Chapter 214 - Descent
Chapter 214 - Descent
After returning to the Inn, Vahn lay in his bed alone as he stared up at the roof and contemplated how things would be changing soon. Though there were already several things happening simultaneously, Vahn felt like he needed to increase his focus on the promises he had made in the past. The most important thing was to forge an item for Hephaestus, and then he needed to increase his own influence within the City while guaranteeing the security of his friends and loved ones.
Since he would likely have several children in the future, Vahn was beginning to worry about being able to provide a proper upbringing for them. Though most of the women he associated with were very capable and would probably provide for them well, Vahn didn't want to take a back seat when it came to his own family. It might be difficult, but Vahn wanted everyone to live together at some point, and even considered turning a large part of his residence into something akin to a daycare. Anubis was already very fond and considerate of children, and Vahn felt like Hestia would be a good influence on them as well when he thought about her divinities.
The only people he was genuinely concerned with was Loki and Tiona, since their relationsh.i.p.s were guaranteed to have complications. Loki would probably want to heavily influence their child when it is born and Tiona would have to return to the Amazon Country, Telskyura when she got pregnant. Vahn had to increase his strength and confront the goddess named Kali that he had seen from her memories. Hopefully, he would have a lot of strength and support from others to give him some leverage, since Vahn didn't want to start a war between Orario and an entire country. The Amazons were one of the most powerful and war-like races in the entire continent and, though their population wasn't too great, they would be a nightmare opponent for any other Country, Kingdom, Nation, or even Empire.
With these various thoughts and troubles on his mind, Vahn slowly relaxed his body and prepared to sleep. The solution always seemed to be to become more powerful or have more authority, so he would pursue both in the future. Instead of trying to think about the matters on his own, he would talk about them with the involved parties and they could come up with a solution together. Content with this thought, Vahn fell asleep while looking forward to the coming day. Everything would officially begin the moment Hestia descended tomorrow.
Unexpectedly, Vahn detected a presence enter his domain in the early morning that he recognized. Shortly after, he heard a scratching sound before the latch on his window had been undone. The quiet and lithe figure of Chloe snuck into his room before he heard the sound of muffled clothes falling to the floor before she whispered, "Pretending to sleep~nya?" When her words fell, Vahn felt a weight shift in the bed as Chloe crawled under the covers next to him in nothing but her underwear.
Vahn hugged around her body and cradled her in a similar manner as the previous night as he whispered, "I was wondering if you would try anything sneaky." Feeling the warmth coming from her body, Vahn also felt a similar heat coming from his heart as the 'eternal flame' in his chest danced about rhythmically. Chloe laughed in a silent and tired manner as if she was about to fall asleep. She wrapped her tail around his leg again before saying, "I thought this might be one of the last times we could be together in this manner...you're a pretty popular guy~nya."
In response to her words, Vahn kissed the back of her head and stroked her hands which were holding his. He whispered in a loving tone with a small amount of teasing in his voice, "Even if it's the middle of the day, or late in the evening, I'll always hold you if you're feeling lonely. Spoiling you makes me feel happy after all..." He then held her closely as she gave a silent 'Nn' sound and the two fell asleep once again.
Other than when he woke up to enter the orb, Vahn continued holding Chloe until around 9 AM when he woke her up so she wouldn't be late for work. He had the opportunity to see her sleepy expression and lazy figure wearing nothing but creamy, light-beige, colored underwear. She had also brought the sundress Vahn had given her yesterday and wore it with a happy expression on her face. Vahn had curiously asked what happened to the panties and it caused her to laugh in a mischevious manner as she referred to them as her 'victory' underwear for the future.
Vahn escorted her to the Hostess of Fertility before separating in the side alleyway after a short embrace. He had noticed earlier that she removed the white bow around her tail almost as if she was trying to display the bright blue ribbon for everyone to see. The thought made Vahn feel somewhat happy and he began to wonder what he could do to get more [Proof of Affection]'s in the future. Giving the girls he liked gifts that they desired made him feel happy, and he also knew they were happy to receive them.
Though it was still early, Vahn spent the morning talking with Tina after Mama Mia made an exception and let him enter before they opened. They then ate an early lunch since Vahn would probably be busy in the afternoon before parting ways after Vahn affectionately stroked her head. Before he left, Tina told him something that made his heart palpitate slightly. She had said in a very serious manner, "When you buy me a ribbon, make sure it is the same as the one you get for Mom. Her favorite color is green, and I think it is a nice color also~nya."
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While Vahn was dealing with future problems, Hephaestus was also preparing to do the same but in a distinctly different location. She had visited Babel Tower accompanied by Loki, Anubis, and Eina in preparation to receive Hestia after she descends. Though she wore her normal attire, Loki had changed into a more casual outfit that consisted of a white long-sleeve button-up shirt as well as a pair of black shorts that were slightly longer than what she normally wore. She had on a muted-black pair of stockings and a pair of brown dress shoes. Even though she looked 'casual', it was actually a much more formal look than normal which made Hephaestus feel 'underdressed' somehow.
Anubis had even worn an elegant ceremonial dress with various golden ornaments that were studded with gemstones. Since Eina had also been wearing her professional Guild Staff attire, Hephaestus felt like the odd one out amongst the four present. She had worn her normal black form-fitting pants and the loose-collared white shirt that she always wore when forging. She had on a bluish-black pair of arm and leg protectors as well as a small belt where her hammer was stored. Though it was an outfit she enjoyed, and one Vahn had complimented her own, Hephaestus still felt out of place as she waited for the heavenly rays to converge on the platform in front of them.
Around noon, the lights converge and solidify into a figure that was kneeling down on the ground. The white light took on a rosy hue as it slowly began to fade and revealed the person contained within. It was a small woman with long black hair styled into twin-tails that were fastened by a pair of bluish-white ribbons in the motif of a flower. There were small bells hanging under the ribbons that glittered with a resplendent silver color. When she stood up, her height only came to around 140cm and she had a somewhat childish face with a large smile and a pair of clear blue eyes. She was attired in a short frayed white dress that clung tightly to her body and emphasized the pair of large b.r.e.a.s.ts that were framed by an opening in the dress that showed off the cleavage. Around her neck, there was a blue ribbon that matched her eyes as well as a second blue ribbon tied to her upper arms that went around her whole body and hugged under her b.r.e.a.s.ts almost as if to emphasize them even further.
Loki immediately clicked her tongue but didn't say anything else as Hestia made eye contact with Hephaestus with a gentle smile on her face. Soon after, Hestia tilted her head slightly as if confused before her eyes widened and she pointed to Hephaestus and shouted, "Y-y-your eye! It got better!?" Before Hephaestus could even explain, Hestia's expression turned into one of pure jubilation as she ran down from the platform and hugged Hephaestus while laughing with a hint of tears in her eyes.
Since there was a 25cm height difference between them, Hestia ended up hugging around Hephaestus's ribs and it brought her face right to the fairly amble bosom on the forging goddess. Since Hestia herself actually had larger b.r.e.a.s.ts, it created an awkward scene where they were stacked on top of each other while the two girls hugged. Hephaestus had adapted to not wearing her eyepatch and had forgotten to mention the matter of her eye being healed since the main reason she had contacted Hestia was about the problem regarding Vahn.
After a while, Hestia also noticed that her eternal rival and a beautiful woman with dark skin and hair were also present next to a very secretarial looking half-elf woman. Since Oracles were very ambiguous, she hadn't been made aware of everything yet and her expression soured a bit when she saw Loki watching her and Hephaestus. While still hugging Hephaestus, Hestia frowned while looking at Loki and asked, "What is this washboard goddess doing here?"
Though a vein popped up on Loki's temple, she forced herself to remain calm as her smile deepened a little. She said in a very casual manner, "We'll be allies in the future, so it won't be beneficial to either of us if we fight like in the past." Her words caused Hestia's eyes to widen because she had expected Loki's usual outburst and insults about the size of her b.r.e.a.s.ts and height. At no point in their relationship had Loki ever not given her some kind of quip or barb, and she felt incredulous about things since she had been the one to say something rude first.
Hephaestus managed to free herself from Hestia's embrace and said in a very casual and 'cool' manner reminiscent of her past self, "We'll talk once we get somewhere more secure. There are various things we need to catch up on, and there is a lot of things that need to be explained." Then, Hephaestus's eyes turned very gentle as she smiled at the goddess she considered her best friend, "Thanks for coming, Hestia..."
Hestia's mind was being overloaded by everything that was happening, especially after the matter regarding Loki. Hearing Hephaestus speak seriously before saying kind and gentle words, she remembered the purpose of her descent a bit and smiled widely and said in a very confident and caring manner, "You can always rely on me! We're best friends after all~!" She placed extra emphasis on the 'best friends' part and thumped her ample bosom as if performing a mild salute. Loki flinched at the side because she had seen, almost as if in slow motion, the ripple of the impact pass through Hestia's b.r.e.a.s.ts. Looking down at her own lackl.u.s.ter bosom and releasing a sigh, she resolved herself to ask what exercises Hephaestus had been doing to tone up her butt.
After a few short words, the group of five made their way to the private residence of Hephaestus within the tower of Babel. Since she was the head of the 3rd ranked Familia, Hephaestus had a huge temple-like private residence on the 48th floor. Loki had a residence on the 49th floor, but they had decided to use Hephaestus's since there would be fewer issues if anything happened.
Once they had arrived, everyone sat around a large rectangular shaped beautiful wooden table while Anubis saw to making tea. Hestia was surprised since she could tell Anubis was a goddess and yet she was acting in a very servile manner even though there was a mortal girl present. Her impression of the beautiful goddess increased exponentially because she liked people that were kind and considerate without using their status and authority against others.
After everyone had their tea, Hephaestus and Loki began to explain everything that had been happening in the mortal world for the last few months in regards to Vahn. Even Eina pitched in to help fill in some of the blanks while Hestia listened on with a mixture of emotions. She was very happy that her best friend had met a kind boy that was also able to heal her eye. When she found out the two were engaged, she was ecstatic and congratulated her. However, soon after that, she found out that the half-elf girl named Eina was also engaged to the same boy.
She then heard the story about Vahn's origins and how he interacted with people and their interpretation that he was 'broken'. Hestia felt terrible for the poor boy for having been made to suffer such a tragic fate but was happy to see that he had found several people that cared deeply for him. It was said that he was making rapid progress and maturing quickly, but that had also caused other problems because he overextended his boundaries and pushed himself too far at times. They then told her about everything that had happened during the events of Milan and Tina's kidnapping as well as the death of Laverna before they finally contacted her after negotiating with Ouranos.
It was a lot to take in, especially the part about how Vahn was likely able to i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e goddesses with some kind of magical chains. When she had heard that, not only Hephaestus but Anubis and Loki also intended to bear the boy named Vahn's children, Hestia wasn't entirely sure how to feel. She was happy, excited, scared, and somewhat annoyed all at the same time. The proud look that Loki had on her face as she talked about her interactions with Vahn irked her a bit, especially when Loki proactively teased her about still being a v.i.r.g.i.n.
After everything was said and done, Hestia had been brought up to speed on the matters regarding Vahn and was essentially asked by the women present to help Vahn 'create a home'. It was Hephaestus and Eina's desire that Vahn has a place that he created for himself that wasn't provided for him by anyone else. Though it seemed strange, since they were essentially 'providing' Hestia to him, it would still be a place created with his own interests in mind.
Hestia agreed to their request because she was also very interested in the boy called Vahn Mason and wanted to see if she could help him live a happier life. Strangely though, when she gave her assent, the mood turned strange and everyone present began cautioning her about Vahn's 'tendencies'. Other than Eina, every goddess present had experienced Vahn's [Hands of Nirvana], and they believed it wouldn't be long before Hestia became another victim. Since she had a somewhat lazy personality and loved to be spoiled by people, Vahn would likely get pulled into her momentum and tend to her needs. Being lectured by each of the girls, Hestia's curiosity grew alongside her concerns as she looked forward to the meeting with the boy that she would likely be spending the rest of his life with.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Is it night crawling if they show up in the morning?','Hestia's Shock','Hestia gets brought into the inner circle')
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