Alright, here we go. Fun little chapter here though there is some significant movement down at the end. Hope y'all enjoy!
This entire situation was nerve wracking. Bell had hardly even touched his meal, taking another long draw of the sweet juice blend from his mug and silently wishing it was alcohol. He probably could have gotten an ale if he asked, but the risk of having his senses dulled at this critical time was simply too great.
Hestia was much on the opposite end of the spectrum, absolutely inhaling the meat and pepper skewers they'd been served as appetizers. Between these bursts of stress eating, the little goddess would then take long drags of something that definitely – perhaps greatly so – smelled of rum.
Ais, who was sitting across from Bell and next to his goddess, eyed Hestia with a minute degree of awe. If Bell were anyone else, if he didn't live with Hestia, he might have credited his goddess for a masterful distraction. He generously offered her a half credit in his thoughts, her "diversion" status completely coincidental.
On the other hand, the blonde's attention resting on the little goddess may have had more to do with her actively denying the scene taking place to her left.
Tiona and Wiene were seated right next to each other, their chairs practically touching. The amazon's olive greens met the young girl's bright amber in a focused contest of wills. Each had an arm on the table, their respective palms clasped around the middle of their freshly filled mugs.
Anya was standing just beside the pair, between Bell and Wiene, a pitcher of sweet tea held in her hands. Her steely gaze drifted between the two for a good moment. Then, over the din of the packed Hostess, the catgirl gave a sharp yelp.
"Drink!"
The two girls pulled their cups up quickly, tilting the vessels against their lips as they rapidly drained the contents. Wiene's lack of practice showed as trails of liquid dribbled down from the corners of her mouth. Tiona, by contrast, didn't waste so much as a drop.
There were a couple eyes throughout the establishment that were drawn to the strange spectacle. Some at the nearby tables were getting in on the contest, hollering the girls on. It didn't help that Anya was fully giving herself over to her role as the hype man, hurling her arms into the air as she pranced about, twirling in excitement.
It was lucky for the cat eared waitress that Syr found all this mildly amusing. Not only was the girl picking up Anya's slack as a server, but she was also doing an admirable bit of interference against a certain elf employee.
Ryuu, whenever she could acknowledge what was happening, looked very much out for kitty blood.
Thankfully a single mug drinking challenge wasn't the kind of thing that lasted long. If the onlookers had had time to start betting, things may have gotten actually out of hand. Less than ten seconds after starting, the participants slammed their respective mugs onto the table. That the action seemed damn near instinctual to Wiene felt a little weird to Bell, they'd never explained the "etiquette" of a drinking contest to the girl.
Whatever natural inclination the dungeon child possessed, it wasn't enough to surpass the amazon. Tiona volcanoed out of her chair, tipping it onto the floor, both arms thrust upwards like a champion prize fighter. Anya played it up like nobody's business, holding the brunette's left arm high as she let loose a yowl of victory. Her enthusiasm was instantly mirrored by a plethora of patrons, more than a few having no idea what was happening but eager to join the revelry.
The only one not digging the atmosphere looked to be Wiene. The girl swallowed quickly, glancing about at the cheering masses. But once her eyes met Tiona's, the blunette swiftly picked up on the smug expression being sent her way. Her pale cheeks puffed out in frustration, which only amused Tiona more and nearly melted Anya on the spot. At this point Wiene chose violence.
Bell had to really debate stepping in as the monster child began pinwheeling her tiny fists into her opponent's exposed midsection. As it had in Crossette's office, the "assault" was plainly ineffective. Tiona even folded her arms behind her head, tightening up her stomach and inviting blows with an ear to ear grin. Bell noted her very defined abdominals…
"Should we just… let this continue?" Indecisive, Bell defaulted back to his goddess' council. Even stuffing her face, surely Hestia could impart some wisdom. And so, with a strip of beef poking through her lips, the Goddess of the Hearth slid her gaze between her child and the fallout of the drinking challenge. In a precise display of accumulated experience, Hestia shrugged and then gulped down her chunk of meat.
Bell couldn't say he was surprised.
"More food," chirped the youthful voice of Syr. The grey haired server swung up to the group balancing two large trays of steaming hot grub. It was actually mostly more appetizers, the kind of things easily shared by multiple people. To Hestia's joy, this included another plate of skewers.
The presence of food immediately brokered a cease fire between the amazon and the blue child. The pair of them scrambled for a chair, Tiona planting herself first and then Wiene plopping into her lap. Memories of acertain otheramazon had Bell almost twitching for his knife, the reverence he had for Tiona, his rescuer, staying his hand.
Almost as soon as the dishes touched the table, the girls' hands shot out in various directions. Tiona happily plucked morsels off of a skewer as Wiene plopped a bite sized, breaded treat filled with savory cream into her mouth. The both of them bounced in time with their chews, practically humming with joy. Wiene had another mouthful clenched in her hand, ready to go, when she realized the prime chance for interaction.
Swallowing, the blue haired girl turned sparkling eyes towards their server, "Thank you Syr! The food is very tasty!"
The grey haired waitress looked like she might just float away. Cheeks rosy, Syr stepped towards the little monster and swiftly drew her head into her apron clad chest. "You are the most precious thing," the server cooed, arms encompassing Wiene's skull.
Tiona's free arm wrapped around her seatmate's waist, growling lowly as she kept Wiene from being dragged out of her lap. Syr was plainly ignoring the vocal threat.
Bell stopped chewing on the stuffed pepper he'd procured, just watching the scene play out next to him. He couldn't claim to have great knowledge of Syr's character, him only having met her a matter of days ago, but seeing the young woman so thoroughly wrapped around someone else's finger…
His experience with Tiona was further limited, in spite of the fame she held. All he really knew about the amazon was that she was very strong and very friendly. So the territorial display going on was a little perplexing.
Maybe they both had a soft spot for kids? Perfectly rational, appropriate soft spots that were in no way suspicious, Bell said to himself. Repeatedly.
Done with her previous mouthful, Wiene found herself in an odd position to move on to her next. Putting forth her adaptive mind, the dragon girl blinked twice, then pointedly drew her gaze from Tiona across to Syr. Assured she had their undivided attention, Wiene opened wide, a persistent "Aaaaahhhh," rumbling from her mouth.
What followed bordered on brutality. Without glancing away from the blue haired treasure, Tiona and Syr's arms struck out at high speeds. Bell swore he heard a dual whipcrack as their blurred limbs slashed through the sampler trays, each snatching up a piece of food.
Cargo in hand, the two stopped dead just before Wiene's gaping maw. While the girl could put an impressive amount of food away, she wouldn't be able to fit two morsels into her mouth at the same time. At once, the potential feeders broke their observation of Wiene to instead lock eyes with one another. Lightning flew between them and no one, be they mortal or god, would ever convince Bell otherwise!
Fried crumbs and meaty grease began to trickle down as the pair ground their treats against one another. In a flash they separated, swiftly driving back together in a series of vicious clashes. Their expressions remained stern all the while, their eyes widened with mounting fury.
Bell was chewing absentmindedly on nothing, having missed his mouth multiple times with the meaty skewer he was holding, his right cheek stained with savory juices. The two women spectacle before him had all the boy's upper faculties occupied. In particular, the part where Syr, the run-of-the-mill server, was handily trading blows with a level five adventurer.
And all for the sake of being the first to hand feed a cute little girl. Once more, Bell reiterated that Wiene was a terrifying existence.
"You're getting your face dirty."
The white haired boy shook himself out of his chewing trance and looked across the table. The Sword Princess returned her normally flat stare over the shrinking mound of appetizers. Hestia was still stuffing her face at a relatively sedate speed, but she notably kept her attention on the blonde veteran. Ais and Bell held stares for quite a bit, the golden eyed girl raising a hand to her right cheek and rubbing it as though instructing him.
Wiene solved the problem before Bell could. In the midst of their mealtime melee, Syr and Tiona had lost track of their prize, Wiene slipping from the amazon's grasp. Grabbing a napkin in passing, the little monster plopped herself into Bell's lap and began attentively cleansing his face.
To think that ten minutes ago, they'd had to subtly instruct her on the concept of eating manners…
Ais' expression soured slightly at Wiene's entrance. Hestia's rate of munching slowed considerably as she considered what the blonde would do next. "That girl," Ais commented, her words drifting slowly.
Bell blinked towards the famous adventurer, Wiene still focused on her wiping endeavors. Syr and Tiona's bout seemed to have reached a lull, the combatants panting heavily though their eyes remained sharp.
Ais continued, "… she was down there with you, when I caught up to the minotaurs. She was with you when you were heading up the staircase too."
Hestia slowly plunged a round little pastry into a cup of warm icing, bringing it up and pushing it past her lips as her gaze settled onto her child.
Scratching the back of his scalp, Bell chuckled nervously as he fended off Wiene with his woefully untouched skewer. "Yeah, Wiene's… very attached to me. She followed me down without permission and got into some real trouble."
Bell did his best to affect a stern tone towards the end, sending Wiene what he hoped was a convincing glower. The girl in question hardly registered either his voice or expression, having started to nip at his defensive meat stick.
His goddess rolled her eyes at the scene, her next morsel already plucked from the platter. They'd gone over some finer details on Wiene's "background," ways to explain her obvious connection to Bell and her presence in the city itself. She hoped her boy could make the story believable, explaining to the fucking Sword Princess was not the best of circumstances for a trial run.
Ais' amber orbs narrowed in suspicion, "Followed you down? So you knew her from before the incident?"
"Y-Yeah," Bell stuttered, "back in my home village, I was asked to look after the local kids a lot. Grandpa said it's what I get for handing out services for free."
"I hear ya," Tiona piped in, "same for me back in my homeland. I was always better with the girls than a lot of the older amazons." The Loki exec appeared to be in good spirits, happily chowing down on a pair of misshapen fried dumplings. Between that and Syr's absence, it seemed the girl was victorious over their server.
Though her eye did gain a notable twitch whenever Wiene sniped a bite from Bell's skewer. Won the battle, lost the war, as it would seem.
Bell grinned at the level five, the lap bound Wiene mirroring his smile with her food stuffed cheeks. Ais' more neutral gaze shifted between the rookie adventurer and the abnormal child.
"Shh dmmphn't huff," Hestia stopped, swallowed, then continued her interjection, "She doesn't have parents, if that's what you were going to ask." That bit seemed to affect Ais, the blonde's eyes widening slightly.
The tiny goddess pressed on, "Well, not ones deserving of the title. They disowned her because of her appearance and cast her out into the wilderness." The level of "quiet wrath" Hestia affected was palpable, even her child was drawn into the story that he already knew was false. The Goddess of the Hearth could be quite intense when children were involved.
This was too much for Tiona who rapidly vacated her chair, throwing her arms around the blunette in a desperate show of compassion. Unfortunately for Bell, that meant his lap was now quite full of slim, wiggly amazon. Hestia gagged on her latest mouthful, launching into a coughing fit.
Ais moved even faster than Tiona, wrapping her arms around the tiny woman's belly and giving her a few powerful pumps. Hestia coughed something onto the floor, dangling in the taller blonde's grip. Ais, features softly neutral, cocked her head down towards the limp goddess, ready to ask how she was.
Anya made a triumphant return, interrupting Ais' attempt and voicing in her place, "Is everything… o-kay?"
The tawny haired server's sights scanned over the table, the light of understanding behind them steadily fading away. The Loki Familia's lithe amazon had pulled Wiene back into her lap whilst pulling herself fully into Bell's lap and bouncing jerkily, fretting over Wiene all the while. The boy with two girls in his lap looked ready to pass out, his scarlet eyes half rolled into the back of his head.
Bell's goddess looked even worse, draped over the Sword Princess' crossed arms like a human bath towel. The only hint they had that she may be conscious was the ongoing, aching groan issuing from her downturned mouth. The only person who took notice of Anya's presence was Ais, her famously flat stare piercing the strange atmosphere like a bale fire in the darkness.
The blonde swordsmaiden blinked twice. Anya stepped back, about faced, and nope'd right out of the situation. She didn't even pay mind to Ryuu, who had appointed herself the catgirl's minder and was standing sentinel right behind her. Anya strode right past her coworker without a comment or a glance.
Ryuu let her fellow waitress pass… then promptly followed suit in fleeing the area. If it was too much for Anya, then she wanted no part of it, Mama Mia be damned.
"Th-Thanks, thanks," Hestia huffed out as she pulled out of Ais' grasp. The Goddess of the Hearth shooed the young woman off as she sent a few pats into the twintails' back, dropping back into her seat. Then she took up another treat from the big plate, divine priorities on display.
"Is Hestia alright?"
The goddess smiled through her chewing, blue eyes beaming towards everyone's new favorite little girl. Wiene was the picture of concerned, her soft gaze focused wholly on the twintailed deity. At the same time, she kept one arm wrapped tight around Tiona's upper back, her free hand gently brushing through the girl's dark lockes. It really wasn't all that different from the way one handled a pet. It didn't help that, through the occasional sniffle, the level five was almost purring at the attention.
Syr looked ready to abandon her current table and make a break for the affectionate display. Ryuu's sixth sense immediately kicked off, the green haired elf snapping her attention from a rather docile Anya onto a far more troublesome waitress. The pressure of Ryuu's watchful gaze sent a frigid chill up Syr's spine, halting her disastrous thoughts. For now.
And Bell was fully slumped back, dead to the world and of no concern to those lounging upon his person.
Ais watched as the Goddess of the Hearth and the strange child interacted. The way Hestia's tone brightened as she assured the girl, the wave of happiness that spread across her little face upon knowing that her caretaker was okay. She watched how this person with spots of scales and a fang-touched smile held Tiona tighter, brushing her short hair a touch rougher and dragging a giggle from her once-sobbing friend. And as she sat and watched, Ais could only say that she had never been more confused.
They… they did know that this girl was a monster… didn't they? One that smiled, and laughed, and talked… and now she felt confused again.
"It was a curse." The blonde adventurer turned back to Hestia, clutching to her words like a life raft. She glanced at the Sword Princess from the corner of her eyes, holding for a breath before dropping her gaze down onto the tabletop. Hestia didn't look at Ais as she continued, "Some kind of rogue monster off near the Midoryl Highlands."
That name seemed to strike a chord in Ais. But Tiona's voice was the one that interjected, "I-I think I've heard of that place. Think Riveria mentioned passing through it when leaving the elven capital." Apparently, hearing Wiene's backstory was the final push to gaining her full attention.
Bell was still halfway unconscious, mumbling incoherently about how "a taken man can't do these sorts of things."
Hestia almost balked at the fact that Loki's children were familiar with the story's setting. The little goddess pressed on as smoothly as she could, "Yeah, pretty nearby from what I gathered. Wiene's a half elf by birth so she was already having a hard time living so close to the capital.
"But this new appearance," Hestia settled her eyes on Wiene, meeting the monster girl's gaze, "it was too much, even for her mother to ignore." She noted how Tiona's wide eyes began to pool with tears once more.
"Mother," Wiene breathed and at once the goddess felt her heart catch. They may have discussed this story at length in front of Wiene, but it was a coin toss whether or not the girl understood the importance of the lie. With Bell still out of commission and two first class adventurers at their table, this could get very complicated very quickly.
The blue haired girl persisted, "Mother was… never warm." This was, once again, too much for Tiona. This time she tugged the smaller girl into her modest bosom, resting her chin across Wiene's azure lockes, barely holding back sobs as she stroked the back of the little girl's head. Wiene's somber expression warmed with a small smile as she nuzzled her brow into the amazon's chest.
Hestia took the chance to scoot her chair over, scratching lightly behind the dungeon child's left ear. She did make sure to slurp her digits clean of grease and sauce beforehand. Her free hand still wielded a half finished skewer up near her mouth, ready and willing.
Ais… beheld all of this curiously. Her dull expression was notoriously hard to read, but there was definitely something stirring there. If nothing else, her suspicion seemed to have fallen into the background.
"You've been through a lot, haven't you?" Ais' words were spoken softly, more a comment to herself than anything meant to be overheard. Wiene's left ear flickered, but the Sword Princess couldn't be sure if it was from her hushed words or Hestia's ministrations.
"More food!" Syr had returned. Across the restaurant, Ryuu was busy dragging a complaining Anya away by one of her angular ears, steadily reciting that the staff could not challenge patrons to arm wrestling while on the clock. The grey haired server was able to snake her way back to their table in the interim, carrying the last rounds of appetizers on another two trays.
The first plate Syr plopped down in front of the blonde adventurer. This was very deliberate as the dish was stacked high with steaming hot potato croquettes. Ais seized at the sight, her yellow orbs widening as she caught an audible whiff of the hot treats.
Hestia didn't even bother to hold back a snort, observing the Sword Princess whilst still giving Wiene her scratches. Syr did the "cute girl thing" of placing her hand over her mouth to hide her humor, drifting around to the other side of the table.
Bell revived just as the second tray was set down. Though he still maintained a lap full of young female, the more wholesome sight of Tiona holding Wiene in a comforting embrace ignited his empathy. Rather absent minded, the rookie adventurer placed one hand each on the two girls' upper backs.
Then he caught sight of Ais, directly across from him, commencing her absolute destruction of the potato croquette mound. His goddess had picked her stick clean of bites and was now warily hovering her free hand over the fried snacks, waiting for an opening to snatch one. The speed at which her blonde quarry was inhaling food would be downright intimidating if it weren't so expected.
"Bell!"
The shout came in stereo, Tiona and Wiene shooting up to throw their arms around his neck. Both girls pressed one cheek against each of his, Wiene grinning toothily as Tiona continued to let tears slips free.
"G-Good job," the amazon nearly sobbed, "You d-did soo good he-he-helping this precious child! You're a real hero, Bell!" Wiene immediately followed up the Loki exec's statement by sing-songing the word "He~ro! He~ro!" over and over.
Bell's face was on fire. But he remained steady, a giddy smile in place. Most would think his stupid grin an obvious by-product of a young man having two girls pressing him in from either side. But Bell was far more receptive to the spoken praise, particularly the use of that certain word.
For a young man like him, being called a hero was like the first step to his dream.
That was when Syr, who had been hovering nearby, made her move. Sidling up behind the boy's chair, the grey haired server leveraged her height and leaned against the back of his head. Seated, Bell was just tall enough for his scalp to serve as an ideal rest for Syr's respectable bust. There was a good expanse of time where Bell gave no reaction to the pillowy weights suddenly pressing down on his head.
Syr brought a palm to the boy's brow, drawing him more solidly against her front. "A hero's reward," she whispered simply, her soft words seeming to cut through the din of conversations and pierce into Bell directly. His flushed face went as white as his hair, his mouth parted and a high pitched whine flowing from his lips.
The smile that graced Syr's features was cute on the surface. Inside, she was taking a scandalous amount of joy teasing Bell into oblivion. Wiene may have been a new, highly unexpected – and enchanting – distraction, but the rookie adventurer would always be her favorite pastime.
Saying that, Syr did make the effort to wind her free arm down around Wiene's middle. The monster girl paid it little mind, still singing her single word praises and nuzzling into her savior's neck. Syr happily drew the girl in closer.
Or she would have if not for Tiona's interference. The amazon had one of her arms stretched across Bell, wrapped around Wiene's waist. When Syr's hand met the level five's arm, the reaction was instantaneous. Both their hands seized the other's wrist in crushing grips, glares locking together as all other emotions were pushed aside for a focused, smoldering wrath.
The territorial dispute was far from over.
All the while Bell had gone catatonic, Wiene was giggling at the "joint embrace" Syr and Tiona were giving her, and Hestia watched on with the stoniest expression. It was hard for the tiny goddess to settle on whether she felt more amused or agitated by the display. She took a bite of the single potato croquette she managed to swipe – that Ais Wallenstein allowed her to have – and instead brought her focus onto Wiene.
Seeing that strange little girl laughing, watching her win over others and the sheer joy that came from forming those connections. Hestia's thoughts from earlier in the night became more concrete, closer to realization. She would give this child a future.
Ais glanced between the silent goddess and the odd interplay between the foursome. The potato platter was empty.
Across the tavern, behind the bar, Ryuu sent off Anya with an extra plate of fried goods for a particularly appreciative adventurer. The elf's sight was drawn to this very table, mainly the Bell-crushing spectacle that her troublesome coworker was participating in.
There were, in fact, a good number of eyes drawn towards the goings on of this specific table. For a crowd of rowdy, mostly drunken dungeon delvers, the odd happenings made for prime entertainment. The second hand embarrassment she felt for the establishment as a whole had Ryuu practically quaking.
The only thing keeping the elf waitress rooted in place was the imposing presence of Mama Mia beside her. The dwarven proprietor stood with her massive arms crossed, her steady gaze sweeping across the throngs of customers, watchful for anything truly concerning. But despite her stern front, Mia could not help the ghost of a grin that bloomed whenever her sight found Syr's group.
"Leave it be, s'all in good fun. Besides, it keeps people entertained… and spending money." Those had been Mama Mia's thoughts upon stopping Ryuu from partaking in her normal "wrangler" duties. That the dwarven owner herself seemed to be having fun was simply a bonus.
If her situation were a bit more lenient, Ryuu would likely be considering some alternative employment right about now.
It didn't help that Anya, upon relinquishing her platter to the blonde potato slayer, quickly joined in on the Cranel Crush, wrapping up the boy's legs and pitching her head into his belly.
Degenerates, shameless degenerates one and all…
They made it home. It was not without its hardships, but they made it home.
Just getting Wiene to leave had been a bit of a struggle. Right as Hestia had deemed fit to rescue Bell, someone had whipped out a guitar and started strumming strings. Wiene's ears had nearly gone vertical… and then people started singing.
Tiona's seemingly biological need to dance at that moment had almost thwarted their escape. Thankfully, the amazon had directed most of her urgings towards Ais instead of them. The Hestia Familia graciously took advantage of the distraction, offering silent prayers to the blonde sacrifice.
What actually got Wiene moving was playing to her bond with Bell. Surprisingly, Syr had come through with that solution, directing the blunette towards the boy's obvious need to decompress. Wiene's sudden, soldier-like focus had been almost adorable enough for the server to squeal. The honest, insightful aid from someone so outwardly playful had been a… strange revelation.
Hestia practically hung off the main door of the church as she swung it open. Wiene poked her head through the threshold like a curious mouse, glancing about the gloom ridden space of the crumbling structure. After a few cursory sniffs, the little monster crossed fully inside.
Bell released a sound halfway between a humm and a groan from his position upon Wiene's back. The height disparity meant that the young man's knees were dragging across the ground all the way back. But Bell's persistent state of overstimulation kept him mostly numb to the experience.
The promise of having a bed within reach revitalized a rather stuffed Hestia. Standing tall, pausing only to palm over her somewhat bloated belly, the tiny goddess pushed into the main hall of the church. She sent a few rapid finger snaps towards the still curious Wiene, the girl perking up before scampering after the busty brunette.
"No grandpa… no more women," Bell droned out in his barely conscious state. Hopefully, his trauma would fade by morning.
As Hestia stepped onto the staircase leading to their basement dwelling, she pinched the wick of a candle set aside on a nearby shelf. A tiny application of her holy aura saw the wick lit, Hestia taking up the candle's stand as she started her descent.
Wiene walked down two steps before pausing, noting that dragging Bell down the stairs would be problematic on many fronts. The blue haired girl scrunched up her face in concentration.
When the abnormal child and her human cargo reached the bottom of the stairs, Hestia sobered up real quick. The sight of Wiene, just a little over half Bell's height, hoisting him in the most uncomfortable looking princess carry known to man forced a sputter out of the twintail. She lurched forward as the sudden outburst caused her full belly to protest.
"Ah, Hesti!"
Hestia threw up a flat palm, halting Wiene. She allowed a grin at the girl's use of a nickname, counting it as a silent win against Syr and Tiona. Can't count out the surprise challenger!
"It's fine," the goddess puffed, balling up her hand and jousting her thumb to the bed behind her, "just plant Bell down on the bed. He needs to rest."
If she had her hands free, Hestia was sure the strange girl would have saluted. Wiene made a prompt advance to the sleeping space. Hestia propped herself against the adjacent drawers, watching the girl progress.
Wiene didn't even blink at the entire person she was carrying, bounding forward with a notable bounce in her step. Indeed, she didn't seem the least bit winded in having carried someone so much larger than herself across several city blocks. Certainly gave the other pedestrians something to gawk at.
When Wiene reached the edge of the mattress, she just kind of lobbed Bell up onto the cushions. She followed a second after, rolling him onto his back and straightening out his limbs.
Hestia arrived at the foot of the bed, undoing her child's left boot. "Wiene, could you get his other shoe?" The girl brought up both fists and gave a sharp nod as she practically dove for the boy's other foot. She really was just a well of energy, even for a child.
For a brief instance, a pensive look adorned Hestia's features. A thought had been with her all night… and she had come to a decision. Humming lightly, the Goddess of the Hearth turned her eyes towards the blunette.
It looked like Wiene was having a bit of trouble with the boot's laces. Hestia puffed in humor as she brought her hands over Wiene's clumsy digits, guiding their motions. The little monster stared transfixed.
"Wiene… would you want to be like Bell?" The question broke the dungeon child from her observation, amber orbs locked on Hestia.
"Like Bell?"
Hestia finished up, Wiene absently tugging off the boy's footwear as she awaited a response. The goddess turned to her with a soft smile.
"A hero."
The word had come to mind without a second thought. Hestia wasn't even sure if Wiene understood its meaning… though the look of wonder in her widened eyes was notable. Wiene's feelings had quickly overwritten her capacity for speech, the child only able to offer a shallow nod after a lengthy pause.
And then she was nodding at speed, her pace utterly manic and a teeth filled grin lighting up her features. Hestia fell into a round of cackles.
"Alright," the deity broke her laughing fit, "just… lie down on your front, right over there."
As the monster child moved to follow instruction, Hestia pulled open the bedside drawer, bringing out the gleaming length of a sewing needle.
So mostly an interim chapter, bit of laughable slice-of-life with some light, emotional undertones.
So Wiene is slowly coming to understand her innate powers of enchantment. Tiona and Syr are obvious victims what with the both of them being so partial to children. Having them act as rivals for her affections was an opportunity that I just couldn't pass up. And of course Anya's ready to jump into just about anything, poor Ryuu having to police this place.
Bell will always be a plaything of the universe, but at least in this case it's a fun kind of "unfortunate circumstance." For those wondering why Hestia seems to sedate regarding the "overzealous skinship," I feel like the fact that she's already got Bell "locked down" grants a bit of leeway.
So Tiona is all over Team Wiene right from the get-go, but Ais has a bit more of a discerning eye. If anybody was gonna just hone in the fact that… yeah, Wiene's a monster, it's gonna be the girl who specifically has a grudge against dragons. But unlike in canon, these two get to meet under far less dire circumstances and the Sword Princess has the chance to really engage with Wiene's human side. The duality of this hits Ais pretty hard so she kind of latches onto the story Hestia spins about the girl's history. I think, more than anything else, the notion that Wiene grew up without parents resonates with her for obvious reasons. Helps that it's also the most truthful part of the tale.
The end sequence is the most poignant point, the actual significant piece of development this entry. I'm sure you all know what Hestia intends to do with that needle…
Next time: a new day for the Hestia Familia. And we'll get some time with the boys outside Orario. See you next season, folks. Happy holidays.
