A/N
Hello! I am back.
So, right onto business.
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I totally didn't forget to put the Argonaut ability on his status in Chapter 7, and totally haven't updated it since. Haha…
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'Artel Assist', the skill that allows Lili to carry her bag, isn't uncommon in supporters, hence why it's not a secret when I talk about it in this chapter.
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That should be all, unless I forgot something, I never do that though.
Enjoy!
5,185 words in total.
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Bell and Lili had gone down a number of times since his fight with the minotaur. They had been ambitious, with Eina's permission of course, and gone now to the Tenth Floor, quickly moving on to the Eleventh.
Though this was their first time with a third party member.
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"Haha! Floor Eleven! I can't believe it!" Welf screamed out into the foggy expanse.
Lili watched with mild annoyance from behind. "Master Bell, can you tell me again why you let him come along?"
"It's fine Lili, he's just excited." Bell smiled, pleased to have helped someone become so happy so quickly.
"Lili still doesn't see why he couldn't come down here with his own Familia." Lili seemed annoyed, not quite sure about Welf.
"Welf has his reasons, and besides, the new armor he gave me is more than worth it." Bell smiled.
"You mean the armor he bribed you with?" Lili quipped.
"Ah, well…" Bell had no defense.
"Jeez, you could have at least talked to me beforehand!" Lili hushly shouted to Bell.
"Well I didn't think my joining would've been this big a deal." Welf stepped forward. "Sorry to cause so much trouble Lil Squeak."
Lili would have felt a bit bad for him, after he'd heard her, but no. "Excuse me?! My name is Liliruca Arde, thank you very much!"
Welf didn't miss a beat. "Great, nice to meet you Lil-Lili!"
A vein bulged on her forehead, before turning away with a huff.
"Please calm down, Lili. If we take Welf down with us, it'll only lead to better equipment in the future. Just look at this armor, and he doesn't even have the 'Blacksmith' ability yet!" Bell used his hand to push his chest plate forward.
Which also happened to show off Welf's signature, including his last name. "Crozzo?!" Lili turned to Welf. "You're a Crozzo?!"
Welf just turned away, not wanting to talk about it now.
"So you know of them?" Bell asked.
"The Crozzo's are famous across the world, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who didn't!" Lili said in astonishment.
Bell sweat dropped.
"Master Bell… Don't tell me…"
Welf turned back, both now staring at him.
"Could you remind me?" Bell scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Of course." Lili spoke in annoyance.
Lili prepared herself. "The Crozzo's are known for creating magic swords in Rakia during the Elven-Human Wars.
They were what allowed Humanity to compete with the magic of the Elves.
After a few generations, they stopped being able to make them, and the family has been losing status there ever since! Master Bell, you had to have known that!"
"I-I knew. I just forgot, that's all, honest!" Bell tried to defend himself.
Lili just sighed, Welf feeling uncomfortable from hearing his family history.
Bell really did know, he just hadn't made the connection between Welf and Crozzo.
Bell was, however, unaware that the Crozzo family was still around, having assumed they died out. Not that Bell knew him personally, Crozzo was just the last he'd heard of the family.
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Suddenly, their attention shifted from each other, to the cracking noises around them. Only being located from the sound due to the heavy fog.
They all readied.
Bell stepped up, fastest with his knife.
Welf held behind, ready to kill anything that got close.
Lili stepped back, loading her crossbow.
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Imps became visible, the small statured bipeds were but skin and bone. Regardless, they were fast.
Bell shot forward, immediately taking the brunt of their forces.
The first, who didn't have the speed to keep up, was bisected by the Hestia knife.
Bell found the next, directly behind it.
He stopped short of the Imps swing, cutting from it's shoulder to heart.
The next next jumped at Bell, he dodged.
.
Welf and Lili held their own.
Lili shot, caving in the cranium of an Imp.
Welf halved an Imp with his long sword.
Lili reloaded, scouting their surroundings.
Welf was caught by two, taking on one of them.
Lili shot the other.
Both fell to the ground.
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Bell looked at Welf and Lili.
Behind them, he saw Hard-Armor.
"Look out!" He shouted.
They didn't think twice, jumping to either side as it rolled forward.
Bell met it with his knife, jamming it into the stone like outer shell.
Using its momentum, Bell forced himself down, lifting the beast over and past him.
His knife came free.
The Hard-Armor stopped, uncurling to re-orientate.
Bell lifted his arm.
"Firebolt!"
The ball of flame crashed into it.
Part of the shell melted instantly, rendering it unable to curl again.
"Firebolt!"
The second blast hit the head, killing it.
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Bell stopped, breathing in and out.
Welf jogged over to him.
"I didn't know you had magic! That was awesome!"
Bell chuckled. "Thank you."
They were still catching their breath as they turned to look for Lili, finding her already well on her way to opening the Hard-Armor.
They stopped for a moment.
Welf chuckled. "She's a hard worker, isn't she." The corner of his mouth angling up.
Bell nodded, smiling. "The best there is."
They stood for a moment.
"After she's done, well break to eat, sound good?" Bell asked.
Welf grinned. "Mh, better than good!"
Bell looked back to Lili.
She worked her carving knife under an armor plate, but seemed to struggle with pulling it up.
"I'll go help her." Bell said, taking the first few steps.
"Aye!" Welf called, stopping Bell. "The hand, what is that?" He pointed.
Bell brought his hand up, finding silver and white particles dancing around it.
Bell reacted calmly, regardless of the situation. "I don't know." He slacked a hand on his wrist, seeing if it would fall off.
Bell's eyes widened as screaming was heard over past Lili.
Bell and Welf's eyes widened, seeing the glowing red orbs through the dark fogg beyond.
Three adventurers came running past Lili, who they only just noticed.
"Run!"
"Infant dragon!"
"Hurry! Go!"
Lili was slow to react, not helped by the heavy bag, and started to run as she got to her feet.
Bell and Welf's eyes widened as she turned to them.
Welf reached for his sword, beginning to step forward.
Bell simply lowered his stance and raised his hand.
"Firebolt!"
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When Lili looked up, now in Bell's arms, she couldn't focus her eyes.
Her ears buzzed with a low hum, only able to make out a syllable or two from Bell.
Welf was beside him, searching hastily through her bag.
Eventually, he found it, bringing the red vial out, handing it to Bell.
Bell turned her head.
Lili's brain seemed to swell as the potion entered her ear canal.
Again with the next ear.
Her hearing got clearer, eventually to the point where she could understand them.
"Lili- Lili look at me!" Bell called, her eyes closed from the ache in her head.
She mustered some words. "Light. Hurts."
Bell leaned over her, opening her eyelids himself.
Though it was dark, he could see her pupils shaking.
"Welf." He turned. "We need to leave, I think she has a concussion."
Lili passed out, not remembering anything after that.
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She woke up as though all she did was blink.
'Wh- Where am I?!' Everything was dark.
"Lili stay down!" Bell responded, keeping her from sitting up. "We're in the Blue Pharmacy, everything's fine!"
"L-Lili can't see!" She spoke up, fear evident.
"You're fine, breath." He continued to hold her down. "Your eyes are fine, Miach recommended it so you heal better, you got a concussion."
She breathed heavily, trying her best to settle.
Lili thought for a few seconds. "What happened down there?"
Bell had readied himself for this.
"Well… I'm sorry… It was my fault."
She was confused. "How?"
Bell sighed. "When the 'baby dragon' appeared, I used 'Firebolt', but something went wrong. I don't know how to describe it, but 'Firebolt' didn't function correctly."
"Can you try?" She asked.
Bell nodded, though she couldn't see him.
"Uh, it was white, instead of orange and red.
Silent until it hit, almost like it absorbed the sound around it.
It had a much deeper sound, one I've never heard before, when it impacted.
The explosion was also different, a white dome appeared for a moment, then leaving behind a black cloud of ash.
The dragon fell apart after that, I'm guessing I hit it's stone."
"How did Lili-" She stopped as a wave of nausea hit her.
Bell spoke quietly. "I- think the shock wave hit you. Before we knew it, you were on the ground, not moving."
Lili was quiet.
"Are you sure it was 'Firebolt'?"
"Yes, I'm certain."
Lili exhaled through her nose, them talking was agitating her head. "Okay, how long until I'm better?"
"Miach and Naaza thought it would be around four to five days with Falna."
Lili deflated a little.
"They asked if you had Artel Assist, I hope you don't mind that I told them…"
Lili would have nodded, though she couldn't.
"...Miach said people with that skill tend to heal faster from internal injuries, though it doesn't say it on the skill. Because of that, you may be back to normal in three days or so, depending on how you feel."
That made her feel a bit better, however still disappointed.
"Alright, but please don't worry yourself master Bell, you were just trying to protect me."
Bell stayed silent.
"Master Bell?"
He spoke. "I'll try my best." He stopped for a moment. "If you're awake, I'll stop by tomorrow night and check on you, sound good?"
"Yes, that's good." Lili spoke, getting slower in her speech.
Bell smiled softly, placing his hand on hers. "Get some sleep, it'll make you feel better."
"Mh." Lili affirmed.
Bell squeezed her hand, before letting go, standing up and walking to the door.
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Bell made his way to the guild, intending to cash in the stones they had gotten that day. Lili's condition still weighing heavy on his mind.
As usual, he came through the front entrance. Scanning the counter, he found Eina immediately.
Bell was cautious in his approach, she seemed anxious.
"Eina?" He called, surprising her.
"Bell?!" She jumped. "Oh, good. I was worried, it's quite late after all."
Bell was surprised, having been in thought his whole trip over, he turned to look over his shoulders, seeing only darkness through the guild hall windows.
"I guess it is." He scratched his cheek. "Sorry."
Eina smiled. "No problem. Just as long as you don't repeat your first day, we'll be fine."
Bell smiled, nodding. "I'll do my best. Can you help me at the exchange?"
She nodded, moving down the counter.
Bell dropped his stones in the drawer, Eina pulled it through to count.
"Your total is 12,650 valis. Do you want it split in two like usual?"
Bell shook his head. "No, three today, thank you."
Eina's eyes widened. "You finally got a new party member! Congratulations!"
They moved over, away from the divider.
Bell smiled. "Yes, they seem really reliable, so I think it'll work out."
Eina's expression suddenly dimmed. "Bell."
His smile dropped.
"...You didn't pick up another girl, did you…"
He shook his head vigorously, not quite understanding why he was panicking. "No! Welf is most certainly a guy!"
Eina relaxed a bit. "Welf?"
Bell picked back up. "Yes, he's the blacksmith I've been using. I found his armor when we went to Babel a week ago, remember?"
Eina's eyes lit up with recognition. "Oh! Good, I'm glad he's working out for you."
Bell agreed.
Eina twiddled her thumbs beneath the counter. "Say, Bell…"
"Yes?" He asked.
"Would you like to do that again some time?" She hid her embarrassment well.
Bell was surprised. "Of course, Lili's going to be out of it for a few days, and I'm sure Welf can find something to do, say the day after tomorrow?"
Eina all but cheered at his response. "Yes, that's perfect."
"Alright, I'll see you then!" Bell waved.
"Alright, you too!" Eina was beaming with happiness.
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Bell walked up the street towards Babel, coming to the stairs, noticing Welf waiting to the side.
Bell made his way over.
"Welf!" Bell called.
"Yo!" Welf responded as Bell got closer. "Hey, how's Lili?"
Bell stopped next to him. "She's fine, her Falna should have her back up in a few days."
Welf's shoulders relaxed a bit. "Good, that girl probably needs some rest."
"You're not wrong." Bell agreed.
They stood for a moment.
"You wanna come along with me for the day?" Welf suddenly asked.
Bell was caught by surprise. "Oh, sure, what did you have in mind?"
Welf grinned, throwing his arm around Bell's shoulder. "I've still got to give you your reward for letting me into your party!"
Bell was surprised. "But I thought that was what the armor was for?"
Welf huffed, bringing Bell along as he started walking. "Nah, that armor may be nice, but it's not custom. I'll make you something truly worth the favor."
Welf grinned as Bell awkwardly kept pace.
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Bell followed Welf into an area of Orario he'd never seen before, having trees and small buildings more sparsely placed than anywhere else.
They walked down a path lined with dense trees, passing several gated entrances to different properties.
Eventually, as they walked in near silence, Welf turned sharply, stopping to unlock one such gate.
It slid open with a scraping noise.
Bell followed Welf through, closing the gate as he passed.
A few moments after entering, a small shack became visible, Welf wasted no time in crossing the opening, once again unlocking the door.
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As Bell entered, he took in his surroundings.
It was a dark room, the windows being closed at that time.
On the wall, hung more tools than Bell thought a Smith could ever need.
He was further shocked when Welf opened up one of the windows, light revealing even more tools on another, darker wall.
Along with these smaller tools were his anvil and forge, easily distinguished, but different than the ones Bell had seen before.
Naturally, blacksmiths make a majority of their own tools and equipment. So in theory, they should all look a little different at the minimum.
"So!" Welf began. "Is there any type of item you'd like to try out?"
"Oh, no, this armor is more than enough right now, so…" Bell tried his best to not offend him.
"Ah! Come on! Armor, weapons or something else, there's always room to improve!" Welf sat down at a desk off to the side.
Bell thought for a second.
"I usually have two knives, but one broke a few days ago."
Welf grinned. "Alright, we have a starting point! What type of knife would you prefer? You've got Kukri, Karambit, Pesh-Kabz or maybe a Dirk."
Bell sweat dropped. "…What?"
Welf huffed in amusement. "They're different types of knives." Welf scratched his head. "Uh, what are the monsters like that you're encountering now?"
Bell took a second to think. "Well, we're starting to encounter more and more armored or thick-hided monsters, maybe something to help with that."
"Okay then, how about your attack style, swing a few times for me."
Bell did just that, pulling out the Hestia knife, giving him a few good swings, taking care to not bump anything.
Welf raised a finger to his chin. "Well, I think a Pesh-Kabz type would be good, but I'll need to shorten the tip since you primarily slash. If I do, you'll need to thrust the knife to get the armor piercing function out of it, that alright with you?"
Bell nodded.
Welf continued to stare.
"That all you want?"
Bell was caught off guard. "I'm sorry?"
"The knife is the only thing you want?" Welf looked to him skeptically. "You really just want a regular knife?"
Bell chuckled. "Only if it's made by you."
Welf chuckled as well. "I'm sorry, I should've known better than to question you like that." He lowered his head.
Bell was quick. "Don't be! You did nothing wrong. Though, I would like to know what just happened."
Welf slowly looked back up. "Mh, I believe you've heard of magic swords?"
Bell's eyes widened a touch. "Yes, my goddess told me about it. Do people request them often?"
Welf sighed. "All too often, they usually get pretty upset when I refuse too."
Bell smiled. "Too bad for them."
Welf smiled back.
"So then, what do you want it made out of?"
Bell was confused. "The knife!" Welf clarified.
"Oh!" Bell remembered why they were here. "I'm not sure, what do you recommend?"
Welf went into his thoughts. "What about that horn on your belt?"
Bell looked down to where Welf was pointing, quickly looking back up. "You can do that?!"
Welf smirked, nodding to Bell.
"That would be amazing!" Bell said.
"Well then, let's get to work!"
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Welf started at his desk, measuring the horn, then estimating the amount of materials he could get from it.
Next he pulled out some papers, finding a blank one.
He drew up three versions, letting Bell pick the one he liked best.
Bell must have chosen well, because Welf grinned madly as he stood, making his way towards the forge.
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Welf fired up the forge, the charcoal lighting up nicely. After a couple blows from the Bellow, he deemed it hot enough to begin work.
Bell watched as Welf lifted up the horn with a set of tongs.
Welf held the material over the forge, allowing it to gain a bright golden glow.
He pulled it out, sitting it upwards on his anvil.
He set the tongs aside, bringing a wide chisel and hammer out, and slowly split the horn down the middle.
Bell watched as Welf formed one of the halves into a brick.
When he held the now brick in the forge, Welf began talking.
"I hate magic swords."
Bell's eyes widened a touch. "Why?"
Welf sighed. "A weapon is something that should be relied on, it can't break when the pressure's high, it needs to go as far as the wielder can."
He pulled the brick out, quickly hitting it several dozen times, both flattening and elongating the material.
He placed it back over the fire. "I refuse to make weapons that will leave their user with nothing."
Welf repeated the strikes again. "They always come to me and ask for a blade that will make them famous, but it's not right."
He stoked the fire as it went back in. "How could I do that, willingly give them a weapon that will break when they most need it."
Welf continued his work, molding the material into what could be described as a knife to be.
He flipped it over and over, striking it each time it came to a rest. The blade took shape.
.
Welf pulled it from the forge, quickly walking over to a table clamp.
Now held in place, Welf quickly ran a large file down the length of it, forming an edge on the blade.
He progressively went down in file size, eventually finishing as the blade air cooled.
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Welf held the Knife over the forge for the last time.
"A weapon is a tool, a tool has a purpose, but cant fulfill that purpose without a wielder."
Welf pulled the knife out, quickly turning, dropping it into a water bucket. The water simmered and boiled until the knife cooled, hardening the material.
"They're an extension of you, nothing more. Those people want the weapon so they can become it, but won't be anything without it."
"I refuse to allow that."
Welf took the blade to a grind stone, next to a whetstone, bringing the dull edge to a point.
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Welf once again opened the window, bringing light once more to his workspace.
He held it up to the light.
Welf smiled, turning to Bell. "I've never made anything with this material, I'm happy it came out so well. In fact, it may be my best work yet."
Welf inspected it closer. "Scratch that, it is my best."
Bell was excited.
"So, what should we name it?" Welf turned back to Bell, then to the knife. "Perhaps Ushiwakamaru- No-no, maybe something based on the material... Mino-tan maybe?"
"NO, no-no, the first name was good?" the way Bell reacted, you'd think Welf was about to break it over his anvil.
"Mh? You liked that one? Okay then, to all their own, I guess." Welf shrugged.
'Says the one who came up with it…' Bell thought.
Welf nodded as he sheathed the blade, holding it out to him.
Bell reached out, but Welf's grip persisted.
"Bell." He looked up at Welf.
"I know we've only known each other for two days now, but I can feel that you're worth trusting, I just know it.
From now on, you, and Lil-Lili for that matter, can come to me if you're ever in trouble, don't even think twice, you got it?"
Bell took a moment to think on what he'd said, but quickly smiled.
"The same for you, Welf."
They could both feel their respect growing for one another.
Welf smiled as his grip on Ushiwakamaru loosened.
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Bell stopped to see Lili in the late afternoon.
He had stopped by the Hostess just before, letting Mia know he'd be working tomorrow, and also to pick up a pitcher of cranberry nectar, Lili's favorite drink, to his knowledge.
Unfortunately, Lili was asleep. Bell wasn't very surprised by this, though he was disappointed to not talk with her.
Bell sat at her side, reading a book on heroes of old, counting the changes he found from the original versions.
He remained there for several hours, Lili never waking.
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Bell put on his boots, ready to leave as he spied Trje sleeping on his back in the center of the bed.
He had waited till after his goddess left for work, so as to not raise suspicions to where he was going without armor. The last thing he needed was to be teased about going shopping with Eina.
He reached the top of the stairs, opening the door.
Bell had already informed Welf and Ryuu the past evening that he wouldn't be going to the dungeon, and that he had errands to run.
As he makes his way towards their meeting spot, we can see that Bell is wearing his normal outing clothes. Them being his tan coat and black pants, though with a white undershirt.
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Bell leaned against the bronze statue base, not really caring to read the inscription, he instead occupied his extra time with crowd watching.
To his right, a couple was chatting while sitting on the fountain's edge. Bell looked away, not wanting to stare.
To his front, an old couple rested on a bench, holding hands as they did. Bell smiled at this.
To his Left, he saw yet another couple, though they had only just met up.
It was at this point that Bell realized he was surrounded by various couples in different stages of dates. His face heated up a bit.
"Bell!"
"Ah!" Bell all but fell over.
Eina giggled. "Are you alright?"
"Ah- Y-Yeah!" Bell responded.
"Hmhm! Bell~ didn't you learn from last time?" Eina stood straight to show off outfit.
She was wearing a knee length, light grey dress with a waistband at her lower stomach. Atop of that was a thin, short sleeved, strawberry red coat, going just below her hips.
She also wore a comfortable looking pair of white, slip-on shoes.
"You look amazing, Eina." Bell said, fending off a blush.
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They made their way leisurely down a side road, Bell following from beside Eina.
"So where to first?" Bell asked.
Eina placed her finger to her chin. "Mmh, how about we window shop for a bit, until we find a good clothing shop, I wouldn't mind diversifying my clothing a bit, you?"
Bell was quick. "That sounds good, I wouldn't mind some more clothes as well."
Eina nodded, happy to have a plan.
.
They walked through the market district for some time, window shopping as they went.
Eventually, Eina spotted a nice looking shop for men, she quickly turned to Bell, pointing out the store. Seeing no problem with the shop, he followed her in.
Bell was looking through a small rack of clothes, picking out one, then two different sets of pants. He held them up to himself, finding them to be his size, or just about.
He made his way to a dressing room in the back.
When he was done putting the first on, Bell opened the door, around to get a feel for them.
"Oh, those are nice!"
Bell turned, coming face to face with Eina, who carried probably thirty different shirts in her arms.
"Wh-?"
"Please try them on Bell!" Eina more told then asked.
Bell had no choice.
.
Bell tried shirt, after shirt, after shirt.
Some were better than others. For instance, several of them were dress shirts of grey, black, white and light red.
Others were less than preferable.
"Einaaa…" Bell called, rather irritated.
"Y-Yes-!" Eina had a large grin.
"I'm not wearing this." Bell shouted.
"Oh come on! Please?!" Eina pleaded.
Bell cringed as he held the shirt. "But why?!"
"Please?!" Eina pleaded again.
Bell cracked under the pressure.
He walked out of the dressing room wearing the shirt.
"Eeey!" Eina squealed. "It's adorable!"
Bell looked dead inside as he stood there, wearing the bright pink t-shirt which proudly displayed a drawn bunny front and center.
"Mm kay." Bell began to turn, before Eina stopped him.
"Wait!"
Bell stopped, looking back to her.
She smiled again. "Eeey!" She squealed again.
Bell turned right around, slamming the door behind him as Eina giggled rampantly.
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They had left the shop some time after, Bell purchasing several different items.
After some time of more window shopping, they decided to stop and get lunch. They soon found themselves at a small café.
Eina was excited to try the food, ordering a sandwich, while Bell ordered soup. They were enjoying their meals.
Eina eyed his bowl. "So what's in your soup Bell?"
He looked up. "Oh, it's potato, ham, butter-milk broth, and cheese. Did you want to try a bite?"
Eina smiled. "Yes! I-If you don't mind that is..."
Bell smiled back, scooping together a spoon full with a bit of everything on it.
He held the spoon up, Eina leaned forward. "Aaahhh~"
Her lips closed around the spoon, Bell pulled back slowly, so as to not hit her teeth.
"Good?" Bell asked.
"Good." Eina answered, smiling. "Do you want to try a bit of this? It's got ham, mustard, provolone and tomato."
Bell nodded. They repeated the last actions, only reversed.
Eina raised her eyebrows to him expectantly.
He smiled. "It's very good as well."
Eina was glowing, though it wasn't just because of the food.
More so because of a concept Riveria had told her about, Eina doesn't remember why she told her, but it was called 'an indirect kiss', something she and Bell had just shared.
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They spent some time in the open air market, Eina finding a small wrist watch she liked, Bell buying it for her even though she told him not to, earning a grateful, but pouting face from her.
They made their way back into the market district's retail clothing area. It wasn't long until Eina found a shop she wanted to go into.
.
Bell did his best to help her look, but he felt a bit awkward looking through women's clothing, even if they were just sales racks.
Eina quickly noticed this. She had already found some clothes to try on, so she took him to the changing area, having the uncomfortable boy sit on a bench to the side.
She changed behind the doors of the changing room, coming out several times to show off different outfits.
Bell took note of various different combinations of clothing, Eina mixing and matching as she went.
Some of Eina's favorites included; A white shirt with a long, dark grey skirt.
A dark blue full length dress.
And a black calf length skirt with white trim, paired with a white blouse that, to Bell's silent amusement, made her look like a school teacher.
It was on the last outfit that Bell got a bit uncomfortable.
There was nothing out of the ordinary with this one, just a dark blue top with a simple red skirt. She had just stepped into the changing room as Bell reflected on the reality of his situation.
He was doing such mundane things today, and enjoying it nonetheless. He just realized the opportunities for calm day to day life that Orario could provide, it was something Bell had never truly thought of pursuing until that moment.
He smiled at the thought.
Bell had been looking at the door of the changing room, waiting patiently for Eina. While spaced out, Bell's gaze fell to under the door, seeing just above her ankles.
Nothing was inherently wrong with this, until red came into view.
Bell registered what happened as the skirt dropping after being undone, just as he saw her hand reach down to pick it up.
For a split second, Bell imagined the door wasn't there.
Quickly, he turned away, going as red as a cherry. He was a pure 'young' man, but the action made him feel very uncomfortable. Bell hadn't seen anything pervers, but he still felt wrong thinking about it.
Eina came out of the dressing room, back in her own clothing.
"Alright Bell, I know which ones I'm getting, so lets… Bell?" Eina called.
Bell was caught off guard, still in the process of calming his blush. "A-ah, yes let's go!"
Bell walked off towards the register, Eina was left behind, unsure of what to make of him, but followed soon after.
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Bell's mind was still a touch clouded that afternoon as he began his shift at the Hostess.
He was tasked with taking orders for the beginning portion of the night; a few regulars recognized him, figuring out that this was part of a punishment.
Bell was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable under the constant sly gaze of Syr. He couldn't explain it, but that look made him feel like she knew something she shouldn't.
He continued his tasks into the evening, cleaning up after spilled food and drink, wiping down tables, and getting more supplies from the storage room.
.
Bell sat among the rest of the staff as they ate, now after closing time.
Bell ate a salad the same as Ryuu to his right, Syr to his left had a sandwich.
All was going well.
"Hey Bell!" Until Syr spoke up.
"So who were you out shopping with today?" She asked.
Everything slowed, quiet spreading among the denizens of the pub.
Bell froze.
Ryuu turned slightly, her usual indifferent expression on her face.
"Who were you shopping with Bell?" Ryuu asked.
Bell could never be sure, but he felt that there was a sense of hostility in her voice.
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A/N
Okay, it's over, I hope it was good!
I tried my hand once more at fighting, I hope I'm getting better, that is the whole point of making this story after all.
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We're probably not going to be seeing Eina for a few chapters, so I wanted to give her some time with Bell.
I hope it turned out well.
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So to cap off this chapter, I have a request.
There is a scene coming very soon that is inconsequential to the overall story, and I can't decide which god/goddess would be better for it.
Your options are as follows.
Freya - Or - Miach
Comment one of the two names above if you want to.
Thank you if you did!
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Well, that's it!
I hope you all found this chapter at least a bit entertaining.
Thank you all for reading! Have a great day!