Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.4] Quest 324- Push, Part 1

Late at night at Mia’s pub.

Syr, Ryuu, Chloe, and Lunoire are cleaning the dishes.

"So Ryuu… when are you finally going to confess to Cirrus?" Syr asked with a grin.

"W-w-what!?" Ryuu heavily blushed.

"Yeah, when?" said Chole.

"It’s been 8 years, you know. It’s kind of obvious that you had feelings for him when, every time he comes in, you would make those eyes." Said Lunoire.

"If you’re having troubles, I can lend you a hand!" Syr said with a big smile. "I do have experience in such a field."

"I-I already know when I will confess! I appreciate your support over the years, Syr, but..."

"Then when?" asked Lunoire, drying the dishes. "By this point, you're just putting it off."

She has been putting it off for years, never really quite getting the courage or push she needed. Malion did her best, but the step forward must be her own. That was before their patience thinned.

"I planned on telling him when we recover the bodies back from the Dungeon but... they're far deeper than I had expected. 8 years, and the furthest we reached was the 76th floor, but... nothing. We methodically map everything, so they won’t have an undiscovered passage to get past us, but it takes so much time." She had a downhearted expression. "I’m thinking we may never actually reach them."

"Then do it at this year’s Goddess Festival," Syr said, putting her hand on Ryuu’s. "As your best friend, I don’t want to keep seeing you languish for him. I don’t want to keep seeing it; it’s annoying. Besides, I personally don't see myself working here for much longer."

"Oh, is Bell finally going to put a ring on that finger?" Chole said with a grin, helping dry the plates as well.

"Seems he finally planned it out! I had to beat Hestia in a fair match for the spot, but all is fair in the hands of luck!"

"Lucky. I thought by now I’d find myself a guy and live in a cozy little home." Lunoire looked down, disheartened. "Hey, Ryuu, if you don’t go for it by the next Goddess Festival, you don’t mind if I try to get in on that loving father?"

"…" Ryuu stared daggers at her.

"Hey now, don’t get mad. If you wanna lose out, you better get moving."

"She is right," Syr said, glancing at Ryuu’s eyes as a quick flicker of silver appeared and disappeared from her eyes. "You should try."

‘These little pushes aren’t enough to budge that mind of hers. A shove is more appropriate. From there, it’ll just snowball.’ Freya thought, having watched her try to get Ryuu to confess or actively pursue her love.

"…Fine," Ryuu said, feeling a bit more emboldened. "I will ask him to the next Goddess Festival since you all keep pushing it."

‘Lies.’ They all said having gone through this several times before.

"You know, I heard from the grapevines that if you wanna get to him, you need to go through his wives. Maybe it would be rather easy. You and Malion are on good terms."

Ryuu thinks about it a bit. She gave a look that immediately told the others she was not going to go through with it.

Syr/Freya grabbed Ryuu’s shoulders with her wet hands.

"Ryuu," she said, looking into her eyes.

"Y-yes?" Ryuu said, a bit surprised by what Syr was doing.

"Go through with this." Her eyes flashed pure silver. "You have waited long enough."

Ryuu felt even more emboldened; she had a fire in her heart that she needed to satisfy.

"Very well." She said it firmly. "Then, Syr, before you leave, can I ask you to cover for me?"

"Of course! But who are you going for first?"

"I will work my way up and start with Malion. You are right. She and I are good friends."

'She is also aware of my feelings, so... yes, I will start with her and work my way up.’ Ryuu thought about her approach.

"You will need to take some time off for the biggest obstacle, Ai," said Lunoire. "She was the reason why it took Malion two whole years. Her swordsmanship is no joke."

"…Then I will need to prepare to travel." Ryuu stops washing the dishes and removes her apron. "I will start tomorrow." She then heads off to bed.

"Fufu, it seems our plan was a success, and the ball is rolling!"

Syr/Freya was in a good mood—a great mood—one in which she felt she could just dance for this occasion.

"You're gonna help us with our love problem, right?" Lunoire replied to Syr.

"Of course!" Syr puts her hands together. "I’ve gotten to know some of the Artemis Familia, and they hold get-togethers! I’m sure you’ll find someone there!"

The Artemis Familia holds special functions where people can meet and potentially become a couple.

"Nya, I’m surprised they had them," Chloe said, astounded by the information.

"They are rather private, so I had to pull a few strings!"

Considering a good majority of the members of the Artemis Familia are women, with few men joining. The men who join are married into the Familia and vetted by Artemis herself, who wishes for her children to find at least a partner, be it a man or wife, who will treat them with respect.

The next day.

Ryuu walks before the entrance to the Artemis Familia’s home.

"Miss," said the guards. "Do you have business here?"

"Hello, I was hoping I could speak with Lady Artemis and Lady Malion on a personal matter."

"And I’m here for support!" said Syr, next to her.

The guard looks at them both.

"…Wait a moment." The guards left for their post station.

Ryuu turned to Syr/Freya.

"Syr, why did you come? I can do this on my own."

"Ryuu, how long do you think I have known you?" She then grabbed her hands. "You have a good poker face, but your emotions show on your hands."

‘I also needed to make sure you didn’t chicken out. The amount I used, my Charm on her wore off when she woke up. She’s only here by miracle.’ Freya thought, making sure Ryuu didn’t back down.

Ryuu looks to find her own hands shaking.

"Don’t worry, I’m by your side! You have the courage to do this!" Her eyes flickered a pure silver before returning to their dull gray.

Ryuu didn’t remember this, as a feeling of courage grew inside her. Her hands no longer shook and remained firm, as did the conviction she had to go through with this.

"Hm." She nods, giving a small smile. "Yes."

"They're ready to see you now. 7th floor in the meeting room." Said the guard, coming up to her.

"Thank you."

Ryuu let go of Syr’s hand and walked ahead, with Syr herself following behind her.

They enter the first tower. In the lobby, there were three elevators. They have added two more since its first construction.

Ryuu and Syr enter and go up. Ryuu put a secret code into the elevator, and it took them to the 7th floor. The code was one where you input it to reach the floor it was associated with, a small security check in case of an event where the tower is infiltrated, or something along those lines.

As they go up, Syr looks at the spiraling interior and the many Familia members going up and down it, and she sees Callisto and Auberon.

‘Oh?’

Every time Freya looks at Callisto, she is always amazed by her soul. It held a radiance unlike any other. Next to her was another of similar brilliance. The young, half-dark elf’s soul was like a small, deep shade of midnight with small shining specks of white sprinkled around that reminded Freya of his father's soul.

‘Fufu, I wonder what the oldest child looks like now.’

They reach the floor and walk into the meeting room.

"Lady Artemis, Lady Malion, thank you for meeting with me," Ryuu said, giving a bow.

"Don’t mind me; I’ll just wait outside." Syr walks back out while Artemis eyes her.

As she left, she made a grin that Artemis caught.

"…So Ryuu, what brings you here?" Artemis asked.

"Lady Artemis," she said, clenching her fists tightly. "As you know, I worked with him, Cirrus, for a long time. We went through the Great Feud together."

"We're following," said Malion.

"And um… It took me a while, but... I think—no, I know I love him."

"…"

The room fell silent, and the tension grew before it was easily eased by Malion.

"Hahahaha!!!" She laughed out loud with a smile on her face. "About time, Ryuu Lion!" She had long waited for the elf to finally spill her guts.

While Malion was joyous, Artemis kept a composed demeanor.

"When exactly?" asked Artemis, probing a bit more.

"When he returned to Orario, he learned of our Familia’s deaths, and he hugged me."

"A hug?" Artemis said, a bit taken by how innocent and childish it seemed, like a young girl falling in love with a young boy because he gave her a flower missing a few petals.

"Well, aren't you surprisingly pure." Malion said, a bit surprised at how simple it was.

"I-I must preference it was only a crush until the Knossos raid!" She said it with a blushing face. "When he bore his emotions out—his anger, his regret at not being there—I felt a deep sense of empathy for him. I felt he expressed how I was feeling, and there was the time on the 18th floor when he worried about me and we held hands. I... love that."

"Holding hands, huh?"

"How lewd," Artemis said jokingly.

"Alise, our former captain once said to me that I should not let go of a man that could grab my hands." She made a sweet smile, one that charmed both Artemis and Malion with how innocent it was. "And he not only held my hands but even gave me an embrace that took a weight off my heart. So I wish to be by his side and help carry whatever weight is left."

The earnest nature of her words deeply touched them. It was as if a pure maiden was pouring her heart out.

"You know I have no qualms with you," said Malion. "I heard of your deeds, and I find your emotions to be true. I told Artemis that you have my blessings since the day my son was born."

"That is one approval. Ryuu, I have no issue with you becoming another of Cirrus’s wives, but if you wish for my approval, you must get Ai’s and then Cirrus's. Do you have an idea of what you’re going to do?"

"I planned on confronting you both first, and then Ai. From there, I will ask him out for the next Goddess Festival in 2 months. To be honest, I had originally planned to tell him once we collect our sisters' bodies, but..." The time for that was far longer than what she wished for or even expected. "You know it has taken far longer than what I or even he expected."

"I see… Then I suggest you get a move on to Yamato; it takes a while to reach."

"Thank you." She bows her head once more.

Ryuu takes her leave, with Syr following behind.

In the meeting room Artemis and Malion discuss with one another on the matter.

"Do you think Ai will accept her?" Malion asked Artemis.

"Highly possible. She knew her for a long time, so Ryuu will have a better time than you."

"How lucky for her, If only I had come to Orario and helped... Well, no matter what is done is done. Artemis, how do you think Cirrus will take it?"

"…I’m sure he would accept her. It will be odd for him, but he will accept her love."

"Hmm… Do you think Cirrus’s taste will look good on her?"

"In seriousness, Malion, I am happy she is taking that step after so long. Even if Syr was the one who helped her take that step."

"I am too proud of her. Although she takes far longer than I expected, an elf’s stubbornness is something else. What did you think of her words? They seemed very pure to me, blindly purer than my own."

"They are words that come from her heart. I would dare say they go past even my own to possibly even match or surpass Ai's."

"Well, I look forward to calling her sister."

"By the way, Malion. Do you ever think Syr is odd?"

"A bit. There are times where I swear she has the eyes of a goddess with how she plays poker or any form of card game."

"There are times where she and Cirrus would talk privately. There is no sort of romance between the two but a rather friendship if I were to find a comparison to."

"Hmm...." Malion tilts her head in thought. She begins to remember every encounter she had with her. "Art, you gods have eyes that see the truth of the world, what do you see when you look at her?"

"Abstractness. There is a vagueness to her, but I let it be. She is harmless enough and she has not joined a Familia, unless Hestia gave her one?"

"Nay, she comes and goes time to time. Yet there is a unique connection between her, Hestia, and Bell."

"Hm... do you think we should pry it from Cirrus?"

"Up to you but as I see it, that is there business and it doesn't involve us. Why rock the boat you know?"

"True. Hmm... Do you wanna go hunt? I am in the mood to hunt now."

"Wanna make it a competition?"

Artemis smiles ear to ear.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Oh, if Ryuu does manage to make it Cirrus would have three wives to satisfy now." Malion smirked. "He would need to resume his training."

"Fufu." Artemis also smirked. "Swimming for 10 miles (16km), 100 oysters while sitting in a barrel of pickle brine. Should we start saving up on the oysters and pickle brine?"

"Of course."

"Cirrus is not gonna enjoy eating those oysters."

"Then I will serve it to him on my tongue instead of a platter."

"Oh! I didn't think to try that! Say try putting on some lipstick."

"Hm! Hm!" Malion nodded. "Which color? He liked the blue and red on you."

"I think you should go for yellow to match yours eyes."

Cirrus' office.

"!" Cirrus suddenly felt his lower back ache. "... That isn't good."