could just not answer or answer with a lie and come off nonchalant. None of those options worked, so he just decided to answer, "Guilt."

He heard Riveria sigh and his shoulders slumped, he knew what was coming, "When will you learn that not every injury is your fault?"

Axton looked away, continuing to eat, not wanting to answer his pseudo mother figure. He'd rather have taken the food and slammed the door shut, but he knew this conversation was going to happen. "I…"

"They still haunt you, don't they?"

Axton whipped his head towards Riveria, his irises quivering. The food was now forgotten, he didn't notice his hand shaking, almost vibrating. The High Elf approached the young boy and gently grabbed his hand. As a High Elf, she normally shouldn't let anyone touch her, as she holds Elven tradition in somewhat high regard. However, while she follows the 'must not show skin' trope, she doesn't have set boundaries for the 'who can and can't touch me' trope. All that Axton knows is that she allows him, Ais, and Lefiya to. Usually, the Wallenstein siblings wait for Riveria to reach out, but sometimes, it's different.

His hand was still shaking, even though Riveria was gently tracing patterns over his knuckles, of seemingly no importance, but a calming technique. His breathing that he unknowingly increased, slowly started to die down. "Now, I know you are going to be upset, but I recommend you do not go to the Dungeon for a couple of days, okay?" It was really getting harder to not say anything regarding the name of a female who cares and nurtures a person. Specifically, anything that starts with the letter 'M'.

Axton nodded, "O-Okay."

So much easier than Ais, Riveria thought as she smiled gently at the younger sibling, "Now, finish eating and then go to sleep. It's been a long day." Riveria gently set his hand down on his lap before exiting the room and shutting the door behind her.

He waited for her footsteps and the swishing of her robes to be out of his hearing range before he whispered, "Thank you… Mama Riveria." Axton allowed himself to smile, and he gently slipped out of his pants and left his boxers on before crawling into bed.

Only his dreams were anything but pleasant.

The scene began surrounded by a lot of crystal walls. Panting… "almost there… just hold on please…" the voice sounded desperate. Their posture was horrible, and it looked like they were carrying someone else. "Please… don't go…"

Blood leaked down both figures. They collapsed after five more steps forward. Their eyes shut.

The scene changed.

"Come on, it'll be fun, I swear!" Someone said to a girl, really young, around nine years old.

The girl responded to the boy, "Why are you so wrapped up about having fun? We need to get stronger so we can…" the rest of it wasn't caught as an explosion rattled the area.

The scene changed.

Ringing… they couldn't hear anything… what happened? Their consciousness faded again, the strength to stay awake left their body all at once.

The scene changed again. This one, however, was a little more detailed and vivid.

The sky was grey, but wasn't it supposed to be cloudy? The next thing that was off was the weird puffs of… smoke? What was happening?

Was something burning?

They looked down at their hands, seeing that they were smaller than normal… did that mean…? Blinking, chains appeared around his wrists, they were tight, uncomfortable… someone grabbed his arm and yelled harshly at him, "Keep moving brat!" This person was rude. They gripped the chains that connected him and pulled hard, and they couldn't help but whimper at the pain. "Hey, Boss! We… a live one!"

The scene changed.

Their vision was blurry. A man in a cloak turned around. The features of this man were blurry like his whole face was unknown. They didn't have time as they were pulled harshly forward and tossed on the ground. The only sound that was made was the impact of the ground. They curled up in a ball, wanting to be as small as possible.

"You kidnapped a small child?" the voice was clear, but seeing them talk without a face was jarring. They seemed upset, and not at the child.

"This isn't just any child. It's the Sword Prince. You know, one… kids?" the henchman said. There were more words, but they were drowned out by a ringing sound.

The sound of a sword being drawn caught their ears and they feared to look up to see if it was pointed at them, "Tell...apped a child."

"W-Well, you see… he saw th...and I thought that you...this one yourself," the henchman said, ringing present before they witnessed the sword plunge into the man's heart. They almost vomited from that. They actually did.

"Never kidnap children, is that clear?" A bunch of voices sounded off behind him. The sword was flicked and the remaining blood was pushed off to the side. A drop landed on their cheek. The sword was sheathed before the big man kneeled down, wiping the blood off his cheek. "You remind...nephew, too innocent for this." The chains were broken a second later. They looked up wide-eyed at this faceless man, "Run along and find someplace safe. This… concern you...eave boy."

They did not hesitate to run… a golden-onyx-eyed child, running through the burning streets of Orario. People were being killed left and right. There was so much death...

It was the work of a conglomeration known by one name: Evilus.

"Someone…kid...getting away!"

The scene faded into nothing.

Axton opened his eyes and shot up from his bed, "NO! STOP!" Blood rushed to his head and he winced. He was lightheaded from the rapid movement. His free hand had unconsciously reached for the spare dagger he had hidden underneath his mattress. He didn't grab it, but it was a safeguard.

He felt nauseous, he felt sticky… he felt disgusting, and he wasn't thinking about his external appearance. Looking down at himself, he worked himself into a cold sweat, hyperventilating. That dream, or that sequence, hasn't come up in years… why now?

He looked to his window, seeing the beginnings of dawn bless the world with a brand new day. He slept, but it wasn't peaceful. Axton sighed, going to the showers. Having grabbed all of his supplies, he was all clean in fifteen minutes. Once he returned, he tidied up his room.

By the time he did that, Dawn was in full bloom. It was a peaceful thing. He didn't get to look at it for long, so he turned and reached out for Requiem, but his hand shook. "It's going to be one of these days… at least I don't plan on going into the Dungeon today. Thank you, Riveria."

Ignoring the shaking in his hand, he grabbed his weapon and strapped it to his hip. He needed to learn a new drawing style. He only did it over the back because it was easiest for him, but the draw time will get him killed if he's not fast enough.

No one else seemed to be up, except maybe the top executives, but Axton didn't plan on going to talk to them. He aimed for the training yard.

On the way, he saw an open window that led to his destination. So, looking both ways up and down the hallway, then outside at every possible window that he can be seen from, and then he jumped out of it.

Doing a single front flip, he landed with a slight bend of his knees. He also didn't indent the ground, so that was a plus. He stepped into the middle of the area, a small courtyard for training, which was currently empty, and then sat down, legs crossed. His sword lied in front of him, still in its scabbard.

Meditation, in an attempt to clear his mind, would be beneficial. He needed concentration. The dew of the grass meant nothing right now. It was him, his weapon, and the earth beneath him. Axton closed his eyes and let his tension drain.

His Mindscape was frantic at first, flashes of his dream playing over and over, in more detail. Things he wishes he could forget, but without them, what would he be? It should be way easier to purge them, but he never does.

Then, by some unexpected force, his shoulders dropped, all the tension pushed out of him… he opened his eyes and he felt composed, relaxed, and ready to begin.

Grabbing his sword, he stood and gently attached it to his side, the strap over his right shoulder. He trained without his armor, then once he gets a feel for what he wants, then he trains in full armor.

He had a plan for today, and he was going to begin this regiment today and practice until he was satisfied.

Requiem sat on his left hip. He imagined an opponent coming at him from his left side, about to strike. Gripping the hilt in his left hand, he pulled it out, reverse grip, and swung at them, predictably blocking their advance. He then adjusted his grip so that he wasn't holding it improperly.

Then, Axton began swinging in patterns as if he was fighting a person, then he switched 'targets' as if there was a tamer near him, sending the monster on him. He imagined it was a Minotaur or something of that size, he jumped over the 'Minotaur', slashing down the middle, before returning it to his sheath.

This continued for hours until the sun was almost at its highest point in the sky. Axton himself was panting, sweat glistening his skin. He disregarded his shirt about two hours in. He missed breakfast, but there was nothing wrong with grabbing a late brunch. He felt the burning of his muscles three hours ago, but he pushed through. There were no breaks in the Dungeon. You falter, it sinks its teeth into you. That's all there is to it.

At this point, he was practicing hand-to-hand combat against multiple 'monsters' and 'human' combatants. He was pretending they knocked away his weapon, and they thought they had him. A likely scenario that can happen, so he was preparing for it. Punches, kicks, feints, counters, and parrying were all parts of fighting. He just needed to do it without the extra reach. Performing a few more flips, adding in kicks, he stopped. He landed by his sword but made no motion to retrieve it. He put his hands on his knees. He was out of breath, sweating up a storm, and it didn't help that he had started to feel eyes on him… halfway through his exercise.

His hand suddenly extended and caught an object heading for him. The first impression was that the object was cold. The second impression was that there was clapping from above. The third was the voice, "Why don't you take a break, alright?"

Axton looked up to see Finn with a smile on his face. The Pallum Captain had started watching when other members of the Familia had noticed he was training extremely hard. Naturally, a frown appeared on Finn's face, he should be relaxing. Riveria had filled him in on what was happening to the younger swordsman. "I… can't."

"Oh?" Finn raised an eyebrow.

"I need this to… be perfect. My skills feel lacking…"

Finn critically eyed the Prince, not looking for a lie, but trying to see where he was going with this. "And you've decided to exhaust yourself?"

With that remark out in the open, Axton lowered his head in shame, "I just want to be able to protect our Familia, my friends…"

It all came together for Finn, the guilt hasn't lifted, "Walk with me, Axton, but drink something, otherwise we'll have to get Amid here and you know what she'll say."

The threat of having Amid coming here was enough to make him relish the cold beverage in his hand. A few spare drops dropped down Axton's physique, making the observers—mostly female—shiver in anticipation. Those with better eyesight got an even better show, watching the muscles of his chest and toned abs flex with every gulp.

Axton shivered himself and it was because of the stares of lust and desire, "Don't joke about that! Amid's mean to me!"

"That's because you keep injuring yourself when she says not to do anything reckless," Finn countered easily, a satisfied smile on his lips. Nothing gets Dea Saint of Dian Cecht Familia more riled up than Goliath when a patient pushes too hard when they themselves are supposed to be in recovery. She's threatened to tie him down once.

Axton tried not to find the positives in that, but the cons outweigh the pros. Axton retrieved his shirt and Requiem before putting them respectively back in place. Axton tried not to flinch at the displeased sighs. As he followed his captain through the lower levels of the Manor, he asked himself softly, "Why do I have to be the target for eye candy?" Rhetorical question. He was a young man, fit, tone, has above average looks, can handle himself pretty well, an adventurer, and he's part of the Loki Familia to boot.

"How come I don't get that?" Finn inquired, joking, but Axton didn't know that. The Pallum had a great way of playing ignorant well, but everyone knew Braver was a brilliant strategist. Still, it was the child-like voice and tone that sold it.

"Uhm, cause Tione will literally kill anyone who tries to get with you…"

"I'm well aware, but that's how Amazons are, they value strength," Finn said, smirking. He was very much aware of the older Hiryute's advances towards him, but he gently maneuvered the topic away each and every time.

Axton sighed, "Then why ask the rhetorical?" To my own damn rhetorical too! The Captain didn't answer him. "Anyway, I'm going to freshen up, then head out for the streets. I don't plan on heading anywhere special, but I should be back before dinner."

Finn turned to stop him, "Be home before the evening, or if you can't, Loki reserved a table at the Hostess, the entire familia that was on the expedition—that includes you—are going, as is Lefiya."

For some reason, Axton was pleased by this fact, "Alright, I should be there. It's been a bit since I've had Mama Mia's cooking."

"Indeed it has, now go, and please do not overexert yourself, Axton. You are a valued member of this Familia, so don't forcefully push past your limits," The Pallum's eyes dared him to disagree.

Axton chuckled, relenting before he headed for the showers. His muscles painfully reminded him that he pushed it too far today, so he'll have to ease up in the coming days. Unfortunately, he didn't want to, but he had to. Physical limitations suck.

As he passed the upper floors of the Manor, he encountered Lefiya in the halls, "Hello, Lefiya!" She didn't respond, and as a matter of fact, she looked kind of downcast right now. Waving a hand in front of her face, "Helllooo?"

"Ahh!" Lefiya jumped up, previously lost in thought. Axton stepped back. Then, she glared at him, but it lacked the usual bite, "What are you doing here?"

"Uhm, heading to the shower. I stink right now… after training?" Axton replied, confused by the behavior.

Only then did Lefiya notice Axton covered in sweat, red cheeks, hair sticking to his forehead, arms exposing his muscles that he's worked up for the past eight or so years. She quickly turned away, "Have you seen Miss Ais?"

Axton regarded the elf in suspicion, but answered, "I haven't seen my sister since we arrived home yesterday… are you alright?"

"Yes! Perfectly fine!" Lefiya shouted louder than she should've.

Okay, something happened, so he asked her what happened. She didn't answer him. Why are women so complicated? Changing the subject, "So, we're heading to the Hostess of Fertility tonight, I was informed by Finn that you're joining us, yeah?"

"Oh… uhm, yes?" She felt really self-conscious all of sudden, "Do you… not want… me to go?"

Axton experienced what he knew as whiplash, "What? T-That's not what I asked! Of course, I want you to go!"

Lefiya certainly didn't expect that answer. She was expecting an answer like how Bete would give, "Okay." Then, she walked off. One step closer to Miss Ais! Lefiya cheered in her mind, a giddy smile on her face.

"What the hell just happened?"

A door opened, "You say something?" Axton turned to see Raul peeking out of his door.

"Nothing important, are you feeling better? How's your hand?" Axton asked, remembering how he was injured and that gnawing feeling came back.

"Axton, you don't need to worry, I'll be fine," Raul said with a smile. "My hand was healed in the Dungeon." Then, he turned around, as if he was talking to someone else. "See you around, Axton." The door shut and foreign sounds were coming from it. Foreign for the uneducated, at least.

The Sword Prince quickly vacated the area whilst silently congratulating Aki for going after her crush. Those two were so obviously in love, at least to Axton, so the next time he sees them, he's going to ask when's the first kid just for a reaction.

After a very relaxing—and much-needed—shower, he exited Twilight Manor with a smile to the guards, an elf, and a dwarf. Even though he was going for a casual stroll, he still carried his weapon on him. It was an unspoken adventurer's rule. Always carry your weapon like you expect to be attacked.

The rule has saved adventurers more often than one would expect. Sometimes, robbers get the idea that killing an adventurer would bring them notoriety, but in the city brimming with adventurers… the outcome was obvious.

Axton waved to everyone he saw, a genuine smile on his face. He loved going out into the streets to see the people he's protecting. In reality, he's just a kid with delusions of grandeur, but in his situation, he's allowed this one. While on his way, he happened to be by Dian Cecht's clinic. Furthermore, he heard a specific voice, an Amazon's voice.

"9.5 million, final offer," Axton heard Tiona's voice. With her were Tiona, Ais, and Lefiya. Looks like she found her after all.

"Deal," came the voice of Amid Teasanare, Dea Saint, Orario's most sought-after healer extraordinaire.

"Having fun?" Axton peered in the doorway.

"Ah, little Princey!" Tiona called. Ais turned to him with a small smile, her eyes lit up at seeing her brother, as did his.

"Axton, you haven't hurt yourself, have you?" Amid's voice cut through him with ease; making her voice sharper than any sword. Amid's appearance may paint her as innocent, but she has a vicious side, in Axton's experience. It's not his fault, honestly!

"No, dearest Saint!" Axton replied, completely truthful, but also scared for his own life.

Then, she gently smiled, "Good." As soon as it came, it disappeared. The present company wondered if they were hallucinating.

"How are you feeling?" Axton's eyes whipped towards the last person he expected to ask, or even care. Lefiya.

"Uh, pretty well, my muscles are still tense, but after a shower… decent enough to walk around," Axton replied, leaning on the doorframe.

Amid rounded the counter she was behind, "Then might I recommend you head home and rest?" She stepped towards him, and Axton considered running, knowing full well that he could outpace her. The silver hair and purple eyes, coupled with the perfect nurse outfit, bored into him. Ais watched in wonder, yet her expression didn't show it. "Try not to show up in my clinic all bruised up, alright?"

Axton's eyes briefly flashed with hurt at the reminder, but he understood where she's coming from. She's worried about her patients whether they be past, present, or future. Lefiya missed this, but the others didn't. Throwing on a fake grin, "If I do, I know who can fix me right up." He turned to the group, "I'll see you later for the celebration. Are we going to Goibniu Familia's home to fix our weapons tomorrow?"

"That's the plan, but I need them to start making me a new Urga since you know…" Tiona bashfully rubbed her head. Tione rolled her eyes, and Lefiya did not need to go to Goibniu's home.

Ais was going to head there tomorrow as well, but she was worried now. She, of all people, knew that hurt that he had in his eyes. Amid sighed, "Let me go get your payment." The girl then disappeared into the back storage room.

Lefiya looked at the doorway, mentally not there, as she was analyzing what she knew and what she found out. What happened before I joined the familia? There was plenty of history of the Loki Familia to be had, and Lefiya hasn't been able to digest nor search for it. Then, she looked to Ais, wondering what happened between the two siblings. Even the Hiryute twins were noticeably quiet.

They quickly cheered up as they mentioned shopping, and they knew she was in for it.

As for the Prince, he found himself on a rooftop, the owner didn't mind—they thought it was an honor—that he wanted to relax on their property. Honestly, say the word, and he would've left. The roof gave a nice view over most of the city, but he did get a view of the Adventurer's Graveyard, where his eyes fell to a statue. Well, at least they honored you properly.

Axton allowed for his thoughts to drift, to happier times, where he was really the younger sibling once upon a time. His memories shifted to a vague outline of a face, blonde hair, looking down at him with a motherly smile. "Watch over one another. Can you two do that for me?"

That jolted him awake with a gasp, heart rate climbing. He was looking around in a panic before reality hit him. He was still on the roof, his weapon was still with him, he just fell asleep. I don't want to know how many people saw me! Embarrassment and a little bit of shame washed over him. "You're awake."

Axton turned so fast that he thought his head was going to spin like a top. Seated less than a meder from him was Ais, wearing a very nice one-piece blouse with matching stockings and shoes. She actually looked like a normal sixteen-year-old girl for once.

Moving on, "How long was I-"

"A few hours," she responded. Then, she looked away, as if guilty, "I followed you shortly after, and waited for you to stay in one place."

Understanding dawned on Axton, "You need not worry about-"

"Yes I do," Ais cut him off forcefully, looking him in the eyes. They stared at one another for what felt like hours, but eventually, Axton was the first to look away, a sign of submission. "You need to stop feeling guilty for other people's injuries."

Axton immediately retorted, "Pot, meet kettle. You need to stop worrying about getting revenge all the time. We'll get there one day."

The two paused and Ais narrowed her eyes, fists clenched. A conversation took place, just like this, years ago. That street never stood a chance. "Do you not care?"

Axton looked like Ais just slapped him. He pointed to the graveyard, "You think I don't? Or have you forgotten they were my parents too? I want it dead as much as you do, but I'm not throwing myself into it with no regard for my well-being. Ais, you think I don't know about Avenger?"

She froze, almost to the point of shaking, "I thought…"

"I'm aware of what happens to my sister because I care, probably a little overzealously so, but I just don't want you to fall to your hate," he scooted closer to her, but not enough to touch her. He then added, "I'd be a pretty crappy brother if I let that happen."

Ais continued to glare at her sibling, wanting so bad to hit him, but for once, refrained. She slumped her head down, "I miss her…"

The younger sibling let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. This very much could have gone down terribly, and neither one would be leaving without some sort of injury. He scooted himself next to her, wrapping an arm over her shoulder, "I miss her and Dad too… but Ais, all I want is for you to open up, meet new people, get a boyfriend so I can harass them for my amusement. Then, if I get a girlfriend, you can threaten them, fair?"

The Sword Princess let out a smile, an honest to gods smile, even letting a flash of her teeth show. Axton beamed at his sister, pleasantly surprised at the display of emotion from Ais. He forgot how pretty she is when she lets her persona drop. After all, she's also a child. So is Axton, but that's been established already. Ais dropped her head on his shoulder, "Deal…"

"Good, now that we successfully avoided an argument, sparing ourselves, Riveria, and Orario of that, where did everyone else go?"

"To get ready for the celebration," Ais added.

Wait for it…

"We should probably get going!" Axton shouted, abruptly getting up. "It's almost time." Well, it was late in the afternoon, and he didn't want to bring his weapon to Mama Mia's, or she might actually kill him.

Both siblings didn't like that prospect and both activated Ariel to race back to Twilight Manor, ignoring the bewildered looks. Some were smiling, commenting that Royalty has done something… again.

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long, as the two Wallenstein siblings met with the rest of the executives and Lefiya. A lot of the other members of the familia were there, the ones on the expedition. "And where were you two all day? From what Tione tells me, Ais disappeared and no one has seen Axton since he left the Manor; the guards were the last ones to have seen him," Riveria said, looking at the two children she was voted to mother years ago. A fact that most of the familia knew, as shown by their knowing smiles.

"I was on a rooftop most of the day, by the graveyard," Axton supplied, hoping that would be enough. Only Finn, Gareth, and Riveria caught onto the meaning while everyone else was confused.

"Did something happen?" Finn asked.

Ais answered, "We avoided an argument." Concealed sighs of relief crossed the group. They even renamed the street Windy Lane in honor of them, much to their horror and mortification.

When the two departed from the roof, they snuck into the Manor to drop off Axton's weapon and change. So, he was wearing pants with an absurd amount of pockets and a plain faded gold shirt; something that somewhat matched his eyes. He was carrying a dagger on him, as he was very particular about self-defense, courtesy of lessons he learned years ago.

It looked like Tiona was about to ask a question, but Loki arrived, "Alright my kiddies, time to eat and drink to your heart's content!" Loki led the way into the Hostess of Fertility, a popular pub/tavern located on West Main. Owned by Mia Grande, a semi-retired adventurer, she's a dwarf who means business.

And amazing food. One cannot possibly comprehend just how mouthwatering her food is. To some, the waitresses are where it's at. Two Humans, Lunoire and Syr Folva. Two Cat People, Anya and Chloe, and one more that people literally fawn over. An elf, Ryuu, green hair cupping her face, and deep ocean blue eyes. Her serious demeanor makes people think she's quite the softie, and some want her to step on them… Axton wanted to bleach and cut off his own ears after hearing that sentence being uttered by some drunkard.

Axton noticed the deep sense of loss in her eyes, a flicker of light left in them. She's suffered something great in recent memories. The only thing I could think of was… Axton stopped right there, not wanting to ruin the mood around him, but now… he'd have to sort this out at a later date.

Anyway, back to the Hostess staff.

In the kitchen was another Cat Person named May. She was the one who produced most of the food while Mia attended the bar, but on some occasions, she would take over. The difference in taste was negligible. It was the recipes, Axton was sure of it.

Most of the pub paused at the appearance of Orario's second most powerful familia. The only one being higher than them was the Freya Familia. The reason being was because they possess the only level seven in existence. Of course, other level sevens existed prior, but they're dead now or in hiding if they survived.

Axton immediately noticed a head of white hair out of the corner of his eye. However, he made no move to look at him or acknowledge the stare.

At this present point, they were seated by Syr, while Chloe passed by with glasses of water. Elven spring water was provided for Riveria and Lefiya, knowing that was their preferred drink and they didn't plan on getting drunk, unlike Gareth, who ordered the largest pint of dwarven ale he could. Then, he challenged Loki to a drinking contest.

How the Loki Familia was seated at the table went something like this: Finn, Loki to his left, then Gareth, then Riveria, then Tiona, then Tione, then Lefiya, then Ais, then Axton, and finally Bete before rounding back to Finn.

Ais spent some time looking around, seeing and feeling all the stares, it made her self-conscious. Axton was feeling them as well, but it was only one gaze who felt… normal. The siblings regarded one another before a subtle flick of their eyes confirmed who it was. The bloody rabbit. While they did nothing about it, they just enjoyed the food. Axton got beer-battered fish, along with a small side of pasta, with Mia's famous sauce, topped with herbs.

Ais simply got a pasta appetizer, not wanting to eat much, but was encouraged by her brother to at the very least eat something. Riveria was simple, an elven special that Mia personally makes. It was in a different language entirely, but Mia and May knew what it meant. Gareth gorged himself on meats and ale.

Tione tried feeding Finn a potato and offered him wine from across the table while Tiona ate everything not nailed down. Loki was just getting drunk, no need to eat, just drinking casually with Gareth if one could call their alcoholism casual. Bete was following her example and slammed drink after drink till his cheeks turned rosy red.

"Hey, Ais, Axton! Why don't you tell them about that thing that happened the other day?" Bete's words were slurred and Axton already knew this was going to turn bad. In fact, a headache was starting to form. He glanced over at the boy at the corner section of the bar to see his interest piqued.

"What thing?" Ais asked, her voice devoid of emotion except for curiosity.

"The thing on the fifth floor with those Minotaurs!" Bete exclaimed. "How you two saved that brat from death!" Axton already knew who he was talking about.

Patrons around the bar listened in, curious what the Loki Familia was up to.

"Oh, something happened?" Lefiya asked, wondering what could have happened—despite having been present for some of it—but she took note of the siblings' reactions. Axton was starting to grab the table and Ais put her hands on her lap. Their eyes were staring daggers into the wolf. Axton more so than Ais. Ais looked sad, Lefiya noted.

"Alright alright! Let me tell the story!" Drunk Bete said. "So, we're on the seventeenth floor after those weak ass monsters show up. Finn orders me and Royalty to kill them. We do." He slams his drink before putting it on the table. Riveria was looking at Bete with veiled disgust but didn't intervene, as she hadn't heard this either. He hiccupped once, "So after killing them all, we ended up on the eighth floor. As we thought it was the last one, we heard a roar above us and then she barreled through the two of us, racing up the path. These two," referring to Ais and Axton, "then corner the last one, he throws a dagger after she slashed it, then it disappears."

Axton was subtly watching the kid's reaction out of the corner of his eye, and their gazes met. From here, Axton could tell that he didn't deserve this. Feeling two different pairs of eyes on him, he turned to see Ais and Lefiya looking at him then to where his eyes went and understanding dawned on the young elf. "Bete, you should probably-"

"Shut it, you weak elf!" Bete snarled. Lefiya looked nonplussed by it, but her insecurities were gnawing at her core. She just wanted to prove everyone wrong that she was not a weak person.

Loki, who paused in her drinking, was very aware of what Royalty was looking at, as did most of the upper executives, but it would cause an unnecessary scene if they intervened. Thankfully, the rest of the bar didn't catch their gaze. Riveria saw Axton's expression get darker and darker like he was about to throttle Bete, and she was tempted to let him.

Finn, obviously not wanting to cause a scene, spoke up, "Bete, you're drunk, aren't you?"

"Can it, Finn!" Bete snapped. "Anyway, after the monster was killed, there was someone behind it. Some weak newbie adventurer, covered in blood, he looked like a tomato!" He started laughing, as did some patrons who listened intently, "It gets even better! After the fact they saved him, Ais reaches out and asks if he's alright, then he panics and runs off in fright!" At this point, he was slapping his knee, trying to keep his laughter under control. "Who the hell runs away from their saviors like that? Should've at least thanked him." Even though he was drunk, he didn't slur his words as much, which was a minorly impressive feat.

In the midst of Bete speaking, Axton went over to the bar, getting Mia's attention, "How can I help you?"

"Get him out of here," Axton said, his eyes flicking to his left, where the victim of this conversation was currently seated. "I don't want him to suffer, and besides, it was our fault that they managed to even get that far. Bete just needs a butt-kicking, and while I'd love to do it here, I know the rules." As he said this, Riveria had said the same thing, at least the first part.

"I see," Mia said, clearly interested.

"If he runs out beforehand, I'll pay for it personally," Axton continued, knowing that Mia needed more incentive.

"What has he done for you?" Mia, usually a hardass on most people, was curious why the Sword Prince was interested in the kid.

"He's done something to help Ais, unknowingly," Axton replied, leaving it at that. Turning around, he caught the kid's gaze again, but this time it was a confused look from the rabbit. Axton merely looked away before settling himself down. Once he did so, Ais tilted her head at him, he brushed her off as well.

Tione and Tiona were enraptured in the story and Gareth was watching with a pensive expression. Even so, Loki was watching Axton speak with Mia, then saw the kid in the corner, head down, fists clenched. One of the waitresses was looking at him in concern. The Trickster connected the dots and smiled into her cup, always looking out for people, aren't you, Axton?

"Like come on, how is that not funny! Listen you old hag, what's wrong with calling trash, trash? The kid shouldn't have been down there in first place tryin' to be a hero." Riveria sighed, knowing she won't get Bete to budge. "I'm pretty sure he was looking at Ais with stars in his eyes." He turned to Ais, "Hypothetically, if he came up to you and professed his love for you, what would you say?"

Ais simply stared at Bete, hands tightly clasped under the table, her appetite nowhere to be found. Bete didn't comprehend the scathing glare he was on the receiving end of.

"Even better, me or him? If it was between the two of us, which one would you pick?" At this point, the Familia tried to get Bete to stop himself from saying something idiotic that he would later regret.

Axton gladly decided to cut the tension, "What makes you think either of you is worthy of my sister? My valis is on the kid on the premise he doesn't seem like one who belittles others. We were all weak once, even you," It was directed mostly at Bete, but Axton will have to apologize to the kid. He doesn't even know his name and that makes it worse for him. Bete paused, in his drunk state, he realized that he had to come up with a reason that would placate the brother. Axton smirked at this pause, which he was grateful for. "After all, what kind of brother would I be if I just let anyone have my wonderful sister? They would have to get approval from at least me, and actually Riveria too." The implication was left unsaid, but the High Elf chose not to retort.

However, Ais's response was a whole 'nother ball game, "What if I chose no?" Internally, Ais felt upset having to say that. She was aware of Bete's fleeting crush on her, but she simply didn't see him that way. His belittling of others was a major reason, but his brash personality was another part of it. Yet, she wanted to know why he ran from her. Was she scary in the eyes of many?

"No to who?"

Ais wisely did not respond.

Bete recovered quickly either way, "Alright, say you chose the kid, would you even let him stay next to you? He's weak right now, and as Axton said, would he be worthy of you? The Sword Princess? No, would that weakling be worthy of Ais Wallenstein? You and I both know that you wouldn't let that happen! You couldn't stand the idea that he'd be allowed to stand next to you!" That proved to be the breaking point as the sound of a chair being pushed back and footsteps rushed past the table, blowing Ais's hair up just a bit from the speed. Axton groaned softly in his seat.

"Looks like we got a runner," Tiona commented. The waitress, Syr rushed outside, calling his name.

Bell.

Now there was a name to the face.

Royalty stepped outside, watching him run, but Axton didn't want him out of his sight. He actually wanted to talk. West Main got a little windy that night. Ais wisely did not pursue. The jovial mood resumed shortly after.

However, once Axton came back, an hour and a half later, the mood was gone again. He was in a neutral stance, but any adventurer level three or below shivered unconsciously and averted their eyes. Level four and above were wary, but that was it. His eyes were swirling with intent, directed all at Bete. "Loki, may I request I take Bete home, I just want to talk."

Loki shook her head, a little tipsy, but coherent enough, "I'll take care of it when we head back, alright Axton?"

The boy relented to his Goddess, sitting back down, his anger very much present. Only a few people of his familia with great eyesight noticed the faded stains of blood on his clothes.

Lefiya was currently shivering in her chair, never having seen him so angry before. A look to Ais proved she hadn't either. Her golden eyes were wide, "Axton, that's not-"

He gently cut his sister off, "It is. The puppy needs to learn how to read a room." He reached behind him to pull out a pouch, the slight sound of jingling could be heard. He tossed it at Mia, who caught it one-handed without even looking, "That covers him, my sister, and me." He then sat back down but made no motions to touch his food. His appetite was gone as well, in fact, he felt like throwing up. Ais gently unclasped her hands and reached for Axton's.

He allowed her to, as he was three seconds away from beating the wolf into submission. Ais didn't have the words to express anything, so he just nodded before putting his head in his free hand, trying to let the tension bleed from his shoulders.

To his amusement, they had tied Bete up and hung him from the ceiling, his complaints music to his ears. Lefiya took a deep breath, her heart pumping blood at an accelerated rate, her cheeks flushed from how hot it was in the room, due to the patrons and the level of excitement in the room, yeah that was it. They wisely continued their own conversations.

The young elf glanced at Axton, eyeing him in wonder, then to Ais. Why are they like this now? Avoiding the obvious, but why are they only like this when it involves each other? Obviously, the rumors of them being together are fake and disturbing. I know they're siblings, and they'd never cross that line. The imagery that she remembers Axton saying is that he'd rather bite his own tongue off than lay a hand on his sister like that. Lefiya's thoughts continued, But the thing I noticed is that it's usually Axton who gets like this with Miss Ais, but Miss Ais never gets this defensive or angry. Does that mean I can be worthy of Miss Ais one day? Her thoughts continued for a while before Tione bopped her nose playfully, "You know, you staring at him like that is sending off vibes and intent that you want something. Something more."

Lefiya flushed bright red before vehemently denying that she doesn't see him that way and she admires Ais.

Yet, as Axton was mostly lapsing in attention, he heard that and for some reason, his heart sunk in his chest. He questioned why and threw a glance at Lefiya before deciding it wasn't worth the trouble trying to uncover the truth. The answer will come to him eventually. Gently freeing his hand, he stood, "I'm headed back to the Manor, I'll be in my room if you need to speak with me." Obviously, his Familia and friends were worried, but he assured them that he'd be fine.

Yet with what transpired in that ninety minutes that he was gone made him want to pummel Bete and about a thousand Minotaurs into next month.