"Can you explain again why you had to drag us along on your little delivery?"
Aisha, Hermes and Asfi were all walking down a busy street. They were on their way to the Hostess of Fertility to drop off a very important item that Hermes had received personally from a certain Goddess.
"Awww come now Aisha, don't be like that. I figured you guys could catch up with your favorite tavern elf, while I complete my super top-secret mission. Besides, this way, I get to spend time with my two favorite children in the whole world. I really am the luckiest God in Orario."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere with us Lord Hermes."
Asfi cast an annoyed look at her patron God. She was already busy enough as it was, she didn't really have time to indulge Hermes flirty remarks and secret errands.
"Why must you hurt my delicate heart like this Asfi? I'm taking you to go see your friend Ryuu and yet you treat me so cruelly. I think I just might cry."
Hermes began wiping away a fake tear from his eye. Being fed up with his overdramatic display, Asfi and Aisha simultaneously smacked him upside his head and began walking towards their location while he stood still right where he had been hit.
"So mean….still though."
Hermes looked down at the bag around his shoulder. He delivered letters between the two often, but he could tell this one was very important. He was curious about what the letter from her said though.
"Heh, I suppose it's none of my business, I'm just happy to keep the two in touch after all this time."
Further ahead of Hermes, the two female adventurers were having their own conversation, away from the prying ears of their God.
"So do you know what's been going on with Ryuu lately, Aisha?"
"No clue. Haven't gotten to see her much after the mess down in the dungeon. I did swing by once to check up on her in my own way."
"Your 'Own way'?"
"Yeah, I just stopped by and asked her, 'So, what's it like to spend four days all alone with Bell Cranel'?"
Aisha winked as she told Asfi what she had asked Ryuu.
"Aisha! That's highly inappropriate! Ryuu went through who knows what down there. I'm sure the last thing she wants to do is entertain your wild fantasies about her and Mr. Cranel!"
"Shesh, would you relax? You and Ryuu take everything so seriously. She just rolled her eyes and ignored me the whole time. Still though, she's fun to mess with. I think I even saw a little blush when I had asked."
"Unbelievable..."
The trio finally arrived at the entrance of The Hostess Of Fertility. Hermes, Aisha and Asfi walked into the tavern and were greeted by the sight of Chloe and Lunor sitting at one of the tables. There were many bottles of wine littered all over the area. No one else was around. No customers, no music, no other employees. The place was empty except for the two waitresses and a few magic stones that illuminated the bar.
"Chloe, you need to stop drinking right now. You've already shot through your Status Resistance. I know you're upset right now. We all are. But that doesn't me-"
"Shuuuut. Yourrreeee. Butttttttttttt. I am f-finnnee nyyaaa."
Chloe's stuck her tongue out while she pawed at another bottle of wine. Lunor noticed this and yanked it away.
"Noooooo fairrrr. Come onnn Lunorrrrr! Let me have just a liittttle more nyaaaa."
"Absolutely not Chloe."
The three visitors quietly stood their all wondering what exactly was going on.
'Shouldn't those two be working? Why are they getting drunk?'
Chloe saw the three of them and jumped up out of her seat. She pointed at them while swaying back and forth and began to drunkenly yell out.
"Herrrrmesss! Asffiii! Aishhhha! Listen uppp!"
"?"
All three of them waited to hear what the cat girl had to say.
"Hermes, get meee some of Somaaaaa's winee! I hear it is the best nya. Asfiiii, stop loookinnng so serious. You're really killing my buzzzzz. Oh and Aishaaaaa! Get your sweet, juicy, big butt over here right this inssstant! Itsss time for a parttyyyyyaaaa!"
Chloe lost her balance and fell, smacking her head against the table. She rolled onto the ground and began chuckling.
"Haaa! Stupidd table, you face a Level Fourr! You're no match for meee nya!"
Lunor looked back at the Hermes Familia and shook her head.
"Sorry for Chloe. She's had a really tough day…she figured Mama Mia's secret wine cabinet would help get her mind off things."
Hermes looked around and frowned. It was rare for the Hostess of Fertility not to have a lot of customers this late in the day. But it was even rarer for them to be closed down. Mama Mia liked to run a tight ship around here, and hated not being open.
"Lunor, I don't understand. Why are you closed? Shouldn't you be preparing for the customers?"
Lunor sighed as she gestured for the three guests to sit down at the bar where there was more space. Chloe was grabbed by Aisha and Asfi and brought off the floor and placed her onto a chair at the bar.
"Wooohoooo! Girlzzz night out!"
Chloe yelled into the air as she was placed upwards by the two adventures.
"Chloe quiet down now."
Lunor held a finger up to her mouth to try and hush Chloe. But the drunk waitress just mimicked her coworker's gesture.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhh…."
Chloe started to slump as her eyelids went half open and she laid her head facedown on the wooden counter.
Aisha started patting Chloe on the head while Hermes looked on and smirked. Asfi, noticing that Ryuu was nowhere to be seen, decided to bring conversation back on track.
"Lunor, what's the deal? Why are you two the only ones here? What about the store? Where is Ryuu?"
Lunor looked away from Chloe and glanced to the side. She was trying to figure out the best way to explain the situation but even she didn't have all the details.
"Oh yes, sorry. Well let's just say we haven't been having a good week. I suppose it all started with Bell coming in yesterday…"
"Bell and I are gonna have a…. I mean, what are we gonna name it? What will everyone think of us? He's much younger than me. Will it have his eyes or mine? I hope they get his beautiful white hair. Where will we live? Will we be in Orario? I hope i'm a good mother. What if I'm not? Will my child even like me? Oh my, I don't know if I can do this... "
Ryuu was muttering to herself as she walked down the street. Her hands were in her face as she was trying to cover up her bright red blush that spread all the way to the tip of her long, elven ears. She was so nervous. Her mind was working overtime trying to figure out what she and Bell were going to do with a child.
"Ryuu, I know you're excited, but you need to calm down. People are staring."
It was true, Ryuu was drawing a lot of attention to herself and Syr as she kept tripping over and bumping into random things as she kept getting lost in thought. Realizing she must have looked crazy to everyone passing her by, Ryuu did her best to calm herself and focus her thoughts.
"Oh you're right. I'm sorry Fre-...Syr."
Freya had become Syr again. While it was great that Ryuu knew the truth now, that didn't mean Freya wanted everyone in Orario to know. The two had decided that for the time being, it was best if only Ryuu knew about Syr's true identity. That way, Freya could still be around everyone, without drawing too much attention to everyone around her and putting them in harm's way.
"It's alright, let's just get back to the Hostess of Fertility and check up on Anya. She really needs us there for her right now. And quite frankly, we owe everyone there an apology. "
Ryuu looked down to the ground. It was true, they had put their friends through a lot the past few days and they owed them an apology.
….But she just couldn't focus on them right now.
'I can't stop thinking about being a mother! What would my Familia think? Oh they would tease me till my grave. I hope my child is as kind and pure as Bell. Speaking of Bell, how am I supposed to tell him? What will he think? Will he be happy? What if after I give birth, he wants to do it again and have more?!'
Ryuu caressed her stomach and her face started to turn red again as she couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Ryuu….you're blushing again. Are you thinking something naughty?"
"Ahhhhh! N-No! Never!"
Ryuu squirmed as she had been called out by her best friend who had seen right through her.
"Heh…."
Freya was happy that Ryuu was taking the news about being pregnant well. She had been concerned that when she let it slip, Ryuu would freak out and have a meltdown, especially with everything that has been happening recently. But the news seemed to have the opposite effect on her. She actually seemed happy.
And more than that, Freya saw something in Ryuu's eyes that she had never really seen before…hope.
Hope for the future.
Hope for love.
Hope for a life beyond the Hostess of Fertility.
It made Freya feel both joy and annoyance at the same time.
She was excited for Ryuu of course. If there was anyone Freya had ever met who deserved love, happiness and peace, it was Ryuu. And Freya would be there to help her with whatever she needed. She made that promise to herself, to Ryuu, and to that child.
However….
'Ahhhhhhhh! It's not fucking fair! I should have been the one to take Bell's innocence! I should be the one carrying his child! Why isn't it me?! Why didn't he choose me?!'
Freya thought all this in her head. It felt like her heart had a knife stuck in it and there was no way to pry it out. She wanted to scream out to the city.
It just hurt so bad…..
'I could still have him. I could have Ottar take him with one word and we could leave this city and no one would ever find us. I could have him all to myself.'
Freya clenched her fist as she did her best to hold back those thoughts. She looked over at Ryuu who looked so blissful, and it snapped her back to her senses.
'I can't do that to her. Look at her. This is the happiest I have ever seen her. I could never forgive myself if I ripped Bell away from her while she's carrying his child. I just need to be supportive...I can do this.'
She bit her tongue and smiled at Ryuu. She loved her and wanted her, and Bell, and their child to be happy and safe.
So, for now, she was going to help Ryuu through all of this.
Syr and Ryuu soon arrived at the Hostess of Fertility and entered inside. They looked around to find a single group of people all gathered at the bar.
"I see. So that's what's goin-ugh. Chloe, will you please stop that!?"
Asfi was talking to Lunor but suddenly began scolding a drunken Chloe because she kept poking Asfi's cheek with her finger.
"But Assfiii! You're jusstt soo darnn seriousss! I can't help it. You really need to chillll out nya."
"Aisha, please, a little help here?"
"Don't look at me. Frankly she has a point, you do need to loosen up. Actually, that reminds me, I have a couple of friends I've been meaning to introduce to you who could help you out with that, if you know what I mean."
Aisha winked at the pleading captain of her Familia. Hermes and Chloe burst out laughing while Asfi turned to face Aisha and slapped her on the arm, a huge blush appearing on her face.
"Ughhh! How did I ever get stuck with all of yo-... Huh? Ryuu? Syr? When did you get here?"
Asfi saw Ryuu and Syr out of the corner of her eye and announced their presence to the rest of the people at the bar. They all turned around to face the two waitresses.
"Oh there you are...we were wondering when you guys would show up. Syr, I see you found Ryuu, great job."
Lunor praised Syr for finding Ryuu while Aisha and Asfi got out of their seats to greet Ryuu.
"Ryuu Lion, aren't you a tough woman to find."
"Hello Aisha."
Remembering the last interaction she had with the Amazoness, Ryuu greeted Aisha in her usual calm voice, but with a little hint of annoyance.
"Wow, you sound happy to see me. What? Don't tell me you're still mad about that comment about you and Bell? Be honest with yourself, you can't tell me you haven't thought about the two of you doing it. I mean, even I know you and him would have mind blowing se-"
"Aisha!"
Asfi exclaimed Aisha's name before she finished her sentence. Aisha let out a teasing chuckle as she saw Ryuu begin to blush.
"See! The elf knows i'm right."
"Ugh, be quiet Aisha. Anyways, hello Ryuu. How are you? We came here to check up on you but we were told you haven't shown up in over a day, is everything okay?"
"Yes Asfi, everything is okay. It's been a bit of an exhausting few days but I think it's-"
"Ryuu!"
Everyone turned to look at the one who yelled Ryuu's name out. It was Chloe. She had gotten out of her seat and had begun walking towards Ryuu, stumbling a little bit as she briskly walked towards the recently missing waitress.
"Hello Chloe. How ar-"
*SLAP*
Everybody stood still. Aisha and Asfi were stunned, Syr looked pissed, and Lunor got out of her seat to go try and break up whatever was about to happen. Chloe had slapped Ryuu across the face, and no one knew why. Ryuu just stood there with her eyes wide as a red mark started to appear on her face. Chloe pointed a finger at the elf as she, for the first time that night, got very angry.
"You bitchhh! How could you leave Anya all alone with Allen!? What is wrong with you?! Do you just enjoy having other people sacrifice themselvess for you? Yeahh, that must be it. You didn't even go back to help her! You just left her to drag herself back here halff dead! It took you a full day just to comme here and check up on her! Were you so ashamed of what you put her through that you didn't even have the nervee to come look her in the eyes and apologize?!"
"Chloe, that's enough!"
Lunor had gotten Chloe to back up a bit and was trying to pull her away from Ryuu, but Chloe ignored her as she continued to berate the inconsiderate elf.
"She's been in the other room crying and injured because of what she did for you. Do you know how hard it was for her to facce her brother?! He beat the shit out of her…"
"Chloe, I'm so sor-"
"Save it Ryuu. It's always the same old story with you. First Astrea Familia, now Anya. Who's next to put themselves in danger sooo you can have time to run away? Syr? Lunor? Bell?!"
Everybody froze. They all knew that Astrea Familia was something you did not throw in Ryuu's face. Lunor had finally managed to drag Chloe away from Ryuu and into the kitchen, but by that point it was already too late. Ryuu was a complete mess. Tears began falling down her face as she just stood there feeling like someone had kicked her in the stomach. Her legs began to tremble as she thought about the terrible, yet true things Chloe had just said to her. Syr grabbed Ryuu's hand and led her to one of the tables so that she could comfort her friend.
"It's okay Ryuu, she was drunk, she didn't mean any of it. None of what she said is true."
Ryuu just looked down and continued to cry.
"I think… I think it is true."
Nobody knew what to say after that display. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Seeing nobody was willing to speak up, Hermes decided to step in. He figured maybe he could help the distraught elf in front of him, if only a little bit.
"Uhm, hello Ryuu. It's good to see you."
Ryuu wiped the tears from her face. She looked up at Hermes and did her best to regain control of her emotions.
"Hello Lord Hermes…what can I do for you?"
"Well, I have something that might cheer you up. It's actually why we three are here right now. I'm sorry I couldn't get it to you sooner, but here you go."
Hermes handed her an envelope with Ryuu's name on it. Immediately, Ryuu recognized the hand writing. Her hands started shaking as she placed the letter down on the table, what was left of the tears on her face fell onto the paper, staining the envelope that held whatever was inside. Seeing this, Syr squeezed Ryuu's hand in an attempt to comfort her.
"Ryuu, what's wrong? Who is it from?"
Ryuu looked at the letter, unwilling to let it leave her sight for even a second.
"It's….It's from Astrea."
Authors notes:
Hey everyone. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. We officially hit 20K words! I know that kinda seems small, but it's a big deal to me. This was the longest one yet, and also I think my favorite chapter. Very fluffy and fun stuff but also serious things happening which is good cause I intend to get darker later on in the story. All of Chloe's drunk scenes were very fun to write and I'm happy how it turned out. Ryuu fawning over being pregnant was so hard to write because I want it to happen soooooo bad. I feel that would be her reaction though. She would be very worried, but also exctied, and also all over the place with her thought process. I do my best to keep every interaction in character and something that they would do if put in the situation. So far, I don't think I have missed the mark with anyone too much.
Also did anyone see Vol 17 cover?! Good God that looks amazing! Please let Ryuu get a confession scene. I need Ryuu to tell Bell how she feels. Come on! I mean, I highly doubt it but still. Regardless I will be translating that when it comes out, so i'm trying to get this story completed. But there's just so much I want to write.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed, plan to upload again soon. Maybe a new chapter, maybe a whole new story. We will see. As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.
Until next time,
CGQ