Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though the kiss between Vahn and Syr lasted quite a while, it wasn't overly passionate, nor was there any other intimacy between them. They simply held the kiss for a while and loosely held each other's bodies in a very natural manner. Though he could feel a gentle warmth from her body, Syr was able to feel the heat coming from Vahn pushing away the cold night air and it made the entire experience more atmospheric for her. When they finally separated, she had a happy smile on her face with a light blush as she said, "That was my first real kiss you know~? Does it make you happy to be the person that received it?"

Vahn returned a gentle smile and cradled her body a bit as he said, "Nnn, it was very pleasant...makes me regretful that I had waited for so long. Thanks, Syr..." She laughed in a somewhat mischevious manner and Vahn could feel her aura begin to increase in size as she leaned against his body and said, "If you're really regretful...there are other things we can do..." Syr traced her hands from Vahn's back and placed them on his chest before rubbing around in an inexperienced manner. He could see the blush on her face growing deeper, not because of amorous feelings, but because she was embarrassed by her own actions.

Vahn grabbed her wandering hands with his own and shook his head with a gentle smile and said, "Sorry, Syr, I have to return to the Hearth Manor. There is a lot going on in the aftermath of Ishtar's return to Heaven. I'm sure you're aware of most of the details..." In response to his words, Syr released a slightly hot sigh and said, "Yes, I'm aware that Freya seems to have taken action...Vahn, you have to be very careful of her. She has a strange way of manipulating people, and I don't think things will end well if she gets her hands on you." As she spoke, Vahn could feel Syr's body shake a little and it wasn't from the cold.

Feeling the 'fear' within her, Vahn nestled his forehead against Syr's and wrapped his arms around her body before putting a small amount of strength in his embrace. He rocked her body a bit and said, "There is no need to fear...I've already come up with a few methods to deal with Freya if it comes down to it. Besides, I have a lot of confidence that Loki and Hephaestus would be able to prevent her from taking any meaningful action...just make sure you take care of yourself and the other girls and things should be okay." Syr had closed her eyes with a comfortable expression on her face and opened them when Vahn finished his words. He could see a confident glint in her eyes as she said, "I won't let Freya interfere with my happiness again..."

For a short while after that, Vahn continued to hold Syr until he detected a presence spying on them from nearby. Seeing the look on his face, Syr tried to guess, "It must be Chloe...or maybe Ryuu~?" Without waiting for Vahn's response, she turned toward the window where the presence was located and waved in a playful manner. Though she couldn't see through the crack between the curtains, Syr had guessed that the person 'spying' on them had been Chloe. Since Vahn had a 'bond' with Chloe, he could easily identify her presence and he just smiled wryly in response to Syr's actions. Her understanding of the girls within the Hostess of Fertility was almost unparalleled and she was able to read their actions and make judgments based on her intuition.

The curtains in the window were pulled aside slightly and Chloe's face peeked through and Vahn could see she had a mischevious expression. He tilted his head a bit in curiosity which prompted Chloe to pull aside the remaining curtains and reveal that she was currently wearing the panties he had 'gifted' her in the past. She was even wearing one of his tunics and Vahn's eyes widened marginally because he didn't recall ever leaving her one. From his side, Syr began to laugh as she commented, "Looks like I can't keep you to myself for too long~. Well, I'll see you later Vahn. Please stop by the Hostess of Fertility more often in the future..." Her words finished, Syr's eyes squinted a bit as she leaned forward and gave Vahn a parting kiss before winking at Chloe.

Vahn was left in the alleyway leading into the girl's dorm and he watched Syr's back for a brief moment before turning his attention to Chloe. Though he couldn't hear her, Vahn could see that she was laughing before waving her hand and disappearing behind the curtain. As she turned away, Vahn caught sight of her pert little butt and the pure blue ribbon wrapped around her black tail. A small smile appeared on his face and Vahn wondered what would happen if he had accepted Syr's offer earlier. Since there wasn't really a place for them to go, Vahn had a slight expectation that he might have been invited into the girls' dorm and finally got a glimpse of the interior.

After releasing a hot sigh, Vahn shook his head before disappearing from the spot with the use of Shundo. Before he returned to the Manor, Vahn decided to take a break to calm his emotions a bit and enjoy the cold night air. Even though nothing had happened, Vahn still felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders ever since he received news about the Ishtar Familia's fall this morning. He felt like his lax emotional state allowed for his other emotions to have a greater impact on his mind and he was now in a strange mood where he felt pleased, relaxed, and a little excited. Vahn knew his inhibitions about things were slowly beginning to loosen, and he had a slight urge to act out on his impulses a bit.

This was the reason he had decided to cool down a bit, since Vahn was afraid he might return to the Hearth Manor before crawling into Hestia's bed again. They had s.e.x a few times when they started sleeping apart, but now Vahn was in a strange mindset and the only two girls within the Manor were Hestia and Aki. He also knew that Aki would probably accede to his request, if he asked, and it might even develop to the point where he was with both girls at the same time. Since she had been a 'partner' to Loki in the past, Vahn knew Aki already had the mental preparations but he still had some inhibitions of his own. Though he wouldn't turn her down if she made the push, Vahn still wanted to meet the man named Raul before he took the initiative.

On a whim, Vahn c.o.c.ked his head and stared toward the tower of Babel that dominated the sky toward the center of the City. Even though he couldn't be certain, Vahn had a strange feeling that he was being watched. He had tried to probe it out with his domain, and had even asked Sis about it, but there wasn't any way to detect if his suspicions were true. He knew from the manga that Freya had a way to watch Bell's progress, but he didn't know the full extent of her capacity for observation. Just know that she 'might' be watching him was enough to make Vahn feel a sense of urgency though. Though he wanted to believe she wouldn't do anything too trying, Vahn remembered the event where she had charmed a Silverback just to 'test' Bell. Not knowing if she could hear him, or if she was watching to begin with, Vahn muttered, "If you try to harm the people I care about...I will never forgive you. No matter what it takes, even if I was forced out of the City for a time, I would come back and seek vengeance against you..."

---

Within a dimly lit room on the top floor of Babel tower, Freya had been sitting in a throne-like chair sipping on a glass of wine as she overlooked a smaller version of her magic mirror. It took the form of a crystal ball and she had indeed been watching Vahn's actions ever since she returned from her meeting with Ouranos. He had made some accusations about her assisting the Alliance and she hadn't bothered to correct him on the matter and allowed it to spiral out of control as a rumor. Since she wasn't actually scheming anything at all, her vow hadn't been violated and she was very much enjoying the events as they played out.

Though she couldn't hear his words, Freya was able to read Vahn's lips and she understood very clearly what he was trying to convey to her. An amorous smile appeared on her face as she sipped at the expensive red wine within her glass. Though she knew he couldn't hear her, Freya still responded to Vahn's words, "You truly care about all those small women...it makes me a little jealous. All of this would be much easier if you just became mine..." As she spoke, Freya sloshed around the contents of her glass with a ruminating and thoughtful expression on her face.

She didn't mind the matter regarding Ishtar, since it wouldn't cause her any real problems, but it was actually very troublesome to deal with the Alliance. They had already pestered her quite a bit about her intentions even after she told them directly that she hadn't made any plans. Now she was expected to meet them and 'negotiate' and it had been the thought at the front of her mind for the majority of the day. Though she wouldn't mind eliminating all the girls around Vahn and eventually making him her own, Freya had a great deal of hesitation about actually going forward on the matter.

Until she knew more about Vahn's origins and capabilities, she actually didn't have confidence that her charm would work on him. Though it was much weaker than her own, Freya had watched the interaction between Vahn and Syr and she had noticed he resisted her relatively powerful charm without even batting an eye. If she truly drove a wedge between them because of her scheming, Freya was afraid that she would have to kill Vahn and waste his potential. Of course, she didn't even humor the thought that he would actually be able to seek vengeance against her even if she did sleight him.

Freya continued to watch over Vahn in silent contemplation up until he eventually returned to the inside of the Hearth Manor. She felt a little annoyed that she was unable to see through the defensive formations of the Manor itself but she kept the crystal ball focused on the door for the future. Through her information network, Freya knew that the only people within the Manor right now were Vahn, a Level 4 female cat person, and the newbie goddess Hestia. Though she hadn't seen their interactions, Freya assumed there was likely something going on between Vahn and the girl named Aki. Since Aki wasn't a new adventurer, Freya had a lot of her information and assumed she was a 'spy' that had been sent to keep tabs on Vahn and the Hestia Familia through Loki.

Releasing a somewhat sensual sigh, Freya downed the remaining wine within her glass before rising from her throne. She had never had such a 'troublesome' target to approach, but that made it even more exciting since she would inevitably get her hands on him. Try as they might, there was only so much that Hephaestus and Loki could do before they pushed her beyond the acceptable limits and caused strife between the three top-ranked Familia. Because she had been consolidating her power for a long time, Freya knew she would be able to best the combined might of the Alliance but it would be at a cost she wasn't quite willing to pay. Not only would it be an incredible inconvenience to her other plans, but losing the Loki and Hephaestus Familia's would cripple the economy within the City and halt the exploration into the deeper floors of the dungeon. Without Loki's forces paving the way forward, it would fall to Freya's Familia to take action and she wasn't fond of sending her children into the depths of the dungeon for Ouranos's benefit.

Freya crawled into her large bed that was made of the finest linens and silks that could be found within the entire mortal world. Her bedsheets alone were custom made and would cost in the market of 3,000,000 Valis. She had carried the crystal ball along with her and cradled it within her bosom as she stared into the interior and remarked to the darkness, "I want to be alone tonight...tell that sneaky woman that I'll agree to their meeting." An affirmation sounded from the darkness and Freya was able to see the silhouette of Ottar's body leaving to fulfill her wishes. He was her current favorite and was also the strongest mortal she had ever seen in her time within the mortal realm.

However, though Ottar's potential was incredible, unlike anything she had ever seen, Freya intuition told her that Vahn's potential was even higher. She saw how meteoric his rise was and had seen the many different techniques and abilities that he was capable of using. None of his skills were even remotely similar to anything she had ever seen before and Freya was unable to measure his depths at all. That was how her intuition caused her to view Vahn, not as a colossal bundle of potential that was taller than a mountain like Ottar...Instead, Freya saw Vahn's potential as the unfathomably deep depths of the ocean, in both depth and breadth...she even had a slight expectation that she would be able to drown herself within its depths and it made her heart twist in her chest at being unable to obtain him sooner.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Blue Moon : Black Cat','You ain't sneaky...maybe...probably?','Freya's Longing')

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