Disclaimer: I do not own DanMachi or any of Omori's original characters, nor do I make any profit off of my writing.

"Can I come with you?"

"What? No. Obviously not."

Honestly, why would she even ask something like that? Did she want to die?

"But 'Tia said she'd done it before!"

Bell rolled his eyes and batted one of Freya's straying hands away from the leather straps of his pauldron. "Goddess would never have gone if I had any say in it, it was dumb and needlessly risky. What would we have done if she had died on her way down? We would have been even worse off without our blessings."

"But she had people to protect her, just like I know you'll protect me!"

Bell slid the straps prong through the hole on the other end before giving it a light tug. The leather pulled taut and he released it, satisfied that his armor was secure. He sighed as he made a reach for the belt that lay on his dresser, looping it around his waist as he turned to face the grey-haired girl sitting against his bed.

At some point, Freya had decided that Bell's room was entirely on limits. She was inside it more often than he was, either just napping or looking out the windows or twiddling her thumbs as she waited for everybody to come back.

It had been several days since their talk in the café, most of which had been spent with the girl being left in the Hearth Mansion alone while Bell and the rest of the familia went about their days. After all, they still had taxes to pay and had a debt to weep over, there was no time for slacking in the Hestia familia.

Especially not after their rather poor expedition.

Sure, there were some extenuating circumstances, but the guild didn't seem to care all that much. Results were results to them. The Hestia familia failed to deliver so fines were in order.

Bell sighed.

"As much as I appreciate your confidence, no."

She made to protest but Bell wasn't having any of it.

"It's too risky, Freya. The answer isn't going to change with a bit of begging."

Her shoulders slumped and she dramatically fell backward onto his bed, her arms spread wide. The box spring creaked under the new wait and she bounced slightly on the mattress.

Bell grumbled to himself as he mourned his wrinkled sheets. Why did he even try to make his bed anymore? She was just going to nap in it anyway?

"But I'm boooored! Beeell! What am I supposed to dooooo?"

He sighed as he slid his knives into the sheaths at his flank. "You remind me of a friend of mine, she likes reading on off days." He shrugged. "I've got books over there." He pointed a finger over to a shelf in the corner with a series of blank-spined, leather-bound books sitting neatly atop it.

Freya frowned but was nonetheless distracted as she sat up from the bed and made her way over to the shelf. The first book she pulled down was something or other about some sea-bearing heroines who weather a storm or something and saved her crew.

Well, now she knew the ending so that one was out.

"Do you recommend any?"

The adventurer hummed from where he was lacing up his boots on the other side of the room. "Well, I've always been partial to the story of the Argonaut, but it's not everybody's favorite. Dungeon Oratoria should be up there if you want all of the classics."

"Hm."

It had only been a few hundred years (for her at least) since she'd last seen the likes of heroes walking the lower world; certainly not long enough for the more recent ones to be gone from her memory. But perhaps it would be good to revisit some of the older ones.

Besides, Bell said he liked the Argonaut and that was the first, so why not?

"Have a good day, Freya!"

She jumped, almost missing her chance to wish him well in return. "You too!"

Bell could feel their eyes on his back the entirety of their dive through the dungeons. Unless they were fighting monsters, his party kept staring at him. They had something they wanted to say to him and he really wished they'd just get on with it because it was distracting both them and himself.

".. so.. "

There it is.

Bell had been preparing for this conversation for days now. Ever since Freya had come into their home his familia had been casting him and her wary looks, not really sure how to take his new friend. He couldn't exactly blame them, it was Freya (even if she was not the same one they'd heard tales of).

".. you seem awfully chummy with your new friend."

Even if he was expecting it, even if he wanted them to just come out and say it, he didn't really think now was the time for it.

The white-haired boy ducked under the clumsy sweep of a minotaur's landform ax. His legs coiled powerfully beneath him as he went low and as soon as the weapon passed cleanly over his head he sprung forward.

It was as if a beam of white light had swept through the cavern on the sixteenth floor, piercing the chest of the great bovine monster and sending the two combatants tumbling to the ground. Bell separated easily from the monster, rolling to his feet with his knives already at the ready. They weren't needed.

Lili kicked the beast in the cheek once for good measure before setting to work carving away into its chest, giving Bell the chance to turn back to Welf.

Now, Bell had the excellent ability to stuff his foot in his mouth just about every time he spoke. He was flexible like that.

"So?"

Welf winced sympathetically at the two frowns making their way to Lili and Haruhime's faces behind Bell's back. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Don't you think we should be trying to get her back to her familia?" Why had he even agreed to be the one saying this, anyway? He didn't even really have a problem with it, it was just the girls.

Bell shrugged and allowed his eyes to wander the cavern, alert. "She doesn't want to."

That, evidently, was new information for the rest of his party. Had he not told them all that? He thought he had. Perhaps he was spending more time with the amnesiac goddess than he realized. In his defense, they'd also been watching when she had her breakdown over the fact that she had a familia so he kind of just thought they knew.

"She doesn't want to? It's her family."

"She doesn't see it that way."

"Wha— Bell! How can she.." He trailed off, his arms flailing wildly through the air as he tried to search for the right words. He was at a loss. How could a goddess not see her own familia, as her family? Even with memory loss, Welf would expect her to understand the importance of the bond she once had with them and try to get a piece of that back! To simply scorn them? Did Freya ever love them? Was she even capable of it?

Bell shrugged. "We see it as her losing her memories. She sees it as time travel. She's in a world completely foreign to her, seven-hundred years of advancements have happened since when she last lived."

"Family is family."

Bell raised a brow at that. "I seem to remember a certain smith having a certain falling out with a certain disgraced noble family."

"That's different."

"How?"

"Family is made."

"Made how?"

Welf opened his mouth to retort but stopped short. Well. Shit.

Bell snorted and drew his knives as he turned to face the next horde of monsters. "Exactly. Memories are important. She doesn't know the people in her familia, and from what she's told me, she never wanted a familia in the first place."

Welf ducked under the grab of a minotaur, swiping his claymore and cleaving the beast in two from hip to shoulder. The magic crystal was only just spared from the carnage, something the blacksmith was eternally grateful for. The little spitfire pallum would have given him hell if he clipped it.

"Even still, she's only delaying the inevitable. She will have to face them eventually."

A sigh. "I know." Bell dipped to the side, narrowly avoiding the lunge of a Ligerfang. Both of his knives raked along the beast's flank, shallow cuts marring it enough to slow but not kill. In a quieter voice, Bell spoke. "I know."

It was something he'd considered often enough. He wasn't blind to the Freya familia's recent movements, scouring the city for any traces of their missing goddess. He felt bad, awful even, that he was extending the source of another's pain. But he had to consider Freya in all of this.

The Freya familia was strong, and if all else failed, they were still in a world they recognized.

Freya.. Freya wasn't. She was strong, sure, of that he was certain. But she was a stranger to this city and to this reality, to him, that meant her safety and comfort were more important than any member of her past familia.

As much as it pained him to not try to help everyone, he simply didn't have the choice this time.

He was being forced to choose.

And when push came to shove, he'd always choose his friends. And Freya, despite how weird it was to think, was his friend now. For better or worse.

A few hours passed, and Bell's party had emerged from the bowels of the dungeon to journey back home. As always, a day in the dungeon worked wonders to empty one's stomach and all five of them were famished.

Which is why—

"Ehrm.. w- well, okay.. y- you see, I—err.. no.. that won't—I just," a sigh, "no.. " Freya chewed on her lip as she tried (and failed – rather horrible, Bell might add) to justify herself.

—none of them were particularly pleased to find their stowaway had failed in her duty to cook dinner.

They weren't exactly sure what had crawled into the kitchen and died, but they certainly weren't all that pressed to find out so soon. Whatever it was, it wasn't edible.

"Freya.. "

The goddess in question winced as Bell sighed, his throat strangling over her name. She tried her best! She used a recipe book and everything, it wasn't her fault cooking was so hard! Whoever designed it was particularly cruel. Boiling water? Witchcraft! What does that even mean!? How does one boil water? Boils are one of those.. really gross.. things that grow on people's faces! They're an affront to her role as goddess of beauty and she will not have them tarnish any dish she makes. Bell will never love her if she's a bad cook!

And past that, who designed the measuring system? Pinches, teaspoons, tablespoons, spoons, cups, ounces, fluid ounces, pints, liters, gallons. Can't they just make things easier? So many sizes, so many ingredients. She just wanted something like.. a frozen meal that just needed to be heated up before eating. Why wasn't that a thing! It was genius!

.. should she enter the culinary business?

No. No. That's preposterous..

.. unless?

But she couldn't!

.. or could she?

It wasn't that bad of an idea, and her beloved would find it especially useful because of his handy fire magic. (She'd asked him to show it to her once, it was magnificent! She wondered where he acquired such a helpful spell.)

Either way, frozen food was the way of the future. As a time traveler herself, Freya knew a thing or two about the inventions that greatly improved society. Showers? Simply amazing. Heated showers? Divine. How the gods never saw the practicality of not sitting in filthy water to clean themselves is beyond her. Sure, baths were nice, she did enjoy them, but showers were good too.

(For some reason, Mikoto felt an incessant need to accuse a goddess of blaspheme.)

"Y- yes, Bell?"

"What happened?"

"U-umm.. well, you see!" She squeaked. Bell wasn't even sure how, but she did. "I just wanted to go out to eat! Y- yeah! That's it! I think dining out would be really.. n- nice?"

"Mhmm."

Bell didn't seem all that trusting of her excuse.

Well, it was either that or—

"And who, pray tell, will be paying for this?"

That..

.. that was a good question.

"You?"

Somewhere in the back of the hall, somebody snorted. Freya couldn't exactly blame them. It was rather.. bold of her to ask for more freebies after being given so much.

There were a few passing moments where neither of them spoke. Bell merely stared at her impassively as she waited for him to respond. The rest of the Hestia familia was similarly quiet. Welf was leaning against the wall in their home's entry, both his hands reaching up to cradle his head. Mikoto was consoling a blushing Haruhime whose stomach had growled just a bit too loudly for her proper heart to take. It was mortifying. Lili was.. hangry. There was no other way about it. She was hungry, and her hunger made her angry. Hestia just seemed bored. Not all that surprising considering her past with Hephaestus.

Bell released a long, suffering sigh and turned his head toward the heavens, shaking his head twice before snorting out a laugh. "Honestly.. "

Without another word, he turned his back to Freya and regarded his familia. "Hostess?"

There was a chorus of hurried agreements (none quicker than the usually prim vulpine princess) accompanied by a derisive scoff from the pallum girl. They really ought to get some food in her fast. They couldn't risk her body starting to digest itself, she was small enough as is!

As a group, the entire familia (plus stowaway) left the manor. Haruhime closed the door behind them as they left, the lock sounding with a clink! as it shifted into place before she all but darted to the front of the group.

Yeah. They were hungry.

They only made it about halfway through the courtyard before Bell broke his silence.

"You're going to cover cleaning in place of cooking."

No arguments there, even if Freya was ashamed to have failed at something so absolutely.

"And you'll be working to pay off this meal. We can't keep paying for everything you need, I wish we could, I don't want to add any more stress to your shoulders, but we're already in debt. We just can't afford it."

Again, Freya nodded. Her hands were clasped firmly in front of her waist as she walked at Bell's side, her cloaked head downturned toward the ground. The gesture was born of shame, but also served to protect her from the lingering gazes of the bystanders. She found she was not particularly fond of the lecherous looks she would often receive, but she hated the glares that were directed to her companions.

Attention was nice, sure, Freya was of the belief that most would be hard-pressed to say they hated attention. Some may not prefer it, but that was rarely true in all cases. They simply wanted it from particular people at particular times.

Freya was a person who thrived on attention, even now she liked being the center. It made her feel good, important.

Freya did not like being looked at like she offered nothing more than her body. She was a hot piece of ass, she knew that, who didn't? That doesn't mean she wasn't a beast at puzzles or merciless in chess or (as she earlier learned about herself) a big fan of reading. She can be both. She can be all if she wanted.

The cloak helped, if only to divert some of the attention away from her and suppress some of the stray aura she couldn't contain. (And it beat out whatever horrendous thing her past-(future?)-self had been wearing when she came into this world. Freya had once heard of people suffering from nightmares depicting them showing up to work without their parents, well, she had terrors of leaving her room dressed in that.)

They'd made it halfway through the street that connected the cardinal roads, Southwest and West, when Freya finally heard what exactly Bell said.

"W- Wait! Job!? Bell?"

In response, the boy walked faster.

"H- Hey! B- Bell! Wait just a minute! I don't know where to get a job!"

Bell wasn't panting by the time they reached the tavern. He was a strong adventurer, second-class, and known for his speed.

Freya was.. none of those things. She was just a girl who could see souls and entrance people into slavery with little more than a look. Admittedly, both of those were rather nice powers.

They didn't do shit for her endurance though.

The goddess of war and beauty was keeled over, one of her hands propping her up against the as she heaved deep breaths. "F- Fuck.. " She rasped as she tried to speak, but none of the words came out loud enough for her companions to hear.

As Freya mourned her lungs, Bell approached the front door and peeked his head inside, his easy-going smile slipping somewhat as Syr approached him.

"Welcome to the—oh, Bell! It's good to see you."

"Syr? Are you.. alright?"

She certainly didn't look it. There were deep, heavy bags nestled beneath both of her eyes and her face seemed.. gaunt. There was a wariness about her posture, she seemed both rigid and exhausted. Bell almost reached out to support her on instinct as she listed, but she only smiled and waved him off.

"I'm alright, just tired. That's all."

Behind him, both Hestia and Freya frowned, instinctively hearing it for the lie it was, but they weren't the others. None of them needed divine powers to recognize the little white lie, and none were more concerned than Bell himself.

"Syr.. we're friends, right?"

The girl balked, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten as she all-but-yelled in response. "What!? Yes, of course, we are!" To say the opposite would be stupid! "Why would you even ask something like that?"

Bell didn't answer her question, instead choosing to take a step forward and ensnare the girl in his arms. She tensed at first before melting into his arms with a hum of contentment. "If there's anything I can do to help, I will. I won't pry.. just.. I'm here. Okay?"

He felt her nod into his shoulder and that was enough for now. When she retreated, her smile was smaller, but it seemed less forced, less stiff.

"Of course, thank you, Bell.. it's.. it's fine. Honest. I have enough help as is, I'm just worried. That's all."

He wasn't convinced, but if she said it was fine, he'd back off and trust her.

For now.

"Will it be the normal six, then?"

"Err.. no, actually, we have a guest with us tonight, so that'll be seven. More if you or Ryuu get the time off to join us."

Syr glanced over his shoulder, somewhat curious about the newcomer – a new familia member, perhaps? – but couldn't see anything past the broad chest of a hungry blacksmith. "Oy! Food now, snooping later!"

Sooo, more than one person was hangry.

The grey-haired waitress rolled her eyes good-naturedly and beckoned them to follow. The table they were led to was the same that Bell had seen the Loki familia occupy that first time, the only one large enough to fit a party of their size (and provide room for escapee waitresses.) She smiled tiredly at them as they took their seats, nodding her head toward the kitchen once they were settled. "Lunoire will be your waitress tonight, I'll check in with Mama to see if she can spare Ryuu or I for a few minutes but we are busy, so it's hard to say."

Hestia offered the girl a warm smile, her specialty, and nodded. "Of course, it'll be good for you to get a break, you look exhausted."

Well..

.. at least she started off nice? That had to count for something, right?

Syr snorted and nodded in agreement, the wooden tray she'd been carrying when she greeted them being lifted up to cover her mouth as she yawned. "You're not wrong, Goddess, but that is my own doing. I must bear the consequences."

Off to the side, nestled between the two Far Eastern women of the familia, Freya tugged the hood of her cloak lower, hiding her face in the shadows of the folds. Syr sent more than a few confused glances toward the figure, a question tugging at her lips but going unasked as she left to wait on her other tables.

Bell watched Freya with a worried frown, noticing the way the goddess shyly peeked out from under the hem of the hood to watch as the waitress retreated. There was an uncharacteristic frown on her lips, shame warring across her face as she said nothing.

"Bell? Are.. you awake?"

The aforementioned adventurer propped himself up on his elbow, squinting into the light the flooded through the doorway. It poured out from the lantern held in Freya's hand, the goddess peeking her head into his bedroom from the hallway.

"Yeah? What is it, Freya?"

"Am—" She cut herself off abruptly, her gaze shifting from the ground to his eyes before fleeing away to the window across the room. She stared into the glass as it reflected a hazy image of herself, the night sky clouding the outside world in darkness too thick to see through. Her throat bobbed under the warm reds and oranges of the lantern as she swallowed thickly. "Am I a bad person?" A pause. "For not wanting to see my familia?"

Bell sighed, pushing himself into a fully upright position on his bed and leaning back against the headrest. He scooted to the side and pat the (now) empty spot to his right, closest to the door and Freya. "Come sit, Freya."

She did, only pausing twice in her journey across the room to shut the door and deposit her lantern on his nightstand. She moved slowly as she flitted about the dark room, her gaze staying locked on the floorboards as she tried her best not to trip.

The bed squeaked as she fell into place beside him, her legs drawn up into her chest as she rested her chin atop her knees.

"What brought this on?"

"That girl? Syr?" At his nod, Freya continued, either missing the confusion on his face or ignoring it entirely. "She.. seemed so sad and I.. I can't help but feel like it's my fault."

"Why would it be your fault?" His voice was quiet, but no less confused. How could it possibly be Freya's fault? He hadn't gotten the chance to speak with Syr again during dinner, save for the farewell hug they shared before leaving, but whatever problem she was having was new. He.. he couldn't say when, exactly, it started. He hadn't been visiting her or Ryuu enough for his liking, but it wasn't anything Freya could have caused. Hell, the goddess had never even met the two, how could it possibly be her fault?

"Syr.. I thought it was a coincidence when you said her name, but.. "

'.. Syr? Are you.. alright?'

'.. Syr.. we're friends, right?'

".. but that name, that face.. they're mine."

"That name, that—Freya, what are you talking ab—"

She didn't let him finish. She was on a roll now and if she let him ruin her momentum she didn't think she'd ever be able to force the words out again.

"I- In Tenkai, I tried finding my Odr in Tenkai. A- And I wanted to be loved for me, me, not the goddess, not the beauty, just me. I- I had disguises; it was one of my powers. I had faces I could wear in place of my own. I pretended to be somebody else and meet people that way. I used different names.

"Syr, Bell. Syr was one of those names

"A- And, I know, I know it could be a coincidence. That face, Bell, it was mine, it was my face. It was one of my disguises. A- And that girl, she seemed so nice, and she was so sad because, because," she sighed. "Because I abandoned them. Her."

Even though his mind was whirling, Bell couldn't help but protest. "You didn't—"

"But I did! I didn't see it before, but it's true. They're out there, my children, and they're probably really worried and scared and they're looking for me and I'm hiding from them! I am horrible, aren't I?"

She stopped talking, her mouth clamping shut as she turned to face Bell. Her grey eyes were wide, searching Bell's face for something. His expression softened at the sight and he didn't hesitate to pull her into a hug – one not dissimilar to what he'd given Syr earlier. "Freya," he sighed, and unlike earlier when he did it wasn't mixed with equal parts exasperation and frustration, there was just a twinge of sadness, of melancholy. "Freya, if you were horrible, you wouldn't feel this awful. If you were horrible, you wouldn't feel sad at the thought of hurting a girl you've never met before. You are not horrible, Freya."

There was a sniffle beside his ear, but Bell ignored it as he squeezed her tighter. One of his hands reached up to card through the goddess's long, grey hair and her arms came up to wrap around him in turn. Her hands pawed needily at his shoulder blades, doing everything they could to milk as much comfort out of him as possible.

Bell sighed out through his nose, the warm breath tickling across the bare skin of Freya's clavicle that remained exposed under her oversized sweater.

"The person's whose happiness should come first right now is yours. You deserve to be happy. Always. If that means returning to your familia, then I will personally walk you there, and you will always be welcome back here. If that means taking some more time for yourself, then take more time for yourself."

He paused to take a breath, a million thoughts warring in his head before he cast them aside.

"I can't say I know what to do about Syr, I had no idea she was one of yours. And I just—"

He just didn't know. This had gotten several magnitudes more complicated than he had originally thought and he wasn't afraid to admit when he was out of his depth.

To make matters worse, now it was two of his friends being hurt. Syr was miserable, he could see that on her face clear as day, she was heartbroken following her goddess's disappearance. Bell didn't even have the peace of mind to re-examine all of his interactions with the girl up until this point. The magic crystal he knew wasn't his. The flirting that first night in the pub. The grimoire—fuck—the grimoire. No. He couldn't think about all of that right now.

What mattered was Syr was suffering.

And..

..and Freya was too.

Who was he supposed to prioritize? Who was he supposed to help? Could he help both or not? It hadn't mattered to him as much when it was just nameless faces in the Freya familia, but Syr? Syr? He—he couldn't justify leaving her to her own devices. And—

"It- It's not just that."

Bell said nothing, waiting for Freya to gather her wits and continue.

"When I woke up in that alley, the one you found me in? I— there was this.. connection, I could hear things, feel things. I— I think it was Syr. Her thoughts, her emotions. I.. I don't know. I just.. I don't know. I was scared, I cut it off, the connection, I blocked out the thoughts. Feelings. Whatever. And— and I—"

Bell shushed her as the once-proud goddess devolved into tears, sobs racked her body up and down and his heart ached with each one.

What was he meant to do now? Who did he help?

What does he say?

sad Freya is sad. can we get an F for our poor girl?