As it was approaching evening, the group finally made their way back to the Twilight Manor, the gates opened up to let them pass through. The flag of Loki Familia still flying high up above the Manor.
"Home, finally!" Tiona said, hopping into the manor as she waved around her figure with Aiz following behind him.
A younger Familia member appeared and handed Finn a document, who quickly skimmed over it.
"The accounting is finished." He said, glancing up at Yuji. "Would you like to finalize things now?"
"Sure, lets get it over with it." Yuji said, lowering his hood now that he was back inside.
The two made their way inside and up towards Finn's office without much issue. Entering, it looked the exact same as yesterday besides the now large pile of paperwork strewn across his desk.
Finn went around the table and sat down, opening a ledger to a marked page. His finger ran along the figures that traced the ledger.
"Kill count on the deeper floors, the attack on Floor 50 and the minotaur situation on the ascent. Excluding the large one that came after you dealt with the swarm, Riveria is holding onto that magic stone for further study. There is also the drop items from your vicinity on the deeper floors which are included at market rate."
Yuji nodded, not really disputing anything since there was little reason for Finn to short change him here.
"Thirty eight million, four hundred thousand Valis."
Yuji looked at him, a slight tilt of his head.
Finn smiled, "It is a generous figure, more than enough to support you for years on end with a life of luxury, especially if you don't have a Familia or others to take care of."
He leaned down behind the desk and retrieved a heavy set leather pouch, setting it on the table. The loud clatter of coins rang out from the bag as Finn placed a sealed document next to it.
"Five million Valis as an initial draw." Finn said before explaining, "The remainder is held in a Loki Familia account in your name. The sealed document is your access credential at the Guild." He slid both the pouch and the document towards him.
"We can hold the full amount for you indefinitely if you prefer not to carry it."
Yuji picked up the pouch, tossing it into the air a few times, feeling the hefty weight in it. He tucked the sealed document into his jacket while putting the pouch into his pockets.
"Thanks."
"Thank you." Finn replied back, his ever diplomatic smile on his face. He leaned across the desk, clasping his hands together in front of his mouth as if waiting for something else.
Yuji raised an eyebrow before deciding to humor him.
"I'm going to find my own place to stay. Tonight."
Finn nodded once, as if he already had a feeling this was going to happen. "I thought as much."
"Nothing against you guys or your hospitality."
"I know." Finn said before leaning back in his chair, far more relaxed now. "You've been mildly uncomfortable about being a guest since breakfast."
Finn reached back down behind his desk, this time to a different drawer and produced a small folded note, sliding it across the table towards Yuji.
"A boarding house. Its three blocks down the street from us if you follow the Northwest Main Street. The woman there is called Edel. She won't ask any questions and keeps a clean house, for a reasonable rate."
Yuji picked up the note glancing at it before tucking it away, looking at Finn.
"You had this prepared?"
"I had a feeling." Finn smiled and stood up from his seat, walking around the table.
"You're always welcome back here, at any time." Finn said, reaching his hand out to the taller man in front of him. Yuji reached out and shook his.
"Thanks, I'll stop by from time to time if I need help with something."
"You can always come and socialize too. I doubt you have many friends in the city." Finn joked as the two walked to the door.
"We'll see." Yuji responded with a slight grin.
"Ah, I almost forgot." Finn's eyes raised as he opened the door out of his office, turning to Yuji, "We're having our celebratory dinner tonight at the Hostess of Fertility. I had Tione reserve us some tables. If you could, would you come join us before we part ways? I think the others would prefer it that way."
Yuji looked down at the Pallum next to him before nodding, "Sure, couldn't hurt. You're paying, right?"
"Of course!"
----------------
He had barely made it halfway down the main steps of the main manor when he spotted Tiona standing at the bottom of the stairs with her hands on her hips.
A stern look was etched on her face as she watched Yuji descend the steps.
"You're coming to the Hostess of Fertility tonight!" She announced, pointing a finger at him as if it was some grand reveal.
Yuji raised an eyebrow at her, "I know, Finn invited me already and I accepted. Then I'm finding a place to stay after."
Tiona nodded her head, "That's right, then you're-" She stopped, realizing what Yuji had just said. "Wait, you're leaving already? After just one night?"
Yuji nodded as he now stood in front of her, "One day, technically. Which is about the right amount of time to stay somewhere without an invitation."
Tiona's expression went through several rapid changes, as though she completely forget that Yuji was just a guest of their Familia.
"But you'll come back, right? Like, to visit and stuff, or if something happens." Tiona asked him, a hopeful tone in her voice.
"I'm not disappearing, just finding a place to stay." Yuji reassured her, wandering to himself if the girl had some sort of separation anxiety or something.
She stared at him for a mount, pointing back up at him. "Okay, but you're still coming to the Hostess of Fertility tonight!"
"I already said I was." Yuji sighed and Tiona smiled brightly.
"Good! Everyone's getting ready!" She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the common room.
Entering inside the large room with several couches and bookshelves lining the wall, he saw that the group of people who was getting ready to head out was gathered in here.
Gareth appeared from a side room whilst Raul and Cruz were debating on which routes they should take when walking the streets at this hour, having to deal with the flood of Adventurers returning from the Dungeon.
Bete was leaning lounging on a couch, one leg over the other as he waiting with boredom, head tilting towards the new arrivals before looking away.
Riveria came down the stairs with Lefiya behind her. Spotting Yuji, she nodded at him.
"You're joining us then?"
"Yeah, Finn invited me."
She smiled faintly. "Good."
Lefiya gave him a small bow before moving away to the side, joining Tione and Tiona had let go of Yuji and went to join her sister.
Loki finally appeared with Aiz following behind her. She glanced at Yuji, giving him a smirk which told him she knew he was leaving to find his own place tonight.
"Glad ya chose to join us! It's not everyday you get to celebrate with the Loki Familia after coming back from an expedition!" Loki said, going up to his side and quietly whispering to him.
"Did he give you any trouble?"
Yuji glanced down at her, before shaking his head. That seemed to put her in good spirits as she grinned and nudged his arm. "Alright, now that everyone's here, lets go! If anyone makes us late, I will personally ban them from dessert!"
Loki announced and walked out, causing everyone else in the room to start moving as well. Yuji followed behind the group, seeing Fiin had been waiting for them by the front entrance.
--------------------
The Hostess of Fertility was on the Western Main Street, and the walk there took them through the heart of the city, going past Adventurers returning from the Dungeon and heading back to their respective Familias.
The building itself stood out from those around it, a large three story building constructed out of sturdy stone and wood. Wide windows on the ground floor let out warm light that spilled onto the street,
Yuji could hear the loud chatter and laughs that echoed out from the building. The front entrance held a set of double doors with wood carvings decorating the frame and along various places on the front of the tavern. A sign hung on the left wall with the words 'Hostess of Fertility', as well as an overhanging sign with a crossed fork and knife.
"Loki loves this place." Tiona said to him, coming up to his side. "Mia's food is the best in the city. Better than Gareths's, but don't tell him I said that."
"I heard that." Gareth said from several paces ahead.
"I said don't tell him!"
Yuji shook his head and flicked the girls forehead before he walked forward, leaving Tiona to stumble and nurse her head before running up after them.
The doors to the tavern were pushed opened by Loki who shouted out, "Mama Mia! We're here!"
A small group of waitresses hurried forward to greet her and the group from Loki Familia. Numerous gazes landed on them, but they quickly turned away, going back to their own conversation and drinks.
The bar was practically almost full, with the decor being mostly made of wood with magic stone chandeliers hanging from above.
"We have your tables prepared inside." A polite elf waitress greeted them first. Loki nodded and they were led towards their seats.
Yuji took note of the bars interior and the people that were inside. He took a glance at the waitresses, noticing that some of them seemed stronger than what most might believe.
In the corner of the room by the bar was a boy with white hair eating alone, counting with his fingers just how much the food here would set him back by. A waitress with short silver hair and a bright smile hovered near him, paying him a bit more attention than she would other customers.
Yuji's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned away. Recognized the boy as the same on he had come across earlier in the day.
Taking a seat at their table, mugs were placed in front of them by the waitresses while they waited on the food.
Loki stood up from her chair and hoisted a mug into the air. "Great job in the Dungeon, people! It's now time to cut loose and drink up!"
Everyone else raised their mugs after her, clinking them together before drinking as the group descended into lively chatter, joining the ambience of the tavern.
Yuji raised his own cup and drank from it, noting the fruity taste of the liquor. He decided to keep his hood down whilst in the tavern, no point in hiding his face in a tavern, it would only make him stand out even more.
When the food finally arrived, Yuji had to admit that it was quite exceptional, compared to what he'd been eating recently atleast.
Tione had at some point moved herself to Finn's side, busy chatting up the Loki Familia's captain with Finn having to nudge her back as she tried to press her body up against his.
Gareth and Riveria were at the end of the table, with Riveria occasionally closing her eyes as if she was trying to tolerate the noise around her. Gareth meanwhile kept glancing towards the front of the tavern, where the owner of the bar, Mia stood. When their gazes met, he would scoff at her, making a face before turning away, with the woman doing very much the same thing.
Lefiya was between Tiona and Aiz, looking far for relaxed than she had been at the manor, probably due to the atmosphere as she got wrapped up in it.
As Yuji leaned back in his seat, he noticed the blonde elf waitress stealing glances at him occasionally, but he just wrote it off.
What irked him more was the smile plastered on the silver haired girl as she went back and forth between the white haired kid and other customers. She would always pass by his table with the Loki Familia members, but would make sure to look at him out of the corner of her eyes, never fully making eye contact.
That was when things started to go south, with Bete having a bit too much to drink, several empty mugs piling up next to him.
"Oh yeah, Aiz! Tell that one story!"
He looked across the table at her, a large grin on his face as he was flushed from the drinks, clearly drunk.
Aiz tilted her head, uncertain as to what he meant.
"You know the one! Those minotaurs that ran on the way back! Remember, you finished off the last on the the fifth floor? And then ya…" Bete's grin widened ever more. "Tomato Boy!"
At his words, Aiz went still and Yuji raised an eyebrow. He noticed the boy in the corner also raised his head, a tiny fraction higher.
Bete then launched into it, the recollection of the story where the wayward minotaur had made it all the way down to where a white haired newbie adventurer was cornered by it. Aiz had arrived just in time, carving it up but in the process drenched the boy completely in its blood from head to toe, right before running away at full sprint. Bete was performing on the table as he recounted what had happened, waving his hands around while the others ate it all up.
Loki, Tione and Tiona had their faces down on the table as they pounded it with their fists in laughter. Even Lefiya was also giggling into her hands.
Yuji set his cup down and looked across the room to the white haired boy. The angle of his shoulders had changed, shaking slightly as he took in every word.
Bete's laughter rose higher and higher and Yuji could already tell which direction this was heading in. "Been a long time since I'd seen something so pathetic, thought I was gonna puke. Even though he was a dude, all he could do was cry out and run away."
Aiz gripped her hands beneath the table and Riveria noticed, speaking up, "Shut your foolish mouth this instant, Bete. It was our carelessness that let minotaurs escape in the first place. We owe that young man an apology. It is not something for us to speak of over some drinks, have some shame." Riveria stated simply, her words directed at Bete but also at the other members of the Familia, who had the sense to look ashamed.
"Oh you elves and your pride. Whats wrong with calling trash, trash?" Bete continued on. "Do you really think-"
"You've been an adventurer for years."
Bete paused at the voice that interrupted him. The voice was quiet, but it cut through their table, reaching his ears easily as the others turned to the source. Yuji had been looking down at his mug, taking another drink of it.
"Judging from what you said, he's probably pretty young and just recently started." Yuji set the mug back down on the table, "That comparison ain't doing you any favors."
His words weren't confrontational, he was merely just stating things as they were. Bete's mouth had shut tight, but the way his jaw moved showed he was grinding his teeth.
"Nobody asked you." Bete said, but his tone lacked an edge it usually carried when he talked to other people.
"I know, got a problem with it?" Yuji merely said, before taking another bite of his food. Bete huffed out before staring back down at the table, leaning on the side of his arm.
"The little shit could never amount to Aiz Wallenstein."
"Yet."
Bete looked up at those words, blinking at them and at Yuji, who merely kept eating. Loki had her chin resting on both hands as she watched Yuji with her catlike attention, a small smirk on the corner of her mouth.
In the corner of the room, a chair moved abruptly. Yuji didn't have to turn to know where it was coming from. Everyone else also turned, seeing a white haired boy standing up and moving quickly past the table and crowd.
Yuji glanced out of the corner of his eyes and saw the boys red eyes barely holding it together. Their eyes met for a moment, and Yuji could tell there was a hint of gratitude in them before he turned away and ran out.
"Bell?!"
The silver haired waitress called after him, breaking into a quick walk as he pushed through the door and disappeared. The sound of her voice along with the commotion he had caused took the attention of everyone in the tavern. Loki, Tione, Tiona, Riveria, Lefiya, Gareth, Finn and Bete.
As for Aiz, she had stood up and in the next instant, ran outside before she herself knew why.
The table sat in a strange silence as shame starting to spread through them.
Yuji looked at the unfinished food the kid left behind before turning towards Bete, sighing.
Bete himself no longer had the same grin as before. He was staring at the door in silence, his thoughts his own.
Yuji glanced towards Finn who merely shrugged and took a sip from his own mug.
Shaking his head, Yuji stood up, "It's time I head out. I'll see you guys around."
The group looked towards him and nodded. They wanted to say more but the atmosphere was ruined and awkward now. Loki however, merely smiled and waved at him.
"Don't be a stranger!"
Yuji smiled at her and walked out, giving the group a final wave as he exited the tavern.
Outside, he saw Aiz standing at the base of the steps, looking up toward the center of the city where Babel stood.
Yuji stood next to her for a moment, also looking at the tower in the distance.
Aiz spoke out quietly, "He heard it."
"He did."
"All of it."
"Yeah."
She turned her gaze down the street, towards the direction the white haired kid had run off to. "I couldn't… I should have-"
"He didn't need you to stop it." Yuji interupppted her, causing her to turn and look at him.
"He might be hurting now, but he'll come out better."
Aiz stayed silent before speaking out quietly, "You could've stopped Bete, too…" She wasn't accusing him of anything, just merely stating it.
"It's not my place to do so." Yuji said and Aiz nodded in understanding.
"He's going into the Dungeon."
Yuji titled his head, letting out a hum, "I figured as much. He'll let out his frustrations down there, and if he doesn't die, he'll come out all the better for it."
Aiz took in his words and nodded again.
"Head back inside. Finish up with your Familia." Yuji said before turning to walk away.
Aiz turned to look at Yuji, eyes widening slightly, "You're leaving?"
"Duh, I need to find my own place to stay. See you around, Aiz." Yuji said, looking over his shoulder for a moment as he made his way down the street.
She watched him leave for a moment before turning to head back inside.
-------------
Authors Note:
Ehhh not really my proudest chapter but here you go. I didn't want to focus on the scene too much but at the same time couldn't just gloss over it since its a pretty important point in the story for Bell. Thats also why i made this chapter extra long, just because I didn't want to stretch it across multiple chapters. This chapter is like 3,400 words or so, which is usually 2 chapters when split up.
Some of you may not like how Yuji didn't do much which I can understand, but remember Yuji doesn't want to get involved yet, just enjoy the time he's been given. Dont worry though, with Monster Feria right around the corner, things will start ramping up, at least I'll try and do so.