An Assassin's Adventure: The Great Conjunction

Chapter 44: Celebration

Violins and flutes played, melodiously, within the Hostess of fertility as a veritable sea of adventurers sat and enjoyed the festivities. The jolly company shared stories and drank to their heart's content, finally celebrating the fruits of their labour. Beatific waitresses meandered throughout the wide space, ferrying large trays of food to each table with perfect efficiency, beaten into them by their commander.

Our purple haired protagonist sat on the centremost table, tapping a finger on its wooden surface, impatiently. Hit made sure to keep his eyes closed, although, this time, not as an act of espionage. His surrounding colleagues had bombarded him with questions, regarding his recent level up; however, Hit had managed to bat them away via cryptic comments and half-truths. Now, he had resorted to ignoring them.

On the opposite side of the table, Bell Cranel smiled at his mentor, pleased that he had accepted the invitation. Hestia and Lili were squabbling on his left side, arguing over who got to sit next to the boy, whilst Welf sat back and enjoyed the relatively relaxing atmosphere.

Asfi Al Andromeda and her mischievous god, Hermes, sat next to the bar's counter, giving the day's heroes some space. The god Miach; the goddess Hephaestus; and Naaza, sat on a smaller table, conversing amicably.

Hephaestus wore a simple white, buttoned shirt; blue jeans; and long dark boots. Red hair snaked its way to a thin neck, which was complemented by the woman's singular red eye. The left orb was covered by a large metallic eyepatch, shielding any onlookers from its appearance. She glanced to the hostess' largest table, which had actually been hastily formed from several smaller ones and smiled at Welf. Her sharp features softened as a smile broke loose. 'I'm so proud of you.'

As more and more drinks were placed down, rounds of toasts erupted across the bar, adding to the raucous atmosphere.

"To Hit!"

"Yeah! To the new guy!"

"Good work, scary dude!"

Loki's newest high rank adventurer opened his eyes, and glanced around as he received scores of cheers and rounds of applause.

Off to the side, Tsubaki Collbrande raised her mug, and gulped the entire beverage down. "I knew ya were a good apple, kiddo! Thanks for sending him my way, Finn! Cheers for the kind words!"

Finn's smile drooped a little as he processed what the smith had said. Suddenly, the pallum seemed to realise something and turned to Hit, robotically. "Ohhhh, so that's why she was so... affectionate... during our journey back."

Hit turned away from the captain, unnerved by his eerie smile. It was the first time many people here had seen the pallum annoyed. Finn now had an explanation for the numerous, unwanted, suffocating hugs that the well-endowed woman had given him, during their lengthy trek up and down the dungeon.

Hit's attention now fell onto Tiona, who was discussing something with her sister. "Oh, oh! How about speedy, or shooting star... No, wait! Ghosty! Or officer, for catching those bad guys!" The girl switched targets and cast a dazzling smile at Hit. "What do you think, Hit? What Alias do you want?"

The boy frowned, sternly, now understanding what those ridiculous terms were referring to: him. "None. I will turn you into a ghost if you refer to me as any of those. And I failed to apprehend those felons." 'Hold on... ghost? I thought mortals were reincarnated here...'

Finn coughed from the side. "Don't dwell on it too much, Hit. It was out of your control, and it wasn't your responsibility. The Ganesha familia will handle it. For now, let's all relax and enjoy ourselves."