"Wheew, I haven't been this mad for ..." she pauses, trying to think back to when she last had one of her usual fits. However the number of weeks passed since then lets her frown. „... for... like... two weeks..." Rana admits meekly and sighs in exhaustion while slumping onto her futon.
She lies on her back and stares absentmindedly at the ceiling, wearing only her underwear which consists of a sarashi-cloth wrapped around her breasts and black hot pants. Her dripping wet clothes are hanging on the drying rack at the end of the room.
Only moments ago she finished the arduous task of cleaning her blood- and dirt-stained miko attire, which has been the visual proof of this afternoon's quarrel with the werewolf from Loki Familia.
On the other futon, next to her's, a blonde renard girl is lying on her stomach, deeply immersed in a book. Her blonde tail sways slowly from side to side.
"Hmm, indeed. Recently, Sora-dono only ever puts you on front yard duty when she gets tired of your nagging about the dungeon... which hasn't been too little either." the blonde confirms somewhat absentmindedly but with a soft and friendly voice.
The gentle voice belongs to Haruhime - the only other renard girl within Amaterasu Familia. She was among the first who joined the sun goddess seven years ago. Needless to say, she did leave Hestia Familia on good terms, as all of her former Familia members supported her when she expressed that she wanted to become a shrine maiden in order to hone her magic skills.
Rana rolls over to face her fellow kin in the next bed. Upon seeing Haruhime's ever so soothing but naive smile, her face darkens.
...ugh, Haruhime, don't speak so lightly of my recent punishments... hell, even if she insults someone by accident one simply can't be angry with her... how can anyone even be this endearing!? ... if she was more like me, it would be considerably easier to hate her...
Still looking at Haruhime's kind face, her last thought starts to weigh on her conscience.
... ok, that was mean... let's just say it would be a lot easier to keep my distance... yeah... that's better...
"..."
Rana remains silent as she stares at her Familia member.
Gaaah, goodness! She is simply the archetype of a renard! She's calm, collected and capable of some crazy-ass powerful magic spells... Honestly I don't know what's more impressive: the fact that she developed a powerful spell like 'Uchide no Kozuchi' all by herself, or that she's actually earning our Familia a fortune after Amaterasu managed to store fragments of that spell in sellable potions...
"..."
I even heard that her former goddess and that brown haired pallum showed up at our door shortly after they learned that we make a living selling those potions alone... Well, sucks to be you, Hestia Familia. I bet they kicked themselves after they got the gate from Amaterasu without their demands for compensation being met... Honestly, that Amaterasu can be quite a beast sometimes... Well at least that bitch was generous enough to give Hestia Familia the permission to take Haruhime with them on their expeditions from time to time.... the renard girl rambles in her thoughts while observing the blonde.
Seven years ago, after Amaterasu came to Orario and took the lead in restructuring the old pleasure quarter, the sun goddess decided to make a living by selling magical enhancements for weapons and items. Therefore, since then, her Familia only accepted unmarried young women who excel in their affinity for holy magic. All her children are trained as shrine maidens, known as mikos, and their training is focused on developing spells that can improve certain stats or abilities of an item or weapon.
Rana frowns and continues her internal monolog.
As if the existence of Haruhime's magic wasn't outrageous enough but with these potions, it's as if any jackass running around gets a free pass to cheat... Well that is, if they are rich enough. Items containing Haruhime's magic are by far the most expensive our Familia has to offer... no wonder her former goddess got mad at Amaterasu... If it was me, I probably would've killed that haughty sun goddess right away... Honestly, she doesn't even need that much money... Whereas rumors say that Hestia Familia is still having debts from hell at Hephaistos' place ...
Rana eventually sighs after finishing her silent admiration for the blond fox. She decides to get back to the topic.
"Haruhime, I know you meant no harm, but hearing you speak so lightly about my recent punishments makes me feel even worse..."
Haruhime's tail stops swaying. In the next moment her book lies forgotten near her pillow as she covers her mouth, flustered with shame.
"Oh, my! Excuse me! I meant no offense, what I was trying to say is, that your temper tantrums were really declining in frequency as of late. That's why I think you should be more confident about your progress!", she makes a small break before continuing with a consoling smile. "Even though the captain does seem to have it out for you nonetheless..."
Rana only sighs in return.
"...Honestly, stop being so damn perfect. It's really irritating...", the redhead turns around and stares at the ceiling again. "Both of us know that I will probably be the misfit of this Familia forever, so stop sugarcoating things.", she grouches as she tries to resist Haruhime's sisterly care.
Honestly, she is crazy powerful AND damn adorable. That's just not fair. Wouldn't one have been enough?
"Oh my. Be that as it may, I think you shouldn't take things too seriously. The miko apprenticeship is no bed of roses and considering that, you're doing just fine."
"Tsk. For fuck's sake, can you please stop being so damn positive?!", Rana hisses while crossing her arms above the face. Her right hand is bandaged.
Haruhime gently smiles and approaches the fox in the next bed to give her a little peck on the cheek. This lets Rana sit up straight in an instant.
"Thihi, but if I'm not positive enough for both of us, who will?"
Upon receiving the kiss, Rana looks at the blonde in shock and starts stammering.
"O-oi! I already said it a thousand times! S-stop doing that kind of thing!"
Haruhime smiles and playfully sticks out her tongue in response before eventually turning back to her book.
Rana, still irritated by Haruhime's sisterly devotion, peers at the blonde with flushed cheeks when the dormitory's door slides open with a loud clatter.
The ears of the two foxes start twitching.
"IKEBE, RANA!" a harsh voice echoes through the dormitory and a slender woman with a long, shining golden ponytail appears in the doorframe. The purple hakama she is wearing signals that she is the executive of the Familia.
"Ara, ara... looks like you're still the most likely candidate for the front yard duty." Haruhime banters at the redheaded fox as she tries to lighten the mood with a little bit of humor. But not even the blonde's good will can prevent Rana's face from turning grim after hearing her captain's roar.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming, I'm coming. Just please stop shouting. Your voice can be quite painful to our sensitive fox ears, you know?" Rana mutters more to herself than to her captain while reluctantly rising from her futon. Without minding to put on her miko attire, she trudges toward the door whereupon the woman in the doorway only sighs.
"... Ikebe-san, you're not in the position to be cheeky right now." Sora says in a now considerably more composed tone.
"Good luck." Haruhime whispers softly to her dear friend without averting her eyes from the book as the other two priestesses leave the dormitory.
The first one who enters the sixteen tatami mat room is the captain - followed by a frowning, redheaded renard girl. Located in the room's center is a kotatsu table cluttered in paperwork.
Rana kneels down at one side of the table. Her fox tail and ears lay flat submissively, her hands are folded in her lap while her gaze is lowered. But despite her attempt to appear reverential, her miffed expression can't hide her resentment towards these theatrics.
However, she patiently waits for her captain to begin her lecture as she knows there is little she can do otherwise.
Sora sits down cross-legged on the other side of the kotatsu. Among the scattered documents stands an open bottle of Demeter's wine and a glass. The captain pours a not quite small amount of wine into the glass, as she mentally prepares herself for the scolding she is about to deliver.
Sora is the only Level-3 adventurer in the Amaterasu Familia and also the only one, who had already been part of the Familia before the sun goddess came to Orario. The reason why they had to emigrate in the first place was because the Far East had been overrun by new kinds of powerful monsters. The former Amaterasu Familia and the Royal Court tried to fend off the invasion but in the end, had to surrender. When the sun goddess decided to make a fresh start in the Labyrinth City, Sora was the only Familia member left who was willing to follow her goddess to that unknown continent. And when Amaterasu came to the decision that she was going to build a business typed Familia, Sora agreed to become the Familia's captain. With this she consequently accepted the task of training the novice Familia members, and in short, that's why she is in charge of dealing with the redheaded troublemaker in front of her.
Sora takes a big swig from her wine. After savoring the fancy taste in her mouth for a while, she eventually breaks the silence.
"So, would you mind explaining what happened between you and the Loki Familia?"
The redhead averts her emerald eyes guiltily.
"Why should I bother explaining? Ya witnessed the whole shitshow, didn't cha?!"
Sora sighs at Rana's cocky response.
"Ikebe-san, I told you a billion times to watch your language. And yes, I saw something . But I'm not quite sure how to get a read on it. So would you mind explaining the situation?"
Rana darts an annoyed glance at her captain.
"The hell is there to explain?! I rose to provocation, snapped and you had to save our Familia's reputation once again.", she overemphasizes the words 'save' and 'reputation' disdainfully.
Sora nods, her face wears an apathetic look. She takes another sip before answering in an emotionless tone: "Yeah, I was in the know to this extent."
To which Rana's ears only twitch in anger.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN ASKING THEN?!"
"I want to know what Vanargand said to let you go out of your mind."
Rana furrows her eyebrows.
"Vanar...gand?" she parrots cluelessly.
Sora sighs again.
"Yes, Vanargand. Loki's conceited werewolf, remember? You nearly smashed his grim face this afternoon."
The redhead stares at her captain, flabbergasted.
"W-woah, wait. Are you telling me that this stupid mutt was one of Orario's first-class adventurers?"
Now it is Sora who looks dumbfounded while sighing for the third time in a row.
"Ikebe-san, I told you a billion times to at least inform yourself about the upper echelons of each Familia. Knowing who you are talking to is crucial for business."
Rana crosses her arms and stares at the floor, pouting.
"Listen. I know it is hard for you to control your temper. And I truly acknowledge the efforts you made the last two years to overcome this disposition of yours. But nevertheless, your personal affairs may not reflect discredit on our Familia."
The renard girl scrunches her nose but starts to nod reluctantly.
"Good, now would you please tell me what happened in detail?"
Rana remains silent, her eyes still averted.
"If I need to ask a third time you will be in charge of the front yard the rest of the year." her captain blusters coolly.
She winces. Hell, anything but that. The only thing more annoying than sweeping leaves in autumn is clearing the snow in winter. Rana knew that. She's had her fill of both activities often enough.
"P-please don't! I tell ya, I tell ya! Just please gimme a sec. I need to find the right words..."
The fox claps her hands in front of her face in an exaggerated pleading manner, squinting her eyes.
Sora takes another sip while patiently waiting for Rana's explanation.
After folding her hands on her lap again, the fox finally starts talking.
"To be honest, I don't know the reason myself, either-"
"Alright. Front yard duty for the rest of the year goes to Ikebe, Rana. Dismissed." Sora says callously.
"W-wait! That wasn't an excuse! I really don't know how to put it into words... it was just... I dunno. I mean, I'm used to the fact that conversing with adventurers gets my hackles up, but... this was something else. It was as if the sole existence of this stupid mutt choked me."
Sora knits her eyebrows.
"I see... And what was the exact trigger for the fight?"
"..."
"Ikebe-san..." Sora admonishes the closemouthed fox.
Rana sighs and eventually caves in.
"I tripped over my own feet and he tried to lift me up and... And the moment he drew closer I... I..." Rana pauses for a moment.
Tch, I can't tell Sora about my visions... It's already bad enough that I can't hide it from Amaterasu...
"... I just snapped. I don't know why." she lies to her captain with averted eyes.
Sora drinks another sip of wine, her face takes on a disappointed look.
"Ikebe-san. Amaterasu-sama told me about your divination skill. She said you are capable of receiving prophecies whether you want it or not."
Rana winces upon the captain's allusion to her skill.
"... A-Amaterasu told you? What did she say precisely? D-did she mention someth-"
That's when Rana gets interrupted by a loud noise. Sora furiously punches her fist on the table - if her glass hadn't been already empty it would have surely spilled over.
"Dammit, Rana! That's all you have to say?"
Rana lowers her eyes, it is rare to see the captain this exasperated.
Sora quickly composes herself and continues.
"Honestly, I really don't know why both of you kept this a secret. Amaterasu-sama did mention that you had this skill since you joined our Familia. Which means both of you lied to me for a full two years... This really hurts, you know? And even now, when you're confronted face to face, you can't even tell me the truth?"
Rana looks at her captain, conscience-stricken, while clenching her fists.
Tch... damn, that stupid goddess... I figured she wouldn't keep this secret forever... If Sora already knows about it, it won't do any good if I don't answer her question truthfully... she ponders in silence, still wary that her skill has been revealed.
"... fine. If ya already know I might as well tell ya... It was a vision from the dungeon. But at the same time it wasn't the dungeon. It was some sort of man-made underground and... it was flooded with blood... in its center was a decapitated creature ... and-"
Sora opens her eyes in shock. It's not like she didn't consider this possibility, but she was hoping until the last second that there was a ... less... grave reason for her fellow priestess' behavior. She slowly raises her hand, signaling her Familia member to stop.
"... I understand now. You don't need to speak further if you don't want to."
Sora then crosses her arms and averts her gaze, lost in thought.
"Hmm... I guess your behavior must have been some kind of survival instinct triggered by that mental image..." Sora concludes and mutters more to herself than to the girl in question.
Rana looks at her in astonishment as she didn't anticipate this outcome. She doesn't dare to tell her captain that this 'survival instinct' was already activated long before the vision took place.
Sora suddenly looks at her with a caring and somewhat sisterly expression, just like Haruhime did shortly before. She then sighs for the fourth time in a row.
"So, if today's actions were truly driven by some sort of unprocessed trauma I don't think there is a point in punishing you. And this concludes our talk, you are dismissed."
"...eh... HEEEEE?" Rana stutters. "D-does this mean... You are not going to punish me for today's events?"
"No, I'm not."
Rana does not believe her ears. She stands up hastily and bows to her captain.
"Thank you, captain-"
"No need to thank me. Don't get me wrong, this is no act of pity. I just think that unprocessed trauma cannot be dissipated with garden work..." the captain says indifferently while refilling her glass.
Upon hearing Sora's now mellow voice, Rana sniffs her chance to address the issue that only recently earned her the front yard duty. She hastily sits down again.
"Mhh... guess you're right, captain. But if it's really some sort of trauma-thingy, I guess there is one thing that could help me deal with it..." the fox says offhandedly.
After taking a huge sip of wine, Sora looks at the redhead emotionless.
"Denied."
"H-hey, I didn't even get to tell you what I had in mind!"
"I don't need to. I know what you are going to ask. And my answer remains the same as the last time: I'm not giving you permission to visit the dungeon. Not before you pass your initiation exam."
Rana slumps down.
"Oh come on, Sora! Don't you agree that if I become stronger, I could overcome-"
"No."
Sora interrupts the novice miko harshly before sighing.
"Honestly, I just don't get why you are so obsessed with that dungeon. I mean, among all our Familia members, you are probably the only one who hates adventurers to this extent and yet you try anything to get into the dungeon. I just don't get it! And you even have the audacity to bring up that question again and again..."
"..."
"Let me say it once and for all: I don't care if you visited the dungeon a bunch of times before you joined our Familia. Now that you are one of Amaterasu's children you are gonna stick to the rules. This is not only for your own safety, but for the safety of all our members. If I'm going to make an exception for you, there will be a ruckus among the other girls. And even if you can handle what is going on in the dungeon - the other trainees might not. That's why-"
"Hmpf", Rana interrupts her captain's lecture, "I bet it wasn't Amaterasu who put up this stupid rule... sounds more like you put it in place, after your fiancé got killed in the dung-"
Rana stops mid sentence upon realizing the grim look Sora's face took on.
"U-ugh, I-I didn't mean to..." the fox tries to justify her statement.
But Sora doesn't even let her finish the sentence as she starts speaking in an alarmingly calm tone.
"Excuse me, what did you just say?"
"S-sora, I-I didn't think about what I said, i-it just slipped ..."
It was utterly stupid of her to drop this particular brick. Sora had really loved this guy. After all, she had been willing to give up her whole life for this marriage, considering that the first condition of being one of Amaterasu's children was to be unmarried. Well, to be precise, to stay a virgin. And Sora readily accepted the possibility of her own exclusion, regardless of the fact that Amaterasu had become something like a mother to her.
Rana breaks out in a sweat while facing her alarmingly calm captain. By now, Rana already knows that Sora is the most dangerous when she is calm as fuck.
"Well, not-thinking is something where garden work may help. Ikebe, Rana: Front yard duty for the rest of the year. Dismissed."
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Rana yells as all the rage from today breaks loose.
Sora keeps a straight face while looking at the exasperated renard girl. Rana clenches her fists and bites her lip.
"Bitch." the fox hisses under her breath.
Sora's straight face starts to crumble as her eyebrows twitch slightly. Nevertheless she keeps her cool.
"Pardon?"
Now it is Rana's eyebrows that start to twitch. It drives her crazy how her captain can keep her temper in check, even when she gets insulted straight to the face - unlike Rana.
The fox stands up in an instant, slams both hands flat on the table and starts shouting: "If you really let me sweep the whole fucking front yard for the rest of the year, I'm totally going to leave right now!"
"If you take one step off the shrine grounds tonight, you're going to sweep the front yard for the rest of your life." Sora hisses, her eyes narrowed to slits.
"Great! I don't care! At least, you need to come up with another lever if you want to punish me again!" Rana yells as she turns around and leaves the room in exasperation.
"Ikebe, wait! I'm serious! If you set one foot on the streets tonight you-"
"HELL IF I CARE! I'M GOING TO MY BROTHER! I'M TOTALLY NOT GOING TO BE UNDER THE SAME ROOF AS YOU FREAKING BITCH TONIGHT!" the renard ripostes while stomping along the shrine's hallway. She goes straight to the closet where all miko novices have to store their weapons. After grabbing her gold-pleated nunchaku she storms out of the shrine.
It was impossible for the other Familia members not to notice Rana leaving. Haruhime sighs upon hearing her friend's temper tantrum. She knows there is no point in trying to appease her when her emotions get the better of her.
Maybe it's the best, if her brother takes care of her right now ... Haruhime ponders while rolling to the side for a more comfortable reading position. It is then that her eyes fall on Rana's miko attire, still hanging on the drying rack.
"Oh Rana-chan. Don't tell me you really left in just your underwear? Sometimes you are just asking for brawls, aren't you?" she mutters in a concerned but still gentle voice.
Meanwhile, Sora puts Rana's front yard duty on record. She sighs after closing her note book. The fact that the young fox left the shrine grounds in only her underwear didn't slip her attention either.
"Honestly, this fox is such a handful. I really don't get why Amaterasu is so indulgent towards that girl." she complains while emptying her glass of wine.
After rushing out of the shrine, Rana holds her nunchaku (well, to be honest: it's actually a gold-pleated flail normally used for threshing rice, not a real nunchaku) firmly while stomping through the hustle and bustle of Orario's nightly streets. By now, night has already settled over Orario and the pubs are crowded with adventurers who have returned from their daily dungeon expeditions to enjoy their after-work beer.
The redheaded fox scurries through the alleyways, trying to ignore the drunkards on the streets. The only thing she wants right now is to get to her brother as quickly as possible.
And unfortunately, the fastest way leads directly through the bar district.
"Ooooooii you! Redhead!" some drunk human calls after her the moment she passes the Hostess of Fertility.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't one of Amaterasu's hot little virgins." he slurs while planting himself in front of the renard girl, forcing Rana to immediately break her hurried stride.
Urgh, seriously. I'm not in the mood for this shit... I might kill someone for real, this time.
"Tch, sorry. You must have mistaken me."
"Huh? Don't mess with me, little fox. Of course you are one of the sun goddess' tasty chicks. Ya know, ya and the other blonde fox are quite popular around here. Always wondered what ya might be hiding under all these layers. Don't get me wrong, it's a delight to watch ya little virgins frolicking around in yer traditional attire. But I have to say I appreciate that new look of yours even more." the burly man lewdly emphasizes the last two words.
Rana clenches her teeth.
Tch, right. I almost forgot that there aren't many renards around here. So of course that bastard would recognize me, s he curses in thoughts while trying to bypass him. But the moment she steps aside, the bothersome adventurer always steps in her way again.
Judging from his looks, he is an ordinary middle-aged man trying to make it big in his old age as an adventurer, the likes of which abound in Orario.
"Whoops! Not so fast, sweetie. How about a drink? Just the two of us, it's my treat." he slurs while staring shamelessly at her well-endowed chest.
Tch, what's the deal with these freaking perverts?!
His lecherous gaze causes an irritation she often feels when confronted with obnoxious adventurers. She doesn't understand why those males make such a fuss about a bit of bare skin. After all, her current outfit is no different from an amazon's everyday dress. And as far as she knows, they don't have such problems.
Well... or maybe they just handle such situations differently...?, she asks herself with a slight shiver running down her spine when thinking about Haruhime's 'older sister' Aisha.
However, she really doesn't get the hang of Orario's female clothing politics and with this, she tries to push past the man when he suddenly grasps her shoulder.
"OI, YOU PRUDISH BITCH! I'M TALKING TO YOU!"
The human's touch disgusts her. But to her own surprise she doesn't get any visions from his grasp nor does she feel the same revulsion she did this afternoon. Upon realizing this, Rana's face turns into a devilish grin. She stands still and closes her eyes.
Tch, better end this shitshow fast, without attracting more of these fuckwads...
She starts to clench both ends of her flail, striking the pose of a mage wielding a staff.
Slowly, she turns around and starts whispering the only spell she is capable of.
" Primordial watery abyss, heed my plea... "
The drunk mistakes Rana's muttering as a cry for help and starts jeering.
"Huh? If ya wanna call for help you should speak loud-"
" ... and become my shield. " Rana finishes her super short chant magic and interrupts the drunkard mid sentence. " Naunet! " she eventually shouts the name of her spell. And the moment she does, a spheric water barrier appears at the tip of her flail, throwing the drunkard meters away into a bunch of crates.
A loud bang echoes through the street when the wooden boxes burst under the weight of the adventurer. The drunkard struggles to get up from the rubbish. He looks at the girl dumbfounded, obviously surprised that someone other than the Familia's captain is capable of a defensive spell.
It is unusual for one of Amaterasu's children to be able to use offensive or defensive magic, unless they converted from another Familia. And as far as he knows, this girl hasn't belonged to any other Familia yet - hell, she doesn't even have an alias, which means she must still be a Lvl. 1.
"You little bitch!" he yells while getting back on his feets.
Hearing the turmoil, his friends step out of the Hostess of Fertility. While they are quite boozed up as well, they nonetheless get a read on the situation and start running towards the drunk troublemaker.
"Oi, oi. Come on. Cut it out. Bad enough you got your ass handed to you like that blonde, lecherous god. But at least that creep knows when to quit, man." one of his friends explains while pulling him under visible resistance back into the pub.
"I don't care! Lemme go already! I'm not done here!" the drunk adventurer shouts while struggling with both arms and legs. As the adventurers heave their friend over the pub's threshold successfully, Rana lets her flail down and sighs exhaustedly.
"Sheeesh, can this day become even more shitty than it already is?!" she complains while turning away from the pub and resuming her hurried trod from before.
As she leaves the bar district behind and listens to the noise and chatter grow more distant, she knows that she is getting closer to her brother's home.
„Oiiiii you dumbasses, let go of me!!! I swear, I was so close to getting into her pants!"
"Yeah, bro. Sure thing, you were... Now come on and grab a cup of water..."
"Feeehh, go fuck yourself! I don't want that crappy water! Gimme a beer!"
Bete raises an eyebrow as he turns around to the noisy group of male, middle-aged adventurers.
A burly man, who looks as if he's just been cuddling with a pile of wood - splinters of wood are still stuck in his hair - futilely tries to put up resistance to his buddies dragging him towards the bar counter.
... what a bunch of fuckwads... making a fuss over something stupid, huh? the wolf mumbles to himself while observing the scene with an annoyed expression.
Bete is sitting at his Familia's usual spot inside the Hostess of Fertility, impatiently waiting for his beer. His patron goddess as well as most of the Familia's executives are sitting at the same table, engaged in their usual activities. The group consists of Finn, Gareth, Riveria, Tione, Lefiya, Loki and Bete. Two seats are still empty and reserved for Tiona and Ais.
While the noise from the drunken adventurers slowly but surely starts to die down, the wolf turns around to face his Familia again. He rests his face in his palm, looking as annoyed as ever.
... well can't say my table is anything close to civilized... , he continues his chain of thought.
In front of him, the usual takes place: While Finn wants to converse with Riveria about current developments within the Familia, Tione is constantly interrupting the two, trying her best to feed her beloved pallum some homemade junk food she has smuggled into the pub.
Meanwhile Loki gets her ass handed over by Lefiya, who as of late, has gotten fed up with the deity harassing her. Over the past years, the young elven girl did actually manage to learn some of Ais' Anti-Loki's-Sexual-Harassment-Blows™, giving her patron goddess a hard time. Observing his goddess's futile attempts to grab Lefiya's boobs, Gareth's grandfatherly laughter is echoing through the whole pub. The dwarf and the goddess are noticeably the most drunk at their table, as they had already engaged in a drinking battle an hour before the rest of the Familia arrived at the pub. Thus, both of them are quite boozed up for this early hour - much to Bete's dismay, who would be glad if he had already reached the same level of drunkenness.
Finn, who is still struggling to evade the homemade cooking Tione is about to shove down his throat, suddenly addresses Bete and jolts the wolf out of his pondering silence.
"So, Bete. How'd it go, today? Did the boys do well in the dungeon? Loki said two of them are about to level up." he asks in his usual professional voice whereupon Bete only looks daggers at him.
"Gaaah, for fucks sake! Do we really need to talk about those dimwits before I had my first beer?!" he snarls back in annoyance.
"If you're asking me, it would be best to give those good-for-nothings the boot!"
Finn smiles wryly.
"Yeah, I know... That's what you always suggest... but nonetheless, would you tell me how they did today?"
"Pfft, same shit as always. We were on the middle floors. But the only thing those pubescent fuckers had in mind, was fighting some high level monsters they could later brag about. In the end those idiots got cocky and were surrounded by a bunch of minotaurs. And guess who had to save their asses again?"
Finn sighs over Bete's response.
Obviously, it was too optimistic of him to think the grumpy wolf could adapt to becoming the trainees' teacher easily. Knowing that Bete was once the captain of Vidar Familia and thus very well capable of being a fatherly leader-figure, Finn and the other executives had their hopes up that this job could mellow the wolf's harsh attitude. It was Loki Familia's desperate attempt to raise Bete's acceptance for the weaker Familia members as well as to keep him away from Ais and the other executives. Because, ever since Ais and Bell had become lovers, Bete's mood had hit rock bottom. There hasn't been a day where Bete did not badmouth the white haired boy from Hestia Familia. Eventually even the ever so phlegmatic Ais' had lost her temper. In fact, Bete's grumpiness has become a threat not only to his relationship to Ais, but to the team spirit of the entire upper echelons of Loki Familia. That's why Finn, Gareth, Riveria and Loki decided to keep him away from the rest of the executives until the wolf has calmed down.
Before Finn gets a chance to answer Bete's rant, the waitress brings the next round of drinks, including Bete's eagerly awaited beer. He immediately grabs his mug and downs it in an instant.
"Oi, young lad. Since when did we stop clinking glasses?" Gareth admonishes the impatient werewolf.
"Hell if I care!" Bete growls while slamming his empty mug on the table only to assume his bored posture again.
Gareth, Finn and Riveria exchange a concerned side glance. The dwarf sighs and eventually raises his mug to the rest of his Familia members. The other members join in Gareth's toast and soon continue with their usual antics, ignoring Bete's sullen look.
Not that he cares. Instead of engaging in his Familia's cozy get-together, he stares in annoyance at the still empty seat right next to him.
Ais and Tiona had announced that they would be joining the gathering at a later time, which had only reinforced Bete's bad mood.
Originally, today was supposed to be the day he intended to clear things up with Ais.
Contrary to his outward demeanor, he had actually become more distraught over the quarrel with her than he thought he would. That's why he wants to put an end to the dispute over that rabbit bastard and actually apologize to her.
Bete's tail fawns nervously between the chair legs. He hates waiting. But even more than that, he hates to apologize. He wonders if he should order another drink. The last times he tried talking to Ais he added insult to injury. Maybe another beer would help him overcome his pride which always steps in his way.
Bete is still lost in thoughts when Riveria fails to catch his attention.
"Bete!" the high-elf repeats in a louder voice.
"Huh? Whaddaya want, old hag?"
Riveria sighs in exasperation.
"I was asking if the story Hakon and the other rookies told me is true. There was a quarrel at the Amaterasu shrine?"
"Haaaa? So those little fuckers talked about shit that's none of their business?" Bete mutters in annoyance. He doesn't feel like getting one of Riveria's usual lectures.
Riveria sighs again.
"So it's true? Honestly, Bete. It's not like we aren't used to your bad temper already. But you can't run around and pick up fights with other Familias. Especially not with non-combatant ones... and particularly not with a priestess, good grief." Riveria complains while raising her right hand to her temple, looking utterly tired.
"Pffft! What do you even know, hag! It wasn't me who picked the fight! It was that freaking virgin, who-"
But before Bete could explain himself, Tione suddenly bursts into laughter, so much that she forgets all about her self imposed feeding duty and drops the spoon back into her homemade dish.
"Ahahaha, what? Are you seriously trying to tell us YOU were the victim of a priestess? Ahahaha, nice try."
"Whaddaya saying, dumbazon? I don't even know why I should lie over such a stupid thing!"
"Yeaaaah, right. Stop talking shit, Bete. We all know that since Ais and Bell became lovers you are a loose cannon."
"I'm what?! Say that again and I'll smack the last bit of yer love-struck brain outta yer head!"
"Oh yeah great, come on you mangy mutt!" Tione shouts back.
The moment their dispute is about to escalate, Bete suddenly hears the joyful greeting of the other amazonian twin sister.
"Yooohoooo, found y'all!" Tiona yells cheerfully while waving at their table. She is standing at the pub's entrance, next to the golden haired, golden eyed swordswoman Bete has been waiting for impatiently.
His amber eyes fixate on Ais and he becomes terribly nervous all of a sudden. However, the moment Ais catches sight of her Familia she turns around towards the entrance and waves at someone standing outside the pub. Bete's gaze follows the direction of Aiz' gesturing whereupon he sees a white haired boy shyly entering the pub.
Bete clenches his teeth.
Tch! Are you fucking kidding me?! Not that damn rabbit bastard! To hell with good intentions! Only seeing that asshat's face makes me want to puke! The fuck was I even thinking apologizing for?! For calling this milk face a milk face?! That's only the fucking truth!
While Bete is immersed in his inner rant, Tiona already sits down next to her sister, using one of the two vacant seats.
Ais grabs Bell's hand and makes her way to her Familia's table. Bell follows her reluctantly, obviously troubled by the fact that he is about to join another Familia's internal gathering.
The moment Ais realizes there is one chair too few, she wants to grab a spare chair from one of the neighboring tables.
But before she can even lay a finger on a nearby stool, the wolf abruptly jumps up, his chair hitting the floor with a loud clang.
"I'M OUT!" he shouts as he rushes out of the pub, not even wasting another glance at Ais or her boyfriend.
He really can't stand looking at the rabbit bastard, let alone spend a whole evening in his company and listen to his stupid voice.
Riveria turns around, gazing after the mad wolf.
"Hey, Bete! Where are you going?!"
"DUNGEON!" he presses out, barely capable of forming a complete sentence due to his anger.
"D-didn't he drink already? S-shouldn't we stop him from entering the dungeon in this state?" Bell asks in a concerned voice, whereupon Gareth, Finn and Riveria only sigh.
"It's not like we could stop him anyways... maybe it's best if he vents his frustration onto the monsters in the dungeon instead of our Familia members..." Finn says, looking somewhat exhausted.
"And it was only one beer, the lad will be fine. We are used to drinking way more during our expeditions! Gwahahahaha!" Gareth adds in his deep, sonorous voice, completely unaffected by Bete's hotheadedness and as good-humored as ever.
Bell, still wary of Bete's obvious hostility towards him personally, sheepishly scratches the back of his head.
"U-umm... but, I've got the feeling that I'm at fault for Bete-san's sudden leaving... is it really ok for me to be here?" he asks, intimidated.
That's when Ais turns around to grab Bell's shoulders, causing Bell to wince upon the sudden contact.
"Don't you dare think something like that, Bell Cranel. I love you and wherever I'm welcome, you are too." Ais says in her usual phlegmatic voice as if she would talk about something utterly trivial.
Bell turns red at the gravity of Ais' declaration.
It was one thing to have the mighty Ais Wallenstein confess her love to him as if she was talking about the weather. But to have her do so infront of all her fellow Familia members felt much more meaningful.
"Gwahahahaha! Young love, isn't it nice?" Gareth clatters into the lovey mood of the young couple while toasting towards his companions again.
Riveria and Finn couldn't help but smile their caring, somewhat parental smile, seeing the girl they took care of for so long being in love for the first time.
""To young love!"" the pallum and high elf say, joining in Gareth's toast.
Ais tilts her head as she doesn't quite get the meaning of Gareth's toast, whereas Bell, still flushed from embarrassment, tries his best to cool down.
"Gwahahaha! Now sit down young lad and lass!" the dwarf yells while he picks up Bete's chair and offers it to the white haired boy, grinning broadly.