We were sitting in the guild master's office, patiently waiting for our respective familia goddesses to come and get us out of this mess. I could still feel the stares of Hedin, Hogini, and the Gulvioure brothers on both of us.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before Loki arrived at the guild.
The door to the guild master's office opened without a knock.
Loki walked in first, hands tucked behind her head, her red hair slightly windswept like she had jogged part of the way and didn't particularly care. Her narrow eyes swept the room once—taking in Hedin, Hogni, the Gulliver brothers, me, Finn—and then she let out a long, wheezing laugh that she made absolutely no attempt to suppress.
"Bwahahaha! Finn, your face!"
Finn touched his swollen cheek with two fingers. "...It's fine."
"No, it's not fine, it's hilarious!" Loki dropped into the nearest chair, throwing one leg over the armrest. "I leave you alone for five minutes, and you somehow manage to start a war with Freya Familia in the middle of the city." She pointed at him with her whole hand. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything."
"He did!" The Gulliver brothers said flatly.
Finn cleared his throat. "That's a matter of interpretation."
She leaned back, tilting her head toward me with a grin that had too many teeth in it. "And you. You just couldn't walk away, could you?"
"Shakti would've troub—"
"Shakti would've handled it!"
"She really wouldn't have," Shakti said from the corner. Already exhausted by the heavy atmosphere that had settled previously.
Before Loki could respond, the atmosphere in the room shifted. No one moved. No one spoke. But several people, mostly the Freya Familia members, straightened slightly, and the Gulliver brothers, who had been radiating restless energy since they arrived, went very still.
Freya stepped through the doorway.
She wore that same white dress, and her silver hair caught the light as she entered, her violet eyes moving across the room with the calm, unhurried attention of someone cataloguing a collection.
They paused on me.
Just for a moment.
Then she smiled. "My, my." Her voice was smooth. "It's a pleasure to see my children have started to make friends." She looked at Hedin and Hogni. Hedin's expression didn't change. Hogni looked away. "…In their own way."
"Lady Freya…" Hedin said, offering no apology, which somewhat surprised me, but it also made sense, given how much they revere the High Elf Royal family.
"Hedin. Did you have fun?" She asked.
"...The exchange was informative, but I would have liked for it to last a little longer."
"Good." She turned to Royman, who appeared to have been hoping she wouldn't. "Royman. I apologize for the inconvenience."
Royman straightened instantly. "N-No, not at all, Lady Freya, these things happen—"
"I'm glad you're being so understanding." She said pleasantly. Royman could only nod in response.
Loki, watching all of this, made a sound that was somewhere between a cough and a suppressed laugh. Freya's gaze drifted to her.
"Loki."
"Freya." Loki's grin didn't move.
"Your captain has a bruise," Freya observed.
"If your boys can only manage one bruise against my Finn, maybe you should be the one embarrassed," Loki replied without missing a beat.
"...They must be holding back," Freya replied.
"Sure, they were," Loki countered cheerfully.
Freya's smile didn't waver. "Besides, he started it."
Loki opened her mouth, closed it, then pointed at Finn. "Did you?"
Finn touched his cheek with two fingers. "...That depends entirely on how you define 'start.'"
"That's a yes," said everyone in the room simultaneously, including me.
Loki dropped her hand. "...Okay, he may have started it. But he finished it standing up, so..." She gestured vaguely, as if this settled the matter entirely.
Freya let the moment settle, then turned back toward me. "Putting all aside, I at least owe you an apology, Arin. I warned them not to go overboard," her sharp violet eyes glanced towards them. "But it seems they defied my wish."
"No, it's fine. While I would've liked not to get involved at all, at least now I know firsthand just how much her fellow kin adore Riveria." Though I am sure Riveria didn't like it one bit.
"Thank you," She said, with a smile on her thin lips, "Though I must say, as a goddess of love, you love life truly piques my interest."
"Love life?" Loki's voice cut through before I could respond, sharp and dangerous despite her casual posture. "Oi oi, Freya. Don't go sniffing around my kids like some creepy stalker goddess."
Freya's smile remained perfectly composed. "Sniffing? How crude, Loki. It's been all over Orario, and I'm just starting what I have simply observed."
"Yeah, and I'm 'simply observing' how you keep finding excuses to pouch people." Loki leaned forward, her usually playful expression hardening. "Are you trying to recruit him or what? You collecting children as a hobby now?"
"I collect nothing," Freya replied smoothly. "Beautiful souls simply gravitate toward me. It's not my fault your children are so... interesting."
"MY children," Loki emphasized, standing up. "Not yours. Get your own."
"I have plenty of my own, thank you," Freya replied. "Though I must admit, the quality of Loki Familia's recent recruits is quite impressive. That expedition to the deep floors, the conflict with Evilus... you've been busy cultivating some truly remarkable souls in between."
"Don't change the subject—"
"Lady Loki, Lady Freya!" Royman's voice cracked as he stood, his face flushed and sweating profusely. "Please! This is not the place for—"
"Shut it, Royman."
"Be quiet, Royman."
Both goddesses said in perfect unison.
Royman sat down immediately.
I feel bad for him. Though I also have no interest in getting in between these two either.
Loki's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're trying to poach my familia members, Freya? Because that's what it sounds like."
"Poach? Such an ugly word." Freya tilted her head slightly. "I am merely appreciating the children. Is that a crime?"
"It is when you're you," Loki shot back. "I know how you 'appreciate' things. You see something shiny, you want it, you take it."
"That's rich coming from the goddess of mischief and lies."
"At least I'm honest about my dishonesty!" Loki's grin turned sharp. "You just wrap everything in pretty words and act innocent. Seriously, it pisses me off!"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. Even Finn shifted slightly, hand moving instinctively toward his weapon, his eyes fixated on Freya familia members who had done the same.
"Are you suggesting I'm being dishonest?" Freya's calm voice started to get sharper.
"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm saying it outright."
Shakti tried to intervene. "Perhaps we should—"
"Stay out of this, Shakti."
"Stay out of this, Ankusha."
Both goddesses said simultaneously again.
Freya stood gracefully, her violet eyes never leaving Loki's face. "You're being rather territorial today, Loki. One might think you're worried."
"Worried? About you?" Loki scoffed. "Please. I just don't like goddesses who can't keep their hands to themselves."
"My hands are perfectly controlled, thank you."
"Your eyes aren't."
"Neither are yours, apparently, given how closely you're watching me."
The two goddesses stared at each other, the air between them practically crackling with invisible pressure.
This is getting out of hand, I thought, glancing at Finn and Shakti. They looked equally concerned. The same was the case for the rest of the people present.
And just as I was about to speak up, someone else beat me to it.
"ENOUGH!"
I turned to see Royman heaving while sweating.
Did he finally lose it?
It was my only thought at his outburst. Both Loki's and Freya's eyes widened in surprise as well, before they glared sharply.
Uh-oh, that didn't sound good.