Chapter 3: Banquet of the Gods
They reached the church without any problems and Hestia told them all to sit down so she could update all their Status.
"Hmm…did you two do anything in the dungeon today?" Hestia asked as she looked at Caster and Archer's Status from behind the couch they were sitting on. "You both didn't even gain a single point. Wait…you just let Bell do everything himself?"
"It is for his own good," Caster explained. "The so-called excellia gain doesn't happen if the creatures we face are too weak, correct? If it were me, I can destroy every single monster on all five floors alone with my eyes closed in an instant and would gain nothing in the attempt."
"Mumumu…" Hestia puffed her cheeks out angrily as she glared at Archer.
"Apologies Lady Hestia," Archer said, having the decency to understand that she was upset. "But I do believe it will be for the best in the end. With both of us here Bell will not be in any danger. And…if he does die then the two of us will fade away as well after all. We both have a vested interest in keeping him safe."
"Fine!" Hestia said as she slapped Archer's back, causing the man to let out a wry smile. She then walked over to where Bell was sitting on the bed and sat down behind him. "All right. Let's see what their spartan training did for you."
"Spartan?" Bell repeated the unfamiliar word. "What does that mean."
"It means exactly what they put you through!" Hestia said as she dripped her blood on Bell's back. "Now let's see what we have…!?"
Hestia let out an incomprehensible noise as she grabbed Bell's back, causing the boy to yelp, and brought her face close to it as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Is something the matter?" Archer asked while Caster raised an eyebrow.
Hestia let out a low growl as she smacked some parchment on Bell's back to pull out the status and ran her finger down it to check that it was done right while looking rather intently near the bottom before handing the parchment to Bell.
Bell Cranel
Level 1
Strength: I82 - G212
Defense: I13- I70
Dexterity: I-96 - H140
Agility: H172 - G225
Magic: I50 - E435
Bell could only stare with his mouth wide open at the massive increase as he held the status sheet in his shaking hands.
"Hoh…" Caster muttered as he looked at the sheet from the side. "I suspect that this is definitely not normal? Still…it would appear that we need you to learn to withstand some pain less your status remains stagnant."
"As expected, supporting two Servants at once is doing wonders for the Magic gain," Archer pointed out, looking at the sheet from the opposite side. "I wonder if we will he it hit some theoretical limit before we are done? And if we were to fight seriously, I suspect it will increase even further."
"He will have to wait a long time for that to happen," Caster huffed as he put his vest back on.
"You two are too relaxed about this!" Hestia said as she slapped Bell's back causing him to snap out of his stupor. "If every Level 1 grew this quickly this city wouldn't be filled with them."
Hestia mumbled something after that before glancing at Archer's direction although the Servant could only return the gaze in confusion.
"In any case…" Hestia sighed as she moved to the edge of the bed beside Bell. "Bell is growing abnormally fast for some reason. Probably some kind of abnormal growth phase or because of the connection he has with the two of you."
"Yes…" Bell nodded to show he was listening as both he and Archer also put their clothes back on.
"Bell, you have amazing talent," Hestia continued. "Especially for fighting alone despite having two allies with you." She threw a glare at the other two and Archer turned his head to the side while Caster returned the gaze with disinterest. She then turned back to Bell with tears forming in her eyes. "Your will to get stronger is amazing, and I respect you for it. I will encourage you, support you, help you in any way I can…so…even if some other gods might try and recruit you for your fast growth and connection with the Servants…please don't leave me alone."
"Don't worry," Bell replied to her earnest words with a smile. "I won't ever leave you Goddess. Not even if you try to kick me out."
"Thanks…" Hestia said as she stood up and hugged Bell. "That means a lot to me. Well then!"
She then spun on her feet and pointed to the stairs.
"Let's go celebrate our new Familia members and Bell's amazing growth!"
"Crying one moment then cheering the next," Archer muttered with a smile and a sigh. "What a whimsical goddess…"
"That is a tautology…" Caster said with a tired face.
X-x-X-x-X
Hestia Familia made their way to the Hostess of Fertility and entered to the sound of merriness and smell of various kinds of food. A tall stout woman that may have been the owner stood behind a bar serving the customers in front of it…a pair of cat people waitresses were also running around serving customers at tables alongside a stoic looking green-haired elf. Then, a person they recognized came running up to them.
"Bell, you came!" Syr said as she looked at them with a bright smile on her face.
"Y-yeah…here we are…" Bell replied with a nervous smile on his own, feeling Hestia's stare dig into his back.
"Bell…who is this?" Hestia asked.
"The reason for our 'reservation'" Archer explained as Hestia fumed while Syr thanked Bell for coming and turned to the crowd.
"Now seating four!" She called out before gesturing them to follow her. "We have an open table but would you like to sit at the bar?"
"Uh…sure?"
The four of them sat at the bar with Caster sitting at an end seat near the wall with Archer next to him, then Hestia and then Bell with Bell in a spot to face the owner.
"So you're Syr's guest, eh?" The woman asked with a laugh. "Ha-ha, you got a charming face for an adventurer. Just give us a holler if you need somethin'! I hear you're going all out tonight! I'll keep the food comin', all you got to do is keep on orderin'!"
"T-thank you…" Bell replied with a stiff smile.
"This place seems friendly," Archer noted as he turned around in his seat to take in the crowd. "A lot of Adventurer types too. All sorts of people eating in a place with all sorts of things on the menu."
"At the very least we should not be kept wanting," Caster noted as he glanced at a menu on the wall beside him. "Owner, an ale to start and some meat fritters if you have them."
"Got it!" Came to reply. "Any particular kind?"
"I shall leave it to you."
"No problem!"
Spurred on by Caster, the rest ordered their own food as well. All of them ordered an ale, except for the still underaged Bell who had some juice. For the food Archer ordered a large bowl of stew, Hestia some meat skewers and a heaping plate of pasta for Bell.
Hestia happily ate and drank her fill while Archer was mulling over his stew as though he was trying to see how they made it. Caster was also preoccupied with his meal although he was eating much more slower than Hestia, leaving Bell to quietly eat his pasta.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Syr asked as she came back when Bell was halfway done with his pasta.
"… I'm a bit overwhelmed, actually…" Bell replied honestly. "This is my first time in a place like this but…" He glanced at the rest of his Familia who were eating with satisfaction with his goddess ordering another ale and more skewers. "Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves."
"I see, that's good to hear," Syr said as she untied her apron and hanged it up on a hook on the wall before sitting down beside Bell.
"What about your job?" Bell asked, eyeing Hestia with a bit of worry but his goddess was too preoccupied with the food in front of her and talking to Archer.
"Lady Hestia please do not hit me while I am tasting…" Archer muttered.
"Come on Archer, you gotta eat faster than that!" Hestia cheered as she pounded his back. "It won't be every day we get to eat like this!"
"If you give me a bit, we might."
"Think you can take our recipe just from a taste?" The owner asked with a large smile.
"Is that a challenge?" Archer asked with a smile of his own as the woman laughed.
"I like ya, young'un!" She said as she reached over and thumped Archer on the shoulder. "Tell ya what, if you figure it out, I'll give ya a discount! Heck, maybe I'll invite ya to come help out in the kitchen! Poor May could use a helping hand."
She indicated a third Cat eared person in the kitchen who waved at being mentioned before she quickly turned around to attend to a pot behind her.
Bell then turned back to Syr who smiled back.
"The kitchen is a little busy," Syr admitted. "But the others have everything else covered. Things are slowing down a bit, too."
She then shot a pleading look toward the owner, asking for permission. The woman raised her chin in a jerking nod, giving her the okay.
"Well, first let me say thank you for this morning. The bread was delicious."
"No, no. You coming here tonight made my empty stomach worth it."
"Don't you mean it was worth it to have us spend a lot on dinner?" Bell asked with a smile just as Caster received a large fried fish dish that seemed to be the special of the day.
"Sorry," Syr answered with a giggle. "So what Familia are you all from?"
"The Hestia Familia," Bell said with pride before wilting slightly as said goddess clung onto him from the side. "…And this is our goddess."
"Bell~" Hestia said in drunken stupor. "Quit flirting with other girls and flirt with me instead~"
Bell gave Syr an apologetic look as she giggled into her hand before he turned toward Archer for help only to see that the man was refusing to look at him now that he was no longer the target of their goddess's moans.
"Well, you certainly are a mixed group like most Familias are," she admitted. "Are you the newest of your Familia?"
"Actually, I'm the most senior member," Bell said to Syr surprise. "Though since I'm the youngest and completely inexperienced, our captain is Caster over there."
"Caster?" Syr repeated, glancing at the golden haired hero who was taking a sip of his drink in between bites of fish. "As in 'Mage?'"
"Yes…" Bell nodded. "It's uh…kind of like a second name he uses."
"Hmm…" Syr nodded thoughtfully. "Well, there are all types of Adventurers after all. To be honest, he looks like a member of royalty."
"Aha…ahahaha…is…that so…?" Bell laughed nervously causing Syr to stare suspiciously at him.
"Bell~" Hestia called out his name again. "Feed me~"
"Goddess are you drunk already?" Bell asked, turning away from Syr just as the front doors opened again.
In walked a rather large group of people. A small Pallum, a dwarf, a werewolf, a pair of elves and amazons and a sole human being led by a lanky red haired goddess.
Even if Bell was a newbie in the city, he recognized the emblem on their clothes at a glance.
"Loki Familia…" Bell said with awe, noting his Goddess had stiffened up slightly.
"Yes," Syr nodded. "Lady Loki enjoys eating here."
Bell looked down at his goddess and noted that she looked a lot more lucid than before and seemed to have sobered up. Caster and Archer also had stopped eating and were looking over at the newcomers.
"So that's what a top Familia looks like?" Archer asked, wiping his mouth.
"Apart from the elf, the dwarf, the blonde girl and the pallum, they don't seem to amount to much," Caster muttered returning to his drink.
Syr looked rather surprised at Caster's comment before looking thoughtful again.
"Hey Miss Waitress," Hestia said, peering around Bell to Syr. "Can we have the bill and some carryout? I suddenly lost my appetite."
Syr looked confused for a moment before nodding her hand and standing up to go fetch it.
"What's wrong?" Archer asked, looking up from writing something down on some parchment as Caster stopped eating to listen as well. "Feeling sick?"
"I can't deal with Loki," Hestia admitted as she tried to hide behind Bell. "Sorry, I know this is suppose to be your celebration but…"
Archer glanced at Caster who shrugged.
"Nothing good can come out of two hostile goddesses meeting," Caster said wisely. "I suppose it will be in everyone's best interest if they do not meet."
Bell and Archer nodded their heads as they all stood up with Archer walking around them so that he was between Hestia and Loki's line of sight.
"Leavin' already?" The owner asked as she held out a bill and a basket of food to Archer.
"Apologies but…" Archer began as he gestured toward Hestia and then toward Loki and the owner nodded in understanding.
"Right right, sorry to see ya have to leave like this," she said as Archer filled a bag with the required amount and handed it back to her along with the parchment he was writing on. "The name's Mia Grand. Ya'll come back when ya have the chance to spend more money ya here?"
"Of course Miss Grand," Archer nodded as Caster led the way out the door.
"Take care!"
Once they were out the door Hestia let out a huge sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry…" she apologized again.
"Better to leave early then deal with a commotion and get removed," Caster said, waving her apology off. "The Trickster Goddess would be nothing more than an annoying interruption to our meal in any case."
"He's right," Bell nodded. "We can continue our celebration at home and then you can go to the party tomorrow night!"
"And probably meet Loki there as well…" Hestia grumbled before letting out a loud scream in annoyance. "DAH! Nothing ever goes right when she shows up! Forget it! Let's go home, eat, then go to bed and forget all about that flat-chested idiot!"
And with that said, Hestia stomped down the road into the night. Her three Familia members shared a glance before following after her.
X-x-X-x-X
The next morning, Bell woke up feeling very refreshed and well fed thanks to the meal they had last night. Hestia was still sleeping on the bed and the two Servants were nowhere to be seen even though they were still here when Bell fell sleep on the couch last night.
"Maybe they went exploring in the city?" Bell wondered as he sat up and stretched his arms over his head before starting his new day.
As he walked upstairs and outside though, he saw Archer coming back with several bags in his arms.
"Morning Bell," the taller man said with a smile. "Picked up some early groceries to make some breakfast if you want it."
"Breakfast?" Bell repeated and no sooner than he did did his stomach start growling. "Ahaha…I guess I do."
"Good. It won't be anything special but it's important to have breakfast in the morning."
Bell followed Archer back down to the kitchen just in time to see Hestia getting up.
"Mo…morning…" came the sleepy greeting of their goddess. "You boys are always up so early…"
"It's still later than usual," Bell pointed out. "It's almost eight."
"It's still way too early!" Hestia shouted before looking around. "Where's Caster?"
"Haven't seen him," Archer admitted before walking over to the kitchen and laying things out on the counter before turning on the stove to start cooking. "He left after the two of you fell asleep."
"Hmm…he should at least leave a note," Hestia mumbled as she glanced over at the dresser at the foot of the bed where the Grail was sitting peacefully.
Caster didn't return until Hestia and Bell were halfway done with their breakfast of Archer's scrambled eggs, sausages, fresh bread and a small salad.
"I have returned mongrels!" Caster said, triumphantly throwing the door open.
"Caster!" Hestia shouted as she stood up, a slice of bread still in her mouth. "At least leave a note when you leave in the middle of the night!"
"A king need not explain his motivations to anyone, not even a goddess," Caster said with a smile as he tossed something toward Archer who caught it.
"This is…" Archer muttered as Bell realized that it was a rather large bag. Archer then placed it on the table where several gold coins spilled out.
"W-w-w-where did you get this?" Bell asked, staring at the bag of valis. "Isn't Archer holding onto our funds?"
Said servant held up a much smaller bag in response.
"I simply spent my time at the Business District and pursued their Casinos," Caster said as he walked over to the couch and sat himself down on it. "Several are open all night and so I partook in their services."
"Gambling!?" Hestia shouted. "You went gambling last night? With what money?"
"I simply offered one of my treasures as collateral," Caster replied. "Those are but a portion of my winnings that I shall graciously offer to you, Goddess Hestia."
"Eh? Me? Why?" Hestia asked.
"You are attending a banquet tonight, are you not?" Caster asked. "Therefore you must be presentable. A goddess is a representative of their Familia and I will not tolerate being known as the destitute Familia living in a rundown church!"
"But…we are a destitute familia living in a rundown church," Bell pointed out before glancing back at the bag of money. "Well…not the first part anymore I suppose."
"The last thing you need is for Hephaistos to not believe you when you say you wish to sell my treasures," Caster continued. "Along with a smaller piece of my treasury we will prepare you a dress befitting of a goddess that claims to have the treasures she wishes to sell."
Hestia stared at Caster for a long while, frozen in shock and seemingly at a loss for words, causing the man to laugh.
"You may sing praises in my name whenever you wish," he said with a smirk, only for it to disappear when tears started falling out of Hestia's eyes.
"YOU ALL ARE SO GOOD TO ME!" She shouted as she dived over the table into Caster's chest. "I DON'T DESERVE ANY OF YOU!"
The sudden act of intimacy threw off Caster's rhythm and all he could do was hold his hands up above the tiny goddess as she sobbed into his chest.
"Get. Her. Off. Of. Me." He ordered Bell who quickly pulled the clingy goddess off of Caster.
"Come now Goddess, you'll make Caster angry," Bell said as he sat her back down on her bed only for her to cling onto him instead. "Dowah!?"
"You are being rather generous lately," Archer noted.
"Everything I do, I do to secure my own standing and future in this world," Caster said, brushing himself off. "Nothing more."
"If you say so," Archer shrugged before walking over to rescue Bell, pulling Hestia off of Bell by lifting her up from underneath her arms like a child. "Come now, Lady Hestia. Once you and Bell finish breakfast, let's go pick out a dress…or at least some cloth. I don't have much experience sewing but I think I can do something if you wish to save money."
At this, Hestia sobbed even louder.
"Archer!" Hestia cried as she sniffed up the snot running down her nose. "Put me down so I can hug you too!"
"That would be slightly troublesome…"
X-x-X-x-X
Once the dishes were cleaned and put away, the four of them headed out to a fabric store to pick out some fabric for Hestia's new dress.
Hestia, not really sure of what to do, decided to let Bell pick the colors for her to which he picked white and blue and bits of gold cloth.
Once they were paid for by Caster, the group returned to the church where Archer began his work with the needle and thread after taking Hestia's measurements.
The end result was a long flowing white gown that carefully covered Hestia's body, exposing only her arms and a bit of her shoulders with two long sashes that draped over her ams. A long blue fabric also draped in front of her waist where several pieces of gold cloth wrapped around her like a belt. She also had a long blue headdress over her head with a gold lining as well.
"H-how is it?" She asked, spinning around once. "Does it suit me?"
"Wow…" Bell said once he got to see Hestia the finish product. "You really look amazing Goddess!"
"T-thank you…" she said shyly as she fidgeted in her gown. "Like I thought, I really am not used to wearing such things."
"No, it's not quite finished," Caster said as he walked up to Hestia with a hand on his chin. He held his hand out to the side and the air above his hand shimmered gold for a moment before a pair of golden bracelets and armbands fell out of them. He then carefully snapped them on Hestia's arms and took a step back to examine her again before jeweled broach fell into his other hand which he pinned just above Hestia's breast and just underneath her neck. "Now you are worthy of being called a Goddess."
"I must say white and blue do work well on you," Archer commented. "You got a good eye Bell."
"No, I think your handiwork is amazing for such short notice, Archer," Bell turned the compliment back to Archer.
Hestia's hands clung to the front of her gown as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Do not hug me again," Caster said quickly. "You will wrinkle your gown."
"But I'm so happy!" Hestia cried, luging toward Caster who held her back with a single hand, keeping his legs at arms length from her. "Caster…!"
"Come on," Archer said, placing a hand on the Goddess's shoulder. "The sewing took a lot of time. It's almost time for the party. You don't want to be late, right?"
"Yeah, we'll escort you there," Bell said as Archer took Hestia by the hand and Caster led the way to the stairs with Bell taking up the rear.
When they arrived at the Ganesha Familia Home, they all stood and gaped at the sight of the building in front of them. Standing out amongst the lights of Orario was was a massive, thirty-meter, human-shaped statue with an elephant's head sitting cross-legged in the middle of the city block…with the entrance to it being a pair of double doors located directly at the statue's crotch.
"I…am at a lost for words…" Caster admitted as he pinched the bridge of his nose while the other three nodded their heads.
He wasn't the only one either. All around them several people that could only be gods were muttering similar things with a few wondering if this was even the right place.
"W-well…I suppose I should be going," Hestia said, lifting her bag over her shoulders. "I'll see if I can't sneak some food out as well for you Bell."
"No, you don't have to do that!" Bell said quickly. "Just enjoy yourself Goddess. You really deserve it."
"Do not forget this," Caster said as he held out a small dagger with a golden sheath encrusted with several jewels. "It is a trivial thing in the grand scheme of things so I do not care if you lose it, but do not do so before showing it to Hephaistos."
"I won't lose it!" Hestia said defensively. "I won't!"
"Then, good luck," Archer said as Hestia nodded and made her way to the Ganesha Familia home.
"So…what should we do now?" Bell asked as they saw her disappear into the crotch doors.
"Probably dinner?" Archer suggested.
"That is agreeable," Caster nodded.
"Yeah, I'm feeling kinda hungry myself," Bell admitted. "But…you know…"
As the three of them spoke, their gazes were still locked on the massive statue in front of them.
"That thing is really weird huh?" Bell said and his Servants nodded their heads in unison.
A few feet away from them, a passing guard wearing the Ganesha Familia emblem across his chest let out a tired and depressed sigh.
X-x-X-x-X
Hestia wandered around the banquet hall, not paying attention to Ganesha's welcoming speech while also making sure she didn't trip over the front of her dress.
"Good thing Archer decided to not let it drag on the ground," she muttered as she looked around trying to spot her friend amongst the countless gods and goddesses in attendance.
However, her objective was slightly forgotten when she came across one of the massive buffet tables. Her body froze on the spot as the smell wafted over her and, as if hypnotized, she floated on over to it.
"Kuh…when our Familia gets bigger I want Caster to host a party and Archer to make a spread like this too!" She said as she quickly filled up her plate with as much food as she could fit on it.
"My…Hestia is that you?"
Hearing a familiar voice, Hestia turned around and saw a goddess with flaming red hair wearing a dark crimson dress standing behind her. On her thin face was a black eye patch covering her right eye, one of the marks that made her recognizable on sight.
"Hephaistos!" Hestia said happily as she carefully balanced her plate in front of her. "I've been hoping to meet with you here!"
"So I've heard," her friend replied with a smile. "I'm sorry that I've been a bit busy fulfilling an order but…" Hephaistos looked Hestia up and down. "You seem to be doing rather well."
"Yep!" Hestia nodded placing her plate on the table and threw her chest out with pride. "This dress was handmade by all three members of my Familia! Bell chose the fabric, Caster paid for it, and Archer sewed it together!"
"I see," Hephaistos replied. "It looks very well done. I wouldn't have expected that you didn't get it done at a shop. And three Familia members in a little over two weeks…you're doing rather well indeed."
"Honestly…I think they are too good for me…" Hestia admitted. "Caster stayed up all night to get the money for it and Archer spent all day making it with Bell's help. They're all such good boys…"
"You are very lucky to have such upstanding Familia members then," Hephaistos said, letting Hestia brag about her children as not so long ago Hestia was crying to Hephaistos that she couldn't get anyone into her familia and couldn't even find a job or a home for herself. "Oh, and I think you left a message with one of my children asking about a sale?"
"Yeah," Hestia nodded. "Actually, Caster seemed to have been a treasure collector before he arrived in Orario and he came across several weapons and armor in his travels and brought them along with him. He wanted to know if he could sell a few of them to you to help raise money for the Familia. He said this is an example of the things he has…"
Hestia reached into her bag and pulled out the small dagger and Hephaistos froze on the spot.
"Hephaistos?"
"Let me see that," Hephaistos said as she set her drink down and took the dagger into her own hands. "This craftsmanship…this design…it's even enchanted…"
"Uh…Hephaistos? Are you okay?" Hestia asked, looking rather concerned…even as she snuck a bite from her plate.
"Hestia…" Hephaistos began rather seriously as she crouched down in front of her. "Where exactly did your child get this?"
"I don't know," Hestia replied honestly. "He just said he was a collector of rare and valuable items. Is it really that notable? I mean, it's very pretty like all of his things but…"
"I would be willing to pay one million Valis for this alone," Hephaistos said, causing Hestia to freeze. "On the low end. If I'm being honest, I can probably resell it even higher than that. It has a few things that could give some of my children ideas for their own projects and its quality is on par with a few of my higher ranked children."
"I…I…" Hestia began, mind still reeling from the thought of having so much money. "I feel like I shouldn't accept so much money from you after you took care of me for so long. Even if you did just boot me out like that. But if you hadn't then I wouldn't have met Bell and the others…"
"Well, I'll make some time tomorrow," Hephaistos said as she handed Hestia back the dagger. "I'd like to meet your child to discuss a proper business transaction."
"Really? That's great!" Hestia cheered. "We're looking for a new place so the money would help out a lot. I mean, I'm glad you found me that Church in the first place and all but…it's a bit too small for us now."
"My, are you finished talking business?"
Another voice cut in and the two friends turned to see another goddess walk out from the crowd toward them. Her silver hair matched her gold-trimmed dress that was open in the front which drew the gaze of all the men in the area.
"Oh its Freya…" Hestia said with a sigh.
"Oh dear, am I bothering you, Hestia?" Freya asked, looking slightly troubled and disappointed.
"Not really," Hestia admitted. "I just don't know how to deal with you."
"My…that's what I love about you though," Freya said with a giggle. "You are perhaps the only one who would speak to me so honestly."
"Well, if you want me to continue being honest," Hestia continued, eyes narrowing as she peered around Freya. "I do prefer you over some other people…"
"FREYA! HEY FREI-FREI!"
A loud cry came from up a white staircase located in the middle of the room as a familiar red haired goddess came running down.
"Freya!" Loki called out, wearing a long low-cut black dress that exposed her shoulders. She stopped right behind Freya before saying "Yo chibi!" to Hestia.
"What do you want, Loki?" Hestia asked.
"Wassamatta? Can't I just drop by to say hi?"
"You never just drop by to just say hi," Hestia pointed out. "Besides, I don't want to talk to you when your Familia scared up a bunch of Minotaurs to the Upper Floors and nearly got my first child killed."
"Hey, them's the breaks when going into the dungeon," Loki shrugged. "Shit happens."
Loki then moved her head up and down to take in Hestia's dress.
"Well, I suppose I did come to here after hearing from a little birdie that a certain bum goddess was coming and get a laugh at that but…"
Hestia turned toward Hephaistos and Freya with raised brows as if to say "See?" to which the Smith Goddess shrugged and the Goddess of Beauty giggled again.
"So how big of a loan did'ja have to take out for that?" Loki asked.
"For your information this was a gift from my children!" Hestia huffed. "From picking out the material, to sewing it and even the accessories! Everything was handpicked and given to me by my precious children!"
Hestia then looked at Loki's dress.
"Besides, the only thing that's going to be laughed at is your dress," she said with a smirk as she threw out her own ample chest. "That poor tailor of yours must have been so confused about that order!"
Loki's face lit up as brightly as her hair before lunging at Hestia with tears in her eyes, grabbing Hestia by her soft and squishy cheeks while Hestia flailed around uselessly, her short arms unable to reach Loki at all.
"Here we go again…" Hephaistos sighed while Freya simply stepped back and watched the proceedings with a smile.
After shaking Hestia (and her chest) up, down, left, right, back and forth…Loki skulked off with tears streaming from her eyes, having done more damage to herself than to Hestia, even if the latter's cheeks were rather swollen from the attack.
"I'll get you next time!" Loki shouted over her shoulder. "Remember this!"
"Don't show me those pathetic little things next time!" Hestia shot back while rubbing her stinging cheeks.
"You okay?" Hephaistos asked. "Do you need some ice?"
"No thanks, I'm fine."
"I must say Loki's really calmed down since coming here," Freya pointed out. "Before it was always one death challenge after the other but now…it's really cute."
"Maybe if you're on the sidelines…" Hestia muttered.
"It's probably because she's taken a liking to the children," Hephaistos pointed out. "In fact, I think she's similar to you in that regard, Hestia."
"Grr…I don't want to admit that though…"
"You were going on about how your Bell and the other two were wasted on you right?"
"Hee hee…"
Freya's ears twitched for a moment before she looked to the side with a smile.
"I'm sorry Hephaistos," Freya said suddenly. "But I just remembered something that needs my direct attention so I will be leaving first."
"But weren't you going to ask around for information about something?" Hephaistos asked.
"I already got it," Freya replied with another smile before nodding her head in farewell before disappearing into the crowd.
"Well she certainly hasn't changed…" Hestia huffed. "She probably has her eyes on someone again. Even though she has all those other children in her Familia…"
"I suppose so," Hephaistos sighed before turning back to Hestia. "So, did you come here in hopes of setting up the meeting with me? If that's all why not stay a bit longer and have drink or two?"
"Actually…I did have another favor to ask of you…" Hestia began.
"Really? What is it?"
"Yes…I wanted you to make a weapon for Bell," Hestia said as Hephaistos's eye widened.
"Really?" Hephaistos asked. "Even though you have another child with weapons like the one you have in your bag right now?"
"He uh…Caster isn't the type to share…" Hestia admitted. "And he'll probably say something like Bell hasn't earned it or that Bell won't grow if he used one of Caster's weapons."
"I see…" Hephaistos nodded. "If a Level 1 just used a powerful weapon then his Status wouldn't really change at all. And you think one from my Familia would better fit him?"
"Yes…" Hestia nodded. "I don't plan on asking for it for free though! I'll pay you back every Valis. I'll…I'll even try to convince Caster to part with another of his treasures to trade for it."
"Will he really go for that though?" Hephaistos asked.
"I'll tell him that it's an investment! An investment for his Familia's future. Maybe…"
Hephaistos scratched her eyepatch in thought. She wasn't particularly keen on doing so but an idea for a weapon that would be helpful to a newbie Adventurer popped into her mind.
"Well, there is no point talking about it without the man in question around," Hephaistos said. "Bring him to my office at around three in the afternoon and we'll talk shop. I'll get most of my work out of the way in the meantime."
"All right!" Hestia cheered as she hugged Hephaistos. "Hephaistos, I love you!"
"Yes, yes…" Hephaistos sighed as she patted Hestia on the back. "Then let's have a drink and catch up."
"Okay!"
