It was almost midnight, the Courier was laying in his bed, watching the ceiling, thinking about the events that transpired in that past month or so. He met two goddesses, went to the Dungeon, managed to learn how to speak and write and even got soaked in the monster's blood. Not the most exciting month, but it was better than nothing.

Still, over the past month, he hadn't done much in terms of doing his best to go home. In fact, he took it slow, letting himself find out more about the world and its inhabitants. The fact that he didn't miss Mojave at all didn't help. There were too many memories good and bad, some of which he was happy to forget about.

Yet none of it could prepare him for running the nation once the second battle of Hoover Dam took place. He had to approve of laws, deal with corruption, bandits, deathclaws, nightstalkers, remnants of the NCR and Legion, not to mention, the sheer amount of paperwork he had to go through on a daily basis. If it wasn't for the Yes-Man, he probably would have shot himself in the first week or so.

Honestly, it felt more like a vacation to him. This world, untouched by radiation and nuclear war was full of life. It had magic, something he used to think was a child's fantasy. And then there were so many new things to try out, food to taste, the Dungeon to explore. If anything, it brought back the memories when he was simply Courier Six, a legend of the wasteland. Not Courier Six, the ruler of the Mojave.

He let out a dry chuckle, as he came to these conclusions, a smile spreading on his lips. It seems like some things don't really change after all. I wonder what would have Ulysses thought if he saw all of this? With his mind clear out of stray thoughts, he made himself in the bed, as much as the armour would allow, his head falling on top of a comfy pillow, his eyes closing.


When the Courier woke up, he felt much more at ease, this time not dreaming about anything particular. Stretching himself with a groan, he went to take a quick shower, before going downstairs down to the pub. There he saw Mia, along with all the waitresses slowly preparing themselves for the evening guests, their attention switching to him for a moment.

"Good morning," He greeted.

"Good morning, nya," Anya greeted him, followed shortly by the rest. "Morning", "Good Morning."

One Elf, in particular, looked a bit longer than usual, before she greeted him as well with a small nod of her head. "Good morning."

"You heading off into the Dungeon again? Remember the rent won't pay itself," Mia reminded him, making the Courier snort in response.

"You don't have to tell me that, I am not that forgetful, at least not yet," He replied, the owner giving him a grin.

With a smile under his helmet, he sat at one of many empty tables at this time of an hour, before Ryuu walked up to him with a plate full of food, the Courier nodding at her. This time the breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, a slice of bread with butter, ham, cheese and a bit of tomato. That and a jug of juice to make it easier to swallow. Taking off his helmet, he took the fork and the knives before digging in, while still maintaining some basic manners.

"So, how does it taste?" Mia asked, curious about the opinion on her cooking.

"It's delicious, better than what I used to eat on a regular basis," He answered, giving a bit of smile to a woman.

"Glad you like then," She answered, proud of her skill.

"What did you eat then?" Syr asked while the Courier finished the meal on his plate.

"Hmm… a bit of everything, I guess? It's not like I got to choose to be picky, I am a courier after all. Had to scrounge up supplies, hunt some critters down and cook them, that kind of thing," He explained with a shrug. Then the realization hit him as he turned towards Ryuu. "Um… Just a quick question, you don't mind me eating meat or animals, do you?"

The Elf raised her eyebrow a bit, before shaking her head in the response. "Everyone needs to eat, same with carnivores and herbivores," She explained, while the Courier let out a sigh of relief.

"That's good to know. For a second I was worried, you might crucify me because I ate a deer when I was hungry or something," He said, while the rest of the group chuckled at the comment.

"That seems a bit extreme, don't you think, nya?" Anya asked while the Courier shrugged.

"Perhaps, but there are as many opinions as there are people and such. Some of these tend to be pretty radical when it comes to their views and how people should behave," He answered. "Anyway, I am heading off, have a nice day." With that said, he left the pub, the waitresses following him with their gaze for a moment.

"He is not much of a talker, nya," Anya voiced her opinion, while the rest of the group smiled wryly.

"Isn't that right?" Syr added, her gaze switching to Ryuu. "What do you think, Ryuu?"

"...I am not sure," She responded, the rest of the group intrigued by the response. "He is an odd man," She settled on, glancing at the same hand he shook last time, while Syr smiled knowingly at her friend.

"Maybe Ryuu has got a crush on our friend?" Chloe teased, while the Elf didn't react in the slightest.

"How about you, Chloe? Do you have a crush on our guest?" Lunoire asked while the cat girl shook her head in response.

"I prefer younger, less bulky men," She admitted, Syr glancing in her direction.

"If you have time to chat, you have got time to work!" Mia's voice boomed, everyone going back to the task at hand, while the woman just shook her head at the antics of her employees.


It was still early in the morning before eight am, but the streets were busy with different races and adventurers heading towards the Dungeon. While he intended to go there in the near future, there was still one thing that took priority. He needed to buy something for Eina for teaching him how to speak in about a week. Her lessons were brutal, but efficient, not to mention, she had to waste a lot of her personal time on him, which he felt deserved some kind of recognition.

There was, unfortunately, one major problem with that, he had no clue what to buy her. The only time he gave somebody a gift like this was with Veronica when she repeatedly asked for a dress, which he finally obtained at Ultra-Luxe. The memories of the Brotherhood's scribe surfacing, only to be buried deeply in the depths of his mind in the next five seconds.

Not a moment later, he found himself walking through the market, glancing at the merchandise, the merchants trying their hardest to bring in more and more clients. There were flowers, pots, sweets of different shapes and sizes, chocolates, fresh meat, and vegetables, just to name a few. Now that he thought about it, he should do some cooking of his own, but Hostess of Fertility had it covered.

Still, he was curious, how did his recipes compare to Mia's or May's? He wanted to believe he was a damn good cook, after all, he managed to create a recipe that imitated human flesh with his own survival expertise. Not that he would know about it, he wasn't cannibal, after all, it's not like he ever ate all the strange meat he found or any of the human flesh Violet used to feed her dogs… This sounds worse and worse, the longer I think about it.

With a sigh, he could only ponder, just how messed up his life had become if he compared himself to a cannibal turned gourmet. At the same time, he could cook some good meals, all he needed was some substitute ingredients, like eggs, cheese, macaroni, some seafood and a replacement for a crunchy mutfruit.

That was the easiest part, with his vast knowledge of the trade, he easily managed to haggle for the lowest possible price, which made the whole thing cost less than two thousand Valis and buy enough to feed himself and everyone working at the Hostess of Fertility. They would make good test subjects too, he didn't want to be the only one suffering from a food poisoning after all.

The only issue would be, whether or not Mia would allow him to use the kitchen in the first place. Some cooks tended to be very defensive of their spot, not allowing others to cook using their utensils and such. He hoped that wouldn't be the case, otherwise, he would have to use a hot plate, something that didn't even compare to a real kitchen.

With that out of the way, there was only one thing left, present for Eina. He really had no clue what to buy her and could only look helplessly at the stalls with girly things that had no value to him. Back in Mojave, it was much more simple, gun good, armour good, teddy bear... worthless. Just as he considered buying some flowers or something, he noticed a certain mop of pure white hair and red eyes going through the market.

Normally he hated to ask for advice, since they tended to screw him over more times than not, but seeing how Bell still owed him for saving his life and all that, that might just work. With his mind made up, he walked up to the boy, gaining his attention. "Didn't expect to see you around here, kid."

"Oh, hey, Six. I didn't know you went shopping either," He responded, glancing at the duffel bag, while the Courier shrugged.

"I still have to eat you know. Say, do you know what would a girl appreciate as a present, that basically says 'thank you for teaching me, but please don't do it again' kind of thing?" He asked, while the boy just blinked in response.

"A present for a girl? I don't think I am the right person to ask…," He admitted, scratching his cheek.

"Bell, I saved you life, the least you can do is give me some advice," He pointed out, while the boy looked panicked.

"I didn't mean it like that!" He cried, while the Courier just chuckled at his naivete.

"Chill, seriously, you have got no chill in the slightest," He remarked, while the boy settled down a bit. "If it helps, she has got brown hair, green eyes, a half-Elf and working at a guild."

At that moment, the boy turned towards him and asked, "Would that girl be… Eina Tulle?"

"How the hell…? Wait, is she your advisor too?" He asked, coming to the conclusion on his own, while the boy nodded. The Courier then grabbed his shoulders, looked him dead in the eyes and said, "Bell, I need your help on this one and don't you dare run away just yet."

The boy could only nod frantically before the Courier finally let him go. "So, uh, I am not sure what does Eina likes to be perfectly honest… But, I think she will like some chocolates and some dark pink roses, they mean 'thank you' or at least that's what I heard."

"Roses and chocolates, huh? That sounds pretty accurate," The Courier muttered to himself, as he pondered what else could he give.

"Um, Six, have you ever bought a present for anyone before?" The boy asked.

"I did once, it's just that, she was really obvious about it and I travelled with her for some time. However, where I come from most people either give money, some kind of armour or a weapon as a present," He explained, the boy gawking at him.

"That sounds… interesting?" He tried, while the Courier snorted.

"Oh, trust me, it's not. Anyway, thanks for the help, Bell. I appreciate it," He said, before extending his hand the boy shaking it.

"You're welcome," He responded with a smile.

After that, the two headed their own way, Bell to the Dungeon, the Courier to buy some stuff. He wanted to go to the guild and apologize to Eina, but first, there was something else he wanted to do. There were two places he wanted to visit now that he could speak. First a shop that sold potions, so he could perform some basic analysis and then get something different to eat. He was pretty full, but there was that one stall that he noticed the first day he came here and it smelt delicious.

Walking north, near one of the gates, he found himself right where he wanted to be. There was a small stall selling food known as Jagamarukun, it was created by adding spices to crushed potatoes and fried after adding an outer skin. A relatively simple food, but that was fine with him. After all, back in Mojave, his main source of nutrition were steaks of multiple kinds, along with what he managed to find in the desert or took from the corpses of his enemies.

The one working on a stand was a small, petite girl with breasts that seemed to defy reality. He had no clue how she coped with them on a regular basis, after all, it tended to have a very negative impact on a spine. Then again, the one in front of him was a goddess Hestia, which could explain something. The amusing thing was, she was dirt poor from what he read, only possessing one member so far, meaning she had to work to keep her Familia afloat. That made him chuckle quite a bit.

"Good morning, I would like to order two sets of the wares your selling," He greeted, while the tiny woman smiled at him.

"Coming right up!" She replied, taking out two paper bags and putting them right inside of them. "That will be sixty Valis in total."

"Here you go," He said and drooped the appropriate amount on the tray. He had a fake pouch attached to his belt, that made things like taking money out easier. No need to drop his whole duffel to buy some basic groceries. Once he paid for the food, he put the bag on the ground, before stuffing the food inside the bag and making it go to the pipboy.

However, before he could leave, the goddess decided to ask him a question, "Say, you look strong, are you by any chance an adventurer?"

"I suppose that's one term to describe it," He answered, before turning towards her. "Is there a reason you are asking me this kind of a question?"

"Well, you see, I was curious if you would be interested in joining my Familia, Hestia Familia to be exact," She replied, while the Courier chuckled.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I am fine the way I am, but if it's any consolation, I have already rejected goddesses Loki when she asked the exact same question," He replied, while Hestia's eyes spread wide open. "Now then, I need to go, so have a nice day."

"Um… yes, you too," She replied and watched as the Courier left, biting her lip in the process. As the man left, he could not see or feel the anguish Hestia felt at such an opportunity slipping past her fingers, her eyes teary at the sight. Stupid Hestia! Why didn't you even try to ask why? Maybe offer some more Jagamarukun! That would have shown that stupid Loki!


With only one thing left, he headed towards Blue Pharmacy, a lesser-known medicinal type Familia, a direct competitor to Dian Cecht Familia, but nowhere near as wealthy. While he could go straight to Dian Cecht, their prices were something else, as he could not afford most of the things there.

He went past their store once and choked, a single potion cost around five hundred thousand Valis. Sure, he still had some money left, but he needed a couple of million Valis just to be able to afford the best of them in bigger quantity. Plus, more competition was always good for the market, something Crimson Caravan and Van Graffs learned painfully.

Entering the building, he took note of jars, filled with different substances, potions with liquids of different colours and many other things he did not recognize. Behind the counter stood a single employee of the building, a female Chienthrope, basically a human with dog ears and tail. She possessed long brown hair, purple eyes and wore simple clothing with her right hand being covered by a glove.

That, in turn, caught his attention, especially since the left hand was uncovered and healthy. Normally, he would have simply let it be, but considering his past experience with traps, ambushes and murder attempts, he activated his bionic eyes in EM vision. This allowed him to easily spot metal and mechanical components, including her right arm flaring up in its entirety.

Biting his lip, he considered the level of technology necessary for such a feat, before deciding to keep it in mind, but not bring it up. Nodding towards the female, he greeted, "Good morning."

"Good morning, is there something I can do for you?" She asked, her expression stoic.

"I would like to see what kind of potions do you have for sale," He answered, while the female nodded before bringing out several of her potions.

"These are the cheapest basic potions, they restore user's health in a limited amount. High potions are more powerful, but more expensive and if you need something to prevent you from the mind down we have got a few magic potions in stock," She explained

"Hmm… For the time being, I would like five basic potions and two magic potions, it should be more than enough," He decided, while the female put the appropriate amount on the table and added it all up.

"The total cost will be twenty thousand Valis," She said.

"Here you go," He responded, before putting the appropriate amount on the counter.

The female counted the Valis, before hiding in the counter. "… Are you by any chance an adventurer?"

"Perhaps, why are you asking?" He replied.

"We are looking for someone who will reach floor seven and gather some drops from the monsters known as Blue Papilos, seven to be exact," She explained, while the Courier cupped his chin.

"What's in it for me?" He asked while Nahza put on one of the basic healing potions on the counter.

"If you do that for us, we will provide you with fifteen health potions," She answered.

"Make it twenty and you got yourself a deal," He haggled, while the females' eyes narrowed.

"Twenty, but not a single one more and if possible I would like you to have it done sooner rather than later," She settled on.

"Very well, you got yourself a deal, miss…?" He replied before extending his hand.

"Nahza," She answered, shaking the hand.

"Very well, miss Nahza. I will gather the ingredients you require. Just to be sure, the Blue Papilos appear mostly in pantries, at floor seven, am I right?" He inquired, while the Chienthrope nodded in response.

"That would be the case," She replied.

"Okay, that's all I needed to know. Now then, have a nice day, miss Nahza," He said, before turning away and leaving through the front door.

"Have a nice day," She called after him watching him leave, biting her lip in the process.

As much as she wanted to try to con the man, just like she fooled another rookie adventurer, she concluded that it wouldn't be a good idea. The man looked experienced, carried himself like a warrior and just through a quick exchange, she noticed he was experienced in barter. That alone was more than enough to drop any funny ideas she might have had. If only Miach didn't give so many potions away...


As he walked towards the Guild, he started to feel nervous, like some kind of bad thing was about to happen. Entering the guild, he saw Eina talking with her coworker with pink hair, whose name he never got now that he thought of it.

However, that ceased almost immediately, her attention turning towards him, a small smile spread over her lips. Bracing himself for the inevitable, he walked up to the duo and said, "Good morning, miss Tulle and miss..."

"Misha Flot, we have never spoken before," She explained, the Courier nodding, before turning towards his advisor.

"So, Six, how are you, did you sleep well?" She inquired, still smiling in the process. Creepy….

"I am fine, thank you. How about you?" He asked as he tried to discern the half-Elf in front of her.

"Fine, just fine. Yesterday, I met Bell, he told me about a Minotaur that tried to kill him, but a certain adventurer saved him by using his own body as a shield, before Ais Wallenstein came to save the two of them," She explained, while the Courier could feel his blood run cold at the way she put it.

"Okay, before we get to the part, where you chew me out, I would like to say something," He implored, gaining a raised eyebrow from the woman. He quickly put down the duffel bag and with a swift movement set the two items the Bell mention, along with a small note attached to the flowers. 'Thank you for teaching me,' It wrote.

Eina could only blink at the items in front of her, the anger she felt just a moment ago, disappearing in an instant. Misha Flot was blinking in shock, her mouth in a shape of an o. The Elf opened her mouth and closed before she finally sighed and smiled at him. "You didn't have to," She said as she gently took the presents, sniffing the flowers, before putting them behind the desk, along with the chocolates.

"It didn't sit right with me, not after you spent the whole week teaching me. I figured out, that the least I could do was to express my gratitude somehow," He admitted, scratching the back of his head. "However, if you want to talk about that Minotaur, can we at least go to a place a bit more private?"

"Very well, follow me," She answered and the two found themselves sitting at the same table as the first time they had met. "So, I want to know one thing. How did you survive? The Minotaur is a level two monster. Something a human with no Falna should not be able to survive."

"Okay, to put it into perspective, the claw mark you saw on my back, you remember it right?" The Elf nodded. "See, that thing could easily kill the Minotaur in a single blow or two and I survived it."

Eina was shocked, her mouth spread wide open. A monster that was stronger than Minotaur on a surface and the man in front of her who somehow managed to survive it. It made no sense, the monsters were weaker on a surface, but even then, to survive an encounter like this without Falna was unheard of, to say the least. "How did you do it?"

"To be perfectly honest, it's a low point of my career," He started off, cupping his chin the process. "I was trying to get to a friendly town, going through a small passage to make it shorter. Only for the thing to jump on top of me. I ran away as fast as I could, but it still managed to get a hit on me from behind. It hurt a lot and I was a lot weaker back then. The only reason I managed to survive was that it decided to kill other people who had the same bright idea, allowing me to escape."

"You... let it kill others?" She could feel disappointment building up in her.

"It's not like I had much of a choice. The only upside is the fact that I managed to get a kill on it, after luring it into the trap and using most of the supplies I had," He explained before he sighed. "After that and dragging myself back to a nearby town, I swore to myself to become stronger one way or another. For instance the armour you see? It's not ordinary steel, let me tell you that."

"I see…," Eina muttered, biting her lip soon after.

The silence that followed was so thick one could cut through it with a knife before the half-Elf finally decided to break it. "Six, I know you are strong, I know I should give you benefit of the doubt, but I have lost too many adventurers to simply let you go inside the Dungeon unprepared."

"I understand that after all, 'adventurers should not venture', right?" He said while the woman smiled at him.

"At least you remember that. Fine, I will leave it be, but if you die in the Dungeon, I will never forgive you," She said, while the Courier chuckled.

"I understand, I promise I won't get myself killed in the Dungeon. If anything, I appreciate your concern. Anyway, I think I will be heading off. Take care, miss Tulle. Oh, and by the way, you should go out more, maybe go on a date with that Bell Cranel boy," He teased, while Eina blushed at the joke, pouting at him. He laughed it off, before running as fast as he could, leaving the half-Elf alone to her thoughts.


The Courier let out a chuckle, as he made his way towards the Dungeon, his mood improved. Teasing people was something he took quite a bit of joy in. After all, one did not survive wasteland without gaining a semblance of humour to cope with the bullshit being thrown in one's direction on a regular basis. It was one of the coping mechanisms he employed to keep himself sane after all.

Entering the Babel tower, he slowly made his way down to the first floor of the Dungeon, countless adventurers surrounding him, some giving him an occasional glance, but less than usual. He wanted to reach floor seven today, so he should get started sooner rather than later. With his mind made up, he descended into the Dungeon to earn his living and complete the quest he accepted.

Reaching floor five turned out to be fairly easy, as his only opponents were Kobolds, Goblins and some Dungeon Lizards every now and then. The main difference between the previous floors and this one was the color of walls which were now light green, not to mention the layout began to get more complicated with multiple paths branching off from the main beaten path.

As he descended even deeper to the seventh floor, he heard a crack and watched with curiosity as the Dungeon gave birth to monsters in front of his eyes. There was a dozen of them consisting of six War Shadows, two Frog Shooters, two Needle Rabbits and two Purple Months. The first one had humanoid structure and razor-sharp claws, with black skin similar in color to a shadow.

The Frog Shooters possessed one single large eye, they attacked using their long tongue. Needle Rabbits were basically rabbits with a horn that could easily pierce through the skin of weaker adventurers, while the Purple Month spread deadly powder that could poison humans and monsters alike. Most second class adventurer would probably be wary of such combination, but to the Courier, it was nothing more but a joke, as he simply clenched his fists before punching the nearest War Shadow into black mist and moving on to the next monsters.

In less than a minute all monsters were dead, not able to put a scratch, while the poison of the Purple Moths was useless against him. Now that he was on floor seven, he had to find the target of the request, before he would be able to leave. With his mind made, he headed towards the pantry, where Blue Papilos tended to come just like every other monster.

One major issue he had was a duration. The stealtboys and his stealth field were powerful, but they had a clear time limit, something that he became painfully aware of during one of his many treks across the Wasteland. The exception to that rule was stealth suit mark two, developed by Think Tank, which could maintain his stealth field basically forever, even if the effect was much weaker than that of a stealth boy.

Unfortunately, the suit had plenty of drawbacks, especially in a world where technology was far less developed. It could dispense stimpaks, med-x and such. However, it looked alien, which would draw a lot of attention, not to mention the ability to speak. He could just imagine what gods in Orario would do if they found out about it. The number of times it almost gave him heart attacks from innocent jokes was way too high for his comfort. He preferred not to use if possible. Not to mention, Elite Riot Gear provided better protection and the stealth field implant was more than enough for the most part.

As he turned himself invisible, he made his way to the pantry where monsters of many different kinds resided, eating the grey gruel that kept them nourished during their time in the Dungeon. Luckily it looked like he managed to get in just in time, the group of seven of Blue Papilos slowly walking towards the pillar, which split the fluid.

They looked like butterflies with translucent wings, not able to fly, but in exchange, they were able to heal other monsters. With a smirk on his face, the Courier got down to work, as the massive flock of over thirty monsters charged at him, while he cracked his knuckles in response. It was time to earn some Valis.


Orario, also known as Labyrinth City was home to countless gods and goddesses, all seeking entertainment in the lower world. One of such events consisted of a god inviting other gods to a party, so they could catch up and snicker behind each other's back. This time the party was thrown by a god, named Ganesha in his Familia's headquarters.

The building itself was a massive, thirty-meter, human-shaped statue with an elephant's head sitting cross-legged in the middle of the city block. The base of the building was surrounded by a stone wall. The statue sat proudly, puffing out its chest. It was famous for inspiring a sense of wonder and uneasiness within anyone who saw it. Magic stone lamps lit up the statue from many angles. The elephant stood out against the black night sky.

Unfortunately, the members of the Ganesha's Familia were torn up a bit as they went in and out, thinking how their hard word had gone into paying for this thing. The icing on the cake? The entrance to the building was in the crotch of the statue. The gods were pouring in for the party known as 'Celebration of the Gods'.

It was a large party put on by a god for other gods living in the lower world. There were no rules about who hosted and who attended. The Celebration was hosted by a god who wanted to throw a party and was attended by gods who wanted to come. It was all done on a whim.

Inside the host itself, wearing an elephant mask and dressed to match his statue greeted the guests in a booming voice from the top of a stage in the middle of the hall. The gods in attendance, by and large, ignored his greeting and continued talking among themselves.

The party was set up to be a standing buffet. Tables with white tablecloths lined the great hall. An array of fresh food filled the hall with a variety of mouthwatering smells. Soft echoes from the shoes of both the attendees and the staff thumped from all directions. A band sat behind the stage, waiting for the signal to play dance music.

One particular goddess with big breasts brought quite a lot of attention stuffing her cheeks to the brim with food. Hestia had no plans of slowing down—it was a buffet, and she was going to take full advantage of it. Hestia Familia was among the poorest of the poor Familias. She was most likely the bottom of the barrel of all the gods in attendance. But Hestia didn't mind. She had no problem with working so that Bell had enough energy to work in the Dungeon. Working in shops and doing odd jobs was just part of her life now, even when she stood out like a sore thumb with her ordinary clothes combined with shovelling food into her mouth.

"Just what do you think you're doing…?" A voice behind Hestia asked.

Spinning around, she saw other goddesses standing behind her. She had flaming red hair, sharp chin, dark crimson dress, and golden earrings. A patch of black skin covered half of the goddesses' face over her right eye, all covered in bandages.

"Hephaestus!" Hestia greeted and smiled at her friend.

"I'm happy to see you, too, Hestia. I'm glad you are well… I'd be happier if you wore something a little more appropriate," She noted, her attention drawn to Hestia's clothes.

"I am so happy to see you! It was a good idea after all!" She responded.

"Just so you know, I'm not lending you one single Valis," Hephaestus warned, remembering how Hestia acted last time she helped her.

"How rude!" Hestia huffed, while Hephaestus sent her a glare. While they had been friends for a long time, Hephaestus had lost her patience with Hestia because she hadn't formed her own Familia, hadn't worked, and had become a burden.

However, even after evicting her, the needy goddess would always come back asking for money. Whether it was "I can't find a job" or "I can't find a room that keeps the rain out," Hestia always had a sad story to tell before asking for help. She'd pushed Hephaestus as far as she could.

Hephaestus had a serious problem on her hands. She couldn't leave her friend out on the streets with no money, but she also couldn't keep helping her with every little thing. In the end, she gave Hestia the room under the church and found her a part-time job. The only thing Hestia did by herself was inducted Bell into her Familia. She acted mature and independent when she was around Bell. But on her own, she was a lazy goddess who couldn't get anything done on her own.

"Do I look like a goddess who would do that?! Sure, I needed your help in the past, but thanks to you, I'm doing fine on my own! I don't need to eat from anyone else's plate anymore!" Hestia argued.

"Weren't you doing that just a second ago?" Hephaestus noted.

"T-this food will just be leftover… If it's just going to be thrown away, I should at least put it to good use, yes?" Hestia tried.

"Ho-ho! That's a great way to put it. I'm so happy you've changed, my tears of happiness just won't stop," Hephaestus deadpanned. Click-click, click-click. High-heeled shoes echoed as another goddess approached them.

"Hee-hee… Still the best of friends, I see," She said.

"Eh… F-Freya?" Hestia asked.

She turned around to see her emerge from another group of deities a goddess so beautiful that she made the others look normal by comparison. The floor was her runway. Everyone else was there to admire her. The Goddess of Beauty gently swished her silver hair as she glided up to the other two goddesses.

"Why are you here…?" She asked.

"Is it wrong to greet her fellow goddess? Or am I disturbing you by any chance, Hestia?" Freya asked as she stepped into the conversation.

"No, I don't just like you very much," Hestia answered, while Freya giggled.

"Hey! Fei-Fei! Freya-! Itty Bitty!" Another voice came in, the group turning towards the newcomer.

Freya's smile widened as she turned to face the newcomer, who was flailing her arms and half jogging up to the group. She had vermilion-red eyes and hair. She'd changed her hairstyle from a simple short ponytail to a stylish inward spiral just for the Celebration. She was sporting a sleek black dress. She might not have looked like much standing next to Freya, but her face was on par with Hestia and Hephaestus in terms of charm.

"Yo! Loki," Hephaestus greeted.

"Why the hell are you here…?!" Hestia growled, glaring daggers at Loki.

"Am I not allowed to greet you without a reason? It's a Celebration, no? It'd be rude not to say hi. Get with the program, Itty Bitty," Loki responded, a smirk evident on her face.

Hestia could only glare at her rival, growling in the process. The two of them were direct opposites, for the lack of better term. Loki had resources, members, first-class adventurers and such. However, she could never have what Hestia possessed, the size of her breasts, which made the taller goddesses jealous each time she saw them.

"Hmm. Oh, Loki, I hear about your Familia all the time. Things must be going well?" Freya inquired.

"Waaa! To hear someone with a Familia as good as yours say that… I must be moving up in the world… But yeah, my children are my pride 'n' joy. Mind if I brag?" A tinge of pink covered Loki's face as she shyly scratched her head. Loki hid her feelings from the members of her Familia, but that was more difficult here. Hestia droned out for the most part, not interested in anything they said. It's not like Bell had a crush on anyone in Loki's Familia, which was a blessing as far as Hestia was concerned.

"So, Itty Bitty, is there nothing you want to say for yourself of how far did your Familia reach? Or how many powerful members you recruited lately?" Loki teased, smirking while Hestia's growled at her.

Then a sudden thought struck her and she smiled in response. "Why thank you, Loki. I was just thinking of how I met this powerful looking adventurer in metal armour with a bull painted on his back that I invited to my Familia."

That seemed to get the raise out of Loki, her eyes opened slightly as she glared at the goddesses. "Oh really? And what he accepted your worthless Familia? Don't make me laugh."

"Well, he did reject you when you asked him, after all," She argued, while Loki looked like she was just slapped.

"How do you know about it?" She asked, there was no way she would have known unless she saw it or one of her members did.

"He told me in person," She responded, gaining a sense of pure satisfaction as the Loki looked completely and utterly shocked, not able to utter a word.

That caught Freya's attention, as she glanced towards the taller goddesses. "Oh, he rejected you, Loki? That seems odd."

"… He did," Loki admitted, before turning towards Hestia. "But, there is no way, he would accept your Familia out of all in the Orario. He managed to survive a hit from Minotaur, something only level two adventurer should be able to survive without any lethal damage. I would have known if there was a level up of any kind at Decanus or if an adventurer with a high level came to Orario in the first place. Which means he is either some mysterious member of already existing Familia or just put on a disguise. That or he has got no Falna of his own and somehow managed to survive an encounter with Minotaur, which is to say impossible."

Freya listened carefully as she pondered about what the goddesses just said. If what Loki said was true, then Courier Six had to be a part of already existing Familia. The gods could tell if someone was lying, but not if the answer was written down instead of spoken. It looked like she had to look around a bit more, perhaps at the Guild. Still, the party was going strong so maybe she should ask around for a bit just in case. Although, she was pretty certain that wouldn't help.

"May I ask, what was his name, Loki?" Freya asked while the other goddesses turned towards her.

"Why are you asking?" Loki countered. She knew Freya quite well and could pick up on details. One of them was her unsustainable hunger for adventurers that caught her attention.

"No reason, just curious," She responded with a smile.

"Oh? What if I say I don't want to tell you?" She countered.

"Then I am simply going to ask around until someone can answer my question," She answered, while Loki bit her lip in response. Unfortunately, someone would spill the beans sooner or later, that's how powerful Freya's charm was.

"Courier Six, really odd, if you ask me," Loki answered. However, she didn't miss the fact that Freya was interested in someone she took a personal interest in. "Although just so you know, I am not going to let you have him just like that."

In return, Freya only smiled, sipping a bit of her wine. "My, is that wrong to ask about someone who rejected your offer?" Loki's eyes opened slightly before she turned towards Hestia.

In the meantime, Freya pondered about her current situation. There were a couple of facts to consider. One the name he used, which had never been brought up either on Denatus or anywhere else. That meant, he was relatively new to Orario or as Loki said, put on a disguise. The fact that he didn't speak when they first met was odd, but he could be mute for all she knew. And there was also the fact that he managed to survive a Minotaur, which meant he was not an average person, far from it. That only made Freya crave the Courier, even more, warmth spreading through her heart.

"So, Itty-Bitty, you gaining a new adventurer? As if," Loki said.

"Guh!" Hestia choked, as her lie was just utterly destroyed. Still, there was one thing that Loki did not have. Hestia put both her hands on her waist, before standing straight, her breast bouncing up and down in the process. She smirked, while Loki looked like she was about to murder her rival, her fists clenched.

Freya held her glass of fruit wine as she looked on with a smile. The fireworks were about to start. The two goddesses stood with their well-above-average busts bulging from their elegant dresses on the sidelines.

"How many men have fallen off the cliff of despair that is your flat chest? Ha-ha! See what I did there?" Hestia asked.

"Not funny at all, you hagggggg!" Loki yelled.

"Kiyaaaaaaa!" Hestia screamed.

Loki lunged at Hestia, her eyes leaking tears. Getting a good grip on Hestia's cheeks, Loki pulled as hard as she could. Her face expanded out like taffy, soft and squishy. Hestia tried to fight back, but her short arms couldn't even come close to grabbing Loki. She futilely swatted the air, her cheeks shiny with tears.

"Oh, what have we here?" A god asked.

"Looks like Loli Big Tits against Loki No Bits…!" Another one responded.

"Ten elixirs say that Loki walks away frustrated!" A bet was heard.

"All of my star chips say that I'll be the one to comfort her!" Yet another one added.

"Make a real bet, moron!" A yell was heard.

More and more gods came to watch the catfight unfolding in the great hall. Hephaestus's head drooped past her shoulders. She was already fed up with Hestia and Loki, now there was an audience to this brawl. Loki was shaking Hestia's entire body with her death grip on the smaller goddess's fluffy cheeks. Left, right, up, down, she shook Hestia in all directions. Shaking, shaking, and more shaking.

"… hee… hee… I'm thinkin' I've had enough for today…" Sad that she couldn't finish the job, Loki drooped Hestia to the floor and turned her back. Loki didn't even glance at the girl as she collapsed to the floor, just walked away. Loki's body twitched as she started to make her way across the room. It was not a victory lap.

"Hmph… Don't be looking so pathetic next time, loser. Tuck your tail and run!" Hestia yelled.

"I'll do ya in next time, ya hear me? Next time!" Loki bolted for the door, leaving a trail of tears in her wake.

"Just as I thought…" A murmur spread through the crowd of gods who had come to witness the fight. With the show over, they went back to their conversations and drifted elsewhere.

"I bid you Farewell," Freya said suddenly, bringing both Hestia and Hephaestus attentions to her.

"What, already? Do you have somewhere to be, Freya?" Hephaestus asked.

"I got the information I came here for, so there's no point in staying," Freya responded.

"It's about that Courier Six, isn't it?" Hephaestus asked while Freya smiled at her.

"… And I've gotten bored of all the men here," She added, silence spreading through the building. With a nod and a simple good-bye, she disappeared into the crowd. The remaining goddesses watched her leave before looking at one another. They exchanged an awkward laugh and a shrug.

"Freya really is the Goddess of Beauty… no respect," One of them said.

"She's in control of love and desire. Someone's bound to want her help…," Another one added.

"She has a Familia. She just doesn't see what is right under her nose. To think she might become a rival… makes me appreciate the children that much more!" One of the goddesses said.

"She could recruit new members just by smiling…," Another one complained.

Hephaestus let out a deep breath and scratched the bandage covering her right eye. It was a habit she'd picked up. Whenever she wasn't satisfied or couldn't accept something, her hand just went there on its own. Hestia let out a small "hmm" through her nose, watching Hephaestus closely.

"Anyway, what are you going to do now? I'm going to walk around, talk to a few more people. Are you going home?" Hephaestus asked. A light snapped on in Hestia's brain. Her shoulders jumped when she realized she had almost forgotten something very important. "You could stick around for a while? Have a drink or two?"

"Um… yeah… well…," Hestia started.

Hephaestus's expression changed when she saw Hestia started fidgeting. She'd seen that many times before. Ignoring the blast of suspicion bursting out from under Hephaestus's flaming red hair, Hestia made up her mind. She cleared her throat.

"I… um, have a favour to ask you," Hestia said.

"…" Hephaestus's left eye narrowed, sharp as a dagger. She knew what was coming and she was not looking forward to it. "You'd better have a good explanation, Hestia," She warned, while the tiny goddesses gulped visibly.