"So, Master Bell will act as the vanguard, along with Lady Aisha. Master Ouka and Master Welf will act as the rear guard to protect the supporters and casters. Lady Mikoto will be positioned as a middle guard, along with—Master Bell, are you paying attention?"

All the eyes in the room looked over to Bell, who was already oddly enough, positioned in the corner of the room, isolated from everyone else. His eyes were clouded and hazed, but he quickly shook them back into focus as Lili called out his name.

"Ye—yeah!" he stuttered out.

He mentally smacked himself upside the head. They were three days away from descending into the dungeon for their first expedition, and he was the one spearheading it all. He had to refocus on it, on his adventure. He had to, for the sake of everyone else. He had to be their leader—their rock, their trust, to represent and symbolize all that the Hestia familia represented.

But beneath the battle-hardened layers of Record Holder, and Rabbit Foot and Hestia Familia, Captain laid a little boy—unsure, daresay, afraid.

"Is something the matter, Bell-sama?" Haruhime asked, her voice ever filled with love and empathy.

"Yeah, sorry. Just… a lot on my mind."

He wasn't lying. Just hiding what he was really thinking about. He had to keep it a secret. He promised his goddess. It was to protect them… protect them from…

After a few moments, Lili simply shrugged and continued with her explanation of their party's formation, much to Bell's relief. It wasn't long before her talk of strategy became droned out by Bell's mind once again. His mind was filled with the image of the men at the Hostess and what had transpired then. He felt a sickening sense of deja vu. It became more and more apparent to him as he continued to revisit his memories. For whatever reason, his body quivered slightly, and his breathing quickened at the mere thought of them, particularly the man in bandages.

Why? He seemed to be asking that question more and more frequently.

"—derstood, everyone?"

Bell saw everyone in the room nod as the last bits of Lili's discussion reached their conclusion. He quickly followed suit, nodding his head in understanding. It wasn't necessarily a lie to nod his head. He understood his responsibilities of leading the familias in their expedition. He hadn't experienced it first hand, and yet, he understood it all too well. Responsibility.

Everyone began making their way out of the living room to resume their duties, and to properly prepare. Bell didn't move. Even as Haruhime made her way out of the door, alongside Aisha, and gave him a worried look. Bell simply smiled and nodded in assurance.

Lili was still in the room with Bell, gathering and restacking her plans in a prim pile. After tapping the edges of the papers on the table, she turned to Bell.

"Master Bell, what's really the matter?"

"—!"

Bell looked at Lili in shock before quickly averting his gaze. Those eyes, that gaze. They pierced into him with a fierce sense of intelligence.

"I'm not sure what you mean Lili..."

His voice yet again sounded distant. He was there, and yet, he wasn't.

Lili had seen that look far too many times. She easily recognized the vacant stares and the bygone voices. Those they belonged to usually sat at the front counter of bars and pubs, surrounded by dried mugs as they attempted to drown their sobriety and quell their sanity. She liked approaching them. Preferred it, even. They made for an easy swipe from their pockets. But she had changed, and the one who had allowed her to do so was in visible strife. The least she could do was try and help him.

"Master Bell, Lili has known you for the longest time out of anyone here, except Lady Hestia. And as a supporter, it's my duty to support you in any way I can. So, what's wrong?"

I don't know if you can support me.

He felt the weight of the words on his tongue, yet he couldn't bring himself to move his mouth. He pursed his lips and closed his eyes.

"I'm just nervous about the expedition, that's all."

He turned towards the door and began to make his way to it.

"I'll do some training to shake it off," he said with a laugh.

He walked out of the room, refusing to look at Lili's worried eyes. After looking at Haruhime's a few moments ago, he wasn't sure if he could again bear the burden of such a thing.

Lili could only watch as her captain, her savior; her love walked away from her. She felt her fingers dig into the papers she was still holding in her hands, causing them to become crumpled and wrinkled. She didn't want to pry, but she could not simply leave him be. Perhaps, later at dinner, she would press him again.

Look after Bell-kun.

Hestia's words rang out in Lili's ears. She wanted to, but Bell didn't. She would wait. She'd be patient. For now, she would continue to jot down notes and plot tactics. Maybe that would lessen his load.

.

.

.

Bell made his way down the hall of the mansion. But instead of going left, towards the mansion's open field, he went left, towards his room. He wanted to see Shadrach, to make sure he was doing fine. Bell was reminded of himself in the little flame. The child-like wonder of exploring the city, the dizzying euphoria of awe was something Bell understood well. Months ago, he did the very same thing. However, Shadrach was immediately rejected by all those he approached. Bell felt a tinge of envy at that.

His hands clasped the doorknob, and he pushed the door open. Shadrach was sitting on the edge of the bed, his feet dangling over the edge. He didn't bother even looking at Bell as he walked through the door. His face was downcast as he stared at the dizzying space between him and the floor.

"Oh, awake again, Shadrach?"

"Yeah…"

His voice was faint, weary. Bell slowly approached the bed, and gently sat beside the flame. Bell's endearing nature demanded that he try to comfort him, but his uncertainty stopped him. He remembered how his grandfather would pat him firmly, yet gently on his back, while laughing his distinctive boisterous, (perverted, as dubbed by the women of the village) laugh. But given Shadrach's stature, that was nigh impossible. So Bell simply sat beside Shadrach, hoping his presence would comfort him by itself.

After a short while, Shadrach spoke.

"I overheard you're going on an expedition. Is it true?"

Bell jolted, slightly startled at the sudden question.

"Yes. I'm leading an expedition with my familia. Oh, and other familias are joining us as well.

"The people in the familias. Are they good people?"

"Yes."

Shadrach looked up to see the content in Bell's eyes. But it wasn't enough for the little flame. Good people die all the time. People question their deaths all the time. Death is uncaring to the deeds of mortal lives. Which may very well make it the kindest thing that Genkai had to offer.

"Will it be dangerous?"

Rhetorical, tedious, but a necessary question.

"It's the dungeon, so I think that's a bit of a given."

Bell gave a somber chuckle at the end. He had spent his time defending some of its occupants not that long ago. He protected 'monsters' birthed from the gaping chasm of the dungeon. Though they weren't evil; they weren't proxies of the dungeon's malicious intentions. They could smile, cry, feel anger, and joy. They were every bit as human as he was.

"Yeah… I guess so."

Silence began to slowly engulf the room as the boy and flame sat next to one another. It would have consumed them had it not been for the quiet knocking on Bell's door. Bell quickly stood up and opened the door, revealing his petit goddess standing in the hall.

"Kami-sama? What are you doing here?"

"May I come in? I want to speak with Shadrach."

Bell quickly stepped to the side, allowing Hestia to enter his room. She looked at the bed and saw Shadrach. Her spine faintly shivered as the flame's words echoed in her mind. Even still, she approached him and sat beside him. He looked as though he were pouting, brooding. It was a far cry from his chirpy, peppy self. He looked like a child who had been told to take a 'timeout'.

The goddess of hearth mustered the most gentle smile she could at the flame.

"So Shadrach, is this your first time here in Genkai?"

She had been rehearsing this sort of small talk in her head all day. She didn't want to pry into what exactly Shadrach was or where he came from, Heavens knows her mind could barely handle what he said that afternoon. Instead, she would treat him as normally as she could, as if she were making a friend. Shadrach looked as though he desperately needed one.

"Yeah, it is."

A small smile curled on Hestia's face.

"It's my first time too."

Shadrach looked at the goddess, his head tilted to the side as his curiosity was piqued. The goddess made her way to the bed and sat to the left of Shadrach.

"I remember the first time I first came here to Orario. I was… lonely."

A glint of sadness shimmered in her eyes as she remembered the bygone days of being practically homeless. The smell of grime on concrete slabs. The bone chilled cold on her cheek as she pressed it against the ground to rest. The sound of moaning and groaning from other vagabonds that no doubt would attract the attention of guards—or even morticians. Yet even still, she managed to find friendship, solitude, and comfort in the form of Hephaistos.

"But I did have a friend that gave me a roof over my head… for a little while."

She nervously chortled as she recalled how she'd slouch on the couch, and begged Hephaistos for valis for food, which she'd begrudgingly fish out her personal purse for her friend.

"Don't worry, we're still friends… and I, erm, kinda deserved it."

A small titter came from the little flame as he imagined the frankly goofy scenario. It reminded him of two brothers, and their absurd antics.

"I wandered around for a short while, but I eventually got a job working as a vendor. Say, have you ever had Jagamaru?"

Shadrach shook his head.

"Well, it's the best treat you could ever have! It's even better than cwookie!"

"—!"

Shadrach's eyes immediately lit up with curiosity. A snack that's even better than chocolate chip doughy goodness. Amazing!

"It was fine… for a time. I wanted to have children to join my familia, but no one wanted to. Guess nobody wanted to join a no-name goddess that sells snacks." She managed to muster a smile, but, once again, her eyes glinted with a hint of sadness. Her shoulders sank slightly. However, she quickly perked back up.

"But thankfully, that was when I met Bell."

The white-haired boy smiled warmly as he remembered a warm smile, soft, brilliant eyes, and an outstretched hand that offered him a chance. He made his way to the bed and sat down to the right of Shadrach. The little flame looked up at Bell.

"What about you Bell? What was it like before you came to Orario?"

The boy nervously chuckled.

"Well, there isn't much to tell really."

"Mmmmmmm."

Shadrach pouted as his fiery eyes burrowed into Bell. He puffed his cheeks out childishly as he crossed his arms. Bell laughed.

"Okay, okay. I grew up with my grandfather in the countryside."

Bell recounted the events of his childhood—how he was attacked by a goblin; his grandfather reading him stories of great heroes of old; his dream to be like them. (He left out his original intention of venturing into the dungeon, much to Hestia's disappointment).

Together, the goddess and the boy sat on the bed, telling the flame stories of their lives. It wasn't productive. It wasn't practically beneficial. The boy still needed to go on his expedition—his adventure; the goddess still had to go to her part-time job.

In truth, they were wasting time, but they were wasting time in one another's company. And that was enough.