Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

While Vahn was enjoying a comforting lap pillow from Hestia, the other girls were helping tend to Preasia's condition. After wiping down her body and helping to warm her up, the twins clothed her in a fresh sweater and shorts before carrying her to their room. They thought about taking her upstairs to where Fenrir slept, but navigating the stairs with an unconscious body didn't seem ideal. Even though Vahn had given them both their own beds, the twins spent most of their time together when they could and only used one of them. They set Preasia in the leftover bed and went about their other assumed duties while Fenrir and Haruhime watched over her.Since it was still somewhat early in the day, only around 10 AM, it took a while for some of the people on the network to mobilize. Hestia had let everyone know of the arrival of Haruhime earlier and had just informed them earlier about the incident regarding Preasia before finding out about the previous night's murders. Eina wanted to come back over but was busy with her duties thus the first members to show up at the house were Ryuu, Milan, and Tina. Ryuu was only a temp worker now and both Milan and Tina had the weekends off, to begin with. The only reason they didn't stay at the Hearth Manor yet was that Milan didn't want to immediately leave the Hostess of Fertility that had shown she and her daughter kindness.Maemi had been expecting guests since earlier and politely escorted them to the study where she and Emiru did their best to explain the situation with as many details as they had learned. Milan was somewhat reminded of her own recent trauma and empathized greatly with Preasia while Tina found it hard to hold in her own tears. She didn't have any outbursts, but she did hug her mother silently with wet eyes. Ryuu had a somewhat cold look to her eyes but was more worried about Vahn's current state of mind than anything else. She knew Preasia would be fine while staying at the Hearth Manor, so Ryuu wanted to make sure Vahn was okay since he was the core of the group within the Manor.When she went upstairs, Ryuu lightly knocked on the door before opening it when she heard Hestia's quiet words. Looking into the interior, Ryuu saw Vahn asleep atop Hestia's lap while the petite goddess gently stroked his hair in an affectionate manner. A little bit of the worry in Ryuu's heart diminished as she showed a small smile and bowed politely before closing the door and returning to the study. She was able to tell that Hestia was tending to Vahn's mental state and didn't want to interrupt the peaceful atmosphere. In hindsight, Ryuu realized she had never given Vahn a lap pillow in the past and wondered if it should be something she did more often to help him relax.The second group to arrive at the Manor, slightly after lunch had started, was the Takemikazuchi Familia. Take' had arrived with Ouka, Chigusa, and a long raven-haired girl wielding a katana. Since they had been waiting for their arrival, Vahn immediately awoke when he sensed their presence and stared up into Hestia's stark blue eyes for several seconds in a slightly dazed state.Hestia's hands came to a stop after she wiped away Vahn's bang and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. Unfortunately, perhaps due to her inexperience in the matter, Hestia hadn't considered the size of her breasts in the equation and ended up pressing them into Vahn's face before they both had small reactions of shock.Vahn enjoyed the incredibly soft sensation until Hestia moved away which caused him to laugh slightly as he sat up from the bed. Leaning over, Vahn gave Hestia a light peck on the lips before whispering, "Thanks, Hestia, I feel a lot better now." Though her eyes had widened slightly at the kiss, Hestia's smile returned to normal and even grew marginally as a happy expression appeared on her face. She ushered Vahn out the door and the two made their way down to intercept the Takemikazuchi Familia that was nearing the front door.Seeing Ryuu in the foyer, Vahn smiled and thanked her even though he wasn't sure why. She simply returned his greeting politely before returning to inform the others about the arrival of new guests. Before they could know, Vahn opened the door and welcome the Takemikazuchi Familia into the Hearth Manor while taking a look at everyone in attendance. Ouka had once again accompanied Take, as he should, while Vahn also got a glimpse of two different girls, one he had seen, and the other he had only observed in the manga.Hitachi Chigusa was the girl he had met during the kidnapping incident and she was a petite and docile girl that stood around 149cm tall. She had a gentle and timid disposition with medium-length raven black hair that covered her green eyes. Other than her nearly non-existent breasts, the most striking thing about Chigusa was that, even though her size was diminutive, she had a large shield on her back. Vahn couldn't imagine the small girl as a frontline vanguard no matter how he thought about it...The other girl Yamato Mikoto, who was around 151cm and attired in the same type of lavender kimono as Chigusa except, unlike Chigusa, Mikoto had a visible sarashi that wrapped around her growing breasts. Since both girls were only around 14 years old, they hadn't grown into their manga counterparts yet but Mikoto was quickly approaching her future self. Like Chigusa, she also had raven black hair but with a pair of equally black eyes to accompany them. To contrast Chigusa's timid disposition, Mikoko had a serious and cool look on her face even though Vahn could see her aura flickering with a bit of excitement.Take' bowed politely after Vahn invited his Familia into the Manor and each of his children followed his example and showed proper courtesies. However, the moment courtesies were exchanged, Ouka looked directly at Vahn and asked in a somewhat brash tone, "Where is Lady Sanjouno?" Take' laughed awkwardly Ouka's words and politely bowed as he said, "Forgive Ouka, he is in somewhat high tensions after we received your words so suddenly. Since we've been on the trail for three years, the fact you completed the task within three days was a bit of an impact on everyone in the Familia."As it wasn't Vahn's first meeting with Ouka, he hadn't taken offense at his words and merely bowed politely to Take' before escorting the group to the study. Vahn held the door for them and revealed Haruhime sitting on one of the sofas while the twins tried arranging tea on a cart to the side with less-than-practiced motions. When she saw the sight of the Takemikazuchi Familia, Haruhime's eyes watered a bit but her expression remained gentle as she stood up and bowed deeply to the approaching group.Ouka released a relieved sigh before placing his hand on Vahn's shoulder and using his deep voice to say, "Seriously, thank you." After his short words, Ouka followed Take' into the room with Chigusa close at his back. She bowed politely to Vahn at muttered in a quiet voice, "Thanks, Vahn..." Vahn nodded toward her as Mikoto stepped forward and looked between him and Haruhime. As Haruhime's best friend, she was the most affected by her safe recovery and felt very grateful to Vahn for his assistance. She bowed low before saying in a serious tone, "This is our first meeting, I am Yamato Mikoto. Thank you for saving Haruhime, if there is anything I can do to return this kindness, please let me know."Vahn shook his head with a smile before gesturing toward Haruhime and saying, "We're allies Mikoto, don't worry about matters like repayment. I saved Haruhime because I wanted to, not simply because I was asked to. Instead of worry about me, you should go to her and think about other things later." Mikoto stared into Vahn's eyes as he spoke and her serious expression didn't fade at all before she eventually bowed again and made her way into the room. Vahn watched Haruhime hug the two girls as Ouka stood off to the side with a gentle expression with Take' making polite words to the twins. Vahn noticed the two girls blush slightly and raised his brow a bit at the strange sight.Hestia had stopped next to Vahn and stared into the room at the sight of the reunion for a few seconds before asking in a low voice, "You're not gonna try to get close to those two girls as well, are you? I think the small one likes the big guy, but the serious looking one might be a good choice..." Since Vahn hadn't been thinking about the matter at all, he was surprised to hear Hestia mention it as he turned toward her and saw an expression of mock humor on her face. He realized that she was actually teasing him and laughed a bit before making his way into the room with a smile on his face.Vahn didn't see the expression of humor on Hestia's face turn slightly serious as she released a sigh and looked at Mikoto before turning her sights to the twins that seemed to be getting smooth-talked by the handsome Takemikazuchi. She could tell that the two girls were receptive to others, so there was a chance they wouldn't be so reliant on Vahn in the future. The problem was, she had seen the serious look on Mikoto's face earlier and saw the genuine tears in her eyes when she embraced Haruhime. They seemed to be very close and were likely even near the same age as well.Since Haruhime would be living in the Hearth Manor, Hestia expected to see Mikoto around the Manor more often in the future and knew something would probably happen because of Vahn's gentle personality. Even though he had a weakness for girls with a tragic past, most of the girls on the network knew that Vahn actually liked the serious and hardworking type more than the fragile type. This made Mikoto, who was similar in age to Vahn, somewhat of a contender if she decided to enter the circle in the future...After everyone settled down, the group took their seats and the Takemikazuchi Familia was surprised when Haruhime sat close enough to Vahn that there was zero distance between their hips and even wrapped her tail around his waist without changing her elegant disposition at all. Hesta sat on the opposite side of Vahn and frowned slightly before pretending to ignore the tail. She had already 'allied' with Haruhime earlier and could get affections from Vahn when there were fewer eyes trained on them. Scanning over the group, Hestia saw the contemplative look in Mikoto's eyes and released a sigh inside her mind while Vahn opened the discussion.Vahn recounted the events of the rescue operation and also brought up the matter of how Ishtar had already anticipated his arrival to an extent. Though they had bought some time, the matter wouldn't officially come to a conclusion until the Ishtar Familia was dealt with. Though he didn't mention it to the group, Vahn had noticed that the quest hadn't actually been completed even though he already rescued Haruhime. This implied there was still a scheme running behind the scenes that needed to be dealt with before the quest was concluded. Since one of the failure conditions now stated 'Escape of Ishtar', Vahn knew he would have to do something to deal with the goddess in a somewhat permanent fashion.When he was finishing up the story, Vahn stated firmly, "Because of her own choice, Haruhime has joined the Hestia Familia and has fallen under my protection for the foreseeable future." Vahn's words caused Take's brows to rise slightly but he didn't seem against the idea while even Chigusa and Mikoto actually had relieved looks on their faces. The greatest affected seemed to be Ouka, but he just grits his teeth and remained silent because he was aware of his own weakness. They had no easy way to flee the City and return to the Far East and there was nothing his Familia could do to resist the Ishtar Familia at all. Even a single one of their Level 4 members would be enough to take out his entire group...While a silence had overtaken the atmosphere, Haruhime spoke out with gentle words, "I have decided to stay with Vahn by my own volition. I am grateful to everyone for their efforts...truly, I can't express my gratitude for all you have done for me. However, I must follow my own heart on this matter because I want to be able to live a happy life from now on. Vahn saved me from that nightmare and it is now my dream to live alongside him..." Though she couldn't put much force into it, Vahn could feel Haruhime's tail tighten around his waist and everyone in the Takemikazuchi Familia had noticed her reaction.Take' had a small smile on his face as he bowed politely and said, "Vahn, please take care of Haruhime from now on. She is in safer hands with you and I believe she will also be much happier here." As if to piggyback off of his words, Mikoto spoke out, "I want to join the Hestia Familia as well, at least until this matter is concluded. I might not be strong enough to contribute much, but I want to help protect Haruhime." Without waiting for Vahn or Hestia's response, Take's smile widened a bit and he said, "That is a great idea, it will also increase the bond between our two Familia in the future."Vahn wasn't too surprised since he had seen the look of conviction in Mikoto's eyes earlier. Haruhime seemed especially happy that her friend wanted to stay with her while Hestia, who had also expected something like this to happen, just stared into the void with lazy eyes and a practiced smile. She knew that, even if Mikoto only meant it as a temporary leave, she would probably stay around just because Haruhime was here. Since Haruhime wanted to support Vahn, that would mean Mikoto would be at his side a lot in the future as well. Simply due to his nature, they would probably grow closer over time as Haruhime whittled down both of their defenses...After it was officially decided that Mikoto was going to join the Hestia Familia, the Takemizuchi Familia left after a celebratory lunch. They were celebrating the safe recovery of Haruhime and also sending their well-wishes to Mikoto and the prosperity of the Hestia Familia. On their way out, Ouka approached Vahn and had an earnest expression on his face as he said, "I know it won't be easy, but I will work hard to overcome you in the future. We may not have started off on the right foot, but I think of you as a worthy rival. Lets both work hard to protect the things we care about..." Ouka then reached out his hand and Vahn gave him an appreciative nod before accepting the handshake and saying, "With the right mentality, you can become much stronger. It's not well known, but I am also a [Master Smith]. If you or the Takemikazuchi Familia have any equipment needs, please feel free to patronize the Hearth Manor in the future. I'll be more than happy to forge equipment for those I consider friends..."Ouka's expression turned especially serious as he nodded his head and briefly thanked Vahn before leaving alongside Chigusa and Take'. Chigusa looked back at Vahn for a moment and had a small smile on her face as she bowed before turning back and standing near Ouka. Vahn could see that not only Chigusa's but Ouka's aura gravitated toward the opposite person a bit. Though he wasn't sure of their relationship, Vahn felt like the two had a mutual liking for each other. With a small smile on his face, Vahn reaffirmed his desire to make a network of male friends to talk to and share advice. He felt like they could learn a lot from each other and Vahn also knew that his situation was somewhat unique compared to many others. If he wanted to relax and take things slowly like people kept telling him, Vahn figured the best method would be to spend more time for himself and make some friends...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Peaceful Silence','Hestia Familia Recruitment Drive In Full Swing','Vahn's desire for brotherhood grows')I am currently at $718/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

After the Takemikazuchi Familia left, Vahn introduced Mikoto and Haruhime to Milan, Tina, and Ryuu. Since she was their senior with the Familia, Ryuu was very nice to the two girls while Tina seemed to be a bit standoffish now that there were two more people around Vahn. Milan didn't seem to mind at all and was mainly focused on the matters regarding Preasia, who still hadn't woken up. Vahn inspected her condition earlier and knew she was simply fatigued and allowed her to continue sleeping. Fenrir seemed very protective of Preasia, so Vahn left her to look after the small sheep girl.Milan also stayed nearby while teaching the twins how to properly prepare meals since their cooking was somewhat substandard. Since they were from a nomadic tribe, their cooking skills amounted to the ability to roast and season meat with spices they ground using a pestle and mortar. Tina was focused on interacting with Haruhime and Mikoto and was learning about the past of the two girls. She already knew Vahn was searching for Haruhime, but it was the first time Tina learned of the situation behind her captivity. Soon after, any inhibitions she had towards Haruhime faded away and she decided to become friends with her if she could.While this was going on, Vahn had moved to the highest balcony within the Manor and was overlooking the premises with a thoughtful gaze. Ryuu stood at his side because they were discussing matters and trying to come up with a way to deal with the Ishtar Familia without being overly reliant on the Alliance. Loki had already started preparing to mobilize some of her Familia and had even sent notice to the main expedition to return early if possible. Hestia was currently in her room writing messages through the network and reading through the logbook to see if anything important had been mentioned since earlier.Since it was still quite cold, even though it was now the afternoon, the wind blowing through the balcony was somewhat biting. Though he was unaffected, Vahn noticed that Ryuu's aura was faltering a bit and knew she was probably cold. With a sigh that caused a large cloud of condensation to build up, Vahn turned around and smiled at Ryuu as he said, "You don't have to stay out here with me Ryuu." As he spoke, Vahn handed her a three-layered mantle that was lined with dense furs on the inside.Ryuu accepted the mantle with a smile and didn't respond to Vahn's words as she wore it around her shoulders. Vahn gave her a wry smile and notice that her ears were turning red, not from a blush, but because of the cold. Using [Hands of Nirvana] and the warmth of his body, Vahn covered Ryuu's ears and felt the cold sensation transmitted through his fingers. When he saw Ryuu's aura flare up a bit, and a slight blush appear on her face, Vahn smiled and the two stood in silence for a while until he had completely warmed her body.Since elves only allowed their loved ones to touch their ears, Ryuu was somewhat sensitive to the intimate contact. However, she felt very warm from Vahn's touch as well and didn't resist his actions at all. She had already allowed him to see her naked body and even allowed him to touch her ears when they took a bath previously. Since she had already made her resolve, Ryuu just enjoyed the warmth and stared into Vahn's aquamarine eyes with a slight smile on her face.Now that his mind was a bit calmer, Vahn expanded his domain and used [Heart of the Eternal Flame] to warm up the entire large balcony. Ryuu felt a warmth similar to spring spread through the area and gave a hum-like laugh before she said, "Did you forget you could do that?" Vahn blushed slightly at her words and removed his hands from Ryuu's ears. He had been so focused on the matters with the Ishtar Familia that he hadn't paid any mind to the cold until he noticed Ryuu's condition.Tilting her head to the side slightly, Ryuu asked, "Do you like lap pillows Vahn?" Vahn turned his head back to Ryuu and considered her words for a short while before nodding his head. Of the things he liked to do when relaxing, laying on the lap of a girl was something that brought him a lot of comfort. He had even fallen asleep on several occasions in the past so there was no way he could refute the words. Seeing Vahn's nod, Ryuu also nodded her head as if affirming something before taking off the mantle and spread it on the floor. Even if Vahn had warmed up the air, the cold stone of the balcony was still biting to the touch.After she sat down, Vahn realized what Ryuu was doing and a small smile appeared on his face as he sat next to her. She looked into his eyes for a moment before smoothing her apron with her hands and nodding. Vahn took her offer and rested against Ryuu's thighs while looking up into her sky-blue eyes from below. Repeating the actions of Hestia, Ryuu began to stroke Vahn's hair affectionately. Though her thighs weren't remotely as soft as Hestia's, Vahn still very comfortable against the somewhat springy and firm thighs of Ryuu. He didn't fall asleep, but Vahn closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment shared between the two of them.Hestia eventually showed up on the balcony and saw the scene before locking eyes with Ryuu who had noticed her arrival. For a moment, Hestia felt a little jealous of Ryuu but also remembered her earlier actions of leaving Vahn to her care. While she was thinking of leaving the two to themselves, Vahn raised his body and turned toward Hestia since he had already detected her arrival. Ryuu also removed the wrinkles from her apron before standing and folding the mantle after they stepped off of it. Hestia felt a little awkward since she thought she had spoiled the mood but returned to normal when she saw the natural smile on Vahn's face.The trio made their way inside where it was warm and closed the doors of the balcony behind them. Since Vahn always carried around a bit of furniture in his inventory, he set out a sofa which they all sat on so they could discuss what Hestia had learned from the network. Ryuu sat slightly away and showed a small smile to Hestia as if encouraging her. Since Hestia still felt like she interrupted them earlier, Ryuu's encouragement felt a little awkward but she still accepted the small kindness and even felt a little emboldened as she sat in Vahn's lap.As it wasn't the first time she had done so, Vahn was fine with Hestia's action especially considering that her body was almost unnaturally light. Though he had inspected her from himself with his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn believed there was a unique quality to Hestia's body that made her softer and lighter than other girls and goddesses. When everyone had situated themselves, Hestia explained, "There is an ongoing investigation into the illegal slave trafficking ring that you had tipped the Guild off about. They are tracking down several of the people listed in the customer list and are also trying to bust other fake brokerages that had connections to the facility you discovered."Vahn nodded his head thoughtfully and wanted to ask about the matters concerning Preasia but Hestia continued, "I talked to Loki and Hephaestus about Isthar, and Loki seems to be planning to challenge the Ishtar Familia to a Wargames to prevent them from approaching us about Haruhime. Though I didn't originally mention it to Loki, she also knows about Haruhime's magic because Hephaestus didn't want to keep it a secret since Haruhime would probably follow you on expeditions in the future anyway. They did stress that her magic is kept confidential in most situations, at least until the probationary period between the Alliance and our Familia expires."As he had similar thoughts, Vahn stated, "Don't worry, I will protect Haruhime until she becomes stronger. I have plenty of allies to help as well..." Vahn gave a glance over at the smiling Ryuu and she nodded her head almost imperceptibly. Hestia had been leaning against Vahn's chest with her eyes closed, so she missed the look as she nodded her head and continued, "It was the consensus of everyone that, for the time until now and the Denatus, you shouldn't leave the Manor much. Even though Fenrir might have an urge to kill monsters, I think she will be stable while she is tending to Preasia. Let Loki deal with the Ishtar Familia for now and focus on protecting everyone within the Manor while trying to relax a bit before things pick up and you're pulled into some other unavoidable trouble..."Towards the end of her words, Hestia looked up at Vahn and arched her head enough to where he could look down into her eyes from above. He could see the worry in her eyes and even felt Ryuu nod her head outside his line of sight. All of the girls around him, including Eva in the orb, had been telling him to relax more. If not for the matter regarding Haruhime, Vahn would have followed their advice and focused on his personal life for a bit. Now that she was under his protection, as long as Vahn paid attention to the security of the Manor things should be fine. Even if they had a specialist, there was no way for someone to enter the premises of their grounds without Vahn or Fenrir picking up their presence.Vahn squeezed Hestia's hands that had been holding onto his and displayed a compliant smile as he said, "I think relaxing sounds like a great idea...I'll still continue my training a bit, but I want to treat my hobbies more casually for a time. I also want to try and create my own network of guy friends and maybe even spend some personal time to myself and continue my studies..." Vahn's words made Hestia sigh slightly since his idea of 'relaxation' still revolved around performing several actions that others committed a lot of effort to. Unless she and the other girls forced him to relax, he would probably immediately return to some tedious task and place all of his focus on it.She did note his desire to have more male friends though, and it had actually been mentioned several times on the network. Hephaestus and Eina especially wanted Vahn to interact with more males so that he could experience a different kind of bond than that between a boy and a girl. Because of Vahn's behavior, it was difficult for him to have actual female 'friends' since he always treated girls deferentially and with a lot of empathy. This closed the distance between Vahn and most girls and gave them a somewhat tense relationship that could easily devolve into feelings for each other depending on the situation. It was their hope that, if Vahn relaxed with other guys and saw how they reacted to women, his mentality would change a bit and he wouldn't be so easily influenced by girls in the future.Of course, not all the girls agreed with this, at least not in the same vein as the hopes placed forth by Hephaestus and Eina. Though she didn't consider herself part of the 'faction', Hestia somewhat agreed with Syr and the girls at the Hostess of Fertility. She was okay with Vahn having male friends, but she didn't think it would be good for them to enter the Familia. Since a lot of girls around Vahn had some trauma related to men, they weren't easily willing to expose themselves to an environment where they were living with a man other than Vahn.Syr even brought up the rhetorical situation of what might happen if one of the men got jealous and made passes at some of the girls within the network. Though it would be fine if the feelings were reciprocal, on the off chance that something adverse happened it would cause irreversible harm to the group's unity and would also heavily impact Vahn as a result. Even Eina wasn't able to refute her words easily since she was also aware of the situation of many of the girls around Vahn. It was his kind and gentle nature that allowed them to be around Vahn easily without fear of anything happening, but that wouldn't be the case if other men were added to the equation.While contemplating the matter herself, Hestia asked, "Do you know any guys you want to be friends with?" Since it was something he had thought about recently, Vahn said, "Ouka seems like a good guy and has the drive to become stronger...I think Take' isn't bad either, though his actions are a bit offputting at times...I think Welf and I can be good friends and I want to help with his research...I think Gareth would be a good role model, especially since I'll be a father in the future..."Hestia had been listening to Vahn and trying to imagine each of the guys he mentioned in her mind as she considered if they would be a good or bad influence on Vahn. She was also somewhat unnerved by Takemikazuchi, since he had the natural tendencies of a gigolo and flirted with girls casually. Hestia felt like he would actually be a terrible influence on Vahn even though she wished he would take away some of the less impactful women out of Vahn's life. Suddenly, while she was lost in her own thoughts, Hestia felt like a gong had sounded in her mind when Vahn mentioned Gareth and becoming a father in the future.Even Ryuu's eyes widened a bit at Vahn's words, even though she had already heard the news about Hephaestus's apparent pregnancy. It was still too early to see any signs, but Hephaestus had apparently confirmed the matter with a goddess of fertility that she trusted. Though she believed Vahn's words, she couldn't help but get a second opinion and had been in a jubilant mood ever since. Now that Ryuu was hearing Vahn speak of the matter though, it had a slightly different impact. Since elves were long-lived, she hadn't considered the matter of children but now thought of Vahn being the father of some of her own...Hestia felt a bit of anxiety welling up in her heart since she realized Vahn was already undergoing a shift in his mentality with a focus towards fatherhood. Though she didn't understand why Hestia felt like the window of opportunity for them to grow closer together was shrinking rapidly. She affirmed her decision to meet up with Hephaestus more often and even planned to discuss matters with Loki, even though she wasn't fond of her 'former' rival. Though she hadn't met him, Hestia knew Gareth was a member of the Loki Familia and wanted to vet him to see if he could be a good role-model for Vahn in the future. It seemed that, while Vahn was going to be focused on relaxing, she was going to become progressively busier in the future. However, the more she thought about it, the more excited Hestia felt because she began to realize what she could do for Vahn from now on...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Loki, she protec, she atak, but most importantly she act','Relaxing vacation full of training, forging, and research','The seeds are planted...')I am currently at $718/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

Arriving outside Hestia's room, Vahn knocked on the door to announce his presence before entering into the room. He saw Hestia at her desk writing on a large scroll before she looked back with an encouraging smile while a touch of sadness was present in her eyes. Remembering her earlier actions, Vahn smiled and said, "Thank you, Hestia...I didn't know what to do at the time. Preasia...she isn't like anyone I've ever had to deal with before." Putting down the quill, Hestia hopped out of her chair and walked over to her bed before sitting down and saying, "Come here Vahn."Vahn's fierce expression eased a bit as he released a sigh and walked over to the bed and sat down next to Hestia. She scooched back on the bed before patting her thighs, indicating for Vahn to use her legs as a lap pillow. Though he didn't understand what she was trying to do, Vahn accepted her offer since, of all the goddess and girls he had been with, Hestia had the most inexplicably soft body. Since they slept together a lot, Vahn always felt comfortable whenever they were in contact so he gladly accepted the lap pillow.Hestia stroked his hair for a bit before asking, "Vahn, what is it you want to do right now? Tell me the truth..." Her gentle words and soothing tone caused Vahn to relax his mind a bit as he responded, "I want to make him pay...I want the person that hurt Preasia to suffer..." Hestia caressed the side of Vahn's face and looked into his eyes as she asked softly, "Will that make you happy?" The simple words caused Vahn to blank for a moment as he stared into her clear, lake-like blue eyes that seemed to contain an infinite depth to them.After a few seconds of silence, Vahn responded in a muted tone, "No..." Nodding her head a bit, Hestia's expression changed into a gentle smile as she asked, "If you could let Preasia hurt that man to her heart's content, would you stand at the side and watch her?" Her words caused Vahn to frown as he tried to picture the delicate looking Preasia using a hot skewer on another person and carving words into someone else's flesh. Gritting his teeth for a moment, Vahn responded in a quieter tone than before, "No...I would try to stop her...she shouldn't be-"Before Vahn could continue, Hestia placed her index finger on his lips to halt his words. Vahn closed his mouth and had a sad look on his face before Hestia continued, "It isn't your burden to bear everything Vahn...can you tell me names of everyone you're currently trying to protect?" Vahn thought for a few moments before muttering, "Haruhime, Eina, Tina, Milan, Lili..." Before he could continue, Hestia silenced his words again and said, "People often list the names of people by the priority they place on them in their minds...even though you empathize with Preasia and want to do something for her, the actions you want to take are things you'd prevent her from doing. You also have so many things that you want to protect...now isn't the time for vengeance. You need to relax and focus on taking care of the people around you while we do our best to take care of you. Preasia is already safe...let her recover a bit and then you can worry about the matters of her past later. Right now, our Familia is caught between the Isthar Familia and the Entertainment District as a whole...Please remember your own priorities and stop getting caught up in every little moment..."For more than a minute after her words faded, Vahn continued to lay in silence as Hestia stroked his hair gently. Since he hadn't said anything for a while, Hestia whispered in a soothing tone, "Take a nap Vahn...rest for a bit...you've worked hard. I'll wake you when the others show up...for now, just sleep..." Vahn listened to Hestia's words and slowly closed his eyes while enjoying the soft sensation of her thighs and the calming sensation of her hands. It wasn't the first time he had been told to slow down and relax, but the words seemed to have a bit more of an impact when they came from Hestia. Since she was often lazing around, it was somewhat rare for her to be the one tending to others...Vahn suddenly began to feel very tired as the tensions slowly drained from his body until he eventually fell asleep.Hestia continued to stroke Vahn's hair while gently caressing his face. She stared down at his sleeping expression from above with a profoundly gentle look on her face and a hint of concern in her eyes. He looked so gentle and innocent while he was asleep...nothing like the decisive and heroic boy that he acted like when he was awake. She wished that they could just stay here in this moment forever, just the two of them sitting in silence. It hardly made sense to her how a boy so young could bear so many burdens willingly and continue striving so hard to meet the expectations of others. Hestia knew she also relied on him quite a bit, even though she only pestered him when they were at home...Looking back toward the scroll, Hestia could see several lines of writing appear before floating off the page and falling into a small journal-like book next to it. It was a magical item called a 'Record Logbook' and could be parented to a communication scroll to record everything that had been transmitted and received. Earlier, before Vahn had knocked on her door, Hestia had gotten word from Eina about several murders that had taken place late last night.The Guild had gone to investigate the residences of the various men and women that patronized the illegal slave trafficker. Though not always the case, a great number of the residences had been the sight of grisly murders. Because Eina had already met Preasia, she had checked the information about her prior owner and had found the man amongst the list of casualties. Hestia was afraid that Vahn, having lost the outlet for his emotions, would have struggled to cope with the situation. Hestia would much rather he forget about the matter entirely for the time being...-Several Hours Prior- (A/N: BTW, serious trigger warning. This section contains very graphic themes and isn't suitable for those with fragile sensibilities. You won't miss much, if any, of the story by skipping this part of the chapter.)Having separated from the boy that saved her life, Shiva made her way through the back alleys of the red light district before crossing through the northern section of the City where the homes of various wealthy businessmen resided. Because of her actions against her would be masters, Shiva had been traded around by several men due to the exotic nature of her body. Even under the slave crest, she was able to resist the pain and fight against the vile men that saw her as an object to be possessed to fulfill their own desires.One of the clients, the one responsible for her losing the ability to speak, had been the same man that was the previous owner of Preasia. She had been purchased by him several weeks after he got his monstrous hands on the petite girl and had seen the devastation wrought on her body. Because the man had an elitist complex and thought himself to be of a 'superior' status to Preasia, he tormented her body and treated her like an animal to feed his sadistic urges. The only thing that kept him from raping her was the fact that he considered the action 'beneath' him. Of course, this didn't stop him from using her to tend to some of his other needs as he forcibly trained her body to respond to his presence lest she faces a severe punishment.When Shiva had arrived at his small mansion, he tried making her do the same actions as the pitiable girl while also insulting her for being of a 'lesser' species even though he was just human. Resisting the compulsion of the slave crest, the moment the vile man put his penis into her mouth, Shiva tried to gnash her teeth to tear off the disgusting member. Unfortunately, due to the resistance of the crest, she was prevented from completing the act and her brain had nearly been fried as a result. After beating her body severely, the man ended up returning both she and Preasia to the slave trader while demanding compensation in the form of 'higher quality' slaves.Though Shiva never saw the girl that he purchased, if Vahn was there he would have recognized both the girl and the 'gentleman' as the people he had seen when he first entered the brokerage. Even though he looked like a kindly middle-aged man, he was actually a cruel and sadistic human being that sought pleasure in the suffering of others. When she and Preasia had been returned, they used some expensive medicine to help heal her body while scrubbing down Preasia with various ointments and medicines to try and hide her scars. Only an hour or so after their return, they were forced to meet their new prospective 'master' and eventually met Vahn...Thinking back about the gentle-natured boy, Shiva couldn't help but feel grateful for his actions that led to her freedom. She was, in fact, nearly a Level 4 and had been a prisoner of war between two conflicting tribes within the Land of no Sun. After being humiliated, she was sold to the nearby City of Orario and had met several different masters before finally being liberated by Vahn's kindness. Now, Shiva was determined to slaughter the fools that treated her as a commodity to be traded amongst themselves. She would butcher them all before leaving the City and getting revenge against the clansman that tarnished her honor as a proud Dark Elf Huntress.Stepping into the home of her most recent master, Shiva sneakily made her way through the corridors before finding her way to the secret entrance that led down to the dungeon where the man kept his slaves imprisoned. Because of his 'superiority' complex, the man had more than a dozen slaves of different races that had all been severely mistreated. His current purchase looked to be a young human girl with blue hair and an already blank expression on her face. Her body was covered in several wounds and she was forcibly bound to a wooden table that contorted her body into whatever shape suited the man. Since she was human, the old man was forcibly raping the girl with a mad and sadistic expression on his face as Shiva sneaked up behind him quieter than the night.The man was so lost in the act that he didn't react at all as a knife passed through his lower back and severed part of his spine. He immediately slipped out of the poor girl and fell to the ground with an agonized shriek as he stared at his attacker with a crazed expression and shouted, "Yooooouuuu! Y-y-you vile sow! How dare a disgusting animal like you attack me!?" Not offended by the man's words, Shiva showed a cruel and sadistic smile that could give the man's a run for his money. She played with the dagger in her hands as she walked forward slowly...Fearing for his life, the man tried to desperately crawl away from his assailant as he cried out for one of his servants or guards to save him. Unfortunately, he had made a concerted effort to completely soundproof his own dungeon to keep it concealed. Now, while his guards earnestly protected his property, he would be at Shiva's mercy until she finally thought it was time to send him on his way to Hades.After reaching a wall, the man could go no further and turned backed to stare at the trail of blood that had been left by his own body. His gangly, aged, legs were covered in the filth and blood that covered the floor of the dungeon as he stared into the cold eyes of Shiva and muttered in a pleading voice, "P-p-please don't do this...I'll give you money, anything, just leave this place. I-I-I'll never tell anyone about this if y-y-you just walk away!"Shiva brandished the knife in her hands and admired the blood covering the blade as she smelled it. After taking a whiff, she had a frown on her face as she scrunched up her nose and retorted, "What a foul smell odor...are you really a man? Why does your blood smell closer to that of a goblin...eeeeei, look, even your emaciated arms and legs match a goblin, don't they?"Though he was still profoundly afraid, the man couldn't help but scowl at being compared to such a lowly creature. He tried to shout out once again, but the moment he opened his mouth a flash of light passed in front of his face and his tongue and lower jaw were completely severed from his body. Since he was only a Level 1, the man couldn't even see the actions of the Level 3 Shiva. He tried to scream out again, but the only thing he could manage was a pained gurgling sound as he tried to stimy the flow of blood with his hands.Shiva stared down on him a bit before walking over to the 'tools' the man used for his hobby. There were also several types of experimental potions that were used to seal wounds and treat infections. Shiva grabbed a few hooked tools, a hammer, and some of the potions as she made her way over to the man that once again tried to crawl away. She used the hammer to crack his wrists before shattering the joints of his fingers to prevent him from trying to crawl away again. He couldn't resist her actions at all and was helpless as she shoved a potion down his open gullet. Since he had no lower jaw, he couldn't resist her actions at all as the wounds slowly closed around the bottle.Shiva held the side of his face and gave him a 'gentle' smile before smashing the glass bottle into the top of his mouth and destroying several of his remaining teeth. When the man passed out, she took the hooked tool and placed it on the inside of his thigh, approximately next to the knee, and jammed it into his leg before pulling up with a tearing force. The man instantly woke up and tried his best to scream but was unable to. All he got for his efforts were several pink-hued bubbles that were frothing around his nose and air-hole as he struggled to breathe.To prevent him from suffocating, Shiva jammed a tube into his larynx and fixed it in place with loose bands. She didn't care if he died, but she wanted him to savor the experience more before he passed on. For the next half hour, she continued to carve away and flay his flesh while inspecting each part of the man's body. Before she moved on, she would use the experimental potions to heal his wounds and then neatly arrange the body parts for him to view. By the time she was done, the only thing that remained of the man was his torso and head as he stared at his own butchered limbs with dead eyes.Shiva showed an incredibly gentle smile as she stroked his tattered and sticky hair for a few seconds while saying in a soothing tone, "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon...this next part is your favorite...it would be a shame if you went your entire life without experiencing it yourself." Pouring the remaining salve and potions on the man's body, Shiva bent forward before severing the man's penis. Since she had force-fed him an aphrodisiac earlier, even though he was in severe pain, the man still had an erection. She tied off the base of the member to keep the blood from flowing and then removed the remnants of the vial that was in his mouth. The parting gift she left for the main before freeing the slaves in the mansion was his own penis shoved deeply into his throat...(A/N: The title is a play on the phrase 'Just Deserts'. Get it, because the title is just 'Desserts'(O,..,O)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Softness','Whims of Fate','Shiva's Vengeance')

Chapter 261: Reunion