The Stardust Garden was strained with tension, as Hestia paced around, biting her thumb. Astraea wasn't any different, her hands shaking a bit as she had an open book on her lap, turning pages without reading the letters in them. The third guest in the room was standing near the door, his massive build almost making him hit the ceiling. Ottar was like a statue, watching over the deities in front of them as if they were his own. Because of that his ears twitched before turning his head. That motion was more than enough to gain the ladies' attention, who snapped their heads towards the door. Ottar politely opened the door, revealing the group that approached just before the one in the lead could open the door. Blinking momentarily, Solaris smirked before waving her hand.
"Olla, goddess."
Suffice to say, it became a bit chaotic when the two Familia entered their home, with Hestia crying and sobbing all over her children. Astraea was a lot more restrained than that but she still made it a point to ruffle each of her kids' hair, to the embarrassment of all of them except Alise, who was as shameless as ever as she tried, and was prevented from, burying her face into the goddess' bosom. Ottar remained as stoic as ever, but his mouth twitched slightly as he took in the returners. Their clothes were dirtied and had tears at some spots. Only Bell seemed somewhat clean while the others still had dirt patches covering their skin and wounds that were still healing up. Some had burns, others bruises. But despite all that, their eyes were shining, forged from the fires of training. Clearing his throat, Ottar gained their attention before he nodded ever so slightly at them.
"I will take my leave then."
"Hey, King!" Ottar stopped when he was outside, causing him to turn around and spot Alise smirk wide with a raised thumb. "We owe you one!"
"It was the will of my goddess." He glanced at Bell before smiling ever so slightly. "Pay her back with a good performance, Hestia Familia."
With that, the King left, ending his service to protect the deities in place of their Familia. Bell scratched his cheek, who couldn't help smiling a bit.
"He seems nice."
"Probably a big softie underneath that mountain of muscles," Alise agreed, patting the vice captain on the back. Kaguya scoffed, turning away and letting herself fall on the couch with an exhausted expression.
"Well, I'm not gonna invite him to any tea parties, that's for sure... "
Soon enough, tea was readied for everyone and they all enjoyed some idle talk as they relaxed, back at home, safe and sound. Of course eventually those talks died down eventually. With their cups emptied, Hestia crossed her arms before glaring at them, at Kaguya specifically.
"Honestly, you should've held back more!" She pointed at her Familia. "They look terrible!"
"We looked worse in training…" Bell commented, clearing his throat as he rubbed his aching arms. He wasn't the only one as the phantom pain flared up in everyone else as well, even Kojiro who pointedly looked away.
"That's worse!" Hestia huffed before standing up, stretching her arms dramatically as she gave a pointed look at her children. "Well, let's see if it was worth it."
"Update time, oh yeah!" Solaris shouted, running first into the separate room.
"Clean yourself up first, young lady!"
The group laughed at her antics before Hestia Familia lined up themselves. At the same time Astrarea glanced at her own children before covering her mouth with a giggle.
"Girls, Arash, would you mind?"
The veterans shared a surprised look, not sure what the purpose of that was. After all, they were far beyond Hestia Familia. Any growth they would have would be minimal at best. But since they had nothing better to do, they all shrugged, deciding to follow their deity's whim.
"If you insist," Kaguya sighed out before reaching for her clothes. Naturally Ryuu and Lyra immediately caught her arms before she could strip down and dragged the struggling woman into a seperate room instead.
Soon enough, they were all sitting in a round, their papers turned around to hide their contents. Bell couldn't help but gulp for a moment. Doing it like this kinda raised the stakes in a way. Hestia clapped her hands together, biting her lip as well.
"Okay. On three."
"Three!"
Solaris was the first to turn her status sheet around, not waiting for the signal with a giddy laugh. Naturally everyone else kinda stumbled in turning theirs around as well before taking a look. Slowly their smiles fell, replaced by utter shock instead.
"What the shiiiiiit."
"...Err, Lady Hestia? Is this... right?"
Haruhime and Solaris voiced out their concerns one by one in their own way. Bell himself was busy gaping at the numbers he was seeing while Kojiro hummed thoughtfully. It wasn't like this was the first time he saw those kinds of stats. But at least before he had the excuse of facing incredible odds at the time. This time...
"Yes! It's all thanks to your hard work!"
"Bull. Shit."
Hestia flinched at Solaris' flat tone. Bell winced, but he couldn't help but agree. There was a limit to what effort could bring. Training was good and all but if everyone grew that much, more than half of Orario would be level two by now. Judging from their reactions, Bell wasn't the only one with Kojiro to have broken his limits. He glanced at the Astraea Familia, also having puzzled expressions on their faces. He assumed their growth was also bigger than expected, if not as mindboggling as the Hestia Familia. Said goddess stammered, trying to find the words, but Solaris had no mercy as she put her sheet down and pointed down at it.
"Look, I was willing to ignore this the last couple times but we ain't blind." She shook her head and pointed her fingers at herself. "This growth is abnormal. We aren't Arash or Kojiro. I know my level."
Astraea and Hestia shared a look, causing Bell to frown a bit. There was definitely something. He felt a shiver down a spine when he noticed Solaris look at him and Kojiro, eyes narrowed. As if they were the source. It would make sense, Bell figured. If there was some secret, it must have started with their arrival. Solaris would notice, if she compared her growth before and after they joined. But before Solaris could dig deeper, Astraea raised her hand with a neutral expression.
"There is something." She took a deep breath. "But we two decided it's better to keep it a secret. Even from you."
The silence that followed was deafening. It was hard to take in. Here they were, the deities they trusted the most and they just admitted to a secret they won't share no matter what. It put things into perspective. Hestia bit her lip while Astraea lowered her head, as if both felt guilty for their own decision. Because of that, it was Alise who clapped her hands first, saying what was on everyone's mind.
"Alrighty then, moving on!"
The two gods looked up in shock as they were looking down at their stat sheets once more, mulling over the information in their own way. Naturally Hestia shot up, gaping at them before pointing fingers around in utter confusion.
"Wait, that's it?"
"Oh, I'm hella curious. However." Solaris looked up with a smirk when she crossed her legs. "I trust you."
"We all do. You must have good reasons for it."
"Just knowing that there actually is something makes it easier too," Haruhime added to Bell's warm words. Kojiro chuckled, crossing his arms with an approving nod.
"Whatever the source is, if one does not have experience, the status is meaningless."
"Yeah, you're the only one who gets to say that," Lyra said in a dry tone, running her finger over the parchment before shoving it away. Hestia sniffed before wiping her eyes and slapping her cheeks to focus.
"Anyway, enough about parameters!" She puffed out her chest as she put her hands on her hips. "Haruhime, Solaris, you two have new skills!"
Immediately the two girls' eyes went down, skipping past their parameters.
"Oooooh yeah!" Solaris roared, pumping her fist into the air. Bell couldn't help but clap in applause, but soon stopped when he noticed the conflicted look on the Renard's face, who was covering her mouth with wide eyes. Hestia's smile wavered before she put her hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Haruhime. Be careful about it. I... trust you to know when to use it."
"U-Understood!"
Her eyes were still glued onto the skill. Bell leaned over after having seen Solaris' one, something that was rather fitting for her. Yet when he saw the description of Haruhime's skill, he couldn't help but feel concern as well. He glanced at Kaguya, who made it a point to look away, acting idle, but the way she was tapping the table with her prosthetic revealed her true feelings about this.
"And you, Bell!" Hestia announced, pointing at him with an accusing glare."When did you learn new magic?!"
Naturally Solaris snatched his status sheet away and everyone huddled together to look at his magic slots. His captain looked up, glaring at him.
"If you did your mediation crap, Imma leave the room."
"Err, it was a gift?" Bell responded, scratching the back of his head. Ryuu laughed in response. It was not a nice laugh as her eyes were utterly blank.
"Yes, a grimoire by a very attractive woman."
"We're just... !" Bell stammered with a red face before stopping. He looked down, lips pressed together in thought before he looked back up with hesitant eyes. "...Student and teacher?"
"The fact that you hesitated says a lot," Ryuu replied, nodding slowly, still with a smile and a judging look so cold it might freeze hell over.
"Watch it, Lion, your eyes are getting green," Kaguya commented with a smirk. The elf pulled up her mask, looking away with a huff. The Senbonzakura smacked her lips before turning to the Pallum. "My condolences, Lyra."
Said Pallum groaned, covering her face. Bell cleared his throat, looking down at the floor. There were a lot of awkward moments during training. Something he wasn't exactly proud of. But he couldn't help it! It took two to tango, like grandpa said! Repeating it in his mind, he blushed. No, that sounded wrong. Okay, so maybe he and Ryuu needed more self control in whatever their relationship was. Especially considering Lyra's own love life. Or lack of one. Not that Bell had a love life himself. Nope.
Before he could descend further into burning up his brain with embarrassment, a sudden knock sounded on the door. Everyone looked at each other in confusion. Did someone invite guests over?
"Release your frogs or suffer the consequences."
Solaris mouthed 'what' at the others, who shrugged in complete confusion. However, something about that voice felt familiar. He glanced at Kojiro and Haruhime whose eyes went wide in surprise. It was then that it hit him,his own eyes going wide. The Renard practically dashed across the room, opening the door with sparkling eyes. Then they all heard a sniff before Haruhime threw her arms around the guests.
"Y-You really came... "
"Wouldn't miss our daughter's match, would we now?"
Bell shot up.
"Those voices... !"
Haruhime invited the guests inside, practically bouncing on her feet. The three individuals entered, earning a gasp from Kaguya.
"Long time no seen, Kojiro, Bell."
"Hey, hey."
"Gabuh."
"Oryou! Ryoma!" Bell froze, his smile in place as he tilted his head. What was that last sound? He glanced down at Oryou's arm, at what she was holding before he choked back. "Baby?!"
"Guh." The baby with deep red eyes raised his hand, huffing as if proud of himself. Oryou smiled, kissing the child on his black hair before presenting it to everyone. At that moment, Bell had no idea that girls could coo like that. Especially Ryuu and Kaguya as they saw the small boy in his mother's arms, squirming a bit. Bell was still in shock. They brought a baby all the way to this place. Before he could ask however, Oryou practically pressed Ohma up to Bell's face. The baby promptly babbled, blowing bubbles before pulling at his hair. It wasn't exactly painful but the action surprised him. In his awkward position, he felt Oryou pat his back with an approving nod.
"Ohma likes you. Good."
"I didn't expect you to come." Kojiro said, shaking Ryoma's hand with a smirk. "Are we that famous?"
Ryoma laughed before adjusting his hat.
"Well, if you have friends in the right places... " He turned to the archer before shaking his hand as well. "Arash."
"Been a while," Arash responded with a smile before nodding at Oryou.
"Err, excuse me, but who are you guys?" Hestia asked, raising her hand. Kaguya rolled her eyes before presenting them, keeping a respectable distance.
"Sakamoto Ryoma and Oryou, with their son... Ohma, was it?"
Silence filled the air before Lyra was the first to react, coughing violently.
"Peacemaker and Mizuchi?!"
"Huhhuh. We are famous," Oryou said with sparkling eyes, raising two fingers. Introductions went underway, with individuals utterly shocked that such powerful figures visited them. Apparently Haruhime and Kaguya were somewhat aware they were arriving, most likely due to their own meeting they had during training. Still, he glanced at Solaris, who had a smug expression on her own, and couldn't help but gulp. How many actually came... ? Either way, with introductions out of the way, Alise leaned forward, smiling brightly at the baby. Bell wondered why they acted like that. Then again, Bell hadn't seen many infants in this city, so maybe adventurers weren't used to the sight of them?
"Hey, little guy!"
"Buh!"
The slap was weak. It did zero damage to Alise as her hand was hit. However, that was only in the physical sense.
"..."
"Huh. So that's what heartbreak sounds like," Solaris commented, as Astraea gently pulled the frozen girl away, her smile empty as the eyes seemed to tear up.
"See, captain? It senses your evil intentions." Kaguya chuckled before brushing her hair back, reaching out with her hand herself. "Hello, little o-"
"Guh!"
"..."
"Aaaand number two... " Solaris muttered. Lyra laughed, clapping her hands together before pushing Kaguya out of the way, holding her fist out.
"Good one, kiddo-"
This time Ohma didn't even make any noises when it slapped someone.
"..."
Soon enough, three adults were cowering in the corner, on all fours, with their hearts in complete shambles. Solaris nodded slowly before snapping her finger at them.
"That's strike three aaaand you're out."
"What... what is this agony in my heart... ?"
"We're nice gals, right?!"
"Lion, I wanna die."
One by one, Kaguya, Alise and Lyra expressed their despair. Ryuu gaped at them before pulling her mask down, staring at them in disbelief.
"Only because an infant rejected you?!"
"Why don't you try it and see how much it hurts?!" Kaguya shouted, actually crying with an expression of indignation. The elf flinched before looking back at the baby, who stared at her with expectation. Ryuu gulped, as if she was facing a terrible monster. Carefully, she presented her finger, lips pressed together.
"...Hello."
"Bahbuh."
A squeak escaped her. Bell covered his mouth as he looked away. Cute! Too cute! What was that sound?! Yet nobody could say anything as Ryuu blushed herself, staring at the baby holding her finger with wide eyes.
"So soft... " She whispered, shocked that Ohma reacted to her that way. Naturally her three other Familia members shot up in outrage.
"You kidding me?!" They shouted in unison. If the baby was bothered by the volume, he didn't show it as it seemed to have a blast with Ryuu's finger. Then it turned to look around, spotting Arash before making noises at him, trying to reach out. The archer laughed warmly before ruffling the boy's hair.
"Oh, oh, can I hold him?!" Hestia asked, bouncing on her feet as the three girls could only gape at the injustice in front of them. Oryou immediately pulled Ohma closer to her, narrowing her eyes at the goddess.
"No. My child. Touch only."
Hestia pouted but complied, reaching out with her hand. Astraea did the same. Ohma looked between them before he remembered he had two hands and just grabbed them both with a delightful laugh. Bell had never before seen two deities look so smug as they allowed the baby to play with their hands respectively.
"Goddess of Hearth, boom!"
"Justice seems to prevail after all, hehe."
"Oi, you gals aren't bleeding tears right now, are you?" Solaris asked when the trio of losers returned to their corner. Alise sniffed before pointing at her fellow captain accusingly.
"You try!"
"Not interested."
"Same."
Kojiro and Solaris high fived each other in unison, with the same blank look on their faces. Then the captain snapped her finger at the child, who looked at them before looking away with utter apathy.
"Doesn't look like the fella is interested either."
Haruhime giggled before she lowered her head, radiating a gentle warmth when she came face to face with her sibling.
"Look, Ohma. Big sister Haru is here too."
The baby let out the most delighted sound yet, and immediately grabbed her ears and began to chew on them. Bell winced, grateful for Haruhime that Ohma didn't have any teeth yet... hopefully.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Y-you're so c-cute, haha. O-ow."
"Why do you sound like you are used to it... ?" Solaris asked before everyone laughed a bit at the antics. Suddenly Oryou made a thoughtful expression before she raised her hand with a blank look.
"By the way, what's with that Lucky Familia losing to some monster and an amazon losing her legs?"
Everyone snapped their heads at them.
"What?!"
The baby whimpered, causing Oryou to glare back as she patted her child. The adventurers wouldn't have it however and turned to Astraea who winced before frowning at their guest.
"Miss Sakamoto, we were kind of trying to keep that from them to not distract them."
"Hear that, Ryoma? Miss Sakamoto."
"Oryou, bad."
"Bad?"
"Bad."
"Oh... "
Ryoma massaged his temples while the mother lowered her head in shame. Bell covered his mouth, eyes wide. Loki Familia lost? And one of the twins lost her legs? That sounded like utter nonsense. But... it would explain why none of them spotted any of them outside. What were they going through? Was Aiz invo-
"Nope."
Bell looked up at Solaris who was already standing at the entrance, arms crossed.
"But-"
"Whaddya gonna do? Give them a get well soon card?" She jabbed his forehead. "Get your head in the game. War Game first, flowers and chocolate later."
He wanted to object. They were definitely hurt and grieving in their own way. But then he came up short and he lowered his head in frustration. Right. What could he do? He wasn't in their Familia. By all means, he had no idea what was going on nor did he have any right to offer words of comfort. With gritted teeth, he shook his head.
"Fine... " He glanced at Astraea. "...Was it the Night Queen?"
"Some theorize it, yes."
He took a deep breath.
Just one more reason to win then.
Time until the War Game: One day.