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Is It Wrong For The Devil To Fool Around In Orario?
Chapter 8
The Salome
Bell let out a yawn as he dressed himself. Despite sleeping in much later than usual he still needed to rub some lingering drowsiness from his eyes as he began his day.
After the previous day's fight against the Silverback he, Emma, and Primo had decided to take another day to rest before resuming their dives into The Dungeon together so Bell found himself with a free day he did not know how he wanted to spend. The first idea that came to his mind was to go and find a new knife to replace the one that had been destroyed in yesterday's fight, with finding some new armor being a close second.
As Bell made his plans for the day a sharp knock came from his door. When Bell went to open it, he was surprised to find Maze standing in the hallway with her arms crossed, her expression cold and neutral as she looked down at Bell. she pointed to the side with her right hand and Bell immediately moved aside to allow her entry. Maze slowly strolled into the center of the room and then turned to regard Bell.
"I heard you had an interesting time out yesterday." Maze stated as she looked down at Bell. "Took down one of those ugly white monkeys from the middle floors."
"Um, I'm not exactly sure which floor Ganesha Familia found the Silverback on. But I was able to take it down by working together with Emma and Primo." Bell said, feeling slightly nervous at his captain's stare. Then he remembered he hadn't ever told Maze about the two girls. "They're my friends from Hestia Familia. We're going to form a party starting tomorrow."
Maze said nothing but hummed lightly at Bell's response before she glanced down at his waist and began to circle around him. Bell stood nervously in place while Maze walked around him and came to a stop in her original spot.
"I also heard your knife broke during the fight." Maze stated, her expression still cold.
"Yes, it hit one of the monster's manacles and broke on impact." Bell explained. "I was actually planning to gtoday ifk for a new one today, if you or Lord Lucifer don't need me for anything."
"I'm honestly surprised that piece of crap lasted that long." Maze said before letting out a snort of derision. "Damn thing was barley worth calling a weapon if you ask me. Just a glorified butter knife. You want to beat anything actually worth fighting in that pit you're gonna need something muuuuch sharper."
With those words Maze reached behind her back and unclasped a knife from her belt. She then lazily tossed it in the air before catching it and tossing it to Bell, who caught the weapon with a startled yelp. Bell then blinked in surprise at his captain's actions before she rolled her eyes and pointed at the knife in his hand.
"I've had that thing for a while but haven't really had many chances to use it. I prefer my curved knives for most occasions and my sword for when it's time to get serious. Still, it's a good quality weapon and I hate to just leave it on my weapons rack to gather dust." Maze explained with an indifferent shrug. She then leaned forward and adopted a far more menacing look. "Just make sure you don't break this one or else you'll answer to me and believe me if it comes to that you'll wish the monkey had finished you off."
Bell immediately began to nod his head vigorously, which seemed to placate Maze and she leaned back. He then took a moment to properly examine the weapon Maze had just given him. The knife was a little over twenty inches long from pommel to tip and was curved with the handle and sheath being black except for a little bit of gold at the edges. Bell slowly drew the weapon and found that the blade was as black as the handle and sheath and had some kind of writing on it. Bell examined the writing and found that he did not recognize it, the letters clearly not being koine or hieroglyphs. Bell wondered for a second if it might be elvish but dismissed the idea upon closer inspection, the letters having a rough and jagged design where he had heard the language of the elves was graceful and artistic.
"It was made in my homeland." Maze explained as she watched Bell examine the knife. "The writing on the blade is from there as well. I'll spare you the details, but it basically says, "may the death of your enemies be long and exquisite". It may not be as pretty as some of the weapons you'll find in the city, but I doubt you'll find any sharper."
Bell just continued to stare at the weapon for a moment longer before returning it to its sheath and offering Maze the biggest smile he had given the demon since the two of them had met. However, instead of smiling back Maze's expression shifted to something resembling concern and she immediately took two steps back as Bell took a step forward and spread his arms.
"No, uh uh. Don't you try any of that touchy feely crap with me now!" Maze said as she held up her right hand in the universal gesture to stop. "Besides this isn't just about putting that knife to good use. I also want to see how it reacts to you.
Bell stopped his advance with a slight look of disappointment before his expression shifted to curiosity.
"What do you mean how it reacts to me?" Bell asked as he tilted his head slightly to the side in confusion.
Maze took a deep breath before returning to her relaxed posture and pointing at the knife in Bell's hand.
"Let's just say that Lucifer is a bit different from the other gods in this city, and I'm curious if having his falna means that that knife might have a… unique reaction to you."
Bell expression again shifted to confusion as he wondered what Maze meant by "unique reaction" but before he could ask for more information Maze walked over to the door and opened it, gesturing for Bell to follow her.
"Now c'mon, Lucifer asked me to see if you were dressed and bring you downstairs. Said he has something the three of us need to do today."
At those words Bell felt his curiosity grow yet again and he immediately moved to follow Maze as she left the room, eager to see what his god needed them for.
The two made their way down the stairs and found Lucifer lounging against the bar. He stood up as he noticed his two familia members enter the room and made his way over to them with his usual grin on his face.
"Good morning, Bell." Lucifer greeted him as he came to a stop in front of Lucifer. "Feeling better today? You seemed a bit stiff when we returned home yesterday."
"I'm fine Lord Lucifer." Bell said with a grin of his own. "Ms. Maze said that you wanted to talk to us about something?"
"I do indeed." And Lucifer's grin widened, and he placed a hand on Bell's shoulder. "I was planning on taking you and Maze with me to meet with some…. Potential allies. Up for a trip?"
Bell nodded eagerly, excited at the prospect of assisting his familia in allying with another like they had with Hestia Familia the previous day. Seeing Bell's clear enthusiasm Lucifer nodded and gestured towards the entryway.
"Well then, let's be off." Lucifer said as he began to stroll towards the door with Maze and Bell flanking either side of him. "Our new friends are rather important, so we need to arrive before they get to busy with their tasks for the day."
"Um, Lord Lucifer. Who are these "new friends" you're talking about?" Bell asked as Lucifer opened the door and the three stepped out onto the street.
In response Lucifer's smile widened and he glanced at Bell with clear amusement in his eyes.
"Oh, just one of the city's top familia's. A rather famous group I'm sure you're familiar with."
/
Twilight Manor
Anakitty couldn't help but sigh as she sat down at the table to eat her breakfast. Like every day since she and Raul had returned to Twilight Manor after their… night with Lucifer she noticed a certain tension in the air, a tension that appeared whenever she or Raul entered a room. It wasn't anger or disappointment as far as she could tell but rather an uncertainty about how to approach the two of them now, as though something had fundamentally changed about the two.
'Well, they're not exactly wrong.' Aki thought to herself as she ate a spoonful of the porridge in front of her. 'Things have changed, although I was hoping to have some more time to figure things out before the entire familia found out.'
After she and Raul had essentially fled from the Salome the two of them had quickly returned to Twilight Manor to tell Finn what little they had been able to learn about the Lucifer Familia. They did not have to wait long.
Upon walking through the front doors of the manor the two had been met with over half of their familia assembled in the entry hall, Finn and Riveria handing out search orders to different groups. As it turned out the two senior leaders of the familia had decided to wait for the two of them to return from their reconnaissance mission before retiring for the night and when the sun had begun to rise and the two had still not returned Finn had called for a majority of the familia to equip themselves and assemble in the entry hall so that they could be organized and sent out to find their two missing members. Raul and Aki had returned just as Finn had been giving his final instructions only to turn and see the two they had been setting out to find walk through the front door, looking disheveled but fine. The clear relief she had seen on the faces of her assembled familia had made Aki feel a surge of affection for her familia. However, the emotions she had experienced after that initial greeting had been far, far less pleasant.
During their flight from the Salome Raul and Aki had made a rather significant mistake. In their haste to escape the embarrassment that had filled them after Lucifer had returned to the room they had forgotten a rather important fact about adventurers, that all adventurers had heightened senses which included their sense of smell.
And Raul and Aki had fled back to Twilight Manor without bathing first.
So shortly after Finn welcomed them back Aki noticed several of her comrades noses begin to twitch and felt her face begin to drain of blood as many members of her familia began to develop blushes. She saw their eyes drift down and take in the disheveled state of their clothes and felt a pit form in her stomach.
Finn, who had stepped forward to welcome them home, had noticed their state almost as soon as he had finished speaking and had quickly told the two to follow him to his office and report what they had learned. Raul had immediately agreed, and Finn quickly led the two from the entry hall with Riveria, Gareth, and Loki following behind.
Upon entering the office and shutting the door behind them Finn had immediately turned and asked if they were all right, a look of clear concern on his face as he took in the signs the rest of the familia had noticed and his mind jumped to some of the worst possibilities. Riveria and Gareth had looked on with clear concern while Loki ground her teeth, her bright red eyes open and promising bloody murder depending on what she heard. For their part Raul and Aki had simply stood there for a moment, awkwardly fidgeting as they tried to think of how best to explain the previous night's debacle. Just as Finn was opening his mouth to speak again Raul took a deep breath and began to recount the previous night's events.
He went over their arrival at the club and what they had seen upon entering, the general layout of the establishment and the number of patrons and employees there. He then spoke of how Lucifer seemed to notice them almost immediately and came up to introduce himself to the two, Raul providing a description of the deity's appearance, dress, and disposition. He then went on to describe their initial conversation and how he had been compelled to speak his mind when Lucifer had asked him "what do you desire". From there Raul's recounting became far less detailed as his face grew flushed and he spoke of how their conversation quickly became much more….. intimate. He told them how Lucifer had asked him and Aki about how they felt about each other and how the two of them had felt compelled to speak their honest feelings about each other. He finally managed to sputter out how Lucifer had invited them up to his quarters at the top of the club before finally freezing up, his face tomato red. Aki decided to spare him the embarrassment of continuing and skipped to the next morning and their flight from the club.
By the time Aki had finished everyone in the room looked distinctly uncomfortable, with Finn sporting an embarrassed blush as he scratched his face awkwardly. Gareth had his head bowed forward as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to stop his oncoming headache. Riveria failed miserably to try and maintain her usual calm posture, her face flushed and her knuckles white from how tightly she was gripping her staff. As for Loki their goddess had sat there and continued to grind her teeth in anger, only stopping for a brief moment when Raul described Lucifer's ability to draw out desires.
After the two had finished their report everyone had remained silent for several minutes as the familia's leaders processed the new information and tried to think of a way to proceed. Then Finn had looked up and simply asked the two of them how they were feeling. Both Raul and Anakitty were briefly surprised by the question and the concern they had seen in Finn's eyes before they had assured him they were fine, though extremely embarrassed. Finn had looked both relieved and confused by their answer before turning to Loki and asking what she thought.
Their goddess had then stood up and walked over to stand directly in front of Anakitty and stared directly into her eyes. When Aki had gotten confused and tried to turn her head Loki had gently but firmly grabbed the side of Aki's head and continued to silently stare into her eyes for another moment. After about a minute had passed Loki hummed to herself and moved over to Raul to do the same thing. After another minute had passed Loki had stepped back and spoken.
"Don't seem charmed to me." Loki said with a slight shrug.
With Loki confirming that the two of them seemed in control of their thoughts Finn had dismissed them and told them to clean up and get some rest. That had been several days ago and the familia still hadn't reached a decision on how to proceed regarding Lucifer Familia. The only orders that were given were to not approach them and keep their ears open for any information they might come across.
A part of Aki found it a little funny how her familia was acting so indecisive when it came to a new familia with only three members. As though the thought of potential seductions was somehow more daunting than the many floors of The Dungeon they had overcome together. Another part of her was surprised with how little anger she felt towards Lucifer over the events of her nights at the club. Oh, she was still slightly angry with him, but that anger stemmed more from the embarrassment she and Raul had experienced upon their return to their familia than any regret she had over the previous night's events.
Aki felt her face heat up as she remembered the confessions both she and Raul had given while under Lucifer's sway, the two of them voicing their deepest feelings and desires for each other. Aki didn't know exactly what Lucifer's powers were, but they didn't feel as overwhelming and domineering as she had been told charm was. Rather Lucifer's powers made her feel like several weights she had not known she was carrying had suddenly fallen away leaving her free to say things she normally couldn't bring herself to speak. At first, she had been terrified of ruining what she and Raul already had with the truth, but when Raul had returned her feelings, she had felt a rush of pure elation. Afterword's the two of them (plus Lucifer) had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment.
Aki felt her lips twitch upward into a small smile as she thought of how things had changed between her and Raul since that night. While the two of them were still figuring out how their relationship was going to work when weighed alongside their responsibilities as leaders of Loki Familia's second line neither of them regretted the change and were enjoying their new relationship. Anakitty felt a rush of warmth as she remembered the kiss Raul had given her as they woke up together that morning, nothing overly sensual or romantic just a simple kiss to show he was happy she was there with him.
"Someone looks happy this morning." A teasing voice suddenly said across the table from Aki and the black haired catgirl looked up to see Elfy sitting down on the opposite side of the table from her. Looking around Aki noticed that several other members had come to sit near her during her reminiscing and she found that Alicia, Ais, Tione, Tiona, Lefiya, Line, and Elfy had all come to join her for breakfast. Alicia and Line had sat down on either side of Aki and the other five had taken seats on the other side of the table with Elfy directly across from her.
"Did you have some sweet dreams last night?" Elfy continued in her teasing tone. "Or are there other reasons you were looking so pleased?"
"Leave Aki be, Elfy." Alicia said with a tired sigh, fixing the younger woman with a stern glare. "It's rude to pry into such personal matters."
"Oh c'mon Alicia I'm only saying what we're all wondering!" Elfy said with an annoyed pout. "I've been waiting for someone to bring this up for days, but no one wants to say anything so I have to do it myself. So Aki….. how have things been?"
"Fine." Was Aki's response as she felt her cheeks flush again and tried to focus on her food. "Things are just fine."
"… And?" Elfy asked as she stared directly at her with a look that just screamed 'go on'.
"And things are fine." Was the catgirl's only response as she continued to focus on her meal.
Every other girl at the table tried to also focus on their meal except Elfy who simply continued to stare directly at Aki from across the table. This continued for several minutes and the atmosphere at the table gradually became more and more uncomfortable as the minutes passed and Elfy's pout grew. Eventually the brown-haired mage simply decided to stop waiting and spoke her mind.
"So, what's it like now that you and Raul are together?"
At those words all eating ceased and the other girls at the table began to fidget where they sat, with Aki ceasing eating and sending Elfy a light glare for not letting the matter drop.
"E-elfy." Line stuttered out from beside Aki. "Maybe you should just let this drop."
"But someone in the familia was finally able to get together with someone." Elfy complained with a mild whine in her tone. "You know how long I've been waiting for this and now you want me to not talk about it! At this rate we're all gonna be a bunch of grannies before you all are comfortable talking about our love lives!"
At Elfy's words the faces of every other girl at the table became slightly flushed, with Alicia's and Lefiya's becoming bright red as the two elves sputtered in indignation. For her part Aki simply let out a tired sigh and rested her head between her hands as she felt a headache forming.
Normally Aki was very fond of Elfy. The human girl was friendly and energetic and a valuable comrade to have in The Dungeon with her surprisingly potent fire magic. Unfortunately, the younger girl was also the familia's biggest gossip and had a strong fixation on anything related to romance and relationships. From what she had heard from Lefiya Elfy enjoyed reading romance novels with some of the books she read being referred to as "filthy" by the young elf. This meant that whenever there was so much as a hint that someone in the familia might be interested in someone, another member of the familia or even someone outside it, Elfy would immediately jump on those rumors and try to find out if they were true or not. Unfortunately for the young mage most of those rumors proved to be false because while Loki Familia was world renowned for their successes in delving into The Dungeon as well as protecting Orario, their familia members seemed singularly unlucky when it came to their love lives.
The main reasons why most members of Loki Familia had little luck in their love lives boiled down to two points. The first was that members of the familia needed to be able to work together efficiently and with a clear head when delving into The Dungeon so that everyone had a better chance of making it back to the surface alive. This meant that while most members of the familia trusted each other and had strong ties of comradery between each other, most members of the familia were extremely hesitant to do anything that could potentially disrupt their already existing bond with another member even if they harbored romantic interest in them. Descending into The Dungeon was already stressful enough before you became hyper focused on if one other member of your party made it out alive over the others. There were many stories across Orario about party's that had been torn apart (both figuratively and literally) because one member prioritized the survival of one other member over all the others, deliberately putting the party's other members into dangerous positions just to protect their lover.
Loki Familia was famed the world over for their excellent teamwork and coordination, so most of its members were extremely cautious when it came to doing anything that could create so much as a crack in the chain of command that existed in the familia. Looking back Aki could clearly recognize this fear as the main reason she had buried her feelings for Raul so deep, fearing that anything that could disrupt the comradery that existed between them could potentially get them both killed. However, after what had happened at the SalomeAki knew that she would not be able to re-bury those feelings for Raul without ruining what the two of them had. So, she chose to accept her newfound relationship and swore to do her best to not let it interfere when she and Raul went into The Dungeon in the future.
The second reason why members of Loki Familia generally had poor luck when it came to romance was because their familia's reputation made even their lower ranking members seem extremely intimidating to people outside their familia, both to fellow adventurers and civilians alike. This made it difficult for members of the familia to form strong bonds with outsiders due to their responsibilities and reputation occasionally getting in the way. This was especially true when dealing with people in other familias as most members of the familia would treat the other adventurers as potential competition and would generally be extremely suspicious of why they were taking an interest in their comrade. This stress usually led to most attempts at relationships outside the famila failing a week or two after they first began.
"Sooo do you and Raul have any dates planned?" Elfy asked as she leaned forward on the table and brought her face closer to Aki's. "Are you going to be moving into the same room? Are the two of you going to move out and get your own place in the city?"
"Elfy, its very rude to ask such personal questions." Lefiya said in a disapproving tone from Elfy's left, her face flushed but serious.
"But Lefiya this is really important!" Elfy said as she leaned even farther onto the table and turned her gaze back to Aki after addressing her roommate. "I mean Aki and Raul leaving the manor would be a really big deal, right? Most of the lower rank members get our orders through them so the two of them moving out is a big deal, does that mean the spots leading the second line falls to someone else or would they keep the positions after they leave."
"Raul and I aren't going anywhere." Aki said clearly in response to the younger girl's questions before tilting her head to the side in mild curiosity. "Why would you think the two of us are leaving to begin with?"
"Um, well, you know." Elfy said as she sat back down in her seat and her eyes darted to the side as her own cheeks began to color, the young mage showing a bit of embarrassment for the first time since the conversation began. "I mean, I heard that its common for couples to get their own place after they start…. You know. I wasn't sure if just sharing a room here would be enough now that the two of you are….. together."
It took a few seconds for everyone else at the table to process Elfy's meaning and react. Aki felt her face begin to burn as her ears and tail went rigid. Alicia's, Line's, and Lefiya's jaws all dropped, and the two elves released strangled gasps at Elfy's brazenness. Tiona averted her gaze off to the side and began to scratch the back of her head while Tione was observing the proceedings with clear interest. And Ais….. was quickly glancing between all the other girls at the table as she tried to make sense of what was being said, most of the conversation going strait over her head.
'Nope.' Aki thought to herself. 'Not talking about that here. Not talking about this at all if I can help it.'
"ELFY!?" Alicia suddenly shouted as she stood up from her seat to look down on the fidgeting human girl in front of her. "WE ARE NOT DSICUSSIONG SUCH….. SUCH SUBJECTS HERE! OR LATER! OR EVER!"
Aki felt the eyes of everyone else in the dining hall shift in their direction in response to Alicia's sudden outburst. The catgirl felt most of the eyes come to rest upon her as her familia members seemed to guess at least a part of what they were talking about. Aki's ears lowered until they were lying flat against her skull and her tail began to fidget as she looked towards the entrance to the hall, desperately hoping that someone would come in and give her an excuse to leave… and as luck would have it that was exactly what happened.
Aki saw one of the newer members charged with guarding the entrance to the mansion step into the hall and look around, uncertainty clear on his face.
"Um, there are some visitors at the front gate. Should I go and tell the captain or should someone else…" He began to say as Aki leapt to her feet and quickly strode over to him, grabbing the opportunity to escape with both hands.
"I'll handle them." Aki said as she strode past the guard and made for the entrance as fast as she could without outright running.
When she arrived at the front door Aki stopped and took a moment to collect herself, not wanting to appear frazzled in front of unknown visitors. After a few deep breaths Aki felt calm again and opened the door.
Aki's cool head lasted for roughly three seconds before she recognized who it was who had come calling on Loki Familia, her ears and tail shooting up and going rigid.
"Aki, what a pleasant surprise!" Lucifer said as he greeted her with a beaming smile and spread arms. "I was hoping to speak with your familia's leaders. Do you know if they're free at the moment?"
/
Bell couldn't stop himself from nervously fidgeting in place after the black haired catgirl had left to go speak with Loki Familia's leaders. Besides him Maze tapped her booted foot on the walkway and idly glanced over Twilight Manor. Lucifer simply whistled to himself as he too took in the site of Loki Familia's home and waited for the girl, he had called Aki to return. Bell was curious how his lord knew a member of Loki Familia but the nervousness he was feeling prevented him from speaking.
When Lucifer had told him that the three of them were going to go ask for a chat with Loki Familia Bell had been shocked and confused as to why they were going to speak with one of Orario's top two familia's. Then his shock had turned into horror as Lucifer and Maze told him about the fight that had occurred after he had fled from the Hostess and how Maze had managed to beat one of Loki Familia's top executives in a fight. On one hand Bell was in awe of how strong his captain was to fight and defeat someone as famous as Vanargand in a one-on-one fight. On the other hand, Bell was horrified at the thought of Loki Familia looking at them as potential enemies, specifically the thought of one blonde girl in particular looking at him with hostility.
Bell had to fight down the urge to whimper as the thought of Ais viewing him as an enemy rose back to the surface and the young man felt his mood begin to plumet before he felt a hand clasp onto his shoulder and give him a small shake. Drawn out of his depressing thoughts Bell looked up and saw Lucifer giving him an encouraging smile as his hand fell back to his side.
"Come now Bell, no need to look so gloomy." Lucifer said. "Remember, we're here to make friends with Loki Familia. I'm certain after our chat and some apology gifts this whole fight business will all be water under the bridge."
Bell tried to be assured by his god's words but still felt a pit form in his stomach as he looked up at Twilight Manor.
After a few more moments of waiting the catgirl called Aki returned and asked the three of them to follow her to the garden. As they all walked around the exterior of the manor Bell noticed that the older adventurer's posture was somewhat rigid, and her tail kept twitching as they walked. Taking a quick glance at her pretty face Bell saw that it was flushed red and that the girl looked….. not nervous or angry but maybe embarrassed? He thought back to the friendly manner Lucifer greeted her with and wondered again how exactly they knew each other.
"I must say it is a pleasant surprise to run into you here Aki." Lucifer said jovially as they walked. "I remember you said you and Raul were adventurer's, but you didn't mention which familia you belonged to. Is Raul also a member or is he somewhere else?"
"Raul's here." Was the stiff response of the young woman leading them. "But he's busy with work right now."
"Ah, that's too bad." Was Lucifer's laidback response. "So how have the two of you been? I've been hoping the two of you would swing by the club so that we could chat again and ….."
Lucifer stopped whatever he was about to say and glanced at Bell. in front of them the catgirl's face reddened even more and her ears went flat against her skull.
Bell might not exactly have been well versed at reading people but seeing how they acted as well as the general types of activities that took place in the club Bell felt he had a pretty good idea of what kind of relationship his god had with the young woman in front of them, the realization causing his own face to heat up as well.
Beside all of them Maze's lips quirked up into a small smirk and she snickered to herself at the threes obvious discomfort.
After a brief walk the four entered the garden behind Twilight Manor. The space was simple with most of the space being open with only a few trees and beds of flowers and vegetables scattered about. There was a small stone path running through the garden with a small white table standing a short way off the path. There were currently four chairs at the table with a short blonde-haired man seated at one, the other three being on the opposite side of the table from him. Standing behind the man was a green haired and clothed elven woman of stunning beauty who regarded the three of them with a neutral expression.
Bell felt his heartbeat quicken and the pit in his stomach as he set his sight on the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia for the second time. Finn Deimne was an adventurer so famous that even Bell had heard of some of his accomplishments all the way out in his no name hometown, the Braver's reputation as a peerless strategist and leader being known the world over. Behind him was Riveria Ljos Alf known as Nine Hells for her ability to cast nine different spells. A high elf princess known far and wide as the strongest mage currently alive as well as a woman beautiful enough to be compared to goddesses.
And both of their gazes were locked on Bell and his familia.
It took all of Bell's self-control to not squirm on the spot as he felt the eyes of the two famous adventurers glance over him. When Bell had been younger, he had dreamed of meeting such famous people and earning their praise, but now that he was standing directly in front of them all he was hoping for was that he did not make a fool of himself in front of them. Bell felt a chill run through him as he wondered if they remembered him from the Hostess and how he had run from the tavern after listening to Bete Loga's drunken rant.
Besides him Lucifer and Maze seemed perfectly fine as they walked up to the three chairs that had been placed on the opposite side of the table from the Loki Familia leaders and sat down, Lucifer taking the seat directly across from Finn while Maze sat to his right. Lucifer sent a quick glance over his shoulder at Bell and gestured for him to sit down in the chair on his left before turning to Finn with a friendly smile on his face and extending his right hand towards the Loki Familia's captain.
"Finn Deimne I presume." Lucifer said as Bell took his seat next to him. "Thank you for agreeing to speak with us. I hope this meeting hasn't come at an inconvenient time."
"Not at all." Was Finn's reply as he reached out and shook The Devil's hand, his face set in a welcoming smile. "Though I will admit to being surprised by your visit. Usually when two familias wish to speak they set up a meeting at a neutral location in advance. As such it is rather rare for a god to come knocking directly on our door like this."
"Ah, well I do apologize if us coming here seems a bit forward." Lucifer said as he withdrew his hand and leaned forward to better look Finn in the eye. "As you may or may not know I'm rather new to Orario and this whole familia business, so I'll be sure to remember the proper way of doing this in the future."
Finn nodded at Lucifer's words, a friendly smile still present on his face. Behind him Riveria continued to observe the meeting with an impassive expression on her face. Besides Lucifer Maze observed the two Loki Familia leaders with a nonchalant expression and crossed arms, while on Lucifer's other side Bell did all he could to not fidget in his chair. Aki observed the meeting from a short distance away, also doing her best to not fidget where she stood as she waited to see if her captain would need her to get or relay anything.
"Now then I don't suppose you would be willing to share the reason for this visit?" Finn asked politely towards Lucifer. "I believe I can guess the reason for this visit, but I would still like to hear you say it."
"Well as you have likely guessed we are here today to clear up any bad feelings that may have arisen from the fight my familia's captain had with one of your members roughly a week ago if I remember correctly." Lucifer said as his face shifted to a more contrite expression. "I was hoping to avoid any bad blood arising between our familias so I and my captain would like to formally apologize to Loki Familia for the altercation."
With those words Lucifer rose from his seat and offered Finn and Riveria a short bow.
"Please accept my apology."
Across from him Finn and Riveria's eyes widened slightly at the gesture, not truly expecting the apology to come so quickly.
Beside Lucifer Maze let out a sigh and slowly rose to stand beside her lord and offered her own short bow towards the two, though her expression was more resigned than contrite.
"Sorry for beating up your wolf." Maze said. "I'll try to not do it again."
Finn and Riveria blinked in surprise at Maze's choice of words and the two leaders of Lucifer Familia sat down again.
"Now I know that talk is generally cheap so let me explain how we would like to show our sincerity to pay your familia back for the altercation." Lucifer said as his tone underwent a subtle shift from contrite to business like, causing the two Loki Familia leaders to narrow their eyes as they noticed the shift in demeanor.
"Do not think that we will forget an assault on one of our members simply by you offering us Valis, Lord Lucifer." Riveria said, her tone cold. "Our bonds are not so feeble that they can be ignored simply with the promise of wealth."
"My apologizes." Lucifer said with a nod towards Riveria. "I never meant to insinuate anything of the sort. I simply meant that I would like to offer the assistance of my familia's coffers and connections to ease the preparations for your familia's next expedition. I have heard that gathering supplies for such an undertaking can be quite costly and time consuming so I thought you would enjoy having some assistance with your preparations."
"That is most generous of you." Finn said, his tone was still cordial in contrast to Riveria's colder bearing. "While I would not be against receiving some assistance with gathering items and supplies for the expedition, I would like to know exactly what you are willing to provide in terms of assistance. I know your familia is a business type, but I believe it specializes in entertainment, correct? So, what exactly did you have in mind in terms of assistance, Lord Lucifer?"
"Why whatever you desire to have, my good Braver!" Lucifer said with a grin and the spreading of his arms. "It is true that my familia specializes in entertainment but many of the people we have had the pleasure of entertaining have connections in various industries both inside and outside of Orario. Would you like some potions procured? My familia has had some dealings with the Miach Familia as well as several merchants who gather and sell potions and reagents abroad. Would you like some magic swords? I am confident I can set up some orders for some magic swords to be created for your familia to use on your expedition. My familia's coffers and connections are at your disposal my good Prum."
"A most generous offer." Was Finn's response to Lucifer's grandiose offer of assistance and his eyes glanced over to see his followers reactions to their lords offer. Maze maintained her uncaring demeanor, not showing any surprise or care at her lord's offer of assistance. In contrast the white-haired boy on Lucifer's left was clearly surprised by Lucifer's offer, amazed that his lord would offer so much to make amends with Loki Familia. Or at least that's what the boy's expression seemed to convey, leaving Finn wondering if he was being sincere or was meant to look surprised to allay Loki Familia's suspicion at the offer.
"My familia has made use of potions and elixirs created by the Miach Familia in the past." Finn continued after pausing for a moment. "While they might not be as prevalent as they used to be I still trust they do good work. If you are sincere in your desire to assist us, then we would not say no to some additional potions created by them to assist us."
"Excellent!" Lucifer exclaimed with clear joy. "Then I will be sure to place an order with them to help supply your expedition. And remember that you only need to ask if you would like some further assistance."
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Finn replied before leaning forward on his elbows to better look Lucifer in the eyes. "And just to reiterate, you will in no way try to charge our familia anything for your assistance, correct?"
"In terms of Valis or materials you gather from said expedition, no." Lucifer said. "Though there is a small favor I would ask of you."
"Oh?" Was Finn's only response. Behind him Riveria's posture stiffened slightly as she waited to hear what Lucifer wanted from them.
"I would like to send my familia's newest member, Bell, to visit your manor several times before you leave for your expedition." Lucifer said and he raised his arm and laid his hand on Bell's shoulder.
"….. Eh?" Was Bell's only response as he felt the eyes of everyone present shift over to regard him.
"Might I ask why?" Finn asked as he regarded the shocked expression on the boy. Behind him Riveria simply raised one delicate eyebrow questioningly at The Devil.
"Why to check and see if there is anything else you would desire assistance on, of course." Lucifer responded with his usual jovial grin. "After all your expedition will still take some time to organize, correct? All I ask is that you allow Bell to stop by every now and then between now and your departure, to see if there is any way we or he can offer further assistance."
"A simple enough request." Finn said as he continued to regard Bell. "Tell me Bell, is there any way you think you could be of assistance to us?"
"U-um, W-el-l Mr. Braver, sir, I would be happy to offer any assistance I can." Bell stuttered out as his face reddened from all the attention before his posture slumped somewhat. "Although I'm not sure what someone like me could really do to help a familia like Loki Familia."
"Oh, give yourself some more credit Bell!" Lucifer said and gave Bell a light shake to try to prevent any worry from setting in. "After all everyone on Daedalus Street was singing your praises yesterday after you killed that Silverback, remember."
"A silverback in Daedalus Street you say?" Riveria said as she regarded the young human in front of her. "Are you referring to one of the monsters that escaped at Monsterphilia yesterday?"
"I am indeed." Lucifer said with clear pride. "Our boy here managed to take down the monster after it escaped from the colosseum and before it could hurt anyone. The fight went all the way to Daedalus Street where he was able to kill the monster and earned quite a round of applause from all the people who were able to witness the fight."
Bell began to fidget in his seat as he continued to feel the eyes of the three Loki Familia members focused on him. Finn maintained the same smile he had worn the entire conversation, but it seemed more genuine when it was directed at Bell. Aki was surprised and a bit curious about the boy that had suddenly become the focus of the conversation. Surprisingly it was Riveria who showed the most reaction to Lucifer's story and her posture relaxed slightly and she offered Bell a small smile.
"I heard about your fight yesterday evening." Riveria said to Bell. "While a group of Level one's taking down a higher-level monster together is not a rare story it is rare to hear about such an inexperienced group managing to achieve such a feat. Even Ais was impressed by your victory."
"M-ms. Ais was…." Was all Bell managed to get out as his eyes grew as large as saucers, the young man being overwhelmed by both the attention as well as the revelation that his idol had been there to witness his victory.
"Just the first of many great feats Bell will pull off, I'm sure." Lucifer said with confidence. The Devil then took his hand off his charges shoulder and turned his attention back to Finn. "It shouldn't be any real inconvenience if Bell stops by every now and then just to see if he, or we, can help out, correct?"
"I suppose not." Finn said. "Just be aware we may not allow him to enter our home or that we may not have anything for him to do when he stops by. While preparing for an expedition can be challenging, it is a challenge we have managed to complete numerous times over the years, and we have become quite accustomed to it."
"Very well then." And with those words Lucifer rose from his seat and once more extended his hand towards Finn, the Prum taking the offered hand and giving it a firm shake. "It was quite lovely to meet the two of you, Braver, Nine Hells. We will be certain to get you those potions and please feel free to ask for further assistance should you desire it. You'll find the doors of my club always open to members of Loki Familia."
"We'll be sure to remember that." Was Finn's simple response.
The talk clearly over Maze and Bell rose as well and the three members of Lucifer Familia began to walk back towards the street, taking the same path around the exterior of the manor. Bell's head was swimming from the discussion, the young adventurer feeling both dread and excitement at the thought of being his familia's messenger to Loki Familia. On the one hand Bell was excited at the prospect of being able to get to know some of Orario's greatest adventurers, people who were famed the world over and regarded as heroes by many. On the other hand, Bell was terrified at the thought of being seen as a nuisance by Loki Familia, someone who only came around because his god was trying to get on their familia's good side. The memory of Bete Loga's mockery was still fresh in Bell's mind, and he was terrified at the thought of doing something to embarrass himself in front of his idol.
As Bell was caught up in his thoughts, he felt someone nudge him in the side. This brought him out of his reverie and he turned to look at Lucifer in confusion. Lucifer offered the young man a small smile and nodded towards the manor. Confused, Bell looked in the direction Lucifer had nodded and stopped.
Standing just outside the backdoor to Twilight Manor was none other than Ais. The blonde-haired girl was looking straight at the familia of three and had her tilted in clear confusion at seeing them there. Her expression was neutral but there was clear curiosity and interest in her eyes, eyes which were currently locked directly on Bell. The boy froze up like the rabbits he was so often compared to when confronted with something larger than them. The two stared at each other for a brief moment before Ais took a tentative step towards the frozen boy.
The step set something off inside Bell. The anxiety he was feeling at having to interact with Loki Familia merged with his fear of doing something to shame himself in front of his idol, and the fear of approaching her before he was even remotely worthy of her. Feeling his rational thought evaporate like a drop of water fallen on a hot skillet Bell did the only thing he could think of.
He ran.
With nothing but a babbled, nonsensical excuse to his familia members Bell bolted, sprinting around the corner of the manor in the blink of an eye.
Later, when he had calmed down enough to regain rational thought, Bell would come to regret his panicked flight from Twilight Manor and would spend the rest of the day fretting over how Ais might have viewed his abrupt departure.
/
Lucifer, Maze, and everyone else left behind in the garden blinked in surprise at the young adventurer's abrupt departure. Seeing the object of her interest flee from her once again Ais' expression immediately fell, her posture slumping down as everyone else could practically feel the disappointment radiating off her. Finn watched the rabbit's flight with clear confusion, even tilting his head slightly to the side in an uncharacteristic loss of composure with Aki doing much the same from her spot. Riveria, seeing Ais' clear distress walked over to her to try and offer what comfort she could, reaching out and giving the blonde girls shoulder a light pat.
Lucifer for his part just let out a long drawn-out sigh as his hand came up and pinched the bridge of his nose. Beside him Maze let out a snort of laughter, being the only one present to find Bell's actions amusing.
"We REALLY need to work on that boy's confidence issues." Lucifer muttered to himself and resumed walking back towards the street, Maze keeping in step beside him.
The pair walked in silence for several minutes nodding to the guards at the front of the manor and continuing down the road as they began to head home.
"I'm surprised you didn't mention the kid's skill." Maze said after about ten minutes had passed. "I mean the whole point of this is to set up the kid with Loki Familia, right? You let them know he has a skill like Liaris Freese and I'm pretty sure they'll take him on the spot."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, my dear Mazikeen." Lucifer said beside her, the two continuing to walk as they spoke. "There is such a thing as coming on too strongly. If we dropped such important information during our very first meeting, I suspect they would be more cautious than intrigued. After all, if Bell has such a rare skill, then why would we be so eager to send him in their direction? No, I believe I'll save that particular revelation until after they get to know our young adventurer a bit better."
"You sure they'll want anything to do with the kid after he bolted like that?" Maze asked.
"They seemed more confused than condescending to me. I'm sure they'll take a shine to the lad once they get to know him better. Besides, with Bell's stats growing like they are its only a matter of time until people start noticing him."
"Still, I think its time I took a more hands on approach in helping Bell's growth." Lucifer continued after a moment. His expression then shifted to an eager grin as an idea began to form in his mind.
"What are you planning?" Maze asked in mild interest upon seeing Lucifer's expression.
"Oh, just thinking of some ways to help our young adventurer become the best around." Lucifer said before rubbing his hands together with a light snicker.
Maze, sensing the start of one of Lucifer's more hare-brained plans, simply rolled her eyes and continued to walk, hoping that she wouldn't need to get involved with whatever Lucifer was coming up with as he cackled to himself besides her.
/
Twilight Manor, a short time later.
"Seems like I missed a lot during my stroll." Loki said as Finn finished recounting his meeting with Lucifer to his goddess.
The four leaders had gathered in Finn's office after Loki had returned with Bete from their investigation of the sewers near where the strange plant like monsters had emerged during Monsterphilia. Upon returning home she had immediately been informed of Lucifer Familia's visit by the guards at the gate and had sought out Finn. She informed her three eldest children of what she had learned from her investigation and had then been informed of what had been discussed during Lucifer's visit.
"It would seem so." Gareth said from his seat on the couch, his gaze focused on the oddly colored magic stone Loki had gotten from one of the dead monsters in the sewer.
Finn had ordered Gareth to remain inside during his and Riveria's conversation with Lucifer, not wanting to risk all three of the familia's leaders in case Lucifer had more power to control people than he had shown with Raul and Anakitty. Thankfully, this precaution had not appeared to be necessary as both Gareth and Loki had examined and questioned Finn and Riveria and found nothing different about their thoughts and mannerisms.
Now the four of them all digested the information they had shared amongst themselves and thought of how best to proceed.
"I find it extremely hard to believe that Lord Ouranos, the cities oldest pillar, would have anything to do with those strange plant monsters from the festival, regardless of what Dionysus has to say." Riveria said from her customary spot against the wall.
"Normally I'd agree with ya." Loki said from her spot leaning against Finn's desk. "But my instincts tell me he's hiding something, though hopefully nothing to do with the flower monsters."
The four took a moment to contemplate what it might be that Ouranos could be hiding before deciding to focus on the Lucifer Familia.
"So, Finn, what's yer take on Lucifer?" Loki asked as she looked over her shoulder at her familia's captain.
"He seems much like we have heard previously heard. Friendly and generous with a bit of mischief in his eyes." Finn said with a small shrug. "Ultimately not so different from many other male gods inhabiting the city. The only thing that truly surprised me was the apparent generosity he was prepared to offer to make peace with us."
"He basically offered us a blank check, correct?" Gareth asked, shifting his attention from the odd magic stone to Finn. "Do we have any idea how much his familia actually has? I know they're listed as a business type but their still relatively new right?"
"As far as we know yes." Riveria answered. "I honestly wonder if he truly understands what he is offering and how much an expedition to the deep floors truly costs. It could be that he doesn't yet fully grasp the amount of Valis he would need to have to be able to fully fund our expedition himself, should we choose to take him at his word."
"What about the boy, Bell was it?" Gareth asked again. "Do you think there is an ulterior motive for Lucifer wanting him to interact with us?"
"I honestly don't know." Riveria responded again with a small shrug. "He didn't seem to hold any hostility towards us during the meeting. In fact, he seemed flustered simply by meeting us."
Gareth hummed at Riveria's answers, and the room fell into silence again.
"Loki you seem more…. Restrained than usual." Finn said as he looked at his goddess. "Is there something else you would like to discuss?"
Loki turned and looked at Finn in mild surprise before her usual grin returned to her lips and she let out a short chuckle.
"Pretty sure its us gods that are supposed to be able to see through you children, not the other way around." Loki said with mirth before her expression shifted and became more pensive.
"When I was talkin to the old man under The Guild I thought to ask him if he had ever met Lucifer before, ya know since none of the other gods I've asked seem to know a damn thing about him before he showed up here. And something….. weird happened."
"Weird? How so?" Finn asked as he leaned forward on his elbows towards Loki. Riveria and Gareth also shifted to better look at their goddess.
"Well, I was just about to leave when I thought to ask if the old man knew anything about Lucifer, so I just asked if the name Lucifer meant anything to him." Loki said as her eyes widened slightly so that her children could clearly see their scarlet color. "And Ouranos just kinda….. jumped a little at the name."
"He…. Jumped?" Finn asked in clear confusion. "Jumped as in he was surprised by the name?"
"Yeah, like the name spooked him or somthin." Loki responded with a shrug. "He asked where I heard that name and I told him about Lucifer and how he set himself up in the Pleasure District. I asked him if he knew the guy but he just kinda froze up for a second so I wasn't sure he heard me. He then said I should make sure to not to provoke, and I quite, "The Devil" and then he asked me to leave."
"He called Lucifer a devil?" Riveria said with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't expect lord Ouranos of all people to use such a term when speaking of another Deusdea."
Finn and Gareth nodded at Riveria's words, having similar thoughts themselves.
While the idea of devils had been around long before the descent of the gods, the term had fallen out of widespread use after the start of the age of gods. The reason for this was because one of the first question the mortals had posed to the gods upon their arrival had been if they should be concerned about devils and demons coming to their plane too, now that the gods had descended, a question that had resulted in the gods being questioned bursting into laughter.
The gods had then explained to the confused mortals that there were no such things as devils and demons, that these names were often used to describe the more bloodthirsty and destructive of their kin and that those beings the mortals feared as "devils" were simply Deusdea who embodied more destructive concepts of existence.
Since then, the terms "devil" and "demon" had fallen into disuse, often only invoked when granting an alias to certain adventurers or when referring to a particularly wicked person. The closet thing to the idea of devils that existed in modern times were the monsters of The Dungeon and the gods who banded together to for Evilus, but the gods who led Evilus were almost always referred to exactly as that, gods. It was a term that often simply caused gods to roll their eyes at the views of their children, so it was extremely odd to hear of it being used by one of the oldest and wisest of all the gods that had ever descended to the mortal plain.
"Does this man that Lucifer is an evil god?" Finn asked. "Should we be concerned with him having ties to Evilus?"
"I don't know." Loki said with a shake of her head. "It's just something in the way the old man said it worries me."
"What do you mean?" Finn asked.
"Ouranos called Lucifer THE Devil." Loki said as she brought up her thumb to her lip and began to nibble on the nail. "Not A devil, THE Devil."
"And you believe this distinction to be important?" Riveria asked.
Loki was silent for a moment and all three of the adventurers present felt their brows crease in worry at their goddess' uncharacteristic behavior.
"Yeah, something tells me it is important." Loki finally said with her eyes clearly visible as she continued to nibble. "I don't really understand why the distinction is important yet, but my gut tells me it is."
/
So, this took a while to complete. Over the past month and a half my drive to write took some serious hits due to reality throwing some unpleasant surprises my way and it took me a long time to muster both the focus and desire to finish this chapter.
A big reason this took so long was because I wasn't sure how I should have Loki Familia react to Raul and Aki's night with Lucifer. I felt that I needed to make it clear that Lucifer did not FORCE Raul and Aki to do anything, that's not his power. Lucifer's power is to draw out the desires that exist inside someone and bring them to the surface. It is not like charm, which can force people to be a certain way even though they would never choose to be that way or do those things of their own volition. Instead, it is a power that loosens people's inhibitions and makes them admit what it is they really want deep down. Lucifer cannot make a person who is completely straight gay, but he can dredge up a bit of bi-curiosity that someone has suppressed for most of their life.
After due consideration and reading through your reviews I have decided that Maze will not be joining Loki Familia on their expedition. As many of you pointed out it would feel forced and it would be odd for Loki Familia to bring someone they did not completely trust on an expedition were trusting someone to have your back is essential to survival.
No question this time around.
I hope you all enjoy the fic and are doing well. Until the next chapter.