"How've you been?" Ares knew the answer but he figured he'd ask himself and see if Bellona mentioned it or not. Bored was the correct response but there was a chance she might not want to seem like a nag and complain about it when there wasn't really much anyone could do about it. Her hobbies were particular and solving that issue wasn't, or at least shouldn't, be something Ares could do on the spot. Then again, she might not even think it was worth mentioning.
Bellona didn't respond immediately. Here eyes narrowed and she 'hmm-ed' and 'aah-ed' as she tried to figure out where to start. "Well... if you're asking about the Grecian Lands, they were very hospitable and gave us loads of great stuff. Plenty of cultivation resources and talismans, that kinda crap. Our rooms were comfy as hell too and the baths were... Minus a few mishaps with Enyo, really satisfying. Speaking of, I totally want a bath like that at some point! Spoil me!"
Ares chuckled and stroked Bellona's hair. "Ok. Better baths seem like they'd be important for a growing family like ours anyway and 'd been considering something along those lines to begin with. I have no real preference so if you behave I'll let you have free reign over the design."
"Pft, behave?" Bellona snorted and rolled her eyes at Ares. "You're the only one that doesn't behave in this house... You and Enyo... Enyo's been bullying me!" A cute, balled up fist hit Ares chest and it was clear from her pouting she was seeking objective arbitration.
Ares sighed. "I see I see. Enyo's been a big meanie to you has she?"
"Mhmhm." Bellona nodded vigorously.
"Alright, I'll get revenge for you... Though the kind of revenge I'm thinking of might actually just end up being a reward..."
"Why am I not surprised?" With a shake of her head, Bellona continued. "Whatever, that's fine, just put her in her place and calm her down already! She's been rampant lately..."
"Mm, there there." Ares comforted Bellona with a hint of subtle snickering. "Ok, but how've you been aside from that?"
"Aside from that?" It seemed Bellona really didn't place any importance on being bored, she'd come to accept it was natural and not mind it. If she realised Ares was pushing her to say it she would have done it, she wasn't the type to play coy an dance around a subject like this so that gave Ares all the answers to his questions. He'd keep probing though. "Hm? Oh! I felt pretty great when Nibbler showed up! He's such a sweet little thing. I heard his story from Esme when she came around to pick him up, I might have shed a single tear... I'm only telling you that so that you don;t hear an exaggerated version from Enyo so don't laugh!" Bellona wriggled and turned her head away. "Anyway, Nibbler is such a feisty little flesh biter. In my defence, I had no idea he'd get the zoomies if I let him nibble me like that... Sneaky guy... Oh, and then there was Sandy too. Yeah, she's pretty great... Her stomach is also pretty great. I mean seriously, where does she even fit all that food!? You calling her a 'rhino' is an understatement, that thing is a walking plate vacuum! In general, though, she seems cool. Strong too, stronger than me even but I just have a good advantage over her. Good training partner anyway though. It's great to practice against someone you should have an easy fight against but can surprise you in clever ways you know? Ah, right now she's out shopping with Enyo. Enyo... Wanted to show Sandy her 'favourite shop'... So, uh, you can guess which one that is..." It had been a while since Enyo was in Red Sun and it was only natural she'd go check in on her bestie Bea and her lewd adult shop for new arrivals. Taking Sandy along was a matter of indoctrination and Ares wasn't remotely shocked by this development at all. It was Enyo's rite of passage in a way but, for what it was worth, Sandy might actually get a kick out of it. Bellona didn' mind being there but had no real interest in that sort of thing but Sandy? She might find something that catches her eye there... Even if its only chocolate sauce to put on your partner's body or something else food related...
"I'm glad you're getting along with Sandy. And yeah, Nibbler is very friendly. Actually, before we continue this talk, on the subject of cute new recruits to the sect and family, there is someone I want you to meet!" Ares recalled Bellona's affection for cute things was almost at his own level and so bringing out his tiny meeper pal Visitation was in order. He was originally going to wait until everyone was back from whatever they were out and about doing to start unveiling gifts, showing off new stuff, and revealing Visitation and Garmr, etc... But... Why not indulge Bellona a bit? Shouldering her immense boredom and never complaining about it made Ares feel guilty even though it wasn't even his fault! There were steps he could take to remedy the situation too and this was as good a start as any. Ares flipped his palm and a sweet ghost appeared on it and looked around at his new environment. Its attention was grabbed by the squeal of an unknown woman whos' eyes were sparkling as she inched nearer and nearer to the ghost. Visitation looked Bellona in the eye, turned to Ares for affirmation that this was a new friend, and then looked back when he received a nod in the positive.
Meep? Meepy meepy!
Nobody had any clue what the baby fella was saying but his head tilting and general manners indicated he was greeting Bellona and being affectionate. Bellona nearly keeled over at this display and promptly leant over to give gentle pats to the small ghost. Visitation was visibly pleased and so he floated up onto Bellona's head and meeped in satisfaction. Bellona lightly rocked her head side to side and Visitation let out noises that were a cross between giggles and meeps and it was evident the two were hitting it off and becoming good pals. Unfortunately Visitation got tired after a while so Ares fed him some destruction mana and put him back in the Blade to get some shut eye. Ares explained light elementals to Bellona, mentioned there was an adult one in the Blade too, and wrapped up that short little conversational detour with Bellona begging to see Visitation again in the future and play with him. Visitation was like a baby Appa and Bellona had already spent a lot of time over the holidays treating Appa like a cute pillow, hugging her endlessly and rubbing her cheek against Appa's soft fabric.
Ahem
"Let's try this again, from the top, Bellona..." Ares stared directly at Bellona and made it clear he was looking for a specific answer. "How've you been?"
"..." Bellona massaged her brain for a while, seriously uncertain about how to respond. "I... Am looking forward..." She seemed to struggle to finish her sentence and Ares understood why as soon as she did. "... To having a more intimate relationship with you..."
"That..." Ares smiled wryly as he looked at his shy but determined wife. "... I certainly appreciate that, and I'm looking forward to it as well, but that's not what I was getting at either..."
"Oh..." Bellona's palm met Bellona's face and slid down it as she groaned in embarrassment.
"Silly, girl. I mean you're bored! Bored! B.O.R.E.D! Bored! Lying around with nothing to do all day and looking like a lobotomised sloth!"
"Rude but true..." Bellona nodded with a straight face. Her boredom was no laughing matter. She didn't want to get her hopes up but if Ares was bringing it up then maybe... Maybe he had a solution after all?!
"Ok, well I've got a number of solutions but I'm only gonna unveil two for now and the rest can wait until everyone else is back. First up..." Ares created a memory ball, much like the one he received from Enyo a while back, and handed it over to Bellona. This particular ball contained all his memories of his trip to the happening Lowe domain, filled with all sorts of technology and modern appliances, hangout spots, events, shops, etc... more importantly, though, cars. Cars everywhere. Cars so frequent they replaced the carriages of Sheryashka and basically everyone had them as if it was completely normal. Bellona opened up the memory, took about ten minutes to view the streets multiple times over, all the billboards, phones, lights etc... And then returned to reality with wide eyes and a barely contained smirk. It didn't take any sort of explanation to know what Ares was getting at.
"Hehehe, cool." No other words were needed to convey her feelings because describing how she felt about learning of the existence of her own personal heaven was self explanatory. "You're telling me the whole outside world is like this? All of it?!" Bellona's eyes lit up and the amber in them had never been so bright before.
"Well, not every nook and cranny, I'm sure there are some traditional places out there conserving and maintaining millions of years of ancient culture... But big cities? Major tourist attractions? Most planets in some form or another? Yeah probably. At the very least, modern technology out there is abundant, far cheaper than it is here, and more advanced too. Things like sports, magical engineering, and day to day conveniences are basically common place. And I'm sure I don't have to say it but... Cars. Lots and lots of cars. Lots and lots of shapes, lots and lots of sizes, lots and lots of colours. There's also that one billboard about a minute into the memory with an ad for a racing broadcast with all sorts of supped-up vehicles... But I'm guessing I don't need to point that out to you."
"Oh yeah, no, definitely saw that. Did you see that one red race car in the background?! Aw man, I nearly drooled all over myself. The engine on that thing must purr like a freak!... Ares! Get me outta this place already! I wanna see that city... No, I wanna see all the places like it! I'm a city girl trapped in a caveman's world! I want out!" Bellona rarely made serious requests like this so even if she was speaking lightly, and having fun, Ares took it seriously. This wasn't like the bath request, an offhanded leisure thing that everyone stood to benefit from, this was a personal want that would matter on a wider scale to Bellona's entire life. She wanted to go out on the streets waring her preferred clothes without looking like an alien to the traditional minded folk of Sheryashka, she wanted to go watch a film in the cinema, she wanted to go to a sporting event and watch the cars race by leaving a buzz in her ears as everyone cheered for the victor. This domain was not right for her and she had well and truly been born in the wrong place, at the wrong time. it was like looking at a polar bear in a desert or a fish in the sky. Ares was already planning on removing the Blade barrier at some point, that was a given, but he had twice as much motivation to do it now seeing the excitement in Bellona that was pretty unfamiliar. Ares had never seen her this pumped and her hope to partake in that kind of society was pure and unfiltered.
"Ha, don't worry, I'm not just showing you that to be cruel or anything. Think of it as a preview of the future. You'll definitely be living in a world like this sooner rather than later so you can be as excited as you want knowing it will happen at some point."
"Yay!" Bellona nodded her head and buried it back onto Ares' chest. "Ah! Is that where you got those new robes from? D'you buy it from one of those shops or something? The robes look nice on you. Enyo and I already knew about your new physique 'cos of the fine grind, Sandy showed us in her memories, but damn hot stuff! Looking mighty fly for a silly guy! Those robes are fancy and they fit you pretty much perfectly. Are the tailors outside that good?"
"Oh no, the robes are form somewhere else but I'll wait to talk about that. I'm not done with my surprises for you yet. There's multiple but I'll just show you one for now. Come! Come come!" Ares stood up and offered his hand to a confused Bellona.
"Where we going? Do we need to be outside for this next thing?"
"Hahaha, well, definitely can't do what I have in mind inside. I don't think it will fit in here and Rud will kill me if I break a house as soon as a I return." At this point, Bellona was expecting Ares to show her his new magic. She enjoyed seeing it and it was a form of entertainment after all. She was wrong, though. He would show her his new magics later, they could play around with them and use Bellona's own magic to double their size and bring about true golden oblivion in a remote location for the hell of it at some other time, bur right now Ares had something different in mind. "See, on my trip I came across a bunch of different resources, artifacts, and treasures. On top of the souvenirs I bought, there's a lot of stuff to give away later. I did get my hands on some of my own treasures, though, and one of them I think you'll have alot of fun borrowing." Ares felt Bellona's hand in his and Shifted them both outside the sect. A few seconds later, and before Bellona could blink thrice, they were standing in an open field not too far from Red Sun's outskirts. "It's not some speedster or anything, it's way more functional than it is anything speedy or stylish, but hey a vehicle you can drive is a vehicle you can drive right?" Ares whipped out the Roving Elliot and let it sit on the grass. He looked back over to Bellona only to see a windy silhouette of her form with the actual body having disappeared somewhere. Checking around he noticed Bellona was glued to the door of the Roving Elliot and planting her face on the window to look inside at the wheel.
Bellona looked back over her shoulder at Ares and clasped her hands together. "Please lemme in! You're gonna let me drive it yeah?! Lemme in lemme in lemme in! Hehehehehe!" Ares chucked Bellona the keys and followed her inside the Elliot. He took a seat on the couch as Bellona looked around before finally taking her seat at the front. She'd seen the Elliot in Sandy's memories but somehow never pieced together the fact that this was owned by Ares and would be something she could ride in freely when he got back. It barely even registered this was a vehicle when she saw because she was more focussed on the budding romance happening in the foreground. As soon as Ares dropped this thing in front of her, however, her switch was flipped and now she was in the driver's seat and ready to put this baby to the test! Ares chuckled nervously and used physical pressure to create a seatbelt just in case as Bellona put the pedal to the metal and floored it with reckless abandon and joyous glee. The Elliot wasn't the fastest thing ever but it wasn't exactly slow either and could outpace any common Sheryashkan mode of transport. Bellona felt a wicked rush as she drifted around the plans and burned rubber, gliding over grass and, at one point, nearly toppling the entire Elliot with a sharp turn. Fortunately this was a treasure, not an ordinary vehicle, and so it could handle itself decently enough. Even if it did fall over Arse could repair it easily enough so he wasn't particularly afraid of it being damaged or anything... He was more so worried about his own safety! Bellona was crazy! Putting a steering wheel in front of her was, perhaps, not the best idea! And, yet, she got the hang of it pretty quick and the bumpy ride smoothed out over the course of the hour she played with it. She never stopped 'woohoo'-ing and 'yippee'-ing the whole time so clearly this was the most fun she'd had in years. If it weren't for the fact that Enyo, Sandy, Appa, Allie, and Trixie would be returning soon she would have stayed out here even longer no doubt.
"Don't worry, the Elliot's not going anywhere. You can hang onto the keys and keep it in your spatial ring if you want. Play with it whenever your in the mood but if you do damage it let me know so I can ask Dabble for help fixing it back up again ok?" Ares left the treasure in Bellona's care and she was over the moon as she was Shifted back home with her hand in Ares'. "There's still more, and I think you're really gonna like the souvenirs I brought you, but patience is a virtue!" Bellona nodded but she was still staring at the Elliot inside the spatial ring and not really paying attention anymore. It seemed she wasn't going to hustle him to see her other new gifts because she was preoccupied. Bellona was definitely the type to rattle presents and try to figure out what they were. There was no wrapping, though, so she would just rattle Ares until he caved if she weren't distracted currently! "I don't really need one but it's been a while since I had a bath so I'm going to go do that. Let Enyo know I'm back if she returns while in there." Bellona nodded so Ares assumed she was paying some attention at least... Maybe... Anyway, as a cultivator taking a bath at his current cultivation wasn't really necessary. His body automatically cleaned itself and that was doubly true what with being a revenant and all. That didn't mean he didn't miss it, though, as he'd been without a bath in Isaz for the entire duration of his stay. Plus there were some body tempering resources left over he could use so why not? Being back home didn't mean he could just stop cultivating and be lazy about it. Also... One of the souvenirs he had for Enyo wasn't exactly something he could show off casually in front of Allie or Trixie given its lewd nature. He wasn't even referring to the swimsuit, though that was also a bit risky, but rather something he'd created that Enyo would appreciate more than anything else he'd ever given her. What he'd created here was the prototype of what would go on to become Bea's best selling item, something so unique people lined up across planets to get ahold of it, and it was safe to say Enyo was going to enjoy experiencing it fist and foremost before everyone else. Ares had to get revenge for Bellona, after all, rocking Enyo's world a bit was in order. She had the stamina and technique advantage over Ares before he left but he was a new, stronger man now! His goal was to leave her writhing in this tub and get payback for all the bullying she'd been doing to people as of late. What goes around, cums around!