[Haruhime POV]
Running away, it was somehow amusing, seeing the man who had brutally murdered Phyrne, just run away cackling. He did so while holding the infamous Ice Witch of the Loki Family, as if doing such a thing were a natural thing to do. Bell, the man's adoptive son, watched on with a wry but truly excited smile, seeing such a thing. Goddess Hestia even seemed thoroughly amused and happy, though her comment was confusing and troubling.
"No boobs, just had her mage wooed… I wonder if she'll be mad or whine? Both would be hilarious."
I'm pretty sure Ms. Riveria had long since been smitten by Mr. Carter, from what I've seen just now. The man's monsters, however, were in the best description of it all, just… giggling seeing what happened while possibly saying inappropriate things. Cuddles when they had emerged from the ground were admittedly terrifying. Interesting through that all monsters but them have one gender, while the serpent is seemingly whatever it pleases.
Aisha blames it for being made of essentially magma. Since the serpent has no qualms showing its unisexual nature much to Aisha's frustration, Hestia's embarrassment, Bell's health as the teen begged them to stop, and my curiosity as this is one of the more interesting moments in my life. Surrounded by essentially level 7 and higher monsters, and they're all honestly quite adorable to watch even with their appearances. Monsters are intriguing, I may ask Mr. Carter to teach me how to tame and take care of them.
They also seemed to mimic aspects of their master's personality. Through their taming or being around him long enough to influence them, I don't know. Agni and Kai were silent shadows and serious about almost anything from how the War Shadows acted. Cuddles was affectionate…. Extremely affectionate as the serpent liked coiling around anyone to cuddle them. Pandora, was almost exactly like the man, as the bird looked at everyone but Bell and Hestia with apathy and disinterest secretly. Zuno was like… a snarky… asshole… of a brother from how the canine acts with the other monsters.
I wonder what Honey, is like as the smaller insect monster isn't here currently, did they hide somewhere?
[Riveria POV]
Being carried off into the woods by Dakota was something I didn't expect as he brought me to a relatively new looking log cabin near a lake. Looking at the cabin I could see see telling marks that besides humanoid hands working on it, that other creatures has built it. It had scorch marks carved into the wood burning words into the wood next to the door, "Grave Den", I couldn't help but snort at that. It's his and his monsters home it would seem, when he carried me inside I honestly felt extremely out of place. As the inside was otherworldly and not at all like what you'd see in this world without serious innovations.
There was a sofa that looked as if it would cost more than an something made from a furnitar shop in Orario with how nice and sleak its leather looked. The reclining chair and what I assume to be a "tv" with some contraptions and small rectangular boxes with pictures on them didn't help. The flooring though seemed to be made of exceptionally smooth tiles with a blue diamond pattern, there was even a a carpet that looked better than the one I've seen in the Twilight Manor… The kitchen was just alien with nothing in there I recognized besides a stove. There were other rooms as well and I admit I was curious what was in them.
"I see you like my home, me and the trouble makers worked on it throughout the six days I was running around and doing side jobs. Who knew my otherworldly skill that summons guns had a section called "Living Conditions" that would let me basically play home decorator. Seriously how'd I miss that since it was right next to the MRE tab…. Never try the hamburger MRE, its a fifty fifty on if its good or as if the devil made something so horrid you want to curse the world and who ever made the abomination. Although when my monsters heard that Zuno was the first to break a tree. He was surprisingly pushy to make a den, guess he wanted a place to call his own with his new pack…. I did bury what I could of his old one near the lake."
"Its… so unlike what I'm used to seeing, I know you told me and Ais about some things but this is now putting it all in perspective. Most of what you said though was just gibberish to me, and I see Zuno may have some issues due to his last pack being murdered all in one day?"
"Yeah I found the bodies or their remains when I went back there, they all died basically a few minutes apart from eachother from what was gathered with medical observations and magical means. Something had poisoned them all and only Zuno wasn't affected so I believe he was trying to kill himself with a fight he knew he possibly wouldn't win. Then I happened."
"You say that as if all monsters can show such qualities."
"Well they can actually, I witnessed plenty of examples. One that's stuck with me though is oddly enough a Goblin, a Goblin who lost her entire settlement to the Black Dragon when it first emerged. I was there to kill them all, but black ass beat me to it, from two thousand Goblins to one in one attack. Yet, that surviving Goblin did something so Human like that it stunned the Dragon. She picked up a broken iron spear, managed to get at its rear, and stabbed it in the ass while screaming in Goblin "Pointy stick up the ass you get!" because only someone spiteful or just plain rude goes for the ass. It was hilarious, honestly, until she got flattened by it sitting on her."
Chuckling, I could see him act as if it weren't a big deal but knowing him. He was concerned about the Goblin, like he is Zuno, yet chose not to help the Goblin, or he'd die. Which was a wise move. He likes animals and monsters more than other people, I've learned. Snorting, I remembered when I watched him punt a child into the dungeon for punching a tamed monster gifted to an Adventurer's daughter, after her mother had been killed. He asked the monster if it was good, once he got an answer, he left, ignoring the girl as if she didn't exist.
While I was in my thoughts, he abruptly dropped me, a grating smirk on his face. Yet, I wasn't actually mad about it, just disgruntled at him taking me out of my thoughts. He seemed to know this as well as his smirk got wider, and then I heard buzzing, his insect monster crawled out of his shirt's collar and looked around bleary as its compound eyes did their version of a blink. Dakota hummed as he side stepped me and headed into the kitchen, reaching up high he retrieved a jar marked honey from a cabinet. Seeing the jar, the little monster buzzed its wings a lot louder as it practically sped along his chest and arm to sniff at the jar.
Watching him as I got off the floor, I couldn't help but smile, watching him act so much like a father to the small monster. He chided the insect with a growling hiss while getting some water from a sink in the kitchen and mixing the honey into it to make a drink I could tell was the small monster's favorite. I could hear him mutter about the monster acting as if they were a normal kid drinking milk.
"I wonder how he'd act if he actual kids…"
"Well, we can find out, since I did bring you here to "plunder" your booty."
"How… I spoke out loud, didn't I?"
"Yes."
".... Fuck."
"LE GASP YOU CAN CURSE! I thought you were too proud and mature to curse? Haha, guess not, huh?"
Staring at him, my smile twitched before I broke out into a soft chuckle at how ludicrous this all was. Meeting him seventeen years ago as he raised Ais was something of a cultural shock to me, given I had just arrived in Orario. He was one of the first people I ran into as he got into a fist fight with literal ten-year-olds trying to frankly butcher a barely one-year-old Ais for food as they were that desperate. He eventually shot them all in the head before picking up Ais like a kitten and chiding the girl. To think in those two years of raising her with him, even after joining the Loki Family, I found his antics refreshing and lively that I found myself falling for a Human of all things. When he had left fourteen years ago, I thought I'd never see or hear from him again, if it weren't for those Dragon Shrimps he can summon I wouldn't ever have heard of some events he'd done.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked at the man before me as his monster consumed its honeyed water. Many would look at my actions as a disgrace, my father while he tried keeping in the forest of Alf I know he cares for me and would accept things if I was happy. I was questioning if I was really pondering this, and in the end I couldn't help feeling my heart and mind sync with each other and say yes.
"What was that one song you liked quoting years ago to taunt people suffering with love? "If you love her, put a ring on her" was it yes? So Grave Walker, where is my ring?"
He blinked before keeling over hands on his knees as he began cackling like a madman, which, to be fair, he was. After a few minutes of cackling, he suddenly sprung back up in a straight position with a serious expression on his face that always seemed carefree and neutral. A rather simple but beautiful ocean blue ring with gold inlays and hints of crimson appeared in his right hand as her stretched it out to me.
"Believe it or not, I've been making this for the past seven years with Cthulhu helping me, the Eldritch actually having a rather romantic side for a squid that fucked a worm essentially. The blue color is from an ore called "Ocean's Heart" which comes directly from Cthulhu's Divine Domain, the gold inlays are enchantments to protect your mind, mind protection on this level was needed given this comes from an Eldritch's domain, nullify poisons, grant a small regeneration, and to always have the ring return to you even if a Divine Barrier is trapping it for Cthulhu helped with that bit. The crimson in it is my blood that's stained it, as I admittedly cut myself a lot while making it."
Coughing, I choked a bit at the sudden information dump and from how that was delivered. However, I could feel my cheeks burning as I could realize how much emotion went into this ring, even a Divine known for driving people insane had a hand in making it. Gingerly taking the ring with a shaking hand, I looked at it, rubbing a crimson spot with my thumb before carefully sliding it onto my ringer finger.
"I love you Grave Walker… I don't think I deserve this much affection given my attitude and responsibilities that will get in the way…."
"I love you to Ice Witch, if you don't deserve it, then I don't deserve life. I'm a fuck-up it's best I just die at times, yet I'm here trudging on in a second life."