As of writing this, let it be known I have just gotten a copy of Final Fantasy 15...

I'll still try and keep things steady. :)

Lets move on, shall we?

Chapter 21

The following day, was very busy, as predicted. With the fall of Apollo Familia, and Hestia's bet with them, we had won their home, everything within, Familia valis, and basically everything that wasn't a person, or that person's belongings.

Also as per the bet, Apollo himself was banished from the city. Hyakinthos, bitter at his loss, but still willing to follow his God, left with him. A fair number of others did as well, even though the guild protested at the sudden exodus of many level two adventurers.

At my urging, or rather, insistence, (holding her by the collar and patting her head until she submitted) Hestia did not go to gloat, and we, Hestia Familia, had a quiet celebration at Takemikazuchi's residence.

When asked why I wouldn't let her go and see them off, my reply was simple.

"We won. The city knows it. They know it. We know it. What more need be said?" I put her down on the cushion next to me while Takemikazuchi himself poured her tea and placed it on the low table for her. "The guild is making sure they are taking only what is theirs, and dealing with the shuffle of people who want out of Apollo Familia." I gave Takemikazuchi a small seated bow as he placed tea in front of me, "We don't need to be there."

Takemikazuchi chuckled at the two of us, "Miss Kodori is wise. How is the tea?"

"Miss Kodori just spent most of the morning dealing with interviews about what happened, how it happened, and what sort of special skill is needed to fly." I sighed, "And a little bitter. Just the right amount of..." I defaulted to the English word, "Ginger?" He smiled and nodded.

The rest of the Familia, both of ours, were in the other room. Having a quiet little party for the victors. I had been pulled aside by the two gods for my own after action report, and to stop Hestia from marching over to our soon to be new home to rub it in Apollo's face that he lost.

"Speaking of that..." Takemikazuchi started.

"It's... not that complicated." I started hesitantly, "Just something from back home."

It was obvious they knew I was leaving something out. It wasn't the first time I'd used a similar excuse, either. Thankfully, they didn't pry. "I already promised Lilly to fly with me. So you'll have to wait your turn. Provided we can build another one..."

That made them both smile.

"So, aside from that flying... Glider? You called it?" I nodded to Takemikazuchi. "Everything else?"

"Planned by me, refined by them." I replied, "You've done well with Mikoto-chan. She did you proud last night." The God looked a little awkward for a moment, "Please, be sure to tell her so. You are her Lord, no matter the Familia she is in." To Hestia, I said, "And please, forget your grievance with Apollo. And give Lilly a pat on the head? Height is about the only thing she is short on."

Hestia nearly spit out her tea as I sprung the joke. I would have to try harder next time.

"Oh... And can I give Welf the day off?"

Recovering, Hestia nodded, giving me a glare while Takemikazuchi laughed.

"Ah! Sister!" Welf raised his tea cup to me, the rest of the room looking in my direction. "Everything okay in there?"

"Just had to calm our Goddess down a little." I sat next to Bell, setting my teacup down and sighing. "She has, after much head patting, agreed to let the guild handle the cleanup of Apollo Familia home, and not stand at the gate saying 'nya nya I told you so'."

There was a nervous ripple of laughter.

"She can be a little..." Bell started, earning a light punch to the shoulder from me, "Yeah..."

"Lilly is surprised still." I reached over and pat her head lightly, "I know... Lilly isn't complaining!"

"Hm." Mikoto stared, giving Lilly a pat on the back, just for a moment, before returning to her tea, "You were very brave. We all did well. So what is left to do?"

"Well." I started, scratching an ear before Lilly tugged my sleeve, making me lean down so she could do it for me. "Ahem... Well, lets see. Mikoto-chan, what ever you wish to bring to the new home, have ready... Whenever. Honestly, the place is large enough to fit both our Familia, and since our two Gods, and the rest of us, are good friends..." I had hinted at the idea, but Takemikazuchi said he would let his children decide.

My tail was starting to curl around Lilly lazily while I continued. "Welf, they have a place for you to work there, so, any tools you want to bring, do so. You can set up shop easily enough, and not have to walk all the way to the artisan quarter and back."

"Woo-hoo!" He cheered, "I've been meaning to find a place with more leg room. With all the stuff I've been building I almost can't get to my kitchen anymore."

"Oh, and take the rest of today off, tomorrow too. I'm sure you have some sleep to catch up on, and we'll arrange a cart to get the heavier stuff over to the new home." He nodded to me, slugging back the rest of his tea and standing to leave. "As for the rest, I need a bath. Bell needs a bath. And Lilly? Go see Hestia... I mean... When ever you feel like stopping..."

"Lilly broke Miss Kodori!" I heard her say as I blinked up at her.

And woke up, the room dark, the sun down. I was laying down on a couple of cushions, with a thin blanket over me. The room sounded empty, the only sound that of my own breathing, and the trickle of water outside the common room of Takemikazuchi residence.

Thinking on it, I hadn't slept since... the morning of the previous day. Lifting my head, I noticed that I hadn't even been moved. Everything was cleaned up, and I was simply left to sleep. A towel and a change of clothes rested on the table, next to the only remaining teacup.

Picking up the clothing and towel, I stood, stretched myself until the ache of sleeping on the floor faded somewhat, and went to find the bath room. From the sound of things, the place was almost empty. I could hear a few voices at the other end of the house, some on the street outside the low fence surrounding the small Japanese building, and... nothing. I wondered where everyone had gone.

"Ah, Kodori-dono." Mikoto's voice surpised me. Dressed in a long housecoat robe sort of thing, she had a towel in one hand, and a small basket in the other, "If you are looking for the bath?"

I nodded and followed her, still dusting the sleep from my mind, "Where...?"

"After you fell asleep, we moved to another room." She opened a door and stood aside, "A short while later, a guild representative arrived." After entering, she motioned to a small set of shelves, for me to store my clothing, and a hamper for anything dirty. "Mr. Bell, Miss Lilly, Lady Hestia and Lord Takemikazuchi, as well as most of Takemikazuchi Familia went with them to the new place."

"And you stayed behind for a quiet bath?" I asked, stripping down, wrinkling my nose at the smell of burnt Kodori that clung to my clothes.

I noticed the other girl look away, sighing inwardly that I really should pay attention, or at least pretend I was, to other people in the room and my own state of dress. "Kodori-dono is wise."

"I might be a while, so if you want to join them, I know the way from here." I said, stepping into the next room.

The two of us walked together towards our new home. She had insisted, looking insulted that I'd even suggest she shouldn't wait for me. It did however, give me a chance to chat with her. And help me keep an eye out for more reporters on the war game, and the aftermath. I really didn't like being the centre of attention after walking back to the city looking, once again, like a recovering burn victim. Having the rather stern girl near by actually made me feel more comfortable. It was hard to explain. She was present, but didn't announce it. Like some one who will let you read a book, undisturbed, but still sit next to you.

Until once again, we stood in front of what used to be the Apollo Familia home. Just as impressive as last time, the only thing different, at first glance, was the Sun and Bow emblem was missing from the front.

"I have been curious." Mikoto asked as we both stood at the gate. "Why has Hestia not chosen an Emblem?"

"I'm not sure. I've never thought about it myself." I paused, then put my hand on the iron gate. "Still feels a little... unreal." I gave the gate a push, "But we really did do it, didn't we?"

"Yes. We did." Came the curt reply.

Entering, and closing the gate behind us, we walked to the large wooden doors that lay past the Greek pillars of the front step. Opening those, we were greeted by Eina, who was talking with Takemikazuchi and Hestia.

"While not unheard of, you do know, now that your Familia has reached this size, you have gone up in class. And will be expected to pay a higher tax to the city." Eina explained, making Hestia groan, while Takemikazuchi put a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Considering your Familia, this shouldn't be a problem." Eina glanced towards Mikoto and I but only gave us a nod, "Please have it ready by the end of the month."

"Fine..." Hestia pouted, then spotted me as well, abandoning the comforting pat of Takemikazuchi for my tail. Playing along, I gave my distraught Goddess a pat on the head. "Save me from the Guild, Kodori!"

"Nope." I replied, "Eina is just doing her job, and she's right. We own a bigger house, and take up more space in the city. And she is also correct, in that with us, we shouldn't have trouble paying a monthly fee. Sorry for being so reckless, Miss Eina."

"I have already scolded Bell." She replied, "Be sure to be careful in the future." She made her way to the door, "And, good job."

"Thank you, Miss Eina. And we will try." I watched her close the door behind her, and sighed, "Well, lecture avoided."

"You took her side." Hestia pouted.

"No, I took the side of the laws, she is only the repri...repre? Representative." It had been a while since I stumbled on a word. "So, we have a question." I nudged Hestia away, though she kept hold of my tail. "Why don't we have an emblem?"

Hestia paused, my tail slipping from her fingers, "Um... Well, I was thinking of one... But couldn't decide on one. I've never had a real symbol before..."

"Fair enough. When you do decide, we can put it up front. Now, where is everyone?" I asked, looking around front room. Apollo Familia, what was left of them, had taken the artwork and such with them, but that was to be expected. They wouldn't let us have everything, just what ever was nailed down.

"The children are exploring." Takemikazuchi said with a smile, "It will be their new home, after all, and it is, admittedly, a very large place."

"I'm going to join them. A place this large must have a few surprises."

A few surprises indeed. The kitchen was immense. Considering they housed and fed several dozen members at once, this was no surprise, but still, it was a well appointed setup with everything we could possibly need.

There was however, no food. So I wrote that down.

Next was the bath house. Two full rooms, made for about ten people each. Both of them had stools to sit at, mirrors along the walls, showers, and a large reasonably deep bath. All of it was appointed in white marble and black granite. All the taps were brass or copper.

There were however, no towels, curtains, washcloths or even soap. So I wrote that down too.

The barracks were where I found Takemikazuchi Familia. They had already started on cleaning up, and inventorying what was left behind. Each room could comfortably fit two bunk beds, as well as desks or the like. With our numbers being low, there was plenty of rooms available for us each to have one.

There were however, no beds, desks, chairs, or curtains... So I wrote that down as well.

Outside, I found Bell and Lilly. With what little light was left, they were both laying down on their backs, looking up at the sky. I didn't blame them, without the glare of artificial light, the stars weren't just plentiful, they were vibrant against the black of night. The moon, full now, bathed the entire place in a pale blue that made the white marble of our new home practically glow.

They were also, on closer inspection, sleeping. So I drew a picture.

Then I put the paper away and wedged myself between them as gently as possible, and closed my eyes.

To my surprise, no one bothered us. I woke on my back, with Bell using my arm as a pillow, back to me and hugging my arm. While Lilly was curled against my side, my arm hugging her.. The sun was just hinting at dawn. I was a little damp with morning mist, but was otherwise fairly comfortable.

I then heard the tiny little snoring of Hestia, who was leaning against a pillar, covered in a blanket.

Huh.

Looking at my two Familia members, I hugged them a little tighter, then gave them both a little shake. Bell woke up almost instantly, his hands patting my arm as if to figure out what exactly it was he was holding. Before he had a chance to freak out, I poked his nose, and gave him a thumbs up, before laying my arm down and nudging him to move.

Lilly... Just curled up tighter against me. Unlike Bell and I, she was only a morning person when she really needed to be.

And I figured, she really didn't need to be today. So, carefully, I sat up, picked her up with me as I stood, and tucked her against Hestia's side under the blanket. The two of them managed to crack an eye open, but I waved at them to go back to sleep.

Bell watched it all, smiling. The two of us shared a fist bump, and we walked around to the front of the building to spar.

Not terribly surprising was the rest of Takemikazuchi Familia, and Mikoto, waking up to join us. By comparison, the usual morning for Bell and I was a little over the top for their usual morning exercises, but they were willing to turn it up a little, just for us.

This of course, ended up being a bit noisy, drawing a grumpy looking Hestia, and squint eyed Lilly to the front yard as well.

And... A gathering at the front gate? I gave my current sparring partner a 'hold on a moment' signal, and went to the gate. There were dozens of people there. All adventurers by the look of it. And apparently spying, or at least watching, our morning practice.

"Can I help you?" I asked the one closest to the gate.

It was a werewolf I didn't recognize, though, that wasn't surprising. "Sure! We were all watching, seeing what kind of training you guys do. Most of us were interested in joining!"

There were a few calls of 'Yeah!' and 'We saw you at the war game!' and many others, before I looked back over my shoulder at the sleepy looking Hestia. Probably too much to handle for her morning, I wondered how to deal with this. Bell, curious, had broken away from his sparring partner and stood beside me.

More calls of 'hey! The little rookie!' and the like rippled through the crowd.

"They say they want to join." I told him, eyeing the group.

Jaw almost hitting the floor, Bell took a moment to recover, then said, "But... So many?"

"I know, we just moved in too." I pondered, unable to really come up with an idea.

"More people would mean more tax... Our Familia is already in debt..." Bell replied, scratching his chin, "I happened to see the receipt for my knife..."

Bell told me how much it was. And you could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed. To be fair, considering what his knife did, and who made it, it was probably a reasonable price. But it would take a long long time to pay it off.

"What? They're that broke?" Some one said. "All this and they can't even pay their bills?" "How cheap are they?"

And just as suddenly as they appeared, they started to disperse. I watched them go with a chuckle, but Bell... "What happened? What did I say?"

"You said exactly what you needed to, to get rid of them. We don't need people with so little... Resolve." I replied, turning, then stopping, as my nose caught a familiar scent. "Almost all of them. Daphne? Cassandra?"

The two of them appeared at either side of the gate. Looking at us for a moment, it was no surprise that Daphne was the one to speak first. "You look better, do you like your new home?"

I looked back over my shoulder, then to the two of them again. "Aside from it being a collection of very nice walls... Apollo Familia stripped it clean of almost everything." I shrugged and waved her next comment away with a hand, "I expected that. But, what about you two? You probably don't want to live here anymore, but..."

"The Fox is wise." Cassandra mumbled, Daphne putting an arm around the shy girl protectively.

"No, we actually plan to join Miach Familia." Daphne said, "Both of us are skilled healers..."

Bell perked up at the mention of Nazza'z Familia. "Really? That's great. Miss Nazza and Lord Miach could use your help."

"We also came to thank you." Cassandra spoke this time. "For freeing the ones he claimed for no other reason than to own."

I nodded, trying not to frown. The idea of that sort of thing was something that really bothered me. I had to unclench my jaw before replying, but Bell beat me to it. "It was really to stop Him from claiming Hestia Familia... But we are glad we could help!"

I put a hand on Bell's shoulder, and kept my piece on exactly what I thought about Apollo, instead, "How many did we..."

"Some gave up on being an adventurer. Others are wandering the city looking for another Familia. But many left the city with Apollo. He never abused us, no matter our reason for joining... So some still love him." Daphne replied, "But, that's all, be well, you and your Familia."

As they turned and left, I wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind that wouldn't be seen as pity or condescending. After their foot steps had left my hearing, I looked down to Bell, "It might have been a game, but it was still war. We should visit Nazza some time, help the two of them feel welcome. But... It's time to do some shopping."

"Yes, Miss Kodori." He said, his face telling me he understood what I meant, even though he didn't like it.

"Excellent." Both to his understanding and agreement to shop.

Aside from dodging more reporters, our shopping trip went fairly fast. Among Takemikazuchi's Familia were the other orphans, not yet old enough, or trained enough for his gift of falna, but still capable message runners.

By the time lunch rolled about, we had food brought in, curtains ordered, lumber and tools for building furniture, and various other things that made a home feel like... well, a home.

Like soap. Despite my best efforts, I still had a hint of 'burnt' about me.

After lunch, Hestia found and gathered the five of her Familia. Welf had arrived exactly on time for lunch, making me think he was just waiting for it some place hidden. But he had brought his gear as well, loaded on a cart and pulled by a very familiar horse.

"We've been busy, but, I think now that we have some semblance of a home now, not just... a collection of pretty walls." Bell and I chuckled, hearing my words almost mirrored, "I should update your status."

I was wondering when she'd get to this, but we had been very busy. Besides, now her work had almost doubled... Not that it seemed like much work? We decided to go on seniority, sending Welf in first. He entered Hestia's new room, closed the door, and for a moment, there was silence. There was a ruffle of paper, and a moment later, Welf walked out, smiling. "Gonna have to make more stuff now." He commented, folding up his paper and rolling his shoulders, "Hey sister, help me with the furniture later."

"Sure. I'll make some nails or something." I replied, sharing a fist bump with him.

"Mikoto?" Hestia called, our warrior woman standing and entering the room with a formal 'Hai!' in way or reply.

Again, our party member entered, there was a moment of silence, much longer than before, but I figured that since Mikoto had an extra layer to remove, and used a chest wrapping, and not a bra... Another rattle of paper, a much longer pause, then Mikoto stepped out, bowing to the three of us still sitting down, "Thank you for your help with my training."

"We're all Familia, and friends, Miss Mikoto." Bell replied, "We help each other. It's what we do, right?"

And for the first time I could recall, Bell actually touched another girl of his own free will in a non-combat situation. Putting a hand on both mine, and Lilly's shoulder.

Mikoto smiled slightly, nodding, "I will help Welf-san with the furniture." And she departed.

Lilly, no fool, used this opportunity to lean into Bell, not quite, but very close, to snuggling with him while he had a hand on her shoulder. Bell, realizing he had in fact put a hand on her, and that she was leaning on him, started to freak out, as was usual, but, Hestia's voice saved him from a total babbling-idiot moment, by calling Lilly in.

I filled the short silence by commenting, "You should give her a hug some time, you know. Just ask her."

I could imagine the gears in his head starting to weld together by the look on his face. "Oh come on. It is pretty much the first way of showing a... umm.. e... no..."

"Affection?" He supplied, my need for help overriding his near crippling shyness.

"Yes. That. So, next time, when Lilly, or Hestia, or Syr, or even me, wants a hug from you, they really actually DO want a hug. It's your duty, as a hero, to give them one." I swear, imparting wisdom needed a crowbar sometimes. "Heck, by putting a hand on her shoulder, you showed support. You didn't even have to think about it. That's what makes it special." I chuckled, "Lilly just wanted a hug too, when she realized you were doing it."

Annnnnnnd back to the gear grinding. Sigh...

And a noise of surprise from inside the room? The door was thick wood, so even my ears could only pick up the tone, but Hestia was certainly happy about something. Lilly joined in a moment later, and then the door was thrown open, and a very excited Lilly dashed out, and all but jumped on Bell and I. The two of us put an arm around her to keep her from bouncing off of us, and some where in the happy noises she was making were the words 'level two'.

Bell and I both made our own pleased noises and before I realized I was doing it, the three of us were practically dancing in a circle.

After years of stagnation in a Familia that hardly noticed her, let alone cared about her, she had finally hit level two. And for the second time since I'd known her, she looked truly happy. Hestia herself had left the room to watch the three of us, smiling one of her rare godly smiles. Like a true deity looking at her children. But, she then called my name, and we settled down.

I closed the door behind me, and started shedding my shirt. "I thought that might happen." I said, sitting backwards on the only other chair in the room. "After intense practice, careful planning, and being in the right place at the right time, and doing exactly what needed to be done."

"Oh? You were all training... And I didn't get to see any of what you did, only what was written on your back before you left." Hestia sat down behind me, and my tail decided to curl around her leg this time. "Both you, Bell and Lilly were... Well... The three of you broke rules that day. Or at least... What we saw as rules."

"Oh?" I turned around to face her, curious.

"We knew, that S999 was the limit. All of your stats work like that. But... With Bell, and his special skill, and you, with yours, the two of you had stats that went over that. Lilly had one as well, and grew more in that one week, than the years she spent in Soma Familia." She paused, "Not nearly as much as either of you, but... The three of you, all have, or had, a stat over the supposed limit."

"Makes sense how Bell was able to keep up with an experienced level three." I turned back around, resting my chin on my arms, and telling my tail that it was not allowed to try and hug Hestia while she was working.

"Your tail got longer again..." I felt the touch of her slightly damp finger on my back, and shivered as she drew it down my spine.

"I know... Thankfully it seems to know how not to get dirty... or in the way... But likes to be a little too friendly some times." I had noticed it could just touch the floor now, if I took control of it and straightened it out. "Hestia?"

She had stopped, her drawing stopped just above my belt line. "You did it too..." With a shaky hand, I felt her place a piece of paper on my back. "H...here..."

Taking the paper, I mumble read it to myself, what putting my clothing back on.

Kodori Level: 3

Power: S 957- S 982- I 0

Endurance: SSS 1251- SSS 1273- I 0

Dexterity: S 933- S 938- I 0

Agility: S 941- S 955- I 0

Magic: SSS 1182- SSS 1194- I 0

Congenital Magic: Self Re-enforcement

Through will alone, boost basic stats and magic resistance.

-Home of the Goddess: Uses Congenital magic to grant natural armour.

-Judgement of the Goddess: Uses Congenital magic to grant increased strength.

Boost is greater in the defence of others.

Curse: Weapon's Bane

Weapons used to attack will break upon impact.

Titan's grip

Grants an unbreakable grip.

Titan's stance

Becomes immovable when Titan's grip is active.

Kitsune's Rage

Grants a boost in all stats.

May lose control.

Fire resistance

Is immune to most normal fire, and some magical fire.

Mage: G - F

Developmental ability choices.

Magic resistance

Spirit Healing

Fist Fighter

Crafting

Strong Defence

I paused, hand on the doorknob, and re-read one particular spot. "Well... Maybe I'll keep my eyebrows from now on..." I turned to Hestia, who was smiling, though she looked to be in mild shock. "Should I send Bell in?"

"Yes please."

Stepping out, I spotted Bell, sitting ram rod straight, with Lilly next to him, clinging to his middle. He had one arm around her back, while she had both arms around him. It looked rather adorable, except I think poor Bell's brain had shorted out. He looked like he had been carved from stone and placed there, for Lilly to hug.

It was better, I suppose, than running away.

"Bell? Bell!" I got his attention, and gently pried Lilly off him, "Your turn."

Like a switch, he came back to himself, looked at me, and replied, "Yes Miss Kodori." We traded seats, and he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Don't break him? I just got him comfortable with -thinking- about hugging you." Lilly looked a little abashed, but only a little. I chuckled, patting her head and letting my tail wander around her. "Looks like we both have thinking to do... And Bell too, I suspect..."

"Miss Kodori is level three now?" Lilly asked.

"Yes." I showed her my sheet, her eyes widening as she went through it. "And, apparently, the Gods who aren't here, have a sense of humour too."

"Maybe Miss Kodori will keep her eyebrows next time."

Bell, unsurprisingly, also leveled up, but the three of us, instead of sharing it immediately with the rest of our new home, decided to wait until after dinner. The rest of the time until then was spent building things. Our new home was basically bare floor, and we needed beds, chairs, tables, shelves, and all manner of things. Using a combination of super strength, Welfs wide assortment of tools, the tiny army of helping hands from Takemikazuchi Familia and orphanage, and cleaning out their old home, and some gentle strong-arming to get a few of our visiting friends to help as well, such as Ryuu, Lunoire, Syr, and even Nazza, (the lazily cheerful dog person coming to remind us of our bill, ended up running first aid for any number of splinters.) we managed to get a solid start on making the place home.

At dinner, the cooking done mostly by Syr, who had stolen Bell to help her, I fetched the box Soma had sent me just before the war game. I placed it, still in the box, at the centre of our new dining table, a huge monster of wood, that could seat twenty people comfortably. I made sure to turn the simple label Soma had put on it outwards. "Victory Drink".

Being my bottle, I was the one to (carefully) pull the wooden box apart, and (carefully) pour everyone a small amount. We had a fairly full table, with our closest friends present, so I was limited to giving everyone a single shot of it.

"Today, we celebrate a whole bunch of things." I started, standing up, holding up my little stone sake cup, "Hestia Familia, with the help of many people, most of whom are in this room," I made sure to make eye contact with my two masters, as well as Nazza, "We defended ourselves against Apollo Familia and his ambition to dissolve our little Family, but with training, careful planning, and unwavering support from our friends, we pulled through."

There was a cheer, but I held up a hand, "Through acts of bravery, hard work, and luck, Bell and I, have reached level three as well."

Before anyone could begin to cheer, I brought my foot up, then sharply down again, not quite hard enough to break the stone floor, but the sudden act of violence froze the cheer in everyone's throats.

"But. We are the front, the shield, the sword. Of us, it's expected that we will reach those heights. More important, is the one who works tirelessly behind, making sure the messages get sent, the swords are sharp, the shields are solid. Today, our supporter, Lilly, after running her feet off, practising until her hands were bloody, and being the centre point for our entire plan at the war game. Has reached level two." I raised my little cup to her, "To me, she is the hero. To Liliruca Arde." I had to ask Hestia for her full name, and practise saying it to myself a few times to get it right before dinner.

Her tiny voice, sounding rather emotional, said "Just Lilly please?"

"To Lilly!" We all said, "Cheers!"

After cleanup, and taking a little consensus on how our victory drink tasted, we all started to disperse. I made a mental note or two on all the things we still needed to do, but otherwise spent a relaxing evening having a very hot bath, brushing my poor neglected tail, and putting things in their proper places in my room. For the sake of simplicity, I had chosen one of the Eastern styled rooms. The previous occupant had set down tatami mats and everything too. I had ordered a futon style mattress and put it in the middle of the room, the giant flat pillow of a bed feeling exactly right under me as I brushed my tail with Haruhime's gift. I wondered what she was doing suddenly, feeling a guilty little twitch someplace in my middle. I shook my head side to side to banish those thoughts for now.

Tomorrow would be a busy day as well. More construction. Telling the Guild about our levels. Deciding our skills. Visiting people to say thank you... We couldn't take too long with the cleanup either. Our Familia was in debt, and the moving in was costing us. We would have to hit the dungeon soon, or risk going broke. The modest sum of valis left behind by Apollo Familia was nearly gone.

Dimly, I remembered waking up a few times that night. Super powered adventurer or not, I was bone tired, and only remember opening an eye wide enough to see it wasn't time to wake up, and rolling over.

The next morning, feeling that tiny call of nature, I found that I wasn't alone in bed. Hestia, for no other bosom would engulf my tail like that, was behind me. The curled up form of Lilly was tucked into my middle, not quite touching me, but close enough to feel her warmth. And Bell... Was sleeping at the edge of my room by the door.

Trying not to sigh, I managed to slip out from between the two women, and watched them gravitate towards each other to claim the warm spot I left. Bell remained asleep while I dressed, thankfully. Not thinking I'd need privacy in my own room, I hadn't bothered to get a screen to change behind or anything. Last thing I wanted was the poor boy having a heart attack or something.

After a usual morning, and a rather large crowd at breakfast, Lilly Bell and I went to the guild. We had a number of tag a longs from Takemikazuchi Familia for errand running, but by the time we had gotten there, it was just us three again.

We had been gathering looks and whispers ever since we left the gate of our new home too. Mostly, it was because we were 'the new thing' in town. A little underdog Familia, making it big. But the odd time you could hear whispers of 'dirt poor'.

It probably didn't help that we were all dressed for combat, minus Lilly's monstrous back pack. Bell in his newly polished adamant alloy armour. Me in my (properly intimidating) rust red and black drake scale coat and leggings, and Lilly in her usual robe. People knew us now. And while I never really liked being the centre of attention, we had an image to at least pretend to uphold.

Eina wasn't exactly surprised to see us. She was surprised we looked ready for battle, considering we should have been still making ourselves at home. One of her (many) topics for Bell's talk about the war game, was getting proper rest after.

In the consultation room, with the three of us sitting down, and her just about to sit, I timed our opening words just right.

"The three of us leveled."

And she froze. An almost perfect statue of some one about three quarters of the way to seating themselves.

"Miss Kodori broke Eina..." Lilly commented, while Bell rushed to make sure our guild representative finished sitting down without incident.

It took a few moments, but Eina recovered her poise. Giving me her best glare, then sighing as I gave her my best smile, she got down to business. Among her information for us, now at level three and being now high rank adventurers, was the urging to do quests. Most of these were simple things like 'gather monster bits' or 'find adamant.' But others were requests from merchants who went out of town. Or crafting items. Potions in bulk. Find a lost animal. Escort to the Eighteenth floor. All fairly mundane, but while Orario was a city of adventurers, they were still outnumbered by the actual citizens a great deal.

Even the guild, for all its power and influence, put up requests to rebuild parts of town, or decorate it for events. Need tons of rubble removed? Find some bored adventurers. Need a basement dug after you removed the rubble? Find some bored adventurers. House built? Windows placed? Roof shingled? While the average group of people could do anything an adventurer could, when something needed to be done in a hurry, or there were no more average people around who could do the work, you hired some adventurers.

With a clever reward system to actually pay them for the work, not to mention your Familia emblem being put on any document stating a job's completion, it was a good way to just... Get things done.

After her tutorial and general encouragement about taking job requests, we told her about our selection of developmental skills. Bell's were rather assorted, but he finally chose 'luck'. Eina didn't have much information on the skill, but, it seemed to make things go your way more often than not. Lilly, for all her time not advancing, but still adventuring, had a staggering amount of choice. She chose 'Abnormal Resistance' however, saying that if we worked hard to keep her safe from harm, they shouldn't have to worry about her falling asleep from poison or something.

I was some what conflicted on my choice. Eina was puzzled as well, at my skill of 'crafting'. It seemed unspecific, and to be fair, I hadn't really dedicated myself to a particular craft either. I helped Nazza with her mixing of the smoke and glow bottles. Welf with his metal working. My own wood carving for my next surprise for Hephaestus. The glider...

The rest were pretty common. Be tougher, hit harder, resist even more magic, and even less chance of hitting Mind Down from excessive magic use. To be fair, I wanted them all at some point. But, with my own magic, I could fake them.

I put my thoughts aside for her next lecture, this one about the floors past the eighteenth...

"Kodori's brain feels numb." I said, running a hand through my hair, "But, if we were looking at a way to make some money, we have been given the information to do so." The other two nodded, while also shaking off 'lecture shock' from Eina. "I've a dozen places to visit before going home. Bell, Lilly?"

"I have some people to see too. And some shopping for home. Miss Mikoto and Mr Welf asked for a few things. Lady Hestia too... She wants pasta for dinner." Bell replied, patting a pocket, supposedly where a list of things was written.

"Lilly will help!" Volunteering herself to stay by his side, Lilly took Bell's gloved hand in hers happily.

"See you at dinner then." I waved to them, and headed towards the tower.

My first stop, was to see the old dwarf at the adventurer thrift store. I just had to show off my new coat, saying that I did in fact kill a drake. I also picked up a few pointers on where to look for scrap metal, as well as shop names around the city that dealt with imported goods.

Next, I went to see if Hephaestus was around.

"What brings you by?" She asked, setting her quill aside and sighing at the bit of paper in front of her. "Good news I hope? I swear I lift a quill more than a hammer these days."

"Hire a scribe?" I supplied, taking three little blocks of wood out of a pouch. "I have another idea for you too."

What followed was basically a description on a 'printing press'. The blocks I held were three carved letters, of a set I had yet to finish. At first, she was unimpressed. But, with a rag, a small container, and a bottle of ink, I showed her what these simple blocks could do.

And that was, to stamp the letter on the block, onto paper, exactly the same. Every time. Without need to write things by hand, all you needed to do was not pick up the wrong block to print things. Set them in a rack, keep the ink fresh, and now, you can make copies of something. The idea itself could be refined any number of ways, but I kept the idea simple for now.

"But... Why bring this idea to me?" She asked, toying with one of the blocks, "The guild could use this idea far more than I could."

"Because..." I held a block of my own, and snapped it in half, "Metal would work far better. Thank about it. You can cast these, make a dozen sets, and then show the guild just how fast they can print posters for events. Pictures can be done the same way, though you'd need an actual artist for that sort of thing to make the master copy." I smiled as her expression changed to one of deep thought.

"Okay, what do you want for this one?" She asked, frowning, "Not more adamant, I hope."

"No... This one I'd like to very quietly, put towards Lady Hestia's debt." I held up a hand to stave off her reply for a moment, "But, only on units sold. If it sells well, good, if not, oh well."

"O...kay. Yes I can accept that." We shook on it, "Anything else? What about that... flying thing?"

"That... It's not for sale. I promised to take some one with me next time I do that. Now... If you asked Welf... He helped me put it all together. Maybe he remembered it all?" I grinned, seeing the Goddess blush.

Next stop, was Soma Familia. Oddly enough, I met Zanis at the front door. I had heard he was tossed into a cell for nearly burning the block down, but, hadn't heard about his release.

He took one look at me, saw how I was dressed, and simply stood aside. We shared no words, but I could see in his eyes that he feared me. But, his silence also told me I was expected as well. No matter how much he might not want to, if I weren't welcome, he'd have said so.

I knew the way, and with a tap on the door, I let myself into Soma's personal garden. As usual, the God was tending his vines, the scent of grapes filling the air. But also, the hint of something else.

"Ah. I have been expecting you." His voice sounded less... vacant, than I remember. But only just. Like some one who had been waiting to say 'I told you so' except, to himself. "So?"

I took a bit of paper from my pocket, unfolding it for him and handing it over. "Yes. I made sure to get as many people as I could to try it, with a variety of ages, and foods." There being no law about drinking age, everyone at the dinner party tried a little. But, being no law on drinking age, some of the feedback on the strawberry wine was simply 'sweet' or 'tasty!'

He took a moment to read the list, then tucked it away inside his apron. "I will adjust my next batch accordingly. Is that all?"

"Lilly reached level two." I said, "I thought you might want to know."

"Hm... I am glad I let her go, without a fuss. I had thought to ask a fee to let her leave, but... Her conviction, and yours made me think better of it. My negligence had already made her suffer so much." He turned his back to me, hands raising to tend to a vine, "And while Zanis has returned, he is... Much better behaved. You're fight with him, and Bell, seems to have shown him something."

"Good. Isn't it nice when people learn from their mistakes?" I think I managed to keep the sarcasm from my voice.

"Indeed. If that is all, Miss Kodori?"

"Let me know when you want another taste test done. But yes, that is all, thank you Lord Soma."

Next, was a trip to the edge of the 'entertainment' district. Being early afternoon, it was fairly quiet, but it still didn't take long to find some one from the Ishtar Familia walking the streets. My new popularity meant she knew exactly who I was, and when I gave her the little paper crane, she knew where to take it. I had to suffer my ears getting petted for the service, but, even I had to admit it was a fun thing to do.

Before making my last stop, at Nazza's place, I visited a few of the shops that dealt with imported goods. Orario had little in the way of local raw materials. A good deal of the land just outside the city was farmland. There was some forest area around, but aside from that, not much. Thanks to our constant supply of magic stone related goods, we were able to trade rather well with other places, keeping the city's costs low, but it still meant that supply was prone to flux. I managed to find a few places that our Familia could buy things at, at a slightly better price, so long as they had it in stock. Useful for our near penniless accounts.

Nazza, as usual, was sitting behind the counter, her fluffy tail just visible as it swished back and forth lazily at my entrance. I could see Cassandra behind her, fiddling with weird looking set of glass tubes and beakers. "They're settling in okay then?" I asked Nazza.

"Well enough..." Cassandra's shoulders stiffened slightly at the sound of my voice, but relaxed a moment later. "It's nice to have some extra hands around. Especially this one. She seems to know what not to do, before she even picks something up."

"Good good. Speaking of, we're going back into the dungeon soon..."

Thankfully, she trusted us enough to accept credit. While I had spent a fair amount on food, raw materials, and all of that for the new home, a single potion cost almost as much as a bed, or a simple meal for almost twenty people.

Notes.

Okay... So here's the thing. Between the War Game story arc, and the next one (no spoilers for those who have no idea) there is a break in the time line. The author doesn't say how long it is between books, like... at all.

For example, Bell and company get home, Hestia decides on a Familia Emblem, and the book ends. The next book starts with them in the dungeon, doing a quest for the guild.

So, while this chapter might be a little long winded, and probably a little boring, I am taking a little bit of an opportunity to world build, character build, and generally do what I please, before putting my head down for the next arc.

Also, Lilly never hits level two in the books, so far as I know. But, some of you may have noticed, she's one of my favourites.

Until next time.