Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Hestia's question caused Vahn to nearly burst out laughing at how silly her words were. She spoke with such confidence earlier and had been steadily building the atmosphere for the last few minutes and then suddenly dashed it away at a moments notice. Fortunately, Vahn had relatively decent control over himself so he just showed a 'happy' smile on his face that reached all the way to his eyes. Though he was letting her lead him at first, now he tightened his grip a bit and said, "I rented a room at an Inn not too far away. We can rest there for tonight before looking for a permanent residence for the Familia tomorrow."Hearing his words, Hestia beamed before lifting her index finger and wagging it back and forth with a cheeky grin and saying, "It isn't 'the' Familia, it is 'our' Familia from now on~! Remember this, Vahn, we're family now!" Her words echoed in his mind as he repeated 'family' over and over in his head in a dazed state. Though Vahn treated people well, there were few people he thought of as 'family'. He wanted to create one in the future, sure, but having someone tell him they're family 'now' was a big hit.Vahn took a big breath before exhaling and smiling at Hestia. She still had her finger up and a big toothy grin on her face as she waited for his response. Vahn ruminated over his own thoughts before saying the only thing that seemed to come to his mind, "Thanks, Hestia..." Hestia's eyes began to twinkle as her smile turned into a more natural one and she said, "Of course, Vahn."Afterward, Vahn led the way to the Boars Tooth where he tried to book an additional room for Hestia even though it was already quite late. She adamantly refused the offer and said that she 'trusted' Vahn enough to know he wouldn't do anything untoward even if they shared a room. Her words inspired his own confidence and allowed him to affirm his resolve further. As long as she didn't make any advances, Vahn decided he wouldn't pursue Hestia and just focus on building their Familia into a stronger organization.His resolve was immediately tested, however, when Hestia watched him change with fiery eyes as if she had found a delicious meal. Vahn ignored her gaze and eventually joined her in bed. The clothes she wore had self-cleaning functions and she didn't need to change them, so Hestia went to sleep in the same clothing she wore around town. Though Vahn thought it was a bit strange due to his own hygienic habits, he remembered she did the same thing in the manga and put the matter behind him.When they finally laid down to go to sleep, they both kept a relative distance between each other at first, but about an hour after Vahn had fallen asleep he felt Hestia using his body like a hug pillow. Her actions had awoken him, but after he saw she was still asleep he decided to ignore her. As if his inaction had been taken as a sign of consent, it wasn't long before Hestia ended up replacing the bed she had been laying on for Vahn's body. Vahn was positive she was still asleep and confirmed it when he rolled her body off of his.Another hour after that, Vahn was once again woken up to the very same sight and released a sigh before conceding. Since she was very light and the feeling of her breasts was unlike anything he had experienced before, Vahn decided to just relax and enjoy the moment. He couldn't help but remark in his head that, due to how she was watching him earlier, they had completely forgotten to perform the Familia induction ceremony. Because of that, they were essentially two people that had just met a few hours ago that had no prior connections or bonds that were now sharing the same bed. If not for Hestia's defenseless nature and apparent trust for him, Vahn would have thought she was acting very forward.Vahn eventually fell asleep for a few hours before waking up and entering the orb as had become his habit. Inside, Eva had noticed his strange behavior and 'silly' smile on his face and began pestering him about if he had obtained a new woman. Vahn explained that he was just joining her Familia, but when it got to the part about how they were currently sleeping together, Eva gave him a look as if he had said something profoundly stupid. For the next three days, she had him tend to her even more and teased him every time they were laying together. Since she knew there was a woman using his chest as a pillow in the real world, Eva wanted to torment him for the first time in a while.When Vahn finally returned to the real world, he was in a daze from Eva incessant teasing and, for a brief moment, felt uncomfortable with Hestia sleeping on top of him. As he had done so in the case of Lili previously, Vahn had nearly begun caressing her body while she slept defensively and completely unaware of what had happened in the orb space. It took him a few minutes to completely clear his mind as he performed an action that had become habitual for him over time.Before Hestia had slept, she removed the bells and ribbons and had let down her long black hair which now draped over her back and Vahn's chest. Without thinking about anything, Vahn began to stroke Hestia's hair as if he was petting one of the girls he commonly associated with. This continued for several seconds before Hestia began to laugh like she was having a good dream as she drooled a healthy amount of slobber onto his chest. Her actions made Vahn chuckle so he continued stroking her hair while admiring the texture.Unlike chienthropes, who had somewhat frizzy hair, or cat people, who had silken but 'sharp' hair, Hestia's was silky smooth like refined satin. Even in the dark room, it had a glossy sheen and Vahn felt it was uncharacteristically cool to the touch. He marveled at how unique her hair was compared to anyone else he had pet and Vahn began to feel like being used as a body pillow wasn't such a bad thing anymore. He got to stroke Hestia's beautiful hair while feeling her relatively light body pressing the ridiculously soft breasts she was touted for against his chest. Vahn didn't even know how she was able to sleep on her stomach at all and was surprised with the malleability of her chest to allow her to remain comfortable in that position.His actions eventually woke Hestia up and she pressed her hands against his body to lift herself up to look at him. Her crystalline blue eyes matched his gaze and she seemed to be lost in thought for several seconds as her brain processed everything that was happening. Since she had just met Vahn last night she had, for a brief moment, forgotten who he was. All she knew was that he was 'lovingly' stroking her hair while looking into her face with a 'gentle' expression as she laid against his body.As if suddenly remembering who he was, Hestia displayed a gentle smile before saying, "Good morning Vahn." Unaware of the momentary lapse in Hestia's mind, Vahn continued to stroke her hair before saying, "Good morning Hestia. You have very beautiful hair." His words made Hestia laugh a bit before she actually laid back down on his chest and went straight back to sleep. Vahn was surprised by her actions since the sun was already beginning to come up. As someone that always woke up early in the morning, Vahn felt a little awkward seeing her go back to sleep while using his body as her bed.Seeing her defenseless and happy sleeping position, Vahn felt like it would be wrong to wake her up so he just continued stroking her hair while he laid back with his eyes closed and started planning their day. Once she finally decided to get up, Vahn needed to undergo the Familia induction ceremony and then they needed to find a place to live for the time being. If he couldn't find a place with a workshop, Vahn would have to build one himself or have contractors create one for him. He also wanted a wing for alchemy and mixing as well as a secondary area to act as a medical ward. Though it would still be a ways away, Vahn also wanted to allocate space for a nursery and daycare center...Hestia finally awoke nearly three hours later after leaving a puddle with a diameter more than 10cm of drool on Vahn's green tunic. She stared at the wet spot for a little while before completely ignoring its existence as she began to tie up her hair. Vahn laughed to himself at her antics as he changed into a new outfit without wearing his top. Hestia had been watching him from the side and seemed to be curious about why he decided to go shirtless before a realization suddenly hit her, "Ah! The ceremony~! I had completely forgotten!"Vahn finally couldn't contain his laughter so he laughed heartily which caused Hestia to give him an 'angry' look with an embarrassed expression on her face. Eventually, she had Vahn lay down on the bed to conduct the ceremony but, unlike when Hephaestus had done it, she mounted his back before leaning over his body and beginning the ritual. Vahn wasn't too surprised since he had seen the way she treated bell in the manga, but he couldn't help but feel slightly distracted after having been straddled by a woman while he was on his stomach. Just like her unfathomably soft breasts, Hestia actually had a very soft butt as well, almost like it was a mixture between a marshmallow and one of the mochi Tsubaki had gotten him to try in the past.Since it was the first time she had ever performed the ceremony, Hestia treated the ritual very seriously and Vahn could even feel a bead of sweat drop from her face onto his back. By the end, nearly two hours had passed before the ritual was finally completed. She seemed very satisfied by the results of her own efforts as she began recording down his Status onto a piece of paper. Though she had been attentive during the ceremony earlier, Hestia hadn't actually focused too much on his Status and Skills and was only now getting a good look at them.While still mounting Vahn's back, she yelled, "Eeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~!? Isn't this actually super ridiculous!?" Though Hestia had never blessed anyone before, she still knew what was considered normal since many gods and goddesses got information from the mortal world and read up on it recreationally. If not for the briefing she got the previous day, Hestia would have thought she had entered a dream because Vahn's Status and abilities were ridiculous for his current level.--------------------------------------------------------------------------[[Stats]]Name: [Vahn Mason]Age: 15-Level:3-Power: (I61)-Endurance: (F222)-Dexterity: (H112)-Agility: (H141)-Magic: (SSS1319)Skills: [Bow Mastery:B], [Stealth:C], [Chainbreaker:S], [Call of the Reaper:B],[Yggdrasil's Favor:S], [Veil of the Traveler: S], [Swordsman:A], [Featherfoot:B], [Hands of Nirvana:S], [Prometheus:A], [Heart of the Eternal Flame:SS], [Metallurgy:B], [Fist Strike:B], [Friend of Spirits:A]Development Abilities: [Wound Transfer: A], [Spirit Healing: S], [Blacksmith: S], [Mixing: C]Magic: [Thria*Mimos:C], [Shundo:B]-------------------------------------------------------------------------She had never even heard of anyone having a SSS ranked Parameter on their status board while all of the other parameters were relatively low. Since she knew Vahn was supposed to be in recovery right now, Hestia attributed it to his pseudo-Divinity which Hephaestus and Loki had explained previously. It was incredible to think how high his potential was when he was capable of having such ridiculous growth while being relatively inactive. It wasn't just his status either, he had an incredible amount of skills, four development abilities, and even two magic skills she had never even heard of before.Hestia stared at Vahn's back and the image of her own crest, a hearth with a vibrant flame, and felt like she had stumbled on something far greater than she imagined. Sure, she had heard the stories and words of caution from the other goddesses, but Hestia still hadn't believed it for herself until she saw it with her own eyes. In a bit of a daze, she smiled as she traced her hand along Vahn's muscular back almost like she was appreciating a sacred tablet that documented the progress and growth of a legend...a legend that she, nobody else, would get to observe and record.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Doki Doki Hearth Goddess','Seriously, how does she sleep on her stomach?','Hestia is actually quite possessive')https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $721/1200 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

Vahn noticed that Hestia was acting a bit peculiar so he looked over his shoulder and asked, "Is there anything strange?" Since he could see his Status whenever he wanted, Vahn didn't actually need to confirm anything but still thought it polite to ask. This was her first time performing the ceremony, so Vahn thought she was just getting caught up in the moment. It wasn't the first time someone touched his body, so he didn't feel strange having her stroke his back since he was also enjoying the sensations coming from certain parts of her body.Hestia broke from her dazed state and gave an awkward laugh before she dismounted his back and handed him the sheet with his updated Status. Vahn gave it a cursory glance before handing it back to her for safe-keeping. It was common practice for the gods and goddesses of a Familia to track the growth of their 'children' in books. There were some that even kept journals and recorded significant events and achievements to help inspire the future generations.After he put on the rest of his clothes, Vahn told Hestia that they could eat at the Hostess of Fertility and explained about the matters regarding Milan and Tina. Hearing that they were prospective members of the Familia in the future, Hestia was excited to meet the two girls. She had already heard the story from Hephaestus previously, and now she would get to meet them personally. Hestia felt especially sorry for Milan, since even now her ears and tail hadn't fully recovered. She usually worked in the back of the kitchen, out of sight from others, though Vahn noticed there was a fine coat of fur beginning to come in.Something strange had happened while they were eating, however, when Hestia met some of the waitresses of the Hostess of Fertility. She didn't know who was close to Vahn and what intentions everyone had, so seeing so many women acting affectionately with him made her feel frustrated. Vahn tried introducing everyone to Hestia and explained the matter about having joined her Familia. Though they all seemed to get along with each other and politely greeted her, Hestia held onto Vahn's arm possessively and gave each of the women a 'fierce' look.As if finding something interesting, when Vahn and Hestia were about to leave, Chloe decided to tease the petite goddess by approaching Vahn. Hestia immediately entered a 'high-alert' status while Vahn acted like it was perfectly normal as he allowed Chloe to get close enough to embrace his body. Without any hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her waist and the two began kissing within the confines of the private booth.Hestia had an incredulous expression on her face as she pointed at Chloe with a shaky index finger and shouted, "Eeeii~! You thieving cat!" She then tried to separate the two and Vahn felt for the first time that he had underestimated Hestia's personality. Though he remembered that she acted this way when it came to Bell, he never expected her to have such a drastic reaction regarding him. He had even explained the situation earlier and talked about his relationship with Chloe.Chloe allowed herself to be separated from Vahn as she began laughing in a cheerful, yet mischevious, manner. She turned her back slightly and waggled her butt in a cute manner while showing off the blue ribbon that was remarkably similar in color to the ones Hestia wore. Chloe stuck her tongue out at Hestia and said, "You're a little late to the game to have any complaints~nya!"As if realizing what the ribbon meant, Hestia looked at Vahn was a strangely 'judgmental' gaze and an aggrieved looked on her face. Vahn began to feel somewhat taken aback by her behavior, even though he thought she was acting quite cute. Chloe practically danced out of the room while laughing while Vahn tried to console Hestia while explaining the situation in more detail. In response to his words, she turned her head with a 'hmph' but continued listening as he recounted his entire experience with Chloe while only leaving out the 'secret' bits.Hestia was already made aware the previous night by how many women Vahn was currently involved with and she even knew there would likely be various goddesses coming to him in the future. However, even though she knew, it still made her feel sad and frustrated to see him act so openly with girls right in front of her face. She remembered how the half-elf Eina had explained how Vahn was 'broken', and now Hestia wanted to take up the role that Tina had taken in the past and help 'reign' in his behavior.Once Vahn finished explaining about Chloe, Hestia turned back to him with a pouty expression that made Vahn want to poke her inflated cheeks. Unable to resist the temptation, Vahn gently poked her cheek with his finger until she swatted it away with her hand and exclaimed, "Vahn, you can't be acting like this in public unless you're on a date! Especially if you plan to be with multiple girls in the future, you have to learn how to show proper self-control. Not all of the people around you want to see you acting affectionately with others, so you have to keep it more private in the future!"Her words made Vahn remember the meeting two weeks ago between the various girls he was involved with. She was essentially regurgitating what they had said back then and Vahn would have likely still been 'guarded' by Tina if the kidnapping hadn't happened previously. Though he wasn't entirely convinced, he agreed that she was likely speaking the truth so he smiled and said, "Sure, I'll try to act more reserved from now on. Unless it's in private, or between people that are okay with my behavior, I'll try to restrict my actions a bit."Hestia nodded her head in approval of his words as she held her hands on her hips and puffed out her breasts. Vahn saw the very obvious jiggle and how, when her arms were spread, the blue ribbon supported them slightly. He could see that, due to the weight of her breasts, the ribbon cut into them from the bottom and even contorted her dress to match. Since Vahn had some experience with fabric, he wondered how Hestia's clothes seemed to conform so closely to her body without being restricted.Though she had her eyes closed while marveling at her own brilliance, Hestia soon opened them and saw the 'curiosity' on Vahn's face as he stared at her breasts. She felt embarrassed by his look, but also noticed there didn't seem to be any 'lecherous' or 'evil' thoughts in Vahn's gaze. From what she could tell, he seemed to stare at her breasts in genuine intrigue and it made her feel a little proud of the trait she was often 'criticized' for. Many gods in heaven had tried to court her, but all of their gazes made her feel super creeped out so she had refused courtship even though she had been alive for millions of years.Other than Artemis and Athena, she was the only remaining virgin goddess in the western region of Heaven. She simply disliked how they only saw her as a potential object of conquest and an outlet for their desires. One of the few she decided to give a chance to, because he had been very nice to her, ended up trying to coax her into his bed on their very first date! After that, she refused to see him again and saw that he had started dating another goddess just a few days later. Since they had lives that stretched into eternity, seeing how quickly he moved on was a big wake-up call for her at the time.Now that she saw Vahn looking at her with 'intrigue' instead of 'lust', Hestia's impression of him had increased by a marginal amount. She felt like, if she could change his 'bad habits' of interacting with so many women, it wouldn't be a bad thing to share him with Hephaestus and 'maybe' a few other girls. Since Vahn was a mortal that had divinities related to 'Creation','Fertility', and 'Fire', she actually thought they were very suitable. They seemed tailor-made for each other in a way since her Divinities related to 'Architecture', 'Family', and 'Hearth'. Their Divinities were almost perfectly complimentary of each other if she thought about it from a certain perspective.Vahn noticed that silence had taken over the atmosphere of the room and realized that he had been staring at the small blue ribbon holding up Hestia's breasts for a little too long. When he looked into her clear blue eyes, Vahn felt a little ashamed of himself so he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to gawk at you." Remembering that she had just lectured him about self-control, Vahn felt especially awkward for his mental lapse.Hestia smiled at his response before trotting forward in two large steps and stopped right in front of him. Since they had a 22cm height difference, she looked up at his face while he stared down at her smiling expression from above. She looked around for a moment before saying in a low voice, "We're alone right now, so as long as you don't do anything too forward it's fine~" Vahn's brows raised slightly as he looked around the empty room as well. However, instead of staring at her breasts again, Vahn backed away a step to create some distance as he said, "We should look for a place to stay before it gets too late."Vahn opened up the door and the noise from the other patrons broke the silence as he held it open for Hestia. She stared at him with a neutral expression for a while until Vahn turned his head away after hearing a loud sound from the pub. When he looked away, Hestia turned her head to the side and clicked her tongue while whispering in a low voice that Vahn couldn't hear, "How does he have so many girls when he is so dense!?"Unaware of the label Hestia had given him, Vahn motioned for her to exit the room before following behind her and leaving the Hostess of Fertility. Though she didn't know where it was located, Hestia had given Vahn a slip of paper with an address that Hephaestus had recommended to her the previous day. Vahn received the paper and understood the approximate location so he began leading the way toward what would likely become their new home.Along the way, Hestia made conversation and asked about his hopes and dreams while Vahn also returned the favor and inquired about her life, the Divinities she possessed, and any difficulties she might have that he could help with in the future. She seemed pleased by his concern and ended up locking arms with Vahn shortly after as he continued leading the way. Though they were just walking through the streets, Vahn almost felt like they were on a date since she was acting so 'openly'. Since she had just 'lectured' him previously about only acting this way while on a date, Vahn began to wonder if Hestia considered their walk a date or had just forgotten her own advice.After cutting through some of the back alleyways he had mapped previously, Vahn and Hestia arrived at a very familiar location that Vahn had passed a lot in the past. The reason why he had recognized the address on the paper is that it wasn't too far from Hephaestus's workshop and the main branch of the Guild. Though slightly off the main road, it was on the same path he would take whenever he was leaving the Hearts Embrace and heading toward the Dungeon in the past.The address on the paper was slightly off the main road, but it was in a residential area that only had large houses, manors, and even mansions. After checking the paper twice to confirm, Vahn looked up at the relatively large two-story building that would probably be his new home. It looked somewhat similar to an Inn that had been combined with a manor since it had a very large courtyard split into four sections and a high fence surrounding the inside.The building itself was shaped like an L and had two wings surrounding the central area that towered slightly higher than the rest of the building. The smaller part of the L shape was like an annex that, when Vahn inspected the inside, had a large empty area with a bare-bones forge setup. It was missing all the equipment, but Vahn would be able to begin working almost immediately once he set up his own tools and materials.Within the inside of the L shape, there were various artificial rocks and trees that had been arranged to conceal something that brought a smile to Vahn's face because it had been a long time since he had used one. Though there was a tall divider in the center, there was a large space within the backyard that had been converted into an onsen. The larger pool was split into two sections and there were even a few smaller pools around the area with small dividers that would provide anyone that wanted to bath alone a certain amount of privacy.Vahn wasn't the only one impressed by the structure and onsen since Hestia had been in incredibly high tensions since the moment Vahn opened the front gate with the key she handed him. Hephaestus informed her that she actually requested this building to be built in the past after interacting with Vahn for a long period of time. She had been tailor-making it to suit his needs and now 'gifted' it to Hestia to celebrate her descent from Heaven. As a goddess with a Divinity related to architecture, she was in high spirits as she marveled at each of the features of the building. Other than a complete lack of furniture, everything else was remarkable.Once they were done looking around, Vahn and Hestia went into what would be considered the master bedroom. It was the largest room in the house and had two separate walk-in closets as well as a personal bathroom. Though it wasn't noticeable at first, Vahn also discovered that the room had a hidden wall which opened up to a smaller and sound-proof area. It was very similar in structure to the room Hephaestus's used to house the 'eternal flame', so Vahn felt like it was made with that purpose in mind. The walls and flooring had amazing fire-proofing and sound-dampening qualities and there was even an empty and bare-bones forge set up in the corner.After getting a better look around the inside of the room, Vahn moved toward the far wall, furthest from the doors, and purchased a large bed in the system called [Canopy of Heaven]. Even though it had an awe-inspiring name, it only cost 28,000OP and didn't look too impressive when he put it down. The only thing he had focused on was finding something 'comfortable' while also being large. Though he didn't have the intention right now, it looked like more than six people would be able to lay side-by-side without any discomfort and even stretched out a fair amount lengthwise. Overall, the dimensions were around 4m x 4.5m and it actually took up a much larger amount of the bedroom than Vahn originally intended.Hestia saw Vahn put down the bed before any other furniture and had a teasing look on her face as she dove into the pure white blankets. Other than the slightly golden-colored wooden frame of the bed, everything else on it was pure white including the sheets, comforter, blankets, pillows, and even the curtains hanging from the canopy frame. When she landed, Hestia noticed that the bed was far softer than she imagined and she began to roll around in it without any semblance of decorum.Vahn saw her behavior and laughed before he said, "I'll make sure to purchase a similar bed for your room." Since there were more 13 actual bedrooms in the house, there were plenty of options for Hestia to choose from including two similarly sized rooms as the present one in each of the wings. Hestia heard his words and immediately refuted, saying, "No way, I want to stay in this bedroom with you~! I can't even imagine staying in one of those huge rooms on my own in the middle of the night!"Since she had been making her claim while lying lazily on the bed, Vahn felt like there wasn't a lot of strength to her argument. When she had shouted, she had raised her tiny fists toward the ceiling and had been giving him a very pitiable look like she was an abandoned animal. Remembering that she always slept with Bell in the manga, even though they didn't have an actual relationship, Vahn felt like Hestia was the type that didn't like to sleep alone. He wondered how she had managed for so many years in Heaven since he had long known that she refused courtship and had very few if any, friends other than Hephaestus.After ruminating over matters for a bit, Vahn decided to concede to her selfishness for the time being. He generally liked spending time with her and even enjoyed her spoiled behavior somewhat since he had always intended to spoil her even before they met. Considering they had already shared a bed without incident, Vahn decided it wouldn't be a problem for now. Once other people moved into the Familia and he married Hephaestus and Eina, he assumed she would naturally find a room of her own. Though he didn't know if they would be living with him permanently, Vahn assumed that Eina would eventually quit her job at the Guild and become a permanent resident, or even member, of the Familia in the future.With a smile on his face, Vahn nodded his head and said, "Sure, we can stay here together. Just remember that there will be other people living here in the future, and some of them might be my wives or lovers." Though she was ecstatic at the first part of his words, Hestia took a critical amount of damage when Vahn continued. She rolled herself up in the blanket like a sushi roll and began to bite her teeth as she made an adorable sound of frustration while Vahn watched her antics with a humored expression on his face.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Hestia senses danger','Chloe's Victory','Vahnobtanium is actually the densest material in the record')I am currently at $721/1200 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 leaving the Hostess of Fertility, Vahn leisurely made his way toward the cafe near Babel Tower where he was told to wait. He was in high spirits because this would be the first time he would be meeting Hestia and would likely be able to join her Familia on the spot. Though he enjoyed his time in the Hephaestus Familia, he never really did his job or acted the role of ones of its members. Other than interacting with a few of the key figures in the Familia, like Hephaestus, Tsubaki, and Welf, he didn't even talk to many others.Though his intentions changed a bit as his relationship with Hephaestus developed, Vahn had always dreamt of joining the Hestia Familia ever since he came to this world. One of the reasons he had joined the Hephaestus Familia in the first place was so that he could meet Hestia in the future. He originally expected it to be closer to the start of the original storyline, but he had changed events to such a significant extent that she descended earlier. The fact that she was specifically descending for his benefit and to help Hephaestus made Vahn a little giddy with excitement.After arriving at the cafe, Vahn was escorted by the staff to one of the VIP lounges where he was served coffee and pastries while he waiting for the arrival of Hephaestus and the others. Since he loved the taste of sweets and had grown fond of the bitter and robust flavor of coffee, Vahn was enjoying the leisurely and pleasant atmosphere. He was originally told Hestia would be descending around noon, and it was currently close to 1 PM, so Vahn had high expectations while his tensions continued to grow.More than three hours later, Vahn had gone through several cups of coffee and had even excused himself to use the luxurious bathroom once. Though his tensions were still high, he was beginning to feel slightly concerned with how late it was getting. He assumed nothing had happened, especially considering that Loki would be certain to attend, but he still felt a little nervous as the day continued to progress. Eventually, it came time for him to enter the orb and, after the three days inside, he had completely lost all of his tensions by the time he returned.Instead of worrying, Vahn decided to focus his mind and try to comprehend the [Mantra of Eternity] while he waiting. Since he could enter a meditative state relatively quickly without losing his awareness of the outside world, it was an easy way to pass the time. After a few more hours had passed, Vahn checked the system time and saw that it was nearly 8 PM and there hadn't been any word from the staff about their arrival. He even began to suspect he had come a day early, but the room had been specifically reserved for today or he wouldn't have been able to enter so easily.Since the cafe closed at 8, Vahn had to leave the VIP lounge and exit the cafe with a bit of concern. Convincing himself nothing serious had happened, Vahn just released a short sigh before returning to his default state. The night air was cool and the stars were visible in the sky, so he decided it would be best to just walk back to the Inn and clear his head a bit. He would check with Hephaestus tomorrow and see if anything happened and likely meet Hestia then.As he walked through the streets, Vahn passed by a stall where a small figure caught his eye and he paused for a bit because he immediately recognized her. She had also been watching him and showed a bright smile as she said, "Good evening~!" After her greeting, she held her hand to her chin in a contemplative fashion as she 'appraised' his body and asked, "Why are you walking around so late at night with such a sad look on your face?"Vahn smiled at her antics and responded, "I was waiting for a kind and gentle goddess to come meet me. Unfortunately, it looks like today wasn't my lucky day..." The girl began to laugh in a cheerful manner before she said, "Well, at least you got to meet a beautiful girl like me~!" Vahn nodded his head in response and said in a gentle tone, "Indeed, if only the goddess I had been waiting on was as beautiful as you, I don't think I would have minded waiting for another few years if necessary."His 'suave' and 'playful' words made the small girl beam as she puffed out her ample bosom with a mock haughty display full of cheerfulness as she said, "Ehehehe, do you really think I'm beautiful~?" Vahn nodded and said confidently, "Yes, you seem exactly like the goddess I had imagined in my mind. If only I had been so fortunate to have met you sooner..." Vahn looked toward the sky and stared at the stars as he wondered why Hestia was playing around with him.The 'beautiful girl' he had been talking to and had greeted him was, in fact, the Hestia he had been waiting to meet at the cafe. Vahn wondered what had transpired for her to be waiting outside near the cafe while none of the others members he expected were present. Because of his reverie and genuine confusion, Hestia thought he was feeling sad since she had left him waiting for so long.After the meeting earlier, she had convinced Hephaestus and Loki to allow her to meet and judge Vahn for herself before she made her final decision. Even though she still intended to let him join her Familia, regardless of her impression, Hestia wanted to know what kind of person he was without having anything formally arranged. From her perspective, she could see that he was a very expressive boy that had a gentle and somewhat lonely expression. He treated people kindly and carried himself in a casual manner that almost seemed to blend into the night air. If she had known he was using his domain with stealth active, she probably would have realized her impression was partially skewed since Vahn often stood out normally.While he was still thinking, Hestia grabbed his hand and asked in a gentle voice with a caring smile on her face, "If I were a goddess, would you want to join my Familia? Even if I wasn't the person you were waiting for, I believe I can help you find happiness." Her words caused Vahn to turn his attention back to her and he still had a smile on his face as he shook his head, "You may be beautiful and kind, but I already decided to join the Familia of the goddess I was waiting for. Even though we haven't met yet, she was the goddess recommended by one of the most important people in my life."At this point, Vahn figured out that Hestia had probably arranged to meet him in this manner after he was finally kicked out of the cafe. Though he wasn't sure why he somewhat understood she was probably testing him. Because he knew her so well from the manga, Vahn was willing to play along and see what she wanted to try. When she offered to let him join her Familia, he nearly said yes, but remembered that he had claimed to be waiting for a goddess he had never met. Since they hadn't introduced themselves yet, Vahn thought it would be strange if he immediately accepted her offer.Hestia beamed after he 'refused' to join her Familia and Vahn noticed that her affection had increased from 66 to 75 in an instant. Since she had grabbed his hand earlier when she made her offer, Vahn was able to see the values and noticed her Intrigue, like almost every goddess he had met, was already at 100. Lowering her head like she was uttering a silent prayer, Hesta held his hand between both of her for a few seconds before looking back at him with a gentle, yet mischevious, smile.She asked, "What if I was the goddess you were waiting for this entire time~?" Vahn's smile grew by a marginal amount as he looked into her crystal clear blue eyes and said, "I think I might be afraid..." His words caused Hestia to tilt her head and asked, "Afraid~? Why?" A gentle expression touched Vahn's eyes as he said in a low tone, "I'm afraid I may have used up all my luck in this lifetime. If the goddess I was waiting for was someone like you, I think the Familia they created would be a wonderful place."His words made the smile on Hestia's face grow even wider and she said in a very excited manner, "Greetings, Vahn~! I'm Hestia, Hephaestus's best friend! She sent me here to meet you, but I wanted to see what kind of person you were, so sorry for making you wait!" As her words fell, Hestia bowed low for a brief moment before standing back up straight. Vahn's brows raised a bit because of the degree her breasts had jiggled in the process, but Hestia assumed he was surprised by her reveal.She began to laugh as if she found his disbelief to be entertaining and asked, "So, what will it be~? Do you still not want to join the Familia of this 'beautiful', 'kind', 'gentle', and 'caring' goddess~!?" As she asked her question, Hestia placed emphasis on each of the compliments Vahn had given her earlier. Though he was a bit surprised by her liveliness, it was one of the reasons she had been one of his favorite characters in the manga. With a genuinely happy smile on his face, Vahn said, "I would love to join your Familia, Hestia...that is, if you'll have someone like me."The moment he agreed, Hestia seemed to lose her restraint as she launched herself at Vahn's face with her arms spread wide. Vahn caught her body and noticed she was somewhat awkward to hold since he nearly grabbed her butt when intending to grab where the waist would have been on a 'normal' girl. She rubbed her face against him and said in a lively tone, "Ahaha, Vahn, why are you so cute~!? Of course, I'll accept you in my Familia, that is why I came here~!"Though he expected Hestia to be the 'clingy' type, since she always seemed to be dangling off Bell in the source material, Vahn was surprised that she immediately dropped her guard against him. He wasn't aware that she had spent a good three hours getting a crash course about him from the other goddesses and Eina earlier and had already opened up to him quite a bit. Not only was he the future husband of her best friend, but he was also a kind and caring boy that paid her compliments easily without showing any signs of deception on his face. From Hestia perspective, and with everything she had heard about him, she thought he was an amazing boy and even had some mild expectations about being 'spoiled' by him already cemented in her mind.After a few seconds of over-affectionately rubbing her cheek against his, Hestia seemed to realize something and jumped down from Vahn's body as if she was shocked by her own behavior. She panicked for a few seconds and looked like she was struggling with her own thoughts before she pointed at him and said, "From now on, you'll be in my Familia~! In exchange for my blessing, you'll have to provide me with a place to stay, food, and entertainment!"Vahn nodded his head and listened to her words 'attentively' as he marveled at her unique behavior. Seeing that he was properly listening, Hestia's expression turned gentle and she said, "If you work hard to make me happy, I'll work twice as hard to make sure you're happy as well. Happiness is something that is shared between people and, if we work together, we'll be able to grow alongside each other and create a better future for us, our Familia, and everyone around us."Her words had a bigger impact than Vahn expected as he felt a warmth spread through his heart and could even feel his eyes mist over a bit as a pressure built up in his nose. He knew she was the type that could say inspiring things that always struck at the heart of the matter, but he never expected to be on the receiving end of her speeches so soon after they just met. Her words were similar to the things he had been learning and trying to work on as of late, so they hit especially close to home at this moment.Seeing how emotional Vahn was acting, Hestia's smile grew especially gentle as she reached out her hand and said, "Let's go home, Vahn..." Vahn stared at her tiny, outstretched, hand and hesitated for a brief moment before placing his into it. Though it was much smaller than his own, Vahn felt a strange sense of security in its grasp. His actions made Hestia smile as she looked toward his face in silence for several seconds without breaking eye contact. Eventually, she seemed to have realized something as her smile turned slightly awkward and she asked, "Which way is home~? Ehehehehehe."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The awkward moment when you meet someone for the first time that knows a lot about you','Prank'd','Bestia is quite airheaded')https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $721/1200 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

Chapter 216: Familia