Alright, I still need to break the tie between the two. Pick Isaac or Irene for the War Game. That way, I have weeks in advance to write it. It's tied one to one, but I'll have final say if it remains that way by next week.
Also, apologies for not updating on Saturday. My Commencement went through. Now, I'm a college gradu-idiot! So that was an all-day affair. Here's the chapter to make up for it.
100k words. I've done it. I'm using AO3's word count because the ANs count towards it here.
This is now Rated M, because of the last chapter, but it will get worse in the future.
As always:
"Speaking"
Individual thoughts/Mindscape talk with the twins
*Ability/Spell*
...
Atop Babel Tower sat Freya, with currently nothing in her hands. She was waiting for her Captain to return. She definitely wanted to know what happened. She was well-informed on Allen's… misdeeds. Freya was still thinking of a punishment for him, much to the delight of the other executives. After all, it was because of her child that Dia's were in clinical care. Still, it brings up the rumor that her children have heard about.
The rumor was only that. A rumor, no one knew if it was true. There has only been he-said-she-said. Still, Freya wished to see her two beloveds. While her third beloved did visit them, she was starting to question something. Their souls. While she adores them beyond belief, being the purest shades of black and white ever—Bell's own soul withstanding—they are two people, but they seem to be one half of a person. Her observations have proven true. Any questions she had on them were slowly being answered, but she had to know something.
A knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts, but not to her disappointment, "May I enter, Lady Freya?"
"Indeed," the silver-haired Goddess replied.
Ottar stepped into the room, intimidating presence and all. "I have news to report." Freya gave him permission, "It seems that the elf boy has indeed entered a courtship." Freya raised an eyebrow, prompting Ottar to come forth with more details, "While both are incapacitated, it was reported that he made it all the way from Folkvangr to Dian Cecht's clinic, where Dea Saint was able to keep them stable. According to some eavesdropping people, he apparently does not remember even making it there." Freya's face clearly showed a little surprise at the distance, but she was ecstatic with how strong her beloved was. Her thighs rubbed together with signs of wanton fantasies filling her head. Then to add in the girl as well, maybe she will be able to charm them together to truly make their souls one… Freya bit her lip, eyes half-lidded as the mere thought was bringing her closer to the edge.
"Why do you believe that is?"
Clearly, Ottar expected this question, as his answer was curt—to the point, "I believe when he activated a passive skill, in which the right requirements were met, as he was able to not only stand after taking multiple blows from Allen," the Goddess frowned at the mention of her troublesome housecat, but Ottar continued, "but he landed a singular punch that had sent him a sizable distance away. Not to mention that his voice and personality had changed."
Freya then filled in the blanks to that, making her shiver in anticipation, those fantasies clawing their way through the immortal being's body. She could already feel a damp spot between her thighs. She definitely wants to claim him as soon as possible.
Ottat cleared his throat, getting his Goddess's attention once more. While slightly disappointed, she knew she could fantasize about the two of them later. "As for the courtship, unfortunately, many seem to not believe it. Harpe had asked Eternal Shadow of Takemikazuchi Familia for courtship, that much is certain. Most were not close enough to hear, but from his reaction, it was accepted."
The Goddess sighed, "She will not have him for long. It will seem that I have to clearly mark my territory. Also, prepare a gift for Dea Saint."
"A gift, Lady Freya?" Ottar replied, a subtle raise of his eyebrow present. He was not questioning her word, but merely raising his own curiosity.
A giggle escaped the Goddess of Beauty, "Of course, something to thank the wonderful Doctor for saving my beloved twins."
"It will be done, Lady Freya," the Boaz bowed.
As soon as he left, Freya spoke aloud, "Ara ara~" She hummed to herself, "You two continue to prove why I want to claim you as mine and mine alone." Her gaze fell once more out the window, seeing them glow in the early morning sunrise, "However, before I do, there needs to be a lesson learned here."
She stood up from her throne, walked to the window, crossing her arms under her bust, "No one touches what is mine." A plan beginning to form in her head. This was certainly the best entertainment she's had in decades.
After having inspected the blood trail, Tione and Tiona went to report to the Captain. Just being in his presence made Tione's head swim. Tiona had to gently bring her out of it, "Gush about Finn later. Right now, we got to report to him, Riveria, and Gareth about it."
Tiona was right in this case. For once. The trail had led all the way from the clinic to a side alley off of South Main. Folkvangr was at least half a kilomeder away, so the fact that she got attacked there certainly brought up questions.
They had taken to the roofs to see if they could find any evidence of any rough landings. They had searched for most of the day and they came back in the dead of night to report in. What they found was damning.
Some roofs had heavier footfalls, too rough and too great of a stride to be Irene. Someone chased her, as her footfalls were closer, tinier, and didn't have a great impact. Whoever had jumped her was at least level five or above, which puts a lot of the Loki and Freya Familias on thin ice as they have a lot of first-class adventurers in Orario. Riveria would tear the members a new one if she found out.
So the Hiryute twins were praying that it wasn't anyone in their familia. Speaking of the two, they knocked on the door and entered Finn's office, "Ahh, you're here. Riveria told me that'd you were looking into this."
"Yep! We found some stuff, and we even have a location!" Tiona shouted, excited at revealing this. She still had a smile. One that Tione has seen a lot and knows that it hurts to talk about this, but it needs to.
Tione took over, being serious while speaking to the man she wants to bend her over and- "We can confirm Lefiya's statement of how Isaac carried her from all the way from the southern sector of Orario. We found evidence of her being on a roof before it happened. She was closer to the main street when she started running. We also found heavier footfalls behind her."
"It was Allen," Finn said, nodding along.
"That little pussycat?" Tiona asked, completely innocent.
"Yes, from what Riveria has found, and after asking Lady Dia herself, they confirmed that it was Allen Fromel who attacked her," Finn said with his fingers interlocked and resting on his chin. He proceeded to explain the rest of their findings and what their plan was. "We need to protect them. After all, Riveria is pushing for an alliance with her Godchildren…"
""Mama Riveria has Godchildren?!"" The Hiryute girls shouted.
Finn smiled from behind his hands, Forgive me Riveria, but you should have told the familia sooner.
Amid was busying herself as she continued to watch over her two patients. Their wounds were healing up nicely, but the fact they haven't woken up worried her. In retrospect, while they might be physically healed, they may not be mentally healed yet, if that even makes sense. The Good Doctor went over to check on them again.
It's been two days. Amid was confident in her healing ability and was even tempted to use her magic, but it seemed like overkill, in the most ironic sense possible. There were a few things she noticed about the two of them. When one would spasm in their slumber, the other would subconsciously reach for the other, or attempt to. To remedy this, Amid had Martha and Bernadette push their beds together.
The second thing that Amid noticed was their synchronized breathing. Never in her life has she seen two people breathe in sync like they were. It was fascinating, she had to admit. The two slumbered throughout the day. Amid even applied a second potion of what she had given them two days ago. Then, the violet eyes flickered to the gear that laid beside them. The smith, Welf if Amid recalled correctly, had brought their gear back in a burlap sack, to hide its quality. When asked, he let Amid know that it was some of the best material he has ever worked on, and he has gotten some stuff from the lower levels before. Welf had asked what was the special property on it because when he was repairing it; the armor felt like it was repairing itself. Dia didn't answer him but gave him a knowing smile.
With that being said, Welf had laid it out for them off to the side, out of sight from others. Amid had a full view of it, however, and she found it beautiful to look at. She never noticed the intricate symbols engraved on them. The Dia Familia symbol of the cross and lightning bolts—a nod to the departed Zeus Familia no less—resided on each piece with incredible detail. The Doctor found herself enraptured with the sight.
Martha and Bernadette had come in as well, doing small checks before leaving again. Lord Dian Cecht had come in himself and asked what she was charging them, but once Amid explained the situation with an explicit point that she was waving the fee, he backed down. She wanted to see people healed, not to be used as pigs for profit.
The third thing she noticed was the raven-haired Far Eastern girl would come in every day, sit by Harpe's—no, Isaac's side—for hours on end before she would tell him about her day. Particularly about her adventurers in the Dungeon. She would then go over to Irene's side and proceed to whisper things that Amid couldn't quite catch. Their patron goddess, Lady Dia, would also stop by, but this time she came in with a small pouch. Inside that pouch was at least twenty-thousand valis. While not much, Dia had said it was for the cost of materials. Amid was much more perceptive than that, it was a thank you for saving her children. An unknown feeling bloomed in Dea Saint's heart but chose not to find out what it was.
The fourth thing that Amid noticed was the elf from the pub on Adventure's Way would show up. The first day she just stood there with a look in her eyes that Amid sometimes shares. Anger. While for different reasons, it was the common factor of it, the twins. Amid was angry that they looked like death's door was on the other side of the street while Ryuu was angry because someone laid a hand on her kin. Amid assumed that she was different from other elves, like Riveria Ljos Alf. Ryuu did not reach out and hold Isaac or Irene's hands that day. It was the second day that she changed. She immediately entered the clinic and gently grabbed Irene's hand, kissed her forehead whispering something that again, Amid did not catch. Then she went over to Isaac, grabbed his hand, whispering presumably the same thing then kissed his forehead too.
The list continued to get longer as Riveria herself showed up before having to meditate. She very much had it the worst off of them all. Amid would continue to do business as usual. After all, her clinic was a reputable one. Along with the High Elf, the Amazonesses Tione and Tiona Hiryute, the human Ais Wallenstein, and the elf Lefiya Viridis would stand in the back and spectate. Riveria would sit at the end of the bed and just stare at them. It looked like she wanted to say something, but every time she opened her mouth, nothing ever came out. Even with all of this, Amid would still check on them, change their bandages, and let them know if they needed to leave.
By now, it was common knowledge that both Titans were in critical care. The news spread like wildfire when a blood trail led right to the clinic door. She couldn't exactly fault Irene for it, given their condition. Amid had to decline letting anyone through, stating that if they did not have business here, then please leave the clinic. Amid hid a smile when someone would show up that was allowed back to see them, drawing more complaints. Some first-class adventurers of the aforementioned Loki Familia, would intervene and tell them to get lost.
On the third day, Amid found herself feeling sad. An emotion she could easily identify, because a part of her likes having the twins around, knowing they affect so many people. While that does sound bad, Amid does not mean that in any negative way. It means she knows that so many people care about their health enough that they would take time out of their days to come to see them.
Amid was currently in the midst of changing Irene's bandages when her breathing picked up exponentially, hyperventilating. Like Bell's Firebolt, Irene's hazel eyes shot open with a start, "Isaac!"
"Miss Vlahos, please calm down," Amid said, gently holding the girl's arm as her wrist was still in a cast and anything jostling movements may cause pain, something Amid does not want her patients to have.
However, it was like Irene didn't hear her and she started thrashing on the bed, "Where is he? Isaac, don't go!"
"He is right next to you, Miss Vlahos," Amid tried. "Mr. Vlahos is right next to you."
Irene's eyes finally turned to her right to indeed see her brother, and her breathing started to calm down, "Oh… Isaac, you saved me…" Then, she closed her eyes again, a small grateful smile on her face.
Not even five minutes later, did Isaac shuffle on the bed, groan, and attempt to sit up. "Mr. Vlahos, I'd advise against trying to sit up, your ribs are still healing. You may feel soreness in your chest."
He spoke, his voice raspy, "W-Wha? I… I heard Irene… where?" Amid called Martha to bring water. The chienthrope returned with one for both twins. Amid gently coaxed Isaac to open his mouth and drink. The water felt amazing, ice-cold, and invigorating. Martha had a slightly more difficult time as Irene was semi-conscious at this point.
"You're at Dian Cecht's clinic, Isaac," Amid said his name with hesitance coated in her tone. "Everyone close to you has been worried."
"Oh… where… never mind," Isaac said as his eyes turned to his sister. "I'm sorry I failed…"
Martha couldn't contain her scoff, "Fail? You saved her life. Had you not brought yourselves here, she would've-"
"Enough, Martha, he doesn't need to know that," Amid shut that train of thought down, but she prayed that he didn't hear it.
"I remember most of that, actually…" Isaac admitted. "Doctor, is she alright?"
Amid looked into his eyes and she saw the fear that if she wasn't… Amid didn't want him to think like that. "Your sister is alright, her wound was stitched up, her head is wrapped, and she has been resting. Although I must admit, you had it worse than she did." Isaac merely raised an eyebrow. "All of your ribs suffered numerous fractures, breaks, and bruises. Your jaw was close to having been surgically repaired, so I'm surprised you're speaking as well as you are. Your breathing was considered too low for someone your age, and you nearly died. In fact, you should've died. The severity of your wounds should have been enough to kill any adventurer level four and lower. Even now, three days later, I do not have all the details." While the statement hurt Amid for some reason, she had to say it. There really was no logical explanation on how he was even alive.
"Isaac?"
"I'm here, sister," Isaac responded. Amid gently moved his chin to look him in the eyes.
"Your courted was very worried about you, as was Lady Riveria," Amid commented.
"I see," Isaac said, clearly stressed out and guilty.
"Was that Isaac?!" a voice called out as the entrance to the clinic was opened.
Amid stood, telling Martha to follow, and went out to the main section of the clinic. There stood Lady Dia and Mikoto. Amid learned her name after asking around, merely curious. "Indeed, the both of them have finally stirred, but I believe they need a few more hours to regain a majority of their lucidity. They still seem out of it."
"Amid, you're the best," Dia said, relieved. While she was still going to lecture her children, she was much better knowing that they were on the surface.
Mikoto was suddenly blushing up a storm, "He didn't say anything about me, has he?"
Amid smirked slightly, barely noticeable, "He has only been made aware that his courted was checking on him, but nothing else has been revealed, I swear." Mikoto heaved a long breath of relief, feeling absolved of something. "You both may see them, but do not bombard them with questions."
"Right," Dia said, her eyes flickering to the back, where the twins have been. "What are you doing out of bed?"
Amid turned around and heaved a long sigh herself. There stood Isaac and Irene Vlahos, eyes open, with small smiles on their faces. Isaac's wasn't much of one, but it was there. "Sorry to worry," Irene's voice was soft, her head in her hand.
Amid sighed again, she had a long day ahead of her.
After getting a short lecture from Amid about patient recovery, coaxing them back into their beds, they then had an hour lecture from Dia. Later, the twins were sitting together on the same bed, looking at Riveria, who sat opposite them. She was to be informed when they woke up. She was relieved, upset, angry, and a plethora of other emotions wrapped in one, complete with a little bow.
Then, she proceeded to lecture them for two hours. The twins flinched multiple times as they had thought about their actions, which allowed them to finally tell their side of the story. Mikoto was watching uncomfortably on the side. She had her opinion that Riveria was acting like a mother to them, but that was because she was worried about them. Mikoto was worried about both of them.
"You were looking for shops in the southern district?" Riveria asked.
"Yes, our Anniversary is coming up for Lady Dia," Irene said softly. She was advised to not raise her voice or do any sort of strenuous activity for a few days. Seeing the confused look, she continued, "Anniversary in the sense of the day that Dia blessed us."
Dia herself supported their claim, "Every year for the past nine years, they would get me something. I've tried to tell them to stop, as I do not need such gifts, but my tenacious children are the ones who mean what they say. They have gotten pictures done of us three, little trinkets, and a detailed portrait of me. They remain on display in our home."
"I see. Loki is not like that. She'd rather take a prank over something like this," Riveria said with a hand on her temple.
"Trickster seems to have her priorities straight…" Dia said sarcastically.
"So, what happened after that?"
Irene shuffled uncomfortably on the bed, Isaac's arm wrapped around her, "I felt a presence that reeked of animosity like I had crossed into someone's territory. I started running, but as soon as I turned, they were already behind me." Her hands grasped Isaac and the bed. "Next thing I know, I'm being choked out, blue eyes are all I can recall, then Isaac showed up, and that's when I blacked out."
Both sets of eyes turned towards Isaac, who hasn't spoken much—or at all—since they woke up. "Hmm?" He realized they were expectantly looking at him. "It was Allen."
Riveria grimaced, "Vana Freya."
Isaac nodded, his words were weak like he was struggling to get the words out, "He was taunting me. I knew it. I knew that fighting him was asking for an ass-kicking, but…" his eyes filtered to Irene, "you should know what I'd do to protect the people I care for." His free hand went to his chest. "You know how I looked and when he stabbed her..."
Irene flinched, her hand going to her side, covering the wound like it was a shameful mark. Dia didn't like how despondent he looked. It was off-putting to the Goddess.
"We fought, but even after he hit me full force, I refused to be put down that easily," Isaac continued softly. His eyes were now unfocused, staring straight through Irene. A thousand meder stare. "I felt my skills activate."
Dia paled, it was the one skill she didn't like. Its description was already bad enough because of the condition Isaac had to be in. Riveria looked between them, and she didn't like it, but she had to ask, "What skill?"
Isaac was now not responding, so Irene had to, "It's called Last Rites, and the condition to activate it is dire."
A pause.
"I have to be critically injured for it. The payoff is that my whole status is doubled for a short time. I'm level three now, so with it active, it puts me on par with most, if not all, First-tier adventurers," Isaac explained.
"That's…"
"...not all though. I never felt so angry, so murderous. I felt like a monster but all I knew was that I had to get Irene out of there… I hated it. Then, Ottar showed up, stopping me before I could probably do anything worse. I actually vaguely recall splintering his sword…"
"That sword is made of high-class materials," Riveria admonished.
"You see why I don't like it?" Isaac shot back harshly, but it had the strength of a hiss. "After I picked Irene off the wall, I… don't remember. It's all a blur. I just knew I had to get here, somehow. I don't even remember seeing Lefiya on the way, I don't remember the way I got here, just…"
"When we go home, you're not allowed to leave unless I give you explicit permission," Dia's voice hardened, surprising Riveria, who had been mulling over Isaac's story.
"But what abo-"
"No buts," Dia cut Irene's protest off. "A gift means nothing if I can't be with the people I care for. So for now, we'll be in the house. You can invite people over, I won't care, but I need to be with you for a couple of days. That can be your gift to me this year." Dia crossed the small gap and gently hugged the two of them, "I love you two so much, you don't understand." Then, Dia turned with a glint in her eye, "Didn't you have something that you wanted to tell them?"
The twins curiously put their matching eyes on Riveria, who nervously looked away. Riveria mumbled something but no one caught it, except Dia. "What did she say?" Irene asked.
"Beats me," Isaac responded.
"I… loave yuu," it sounded like she was saying something behind her hand.
"Come on, Riveria, just say it," Dia encouraged.
The twins leaned forward slightly as Riveria finally uncovered her mouth, sighing, "Okay… but this doesn't get spread around. I have a reputation to uphold. I... love you two..." Dia smiled wide.
The twin's smiles were beaming, and tears came to their eyes, completely unwillingly. Irene was the first to move after Dia warned her to not move too much or Amid will be very upset.
"Was that all I really needed to say?" Riveria now had to figure out how to make Irene let her go.
Dia gladly provided an explanation, "They never got told 'I love you' by many people. In fact, they can count on one hand how many people have actually said it to them."
Riveria felt her heart lurch in her chest, but out of sadness. "I love you too," Irene's muffled voice was brought to Riveria's ears.
The pair hugged for a minute uninterrupted. Dia eventually prided Irene off her Godmother.
The bed creaked again as Isaac stood, a noticeable grimace in his face, but his tears flowed just as well. Riveria quickly stood and embraced him, even though he was taller than her. "I love you too, Riveria. You don't know the full extent of what this means. We know you mean it too."
That put a thought of how many who had said it and never meant it. She hugged him tighter, only slightly, very wary of his recovering injuries.
"Dea Saint?"
"Yes, Lady Dia?" Amid asked as she entered the room, having just finished dealing with a customer. Also, she heard the crying.
"Would it be alright if I brought them back home where they might be more comfortable?" Dia inquired. Irene seemed happy about the confession, and Isaac did too.
"Certainly, but they are to take another potion to fix up any lingering injuries. If you hurt yourselves again…" the threat went unsaid.
The Vlahos twins' hearts felt lighter, but only one was lighter than the other.
As they prepared to leave, Isaac gently reached out to Amid. Confused, she allowed it. He brought her hand to his face and left a chaste kiss on her knuckles, "Thank you. You saved my sister, for that I'm grateful."
"You're flirting again," Dia and Irene chirped.
"I am not!" Isaac retorted, gently dropping Amid's hand. The Good Doctor had a faint blush on her cheeks. No one has ever been so bold to her. She was vastly considered unapproachable, aromantic, they call it. That wasn't the case, just no one excited her.
Irene cast a thankful glance to Amid, "We'll make it up to you."
"T-That's not necessary, I am just pleased you are recovering," the normally stoic Doctor said. Yet, Irene felt a little emotion from that.
"Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" Isaac asked with a grin.
"No, Isaac," Irene said, pointedly looking away.
"I shall escort you home," Riveria said.
The trio of elves delved into the routine argument of why a High Elf shouldn't escort lower elves home. Then Riveria used the excuse, "I'm making sure my Godchildren get home safe, therefore, I'm looking after family."
Neither twin had a retort for that. She wasn't wrong.
Of course, with them entering the streets of Orario, people were bound to see them and gawk at them. People would approach and they would glare at them. Isaac and Irene were supporting themselves, her on the left, him on the right, walking as a cohesive unit. It should be scary that they can do that with ease, but with how often the twins were together, people made their assumptions.
Those very whispers reached Mikoto, as she was actually outside the clinic when they emerged. So, she offered to walk with them. She stood a small distance away, but Isaac looked towards her, eyes full of longing. He reached his right hand out while walking, glancing ahead of him to watch his footsteps.
Mikoto beamed a smile before she gently grabbed his hand. He squeezed in happiness, even if his expression was a grimace at best. It felt like his heart was patting his ribs like bongos. "You should relax, Sir Isaac," Mikoto said, but it came out breathless.
"You're making that difficult with just how flawless you are," Isaac said, just as breathless only on the account breathing was still a small challenge.
You really need to work on that flirting thing. I should count myself lucky that you don't talk to more girls, Irene mentally commented.
Sorry, can't help it. Isaac replied as he watched Mikoto flush brilliantly.
"Come on, you need to rest, flirt later, make grandkids later," Dia gently pushed them along, making Mikoto let go of Isaac's hand. Both of them blushed harder than ever. The notion did cross their minds later down the line.
"We definitely need to go out sometime," Isaac said, loud enough for Mikoto to hear.
The Far Eastern girl still kept in stride, "Oh? What did you have in mind?"
"Honestly, I expected you to say not now," Isaac shrugged. "Given enough time, I can make a date night."
"Looking forward to it, but I am needed at home," Mikoto said, waving him goodbye as she took off in the opposite direction.
Irene's soft voice came through as she brought her brother's attention back, "I can feel your heartbeat lower. She does things to you."
"Yeah…" Isaac didn't deny it. He embraced it.
Dia and Riveria shared a look that spelled out, 'Young Love' in big letters.
Once they finally made it to Dia's Complex, she immediately had them lie on the couch, and that's where they stayed for the next few hours.
As one would expect, they got bored easily, and they—meaning Irene—got up to ask where Bell and the others were. They had a request. Both twins had discussed it mentally on their way back. No one was wise enough to know it. Dia only said that she wanted them to stay home and rest—that being her gift—but that was not going to fly with the twins. Dia deserved something else, and with their aliases, came a great idea. They needed someone who could craft something special and in a few days, given all the right materials, which if both twins were right, they could purchase those materials raw.
That's why they called up, well, had someone send a message to the Hestia Familia to meet at the Complex. Bell, Welf, and Lili were there in a few minutes flat. "Woah, this is a nice place," Welf commented.
"Lili sees the appeal of living like this, but where are Mistress Irene and Master Isaac?" Lili said, removing her hood, showing off her ears. Her transformation magic was beautiful. Her tail was out as well, swishing about.
Bell was too ensnared in the sheer comfiness that was being seen. Irene came around the corner wearing not her adventuring gear, but a very nice dress. It wasn't floofy or anything, but it was a typical elven garb that she wears when they don't venture out of the house. Since those days are few and far between, she didn't waste this chance. "Hello," she waved.
Bell did a double-take, "Is that you, Irene?" Despite the bandages around her head, neck, and left wrist, she looked uninjured.
Irene nodded with a smile, "Yes, I don't get to wear this often. Isaac's in similar clothing, but his ribs have a lingering soreness so he isn't moving at full capacity yet." Her head injury was mostly healed, the potions Amid provided worked wonders.
"Don't be talking about me like that. They'll get the wrong idea," Isaac's voice carried throughout the room. He came around the corner in a green-collared shirt and classy dress pants. They weren't actually classy pants, but they passed off as it. "Dia asked us to dress nice, but there is a reason we wanted you here." His jaw had healed first, but his ribs were taking slightly longer. After all, the bones had to reset themselves and if done too fast, it could have crippled him… temporarily. If they healed improperly, they would have to rebreak the rib; not exactly pleasant.
"Oh?" Lili's tail swished even faster in excitement.
"Dia needs a gift, and we know what we want to get her, but she won't let us leave to get it," Irene explained simply.
"And I've told you, I don't need a gift. I only need you two!" Dia's voice carried from the second floor but appeared at the top of the stairs a moment later. She even had glasses resting on her nose, giving her a sophisticated look.
The twins laughed awkwardly but continued with their request, "Welf, follow me please." Isaac stepped behind the wall, incenting Welf to follow.
Irene turned to Dia, "Lady Dia, you know that we won't be satisfied with this. We are not planning on leaving the house, but merely an informal request will hopefully be carried out. After all, this is for you. You shouldn't be down here while we speak of it, it will spoil it." Irene's voice was soft and gentle but also pleading.
Dia eyed Irene critically for a moment before sighing, "Fine, but you are not allowed to leave the house. I want you here. I need to be selfish once in a while."
"Of course, Lady Dia."
Around the corner, in what could be considered the kitchen, "So Isaac, what's in the bag?"
This bag that Welf was referring to was a sack of something. Isaac smiled, "This contains items that we want to be forged into a necklace. The bag itself was no more than a handful, so to curb expectations, it wasn't large, but it certainly wasn't tiny either. "I know you may not know how to forge a necklace, but is there someone you know who does? Like a shop or something?"
The smith thought about it, "I may know a few places, but they might not like me. Well, one of them won't but the other, it's up in the air," The reason was obvious, so neither male said it.
Isaac slid something else across the table, a piece of paper. This piece of paper was a symbol. The Dia Familia symbol was on it. That way, it would be billed to them, and it's a way to say 'IOU'. "Give that to the person you hand these materials to. It should cut costs down exponentially." Then, another piece of paper slid across the table. "That's what we want to be made."
"It's a…"
"No spoilers, okay? It means a lot that you even came over," Isaac said.
"Woah, what is that?" Bell said as he rounded the corner. The Little Rookie just wanted to explore, but the house was really nice. Still, nothing beats the church, as rundown as it is. Lady Hestia did mention that Lady Dia offered for them to stay in one of the houses nearby, but Hestia chose to do it her own way. "Did you… make this?"
"A combined effort between the two of us, and it took all night to get it just right. On the back of that sheet is a list of colors that go in specific spots, as listed by the numbers," Irene said as she and Lili came around the corner. "We figured we'd make good use of something we'd been given. We abandoned shopping for the gift for obvious reasons, so this was our compromise."
"I'll do it," Welf said. "After all, we're a party, are we not?"
The Vlahos twins shared a look, then a smile, ""Yeah, we are,"" they said in unison.
"Has Lili ever mentioned that it's a little creepy when you two do that?" Lili asked, eyeing the twins.
""No, whatever do you mean?"" they said again, their smiles turning into a teasing one.
"Now you're just messing with Lili!" The Prum said as her demi-human features perked up. Welf was openly laughing, and poor Bell just looked confused.
"This would mean a lot to us if you take care of this. You already know the reason why," Isaac rubbed the back of his neck.
"Sure!" Bell said, sincerity in his ruby eyes.
With that, the trio bid the duo farewell, all while Dia watched with a small smile, but right now, she had some more pressing matters to attend to. Having her children home was one less worry.
Welf ended up carrying the bag, Bell alongside him, and Lili looking at the design. "They are going all out on this, aren't they?"
"Well, yeah. Getting a gift that means something to a God takes a lot of time. We don't know what they have been through, only what they told us and my inferring on it only leads to bad things. We should be mindful of that Lil' Bit," Welf said, rummaging through the bag, looking at the very decent quality rocks and gems.
"So, where exactly are we going?" Bell asked.
"Lili has heard of a craftsman who lives somewhere on Northeast Main. Is that where we are going, Master Welf?" Lili asked, her chestnut irises looking up at the smith. Welf nodded, explaining that it takes far more precision to do this. Smithing takes a certain level, which is then honed by the craft over the years, according to a man Welf looked up to.
So, a mere ten minutes later, the trio arrived outside a well-structured building. It was unmarked, had a brick foundation, but a wooden top. Welf had heard rumors of this place from his familia, so he naturally followed up on it. The sign on the door said it was open. So, Welf opened the door and a little bell went off. "Welcome to my shop!" they heard a voice say.
"Good day, sir," Welf greeted.
"Ah, adventurers, a rare sight for you to be in my shop. What can I do for you?" The person behind the counter finally came into view. It was a gnome. Pointed hat, beard, and all distinctive features of a gnome. "My name is Davlin Somlisel, welcome to Somlisel Craftworks!"
Welf produced the paper of the sketch and the Dia Familia symbol. He also took the pouch and set it on the table in front of them all. "I have a request on behalf of the Dia Familia. The two members wish to make this," Welf pointed to the paper with the sketch, "for their Goddess. A gift. They provided materials in this bag, hoping to cut costs. Use anything you need in it to make this happen."
Davlin looked at the exquisite design, "An overlapping design, but it works well, and oh, they provided a color key. Yes yes, this is doable. May I see that bag?"
Bell and Lili watched in astonishment as Welf and Davlin went about business like old friends, despite never having met before. The two looked at each other before backing away to browse the wares on display.
Davlin opened the bag and his eyes went wide, "This is prime material!" He produced a magnifying glass and looked intently at the cut of the crystals and gems that laid before them. "In perfect condition. Where did they acquire this? Good sir, you said Dia Familia, correct?" Welf nodded, a small smile on his face. "Then, this is a request on behalf… of course. I'd recognize this. She must have left this behind for them." Davlin looked up, "You, my good sir, have yourself a deal. Come pick it up in two days' time."
"What about cost? That's what this is for," Welf tapped his fingers on the familia symbol.
"Bah! That's unnecessary! With this, I should be paying them for letting me work on materials such as these! I have the perfect metal covering for them to work with. So, with that, you have yourself a deal!" Davlin said, reaching his hand out.
Welf shook the gnome's hand and took the Dia Familia symbol back. "You sure you don't need this?" Davlin shook his head in the negative. "Bell, Lil' Bit, let's go and tell them."
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Master Welf? To just blindly trust him?" Lili asked, pessimistically.
"Knowing the gnome, he'll make it to perfection. Plus, he said something weird. Like he already knew who was requesting it, but he's never met either one of them," Welf said but chose to let it go.
"Maybe I can get something for Goddess Hestia, or…" Bell's mind went to one blonde-haired swordswoman… "Yeah, I could…"
"Oh no," Welf said, immediately holding back Lili before she does something embarrassing.
"Anyway, I finally got a date for a celebration for my level up!" Welf said.
"When?" Bell asked. "Why did you wait so long?"
"I wanted to invite Isaac and Irene since they both were there, and after the whole debacle with them, I think they'd appreciate a night out," Welf reasoned, which neither Bell nor Lili found any fault with.
The three adventurers squabbled all the way back to Dia's Complex to give the good news.
Somewhere outside of Orario, in an undisclosed location, there sat a man, fishing. His appearance was hidden by a straw hat, wearing overalls and generally being a lazy man. After all, a life with him was exhausting.
"So I see you're still out here," a voice said, one familiar to many adventurers.
"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" As they spoke, their fishing line bent. "Oh-ho, I got a big one on the line!" The man leaned forward and yanked the fishing pole this way and that before he pulled it up and out came a mid-sized fish. Satisfied, he unhooked the fish and put it in a bucket beside him.
"Well, I guess you don't want my report then," the second voice said as they turned, tipping their hat down as they went.
"Sorry sorry, I was just waiting for that one to bite, continue with your report, Hermes."
The man, now identified as Hermes said, "Well, those three are doing well, despite a few mishaps, but otherwise, they seem to be recovering. Unfortunately, it looks like Lady Freya wants them."
The first man grumbled, "I see, what of-"
"He's doing especially fine, growing like an enhanced fertilizer, old man," Hermes teased. "Already on his way to level three, and it's been what? Two months, not even?"
"What's this about the two? Are they hurt?" A third voice said, a harsher edge to it, but a parental tone attached.
Hermes turned and almost dropped his hat, recognition flashing in his gaze, his mouth agape before it turned to a smirk, "You've been holding out on me, old man."
...
I reveal nothing.