Loki saw Vahn's reaction to her presence and just released a sigh as she said in a low voice, "Tiona and Ais aren't here. They left early this morning with Tione and Lefiya to go meet you. If you're here looking for them, you must have missed each other." Her muted tone and calm demeanor caused the majority of people in the surroundings to appear shocked.
Everything about how Loki was acting caused Vahn to feel mildly distressed since it was so uncharacteristic of the confrontational and outgoing goddess he had butted heads with in the past. She seemed more tame and docile, and Vahn could tell that she seemed to be disappointed with how he was reacting to her presence. However, no matter how she acted, or how her aura changed, Vahn couldn't help but feel a sense of incongruity about the situation.
Frowning slightly, Vahn spoke in a low voice, "I see...that is unfortunate." Vahn released a sigh and began to turn away to escape the awkward atmosphere. Being the focus of attention of more than a dozen people while confronting Loki in her current state made him feel somewhat anxious and Vahn didn't want to wait around. He decided to pass the time along the route that the girls would take to return to the Twilight Manor and meet up with them before making plans for tomorrow.
The moment he turned around to walk away, Vahn could feel a slight tug on the back of his sleeve and it immediately made his brain buzz with feelings of exasperation. Turning around, he could see Loki looking at him with an awkward smile on her face as she said, "Why not stay for a while? I'll get someone to make some tea and we can talk until the girls get back."
Vahn frowned and prepared to free his sleeve from her grasp, but moments before he did so, Loki's expression turned a bit sad and she let go of his arm. Even though her eyes were closed into slits, she had a very sad look on her face as she sighed a few quiet words, "Aren't we supposed to be official allies?"
In response to her question, Vahn spoke in a low tone, "The Alliance is between the Hephaestus and the Loki Familia, not the two of us..." Even as Vahn spoke, he couldn't help but feel there was something strange about his own words. He had been the one to propose the alliance as well as the person that helped dictate some of the terms. Hephaestus and Loki had just agreed and made a few concessions for each other the unify the two Familia.
Loki's brows had furrowed at his response, and Vahn could see her aura fluctuate slightly like she was distressed. However, even though he felt bad for her, he couldn't help but believe it was all an act. Her behavior was just far too different from her past self for Vahn to believe everything happening in front of him wasn't some kind of scheme.
Since Vahn was bad at hiding his own thoughts due to his expressive face, Loki could almost read everything that was going on in his mind just by looking into his eyes. She could see that the impression she had made on Vahn in the past had been deeply rooted in his psyche. Even if she treated him well and honestly, he didn't seem to be willing to give her a chance at all. It made her feel a bit of resentment, both toward Vahn and her own Divinity, since they had led to this awkward situation where her own children looked at her like she had gone mad.
Instead of trying to act nice, Loki's expression changed into her characteristic mischevious look as she asked with a bit of humor in her voice, "Is the boy that stood up to me in the past really afraid after everything that has happened? I didn't think you were the indecisive type that ran away from their responsibilities. Even if the Alliance was between Hephaestus and me, does that really remove any obligation you have to uphold it? Aren't you worried that your actions might cause me to lose face and impact the nature of our future relationships?"
Since Loki wasn't speaking quietly anymore, many people in the area were looking at the event play out with unveiled intrigue and curiosity. Though they had known about the Alliance, it had yet to be approved by the Guild and things were in a state of flux where they could develop in a positive or negative direction. Of course, that was a misconception on their part because they didn't understand Vahn's role in the entire thing.

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endless path, infinite cosmos
FantasyVahn was an atypical youth. Due to a rare mutation, his blood had the potential to target and attack ailments within the human body. Touted as a universal cure, people had elevated his status above the norm and given him the classification "Panacea"...