Knowing Each Other

From the Pantheon, Hestia Familia exited the building. Judging from their faces, they had been doing something that caused them to be exhausted. Their Goddess grumbled and rubbed her head. After letting out a sigh, she turned around and focused her attention towards one of her "children."

"Alright, Okita, listen!" Hestia opened her mouth, speaking sternly. "While you're fully justified in using lethal force, next time this happen, try to not cause too much bloodshed! It's a good thing that the adventurer and his god have a falling out. We can be quite emotional when it comes to our 'children,' which can lead to even more problem along the way. Got it?"

"I will try my best." Okita replied and nodded her head.

As the two of them talked with each other, Bell looked at them before diverting his eyes. Charlotte, sensing her Master's...uneasiness, for the lack of better word, approached him.

"Is everything alright, Bell?" She asked, despite knowing the answer.

"Eh?" The boy blinked several times before answering. "W-Well...it's...I am..."

The Servant put her hand on his shoulder. He looked at her eye-to-eye, the latter shaking her head. After a few moments, Bell let out a sigh and rubbed his head as Charlotte pulled her hand back.

"It's...it's not how I expect it." The white-haired boy opened his mouth. "Some of the heroes in my grandpa's story fought bandits in their journey. You know, people, not monsters. So, the concept isn't...alien for me."

"Being told about it and witnessing it are two different things." Assassin stated. "Am I right?"

"Y-Yeah..." He nodded his head. "Especially since..."

"Bell, Charlotte? What are you waiting for?" The two of them turned their heads and saw that Hestia was calling them, already several steps away with Okita. "Come on. Let's go back home."

"Ah, right, Goddess!" Bell immediately followed them along with the brunette.


Few days after the incident, the atmosphere was still awkward within the Hestia Familia. It was clear to anyone that Bell and Okita kept their distance with each other. While they were still exploring the Dungeon together, there was little to no conversation between each other.

If one had to describe it, their relationship was at the moment strictly business.

"Don't you think you should do something about it?" Hestia asked, currently lying on the sofa.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing that I can do about it." Okita replied as she filled the Familia's ledger. "I can't relate to his discomfort. So, he must solve it himself."

"You don't feel...uncomfortable when taking life for the first time?" The Goddess sat up.

"My first time..." The samurai coughed a little. "...was followed by second, third, fourth, and fifth not even a minute later. I quickly become used to it. Also, unlike Bell, I grew up with violence as my life companion."

Hestia nodded her head. She might have been on Gekai for not even a decade but she was not stranger to what Okita was talking about. After all, before the gods decided to descend, the condition of the world was way worse.

"On another topic..." Hestia spoke up. "Do you think we really need a supporter?"

"I believe so. While they may lack the strength of Servant, they have more experience regarding the Dungeon and things surrounding it." Okita stated. "Knowledge can be more valuable than any gold."

"I am not disagreeing. But..." She put her hand on her chin. "...I am not sure trusting a stranger is a good idea."

"No pain, no gain, as they put it. Besides, that's why Charlotte is with Bell; to make sure that he's not accepting someone with foul character."


"ACHOO!"

"Are you alright, Lily?"

"D-Don't worry, Master Bell. It's just a sneeze."

Her latest client simply nodded his head before walking again. Lily turned her head a bit and saw the woman that was with the boy, Charlotte, gave a glance before diverting her eyes. Seeing them not doing anything else, she let out a sigh of relief.

Of all adventurer that she could encounter, it was the ones that shared the same Familia with her "savior-slash-killer." Though to be fair, the two of them radiated no malice at all. When she finally remembered why she seemed to have seen the albino boy before, it was too late.

Fortunately, Bell stopped being suspicious due to her disguise and Charlotte was not there when it happened. Lily could only hope that she didn't meet the pink-haired Far Easterner since she wouldn't fall to the same trick.

She stopped her current thought when the monsters appread and approached the trio. Bell and Charlotte took out their weapons while Lily went to the sideline, making sure that she was not in the way.

"Let's go, Charlotte!" Bell exclaimed as he dashed off.

The brunette simply nodded her head, following closely behind.

As the two adventurers slew the monsters and Lily moved the corpses away, the latter noticed the discrepancy regarding the former. They claimed to be rookies when it comes to Dungeon exploring and the disguised Pallum could see the signs; like how much trust that Bell put on her – a stranger – and how inexperienced Charlotte was with fighting.

However, the sheer easiness of them killing the monsters indicated that, even if they were Level 1, they had high stats that could only be gained by months or years in the Dungeon, which would contradict the fact that they were rookies.

Could it be their weapons? While Bell's knife indeed looked to be well-made, Charlotte's on the other hand was nothing but a kitchen knife. So, there was a hole in that theory.

With the last of the monsters was slain, Lily decided to put away her thought and focused on extracting the magic stone.

"You're really good at extracting them, Lily." Bell praised her. "So swift with so little movement!"

"It's nothing compared to what you and Miss Charlotte could do, Master Bell." Lily replied.

"Um, Lily, there's no need to be so formal..." The albino boy scratched his head.

"Master Bell, you're a kind man, but please act as if you believe that you and Lily are not of equal standing." She stated as she lowered her head.

"But why?"

"Social hierarchy."

The two of them turned their heads towards the third member of their small group. She was currently cleaning her knife with one of the corpses, her angel flying around herself.

"Adventurers fight monsters and protect the supporters. In exchange, supporters perform manual labors like extracting stone and carrying essential supply like food and water." Charlotte explained. "It's somewhat similar to how nobles protect peasants and in exchange the peasants grow the food."

"Indeed. Both have vital task but only one that receive admiration and respect while another received nothing but scorn and considered parasites." Lily continued. "Lily would be considered arrogant if I treat you as an equal, Master Bell, which will make other adventurers refuse to work with me."

"...Alright."

As she continued to extract the stones, Lily observed Bell and Charlotte. Closer look revealed that the boy's knife was made by Hephaistos Familia, which would cost a fortune. She didn't see any chance to steal it though, especially with the flying-ball-thingy that the brunette called "her angel." It flew around the area, looking for any incoming monster and likely her as well.

On the other hand, considering what she saw several days ago, she was not sure stealing from them was a good idea.


"Here you go, Lily. Your payment for a job well done." Charlotte said as she handed over a pouch of valis.

"Thank you so much, Miss Charlotte, Master Bell!" Lily replied with a smile as she accepted the pouch. "So, we'll meet again tomorrow, nine in the morning?"

"That's right." Bell nodded his head.

The adventurers and the supporter said goodbye to each other before they parted away. On their way back to the church, Bell looked at Charlotte, who was looking at her angel as if it was a bird. Perhaps that was how she treated the creature. He never paid much attention about it.

"Say, Charlotte?" The brunette turned her head towards him, the angel flew away a bit. "You seem to know much about the...what was it again? The one that you and Lily told me?"

"Social hierarchy?" She said, causing him to nod. "Well, of course. It...interests me very much, so to say."

She stopped speaking for a while, likely thinking on how to continue her line.

"To put it simply, such thing caused an event that would in turn, caused my death."

Bell's eyes became wide. Servants looked and act so much like common people that he tended to forgot that they were spirits of the heroes of the past and thus, deceased. It was quite a reminder on the true nature of his fellow Familia members.

"Bell, listen." The boy paid attention to Assassin. "You're neither naïve nor blind to the injustice of this world. I think your problem is simply being unprepared when the worst happen."

"Well, I can't say you're wrong..." He lowered his head.

"You know Lily's nature just from the first meeting and how she interacted with us." She stated. "Now, I ask you to do the same with Okita."

It was not wrong to say that Bell was surprised by the request.

"Well, it's..."

"Bell, you have been avoiding her for days. The two of you are part of the same Familia. Better this problem solved sooner than later."

"I know!" He raised his tone. "I just...I just don't know how to do it."

"Well, Lily told you a bit about her backstory." The brunette said. "Perhaps, you simply need to know more about her."


Night had fallen upon the city of Orario. While there were still people performing an activity or two, many had also decided to retire to their dwelling and took a well-needed rest. Inside one of them, a Pallum inspected her income and noticed something.

"Did...Lily miscount?" She said to herself.

After several minutes of hesitation, she decided to recount the amount of valis that she received from the job today. Still unsure with the amount, she recounted the money yet again and still she received the same number as the last two counting.

"This...is more than what Lily expected." She commented.

Being a supporter, it was Lily's job to carry many things, including the magic stones and drop items from the monsters that her clients killed. Years of experience gave her an ability to estimate the amount of valis that would be gained from the stones and items.

Calculating the amount of stones and items that she collected today, remembering the exchange ratio, Lily deduced that she received 30% cut of the group's earning.

She would be lucky if she received 15%. Most of the times, she would only receive 10% cut. Such was the life of a supporter.

"I guess Lily should have expect this, considering Bell." The Pallum stated as she laughed a little. "He's indeed too nice as an adventurer."

Her face immediately turned sour as she put the money back into the pouch and hid it inside a hidden compartment in her room.

"Then again, isn't that how they started? All innocent and full of hope..." Lily closed the compartment with more force than necessary. "...until they see the truth with their own eyes.


When morning came, Bell exited the church and saw Okita sitting in the courtyard, her sword lying in front of her. Slowly, the boy approached her and – once he was close enough – cleared her throat. The samurai merely looked at him before gesturing the boy to sit beside her.

The two of them sat in silence for a while before Bell finally opened his mouth.

"So, Okita..." The albino boy spoke up. "...can you tell me a bit about yourself?"

For a while, there was no answer coming from the pink-haired Servant. Bell wondered if he accidentally offended her before she finally spoke up.

"I was born and grew up during a time of turmoil. Politic, economy, and ideology split the people apart. It was time when violence was the norm."

"H-How much?" Bell asked. "How violent was your era?"

"Surprisingly, there wasn't much bloodshed. It was nevertheless an era where one must be ready to kill or be killed." Okita closed her eyes. "As I have told you, I was a captain of a police force. One that belonged to the Tokugawa Shogunate."

She became silent for a while before continuing her story.

"I killed many people, Bell. Those who raised arms against the Shogunate. Those who tried to take the life of not only me but also my comrades." Okita opened her eyes halfway. "Even fellow Shinsengumi."

To say that Bell was surprised would be an understatement. He had expected many things but Okita killing her own friends was not one of them. A part of him was glad that he wasn't born during Okita's era.

"To be fair, those comrades in-name-only caused an embarrassment to the Shinsengumi due to their actions. So, the blame lied on them." Saber laughed humorlessly. "Though I won't deny that it was also a successful attempt of seizing complete control of the group."

Silence once again fell upon them. The two of them remained at where they were. After a while, Bell tried to say something but found himself unable to.

"I don't expect you to condone what I did. There are many reasons for you not to." Okita was the one who spoke instead. "Nevertheless, I hope with the knowledge in mind, you can understand the actions that I took."

With that, Okita stood up and went towards the church. Before she could enter the building, she was stopped by the voice of her fellow Familia member.

"Okita, I...well, I don't know what to say about what you did." He said. "But, after thinking long and deep about it, I also know that there's no reason for us to not work together."

The samurai turned her head, seeing the albino boy stood up and walked towards her direction. When they were inches away from each other, Bell scratched his chin and smiled rather awkwardly.

"Well, you see, what I am trying to say is..."

"I get it." Okita put her hand on his shoulder. "I don't think this is something that can just be solved by a talk or two. But you have to admit we made a progress, right?"

"R-Right!"

With that, the two of them entered their home, in a better relationship than before.


Few days have passed ever since the conversation between Bell and Okita. While there was still a tension between them, they were closer compared to how it was days ago.

Okita and Charlotte had just returned from shopping when they heard a commotion occurring under the church. The two Servants looked at each other before continuing their walk. Once they reached the stairs, they saw Bell trying to pull Hestia back into the room.

"Mind explaining what's happening here?" Okita asked.

Bell tried to answer the question but the Goddess beat him to it.

"Bell accidentally read a grimoire that belongs to someone!"

The samurai raised an eyebrow in confusion and looked at Charlotte for further information.

"Grimoire...it's a book that gives magic to whoever read it. It can only be used once." She explained, remembering what she had read. "Also, it's very expensive. Way beyond our budget."

"You heard that, Bell? We have no choice but to lie!" Hestia told her "child."

"But Goddess...!"

Sighing at the scene, Okita handed over the grocery in her hands to Charlotte before approaching the two of them. She grabbed them by the collar and raised them to the air, much to their surprise.

"Alright, the two of you, calm down." The samurai demanded as she slowly put them down. "Now, Bell. Can you tell me on how you acquire the grimoire?"

For several minutes, the boy explained that he was given the book by Syr, the waitress from the Hostess of Fertility that often made him a lunch. Okita closed her eyes and put her hand on her chin, ignoring Hestia who was glaring hard at the albino adventurer.

"Well, it's simple. Just return it to this Syr lady. We have nothing to worry about." Saber stated.

"B-But, what if the owner...?" Bell asked, still worried about the blunder that he did.

"The responsibility falls on the Hostess of Fertility." She explained calmly. "Bell, imagine you're an owner of a restaurant. If I, an adventurer, leave my sword on an accident and you find it, will you borrow it to someone else?"

"Well, unless it's emergency...no, I won't." He answered, calmer but still worried. "But that means..."

"Bell, first thing first, give the book back to the tavern." Okita looked at him sternly. "That's an order."

"U-Understood!" Bell replied before remembering something. "Ah, that's right. Charlotte, can you tell Lily that I would be late?"

"No problem, Bell." The brunette replied.

"Speaking about Lily, she's part of the Soma Familia, right?" The pink-haired Far Easterner asked.

"Yeah. She doesn't act like the one that caused the commotion in Patheon. Though she does have a barely hidden hatred for adventurers." He said. "Do you want to meet with her, Okita?"

"Later. I am still busy with the booking." She sighed. "Seriously, Lady Hestia?"

"H-Hey now, I am not the Goddess of Accounting!" Hestia retorted, blushing.


In her dwelling, Lily was preparing the necessary items for her next job. Currently, she was making several monster repellents and baits. Despite the mask that she wore, she could still smell the stench that they created.

The Pallum couldn't help but cursed her situation. The adventurers of the Soma Familia had basically demanded a large sum of money from her. It was easy to guess the reason; they were on the verge of gaining enough money to acquire the real Soma wine.

She knew that if she failed or even refused, they would ensure that she would be unable to receive any job offer from other adventurers. Thus, there was no choice but to do what they asked.

So far, the only solution that she could think off was stealing the knife owned by Bell Cranel. Since it was created by Hephaistos, there would be more than enough if she sold it. However...

"It's too risky..."

Because she pretended that she never met Bell and Charlotte before their meeting in front of the Babel, she couldn't ask them about the pink-haired Far Easterner without attracting any suspicion. Thus, the woman was an unknown variable.

"Maybe after stealing the knife, Lily could sell everything that I have to go somewhere far away from Orario..."

After few minutes of thinking without finding any solution, the Pallum messed her own hair in frustration before lying on the floor. She spent her night cursing the adventurers that caused her suffering from the moment she was born.


When morning came, at their usual meeting place, Lily noticed something as she approached Bell. Namely, the fact that Charlotte was nowhere in sight. She looked around for a while before finally deciding to ask the boy.

"Master Bell, I am here!" She said, greetimg the adventurer.

"Ah, Lily!" He said back, his usual smile on his face.

"Huh?" The disguised Pallum pretended that she had just noticed it. "Where's Miss Charlotte?"

"Charlotte, well..." The albino boy scratched his cheek, looking awkward. "She doesn't feel well and decided to not join us today. Is that alright?"

"O-Of course it is! Every decision is in the hands of Master Bell and Miss Charlotte, after all!"

The Pallum couldn't help but amazed by the coincidence. Compared to the brunette who, while a rookie, was aware of her surrounding, Bell was very oblivious. There were many times when Lily simply just want to smack him in the head for being such a naïve boy.

Anyway, this was an opportunity. Without his fellow adventurer around, there was a higher chance of Lily succeeding in stealing his knife. As she remembering the plan that she created, she gave Bell a suggestion.

"Master Bell, why don't we go to the 10th floor?"


She managed to do it. In her hands was a knife made by the Hephaistos Familia. There was no mistake about it; the emblem on the sheath proved it.

As she ran towards the surface, Lily noticed that there was something different this time. No matter how much she tried, she kept thinking about Bell. Her chest for some reason felt hurt. There were even moments when she thought about going back and returning the knife.

"Stupid, stupid! He's just an adventurer. All of them are the same!" She shouted to no one but herself. "The fault lies on himself. He should have been...!"

Suddenly, she fell into the ground. It was not an accident, however; she could feel someone tripped her with their foot. When she turned her head to look at the culprit, her blood froze and sweats started to form on her forehead.

Standing in front of her was none other than the pink-haired Far Easterner, one that was from Bell's Familia.

Lily tried to crawl away but a mere glare from her caused her to stop moving. The two of them kept their eyes on each other as the sounds of footsteps indicated that several people were approaching their position.

"Oh my, Kamo! You managed to find the little thief!"

The Pallum recognized the voice. Turning her head, she saw adventurers of Soma Familia led by Canoe Belway, the same people that demanded money from her.

"Indeed." The Far Easterner said. "You have no idea how much I have been waiting to payback this thief for stealing my money."

Upon hearing that, Lily soon knew that something was not right. She admitted that she didn't exactly remember all the adventurer that she had tricked but she knew one thing.

She never tricked the pink-haired adventurer. Heck, she never even talked to her!

"W-What's going on?" She couldn't help but wonder.

"Say, Kamo, I want to make an offer to you." The racoon adventurer suddenly spoke up.

"What is it?" The Far Easterner, "Kamo," replied, looking uninterested.

"I want you to leave everything that you find on her behind." He stated as he dropped something.

Lily's eyes became wide upon recognizing the "thing" that he dropped; half-a-body of a Killer Ant. When wounded, the monster would call upon its kin for help, which was why it was very advised to ensure it was dead when fighting it.

When seeing the other Soma Familia adventurers did the same, her fear was the only thing preventing her from calling them out on their insanity.

Without any warning, the Far Easterner adventurer drew out her sword and put down the Killer Ant in front of her. She looked at the adventurers of Soma Familia, all who trembled under her gaze.

"I see. So that's what your plan is." She stated as she dashed towards them.

"W-Wait, if you...!" Canoe tried to say something but it was in vain.

Lily watched as she effortlessly cut down the adventurers. Not even a minute passed and the they were no longer among the living. The Pallum watched as the Far Easterner woman picked up a shortsword and went towards her.

"Pick it up!" She told her as she threw it towards her. "They're coming."

Knowing what she meant, Lily caught the sword and watched as the Killer Ants slowly filling the room. For some reason, "Kamo" put herself between her and the monsters, despite what had just happened earlier.

"After this is done, you better prepare your gratitude and demand forgiveness from Bell." The swordswoman suddenly said. "It's thanks to him that I am here."

"B-Bell?" Lily said. "Ah, a-about that..."

"He's safe. Charlotte is watching the two of you from the shadow."

The Pallum's eyes became wide as the two of them began their fight against the Killer Ants. As the fight went on, Lily couldn't help but wonder if Bell was sharper than how he appeared.

And that she was the one who was oblivious.


A little bit trivia for those wondering:

Okita was part of the plot to assassinate Serizawa Kamo, who embarrased the Shinsengumi thanks to numerous incidents that he started. Along with Hijikata Toshizo, Yamanami Keisuke, Inoue Genzaburo, and Harada Sanosuke, they assassinated Serizawa along with his aides.

So, yeah, the genki cute adorale girl that is easy to be excited and fond of children? She once killed fellow Shinsengumi members in cold blood.


And it's finally done.

If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.

Review, please!