This is my first non-school related piece of writing ever. Feedback's cool. What I want to explore in this fanfic is a whole bunch of "What-ifs?" For example: "What if the first person to bond with Bell wasn't Hestia, but instead another rambunctious boy his own age? How different would Bell's relationships be? What could that boy add to Bell's experience?" or "What if Bell's first encounter with Ais wasn't when he was tomatoed? Would Bell still have feelings so intense for her that it engraved itself on his soul? Would he have those feelings at all?" I love the characters in this series a lot, and Bell is definitely one of my favorites, so I want to explore those "what-ifs?" specifically focused around Bell and especially focused on early parts of the series. Actually, isn't that all fanfics are essentially? Hmm...
I'll do my best to not change character's personalities without proper reasons to. I haven't watched Danmachi in years though, so if you feel like I didn't respect a certain character enough, feel free to call me out. Cannon events and outcomes will definitely change though.
Bell and Leif will both have harems, "harems are a man's romance," after all. Most likely no lemons though. Figuring out which girls would fall in love with which guy has been the bane of my existence writing this. I've only decided on like, 6 girls for Bell and 3 for Leif so far. Most likely, I'll just play the rest by ear. I'll see how the characters interact and decide based on chemistry.
Rated T for swearing and the inevitable blood and violence. Obligatory disclaimer that I don't own Danmachi or any of the characters (other than Leif). Everyone aged up to be at least 18.
I call this fanfic Manmachi for short. Mainly because I think it's kind of funny.
Anyways, hope you enjoy reading as much as I did writing.
Leif Sampsted finds himself recovering from yet another harsh rejection. On his third day in Orario he had built up the courage to apply to yet another familia, this time one of the strongest familias in the entire Labyrinth City: The Loki Familia. His attempt had been treated in the same way as all his attempts yesterday had, in fierce and scorning rejections for being too weak.
"Haaah," Leif sighs as he sat down on the side of the street outside of the Twilight Manor, the Loki Familia's home. He begins to ponder his options before another young man sulks over to him, sighs in the same way he did, and slumps down next to him.
Leif looks over at the white-haired boy curiously. "You just get rejected by the Loki Familia?" He asks him.
In response, the white-haired boy flinches and looks at Leif in shock, apparently not realizing that he had sat right next to him. "U-um… Yes..?" He responds with a voice lacking confidence.
Leif nods sympathetically and rests his head on his fist. "Haaah, me too man. That gate guard had no manners! Half the stuff he said was completely uncalled for!" Leif complains loudly.
The boy next to him looks at Leif in shock. He then quickly looks back towards the gate of the Twilight Manor where the guard starts staring daggers at the two young men. "I-I don't think you sh-should be saying that so loud…" He quietly stammers to Leif while pointing at the guard.
Leif follows the boy's concerned pointing towards the glaring guard with a scowl. "So what?" Leif says aggressively. He then stands up with a fire in his eyes and takes a step towards the guard. He throws his hands out towards the guard with his middle finger held up on both hands and begins shouting expletives at him.
The timid young man next to Leif sees the guard growing furious. He quickly clamps his hand around Leif's mouth and looks at the guard with guilt. "We're sorry! He didn't mean it!" He says quickly while bowing twice at the hip. He instantly turns around and begins pulling Leif away from the Twilight Manor. He hears the guard shout one last time as he drags Leif away.
Unbeknownst to the two young men, a certain pair of sister Amazonesses were using their superhuman senses to watch the entire spectacle from a window inside the Twilight Manor while howling with laughter.
"I can't believe he called the guard that!" Tiona Hiryute shouts raucously with tears of laughter in her eyes.
"I know! And did you see the other one?! He looked like he was about to cry!" Tione Hiryute responds loudly in between her laughter.
The door on the opposite side of the hall busts open. "You two! How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet in the dorm halls!" A stern high elf woman scolds from the door.
It does little to quiet the Amazoness' laughter though as they try to explain themselves. "Sorry Riveria! But, you should've seen it!" Tione said. "Yeah, even you would've been laughing!" Tiona followed up.
Riveria's scowl deepens as she marches over to the two sisters and grabs each of their shoulders. "Perhaps my last scolding wasn't thorough enough…" She threatens.
The laughter died down immediately as the two Amazonesses didn't want to have to suffer through another Riveria lecture. They both apologized and explained the performance of the white and black haired boys they just witnessed. Riveria sighed. "I'll have to lecture Helos about his attitude when guarding the gate again." She said despondently, feeling guilty that the boys had been ridiculed by one of their guild members.
The white-haired boy pants as he finally comes to a stop. He finally lets go of Leif's collar as he bends over and rests both of his hands on his knees. Behind him, Leif has his arms crossed while sitting with his legs pointing towards the direction they had come from.
Eventually, after some reflection, Leif stands up. He turns around and puts a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "Thanks for getting me out of there. That bastard was probably a couple more curses from leaving me black and blue." He says to the boy who had dragged him away from the altercation. Leif repositions himself in front of the other young man and holds his hand out. "I'm Leif, Leif Sampsted." He says with a grin forming on his face.
The white-haired boy looks up to Leif and couldn't help but feel endeared to him, despite his outburst. He straightens himself out and grips Leif's own hand with his own. "Bell Cranel. I just arrived in Orario yesterday." He introduces himself in return.
The two boys' respective grins grow as they both instantly feel the budding camaraderie between them. "I just got here two days ago myself." Leif shares. "I spent all day yesterday getting rejected by familias left and right. It was torture." He continues with a shrug.
Bell's eyes widen due to their similar experiences. "That's how I spent yesterday too!" Bell shares energetically. Leif starts laughing at how excitedly Bell admitted to that. Soon, both boys were having a laugh at their past failures.
The laughter eventually comes to a stop. As it did, Leif wraps his arm around Bell's shoulder and begins walking with him towards a specific place. "What do you say we get something to eat Bell? I ate at this food stand yesterday and it was delicious! You have to try it! It's on me." Leif insists with a smile. "Plus the chick working there had huge tits!" He adds shamelessly.
Bell balks at Leif's words. "L-Leiiif-san! You shouldn't talk about women like that." He scolds Leif hesitantly.
Leif simply laughs and unwittingly pulls Bell along towards another fateful encounter. 15 minutes and some joyful conversations later, they arrive at the Jagamaru stand. As soon as Leif sees the girl working the counter, he sighs in disappointment. "Damn, it's not the same girl as yesterday." Bell just laughs awkwardly in response.
The pair chat with smiles on their faces until there was only one more person in line in front of them. Their chatting stops however when a shout interrupts them. "If you can't pay for it, then you can just leave!" They both turn their attention to the middle-aged woman working the stand and see her yelling at the customer in front of them. They can easily hear the cloaked figure in front of them softly say, "I forgot my wallet."
Leif just smiles and peeks around the cloaked customer in front of them. "I can pay for hers." He announces simply while taking some Valis out of his pocket.
"No, it's fine." The cloaked customer softly tries to rebuke him, but that doesn't stop Leif from reaching past her and putting the Valis on the counter, which the employee quickly scoops up.
"Whoops, too late! Already paid for it. It'll be fine, my father's rich." He simply replies and reassures with a smile.
The cloaked girl turns around and takes off her hood. Her perfect golden hair that tumbles out of the hood and her beauty leave Bell with a look of shock. "You didn't have to do that." She says softly with a stoic expression.
Leif just shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. You forgot your wallet, it happens to the best of us. Just pay it forward goldie." He says with a smile.
The beautiful girl doesn't turn around though and instead shakes her head in return. "No, I'd rather pay it back." She finally turns around and takes the jagamaru from the employee. "Wait right here, I'll be back with my wallet." She says as she looks back at the two boys. She then takes off walking in the direction that Bell and Loki came from earlier.
Loki shouts after her. "You can keep your money! Don't come back, we won't be waiting!" He's not sure if the strange blonde beauty heard him though since she gives no indication or acknowledgment of having heard him.
Leif simply turned to Bell and shrugged. Bell, whose blush having faded by now, simply returned the gesture. The two confused aspiring adventurers purchased their Jagamaru and spent the rest of the day getting rejected by more familias after they ate.
Ais Wallenstein finds herself approaching her favorite food stand for the second time today. She glances around from inside her hood, searching for the pair of boys who had paid for her previous meal. She even makes eye contact with the same employee who watched the occurrence, the employee shakes her head and points her thumb over her shoulder, indicating that the boys that Ais was looking for had already left. Ais heaves a sigh in defeat. "What, are they really not here? I was sure they were going to take advantage of our sword princess…" A young elf with auburn hair tied up in a ponytail asks curiously and protectively.
Ais turns to face the young elf with an unwavering stoic expression. Several thoughts pass through her head, but she doesn't voice her defenses of the boys. She instead just wordlessly turns on one heel and walks back towards the Twilight Manor.
The young elf accompanying Ais, saw her self-appointed best friend walking away. "Ai- Wait for me!" She calls, almost forgetting not to use Ais's name in public.
"Lefiya, we're going home." Ais quietly says in return, not having slowed down or turned in the slightest. Suddenly, Ais stops and realizes something. With her familia mates' enhanced hearing from being higher levels, they can easily hear Ais when she does this. Low levels, however, wouldn't be able to hear her quiet voice while she's walking away from them. Ais slowly rests her face in her hands as she realizes that the two boys from earlier in the day had no way of hearing her response in that instance.
"Hmm? What's wrong?" Lefiya asks from beside Ais, trying to peek up at her face. She then looks around protectively. "Is someone bothering you?"
"No, it's nothing. Let's go." Ais prompts, her voice still stoic and face neutral as she resumes her walk. Lefiya, confused and concerned, just hesitantly follows along. Not another word is spoken between the two until they reach the Twilight Manor.
The next morning, Bell wakes up refreshed. He looks around the inn room that he and Leif rented the previous night, and sees his new friend nowhere around. He instinctively panics. He quickly checks his belongings, and sees every single Valis untouched. He breathes a sigh of relief, he takes a moment to observe the room a bit more. He notices that Leif's own coin pouch and belongings are still in the room. The only thing different from last night is the lack of Leif's sword, and of course, Leif himself. Bell rubs the back of his head while feeling guilty for thinking that Leif would steal like that. Bell jumps out of bed with a determined intention to apologize to him, despite Leif having no way of ever knowing Bell's thoughts.
After getting ready, Bell goes down to the lobby of the inn and asks the innkeeper if he's seen Leif. The innkeeper shows Bell out the backdoor, and there in the small space between the cluttered buildings of Orario, is Leif swinging his sword with a fierce look in his eyes. "Leif? Are you training?" Bell calls curiously.
Leif stops his sword swings and turns to face Bell with a teasing smile while shaking his head. "Damn, not even a good morning for your best friend? I'm hurt Bell."
Bell starts stammering, feeling as though he had done something wrong. Leif has a small laugh. "Relax Bell! I'm just messing with you. And to answer your question, yes, I am training." Bell breathes a sigh of relief at Leif's admission of teasing.
As Leif turns away to resume his practice swings, Bell's curiosity gets the best of him. "Why are you training? The dungeon will just make you stronger." Bell asks Leif.
Leif looks over at Bell with a concerned expression. "Yeah, the dungeon will make you stronger, but there's no substitute for technique. Without technique, you'll never beat a monster that's stronger than you. Sure, some technique comes from talent and experience, but it'll never beat out a technique that you've trained and honed to be just as sharp as your sword." Bell ponders Leif's miniature lecture with a doubtful expression. Leif smiles as he can see the gears turning in Bell's head. "Tell you what, when we finally get a familia and the guild gives you your starter weapon, we can spar. I'll show you the difference that technique makes." Bell nods at Lief's proposition.
The two boys then gather their belongings and leave the cheap inn after giving their thanks to the innkeeper who just gives them a gruff nod. They spend the morning getting a couple of rejections from more familias until midday rolls around. The duo decide on eating jagamaru again since it's cheap and delicious. They waste time chatting as they wait their turn in line. Once they get to the front, Leif wastes no time ordering for the both of them, but when the short girl working the counter doesn't answer him, both boys look at her with questioning expressions. The short girl is staring directly at Bell with wide eyes. To the boys' surprise she practically jumps over the counter and grasps Bell's hand. "Please, join my familia!" She shouts, almost desperately.
Neither boy can manage a response for several seconds in their surprise. Bell's face was also an incredible shade of red. Before Leif can save his companion, a hand lands on his shoulder. "No, they'll be coming with me." The strange, beautiful, blonde girl from yesterday says while holding onto Leif's shoulder.
"What?! I asked first! They're mine!" The pigtailed employee shouts incredulously at the newcomer.
"What the hell's going on?!" Leif shouts in confusion. This draws everyone's attention to him. The line behind them is also growing restless. Leif takes notice and sighs in exasperation. He puts enough Valis to pay for three Jagamaru on the table and points to a nearby bench. "Us three will be over there. Get someone to cover for you and meet us over there with three Jagamaru." Leif instructs the short girl manning the counter. He gives instructions so sternly, that she instinctively stands up straight and nods fervently. He leads the other two over to the bench. The blonde beauty in the cloak tries to say something, but Leif cuts her off by holding up a finger and giving her a stern look.
Soon, the well-endowed Jagamaru employee made her way over to the group of three. She hands a Jagamaru to each of them and immediately bows. "Um... I apologize for making a scene."
Bell immediately absolves her. "I-it's fine, please raise your head. You did nothing wrong." He says.
She looks up slightly at him. "Are you sure? I even grabbed you without permission." She asks cautiously.
Bell just nods and continues to reassure her before Leif interrupts. "You're forgiven. By both of us." He gestures to the bowing woman, and she nods in reply while thanking him. "Alright, so, I'm Leif Sampsted." He then gestures to Bell to prompt him.
"Oh, I'm Bell Cranel, an aspiring adventurer!" Bell answers with enthusiasm, yet a bit of embarrassment.
Leif then gestures to the blonde beauty. "I'm Ais Wallenstein of the Loki Familia." She introduces calmly. This draws a bit of a glare from the cute, short woman next to her though.
Leif gestures to the glaring woman last. "I'm the Goddess Hestia." The other three's eyes all widen in surprise.
"So, when you asked me to join your familia... were you serious?" Bell is the first to break the silence, cautiously asking Hestia about what she said earlier.
"Yes, perfectly serious. When I saw you, I just had this instinct. I knew I had to have you in my familia." The goddess answers while looking Bell in the eyes. Bell stared back with wide eyes.
After a brief moment of silence, with the two just staring at each other, Leif cleared his throat. "Am... I invited to this familia?" He asks Hestia.
Hestia blushes as her staring match with Bell is interrupted, but quickly turns to Leif and nods her head repeatedly. "O-of course you're invited, Leif-san! I would never turn away an aspiring adventurer!" Hestia says happily.
"Wait a minute." Ais interjects before Leif can respond to Hestia. "I intended to invite these two to my familia as well." She reveals with her usual monotone pitch and stoic expression.
Leif turns to Ais. "You said you were from the Loki Familia? Are you sure that you could get us an interview even? We've already been turned away at the gates once. Besides, we're pretty much the weakest of the weak, we're not even Level 1 yet." Leif points out.
Ais simply shakes her head. "If I ask, my goddess will do it." She assures.
Leif looks at her incredulously. "Not trying to be rude, but how can we trust that?" He asks.
Ais simply opens and closes her mouth, unsure of how to answer. She tightly grips the end of her sleeves in hesitation and frustration. "You can trust Ais, and if you can't trust her, then trust you can take my word for it." A beautiful elf with jade green hair saves Ais from her moment of uncertainty. "I'm Riveria Ljos Alf, the vice-captain of the Loki familia. If my word can't be trusted, then you either have something against our familia or you're too distrustful." Riveria says slightly aggressively, she had been watching for a while and didn't like the way that Leif had been interrogating Ais. "Ais, I told you yesterday that we had a raid meeting today. Was this so important that it couldn't have waited until another time?" Ais simply nods in response, which causes Riveria to sigh.
Leif, not liking Riveria's aggressive tone, narrows his eyes slightly. He closes his eyes and thinks for a second. He realizes that Riveria was simply being defensive of Ais and calms himself down. "Sorry. I feel my questioning wasn't wrong, but I don't want to get off on the wrong foot with anyone here." He says with a slight bow. "Can we put it behind us?" He asks as he looks up to Riveria.
Riveria's expression lightens. "Well... I suppose I can't fault you for being cautious of a stranger. I apologize as well." She bows in return.
Leif smiles and turns back to Ais. "Well, if you could get us into the Loki familia just like that, then I don't see a reason to refuse."
A small, almost imperceptible, smile forms on Ais's face. Riveria takes note of this as Ais starts to respond. "But what about my offer!?" Hestia asks before Ais can say anything.
Leif looks over at her with an apologetic smile. "I appreciate your offer, but I've never even heard of your familia. Between one of the best familias and a completely unknown one, I'd choose the first without hesitating." He says. Hestia tries to argue, but can't manage anything other than, "But!"
"Leif-san... I..." Bell starts. "I want to join the Hestia familia." He announces. Hestia looks at Bell with an expression of excitement. "I can understand what the goddess is saying, when she feels something instinctual. I think I feel it too." He says as he grabs his chest above his heart.
Leif and Riveria immediately know what Bell actually feels. Leif bursts out laughing, and even Riveria has a small amused smile on her face. Meanwhile Ais, Hestia, and Bell look over at Leif with questioning stares. As Leif calms down he looks over at Bell with tears in his eyes and a great big smile. "Y'know, I thought we'd definitely end up joining the same familia, but I don't blame you for doing what a man's gotta do." Bell looks at him with confusion as Leif looks over at Ais. "I'll join the Loki familia as long as you let me team up with Bell. I'll support the familia when I can, but Bell comes first. Would that be ok?"
Riveria answers instead of Ais. "That would be acceptable. Many adventurers prioritize their parties over their familias. As for Bell-san, I wish you all the luck in your endeavors both inside and outside the dungeon." She says gracefully while bowing towards Bell.
Bell quickly thanks her before looking over at Leif. "Leif-san... Are you sure? I-I..." He tries to think of something to say, but can't think of anything else.
Leif holds a hand out to stop him. "I'm sure Bell. Don't worry, we'll still adventure together and hang out whenever we're not adventuring. The only thing that we won't be doing together is sleeping in the same familia house." He holds out a fist to Bell. "Let's meet up at the dungeon at noon tomorrow, sound good?" He asks with a friendly smile.
Bell closes his eyes and smiles in response. He opens his eyes as he bumps fists with Leif. "Sounds great, partner."
"I like that! Partner! Yeah, we're the best partners in all of Orario!" Leif shouts while raising one arm in the air in celebration of their newly-dubbed partnership. Bell laughs and raises his arm as well. Hestia also gives a small laugh and the two earn a small smile from Riveria. Ais, confused, raises her arm as well while tilting her head to the side which causes the two partners to laugh.
Bell follows his new goddess out to an abandoned district of Orario while Hestia skips and hums along, overjoyed with her first familia member. Bell asks her a couple of questions about her familia along the way, which she answers hesitantly. Most of the answers make Bell start to second guess his decision, but they continue further into the crumbling area of Orario. Hestia leads Bell into a dilapidated church, saying that it's her familia home. She takes him into the basement of the church and shows him around before leading him into the bedroom. "Alright, Bell-kun! Take off your shirt!" She commands with a point and a smile on her face.
"Haaah?!" Bell shouts in confusion while covering his chest with his arms.
"No! Wait! Sorry! Um... the falna goes on your back and I can't put it on or update it without seeing someone's bare back. I didn't say it with weird intentions, I swear!" She defends quickly.
Bell breathes a sigh of relief, but his blush still burns bright as he hesitantly takes his shirt off and lays down on the bed. He squeaks in surprise when he feels his goddess straddle his lower back. "Sorry... I'm uh... too short." Hestia apologizes honestly. "This is going to hurt a bit... are you ready?" Hestia asks. Bell just nods in response. Hestia pricks her finger and lets a single drop of golden ichor drip onto Bell's back. Bell feels a searing pain and jolts while clenching his teeth. A few seconds pass before Bell feels the burning subside. Afterwards, he hears his goddess messing with a sheet of paper. Eventually, she hops off of his back and holds the sheet of paper out to him with a smile. "Congratulations, Bell-kun. You're officially an adventurer."
Bell takes the sheet of paper from her and looks over his status. He holds the piece of paper up towards the ceiling, staring at it in awe. Unable to contain his excitement, he jumps off the bed with a jubilant shout. In his outburst, he bends down and wraps his arms around Hestia's neck and nuzzles up next to her head. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" He says exuberantly. He lets her go and runs out of the room with a shout of excitement. Hestia just stands in place, with a blush burning on her cheeks. She sighs with a small smile creeping up. She turns on her heel and happily follows Bell out of the room.
"So what exactly is required of me?" Leif asks Riveria as he's guided back to the Twilight Manor.
Riveria tilts her head to the side and thinks for a moment. "I doubt much will be required of you. The Loki familia hasn't taken in a level one adventurer in years. We rarely ask any of our members below level three to do anything." She answers honestly.
Leif raises an eyebrow. "You're making this sound too good to be true. You guys will even provide me with equipment, food, and a room just for being part of the familia?" He asks incredulously.
Riveria just nods. "Yes. In return, the familia will receive a small portion of your earnings. As one of the strongest familias, we have to take care of our adventurers. It could damage our reputation if we didn't." She explains properly. "You'll work out the finer details of your activities and such with our guild captain, Finn-san." She finishes.
Leif hums in understanding and the conversation slows to a halt. The two women leading the way are rather silent compared to most people, but Leif doesn't feel uncomfortable in the silence that settles over the group. His mind begins to drift and he starts to imagine his life as an adventurer as they walk. He's dragged out of his fantasies though, when Ais slows down for a moment and falls into stride next to him. "Thank you for what you did yesterday. It seemed like you didn't want money, so I spent all night thinking of other ways to thank you." She says stoically.
Leif just shakes his head. "It was nothing. You were in a pinch and I helped you. I'm sure you would've done the same." He says as though it were obvious.
Ais shakes her head in reply. "I wouldn't have." She says simply.
Leif raises one eyebrow at her. He lets the silence sit for a while before coming forward with his reply. "You'd want to though wouldn't you? You'd just hesitate to speak up for some reason or another." He asks her.
Ais stares back at him in response, with a hint of surprise visible in her features. Even Riveria glances back at Leif, wondering how he's gotten such a good read on Ais's personality. Her expression hardens as she considers something untoward, like stalking, but she eventually just shakes her head. She thinks back to her initial confrontation with Leif when he was interrogating Ais, and remembers that despite her aggressiveness, he seemed to understand that she was simply defending Ais. She reassures herself that Leif simply has a decent read of people, and combined with his lack of bias on top adventurers like herself and Ais, he was able to piece together Ais's stoicism as the inability to interact with people that it is rather than some arrogant disregard for other people.
Ais looks away from Leif and pulls her hood further down her face, obscuring her face from him. "Thank you." She says, even quieter than usual.
An innocent smile graces Leif's face. "Sure." He says simply with a dismissive gesture.
Riveria is unable to stop the miniscule smile from creeping onto her face, so she faces away from the two, looking ahead. She now fully believes Leif to be the kind and insightful young man that he is. So it comes as a surprise when they finally arrive at the Twilight Manor and she turns around to see Leif taunting Helos, the front gate guard. She closes her eyes with a frown. She uses her staff to lightly smack Leif on the back of the head which causes Helos to laugh at him.
"Ow! What the hell was that for!" Leif shouts while turning around and looking questioningly at Riveria.
"If you are going to become a part of this familia, you will not antagonize the other members." She says sternly.
"But he's an asshole! He deserved it!" Leif defends himself adamantly.
"I was already made aware of Helos's rudeness to you and Bell-san. I have lectured him for his behavior towards guests and passersby as a result. Now come, we have to get you to Loki-sama so she can bestow your falna to you." She retorts with no room for disagreement.
Leif, seeing her point, shuts his mouth and just follows Riveria into the manor. The group of three make their way up into what Riveria explains is the executive dorm wing. They instantly stop at the first door and Riveria knocks loudly. A voice instantly answers. "Who is it?" The voice calls.
"Loki-sama, it's me Riveria. Me and Ais require your assistance for a moment." Riveria answers.
A shout and loud pounding is heard on the other side of the door. The door swings open quickly and reveals a grinning, closed-eyed, red-headed woman with her hair in a ponytail. "My Aisypoo is here?!" She asks enthusiastically. She quickly turns her attention from Riveria to Ais and launches herself toward Ais.
Ais calmly stops Loki from wrapping her up in a hug with one hand and uses the other to gesture to Leif. "Loki-sama, I want you to let Leif join our familia." She says, monotone as always.
Loki finally turns her attention to the out-of-place and very concerned looking Leif. "Eh? This brat?" The goddess says as she takes a step away from Ais and towards Leif. Leif just continues to stare at Loki with immense concern.
Leif flicks his head towards an obviously disappointed Riveria. "This is your goddess?!" He asks in shock. Riveria heaves a small sigh and nods her head slowly.
The interaction between the two causes Loki to laugh. "Well, I can't say no to my Aisypoo. What familia are you from, and what level are you?" She asks Leif.
"I'm not from any familia, and I'm level one." Leif answers honestly. His answer causes Loki to look over at Riveria questioningly, and Riveria nods in confirmation.
Loki just shrugs and gestures for Leif to follow her into her bedroom. Leif also shrugs to himself and follows her in without a second thought. Loki tells him to take his shirt off and lay face down on the bed, both of which he does without hesitation. Loki hums in appreciation of his decisiveness as she hops up onto the bed and straddles his lower back. She also takes note of his surprisingly muscular body, as his clothes made him seem quite frail. He even has scars littering his torso, which makes the goddess curious, but she continues without questioning it. She slits her finger with one of her incisors and lets a drop of ichor fall onto Leifs back. Leif groans a bit in discomfort as a burning pain assaults his back. "A little warning next time?" He jokes with a tiny laugh which also earns a chuckle from Loki.
"Sorry, haven't done this in a while. I forgot that the first inscription is painful." Loki answers honestly. Leif grunts in acceptance and the scorching slowly recedes from his back. With his falna finally being visible, Loki takes a sheet of paper from the table next to her bed and starts transcribing his status onto it. Down near the bottom, however, she sees something that causes one of her usually closed eyes to open in surprise. "Says here, you've already got a skill. 'Bred Warrior: The user's soul acknowledges that the user was bred and raised to be a warrior. Effectiveness with all weapons moderately increases...'" She reads out, her voice becoming sympathetic towards the end. "Boy, what kind of upbringing did you have..?" She questions Leif with concern.
Leif purses his lips with a stern look in his eyes. He huffs and starts getting up with his new goddess still perched on his back. Loki hops off before she can get thrown off and Leif puts on a forced smile. "Are we done? I'm curious as to what a falna looks like." He says, trying to dodge the topic all together. The concerned stares of Riveria and Loki make his mood even worse. Even Ais looks at Leif with a complicated expression. Thankfully, Loki just nods and hands him the paper. "Oh, thank you Loki." He says as he takes the paper and hops off of the bed. He looks over at Riveria as he makes his way to the door. "What do you say, you find someone to give me a tour?" He asks with a strained smile.
The three girls watch him leave the room. His attempts to play it off hadn't lessened their concerns in the slightest. If anything, it worsened it. Riveria is the first to act. She decides to respect his privacy and follows him out into the hallway after bidding goodbye to her goddess. Ais also wordlessly leaves the goddess's room and closes the door behind her.
Riveria decides to try and dispel the negative atmosphere with conversation. "You know, you should address Loki-sama respectfully. Despite her attitude, she is still our goddess." She says as she falls into stride next to Leif.
The boy shrugs in response. "I don't really like niceties. Either we're both good people and I'll like you, or you're a shitty person and I won't like you." He says.
"That's a very simplistic stance." She acknowledges.
"It's the one I like." He answers in an equally simplistic way with a smile. Riveria also gives him a soft smile, both out of relief and appreciation.
The group arrive in the common hall and Riveria gets the attention of one of the nearby guild members. "Elfy, would you mind giving Leif Sampsted here a tour? After the raid meeting is over, bring him to Finn's office. I'll inform him that you two will be coming." Riveria asks a young human girl peacefully reading on a nearby chair.
Elfy jolts up and quickly closes her book. "O-of course, Riveria-sama! I'll guide him to the best of my ability!" She announces enthusiastically with a proud smile.
Riveria nods to her. "Wonderful, thank you." She then turns to Ais. "Ais, head to the meeting room. I'll summon the rest." She instructs. She then turns and walks out of the room after getting Ais to nod in acknowledgement.
Ais turns to Leif and stares at him for a bit. Looking directly into his eyes. She stares so long that Leif starts to shift on his feet uncomfortably. "Good luck." Ais eventually says.
"O-oh... thank you. You too." Leif says with a confused nod.
Ais nods back and walks out of the room with her head held high. To Leif, she almost seemed triumphant.
Leif shakes his head and looks over at Elfy with an amused smile. "Elfy right? I'm Leif. Brand new level one adventurer." He says as he holds out his hand.
Elfy smiles kindly in return. "Elfy Colette. Level three mage. I can't remember the last time a level one adventurer joined us, you must've made a great impression on someone." She responds as she shakes his outstretched hand.
Leif rubs the back of his head with an amused expression. "I mean, I just paid for Ais's Jagamaru when she forgot her wallet. This was her way of repaying me apparently." He answers honestly.
Elfy just cocks her head to the side. "Did you know Ais-senpai before that?" She asks curiously.
"I had no idea who she was. She was in front of us in line and the lady at the counter was shouting at her after Ais said she forgot her wallet." He recounts the encounter.
The story earns a small giggle from Elfy. "That sounds just like Ais-senpai. She's the biggest prodigy in all of Orario, but she can be a bit scatterbrained." She says good-naturedly.
Leif looks at her curiously. "Biggest prodigy?" He prompts her to elaborate.
"Yep! Ais became an adventurer when she was 7. And in less than 12 years, she's already on the verge of becoming level 6! She would be the fastest to ever become level 6, and was already the fastest for every other rank!" Elfy answers excitedly with gleaming eyes.
Leif's eyes widen in surprise. "Really..? That's incredible." He says. He hums in thought for a moment before focusing the two of them on the task at hand. "Anyways, this tour..." He gently suggests with a smile.
Elfy just stands up straight with an audible exclamation. She apologizes for getting off track and quickly ushers Leif out of the common room. She guides him around and shows him the mess hall, bathrooms, library, and training hall. She also explains many things about the familia as a whole, such as the executives and the history of the familia.
Eventually, having shown him everywhere important, she leads him back into the executive dorm hallway. This time, Leif's guide knocks on the second door of the hallway rather than the first door. A high pitched male voice sounds from the other side of the door. "Come in." It calls.
Elfy opens the door and they both enter the room.
Contrary to Loki's room, which was rather bare except for a large bed and a nightstand, this room has many cabinets and tables with papers thrown about messily. At the large desk on the other side of the room a short blond prum sits with a pen in hand, quickly writing on a couple of different papers. He turns to face the two. "You must be Sampsted-san. I'm Finn, the familia captain. Riveria told me about your situation. Please take a seat." He says as he gestures to a chair relatively close to his desk. He then looks over at Elfy. "Elfy-san was it? Thank you for showing him around. Would you mind showing him to his dorm room after I'm finished talking with him?" He asks her.
"Of course captain!" She says happily with a nod. She then points at the door. "Would you like me to wait outside?" She asks politely.
"No, no. You can feel free to sit next to Sampsted-san if you'd like. We won't be talking about anything personal." He says with a smile as he gestures to the other chair. Elfy nods and takes him up on his suggestion, plopping down energetically in the chair next to Leif. He then focuses on Leif. "So, Sampsted-san, I suppose congratulations are deserved, first of all. Congratulations on becoming an official adventurer." He says politely.
Leif shakes his head with a smile. "Thank you Finn. I'm honestly grateful to everyone here. Ais most of all I suppose. And feel free to just call me Leif." He responds, just as polite.
The prum chuckles at Leif's unprompted familiarity. "Leif-san it is then. I just want to go into the specifics of how we'll support you as a familia." Leif nods in response, urging Finn to continue. "Great! First of all, all free in the mess hall will be free and all-you-can-eat. They only serve the food at specific times of the day though, so try and pay attention to their schedule. We'll also provide you with armor and weapons fitting of your level. Or so we would, but your sword looks like it would be fit for a level two adventurer at least, so we'll just provide the armor." Leif has a slight expression of surprise at the captain's keen observation ability. Finn had only seen the sword in its sheath, but still accurately estimated how strong the weapon was. "You will also receive a dorm room here at the Twilight Manor." Finn turns to his desk and opens a drawer and fishes around in it. Many clanking sounds are heard before he retrieves a dull iron key with a tag on it. "Your room will be one of our lower end ones, but it'll still be better than most other dorms that mid-ranking familia's have. As for your adventuring, the familia will receive forty percent of your earnings from the dungeon. Drop items will be yours to decide what to do with, as will the rest of your earnings. I know forty sounds like a lot, but factoring the free equipment, food, and lodging, it's more than worth it in the long run. The familia has to make money somehow afterall." Finn hands him a sheet of paper. "This is a will form. If you don't fill one out, all of your belongings will be forfeited to the familia upon your death. Anything you want to go to friends or family should be specified on this form and submitted to the guild. Everything not specified will then be forfeit to us. Last but not least, if the familia decides that you could be helpful to the familia as a whole at any point, you will be forced to attend whichever meetings we specify and participate in whatever events or raids we tell you to. Of course, as compensation, we'll only take twenty percent of your earnings from that point on rather than forty. Any questions?" Finn finishes after explaining everything.
"Yes, I have three. Until I'm deemed useful to the familia, is there anything specifically mandatory to me? Like a curfew or something?" Leif asks his first question.
"Yes. I should have mentioned this before actually, I'm sorry for my oversight. Unless you ask for permission beforehand, you're required to earn at least fifty thousand Valis a week. The first time you don't is only a warning, but the next time is a fee that increases with each following infraction. Eventually you'll be expelled from the familia as a whole. Just for reference, fifty thousand is a little over 40 goblin stones. Other than that, you are allowed to do whatever you please." Finn answers Leif's question with a rather important piece of information which causes Leif to balk.
Leif takes a moment to compose himself before asking his next question. "Am I allowed to party up with anyone I'd like?" Leif asks. Riveria told him before that it wouldn't be a problem, but he wants confirmation.
Finn nods his head. "Yes, anyone. The familia doesn't have any other level one adventurers at the moment, but if you'd like we could help you look for a low leveled party. And once you get stronger, I'm sure that several other members of the familia would be willing to adventure with you. Like Elfy-san here." Finn explains and gestures to Elfy who just waves at Leif with a smile on her face.
Leif smiles. "Thank you, but I was asking that question because my partner joined another familia and I just wanted to make sure I could party up with them. I appreciate the offer for help though." He responds graciously and then turns to Elfy. "And I'm sure we'd love to have you join on our adventures once we get closer to your level." He tells her with a smile.
Elfy giggles. "Why thank you for being ever so accepting of my presence." She says humorously.
Leif laughs at Elfy's sarcasm as Finn speaks up. "I didn't realize that you were married, Leif-san. Of course you're allowed to adventure with your partner." He says.
Leif turns back to him urgently. "Oh, no, no, no. Partner as in friend partner, not romantic partner. Riveria and Ais met him as well when they met me." He quickly explains. Which causes Finn to apologize for the misunderstanding and Leif to absolve him of any blame in return. "As for my last question, would I be allowed to bring people outside of the familia into the manor?" He asks.
"You're allowed to bring a reasonable amount of people in the manor with you, but you are required to be with them at all times and will be held accountable for anything they do. They're also required to pay for any food they eat. Is that everything?" He explains before confirming that Leif has no more questions. Once Leif nods, Finn takes a small card off the desk and holds it out to him. "This is your identification card. Eventually, the guards and staff will memorize your face, but it's always a good idea to have this on you. Congratulations once again Leif-san, I wish you luck in your dungeon diving."
Leif takes his identification card with a smile. "Thank you so much, Finn." He says as he inspects the card. It's rather plain, just having Leif's name, a number, the familia emblem, and Finn's signature. He stands up from his chair and Elfy stands up just after him. They both bid the captain goodbye as they leave the room.
Elfy looks at the tag on Leif's key and leads the way to his new dorm room. "Thanks for helping me so much today, Elfy. If you ever need a favor, I'd be more than happy to pay you back." Leif says with a smile as he unlocks the door.
"It's nothing. Just consider it your grand welcome!" She says with a playful wink.
Leif just shakes his head amusedly. He swings the door to his dorm room open and looks around. It's predictably rather bare bones, having only a bed, a desk with a chair, and a storage chest. That said, the room itself is rather spacious and everything is rather free of dust for being a previously unoccupied room. The room doesn't have a window like the executive dorm rooms did, but Leif had expected as much.
Elfy taps Leif on the back which causes her to look over his shoulder at her. "It's getting pretty late, so I assume you'll want to get settled in. If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask the staff in the lobby." Elfy says considerately. "Goodnight, Leif. Congratulations again!" She says energetically as she skips down the hall.
"Goodnight Elfy!" He calls out in response as she rounds the corner, disappearing from sight. He laughs to himself, thinking about her seemingly boundless energy. He enters his room and closes the door behind him.
Bell and Hestia arrive back at the abandoned church at the same time. Bell was unable to contain himself and went to the guild to officially register as an adventurer and get his starter gear immediately. Meanwhile, Hestia ran a quick errand for some food. They happily greet each other and make their way down into the basement of the church while talking about their short experience away from their familia house. Hestia takes out the food and sets in on the rickety dining table and they eat together while enjoying each other's company.
After dinner, the goddess approaches her only familia member. "Say, Bell-kun. I wouldn't be against sharing the bed with you. It's big enough for two people." She shares honestly.
Bell's jaw drops as his face begins to burn up at the thought of sleeping in the same bed as a woman, let alone an adorable goddess. "G-Goddess!" He shouts in shock.
"It's fine Bell! I really don't mind at all. Or... would you not like sharing a bed with me?" She asks curiously.
Bell panics. "I-um-uh-I-I-uh." He sputters.
Hestia just laughs at Bell's breakdown. "Relax, Bell. I understand if you aren't comfortable with it."
Bell visibly calms down a bit in response to her word, but his blush still burns brightly. He thinks about what Leif would say in this situation and tries to channel some of his friend's confidence. "Well... I wouldn't dislike sharing a bed with you..." He says quietly. Hestia stares at him in surprise due to his unexpected answer. "I think I'd prefer to sleep on the couch for a while at least though." Bell admits with a hesitant voice.
"Mmm. That's fair. If you ever want to switch over to sharing the bed with me, let me know." Hestia responds with a gentle smile and a light blush.
The pair say goodnight and Hestia enters the bedroom by herself. As she lays in bed that night, her thoughts inevitably drift to Bell. Bell makes her feel differently from anyone ever has before. He gives her a high of energy that she's never experienced before, while simultaneously causing her to feel a sense of calm and belonging. The pounding in her chest just being around him ultimately leads her to attribute this feeling to being in love. Having never been in love before, the maiden goddess spends several hours rolling around in the bed, both panicking and overjoyed by her first love.
In the Twilight Manor, another goddess finds herself tossing around in the sheets. Loki may be lazy, childish, and a horrible drunk, but no one can say that she doesn't care for her familia children. Loki's kept awake by thoughts of the newest member of her familia. He looked like he was in his late teens, but his eyes had an obvious wisdom, and his body was scarred to the point where it almost looked horrific. A couple of scars were visible before he removed his shirt, but those easily could've been contributed to anything. The same couldn't have been said afterwards though. The well-trained body, the sheer number of scars, and, most incriminating, the skill he developed. The kid had obviously been through hell, and Loki couldn't take her mind off of it.
It would take several hours for either goddess to fall asleep that night.
AN:
Thanks for reading.
Trying to balance multiple characters is hard.
I hope no one reading this absolutely despises the changes. Or Leif for that matter. Or the fact he joined the Loki familia. Or anything for that matter. Please say you liked it. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.
I don't know how authors or habitual writers do it, but when it comes to the characters I picture what they would want, rather than what I would want them to do, and that's how Leif ended up joining the Loki familia. In my mind, Leif is a laid back, opportunistic person who wouldn't refuse Ais's offer to get him into the Loki familia. Bell absolutely had to stay in the Hestia familia though. Bell and Hestia are like peanut butter and jelly to me. Great separate, but really shine brighter than ever when they're together.
Anyways, have a good one.
Edit: Finally figured out how to add line breaks lmao.