Naruto/Danmachi Crossover Idea
Baked Divinity
Part 3
"Huh? So this guy agreed to join your Familia?" Naruto asked, cleaning the surface of the counter with a cloth in hand. In front of him stood in her uniform was Hestia, though she wasn't alone. He was half annoyed with the dark-haired goddess. She'd gone on her lunch break hours ago and ended up leaving Naruto high and dry when she never came back. He thought something might have happened to her but didn't have a chance to send a clone to look for her. The bakery had been so busy he couldn't find the right moment. The queues were going around the block.
Midway through cleaning the bakery for the evening half an hour after closing the doors, Hestia came trudging in with the biggest, silliest smile on her face, clutching the arm of some young teen who came half-stumbling inside. Tilting his head as he got a good look at the guy, he couldn't help but compare him to a rabbit by his colouring. Light skin, red-eyes like rubies and white hair stopping around his ears, he looked like the human personification of the tiny animal. He was younger than the blonde by some margin. If he had to guess, he was somewhere in his early teens judging by his height and frame.
Hestia enthusiastically nodded his head, her eyes sparkling, "Yup! This is Bell Cranel! The first member of the Hestia Familia."
Hearing his name, the white-haired teen stood a little straight and audibly gulped as he held out his hand, "I-It's nice to meet you." When a moment passed and his hand remained idle in the air, it was Hestia who gently tapped him on the shoulder and pointed out he was holding the wrong hand out in greeting. Bell looked between his hand and Naruto a couple of times before letting out a high-pitched yelp. Naruto couldn't reciprocate the handshake since he had no hand to do so with.
"Bah! I'm so sorry!"
Naruto tilted his head and watched the younger man panic before chuckling, "It's okay. Don't worry about it." Offering his hand out, Bell quickly shook it, "I'm Naruto. It's nice to meet you, Bell."
Gaining his bearings, Bell nodded as he tried to forget his embarrassment, "It's nice to meet you too."
The blonde turned to look at Hestia, "I guess I can't be too mad at you for disappearing." He sighed and scratched the back of his head, "But please give me some warning next time."
Hestia had the good decency to look embarrassed, "Hehe. Sorry about that. It all happened so quickly. I kinda forgot about everything else and wanted to put my blessing on him immediately." It was the first time she'd ever given a mortal her blessing, and she wanted to make sure she did it correctly. Hephaistos had drilled the process into her head months ago.
"Still. A bit of warning next time would be appreciated." He reached behind the counter and threw a cloth towards Hestia, "You can make it up to me by helping me with the cleaning."
"Yes, Boss!" Hestia gave a salute, one mimicked by Bell as the goddess got started, ensuring the interior was spotless and ready for tomorrow.
"Would you like me to clean too, goddess?" Bell asked, stepping forward. Inwardly, he was surprised. He didn't know the gods and goddesses from Tenkai had normal jobs, on top of leading their Familia's. He was visibly taken aback when his new patron told him she was employed at a local bakery.
"Sure, that would be a big help." Hestia replied, though regretted her words as a hand came down and poked her on the forehead, "Hey!"
"This is your job, not Bells." Naruto reaffirmed, giving his employee a stern look and ignoring the pouty face she was throwing his way. Reaching beneath the counter, he pulled out a small box, opening the lid to reveal a few iced danishes he'd made earlier that morning, "Here, Bell. Help yourself. From the way you're holding your stomach, I bet you haven't eaten all day. Some of these should hold you over until we arrive home."
The white-haired teen wanted to say he was okay, but his stomach was quick to betray him and let out a determined growl, "I guess one wouldn't hurt. Thank you, Mr Naruto."
"Just Naruto. I'm not that old. I'm not much older than you." The blonde reaffirmed before turning to look at Hestia, "I'm guessing he'll be staying with us."
"I hope that's okay. I know we don't really have all that much room at home, but it would be a big help if he could stay with us." Hestia whispered, leaning in so Bell couldn't hear them, "Familia's are to stay with their deity anyway, but I don't think he has anywhere to go. I think he tried to join some of the other Familia's, but he was rejected."
"So, you weren't even his first choice? That's tough."
"Hey! I'm desperate for a Familia of my own. I'll take what I can get!" The Goddess reaffirmed, sneaking a look at Bell, who was busy looking around the bakery, "All it takes is one, and I'm sure my name will start rotating on the mouths of other new adventurers."
"If you say so. I still don't get this whole Familia stuff, but I'll take your word for it." He scratched the back of his head, "I've got a futon he can sleep in if he wants. We can set it up in the living room until we figure out a permanent arrangement."
"He can stay in my room. I should have enough floor space for him." Hestia replied and frowned at the look the blonde was giving her, "What's that look for?"
"Didn't you say you're a virgin goddess? Wouldn't it be weird for you to be sharing a room with a boy and having him sleep next to your bed?" A thoughtful expression appeared on his face, "Then again, you and I have been sharing a home for a couple of weeks now, so I guess it's not all that weird."
Hestia's face froze in a mask of horror, her hands thrown in the air, slapping against her face, "I hadn't even thought of that. Oh no! What will the other deities all think? I can't share a home with two boys! That goes against everything I ever stood for!"
"You're only just figuring this out?" Naruto asked, swiftly dodging a flip-flop aimed for his head.
Between the two of them working together, Uzumaki Bakery was spotless within twenty minutes. A nice sheen covered every surface as the reflection from the overhead lights shone across them. A satisfied nod came from Naruto as he looked it over, while Hestia and Bell stood by the door looking ready to go. Hestia was eager to get home as the day's events started catching up with her. She was feeling more tired than normal. Was it because she gave Bell a drop of her essence when she made him a member of her Familia? Who knows. Either way, the tiny goddess knew she was going to sleep well tonight.
Tomorrow she wasn't working until the afternoon, so she could get a long stay in bed and recover her energy. Maybe she could even help Bell? The white-haired teen told her earlier he wanted to sign up with the Guild, start his career as an Adventurer asap. He was so eager she couldn't help but smile. Was this how all deities felt like when they received their first member? It was a good feeling, and Hestia liked it. She just had to make sure he didn't get too over-excited.
She didn't need him dead on day one because he got too ahead of himself.
Standing by the door with Bell, the pair waited for Naruto to appear from the back room and close up for the night. When he appeared, he didn't look like he was prepared to go home. His apron was gone, but in front of him was a hand truck with a stack of four large boxes neatly piled on the front.
"Are we not going home?" Hestia asked, tilting her head to the side.
"You both are. I've got a delivery I need to make."
"We're doing deliveries now? I thought you said that wasn't something you wanted to lean into yet. At least, not until you cemented the bakeries reputation."
"We're not and that hasn't changed, but this is a special case." He explained, checking not of the boxes had rips or dents in them, "I had a customer request if I could deliver some goods to them shortly after you left. I explained we don't do deliveries, but when I heard how big the order was and that they were willing to pay extra for delivery, I made an exception."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Hestia said back but looked confused, "But they want it now? It's the evening?"
"I guess whoever she works with works nights." The blonde shrugged, "It's no bother to me. I'll head home afterwards. It shouldn't take long." He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, "Though, I'm not a hundred per cent where I'm going. I don't think I've ever been to this part of Orario before."
The Goddess frowned, "Where are you going?" She asked and took a look at the note as Naruto passed it over to her. As soon as her blue eyes read the address, Naruto found himself with the petite goddess trapping him between the counter, her gaze full of fire, "You absolutely can't ever go there!"
Naruto blinked in surprise, "Why not?"
"Do you really not recognise it!" The blonde shook his head, "That's the southeastern part of Orario!"
"So?" Even Bell looked confused, though the young adventurer was still new to Orario, so it wasn't all that surprising.
"It's well known to house the Entertainment District." Hestia wiggled her eyebrows, "You know. Where Adventurers go to let off steam. There's a certain part that's known as the Pleasure District, where people have certain needs attended to."
"Oh," Naruto furrowed his brows before realisation on what Hestia's was referring to, "Oh!" A moment later, Bell seemed to realise what his goddess was leading to with his face turning tomato red, "You know, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised a place like that exists in Orario. This city is huge, after all." The blonde didn't want to say anything aloud, but he was familiar with those types of places., though not for reasons one would think. It was during his time training under Jiraiya that he became familiar. He never took part in the activities, but many of the women, and some of the men, were contacts of the Toad Sage within his spy network. He always found it embarrassing seeing these beautiful women in such revealing clothing, but over time had to grow used to seeing such things.
He even befriended some of the nice ladies that worked the nights. Some even showed him how to give a girl a nice massage while using chakra. He figured why not.
There was always some kind of red-light district or pleasure quarters that catered to specific desires in any large town or city you visited. Hence, why he didn't appear or sound too surprised. It was part of society wherever you went.
"I bet it was some scantily clad woman that came here, wasn't it?" Hestia asked.
"She was. Regardless of how you feel about it, they made the order and paid in full." He told her and patted the box sitting at the top of the pile, "I have a duty to ensure they receive their goods. If I didn't, I think I'd have a lot of people knocking on my door demanding their money back." He patted Hestia's head before putting his hand on the truck and beginning to push it forward, "Can you get the door for me, Bell?"
"O-Of course!"
"Fine! But you better deliver the goods and come straight home!" Hestia declared, standing on the top of the counter and pointing at his back. He would be in so much trouble if he came back having partaken in their activities.
"Uhuh." Naruto nodded, "Don't forget to wipe down the counter now that you've stood on it with your dirty flip-flops. I'll see you at home." Hestia looked down and cursed, asking Bell to run and get a cloth. The sooner they could go home, the better.
"Oh, boy. I have definitely never been to this part of Orario before." Naruto said to himself, staring down the long street and watching as women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicity showed off their bodies in clothing that left little to imagine. Adventurers of all ages accompanied them, some heading inside the inns and being led in by women, others in large groups gawking at the beautiful sights the Pleasure Quarter had to offer them. The area was lit up with a pinkish hue as if signalling to customers of their arrival to the land of sin, "I think I can see why Hestia wanted me to stay clear of this place. This would be a virgin goddess worst nightmare."
As soon as he started walking, he drew the attention of women as he passed them by. Some gave him momentary glances, though turned away when they noticed his lack of a right arm. Others didn't appear deterred, winking in his direction and motioning for him to come to talk with them. As lovely as he was sure they were, he had a job to do.
After ten minutes passed, he found himself stationary by the side of the street scratching his head, the delivery resting against the wall. The address he was given didn't really give him much information. It was just a symbol he didn't recognise. A short distance away, coming from an alleyway, two young women spotted his confusion and saw a potential target for their affections for one evening. One moment, Naruto was looking at the note, and the next thing he knew, a tanned hand cupped his face beneath the chin.
"Urm, hello?"
"Hey there, Handsome. How about you come and spend the night with me." The first asked, her short-silver locks betraying her youthful appearance.
The second girl looked like the younger of the pair and ran two fingers across his shoulders, "No, no. Come and stay with me, baby. I'll show you a good time."
Naruto chuckled as he manoeuvred around them. Both of them dressed in scantily clad clothing and showed off the curvatures of their bodies. If he had to guess by their appearance, he'd say they were amazons. All three were very beautiful, with typical dark features and olive skin. He couldn't deny the temptation was there. How could he not? He wasn't the oblivious little genin he used to be. As soon as puberty hit, he understood why Kakashi sensei read the Icha-Icha Books or why Jiraiya perved on women in the hot springs.
"Sorry ladies, but I'm on the job too." He nodded down to the box's as he pushed off the wall and continued along the street, "Have a nice night."
"Naww. Okay, handsome. You know where we'll be if you change your mind." Naruto took a few steps before halting. A thought crossed his mind, turning back to look at them. They noticed his attention return and coyly smirked. They were too irresistible, "Changed your mind, sweetie? We knew you were a smart man."
"Ahh, sorry, but I have a question. Could you girls help me?" Both girls tilted their heads and looked at him curiously. He left the truck for a moment and showed them the note he was given, "Could you tell me where this is? I'm supposed to deliver these boxes, but I don't know this district. All I got was this symbol and to head to this district."
The duo took one look at the note and grinned. So they did know it!
"You're in luck, handsome. That symbol right there," The silver-haired amazon said while tapping the paper, "That's the symbol of the Ishtar Familiar, and we just happen to be members."
Relief filled Naruto's gut, "Really? Do you think you could point me in the right direction?"
The pair looked at one another. Their grins grew wider, almost cat-like. Before Naruto knew what was happening, the silver-haired amazon took the truck and started pushing it along the street while the orange-clad girl looped her arm through his.
"Sure, we'll help you. Perhaps we could even convince you to stay for a little while." She said, running her other hand down his arm, "I'm Lena, and that's Samira."
"I'm Naruto," He introduced, "Thank you for helping me."
"You're welcome," Lean giggled, "I like this one, Samira. He's so polite!"
"I do too." The silvernette looked over her shoulder, smirking as she stared at the bonded, "So, are you part of a Familia, Naruto?"
Naruto shook his head, "Nope. Just a simple baker. I haven't been in Orario long, but I'm enjoying getting to meet so many new faces." He looked around them, glancing at the variety of buildings, "Are all the buildings in this place so diverse?"
"We get clientele from all over the world. Orario's at the centre, and it's only natural we try to cater to our visitors." Lena told him, her grip tightening on his arm, "We want our guests to feel comfortable. As if they were back at home." She motioned for him to walk. Samira led the way, Naruto and Lena following closely behind as they made idle chat. The younger amazon was very upbeat and seemed excited to talk with him.
"Speaking of Tiona, I wonder where she is in the Dungeon right now." He hoped she was okay.
They walked and weaved through the streets for fifteen minutes with Naruto watching and observing as women and some men pulled their prey into their clutches, half-dragging them inside the inn they worked for and disappearing in a fit of laughs and grunts. It was like he was stepping into another world. He'd crossed a threshold and walked into the land of sin and debauchery. The sights. The scents. The sounds. They overwhelmed the senses. He wouldn't admit it aloud, but he felt his own blood begin to heat up.
Eventually, the vast interior of the Pleasure Quarter gave way, and Naruto found himself being led through a large stone courtyard. At the far end, he found himself staring up at an enormous tower that went narrower the higher it went. Pink lights lit up the bottom and got darker until the top half of the building was covered by the night, giving it an ominous feeling. It wasn't as tall as Babel tower, but it was close. A large gate and wall surrounded it, though the gate was wide open with two guards placed on either side.
"You're prey for tonight?" One of the guards, also an amazon.
"Yeah, but he doesn't know it yet." Samira grinned, before nodding to the boxes on the truck, "He's delivering some goods to the Familia. I think it's the delivery Sharay told us to be on the lookout for."
"You know what it is?"
"No idea, but I doubt it's anything harmful." She pointed her thumb to Naruto, who merely smiled and waved, though it wasn't easy with Lena still clinging to his only arm, "The guys harmless."
"Fair enough," The guard leaned in with a frown on her face, "This guy, though? He doesn't look like much."
Samira shrugged, "He seems sweet. It's mostly for Lena, but I can't deny I wouldn't mind a piece of him. He might only have one arm, but I know a warriors body when I see one." As an Amazon, she knew a warrior when she saw one. His body might have been clothed, but she could feel the might of a warrior shrouding him. Not to mention, she could see the way Lena was feeling his bicep and gave her a cheeky wink as if to say she liked what she felt.
Lead through the gate and a large set of doors, the blonde baker couldn't help but marvel at the interior of the tower. It was so fancy looking with paintings and murals decorating the golden walls with red carpets across the floor and diamond chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. A large set of grand stairs sat in the centre that led up to a second level and multiple hallways leading off to parts unknown within the tower.
"Wow. So, this is your home?" He asked, "It's beautiful."
"Thanks for saying so, handsome." Samira motioned for him to follow, still pushing the truck as she and Lena led him down a hallway to the right, "It's a bit grandiose for my liking, but I can't complain. We Amazon's don't really care about such things."
"What kind of things do you care about?"
Leaned was the one who answered, "Simpler things. Like, strength, fighting, strong men, birth," She bumped her hip against his, "Sex." She wiggled her eyebrows with both herself and Samira smirking as they stopped at a set of doors at the end of the hallway. The room was extravagant like the foyer, with comfortable sofa's made of the purest fabric in a rectangle formation and coffee tables in the middle. Walking inside, Naruto was quick to notice someone was already inside, her legs perched on one of the tables.
Like Samira and Lena, she was an Amazon and appeared older than both. There was a mature air around her in comparison, though she was no less beautiful. If Naruto was honest, he felt his blood heat up another degree when he saw her. Long dark hair was down her back and obscured her right eye, with red lipstick which complemented her violet eyes. Her clothes, if they could be called that, was little more than a purple piece of fabric wrapping around her breasts with golden jewellery covered her arms, ankles and stomach. A seethrough sarong wrapped around her waist, glittering against the light.
'Wow.' He thought. He wondered if the woman could read minds because her expression turned coy and smirked. The blonde felt like a mouse being preyed upon by a cat.
"Aisha, what are you doing here? You're not out tonight?"
"Samira, Lena." She greeted, standing up and wandered over to the trio, "I'm taking some time for myself tonight. The men and women of Orario will still be there tomorrow." Her eyes wandered over Naruto's body, "Who's your friend?"
"This is Naruto. He's delivering those goods Sharay told us about earlier." Lena pinched Naruto's cheek, "He looked so lost and helpless out in the Quarter, so we thought we'd help and show him the way."
"How good of you, Lena." She prowled around the tall blonde, as if examining him from head to foot with a mischievous glint in her eye, "I'm Aisha. It's lovely to meet you, Naruto." Even her voice had a husky tone to it that sent shivers down his spine.
"It's nice to meet you too."
"So, what do you have for us? Sharay didn't tell us what she ordered."
"Let me show you," He replied. Slipping out of Lena's embrace, much to the disappointment of the young amazon, he carefully picked up each box, laying them across the largest coffee table, "I own a bakery, and your friend, Sharay, placed a big order and asked if I could bring them over in the evening since you girls work nights."
He flipped the lids open with all three amazons leaning over to get a look inside. All three sets of eyes widened while Lena was already beginning to lick her lips. A whole variety of baked goods sat inside the four boxes. Some they recognised, while others they stared at in wonder, the aroma drifting through their sense of smell and making their stomachs rumble in desire.
"It all smells so good!" Lena said. Samira nodded in agreement.
"It really does. If I knew these were in there, I would have helped myself to a couple on the way here."
The blonde smiled at their enthusiasm. The first to reach into one of the boxes was Aisha. He watched her trying to pick where to start before pulling out one of the cakes wrapped in clingfilm for added protection. She inspected it, making a small rip in the covering and letting the scent drift through her nose.
"I can smell coffee. Some kind of coffee cake?"
The blonde nodded and walked next to her, gently prying off the clingfilm and putting it to the side, "It's a blueberry and cream coffee cake." Aisha's mouth formed a tiny o shape, "Those dark patches on the crust are the blueberries. It gives it's a bit of a fruity kick." Absently nodding, Aisha broke off a large piece with her hands and took a large bite, passing over the rest to Samira, who gave it a quick inspection.
"Hmmm! That's delicious." Aisha muttered quietly and soon heard Samira say the same thing as she took a chunk for herself, "You made all this by yourself?"
"I had some help, but all the recipes are up here." He tapped his head. At the same time, Lena was grabbing some spiced cookies in another box and quickly found herself demolishing them off. Her face lit up like a kid. Behind her, by the doors, he noticed more girls, all of whom were amazons, trickle into the room and make their way around the coffee table. Aisha, however, was keeping his attention firmly on her.
"My, my, what a talent you have." Aisha took his hand into her own, "You made all this with this hand?" When he nodded, his face went red when he found Aisha taking his index finger and putting it in her mouth. He strangled out some words but they came out as gibberish when he felt the tip of her tongue, "Hmm, delicious. It makes a girl wonder what other talents you have hidden up your sleeve."
"T-Thanks."
Her hands roamed his chest and his abdomen. By the expression on her face, she liked what she could feel. Lena and Samira had found a good one. Though, her gaze naturally went to his lack of an arm. Her fingertips roamed around the tied up sleeve before he felt her eyes bare into his.
"May I?" Aisha asked, her fingers going to work on unknotting the sleeve. He didn't mind and gave a silent nod. He watched and felt the sleeve come undone and roll up what remained of his bicep, feeling the softness of the fabric disappear and end up replaced by the warm touch of the amazon woman. He hadn't lost all sense of touch in the spot she was touching, though it still felt uneasy. The skin around the closed-up stump was a reddish colour, with scars that looked like vines shooting out across the skin.
"What happened here?"
His free hand gripped the shoulder, "My best friend tried to do something unforgivable that would have hurt a lot of people," He muttered, thinking of the raven-haired ex-leaf shinobi he chased after for so long, "So I stopped him, but it cost me my arm and my home."
Aisha didn't comment on his story but looked closer at the vine-like scaring going across his bicep and shoulder, "I've never seen scars like this before."
"He had a thing with lighting, and he was very good at wielding it."
Around them, more and more women were beginning to appear, each with their hands full of pastries and baked goods. Lena and Samira appeared to have forgotten all about Naruto still being in the room, not appearing bothered by Aisha leading him to a nearby couch and taking up the spot next to him. Cupcakes of various flavours were being passed around, as were the pieces of shortbread and Rakian honey muffins.
This went on for a good fifteen minutes as the contents of the box got lower and lower, until finally, "Oh! My! God! Is that what I think it is?"
Aisha, Samira and Lena all looked up from what they were doing and felt their eyes widen. Even Aisha, who was preparing to throw her legs over Naruto's lap and talk to him some more, found herself jumping to her feet. Every amazon grouped around the girl who spoke aloud and looked at the object in her hands.
"Is-Is that a T-Telskyuran Knafeh?
Knafeh, a delicious and rich treat made with unripened cheese, baked in shredded phyllo dough before being soaked in syrup. A delicacy in many places, but none more so than the nation of Telskyura.
"That's right," Naruto told them from his seat on the couch, "Lemon Mango Knafeh. It's something new I've been working on. I heard it's big on Telskyura, so I thought I'd give it a try." He smiled, "I'd love to know what do you think."
All the women in the room looked at one another before huddling around the amazon holding the knafeh. This was a big deal for them all. Knafeh was a special dish in their culture, given to them when they're young. Even those not born on Telskyura but were born to Amazonian mothers knew of the dish and were treated to it on rare occasions that an amazon knew how to make it. For a warrior race, it wasn't something they had often but as a rare treat. Few in Orario knew how to make it right, and those that did could never get it right.
Rare as it was for a group of amazons to act civilised, but Naruto couldn't help but watch as the women careful divided the knafeh between them, so everyone got a piece. One by one, they all looked at each other before each took a bite.
The reaction was instant.
Eyes went wide
Bodies shivered.
Tongues licked lips.
In a matter of moments, the pieces they all carried were gone, little more than crumbs left on their faces. The act was enough to make Naruto smile in success before his expression turned into a frown, tilting his head in confusion. Each amazon stood motionless and remained that way until he took a step forward. Slowly, their heads all turned and he found himself staring at a dozen predatory gazes, each with a glint that made him nervous.
"So, did you girls lik-"
"You're never leaving this place!" It was Aisha that said it, "You're staying here, forever, and in return," Her expression turned downright devious, and in a husky tone, she told him, "I'm going to make you feel things you could only imagine."
"Oh, boy." He muttered.
"Hey! I brought him here! I should get to have him!" It was Lena that shouted. The younger amazon soon found herself pushed aside by Samira, who stared challengingly at the younger girl.
"I remember I brought him here too! That makes him as much mine as it does yours."
"Please, ladies. If anything, he's mine." Aisha announced, looking at the other amazons with a superior aura about her, JUst try and take him. "I'll fight anyone who tries to take my prey from me."
'This is going south very quickly.' He thought. He knew amazons were territorial over things they wanted or owned, but he didn't think a fight would break out because they wanted him. This was not what he hoped would happen when making his delivery. He'd been more worried about the night workers hitting on him or harassing him than a fight breaking out because they wanted him permanently.
He spied a set of windows on the opposite side of the room, but it was right behind the arguing amazons. What he needed was some kind of distraction.
STOMP!
STOMP!
"What's all this racket about!" A voice bellowed out from down the hall, making all the girls freeze in place. A sense of dread washed over them all as they hesitantly looked towards the door. They didn't have to wait long as an enormous woman pushed her way, easily towering over everyone woman in the room, as well as the blonde shinobi. Her frog-like features were the first thing he noticed, her eyes reminding him of his own when using senjutsu. He took her appearance as the opportunity to sneak away.
"Tch, get lost, Phryne. Don't you have some helpless man to torture for the night?" Aisha was the only one of the amazons who didn't appear to back down when the large woman entered the room.
"Pipe down, Aisha! Your scrawny behind doesn't stand a chance against me!" Phryne retorted. Her eyes wandered over the small banquet laid out across the table, her tongue licking her lips as the smell of the baked goods wafted across her sense of smell, "So that's what could smell! How delicious!"
She took one step forward but suddenly found herself blocked off by the other amazons, who formed a wall around the table. Any fear had suddenly disappeared. They were protecting what was theirs. They weren't going to let a beast-like Phryne Jamil take what was there's! She took enough from them as it was. Men tended to stay clear of the Ishtar Familia because they were too scared with the chance of running across the Captain of their Familia.
"I don't think so. This food is ours. Get your own!" One of the amazons shot back, forming a wall between the toad-like captain and their goodies.
While the group of amazons hashed it out with their captain, one amazon looked up at the ceiling by chance and couldn't stop her jaw from dropping.
"Urm, girls." It was Lena who spoke. Everyone looked at the youngest amazon in the room and found herself pointing up to the ceiling. They all turned their attention to the ceiling and all looked surprised when they found their one-armed baker stuck to the ceiling by his feet, a couple of meters away from the window. Naruto's face held still, though his mouth formed a tiny o shape as being noticed. Boy, he was really out of practice.
Phryne looked up along with them, her face washed with anger as he locked eyes with the blonde, "What's this! You girls have been hiding a man from me!" The baked goods were forgotten and her attention now focused solely on the blonde,
Naruto nervously chuckled, "Thanks for the evening girls, but I really must be going." He gave a short wave and bolted across the ceiling, out the window and across the courtyard, "It was nice to meet you!"
None of the girls remained still for long, with Aisha shouted out, "Get him!" Everyone amazon followed suit, chasing the blonde baker into the night and across the rooftops of the Pleasure Quarter in a desperate attempt to tie him up and drag him back to their Familia residence.
"Hey! You damn Amazon! Get your head together, would you!" Bete shouted from across the battleground, delivering a heavy kick to the jaw of a large rhinoceros-like monster with a steel-like hide covering the top of its body and causing said monster to sail through the air with a sickening crunch. He backflipped through the air and gazed angrily at the younger adventurer, "Now is not the time to be zoning out!"
A few meters away, Tione appeared, somersaulting through the air and piledriving one of the same monsters through the earth headfirst. She followed up by punching it square in the chest and ripping out the magic crystal in the centre of its body, "Tione! Why did you stop!?"
The younger twin frowned and found herself staring up the ceiling of Floor 51, "I'm not sure. I suddenly have the urge to beat people into the ground and throw them in a hole." She tilted her head and looked at her sister, "Weird, huh?"
Tione rolled her eyes, bringing out her knives and swiftly decapitating a charging rhino monster into nothing more than ash.
"Well, if you feel that way, then take it out on these monsters. These fuckers keep multiplying, and they're starting to ANNOY ME!"
Bete merely listened and rolled his eyes before jumping back into battle as another swarm started making its way towards their group, "Idiot amazons. Why the hell did the captain stick me with you two?" Why did he always have to get the short end of the stick? "Go help, Ais or something. Just don't get in my way!"
Speaking of said girl, a burst of air from behind Tiona signalled the girl's arrival to the battlefield, having already dealt with her opponents and was moving onto help the rest of her Familia. Tiona got a quick glimpse of the blonde sixteen-year-old before barreling through the mob of monsters like a tornado, quickly wiping out three of them as she danced around them with little difficulty.
"Hmm." Tiona shook her head, trying to forget her earlier distraction and swung her urga over her head, as if it weighed nothing, "Okay! I can't let Ais have all the fun!" With that, she jumped high in the air and landed smack in the middle of the horde of monsters, and taking her earlier aggression out on her unsuspecting victims.
"This place is nice."
Bell found himself staring up at the ceiling of his new home, his arms tucked beneath his head and pillow thinking about the day's events. A futon had been set up for him in the living room, with Hestia loaning him a pillow from her obscene stash of pillows that decorated her bed. Did all goddesses have that many pillows? And did they all have to vary in size? He didn't know, but he wasn't about to question it.
He'd finally been accepted into a Familia after being rejected by so many others across Orario. He wasn't about to do or say anything that might upset Lady Hestia.
It was a bit surreal to him, but he was thankful. This was going to be the start of his adventure, and he was going to make his grandfather proud. Lady Hestia had promised to show him the way to the Guild Hall before starting work tomorrow, so he could get registered as an official Adventurer. It was unlikely he would go into the Dungeon tomorrow.
His thoughts turned to the man Hestia introduced him to earlier, and whose home he was currently living under. He couldn't deny he was surprised to hear that Naruto wasn't a member of the Hestia Familia, but was such close friends with the goddess. According to Hestia, he'd helped her out in a tight spot and done so much for her in the span of a month. She said he was a good person, and Bell had to agree. Though their meeting was brief, the blonde did have an inviting and warm presence around him. He had to agree with Hestia. Naruto seemed nice.
Speaking of the devil, Bell looked up from his pillow and found the front door to the little cottage opening up and said blonde walking through. A look of relief was on his face as he slumped against the door.
A moment of silence reigned over them before eventually, Bell asked, "Is everything okay?" He noticed a rip on the blonde's shirt and a small red mark on his neck, 'Is that a hickey?'
Naruto took a few breaths before pushing himself off the door and tried to play it off cool, "Yeah. Yeah, everything's okay, Bell. Just," Naruto thought for a moment, "Have you had any experience with amazons, Bell?"
"Amazons? I don't think so."
"Well, a word of advice from me to you. They're extremely persistent, so watch out. They don't understand that no means no." With that, he trudged upstairs and went to bed, leaving one very confused white-haired teen very confused.