That night, Ais didn't have dinner in the Twilight Mansion. Finn and Gareth brought her to the Hostess of Fertility. At first, she was surprised that only Finn and Gareth came, but when she asked Gareth, this was a special inter-Familia gathering that only a select few people attended. Ais was suspicious about the requirement to participate, especially since it was clear that Riveria, a fellow executive, wasn't invited.
Finn and Gareth brought her to a big table when they arrived at the restaurant.
"Oi, Finn!" Suddenly a Pallum girl grabbed Finn's neck and gave him a noogie. "I heard from Ryuu that you worked too hard the past week! Loosen up, will you?"
Ah, that was what she blurted to Ryuu this morning. Sorry, Captain.
"I wish you'd stop doing that, Lyra," Finn answered with a sigh.
"Oi oi, that's Lady Lyra to you!" the Pallum girl tightened her hold on Finn.
"This time, I'm the older one, though. If anything, you need to call me Lord Finn," Finn retorted, taking a seat at the table. Turning his attention to her, Finn opened his mouth. "Ais, you may sit."
Ais nodded and took a seat.
"You can order anything. Today is the Gulliver brothers' turn to pay."
So it was a regular gathering, then. Judging from the way Finn and that Pallum, Lyra, behaved, it seemed like her suspicions were correct. This was a gathering of the reincarnates.
"Thank you." And so Ais called one of the waiters and spoke her orders.
"Speaking of the brothers, they aren't here yet?" Gareth asked as he drank.
"Nope. Probably pampering their Goddess," Lyra answered.
"What about Ryuu?" Ais interjected.
Lyra then finally looked at her. "Ooh, you're the new one Ryuu mentioned this afternoon. She's still in her room. Probably going to come here soon."
Ais nodded. Aside from Gareth and Finn, Ryuu was the only one she knew. She was unfamiliar with Lyra, who apparently had been a Knight of Fianna or the Gulliver brothers.
Not long after, A werewolf resembling Yuri took a seat. "What's up, guys."
"Bete!" Lyra greeted him. "Have you met the new girl?"
Ais saw Bete shake his head and look at her. "Oh damn. Your Majesty, it's good to see you."
"It's been a long time. I tried to visit this morning, but you're apparently in the Dungeon. I'm Ais Wallenstein now," Ais replied to her longtime friend.
Bete bowed and nodded. "Oi, you stupid Pallum and Dwarf. Hiding someone important like her from me, huh?"
"I'd be glad to spar with you later, Bete!" Gareth answered his challenge.
Four Pallums then approached them and took their seats. Ais presumed they were the Gulliver brothers. Each of them was wearing a helmet to hide their face, but all of them opened it one by one.
As expected, unfamiliar faces. But since the brothers were Pallums, maybe just like Lyra, they were members of the Knight of Fianna.
"Oh, I see a new face."
"I'm unfamiliar with you."
"We have to wait for that bard, huh?"
"Indeed, brother. In the meantime, let's introduce ourselves."
Slowly, each of them introduced themselves.
"I'm Alfrigg Gulliver."
"Dvalinn Gulliver."
"Berling Gulliver."
"Grer Gulliver."
"In our past life, we were Knights of Fianna. We're in Freya Familia this time," they finished their introduction.
Ais nodded.
"Ryuu already knows. So I think I can introduce myself." Ais stood up from her seat and curtsied. "Valiant knights, this one is honored to have the chance to meet you this time. My name was Ariadne Lakrios. Former Queen of the Lakrios Kingdom. Right now, I am Ais Wallenstein, Loki Familia member."
"Uwaaah, no wonder everyone called you 'Your Majesty.'" Lyra commented after Ais finished her introduction and sat down. "I'm Lyra, formerly Helga of the Knight of Fianna. Still, the mastermind behind humanity's counterattack is here with us, huh?"
Ais smiled. "Mastermind makes me sound like a mysterious character. I'm just a normal ruler who inherited a certain someone's hope for the future."
Both Bete and Gareth had a nostalgic look on their face. Even without a mirror, Ais was sure her face was the same as theirs. She missed some of her dear friends. Argonaut, Orna, Elmina, and especially her little sister in all but blood, Fina.
If her hunch about Ryuu's warning was correct, it seemed that she would reunite with them sooner or later. So she shoved down her ache deep inside her heart, eagerly waiting for the day to come.
"I'm sorry I'm late, everyone." The final member of the gathering, Ryuu, finally came. "Hmm? What's with the long face, Sir Gareth, Sir Bete, and Milady."
"Just reminiscing about a certain Clown," Ais said, shaking her head with a smile. His life might be short, but his impact could be felt thousands of years later.
"Ah, I see. Sir Argo is indeed dear to our hearts," Ryuu took a seat and called the waitress for orders.
Ais saw Lyra prodding Ryuu, who sat beside her. "I seemed to recall you telling us about Argonaut that one time. Isn't that right, Finn, Grer, Berling?"
Finn smiled, "Yeah... that was back in the fun times..."
"That's because you went all 'revenge!' and do stupid things, snot-nosed Dim."
"Geh! I've been long over that, but why does hearing that from you still strike my heart?" Finn sighed.
It seemed to Ais that she lacked context. Now, she generally knew about the tragedy around the Knights of Fianna, but she had no firsthand account as a ruler of another kingdom.
"I don't exactly remember what you told us, Ryuu."
Ryuu blinked. "Would you like to hear the tale of Argonaut, then?"
"Sure," Grer answered.
Bete scoffed. "You better tell them the original, nosy bard. Not the child-friendly tale Orna made up to hide the truth."
Ah, Ais remembered. After Orna disinherited her own self, she went to become a famous storyteller. However, her Argonaut tale was so different from the truth, as if it was intentionally covered from the mass. Ryulu made up songs and poems about him as well, but it differed slightly from Orna's version, even if both left the tragic parts out.
"...Wait,"
"You mean..."
"Argonaut's tale is..."
"Different from the book?"
The Gulliver brothers asked in sync. It was a little weird to see for Ais.
"That's right. Argonaut was the Dawn. To have his story tainted with tragedy would discourage people around the world. This was a decision I made with Orna, but we have a different interpretation. She made it a full comedy while I think I preserve the hot-blooded aspect of the actions," Ryuu explained. "Very well. I think you guys deserve to know the real tale of Argonaut."
And so, Ryuu regaled them with the tale of their beloved Clown. The truth behind Lakrios, and why Ais went so far to assume responsibilities for her subjects. Ais' food came and let her enjoy Ryuu's presentation with her food.
By the end of the story, Gareth and Bete were drunk, lost in their memories. Ais herself refrained from drinking alcohol because of her age, while Finn, the Gulliver brothers, and Lyra paid attention to Ryuu's tale the most and only drank in sips.
"I see..." Finn said after Ryuu finished. "So you hide the tragedy, just like how you covered up my revenge and painted me as the hero, huh?"
"Makes sense," Lyra nodded. "She spread hope. The world would despair if she told people about your stupid act. I'm hoping that Fianna is also reincarnated and meets you."
In an instant, Finn's eyes widened. "Oh no... when that time arrives, I have to cope with not just a bruised face, don't I?"
Ais saw Finn sigh in resignation.
"Cheer up, Finn."
"If that happened, At least she wouldn't kill you."
Alfrigg and Dvalinn took a shot at his confidence. Ais couldn't help but smile as she saw their interactions. No doubt, they were really close in their previous life.
As Ryuu was eating, Ais decided not to bother her and talked to Lyra. "Miss Lyra, please take care of Ryuu for me."
"Of course, you can count on Astraea Familia!" Lyra replied, patting Ryuu's shoulders.
After that, they shared stories of the old times until midnight.
A/N: Hahaha, a regular gathering of the old souls! How about that? I intentionally don't reveal too much here because one, it's from Ais' perspective and two, I'd like to keep things vague for whatever things I thought up in the future.