Once everyone returned to their respective familias, they got all cleaned up, and then got their status updated.
…
Astraea familia's stardust garden, their home, Astraea took a bath with Alise and the other girls of her familia. They shared stories about the dungeon, their battles, some of the drama, and lots of fun during the whole of the expedition. Each time something funny happened, Astraea would giggle.
"It sounds like you all improved, but more importantly, you all had fun. I'm glad." The smile she gave caused the girls to blush and utter the word "mommy" causing her to giggle once more. "Alright, since you're all here, let's update your statuses then we can have ourselves a nice meal."
…
Hephaestus familia held many looks of utter shock when Tsubaki and the others returned. After what became a rather fast bath, where none of them cared about who it was showering next to them, they all presented themselves to their Goddess. Who remained unsurprised.
"Your hair is still wet, and some of you are still in your towels. You must all be anxious to update your statuses."
"Yes, Lady Hephaestus, all of us are eager to see the results."
"Do you have any idea what they could be?" She asked with a smirk that nearly dropped the men to their knees.
"Nope, I haven't a clue. My best guess is what happened to Hathor familia when they returned, or something around there." Tsubaki's confidence in her response caused Hephaestus to laugh.
"Alright! Let's begin at once. I'm sure my guests in this time slot won't mind if it takes a little more time to meet with them."
…
Hathor familia became a buzz once the stories of what happened on the expedition were revealed. Hathor updated her returning children's status, one by one. Each of them having leveled up again.
"You're all amazing children. To have leveled up like this, you must have fought with incredible courage and honor for our familia. As your goddess I thank you." She paused. "Now, tell me all of the juicy details about this Ardee& Shurry story."
"Well it's a really beautiful tale! Beneath the crystal light, they danced, the shimmering of the lights shifting and changing as they did, a ballet, a ball, of two young lovers…" One of their more minstrel types began singing the story now that he and the buds were back with their beloved instruments.
…
Ganesha familia held a massive welcome home party with the best of cheer. A really successful expedition deserves nothing less than the very best. Everyone got washed off, and this was the first time that Ardee and Shurry hadn't actually bathed together while they were in the same building… It felt off for both of them.
"Dear Ganesha! How did you get muscles like that Shurry? It's like you're chiseled out of adamantite!"
"Ya know, he was always bathing with Ardee while we were down there. So I never noticed much, but hot damn Origin Wolf looks ripped."
"I am Ganesha!" Ganesha laughed, calmly inspecting Shurry's manly appearance, appraising it if you would. "Ahahaha! You're well built, young man!" He said striking an obviously competitive pose.
Shurry smirked. "I am Shurry! I eat and train well." He smirked, striking a pose.
"Hey, hey, hey! Hold on! Is his body more defined than Lord Ganesha's?"
""OH YEAH! WE GOT OURSELVES A GOOD OL' POSE BATTLE!!!! WHO'LL WIN THIS LEGENDARY FACE OFF?""
The two competitors faced off head to head in a tough battle, however, even with Shurry's obviously fantastic physique, he lost the competition by a few points. Ganesha laughed, leaning way back, hands on his hips.
"Don't feel bad Shurry, it's hard to compete against a god. Be proud of the fact you actually scored so close to me. FOR I AM GANESHA!" His eyes glanced at the one part of Shurry's falna that Hathor allowed him to show. "Truly an impressive feat, young man. You're not that far off from it." He accidentally said aloud.
"From what? Being a father? Yeah, I know. My wife, Ardee, is currently making sure of that."
"Ahahaha! Congratulations! I suppose there's no going back on the deal now?"
"Nope. Not in the slightest."
"Good. I'm happy for you. Let this union bring happiness to the masses." He stood up straight and posed a few times. "For… I… Am… Ganesha!"
In the women's bath the Ganesha familia's women were all asking Ardee a whole bunch of questions about Shurry. Almost to the point of pestering, however, she answered every single one she could, and refused to answer any questions about other matters except for one more.
"Ardee, you probably know this better than anyone else. What level is he really? What he did at the colosseum about two years ago was just crazy. Surely he was level 8 or maybe even level 9?"
"My husband is level 7… For now. Once we go and visit mother Hathor, I suspect that will change."
"Wow! You really think he leveled up this time?"
Shakti butted in to answer. "There is no doubt in my mind that Shurry is going to level up. Mark my words, there's no doubt about this, not in the slightest. He's my son's uncle, of course he has to be strong."
Ilta laughed, splashing water all around. "Alright then, you want to learn the technique that really drains men dry?"
So many raised their hands in favor of it.
"Alright, Shakti, will you lay down right here for me?"
"Like this?"
"Exactly, now we do this-"
"Woah, what are you doing, Ilta?"
"Relax, I'm only showing everyone how to make their man's knees go weak for a while. Call it amazoness style."
"Oh wow, that would definitely make the men weak. Wow. So bold, and dominating, I love it!"
It was at that very moment, when the women licked their lips, in anticipation of using this very technique, that the men got a tingle down their spines.
Shortly after the bath was done, Ganesha began the task of updating everyone in his familia's status. It was a long process for sure. And so instead of starting at the bottom, to make Ardee wait, he did her update first… He was so shocked, he didn't say a word, and just wrote down her progress on a paper, handed it to her, and smiled.
"Lord Ganesha, is this right?"
"It is. How? I haven't a clue, but you leveled up twice. I only did one for now, with a little boost into your development abilities. I wouldn't want to hurt the baby after all."
"They're so precious. I'll love them no matter what."
"Good, now go on, and see Hathor. I'm sure she wants to have a talk with you two as well. And knowing her, prepare for another bath." He chuckled.
"A bath with Mother… It's always wholesome."
…