Grrk grrk grrk grrk grrk–

After days of walking, Hestia rejoiced the moment they found a town with carriage service. 'No more walking!' she thought. 'Everything would be fast and easy!', she thought. Her and Eggie could just sit down and enjoy the ever changing view! It would be amazing!

Grrk grrk grrk grrk grrk–

Not a few hours in and that joy was nowhere to be found.

The petite Goddess winced when a rough tremor struck the carriage she mounted, sending a jolt of prickling feel to her numbing rear. Sitting on a flat wooden seat was fine at first, but it slowly turned worse after a while.

She should have listened to Eggie and picked the roofed carriage instead. That one had cushioned seats, but the roof prevented her from sightseeing! A–and it's kinda expensive and she didn't want Eggie to force himself to accommodate her more than he had to, so–!

Grruk gruk!

Hestia stifled a groan and the urge to massage her butt cheeks. She stole a glance towards the man in the opposite seat, and found much to her bafflement that he wasn't as bothered as she was.

The Elf appeared half-lulled, soothed by the fresh morning air and warm morning sun. A gentle wind passed them both and Hestia saw how his hair fluttered. Long, soft, and shiny like the finest strands of undyed silk, bragged by the caress of a loving breeze.

Pouting, Hestia decided to look elsewhere. Even her hair didn't look that good after a long bath in her temple. And he did it with a random soap and some rinsing!

"What's wrong?"

"N–nothing!"

Seriously, just look how her hair fared in comparison! Rough and frizzy and ugly and— it's so unfair! Eggie's hair had no business to look that good!

"If so, you might wish to see behind you."

Hestia blinked, and turned her head to look what Eggie was talking about. They were currently in Morbihan Plain, and to the south was a forest no different than what they had encountered. No, it wasn't that forest Eggie was talking about, but the one behind that forest, half obscured by morning mist thickened by the long distance between them.

Those trees were huge. So big and tall they scraped the sky, and so thick and lush to the point Hestia wondered whether daylight could reach the ground below.

"Alf's Royal Forest, one of many forests ruled by the White Elves," Eggie informed, "That one is the largest of all, and it's also where the royalty made their home. They dislike outsiders from what I heard, and would attack any who intrudes on their land."

Hestia's face tightened. She was an eager Goddess seeking to see what Gekai had to offer, but to learn that there were people out there who would bar their gates just because they disliked outsiders…

"Not the nicest bunch, aren't they," she opined, and it was quick of her to regret. It was rude of her to say when Eggie himself was a White Elf.

"Indeed."

So it came as a surprise that Eggie was in agreement with her instead. Weren't the Elves supposed to be tighter with solidarity and stuff? Or was it different between forests?

"Eggie, I'm curious. Which forest did you come from?"

"I didn't come from a forest," he said, plain and simple. There was no shift in his expression, nor was there shame or pride in his tone, "I grew up on an island. Summerset, it was called. It wasn't around here. I doubt there's any map in Koine which has it drawn."

Hestia hummed, intrigued by Eggie's homeland. Must be very isolated if it wasn't drawn on maps, "Can you tell me more about it?"

"It was one of the two islands making the archipelago known as Alinor — the other being Auridon. Both islands were exclusively inhabited by Elves of the same rulers. No outsiders were welcomed, even if they were fellow Elves."

The Goddess cringed, "Not gonna lie, Eggie. This Alinor place doesn't sound any nicer than Alf's Royal Forest."

Eggie snickered, finding her words humorous, "Perhaps. I've never spoken with anyone from Alf's Royal Forest, but I know my people. Nice would not be my choice of word to describe the Elves of Alinor."

His light-hearted mood went as swift as it came, leaving melancholy at its wake.

"... We were proud. We were mighty. Our greatness was displayed through our lordly cities, and our ambition was as tall as our gorgeous spires. We had the talents and intellects to prove ourselves superior, and proved our superiority, we did. Cultures, magics, martial arts, education, politics, cuisines, we taught ourselves to be the best in everything."

He slowly inhaled. He slowly let go.

"The Elves of Alf's Royal Forest might not be welcoming, but I'm certain they are humble in comparison to my people."

Superiority bred arrogance, and those who felt themselves superior tended to boast. Hestia was no stranger to it. Just like the case with mortals, Gods weren't equal in strength and talent. The Greek neighborhood was one such example. Out of dozens of Gods, only twelve were crowned as Olympians.

But that was a long time ago. 'Pee-Pee sizing contest' — as Zeus had once worded it — grew old very fast. One year or two and everyone got bored smacking each other, and then all of a sudden, Tenkai found peace and friendship through one enlightening quote alone.

"Violence is temporary. Boobies and booties are eternal." — Zeus, First Olympian.

Hestia winced, remembering the beating Hera had given to her lecherous husband.

Men of Tenkai bonded real fast through their mutual love for womanly qualities, while the women had a common understanding in dealing with men's stupidities. It was all so weird. Was it any wonder that Hestia preferred to hole up in her temple?

Be that as it may, Hestia couldn't help but ask, worried she might be with the possible answer.

"What happened to Alinor?"

She didn't miss how Eggie described his home and people in past tense, and his pursing lips was enough of a hint for the answer to come.

"It isn't around anymore."

The Elf didn't explain further. Hestia didn't have the heart to push. Awkward silence began to fill the air between them. Eggie wasn't having any of it.

"How about you, Goddess? How would you describe the Upper World?"

"Tenkai, huh…" Hestia pondered, and that pondering alone made her feel a little funny inside. She had lived there for as long as she remembered; she shouldn't have thought about it at all, but never was she asked that question before, "It is peaceful and quiet. Really big compared to Gekai, but so desolate in comparison," she lowered her gaze, "It is… perfect, in a way."

Eggie was silent for a moment, "Does that mean Tenkai is free of troubles? No big war or anything along the line?"

"Once…" the Goddess trailed off, "Well, there are some troublemakers who love to spice things up from time to time," a certain flat-chested Goddess came to mind, along with a deranged winemaker, "They don't do anything permanent though, so no one really minded them."

They talked for a while, mostly about Tenkai's cultures (that weren't embarrassing to talk about) and Eggie's previous journeys before he met her, and it was long enough to last until they arrived at their first big settlement.

Karuna, The City of Travelers.

As expected of a city, it was more developed than any settlements they had come across. Walls made of well-carved stones instead of sharpened logs, and buildings made of processed clays instead of hays and planks. At the sides of the main roads were merchants advertising their wares, while the passerby flowed through the middle like magical two-ways rivers.

It was crowded and deafening, two traits Hestia found intriguing as they opposed the nature of Tenkai.

"Be careful. Crowded streets are home to pickpockets."

"Pickpockets?"

"Thieves who subtly steal from their victims' persons. We must watch our belongings closely."

Hestia looked around, feeling a bit exposed all of a sudden. Would anyone dare to steal from a Goddess? She didn't know, but her friend was right to be on their toes, "Alright. Let's go, Eggie. Merchant Union should be this way."

Other than resupplying, their objective in the city was to sell magic stones from surface monsters they had encountered. They didn't net as much as the ones found in the Dungeon, but vali was vali, and every single one of them counted in their travel.

Similar to Adventurer's Guild in Orario, Merchant Union was given a monopoly over magic stones' market in Meilstora region, so they had to exchange with them or face the law.

"Keep our bags safe. I will return as soon as I'm done."

"Got it," Hestia gravely nodded, currently sitting at a table in a pub's corner after making a small order, the aforementioned bags secured between her and a wall.

Eggie left for Merchant Union's building at the other side of the road, leaving her alone to watch over their very important belongings, a duty she took with utmost earnestness.

Hestia took a sip from her orange juice as her wary eyes went back and forth. She was a Goddess of Hearth, and she would not fall to any ploy which would harm the safety of her very temporary home!

… Wow, this juice is really good.

"Ara. Hestia-chan, that you?"

Thief?!

Wait, no, it's just–

Her eyes widened at the blonde guy wearing a lame cowboy costume, not quite believing what she saw amidst the crowd in the pub.

"Hermes…?"

"Well, well, well~" the God playfully snorted at the unexpected encounter, his feet carrying him towards the opposite seat from Hestia, "A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. That descent days ago was you?"

"Uh…" the Goddess gulped, eyes away, "well… that's…"

Hermes didn't need an answer. Hestia's expression told him all he needed to know.

"It was a spectacular landing by the way," teased the blonde with an insufferable smirk, leaning back to his chair, "I didn't know you had it in you, Hestia-chan. I guess being in Gekai made us all a bit more adventurous, eh?"

"Hermes…" pouted Hestia, "what are you doing here?"

Meeting Hermes out of everyone who had descended felt a bit too much of a coincidence, but now that she thought about it, it was probably more of a coincidence the other way around.

Honestly, who was she kidding? The Goddess of Hearth just wanted to derail the conversation away from her horrible landing.

"Well~" he shrugged, his tone whimsical, "Not that different from anyone else, really. Y'know, seeking joy, finding entertainment, venturing Gekai~" he raised his hands in surrender when the goddess' glare intensified, though it looked adorable more than anything else, "Ehhh, just doing a little bit of errand with Asfi-chan. Some jobs involving big shots and all that."

Hestia blinked, "Asfi? Who is that?"

"There," Hermes pointed his thumb towards the queue at the counter where food was ordered and served, "See that blue haired cutie over there? That's my cool and beautiful captain, Asfi-chan!"

His Familia.

Something churned inside Hestia, a pang of envy being the culprit, followed by guilt. It wasn't right of her to feel envious when someone was doing better than her, especially when that someone was a friend.

"Ne, Hestia-chan," Hermes leant forward, coy and crafty, "You have a Familia yet?"

NYEH! Forget it! She would envy however she wanted!

"No," grumbled the petite Goddess, "I haven't found anyone yet. I just came down, remember?"

"But that's almost a week ago?" Hermes continued to rub some salt, acting innocent while he clearly was not, "Even I got my first member in four days!"

Jerk!

Hermes chuckled. Teasing Hestia was never not fun, but it could get boring real quick if done too much at a time. And so he turned his attention to his next subject of interest.

"Anyway, what's with the bag?" asked the God of Messengers, pointing towards the tall backpack sitting beside her. "Kinda too big for you to wear, don't you think?"

"... Huh?" Hestia stared for a second, her eyes widening in realization before she hugged the questioned bag possessively, glaring accusingly at Hermes.

The cowboy-wannabe, being a shrewd God he was, didn't miss the implication, "Ma, you hurt me Hestia-chan! I'm not a thief, y'know! A perfectly law-abiding Kami-chama like me would never stoop so low as to steal!"

"Yeah, but I should've been more careful," she muttered, pouting, "Eggie would be angry if something happened to it."

…

"'Eggie'?" Hermes rose to his feet, getting all worked up for no reason, "You are getting chummy with a guy?!"

"What?! Of course not!"

"Fufufufu, I underestimated you, Hestia-chan!" he sat back, crossed his arms, and nodded wisely, looking at her in a new light, "Even Hephaestus, after decades of being here in Gekai, still hasn't gotten herself a man. And you did it all in a week!"

Hestia chose to ignore that tid-bit about her bestie, "Mou, we aren't like that, Hermes," she huffed, getting fed up with the God's antics, "He's a friend. Heck, he's not even my Familia!"

"I see," he nodded sagely. Nothing new there. Everyone were 'friends' until they got frisky in bed, and considering Hestia's level of prudishness regarding appropriate relationships, it's highly possible that she didn't want to do it with her 'child'.

Maybe she's planning to use her Falna as a bond of matrimony of sorts? How very symbolic. Hermes' style leaned more to the rebellious and illicit side, but he could understand the appeal.

To bag one of the virgin Goddesses! Whoever this Eggie was, he was one lucky dog!

"Lord Hermes," the aqua-haired woman who had been on the queue approached them, a tray of meals in hand.

"Asfi-chan, over here!" beckoned the cowboy wannabe, "Hestia-chan, meet Asfi-chan. Asfi-chan, meet Hestia-chan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Hestia," bowed Asfi, polite and formal.

"Likewise, Asfi," Hestia smiled. She wasn't a big fan of formality, but she's glad that Hermes' child wasn't annoying like him,

After being properly introduced, the Human took the seat beside Hermes and handed him his portion of the meal.

"So, this… 'Eggie'," Hermes posed a raised steeple, his face bearing the seriousness of a psychologist, "is he in this room with us right now?"

"Nope," Hestia said after downing the rest of her juice, "He went to exchange magic stones. I think it's going to take a while."

Hermes squinted ever so slightly, his head leant back as his back straightened. Exchanging magic stones? To the Union and their sloths for receptionists?

He inwardly scoffed.

'A while'? That would be far too generous! Try forever!

The Greek Psychopomp prayed for this Eggie person's soul.

"Who might these be, Goddess Hestia?"

Not.

The Messenger God turned towards the source of the bewitching voice, and what greeted him was a crime.

Shimmering white gold for hair, delicate pointy ears, and a face which could only be found in those josei literature from the Far East! Not to mention that fit, warrior bod!

Everyone loves White Elf ladies. How could they not when they make the finest ojou-samas? The guys however… GAH! Those entitled femboys could die for all he cared! Only Apollo and his questionable taste would ever appreciate them!

But this? This was a breach of reality's law. What couldn't and shouldn't be, here before him.

How could a man of that race have such a powerful blend of grace and masculinity?

A White Elf ikemen?!

"Is there a problem, God Hermes?"

That irritating voice dragged him to reality, and only then did he realize the introduction was over and that he had been staring at the envy of all men this whole time.

And stared he still did.

Hermes flinched when Asfi elbowed the side of his stomach, embarrassed with her God's lack of tact, or…

"I apologize, Mr Aldmeri," said Asfi on his behalf, "Lord Hermes has recently concluded his hours-long discussion with Karuna's officials. Please understand that he is not at his best at the moment."

No… this can't be.

"Am I right, Lord Hermes?"

He wasn't delusional, he wasn't! His sweet and innocent Asfi-chan was doing her best to maintain her sense of self before those lecherous gaze!

"—Lord Hermes!" hissed Asfi.

…

"Eggie-kun," addressed the Olympian, "I've learnt so much about you."

It was a sentence spoken with absolute certainty because Hermes was certain. Ensnaring one of the Big Three in a week and ensnaring his cutie of a captain in a single lunch. How dare he be this lucky?

"Huh?" Hestia blinked, confused, "But you've never met him before?"

Her words were completely ignored as the God of Wit maintained eye contact with the sharp-looking Elf. Asfi — noticing her God's shift in demeanor — gave the exchange more of her attention while pretending nonchalance, seemingly content with sipping down her cold green tea on the warm sunny day.

"What are you planning to do?" Hermes asked. An ambiguous question from a God to a mortal, laden with equally ambiguous traps to measure one's own honesty.

"I'm planning to visit Orario. I wish to see whether it's as beautiful as the hearsay made it out to be."

It was all it took to convince Hermes.

He is too dangerous to be let alive!

Time was of the essence. The Promised Time was coming. The final hero of Gekai would free the world from the horror of monsters' jaws... and gain themselves the most enviable of harem. Well, there's no saying about the last part, but the future was never set in stone, and Hermes had his own agenda for a perfect heroic tale.

And this Elf before him had proven himself to be a terrible hindrance.

That night, Hermes ordered Asfi to dispose of mankind's number one enemy. Horrible screaming echoed throughout the city shortly after, causing rumors and investigations for days to come.

"What do you think it was, Eggie?"

"I don't know. Let's not to talk about it."

Edit: fixed some writing errors.