(A/N): In the spirit of keeping this fun (as well as a DanMachi story), I'm gonna tone it down just a bit. Let's have some fun this time shall we?
Special thanks to Cyberweasel89 for handing off the entirety of the Hades segment for this chapter as well as a tremendous amount of the content here. This chapter is heavily inspired from a Bleach episode that we both saw. I'll leave it to you all to figure out which one of them it is.
Now because this was such a long piece (a staggering 60 pages), we decided to split it off into two pieces so if you want the second half to this, go ahead and look out for it in an upcoming Children Of Hades chapter. I mainly decided to split it into two to give you guys a chance to see Cyberweasel's style in order to determine whether or not you'll be reading her story as well (though I highly encourage you to because she's really good and she's got an incredible creative mind).
This one's special cause well, there's something for all you Bestia fans out there! And this is one of the few times that I make an exception to my 10,000 word rule (if I didn't, I'm sure she would've beaten me into the floor).
Now then...let the games begin!
WARNING: Sexual Content Ahead, or rather, VERY ECCHI CONTENT AHEAD.
Chapter 12: The Seven Dreams (Part One)
It was soon after Hades entered that six others entered with him.
The first was a woman dressed in little more than a garment made of leaves, her skin tanned, bare arms and legs past the knees and elbows looking like tree bark, and hair like long green grass with flowers in it. No... GROWING in it. She was grasping a wooden pole in one hand. She was probably a Spirit, no doubt nature element-aligned.
"This is Morlin Debma, the Captain of my Familia and my wife." Hades introduced the woman next to him in a calm, almost cold manner, who smiled in a motherly way and gave a leaf-skirted curtsy in a clearly joking manner.
The second was a Dark Elf in a full suit of heavy metal armor, a full-face visored helmet held in the crook of his arm, and a double-edged longsword sheathed at his back with a shield.
"This is the commander of my Veteran Squad, Runemeyer Ravengale." Hades introduced the man calmly.
"It's nice to meet my Father's fellow deity, and one so close to him. However, I must turn down any offers for festivities. Maplehoof is hitched just outside, and I would hate to leave her waiting," the man stated sternly.
"That's his horse" interjected Morlin, leaning in with her hand next to her mouth as if it was a conspiratory secret.
The next was a Runarl young woman in pale green and cream white leather ranger armor, an English longbow and quiver of arrows strapped to her back. Her fur and hair were all brown, her wispy locks tied into a medium-height fox tail-like ponytail with a white band of cloth that doubled as a blindfold. Despite her eyes being covered, she walked in just fine, if somewhat slowly, and made no sound in her movements.
"This is Runemeyer's second-in-command of the Veteran Squad, Lucia Sherwood." Hades introduced her.
Lucia merely nodded to Hestia, Akio, and Relia's table, not saying anything. She didn't nod directly at them. Just their table in general. It was quite hard to tell if she really was blind or had some other manner of seeing.
"This is one of the newer members of my Familia. She joined with two others in the Rookie Squad, and has been a member of the Veteran Squad for some time."
The girl standing there was a ginger, red hair in a high-set ponytail, bright green cat-like eyes, and pale freckled skin. Her tail and ears indicated she was a Cat Person of the Turkish van breed, known commonly as 'the water cat' for their unusual (for a cat) affinity for water. She was dressed in a full-body set of armor consisting of a chainmail body suit with leather boots, steel greaves, a steel cuirass, and some steel-backed leather gauntlets, a faceless helmet held in one arm. A gold staff about as long as the Cat Person was tall, red gems on either end, was strapped to her back. It was kind of odd, a girl in close quarters combat armor carrying a gold staff as a weapon, when such a weapon would be more suited to a spellcaster. Her eyes gazed at the three members of the Hestia Familia seated at the table through a set of reading glasses, a calm, yet friendly expression on her face, not quite a smile, not quite a frown.
"A pleasure to meet you Goddess, Hestia Familia. I'm Rooster Ringabelle. I admit, I'm not very confident, but I hope to help Dad and you all however I can."
It was normal for most members of the Hades Familia to refer to the God of the Underworld with paternal terms. He truly was a father to his men.
"Finally, this is Leon Elekor. He Converted to my Familia from the Freya Familia at the same time Rooster graduated from the Rookie Squad to the Veteran Squad," Hades explained.
The young man with dark green eyes and medium length dirty blonde hair seemed elven, but since his ears weren't as long as a usual Elf, he must have been a Half-Elf. Dressed in plate mail armor and carrying a large kiteshield and a spiked mace on his back, he stood next to Rooster, a calm, serious expression on his face.
"It's an honor to meet you, Goddess Hestia. Hades has spoken well of you. I can only hope that I can be of use to you," he said.
He bowed respectfully to Hestia, causing her to smile at his good manners.
"My Familia's Lieutenant, Morn Rower, could not be here, as he's performing some undercover work in the Red Lantern District's underground arena, known to the locals as the Shitz Pit. However, I did bring a friend of the Familia whose unique skills as a scout helped us gather information leading to the Shitz Pit's location in the Red Lantern District. This is Alivia Sable, and she's a member of the Hermes Familia."
There was... no one there. Rather, a Himalayan-breed Hume Bunny dressed in black and white padded clothing and carrying a blowgun was excitedly chatting up Nana and Mira over at the bar.
"She's a little eccentric, but she's probably just as much a member of our Familia as she is the Hermes Familia." Morlin explained, casting a nurturing glance at the Hume Bunny scout as she ordered some mead to drink with Mira and Nana.
"I'm sorry to tell you, Hestia, but the leaders of my Familia, my oldest children, likely won't be able to help in the arena. Being so high-Level, they're quite well-known, so the people in the Red Lantern District who run the arena will no doubt see them coming a mile away, and since Hero's Shade recently passed away, we won't be able to make use of his powerful illusion magic. Hopefully my entire Veteran Squad and their Supporters will make due."
Hades took a breath, though it was almost imperceptible.
"However, Alivia was able to find out exactly where the underground arena is. With Morn Rower stationed there as a mole, he should be able to get most of your Familia and my Veteran Squad in as customers or even as gladiators. Who fills what role, of course, will be up to your individual members," he continued.
Hestia looked to Akio and Relia and nodded.
"We'll have to have a talk with everyone about that," she said.
"Indeed," replied Akio.
Hades cleared his throat.
"Morn Rower has sent word to us that Berkley Stern is arriving in town within the next week or so to sell his most favored slaves as prizes for a battle royale, free-for-all match...we will need to divide our children between gladiators to distract the fighters, spectators to distract the crowd, and an infiltration team to find him in his private VIP booth. For good measure, I would suggest a fourth team to free any slaves in reserve at the arena, lest those lunatics try to use them as hostages should he be on to us,"
Hestia smiled at the man almost twice her height, impressed.
"Your Lieutenant and your Hermes Familia scout are quite talented, Hades," she said.
Hades' face turned dead serious, despite already having a very stern expression.
"This man and his slavers have hurt my children. I believe a job should be done thoroughly so it does not need to be done again. In the case of this man who has hurt my sons and daughters, I feel it is my duty to insure I humiliate him, if not decimate him,"
The entire Hostess of Fertility seemed to drop in temperature. Even before, with his serious expression, massive height, and intimidating air, Hades had a great deal of unnerving presence to the bar patrons. Now, with this air of tranquil fury about him, one could swear the pub had frozen over. It was a hand from his wife on his shoulder that raised the temperature in the Hostess back to comfortable levels, causing all to release a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding.
"Morn Rower will send word to us when Berkley Stern arrives and the match date is announced. Until then, we have one or two weeks to train or relax for this operation," the dryad explained.
"Do you always refer to your Familia's lieutenant with his full name?" Akio asked, once he'd relaxed enough to not feel as intimidated by the God of the Underworld.
"Yes," both Hades and Morlin answered at once.
Relia nodded.
"Well...we've trained very hard for a long time and we haven't exactly found a way to unwind," said Akio.
Hades smiled. A small, subtle smile that the generally calm and cold God of the Underworld rarely showed.
"Might I make a suggestion?" he said.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Hestia.
Hades turned to Rooster and nodded to her, as if giving her permission to speak.
"I...heard of a really nice tourist attraction down south, there's a really nice park as well as a nice inn that we can stay at," she said.
"You mean The Seven Dreams?"
Hestia jumped upon hearing Takashi's voice. She didn't even notice that he had crossed the room and was now standing behind her.
"I visited there about a year ago...it really is a nice place and there's also a beach there," he explained.
Hades raised an eyebrow.
"So you're the Ranger that I've heard so much about...you do very good work," he said.
"Thank you Master Hades," replied Takashi, bowing in respect.
Ayame had also cleared the distance and was now standing beside Takashi.
"It will be about a day of traveling on horseback," she said.
"Let me worry about the traveling," said Relia with a wink.
"So it's settled then?" asked Hades.
"Wait...we're all going?" asked Akio.
"Everyone who wishes to go will meet up at the Kaneshon tomorrow," said Relia.
"What are you going to do?" asked Akio.
"An old friend of mine has been meaning to join us...but she had to take a trip outside of town and she should be back by now," she replied.
Hades simply nodded.
"I look forward to the experience. However, later, I would like a private chat with you, Hestia. I have information on this operation I cannot share in public, as any wall could have ears, but as my children all know, I feel you should let yours know. There is a reason I am so invested in this operation, and it is not because of the slavers, but who they have hired."
The stern, deadly serious look on the Mr. Mom God's face indicated that this information was important and highly sensitive, and he wouldn't be requesting the Oppai Loli Goddess speak to him in private if it weren't so. Hestia, seeing this was a grave matter, only nodded.
"Is there a place we can go that's okay to talk?"
Hades nodded.
"Step outside with me."
Her Familia understanding, Hestia stood up and followed Hades outside, surprised to find a 16-year-old young Boaz standing there, holding a lute.
"Hiya, there, Hestia! Name's Darude, best Supporter and only magic bard in Orario!"
"Darude, if you would."
"You got it, Papa!"
The young man began strumming a melodious nocturne on his lute. As the song got going, all noise around them quieted, even the song barely audible.
"Darude is quite talented, and his talents are rather unique. With his music playing right now, no one can hear us speak." Hades explained calmly.
Hestia smiled up at the tall God.
"That's useful. So, what did you want to tell me?"
"Berkley Stern has hired some muscle to police his Slavers. They call themselves the Familia of the Discarded Scabbard. They were once a Familia so violent and aggressive, as well as ruthless, that their God was banished back to Heaven. However, rather than retire or Convert, they chose to continue their bloody violence in the name of their fallen God. They live only for the thrill of the fight, would kill anyone if it meant they could feel adrenaline pump through their veins, and not being in a Familia nor entering Orario very often, the Guild has little they can do to penalize them. My children have had multiple run-ins with them. I mentioned Hero's Shade is no longer with us. It saddens me to say that it was one of the members of the Familia of the Discarded Scabbard, a man who goes by Hatred, that murdered him in cold blood when he tried to defend my child Rooster."
Hestia's eyes widened.
"I can see why you consider this personal."
Hades, clearly restraining his anger with remarkable self-control, merely nodded.
"Rest assured, as they have no God to update their Statuses, the members of the Familia of the Discarded Scabbard do not grow stronger, but many are already Level 4 and above. Hatred, who murdered Hero's Shade, is a Level 6, and their leader, End, is the only Level 7 outside of Orario, and theorized to be one of only three Level 7 Adventurers in the world. My own wife, Morlin, is one of the others."
Hestia bit her lip, realizing this would be more difficult than she thought.
"Are you certain your leaders can't be of assistance?"
"The best my leaders can do is ensure our children are fully equipped with all the best armor, weapons, items, and potions that will give them an edge. My daughter Elga is among the best Mixers of potions in Orario, while Frobo is among the best blacksmiths, and Pyre can craft Magic Items. If they can at all help your children be better equipped, I urge you to utilize their services. My Lieutenant Morn Rower will provide assistance during the operation, as well, but among my leaders, he is the only one below Level 6. Still, I would trust his strength with my very life."
Hestia then put a hand to her chin.
"I'm curious why you would suggest we relax instead of train, then, Hades."
Hades sighed. An old, tired sigh he likely wouldn't show with anyone who was a member of his Familia.
"My Familia are my children. I pray they never have to fight a war, but if they do, I would want them to enjoy themselves while they can. It is better to have happy memories going into a battle than to be tired and scratched up. While we Gods are eternally unchanging, our children are mere mortals. They must enjoy themselves while they can, for they will not be able to have fun forever."
~ o ~
Inside, the ginger Cat Person of Hades's Familia, Rooster Ringabelle, cast a glance at the two full-blooded Elves in the Hestia Familia. They way they stood near each other, touched, spoke. She could just tell…
"They're happily in love,"
She watched the way Takashi held Ayame's hand, the way he smiled at her and that even though he was known for being a very serious Ranger, he was as soft as clay whenever it came to the silver haired sorceress sitting next to him.
"Is something wrong Rooster?"
She turned to see that Leon had suddenly appeared, holding two mugs. He tended to do that surprisingly often for a paladin.
"I brought you a drink...don't worry, I made sure it's not alcoholic," he said with a light chuckle.
She smiled and gratefully accepted it before taking a large gulp.
"That must be Ayame Aledria...she's one of the very few Adventurers who possesses the Lifestream skill so her reputation gets around," he said.
"Yeah...that's an incredibly useful skill to have," replied Rooster.
Leon sighed deeply.
"I have to admit...we've gone through a lot of things these past few months,"
Rooster held back a cringe, remembering Leon holding her crying in his arms after Hero's Shade sacrificed himself to save her from Hatred.
"We really have...I'm actually kind of excited about this trip; I've heard The Seven Dreams is a really nice place," she said.
"It is indeed...hopefully now my mother can get some rest because she's been working so hard as of late,"
Rooster smiled; typical Leon Elekor always thinking of his mother Elisia. There were very few things that could get Leon to not focus on the true goal of something. Rooster placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You need to relax too; you've worked harder than most of us, especially in the Dungeon," she said.
Leon shook his head but Rooster flicked him on the forehead.
"Promise me that you'll get some rest and actually try to enjoy yourself at this thing?" she asked.
Leon rolled his eyes, but sighed in defeat.
"I'll make no promises...but I actually wanted to ask you something," he said.
She raised her eyebrow as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"There's a restaurant at The Seven Dreams...known for their amazing seafood so...I was wondering if you'd do me the honor of...letting me take you on a date there?"
She looked at him in disbelief. A date? The bookworm quickly searched through her memory for whether any books she read mentioned dating… Let's see… Fairy tales… Novels… No, it was mostly just whirlwind and fate. Date… Date… Oh, wait! What was it? She MIGHT'VE glanced at some kind of dating guide at a bookstore, but she didn't get it or do more than skim. Realizing she was leaving Leon hanging, and her pale, freckled face was blushing neon red in a manner that almost matched her hair to boot, the Magic Knight stammered out a response.
"Uh… Y-Yeah, that, um… That sounds like the bee's knees."
And then she promptly kicked herself in the head, mentally, for saying something that stupid. Much to her surprise however, the paladin simply laughed nervously before giving her a genuine smile.
"I look forward to it," he replied.
Rooster had to admit, had this moment been two years ago, she would've wondered what the odd feeling in her chest was. By now, she knew, but still… One request for a date doesn't mean anything… does it?
"OH JUST KISS ALREADY!" a collective shout from the bar sounded.
Rooster and Leon both gave a tandem jump at the sudden cacophony. It seemed it was Mira, Nana, Matilda, and-
"Alivia!" Rooster scolded. "Not you too?!"
The Hume Bunny scout from the Hermes Familia was leaning back against the counter, backwards in her stool, sipping a mug of mead with a smirk on her face.
"What can I say? Peer pressure, girl."
"More like alcohol." the Magic Knight sighed, rubbing her temple with her leather-clad index and middle finger.
Runemeyer let out an exasperated sigh.
"If you'll excuse me, Maplehoof is outside, and I really do not wish to be around Miss Sable while she's… tipsy."
The Dark Elf knight turned and walked out of the tavern, though Lucia and Morlin stayed. The dryad turned to the Runarl archer.
"What about you, Lucy? You wanna stay, or are you leaving with Runey?"
The girl in the blindfold didn't look at her Familia's Captain, instead standing in place, her fox ears flicking at the sounds around her.
"I shall stay. I have to say, I'm… curious."
A mischievous smile came to Morlin's face.
"Takashi is at seven o'clock, sweetie. I'll be over at the bar, ordering some honey. Good luck!"
The blush on Lucia's face was repressed, but still evident. Turning, and taking careful, measured steps, she approached where the Elf Ranger was sitting at his table with Ayame.
"Well hello there," said Ayame, smiling pleasantly.
Takashi eyed the Runarl archer and closed his eyes.
"I'm guessing you're here because you're concerned for your two friends?" he asked
"What makes you say that?" asked Lucia.
"My…'sisters' are quite...troublesome," he replied.
The tone of his voice indicated that he must've experienced something similar in the past, causing Lucia to smile ever so slightly in amusement.
"I was actually just curious...how long have you two been… mates?"
Ayame opened her mouth to question but almost as if Lucia sensed the coming words, she raised a finger.
"Your two scents are intertwined so much that it's very obvious...not to mention I can hear Mr. Mashiro's heartbeat going at more than double the usual rate,"
Ayame was about to question how she knew, but Takashi spoke first.
"So, you really are-"
"Blind? Yes. And you really are-"
"The first man to live from that toxin going around and the first girl to be able to cure it? Yes."
Takashi smiled.
"Not very long...barely a few weeks," he replied.
Lucia nodded.
"I see. Then may I ask you some questions?"
Takashi didn't bother nodding. She wouldn't be able to see him do so, after all.
"You may. Would you like to sit down?"
"No, and I honestly feel that-
"Relax Miss Sherwood, it's just a friendly, polite offer; mere courtesy and it has nothing to do with your condition."
Ayame's pale white eyes darted between the two archers. She got the feeling there was… some kind of subtext to this conversation that only these two understood. Was it a similar background? The fact they were both archers?
"Forgive me. But I'd rather keep this relationship professional."
A pause followed as Lucia seemed to be finding the right words to say.
"At least for now."
Ayame noted Takashi, again, showed no physical reaction, not even an involuntary quirk of the eyebrow.
"As you wish. What did you want to ask?"
"Well, as you know, one of the leaders of our Familia, Ms. Smiles, is a one of the best Mixers of potions and medicines in Orario, about on-par with the Miach and Dian Cecht Familia. Ms. Smiles feels that if she had a sample of Miss Aledria's Lifestream-infused storm water, she believes she would be able to Mix up a long-lasting, potent, portable, and versatile antidote for the poison the Slavers have created."
"Interesting. Ayame, what do you think?"
Ayame looked back and forth between the two archers.
"If Miss Smiles thinks she can, I'd be happy to provide some later."
"There you have it. Next question?" Takashi asked, bringing his drink to his lips.
Ayame found his tone was almost challenging in nature… But she got the feeling it was in a good way.
"I've heard talk you are the best archer in Orario." Lucia continued.
If she had been phased, she wasn't showing it. Takashi chuckled. It wasn't something he normally did, but Ayame got the sense he was forcing it so he'd have an audible way to respond to the blind Runarl.
"I wouldn't say that; someone in my own Familia is pretty close to me...but I still do not consider myself the best,"
"Who do you-"
"Obviously you; you're blind and you can hit a fly from a hundred meters away,"
Lucia showed clearly restrained discomfort at that. She quickly tried to mask any embarrassment with formality.
"I have no time for modesty, Mr. Mashiro. I'm curious… I recently attained Level 4 and gained the Fletching Development Ability."
"That's good to hear! But what does that have to do with me?"
Ayame was starting to get something… Were these two… No, flirting was the wrong word… Maybe some kind of passive-aggressive challenging? Like a rivalry? Was Takashi was making Lucia say it clearly instead of suggesting it, or was she manipulating him into saying everything he did? Was it some sort of archer thing?
"I am… wondering if you would, um… be willing to show me your techniques for making arrows some time?"
Lucia was clearly embarrassed now. As Morlin watched the trio from the bar, she couldn't help but chuckle. It wasn't often their little Lucy was flustered; the Runarl archer clearly admired Takashi as a fellow archer, but hardly expected him to be as mentally sharp as his eyes were.
"Of course I will,"
Morlin made a mental note to give Takashi a pat on the back later for taking Lucia down a peg; the girl needed to learn how to relax, and being told such in a passive-aggressive playful way by one of the best archers in Orario may have been the best way to get that to happen.
Lucia clearly stopped herself before she jumped for joy like a giddy schoolgirl. Instead, she cleared her throat.
"I see. Well, thank you, Mr. Mashiro. I look forward to comparing our bows and sharing arrow-making techniques."
"Maybe we could have lunch as well? It's no small technique and it will take time to truly showcase it,"
The blush on Lucia's face, despite her tan, was obvious.
"Th-That wouldn't be proper, Mr. Mashi-"
Ayame laughed softly, looking at Takashi and smiling brightly.
"Don't worry, I don't mind at all!" she interjected with a pleasant smile.
"Uhh…" The blind archer tapped her fingers together in a nervous gesture.
"I… M-Maybe if we have time in the coming wee-"
"Lucy! You take that hot hunk of Elf Ranger up on that offer, or I can and will sanction you!"
Lucia jumped at the sound of Morlin calling from the bar. Takashi nervously scratched his head upon realizing that Morlin was referring to him.
"That's an order from your Captain!" Mira shouted over from the other side of the bar.
"Yep! Can't disobey a direct order!" Nana added.
"Have fun!" Matilda called.
Lucia turned to shake her fist at the three.
"Drunks should be seen and not heard!"
"Lucy...do I have to repeat myself?"
The voice coming from Morlin Debma, Captain of the Hades Familia and wife to the God of the Underworld, was pleasant and calm, and yet… carried all the chill of the underworld her husband was known for under its surface. Unlike Hades, however, it was directed only at one person. At the sound of it, Lucia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and a shiver make a trip up and down her spine.
"On second thought, I'd be happy to take you up on that offer, Mr. Mashiro!" the blind Runarl stammered hastily, bowing repeatedly as if begging the Elf ranger for forgiveness.
Takashi looked at Ayame and shrugged; he had no idea that he was held in such high regard.
"If you come on the trip, I'd be more than happy to show you while we're at The Seven Dreams; it has a lot of Mirkwood Trees and that's my favorite type of material to fletch arrows from," he explained.
Lucia looked up, nodding.
"Th-Thank you very much, Mr. Mashiro! I… I really appreciate it!"
"Careful there, Lucy! You face might explode with how red it is!"
THAT was Rooster. Lucia growled loudly.
"Even the emotionally oblivious person is all over me about this…"
...
It was a day later that the Hestia Familia, Hestia, Hades, Morlin, Hades Familia "Veteran Squad," and Alivia Sable from the Hermes Familia arrived at the Seven Dreams Inn.
Hades explained on the way that his Familia was divided into three groups for the safety of his individual children.
The leaders of his Familia were his oldest members, with Morlin as his Captain, and a High Elf who abandoned royalty named Morn Rower as his Lieutenant. Before leaving, he instructed his other leaders, all of whom were quite skilled in various crafts, to do their best servicing the Hestia Familia's weapons, armor, and crafting any useful potions, Magic Items, arrows, and other supplies they might need.
Below them were the Veteran Squad, which consisted only of the Hades Familia Adventurers that were Level 2 and above, plus more experienced Supporters.
Below that was the Rookie Squad for Level 1 Adventurers and newbie Supporters. The reason was not for any hierarchical reasons. Rather, it was so any Level 1 Adventurers wouldn't get in over their heads when the Veteran Squad went down to Rivira.
In addition to Hades, Morlin, Rooster, Leon, Runemeyer, his horse Maplehoof, Lucia, and Alivia, the rest of the Veteran Squad were coming on the trip. Hades had introduced them on the trip there.
Ian Moone was a silver-haired Werewolf who didn't seem to speak, but Hades explained he was a Level 3 Samurai class skilled in katana draw-and-resheath techniques. He seemed rather irate, but Hades insisted he just needed time to open up to new people, but advised them not to expect him to speak.
Tessa Thompson was a girl who, if not for her War Tiger stripes, ears, and tail, easily could have been mistaken for a Pallum. She was a Level 2 Supporter, a rarity among Supporters, and was quite useful due to a Skill that acted as an internal radar and a Spell that could scan things. With curly, golden blonde hair and deep blue eyes, she was very short and had a figure almost like a child, which she was rather sensitive about. In an emergency, she used a wrist-mounted crossbow.
Lleu "Ray" Macnia was a Pallum Lancer, currently Level 3. He was 16 years old and was also a former member of the Rookie Squad alongside Rooster, Ian, and Tessa before they reached Level 2. He was a bit jumpy, but Hades insisted that when in serious combat, he was a master of striking weak points with precision.
Sahgi Easter was a Hume Bunny wizard that dressed like a gentleman and wielded a cane. He seemed quite the womanizer, and mentioned having a "Cabbage Patch" of ten women and four men. His hair, and even his ears and tail, were an unusual purple color. He was Level 4.
Tairona Jamundi was an Amazon cleric, wielding a broom. Her Spells, while serving functions like healing, barriers, and buffing, were oddly elemental-based. Her personality was very gloomy, yet she paradoxically preferred wearing pink, complete with a big pink ribbon atop her head. She was Level 4, and needed no horse, nor to ride in the carriage since she could ride her broom, which was a Magic Weapon.
Darude Freebird was a young teenaged Boaz. Claiming to be the best Supporter in Orario, he was Level 3, and could inflict status conditions, buff, or debuff all enemies or all allies with magic songs on his lute, including curing and preventing status conditions from taking place, and a variety of other useful effects. He was quite high energy and immature, and preferred dressing the part of a bard to emphasize his unique abilities.
Jersey was a bit of an odd one. Overweight, she was a full cup size over Rooster, and two over Matilda, who were the second and third most buxom girls in their group, not counting Morlin who was Matilda's size. She wore a mantle that covered the top and sides of her head, but the rest of her could be seen. Her boots seemed like they didn't fit, since her gait was rather awkward in them. She was a Supporter, but had no Skills, Spells, Development Abilities, and refused to say her Level, with Hades requesting they honor that. She seemed very shy and timid, but opened up as long as any talk wasn't too intrusive. Morlin said she'd made great strides in becoming less shy in the past three years.
Sunny was twelve years old, half-Pallum and half-Dwarf. Though accompanying them to the Seven Dreams, Hades insisted that, as she was only twelve, had only been a Supporter for two years, and was still Level 1, she would not be coming with them into the arena. The little blonde girl of mixed race was disappointed, but said she understood.
As the carriages and horses pulled up to the inn, Darude rushed out alongside Sunny and Alivia, excited to be there. Tessa was next out, seeming a bit giddy herself. The reason was obvious to everyone in the Hades Familia present except for one: She was excited to see Rooster in a swimsuit.
Runemeyer insisted on hitching up his horse himself. While clearly a man of serious temperament, Hestia noted he had a very big soft spot for his pure white mare. She duly wondered if she should give Fang and Meiryo Falna like Maplehoof.
Hestia also got the feeling that Tessa had… an interest in Rooster. Despite being separate species, she referred to Ian as her brother. Between moments of verminophobia, androphobia, and mild agoraphobia, the Pallum-sized War Tiger in all-white looked at the ginger Cat Person in what Hestia knew all too well from looking at Bell Cranel was lust. She wasn't one to judge, of course, but it seemed Tessa herself was in denial over her own attraction to Rooster. Still, though, unlike what the Goddess of family, hearths, and architecture felt for Bell, Tessa's feelings for Rooster were only half of the equation. She didn't feel love for her fellow Hades Familia member. Just lust.
"You see it, don't you?"
Hestia jumped, looking to see it was Hades standing next to her. For a man so large and with such an intimidating presence, he was oddly stealthy.
"Yes, I am aware, Tessa's not quite emotionally healthy. But like all my children, she is who she is. While I encourage all my children to be better people, I also encourage them to embrace their flaws. Few realize that not everyone can be perfect. I encourage my children to be who they are, even if who they are isn't the best. They should not forsake their flaws, try to hide them, or try to correct them. They should realize their weakness… and turn it into their strength."
Hestia turned to glance over at where Bell, Liliruca, Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime were chatting with Rooster, Ian, Leon, and Ray. She couldn't help getting the feeling that Hades was more of a parent to his Familia that even she was. And she was the Goddess of, among other things, family!
"Do not get yourself down, Hestia. In the grand scheme of things, you are still new to the Familia business. I've been at it many more years than you have. I was actually quite looking forward to the day you descended from Heaven to join me here."
A small smile came to the oppai loli Goddess's face.
"Awww, did you miss me?"
Despite his generally cold nature, an undeniable, if small, smile came to Hades' face.
…
"Did we unload everything?" asked Akio.
"That's the last of it, all we need to do now is set up and we're done," replied Takashi.
The carriages then rode off as Relia turned to a new face.
"Thank you so much for helping us Amaya!" she cheered.
"It's no trouble at all and I'm glad I finally got the chance to Convert,"
The Runarl swordswoman known as Amaya Megumi was a long time friend of Relia and was a former member of Apollo familia. Left Familia-less after the War Game between the Apollo and Hestia Familia, Amaya had meant to Convert for months but she had to take repeated trips in order to thoroughly secure the fortune that she was left behind by her deceased parents. Amaya hailed from a traditional Runarl village from the southern side of the continent and spent most of her childhood training in the art of swordsmanship under her father. She received her Falna at the early age of six at her father's request and he began to train her...vigorously. By the time she was a teenager, she was very proficient with her signature dual blades in addition to being taught a great many skills by her mother, most notably Tailoring and Cooking.
However...when she became 16 years of age, tragedy struck. Noticing that her parents went on a routine trip outside of the village and did not return at the usual time, she and the village searched all over the area for them. Amaya was grief stricken to find them in a field, dead in each others arms along with a lot of other corpses. It was evident that they were ambushed by what appeared to be slavers or rogue adventurers and the only solace she could find in this was that her parents died together rather than alone.
Since that day, she was never the same. She spent a lot of time locked up inside the house that she locked up her family's home and ventured to Orario after several months of solitude, where she worked mostly on her own and continued to hone her skills. Now that she finally had the time to do so, Amaya Converted over to Hestia's familia that very morning. Seeing as she was rather well off, Amaya had no problems in asking some of her friends to help them transport everything they needed for the trip down in a few carriages.
"Enjoy yourselves!" said Amaya.
"What? Where are you going?" cried Relia.
"I have to take care of some things in town but I'll be back later tonight! I promise!" she said.
Relia gave her a deep hug as she walked away.
Meanwhile- The Changing Room, The Seven Dreams
"What is this? Dental floss? Attached to three napkins?"
Rooster stood in the inn's beach changing room tent, gazing at the unusually small pieces of cloth in her hands. Morlin had given it to her, saying it was the swimsuit she picked out for her before the trip, but… Was this really a swimsuit? What did she say it was? A micro… something? She had no idea there even WERE so many different types of swimsuits, let alone a micro whatever.
"What's the holdup, Rooster?"
Rooster turned to the sound of Nana, gasping at the sight.
Nana, Mira, and Matilda stood there. She was beginning to think of them as some kind of trio, or something. They were wearing what Rooster had to assume was swimsuits. Either that or she was hallucinating.
Nana was wearing a white two piece swimsuit which for some reason, really highlighted how defined her figure was. Her training and practice as a dancer as well as her long career as a wandering gypsy did wonders for her body and she was easily one of the more attractive women in Hestia's familia, arguably the most.
Mira on the other hand was clad in a black one piece that didn't really highlight much apart from the fact that she was quite slim. She was however a lot more defined and fit than she was before, no doubt due to all the training she did with that infamously huge scythe of hers.
While Matilda… was completely stark naked.
"M-Matilda! Wh-What are you-"
"You get used to it." Mira explained with a casual shrug.
"Why are you guys even wearing magic armor at the beach, anyway?" the Cat Person cleric asked, clearly confused.
Rooster had to reset her brain, trying to comprehend that absurd logic. She eventually came to the conclusion that Matilda's mind simply couldn't be grasped by "normal people." Not even when Rooster was the same species as her.
"It's not magic armor...do you have any idea what it's like to be at a beach?" asked Nana raising an eyebrow.
"Of course I've been to beaches! Still can't figure out why everyone wears magic armor to them."
Rooster couldn't help thinking Matilda simply wasn't all there.
"Well, I've never been to a beach before. I've read about them in books, but I assumed showing this much skin so close to an ocean was… well, not exactly normal outside of them."
"You've gotta loosen up a bit...I mean the whole purpose of this trip is to have fun and take a load off before we go back to kick some slaver ass," said Mira with a wink.
Rooster sighed. They didn't seem to realize the gravity of this upcoming mission into the arena. The slavers might not be a problem, but other Adventurers would probably be fighting as gladiators. Plus, there was the Familia of the Discarded Scabbard. They were small in number, but each one was a complete monster in combat. These three… didn't see the one called Hatred gaze at her with the clear intent to murder her in the most brutal way.
"I… I don't think-"
Nana then grabbed onto Rooster, her eyes now suddenly interested in her massive bosom.
"I never imagined I'd meet someone who's bigger than Matilda...what the hell do you Cat People eat to get this big?!" she gasped.
Matilda of course, being the happy go lucky girl she is, followed Nana's actions.
"I'm a little jealous of you!" she said with a giggle.
"I… I'm sure there are other girls in the world bigger than… than me." The magic knight stammered, clearly uncomfortable at the sudden topic of conversation, and the sudden contact of what she considered a barely-dressed Nana.
"Captain is a-about your size, Cleric, and Jersey is bigger than me…"
Nana then smiled evilly.
"So how do you think that hot half-elf paladin's gonna react to seeing this?" she teased with yet another wink, gesturing to the swimsuit in the still-dressed Rooster's hands.
Rooster was sure her pale, freckled face exploded in steam, turning as red as her hair.
"P-Paladin is just my t-teamma-"
"Like hell he is! I see the way you look at him! Stop being bashful!" chuckled Nana.
"Look at him? I'm… I'm merely appraising his combat potential! I'm his superior, a-after all…"
"Yeah...can you really say that when your eyes look like dinner plates?" snickered Mira.
If her face was as red as her hair before, it must have been glowing neon red now.
"C-Can we please just drop this topic of conversation? I need to get changed into these napkins, and I'd rather not undress with you three here."
"Why do you have a problem with us here? And why would you wear napkins?" Matilda asked, clearly confused.
Rooster was beginning to doubt they were, in fact, the same species.
"...I've noticed that he's a lot like Takashi...except he's a bit more...stubborn," said Mira.
"I agree," replied Matilda.
"Well then...time to have some fun don't you think girls?" snickered Nana.
All three turned to the completely flustered Rooster, whose face was about as red as a pepper right now.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure you have a really nice time while you're here," said Matilda.
The amnesiac Cat Person swallowed hard, feeling her reading glasses slip down her nose. Call it the instincts of a Level 4 Adventurer, but… Oh, crap.
Matilda, her hands still grasping Rooster's bosom, then tried to pull away, but of course in signature Matilda fashion, she tripped over seemingly nothing and once all the chaos and dust cleared, she had a face full of Rooster's bosom. It was… the usual scene, except it was Matilda getting smothered instead of the person below her. Nana rolled her eyes.
"You're such a klutz Matilda…" she sighed.
Once the complete and utter embarrassment of the changing room was gone, but likely never to be forgotten by all four parties involved (except for Matilda. Rooster got the feeling that girl was pretty ditzy), the amnesiac Cat Person emerged onto the beach.
It wasn't just that she wasn't wearing armor and without her Gem-Sho since it was back at the Underworld Dormitory, being serviced by Frobo in preparation for the mission into the arena, although that was admittedly part of it. Rooster always felt the least vulnerable when she was either in water, very high up, or wearing her full armor and carrying her weapon, but that wasn't entirely it. She was feeling vulnerable for entirely different reasons on top of it. Even in a towel, she'd never shown this much skin. And honestly, the amount of skin she WASN'T showing only made her feel more exposed.
As she stepped out of the changing room and onto the beach, she anxiously tugged at the spaghetti noodle-like straps of her bottoms, while trying to ignore her top. As modest as Rooster was, the upper half of her body was always a source of social discomfort for her.
The swimsuit, if it could be called such, that her own Captain and mother figure, Morlin, had picked out for her was… barely even there. Morlin had called it a 'micro thong bikini.' Aside from three patches of cloth to cover three essential spots, it was essentially all string the thickness of an angel's hair. As she walked out onto the beach, her fluffy, tan-ringed tail was trying to go between her legs, but failing because said legs were too tightly closed. Rooster quickly realized that crossing her arms OVER her breasts would not be a valid option. She would have to cross them UNDER them so as to prevent… movement.
With a blush on her pale, freckled face, her bright green, cat-like eyes gazed around at the beach. It seemed everyone else was already out and having fun in the sand and surf, and while only one person was more exposed than her, they were all still showing a lot of skin, and it baffled her as to how they could be okay with it.
Out front was Akio and Relia, who were sitting under a parasol with him laying in her lap and being fed grapes. Relia wore a dark green two piece but also had a light blue sarong around her waist. Akio was shirtless and wore dark blue trunks. Next to them was Vanna, who was wearing a pair of black shorts along with the top half of a brown one piece. She was sitting in a recliner, soaking up the sun with a smile on her face.
Dina was knee deep in the water, dressed in a white one piece while also wearing a straw hat. There was however a lack of the Lee sisters as well as Schiede.
"Guess they didn't feel like having some fun today… Not that I see how anyone could have fun showing this much skin."
Takashi and Ayame, who had arrived earlier, were also nowhere to be seen.
Bell and Liliruca seemed to be burying Welf in the sand. The albino 15-year-old was wearing some simple brown trunks and a black sleeveless shirt, while Lili was wearing a simple, modest red one piece. Lili was proof that just because Pallums were tiny, that didn't mean they couldn't be well-endowed. Welf wore a pair of red trunks with black trim and a black stripe on both outer legs.
Mikoto and Haruhime were nearby, gazing out at the ocean. Mikoto was wearing some sarashi and fundoshi, while Haruhime was wearing a yellow bikini. The bottom was a thong, but more covering than Rooster's own, while the top consisted of two thick strings with patches of cloth between them to cover her breasts, leaving her shoulders bare.
Hestia was sitting under a nearby tree atop a beach blanket, enjoying the shade, atmosphere, and ambience. She looked quite comfortable. She was wearing a very scanty, pure white bikini that Rooster found wasn't much better than Haruhime's, and very nicely showed off her childlike, yet buxom figure. Her blue eyes gazed at the members of her Familia like a watchful mother, though paid special attention to Bell in a not-so-motherly way.
Her God, Hades, and her Captain, Morlin, weren't far from Hestia. Hades and his wife were sitting side by side in two lounge chairs, reading under some umbrellas. Hades was dressed in a pair of hibiscus blue swim trunks, a simple white muscle T, some neon pink flip-flops, and a beach hat. Combined with the sunglasses and visible sunscreen on his face, she couldn't help getting a very fatherly vibe from him, like he would pull out the grill any second.
Morlin, on the other hand, wasn't dressed much better than what she had made Rooster wear. It was some kind of sling-like swimsuit making the shape of a V, narrow strips covering her large, tanned breasts. Matilda was supposedly a DDD/F, and Morlin was probably the same size. Aside from the swimsuit, which was arguably a one piece but probably showing more skin than any two piece, she also wore a pair of sunglasses, helping with a 'beach mother' feel to match Hades' 'beach father.' She was barefoot, but really, shoes were optional on the beach. Besides, when your legs below the knees were made of tree bark, you really didn't need to wear shoes unless you were walking on hot coals. Yeah, they didn't just LOOK like tree bark. Morlin's hands, feet, shins, and forearms really WERE made of tree bark.
Little Sunny was wearing a frilly pink casual one piece, building a sand castle with Tessa, who was wearing a tankini with an attached skirt. Pure white, of course. Rooster couldn't really think of a time her adopted sister WASN'T wearing white. Tessa couldn't swim, so making a sand castle with the flower of the Hades Familia seemed the logical choice.
Ian was off to the side with Lucia. He was wearing a pair of white fundoshi, while the blind archer was wearing a very modest, plain one piece in a pale green color. She seemed to be helping him put on a blindfold (the irony was not lost on Rooster) to strike a watermelon with a bat, but the Werewolf samurai was clearly having little patience for the Runarl archer's insistent help.
Ray seemed to be working up the courage to enter the water, tapping his toe in the tide to test it. He was dressed in a half-white, half-light blue pair of swim trunks with one leg longer than the other.
Runemeyer was wearing a completely black, full-body wetsuit, even his hands covered. Rooster had long discovered why the Dark Elf knight covered himself completely from the neck down years ago, but still felt he shouldn't care what others thought when it came to that. Maplehoof should've been left at the inn, but in typical Runemeyer fashion, she was there with him, running around the beach like a wild stallion… or mare, rather. Runemeyer, even at the beach, seemed unable to relax, as his almost-glowing yellow eyes gazed about at the people on the beach like some kind of guardian or lifeguard.
Sahgi was dressed in nothing more than a purple speedo, Darude nearby in a pair of tight black trunks like the kind used in competitive swimming. She overheard the Hume Bunny wizard tell the 16-year-old Boaz bard Supporter that they were his "training speedos" until he graduated to full lady-killer. It seemed he was teaching Darude proper beach flirting. Rooster only wished Sahgi would give it a rest. She knew by now he wasn't the manwhore he appeared to be, but so few others did, and he was very likely giving the Hestia Familia the wrong impression.
Tairona stood under an umbrella, rubbing sunscreen on herself. The short, yet surprisingly buxom for her height, Amazon cleric was wearing a bikini with a strapless top, soft pink in color like most of her clothing. Her ever-present pink bow was atop her head like always, and she noticed her casting glances at where Runemeyer stood in the center of the beach, watching over his Familia like some kind of stalwart guardian. The gloomy Witch Doctor hid it well, but Rooster knew, she had it bad for the Dark Elf knight. She was actually tempted to do something about it, but knew it wasn't her business, nor her place, to play matchmaker.
Jersey was in the water, likely trying to hide herself. She had worn boots even to the beach, but at least Rooster knew by know why it was actually quite necessary for the Supporter to hide her feet. It seemed Morlin had struck again, as Jersey, despite her shyness, was wearing a modest, frilly bikini in a yellow and red checkered pattern. The non-sheer sarong and large straw hat with strings to tie it to her chin, however, Rooster knew was also Morlin's idea, but for the Supporter's own good. Still, though, the words "too fat for a two piece" came to mind, and Rooster wasn't sure why. Yes, Jersey was the most buxom girl there and a full cup size bigger than her, but unlike Rooster's supermodel-like figure, it came at the cost of quite a bit of… pudge.
Alivia was running around the beach, enjoying the wide open sun for her to move around in. Her modest bust was covered in a sensible bikini with a front tie and side-tie bottoms. It was black and white in color, of course. When did the Hume Bunny scout from the Hermes Familia wear anything BUT black and white?
Sighing, Rooster figured she needed to do something BESIDES stand here with her arms cradling her bosom where everyone could see her. Feeling drawn to the water, no doubt due to her Turkish van urges, Rooster set out to go swimming in the ocean, maybe even join Jersey in trying to hide herself in the waves.
Tessa sat on the beach, making a sand castle with Sunny. It was a sore spot with her that the 12-year-old half-Pallum, half-Dwarf was curvier than her, but the War Tiger didn't let that bother her too much. Sunny was just the cutest kid.
"Hey, aren't you the Anal-Retentive Bookworm?"
Tessa cringed at the sound of her Alias. She supposed being one of the few Level 2 Supporters in Orario had its downsides. Turning, she was relieved to see the two talking to her were girls. Who were they, again? Ummm… Mira and Nana, was it?
"Uh… That's me, yeah." Tessa addressed the two much taller girls, standing as she left Sunny to continue making the sand castle.
"Wow, you're pretty tiny. Every other War Tiger I've ever met has been almost as big as a Boaz." Mira commented, much to the furrowed brow of Tessa.
"Aren't you also the only Scholar Class in Orario?" Nana asked.
The diminutive War Tiger brightened at her claim to fame.
"That's me!"
"Can your Scan spell really tell just about anything about whatever it's used on?" Mira asked.
"Not exactly, but most things that matter, yeah. And the exact information I get varies depending on whether it's an object, civilian, Adventurer, or Monster."
"Is it true it can tell a girl's measurements and cup size?" Nana asked, smirking playfully.
Tessa blushed. She quickly recited Rooster's measurements in her head out of habit. No one would ever know she knew them, and it would be a secret she would take to her grave.
"Um… Why do you ask?" she obfuscated.
"Well, I just consider it ironic, since you don't have any measurements to speak of." Mira pointed out.
The War Tiger's face twisted into anger.
"Hey! That's not true! My measurements are 28/22/30!"
"Yup! And she's a AA-cup! Four feet, nine inches tall!" the adorable blonde twelve year old added from where she was patting wet sand into a rook-like shape for their castle.
Mira and Nana turned to each other, high-fiving.
"Told you it would work!" Mira cheered.
"Didn't doubt you for a second!" The gypsy concurred.
Tessa felt her face burning. She only prayed Hestia didn't talk to her. She wouldn't be able to handle a girl seven inches shorter and about her body structure having five hundred percent more tit than her.
~ o ~
Rooster sighed deeply; the sun was a lot hotter than she was expecting and with everyone else having fun in the water, and thus nearing her proximity, she decided to emerge from the surf to spend some time alone. She continued up the shore until the sensitive feline ears atop her head flicked, picked up two familiar voices. She quickly made her way to a large rock and peered around the corner to see...Takashi and Ayame?
The elf couple was sitting down on a blanket just under a tree as Takashi fed Ayame what appeared to be a brownie. She was still wearing her white two piece but now had a crimson sarong wrapped around her waist. Her long silver hair was let out and flowed with the wind but a new detail was the addition of a cherry blossom in her hair. Takashi was wearing a long sleeved white shirt along with black training pants, having abandoned his plain black t-shirt and dark blue trunks at some point during the day. Her feline stealth helping her stay hidden, Rooster felt her long, bushy tail sway back and forth behind her beyond her control. Spying on people always seemed to stimulate her feline hunting urges.
"They're...so happily in love...it's beautiful to see,"
After Ayame finished eating the brownie, Takashi lay back against the tree and closed his eyes with a smile.
"We really needed this trip," he said.
"It really has been a while since we just got some time to enjoy ourselves," she replied.
He nodded in agreement but then looked to her with a serious face.
"I...didn't upset you did I?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" she replied.
He scratched the back of his head.
"When I agreed to teach Lucia how to make arrows...I mean, Morlin did shout that little tidbit...and there was also Nana and Mira...not to mention Rooster," he continued.
"You think I don't trust you?" she asked with a giggle.
"It's not that...I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable," he replied.
She shook her head.
"I love you Takashi...there's no way that I'd be uncomfortable with you being around other women because I know at the end of the day, you'd never betray my trust like that," she explained.
He sighed in deep relief and laughed nervously.
"Sometimes...I don't think I deserve a woman as good as you are," he said.
"And sometimes I think you're too hard on yourself…"
She sat in his lap before leaning in and kissing him. Rooster felt butterflies in her stomach, her tail's sway picking up speed, and she could tell her face was about the shade of an apple right now.
"...Is this what I feel for…"
"You alright?"
Rooster felt her spirit leave her body and had to muffle her cat-like yowl of a scream as to not alert the nearby Elf couple. She turned to see that it was Leon, who once again appeared out of seemingly nowhere, with a concerned look on his face.
"Your face is red...are you having a fever?" he asked.
He placed a hand on her forehead, which only deepened the blush on her face.
A mild, internal panic attack hit her. Paladin! Half-Elf! Leon! Hand! Forehead! Abort! Abort!
She shook her head vigorously and held a finger to her lips as she pointed to the rock. Leon peered around the corner to see the two elves still kissing each other. Much to her surprise, Leon also began to blush. He then looked at her and all of a sudden, his eyes widened and his face became so red, she could've sworn he turned into a bottle of ketchup.
"W-W-Who made you wear that?!" he gasped.
Rooster instinctively moved her arms up to shield herself, loosely in the standard female nudity covering position of one arm lowered to between the legs and one arm crossed over the chest. Problem was that Rooster has so much… chest… that one arm really wouldn't do much.
"C-Captain made me. Said I should flaunt what I have, Paladin." the ginger Cat Person nearly mumbled; she was so embarrassed.
Leon's eyes softened as he removed the towel from around his neck and wrapped it around her.
"...You've got to stop letting Morlin decide things for you," he said nervously.
Rooster sighed in relief, happy to have something other than just string and three scraps of red cloth covering her. She clutched the large beach towel around herself like a security blanket, but idly wondered why Leon was giving her something to cover with instead of ogling her like the others. Especially Mira, Nana, Matilda, and Tessa… Was it just her, or was she just surprisingly popular with girls? She had a Rank G in Charm, but was the stupid Development Ability gender-specific, or something?
"Because if you're not comfortable with it then I don't believe you should do it," he replied.
"Well… I really can't deny an order from my Captain, Paladin." Rooster said, pushing her reading glasses up her nose in some naive hope it would hide her still somewhat red face.
Maybe she could just pass it off as a sunburn?
Leon shook his head.
"Don't ever let someone force you to do something you don't want to do...no matter who it is," he replied.
For some reason, he seemed to zone out of the situation, as if reflecting on the very words he just spoke.
Rooster quirked a crimson eyebrow at his words. Her mind quickly fought a battle between 'ask him out of concern' or 'none of my business.' It seemed concern was quickly winning out, but a second glance into those dark green pools made her think that… No, an interrogation was not what her Paladin needed right now. For now he, and admittedly, she as well… just needed to loosen up a bit. That's what this trip was for, wasn't it?
"Paladin? Shall we stop spying on our new allies and… go back to the beach? You'd, um… be surprised how calming water can be," the Turkish van Cat Person offered, tapping her fingers together in an awkward manner.
Leon seemed to absorb her words and much to her surprise, he held out a hand, despite his red face. Even more surprising, he smiled at her.
"That's...actually why I came looking for you,"
Rooster was certain that, as red as her hair was, her face was redder.
"Wh-What? You, uh…"
Rooster is currently rebooting. Searched for file 'why would Leon be looking for me?' File not found.
"Why would you be… looking for me?" She finally managed to get out, her bright green eyes directed downward in a manner that made her reading glasses slide down the bridge of her nose.
"Because I wanted to spend some time with you...just the two of us,"
For a moment, Rooster was sure she was frozen solid despite the storm of warmth flowing inside her… Particularly the lower 'inside her.' For a moment, she was speechless. The little angel on her shoulder was screaming 'He loves you back,' while the little devil on her shoulder was screaming 'he's just being a concerned Party member! No one would ever love a weirdo like you!'
She silenced both shoulder advocates, both voices in her head, and instead reached out, taking the masculine, calloused hand that the Half-Elf Paladin was still offering her. A single, large thump sounded in her chest. Wow… Wielding a huge shield and heavy mace really helped with hand strength, didn't it? She'd never noticed before, since he'd always grabbed her hand during the middle of some dangerous situation, or when one or both of them was wearing gloves.
She cleared her throat.
"Very well, Paladin. Let's head back to the others."
"I have another idea...there's a nice spot about two minutes away from here...I already left a blanket and some food my mother made...so we could go there inste-"
"We'll go now. Food!"
The Cat Person reached a hand to her mouth, surprised, and deeply embarrassed, at her outburst. Leon chuckled softly.
"Sure...but can you do me a favor?,"
Carefully removing her palm from her mouth, the amnesiac Magic Knight quirked a crimson eyebrow.
"What?"
Anything to speed up the consumption of a delicious meal.
"Call me Leon...we've been friends for a very long time and I think we've gotten past the point where titles are the way in which we refer to one another,"
The debate in Rooster's head didn't last long. Or occurred. At all. For food? For Leon's mother's food? For Paladin? It was no contest.
"Uh… Okay. P-P-Pal-Leon."
"It's a start. Next time, say it without stuttering," he said, again chuckling.
Rooster couldn't help feeling a light, airy fluttering in her chest at the sound of that chuckle. As the two walked off further down the beach, hand-in-hand, neither noticed the single patch of red cloth and string thong that had fallen on the ground when Rooster had slipped the towel around herself.
Meanwhile- The Main Beach
Matilda laid on her stomach, sighing contentedly as the sun beat down on her bare back and rear. Nothing like sunning on the beach, especially since, like Tessa in the Hades Familia, she couldn't swim. Though, it baffled her why everyone else was wearing magic armor instead of strutting around au naturale like her. All she was wearing, really, was her glasses.
It was difficult to do this, too. After struggling to figure out how to lay on her stomach with her boobies in the way, she finally figured out she had to dig two holds in the sand and set the blanket on top of it. It worked surprisingly well!
Opening one of her blue-gray eyes, Matilda glanced at where those two members of the Hades Familia, Ian and Lucia, were. It seemed the Werewolf had finally gotten tired of the Runarl trying to get him to wear a blindfold to hit the watermelon, so he finally snarled and walked off.
"Oh, yoo-hoo! Ian, was it?"
The Werewolf samurai stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the completely naked Cat Person cleric laying face-down on a beach blanket. His eyes showed no reaction to all her visible skin, likely a master of self-control. Challenge accepted!
"Wanna do me a favor? Grab that sunblock from that basket and bring it over here?"
Sighing audibly, the Werewolf moved to do so, Morlin nudging Hades in the shoulder as their Familia member neared to grab the bottle from their basket. Hades looked, though his expression didn't change. The nature Spirit, however, seemed mischievously delighted at what might take place soon, lowering her sunglasses to get a better look.
Ian walked over with it, but when he simply dropped it in front of her, Matilda spoke before he could turn and walk away.
"Do me a favor, Wolfy? Spread some on my back? I'm a big girl. My arms can't cover all of me."
Groaning audibly, as if clearly not having the patience for this, the Werewolf knelt next to the very naked, very curvy Cat Person and squirted some of the white, suggestive fluid on his masculine, clawed hands.
Setting to work, his palms touched her back, but Matilda jumped.
"Yipes! That's cold! Warm your palms up a bit, big guy!"
Releasing a noise that seemed halfway between a sigh and a growl, Ian rubbing his palms together, several others around the beach turning to watch what might unfold between these two polar opposites.
As Ian's now-warmed and freshly-squirted hands moved to Matilda's back, a deep sigh escaped the Cat Person cleric. Despite being such a big, aggressive, "strong and silent" kind of guy, his hands, while still firm and masculine, were surprisingly soft and gentle. As his palms expertly, as if he'd done this before, spread the lotion on her supple back, several of the others, namely Mira and Nana, gathered around.
"That looks like it feels good." Mira mentioned, eyeing Matilda's face as she sighed and made borderline-moans.
"Mind giving me that when you're done, Mattie?" Nana asked, though whether she was talking about Ian or the bottle of sunblock was open to interpretation.
Ian continued down her back, stopping right at where her large, perky rear curved upward, and moving back up to handle her shoulders. The feel of his hands, she had to admit, was nearly orgasmic. Putting on a fake show was not something in Matilda's business portfolio. Her near-moans were completely genuine.
Ian seemed like he was about to stand up, her back covered, but a hand on his wrist stopped him.
"Hang on. I can't get all of my legs, now can I? Help? Please?"
The Werewolf's expression softened. Not his usual scowl or glare, but rather, a look of just mild annoyance.
"Pweeease? Onegaaaiii?"
Sighing, Ian kneeled back down, squirting some fresh white fluid on his hands. Scooting further down the cleric's body, the samurai began gentle, stroking ministrations to the backs of her shapely, meaty thighs, using his thumb to get the back of her knees in a manner that caused the nude Cat Person to thrust her neck up in pleasurable surprise. His hands continued down her calves, his palms kneading them in what, to many, would unmistakably look like a message if his hands weren't white with sunblock.
Matilda, chancing a glance to her side, would make no mistake about what she saw. While likely invisible to anyone but the most perceptive of lustful observers, there was a subtle, but huge, bulge in that fundoshi.
The Werewolf's hands finished on the heel of her feet, which were somewhat large for a girl, but after he stopped, he didn't stand up like last time. Matilda was about to ask he do ANOTHER area, but instead, he squirted more in his hands and moved to do it himself. This guy learned fast, hee hee!
Repositioning himself for a better angle, and with Nana and Mira gazing with red faces and eyes wide, stunned, Ian's palms clasped her large, bulbous posterior, causing was was unmistakably a moan that Matilda didn't even TRY to restrain. His palms smoothly glided over the large globes of her rear, causing a series of panting and moaning from their owner. His fingers came dangerously close to the treasure between her thighs, maddeningly so, without actually touching it. His fingers, however, went pretty far up her waist, and when his strong yet surprisingly dexterous fingers kneaded her curvy, wide hips, Matilda let out a cry that could easily be mistaken for the obvious, but… was it?
When Ian finished, he again didn't get up. Rather, he seemed to be catching his breath. As Tessa watched her older brother from a distance, she could honestly say… she'd never seen Ian this flustered before.
"Mmmmm… That felt good, Ian." the Cat Person sighed in a husky, throaty voice, an unmistakable purring sound coming from her as she said it.
"I may be the cleric, but you have magic, healing fingers. I swear, you took care of aches and pains I didn't even know I had. Now, how about you get my front?"
Matilda was then met with a swat from Nana's left hand.
"Not in this lifetime,"
Mira's previously happy face was now replaced with a look of death, plastered onto Ian. He sent a yellow-eyed glare and snarl right back at her, while Matilda jumped at the spank from Nana. Pouting, the Cat Person reached out and traced a finger over the bulge in Ian's fundoshi, making the Werewolf visibly jump, and even break his glaring contest with the scyther.
"Too bad. I would've enjoyed feeling those strong, soft hands on my boobies," she giggled.
Ian looked visibly uncomfortable, but didn't react in anger or lash out at the single finger stroke to his package. Tessa and Morlin, watching from a distance, couldn't deny what they saw… They both had their suspicions that Ian had taken up Scarlett on her 'tumble discount' once before, but… He'd never been affected by anyone like that before, not that they could remember. Tessa felt a pang she might be losing her Onii-chan, while Morlin… saw potential. The wood nymph then turned around and smiled at the sight of a friendly face.
"Bell my dear! Could you carry this barrel inside for me?" she said.
The silver haired Adventurer, who not long ago was known as the "Little Rookie," turned his attention from admiring the sight of the water to her.
"Sure!" he replied.
Morlin then looked around for Hestia and found her sitting in a chair just beside the entrance to the inn.
"Hestia honey! Could you be a dear and make sure that all the firewood for this evening is sorted out?" she called out.
Hestia sighed; she clearly did not want to leave her comfortable spot.
"Okay," she said.
She entered the building and moments later, Bell did as well as he wheeled the barrel of wine in. Morlin then looked around, spotting Darude who was sitting on the sand.
"Darude! Come here my dear!" she said.
The boy jumped to his feet and quickly made his way over to her.
"Yes mom?" he said.
She laughed softly; she sort of liked it when he called her that.
"I need you to do something for me… wanna cause some chaos?"
…
"Ugh… why do I always get stuck doing the boring jobs…"
Hestia made a mental note of the four bags of charcoal and three stacks of firewood that Amaya dropped off with her entourage.
"That's a lot of stuff… I guess when Morlin wants to have a cookout, she means it,"
"Kami-sama!"
Hestia turned to see Bell, who was smiling at her as he finished wheeling the barrel into the room.
"Enjoying the scenery?" he asked.
She nodded with a smile.
"Not a fan of the tedious work that we've been getting but I guess no trip is without even a bit of work," she said.
Bell laughed nervously.
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
Hestia sighed inwardly to herself.
"You've come such a long way… it's hard to believe that you've barely been with us for a more than a year and you've already come so far," she said.
He laughed nervously.
"Well I have everyone to thank for that… especially you," he replied.
A familiar warmth enveloped the goddess's heart as she felt a blush creep onto her face. It was always this way, ever since the day Bell first joined the familia. She always had a good feeling about him and truly believed that he could become someone great. Though she didn't particularly like the fact that he didn't seem to be focused on her and instead on a famous figure from Loki's familia, she nevertheless grew to love Bell, far deeper than she originally thought. Due to how much the familia expanded, Hestia often found herself at home by herself while everyone else went out to work. At everyone's insistence, Hestia didn't get any sort of job to keep herself occupied and often times, she would only get to see a lot of her children at night when work was over.
Until she met Bell Cranel. Bell showed a unique type of dedication, always going out of his way to make sure she was alright and never occupying himself enough to pull him away from her. Even though Hestia knew that everyone else was doing their jobs in order to provide for themselves and most importantly for her, she still couldn't help but feel lonely at times. He solved all of those problems. She spent a lot of time, talking and relaxing with Bell in her room about anything they could think of. They quickly became friends and it didn't take long for Hestia to realize that her feelings stretched far deeper than that of only a mere friend or son. She however, had no idea if Bell reciprocated those feelings due to another woman.
Aiz Wallenstein, the sword princess of the Loki familia was a very famous figure. She was the one who saved Bell's life during his first solo outing into the dungeon and as a result of her saving him, it inspired him to become stronger. Hestia even noted that a lot of the reason Bell progressed so quickly was because of his feelings for her. Though she felt immensely jealous of Aiz, she eventually learned to look past her feelings and understand that above all, it was Bell's happiness that mattered to her most.
"Kami-sama?"
Hestia snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed Bell sitting down in a two seater couch. He patted the seat beside him. She smiled and happily sat with him.
"I… I've been thinking lately," he began.
Hestia looked at him in disbelief.
"This mission that we're on… it's very dangerous isn't it?" he asked.
She nodded.
"This is something that everyone's been looking out for… even before you joined," she explained.
The albino warrior sighed.
"I… want to do more for us," he said.
"What do you mean?"
He shook his head.
"Everyone's been doing so much… everyone appears to be getting ahead while I'm here lagging behind… Vanna is the strongest of all of us… I have to get stronger,"
That was Bell Cranel for you; always seeking to do more for his family. It was his innate kindness that truly caught Hestia's heart and even when he was making a decision for himself, he always seemed to have the sense to factor in her own well being.
"You… you're amazing,"
Bell looked at her as if confused.
"Ever since you joined us, you're been a shining example of what determination can do… you've broken so many records in the past seven months that you've literally taken Orario by surprise… even Gods and Goddesses themselves,"
He shook his head.
"You… you're so kind to everyone and even though you really don't have to be… you still choose to, it's how Lili, Welf and all the others decided to join us as well… you've done so much in such little time,"
"I can do more… I know I can,"
That determination of his… it was so refreshing to see. She hadn't seen this kind of determination since Takashi came all those years ago…
"Kami-sama? You're crying… "
Hestia gasped audibly and put her hand on her face to see that she indeed was shedding tears. She tried to wipe them away, but Bell produced a handkerchief out of seemingly nowhere and was already wiping her face. She smiled at him.
"Bell… I need to ask you something," she said.
"Sure," he replied.
She bit her lip and sucked in a heavy breath.
"How… do you feel about Aiz?" she asked.
Bell shook his head, smiling at her.
"She's a person I respect greatly… she saved my life and she drove me to become the person I am now… she also taught me a lot about not just being an adventurer but also a man,"
His eyes fell.
"At one point… I thought I was in love with her even,"
Hestia could feel her heart breaking in two as those words left his lips.
"I see," she replied.
"That is until I realized something else,"
Much to her surprise, Bell planted a kiss on her forehead and smiled at her.
"I love you far more than I could ever love her Kami-sama!" he said with a bright smile.
Hestia didn't even give him a chance to respond as she tackled him to the couch, threw her arms around him and captured his lips in a kiss. Her happiness only grew… when he kissed her back. She had dreamt of this moment happening for a long time… and who would've thought it would take a bunch of slavers to wreak havoc on the land in order for this to finally give them the chance. Bell slowly ran his hands to her waist and she tightened her grip around his neck, deepening the kiss. The few seconds they were connected… it was as if the rest of the world didn't exist, even the watchful eyes of Nana, Mira and Morlin went completely unnoticed.
"Someone's gonna get teased tonight…"
It was as Hestia, pressed against Bell's bare chest, began to untie her bikini top, that Morlin shooed Mira and Nana away, though the wood nymph cast one last mischievous glance before she left with them.
"I'm sure she'll let Bell know exactly what's on her mind,"