Chapter 30:
The party stayed on Floor 34 for seven more days. On the third day, Bell finally woke up, and everyone breathed a little bit easier. Ryuu had taken over in his absence and ran everyone ragged to make sure they were all prepared to leave as soon as possible. Surprisingly, they were able to fulfill the original request of the expedition. They had killed so many monsters in the battle that there was an absolute avalanche of drop items to pick up and store. The only people who were excused from work were Elwin and Lefiya. The half-elf still seemed to be a bit of a mess, considering what happened, and Lefiya wasn't much better. For now, the two of them had not talked about what had transpired, but they did not leave each other's sight the entire week.
When Bell woke up, Ais took the role of his nurse. She put him up in a sitting position and helped give him food and water. Wiene was also there, having decided to wait and make sure he was ok. The other Xenos had already left to check on the situation deeper in the Dungeon. Soon after Bell came to consciousness, Wiene departed to follow Lyd and the rest. When the others offered to escort her away, she said that they would slow her down.
So, the little dragon gave big hugs to everyone, especially Bell and Haruhime, and made to leave. Before she departed, though, she ran up to Ais. With a wave of her hand, she asked the Sword Princess to bow. Ais bent low at the waist, wondering what was happening next. Wiene stretched out a hand and patted the first-class adventurer on the head.
"You're good! Take care of Bell for me!" said the vouivre.
Wiene stretched out her dragon wings and flew off to the depths of the Dungeon. Everyone else watched her go before returning to their tasks. They were worried, but they also had to have faith that she would be ok.
When Bell was awake, he tried to help where he could. When he saw that Elwin was alive, he launched himself at the half-elf and hugged him. He hung on tight and cried for over an hour. Afterwards, Welf explained what had transpired while he was asleep. Bell tried to mumble out some condolences to Lefiya, but she barely heard what was going on. Later, Elwin pulled her aside to explain.
The two weren't in a tent, either. Instead, they shared a sleeping bag outside. When the others asked him about it, Elwin replied that they weren't doing anything. Really, they both just needed someone right now. Neither of them wanted to sleep alone. So, the party held back on teasing and focused on healing instead.
After a week of rest, though, it was time to start heading back up. Things were decidedly uneventful for the return trip. They marched up through the Desert, past the swamp, and skipped through the Water Capital. The entire time, Ryuu lugged around the black sword that Udeaus had dropped. Even when it almost took her over a cliff, she still held on for dear life. When everyone asked her why she said that she wanted a new sword. This was followed by a pointed look at Welf. The smith sighed and shook his head, but he was smiling.
All total, the expedition ended up being fifteen days. That was only five more than what they had planned for. So, they didn't feel like they were all that behind schedule. They were not prepared for what they met on the surface, though.
"It's about time you got back!"
The second Elwin stepped into the sunlight, he was assaulted. He felt himself get pulled into a tight hug. But just like that, Riveria was pulling back and examining him. She checked his head, his clothes, and just about everywhere else for signs of injury.
"What took you so long?" asked the high elf.
Elwin looked away.
"Well, you know…."
Riveria started pulling on one of his pointy ears. "No, I don't. That's why I'm asking, smartass, now tell me why you were so late coming back up."
Elwin grimaced from the pain. "Just took a while to find everything we needed!" he said.
Riveria looked over the general state of the rest of the party. She took in their dishevelled appearances and torn clothing. She also noticed their total exhaustion. She let go of her little brother before placing her hands on her hips.
"Tea, tomorrow morning, come over and tell me what really happened," said the 'Nine Hells'. She looked over to the members of her Familia. "Unless I learn ahead of time from those two".She started wagging a finger in his face. "If I hear about you doing anything stupid, I swear to the Goddess that I will chain you to my wrist so that I can keep an eye on you".
With that tirade completed, she looked over to Bell.
"Finn and Loki said that they wanted to have a little party. A successful expedition requires a bit of celebration, after all." Her lips quirked "up in a small smile. "Also, Finn wants to stop by for lunch beforehand. Wouldn't say what it was about, just that it was something between Captains. He also said you could refuse."
Bell was quick to shake his head and wave his hands.
"Not at all!" said the young man, "I am honoured that he wants to have lunch! Should I go to him?"
Riveria's ponytail swished behind her.
"Yes, you can swing by with Elwin, actually. And then he'll take you wherever he wants to go." She beckoned for Ais and Lefiya. "You two, it's time we got home to make our report. Loki and everyone else are waiting." The three began to walk in the direction of Twilight Manor. Aiz waved goodbye to Bell while whispering that he still had a punishment to accept, and Lefiya gave a half-hearted wave to Elwin.
'My poor blossoms...how I wish...,' whispered the voice in Elwin's head.
The voice had been doing that all week. It had sat in his head and made comments about his actions, or sighing after Lefiya, constantly. Unfortunately, he still hadn't figured out who it was, and he was a little afraid that he was going crazy. The problem was that he couldn't figure out the difference. Would a voice in his head sound so tired and sarcastic? Besides, stranger things could be happening. He was confident that the whole issue of his resurrection had some lingering effects.
Slowly, the different groups split away. Cassandra and Daphne promised to make it for the party tomorrow while dragging away their portion of the expedition's goods. They had refrained from taking many magic stones and had instead focused on the herbs and drop items. There were many things that Nahza could use to make more items for the shop. Chigusa and Ouka also split off. Their portion contained a more significant collection of magic stones but also some metals on reserve. These were going to be new weapons made by Welf as part of their commission. Really, the high smith was giving them a significant discount, but it was also an investment. Those weapons would most likely save Welf's life one day.
Finally, Lili and Haruhime carried the largest packs, filled with magic stones of varying sizes and many many drop items. They were going to sell and convert all of these tomorrow, focusing on today just being to get home and relax. The girls talked about going for a nice long bath, and the guys chatted about an excellent homemade dinner with real food.
When they finally got through the front gates, they stopped because of a loud sound from down the street. All their heads turned towards the source. What they saw was a small dust cloud with black pigtails bearing down on them. Everyone took three steps back from Bell. As the boy looked around in confusion, his Goddess nailed him across the chest.
"You're back!"
Hestia held firm and then proceeded to be like Riveria. She checked over every inch of Bell to make sure he was ok, before moving to do the same with the rest of her Familia. One by one, as they made their way inside, Hestia looked them up and down. She commented about how they seemed to have grown while gone and proceeded to lay on the guilt for making her worry. When she saw Elwin, though, she didn't even bother with the inspection. Hestia looked into his eyes, and then she just wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close.
"I don't know what it is, but I'm always open to talk to, ok?"
Elwin returned the hug, burying his head in his Goddess's shoulder. The others started walking inside before another Goddess walked up to join them.
"Now wait just a minute, please," said Hephaestus. Nodding over in Hestia's direction, she said, "This one was at work with me, and then next thing I know, she's flying out the door. Apparently, one of our customers claimed that you all just came back."
Hestia then led the others inside while holding Elwin's hand. Welf stayed behind and scratched the back of his neck.
"Why don't you show me this impressive forge of yours?" asked the Goddess of smithing.
Welf turned as red as his hair before nodding.
Back inside the manor, Hestia watched her Familia gather in the entranceway. They all seemed a little confused about what to do next. Loki had warned her about this. Apparently, when a Familia went out for a long expedition where everyone was busy all the time, they sometimes forgot what to do when it was finished. Mainly, they had forgotten how to relax and take a break. Thankfully, Loki had also given some advice for once about what to do next.
"Ok!" Hestia clapped her hands together to get everyone's attention. "I want all of you to bring the loot into our storage area. We'll focus on sorting and selling tomorrow. Tonight, I want you to relax, unpack, and take a bath." She pointed out to the dining room. "I'll take care of dinner, we'll eat, and then I'll update everyone's statuses; that sound good?"
There were various sounds of affirmation. Lili then started to direct the others until Hestia pointed at Ryuu and Bell.
"I want you two with me. We have a debriefing to do, remember?"
Ryuu and Bell almost looked shocked at the reminder, but then they nodded. The three of them walked off, leaving the others to get to work.
"I can almost imagine Lady Hestia's reaction," said Otohime at one point. They had just brought the final bag in. "It was certainly more exciting than we had planned for."
Ura didn't respond. Ever since his decision to let Filvis die to save Elwin, he had been quietly stewing in a pit of self-loathing.
"Oi!" said Otohime. She grabbed him by the collar. "We all chose to save Elwin; it wasn't just you. It's not like any of us were trying to stand in the way. And we're going to live with it! Now, enough with the moping!"
All Urashima said in response was, "ok," before walking off in silence. Oto watched him go, struggling with how to comfort him. The others pointedly ignored the exchange before putting away their own packs. Then, the girls left to get the bath going, while Elwin went to find Ura and Welf.
The first one he went to look for was the smith. Apparently lost in thought, Elwin walked right through the door. He was greeted with the sight of a very embarrassed Goddess jumping backwards and Welf stumbling to the side. The young smith then reached out to steady himself and accidentally put his hand into a pot of hot coals.
"FUCKING SHIT!" screamed Welf.
"Sorry!" said Elwin.
He ran up to help the smith stand back up. Thankfully, Welf's status and skills stopped the worst of the burns. The smith grabbed a potion he kept for precisely these situations and started to gulp it down. Hephaestus stood in shock, face as red as her hair before she began to giggle. And then it just got louder and louder until she couldn't contain it anymore. Welf and Elwin watched her go.
Eventually, she noticed them staring and started to recompose herself. She fanned her hands in front of her face before speaking up again.
"I'm sorry about that!" said the Goddess, "I just never thought I would be caught out like that. Look at me; I'm no better than some young girl!"
The subsequent smile almost gave Welf a heart attack.
Hephaestus took a look outside and sighed.
"I think I need to get going. Unfortunately, there is a whole Familia that I need to look after."
She walked up to Welf and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Elwin's eyebrows nearly shot off his skull.
"We'll have to set up a dinner date next time, ok?" said Hephaestus, holding Welf's hands. When he nodded slowly, she left with a wave goodbye.
Elwin looked back at Welf and his dumbstruck expression.
"You are a very lucky man; you know that, right?"
Welf nodded, and the two of them went back to the house.
With the Executives:
In the office, Hestia's eyes were popping out of her head.
"He what?"
Bell and Ryuu both looked off to the side.
"He came back, though…" mumbled Bell.
"But he died!" screamed Hestia.
With the Boys:
"Oh, I'm guessing she just heard," said Elwin as he entered the bathhouse.
Ura and Welf nodded sagely as they took off their towels.
Back with the Executives:
"But what else happened?" asked Hestia.
The two executives took the time to explain the entirety of the expedition, including everything that happened with Filvis and Lefiya. She hummed thoughtfully when she heard about the battle with Udaeus before asking Bell to leave the room for a minute.
"Take your shirt off, Ryuu," commanded the Goddess.
The elf turned a dark shade of red from her neck to her ears. She blinked once in confusion, her face a careful blank. When she didn't move, Hestia rolled her eyes and took Ryuu's hand. She dragged the Faeries Princess up and sat her down on a stool they kept in the office. The Goddess proceeded to lift off the elf's undershirt, while the elf did not completely understand what was going on.
It was only after Hestia pricked her finger that the pieces started to fall together. Then, Hestia took a piece of spare paper and flattened it out on Ryuu's back. Ryuu was about to slip her shirt back on when Hestia snatched it from her hands.
"Ok, so I had a bit of a feeling this could happen since it was similar to what Wallenwhatisit did, but I wanted to wait to confirm it." The Goddess's serious face morphed into a large smile. "Congratulations, Ryuu! You can now rank up to level six!"
Dumbly, Ryuu stared at the piece of paper.
Ryuu Leon:
Status:
Strength: E 501 Defense: F 455 Dexterity: E 595 Agility: D 601 Magic: E 503
Hunter: F
Abnormal Resistance: F
Magic Resistance: G
Swordsman: H
There it was, a single letter D in her status. She had barely crossed the line, but in only a year and a couple months, she had somehow qualified to make it to level six. She was so shocked by the possibilities that she barely heard what Hestia said next.
"Do you want to take it now or wait till all your stats are a bit higher?" asked the Goddess.
Ryuu whirled to look over, eyes wide. "Goddess Hestia, is that really an option we can afford to have? Sy-Freya is waiting for us; I need to get stronger as soon as possible!"
Hestia sighed and gave Ryuu a pat on the shoulder. The elf felt like she was being patronized too.
"Ryuu, even if everyone in this Familia got another level up at this second, we'd still be very far behind Freya. If we go over the natural course of adventuring, it'll be decades before we're strong enough to stand up to her, and that's counting that her Familia doesn't get any stronger on their own." Hestia shrugged. "In all honesty, if it wasn't for Loki Familia and Hephaestus Familia, we'd be dead in the water. So, if you want to wait, then this can be our little secret."
Ryuu looked at the paper, then back up at her Goddess. Slowly, she folded it and tucked it away in her pants pocket.
"I suppose I don't need to make the decision right now," said Ryuu.
Hestia nodded. Then she looked at Ryuu's back again before sealing the status. As the elf put her shirt back on, the Goddess crossed her arms deep in thought.
"Not to belittle your accomplishment or anything, but your rate of growth is quite remarkable, especially since you did it all outside of Orario. I mean, I know that you're a hard worker and all, but it seems a little farfetched to me," said Hestia.
Ryuu paused, contemplating the words of her Goddess. After mulling it over, she turned towards the door out.
"If I had to guess a reason…it probably has something to do with Bell. Liaris Freese might not be as broken as we thought." Ryuu shrugged. "Sometimes, the mysteries of falna can even surpass the knowledge of the Gods. Maybe I just got lucky or fought some exceptionally generous monsters. However it came to pass, it is now an option."
"I guess so," replied Hestia.
The paper in her hand scrunched up even more. Internally, she screamed. This was just one more thing to deal with. She turned to leave, but Ryuu grabbed her shoulder.
"Actually, Goddess Hestia, there's a bit of a situation that you should know about."
In the Bathhouse:
A short while later, Hestia and Ryuu entered the baths to try and clean up. They found the other girls already there, enjoying themselves in the steamy water. Mikoto especially was having a good time. With a sigh of contentment, she stretched out her arms, inadvertently flexing them. Years of hard work had chiselled the Black Crow's body, much like it had for many other top-level female adventurers. This was reflected in her musculature. As she moved around the bathhouse, all of her bulk was on display.
Which left a poor renard feeling absolutely light-headed as she stared after her childhood friend. It seemed that Mikoto forgot all her usual modesty and was drunk on the atmosphere of an authentic Far-Eastern Bath. She went to grab a bucket and rinse a bit, and Haruhime was left staring at her sturdy back and swaying hips.
Otohime and Lili noticed and shared a smirk with each other. As they watched, Lili looked over with a false look of astonishment.
"Miss Mikoto!" said the prum. "It seems like you missed a spot on your back!"
"Huh?"
Mikoto then tried to reach for said imaginary spot, which just ended up making her biceps more pronounced.
"Ahhh, Lady Haruhime," continued Oto, "why don't you help her scrub her back?"
The renard went as stiff as aboard.
"Oh…ok then."
Slowly, as if she was drunk and dizzy, Haruhime stumbled over to where Mikoto was. She grabbed a brush and started to scrub away. Mikoto released a sigh of contentment, the bristles helping to soothe her and ease the tension from her shoulders.
"Lady Haruhime, if you don't mind, could you move a bit slower, please?" asked the Black Crow, too lost in her own relaxation to care.
"O-of course," replied Haruhime, who slowly brought the brush lower and lower.
But too soon, it was over. Mikoto declared that she was nice and clean, and she started to get her things together to leave and get changed. Despite Hestia's protests, she said she wanted to help with dinner. Haruhime soon followed to begin her maidly duties.
Otohime frowned at the rest of the girls.
"Just how dense are the two of them?"
Hestia spread her arms before replying, "You have to understand, they both still think that the other one is in love with someone else. Haruhime still thinks Mikoto is in love with her former God, Takemikazuchi, meanwhile Mikoto thinks Haruhime is in love with Bell."
Otohime's face scrunched up in confusion.
"Haruhime was in love with Bell?" She mulled the thought over as if considering it. "I mean…I guess so? They wouldn't be the worst option…but I think she'd be cuter with Mikoto." The former princess shrugged. "But hey, to each their own."
Lili nodded along. "Lili believes that it started because Master Bell saved Lady Haruhime's life. Such a situation created romantic feelings and a sense of obligation." The prum held up a single finger. "However, despite most likely still loving Master Bell in the platonic sense, she realized that her feelings would be unreturned." She held up a second finger. "Secondly, she and Miss Mikoto were separated for almost a year for travelling and training. In their time apart, the two of them began to realize how much one meant for the other." Lili also shrugged. "What happens next, though, is up to the two of them. Lili has more important things to focus on."
The rest agreed and finished up their baths. Then, they had dinner and went on to get their status updates. Altogether, it was a quiet evening for once, and nobody cared.
Meanwhile, with Loki Familia:
"He what?" screeched Riveria.
Across the Twilight Manor and many surrounding buildings, people awoke and thought it was because of screaming cats.
"Elwin died," explained Ais in her most monotone voice. "And then he came back. Filvis, who was a Xenos, traded her life for his."
Riveria turned towards the door, ready to make off for Hearth Manor. Unfortunately, Gareth stepped in her way. When Riveria opened her mouth to protest, the dwarf nodded to where Lefiya was sitting on the couch. The little elf had barely squeaked out a word all night and was now looking so droopy she just might collapse in on herself.
"The lad's coming by tomorrow anyway Riveria, wait for him then. But right now, the little lass needs our help. Think you can do it?" asked Gareth.
Riveria nodded with a sigh. She glared over at Finn to make the message clear; they would be having words later. Then, she sat down next to Lefiya and pulled her in tight. Her apprentice returned the hug, and with a shaky breath, Lefiya let herself pass out.
With Hestia Familia:
The next day, the various members of Hestia Familia sat down at breakfast.
"So then, Lady Haruhime and Miss Mikoto will stay home to take care of things," began Lili. "Mister Welf will be at the forge, working on equipment repairs and requests, while Mister Urashima and Lady Otohime sell everything we found in the Dungeon. Lili will be reporting to the Guild and turning in our magic stones with Miss Ryuu, and Master Bell and Mister Elwin will be heading over to the Twilight Manor to talk with Mister Finn and Lady Riveria." The prum looked around the table. "Does everyone understand their tasks?"
The others nodded and made to begin their day when Goddess Hestia raised her gloved hand.
"There's something I want to say first," said the itty-bitty Goddess. "Bell, Ryuu told me about what happened during the expedition about your aunt. She figured that if everyone else knew, then I should too." As Bell shrunk into his seat, Hestia looked to the Heavens and rolled her eyes. "You're not in trouble, Bell. I'm not going to lie, I don't know much about the Alfia lady, but I also don't really care." She walked over to her first child and ruffled his hair. "Your name is Bell Cranel, Captain of Hestia Familia. If that's still true, then you're still a member of my Familia, which means that I will always care about you." Hestia snorted.
"Besides, I don't think you could have an evil bone in your body if you tried." She watched Bell relax and then turned to look at the rest of the Familia. "And the rest of you!" She levelled an accusatory finger. "I get it, the news was shocking, and you didn't like that he kept a secret. That's fine, but I want you all to remember how many secrets you've all kept." The rest of the Familia had the decency to look away. "Bell's aunt was responsible for something bad. So were most of Welf's ancestors. Alfia killed people, and so did Ryuu. You got upset, that's fine. Now, get over it." She turned her finger to the outside. "If we can't trust each other, we're all good as dead anyway. And again, does anyone really think that Bell would do anything nefarious?"
Those who had harboured feelings of doubt blushed. They remembered who their Captain was, a massive fool for heroic tales. Bell was too innocent to even consider it. There was a small round of apologies, and Bell apologized for hiding his secret, and then everyone stood up. Welf left for the forge, Otohime and Urashima shouldered the sack of things to sell, and the rest started to file away. Haruhime and Mikoto bustled about to take away the dirty dishes, working in perfect tandem, and Elwin and Bell left for the Twilight Manor.
When they got there, they found Riveria and Finn already waiting for them. Elwin was pulled in for another tight hug. After Riveria let go, she turned to look at Bell, and he remembered her threat before the expedition. He braced himself for the scolding of a lifetime but was met with a bowed head. The members of Loki Familia guarding the gate, who both just happened to be elves, stood in absolute shock. When Riveria lifted her head, she had a smile on her face.
"He came back. You helped bring him back," said Riveria. "Thank you, Bell Cranel; I am in your debt."
Finn just chuckled at the collected bemused expressions. He looked down to his thumb and then back to his fellow Captain.
"I believe that is our cue to go," said the prum. "Come, let us go for a walk."
Finn patted Bell on the back as they left. Elwin watched them go and then turned back to his big sister. He found her staring at him. Her gaze was intense but also broken. She beckoned with her head that they go inside. They sat down in their usual spot in the courtyard, and Riveria started to pour some tea. The only problem was that her hands were shaking so bad that it splattered everywhere.
"Hey, why don't you let me get that, huh?" said Elwin. Although his movements weren't as elegant as Riveria's could have been, it got the job done.
When he set the pot back done, Riveria whispered, "I'm so sorry."
The half-elf tried for a smile. "Hey now, it's not your fault."
Riveria shook her head. "Still, though, I knew something was wrong, I felt it in my gut, and I did nothing. I just…sat here…." There was a sudden breaking sound as her hand curled around her cup too tightly. She looked down in surprise. With a deft movement, she placed the cracked teacup down and wiped up what had spilled. She talked as she worked.
"I'm supposed to be your big sister. I'm supposed to protect you and…."
She trailed off, unsure of what to say.
Elwin chuckled as he helped. While he wiped the tabletop down, he replied, "And you have your own responsibilities. You're the Vice-Captain of one of the greatest Familia in Orario. Not to mention, from what I understand, you're basically everyone's mom." When he finished, he took one of her hands. "This isn't going to be a normal brother-sister relationship; we both have too many responsibilities and obligations for that. So, this is just going to have to be one of those things we learn to live with, yeah?"
Riveria sighed but nodded anyway.
"As much as I want to force you to convert to Loki Familia, that isn't going to happen, right?"
Elwin shook his head.
"And I'm guessing you won't accept an invitation to the illustrious Hestia Familia?"
He waggled his eyebrows for dramatic effect, which earned him a snort of laughter. They sat in companionable silence after that and talked about small things. Eventually, Riveria asked him how his status was doing, and his face lit up like a thousand stars.
"I got a rank up!" declared Elwin.
He pulled out his status sheet and passed it along. Riveria skimmed over the contents, verifying his claim, while the half-elf explained.
"Apparently, coming back from the dead like that counts as a feat. And my magic stat had passed into D. Goddess Hestia offered to let me hold off, but I chose not to." He shrugged. "Not like I'm training for firepower anyway; I've always been a more versatile mage than anything else."
Riveria smiled at his child-like excitement.
"True enough." She looked back at the piece of paper. She squinted as she reached the bottom half. "I'm sorry but, what in the world are these?"
She pointed to his two new skills:
Reborn: The user cannot be turned away by fear-inducing effects and is impervious to illusions and hallucinations.
Second Soul: The user is a container for another.
Elwin shrugged. "The first seems simple enough, but even Hestia can't begin to guess at what the second one means."
'Liar,' replied the voice in his head.
Elwin grit his teeth, unhappy at concealing the truth. In front of him, an image of an elf with black hair and red eyes materialized.
'I'm part of you now,' said ghost Filvis.
'Yeah, but if I told people that, they'd think I was crazy,' replied Elwin in his thoughts.
The spectral image rolled her eyes before dissipating.
'You may do as you wish as I do not have a say in this,' said Filvis one more time before going silent.
As far as Elwin knew, she could not interact with anything and only existed for him. He figured it was because he quite literally carried a piece of her inside of him now. He had two souls in his body or, at the very least, a remnant of Filvis's soul.
"Well, thankfully," interrupted Riveria, pulling him back to the present, "The first appears to be quite useful."
She handed back the paper, and the two continued on their teatime. As they caught up, though, they saw a shadow in the archway. Elwin had trouble seeing and tried to adjust his glasses, but Riveria only sighed.
"You might as well join us, Lefiya," called Riveria.
There was a small 'eep!' sound before the little elf walked out to the table. She took a seat, glancing over occasionally at Elwin. The two siblings tried to draw her into the conversation, but all her responses ended up being one word. After an hour of awkward conversation, she congratulated Elwin on his level up before excusing herself. Elwin frowned as she left, but Riveria patted him on the shoulder.
"I'm sure she's more than a little confused and in mourning. Give her some time," said Riveria.
Elwin nodded.
With the Captains:
Meanwhile, Finn had taken Bell to a small restaurant. The two sat down, and the Braver began asking questions. None of them were very invasive; they were mainly just aimed at trying to get Bell to relax. They ate their food and started talking about what happened on the expedition. Finally, Bell asked the question that had been on his mind all morning.
"Finn, why did you invite me out here?" asked Bell.
Finn gave him a tired smile before pouring them both a glass.
"I remember my first expedition as Familia Captain. I nearly shit myself with worry and felt like I was all alone," explained the Braver. "It took a while before Riveria and Gareth helped me get my head out of my ass." He handed a cup over to Bell. "What I'm trying to say is, I get it. Especially after hearing about Elwin and Filvis. I know that it couldn't have been easy." They clinked their glasses. "I'm here, Bell, and I'm telling you not to isolate yourself. It doesn't need to be lonely up at the top."
Bell blinked once. And then he smiled as his shoulder blades dropped. Hearing those words from someone outside his Familia, who actually seemed to understand what was going on, was exactly what he needed.
"Also," began Finn. "I may or may not have dragged out some information about your parentage from Ais." And Bell immediately tensed up. In return, Finn raised both his hands in surrender. "Far be it from me to judge anything like that. Actually, I was hoping that you'd accept MY apology."
And now Bell was confused.
"Apology for what?"
Finn tilted his head, a bitter smile gracing his lips.
"If your aunt was Alfia, then your mother was in Hera Familia. Which means your father was in Zeus or Hera Familia as well. Both of which, I played a very substantial hand in running out of Orario. I have to say, I'd be angry if I was you," explained the hero of the prums.
Bell looked down at the table. He started to draw circles with the spilled drinks of former patrons. His mind was a swirl of thoughts, but it eventually settled onto one constant.
"What's happened has happened, and you've already saved the life of me and my Familia many times." Slowly, he reached out a hand. "Maybe you chased out my parents; maybe they were already dead after fighting the One-Eyed Black Dragon." He looked Finn in the eye. "But I want to move past that, to save the people that are still here."
Finn began laughing as he took Bell's hand.
"I'll agree to that!"
The two had a much more relaxed conversation after that. Afterwards, Finn promised that he would be there for the post-expedition party happening that night, and Bell smiled in response. The two parted ways, feeling much better about each other.
At the party:
When the evening finally arrived, things had begun to lighten up. Due to their position in the expedition, Lefiya and Ais both spent much time with the rest of their party. The other members of Loki Familia were there too, but they mostly left the returning adventurers alone. There was much singing, drinking, eating, and dancing, but the most unforgettable moment happened out front for Bell.
The time was unreasonably late, but the celebration showed no signs of slowing down. In an effort to catch his breath, Bell had stepped outside to enjoy the cool evening air. Little did he know, he had been followed.
"Bell," said Ais, walking up to stand beside him.
The boy acknowledged her existence with a nod and a smile. Thankfully, the Sword Princess had not had a single drink the entire time, as she was still forbidden from doing so. Which also meant that she was the soberest person there.
"I think I figured out your punishment for the Ryuu kisses," continued Ais.
A cold sweat dripped down Bell's back. Something inside him said to run away, but he knew that Ais would just catch up to him. He screwed his eyes shut and prayed that whatever it was, it would be painless. To his great surprise, though, there was no pain. In fact, the only thing he felt was a sudden wet warmth on his cheek. His eyes snapped open, and he found Ais pulling away. The deadly adventurer was a deep crimson red, with her eyes trained on the ground.
"There, you've been punished," said Ais. She quickly turned on her heel and walked back inside.
Bell raised a hand to touch his cheek and felt himself smile. His grin threatened to tear his face in half. He walked back inside with a spring to his step.
The Next Day:
The next morning, Mikoto woke up with a head full of lead. Her tongue sat heavy in her mouth, and her scalp was unbearably itchy. She tried to move an arm but found that it had been trapped.
Eh?
She opened her eyes to find Haruhime's body pressed against her chest. The renard had a very dainty snore that sent Mikoto's heart aflutter. And it just so happened that Mikoto's arm was trapped underneath the very same body she was cuddling with.
Mikoto brought up her other arm, which had been wrapped around Haruhime's midsection, and began to scratch away at her head. As she did so, she tried to remember what had happened the previous night. She brought her hand down to rub her neck and realized that the side of it was incredibly tender as if someone had bit it.
EH?
Finally, Mikoto worked to free her trapped arm and start her day. She sat up, and her blanket fell away. A cool breeze sent a shiver through her body. It was at that moment she realized she was stark naked. And so was Haruhime.
EEEHHHH?!
Suddenly, images began to replay themselves in Mikoto's mind. She remembered chaste, drunken kisses. She remembered her hands roving this way and that, finally resting on Haruhime's bottom. The renard had then hooked her legs…
Mikoto broke down then and promptly fled the scene. The sleeping Fox Princess was none the wiser of what had just happened. She snored on in ignorant bliss.
Excuse me! This is your Captain speaking! The ship has set sail, but be warned of turbulence along the way! Moving forward, we will have four chapters of Slice of Life shenanigans, each one based off of certain characters and an event from the bar the night of the party. Hangover style, we shall learn what happened slowly but surely. Think of Vol 8 or 15 from the main series for reference. Nothing too serious, but important character moments. Its going to be a lot of fun. Some tentative chapter titles:
The Fox and the Crow
Brothers and Sisters
The Bodyguard and Her Prince
The Wind and the Waitress
Strap yourselves in, its about to get fun.
Thanks again to everyone who follows, favourited and reviews.
Review Responses:
Voidborne II: Very sad indeed, hence the break!
Walkmanapprenticewordsmith: Hes back! But at what cost?
King Damage: Thats one way to look at it (and also, very weird about notifications)
mairsarmy321: Unfortunately, her time came up! But she'll live on! sort of...
Tranadar: First they both got some major healing to do though
Cobalt Conrad: Thanks! (I think)
pix25: I think this'll help answer some questions
haziqsaffari2: Twists are always fun to throw in as an author, and yes Filvis is at peace now.