A little night on the town for our newfound family unit – what could go wrong!?
…
Bell, Hestia, and Wiene's journey in search of food had begun well enough. The area around the Guild was largely vacant, most either congregated around the main entrance or dealing with triage efforts around Babel. Any casual evening traffic did their best to steer clear of the pandemonium.
So the first leg of their walk had been peaceful. Relatively.
Wiene could not stay still. Just about everything they came across was a wonder to the girl and lead to minutes at a time of inquiry and information. At some point her eyes turned upwards and the girl stilled as she caught sight of the moon and stars.
One rather excitable narrative from Hestia later had Wiene in a state of unsurpassed joy. The cloak clad girl was spinning large circles in the street, laughing childishly as she took sudden leaps in playful attempts to snatch the big glowy ball from the sky.
Bell couldn't keep the smile off his face. Hestia was practically bouncing herself, regardless of her missing a sandal, tethered to the earth only by her hand clasped firmly in Bell's.
Then Wiene got some impressive airtime on one jump. And as the air caught on the dark cloak she was wearing, Bell was sorely reminded hat it was the only thing she was wearing. They'd walked some distance away from the Guild building, towards the commercial district, which meant there would be more foot traffic.
Bell felt his soul leave his body as he noted a few pedestrians pause at the brief sight. The one guy who openly stared at the momentarily exposed girl, his gaze locked onto her every move afterwards, had the young man especially worried. That worry quickly turned to wrath when he realized the bastard was almost drooling…
Hestia was quick to react, darting over to the blue haired girl and wrapping her up in a bear hug. Wiene laughed, thinking this was another game. The twintailed goddess tossed in her own awkward chuckles as she glanced around at the questioning looks being sent their way.
A whispered order of "Run" was all Bell needed to be right on her heels as his goddess suddenly broke into a sprint. Hestia lead the way through a short stretch of alleys, holding Wiene up like a sack of flour. The girl just laughed harder, the sound bouncing off the narrow walls as Wiene pedaled her legs through the air.
They ended their flight on another avenue, this one lined with proper shops and far more populated. Bell glanced back to ensure they weren't being followed, turning back to his goddess once satisfied so they could discuss their next course of action.
Hestia, apparently, already had the solution. She was striding away, pulling Wiene by the arm, before Bell had even turned back to them. By the time he'd caught up to the two ladies, they had already disappeared into the wide threshold of an open shop. It was likely that Hestia chose this location due to a lack of occupants.
What the storefront lacked in customers it more than made for in product. The structure was literally wall to wall with textiles, a cavalcade of colors filling the space with little to no rhyme or reason whatsoever. There were even tables out front loaded to bear with mounds of folded fabric, the materials of obvious quality even at a distance. The visuals alone were enough to draw the eye of an otherwise uninterested party like Bell. For Hestia, the display was downright enrapturing.
Perhaps the two "adults" should have given more thought to why such an appealing establishment had such a non-existent customer base.
As his goddess made her way ignorantly into the colorful collage, the head of the shop's owner peeked over a row of folded textiles. The smiling visage of a honey blonde amazon hurried towards them, her presence acting as Bell's first flag. Before she could even greet her customers, let alone offer assistance, Hestia had all but barreled through her. The twintailed goddess already knew what she was looking for and, through some unnatural instinct, exactly where to go to find it.
Wiene needed clothes.
With an almost knowing look about her, perhaps stemming from her foreknowledge of where the two little ladies were heading, the amazon shopkeep allowed the party to progress unhindered. She did toss a quick wink towards Bell, her bright, chin length curls bouncing with the exaggerated motion.
The Hestia Familia discovered a few problems in rapid succession.
First, the Goddess of the Hearth had instructed their intention to "get Wiene out of those tattered rags." The girl took that as a request and readily tossed the hooded cloak, the only article of clothing she had, into a heap on the floor. Bell flung his sights away from the now nude girl as Hestia fell into a verbal panic. The only saving grace the boy could take comfort in was that, this deep into the store, the rows, racks, and piles of fabric obscured vision from the street.
But then, he'd also caught the owner's gaze notably lingering on he pale girl's form. Beneath his confusion, the dungeon delver's hand unconsciously hovered over the handle of his knife as some parallels between the amazon and "Mr. Drool" from earlier formed in the back of his mind. When her tongue slipped out, drawing quickly over her tight smile, Bell's confusion was instantly slapped down by apprehension. That made red flag number two.
So shocked was Goddess Hestia by the monster child's sudden bout of streaking, she took the immediate reaction of snatching something off a nearby rack of fabric and threw it onto Wiene. It became readily apparent that they had, in fact, reached the area of the shop dedicated to actual clothing… if the piece in question could be called as such.
The particular garment draped over Wiene's smiling visage was a thin and incredibly short sleeping gown. And as could be observed by the way Wiene's puffed cheeks were visible all the way through the peach material, the piece was damn near transparent. This was a teddy. Hestia had thrown lusty lingerie at an innocent child.
Before Hestia could remove the spicy sleepwear, Wiene's very visible face scrunched up in annoyance as she wrenched the clothing off her body with a vexed huff.
Hestia didn't think on that and just went for a bit of fabric on a nearby table. This time she took care to inspect what she was holding, leading the not-so-virgin goddess to stretching out the laciest pair of panties she'd ever seen right in front of her face.
She dropped the unmentionables like they'd caught on fire. Before better heads could intervene, Hestia grabbed blindly for another article of clothing. The violet bra she snatched up hardly registered until she let the fabric dangle in one hand. Hestia blinked as she spied that the sections of cloth meant to cover the nipples were noticeably missing.
The gaps were also noticeably heart shaped. The amazon shopkeep was shaking from having to hold back laughter.
This was Hestia's breaking point, the little goddess grabbing up Wiene's discarded cloak and making to slip it back on the girl. This was when their ultimate problem reared its head: Wiene didn't like wearing clothes. Wiene abhorred them so much that she was actively dodging Hestia's attempts to grab her. In short order, it pretty much became another game to the monster girl.
Bell was getting very nervous that all the commotion would attract people, his focus wholly on the open front of the store. While this meant he drew his watchful gaze away from the amazon proprietor, he trusted his goddess to keep some degree of a handle on the situation. But Hestia was too preoccupied with Wiene to keep track of the tanned blonde.
It wasn't until the blunette vaulted an overpacked rack of "post-bliss robes" – her path leading more towards the entrance and nearly prompting Bell to intervene – that the owner made her move. She caught the monster child in a sheet of glossy red material, quickly wrapping her prey up in a crushing hug. Wiene struggled for a few seconds before suddenly relaxing in the woman's hold. This entire exchange caused the grin on the amazon's features to slowly creep further and further across her features.
The white haired adventurer decided that he didn't like this woman.
"Special material from my homeland," the amazon announced to the stilled Bell and Hestia, "Just the thing for someone with sensitive skin. Is it to your liking, dear?"
Bell decided that he really didn't like the familiar tone she affected with Wiene.
"Yes," the scaled girl chirped, nodding her head vigorously, "it feels nice!" The young girl's exclamation had the shopkeep's features absolutely lighting up, her cheeks smothered by a cherry red blush that had Bell growling in warning. He received another wink for his efforts and the merits of punching a girl in the face suddenly became intrinsically clear to the young man.
But by now it was too late for a counter attack, the trap already sprung. Hestia was ready to strike down the amazon's offer of aid and drag her little family (oh, that word had her heart reeling) back out into the night. But the glare Wiene sent towards the ratty cloak in the goddess' hands gave the short woman pause. The shopkeep donned a winning – far less amorous – smile as Hestia's expression fell into dour acceptance.
Bell was shifting his attention back and forth between the store's entrance and the silent conversation taking place between the ladies, his face sliding between alert and questioning. He threw out a cautious, "Uh, is something happening right now?" His goddess did not answer him verbally, instead her near listless grasp snagged the bottom of his shirt, fingers strengthening as the young man was then dragged into the proceedings.
What followed was an… odd experience. The amazon owner, who cheerily introduced herself as Nessa, pulled the group over to a literal wall of pristine rolls of cloth. She quickly set a still naked Wiene to touch testing the various sheets whilst Nessa herself twirled away to retrieve some measuring tape.
The weird part in all this was Hestia. Before Bell could go overboard about the undressed child amongst them, his goddess stepped in to supervise Wiene's tactile investigation. And Bell watched as something very curious began to occur.
Bell's grandfather was a man who liked to talk. A lot of what he considered sagely advice was a load of bull, even as a child Bell could pick up on that. But being a polite, patient soul, he always made sure to hear the old man out. And though he rarely internalized those "lessons," Bell usually retained what was said. If nothing else, the more outlandish claims were good for a laugh.
One particular lecture had boiled down to simply, "Never go shopping with women. Avoid. At. All. Costs." The statement had been so succinct – no elaborate tale or prolonged example to follow it – that it stuck out clearly in Bell's mind. He could still envision the haunted look on his grandfather's face, the hollow tone in his voice.
Someway, somehow… Hestia was getting into this. Suddenly she wasn't observing Wiene's decision making process, she was actively participating. It was as though her prior reservations regarding the clearly risque nature of the establishment had been completely forgotten, supplanted by the current task of… shopping. Bell watched the shift in real time, utterly perplexed by it all.
Nessa slid herself right into the brightening mood, taking the blue haired girl's measurements with smiling, swift efficiency. Things proceeded a touch too quickly from this point for Bell to properly process, the talkative amazon masterfully manipulating the pace of the interaction. The white haired rookie didn't even notice the first stack of textiles being piled into his arms, not until the giggling girls started wheeling him around the shop.
It was far too late that Bell Cranel realized the true horror that his grandfather was trying to warn him of.
Their walk resumed.
Eventually… their walk resumed, the group leaving the chromatic den of evil behind.
Bell was not happy with the happenings of the last hour. Sure, being made into a two legged beast of burden to a veritable closet's worth of fabric had been less than enjoyable. But what really irked him was the utter lack of agency he was afforded throughout, both Hestia and Wiene thoroughly lost in the energy of their shopping venture and Nessa all too happy to egg them on.
Even that would have been somewhat forgivable if only…
Wiene danced ahead of the two "adults" clad in her new attire. Her garments were a midnight blue in color, darker than her hair and lacking the glossy sheen. It was a very light, smooth material which Nessa claimed to be deceptively durable.
The outfit itself consisted of a single band around her chest and a knee length sarong wrapped securely around her hips. An orange bandanna covered her scalp, most notably concealing the gem on her forehead. All in all, she maintained an odd blend of pirate and belly dancer that had more than a few curious eyes sent their way.
The ones that lingered longer than necessary had Bell gritting his teeth.
Hestia, walking beside her child, had enough grace to look guilty over what happened. With Bell's input effectively negated, it fell to the goddess to keep order and a level head within the shop. Under normal circumstances, Nessa's vehement desire to dress what was, physically, a seven year old girl like an exotic dancer would have sent Hestia running for the hills.
Instead, the amazon's promises of a "custom fit" and "high grade material at a spectacular discount" had stars in the twintail's eyes. To her credit, it didn't help that Wiene herself seemed quite pleased at the idea of wearing as little as possible. Hestia was under attack from both sides.
That didn't make Bell any less sour over the current state of things.
"Hi! I'm Wiene!" For about the dozenth time now, the smiling monster girl hopped up to a small band of people to offer a greeting. And as usual, the assembled pedestrians balked in surprise before cautiously giving "hellos" of their own. This particular group looked to be a small family with children, relatively safe.
Bell relaxed the glare he was fixing in their direction.
"Hey Bell," mumbled his goddess, her mood still rather defeated. The boy grunted, his vexation on display, and Hestia continued, "why do you think Nessa never said anything about Wiene? She must have seen… everything."
"Because Nessa is a demon," was Bell's automatic reply, his tone rather grave. He swiftly buried the outpouring memories of his time in the store back into the depths of his subconscious. If the young man was being frank though, the amazon proprietor most definitely caught on to Wiene's more exotic features… they were simply outweighed by the promise of skimpily dressing a young girl. Bell maintained his assertion that the woman was a demon.
"It's strange though," Hestia persisted, her air brightening some, "I figured there'd be more problems with her just walking around."
Two kids, a boy and a girl who looked roughly Wiene's perceived age, joined her in a short round of spinny-dance. The parents she had greeted before watched on for a moment, the mother laughing into the back of her hand, before ushering their children back on their way. The kids and Wiene waved goodbye until the family disappeared into the evening crowds.
Bell huffed, his mood improving from the display. "She may have an… odd appearance," the adventurer was particularly concerned with her attire, "but it's like Crossette said: once she starts talking, it's hard not to get drawn in."
Hestia shook her head, "So they just ignore the blue skin? The scales?"
The knife wielder shrugged, "Orario's a weird place." That simple statement held too much truth to be denied. People probably didn't even think to question something "slightly" out of the norm in a place where gods congregated and people could shoot lightning out of their hands. Just another day in the dungeon city for the average citizen.
Of course, not everyone was content with such lackadaisical observation. Though none had made efforts to approach, Bell could make out a few more inquisitive onlookers lurking amongst the crowd. He could recognize the general aura of fellow adventurers in this group, some of the more experienced individuals making no attempt to mask their blatant suspicion. Even so, no one made a scene, especially when they noted his goddess' association with Wiene.
Bell kept their cover story on repeat in his mind, committing every detail to memory.
Something caught Wiene's attention, the girl abruptly freezing in place. She turned her nose up, audibly sniffing the air not unlike a curious pup. The sight was too adorable for Hestia to ignore, a notion mirrored by several others in the area, causing a chorus of "awws" to flood the avenue.
And then Wiene took off. The twintailed goddess was stunned by the sudden action, enough that Bell was able to scoop her up before blasting off in pursuit. The masses did their best to part around the chase but it made little difference for the dungeon born child. Wiene carved through traffic with the ease of flowing water, streaming through gaps without pause. Bell did his best to keep pace, but carrying Hestia hindered his maneuverability.
If the chase had continued more than a block, they may have lost the girl.
A lightly winded Bell and a rather comfortable Hestia – the goddess very much enjoying her princess carry – arrived at the now halted Wiene's side. The little monster gave a strong sniff of the air, exhaling with a long breath laced in satisfaction. The dungeon delver and his matron could appreciate that, the scent of fine food now quite evident.
Bell gazed up at the bustling establishment, watching the throngs of people passing in and out of its swinging doors, the melody of hearty laughter and clacking mugs drifting out from within. The young man had to concede, The Hostess really did come alive at night.
"Let's go!"
Goddess and child looked down at the eager expression painted on Wiene's face. Her eyes were practically sparkling, the calf long ends of her sarong swishing as her frame rumbled with vibrations. Hestia immediately threw her hands up in a placating manner, making stuttering attempts to buy time and organize her response.
Bell himself wasn't sure what to say. They were hungry and The Hostess was a great spot for food… but it was also a hub for adventurers and was currently rather busy. Bringing Wiene inside would have been incredibly dangerous.
But before either he or Hestia could find their words, the decision was, once again, taken out of their hands.
"Hey Bell! I found you!"
The shout made all three of them jump, Wiene darting around behind her savior. Bell swiftly found the speaker as she hopped into place before the trio. His eyes widened at the familiar, grinning face in front of him, "T-Tiona!"
The svelte, toned amazon drew her fingers over her right eye in a peace sign, "Bingo! Not that you could forget someone as awesome as me!" She topped off that statement by sticking out her tongue. A shy Wiene peeking out from Bell's side copied the mouth movement.
An impatient humm drew the young man's attention to his goddess. Hestia had fixed him with a flat expression, impatience evident in her half lidded stare. The boy could only offer nervous laughter, Tiona looking between them with tongue still extended.
Taking a page from the amazon's book, Bell presented her to Hestia with a grand sweep of his arms, "My Goddess, this is Tiona."
Picking up on the rookie's display, Tiona's features split into a broad smile as she offered a mock curtsy. The sarong she sported, a mostly orange affair with angular patterns of green and yellow, was actually more modest than the one Wiene was wearing. Bell slashed another tally in his "dislike Nessa" category.
"Tiona Hiryute," the playful girl announced, "first class adventurer of the Loki Familia!"
If Hestia was impatient before, she was outright agitated now. The youthful amazon was actually caught off guard by the speed with which the twintails' mood plummeted. Hestia groaned out a quick, "Ugghhh, you're one of Loki's kids?"
Bell felt mortified, internally debating whether or not he should reprimand his goddess in public. Wiene looked fascinated by the degree to which Hestia's face had twisted. All Tiona could give in response was a startling expression and two quick blinks.
But then her visage dropped to something half sour, half embarrassed, her amber eyes notably drifting to the side. "Yeah," she droned, the tone sounding quite strange coming from her, "our goddess can be… difficult to deal with."
That bit of a concession seemed to perk Hestia right up, her blue orbs gaining a prevalent shine.
Tiona shortly turned her mute expression on the Goddess of the Hearth, "But you know, I don't hear a lot of endless praise about you, either."
Hestia just stared, frozen in shock. The amazon's unimpressed gaze faced her unflinchingly. Indignation overtook the goddess' features, her twintails shooting up like rabbit ears. Her head snapped to the side, looking to her child for support.
Bell had her pinned with the exact same look Tiona wore. Wiene, well in Hestia's view, made a valiant attempt to match the two but simply couldn't nail the air of flat indifference.
The tiny goddess took a breath, turned forwards, and, after a pause, nodded to the dark haired girl's point. Tiona relaxed instantly.
"Hestia," Bell butted in, "Ms. Tiona rescued me when I got caught in the minotaur stampede." That got a humm of approval out of Hestia, her features lightening at once. Wiene also seemed affected, the little monster stepping out slightly from her white haired cover.
Tiona, surprisingly, waved off the praise, "It was no big. Besides, it pretty much evens out in the end since we scared the damn things upstairs in the first place. Goddess Loki is probably getting chewed out by the Guild right now."
The chesty brunette wanted to be annoyed when she learned Loki's kids were responsible for the incident in the first place. But she couldn't help cracking a smile at the thought of that big headed washboard getting scolded by Ouranos. With a pleased lilt, Hestia declared, "Very well, I'll give you neither thanks or grief."
Scratching the back of his head, Bell stepped forward, Wiene his ever present shadow. Tiona looked from the grinning goddess to the white haired rookie, bemusement clear on her face. Bell tipped forward in a formal bow.
"I'll offer my thanks," the boy intoned, "you saved my life down there, I hope I can repay you one day." Behind the young man, a curious Wiene observed his posture. The blue haired girl then sidled up next to Bell and ducked her head in imitation.
Tiona still hadn't noticed the strange girl. Particularly at this moment, her features flustered and both hands waving rapidly in an attempt to dismiss Bell's powerful gratitude. Hestia was at a bit of a loss getting to see someone else, a high level adventurer at that, fall into a Bell-class panic attack. She almost slapped herself at the thought that one of Loki's kids was looking very cute right now.
Traitorous brain.
"At any rate," the amazon decisively chopped the air, "don't give me all the praise, I heard Ais was just as much of a help when she caught up to you!"
Interests peaked, Bell and Wiene unbowed themselves to regard Tiona. Both stilled as they followed her gesture to the second figure standing beside the young amazon. The blonde was so deathly silent that neither of them could place when she'd appeared, if she wasn't just "there" the entire time. Now that they were aware of her, her presence was impossible to ignore.
Just like it was impossible to overlook how she kept her hazel orbs utterly locked onto Wiene.
The child of the dungeon flinched back, reattaching herself swiftly to Bell's side. This finally garnered Tiona's notice, the brunette leaning sideways to get a better view of Wiene. She blinked twice before Bell, closely watching the girl's expression, felt a weight drop into his stomach as the beginnings of shock rose on her features.
But Wiene being Wiene, once she saw an opening she went for it. "H-Hi, I'm Wiene." Though slightly lacking her usual enthusiasm, the greeting did its job. Surprise bloomed fully across Tiona's face, her features lightly flushed.
Practically on instinct, the young amazon broke out a cute grin and raised her hand in a jolly wave, "Hey Wiene! I'm Tiona!" The girlish quality of her own voice seemed to shock the amazon, her expression twitching momentarily.
Weird or not though, this was the green light for the dragon girl. Her own lips stretched and parted into a brilliant smile, Wiene hopped – like a merry little chick – ahead of Bell. She presented herself to the veteran adventurer in a bouncy stance, her arms swinging out behind her and her beaming visage erupting up towards a truly stunned Tiona. Her toothy smile displayed her fangs and the diminished nature of her clothing made the unnatural pallor and patches of scales across her skin all the more apparent.
Even though it was quite impossible for an experienced warrior to overlook these obvious, highly suspect traits… Tiona crumbled at once. The toned amazon practically lunged forward, arms spread wide, too quickly for an adjacent Ais to halt her actions. Wiene balked at the girl's casual speed but reciprocated at once the moment she felt Tiona's arms wrap around her.
"You are the most adorable fucking thing in the entire universe," the amazon stated, binding her front to Wiene's and rubbing her cheek against the blue haired girl's. In particular, she was nuzzling Wiene's left cheek, right over the patch of scales. Simultaneously, Bell and Hestia droned out a short "Language" at Tiona's dropping of the F-bomb. They really didn't have any better response to what they were seeing.
Bell was seriously considering reclassifying Wiene's cuteness – if not the entire girl herself – as a diplomatic weapon. The civilians they passed seldom batted an eye at the little monster once she started engaging them. Nessa, similarly, probably wasn't well versed enough in monster ecology to see Wiene's features as anything other than an oddity.
Though in her case, she seemed far more keen on dressing a child in borderline underwear than asking questions about said child's existence. Bell racked up a few more tallies in his anti-Nessa category.
But Tiona was an adventurer, a high level one at that. It could be expected that she would observe Wiene's "deformities" with a more discerning eye. Indeed, her initial reaction to the dungeon child had bordered on recognition for a moment.
And now all Bell could see was a pair of girls having a good giggle. Wiene was truly formidable.
Hestia, standing back from the action, had a wider view of things. This allowed her to watch as Ais, unlike her tanned friend, maintained her dubious gaze. Hestia's own eyes narrowed as the girl continued to stare a hole through an unaware Wiene.
The moment ended as a rumbling growl issued from the goddess' belly. Hestia's cheeks flared scarlet as everyone turned to face her, Tiona and Wiene pausing in the midst of a spin dance to blink at the tiny deus deia.
Ais' dead stare lingered on the twintailed deity. Then suddenly her features, and her entire head, perked upwards like an excited dog.
"Ah," the blonde burst, her mostly impassive expression turning to Tiona and then to the bustling entrance of the The Hostess, "we came here because I was hungry."
It was here that Hestia had her own moment of clarity, recalling Ais as the dense blonde that haunted her food cart.
The entire first section of this chapter was originally not even going to be written. At first, I was just going to have the chapter start with the Hestia Fam just strolling to their next destination, Wiene already in her new wardrobe and just a few asides to relate back to how they got there. But I wanted to have some fun so I just started scratching out that entire sequence…
Nessa, our esteemed amazonian shopkeep, has the rare distinction of being a woman that Bell explicitly does not like. So yeah, they're definitely gonna have to interact with her more in the future. I'd wanted to hold off on the eventual questioning of Wiene's nature both until the next chapter and until a scene involving Ais and Tiona, but in order to do that after a sequence involving someone who makes the girl a tailored outfit, I knew that craftsman in question would have to have a… specific personality to overlook the girl's unique characteristics. So yeah, here we have Nessa the Corrupter/Shameless. I'm sure she'll take full advantage of having some actual repeat customers.
Wiene's not going to wear a proper outfit. Even with more "accommodating" materials, she'd rather have as much of her skin exposed to the air as possible. Probably make her a pretty good candidate for a Kamui… (*hint-hint crossover writers, Kill La Kill/Danmachi is some pretty untapped real estate) But yeah, go into a shop run by an amazon and you can expect to come out looking like one. I added the bandanna both to cover her forehead gem (that might have been too much even for the common rabble to ignore) and to give her a more rogue-like aesthetic. Three guesses what her place in the party will boil down to.
I chalk up a lot of the citizens' lack of panic at Wiene's presence to a general sense of people in Orario being used to a lot of eccentricity. This is the same city where Ganesha lives, after all. Some pale blue skinned girl who pastes glittering little scale-like jewels in patches across her body is… certainly weird, but not beyond the usual scope of strangeness. With the common mans' lack of monster knowledge, as expressed last entry, alongside Wiene's childlike composure and ability to fricken talk, she comes across a lot less threatening than she should.
Adventurers though, they have a more discerning eye.
Tiona returns! Yeah, been wanting to get her back in. As I said before, favorite Loki Familia member. Once the thought of having Wiene out on the town got in my head, I knew I had to have the two of them interacting. More fun to be had in the next update, especially since Syr and Anya will be involved. I know I mentioned that Tiona would probably never rise above being a tertiary character in this story, but I might just bump her up a little if this friendship with Wiene really takes off in my mind. Though, I will confess, there is another Loki Familia member that I have some plans for specifically because I want to like them more and I feel like I can tailor them more to my liking in this story. But saying more than that would be spoilers...
Ais also makes a reappearance which leads into a small topic of discussion. As I said in the beginning, this is likely going to stay a strictly BellxHestia kind of tale. That said, it means that a lot of characters' relationships with our favorite rabbit are going to go in different directions. Ais is the penultimate example, with her no longer serving as Bell's unaware love interest and motivation for growth. Having her confront her monster hatred much earlier is another nod towards this change as now she has reason to be critical of Bell without any prior interactions to paint him favorably. I don't have any designs to make their dynamic outright antagonistic, but it is a change to keep in mind.
Of course, she still remains the same airhead as before, an immediately recognizable trait for Potato Guardian Hestia.
Next time: a night of shenanigans and some tepid explanations within the confines of The Hostess and Hestia's next course of action becomes clear.
