Chapter 45
I was probably 'glowing' still, and admittedly not quite satisfied. But it wouldn't have been fair to Haruhime to leave her all worked up. She tended to pout if I stopped in the middle, and still felt a little guilty about taking care of herself.
But, if I wanted to talk to Hestia before bed, my own needs would have to wait, else I'd be too tingly to want to get out of bed again. Haruhime made a point to learn all of my buttons, so to speak, and yeah...
Ahem.
I did notice however, right after I'd given her a second kiss, that the owl had vanished again. I suppose, if it was a watcher of some kind, the person seeing through its eyes wasn't a pervert, at least.
I heard Hestia's voice, reading a story by the sound of it, as I approached her room. Making sure I was actually covered up properly, though there was nothing I could do about some of the more obvious signs, I tapped on the door. "Lady Hestia?"
The reading stopped, then, "Yes? Come in Kodori."
Opening the door, I spotted Hestia on her bed, legs apart, book in one hand, with Wiene sitting between her legs, head resting on the Goddess's bosom. Hestia was propped up on a bunch of her pillows and the two of them were obviously reading together. It looked rather adorable.
"Sorry to interrupt story time." I said, stepping in an shutting the door, looking out the window and spotting that same owl again, my night vision making its camouflage useless. "Are you learning to read Wiene?"
Sitting up, the dragon girl nodded at me enthusiastically. "Lady Hestia is reading slow for me! And I can read some of it too!"
I sat down on the edge of the bed, my tails going to visit them. Wiene, dressed now in a much thinner, but made of 'battle cloth' the sturdy under armour clothes we wore, bed robe, lightly grabbed on to one of my tails. After my game of tag with her, I had a good idea just how strong she was. She was like a real dragon, compressed into a young girl's body. Yet, she was treating my tail very gently, rubbing it against her cheek.
"Lady Hestia did the same for me, too." I said, the Goddess smiling at the memory and petting the tail that had wrapped around her arm, "When I arrived, I couldn't read, or speak the language. She's a very good teacher, isn't she?"
"Yes she is!" Wiene agreed, "But... I've been... thinking? Thinking about?"
"Curious." I said, both Hestia and I sharing a quiet laugh, "About what?"
"Um... Well..." She was sitting cross legged now. I'd have to remind Haruhime about teaching her about panties. "If Bell is a 'human', and Haruhime and Kodori are... Renard? Yes! Renard. What's a 'God'?"
I quirked a smile at Hestia, and she reached over to hug the girl, "Well, a God, or Goddess, are people who come from Tenkai. The Gods realm." She explained, not letting the girl go, though Wiene certainly didn't mind. "We came down from Tenkai, to live with the people here."
The dragon girl thought for a moment, frowning, then perked up with a new question, "But what's different?" She asked, wiggling out of Hestia's hug gently. She pointed at me, "Kodori is a girl, and a Renard. She has big ears that are soft and fluffy, and friendly tails that visit for hugs." She pointed at herself, "I'm a Vouivre. I had claws, but Mr. Welf made them friendly, and I have this on my head, and long ears, longer than an elf!" She motioned to the gem on her forehead, and wiggled her ears. "I'm also a girl... Though I'm not very big?" She poked herself in right breast, her modest bust hardly moving, "Not like you or Haruhime!" She pointed at Hestia, poking her in the right breast and making her jiggle in a godly fashion.
"Hey..." Hestia complained, hugging her breasts to protect them from a second poke.
She continued, unaware that her antics might have been embarrassing. Was three weeks too soon for 'the talk' with a young monster girl?
"Bell is a human, and kinda normal? Like , and Ouka!" She paused, "And he's a... Boy?" She poked herself again, "He doesn't have these?"
We both shook our heads at her.
"And and! Haruhime told me that dwarves are usually short but strong! And the Cat People have smaller fuzzy ears like Kodori, and thin tails that don't visit for hugs. And... Ch..."
"Chienthrope." I supplied.
"Yes! Chienthrope have doggy ears! Droopy ones, and happy tails!" I thought of Nazza, and her 'highly efficient' tail that was always on energy save mode. "But... Hestia and Takemikazuchi," I was impressed she didn't stumble at all on the war god's name, "Are 'Gods'. Goddess is girl, God is boy?" We nodded and she kept going, "But... What's different? Not humans? You both look like humans."
I could see Hestia think, her soft round face frowning for an instant, before She said, "Well... We Gods and Goddesses give a gift to the people here in this world." She looked at me, and I nodded, getting up, my tails slipping away from the two girls. Wiene watched me as I sat in 'the chair' (version 3.0) and wiggled out of my shirt. Hestia continued, "You see, we give our gift, called 'Falna' to the 'Children'."
"Children? But I thought..." Wiene sounded confused. Looking back over my shoulder, she was watching the Goddess as she opened a drawer on the lamp stand next to the bed, taking out a little silver knife. "A knife? Why..." Hestia put a finger to the girl's lips.
"Shh." Hestia said, "We call them Children, because we, the Gods, created them long long ago. To us, all of you on this world, are Children. But." She took her finger away, and touched the little knife to it, the tip becoming wet with the silver gold 'blood' the Gods had. "Shh. It only hurts a little."
Wiene settled down from what might have been another panic like she had when Lilly started to pout in the bath, and watched as Hestia touched the tip of her 'bloody' finger to my back. I must have been more worked up than I thought, because I had to bite my lip to keep quiet as her finger went down my spine.
"Our gift, to the Children we bring into our Familia, makes them into Adventurers." Hestia continued, her finger tracing a second time, completing the ritual, my back heating up pleasantly as my status was updated, the gift of her blood drawing forth the 'exillia' and writing it into my soul. "So that in turn, they can take care of Us."
"Like... Fighting monsters?" Wiene asked, as the tingling on my back eased off and I let out a sigh, "Letters? Numbers?"
"Fighting monsters isn't all adventurers do, but yes. As they learn, and grow, and gather 'exillia' or experience, the numbers get bigger. They get stronger, or faster, or smarter. They become heroes." Hestia explained, the drawer opening again, the sound of a sheet of paper following. "Not all adventurers fight. Some build. Some support the ones who do fight."
"Like Mr. Welf and Lilly?"
"Yes." I closed my eyes as the paper touched my back, another instant of heat as my status was copied onto it.
"So... All children?" Wiene asked, her voice uncertain, shy, "Even me?"
Turned away from the two of them, they didn't see me smile. I didn't even have to ask Hestia now. Glancing outside, I could make out the black owl, its dimly reflective eyes going wide. Looking back over my shoulder and taking the paper from Hestia's now frozen grasp, I turned around in 'the chair' (version 3.0) and waited.
Well, most of me waited. A couple of my tails swished over to my Goddess and settled in her lap. Wiene was visited as well, and she moved a little closer so she could hug one to her chest.
"Am I a 'Child' too?" She asked, the silence from the Goddess seeming to hurt her now.
Slowly, Hestia relaxed from her 'hand offering paper' pose, and looked to the girl. She was obviously conflicted. No matter how much Wiene was unlike a monster, she still had her origins in the dungeon. She probably didn't want to flat out say 'no', and pretty much deny all of Wiene's 'I am a person' thoughts so far. But I was sure that if she tried, and what ever happened with 'Falna' failed, it would do the same thing.
"I don't know." Hestia said finally, her gentle eyes looking at me, then to Wiene. The poor girl looked like she was about to cry now.
"Lets switch spots, Wiene." Slowly, I stood, putting my shirt back on carefully, my skin refusing to stop tingling despite the serious situation. "Here, let me help. Careful."
Obediently, Wiene slid off the bed and sat in the chair. Raising her arms above her head, I helped tug off her new bed clothes, being careful not to snag them on the sharp undersides of the scales on her shoulders.
Task done, she sat, naked. Pale blue skin, perfect limbs, long silver blue hair. So close to 'human' that in the right lighting, it would be easy to mistake her for 'normal'. But that wasn't what this was about. Her appearance wasn't about to be tested, but her soul. No matter what she thought, would the gift from the Gods stick?
"Does it hurt?" She asked me as I knelt in front of her, my hands reaching behind her head to move her silky hair. She giggled as the hair tickled her back, but looked into my eyes.
"It might itch a little." I said, "And feel a little warm. Like a hug."
"Hugs aren't supposed to itch." Wiene said with a pout.
"Well, it might." Hestia said, taking a deep breath and catching my eye from over Wiene's shoulder. Touching the knife to her finger again, she let out the breath and touched the dragon girl's back.
Having only been witness to my own gifting, and the transfer between Ares and Takemikazuchi, I wasn't sure what to expect. All I knew was that the God, or Goddess touched the person's back, as if updating someone's status.
Wiene and I were still looking into each others eyes as Hestia touched her skin. First, she squinted a little, her hands gripping the back of the chair lightly. Then, she blinked twice, and shivered a little, like someone had run a drop of cold water down her back. Over her shoulder, I could see a faint glow, a gentle white with a hint of blue, Hestia's colours, and then...
"Itchy..." Wiene said, wiggling a little.
"It..." Hestia started, blinking in surprise, "It worked... Oh... I can feel... She's with the rest of you now..." The Goddess leaned back a little, hugging herself, the smile on her face the same one she gives us when we return home from the dungeon. "Wiene... Welcome to my Familia." Excitedly, she pulled another sheet of paper from the drawer by her bed, and tapped it down on the girl's back.
Again, Wiene made a face, wiggling a little in the chair, but at the end, she let out a little sigh. "Not itchy now."
"Arms up." I said, holding her robe and putting it over her head as she raised her arms. "There, look, its all here." I said as I nudged her shoulder to turn her around.
Wilusine Level 1
Power: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Fast Learner
Learns at an accelerated rate
Dragon Blood
Highly resistant to elemental magic
Curse: Dragon's tear
Removal may cause irreversible transformation
Well, there it was in writing, so to speak. It certainly explained why she was picking up things so quickly. "Hm, I wonder if we should tell Bell he's a dad?" I laughed, "His name stuck." I pointed to the name, the first one Bell gave her that everyone shortened.
Wiene was looking at the paper in fascination, her lips moving slightly as she mumbled words. "It's all... At zero?"
Hestia and I shared a look and a smile, "Yes, you are a new adventurer. So long as you do good things and become stronger, those numbers will grow."
The two of them chatted, my eyes looking back out the window. There, on the branch, eyes still wide, was the owl. Looking at it, I could almost imagine it standing there in disbelief. It moved slightly, its eyes looking at me, and I winked at it.
"Kodori Kodori! What does yours say?" Wiene asked, tugging my sleeve, "You've been... Adventure...Adventuring? A long time now? Are your numbers bigger?"
I looked one last time out the window, seeing that the owl was now gone, then down to Wiene, "Well, lets see." I said, holding out the paper and taking a good look at it myself.
Kodori Level: 4
Power: G 245 F 329
Endurance: F 391 E 421
Dexterity: H 173 G 218
Agility: G 221 G 259
Magic: E 404 E 430
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.
-Guardian of the Gardens: Additive spell, summons multiple manifestations
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 Manifestation
Grants bestial form.
Grants a boost in all stats.
May lose control.
Fire resistance
Is immune to most normal fire, and some magical fire.
Mage: E D
Crafting F E
Abnormal Resistance G F
"Wow!" Wiene held my sheet and looked it over, mumble reading some of it. Meanwhile, Hestia and I shared a look.
"You're not growing as fast?" She asked me.
"Haven't been training as hard for a little while." I shrugged, "Not really something I can control. But maybe when the pool is done, we can get back to it. I kind of miss it." I explained, not saying that now that I was level four, training with the rest of the two Familia was getting less challenging. The last time I fought two on one and hardly broke a sweat, then right after beat Bell. And it wasn't really even a close match.
"What's this?" Wiene asked, pointing to the middle, "What's a ... Kitsune?"
"Well, if Lady Hestia would hold my hand?" I said, the Goddess taking my hand as I closed my eyes and thought of small cute foxes.
Small cute foxes like the one still laying in bed exactly how I'd left her. I'd nearly embarrassed myself, and I'm almost positive Hestia noticed what was going on. But once I'd summoned a ghostly little fox for Wiene to play with, I stopped concentrating on not feeling unsatisfied. Her tiny hands playing with what amounted to a second 'me' started making my nerves twitch.
So I excused myself in a hurry, before I started making hard to explain noises, promising Wiene I'd let her play with my tails later.
That still left me with a little problem. But looking down at Haruhime as she slept, it felt like a crime against the universe to bother her.
"Don't worry. She will not wake until morning." A voice said. Cold, empty. Familiar.
Well, there goes that feeling. Turning my head towards the voice, I spotted a figure in a black robe. Inky black, with patterns that were just visible in the near darkness, the person at the balcony door held both hands out, palms upward in a show of being unarmed. Even with my ability to see in near total darkness, I couldn't make out a single thing under the figure's hood.
"And the rest of the house?" I asked quietly, my body instinctively settling into a 'ready to move' stance.
"A normal conversation will not be heard past this room." His hands, I noticed, were both gloved. The leather smooth and woven with many different patterns over the palms and fingers. "Some one said you wished to speak to the owner of a certain owl."
"Your name?" I asked, "I suppose I owe Hermes a drink." I still couldn't bring myself to relax, but it helped me focus on something other than being frustrated.
A dry, sandy chuckle, "Yes, he is wary around you, but he isn't evil. Just... has a hard time sitting still." He took a slow step forward, hands still out, and extended his left hand. "I am Fels."
Cautiously, I accepted his hand, and shook it, his fingers thin and gnarled under the glove, though his grip was firm, respectful. "Kodori. Though, you knew that." I released his hand, and sighed, "Okay, some things make a little more sense now." I said in English.
"Pardon?" He asked, backing up a half step again.
"Oh, sorry." I replied, "I said, some things make more sense now'."
"The fox is wise." He chuckled dryly, though I was suspecting he couldn't chuckle any other way. "I was tasked to watch you, on and off, ever since your arrival."
"I remember. I still have your spare cloak." I mentioned, "I'm interested in how to make something like it."
"It would be my pleasure to instruct you, but, it is my humble suggestion, that for now, you give it to your newest Familia member." He lowered his hands finally, "Are you sure you've thought this through?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, "I just did something for someone, that answered a question that some people never find the answer for."
"And what question is that?" Fels asked, the hood of the cloak tilting slightly to the side.
"Where is my place in the world?" I replied, feeling myself relax slightly as well.
"Ah, yes. And I suppose the answer for her is, 'here, next to Lady Hestia'." He clapped once, quietly, "Bravo. But, what if it hadn't worked?"
"Honestly? I'd probably still be there, comforting a crying child. She is asking all of the questions, and her mind isn't mature enough to wait for answers." I sat down at the low table, eyeing the pot of cold tea and motioning Fels to sit if he wanted.
"Being a big sister is hard, was it?" Fels replied, kneeling slowly on the cushion opposite me. "What convinced you to try?"
"She figured out on her own, that she is a 'person' and not an 'animal'." I said with a smile, pouring a cup and offering it to my guest, though he held up a hand to refuse it politely. "She recognized, on her own, that she has free will, and understands, in a limited way, that she is responsible for what she does with it."
"Ah, clever. You truly are wise beyond your years." Fels said, his raspy voice sounding pleased. "But, now what will you do?"
"One problem at a time. I WAS about to sleep on that." After taking care of something first, maybe, but I certainly didn't tell him that. "The city is not ready for this. At all." I said with a grumble, sipping the cold tea. "But, even the coldest heart can be moved by the tears of a child."
"True. This... Does complicate things. But, since you have done this thing..."
"Made a dungeon born person a Familia member." I corrected him, "Not 'done this thing'. Let's speak plainly."
"Very well. We call them, Xenos." The word translated directly into English, and my ears and tails twitched. "You know the word?"
"Ironic, you call something from underground an 'outsider'." I replied, "Though, it works."
"Yes. We call them Xenos. They are, as you've seen, born from the dungeon, living, thinking monsters. Able to exercise free will, like any of us on the surface." Fels explained.
"They, means there are more. Though, I knew that already." I said, "though, they didn't exactly introduce themselves the first time."
"They thought you were one of them at first." Fels said with a chuckle, "Feral, wounded, wearing bits of armour, mad with rage, bestial."
"I... Did just murder someone. Though, I had to give up my 'reason' to do it. My memory of that is still in bits, and not something I try to think about." I said, suddenly wishing for something stronger than cold tea. "I don't blame them for thinking that at all."
"They asked me what they should do with you, once your rage had run its course, and you went into mind down." Fels continued, nodding, "So, I suggested they tend your wounds as quietly as possible, and leave you on the eighteenth floor, where you could find your way back on your own."
"And they didn't give me a mind potion, keeping me dull witted while I recovered." I thought out loud. "Clever." I said with a little smile.
"They also decided to test you." His hand retreated into the sleeve of his robe, and returned a moment later with Chime sitting in his palm. The micro-bunny did her usual 'rub face into hand' thing, showing me Fels had her approval. "They didn't want to risk one of their own, especially on a fully awake adventurer. But I told them you were a good person, if a little violent at times."
"After Chime let on that she was much smarter than just any little critter, I kind of guessed that after Bell met another down on the nineteenth floor." I said, holding out my hand and accepting Chime, receiving the same greeting she gave Fels. "Yes, you are the best little critter." I said, putting down my tea cup and petting the soft fur.
Again, Fels chuckled, "I suspect now, they may want to meet you. Though, they may try and test you."
"Bad idea." I said flatly. "I suspect this test would be along the lines of 'pleased to meet you, pleased to beat you?"
"How do you keep ahead like that?" He asked.
"Back home, I read a lot of stories. To earn the respect of the strong, you must prove your strength. I am guessing there aren't enough of them, the Xenos, to have any real 'culture' so they would be 'feudal' in society." I couldn't tell him I played Civilization a LOT when I was younger. "To help with Wiene's... That's her name, if you didn't know," Fels nodded, "To help with her acceptance, and some very difficult thinking for some of us, I've made it plain 'IF it attacks you, you kill it'."
"Harsh, but practical." Fels responded, "I will warn them not to do that, when I hear from them again."
I nodded, grumbling, "I don't want to sound thoughtless..."
"From what I've seen, you are anything but thoughtless."
"Thank you, but, I feel I have to make that last point clear. These are young adults, who have grown up 'knowing' that monsters are bad. That they are the 'eternal enemy' of 'people'. I had to give them some sort of... reason? No..." I messed up my own hair in frustration.
"Justice. Then, justify. Then, justification." Fels said clearly.
"Yes! That. Thank you. I had to give them a way to justify working in the dungeon. I couldn't just erase a life time of 'truth'. And I had to give them some kind of anchor going forward." I smoothed out my hair again, noting I might need to trim it soon.
"How old are you?"
The suddenness of the question made me crush the empty stone teacup that was still in my hand. "Damn..." I muttered, "I suppose I'd be... thirty nine now? I never did bother learning the calendar." I didn't even bother covering it up. "You've probably guessed, this isn't my first body."
He was about to ask something else, that hissing intake of breath that sounded like sand over tile, but I held up a hand, "That's as much as even my Goddess knows."
"Forgive me for asking a lady her age." He said, relenting.
"Forgiven." I replied with a smile, "You've filled in quite a few bits of the puzzle. But, what now?"
"That... Is a difficult question. Hermes has made you aware of our... Other problems?"
"Some. The smuggling in particular. I've been working on that." I looked down at the table, dusting off the bits of paper that were still there. "Here." I pushed the ones with addresses on them over to him, "As a show of good faith."
A pen appeared in his left hand, and leather bound book in his right. Both of them seeming to pop out of the sleeves of his cloak. Quickly, he wrote them down, the objects vanishing again. "My thanks. I suggest, strongly." He chuckled, "I would never tell some one like you what to do," This time I chuckled, "That you occupy yourself with something that isn't this." He made an encompassing gesture, "For a couple of days. Maybe a week. A more formal meeting may happen soon, just as a warning."
"Formal? With who?" I asked, watching as Fels stood fluidly, his body creaking slightly.
"Ouranos, my God." He replied.
My eyes going wide in surprise, I grinned, "You've just made me a happy fox." One more bit of the puzzle in my mind clicked into place. "Travel safely. It's not safe at night."
"The fox is wise. Good night." And he was gone, walking a single step past the balcony door, and vanishing as if the wind had blown him away like smoke.
The sounds I hadn't realized were missing returned again.. The quiet sound of insects, distant noises of the 'night life' in the city, the quiet breathing of Haruhime as she hugged my pillow. I stood and closed the balcony door quietly, the latch making a distinct 'click' as it closed.
"ko-san..."
"yes?"
"cold... come to bed."
"as you wish, my love."
"your feet are cold."
"sorry."
"something wrong?" She asked as she curled against my chest, one of her ears pressed between my breasts the soft fur tickling a little.
"just a little excited." I replied, hugging her close, my tails sweeping around, pulling up the blankets and then wrapping around her back.
"still? can't have that..."
"you sure?" I'd almost forgotten 'that' excitement with a bunch of things suddenly making sense.
"nom." was her reply.
"Today!" I said to the gathered Familia, with Wiene standing in front of me, wearing the inky black robe that seemed to fit her perfectly, and didn't even catch on her scales. I had both hands on her shoulders, while she held one of my tails with a ghostly fox peeking out of the poofy fur. Hestia was behind me, and with one last look to her, the Goddess nodding, I said, "We welcome Wiene, to the Hestia Familia."
The dragon girl had the presence of mind to let go of my tail, look up at them all, and wave, saying, as Haruhime taught her, "Pleased to meet you, please look out for me. I look forward to working with you all." Followed by a bow.
Her voice, and slight form, not to mention adorable face and mannerisms, almost weaponized the 'classroom greeting'. A mix of shocks to the brain and heart had stunned most of the Takemikazuchi Familia. Welf replied with a quiet 'sure thing tiny'. Lilly gave me a sharp look, but I nodded to her, smiling a smile she'd called 'knowing' more than once. Bell looked amazed, and quite happy, while Marius just... rubbed his scalp with a sigh.
"Now." I said at normal volume, trusting their adventurer status to let them hear me while I tried to keep from anyone who might be listening from the street. "It's official here, but not out there. And, I have it on good authority we should stay in for a couple of days." I held up a hand, "At tonight's meeting." I told them, most of them recovered from Wiene's adorable introduction. "So, we have some yard work to do, and I don't think we've really cleaned out the place since we moved in."
"I will work with the children, for the inside." Takemikazuchi said with his usual calm smile.
"Many thanks, Lord Takemikazuchi." I said to him, "Though, its also been a while since our morning exercises. Let's give our newest member a gentle introduction to how we train." I met eyes with Haruhime, still looking a little sleepy eyed, though it really was her fault. "She can work with you?"
"Yes. I'd like that." Haruhime nodded.
I whispered down to Wiene, "You'll learn something new today, okay?"
"Okay." She smiled up at me.
Digging a pool sized pit is simple work. A lot of work, but simple. Breaking ground, finding a place to put the excavated dirt and the odd stone, then breaking for lunch. With a collection of hard working level two adventurers, Bell at three, and myself at four, we were close to the depth I wanted by lunch. Wiene, Lilly and Haruhime helped as well, writing things down, taking measurements, helping Welf design the water shed and change rooms.
It was also the first time I could ever remember digging a pit and not having my back ache.
We called it quits by a vote after lunch, splitting up and helping clean out the main house. Takemikazuchi and the orphans had done a wonderful job of cleaning up the common areas, but we each had our own rooms, and places the children couldn't reach. Not to mention the dangerous places, like our furnace room, water tanks, and all those things you would expect in a modern home.
Another point for who ever Apollo commissioned to build the place. The utility rooms were spacious, easy to clean, and simple. Everything that might break had simple instructions near it on how to either fix it or turn it off until a professional could look at it. It was yet another small 'modern' thing that felt out of place in this city. Kind of like me.
But clean it all we did, and as the sunset was starting, we had finished bagging the garbage and had set it just outside the gates for the garbage waggons to collect.
"Phew." I mumbled to myself, scrubbing my forearm across my face to clear up a little sweat. I was looking out over the yard, the orchard and freshly dug pit off near the corner, our training field near that, and the 'kids play area' next to that, closer to the main gate. It was nice to finally do something that wasn't worrying about the dungeon, coming home alive, or hiding a dragon girl in a city that hated monsters.
"Miss Kodori." Bell said from behind me, "There you are big sister."
I didn't bother looking behind me, the thin sandals I was wearing letting me feel his footsteps as he got closer. As he got into range of my tails, a couple of them decided to visit him, brushing against his arm and shoulder as he came to stand beside me.
"Bell." I greeted, "Good work today." I looked sideways at him, extending my arm and holding out my fist.
He grinned back at me, tapping my knuckles with his own, "I've been thinking." He started, making me worry. Bell was about as 'straight line to the goal' as a person could get. He was a good kid, but 'stopping to think' wasn't something he did a lot of the time. Don't get me wrong, he was never 'thoughtless', but under a lot of circumstances, he wasn't very 'thoughtful'.
I took a guess at what he was thinking, "About Wiene?"
"Her too." He said, scratching the back of his head. "But this." He put both hands on the marble rail of the balcony, freshly scrubbed to a polished white. "I wonder how things would have turned out if you hadn't joined Lady Hestia and me."
I shook my head, giving him a light punch to the shoulder, "Well... I might have kept working at the Hostess. For a while at least. Maybe another Familia would have scouted me. But, then I wouldn't have met Haruhime, or you, or Lilly, or this or that or all the things we've done." I rambled, a little sarcastically, "I think the same some times."
"Really?" He asked, looking at me, "You... Seem so confident all the time, it's hard to think of."
"Sure. Without that one chance meeting, a lot of this would be different. But, there's a saying, from where I'm from. 'Don't borrow trouble'." He looked puzzled, so I continued, "Getting caught up in 'what if's is a terrible thing. What if I never met Lilly. What if Hermes didn't tell us about Haruhime. What if we lost the war game." I sighed, "If you are thinking like that all the time, you start to lose sight of your goals."
"I think I get it..." Bell said, scratching his chin.
"Here's one. What if you didn't find Wiene." I held up a hand as my words almost seemed to punch the boy, "Exactly, see? Don't think 'what if' think 'what now'?"
He laughed a little, looking back over the yard, "Did I do the right thing? Bringing her here?"
"Trying to save a person is almost never a bad thing." I replied moving a little closer to him and putting an arm over his shoulders.
He gave my hand a pat absentmindedly, "So, what now?" We shared a chuckle, "She's part of the Familia. I think everyone likes her here... Maybe Lilly still has some reservations?"
"She is one of the rare people who can ask both questions at once." I said, "I know she's okay with her, but not what might happen." I wondered if Chess was a thing in this world... Lilly had the mentality to be really good at it.
"But, what now? We can keep doing odd jobs, and pay rent. But is that all? Do we bring her with us into the dungeon too? I kind of... Don't want her to..."
I gave his shoulder a squeeze and let my arm drop, "Just because she's an adventurer, doesn't mean she needs to kill monsters. She also has the mind of maybe an eight year old. Not exactly a good time to go into the dungeon."
"Yeah... I guess not... But..." Bell sighed.
"Well, if you want my suggestion..."
"Yes please?"
"Think about her 'age'. What were you doing at that age? Say between six and twelve."
Bell thought about it a moment, "Well... Aside from playing outside in the village I grew up in... Learning. Grandpa taught me all kinds of things, and read me all sorts of stories."
"So, why not try and get her to learn? Ask Lord Takemikazuchi if she can attend the classes the orphans take. Or maybe ask Eina, or maybe someone at I AM GANESHA. I did see a school near there, run by them." I chuckled, "You might have to convince her to sit still for long enough, but..."
"She does have a lot of energy..." Bell admitted.
"Oh... Not sure if Lady Hestia told you. The status on her back says Wilusine." I grinned as that sunk in, "So, just as I taught her, you are responsible for everything you do. You saved her, you named her, so now, Papa Bell, you get to look out for her future."
For once, when faced with an embarrassing situation involving a girl, Bell didn't turn into a stuttering idiot. Instead, he looked over at me, face serious, "Yes. I suppose I did. What sort of hero would I be, if I left the job half done?" He smiled at me, "Thanks big sister."
"No problem, little brother." We tapped knuckles again, "Now go give her a hug. She's been very patient."
Now he turned into a stuttering idiot, as he looked back over his shoulder, towards the balcony door, Wiene peeking out from behind the curtain, listening in on our talk.
Notes.
Phew. A lot of talking in this one. But, I hope that you and Kodori both have that sense of 'puzzle pieces fitting together'.
I know some of you are looking forward to some action, and it wont be long now. :) See you in five days.
Oh yeah. If you didn't quit reading half way, (you know who you are, Guest), I'd like to comment on your comments, but I can't unless you have an account on the site. Just saying. :)