endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 159

While Vahn was wandering around and drawing even more attention to himself, a group of women had gathered for the express purpose of preventing that very thing from happening. Had they known he wouldn't stay at home probably, they would have left someone to keep an eye on him. Unfortunately, none of the children would be able to oppose him, and every other person was required to attend the meeting. Even Welf, the designated 'buddy' of Vahn, had been busy with his research and refused to participate.

The organizers of the meeting were Hephaestus and Eina, and they had booked an entire cafe operated by the Hephaestus Familia for the first of many meetings regarding Vahn. Currently, the two women sat at the center of a large square table as they waited for all the invitees to arrive. Hephaestus had a cool look on her face as she gave an appraising look to each girl and woman that arrived, while Eina had on a professional smile as she directed each person to the proper seat.

The first three to arrive were Tsubaki, Naaza, and Lili, who had gotten the message early the previous day. Though they were unaware of what would be discussed, they had a general idea that it was related to Vahn, so they all showed up long before the meeting officially began. Tsubaki noticed that the atmosphere was a bit tense even before anything had happened, and she suspected that the topic might be more serious than she expected. Though she tried to make discussion, she was informed by the half-elf girl, who she learned was called Eina, that they would be answering questions once all the other attendees arrived.

Lili and Naaza had concerned looks on their faces as they sat next to Tsubaki on the right of Hephaestus. They kept quiet as they waiting for the others to show up, and Lili immediately began to understand part of the reason why they had gathered. Not long after they arrived, Anubis, the woman that had been denying her and Naaza all week, showed up with her cool facade. Accompanying the goddess were three other chienthrope girls who Lili had only met in passing when they attended lessons with Tsubaki.

Anubis and Hephaestus made some polite conversation before the former realized the atmosphere was a bit odd and took her seat without continuing the topic. Even though she had seen the cute side of Hephaestus, she had no illusions that she could take any advantages against the fiery goddess. Following the direction of the half-elf Eina, she sat on the left side with the three girls, Nanu, Maat, and Chione.

The third group to arrive was a pair of women with cat ears, and both Naaza and Lili became decidedly more cautious when they recognized the pair. The first with a lithe and playful looking cat girl with black hair and green eyes, while the second one was a ditzy looking cat girl with brown hair and eyes. As they had often accompanied Vahn to the Hostess of Fertility, they immediately recognized the girls as Chloe and Arnya.

Chloe seemed to realize something shortly after entering the room as her eyes passed over all the people present. Without saying anything, she made her way to the side of Naaza and Lili as Arnya followed her with a clueless expression on her face. The moment they had entered, Arnya felt the tense atmosphere and the eyes of everyone in the room evaluating her for a reason she didn't understand. Though she wanted to immediately run away, she didn't want to abandon her friend, so she followed behind and found a seat next to the two girls she recognized.

At this point, most of the people in the room understood the common factor between them, and they gave questioning looks to the fiery red-haired goddess and the gentle looking half-elf at the center of the table. Eina had noticed their gazes and explained in a polite tone, "There are still a few members that are imperative to the discussion. Please be patient, as we have also catered this event and will be serving refreshments and snacks shortly."

Eina already had a professional demeanor from her work with the Guild, and now that she was preparing to take the official role of one of Vahn's first-wives, she spoke clearly and with confidence in her tone. After a few minutes, the atmosphere started to loosen up a bit as people began having hushed conversations with each other. As Eina had mentioned, the staff of the cafe came around and started serving everyone as they waited for the remainder of the expected members.