A/N: Here's the second chapter for the anniversary celebration! I hope you like it! I do a little more setup for the next arc or two. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one just as much!

Please keep the reviews, comments, and questions coming! I love them all and really appreciate you leaving them.

Ps. I have a lot of notes at the end of this, along with questions and requests! Please take a look!

Hearthfire

Chapter 37

Riveria

If anyone who didn't know Riveria well were to look at her in the moment, they would be both shocked and totally unsurprised. Unsurprised because she was reading a book on magic. As one of the most powerful mages in the city, possibly the world, it was only natural she would be reading about magic. It is where she was doing so that would, perhaps, be a surprise.

She was, at present, lounging on the couch in Torrhen's study on the top floor of Hearthfire Hall. Dressed in an unenchanted, casual version of her new clothes but minus the cloak, she was leaning against one of the arm rests with one leg stretched out along the length of the couch and the other curled beneath her. On a small table next to her lay an elegant yet simple glass filled with golden liquid. This was, of course, a glass of Torrhen's special honey mead. A drink she'd become rather fond of since the man first let her try it.

Riveria wasn't much of a drinker, but the mead was quite delicious, and this batch had a very low alcohol content. Also on the table were several books, some of which she had finished. All of them had been pulled from the shelves that lined the walls of the study. In her hands was a copy of 'Reality & Other Falsehoods,' which was a book on the Alteration and Illusion branches of Tamrielic Magic. It was quite the fascinating read, as was 'The Art of War Magic,' which she had only set down about half an hour ago.

The study, like the other offices on that floor, was beautifully furnished. Dark polished wood and dark green upholstery. The walls were lined with bookshelves that went from floor to ceiling and contained some of the rarest and most fascinating tomes Riveria had ever seen. Around two thirds of it were books from Tamriel while the rest were rare or expensive books from Genkai. Many of which, she had never been able to get her hands on. This just meant she had absolutely no objections to Torrhen's request that the books not leave his study. He'd given her free reign of his office and personal library, and she had begun to avail herself of it quite often.

The couch she was lounging on was accompanied by a few lamps, tables, a second couch, and two chairs. At the back of the study, under the large window, was Torrhen's desk. The man himself was sat there, quietly reading a book on the history of Orario. She'd come by a few times to check out a book or two, but that day was only the second time she'd just hung out in his office reading all day. They'd spent the day sitting together, reading and enjoying a companionable silence. Not that they didn't talk at all, of course. If she was reading a book from Tamriel, it meant she was likely to have questions and there was every chance they'd get lost discussing one topic or another for hours on end.

Still, as she looked around the office, Riveria realized there were aspects of it she'd never asked about. There were emblems hanging above the door that she didn't recognize, though she assumed that they were from organizations Torrhen had belonged to back in Tamriel. She did recognize the emblem of the empire Torrhen had been a general for. If she remembered right, he had also been an advisor to the emperor for a decade or so. Another thing she'd never seen him touch was the lute hung on the wall to the left of his desk.

"Do you play the lute?" She asked, "or is that decorative?"

"Hm?" Torrhen looked up, following where she was pointing. He smiled slightly. "I play. You're looking at a genuine graduate of the Solitude Bard's College."

"Bard's College?" Riveria was amused. "The city has an entire college just for bards?"

"Of course." He replied, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Culturally, Nords are very fond of music, verse, and poetry. There hasn't been a single event in our history that doesn't have a song or two written about it. Hells, we even have songs about our songs!"

"How does that work?" Now she was curious.

"It's… I might as well show you." Standing, Torrhen removed the lute from the wall and came to sit near her. Intrigued, Riveria put her book down to watch him. The human sat in one of the nearby chairs, perched on the edge and plucked a few strings, making sure his instrument was in tune. Then, he began to play. The melody he created was simple, but he played it beautifully. Soon enough his deep, yet softly melodic voice began to sing.

Riveria listened with rapt attention as he sang. It was a simple song, yet so beautiful. Closing her eyes, she almost felt as though she was walking through an ancient, icy landscape dotted with long forgotten ruins. Suddenly, the language changed. Riveria didn't understand it, but each word seemed to hang in the air as Torrhen sang. His voice got even deeper and became far more sonorous. He swapped back again, continuing to play his lute. It was both an eternity and yet far too short a time before the song ended.

"That was beautiful." She said, a little flushed.

"Thank you." He bowed his head. "Many of our songs are like that. Love letters to our heritage. Others are meant for more… rowdy environments. Every town in Skyrim has at least one bard passing through, and every bar or inn is expected to have one on staff to entertain the customers. Nords have a song for every occasion, although I don't get much opportunity to play anymore."

"Why not?" Riveria asked, a little saddened by that.

"There are no other Nords around." Torrhen shrugged. "We all knew the songs by heart and any time a bard would strike up a popular one, the whole room would join in. Especially if we were celebrating." He laughed lightly. "I remember one time, my friend Farkas leapt up onto the central table of Jorrvaskr in the middle of a feast, drunk off his face. The first thing he did was belch and start singing. The rest of us were so drunk, by the third verse the rest of the hall was up on the table singing with him!"

Riveria snorted into her hand, trying to contain her laughter. She could see it! Not his friend, she had no idea what Farkas looked like, but she could imagine a younger Torrhen up on a table singing drunkenly.

Bell

Bell sighed and scratched his nose while staring down at the papers on his desk. The white-haired teen loved absolutely everything about being an adventurer except one. Well… one thing that was tied to him being the captain. If he wasn't captain, he wouldn't have to deal with the menace of paperwork. Not that he really had much in the grand scheme of things. Not compared to Captain Finn, anyway.

No, he usually only had to spend one day a week doing paperwork while the captain of the Loki Familia had to do at least a little every single day. Bell was grateful for that, but also knew his workload would get significantly higher once they recruited more members. Speaking of which, the papers he was going over were a report on their plans for an upcoming recruitment drive.

Now, Bell wanted to properly reach the 18th floor with their current members before they began recruiting, but they were very close to being ready to make such a push. A few more days of training and lighter dives at most so it was important that they finalize their plans. He went over the details in his head as he read the report.

Flyers would be posted on the Guild board and in a few popular bars or restaurants in town two or three days before the recruitment began. Those had already been printed and were ready for distribution. On the actual day, they had devised a series of stations that the potential applicants would pass through. Considering the soaring reputation of the Hestia Familia and the revelation of Mr. Torrhen's existence, Bell expected a huge turnout. That thought made him happy.

Back to the plan. On the actual day, hopefuls would first be met at the gates. They'd give their basic information to Lili, who would be manning the desk along with Cassandra, Chigusa, and Haruhime. Then they would be brought to the training grounds. Seating would be provided since they'd be there a while. While there, they would be tested for their combat ability. That would be led by Master Torrhen.

He, Aisha, and Daphne would each observe a different candidate sparring with either Welf, Ouka, or Mikoto. It wouldn't be a very long spar, since they expected a huge turnout, but it would be enough to gauge their combat ability. Then, they would be escorted into the Hall itself where they would meet with Bell and Goddess Hestia. That was where the real difficulty lay. Making sure the people who joined had good intentions.

Anybody who wanted to join just so that they could say they were part of the same Familia as the Level 10 adventurer would be rejected immediately. Only those who wanted to join the Hestia Familia because they loved being an adventurer would be considered. Of course, they still hadn't determined how many they would accept. The Hall could only hold so many after all. Even if they were expanding.

Speaking of which, Bell turned his attention to the next paper. It was a notice from the Goibniu Familia, letting him know that they'd received payment for the materials and would begin the expansion within the week. That was good news. Despite how new Hearthfire Hall was, it was about to get cramped. They'd always intended on expanding, but Bell hadn't expected it to be so soon.

Now he turned to the budget report. As Treasurer, Lili prepared one for him every time there was a significant shift. They were making a lot of money! Their winnings taken from Apollo had paid for the renovations, and the adventuring team had been making good amounts of money in the Dungeon, but it was their investments that were really paying off.

Master Torrhen was donating a percentage of his earnings from his enchanting business, which was showing a slow increase in sales with the members of the Loki Familia approaching him. Welf had agreed to donate a percentage of his earnings, both in commission and from the new store but that had only been open a couple days, so the donations hadn't started yet. Goddess Hestia's contributions were the highest by far.

She now owned nearly half of the food stalls in the city, not to mention a few other minor establishments. Including a restaurant she'd built that would be having its grand opening soon. It was quite a bit more upscale than somewhere like the Hostess, but that just meant they would likely only eat there as a Familia for major celebrations. Back to the investments, Goddess Hestia had divided up her earnings. 60% of all profits went back into the businesses. 20% was given to the Familia, and 20% was for Goddess Hestia's personal use.

All this together meant that they were doing very well. Their expenses were very low, although Bell was considering adding one thing to them. Last time he'd eaten at the Hostess, Syr had mentioned that she volunteered at an orphanage on Daedalus Street. Bell hadn't gotten the chance to visit yet, but he had considered donating to the orphanage on a regular basis. In fact, if any of the orphans wanted to be adventurers, maybe it would be a good idea to have them join the Hestia Familia? He'd need to run the idea by Lili, Master Torrhen, and Goddess Hestia but Bell liked it.

Turning away from the budget report, he sighed. Paperwork really did suck.

Tione

Tione sat bolt upright, panting and dripping with sweat. "Damn." She thought. "That dream again." She sifted to sit sideways on her bed. Moonlight was filtering in through the window. It couldn't be any later than three or four in the morning. The Amazon had been having the same dream every night for a week. Of the arena. Back when she was a member of the Kali Familia.

Tione and her sister were born in Telskyura, a nation controlled explicitly by the Kali Familia, which they were inducted into at birth. From a young age, members are forced to fight to the death over and over. It was a nightmare, yet for some reason the members of the Familia never even considered trying to leave until she and her sister had had enough. To their immense surprise, Kali had let them go without a fuss. They'd wandered towards Orario and eventually joined up with the Loki Familia.

They'd never looked back. Both Tione and Tiona loved their Familia. They had become a huge, extended family that neither twin would trade for the world. Tione had even fallen in love with the captain! Of course, they both still had nightmares of their time with Kali. Tione stood up, and could hear her sister muttering in her sleep, since the two shared a room. She felt exhausted.

The dark-skinned young woman hadn't gotten a restful night's sleep in a week! There were bags under her eyes, and she felt tired all day. Nor was she completely sure what had triggered the nightmares. It was getting to the point where she was seriously considering letting her sister knock her out, just to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Though, she did have one more option before resorting to that.

Once the sun rose, Tione made her way out of Twilight Manor and wound her way across the city to the new home of the Miach Familia. She and Tiona had both become acquainted with Naaza and Shizune thanks to their purchasing of potions for personal use. Ais had introduced them. Tione could only hope they had something to help her sleep. If not, she'd check with Airmid at the Dian Cecht Familia, but if she didn't have anything either, Tione was stuck with the knocking out option.

The building that once housed the Apollo Familia was still under construction, but thankfully the new potion store was already open. Tione made her way through the gate and up the path, pushing the door open as she went in. It was still fairly early morning, so she was the only customer.

"Welcome to the Blue Pharmacy." Tione didn't recognize the person behind the counter. It was a young man with dark hair, wearing a white lab over a black ensemble. Probably a new recruit. "How can I help you?" He sounded nervous.

"Are Naaza or Shizune in? I'd like to talk to one of them." The dark-skinned woman tried not to sound grumpy but damn-it she was tired!

"Ah." He stuttered, fidgeting slightly before bowing. "I will retrieve them for you at once!" He shouted before turning and almost fleeing out of the room. He didn't get two steps before he tripped over his own feet and went sprawling.

"Hanatarou!" A blue-haired, female Cat Person came running into the room, obviously intending to help the young human but she too tripped over herself, sprawling on the floor next to him.

"Seriously?!" Naaza's exasperated voice said, before the woman her self trudged into the room. It was loud for her, but not a shout. Naaza always sounded sleepy, so it was more like she sounded awake in this one instance. Awake and irritated. "That's the third time you two have tripped over each other this week!"

"I'm so sorry, Captain!" Now the young man was bowing with his head on the floor.

"Sorry…" The girl whined, rubbing her nose.

"Just, go get yourselves cleaned up. I'll handle Tione's request."

"Looks like you're having fun." Tione joked once the two clumsy recruits were out of earshot.

"They're actually pretty good at their jobs for how green they are." Naaza replied, not laughing at the joke. "Unfortunately, they're both bundles of nerves that can't stop tripping over themselves. I hope they grow out of its soon or they're going to start tripping over patients." She sighed. "So, what was it you needed?"

"Do you have any potions to help me sleep?" Tione asked, taking the opportunity to get right to the point. "I've been having weird dreams and haven't slept more than a couple hours every night this week."

"Hmm." Naaza put one hand on her chin as she considered. The cienthrope turned away, examining the shelves. Her tail swished lightly behind her. "We have a few that will put you out pretty well, but they don't do much about dreams. Huh… where is…"

She was muttering lightly to herself. A few minutes later, Naaza walked back over to Tione. The other woman placed two bottles on the counter and then gestured to the one on the left. It was blue.

"This one is proven to put just about anybody to sleep for a good six to seven hours, but it doesn't do anything about dreams." Now she pointed to the other, which was red. "This one is still experimental, but our tests have been promising. No lingering side effects or anything like that from what we can determine. If it works as intended, it should give you a full night of completely dreamless sleep."

"So, which one should I buy?" Tione asked, a little confused.

"I'll sell you the one that I know will knock you out, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd try the other one first. Free of charge. Just tell me how it goes, so we can figure out if it's ready for market."

Tione stared at the bottles for a second before pulling out her wallet. She was more than happy to be a guinea pig if it meant she had a chance of sleeping through the entire night without dreaming of the arena.

Hestia

Hestia took a steadying breath before entering the Denatus Chamber. Her days since the War Game had been hectic and the other gods were starting to get on her nerves. See, she'd found herself suddenly thrust into the position of third most powerful god in Orario. Sure, on paper she was leagues behind Loki and Freya but by sheer virtue of having Torrhen as one of her members she had skyrocketed into the position. Not that she didn't have the money or political clout to hold onto it, of course.

She treated things differently than both Loki and Freya. They poured their resources into their Familia's, which was all well and good, but they had very few sources of revenue beyond what their Familias brought in from the Dungeon. Hestia didn't do that. No, she diversified. She used her money to buy up or invest in businesses. This gave her, and her Familia, a steady source of income outside of the Dungeon. Indeed, it would be next to impossible for a single bad expedition to nearly cripple them like it had Loki.

She'd even opened up a fancy, upscale restaurant! Her Head and Sous Chefs had arrived in the city a couple days ago, so they were set to open that night! She would be celebrating the conclusion of Denatus there with her Familia in a private dining room but she was expecting quite the turnout for the restaurant proper.

As for political clout, that was partially thanks to Torrhen and partially thanks to her high-level friendships. Hephaestus, obviously. Her connection with Loki was slowly becoming public. Then there was Miach, who had also been suddenly thrust into a position of influence and power. As his only official ally, Hestia was in a very good position. This, unfortunately, led to her being bothered by a multitude of other gods.

Some wanted to schmooze up to her in an attempt to further their own agendas. Others wanted alliances where a few short months ago they openly mocked her for how poor she was. She ignored practically all of these. Then there were the ones who just wanted questions answered. Many of which revolved around Torrhen. It had not gone unnoticed that she revealed him to be the son of Akatosh, and many who remembered who that was were understandably curious.

How had the child of a god from bound to another world found his way to Genkai? Were there others from Nirn in her Familia? Did his being a demigod mean he couldn't enter the Dungeon? Was his semi-divinity the reason for his strength or did he earn it? All these questions and more. Those who were polite and honest about their interest, she answered. Not completely candidly of course, but enough to satisfy their curiosity. Those who were blunt and demanding, she refused. Let them find out through the unreliable grapevine.

She sighed a little when she sat down next to Hephaestus. This would be a long, nerve-wracking day. Four of her members were up for an Alias. Lili, Welf, Chigusa, and Torrhen. She wasn't worried about Torrhen. Nobody was going to risk giving HIM a bad alias. No. It was the others she was worried about.

Sure, the other gods might not want to anger her by giving them horrible names, but they wouldn't be giving them particularly excellent ones either. They were only Level 2. As long as they were just kind of… normal, she'd be fine with it.

"Nervous?" Hephaestus asked from the seat next to her.

Hestia sighed again. "A little."

"Don't worry. Nobody is going to try and give your kids anything terrible."

"I don't care if they're good names, I just want them to not be embarrassing."

"There's nothing wrong with an embarrassing nickname, Chibi!" Loki's voice interrupted. The redhead sauntered over and plopped herself down on Hestia's other side. They were still waiting for the room to fill, so she doubted Loki would be sticking around. "Torrhen will be fine, but first aliases are supposed to be interesting!"

"They're still unlikely to give them bad ones, considering Hestia's position." Hephaestus countered, which Loki could only nod and agree to.

Although their relationship was far better than it used to be, Loki still liked to tease. Hestia gave back as good as she got though. Still, considering Loki made her think once again of her odd position. Not just societally or politically, but geographically! Loki's Twilight Manor rested on the very outskirts of the city, towards the north. Meanwhile, Freya's Folkvangr lay next to the southern wall. On completely opposite sides of the city, which usually meant they kept the peace. Loki and her people kept to the north, or at least just didn't wander too much in the south of the city and Freya's people did the same with the north.

The center of the city used to be neutral ground. Except, where was Hestia's home located? Smack dab in the middle of the city, that's where! Sure, she was a little to the west, but that didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. Her 'territory' as third strongest had taken over what used to be neutral territory between the two most powerful gods in the city!

Thankfully, the east of the city could still serve as totally neutral ground. Sort of. That's where Hephaestus' people did most of their work, not to mention where the Colosseum was. Huh. If the north of the city belonged to Loki, the south to Freya, and the west to Hestia… with Hephaestus in control of the east and the Guild controlling the exact center, things actually balanced out pretty well. Hephaestus was ostensibly neutral, given she was a sort of outlier when it came to the power structure.

Freya, Loki, and Hestia were the most powerful exploration Familias and likely strongest overall, but there were a few neutral Familia that held important positions. Dian Cecht was supposed to be neutral but given Miach's rise, it was unlikely to stay that way. Hephaestus had no skin in the game when it came to who was most powerful. She was only interested in the growth of her member's smithing talents. Goibniu was smaller, but very much similar. Then there was Ganesha. His Familia was in charge of security for the city, so everybody kind of answered to them, depending on the situation. Hestia was pulled from her thoughts by Ganesha himself calling for Denatus to start.

A Few Hours Later

"Welcome, my lady." A beautiful redheaded woman bowed in greeting as Hestia walked in. This was Jessie, the General Manager of Hestia's new restaurant. Behind her, the younger members of the Familia were looking around in wonder. Although it had only been open for a few hours, the place was packed. Hestia could see gods, goddesses, and wealthy mortals all dining with happy expressions. Good. It looked like they were satisfied.

"How are things going, Jessie?" Hestia asked.

"Wonderfully, my lady. The chefs have everything well in hand. So far, we've had not a single issue or compliant."

"Wonderful." Hestia gave the woman a smile. "I believe we're ready to be seated then."

"Of course." Jessie gestured, causing an elegant blue-haired young man to come walking over. This was James, the Matre'd. "James, if you would, please escort Goddess Hestia and her Familia to the private dining room."

"It would be my pleasure." He turned to them. "If you would follow me, please."

The group followed behind him, all dressed in fine clothes. The main dining room contained a simple but elegant design. Magic stone lights hung from the ceiling but were purposefully dimmed. Candles sat on every table, giving each setting an intimate, elegant atmosphere. The lights would be brighter when the place was open during the day, but once the sun went down, they switched to the more intimate atmosphere.

Hestia smiled as they entered the private dining room. The lights were brighter in here, but there were still candles. The carpet was soft, with an elegant pattern woven into it. A single large rosewood table sat in the center of the room with beautifully upholstered chairs lining it. Serving tables sat against the wall, along with a selection of wines and other sprits. Once they were all settled and had placed their orders, Hestia pored herself a glass of wine and stood, holding it aloft.

"We're here tonight, to celebrate the grand opening and a great deal more." She gestured to Welf. "Welf has opened his private enchanting shop, which by all accounts is doing marvelously. Also, Familia itself has grown significantly, and it is high time we celebrate our new members joining us." She nodded to Aisha, Daphne, Haruhime, and Cassandra who all gave her nods or smiles in acknowledgement.

"What is more, we successfully defeated Apollo and claimed our spot as the third most powerful Familia in the city!" This was met with cheers all around. "Lastly, we are here tonight to celebrate four of our members getting their aliases." Hestia raised her glass and gestured to each of them in turn. "Ignis." She looked at Welf. "Jian Girl." That was Chigusa. "Maeve." Lili grinned. "And, of course, the Living Legend." Torrhen nodded, satisfied. Hestia toasted them all, their glasses joining hers in the air. "To the Hestia Familia!"

"To the Hestia Familia!" They chorused.

The rest of their evening was spent in lively chatter as they sampled one of the most scrumptious meals Hestia had ever tasted. Her new head chef had come highly recommended, and now she could see why. He was a master in the kitchen. The wine was also excellent, as was the company. Hestia smiled, looking over her Familia.

Each and every one was family to her. Not just because they bore her Falna or lived in her home, no. Because she loved them. Torrhen's quiet calm, always seeming to know just what to say when she was panicking. Bell's energetic joy. Her captain held a fierce love for life and all things adventuring that was so strong, it was hard not to feel excited when he got going. Lili's dogged determination to not only improve herself, but the prospects of the Familia as a whole. She could go on and on, extolling the virtues of her Familia, but instead she chose to simply enjoy their company. After all, as Goddess of Hearth, Home, and Family, there was nothing more important to her than spending time with her family.

A/N: That's it! Happy 1 year of writing and Hearthfire! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing my work. Oh, and barring any complications, you should be getting another chapter this month. These two were to celebrate the year of writing but you should still get the proper monthly update in a week or two. Probably on the 27th if nothing goes wrong.

On to my notes and questions!

The song Torrhen plays is Legends Of The Frost by Miracle of Sound. I don't want to risk anything by including the lyrics, but I wrote the scene while listening to it.

By the way, in my imagination, the song Farkas sings in the memory is Nord Mead, also by Miracle of Sound.

I need character or reference suggestions for the Hestia Familia! Please leave me your ideas in the comments! Also, don't suggest anybody too OP. No Naruto or Goku or anybody like that. I want these characters to be in the background, and it is really hard to make somebody like them a background character.

Also, how many people do you think they should recruit? They are expanding, but at present only have room for about 20 more people. They are expanding the manor, but it'll take a bit and I don't want to introduce a ridiculous number of extras immediately.

BTW, I'm still working my way through Sword Oratoria, so if I get anything wrong, please tell me! I'm trying to make sure my research is thorough, and I know a lot, but I'm not anywhere near as familiar with it as I am main-line Danmachi.

About Airmid. I haven't introduced her, but I have a question for the more knowledgeable people. How loyal to Dian Cecht do you think she is?

About Hestia's restaurant. It will not come up often, but I thought it could be a nice setting for a few later scenes. Any ideas for a name? I deliberately did not name it in this chapter because I can't decide on one I like.

New Aliases

· Lili: Maeve (Since Pallum seem to be related to Irish myth I googled a few gods and people from Irish legends and mythology. I wanted something to do with wolves, considering her summon. When I searched for 'Irish Wolf Queen,' Maeve popped up. I liked it, and I hope you do too!)

· Welf: Ignis

· Chigusa: Jian Girl

· Torrhen: Living Legend. (Thanks to Extella Nights for the suggestion.)

Current Hestia Familia Ranks.

God: Hestia

Captain: Bell

Vice-captain / Treasurer: Lili

Mentor: Torrhen

Executive: Ouka, Aisha, Daphne

Principales (Hestia's version of the Second String): Chigusa, Haruhime, Mikoto, Welf, Cassandra.

Member: Everybody who will be recruited soon.

For those curious, I put Welf below Executive because it is still his intention to rejoin Hephaestus eventually. I just couldn't see him wanting to be a full executive, plus this lets other members be a bit higher. It won't be like the Loki Familia where only the executives do anything. I just thought a ranking system was needed. What do you think?

Also, Principales is a type of Roman Legion rank. I thought it worked well considering Torrhen's history as an imperial soldier and Hestia's Roman aspect, Vesta.

Answers to Questions

On FFN

Walkmanapprenticewordsmith: You're right! I'm sorry i left you out, i didn't mean to! You've been commenting on every chapter since I started. Literally I think since the day or maybe the day after Hearthfire came out and you have no idea how much I appreciate it. I always light up a bit when I see you reviewing and you're often the first person to review each chapter. You even review each chapter more than once! You're a legend, and I'm very grateful that you like my story!

NaWard: Thank you! I'm glad you like it.

BaizarKaiser: Are you saying you wouldn't be happy to accept one of Penny's flying hugs if it meant you got to meet her? Sure, it would break a few ribs, but probably worth it. I bet Ruby thinks so too.

VirusZyX: Thank you for reviewing!

FNinjaFang1331: I hope you liked this one too!

Guest: I'm glad you like the story! Thank you!

Frostwolf2337: I am looking into a few of the more canon friendly mods to expand the spell repertoire a bit. He sings in this chapter! I hope you liked the scene. As for Durnehviir, I'll check out the mod.

Rios: Love RWBY!

Neo Juubi no Ryu: Now that is an interesting idea! Thank you. I was wondering if I should include Pyrrah. Like Penny, she got done dirty by RWBY, so I was thinking about including her. We'll see!

Dasgun: .-.

Haziq Saffari: Happy New Year!

On Ao3

Saulaku01: Probably not. They aren't chocolate chip. Now, if you added chocolate to the mix, she might try it.

MagnustheRed: I'm like 90% sure I want Ryuu in the Hestia Familia. Oh, and you're right. That armor and the clothes fit Aisha perfectly. Thank you!

Devonm0: That was actually Soma's mom and dad! He gets his personality and squid obsession from her. Tamako is his mother's name and she was with a redheaded man. So, that was a reference to Joichiro and Tamako, aka Soma's parents.

Phoenix_Warehouse_Productions_2: Yeah, Nuts & Dolts might blow up the dungeon. Could be fun though!