Their outings around Orario became something of a routine.

Every week or so, Lefiya would invite Filvis to go visit some cafe, candy store, or elven clothing boutique with her. The younger elf would always stutter her words when she asked, as if she was afraid of being rejected.

Filvis couldn't fathom why. Lefiya could ask her to patrol the sewers together, and she would still be jumping in joy.

Every week, Filvis would slowly count down the days before their promised meeting. Her excitement would rise, peak and culminate at the sight of her friend waving at her in front of whatever shop they had chosen.

Filvis would drink in the sight, eyes greedily taking in every line and curve and colour. The clear blue of her eyes, the ruffles along her long skirt, the bounce of her hair as she skipped along the streets.

Oh! If only she could burn visions onto skin.

It sometimes felt like Lefiya's touches burned her skin. Filvis realized early on that, miraculously, the younger elf had absolutely no aversion to physical contact.

Where other elves would ration out their touches like food during a famine, Lefiya doled them out with wild abandon, flinging them out when least expected.

A hug to say hello, a hand on the shoulder just because, an arm around the elbow to walk down the streets, a tug on the wrists to get her attention (no need really, Lefiya always had her attention).

Filvis loved it all. Relished it all.

Disgusting. Look at what you've become.

The contact seemed to infuriate Ein. She also counted down the days to their outings, but with dread instead.

Her monstrous half would work herself into a frenzy in the Dungeon. Any violas or Thanatos familia members unlucky enough to get too close would be beaten into a pulp of flesh and blood.

On those occasions, she would stand over the still-warm pile of what was once alive, panting with excitement and exertion. She truly looked like Banshee in those moments. Cruel eyes, blood-speckled clothes, a manic smile reaching from almost from ear to ear.

She would sometimes dream that the mess of flesh and guts before he belonged to Lefiya. The thought sent her mind into a frenzy.

Ein hated it all. Cursed it all.

If that filthy thing ever comes down to the Dungeon alone…

The manic smile deepened.

Please don't ever go into the Dungeon alone..

A panicked look flashed briefly.

It was Filvis's worst nightmare come to life: that the one dearest to her heart, other than her god Dionysius, would die by her own hands. That she would commit to pure insanity and kill her own soulmate.

It's fine. She belongs to a large familia. They would never risk her life by sending her down beyond the upper floors by herself. They're not idiots.

"Miss Filvis!"

A voice as clear as a songbird's trill broke Filvis out of her reverie, and sent Ein into a frenzy.

"Lefiya!"

Filvis noticed something wrong right off the bat. Instead of dressing in one of her cute casual outfits, the younger elf had donned her battle-dress. Sturdy, enchanted bolts of cloth made up her pink skirt and chemise. At her side, she held her mage's staff.

"Lefiya?...Is there a reason for the outfit? Not that it looks unseemly! You look cute in just about anything...It's just that it's different from what you usually wear, and I was wondering, and...you know what, I'm going to cease talking now,"

The older elf flushed red in embarrassment, realizing that she had been rambling. But Lefiya did not seem to mind at all. She gave her companion a bright smile.

"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Filvis! Truth is, I have to cancel our outing this week,"

"Oh...I see,"

Filvis thought she did a decent job of not visibly deflating, but her voice easily gave away her disappointment.

I'll have to wait another week…

"We can still spend some time together though!"

At her reassurance, Filvis visibly perked up.

"I need to gather a few magic herbs growing in the middle floors of the Dungeon. Everyone else in my familia is busy, so I was wondering if you could accompany me instead? Of course, we'll split the herbs equally!"

Filvis nearly tripped while standing still.

Oh, the gods curse me with bad luck!

That's not all they cursed us with.

Not now, Ein! Save our self-deprecating speeches for later!

"Perhaps...you should wait until another familia member is free? Such as Braver, Sword Princess, or Lady Riveria? These things should be done by members of the same familia, after all,"

Please just wait and stay above ground.

"Oh...I can't really wait though. The herbs have to be collected before the quest deadline passes tomorrow morning...It's fine though! Please don't worry!"

"Are you going to cancel the quest then?"

Thank the gods.

Filvis heaved out a great sigh in relief, while Ein heaved a boulder into a passing Minotaur down in the Dungeon.

"No, this quest needs to be completed. Please don't worry though! At level 3, even a mage like me can make it to and from the seventeenth floor on her own!"

The seventeenth floor regularly spawned Minotaurs, which Ein just encountered. Her negative counterpart looked around her surroundings and noticed that she was, in fact, on the seventeenth floor.

Ein grinned. But it was not a gentle grin.

Gods damn it!

"On second thought Lefiya, this would be a good opportunity to foster relations between our familias. I'll go with you. I will most definitely go with you"

"Really? Thank you so much!"

Filvis would have really preferred to have Lefiya go with someone else, since her own presence may not ward off Ein. Lord Dionysius had forbidden her counterpart from revealing herself to too many strangers, but Filvis was not a stranger, and Lefiya was only a single person.

Ein, don't you dare do anything.

Oh I wouldn't dream of it! What do you think I am? Some kind of monster?

While Filvis was engrossed with balancing a mental argument with Ein and a verbal conversation with Lefiya, who had begun talking excitedly about their new 'outing', she failed to notice two people watching them from the shadows.

Two elves — one woman and one man — were dressed in what could technically qualify as disguises, but were more outlandish costumes than anything else.

Aura wore a trench coat that was so long that it nearly trailed on the floor as she crouched behind a bush. Harold wore a quilted vest that was decorated, for some reason, in rainbow-coloured checkers, along with a matching knee-length skirt.

They were both wearing glasses, as if that somehow made up for their disastrous attempt at being discreet.

"Mommy, mommy, look! A pair of weirdos!"

"Honey, don't make eye-contact,"

An animal person mother quickly ushered her son away from whatever was going on there. She was adamant on not getting involved.

Aura heard and had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Harold, are you sure these disguises work?"

"My, your words wound me! I got these clothes from a most reputable source! He has much experience keeping out of sight of one's fellow familia members! He guaranteed their effectiveness!"

"...well okay, but why are your clothes rainbow-coloured?"

"Well if the captain sees us, I want her to know that we support her,"

"That goes against the very purpose of disguises, but the thought is nice, Harold,"

The duo of elves did not get much further in their conversation, before the keen-eyed Harold saw the other duo of elves making their way to Babel, where the Dungeon's entrance lay.

"Drat! Quickly now, Aura! They're on the move!"

As Aura hurried after him, she whispered to herself.

"What idiot did Harold get these ridiculous disguises from?"


"Hermes, what happened to the old clothes we were supposed to donate to the clothing drive?"

"No need to worry, Asfi! I already dealt with them!"

A very confused Asfi walked around the Hermes Familia home, while her patron God sat on the couch drinking orange juice from a wine glass. He would've preferred actual wine, but Asfi banned him from alcohol after The Incident.

The teal-haired adventurer shot Hermes a look.

"You saying that only worries me more, you know,"

"Ha ha! Have some faith in your god! I'm sure nothing bad will come of it,"


It was unsettling how quickly and painlessly Filvis and Lefiya made their way down the Dungeon. Of course it helped that they were both level 3's going on what was a relatively easy mission, but Filvis couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched.

She brushed away that thought, reasoning that her paranoia was simply rearing its ugly head again.

No, this time you're actually being watched.

If this is your attempt at distressing me, it's not working.

Whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you.

For some reason, Ein sounded rather smug, which disturbed Filvis. But she was disturbed by most things her counterpart said and did, so she brushed the warning away as a half-hearted trick.

A small hand slipped into her own.

Ack?!

"Look, Miss Filvis! I think I see the herbs there!"

In her excitement, Lefiya had grabbed Filvis's hand. She gently pulled the older elf alongside her as she strode towards the wall, where a clump of fern-like plants had begun growing. Filvis gave a little start, but offered no other resistance.

Why would she?

Even now, she could feel the magic of her soulmate mark stirring under her skin. It hummed pleasantly at the close contact she had with her soulmate, crawling and twisting down towards her hand in an effort to get even closer.

It felt like the weight of a thousand burdens had been lifted off of her chest. For this moment, just this moment, Filvis let herself forget the guilt of her past and focus solely on the moment. She was standing there, walking hand in hand with Lefiya. And that was enough.

No it's not enough, not enough, never enough.

You greedy little thing.

The magic was still incomplete. It reached Lefiya's hand and fumbled blindly for its other half, the mark that should've also existed on Lefiya's skin. But she was not meant for Filvis. She belonged to someone else.

The thought threatened to tear Filvis apart.

Filvis unconsciously began running her thumb across Lefiya's knuckles, trying to reciprocate even a fraction of the affection she felt pouring out of her.

She's so beautiful.

"Mmm...Miss Filvis, that tickles,"

Something that was not quite a laugh escaped Lefiya's throat.

"My apologies! I-I don't know what got into me,"

"It's fine! It felt rather nice, actually,"

Feeling a cherry-red blush working its way up her neck, Filvis distracted herself by unsheathing a dagger and harvesting an armful of pungent herbs. Their thick, earthy aroma soon knocked some sense back into her head.

Alright, that's better.

You disgust me.

Shut up.

Lefiya moved to work beside her, striking up a conversation about her Familia's antics. She spoke of loud, unafraid amazons and misunderstood werewolves, of hearty laughter and a perverted but ultimately caring goddess.

She spoke with fond exasperation, and Filvis felt a different sort of longing in her chest.

I...had a Familia like that once.

We killed a Familia like that, once.

In that moment of weakness and vulnerability, Ein struck. She sent images, memories of a dead Familia torn apart by a nightmare, of a foolish elf running back in a doomed rescue attempt, turning into a nightmare herself.

St..stop! Please, please not now. Not with my soulmate here.

HA! You claim her as your soulmate? Where's her matching mark then?

Well, go on! Tell me where it is. Tell me.

...

Will you introduce her to Lord Dionysius? Or what about me? You should introduce her to me, then we'll see how 'your' soulmate reacts.

That's what I thought. Keep your filthy mind out of the gutter.

"Miss Filvis, is something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost,"

Lefiya nudged her companion with her shoulder, her eyes scanning their surroundings for any monsters that might have spawned while they worked. One hand held her staff, ready to begin chanting at any moment.

Filvis could not bring herself to even respond. She tried desperately to pull herself together, but could not hear nor think of anything else but Ein's poisoned words.

Look at you. Breaking down like a baby right in the middle of the Dungeon. Pathetic. Disgusting.

"Miss Filvis? What's wrong,"

"I'm fine...I'm fine. My apologies for that,"

Out of sheer willpower, tempered by years of living with Ein, Filvis was able to mask the wave of self-doubt and hatred and worry that poured out from her counterpart, the other half of her mind. She even managed a shaky smile.

Lefiya did not seem convinced at all. She frowned lightly at her friend's inability to share her troubles with her, but she couldn't very well force her to talk either.

For now, she settled on pressing one of her hands atop of Filvis's.

"You'll...let me know if something's bothering you? I'm a great listener, you know!"

"I'll, keep that in mind. Thank you Lefiya, truly,"

Filvis couldn't bear to look at her companion's face any longer, not without the guilt laden across every inch of her being.

As she looked for distraction, she caught a glimpse of something nauseatingly bright and rainbow-coloured diving behind a wall.

Rainbow?

"Something's there,"

With a low whisper, Filvis leaned down to whisper instructions to Lefiya.

This can only end horribly.


"Harold, are you done yet?!"

"Quiet Aura! And no, I'm not. For goodness sake, you watched for almost a half hour! I think you can allow me a bit more time,"

The duo of poorly dressed elves hid behind a wall a few dozen meters away from their captain, watching her with a pair of binoculars they had pilfered from their Familia's storeroom. Currently, she was still harvesting herbs with her companion.

"Can you make out who her date is?"

"...Mostly? She's a woman,"

"Nice observation skills, oh keen-eyed Harold. They'll sing songs of your mastery,"

"Okay, fine. I'll admit that was not the most astute of me,"

Harold peeked his head around the corner, binoculars held up against his eyes.

"Oh! I think I see pointed ears. Her date's an elf, I'm pretty sure,"

"Captain Banshee wooed an elf?! Let me see! Is she a part of our Familia?"

Elves were notoriously hard to court, even among their own race. There was a long process of gifts, and poems, and social cues that made up their courtship back when they lived in their home forests. Elves in Orario had relaxed those customs somewhat, but they were still rigorous enough to deter the weak-willed and uncertain suitors.

For a race as long-lived as elves were, it only made sense. They regularly lived for over a century-and-a-half. Any partners they had needed to be dedicated enough to stay by their side for a long, long time.

To see that their cold-hearted captain had made the effort to establish such a bond made her seem more approachable, more human.

Huh. Banshee still has elven pride in her, yet!

"Stop pushing me, Aura! You'll give us away!"

"Just get a good look then! Who is she?!"

"Let me see...she looks younger than the captain,"

"Figures that she goes for the younger ones,"

The vice-captain of Dionysius Familia couldn't help but throw in a few barbed comments at that. She was happy for her captain, but she still had her personal conflicts with her.

"I have to say, she looks quite beautiful. Long, slender years with a well-proportioned visage. The captain's got a keeper, that's for sure,"

"Wonder how she managed that,"

"Now, now, Aura...We're here to support her,"

Harold felt mostly indifferent towards his captain. She spoke so little that some members of their Familia had ever heard her voice before. Captain Filvis never accompanied them on missions, and rarely even led expeditions, preferring to leave those matters to Aura. Instead, she dedicated herself entirely to their patron god's safety.

Nonetheless, he was happy to see her reaching out to others, even if they weren't part of the same Familia. After all that his captain had gone through, it was the least she deserved.

Aura seemed slightly chided, and softened her tone somewhat.

"Any luck on her date's identity?"

"It's a bit hard to see...she's leaning away from me...Oh wait! She turned around...Hey, I recognize her!"

"You do?!"

The clamour from their shouting drew both their captain's and her date's attention. With a yelp, Harold lept back from the corner.

"What's wrong?! Did they see you?"

"No! I think. I'm not entirely sure,"

The two hushed up. When no voice or footsteps were heard for a few moments, they relaxed their guards.

"I think we're safe,"

Aura was wrong, and they were not safe.

"Dio Thyrsos!"

"Arcs Ray!"

Two beams of light came rushing towards them, followed shortly by an unmanly yelp and several explosions.


"Did we get them?!"

"I think so, yes,"

Ein, I swear to the gods if that's you and you try to hurt even a strand of hair on Lefiya's head—

Ouch. The pain. The pain is just too much. What will I ever do?

Ein's dead, mocking voice echoed in Filvis's head. But from the images she sent, Filvis could tell that Ein wasn't actually close by at all. She was on a completely separate floor, somewhere in the Great Jungle Labyrinthine, several levels below the seventeenth floor.

Then who?

Filvis felt an awful headache coming on.

"Who's there? Show yourself at once!"

From the dust and rumble, two figures came stumbling out. They were both shaken, covered in filth and coughing their lungs out, but otherwise unharmed.

Their binoculars and clothing had been destroyed though.

"Banshee, what the hell was that?! Were you trying to kill us?!"

As the dust slowly settled, Filvis recognized one person as her vice-captain Aura and the other as Harold, the level 2 archer.

"Aura? Harold? What have you two been doing?! Is that a pair of binoculars?! Oh gods, I didn't know you had degraded yourself to stalking, you perverted excuse for an elf,"

"Excuse me?!"

As the executive commanders of his Family started a war of insults, Harold brushed himself off and tried to preserve what remaining dignity he had.

"Hello there, miss!"

"Um...hello!"

He bowed slightly in greeting, which the younger elf returned in kind.

"My name is Harold, from Dionysius Familia. Thank you for taking care of our captain,"

"Oh, please don't mention it! She takes care of me far more than the other way around!"

Their conversation was accompanied by the lovely screaming of two elves with a massive grudge against the other.

"Um...sorry about this. We kind of intruded, didn't we?"

"No, no! I'm just a bit surprised. What were you two doing out here, anyways?"

"Um, nothing much. Just, taking in the sights, you know?"

The seventeenth floor had nothing but miles and miles of grey stone, with the occasional grove of dead trees. Most adventurers would agree that it was the ugliest place in the Dungeon.

"Yes, of course,"

Miss Filvis sure has an interesting Familia.

"Lefiya! I'm truly sorry about this. Please know that as their captain I'll give them a proper talking to once we get back to the house,"

"Ha! So now you take responsibility as captain?! How convenient!"

Filvis ushered Lefiya away from the newcomers, pressing a bundle of herbs to the younger girl's chest.

"Here, this should be enough,"

"But what about your share?"

"Please, take it as consolation for those two disasters over there,"

"I can hear you, you know!"

"Good!"

Just as Filvis and Lefiya had nearly gotten out of earshot, Aura and Harold managed to get a few last words in.

"Hey! Thousand Elf! Tell Banshee that this is an awful excuse for a date! You can do way better!"

"Aura! Sorry, please excuse her! Captain, good luck and we support your relationship! Please don't put us on latrine duty next week!"

Harold flashed a quick thumbs up before dragging Aura away, his rainbow skirt trailing behind him dramatically.

"Those idiots!"

Filvis hissed out between gritted teeth, feeling her ears and cheeks growing hot with embarrassment.

This is not a date...is it?

Oh my gods You've lost your mind. And here I thought I was supposed to be the insane one.

Shut up! Oh gods, Lefiya doesn't think this is a date, does she? I would've taken her somewhere much nicer if I'd only known...Maybe I could ask for another…?

You disgust me.

As Filvis panicked mildly in her head, there was an awkward air of silence around her. Neither elves felt inclined to speak after the disaster they had just left behind.

Finally, Lefiya took a brave plunge into the unknown.

"Your Familia seems pretty fun!"

"..that's an awfully generous term to use,"

"I mean it though,"

Another beat of silence passed as Lefiya seemed to work up the nerve to say something. She eventually took a deep breath, before turning to look Filvis head-on since Harold and Aura made their sudden appearance.

"Maybe I could meet them again? Preferably in a nicer setting next time?"

"You...want to see them again?"

"Well, yes. They're your fellow Familia members, aren't they? It'd be nice to get to know one another,"

"I, see. I'll try to arrange something. It may be awhile until I can work something out, though"

"That's fine! Although, maybe we could do a nice restaurant this time around. The Dungeon's not exactly a good place for conversation!"

"Yes, of course. That sounds lovely,"

Filvis's lips quirked up into a genuine smile, her eyes softening at the edges. Any occasion where they could spend time together was welcome in her book.

"It's a date, then!"

"Ack!"

"Miss Filvis?!"

Lefiya meant to tease her friend just a bit, but Filvis ended up crashing head first into one of the barren trees littered around the upper and middle floors. She soothed her hands over the red bump swelling on Filvis's forehead. It seemed to be a hard fall, since the tree was cracked clean in half and Filvis's face was getting progressively redder.

I hope she feels better soon.

Note:

Thanks to MinuSeveN for the fantastic review, and the inspiration for this chapter. It means a lot when you or others comment on the story. It gives me great motivation to keep writing.

No need to worry, there will be a happy ending for Filvis, Ein, and Lefiya. The way their story ends in the canon novel was heartbreaking (although it did fit the narrative), so this is my attempt at giving them a bit more hope.

Please do keep suggesting possible chapter ideas! DanMachi has a lot of great characters and worldbuilding to work off of, and I'd love to incorporate them into this story.

This chapter had a mix of serious and light-hearted moments. I sometimes worry that the transition between the two is jarring. Let me know what you think.