I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series

Asgard

Deep inside the underground lab Loki uses to build his most… volatile -or downright dangerous- projects, the trickster god carefully hooked the figurine he found in that cavern to a highly sensitive scanner. This device was one of his own custom designs that provided an almost unprecedented level of detail in its analysis of anything he could really throw at it. Sure, there were several models that exceeded its capabilities, but most of those were specifically designed with a particular application in mind. On the other hand, this device was more of a general purpose scanner, that would hopefully crack the mystery of the figurine's origins.

'There! Now all I need to do is load the database with Hild's energy signatures, and hopefully see how much of a perfect copy this is supposed to be.' Truth to be told, Loki still found the whole idea of this being a decoy of Nidhogg's avatar to be somewhat… crazy. As such, the first thing he needed to check was whether this was indeed a perfect copy of Hild's energy signature. After all, no one could accomplish such a feat as to create a perfect copy of another immortal, with even the closest attempts having a deviance of at least 5% even in the best case scenario. So, if he verified that the figurine was indeed 100% compatible with Hild's energy signature, then there was little doubt that higher powers were at work here.

"Hey, boss? When did you start collecting figurines?" asked the deceptively puppy-like Fenrir, as he most literally poked his nose into something that wasn't his business; and boy did he have a big nose when it came to that. "What's next? Hugging pillows?"

The unexpected interruption in the otherwise monotonous background noise of the running machinery caused Loki to nearly jump from his surprise. "Fenrir?! Where did you come from?"

"La porte!" replied the overjoyed canine, and in his best French accent… which he kind of butchered in the process. However, that did little to ruin Fenrir's fun, given the lack of anything interesting around these parts as of late; or to be more precise, anything interesting that involved him. With the creation of Hel, and subsequent crisis, the entire Celestial hierarchy was now breathing down Loki's neck, waiting for the first opportunity to justify his containment. And alongside him, Fenrir as well as Jormungandr were the next targets on the Fighting Wings' list, which was exactly why the most infamous canine was grounded; lest he caused a mess of his own.

"So, now you're a polyglot, too?" sarcastically asked Loki, given his creation's cheekiness -which he could live without at the moment. "Look now, Fenrir… this isn't the time for silly games. I've got a pretty serious research to conduct here, and-"

"Yeah right… research… What's wrong admitting that you like figurines of busty demonesses?" The wolf pup rolled his eyes in exasperation, as he didn't buy a word his creator had said. But as he about to counter Loki's argument about the exact nature of his research, Fenrir suddenly froze and flattened his ears back in alarm. "Boss!"

"What is it now? Can't you see that I'm busy?" snapped Loki, without even taking his eyes off the datapad he's been working on. He still needed to finish setting up his scanner's parameters, and the last thing he needed to deal with was Fenrir's shenanigans.

"I think that statue looked at me!" replied the surprised canine, without the slightest hint of his previous playfulness, or sarcasm for that matter.

Given the powers that were at play here, Loki almost dropped his datapad in shock and prepared to grab Fenrir and make a run for the hills… only to notice that the statue in question looked exactly the same as it did moment ago. He even waited for a couple of seconds, carefully circling around the scanner that statue was currently hooked at. Still, the trickster god kept a close eye at the nearest exit, just in case that thing came into life, yet even after several tense seconds, nothing happened. "Hm… hold on a second…" Bringing up his datapad, Loki went through the photos he took of this statue when he first brought it here, and strained his eyes to see if there was any difference between then and now. Unsurprisingly nothing was out the ordinary, which seriously ticked the god off, as he turned to his wolf. "Fenrir… I really hope this wasn't one of your jokes!"

"Hey, I wasn't lying! Just wait and you'll see for yourself!" insisted the canine, even poking the statue with his snout to get a reaction. However, no matter how hard the wolf pup tried, the statue remained utterly unresponsive to any form of outside stimuli, even when he attempted to bite it in frustration.

"Okay, that's enough with you," said Loki as he picked Fenrir by the back of his neck. Silly antics aside, the last thing he needed right now, was to allow the wolf to contaminate the statue with his saliva, and thus decided to forcefully remove the wolf from the scene. "This isn't a joking matter, so, how about we leave this machine do its work? We can goof around somewhere else."

"I'm not messing around! I really saw that damn thing look at me!" protested Fenrir and even made an attempt to break free, but to no avail. Furthermore, Loki had already taken him out of the room and locked the door behind them, which made it even less likely for him to get back there, and teach that statue a lesson. "Just let me give it a bite! I'll show you!"

"Thank you, but the scanner is more than capable enough to provide us with the answers we seek. In the meanwhile, I want you as far from that thing as possible. Am I understood?" Even though it sounded like a question, Loki's tone made it absolutely clear that he wasn't in the mood for games; which all by itself seemed rather odd for anyone who knew the trickster god.

With his warnings fallen to deaf ears, Fenrir had no other option but to admit defeat and let that blasted machine convince his maker that he was right to begin with. "Hmph! Whatever… let's have it your way. I know what I saw."

XXX

Niflheim

The trip to the Daimakaicho's mansion proved to be a relatively straightforward task for Urd, as its prominent location in the Infernal capital meant that there was little difficulty to actually get to it. What proved to be a real challenge for her, was the nagging sense of familiarity she had with her surroundings, especially once the closed onto their destination. While it hadn't been long since Urd's previous visit to Niflheim, the fact that Hagall deliberately set up a series of trap rooms in such a way that it made it practically impossible for her to recall anything from her early life. However, the sight of the Daimakaicho's majestic mansion started to stir up some memories she actually kept close to her heart, and yet tried hard to forget for the vast majority of her life.

'It's funny, but I never thought that the park mother took me every day was part of our home. This place is massive! But, if I'm not mistaken that's the bench she used to sit when I played near the fountain. And that's the hedge garden where we practiced singing. I can't believe I was embarrassed to do that in front of others…' As much as she wished to hide it, a smile slowly crept on Urd's face, which… got the others' attention to her. Soon enough, she could feel the piercing stare of her traveling companions, and with one of them being a three meter tall biomech, it was way too conspicuous for her liking. "Okay you two, back off! There's nothing interesting to see. You hear me?"

"Yeah, right…" smugly replied Mara, as she thoroughly enjoyed seeing her girlfriend try to hide her embarrassment. But as it was often the case with her, lady luck wasn't on her side, and the voice of a newcomer, forced her to face a situation she didn't really look forward to: meeting her mother.

"Well, would you look at that! I never thought you'd come this soon. Talk about being prompt!" Approaching the trio from behind one of the nearby trees in the mansion's expansive yard, an auburn haired demoness with red eyes, and markings almost identical to Mara's; save for the fact that she had three stripes on her forehead, instead of the blonde's two. However, more so than anything else, it was this demoness' air of confidence and superiority, that easily caught her vistors' attention.

'That's… Mara's mother? I can see the family resemblance, as far as their faces are concerned, but…' thought Urd as she checked the newcomer from head to toe. And quite frankly she did feel a pang of jealousy when she compared their figures, with that lady being a close match to her. Not only that, but despite the fact that she was wearing a stylized version of a maid's uniform, the modifications she most likely made to the original design, really accented her hourglass figure. 'Boy, is she a looker!'

Unaware of the almost stunned expression on her girlfriend's face, Mara stepped forward to address the mansion's head maid, as well as the Daimakaicho's personal bodyguard. "Hello… mother. It's been a long while since-"

"That's the understatement of the century!" said the auburn haired demoness, interrupting her daughter before the latter even managed to finish her sentence. "My own child's been released from confinement, and she doesn't even bother call home and tell me the good news herself! I just had to learn it from a local… adult accessory shop, after someone ordered a pair of handcuffs, and didn't bother paying. At which point, they called me to cover the expenses of your… supplies."

"Whoa! Hold on, that's not what you're thinking!" Objected Mara, while frantically waving her hands in front of her. "I just needed something to restrain a half demoness, and no one actually sells handcuffs for such a job! Even the military has models for either gods or demons, but not both! So, I had to order a mundane set, which I then enchanted with a spell I specifically made just for that task!" Taking a deep breath after she utter that whole part in a single go, Mara was at least pleased that she managed to get her mother to raise an eyebrow. "Oh, and I didn't plan to have you pay for that either! It just… Well… things happened afterwards, and I pretty much wasted a lot of my supplies to help Urd's sisters put her back together, since that was my plan and… uh…"

"Alright, that's enough, Ma-chan," sighed her mother, and even gestured her to stop, as they were currently in the presence of said half-demoness, and things could get pretty awkward if this discussion carried on. After all, she knew practically everything about her daughter's Earthside misadventures, and one wished to scold her for not calling home; not bring up topics that could sour her relationship with Urd. "Oh! Where are my manners? I never introduced myself properly, did I?" said the auburn haired demoness, before she recomposed herself and turned to Urd, who after all was the one she most wanted to introduce herself to. "I'm demoness first class, unlimited category, Fehu. Pleased to see you again, Urd-chan. You may not remember me, but once upon a time, I used to be one of your caretakers."

"Ah… the pleasure is all mine," said Urd with a slight wince, given how awkward she sounded at the moment. It was true that she never quite prepared on how introduce herself to Mara's mother, but the fact that the other demoness was already familiar with her, complicated matters even further. Still, now that she heard that name, Urd would've sworn that she could vaguely remember it; most likely from her own mother calling for her maid. On the plus side, this wasn't the usual interrogation of why she's a good candidate as Mara's love interest, which more than often ended up being the case whenever infernal parents were involved. Not that their celestial counterparts were any better, but at least they tried to be more polite about it, especially if they actually liked their children's romantic interests. "However, I got the feeling from that message that we're not here for a simple visit."

"Unfortunately, you're correct. As much as I wish I invited you over for tea and cookies, there's a nagging… problem I need you to help me sort out," admitted Fehu, but stopped right there, before she actually disclosed any real information. The demoness even looked from side to side, just in case they've been watched, and then gestured the trio to follow her. "It's better not to discuss this subject here, though. Please, come inside, where we can talk more freely."

The couple shared a look, before glancing over to the silent and -by default- expressionless Gunnar that witnessed the whole scene without making the slightest comment about any of this. Yet with Fehu already heading home, the trio eventually decided to just follow her, with Urd leading the group, while Mara seemingly kept to herself. After all, she feared that despite appearances, her mother was going to put the pressure on them to make it official, and… that wouldn't sit well with her fiercely independent girlfriend. However, at the time being, Fehu's other… business took priority, and thus, the blonde demoness tried to act as if everything was normal.

XXX

Nekomi, Japan

One of the most important part about any bike build, is taking it out for the test drive. It's that moment when a mechanic can see how well the bike performs, as well as test its handling in real world conditions. And in all fairness, it's also the most fun part about the whole process, given that it was the perfect combination of work and recreation. Until... someone else grabs the opportunity to become the test driver of Whirlwind's latest project. On this particular case however, Keiichi couldn't exactly complain, given that it was actually his wife that wished to take the demo bike for a spin.

As a result, for the first time ever, Keiichi got to ride as a passenger, since he still needed to see what this bike was capable of. Without a sidecar though, he had to sit right behind Belldandy, and hold onto her for dear life, as his wife apparently didn't mind pushing this bike to its limits. "Belldandy!... I don't think we should be going this fast on a public road!"

The goddess glanced briefly over her shoulder, wondering what was the big deal, since this was far from the first time they put a bike through its paces on a public road. After all, they didn't have the luxury of visiting a race track every time they needed to run some tests, and even then, Keiichi had done that even with his Beemer. "Darling, I'm not actually going any faster than you do whenever you test one of our bikes. And not to mention that the famous Nekomi Ridge is entirely set on public road. Yet that never stopped you from racing there."

Truth to be told, Keiichi knew that she had him there, so he wisely avoided disputing her claim. Still, he couldn't help but wonder just what prompted his wife to actually step up and volunteer to be the driver for this test. There were more than enough opportunities to do so in the past, and yet she never expressed any desire to race, except on a couple of special occasions. Like that girls-only go cart race, or even the time when he and Chihiro raced each other's bikes, only to lose control thanks to Urd and Skuld's attempt to influence the result. Back then, Belldandy even made her own bike in a moment's notice, by literally asking several discarded parts for their assistance, and the end result was a pretty impressive looking bike. Actually, he felt somewhat disappointed that they didn't get to keep Belldandy's bike afterwards, since it turned back into its components once the incident was over.

Even then, it was pretty obvious to him that his wife was skilled enough of a driver, so, his current nervousness couldn't be explained like that. Perhaps it was more of a natural reaction to Belldandy acting strange. And with so many things happening as of late, it was hard not to worry about his wife, especially given her pregnancy. 'Wait… could that be the issue?' The realization hit Keiichi like a freight train, since it was so obvious that he should've caught on way earlier. "Um… Belldandy?"

"Yes, love?"

"I got so sidetracked with everything that's going on right now, that I totally forgot to ask you how you're managing. If I remember correctly, you did mention that immortal pregnancies are different from what I know. So, is there anything going on, or it's still way too early?"

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about, love," said Belldandy reassuringly. "It's just that we can imprint more information to our babies during pregnancy, so, I'm currently trying to experience more things for our daughter. Even if she's too early in her development, she can actually feel my emotions. And while no one knows for sure how much of an impact that'll have in her life, it's generally agreed that the more experiences I go through, the better it is for her. Which is exactly why I wanted to be the driver today."

"Ah, I see!... That makes a lot of sense, actually!" Keiichi didn't know what made him happier: the fact that their daughter was already experiencing -albeit indirectly- the surrounding world, or that this could make her more interested in bikes. Sure, that would be a pretty weird hobby for a goddess, but at the same time, Skuld's love for machines gave him hope that his daughter might follow this trend. "So, what do you think of our latest bike? Does it meet your expectations?"

"For the most part it's pretty decent. The speed's good even when you switch to the electric motor, which is often an issue with such vehicles. And right now, I've turned both of the motors on, which makes this into a 2x2 bike. Although… I think this changes the handling a little, so, you need to be careful when that happens." Just as she finished with her evaluation of their demo bike, Belldandy noticed that the low battery indicator has turned on. "And I think that's as far as we can go with electric assistance on. Then again, we're using normal batteries, so, that's to be expected."

With the bike steadily decelerating, and their test almost over for the time being, Keiichi thought that it would be nice for them to take a break, before they headed back to Whirlwind. After all, given what Belldandy told him, it was for the best to give her every opportunity to relax, and perhaps spend some time with her. "Say, Bell… since we're almost done here, how about we stop by a tea house on the way back? We haven't done that in quite a while."

"Are you sure it's a great idea, love? I'm pretty sure that you and Skuld need to make some adjustments when we get back," said the slightly surprised Norn. It was so unlike Keiichi to prioritize recreation over work, that she found the suggestion almost out of character; until she factored in what she previously told him. "Besides, while I do let our daughter experience my emotions, I never implied that all I need to do from now on, is to have fun."

"Even if you say that, we spent most of the day working non-stop on this bike. A little break wouldn't hurt anyone." He tried to sound reassuring, even though he worried that he was a way too obvious to convince her. After all, if there was someone who knew him better than anyone else, that would be his beloved wife; which… on this occasion turned out to be an issue.

However, Belldandy didn't seem to object to the idea for any longer, and instead looked towards the city in the distance, as they had to hit the highway for the sake or properly testing their bike. "Well, if you put it like that, then we might as well go for it. Do you have a place in mind, though?"

"Hm… I think I do," said Keiichi, yet despite his nonchalant tone, he was racking his brain for a good place to take his wife, without admitting that he actually didn't think of it through. Just by sheer coincidence this particular problem solved by itself when he noticed a tea shop across the street, and decided to give it a go. "Over there! That's the shop I was thinking about."

"Of course, dear. Just give me a moment to find a parking spot, and we can give it a go."

XXX

Niflheim

It nearly took Fehu thirty minutes to get her daughter's group through the numerous corridors and security doors, until they finally reached the Daimakaicho's inner chambers. And despite the positively paranoid level of security, that only got further upgraded after Hild caught Vidar snooping around, it didn't normally take this long to reach that particular area of the mansion. Then again, for Urd the most likely explanation for this particular detour seemed to be a much more personal one. She simply couldn't shake the feeling that Fehu tried to jog her memories of this place, given that in the distant past she used to live here.

Now, Urd wasn't cruel enough to outright accuse Fehu for playing dirty, given that this whole situation stirred up some long repressed emotions, yet she had no intention to keep this up for too long. "Just how far do we have to go? Aren't we already in a secure enough area to discuss… whatever this thing is all about?"

"With everything else going on at the moment… forgive me for not wanting to take any chances," said Fehu in a pretty level tone, just to make sure that she wasn't trying to make a sarcastic snark at her daughter's girlfriend. And speaking of potential in-laws, Fehu also needed to find a way to help convince Urd to get a bit more serious with her daughter, yet without the inevitable backlash. "If it makes you feel better, we're almost there."

"About time…" said Urd under her breath, and then shared a look with Mara, who still seemed somewhat apprehensive to be in her mother's presence. And given Urd's own past, this felt like an oddly familiar situation to her, even though their circumstances were different. "Everything's alright, Ma-chan?" she asked ever so quietly, as she placed a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm good," replied the blonde with a sigh… until she realized a tiny detail, and shot Urd a pointed stare. "Wait… what did you just call me?"

"Ma-chan," smugly repeated Urd, while she leaned slightly against her. "Although, there's no need to act this shy about it, girl! Deep down, all of us have a softer, more cutesy side."

A vein popped on Mara's forehead, as it clear as day by Urd's tone that she was trying to get a reaction from her. And though it was a much better alternative than having to take that at face value, Mara still didn't appreciate her girlfriend's timing. "Damn it, Urd! This isn't the moment to screw around like this!"

"I second that," came Gunnar's voice from behind the couple, causing them to almost jump in surprise. Then again that was to be expected, given how silent the biomech was up until this point. "There's a better time for this sort of gag, although I don't exactly complain either." Judging by the sound of it, this was more likely Noble Scarlet talking, than Gunnar herself. And as if that wasn't enough, the angel carried on without the slightest hint of mercy. "Just keep in mind that unlike me, someone else here might use all that for a totally different reason."

Two sets of eyes glanced nervously in Fehu's direction, as it was far too obvious what Noble Scarlet was hinting at here. However, the auburn haired demoness merely shook her head and motioned for them to take a seat as soon as they entered the next room. "Sadly, there's no time for that, right now." Fehu waited for her guests to acclimate to their surroundings, since the antechamber she led them in was mainly used as Hild's personal study. As such, it was cluttered with so many books, and arcane objects of all sorts of descriptions, that at a first glance it seemed a tad intimidating.

"So we've been told," noted Urd, as she plopped onto a chair, with Mara taking a seat next to her. Only Gunnar remained standing, although due to the biomech's sheer size, that was to be expected. "Still, the whole secrecy behind it is starting to get old. How about you finally tell us what's going on here?"

"Fair enough," sighed Fehu, pushing an errant hair strand out of her face. "The thing is, Hild-sama went missing. And before you even say it the one currently posing as her, is actually that Dryad, Angrboda."

"W-Wait… WHAT?!" demanded the stunned Urd, who certainly wasn't expecting that when she walked in here. "What do you mean she disappeared? People don't just disappear out of the blue like that! What happened?"

In all fairness, Fehu wasn't expecting her to take the news well, although this reaction was a bit worse than what she had in mind. Ironically enough, this was a good thing from a certain point of view, as it proved that Urd deeply cared about her mother, yet on this particular case, this could turn into a problem. "Unfortunately, we don't know much. All I've been told is that Hild-sama wished to come into contact with the World Tree. And while she did apparently accomplish her goal, she vanished soon after. Not only that, but Surt-sama who accompanied her, also disappeared. The same goes for two goddesses; Peorth and Lind, who must've somehow gotten involved in this incident. Oh, and finally there's also Excalibur, that I believe you're also familiar with. All five of them are currently missing, and for the most part, we're trying to keep the incident a secret."

The Norn leaned against her chair, and rubbed her temples in an attempt to stop the headache she knew was coming. What started out as visit to Helheim was now turning into a bit of a nightmare, both on an official and personal level. Perhaps, the latter was what really affected Urd the most, since she barely began to mend her shaky relationship with her mother, before she just disappeared. Meanwhile, Mara seemed at a loss for words, staring between her girlfriend and Fehu. The atmosphere in the room seemed to progressively get heavier, as everyone remained quiet for what felt like an eternity, even though it was nothing more but mere minutes.

Without a word, Fehu moved to the back of the room, where Hild kept a kitchenette just for the sake of brewing a beverage, or even whipping up a quick snack whenever she was too busy working on a project to head to the dining area. She reasoned that a cup of tea could help her guests to relax -Urd especially. After all, it must've been quite the shock for her to find out that her mother vanished under unknown circumstances, yet they don't exactly have the time to sit idly and lull about it. "On the plus side, there's not a single report that the Doublet System's being triggered," she said while pouring hot water into the teapot, as she prepared a cup of tea for everyone; even Gunnar, just to see what would happen in her case. "This means that it's likely that they've been merely displaced. Although, this still doesn't resolve all our problems. We can only keep up the charade for so long. Sooner or later, someone is bound to discover our deception, so, we need a plan B in case that happens."

"Are you suggesting that I take my mother's position?" asked Urd, without the slightest hint of surprise in her voice. After all this very subject was brought up during Hagall's rebellion, and while she personally doubted that the average demon would like the idea of being ruled by a half goddess, it might as well sound better than a doppelganger.

"Not quite. As things stand, it's better to leave that Angrboda fill in for Hild-sama, rather than have to explain why you suddenly took over," said Fehu with a shake of her head as she handed the teacups to Urd and her daughter. On a sillier note, Gunnar balanced the cup on a single finger, since her sheer size made it look tiny in comparison. And not only that, but was apparently capable of absorbing the liquid through her 'hair' that in fact acted more like leaves, rather than actual hair. Pushing those thoughts aside, Fehu nodded when Urd and Mara offered their wordless thanks for their tea, and carried on with her request. "Actually, the main reason I called you here is that the only person who might know something about Hild-sama's disappearance is her own father: Ymir-sama. Unfortunately, I have no means to contact him directly, and all my efforts to do so by calling the Intelligence Sector proved utterly unproductive. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure that if his own granddaughter attempts to reach him, the result might be different. And that's where you come in, Urd."

"That makes sense, although I'm not sure how to even find him. It's not like he left me his contact info, that I can use to give him a call," admitted Urd. Sure, she did feel somewhat guilty for disappointing Fehu like that, but at the same time, giving empty promises wasn't better either. Still, for some reason, the elder demoness didn't seem too broken by the news, and instead she handed her a little handwritten note. This naturally piqued her curiosity, so, Urd set her tea aside and took a moment to unfold the note and quickly scanned its contents. "Are you sure about it?" asked the intrigued -and slightly confused- Urd, offering Fehu an uncertain glance.

"Yes, and my source has been reliable so far," replied the auburn haired demoness with a nod. "Will you do it?"

Try as she might, Urd couldn't quite deny Fehu's request, considering that this also involved her mother's fate. Besides, she had already dealt with her maternal grandfather once, and it didn't turn out badly, so, she felt somewhat confident that this was a task she could handle. "Sure, I don't see why not. I also want to find out what happened to my mother, and if Ymir's already looking for her, I might as well ask him, too."

"Thank you, Urd-chan," said Fehu in a much lighter tone, now that she was reassured that Urd intended to help her. And with that matter settled, she felt that it was important to change the subject to something much more pleasant. As such, Fehu glanced over at her daughter, who totally tried to keep a low profile thus far, and for a good measure, too. "Now that we settled this matter, I've got something I'd like to ask you, Ma-chan."

'Uh oh… here we go…' The blonde's body went rigid, as it became clear as day that the next subject in her mother's agenda was nothing less than her relationship with Urd. Still, showing fear was a rookie mistake by any demoness' standards, so, Mara tried her best to hide her apprehension; and not just from her mother, but Urd too. "Yes? What is it?"

"Have you thought of applying for a job at Helheim? Thanks to the recent annexing of that realm, several high profile posts are now open, and this is the best opportunity to get a lofty administrative position. And not only that, but I've got a little hint that once negotiations with the Celestials are complete, there will be at least as many jobs in Helheim for them too. Which… in your case can prove quite useful, don't you think?"

Just by the way Fehu was looking at the couple, made them realize the practical implications of that arrangement. Actually, for Mara this came as a total surprise, given that she was expecting the almost stereotypical attempt of putting pressure on her to get married. However, this was a much better proposition, especially as far as her future, married life with Urd is concerned. "Hm… I might check it out. For all I know, it's probably way better than my current post as a contract broker. What do you think, Urd?"

"That place seems pretty dreary to me," admitted the half goddess with a slight frown, but then she paused and gave it some more thought. Sure, Helheim was far from a place to write home about, but at the same time, there were certain perks. To begin with, this was probably one of the few ways to get to work alongside with Mara; at least without having to switch sides. Not only that, but Hel is also her cousin, and having such a connection could prove invaluable when push comes to shove. And with her history of mishaps… this could mean the world to Urd, especially when it came to those damned license suspensions she got all the time. "Although, it might prove to a good idea. At the very least, this should simplify things when it comes to raising a family."

The mere mention of family, caused Mara to choke on her tea, and then struggle to get the liquid out of her windpipe. It was so unexpected for someone like Urd to bring up such a topic, especially given how she didn't seem too keen of long term commitments. However, not only did she say that, but apparently she did so without even noticing, given her confusion from Mara's overreaction. And while the Norn pat her girlfriend's back, Fehu couldn't be more pleased by the result -unexpected as it was. Still, with that other issue being sorted with minimum effort on her part, Fehu was now free to breathe out a sigh of relief, and enjoy her tea with her visitors.

XXX

Asgard in an alternative timeline

The ongoing staring match between Excalibur and Surt was perhaps the only thing about this overall situation that could be remotely described as entertaining. With the ship now securely moored on a tropical island, their synthetic hosts finally got the opportunity to prepare a transport craft for what was likely a one-way trip to Asgard's capital. And while most of them seemed ready for the upcoming fight, there was a sole individual that didn't look he belongs in a battlefield.

Excalibur may have grown quite a bit over the last couple of hours, but he still had ways to go until he was truly his old self -to a certain degree, of course. As a result, his current appearance was that of a preschooler, that automatically classifies him as a noncombatant… which didn't sit well with the other male member of their group. "What are you staring at?" asked the artificial Earth spirit in a surprisingly youthful voice, that earned him a giggle from Peorth who watched this spectacle from a safe distance.

"You," flat out stated Surt, totally ignoring the rose goddess in the background. "Call me a skeptic, but I find it strange that you're stuck being a brat. Aren't you used to your new body already? You sure seem to be able to talk now."

"No thanks to you. And let's not even mention how hard it is to relearn how to do everything, in just a couple of hours!" snapped the positively pissed off Excalibur, despite the fact that his currently high pitched voice made him sound a lot less intimidating than he probably intended. "Besides, if you want to accuse me for cowardice, then go ahead and say it outright! Enough with this nonsense!"

"Hey, don't you dare put words in my mouth, brat! I never thought you were a coward," said Surt, while glancing over in the direction of the rose goddess who still remained relatively quiet throughout this whole exchange. "However, I wouldn't put it past you to… appreciate all the attention you're getting from your goddess friends. They even bottle-fed you!"

"Thanks for reminding me," groaned Excalibur in an attempt to hide his embarrassment from having to live through that experience. Sure, Peorth proved to be surprisingly good with kids, to the point that she would've done a fantastic job as a nursery teacher, except that… Excalibur himself wasn't really a child -just temporarily stuck in that form. "Although, you're one to talk, mister! Or do you think I didn't notice that you've got Hild's scent all over you? I may have lost much of my analysis programs, but my nose still works way better than you think."

"Whoa, just a moment! That's totally Hild's fault for cuddling people in her sleep!" He totally hated to admit it, but somehow that Earth Spirit managed to turn the tables on him.

"Mhmm… I bet she does," replied Excalibur as a sardonic smile formed on his face. "Although to be fair, you didn't mind returning that hug, either. Just because I was unable to interact with my surroundings didn't mean I was comatose. So, I totally saw all that, mister innocent demon!"

For the first time in a long while, Surt was at a total loss of words, although it definitely helped that he was beet red from the embarrassment of being caught like that. And if this wasn't bad enough, Peorth's mirthful giggle, only made matters worse for him. "You!... You insolent brat!" barked Surt, as he caught Excalibur by the front of his shirt and lifted him up to his eye level. "Anyone would've done that in my place!"

"What's going on here?" came Lind's voice from the doorway, just as she entered the room carrying a couple of battle axes for them. Coming to a stop next to a giggling Peorth, the Valkyrie settled the weapons against the wall, and curiously glanced between the rose goddess and the quarreling duo, who actually went totally quiet as soon as she made her entrance. "Did I miss something?"

"No, you didn't!" shouted Surt and Excalibur in perfect unison, just when they realized that Peorth was about to reply. Much to their horror, that didn't dissuade the latter, who leaned against Lind's ear and whispered something at her.

As if that wasn't bad enough, while Lind got briefed on the latest developments, Hild also entered the room and paused at the sight that laid before her. 'Do I even want to know what happened?' wondered the demoness, although it only took her a split-second to come up with a reply. 'Actually, I do!' With a wide grin on her face, Hild made her way across the room, until she was standing right next to the visibly worried Surt, who still refused to let go of Excalibur. And without a warning, she leaned closer to the duo, and glanced between them. "So… what are you boys up to?"

"Nothing at all! Just a minor… disagreement, but it's of no consequence," immediately said Surt, going as far as to place a hand over Excalibur's mouth, just in case the synthetic Earth Spirit decided to rat him out.

Hild would've none of that though, and as such she turned in Peorth's direction and raised an eyebrow. "What aren't they telling me?"

"Oh, it's about that little hug from yesterday!" cheerfully replied Peorth, much to Surt's utter horror. "Which was hilarious, by the way! He was making such funny expressions while you squeezed him, rather than take the hint earlier on, and return the gesture."

"What can I say? Some guys are too oblivious for their own good," melodramatically sighed Hild, trying hard to ignore her subordinate's overwhelming aura of sheer embarrassment. Actually, it was so bad that she started to feel kinda guilty for going this far, although at the same time, it was good for their morale to get their minds off their current problems. "But that's a different matter altogether," she finally concluded, and clapped her hands to grab everyone's attention. "For the time being, we've got a job to do. So, let's get to it."

Offering a nod, Lind carried on, given that she happened to talk to Hild just before they came here. "That's correct. We've got enough time to check our combat gear, just in case we need any adjustments to it. After all, we don't know if we'll get another chance to do so."

Deciding to cut his losses, rather than dig himself into a deeper hole, Surt finally let go of Excalibur and went ahead to check his own uniform as part of the standard pre-battle routine. And with done, Excalibur dusted himself and went over to where Lind and Peorth stood.

This allowed Hild to let out a content sigh, as the current 'crisis' has been averted. In reality, she seriously doubted that whatever they were arguing about was even a problem, but instead it was their own stress that started to cloud their better judgment. Which was understandable, given the fact that everyone here knew that they were heading to an area where most of their counterparts died while protecting it. 'Still, never thought I'd see Surt blush like that, again! It sure brings back memories… although, I shouldn't be doing this. Especially not at a time like this.' Brushing an errant hair strand out of her face, she briefly wondered about the others back home -and perhaps more than anyone else, Urd. 'I hope she's not too worried about me, although I doubt that's the case. Not that she'll ever admit it -that silly girl- but at least she's not forcing herself to feel guilty about it. Heh… who am I kidding? I miss her more than she probably does. Soon, I'll be back. Very soon.'

XXX

Nekomi, Japan

No matter how many times he's done it, drinking tea with Belldandy is one of the most strangely satisfying experiences for Keiichi, and he's not a huge tea connoisseur to begin with. There's something deeply calming about the goddess' body language, along with the soothing tone of her voice that's best expressed through this experience. Perhaps more than anything else though, was the fact that he and his wife found the perfect opportunity to talk about their lives, and without all the usual craziness that apparently followed them wherever they went.

"Lofn… I kinda like the sound of it," mused Keiichi with a gentle smile on his face. He honestly couldn't think of a better name for their daughter, and even if he did, that would've probably taken him ages to do so. Then again, that didn't come off as a huge surprise to him. When it came to such matters, Belldandy had the uncanny ability to make the perfect choices; and not only that, but even make it seem easy, too. "Yes, giving her a meaningful name is so much better than just picking something up from a catalogue. After all, this is what happens here in Japan, even though I don't believe that this might apply to us anymore."

"To be absolutely fair, it's not always possible to come up with a name that carries some meaning. I just thought that this word conveyed my feelings about our daughter, and she seems to like it. At least, I think so. It's way too early to be able to convey even the most abstract of thoughts to her, and get a remotely legible response back from her," explained Belldandy, much to her husband's surprise. At which point, the Norn decided to ask what was the matter. "Yes, dear? Is there something wrong?"

"No, not really. I know that I've been told this a couple of times already, but somehow I still can't wrap my head around the idea of communicating with Lofn prior to her… birth? Or did I get it wrong again?" asked Keiichi, as he started to feel almost silly from suggesting such a thing. Sure, he was quite positive that he remembered Bell's previous explanation about immortal pregnancies correctly, yet old habits die hard.

"You're actually correct, although I understand why it's hard to accept it. There are several differences between mortal and immortal pregnancies, and that's merely one of them. I suppose the closest analogy I can think of, is when a baby… kicks? Although, it happens way later in humans, and not only that, but it's not the same for us. I won't have to physically carry Lofn on my current shell body, given that she's way too young for assuming a proper, three-dimensional form. Of course, she remains attached to me at all times, and in some ways, perhaps more so than Holy Bell. Still, over the course of the next nine months, she'll get progressively more independent, until she gets close to her birth," explained Belldandy, taking a moment to sip from her tea, and in the meanwhile allow her husband to absorb all that information. However, in a lapse of poor judgment, Belldandy carried on soon after. "I really can't wait to start the rehearsals for the birth ceremony."

The mere mention of whole birthing procedure was more than enough to cause Keiichi's face to lose all color. He had seen images from documentaries and dramas alike, and despite the fact that those were heavily censored, they left such a traumatizing impression to the former mortal that he didn't even consider the option of attending Belldandy's delivery. And although she didn't directly ask him to partake in whatever ceremony she was referring to, Keiichi felt the need to find out. As such, he decided to ask in a somewhat indirect manner, just to avoid giving her the wrong idea. "Oh, you mean… like rehearsing a song you'll have to perform with the… midwife? Is this how it works for goddesses, or am I wrong?"

"Yes, that's right. Although, it's customary for the father, and some of the mother's closest relatives to attend the ceremony. And in the vast majority of cases, the midwife is only present as a backup, just in the event something goes wrong," said Belldandy with confusion evident in her voice. After all, from her perspective, Keiichi's apparent fear was totally unjustified. It was then that she remembered some of her Earth Training lessons that described human anatomy in greater detail, and realized what the real problem was all about. "Oh! Oh, no! Not at all! I think you've got a very wrong idea as to what takes place in those occasions!"

"Are you sure?" asked Keiichi, though a part of him already knew that either way, Belldandy wasn't capable of telling him a lie.

"Of course, I am! I'll show you some books about this subject once we get back home," said the Norn reassuringly, and ever reached across the table to squeeze her husband's hand.

This actually worked wonders to calm Keiichi down, as the scare he got from earlier was almost too much for the poor god's liking. Granted, he now felt somewhat embarrassed for overreacting, and made a mental note to actually check the books Belldandy mentioned. At this point, it was obvious that he needed to expand his knowledge of the immortal world, especially now that he was part of it. "Actually, I'd love to check those out. I feel that once we got back, I kind of forgot about my magic lessons. Although, in this case I might need to look into more than just that, right?"

"That's kind of true. Still, you shouldn't overexert yourself, Keiichi. I know that it's not easy for anyone to study while going to work at the same time. So, I'll try to simplify your lessons, just to allow you enough time to rest, too."

"Thanks, Bell. I really appreciate it," said Keiichi with a warm smile, and then paused when he remembered something else. "Are you sure that you should be working alongside with me, though? I totally forgot that need more rest, now that you're pregnant."

"Please, there's no need to worry about me. I'm more than capable of handling something as simple as my work over at Whirlwind. Besides, it's far too early for me to consider maternal leave. And not only that, but it's also less of a necessity for me to take one. In most cases, we can actually work throughout our pregnancy, with the most common exceptions being those goddesses whose line of work is too dangerous to justify exposing their unborn child to such occupational hazards."

Offering a slow nod, Keiichi went silent soon after, and considered his current options. "Do you think that we're pushing it too far, too? With everything that's taking place as of late, it's probably not a good idea to keep you and Lofn here."

"That's not necessarily true," said Belldandy, and then took a moment to sip from her tea. For once, she looked genuinely troubled, although at the same time she was nowhere close to admit defeat. "I don't believe that we'll be much safer in Asgard, after some of the last incidents have proved. Not only did you get abducted at some point, but having a Valkyrie attack Mara and then Urd, is far from my idea of safety. Until this whole situation is sorted out, I believe that staying here is for the best. Besides, I really wish for Lofn to see how beautiful Earth can be."

"Are you sure that she'll be happy here, though?" insisted Keiichi, as he vaguely remembered one of Odal's comments before he departed for Niflheim. "For a goddess to grow up on Earth, can be quite the challenge."

"Yes, but we don't need to force her to live the life of a human. As long as we make sure that she gets a chance to go back to Asgard as soon as she wishes, and spend some time with our relatives there, I believe that Lofn will get to see the best of both worlds. And that's much easier to accomplish while we're living here, instead of the other way around."

The dark haired god offered a reluctant nod, although the more he thought about it, the more sense his wife's words made to him. "Very well, I think you've got a point there. Still, we should try spending more time with Lofn, just to make sure that she doesn't feel out of place here."

"I agree, although I've got a feeling that, Skuld won't allow it either way. Even though she's still pretty young, I was actually younger when she was born, and yet I never left her side. Of course, that's the reason she eventually become so attached to me, and if history repeats itself, Lofn may get attached to Skuld. And while she's probably going to enjoy it, being called an aunt in her age, is likely to frustrate poor Skuld, " said Belldandy with a soft giggle that brought a smile on her husband's face.

"It sure doesn't help that the word 'aunt' also means 'old lady' in Japanese," laughed Keiichi, and then checked his watch; the same one he got as a birthday present from his wife. "Hm… we might want to wrap things up here, or Chihiro's going to think that we crashed somewhere. Are you ready, Bell?"

"I've finished my tea, so, I'm good to go," said Belldandy, while Keiichi gestured for the waitress to bring them their bills. "Also, if it's okay, I'd like to drive us to Whirlwind. Since I started this, I'd like to finish it properly."

"Huh? Sure, go ahead, Bell. I don't really mind it."

XXX

Asgard

"I effin' told you she was looking at me, but no!... You just had to ignore me! And now we're stuck in a fracking snowglobe! Well done, genius!" For the first time in a long while, Fenrir's angry barks were totally justified, given this… not so unexpected development. As a matter of fact, this was almost a tale only Aesop could come up with, given that Loki's hybris resulted in their capture.

More than anything else though, the humiliation of being taken down without even the slightest chance of fending off Nidhogg-Hild, made a bad situation even worse. And to a certain degree, it also became personal.

"Stupid… fake…. Ouch!..." Loki's hand reached the back of his head, where a sizable bump has formed during the last couple of minutes. It was the natural -and admittedly humiliating- result of trying to pull a Thor on her, even when he's nowhere as powerful as the mighty god of thunder. In hindsight… he should've done the same as always: run away and never look back; although for some reason he thought that he had a chance of outwitting her. Then again, given that this was probably one of the craftiest entities in existence.

Sure, this avatar of Nidhogg lacked the vast majority of power and abilities that the Infernal Dragon was known for, although… that didn't exactly mean that she was harmless either. And the bump on Loki's head acted proof positive of the fact that this Hild lookalike was more than a mere body double.

"Pipe it down, you two!" snapped Nidhogg-Hild at her captive duo. Her face seemed gigantic as she leaned closer to the snow globe's surface, although in reality it was the other way around. For the sake of carrying them around more easily, the demoness had shrunk them down, just as she sealed them inside that crystal sphere. Then again, this probably wasn't the most efficient way to do things, and the real purpose of this unusual method of containment, is to break their will. After all, when someone feels utter helpless and humiliated, it becomes way easier for their tormentor to get away with what they want from them. "We've got places to go, and your incessant nagging is starting to get old."

"Hmph! You speak as if you actually need us," snorted Loki, as he craned his neck up, to look at the gigantic -from his perspective- Nidhogg. "Why would anyone as powerful as you, even need hostages?"

"I've actually told you: I need to gain access to that thing's chambers," casually replied Nidhogg-Hild, with even a hint of boredom evident in her voice. The demoness was walking down one of the long access tunnels that surrounded the Yggdrasil complex, and somehow managed to bypass most of the security measures thus far. Normally, this should've been all but impossible, since all demons are barred access, regardless of their credentials. Still, this was more than problematic enough on its own, so, Loki couldn't help but comment about it.

"Given how hard you hit me, don't complain about me not remembering. Besides, you seem to be able to get around on your own. What's the big deal about that, huh? Can't you just teleport over there just by yourself?"

"If I could, do you seriously think that I'd be wasting my time like this?" countered Nidhogg-Hild, before she paused and shook her head. "Actually, don't answer that. It was a rhetorical question."

"Since you're all chatty… for some reason…" started Fenrir, who seemed utterly lost throughout this whole conversation. "Why don't you tell us how you got Hild in the first place?"

There was a short pause, as the Dragon's avatar looked like she was considering whether she should tell them or not, while Loki simply stared at his creation in awe. "That's it! Why didn't I think of it? Fenrir, you're a genius!" wondered the trickster god out loud, much to Fenrir's apparent confusion.

"Why? You thought I was an idiot?" asked the dreaded wolf, only to receive no answer. After all, Loki knew all too well how volatile his creation's temper was, and besides, he was too preoccupied studying their captor's facial features. Infernal Dragon or not, this avatar has acted like any other demoness he knew, so, keeping a close eye at her body language could reveal way more than she was letting on.

"Given the fact that my main body is restrained by that shrub's roots, I can't quite teleport in or out of its chambers myself. Even more so, I can't talk to that thing under most normal circumstances, since that stupid tree practically firewalls me out. The only reason I got to talk to Hild, was due to the fact that I'm still physically attached to Yggdrasil, and I've managed to find a way to parasitically send some information over a datapath that I assume was meant to relay information about my current status to that thing. However, now that my trick was exposed, that thing took additional measures to ensure that I won't be able to pull another stunt like this," explained Nidhogg-Hild, and then set the snowglobe containing Loki and Fenrir on a nearby console. With surprising dexterity, she pried open the security panel next to the door, and began to fiddle with the access terminal in order to bypass its ID check.

And while that by itself was quite an interesting spectacle, since it wasn't supposed to be that simple for anyone to hack into their security system, Loki didn't have the luxury to sit around and simply watch their captor. Instead, he turned to Fenrir and leaned closer to whisper at the curious wolf pup. "On the count of three, we'll run and hit the glass dome as hard as we can. If we do it the right way, we might get to drop the whole thing on the floor."

"And what if it's reinforced, and won't break?" asked Fenrir, who immediately got what his maker was planning to do.

"We improvise," sternly replied Loki, even narrowing his eyes to make his point across.

Meanwhile, Nidhogg-Hild was so absorbed in her own work, that she didn't immediately register the subtle thump going on in the background. It was only after the third time she heard that peculiar sound of something whacking against glass, that she wondered just what those two were up to, and looked over her shoulder to find out what was going on. However, by then it was far too late. The snowglobe was on a collision course with the floor, as her prisoners had managed to push it over the ledge. And the moment it hit the hard, metallic floor, all hell broke loose.

The fake snow inside of it, enlarged to fist-sized lumps of styrofoam that shot in every possible direction, which resulted in an equally fake snowstorm. And amidst all that chaos, a very real fur ball was launched in the demoness' direction, followed by a comical howl that could be best described as someone shouting 'yolo' in a surprisingly cheerful, if not trollish manner. Equally unsurprising was the way she swatted what turned out to be Fenrir, causing him to hit hard against the wall, but… as it turned out, that was their plan to begin with.

The spot he collided against was none other than the open control panel she was fiddling with. And the collision with the exposed cables proved more than enough to trigger more alarms than anyone would've expected from this simple act. However, rather than seem annoyed by this development, Nidhogg-Hild had the dignity to grin in response to what was her loss. "Well played. I must admit that not having my omnipotence can be quite the handicap."

"He, he he… That's nothing compared to my real strategy!" cheekily boasted Loki, with more than enough character even for him to stomach. Then again, that was all part of his plan.

"And your strategy is?" asked Nidhogg-Hild, tilting her head ever so subtly.

Reaching down to pick Fenrir up, as soon as the pup made his way to him, Loki immediately turned around and made a dash for the exit. "We're making a run for it!"

For the briefest of moments, Nidhogg-Hild simply stared in the direction of the rapidly departing god, and his canine creation, unable to comprehend just what happened here. "Are you for real? That's not a strategy! Come back here!" she shouted, before finally going after the departing duo.

Of course, that too was part of Loki's strategy.

AN: I would like to thank everyone here and the Goddess Relief site for offering their continuing support.

First of all, I'd like to apologize with the delays I'm getting between the releases of this and my other work (Ah! My GIlded cage) as of late. Rest assured that I'm doing my best to keep up with my schedule, and avoid any further delays later on.

Now, as far as this chapter is concerned, Fehu is a demoness I've also introduced in the "Gilded Cage" but her backstory might be slightly different here. She's a Mara's mother, and Hild's head maid; a role that also doubles as her personal bodyguard. Of course, with Hild being fairly powerful, she rarely requires Fehu to be present wherever she goes, which is exactly why we never saw her until now.

Also, I've decided to use the term Nidhogg-Hild for that Hild clone, the Infernal Dragon uses. I feel that it's much less of a mouthful, compared to describing what she is every single time, so, for the time being that'll have to do.

Finally, since this is likely the last chapter of 2018, I wish everyone happy holidays, and I'll see you in 2019!