License

As Eina walked up the stairs carrying a stack of finished invoices to the Guild Section Leader's office, she occupied that small span of time it took to go up those stairs by filling it with pondering over the person she'd brought up there not half an hour earlier. She'd been momentarily confused and pleased to see that head of soft white hair. The boy that had come into the Pantheon yesterday to sign up to the guild had been so bashful and well-mannered, it was truly a breath of fresh air amongst all the rowdiness and bad attitude she had to put up with on a daily basis.

It was clear to her that Bell was an ambitious young dreamer full of wonder and no doubt consumed by the fairy tale ideas of heroism and glory of adventurers. The kid had no idea that in reality, the life of an adventurer was just a very sensitive and delicate death trap. The slightest mistake and it would snap over you, tearing you away from life, from family...from friends.

No to mention that for the most part, adventurers themselves were not good people in the sense that they were most honourable and benevolent. The adventuring life was full of deceit and betrayal too, and much much weakness which would drive men mad for more power only to find death waiting upon the paths they'd chosen, both symbolically and literally. Orario was once a stronghold against the dangers that lurked beneath it but mortal tendencies finally seeped into the structure and the whole place was nothing more than opportunities for benefit and status and people who would do anything to gain it, no matter how dirty and low they had to become first.

Nevertheless, she'd taken it upon herself to see Bell through the whole understanding of the adventurer procedure and what he had to to do before she could give him clearance to go into the Dungeon. And seeing as that naïve mindset would have to be cracked open at some point, she opted to offer herself to him as his personal Dungeon adviser. It was better that she made the realities of the profession he sought out dawn upon him than some hard reality check further down the line, in her opinion at least. Finding a Familia, as hard as it was especially for young boys who looked like Bell, was really the hard part. True despair would sink in the moment the boy began his official adventurer life.

He'd graciously accepted her offer with such heartfelt thanks and such a twinkle in his eye, one would think she'd offered him her hand in marriage given how happy he was. Eina herself could not help but be affected by the boy's mood and was instantly drawn to him. As much as Rehmer and Rose pressured her not to develop bonds with the adventurers she handled, it was quite impossible not to develop that sort of thing with someone like Bell. In her hard and overworked life, Eina could confidently say she was looking forward to the time she'd spent with Bell.

Like she'd done with several others, she'd provided him a list of Familia to try and join, and off he'd gone to seek out a patron who would offer him their blessing. She'd not expected him to be back again so soon the very next day though, and for a moment she'd thought that he'd already found a Familia. So naturally she'd called out to him for his attention.

That, more assuredly than anything else and any other bad decision she'd made in her life, was a mistake.

As soon as those red eyes fell upon her, Eina could feel a clawed hand trail up her spine towards her throat and before the awfully familiar stranger even spoke, she felt as if her life was in danger, as if she was staring into the maw of death the same way some of her previous adventurers most likely did before their time in this world expired. The person she'd called out to was definitely not Bell in any way, shape of form.

Well perhaps the form part would be a lie because Ryo and Bell were disturbingly similar in looks. Its just that the former was much taller, broader and definitely weathered. Even through her fear, Eina sensed the presence of a seasoned fighter, a killer, someone who had fought for his life before. Ryo carried that air around him along with the extreme malevolence that threatened to crush her into a pulp. His voice carried no positive emotion or even a ghost of them at all. It was the voice of someone who made no effort nor particularly cared to bring happiness or connection with others around them.

Eina had met someone who was the absolute, complete opposite of Bell Cranel. Just as much as polite, kind and caring as Bell was, Ryo was cold, obstinate and cruel. It was jarring, that two people could look so alike to the point of perhaps even being thought of as the same person due to an easy mistake or at best as brothers, and yet have so shockingly different personalities. Where Bell had shown her respect and humanity to her as a person, Ryo had attacked her mixed heritage, which was a very sore subject for her as was the case with all half-elves.

As reflex she was about to rebuke him but her instinct shut her voice box down before even her brain could react. She was sure that had she spoken her following words, even in that situation surrounded by so many witnesses, her head would have gone rolling. She wasn't sure how that would happen but that was precisely the image that popped up in her mind when she found herself unable to speak. Her body went into a numb state, where she was acting involuntarily, like her free will had been robbed of her and her tongue and her limbs began doing their own things, whatever necessary to not further aggravate this man while she herself was stuck at the back of her mind screaming.

She'd listened to what Ryo wanted and then had taken him up to the Guild Section Leader. Once she was out of that office and had closed the door behind her, she regained full control of herself and immediately dashed over to their messroom where she swallowed some water and had to crouch by a desk, holding it with one hand as she tried to get her heavy breathing under control, her heart frigid and icy with terror. Never had she felt fear like that before in the presence of anyone, and furthermore, it was amplified by the fact that the same face was shared with another person she could not help but be happy in the presence of.

It had been surprising to learn that Ryo and Bell knew each other since Ryo had known who she'd mistaken him for even without her giving any sort of indication. How such a kind boy could be associated with someone so horrible, rude...in her mind, murderous...it was a mystery she would never understand. One thing for sure though, she would do her utmost best to stay out of Ryo's way and have as little interaction with him as possible. She liked to consider herself a good judge of character so she she would know which crowd to hand around with...and Ryo was most certainly a person to be avoided.

She'd stayed there for about ten minutes trying to get her shaking under control before she heard one of her fellow receptionists bellow out to her for help with the stack of papers she was now carrying up to the same office where that creature was. She'd tried to foist this task off onto Misha so she wouldn't have to face this person again, but at the most inopportune time of all, her lazy pink haired colleague was taking work seriously for once and was unavailable to help her out. She only hoped she could just put them on Rehmer's desk and run out again.

Those hopes were quickly dashed though when the office door opened and out walked both Ryo and Rehmer with the chienthrope...surprisingly cheerful as he walked Ryo out and then handed the boy a couple of scrolls. She could hear the conversation clearly as she was only a few metres away from them while they spoke.

"Here you go Lord Ryo." Rehmer said as he handed the first scroll to the newcomer which had a red ribbon tied around it. "The deed to the property as you wished. We are thankful for your purchase!"

'Lord Ryo?' She raised her brow a bit, still having time for confusion even as some of her previous terror came rushing back.

"The pleasure's all mine." Ryo said emptily as he grabbed the rolled up parchment and put it somewhere in his cloak. Well, she thought it was in his cloak but she didn't see Ryo's hand putting the scroll away into his item box. Nor would she have been able to tell as all she would have seen was him putting the scroll into thin air. "What was that last part you said about squatters' law?"

"If any squatters are found to have been on your property illegally for two weeks, they will either be imprisoned or be indebted and forced to work for the owner, however they choose to recompense for their misdemeanour." Rehmer explained. "Considering which place you'd purchased, there will most certainly be at least one there. Homeless people do tend to live in abandoned properties after all. A result of their unfortunate circumstance as I'm sure you understand."

"Understanding I have but care for it, I do not." Ryo said. "Anyone found on my property without permit or consent from me shall face the full weight of the consequences of their actions, regardless of their situation. I would depend upon such a high official such as yourself to see to it that the law is kept."

"But of course." Rehmer said as he smiled widely, which was uncharacteristic of her strict superior. "Naturally, we will also send out notices for job offers. I believe you said you wanted a dessert chef?"

"Yes. I will personally interview them myself." Ryo said. "I'm sure that in a city as large as this, there must be one competent confectioner. But of course, competence is bred by competence, so I should hope that whoever you send out to look for these people will only pull in serious people and not those with bad reputation."

"Naturally." Rehmer said as he handed a card as he final item to Ryo. "And that right there is your license. I have confidence you will find little trouble down below." Rehmer then noticed Eina nearby. "Ah look, she saved us the trouble of calling and looking for her Lord Ryo. Eina, could you please sort out Lord Ryo's citizenship for him downstairs? He's going to need it promptly."

"Y-yes sir." Eina said as she held out the stack of papers in her arms to the chienthrope, refusing to make eye contact with Ryo. "These are for you."

"Yes, I've been waiting for these." Rehmer said as he took the heavy stack and turned back to Ryo. "It's been a pleasure sir. I wish I could talk more with such a well travelled gentleman of the world such as yourself, but as with all of us, duty calls."

"Would you say that I have 'changed your mind' on certain things?" Ryo asked with a smirk that for some reason sent very cold shivers down Eina's back. She did not like the emphatic way Ryo had said that.

"Most certainly." Rehmer nodded. "It has been very eye-opening talking with you. Well, I must go back to work now. I hope to visit your establishment soon when you're up and running sir. I cannot wait to taste what you offer."

"No problem." Ryo said as both men nodded before the Section Leader went back into his office and closed the door.

As the door closed, Eina's eyes flickered momentarily to the inside of the office and she could have sworn that just as the door clicked shut, there was a red splatter on the office window. She couldn't be quite sure though as it had happened too fast for her and for a moment she thought her eyes had been playing tricks on her. She was quickly distracted though by Ryo speaking.

"We going or what?"

"Huh?" Eina looked at him and saw his unimpressed stare. She flinched, waiting for that bloodlust to appear again, but this time she saw that he was completely calm, not looking threatening at all. In fact he just looked bored, like any other normal person. It was like she was staring at someone completely different to whom she'd led into that office.

"I need my citizenship just as much as any other person in this city." Ryo said. "We getting it or not?"

"Oh yes. Right this way. Just...follow me." She said meekly as she hurried along, hearing him follow her. She would not spend one second longer than necessary with this boy if she could help it.

---

Ryo walked down the street with his hood up as he examined his freelancer's license. It was just a small card that wasn't actually paper. Just a very flat piece of wood that looked a little brittle, but could only be broken if you were trying. On it was his name and other personal details alongside Rehmer's signature but that was pretty much all there was to it. Nothing more, nothing about Familia or anything.

His bet on some other system being in place alongside that of the Familias had indeed paid off. He got out of having to be collared by a god and could hunt monsters freely at his own expense. For most it would seem like a suicidal idea but that was because they didn't know Ryo. They didn't know who he really was, what he really was. His fingers had been aching since morning to release a little bit of violent cursed energy, and after that tedious time he spent having to mould that dog-eared monkey to his purpose, he finally had the opportunity to let off a little steam.

He put the card back into his item box before turning in through an alleyway and taking a shortcut through there as he made his way to Babel tower. When he reached main street, he noticed that it was a bit more busy than even he knew it should have been. There was an air of excitement around the people and he caught some running in the direction of the tower. He tilted his head a little bit, wondering why they were behaving like that when he suddenly felt some large object hit his Infinity.

Due to walking in congested areas, he'd pulled it in to about just hovering over his skin where it would give people the illusion that he was being touched. It was still enough to stop any sudden surprises and feeling a large heavy object just swing into the back of his legs confused him for a moment as he turned with a finger ready to fire a Dismantle at the perpetrator. He was met though with an odd sight. He'd been passing by a turning into another road when somebody had walked out holding something long over their shoulder. They'd come out after he'd passed them and turned in the opposite direction he was going.

So when they had turned, the end of the object they were carrying part their shoulder swung around and hit Ryo in the legs. And the object in question was a large pillar of stone, granite in fact, which looked perfect size for carving to Ryo's eyes. But even stranger was the person actually holding the pillar.

A small boy garbed in a cotton tunic with an ancient Egyptian style headrest and a bald head, who was somehow miraculously holding up an object larger and probably over ten times heavier than him turned around and grimaced towards him apologetically. As the boy turned, Ryo saw that there was a small black ponytail sticking out the back of his head which was tied and braided.

"Sorry about that." The young boy said. "It's a bit crowded in the street today cuz the Loki Familia are going to the Dungeon and I've tried my best to avoid hitting people with this."

"Not enough to avoid hitting me." Ryo said flatly as his gaze flickered between the boy and the large block of granite on his shoulder. "What could you possibly need that for anyway kid?"

"I'm not a kid!" The young boy growled. "And as for your question...well, I'm a sculptor. Making statues out of these things is how I make my living."

"And how are you lifting it then?" Ryo raised a brow.

"Anything is possible when you're me." The boy pointed to himself. Ryo scoffed, making the young boy emphasise. "No literally, anything is possible. I just have to speak of it and will happen."

"Yeah yeah, I wasn't that interested anyway." Ryo waved him off before walking away.

...

"Wow, what an asshole." The young boy murmured as he fixated his gaze on Ryo's back. For a moment, the boy's golden irises flickered a deep red as the boy put a hand to his chin. "Huh, no wonder. That's a whole ton of bad mojo hovering about him...I probably should tell the other gods about it..." The boy trailed as he let out a huge yawn as a wave of tiredness fell over him. "Nah forget it. Can't be bothered. I should head back to the grotto and get some sleep."

The young boy turned in his sandals and began walking away in the direction of his small grotto at the south end of the city where he worked and lived.

As both were walking away, Ryo turned his head and also examined the young boy in turn. Though it was faint, he'd definitely picked up on it right before he'd done something more indignant to the boy. That bald child had a faint divine aura around him, which meant that he was most assuredly a god but just hiding it for some reason. Ryo was not quite yet ready to get on a god's bad side. And judging by the kid's attire, he had to be from the Egyptian Pantheon. Though which one was he?

Ryo's 'grandfather' had been a collector of artifacts from around the world including Ancient Egypt and so Ryo did know a bit about Egyptian Mythology. It was hard not to when that old crone would be monologuing about it while examining the dusty old things.

"Sculptor huh. There was that one god though from the Old Kingdom who liked sculptors, wasn't there?" Ryo put a hand on his chin as he watched the kid walk away. "What was his name again?"

As Ryo pondered this, his eyes suddenly caught onto a strange apparition, if only for a blink. For a moment, Ryo thought he saw someone else walking besides the little god. A tall person in glowing purple armour with a long flowing black cape behind him bearing the image of a snarling dragon. The armoured man had his hand on the neck of a giant black wolf that was trotting beside the little god as well, and for a moment, Ryo thought he'd felt the presence of another source of formidable power, perhaps even greater than his own marvellous abilities, even greater than his original innate technique.

A blink later though and the image was gone, leaving the spirit to just stand stupidly in the street, staring after the little boy god who disappeared out of sight amongst the people. Ryo huffed and gathered himself before setting off in the direction of Babel Tower as was his original trajectory.

"Who cares?" He muttered to himself, annoyed. Though what had that weird apparition been?

Something told him that he'd be better off staying away from that little god. Not that Ryo was afraid of anything...but he felt like his life would be a lot easier if he didn't have any dealings with that Egyptian deity, whoever he was. 

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