Ganesha's Party (2)

Shoutout to my new patron:

Dominik Krasucki

You are a legend!

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A.N. Tommyinnit's favourite song...trust me bro...

~You got it if you want it, got, got it if you want it~

~Said, you got it if you want it, take my wallet if you want it, now~

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(Twilight Manor)

Tione shoved open her little sister's door to be greeted by the sight of Tiona on her stomach, reading an open book on her bed while two more lay on top of each other beside her on the sheets as she kicked her feet back and forth in the air.

There was a flushed look of excitement on her face and a bright sparkle in her eye as she drank in every word on the page and eagerly turned them over to absorb the next sentences on the next page. A bright smile stretched across her mouth from cheek to cheek.

"Lost in another damn book." Tione grunted. "What are you reading this time?"

"A book." Tiona said bluntly, mocking her older sister and enjoying Tione gritting her teeth. "Where have you been?"

"Busy." Tione said as she looked off to the side.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. The captain wanted his laundry washed outside the Manor today thanks to a few...rumours. Funny enough, the basket vanished from its place in the kitchen and now he's besides himself with confusion over where it could have gone." Tiona smiled mischievously at her older sister.

Tione coughed as her cheeks turned slightly red, barely noticeable in fact but Tiona caught it all the same.

"Forget about what I did." Tione said. "How was your day? Did he tie the knot?"

"With both of us." Tiona beamed. "I've never seen Ais so excited to go to one of those parties before. He's everything we thought he was and more. He even gave us gifts."

"Yes, I heard about the little bunny that Ais suddenly showed up with." Tione said before she looked at the strange looking books. "And I'm assuming he gave those to you as well? More hero stories for you to fall asleep with your face on?"

"They're fiction stories." Tiona said as she looked back down at the book. "And they are brilliant! I think you'd like it. It talks about a Pallum only a little bit older than the captain going on adventures with twelve dwarves, a dwarven prince and an ancient human wizard, in a quest to kill a dragon while they're being attacked on the way. And it is just amazing. Look, there's even pictures here!" Tiona held up an illustration in one of the pages. It depicted a large wolf on the page, much bigger than a normal wolf, perhaps even bigger than a lion. "Doesn't that look like Bathsheba? They're even called Wargs too!"

"A book about a Pallum? As a main character?" Tione tilted her head. "You don't hear about those often."

"Well this book actually uses the word Hobbit instead of Pallum." Tiona said. "I get the feeling that this must be a pretty old story since it uses an old term like that. And it is sooooo good, the kind of storybook you'd only find in a prince or princess's library! There is no way the common people would be able to buy it from a bookstore. Just look at the quality of the paper as well!"

"It's...white?" Tione said confusedly. It was very much unlike the papyrus and normal paper they were used to.

"And so smooth and delicate." Tiona said as she flicked a page. "There is no way Steve just bought it from somewhere...and what's more, he had so many others on his bookshelf."

"Well if we're being honest, we don't know a lot about Steve." Tione folded her arms. "We don't know where he came from, but with all the wealth that he carries around with him, it's entirely possible that he's some sort of prince or some member of royalty hidden away or runaway. Like Riveria."

"He certainly does feel quite safe carrying all that money around on him. I guess it's only because he's as powerful as he is that he believes that he can protect it." Tiona said.

Tione nodded before she locked onto something her sister had said previously.

"Wait, his bookshelf? Did you go to his house?"

"We did!" Tiona cheered. "It's a snug, cozy little place which isn't all that much. But it feels just like home. In fact, it's almost exactly like Bilbo's burrow." Tione said as she returned to the book.

"Who?"

"Oh, that's the Hobbit I was telling you about in this story."

"Right." Tione sat on the end of the bed. "I can't believe it. All the time I've spent trying...and it took you just three weeks."

"I have a natural charm." Tiona said as she placed a hand on her hips. "Looks likesome men just aren't that shallow after all."

"Which further suggests he comes from some sort of different background." Tione said. "He's not a perv or a lecher like the other men in the city. And he's got rather simplistic tastes..."

"Hey..." Tiona narrowed her eyes. "Was that an insult?"

"It could have been." Tione smiled. "But I hope you're happy." Tione then pumped her fist and flexed her arm. "It just encourages me to try with the captain even harder! I will not rest nor will I let him rest until he understands just how much I love him! I will be doing it with him, all day, all night, every day of every week. I will not stop until he accepts me!"

'Oh boy.' Tiona sweat-dropped at her sister's enthusiasm. 'I think I might have indirectly unleashed something a little bit worse on you Captain...please forgive me.'

Tiona then looked out of her window at the dying daylight and wondered what her lover was doing at this moment in time. She'd pondered on whether or not she should go instead of Ais. She was certain she could have pressured the blonde into letting her go instead. But the Amazon had concluded that spending time together would perhaps bring Ais closer to him and make the relationship a little more smooth and natural.

Tiona licked the inside of her lip. She could still taste faint traces of the taste of his mouth in her own and it stoked the desire in her. The pure, hidden passion in his eyes when she had kissed him spoke of something deep, something primal that matched her own want. As an Amazon she was very pleased about this.

And considering how easy they were with each other, and how committed he was to her...perhaps she should push for the next step the next time she was alone with him.

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(Ganesha's Party)

"Is that really necessary, what you're doing to her?" Steve asked his patron, as Ptah treated himself to some very plump grapes. "She's still a lady you know."

"Hmm?" Ptah put a hand over his eyes and pretended to look around. "I don't see this dignified, beautiful thing called a lady anywhere." The little god then shifted his feet, one over the other, on top of Loki's back as she lay on her hands and knees in front of the recliner he was sitting on. "All I see is this very comfortable footstool."

"Our Familia is in an alliance you dolt! What image are you giving away to everybody here?!" Steve chastised his god as Ais shifted a little under his arm and she looked to the side, uncaring of what was happening to Loki.

"Well she's not complaining is she?" Ptah said as he looked down at the goddess. "Any complaints footstool?"

"No sir!" Loki squeaked. "I'm happy to serve as your footrest whenever you want!"

"See? No complaints from 'it' either." Ptah said as he sat back comfortably again. "So how about you stop complaining..."

Steve finally let out a frustrated sigh and reached over. He harshly flicked that hard part of Ptah's ankle on the outer side, making the Primordial yelp in pain as he drew his legs back in reflex and began furiously rubbing his ankle to relieve himself of the pain. Steve then grabbed Loki's arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Go away from here." Steve told. "I don't want to be dealing with his nonsense again if you stick around."

"Thank you." Loki bowed to him before looking up again, getting in his face and threateningly whispering. "But don't think that this is over. Just because you helped me, I'm still not letting you take my Aisy-poo! When you least expect it, I will come up behind you and then RIP YOUR-"

She was silenced as Ais lifted a hand and bonked her on the head, effectively knocking her goddess out as Loki slumped unconscious, and her face fell into Steve's lap as a painful looking bump throbbed on the goddess's head. Steve looked at his girlfriend confused.

"Why'd you do that?" He asked her.

Ais pointed to her own lap, and he saw that Loki's hand was grasped onto Ais's leg, quite close to an intimate place. But still...

"We're in party settings though." Steve reasoned. "It's a little harsh to just knock her out."

"She was getting too close to you." Ais said, uncaringly as Loki's limp body finally slipped off of them and onto the floor. Steve raised an eyebrow at her at how nonchalantly violent she could be to her own goddess...

...but then again it was not like he was any different was it?

"Asshole!" Ptah hissed as he finally put his feet down. "You could have just moved my feet aside but you had to make my foot ring like a bell. I can still feel it shaking."

"Sometimes I have to be militant with you or you just take liberties." Steve said. "Why can't you act your age for once Ptah?"

"I am acting my age. I was disciplining this idiot for you! She was interrupting your sweet time together so I fixed her up!"

"There's a limit Ptah! We have to have a code of conduct in social gatherings. You can't just be treating a lady like a footstool in any formal setting. Come on man!"

"And since when were you ever such a gentleman?" Ptah challenged.

Steve responded by just giving him a stone faced stare, indicating to Ptah that he should stop focusing on Steve. And the god took a step back as he saw Steve holding an arm around Ais as she leaned into him. He stared at both of them as they stared back at him and he realized what Steve was trying to convey.

"Fine. You made your point." Ptah huffed. 

"I've had enough of you." Steve shook his head as he stood up and stretched. "I'm going to the buffet. You want to keep acting like an incel, then embarrass yourself. I'm not going down with you."

"And you're going to eat without me?!" Ptah said as he got up and rushed past Steve down the stairs. "I think not!" Ptah cheered as he zoomed down the stairs and made a beeline for the giant table laden with food.

"You have a very strange relationship with him." Ais said as she watched the little boy begin stuffing his cheeks to the chagrin of other gods around him.

"As do you with your patron. In that way, we are very compatible with each other." Steve said as he pointed to Loki still stretched out on the floor. "You just gonna leave her there?"

"She'll be fine." Ais said. "She'll wake up in a few minutes."

"If you say so." Steve said as he held a hand out to her. "Shall we go fetch something for us to eat? The night is long and the tables are still heavy. Would be a shame if we didn't get to try all the nice things on there."

"I agree." Ais nodded as she took his hand and stood up. "But you wouldn't like the parties of the other gods."

"Why not?"

"Because their food looks nice." Ais explained with her usual emotionless face, which was her conversation face. "And that's all there is to it."

"Your chefs weren't exactly the best either." Steve said as she hooked her arm with his. "Remember the first time they gave me soup?"

"You said it was too sour."

"Because they put too much root and ginger in it."

"The mushroom stew you made afterwards was much nicer." Ais conceded before she looked at him. "Where did you get the mushrooms from though?"

"One of your boyfriend's many secrets." Steve winked as he put a finger to his lips while they started walking down the stairs. "Let's make sure not to say anything here."

"...Okay." Ais flushed a little as she looked away from him at the mention of 'that' word.

Steve observed the reaction.

"Still shy about it huh?" He said as they reached the last step. "Ais?"

"Hm?"

"Do you...have any regrets?"

"No. Why would I?" Ais asked in a little surprise as she looked back at him.

"Just more for self-assurance." Steve said. "I'm still a bit...weird around this whole thing we've got going on. I'm trying to tread as carefully as I can to make sure I'm doing nothing wrong."

"I told you, you're my hero." Ais said as she laid her other hand on the arm she'd hooked hers with. "And like Tiona said, we'll help you if something goes wrong. Don't be afraid."

"I am so lucky to have the both of you, especially Tiona." Steve laughed. "If she hadn't pressured me the way she did, all of us would have been still wandering around this topic."

Ais pouted a little at him, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked.

"You said 'especially Tiona'?" Ais said. "Why specially her?"

"Specially her for a specific reason." Steve said. "You can't deny that Tiona was the only one of us that acknowledged this solution and she is the glue that brought this together. You have your specialties and she has hers." They reached the table and ever the gentleman he was, he took two glasses for them and poured her drink first from the punch bowl. 

"So what's my specialty?" Ais urged, still looking at him with that cute pout of hers.

"The way you fight is mesmerizing." Steve said as he handed her glass to her before pouring a drink himself. "It's so beautiful, like the dance of a wind-fairy. And believe me, they are gorgeous. When you were fighting that Enderman earlier today, I couldn't help but be transfixed."

"Fairies." Ais said.

"Yeah, fairies. You know, tiny little spirits with wings that are the embodiments of certain elements." Steve reasoned as he sipped from his glass. "And I say wind fairy because you know...your magical aptitude is wind. It's a reasonable comparison right." Steve said with his hand outstretched to compound his point. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No." Ais said as she looked to the side with her mouth drawn into a tight circle as her cheeks flushed a little more. "It's just that...Tiona said that you're a womanizer with your words. You'll tell a girl a how pretty she is in the most flowery language possible."

"Only with the ones I like and especially the ones I'm in a relationship with." Steve leaned towards her. "I told you, that's just the way I roll. But if I am making you uncomfortable or if I'm coming on too hard, just tell me."

"No, it's fine." She said as she took his hand. "She also says you are a gentleman."

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her gloved fingers.

"Always." He said, before laughing at her surprised face as her cheeks reddened even further. 

Their lovers' conduct however attracted several eyes onto them, especially those who were keeping a tab on him ever since he entered with Ptah. One of them placed his drink onto the platter of a servant that passed him and hummed as he strode towards the couple. His blue-haired companion perked up she realized what her patron was doing and rolled her eyes as she was forced to do nothing but follow him as he undoubtedly walked into another well of trouble. 

But she couldn't help but admit to herself that she too was interested in seeing what Steve was like.

"Well, well, well!" The god announced as he drew both Steve and Ais attention. "So the rumours around town were true. Not only is the alleged level 9 a real person after all, but he is also romantically involved with the Sword Princess of all people!"

"Lord Hermes." Ais said as she greeted the stranger, more for Steve's sake than to greet the blonde-haired fox of a god. Not that Steve really needed it but he gave her hand a thankful squeeze.

"As you were, Lady Wallenstein." Hermes bowed as she introduced him before he turned his attention exclusively to Steve. "Now then, you are the first child of old Ptah, huh? I have to say, he got super lucky."

"It depends on perspective." Steve said as he put his glass down. "I tend not to believe in luck but consequence of free will. However, it amuses me how a god, much more a messenger god at that, could attribute good things to such an ambiguous and abstract subject as luck."

"A paradox at its finest." Hermes nodded, seeing the humour. "But I have not carried a divine message for a very long time. Down here without our powers, we are little more than mortals, and so, we are also subject to unpredictability and fate ourselves." Hermes reached past them and picked up a toothpick with a cube of cheese on the end of it. "Now then Mr Hewer. Would you enlighten me as to where you hail from?"

"Any particular reason you ask?" Steve said as he leaned against the table.

"Well yes. Once a messenger, always a messenger." Hermes wagged his finger. "I have travelled far and wide with my Familia, have gone into places as extraordinary as the Dungeon, and have made friends with some very powerful figures. I just assume that I of all people have the best chance of being familiar with your homeland and that I may find some form of common ground between us. And of course, ingratiating yourself with another powerful figure does not go amiss."

"Really?" Steve raised an eyebrow with an inquisitive smile. "Is that not an intention you're supposed to not profess aloud?"

"I try not to have ulterior motives with people I meet for the first time. Especially with the most powerful adventurer in Orario."

"So you believe the rumours then?"

"I merely needed to see you walk in with Lord Ptah himself to know the truth." Hermes said. "He and I have a history you see."

"And perhaps not one pleasant for bedtime." Steve said dryly. "Let's be honest, he's scared you at some point and you just don't want to get on his bad side even when you are incomplete."

"My situation is not like Loki's." Hermes said. "On the contrary, it is...actually, it is not the opposite. But by no means is it bad."

"Uh-huh." Steve said skeptically before turning to look at Hermes' spectacled plus-one. "Who is your companion?"

"Oh that's right, where are my priorities? This is-" Hermes turned to look at his companion to introduce her but upon seeing a dangerous look in her eye, clearly conveying her disappointment with him not introducing her, he sweated a little nervously. "Eh-heh-heh...this is my lovely Captain of course. Mr Hewer, may I introduce Asfi Al Andromeda, the captain of the Hermes Familia."

"Pleasure to meet you." Asfi said as she stuck out her hand.

"Pleasure's all mine." Steve said as he shook her hand, before he quickly pecked her fingers. "Forgive me. My parents kind of hammered it into me to kiss a lady's hand when in settings such as these. They were business orientated people you see. Everything was about decorum."

"I take no displeasure." Asfi assured him. "It's nice to be around a man aware of his surroundings and his manners for once." She gave Hermes a pointed side-eye as he shrugged at her. She shook her head with a sigh before she looked back at Steve. "People tend to know adventurers by their aliases before they actually come into the city. In case you are such a person, they call me Perseus."

"Perseus." Steve nodded. "That's quite the interesting name. Any reason why they assigned you that?"

"The gods like to go to extremes when it comes to labels and words." Asfi said as she looked at her patron again. "They will either pick the most obvious titles or they will pick the most absurd, or the most nonsensical ones without reasoning." 

"Right. I dread that they do the same thing when it comes to my alias." Steve said. "Anyway, I hear that you are the city's greatest magic item maker."

"I've done my share of dabbling." Asfi said. "Never really found a dislike in it to stop."

"One never really can when they see the wonders they can create with their own hands using the mysterious force that is magic." Steve said. "Why, my own patron is carrying the one I made in his hand at this very moment."

"Someone mention me?" Ptah said as he walked up to them, his cheeks bulging as he swallowed whatever was in them while also holding a chicken leg in his free hand. Then he caught sight of the god that his child was conversing with. "Hermes." He said unamused.

"Long time no see, Ptah." Hermes said. "Of course, I knew when you had descended but you disappeared into the background quite quickly...which is actually quite typical of you. It's kind of your thing."

"I had my moment of glory long before you little miscreants could even walk." Ptah snorted. "I matured while you just stomped around creating havoc. And you Hermes, what with your shameless eavesdropping and your peeking and spilling everyone's secrets in the open. The only reason you're still standing here is because I wasn't there when you did spill it."

"It was no secret to begin with." Hermes reasoned. "Everybody knew about it with the exception of one. You're not exactly subtle."

"And you're not exactly honest." Ptah said as he narrowed is eyes. "So, still floundering around as Zeus's little Collie? Or are you putting yourself to use for once?"

"So harsh!" Hermes put a hand on his heart in mock-heart. "Your tongue is as sharp as ever. I do hope your child is not tormented by it every waking moment with you."

"HE has a sick mind!" Ptah pointed to Steve. "Just earlier, I was eating a plateful of tofu and he told me-urrrmph!"

Steve clasped his hand around Ptah's mouth and grimaced.

"Sorry about that. In addition to his sharp tongue, he doesn't really have the self awareness of the company he keeps." Steve apologised.

"What was he about to say?" Ais tilted her head.

"Something that should not be said around the ladies." Steve explained before he drew his hand back from Ptah's mouth in disgust. "You licked me!" 

"I couldn't breathe dotard!" Ptah said. "For someone who seemed so eager to make me a powerful magic item for my protection, you sure don't seem all too concerned about half-killing me yourself!" Ptah waved the Sceptre around. Asfi's eyes sparkled as she saw the Sceptre. Her experienced eyes immediately recognised quality when she saw it, and she could feel the powerful magic just oozing out of the item.

"Excuse me!" She said to Ptah. "May I see that for a moment?"

"Huh? This?" Ptah held up his the Sceptre questioningly as he stopped trying to shank Steve in the balls with the prong end. "Why?"

"She's a magic item maker Ptah. Why else?" Steve raised an exasperated brow as Ais shared a plate of cake with him, handing him a dessert fork. "Go on, just give it to her."

"But I thought you said-"

"OUR Familia Ptah. Our Familia. Remember that."

"...Fine." Ptah said as he held it out. "Here ya go."

Asfi with a pleased expression on her face stretched a hand out to take the Sceptre from him. But before her fingers closed around its golden shaft, a black-gloved hand reached between Hermes and Ptah and took it right out of his grasp.

"My apologies." A voice that made Hermes and Ptah do a double-take said as a flash of red hair filled everyone's vision and injected itself into their gathering as the individual dressed in a red and black dress took the Sceptre of Ptah into her own hands and began tracing her fingers over it. "But I must also insist that I examine it too."

They all turned to see who was clearly a red-haired goddess with an eye-patch over her right eye stand just outside their little circle of conversation. Behind her stood a dark-skinned, eye-patched woman who had face-palmed with a wry smile as the goddess started breathing heavily with a terrific sparkle in her visible eye as she stared at the magic item with zealotry.

Steve immediately recognised who the woman was and his eyes instantly shot over to Ptah, who to his surprise did not express the reaction he'd been hoping for. As if he were just discussing the weather, Ptah lowered his hand and said in the most casual voice ever...

"Oh hey, Hephaestus. How've you been?"

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