"Hehehe, look who finally crawled fresh out of hell?" Ares waved and tittered at Enyo who walked into the room with a smirk of her own. She was down but not out and it was impossible to really put her out of commission without a much longer one to one session. She got her kick so she was in a good mood and looked refreshed as can be. While anyone else would be left looking haggard, like they'd been stranded in a category five hurricane, Enyo's pleasure pillar affiliation just made her skin have a healthy glow and that was about the extent of it.
"Hmph, I've got to hand it you, you really got me good. You blindsided me with an ambush on all fronts. I'll be sure to get you back for this."
Ares scratched the back of his head and sighed. "I was really hoping to put you out of commission for longer. You look completely unphased given what happened to you not even two minutes ago." Ares' pride wasn't in tatters but it had taken a heavy blow. This was a pyrrhic victory and he would have to fight harder and longer next time to make sure there were no survivors left to belittle his efforts.
Enyo shrugged. "If it's any consolation... I am feeling hungry..."
"Again?" Bellona snickered evilly. "Didn't you literally just eat a massive spit roast?" Bellona's silly joke got a giggle out of Sandy but she stopped laughing when her stomach rumbled and demanded more warm bread... Bellona could only shake her head and glance over at Ares who was responsible for making at least two thirds of the room hungry in one way or another.
Raising his hands in surrender, Ares conceded. "Fine fine, I'll make something while we're talking and hand it out after... I was going to make a huge banquet today for dinner anyway but if I start a little early, and make some light dishes just to make sure nobody's feeling hungry before then, that'll be fine... Basically I'll be cooking the whole day and constantly putting food out like a dispenser..." Everyone looked at Sandy who was the main reason Ares had taken this approach. It might have been too much food if she wasn't here but seeing as she was... Well there was no risk of anything being thrown away because it wasn't eaten, that was for sure. Behind that gentle smile and those innocent eyes, there was a greedy rhino with a bottomless appetite ready to endlessly gorge on sustenance in a manner that could put even Xhilihx, the dimension devourer, to shame. Still, Ares didn't mind. Spending the rest of the day cooking while chatting with his partners was a pleasant way to unwind and settle back down at home. "Ah, by the way, before we get on to what I've been up to, I just wanted to ask real quick... Has Kazaz shown himself lately?" Ares figured this would be the most pressing matter because it would be mighty strange if two people left and returned as a single entity. This neighbourhood wasn't completely rowdy but they weren't that separate either and would be privy to such a drastic change in one of the local residents.
"Ah... Well yeah, it caused quite a stir..." Enyo recalled the prince's arrival as Ares tossed warm bread to her and Sandy. Ares threw about five pieces to each but Enyo handed over a few of her own to Sandy and pat her on the head as she thanked her with a teary eyed nod. "Kazaz... Well he's rather arrogant and bossy... Sometimes. he understands 'pecking orders' and hierarchies, though, so people related to you were never given excessive lip like everyone else was. He wasn't exactly rude but his holier than thou attitude rubbed off the wrong way on some of the other residents... As in Onno and Dirk felt a bit competitive. Their scrappy back and forth turned into a 'friendly' brawl and, to be honest, nobody really won. They all looked like idiots in the end... Though Onno the most, probably. He was the weakest link by far and it showed. Dirk got his heart back a while ago, and has trained with it for a while now, and the Lighter Duo had their crown to change to and from Kazaz...
Onno though?
His bloodline awakened but it wasn't really one much suited to combat. His eyes now resemble his father's, as in their shaped like coins, and I think Esme mentioned he can better detect something's value at a glance now, but in a fight? Not the most useful thing ever. Maybe there's something more in his bloodline but he only recently began experimenting with it so it might take him some time to come up with something useful. As a merchant he's still far stronger than the norm, and definitely more than any common disciple, he could beat most people in the sect by a landslide, but he needs a bit more of a push to be on the level of the other people you're planning on making elders. Well he's still got promise as a businessman, though, but it would be nice if he got a bit stronger... Ah but Kazaz, getting back to him, I think it's pretty ingrained in him who top dog is. He's been hesitant to come anywhere near this house and, actually, back when he was fighting with Onno, the latter used his magic to mimic you, Ares, and frightened the daylights out of him. Kazaz won't admit it but you terrify him quite a bit... Which makes me wonder what exactly he'd seen to wind up like that." Enyo raised an eyebrow because she'd given Ares the perfect segue into talking about his adventure and sharing his memories! Had he been bullying the Lighter Duo? "Oh, actually, one more thing..." Enyo paused as she watched Ares smile and chuck Sandy bite sized pieces of chicken he'd just fried up from across the sofa. It was like watching an aquarium worked feed fish to a dolphin... "I got distracted... Anyway, what I was saying is that Yulo gave over the resource you found in Xasca to the previous sect master. Apparently it was something to help extend his lifespan? I don't know much about it but Yulo told Rud to thank you when you returned but he couldn't be bothered to put up with you so he asked me to do it instead."
Ares grinned but shut his eyes to hide the malevolence within. "Oh? That's a shame, I would have liked to have been thanked by Rud personally. Maybe I'll go looking for the old coot some time tomorrow. He does still owe me my reward for completing the sect mission to investigate the Riddlemyd..." Ares' smile disappeared and he bit his lip. "Well he might not be happy I blew it up though..."
"Why am I not surprised?" Enyo didn't flinch upon hearing Ares admit he blew up a timeless landmark, it barely even registered on her radar. "Anyway, hand over your memories punk! I get a feeling you've been unfaithful to us with more than just Sandy!" Sandy stopped chewing for a moment and tilted her head, mistakenly thinking she'd been called. Enyo tossed her some warm bread and shook her head. "Don't worry, not you, you've been good." Enyo turned back around to Ares who'd yet to deny the accusations. "YOU, however, clearly have not!"
"Ha... Ha..." Ares sweat and gulped nervously as he had reports for multiple new partners for Enyo to digest. Between his own exploration, and the pagoda clone's meetings, there was definitely more than just Sandy. "Uh... Presents and souvenirs?" Handing over his memories of hos journey first would spoil the surprise and now was as good a time as any to hand them out to avoid being remonstrated for his playboy-esque nonchalance in picking up women. Technically speaking it was just Sandy, and none of others would be seen again for a long time to come, but Ares would still rather bribe himself out of this situation than let it play out! Luckily it appeared to work too as Enyo buckled slightly and seemed conflicted but Bellona caved on the spot. It wasn't her duty to oversee the harem or make sure Ares wasn't going on a wife gathering spree throughout the galaxy so she was less concerned about any potential partners he met than Enyo was. As for Enyo... She just wanted presents! Besides, if she was going to receive Ares' memories anyway there was no rush to chide him over it...
"Fine, you win. Let's see the goods." Enyo caved when Bellona tugger her arm so Ares wasted no time in digging through his storage.
"Ok..." Ares whipped out a bracelet and gave it to Bellona. "First up is this treasure I took from someone else." Like the Roving Elliot, Ares had picked up this bracelet from the wanted trio in Xasca... He couldn't remember their names but he was pretty sure they were called something along the lines of Ronnie, Bonnie, and Donnie. They were a walking treasure trove and Ares stole many good things from them before handing them over for their execution at the hands of Xascan officials. "This thing is called the 'Targeter' and it..." Ares proceeded to give a quick rundown based on what he knew of it. This was the bracelet that allowed support magic to be converged on one target or single target magic to be split and aimed at multiple people. It reduced the effectiveness of the magic but Ares recalled thinking that wouldn't matter to Bellona whose magic dealt in absolute measurements such as half or double. This was a good treasure for her and enhanced her abilities just in general so it wasn't shocking to see her getting giddy over it. She put the multi-arrowed bracelet on and twisted her wrist, appreciating how comfortable and stylish it was. She seemed to really be quite pleased and this was a treasure she'd likely keep close for her entire cultivation journey due to how well it synergised with her magic. "Technically this isn't part of the souvenirs I bought but, you know, when in Rome and what not." Ares received a light kiss on the cheek from Bellona and he chuckled. "If you give me a kiss for that I can't wait to see what I'll get for everything else I brought you..." Ares had already mentioned this in his letter but he went a tad overboard with Bellona's gifts partially because he knew exactly what kind of stuff she liked...
Thinking it was better to start with Enyo, Ares reached into his Blade and asked, "Could you hand over your spatial ring? I'll transfer some clothes directly to you." He was referring to the racy swimsuit and the harem clothes he was gifted from the Oasis sect. There was something for everyone in there but he figured it was best to let Enyo hold onto it as she was a kind of harem secretary in a way and was the keeper of goods. Anything bought from Bea's shop, any special clothes or toys, all of it was in her grasp and Ares wouldn't be surprised if she started her own vault service... Ares could see her wearing glasses with a clipboard in hand, passing out lewd objects while making note of return dates and so on so forth... Anywho, he returned the spatial ring to Enyo who immediately sifted through the goods with an ever-widening smile on her face. Bellona also snuck over and took a gander but Sandy wasn't too interested as she already had a rough grasp of the sort of stuff Xasca would be selling. It wasn't uncommon for women in the region to dress up in that kind of flashy stuff for their lovers and there were a couple of shops dedicated to it here and there. Bellona was left with flushed cheeks but Sandy was perhaps more used to that sort of thing and was more than prepared to wear it at some point for Ares, in fact it would be weirder to her if she didn't. Enyo was just drooling so there wasn't much to say about that. She was leering at the other two and imaging their curves and figures and she seemed particularly interested in Sandy's body as she hadn't gotten her hands on it yet. Ares would be the first to play with her though, Bellona was a unique case in that sense because she needed easing into it first. Anyway, more clothes in Enyo's spatial ring meant she had a pretty respectable pile now as she'd also received some fancy nightwear from the Grecian Lands too. Enyo really liked this kind of thing so she'd be over the moon to learn about Mimi later who was a talented blacksmith capable of making clothes like the high quality robe Ares was wearing. It was perhaps a bit blasphemous to make a blacksmithing God candidate in the making create bedroom outfits but, well, Enyo spared nobody from getting involved in the harem in that sort of way so Mimi would just have to bite the bullet on that one... Though then again maybe she enjoyed making clothes, her own seemed to be crafted by her too so she might not have any complaints about it when the time came.
Ares clapped his hands because he was losing focus and getting side tracked. "Alright Enyo, here are the rest of your gifts. Sorry there's nothing really custom tailored to your preferences, I didn't see anything that really stood out in that regard..." Ares put bottles of aphrodisiac on the table followed by perfume, skin care products, flowers, home made chocolates (some of which Enyo gifted to Sandy who gave her a hug and a beaming smile in return), and a luxurious white robe Ares found near the end of his stay on the Federation. The robe was silky smooth but, knowing Enyo, would probably spend more time on the floor after she took it off to jump on Ares... Still, it was incredibly well made and the material was simply divine so Ares figured it would make for a nice gift. Enyo didn't have anything of the sort so she could wear this after having a bath and relax without needing to be in pyjamas, most of which she found stuffy, or without being completely nude all the time which inevitably led to bedroom hijinks even when they weren't planned. Enyo being naked had at least doubled the rate at which Ares gave in to temptation back before he left for his trip and it's not like he was trying to prevent that or anything, honestly the way the robe would outline her curves might make it worse in some ways, he was just thinking about what would make a nice present for her. If the way she was rubbing her cheek against the soft robe was any indication, it was a good choice. Ares could tell she was storing everything in an orderly fashion because she had plans for tonight, she really hadn't given up on besting Ares' new magic, but he would play with her to her heart's content then. For now, more presents! "It's not really anything I can give out but I also want to take each of you on a date to a restaurant of your choosing. Im guessing it will wind up being Remmy's but it's up to you and I'll take you anywhere whenever you want."
Sandy looked like she was about to overload due to the abundant choices, Enyo settled on Remmy's pretty quickly, but Bellona hesitated and thought things over. She might have other plans and Ares was perfectly fine with that. Ares owed her a dance, and clothes shopping, so she might throw in the dinner during all of that and her personal preference would be Burga's place. It was her favourite shop in Red Sun and she got along well with Burga herself so if she was looking for a fun day out she might pick that instead of something fancy. a casual date was definitely more up her street than getting all dressed up to the nines and Ares was happy to along with it. As for Sandy... Well there was only really one place to take her... Shu's! Shu mostly worked on deserts but pastry was her specialty and she was great at making pies too. Ares was actually going to Voidwalk over to hers and ask her to make something for dinner today so Sandy could taste true greatness. in fact, there was another friend Ares wanted to visit in preparation for tonight but he could do that after. For now, more gifts! "Alright Bellona, let's get down to business!" Ares shuffled forward in his seat and set the mood with his sharp grin. He was confident he'd hit the motherload and would earn infinite goodwill from Bellona with what came next. "First of all... I brought more 'shades' home!"
...
Ares let the silence mill for a bit before finally chuckling at his own dumb joke as he put his sunglasses on with cocky swagger. He didn't bring home any more Appas, although Visitation was arguably close, he had brought home a pair of sunglasses from the Federation though. It wasn't really a proper gift to Bellona. and he definitely bought it himself, but she had encouraged him to try new clothes and looks a while back. The robe was one thing, that was more symbolic of his membership of the Brotherhood, put the shades did look pretty good on him if he said so himself. "Ta da, your husband's charm stat just doubled!" Ares blew a kiss at Bellona and threw up some finger guns but apparently his shades were better fitting than he thought. Bellona was looking a little shy and unintentionally sneaking sideways glances at him with upturned eyes. She was trying not to look directly at him because he was inching closer to 'bad boy' look territory that Bellona really quite liked. Enyo and Sandy were also interested because the shades were almost too natural for Ares. In hindsight, he was absolutely the kind of person who would wear them, lower them, and glance over the rim with an arrogant smile. Ares had done himself a massive disservice not wearing shades up until now. Also, with his brand new body peeking out from the robe he was wearing... It was a killer combo that left Bellona fanning her face and pretending not to care but making it obvious she did whenever she peeked over. Ares had a feeling he would be wearing this on his date with her as it was going to be a staple part of his getup no matter how many types of clothes she made him try. He was kidding when he said this was a gift to her but she was enjoying it more than him so maybe it really was? Well, if she was happy then Ares was so he'd take good care of these glasses and whip them out whenever he felt like wooing Blo Blo. For now, though, he took them off... The act of which came with the saddened cooing of Enyo and Sandy off to the side. They were pacified when Ares brought out some more snacks, though.
"For real this time!" Ares wasted no time and placed a TV, DVD player, and some films on the table which earned him various happy noises from pretty much everyone. Even Bellona had stopped shiftily hovering about and was fully engrossed in checking everything over. She was a film buff and recognised most of the movies instantly but was glad to see them. She hadn't watched them in countless years and entertainment was entertainment! If there was one thing she knew it was that rewatching films was a great way to spot tiny details missed the first time around. Watching films a second time, maybe with Ares, Sandy, or Enyo too would be a great way to kill some time here and there. Plus she could always search for more films as they were easier to find than TVs and DVD players anyway. Ares had done the hard part and found the technology needed and that was basically nine-tenths of the effort and money. This couldn't have been cheap but, more importantly, he remembered Bellona's preferences and seemed dead set on making sure she lived the kind of life she wanted to. Sher already trusted him when he said he would be taking her to places like the Lowe domain in the future but this present was undeniable physical proof he was trying hard. Though it was embarrassing, Bellona held Ares hand and thanked him while Enyo leered in the background and told her to get a room. Bellona was used to ignoring Enyo, though, and paid her no mind. "Now for the real cream of the crop!" Ares' words attracted a lot of attention because the other three all believed that was his big gift already. That he'd found something even more incredible for Bellona was honestly impressive even if they hadn't seen it yet. Bellona was somewhat flustered by this because she couldn't imagine for the life of her what it would be.
Ares cleared the table and made space. He even moved another smaller table over with his telekinesis, and stood by with pressure to catch his gift if it dropped, just to be fully certain nothing went wrong. He dug around in his Blade, found his target, and placed the model car on the table. A shadow soon fell over it as Bellona hopped off the couch and inspected it with sparkly eyes and a single tear in the corner of one of them. Even Sandy and Enyo, both of whom didn't much care about vehicles, were showing interest and leaning over the model. If the TV and DVD player were expensive then this... It must have cost an arm and a leg. More than the price tag, it was a beautiful model and one could scour the entirety of Sheryashka and not find a better gift for Bellona. The Federation was loaded with talented craftsmen so this could legitimately have been the best possible present Ares could have gotten her across this entire domain and it didn't need to be said that he'd outdone himself. That wasn't even the end of it though, as what he said next just went to show how much thought he'd put into this. "And hey, with your magic, you can make it big enough to sit in." That was correct, Bellona's measurement manipulation meant she could increase the size of this model and make it large enough to resemble the real deal. It wouldn't function, she couldn't drive it, but she could sit in the driver's seat and enjoy her present in a way that didn't involve just staring at it. "I can also move it around with my telekinesis so, though it's not really driving, you can kinda go for 'rides' in it." Also, Bellona could reduce its size and carry it around with her wherever she liked. It was a very functional gift, looked incredible, and was easy to own for Bellona specifically. Bellona didn't even know what to say so she picked herself up and sat on Ares' lap, leaning on him and giving hi a hug despite how red her cheeks were for doing this in front of others... Though really she would have been embarrassed anyway. She quietly mumbled more thanks as Ares stroked her back and gave her a hug, holding her close and smiling upon seeing she was happy. Unbeknownst to Ares, Enyo had sent Bellona a mental message as she relaxed in his embrace.
[Don't forget to reward him properly.] Enyo was sticking her tongue out at her sister who buried her head back into Ares' chest and nodded. Her amber eyes poked through her hair and darted upwards at Ares here and there while she responded more seriously than Enyo expected her to.
[I will.] Bellona sounded determined, more so than usual. She'd been thinking about this for a while now and today's presents only made her more keen get closer to Ares. She still wanted to take it in steps but not taking the first step now would be cowardly. She lifted her body and placed her lips next to Ares' ears, whispering to him "Tomorrow. We'll go on a date tomorrow." She wasn't taking no for an answer. There was a lot she wanted to say and do. Ares had been spoiling her for a good while now so it was time she repaid that effort and organised something for him for once. Bellona wasn't planning on going the distance just yet but she wasn't going to be eternally passive either, not after Ares was putting in so much effort to show her love and affection. The model car had tipped Bellona over the edge and embarrassment meant less to her than showing Ares he meant the world to her just as she did to him. Enyo joked that she and Ares should get a room but, tomorrow, she would be using the bedroom and Enyo was going to have to wait somewhere else. Again, going all the way was a bit much... But if it was just a smaller reward, Bellona wouldn't mind giving Ares one as she was now.