So, here's the plan. I know some of you have commented about it, or asked about it, but I'll just answer it all here.

The plan is kinda like this. From here, until I feel things are ready and I've done my research more or less properly, is I start to time skip. I'll pause to cover 'big things', maybe do a little side story or two, but otherwise, there might be a chapter or two where a month or more passes at a time.

This will allow Orario, and its people (yes, especially the little peoples) to grow, adapt and change to the new power dynamic. But, -hopefully- give a proper lead up into what I have planned for the Gate crossover.

BTW, it won't be quite what some of you are expecting. I know I know, some of you didn't even want a Gate crossover, and that's okay! I'll do my best to make it interesting. But in the mean time... well, let's get back to mopping up the mess.

Chapter 49

I 'Hmm'ed' thoughtfully, half frowning, "Early and late it seems." I took Maki's fox from Momiji and went about grooming her properly.

"A message?" Haruhime asked, making sure to get a few of her own little scroofles in on the fox in my arms.

"Some of the black Renard clan will be here, tomorrow." I said, "I was hoping Freya wouldn't be so aggressive, and give them time to arrive so they could have helped. But now they are here, and we have no home to house them."

Momiji and Kaede were both wide eyed, while Haruhime replied with a thoughtful, "We will still make them welcome, somehow." She smiled.

"We will." I nodded, "How many in their party?" I asked the black fox (who was now laying on her back and soaking up the belly rubs).

"Four, as well as a god." She paused, "Susanoo. He's a little... different than the one from the other world. He is more 'warrior' than 'farmer' here. Almost like he hasn't settled down yet."

Back in 'the other world' where I'd fought Takemikazuchi (and won), he'd told Susanoo to 'go back to his fields'. A little inquiry later told me that he -was- a war god (of Sea and Storms apparently), but calmed down a little to take up farming. Kind of like going into retirement, but keeping your sword handy.

"Well, we'll make the best of it." I nodded, "Now, unless you two are going to follow us in, you should get back home." I said to the two girls.

Momiji and Kaede looked towards the stone wall and gate that led to the red light district. Aisha then leaned down and said, "Don't worry, no one will touch you, but they also won't stop themselves if they're already... busy."

I wondered if bunny-hume ears could catch fire if they got embarrassed enough as Kaede and Momiji blushed as red as Welf's hair. "We'll go back! Yes, right away!"

"Will we see you tomorrow?" Haruhime asked.

Even as young as they were, they were quick to return to a 'professional' state. "Ah, no. Maki-san and Delly-chan asked if we wanted to form a party tomorrow." Momiji said, then looked at my face, "Ah, they must not have told you?"

"Nope." I frowned a little, but shrugged, "I won't stop them of course." I smiled, "I'll make sure they bring what they need. You too! Pack everything you need before you go to bed."

"And double check it in the morning." Kaede grinned, "Don't worry, we'll go no lower than floor six or seven."

"Just come home at the end of the day." Haruhime said with a smile, "Be safe on the way home."

We went our separate ways, then split up further as we got into the red light district. Aisha (after giving Haruhime and I a hug, a kiss and one really good squeeze) wandered off first.

The two Oni were next, and when I asked if they needed money, they replied with, "We were told to come back, and no one has asked for payment."

Not wanting to question that any further, Ha-chan and I waved and continued. Finally, our Amazon 'escort/not escort' blended into the alleyways, and we arrived at the Madam's Eastern styled brothel with only our children and Maki's fox.

"Haruhime-sama." She greeted us both, then looked at the fox in my arms with an obvious '?'.

So, I handed the fox to her and said, "Please, follow her instructions, and give her your best service. Is everything ready in our room?"

The elegant kimono (mostly) clad woman blinked at me, then the fox, then said, "Y-yes, yes it is." She recovered her smile and stepped aside, her fingers running along the fox's side as we passed.

"She may join us in our room afterwards, or not, as she pleases." Haruhime added, giving the Madam a little bow of her own.

After the children had been fed, cuddled, cleaned, dressed for bed and cuddled some more while they fell asleep, Maki's fox walked into the room. She had the distinct air of someone who was very pleased with the world, and her fur was almost reflective with how well she'd been brushed, cleaned, brushed again, given a light dusting of that scentless deodorant that almost every adventurer liked to wear, and brushed one more time.

A moment after that, the Madam knocked, was asked to come in, slid open the door, and placed a nice porcelain plate just past the threshold. She bowed (while kneeling as was the 'old fashioned' formal style of the house service) and slid the door closed again while still bowed. On that plate were two raw eggs, a small cube of rock salt, and a small soup bowl filled with tea.

"Would it please you to tell me what I've missed while on your little errand?" She poked me with her nose on the way towards her plate.

"We will tell you a story while you enjoy your meal." I said quietly while smiling, "If my love could get just a little closer, and perhaps fill in any details I might miss?"

Haruhime snuggled closer, leaning on me while our tails wrapped around us for warmth, "Yes Ko-san." She nodded while getting comfortable.

"I hoped Freya would be less aggressive, but less than a day after I sent you to find 'Black Snow', Kuroyuki of the black Renard Clan..."

The next morning, we left the district as normal, collecting Amazon and Oni alike on our way. Maki's fox allowed herself to be placed inside the crib with the children, but instead of being a 'toy' like Loaner seemed to like being, she seemed to be trying to enforce a little discipline.

It was funny to watch really. One of the children would of course want to pet the fluffy fox, but instead of making sure no little fingers got into her eyes or ears, Maki's fox would use her nose to poke and prod the child away to find amusement elsewhere. That's all, a simple 'no you may not'.

She of course had to abandon the game when they worked together to try and cuddle the fluffy object that was playing tag with them. But it occupied them all while we made our way to the work site.

When we arrived, most of the others were already back. By the time Haruhime and I had informed them that we would be having guests, the core of the Alliance was all there and we were forming plans to house our new guests.

"My Lord." Mikoto started as soon as we began putting our heads together, "We may have a solution already in place."

"Go on, Mikoto-san?"

"Newly arrived Familia have been allotted a temporary home for the past crisis. Would that still be in effect?" Mikoto continued.

"Oh, that's not a bad idea." Welf nodded, "If I remember, they had until the next season before they had to pay taxes. And that's a few weeks from now."

"What about our old home, my Lord?" Ouka asked, "It would probably fit their needs... if it's still there."

"It would certainly be fitting, but I do not know if they are staying that long." Takemikazuchi nodded, "If they do however..."

"They will need to start making money." Asuka mumbled.

We all looked towards the tower.

"Happily reunited I see?" I nudged Maki, who was cuddling her former familiar to bits. It was rare to see her really get affectionate with anyone, but there seemed to be no boundary here.

"I was a little worried. I mean, new world, monsters on the road, long distance..." She signed, ceasing her excessive cuddling of the very patient looking fox and just held her properly in her arms, "Fine I'll stop now."

"Lilly wonders, does Lord Takemikazuchi know Lord Susanoo?"

"He and I have a reasonable acquaintance with one another, yes." The war god nodded, "Some have called him 'loud and proud', and I believe that would sum it up quite well."

"Anything else we should know?" I asked.

Gros rumbled quietly, our only warning that we had guests, before a 'loud and proud' voice declared, "You should KNOW that he is HERE! RA HAHA!"

All eyes went to the front gate, and there, surrounded by four men dressed in pure black samurai armour, was a tall scruffy looking man in a worn out gi and hakama. Kind of like one of my favourite anime characters, Rurouni Kenshin. His grey shirt and black pants were filled out nearly to bursting by the wide shouldered heavily muscled man who was wearing it. His face, might have been handsome, but was obscured by a scruffy beard and chaotic mess of black hair that looked perpetually wind blown.

He looked like a sailor who was just as ready to drink as he was to fight, and hadn't bothered to groom himself after a rough time at sea.

Takemikazuchi and his Familia, myself, Hestia and Astraea went to greet him, and I could tell by the body language of his four escorts, they were holding back on their own greetings while their (I assumed) god spoke. I recognized Kuroyuki immediately, and we shared the smallest of nods towards each other.

"Susanoo, it has been a while." Takemikazuchi said with his usual mild smile and a small bow.

"Take' you old softy! What? Four years? Ever since you left with your..." His wild eyes looked over the Takemikazuchi Familia, then settled on Mikoto, "Hooo? She switched over to..." And settled on Hestia.

"A debt owed and repaid." Takemikazuchi said with a small shrug, "We all live here, so it matters little, since she is still close."

Careless with his words as ever, I could practically feel Mikoto's temperature jump. Susanoo also didn't seem to notice, and gave out a hearty, "RA HAHA! They're all grown up now! And looking strong!" His eyes went back to Hestia, then Astraea, then myself, "You!" He pointed to Hestia, "You must be that little Goddess who they mentioned." He made a 'this high' gesture, "Short, pretty face and bountiful!" He laughed as Hestia blushed, "And you!" A pause, "Astraea... yes. Taller, long hair, keen eyes."

I caught one of the others in the group smiling just a tiny bit as Susanoo made all the hand gestures for 'short pretty and bountiful' and recalled that he was the impatient one from their failed kidnapping attempt.

"And you..." Susanoo looked at me, "The Demon Fox."

"I am, Lord Susanoo." I nodded.

"They say you were the one who rid their village of the lingering effects of the blight they suffered." He looked serious, judgmental.

"A lucky guess was my part in the cure. A dear friend actually made it." I replied.

Again, a moment of 'intense scrutiny', then, "Seems I owe someone else a drink then." He grinned, ignoring me then and looking back to Takemikazuchi, "So, I heard you had a grand home with white marble walls and glittering windows!"

"As you can see, we did. But recent events have forced us to rebuild." Takemikazuchi said with a shrug.

"Why don't I make some tea, and we talk about it?" Astraea interjected, "I'm sure the Children have some catching up to do."

"A splendid idea!" Susanoo grinned, "It's been a long trip!"

A few introductions, and re-introductions were had, all while tea was made and consumed. Breakfast wasn't quite ready yet, but the workers weren't due for another half hour or so. Kuroyuki seemed to be the only one who cared to introduce himself to the children, and their impression of him, with his tough looking face with all its little wrinkles brought on by middle age... was just as mixed as they were.

Some giggled at him, there were a couple of 'I don't want that' looks (followed by the child reaching out towards myself or Haruhime), one punched him in the nose with a determined 'oop', and Kei looked at him, yawned, and decided that it was nap time.

"They are mostly energetic, and growing well. Just over a year now?" He asked, gently rocking Kei.

"Yes." I nodded, giving Haruhime's far shoulder a squeeze, "They are a little overwhelming at times, but very rewarding."

"We have the help of our Familia and Goddess, so it hasn't been too tough." Haruhime added, "How is..."

"Doing well, and with another on the way." He said with a grin that only a proud grandfather could have, "Else she'd have come with us." He gently lowered Kei down to lay among the other children, then spotted Chime, "Ah, I remember you as well." He didn't pick her up, but traded headpats/headbutts. "I must comment, your Eastern has improved incredibly since we last met."

"I have a wonderful teacher." I said, "And I recently spent a little time away, where it was basically all I spoke."

We had a moment of collective tea sipping, "Kuroyuki-san, will you be staying in the city long? I know the letter we sent requested that you stay a while, but now..." Haruhime trailed off.

Bell spoke up then, quite until now while we, the 'Renard' caught up, "Um... We have a place for you to live for a couple of weeks, and may be able to find you a more permanent place if you choose to stay."

All of them seemed surprised that Bell could speak Eastern so well, "We share almost everything under our roof." Mikoto said, "Be it burdens or skills."

Kuroyuki nodded and smiled, "It is good to hear. We were not expecting to stay long, but, that might change if there is an easy way to gain a permanent place in the city."

"The dungeon is a place to gain power." The young troublemaker from before said, "And even though there are few monsters near our home, they aren't always easy to deal with."

"We will assist you in any way we can." Haruhime said with a smile.

"In the mean time, since we are here, and your guests, we will work." Kuroyuki said, the other three nodding.

"We'll get you something better to wear then." I said, "Loaner?" A pause, "Ahem... Loaner my friend, Loaner my most dutiful messenger."

"Oh! Another one!" Kuroyuki's eyes went wide as Loaner trotted in a moment later, sitting down at the door and flailing his tail happily.

"I'll have a message for you to run, after breakfast." I said as Haruhime scooped him up and applied well deserved scroofles.

"We should introduce them to our new friends as well." Haruhime said, "So much happened since we saw you last."

And so the cleanup proceeded. Over the next two weeks, we, the Alliance, be it the core of Hestia/Astraea/Takemikazuchi, or the other Familia who held the same ideals we did, reduced the rubble of our former home into neatly stacked piles of raw materials.

This actually presented a bit of a problem that I hadn't actually considered. No matter how neatly we stacked bricks, or how organized we kept our gravel pits, it still took up a LOT of space, and well, we were going to need that space to build again. But of all the problems to have, that wasn't really a bad one. Some thoughtful soul (Goibniu) had foreseen that, and almost all of the hard to move things (gravel pits mostly) were near the outer wall, so all we had to do was move the bricks, blocks, slabs and lumber. No problem. We had more than a few people who could give a modern day forklift a run for its money, and carts aplenty.

Our Eastern Guests did indeed take up one of the 'temporary' Familia homes in the warehouse district. They worked just as hard as anyone else at the job site for a couple of days, then decided to join our 'rookie team' in the dungeon. From the reports I got from Maki, they seemed to be almost as inflexible as the Takemikazuchi Familia was, before Bell and I started to organize them into better suited roles, and Welf made them more appropriate equipment. To be fair, they were all skilled fighters, but when you have a team of four 'forwards' your formation will be a little inflexible. With Takemikazuchi endorsing my ideas on the matter, Susanoo told the Black Renard to listen and learn.

Njord visited during that two weeks as well. Apparently he just wanted to see if, and I quote, 'The nicest looking thing he'd ever fished outta the water' really was level seven now. This got Susanoo (god of sea and storms) in close proximity to Njord (god of wind, sea and fishing), and they instantly became friends. We had to sober them up the next morning with (cheerfully) applied cold water, but what can you do?

The city itself seemed to be adjusting to the new ideas and power dynamic rather handily. Some wondered why, but my thoughts on the matter... Well, we didn't interrupt trade, and that kept the merchants happy. We didn't have monsters (just Xenos) wrecking the place, making them more 'novelties' than anything else. And the streets were calm, keeping the guild happy.

Though, aside from the Freya Familia's home in the merchant's district, they hadn't been heard from. A great deal of them had gone into the dungeon, and that was really it. They did lose about ninety percent of their wealth and assets to the fines they had to pay (and I will note, actually DID pay), so they were going to have to do something to recover their war chest. Even if they'd been 'beaten' no one wanted to try and kick them while they were down, so they were left alone to recover.

That wasn't to say that 'The People' had a high opinion of them. But, 'The People' knew better than to antagonize ANY Familia, so the farthest that went were behind the back whispers and dirty looks. Adventurers on the other hand, simply gave them wide birth and didn't interact with Freya Familia at all, be it in the city, or dungeon.

On the topic of the dungeon, the Rookie Team (Maki, Delly, Momiji and Kaede) were in the dungeon every day. From just after breakfast, to someplace around dinner time. They would leave each morning (though not without giving people/children/tiny xenos a hug/headpat/mini-scroofle) and return, tired, covered in 'battle evidence' (you know, blood, bile, bandages, bruises). I was pleased to see they were working so hard, but also a little worried. Thankfully, aside from getting roughed up a little, they always returned home with a satisfied grin and a bit of spending cash.

Shakti informed me about the Zoo, and how they were getting a huge amount of visitors every day. The Lamia family of course was drawing the most interest, but they were getting enough attention now that the mother and four children had to take turns talking to the visitors so the others could relax. The actual monsters were getting attention too, but they were less popular considering they were noisy, foul tempered and usually trying to get to the visitors to eat them.

With the help of Odds, and her budding genius at making handy things that no one else could be bothered to make, we were almost ready to start mass production of the Ice Box. All that was missing was my part in it. I'll admit that yes, I did plan this, but supply of the key component relied solely on me, or Haruhime. At least for the moment. Ko-steel. We'd been busy, so we hadn't made any more. That magically conductive metal was key for the mathmagic card that made it work. Now, if our home didn't get demolished, this would have been a non-issue. Welf or myself could stamp out the cards easily, and my tails would be happy for the attention. So, we had a bunch of Ice Boxes, but right now, they were just fancy iron and copper containers. I fully expected one of the Hephaestus Familia or even the Goibniu Familia to figure out a way to make something that could stand in place of Ko-steel, so eventually this wouldn't be a problem. But for now? Bottleneck.

The Hostess of Fertility was seeing yet another boom in business. Iced Cream was in super high demand, and poor May couldn't make cheesecake fast enough. It was actually starting to become a problem, since May, as amazing in the kitchen as she was, could only do so much in a day. I hoped that someone would take a little initiative here, and figure out how the recipe book the Guild was publishing. Maybe a shop that sold nothing but desserts.

On the topic of food, Demeter visited once as well. Aside from getting the 'I want that!' grabby hands from all the children (who all had a turn getting a hug from the harvest Goddess), introducing herself to Chime's slowly growing super fluffy kits and hiding behind me when Susanoo tried to say hello (the God of Storms looking like a kicked puppy at the rejection I might add)... She informed us about the upcoming harvests. Some of the things I'd sent over for her to plant were almost ready, and they were going to need extra hands. It was one of those 'good' problems to have, since the city was still slowly shaking off its food shortage.

They were also going to need to build more storage as well. Some of the things I'd sent back, like wheat, were basically a thousand years ahead of what we had here. Bred (yes, you can 'breed' plants, look up broccoli if you don't believe me, brr,) for a tougher climate, fast growth and super productive, the wheat seeds I sent her were going to overfill their grain silos. And that was just grain. The potatoes would be in a couple weeks from now (aptly named 'Swift' potatoes took about eight weeks to grow to size). I'll admit I was looking for a 'quick and simple' solution to the food problem, so I went with the fastest growing potato I could find. Orario already had potatoes, but they took about twelve weeks to grow to size.

She also informed us that yes, we could transplant some other fruit baring trees when our own orchard was ready. And! The first greenhouse was almost done, courtesy of Goibniu Familia's hard work and the instructions I sent over.

The Miach Familia did indeed win their bid for Dain Cecht's main shop. Though, with all the smaller alchemist Familia working together (just as I'd hoped they would), it wasn't really 'win the bid' so much as 'run the show'. I was surprised when Airmid told me just how big their lab was, and it was easily large enough to 'rent out' parts of. Now that the smaller, less well off alchemy based Familia could use a proper setup, they were sure to prosper, share ideas and innovate properly. I didn't mind that people wanted secrets, I really didn't. But the basic potion based tools they could make 'communally' would help the dungeon teams of all Familia survive. If they wanted to develop stuff on their own, they could, but medicine and the like should never be kept hidden. Airmid, well versed in 'how to handle an embarrassment of riches', she was well on her way to 'profit sharing' with the smaller Familia to encourage this kind of communal effort.

I had a few more people show up, asking why they had a fox hanging around. After telling them about it, they left again. And no, not a single one wanted to get rid of them.

In an effort to let my children stay active and not let them run around the work site, Haruhime and I took half a day each staying at I AM GANESHA. Not only did this let them wander about in a much quieter environment, free from the noise and dust of a (de-)construction site, but they started to meet other children. Of course, this just amplified the amount of drool I had to clean off them, since everyone loved fuzzy ears and tails, but that's okay. Haruhime and I also made sure to listen to the other parents advice on how to deal with 'the terrible twos'. We would need all the help we could get when our children started to really get mobile and start learning about things like 'crying gets me attention' and the like.

The Oni were becoming famous in the Entertainment District. Not surprising, but they told me they were still looking forward to another long trip into the dungeon.

And then, the Donatus happened.

"Lady Hestia." I said, "How does it fit?"

We were in the temporary bunk house on the work site, and I was helping her get into a new formal dress. As with a great deal of our clothing, her previous 'form hugging zero risk of a malfunction' dress that I'd made for her hadn't been salvageable. While upsetting (this was the same dress she wore at my wedding), we had managed to get an order in at a good tailor for something similar.

Hestia tried to take a deep breath, made it to about three quarters of the way there, then let it out with a rush. "A little tight it seems." She sighed, "I haven't taken that potion of yours since you came back either."

"And we haven't had a home for you to find the hidden cookie stashes in." I teased, "There isn't much I can do about it unfortunately." I considered, "Well, maybe?"

"It's okay... I don't plan on running or lifting anything heavier than a plate while I'm there." She grumbled, "I hope there aren't any problems while we're there..."

"Lord Ouranos did say 'fun'. Now, I don't know a lot about him, but I do know he understands the word." I turned her around and considered her, seeing that yes, her Divine Bust, was threatening to literally bust through the fabric of the dress. "You know..." I went to the back of the bunk house, rummaging for something inside a crate, "Aha. Wait... no? Yes!" A spool of thread, "And..." I went to another crate, "Perfect." A curved suture needle, for stitching up wounds. "I need you to breath out and hold here and here VERY tightly."

She did as instructed, and within moments, I'd given her nice fancy dress a 'boob window', just like my combat kimono. The thread was to make sure the fabric didn't continue splitting along the cut I'd made. "Oh..." Hestia said, looking into a little hand mirror we'd found, "Well... so long as Loki doesn't try and put an ice cube in there... again... this will do."

"Speaking of, she's probably going to declare herself the top Familia." I watched as Hestia did a little spin in place, just to make sure it was all fitting properly.

"Yeah, I figured she would. I mean... Her and Freya have been glaring at each other about that for as long as I've been down here." She stopped, looked up at me, and said, "Are you sure you don't want me to suggest that we take the top spot?"

I knew that Hestia wanted to be 'the top Familia'. During our early days, with just Bell and I, she'd comment about how we would grow, become strong, and take the spot as the top Familia of Orario. She'd mentioned it less and less as we gained members, fame, strength and popularity, but it was probably because of all the paperwork involved. I didn't want to sink her dream, but I still thought we hadn't quite earned it yet.

"Loki Familia has a lot of things we don't still. Our Familia is still only eight official members and two top secret members. We haven't gone past the thirtieth floor either, while Loki's record is more than double that. Sure, we've done amazing things, but honestly? They have the capacity to do a lot more than we can. And they also have a lot more time in the city." I put a hand on her shoulder, "Now, that isn't to say we won't grow and take over her spot one day."

"What about the Alliance? I mean..."

"So, we would have another half dozen members total. And it's top Familia, not 'group of Familia'." I gave her my best Akeno smile, "Now, when Loki mentions it, make sure you say you support her. Because it was with the Alliance's efforts that Freya was beaten."

Hestia, even though she wasn't nearly as 'politically savvy' as most others, still caught on to the point, "She owes us..." She also smiled, "Heehee... yes, I can finally hold something over her other than my..."

"Now now. We might all be rivals up here, but it's beneath us to be petty." I got behind her and gave her a gentle push towards the door, "Go show off to Bell, and the other Gods. I'm sure they'll love your new dress."

With the deconstruction basically done, and the building area quickly getting cleared of materials, we were almost set for the next big thing. Planning the foundation. Would we have a basement? Partially buried rooms? Indoor pool? Super thick walls? All of that would need to be planned now, and not 'on the fly'. Even though Orario was 'behind' modern day, they still knew their architecture, and in a city that might suffer earthquakes, or a monster outbreak, or a rival Familia hitting your home... Well, this kind of thing was 'serious business'.

So, since the Goibniu Familia had been the one to build the original Hearthstone Manor, that's where we went to plan the new one.

"You're lucky I don't have time to worry about a Donatis." Goibniu grumbled as I followed him 'home' after we'd put the work down for the day, "Too much to do and only so much daylight to do it in."

I wasn't the only one to follow him. Welf and Maki were with me as well. Being an expert, Welf's presence was easy to explain, Maki on the other hand was simply an 'aspirant' to a forge, and was simply curious.

"Na." Welf grinned, "No luck involved here Sir." He laughed.

"Have you thought of a layout then?" Goubniu asked, "You're not thinking of using all that heavy marble for more than two floors, are you?"

Maki, fresh from a good high school education in which she passed history (her worst subject), piped up with, "Granite would be better if we wanted a third floor, right?"

This got her Goibniu's 'raised eyebrow of approval', "But if you wanted that, why'd we bother taking our time cleaning up?"

"If we're going to make anything out of granite, it will be the forge and storage rooms." Welf said, "Besides, what would we even DO with a third floor?"

We all nodded. Maki was right, Welf was right, and Goibniu was right as well. "Two floors is just fine. Now... A granite foundation? Freya's assault cracked the old one in more than a few places, so we'll have to replace it either way, right?"

"Aye aye, you could. Or, you could cut up the old foundation into smaller slabs, and rearrange them to go under the new layout." Goibniu grumbled, "More work, but less material cost. If you wanted a few extra spots for little basements or cold cellars, now would be the time to decide."

We fell silent just in time to pick up the not too distant sound of people hammering metal. It was no surprise that the Goibniu Familia workshop/home was at the edge of the Artisan Quarter, where the more permanent buildings were. "Wow." Maki mumbled, then a little louder, "How many people do you have working? Sounds a little chaotic."

Yes, I could hear it too. It sounded like a half dozen people hammering with different rhythms all in the open. I put the hood of my Fenrir coat up, hiding my ears in the protective padding of the hood. "Open air shop, right?"

"That's right." Goibniu grumbled, "And if they know what's good for them, they're all working. No slackers in my Familia, unlike that Hephaestus lady."

It was well known by now that Welf was very much trying to court Hephaestus, but he didn't rile to the insult, instead saying, "We just know when to take a little time off, is all." He grinned, "Sister here doesn't drink, so I gotta visit from time to time."

"Bah. We're only second best because her Familia is bigger." Goibniu grumbled.

Maki said what I was thinking, but didn't because I didn't want to sound 'undiplomatic'. "Way I hear it, it's because she doesn't just work metal and stone."

She got -the glare- but the old god of the forge didn't sound angry when he replied with, "And that's the problem. My Familia should be the best smithing Familia in the city. But because she does so many other things, they just lump all the other crafts together and call -her- the best in the city."

He pushed open a heavy wood door that was banded with iron and framed with steel. Much like the 'fire door' of our workshop before it was wrecked, this was a clear barrier to a 'dangerous area'. The sound of random hammering and the heat of a dozen or more open air forges washed over us as we entered.

"Oh, lemme just..." Maki unhooked her mask from her belt and put it on, "There. They're not goggles, but they'll do."

Unlike Welf, who was level two, an experienced smith and very tough. Or myself, who could jump into one of the massive coal beds and roll around without getting anything but dirty... Maki was protecting herself properly. Goibniu seemed to approve as well, since being humble was a good trait for a smith to have.

Discipline was another good trait to have, and even with the newest level seven, the Demon Smith, And Ignis, Welf Crozzo, walking into their workspace, not a single beat of a hammer was skipped. It was only when their work was off the anvil and into the coal to re-heat did anyone pay attention to the 'guests'.

"You can gawk later!" Goibiu snapped, "Where's Stonebelter?"

The ones who were waiting for their project to heat up again looked at each other, then back to Goibniu. One of them called out, "Working on a statue!"

"Fine fine. You, if you want to play tourist, go ahead. You two, come on." He shoo'ed away Maki, then waved Welf and I to follow him.

I gave Maki a swish with a tail or two, got a thumb's up in return, and we went our separate ways. Following Goibniu, we went past a row of red hot coal beds and their smiths, down a short hallway with a couple of doors on either side, then through a door with a gemstone etched into a metal plate.

Like he owned the place (to be fair, he did), Goibniu just pushed through the door and looked around critically. "Kids never putting their tools away properly..." He grumbled, picking up a chisel and putting it on a peg set into the wall.

Much like the 'quiet' side of the workshop we used to have, only bigger, this place was basically a bunch of work benches with tools specialized for the job. In this case, gem and stone cutting it seemed. There were two other people in here. One was a Palum, who was very gently tapping away at a silver ornament or something, and another, a cat folk, who was apparently carving a statue. In a way common to Eastern tradition (in both worlds) he was standing/sitting on a stool, and chiselling his way 'down' the statue, much like I'd carved out the two Stone Dogs of my shrine in Kuoh.

Welf was about to say something, but Goibniu looked up over his shoulder at him with was could only be described as 'murder' in his eyes.

The cat folk, Stonebelter (I mean, if his work and the tools on his belt were any indication of his nickname), had flint grey (think... salt and pepper, but WAY more salt) hair, but that also extended to his tail, that looked like grey stone marble. His iris were ice grey, almost indistinguishable from the rest of his eye, and his pupils were maybe a hair thick with how focused he was on his work.

His project looked to be a hip high statue of a cat made of basalt, lava rock basically. The stuff was great for carving, but the larger you got the more flaws you would find in the stone, making it precarious work. The cat itself was 'sitting like a good catto' and was done to about the middle.

The thing that struck me the most though, was the cat's eyes were perfectly chipped 'snowflake' obsidian, standing out even among the black stone. But they hadn't been placed there, they had to have been there before he started carving.

We three waited there as he slowly shaved away at the stone, his slender arms working methodically, and the toes of his bare feet gripping the stool he was on to keep perfect balance. It was only when he finally leaned back, the vertical slits of his iris opening up again to observe his work, did Goibniu speak up.

"Stonebelter." Usually gruff sounding, he spoke like he was talking to a nervous animal, "You have guests."

Even the quiet voice of Goibniu seemed to surprise him, and I could see him show many signs of 'fight or flight'. Poor boy? Man? Was a really timid sort. But after a moment he seemed to just shake it off, almost like he hadn't noticed us until Goibniu spoke. "Nnn-master Goibniu. Another job?" His voice and manner seemed really close to Gasper, before the cute little bishi-vampire started to really stand up for himself and find purpose. I almost wanted to ruffle his hair on instinct.

"In a few days, yes. You'll have time to finish that first." The old smith replied, "This is Welf Crozzo, Ignis. And Kodori Haruhime, Demon Smith."

He looked at us like he'd never heard of us before, then walked towards us, shaking out his legs a little between steps. He must have been working for a long while in that position. He really was acting like a shy cat, his ears and eyes twitching between us, and even his nose flaring a couple times as he sniffed the air. "Nn... your ring? It sounds happy." He looked at me.

I looked down at my left hand, but of course I was wearing my gauntlet. I took off my gauntlet and held up my hand for him, but I looked at Goibniu.

"Boy is a special one. The he can hear the voices of the rocks around him."

Welf looked at him like he was a little crazy, but then back at the statue in understanding. It certainly explained how he could find naturally occurring obsidian, inside a hunk of flawless basalt. "Nn... oh... the metal is making it happy?" Like Goinbiu hadn't spoken at all, Stonebelter was still absorbed in looking at my ring.

"He's a little... special. So you'll have to be patient with him." Goibniu said, then a tiny bit louder, "They need their home's foundation looked at, and probably cut up into smaller slabs and moved around."

It looked like he wanted to touch my ring so badly, but didn't want to ask me directly. It seemed to take a huge effort to turn away and look at Goibniu, "nn... I understand. Do... we have a plan? Floor? Basement? Castle? Manor?"

"Not yet, no. You'll have time to finish, don't worry."

"Thank you... sir." Stonebelter's eyes went back to my ring like a magnet.

"Close your eyes." I said, "And touch the ring."

The cat-folk looked at me with those hair thin iris, then back at the ring, and did as instructed. "nnnohhhhhhh, that's why..." He said quietly as his ears and nose reacted to the 'memory' of Haruhime in the ring. "This is a very lucky stone." He said it like one might say 'Bob is a lucky guy'.

"Now now." Goibniu said, patting the boy's shoulder, "Don't get too distracted. I'm sure she'll tell you more about it when you start working for her, right?"

"Absolutely." I said with a smile, "Welf and I work with metal mostly, and while any fool can cut up rock, we look forward to learning from you." I made sure to keep my voice eager, but still quiet.

Welf, as quiet as I've ever heard, added, "Yeah, I mean... wow. Who ever that's for is really going to like it." He motioned to the half done statue.

I had to grip my other wrist to stop myself from giving Stonebelter a headpat as he acted all shy. He even did that thing! Where you poke the ground with your toe, and tapping your index fingers together!

"Before you even look at that again." Goibniu gave the boy's sleeve a tug, "Wash up and eat something."

"Nnn... yessir." He even pouted and tried to glance back at the statue!

"You two, see yourselves out when ever. Come back with a floor plan, in a couple of days, and we'll start the next step."

"Yes sir." Welf and I said, splitting up from the other two and heading back towards the 'hot' side of the workshop.

I wasn't sure about how I felt about the setup here. On the one hand, the smiths here knew what they were doing. From heating, to hammering, to quenching, they all had their own rhythm and style, but I could find no flaws.

On the other, they were all working in tiny little stalls. Almost literally like a stable of horses. Over a dozen stalls, each with an anvil, furnace, bellows, water trough and tool stand. It seemed very... impersonal. Almost facelessly industrial.

"Oh! Demon Smith! Ignus!" I turned to see Ironbeard and Maki, pausing their work to call us over to one of the stalls. He was in full apron and wearing thick leather gloves, but now, he had a patch of dragon scale protecting his nose mouth and beard. "Found a good use for that itty patch of scale you gave me."

"Seems so." I nodded as Welf and I entered the stall. It was really cramped with four people in here. "Maki, helping out?"

She was also wearing an apron now, as well as a pair of hide gloves, "Yeah, working the bellows like the apprentice I am." She nodded.

"Say... Is it all like this?" I asked, motioning to the stalls, "I mean... sure, I get it, but wow."

"Oh! The stalls are for those of us with no shop of our own. Saves money on rent when you haven't established yourself with a Familia contract or the like!" He pulled a lump of metal out of the coals next to him, and picked up a big flat headed hammer, "Keeps a roof over our heads, food on the table, and work in our hands." He said as he mercilessly slammed the hammer down, turning and flipping it as the irregular lump became more of a cube.

He tossed the block back into the coals, "Suppose a Familia of smiths can't have a personal workshop for everyone." I nodded, "I mean, Welf and I, and Maki too, will just have one big workshop."

"Yeah, but when you have dozens of smiths in one place? Well, only so much room right? So, yeah." He looked over to Maki, "You two teaching her?" Welf and I nodded, "Well, you forgot one very important thing."

Welf and I looked back with puzzled expressions, and Maki laughed under her mask, "You never told me where hammers come from." She joked, "I mean, sure, take metal, smash metal, get hammer, but I still don't have one of my own."

"Suppose you did just use my tools..." I shrugged.

Ironbeard and Welf 'gasped' theatrically, "Borrowed tools? What?" They said at the same time.

Maki laughed at my mock embarrassment, "Go easy on her, I was hardly tapping anything harder than silver, so I could have used a smooth rock if I had to." She motioned to the block of metal as Ironbeard pulled it out of the coals and started smashing it again, "Figured since I was here, and didn't know how long you'd be, I'd commission a hammer head. Hope you don't mind."

"Well with our own forge basically in bits now that the grounds are cleared right to the edge of the property, sure." Welf nodded, "Just the head though? I mean, since you're here and all..."

"No... I got the wood already." Maki said.

Yes, one of the many casualties of the battle was a lot of 'personal stuff'. Maki's Zither didn't survive. The wood board had been snapped in half by a falling stone, but thankfully, all the metal fittings survived. All we needed was a good bit of wood and someone who knew instruments. Her bass on the other hand, did survive, but only because it was standing up on a wall, and not in the middle of the room like her Zither.

"Well, we'll help you fit the handle on right, so long as Ironbeard can punch the hole correctly." I teased.

"Wh'dya think yer talking to?!" Ironbeard grumbled, handing Maki a punch, "That's the apprentice's job, to make sure the tool is straight."

"Just don't miss and hit my hand, huh?" Maki laughed.

NOTES!

A bit of lighthearted stuff at the end, a mystery Donatis going on in the background, and more 'stuff' set up for the next update! See you then.

And here's a question for you all. Does anyone actually want me to make a 'real' layout for the Hearthstone Manor? I mean... The anime and descriptions were pretty neat, but there isn't really a true sense of 'how big is big'. It would really just be a 'nerd' project really, no real point.

Idle ramblings done. I go potato and (re)play Atelier Lydie and Suelle.