Day 10: Shopping for Presents

Hestia considered the gifts in front of her. She thought about everything she knew about her Familia, their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, and who they were as people. Then, she made her choice and picked up the mixing bowl.

"Do you think Mikoto will like this one?" she asked.

Hephaestus rolled her eye.

"I don't really know your kids. I'm only here so you can help me find a gift for Welf," she said.

Hestia frowned. "Yeah, well, I still need your help! It's my first time that I'm able to do something like this!"

"Well, might want to make sure that you can afford the gift first," replied Hephaestus. "Especially since I can only give you so much of an advance."

Hestia smiled. "Oh, come on, you're only saying that!" She leaned in close to her best friend. "Pllleeeaaaassseee Hephaestus!"

The Goddess of the forge sighed.

"Fine."

Hestia wrapped her arms around Hephaestus and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you! I love you, Hephaestus!"

"Whatever, now buy the mixing bowl," said Hephaestus.

Her stern tone was given away by the blush on her face.

The gift-buying proceeded like that. The two of them walked around, and Hestia bought just about a whole set of kitchenware for her child from the Far East. Maybe Mikoto would be going back to Takemikazuchi's Familia one day, but she was Hestia's for now. And she had switched Familia to help Hestia in her time of need. The Goddess of the Hearth was never going to forget that one.

"Ok, next up, we have to find something for Haruhime!" declared Hestia.

Hephaestus followed behind with an amused chuckle.

"So, are we going to get some cleaning supplies or something?"

Hestia shook her head, her pigtails bouncing behind her.

"Nope, we're going to go book shopping!" she said. "Haruhime loves to read, and especially hero stories. So, I know of a bookstore with some really rare ones that she would absolutely adore!"

Hephaestus blinked. She knew that Hestia cared, but she hadn't realized that the little itty-bitty Goddess had paid that much attention. Hephaestus chuckled fondly. As Hestia turned in indignation, demanding what was so funny, the Forge Goddess was reminded of when her friend refused to leave the couch. She had only thought about herself. Hephaestus patted Hestia on the head.

"You've grown up a bit, that's all."

Hestia scowled. "Well, I'll have you know that I'm older than you!"

The two made their way down the street, bickering good-naturedly. They made their way into the bookstore, and Hestia vanished into the stacks. She looked for the type of books she knew that Haruhime would love. She found hero stories and tales of wonder and far-off places. Most importantly, she found stories where the heroine was not a damsel-in-distress. All of them were confidence builders meant to help the renard get out of her shell.

As they left, Hephaestus couldn't help but comment.

"I'm surprised you didn't buy Bell some books too. It would have been the perfect time to kill two birds with one stone," she said.

Hestia waved the concern away.

"I already bought Bell his gift. Actually, I've had it for a while now," said Hestia.

Hephaestus stopped hands on her hips.

"It better not be something like a date, or else I'm going to take back every nice thing I said about you today," she said.

Hestia shook her head.

"No, I got him the newest potato snack recipe and flavour. And everything he needs to make them for himself," replied Hestia.

"Why in the world would you get him that? I wouldn't think that Bell likes potato snacks," said Hephaestus.

Hestia wiggled a finger in the air.

"Not that much, no, but the Sword Princess is another story," replied Hestia. "Bell will have everything he needs to give Ais the perfect gift and enjoy a nice date if he wants." Hestia looked down. "Maybe Bell doesn't love me back, but I know that Ais makes him happy, and that's what's most important." She bounded back up. "And just in case, I bought him some books about the Dungeon to help his studying."

Hephaestus nodded along, thoroughly impressed with Hestia's thought process.

"These are all quite thoughtful…how'd you come up with them?" she asked.

Hestia didn't give a direct answer.

"The Hearth isn't just about a flame, you know?" she began. "It's about family and everything we hold dear. It's about having a safe space where the people you love can take care of you, and you can take care of them." She looked back. "I want my children to always feel like they have a home. Even if they leave and find another Familia, I want them to feel safe and to remember that I will always hold a spot for them." She started walking forward again. "And now, we find one for Welf!"

Thankfully, with Hephaestus in tow, finding Welf a gift was easy. They didn't buy him a finished product. Hephaestus insisted instead that any authentic smith would want raw materials. They would want a chance to make their own gift. Which meant that there was only one member left.

"So, what do you get for the little prum girl?" asked Hephaestus. "If my memory serves me correctly, she doesn't like the idea of spending money."

Hestia nodded along. "Yeah, Little Miss Supporter was a tricky one. But I went to ask Soma some questions and for a bit of help."

Hestia turned down a road. Hephaestus followed, keeping track of where they were in the city. And if her internal map was correct, they were going to pick quite the unusual gift.

"You see, Lili doesn't drink, which is entirely reasonable given the circumstances," explained Hestia. "But every time the rest of us do, she looks a little left out. I mean, she says she's fine and acts like she is. But I want to find her something to make her feel like she's part of the group." They turned again. "So, I went to ask Soma for some advice. Apparently, he was faced with the same issue once upon a time." She smiled at Hephaestus. "Do you want to know what he did?"

Hephaestus sighed.

"What did he do?"

"He made non-alcoholic cider!" said Hestia, tossing her arms in the air. "It looks like cider, tastes like cider, but it's almost like fizzy juice!" Hestia dropped her hands, her face turning hesitant. "Maybe this isn't enough to make Lili feel better, but I want to try at least. So, we're going to stop by Soma's place and buy all the non-alcoholic beverages we can. How does that sound?"

Hephaestus smiled. "That sounds wonderful."

And come Christmas day, when Hestia Familia gathered to open their presents, everyone was happy. Even a certain little Goddess who got a fancy new dress, courtesy of her whole Familia.

The End