It Is Alright To Use Spiral Power In The Dungeon

Bell's Dream

Stunned, confused, and filled with the urge to run right out the door, Bell trembled in place as he gazed into Simon's eyes. His body shook with unbridled shame and anguish, as Bete's words struck a chord deep within his heart. His cheeks burned as hot tears streamed down his face. He wanted nothing more than to hang his head, leap from his seat, and get as far away from the Benevolent Mistress as he could.

The only thing stopping him was Simon's comforting hand and smile. And somehow, that was enough.

Without saying a word, Bell sniffled and turned away from Simon. He fell back into his seat, head down, as he tried to stop his tears. Syr placed her hands on Bell's shoulder and arm, doing her best to calm him down. Simon nodded and patted Bell's shoulder. He finished his drink and then stood from his seat. His voice was steady as he spoke up, "Hey, Mama Mia? Hope you don't mind, but I might be causing a bit of trouble here in a bit."

Mama glared at Simon out of the corner of her eye and warned, "If you start a fight in here, you're getting thrown out. No exceptions."

Despite her cutting glare, Simon gave her a thumbs up and said, "Got it." Don't start a fight in the establishment. Don't worry. This will be quick."

Simon stepped away from the bar and headed straight for the tables where Loki Familia was. He wasn't subtle about it, and a few of the remaining patrons watched him as he walked. The elf waitress passed in front of him, her piercing sky-blue eyes conveying a silent message. A clarification that if he caused any trouble, there would be consequences for him. He took a moment to look around and soon realized that all the waitresses had similar expressions in their eyes. Even as they continued to serve the remaining patrons, they made it clear that any disruptions wouldn't go unpunished.

Simon's response was to wave at all the waitresses and wink at the elf as he continued on his way. He soon approached Loki Familia's table. The animal person named Bete was still ranting. He was drunkenly attempting to persuade Ais to be with him. The girl was pointedly ignoring him, while everybody else was giving him nasty glares. Save for the redhead who had an easygoing smile on their face. The first ones to notice Simon's approach were the blonde-haired prum and Ais. The prum didn't react, nor did he say anything. He simply watched Simon with a neutral smile on his face.

Ais, meanwhile, actually reacted to his presence. She sat up in her seat, her eyes widening slightly. Though minuscule, the action caught the attention of the entire table. Everyone, except Bete who hadn't noticed, turned to look at Simon. Simon gave each of them a friendly wave, but his eyes remained fixed on Bete's back. In his drunken state, the wolfman hadn't noticed Simon standing behind him. Instead, he mistook Ais' reaction as her paying attention to him. He put a hand on his chest with a chuckle, "Finally lookin' at me, huh? Is that your way of sayin' I'm right? That I'm the one who-"

"Hey, buddy," Simon placed his left hand on Bete's shoulder. He squeezed down without a care in the world, "I think you've had enough. How about I get ya something that'll help you get sober?"

"Wh-" Before he could continue, Simon started to drag Bete by his shoulder. Despite being caught by surprise, the wolfman attempted to break free from Simon's grip...at least he made an effort to. But no matter how hard he twisted or dug his heels and feet into the floorboards, he couldn't stop Simon. He snarled and tried to use his claws to pry Simon's fingers off. Only to find that, even with his strength as a Level 5, he was unable to remove them. Trying to get the man's fingers off was somehow more difficult than slaying a Minotaur! As he dragged toward the entrance, he shouted at his Familia, "Don't just sit there! Help me beat this guy's ass! Riveria! Gareth! Raaghh!"

However, his Familia seemed keen to sit at their table and watch him get dragged off. With Riveria looking in another direction, the dwarf Gareth taking a long swig of his drink, the Amazon twins eying the man dragging Bete away, and most others simply watching what was happening with interest.