After the Astraea familia left with Bell, an individual clad head-to-toe in a rugged-black robe emerged from the shadows of the dusky chamber.
"Ouranos."
"What is it, Fels..?"
"Why did you say nothing about how Bell Cranel had only targeted Evilus affiliates?"
"It was a test…"
"A test?"
"I wanted to see for myself. -The boy left behind by Zeus and Hera." The old god reminisced of old times as he looked at the vast array of hieroglyphics and pictographs depicted on the tall arching roof.
"I see."
"My original intention was to invite him to my familia."
"Hoh…" Fels' interest was piqued, having been the only member of the Ouranos familia.
"However I see now that him joining Astraea is for the best." The old god said. "He will not reach his full potential as he could have, had he joined us."
"I'm sure that those girls will bring about the most of him." Fels stated. "Maybe he will be the hero to kill the Black Dragon as Hermes so feverishly supports." The skeleton mused.
.
The walk home was quiet, but not out of awkwardness or nervousness. None of them just really knew what to say. Astraea glanced over her shoulder at Bell, who was fidgeting uncontrollably. Why? -It was because Alise was gripping, holding his hand while grinning gleefully and humming a tune. As painful as it was, he didn't want to make her unhappy so begrudgingly, he put up with it.
The pair drew the glares of many men and gods alike, jealous of being able to hold hands with the beautiful Scarlet Harnel. All of Bell's instincts screamed at him to run away, under the level-four's unrestrained grip on his palm. Truly, Bell was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Luckily enough for the rabbit, his hand was finally freed from the Harnel's ensnarement after a while. Astraea slowed her pace to match with Bell's.
"Bell."
"...Y-yes, Lady Astraea?" He groaned, massaging his hand.
"Ehe, I'm sorry about Alise. When she gets excited she often doesn't hold back." Astraea said with a tender smile.
"N-no it's alright."
"Is something troubling you?"
"Ah, no…"
The goddess giggled slightly. "Bell, you know that you shouldn't try to lie in front of a goddess." Whenever a mortal tried lying to a god, the god's hairs would always stand on end.
Bell chuckled wryly, scratching the back of his head. "...It's just that…I…I don't think I deserve this…" Although Evilus had done innumerable atrocities, it had never sat well with him for deciding to choose genocide as a means to an end. -It was just against his nature and fundamental beliefs. "...Even if they were Evilus, I killed them in cold blood."
His response brought a smile to the goddess of justice who was proud of the boy for having self-awareness of his actions. Kaguya held her sleeve over her mouth, covering the smile on her face from Bell's statement.
Lyra chuckled. "Well yeah, killing is wrong." she said as Bell looked down and dejected. "-but take it this way. Thanks to you, Orario's a lot safer."
To Bell's surprise even the twisted princess had words to offer comfort. "Do not let your past dictate the decisions you make in the present." She said, "Take it from me, all of my techniques were developed for killing."
Bell nodded wryly, unsure what her point was. "...I see."
Kaguya spun on her heel with her finger pointing at the albino. "You and the rest of Orario may not think well of yourself, but you can change that. It's up to you how to use it for good." The far-eastern woman finished, continuing down the street.
…Was she trying to comfort me..?
Bell didn't give a reply but instead faced forwards. The group arrived back home as the skies turned amber. Astraea had Kaguya and Lyra assemble everyone in the living room while she talked with Alise and Bell.
"I'd like for you to walk in after everyone arrives and I make the announcement." Astraea said as Bell nodded. "My girls don't have much interaction with men so please don't be put off if they are startled."
"A-alright."
Astraea smiled. "Don't be too nervous. After all, you're a part of our familia now." She walked off, leaving the pair next to one another in the corridor.
Alise noticed his anxiousness and pulled his head under her armpit, running her knuckles over his head. "Don't worry Bell, big-sister Alise will be here with you!"
"A-Alise, please let me go..!" He said, flustered.
"Ehehehe!"
.
The women sat lounging around the living room, talking amongst themselves as the last entered, taking a seat.
"Lady Astraea, did something happen?" The werewolf asked.
"Mn. -And where's Alise?" A blonde elf added.
"Yes, I have an announcement to make to all of you." Astraea said. She fake-coughed into her palm. "We will be having a new member join our familia."
"Eh!"
"What's she like!?"
"When will we meet her?"
"Let's get ready to throw a party!"
"Lyra, did you know about this?" One of the girls asked, to which the aforementioned replied with a wry smile.
"Now, now. You will get to meet him soon."
"Ooh that's gre- Did you just say 'him' !?"
"Since when did we accept men!?"
"I'm sure this will come as a surprise to most of you, but this is a special exception. -However, Alise, Kaguya, Lyra and I can assure you that he isn't a bad person." Astraea explained. "Some of you should have met him before too." She made eye contact with Ryuu.
As the goddess finished, the doors burst open with Alise barrel-rolling through, her ponytail waving made her seem as if she was a spinning ring.
Alise landed on her feet, striking a pose as if a ninja. She then held up her hands towards the entrance. "Drum roll please…!"
The other girls looked at one another, before shrugging and complying in anticipation and amusement at their captain's antics.
"Please welcome our newest and only male member, Bell Cranel!" Alise declared. "Pachi pachi pachi!" -She started clapping, adding fanfare.
A rubellite-eyed albino adventurer then entered the room. "...Nice to meet all of you, I'm Bell Cranel. Please take care of me." He said nervously, arching his head profusely as if bowing.
Stunned would have been the grandest understatement of the year to explain how the girls felt. They were absolutely flabbergasted for several reasons:
One, a male -boy, joined their familia.
Two, it was the rumoured Astrapi that had been the talk of the town for the past month.
Three, his attitude completely betrayed the previously mentioned gossip that he was known for.
Fourth, a boy joined their familia.
Fifth, a boy joined their familia.
None had a word to say, everyone too speechless and at a loss of words.
"M-maybe this was a bad idea after all." Bell scratched his head. "I think it would've been better if I went to prison…"
Before the rabbit could escape, Kaguya blitzed behind him, with a firm grip on both of his shoulders. "Hold on now." She smiled intimidatingly. "Don't think you get to leave after making us spend nearly our entire fortune buying you."
"B-buying…" Bell winced at her choice of words.
"O-our entire fortune…" The eyes of many of the girls rolled back, another critical hit for them. Lyra however, the Astraea familia's treasurer somehow hadn't lost it as much as the others did. In truth however, she was on the verge of tearing her hair out.
"W-well in any case, welcome to the familia, Mr Cranel." Ryuu forced a smile.
"Y-yes it's good to be here…" He smiled wryly.
"Would you girls formally introduce yourselves?"
A werewolf waved at Bell. "Neze Rankett. Nice to meet ya, Bell."
"Im Noin Unic." A brown-haired human perched on the chairs back of introduced herself.
"Iska Bra." The amazoness waved.
"My name is C-Celty Srowa…nice to meet you…" A green-haired elf with glasses mumbled.
"The name's Asta Knox." A small dwarf smiled with a toothy grin.
"Maryuu Reage, welcome to the familia." The human had long blue hair and droopy eyes.
"I'm the familia's treasurer, Lyra. -And the clumsy elf behind me is Ryuu Lion-" She cocked her head to the side, pointing with her thumb behind her."
"Hey! I'm not clumsy!" Ryuu flushed.
The pallum continued. "-And this is our vice-captain."
"-Gojouno Kaguya, nice to meet you again little rabbit." The black-haired woman said behind her sleeve.
"And last but not least, I'm your pure, beautiful, perfect and amazing captain: Alise Lovell!" She proclaimed in her usual bold and proud way, drawing small giggles from the other girls.
"Yes, it's an honour to meet all of you." Bell bowed his head again, scratching it.
"It's getting late so could you girls begin preparing dinner?" Astraea said as Maryuu and Noin got up, preparing to head to the kitchen.
Before leaving the common room, Noin peeked her head from the corner. "-Ah Bell, do you have any allergies or preferences?"
The boy shook his head. "Not particularly. But I'm not very good with sweet foods."
"You don't need to worry about that then, it's not as if we're having candy for dinner." Maryuu giggled at the rabbits expense before leaving.
"Alright. Since dinner will take a while, lemme show you around, Bell." The captain said with hands on either side of her hips as Bell followed behind her.
.
Alise began showing him around the Stardust Garden, from the common room, game room, war room, the kitchen (where they said hi to Maryuu and Noin), baths, courtyard and library. Because it was nighttime, Alise promised to show him the garden another time as they made their way back to the dining room.
"I'm sure you know but as the Astraea Familia, we are responsible for upholding peace in Orario and keeping the streets safe. One of our main duties is to patrol the city regularly but since there's also the Ganesha familia we don't need to as frequently."
He wasn't sure when but at some point, Alise had whipped out a pair of circular glasses and a pointing stick.
"Is there some kind of rule for when we go on patrols?" As Alise looked confused, he continued. "What I mean is that, is it a requirement to be on patrols with another person?"
"Nope. But most of us do!" The redhead shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll gladly volunteer to go with you if no one else wants to!" She said teasingly.
"Right, thanks…"
…I wasn't even thinking about that…
"Oh but, one strict rule we do have is that weekends are rest days, so no dungeon. Otherwise you'll be banned from the dungeon for a week."
Finished with their tour, they reconvened back in the kitchen.
"Hi, is dinner done yet?" Alise poked her head into the kitchen.
"We should be done in a couple of minutes." Said Maryuu.
"Did you guys finish your tour?" Noin asked as Alise nodded. "Could I ask you guys to help set the table then?"
"Sure." After picking up the cutlery, the two began setting them out along the long spruce-wooden dinner table and after some time, the other members began filling in the open seats.
Astraea sat at the head of the table, with Alise to her left and Kaguya to her right. Bell, not knowing where to sit, was pulled next to Alise with Ryuu to his left. Something he was surprised with was that Lyra, who was next to Kaguya, had to sit on a slightly elevated chair.
"Wow…you guys made a lot…" Bell praised the two humans, eyeing the amount of food on the table.
"Amazing aren't we?" Noin gave him a V.
"Yes. We thought it would be nice to throw a small party for our newest member." Maryuu smiled. "Lady Astraea, would you do the honours?"
Astraea cleared her throat before speaking. "To the newest member of our familia, cheers!" She raised her glass.
"Cheers!" The rest of the familia raised their glasses, taking sips and breaking into conversation as they began eating.
Bell looked warily at the purple liquid. "Don't worry it's not poisoned, it's just grape juice." Kaguya teased as Bell let out an uneasy chuckle.
"Kaguya! Sorry about her, Mr Cranel." The elf sighed.
"So Bell, tell us about yourself!" Neze leaned in from the other side of the table.
The other girls soon began to join in on the bombardment of questions, asking Bell what his hobbies were, how he liked to spend his time, favourite types of music among other things.
Astraea was unsure whether or not they would accept him, but found her fears misplaced. Taking a sip from her glass, the goddess was struck by a sudden realisation.
"Oh that's right, Bell, I haven't reactivated your falna yet."
"You haven't given him a falna yet, Lady Astraea?"
The brunette shook her head. "No, it completely slipped my mind. Do you mind doing it after dinner, or would you prefer it tomorrow?"
"Now would be okay." Bell said, looking for any reason to escape the verbal shelling.
The goddess nodded. After dinner, everyone gathered in the living room.
"Lady Astraea, why is everyone here?" Bell thought that he would be getting his falna in a different room with just Astraea, as it had been with Hestia.
"It's sort of a tradition in our familia that when someone joins, they receive a falna in front of everyone." The goddess replied. "It was the same for Ryuu too when she joined."
Considering that an elf of whom were generally known for being private about showing skin had followed through too, he saw no reason to object. "If it's tradition then it can't be helped…"
"Lyra, could you fetch me a piece of paper?"
"Already ahead of you." The pallum handed the goddess a piece of paper along with a needle.
"Thank you. Bell, would you lift up your shirt?"
He nodded, taking his shirt off, revealing a lean but muscular and well-toned back. Some of the girls thought that Bell was quite skinny, having only seen him wearing long-sleeved clothing but that idea was completely blown away.
"B-Bell, I meant to only lift up the back of your shirt, not take it off…" She said with a tint of red gracing her cheeks, going unnoticed by all but the red-haired captain who was next to her.
…Lady Astraea…Is flustered…!?
Although not being a goddess that resided over the domain of virginity, Astraea was one herself, so seeing a man's back up close was quite stimulating.
"Sorry… Should I put it back on then?" The posts on the back of the chair Bell had been sitting on didn't save the other girls from seeing his chest and abs.
"N-no, since you've already taken it off let's just continue." Astraea said with a light blush, wanting to look at his bare back a little longer.
"Okay…"
"Shall we begin then?"
"Yes."
As she pricked her finger with a needle, a white light began to shine from his back as the divine choir fell. A stylistic symbol of a hearth had come to shape on the rabbit's back, before being replaced with a symbol of a sword with six wings of differing size enveloping it. This was the emblem of the Astraea Familia: The Sword and Wings of Justice.
Astraea watched as the runes shifted and set in place, forming hieroglyphs: the language of the gods. Once they stopped shifting, she stared at his back curiously.
"Goddess?"
She blinked her eyes a few times, before rubbing it to make sure that she wasn't seeing things.
"Lady Astraea?"
Brought back to the world of the conscious, she met eyes with Bell who was glancing over his shoulder. "I-it seems like you've gotten a new skill, Bell." She smiled wryly.
"Really?" His eyes widened.
"Yes, let me copy it down first." She placed the paper that Alise had been holding on to his back and drew a circle over it with her finger. A ring-shaped light took form where the circle was drawn before subsiding.
Astraea handed the paper to Bell.
His rubellite eyes began scanning the paper. Upon reaching the bottom and reading the name of his newest skill, Bell's vision became hazy as warm tears trickled down his face.
"Bell?"
…Stepmother Alfia… Uncle Zard…
He shook his head, wiping the tears away. "I-it's nothing."
Alise glanced over his shoulder, taking a look,
(PAUSEBREAK HERE)
Name : Bell Cranel
Familia : Astraea
Alias : Astrapi
Level : 5
Str : G 227 - G 238
End : G 214 - G 253
Dex : G 293 - F 302
Agi : F 368 - F 393
Mag : F 351 - F 371
Magic :
Jupiter: Swift-strike Lightning magic. Launches bolts of thunder at the enemy.
Regulus: Lightning enchant magic. Coats user armor, increasing movement speed, perception and strength.
Skills :
Liaris Freese: Precocious maturation.
Continued desire results in continued growth. Stronger desire results in stronger growth.
Status : [Inactive.]
Argonaut : The Heroes' strike.
Empowerment of any active action. Empowerment scales off of time charged.
Current limit : [5 minutes.]
Elegy of Lost Legacy : To you, whom hath inherited their wills.
User is coated in magic-resistant armour. Large consumption of mind, consumption increases in proportion to length of time casted.
Temporarily grants user 'Mage' Development ability and spell : Satanas Vesta.
Chant :
Entruster of wills, Entruster of dreams.
Rest, for your legend has been told.
O' Gluttonous king, Gluttonous warrior.
Rest. For your will shall not be lost.
O' Silent maiden, Silent sage.
Rest, for your dreams are heard.
Inheritor of wills, Inheritor of dreams.
Rise, for you bear his will.
O' Hypocritical, foolish hero.
Rise, for you bear her dream.
For the grand bell tolls a new dawn.
To you, I sing this song.
Satanas Vesta : Produces waves of flames. Chant : Opera
Flames may be exploded using the spell key : Chorus
Developmental abilities :
Luck - F
Abnormal resistance - G
Swordsman - H
Chain attack - I
ADD PAUSEBREAK here
Alise blinked. -Again. -Once more. She rubbed her eyes; her confused frown turning into a boisterous laughter. The other girls were caught off guard by their captain's cackling, never having seen her behave in such a way before.
"Alise..?"
"B-Bell." She giggled to herself, wiping the light tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "You're actually amazing…" She snorted while patting him on the back in affirmation. "Lyra, we've hit the jackpot with him."
The pallum squinted, half-doubting the redhead's words yet acknowledging how out of character it is for her close friend to lose her composure. "There's no way it could be that good…"
"See for yourself." Alise handed the paper to Lyra as Kaguya joined the latter.
A blink. -Two, now three blinks. The pink -haired girl glanced at Bell, then back at the paper and then back at Bell. In the span of a few seconds her face had contorted between a mixture of elation, exasperation and above all: excitement.
…With this brat in our familia we'll catch up to Loki and Freya in no time..! Lyra grinned as she began thinking of ways that he could fit into their dungeon party formation. If she understood correctly, Bell could substitute for being a vanguard, rearguard and maybe even a pseudo-mage too.
"Ku…Kuhu…Fufuhahahahahaha!" Kaguya burst out laughing, "You're one hell of a piece of work, rabbit boy."
Seeing their senior familia members completely out of character, the other girls' interests were piqued.
"Bell." Astraea called him firmly.
"Lady Astraea...?"
"I understand if you do not trust all of us immediately, but are you comfortable with your status being shared with the rest of the familia?"
Bell was silent, his gaze lowered. The Astraea familia were trustworthy and in his situation, he couldn't really object. Bell was basically an indentured servant or a slave so there wasn't much say for him to begin with. -He knew that Lady Astraea or Alise never thought of him that way though. And also for the familia that took the gamble of recruiting him, he thought that he should too.
"...Alright." He nodded. "I know I'm not in the position to ask, but my only condition is that information about my first skill absolutely never leaves this familia."
Astraea nodded, placing a hand on Bell's in reassurance. "I swear on the supreme gods." She didn't believe it at first but if Bell's first skill truly worked as suggested, every god from Orario to the other side of the world would want to get their hands on him.
After a copy had been passed around and the other girls had taken a look through it, a second round of questioning had begun.
Ryuu asked the question on everyone's mind. "...Bell, about your first skill, Liaris freese, how does it work?"
"From what I understand, the amount of excelia I gain is multiplied several-fold."
"And what about the desire part of it? Is it like wanting to achieve a dream or sumn'?" Asta added.
Bell's eyes widened momentarily. "...I'm not too sure about that part." He trailed off. He wasn't so much stupid as to lie to a god, but to his surprise Lady Astraea said nothing of it.
Astraea stood on end, indicating that he had lied. -But she decided not to say anything. She didn't approve of his willingness to lie to others so blatantly but was sure that he had his reasons.
"Then, about your second skill." Next was Lyra. "Two years ago, when we fought Silence, was it your Argonaut that you used that caused that massive white flash?"
The albino bit his lip, nodding affirmatively in reply.
"Does it consume your mind?" Celty, the familia's healer asked.
"It depends. If I'm empowering my body it consumes stamina but if I'm empowering a magic spell then it consumes stamina and mind."
Adding onto Celty's question, Ryana spoke up next. "Is the stamina and mind consumption like an after-effect?"
He shook his head. "No, my mind and stamina are actively consumed as I activate it."
The brunette-mage continued. "What happens if you get hit during the charge? Do you have to start from scratch?"
"The charge could be lost, but it mostly depends on my focus." Bell said. If I don't lose focus on the charge then I can keep it. -Basically think of it like casting a magic spell." The mage nodded in understanding at his example.
Next was Kaguya. "Your enchant, how is it different from the Hildrsleif?"
Hildrsleif, an executive of Freya familia. Although it wasn't public knowledge, some knew the kinds of magic he had due to having fought alongside during the dark ages. -Among them was an enchantment similar to Bell's.
"His magic heals its user but cannot be used on himself I believe."
"I'm not sure about the details but I think that it's largely the same as mine. -The main difference would be that my magic doesn't heal me, however I can cast it on myself." He never really thought that much about it, having limited interactions with Freya familia but maybe one day he would get to find out who's enchantment was stronger.
"Then about your Elegy skill…" Neze began.
"I don't really know about it, it's a new skill to me too. Sorry." He said as the werewolf sighed with a smile, as if saying "no worries".
Later on, topics such as Bell's development ability of Luck, his no-chant magic and S rank stat capability were covered to which the albino answered to the best of his abilities.
Astraea looked at the time, noticing the hour hand gone past 12. "Ehem, I think we should call it a day here." She clapped her hands together. "I'm sure that you all have more questions but Bell must be quite tired after today so how about we continue tomorrow?" She said, as the women began to retire for the night, leaving with 'good night's'. "Bell, could you stay for a bit? There's something I want to talk about."
After the other girls left, Astraea sat down with Bell on one of the sofas.
"So what did you want to talk about, Goddess?" He tilted his head.
"It's nothing too serious, I just wanted to ask what you think of the familia so far."
He clasped his hands with a solemn look on his face. "...Everyone's really nice and kind. I feel very lucky to be a part of such an amazing familia." He replied.
"Ehe, thank you." She smiled. "...Are you having second thoughts..?"
Bell was surprised by her instincts. "N-no, of course not." He shook his head with his hands up as if in defence. "It's just that…I still don't think I really deserve this. -For someone like me to be around such amazing people…" Self-deprecation seeped from his voice.
The goddess put a hand on his back, stroking it gently. "I'm sure that no one here thinks ill of you, Bell." She said as he met her gaze. "If anything, I think that most of your sisters hold great respect for how much you've sacrificed for Orario."
"...You think so?"
"I'm your, and their goddess after all." She giggled. "-So stand proud. What you've done is one of the most selfless acts I've seen in all my days."
"Thank you Goddess…" He smiled. "I feel a little better."
Sensing no lie, she smiled in return. "That's great then. You might want to get some rest now."
"O-*yawn*-kay…" Bell nodded groggily, earning a light chuckle.
"Alise, could you show him to a vacant room for the night? We can discuss the arrangement tomorrow."
As if a child was caught eating candy before dinner, Alise poked her head out of the hallway sheepishly. "Ehehe, busted~" She picked up the rabbit bridal-style and carried him off. "Goodnight Lady Astraea!"
After her captain left, Astraea took a glance back at the paper of Bell's stats.
…Bell reacted to seeing his new skill and to Silence…Could they have had some kind of connection..?
She made it a mental note to ask him about it sometime and decided to also go to bed.
.
"Hmm...this should be fine!" Alise had eventually found a room and laid him down on the bed, resting his head gently on the pillow and pulling the sheets over him. She watched him for a while before deciding to get some sleep too, but was stopped when she felt a tug at her sleeve.
"...Don't...leave...mom..." His face was pale and ashen. The redhead resigned herself and sat on the side of the bed, holding his hand. As ignorant as she was, Alise was quite observant. Her cheerful, carefree attitude was an act she had to put up so that those around her wouldn't feel scared.
"You've been through a lot, haven't you…?" She said with a warm smile and gently tightened her grip, his face regained some colour and a relaxed expression replaced his fearful one. She didn't know how much time had passed and she too began to feel tired, Alise didn't want to leave him to his potentially returning nightmares so she lifted the sheets ever so gently and crawled into the bed, laying down holding his hand.
.
It was a dream, one of a memory from a time long-passed.
A young man sat around a heart with a group of women, laughing heartily and chatting away, enjoying each other's company. The warmth of the hearth, the warmth of family, was a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time. But in time, the women began to leave; the hearths warmth growing weaker and weaker.
"...Don't leave, Mom…please… Don't leave me like everyone else…"
He blinked once more in his dream, and in front of him was a red-haired woman. He took her outstretched hand; it felt small and soft, small yet gentle. He was pulled up into a hug from his seated position, it felt relaxing, unimaginably so. The warmth he was held in could only be compared to the nostalgic embrace of the hearth.
It felt like home.
It felt like family.
It felt like love.
.
Bell felt refreshed. He hadn't gotten such a good, deep sleep in a very long time. His head felt clear, as if all of his fatigue and worries had temporarily faded away. The once-cold void that gripped at his soul pulling him down was no longer there, as he sunk into warmth and comfort.
…So soft…
"...Mnn…"
…Is the pillow..speaking..?
He began to stir awake, eyes greeted by the bright morning sun. As his eyes trailed down, he found a patch of red…hair..? When did the pillow have hair? His half-awake state of mind slowly pieced the situation together.
One: He was in bed, Alise on top of him.
Two: He was in bed, Alise on top of him.
Three: He was in bed, Alise on top of h-
"Wahhhh-" His voice reverberated through the manor, as if a rooster's squawks and clucks. "A-A-Alise w-why are you sleeping on me!?" He spat.
The red-headed pillow tightened her hold on the rabbit. "...Mh…five more minutes mr rabbit…zzz…" Despite being a level above Alise, the albino found it hard to break free of her embrace somehow.
"A-Alise! Please wake up!"
"...Nnnn… Ah…! Good morning Bell!" Shaken awake by the rabbit, she got off from his chest onto her hands, straddling him with her legs on either side of his hips.
To some, this situation would be worth dying for, except any positivity in the situation had all been swept away as the door burst open with Kaguya and Ryuu…weapons in hand.
…Maybe his Luck ability was at work, in its own twisted way.
Kaguya's eyes darted around the room searching for danger, ready to cleave anything out of the ordinary in a moment's notice.
"We heard a scream, are you alright-" The elf said.
Because it was still quite early in the morning, Ryuu had only been dressed in a tank top and shorts which exposed her stomach. Kaguya on the other hand was wearing a loose slate-grey yukata.
From the two girls' position at the door, the blanket was over Alise's shoulders, so they could only see her neck and her head making it seem as if she was in the nude.
…They're doing THAT in broad daylight!?...
Elves despite priding themselves in their 'purity' often were the first to string together lewd thoughts.
"W-W-What are the two of you doing..!" Ryuu's face burned. "Y-you're only supposed to t-that after marriage and under a full-moon in the forest after you swore your eternal everlasting love to each other!-" Poof! Her face turned even more red as she ran out of the room screaming.
"Ara~" Kaguya smirked. "Not even been in the familia for a day and you've already seduced our captain…?"
"Ms Kaguya! I-it's not what it looks like!" Bell flusteredly replied.
"Good morning, Kaguya! Ah- Lion ran off…"
"Why don't you explain to us what it is then?" Kaguya and Ryuu were now by the foot of the bed, eyeing the albino and redhead. "-Because you two seem to be having quite a 'good morning'." She teased.
"N-no! I don't know what's happening either!"
"Hm? Is that so? Well whatever, I'll leave you two to go at it like rabbits." She left with a wave.
Alise looked back down at Bell, still pinned down under her. Bell tried hiding his face with his arms, desperately averting the redhead's piercing gaze.
"Slept good?" Asked Alise.
"Y-yeah…" Bell nodded lightly, still red. "...So umm…could you get off of me or..?" He met her gaze through the gap in his forearms.
"O-oh look at the time! We'll be late for breakfast! Better hurry up and get dressed, Bell!" Avoiding his question, she released him from the bed-pinning and dashed out of the room in an instant.
"R-right!" He wasn't sure, but Alise's ears looked slightly red but he didn't think much of it. Finally free, Bell splayed himself out on the bed, relaxed.
…That was the weirdest way I've ever woken up…
.
She burst through the door and into the empty bathroom, her ears still burning. Her footsteps echoed sharply against the tiles as she made a beeline for the sink, turning the faucet on full blast. Alise leaned over, cupping her hands under the cool stream, and splashed her face, the shock of the water a small relief against the heat that had crept all the way to her ears.
For a moment, she just stared at her reflection, drops of water sliding down her flushed cheeks. As the memory of the albino's flushed expression rushed through her mind once more, Alise found her face feeling hot and her breath growing shakily.
…Bell…he looked so cute…
"Hauuu… This is bad for my heart…" She sighed.
.
As if Ryuu and Bell's eventful morning couldn't get any worse, the elf had walked in on the albino when he came out of the shower…getting a full view of the rabbit's body. Astraea had yet to discuss with the rest of the familia about the toilet schedule, so it was bound to happen sooner or later.
During breakfast, for some reason the two of them couldn't look anyone in the eyes. -The former muttering incessantly to himself and the latter trying her best to think pure thoughts.
"...Lady Astraea… Did something happen overnight..?" Maryuu winced, taking a sip from her soup.
"Who knows..?" The goddess replied dismissively. One benefit of being a god was that you could lie without much worry of being caught. Astraea was always an early riser, so she had watched the entire situation unfold with front-row seats.
.
"Hey rabbit, come with me." Kaguya said.
It had been a couple days since Bell joined the familia and he had spent most of it inside the manor. Astraea told him that he wasn't allowed to leave before some documents were sorted out.
"Eh? All of a sudden? Is something wrong?"
"That's 'Yes vice-captain' to you, now hurry up." The black-haired girl glared.
"Y-yes vice-captain…"
Bell followed obediently behind Kaguya without asking questions. -Being honest, Bell was kind of scared of Kaguya, the memories of being force-fed soup sending chills down his spine.
They arrived at a somewhat-large pair of wooden doors. Kaguya knocked on the door; after hearing a 'come in!' She pushed them apart.
The room was shaped like a square, with the side walls being lined with bookcases. In the centre of the room was a green carpet with fancy gold and brown embellishments; a similarly coloured pair of sofas opposite to one another on top and a knee-high wooden coffee table.
Opposite to the entrance and past the sofas was a wood desk with small piles of paper on the side. On the wall behind the desk was a flag of the Astraea familia emblem hung up. Adjacent to the flag were two large arched windows with blue curtains tied to the sides.
Sitting on one of the couches was an aqua-blue haired woman with a white patch over her bangs. She had cyan-blue eyes and wore glasses.
…Ms Asfi… What's she doing here..?
After taking note of his surroundings, Bell's eyes noticed the chair by the desk facing away. Slowly, the chair spun around, Alise sitting with her hands clasped with fingers pressed, palms apart. Behind her was Astraea standing by the side of the desk.
"Youkoso…watashi no office."
Kaguya, still at the door, stared blankly at her captain. "Right, I think this is the wrong room." She began to close the door behind her, ushering Bell to step back.
"Ah wait! I'll stop fooling around so don't go!" Alise cried, no longer sitting in a way that made her look like some kind of villain in a story. "Take a seat Bell."
Following her directions, he took a seat where Alise's desk was to his right. Asfi was opposite to him, calmly sipping her tea. Kaguya closed the door behind her and stood by the entrance.
"So, what did you want to discuss..?"
"We wanted to talk about your being in the Astraea familia now."
Bell nodded, listening intently.
"Although Ouranos has stated that your bounty has been voided by us paying back the sum, it's only something that is known by the higher-ups in the guild." She explained. "The public is under the impression that Bell Cranel has been sent to prison."
"Right…" He nodded along.
"People would question our familia's trust if someone with such a high bounty were to be accepted, a boy no less." Alise continued "-Which is where Asfi here comes in."
The blue-haired woman reached into her pouch, taking out a necklace with a ruby embedded at the centre. "This magic item is for you."
Bell took it in his hands, inspecting it.
"As 'Bell Cranel' is currently in prison, you will have to use a different name and will also need a different appearance." Astraea said.
"I'm guessing that this magic item changes my appearance, right..?" He turned to Asfi.
"Yes. Put it on and press the jewel."
Bell followed her instructions, unlatching the small hook on the ends of the chains and re-attaching them once around his neck.
…So I just press it..?
As he pressed the magic item, the ruby glowed for a bit before changing to an emerald. He felt as if his eyes were playing tricks, but his hair seemed to stretch, to grow right before himself.
No, he thought, that's impossible. But there it was, inching downward. Bell's breath hitched. His fingers trembled as he reached up, brushing the silvery length. Soft, real, and... unmistakably his.
"What the…" As the words left his mouth, something felt different. Bell touched his throat, surprised that even his voice had changed. His voice was quite high to begin with, but now it had gotten deeper. Bell began to inspect himself, looking over his shoulder he saw that his hair ended by his hip.
"I thought there might be some things which looked weird but It turned out a lot better than I expected." Asfi said in self-praise. "It's good that you already have quite a small physique Bell, otherwise it might not have worked quite well…" Asfi reached into her pouch and took out a mirror, handing it to Bell. "Here, take a look at yourself."
Bell inspected his reflection. His bangs were slightly longer now, and his fringes went down to his chest. "Is this really…me..?" The albino asked rhetorically.
"Hoh~" Alise darted around the albino, inspecting every inch of him closely, much to his embarrassment. "Not bad, not bad at all!"
"You sure do look like one of us now… Belko.. Kh" Kaguya snorted.
"Don't say that, Kaguya. Belko is an important part of our familia regardless of her appearance." Astraea added while nodding.
"Goddess too!?" 'Bell' cried as a round of laughs circled around the group.
Asfi sighed, "Honestly, I thought that you had finally lost it when you came breaking down my workshop doors and asked to make a magic item that can make a man into a woman, Alise…"
"Sorry about the door! I promise I'll help you with gathering materials some other time!" The redhead lowered her head and clasped her hands in prayer.
"I'll take you up on that…" She said with another sigh.
After calming down, Astraea asked. "Bell, do you have a different name in mind you would like to go by?"
The aforementioned clasped his hands in thought.
"Bell..?"
"...Meteria. Meteria Sybell." He finally replied after a drawn-out silence.
"Meteria…that's a great name." The brunette smiled.
"In that case then…" Alise hopped out of her chair to Bell. "Welcome to the Astraea familia, Meteria Sybell!" She said with her hand out.
"Thanks." Bell nodded, shaking her hand. "Umm… Ms Asfi…"
"Yes, Bell? -Or is it Meteria now?" She joked.
Bell chuckled lightly. "Either is fine, but I think it will take some time for me to get used to being called Meteria..."
"It's only for your documents with the guild, so it should be okay to continue to go by Bell." Astraea commented as he nodded.
"-So about this magic item, does it need to be charged?"
"No. It uses up a little bit of your mind to activate, and will remain active for about half a day unless you deactivate it."
"I see."
"Great. Now that this has been sorted out, could you go to the guild later to register him, Alise?"
"Okay!" The redhead smiled as the goddess nodded affirmatively. "We'll see you out Asfi, unless you have any other business!"
Asfi shook her head indignantly, getting up from her seat and following the pair out.
.
As they left the Stardust Garden, Bell bowed, "Umm Ms Asfi, thank you!"
"Thank Alise, not me." She smiled lightly with a wave, leaving in the opposite direction they were going in.
"Bell, do you have any plans after we're done at the guild?"
"Hmm…" He pinched his chin. "I think I'll go visit Auntie Hephaestus…"
"Wow…bold of you to call the head of Orario's biggest smithing familia 'auntie'..." She teased. "So how do you know Lady Hephaestus..?"
"I got to know her when I was younger…and she was quite good friends with mom." He explained. "-She was also the one who forged Vesta."
"Uwahh… a weapon hand-crafted by the goddess of the forge, that must've cost a fortune." Alise winced at the thought.
In an instant, his expression changed; Bell looked as if he had just been gutted. "Actually that's what I wanted to discuss with her…"
"Ah… Well either way, let's get going!"
"...Yeah…!" The sunken albino said, mustering as much enthusiasm into his voice.
The two departed first to the guild to register Bell -Meteria, to the Astraea familia. As they walked, Bell asked Alise questions about the Astraea familia and Alise answered to the best of her knowledge. He was too engrossed in conversation that he had paid no mind at all to the many stares they garnered.
Half an hour had passed in the blink of an eye and they arrived at the Pantheon, pushing open the saloon-like doors. They had arrived rather late in the day and it was around the time most people came back from the dungeon. Alise and Bell lined up for one of the booths managing familia affairs.
Noticing her companion's fidgeting, Alise asked. "Be- Meteria, you okay?"
Meteria glanced around wryly. "Alise…are you sure this disguise is working..? Don't I look weird or something..?"
"You look amazing!" Alise patted the albino on the back. She leaned into Meteria's ear, "Listen to what the people around us are saying!" Her voice was quiet enough that only people with a high enough level could hear.
"...Woah…who's that girl with the Scarlet Harnel?"
"She's so beautiful…"
"...That white hair…Astrapi..?"
"What're you on about man, Astrapi is a guy, and he's also in prison."
Gulp
"Did someone just gulp loudly?"
"You okay up there in that head? Need to get checked out by Dea Saint?"
"I wish! Not that we have any money though…"
After waiting for a while and Bell weathering the storm of comments at him, it was finally their turn.
"Excuse me!"
"Hello miss, how can I help you today?" The brunette half-elf guild employee smiled.
"I would like to register her into the Astraea familia." Alise said, putting an arm around Meteria's shoulder and pulling her in.
"E-eh!?" The half-elf jolted, drawing stares from her coworkers and adventurers alike. "I-I mean, of course!" She said after regaining her composure. In a few moments, she returned with a sheet about general information that adventurers needed to fill out upon joining a familia. "Can you write?" The elf asked the albino.
"Yes." Meteria replied.
"Alright, please fill out your information such as name, race, age, level and what familia you are a part of." The half-elf pointed at the different boxes respectively before handing the quill pen to the albino-girl.
Meteria took the pen, "T-thank you." She smiled.
.
The half-elf began to zone out. Her eyes were fixated on the white-hair girl opposite the counter to her. The longer Eina was looking at the albino, her cheeks felt increasingly warm.
…Hauuu…she looks so cute…
"Miss? I'm finished."
…I bet her hair must be really smooth…
"Umm…miss? Are you alright..?"
"Y-Yesh!-" Eina replied, snapped out of her little daydream.
"...'Yesh'..?" Alise quoted her, giving the half-elf a questioning look.
Realising her mistake, "I-I'm sorry! I'll quickly double check everything if you wouldn't mind…" Eina quickly snatched the sheet of paper.
"Of course." Meteria smiled lightly. "Umm miss, you're new to this job right? -Sorry if I'm assuming wrong but just relax and I'm sure you'll do fine."
…Hauuuu was it that obvious that I'm new to this job…!?
"Ah, thank you…" Eina bowed gently, face still red.
…Meteria Sybell…human…16… level 5… Eh..?
"L-level f-five!?" Eina shouted. She glanced between the paper and Meteria's face, the albino tilting her head as if asking if something was wrong. "Are you sure this is correct..?"
"Yep! I as the captain can confirm this." Alise added.
.
"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to accept this…" She said with a wry expression. "It's not that I doubt you of course! -But would you let me run this by a senior staff member..?"
Getting a nod from the redhead, the guild worker dashed off. It hadn't even been any longer than 5 minutes but news of the Astraea familia getting themselves a mysterious first-class adventurer among their ranks became the only topic of discussion in the bustling guild hall.
"That girl is a level 5?"
"Wait…isn't that a higher level than their captain…"
"Yeah, the Scarlet Harnel is only a level 4 right now."
"Where the hell did they pick her up…"
"Kuuhh! I wish I could join too and have myself a harem of such beautiful girls!"
"Keep dreaming!"
"Level 5… I gotta let the captain know..!" Hearing the news, a spiky black-haired adventurer with round silver armour over his chest and shoulders bolted out of the guild.
Meteria slumped, looking down guiltily at the floor and trying her best to ignore any comments she was hearing. "...Alise, you're absolutely sure this is fine right..?"
"Hmm?~" The redhead chirped. "What is?" She shot his question back with a smirk.
No longer slumping, Meteria shot up in the Scarlet Harnel's face. "You know…pretending to be a girl..!" She leaned in, whispering.
"It can't be helped right~ Bell Cranel is in prison after all."
"Kh…"
"Aww how cute, you're all red Meteria..!" Alise teased at the albino's expense.
In a few minutes, a different employee came back in place of the half-elf from earlier. "Sorry for the trouble, everything checks out. Have a good day." He said with a bow.
"Well then, should we go..?"
"...Yes!" Meteria sunk, glad to finally get out of the many stares.
.
The two arrived at the home of the Hephaestus familia, Etna Volcano. Despite being a 'home' it was more akin to an office or workshop of sorts, a perfect reflection of their familia of artisans.
Entering the large building, Alise expected to be drowned in a constant noise of hammering but it was surprisingly quiet. Meteria explained to her that not many of the smiths lived in the home as they made their way towards the receptionist.
"How could I help you today?" The receptionist asked.
"I'm here to discuss a personal debt with Aun- Lady Hephaestus."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"...No…" Meteria frowned.
"Well that's too bad. You'll have to come back in a couple years because Lady Hephaestus is really busy! -Like really, really, really busy!" The male receptionist said bitterly, clearly having dealt with many similar situations before.
"Hey Meteria," Alise leant into her ear. "Try doing what I say…" She whispered.
The receptionist eyed the pair sceptically.
"Eh!? But that's embarrassing..!"
"Just trust me on this one! It'll definitely work!"
"Mses, if you have no further business please step aside…" The man chided.
Meteria leaned down at a slight angle, touching her fingers with her palms apart. She cocked her head cutely, "...Is it really no good..?" the albino said with puppy-dog eyes.
"Kh…"
"Please…?"
The man averted his gaze. "Y-your seduction won't work…" He was putting up a valiant fight, but it was a checkmate. Meteria put her hand over the man's own, gripping it gently.
"I can't do this without you…so please..?"
Seeing as the albino was on the verge of tears, the man finally caved. "Fine! I'll go put a word in for her! But I can't promise you'll get your meeting!"
"Yay!" Alise cheered.
"Thank you very much!" Meteria bowed with a tender smile.
"J-just take a seat over there…someone will be with you shortly…" The man cupped his face desperately trying to hide his embarrassment.
Alise and Bell took a seat by the waiting room area.
"I can't believe that seriously worked…" Bell sighed into his hands.
"What did I tell you!" Alise gave him a slap on the back. "You see, Meteria, for us beautiful, lovely ladies, our beauty is something that can be weaponized."
"Uh-huh…" Meteria nodded wryly.
…Maybe it could help in the future..? She pondered.
In a few minutes, an employee returned. "Lady Hephaestus will now see you, follow me."
.
A crimson-red haired goddess sighed into her chair. She wore a black eyepatch over her right eye, her other eye being a striking red. Her white shirt clung tightly to her body revealing an ample amount of her cleavage. She wore black gloves that reached up to her forearms, going over the rolled up sleeves of her shirt.
Why was Hephaestus so miserable? Maybe it was the mountain of paperwork on her desk that practically breathed down her neck. The goddess took a quick glance at the document in front of her. She sighed again, slumping further down her chair.
Her office was dimly lit, its only source of light emerging from the large window behind her desk which casted a shadow over her. The walls were lined with weapons forged by herself and her children; the wall to her right having a vast array of tools and hammers.
Knock Knock
"Come on in." She pushed herself back up onto her chair.
"Lady Hephaestus, I've brought them."
"Thanks Allen, you can go now." The man stepped aside, letting the white-haired girl and redhead past. "So what can I do for you Alise Lovell..?"
"It's not me who has business with you, but her." Alise shook her head motioning for Meteria.
Hephaestus raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"
"Ah that's right."
The girl fished her necklace out of her shirt, gently pressing the jewel. The emerald glowed lightly before settling into a ruby colour. As the jewel shifted colours, the 'girl's hair receded, now less than a third the length.
"So umm…long time no see..?" Bell scratched the back of his head.
Hephaestus eyed him up and down with a dumbfounded expression. "...Where did that pretty girl disappear off to…?"
"That umm…was me…"
"Right…" Hephaestus nodded trying to make sense of what she just saw. "Well in any case, I'm glad you're doing well." She got up from her chair and rustled the albino's hair tenderly. "Take a seat, I'm sure we have lots to catch up on." The goddess smiled, crossing her arms and leaning on the front of her table.
"Are you sure we aren't intruding?" He said, suggesting to the piles of paperwork.
Hephaestus looked over her shoulder, wincing at the sight. "Ah… Don't worry about it, I can have Tsubaki finish it up for me." She joked. "-So then, what brings you here today? I'm sure it wasn't just to have a little catch-up."
"It's about mom's debt with Vesta. The debt will be passed on to me right?"
"Well that's how it is." She took a sip from her coffee.
Bell's expression sank. He had anticipated such would happen but the thought of a 280,000,000 valis debt- One greater than his own bounty was very intimidating.
"0 Valis."
Bell blinked a few times, looking at the goddess in confusion. "I'm sorry?"
"0 Valis. That's how much you owe me." Hephaestus said, taking another sip.
"But-"
"Ah! I'll have to stop you right there." She waved her index finger side to side. "Hestia is my best friend, and someone I deeply trust. If I were to put all of her accumulated debt onto her most cherished child, she'd kill me when I get back to Tenkai!" She half-joked "-And also, consider it as a thank-you gift for what you've done for Orario."
"I…thank you." He looked as if on the verge of tears.
"Actually, on second thought, I do have one condition." Hephaestus said, pinching her chin.
"W-what would that be?" Bell replied, ready for whatever alternative.
"I'm guessing that your old smith cut ties with you, yeah?" She asked as Bell nodded affirmatively. "In that case: my condition is for you to make a contract with one of my problem-children."
Bell tilted his head. "Is there something bad about that blacksmith?"
"Not exactly." She shook her head. "Have you heard about the Crozzo clan?"
"Like the one in the Argonaut?"
"-Or do you mean that fallen clan that used to be in Rakia?"
"Yes, to both. You see, people of the Crozzo clan can make absurdly powerful magic swords and that's all people go to him for. He doesn't get any customers who look for normal gear." She explained.
"So you want me to sign a contract with him to give him some business?"
"Exactly. Well it's up to you whether or not you accept my offer but I think you and I know the only answer here."
Bell gave his head a light shake. "Regardless of what your condition could have been, I would've accepted anyways." He smiled.
"Great. I'll send a letter some time in the week about the details to arrange a time for you two to meet then."
"Sounds good."
Hephaestus clapped her hands. "Alright! Now that business talk is over, why don't you actually catch me up this time about how you've been lately? -And why you're with the Scarlet Harnel no less." She said, glancing at the fellow redhead.
Bell muttered. "It's kind of a umm…"
"-A bit of a long story." Alise finished.
"Well all I've got is time here hahaha." Hephaestus laughed blissfully, doing her best to ignore her paperwork.
Normally Hephaestus would prioritise getting work done first, but this was the child of her best friend...she definitely did not want to run away from the foul beast known as hand cramps, back pain and finances.
The goddess got comfortable on her desk as Bell began to retell how he ended up being joining the Astraea familia, Alise adding in details every now and then and eventually ending on why he had the appearance of a woman. Bell tried to gloss over the numerical value of the bounty on his head but ended up having to reveal it from the constant teasing from Alise.
Hephaestus nodded along, listening and paying attention closely to her pseudo-nephew. "I think I more or less understand. I'm glad you were able to find good people to call family." She smiled.
"No. -I'm honestly undeserving of being around such amazing people." He shook his head.
"Don't sell yourself short Bell! Thanks to you, our familia's bound to shoot up a rank!" As the words escaped her mouth, Alise came to a realisation. "Shoot up a rank… Oh no, Lyra's gonna kill me!"
Hephaestus hit her fist into her palm. "Oh that's right. With a first-class adventurer like Bell joining, your familia should turn into a high B rank or a low A rank familia."
"...Which means that the familia becomes more famous, has to take deeper dives into the dungeon and has to pay a larger tax to the guild…" Oh. Realisation had sunk in for the albino too. He hadn't known Lyra for long but he knew that she was incredibly stingy about money.
"I'm sorry Lady Hephaestus but we gotta run!" Alise bowed quickly before dashing out of the room.
Bell got up too, glancing between the exit and the goddess. Hephaestus merely smiled, as if saying 'get going'. "I uhh… thank you again Auntie Hephaestus! Love you!" Bell waved as he chased after his captain.
The goddess peered out the large window in her office, watching the rabbit (now in her female appearance) chasing after a red-haired girl furiously making a b-line for the south street.
"I guess some things never change huh?" Hephaestus smiled, memories of a younger Bell similarly running around crossing her mind.
.
A black-haired adventurer rushed to the Loki Familia's home, Twilight manor which resided in the far-northern district of Orario. After a while of running, he arrived at the front gates. Recognizing their seniors, the guards let him in after a quick greeting. Raul rushed up the stairs and through the halls, bursting into teh captain's office.
…Maybe I should ask Lady Loki to update my status… He joked mentally, having run a marathon home.
"Captain!"
A wide desk sat in front of the opposite wall. Hung on the wall behind it, was the emblem of a trickster. The adjacent walls were stacked full of books, all differing in colour. Towards the left, was a wooden cupboard and a painting of the goddess Fianna, the pallum's goddess. At the centre of the room were two couches, a rough-looking dwarf sat on the left, opposite to a green-robed high elf.
"Raul, what do I keep saying about indoor voices?" Glared the high-elf.
"Ahahaha! There goes mama again." The dwarf sitting adjacent bellowed.
The high-elf replied angrily. "Who is a mama.."
"Riveria, Gareth, be quiet for a moment. Raul, what's wrong?" A blonde pallum said. He took his sapphire-blue eyes off of the documents on the wooden desk, meeting eyes with Raul. He wore a purple dress shirt under a yellow vest and wore wide black shorts over similarly black leggings.
Captain of the Loki Familia: Braver, Finn Deimne. Vice captain of the Loki Familia : Nine Hells, Riveria Ljos Alf. Executive of the Loki Familia : Elgarm, Gareth Landrock. They were the trio of level sixes who commanded the second strongest familia in all of Orario.
"It's-...about the Astraea familia…"
The name caught the attention of the Loki familia executives.
"Slow down, what happened regarding the Astraea familia?" Finn prodded.
Raul began to explain what he had been doing early in the day, ending at telling the executives of a red-haired woman announcing that the Astraea familia was accepting a mysterious level 5 adventurer into their ranks.
"Is that so… But how could a level 5 adventurer have slipped under our radar..?" Riveria muttered to herself. "Are you sure it wasn't some mistake from the guild?"
"There's no mistaking it." Raul fumbled through his satchel, taking out a newspaper he got his hands on along the way home.
Riveria inspected the paper, before handing it off to Gareth and Finn.
…Meteria… Why does this name sound familiar…? The high-elf pondered.
"Meteria Sybell… Human…16… Astraea Familia… level five." Gareth stroked his beard.
"Is there any other information you could get your hands on, Raul?" Riveria asked, as the aforementioned shook his head indignantly.
"We can always just go visit 'em'." Gareth said.
"Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Thanks for bringing this information Raul."
"O-of course! Would you like us to go investigate?"
"Yes please."
Raul nodded. "Also would any of you know where Lady Loki is?"
"She should be up in 'er room drinkin' no?" Gareth said as the black-haired human bowed, leaving. "Tis a shame, such a powerful lass would've made a fine member." Gareth sighed, turning to Finn.
"Finn? Is something wrong?" Riveria turned to her captain, taking note of him biting his thumb. "...Your thumb-cognition again..?"
"Yeah, it won't stop throbbing."
…Meteria Sybell, I wonder what you have in store for us..?
.
hihi thanks for reading~ I'm very sleepy right now writing this so I'll try keep it short. For anyone who might ask, yes, the 'youkoso watashi no office' is a reference to Aizen in the TYBW of Bleach. -Will there be any crossover content? No! This is Harnel and Rabbit! Not 'Is it wrong to commit genocide on ghost samurai!
Jokes aside, one thing I wanted to clarify if anyone wondered this (which I highly doubt), Bell's magic null armor cannot be used concurrently with his enchant as it gets cancelled out. -On Bell, or I guess Meteria's necklace, I originally wanted to keep it red but I thought that it would be a nice nod to Alfia's design by making it an emerald...and also they're the same colour as Alise's eyes.
Anyways, Thanks for reading!