Chapter 216: Familia
Hestia's question caused Vahn to nearly burst out laughing at how silly her words were. She spoke with such confidence earlier and had been steadily building the atmosphere for the last few minutes and then suddenly dashed it away at a moments notice. Fortunately, Vahn had relatively decent control over himself so he just showed a 'happy' smile on his face that reached all the way to his eyes. Though he was letting her lead him at first, now he tightened his grip a bit and said, "I rented a room at an Inn not too far away. We can rest there for tonight before looking for a permanent residence for the Familia tomorrow."
Hearing his words, Hestia beamed before lifting her index finger and wagging it back and forth with a cheeky grin and saying, "It isn't 'the' Familia, it is 'our' Familia from now on~! Remember this, Vahn, we're family now!" Her words echoed in his mind as he repeated 'family' over and over in his head in a dazed state. Though Vahn treated people well, there were few people he thought of as 'family'. He wanted to create one in the future, sure, but having someone tell him they're family 'now' was a big hit.
Vahn took a big breath before exhaling and smiling at Hestia. She still had her finger up and a big toothy grin on her face as she waited for his response. Vahn ruminated over his own thoughts before saying the only thing that seemed to come to his mind, "Thanks, Hestia..." Hestia's eyes began to twinkle as her smile turned into a more natural one and she said, "Of course, Vahn."
Afterward, Vahn led the way to the Boars Tooth where he tried to book an additional room for Hestia even though it was already quite late. She adamantly refused the offer and said that she 'trusted' Vahn enough to know he wouldn't do anything untoward even if they shared a room. Her words inspired his own confidence and allowed him to affirm his resolve further. As long as she didn't make any advances, Vahn decided he wouldn't pursue Hestia and just focus on building their Familia into a stronger organization.
His resolve was immediately tested, however, when Hestia watched him change with fiery eyes as if she had found a delicious meal. Vahn ignored her gaze and eventually joined her in bed. The clothes she wore had self-cleaning functions and she didn't need to change them, so Hestia went to sleep in the same clothing she wore around town. Though Vahn thought it was a bit strange due to his own hygienic habits, he remembered she did the same thing in the manga and put the matter behind him.
When they finally laid down to go to sleep, they both kept a relative distance between each other at first, but about an hour after Vahn had fallen asleep he felt Hestia using his body like a hug pillow. Her actions had awoken him, but after he saw she was still asleep he decided to ignore her. As if his inaction had been taken as a sign of consent, it wasn't long before Hestia ended up replacing the bed she had been laying on for Vahn's body. Vahn was positive she was still asleep and confirmed it when he rolled her body off of his.
Another hour after that, Vahn was once again woken up to the very same sight and released a sigh before conceding. Since she was very light and the feeling of her breasts was unlike anything he had experienced before, Vahn decided to just relax and enjoy the moment. He couldn't help but remark in his head that, due to how she was watching him earlier, they had completely forgotten to perform the Familia induction ceremony. Because of that, they were essentially two people that had just met a few hours ago that had no prior connections or bonds that were now sharing the same bed. If not for Hestia's defenseless nature and apparent trust for him, Vahn would have thought she was acting very forward.
Vahn eventually fell asleep for a few hours before waking up and entering the orb as had become his habit. Inside, Eva had noticed his strange behavior and 'silly' smile on his face and began pestering him about if he had obtained a new woman. Vahn explained that he was just joining her Familia, but when it got to the part about how they were currently sleeping together, Eva gave him a look as if he had said something profoundly stupid. For the next three days, she had him tend to her even more and teased him every time they were laying together. Since she knew there was a woman using his chest as a pillow in the real world, Eva wanted to torment him for the first time in a while.
When Vahn finally returned to the real world, he was in a daze from Eva incessant teasing and, for a brief moment, felt uncomfortable with Hestia sleeping on top of him. As he had done so in the case of Lili previously, Vahn had nearly begun caressing her body while she slept defensively and completely unaware of what had happened in the orb space. It took him a few minutes to completely clear his mind as he performed an action that had become habitual for him over time.
Before Hestia had slept, she removed the bells and ribbons and had let down her long black hair which now draped over her back and Vahn's chest. Without thinking about anything, Vahn began to stroke Hestia's hair as if he was petting one of the girls he commonly associated with. This continued for several seconds before Hestia began to laugh like she was having a good dream as she drooled a healthy amount of slobber onto his chest. Her actions made Vahn chuckle so he continued stroking her hair while admiring the texture.
Unlike chienthropes, who had somewhat frizzy hair, or cat people, who had silken but 'sharp' hair, Hestia's was silky smooth like refined satin. Even in the dark room, it had a glossy sheen and Vahn felt it was uncharacteristically cool to the touch. He marveled at how unique her hair was compared to anyone else he had pet and Vahn began to feel like being used as a body pillow wasn't such a bad thing anymore. He got to stroke Hestia's beautiful hair while feeling her relatively light body pressing the ridiculously soft breasts she was touted for against his chest. Vahn didn't even know how she was able to sleep on her stomach at all and was surprised with the malleability of her chest to allow her to remain comfortable in that position.
His actions eventually woke Hestia up and she pressed her hands against his body to lift herself up to look at him. Her crystalline blue eyes matched his gaze and she seemed to be lost in thought for several seconds as her brain processed everything that was happening. Since she had just met Vahn last night she had, for a brief moment, forgotten who he was. All she knew was that he was 'lovingly' stroking her hair while looking into her face with a 'gentle' expression as she laid against his body.
As if suddenly remembering who he was, Hestia displayed a gentle smile before saying, "Good morning Vahn." Unaware of the momentary lapse in Hestia's mind, Vahn continued to stroke her hair before saying, "Good morning Hestia. You have very beautiful hair." His words made Hestia laugh a bit before she actually laid back down on his chest and went straight back to sleep. Vahn was surprised by her actions since the sun was already beginning to come up. As someone that always woke up early in the morning, Vahn felt a little awkward seeing her go back to sleep while using his body as her bed.
Seeing her defenseless and happy sleeping position, Vahn felt like it would be wrong to wake her up so he just continued stroking her hair while he laid back with his eyes closed and started planning their day. Once she finally decided to get up, Vahn needed to undergo the Familia induction ceremony and then they needed to find a place to live for the time being. If he couldn't find a place with a workshop, Vahn would have to build one himself or have contractors create one for him. He also wanted a wing for alchemy and mixing as well as a secondary area to act as a medical ward. Though it would still be a ways away, Vahn also wanted to allocate space for a nursery and daycare center...
Hestia finally awoke nearly three hours later after leaving a puddle with a diameter more than 10cm of drool on Vahn's green tunic. She stared at the wet spot for a little while before completely ignoring its existence as she began to tie up her hair. Vahn laughed to himself at her antics as he changed into a new outfit without wearing his top. Hestia had been watching him from the side and seemed to be curious about why he decided to go shirtless before a realization suddenly hit her, "Ah! The ceremony~! I had completely forgotten!"
Vahn finally couldn't contain his laughter so he laughed heartily which caused Hestia to give him an 'angry' look with an embarrassed expression on her face. Eventually, she had Vahn lay down on the bed to conduct the ceremony but, unlike when Hephaestus had done it, she mounted his back before leaning over his body and beginning the ritual. Vahn wasn't too surprised since he had seen the way she treated bell in the manga, but he couldn't help but feel slightly distracted after having been straddled by a woman while he was on his stomach. Just like her unfathomably soft breasts, Hestia actually had a very soft butt as well, almost like it was a mixture between a marshmallow and one of the mochi Tsubaki had gotten him to try in the past.
Since it was the first time she had ever performed the ceremony, Hestia treated the ritual very seriously and Vahn could even feel a bead of sweat drop from her face onto his back. By the end, nearly two hours had passed before the ritual was finally completed. She seemed very satisfied by the results of her own efforts as she began recording down his Status onto a piece of paper. Though she had been attentive during the ceremony earlier, Hestia hadn't actually focused too much on his Status and Skills and was only now getting a good look at them.
While still mounting Vahn's back, she yelled, "Eeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~!? Isn't this actually super ridiculous!?" Though Hestia had never blessed anyone before, she still knew what was considered normal since many gods and goddesses got information from the mortal world and read up on it recreationally. If not for the briefing she got the previous day, Hestia would have thought she had entered a dream because Vahn's Status and abilities were ridiculous for his current level.
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[[Stats]]
Name: [Vahn Mason]
Age: 15
-Level:3
-Power: (I61)
-Endurance: (F222)
-Dexterity: (H112)
-Agility: (H141)
-Magic: (SSS1319)
Skills: [Bow Mastery:B], [Stealth:C], [Chainbreaker:S], [Call of the Reaper:B],[Yggdrasil's Favor:S], [Veil of the Traveler: S], [Swordsman:A], [Featherfoot:B], [Hands of Nirvana:S], [Prometheus:A], [Heart of the Eternal Flame:SS], [Metallurgy:B], [Fist Strike:B], [Friend of Spirits:A]
Development Abilities: [Wound Transfer: A], [Spirit Healing: S], [Blacksmith: S], [Mixing: C]
Magic: [Thria*Mimos:C], [Shundo:B]
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She had never even heard of anyone having a SSS ranked Parameter on their status board while all of the other parameters were relatively low. Since she knew Vahn was supposed to be in recovery right now, Hestia attributed it to his pseudo-Divinity which Hephaestus and Loki had explained previously. It was incredible to think how high his potential was when he was capable of having such ridiculous growth while being relatively inactive. It wasn't just his status either, he had an incredible amount of skills, four development abilities, and even two magic skills she had never even heard of before.
Hestia stared at Vahn's back and the image of her own crest, a hearth with a vibrant flame, and felt like she had stumbled on something far greater than she imagined. Sure, she had heard the stories and words of caution from the other goddesses, but Hestia still hadn't believed it for herself until she saw it with her own eyes. In a bit of a daze, she smiled as she traced her hand along Vahn's muscular back almost like she was appreciating a sacred tablet that documented the progress and growth of a legend...a legend that she, nobody else, would get to observe and record.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Doki Doki Hearth Goddess','Seriously, how does she sleep on her stomach?','Hestia is actually quite possessive')
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