Hestia collapsed face-first into her bed, a sigh of relief escaping her, but she wasn't able to properly relax because her spine had a sharp pain in her lower back every time she tried. Her legs ached, her muscles burning from overuse while her feet felt like they were hollowed out then filled with lead.
She reached out to grab her pillow, dragging it under her head as she shifted her back so it wouldn't hurt so much. The smell of a sack full of jagamarukuns was typically a welcomed scent, but if she never smelled the delicious snacks again, it would be too soon. After today, Hestia never, ever, ever wanted to look at them again.
Customers...there were just so many of them! And they never stopped coming! All-day, Hestia doubted that she had less than ten people waiting in line for a scrumptious jagamarukun. During the lunch rush, it was closer to twenty. She moved as fast as she could, she said the company motto with a smile like a broken record, but still, she got the occasional customer that got really mad that he or she had to wait.
It was a really long, really bad day and she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep. Maybe cuddle with Jericho as she fell asleep. Instead, she was greeted by an empty home.
"I wish he would have left a note," Hestia muttered, crawling underneath the covers. Where was he? She hoped he would have stayed in to read, but the pile of books looks like it hadn't been touched. His armor was still here, so he couldn't be in the Dungeon-
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard knocking at the stone false door that lead to her room. Hestia went stiff, unsure who would knock at her door. It couldn't be Jericho. Maybe it was Hesphstus? It had to be. Who else could it be?
Throwing off her covers, Hestia winced as she pushed herself up to her feet. Everything hurt and everything sucked. Even still, she pushed herself forward to push open the door. Instead of being greeted by her redheaded friend, she saw a girl with dull silver hair and eyes dressed in a lime green maid outfit with a white apron. She was pretty, somewhere around Jericho's age.
"Hello?" Hestia greeted, looking down to see three children. A brown-haired, sullen-looking boy that found his shoes very interesting. A young girl with blonde hair that looked like she was about to start crying. A younger child, an elf, stared up at her dully.
"Hello, goddess Hestia," the older girl greeted, curtsying. "My name is Syr Flova, these are Rye, Fina, and Roux," she said, a sweet smile on her face as she pushed the children forward. "And they owe you and your familia member an apology."
Hestia blinked, tilting her head as she tried to puzzle out what they would need to apologize for. The boy stubbornly refused to look at her, while the girl, Fina, made eye contact with her for an entire second before she threw her head back and started sobbing.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Fina wailed, fat tears running down her face as she acted like she was apologizing for the end of the world. Hestia reached out to her, unable to bear the sight of a crying child, and hugged her even though she still had no idea what she was apologizing for.
"It's okay, shh, shh," Hestia soothed, rubbing calming circles into Fina's back as she looked at the others with a bewildered expression. It was Roux, the elven child, that answered her unspoken question.
"We're sorry for stealing Mr. Tall Guy's clothes," Roux said, holding out...Jericho's tanktop, underwear and socks out for her to take.
"What?" Hestia asked, that being the very last thing that she expected for the child to say.
"The children wanted to play a prank of your familia member and stole his clothes earlier this morning," Syr began, clarifying the situation instantly. However, her expression was too serious to be making a couple of kids apologize for what amounted to be a harmless prank. It didn't take Hestia long to figure out why. "They meant to hide them from him for a little bit then return them. But, your child...went into the Dungeon."
"Oh," Hestia muttered, a sinking feeling in her gut. Why would he do that- money. Jericho would be worried about money. He owed Welf several thousand for his leg armor, and he would be worried about buying new clothes. So, he would go into the Dungeon. But without his armor? That… "foolish…"
"I'm sorry! We just wanted to be funny! And now he's in the Dungeon without any armor and...and...and he's dead!" Fina wailed into her chest, holding onto Hestia for dear life. Her words made Hestia's heart go still in her chest, her attention going to her blessing to see that it was still there. Jericho was alive.
"He's alive," Hestia reassured, pulling back to look down at Fina. "You might not have noticed, but Jericho is pretty strong. There's no way some goblins would be able to hurt him! He'll be just fine. I promise," Hestia swore, desperately hoping that she wasn't lying. To go into the Dungeon without armor, without clothes apparently, even on the first floor for a rookie adventurer that was one less than a day…
"...Really?" Fina asked, sounding hopeful. Rye looked up sharply, not as disinterested in apologizing as he tried to seem. Roux just blinked, his...or her expression revealing nothing.
"Really. I bet when he gets back, he's going to find this really funny." Hestia promised with a bright smile, far more genuine than the ones she wore towards the end of her shift. "I bet he'll feel really silly too."
"See," Syr began, placing a hand on Roux and Rye's shoulders. "Goddess Hestia is very understanding, you don't need to be afraid." She nudged Rye forward a little, making the boy shot a glare up at her before he turned to Hestia.
He shifted from foot to foot, unable to meet her gaze. Hestia smiled lightly, placing a hand on his cheek guiding his gaze to hers. His eyes had a red tint to them, fighting back tears, his bottom lip quivering. Even still, he puffed out his little chest, trying to make himself appear much bigger than he actually was. "I-It was my idea, so i-If anything bad happens to him, then I'll take responsibility. I promise!"
Hestia simply smiled, the children completely unaware of what their words were doing to her emotions. Thankfully, Syr seemed to pick up on it by gently prying Fina from Hestia. "I took the time to stitch up his pants," she informed, passing Hestia Jericho's clothes. Hestia glanced at the stitching to see that it was nearly flawless. She...should have done that for him.
"Thank you," Hestia said, taking Jericho's clothes. Syr smiled at her as she took back a reluctant Fina. "For bringing these back. And for apologizing," she said to the children.
Syr nodded, "to make up for it, I can treat you to a meal if you would like. I work at the Hostess of Fertility, over on Main Street. And I'm sure the children will want to apologize to Jericho personally, hmm?" She offered, turning her attention to the children at the last bit. Rye looked down, while Fina nodded her head, sniffling lightly as Roux just nodded.
"I think he would appreciate that," Hestia said, waving goodbye as they children and Syr turned around to leave. She watched them go, Fina turning around to wave goodbye at her, and before long they were far down the street. Now that they were gone, a stone of worry settled in her stomach.
Her blessing was still there, so Jericho was alive. She had a hard time believing that he would fall to goblins, but he was down there with no armor or clothes. Hestia couldn't stop herself from worrying. With a sigh that seemed to deflate her, Hestia gripped his clothes to her chest as she descended down the steps. The soap worked a little too well for her liking. They didn't smell like him.
She collapsed into her bed, curling up into a ball as she watched the day glass begin to trickle down. Sand began to fill it, steadily climbing past lines that marked the hour. 6 o'clock. 7 o'clock. 8 o'clock. With every hour, her worry grew. He was only on the first floor, so what was taking him so long?
Was it just a slow day? Did he lose track of time? Or was he lying on the Dungeon floor bleeding out? She couldn't imagine that goblin could seriously hurt him, but what about other adventurers? Lok's familia went on an expedition today. What if one of them did something?
Hestia clutched his clothing closer to her chest, trying to put her worries at ease with faith in her child. Jericho was strong. He promised that he would never leave her alone. He would return to her. She had to believe that. She had to believe in him. She...she had to believe he was coming back.
"Right," Hestia said, forcing herself out of bed. She had to believe in him. Coming home so late, he would probably be tired, but maybe he would like something to eat before he went to bed? What could she make? Something...easy to make. Hestia realized now that she was a little overly ambitious cooking for the first time on the lower world. She should start smaller...a sandwich?
Hestia wiped her eyes of stray moisture, if she was going to cook then she needed ingredients. Opening up the cupboard that served as their pantry, she found only dust bunnies. She would have to dip into their savings again, but Hestia was happy to. She would just pick up more shifts to cover what she spent.
Now, what did boys like to eat? Hestia wondered, practically sprinting down the road to the markets. To her disappointment, she didn't see Jericho making his way some.
Boys like to eat meat. And potatoes? Those were manly foods, right? Wait, she was making a sandwich. Umm... cheese was manly? What would Jericho want after a long day that she could make? A lot of things came to mind but when she looked at the pitiful amount of valis in her purse, that eliminated a lot of options.
In the end, she settled on getting ham, cheese and bread.
To her growing worry, Jericho still wasn't back yet. His falna was still there, so he was alive. She had to trust that he would be back soon.
Taking in a deep breath, Hestia glanced at the day glass to see that it was nearing the tenth hour. Hestia prepared the food, able to take her time since nothing could burn if she didn't go fast enough. Within a few seconds, she had two ham and cheese sandwiches. But...wouldn't it taste better hot? A nice hot meal was what she always looked forward to during her lunch, even if it was jagamarukuns that she deep fried earlier.
"Don't burn," Hestia ordered the sandwiches, shredding the ham so it would cook a bit easier. Hestia doubted that she so much as blinked during the five minutes or so it took to cook. By the end of it though, under her vigilant gaze, neither side of the sandwiches was burnt when she played them-
As Hestia plated the food, she heard the familiar sounds of Jericho trying to softly push the stone door open. Hestia shot off her bed like a speeding bullet, racing up the steps before Jericho could fully open the door. As soon as she saw him, she slammed into him hard enough that he stumbled back a step, knocking the breath from his lungs.
She squeezed him as hard as she could, burying her face into his stomach, fighting back tears of pure relief. A few moments passed, and she heard him sigh, a hand caressing her back. "I worried you. I'm sorry," he said, his voice low and rumbly.
Hestia's throat was too clogged up with emotion to say anything, so she nodded.
"I'm fine, I...not going to lie and say that I didn't do something stupid. I did do something stupid. I got my clothes stolen by a couple of kids, I ran across the Loki familia in the Dungeons and I...felt frustrated with my progress. I mean, they were going to the deep floors while I was stuck on the first floor dealing with goblins." Jericho muttered softly to her, his words calming her as she listened.
"You went down to the second floor. Without any armor," she guessed, making Jericho go still. He heaved a breath, telling her that she wasn't going to like what he said next. She was right.
"Sixth floor," Jericho corrected, her gaze snapped up to him. The sixth floor?! On his second day of being an adventurer?! "I'm fine," Jericho was quick to reassure her as if he could. Hestia pulled back from him, intent of finding every single scrape and cut. Only then did she noticed that he wore his blanket, that was worse for wear, with no small amount of blood spattered over the bottom half.
"I'm fine," Jericho repeated, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "The worse that I got was some bruising on my chest, but its already gone," he said, gesturing to himself. Hestia looked at him for a moment, something giving way in her chest that made her feel exhausted.
"What were you thinking?" Hestia asked, letting Jericho lead her into their home.
"I wasn't thinking," Jericho answered, guiding her to her bed. "I was frustrated with- are those my clothes?" He asked, spotting the pile of them peeking out from underneath the covers. Hestia nodded, a hand going up to his massive hands on her shoulders, gently starting to massage them. It felt fantastic. .
"The kids that stole them brought them back. They wanted to play a prank on you, but you went off into the Dungeon. Without any armor," Hestia answered, turning to face him. Her tone did the trick because he looked properly chided.
"I overreacted," Jericho admitted. "I realized that we were already in debt and I couldn't stand the thought of us going any deeper. I meant to just go to the first floor, but then I saw the Loki familia." Jericho explained, not defending his actions, she noted. "I just...expected more from myself." He finished, earning a nod from Hestia.
They had that in common, she thought.
'I understand," she decided, accepting his apology. A sigh escaped her, the tension leaving her body with it. "Just...don't scare me like that again. Promise?" She requested in a small voice as Jericho's hands began to massage her shoulders.
"I promise," Jericho swore as she leaned into his touch. That Massage Skill...was really good. Hestia liked it. She liked it a lot. "Now...what smells so good?" He asked, his thumbs working on her upper back, the knots of tension she hadn't known were there were slowly being rubbed away.
"I made you dinner," Hestia blurted, wincing again at her delivery as she crossed her fingers as she eyes the sandwiches, looking for some imperfection. It was a little crisper around the edges, but they looked-
"They look great," Jericho said, going towards them. Hestia tried not to stare at him when picked one up, and took a bite. He made a noise of appreciation that nearly made her heart jump out her throat before he turned to her, smiling with crumbs on his lips.
A breath of relief escaped her as Jericho ate, the sandwitches practically vanishing off the plate into his stomach. If she had somehow messed that up too then she was going to end up crying, she knew it. As soon as he was done, he drained a glass of water, turning back to her. She sharply looked away, pretending that she hadn't been paying attention, but his hands on her shoulders told her that he knew.
"They were fantastic, Hestia," Jericho said, making her humm with joy. "Thank you for making them for me," gently massaging her shoulders again. It felt wonderful. "So, how was your day?"
"It was fine," she was hardly going to complain to him after the day that he had. Jericho chuckled, working a little lower to between her shoulder blades, her head rolled back to rest against his hard stomach.
"I had a rough day, but that doesn't mean you didn't too. Remember what we promised?" Jericho murmured, his dark blue eyes gazing into her own when she cracked them open. "We support each other. You had a long day. Your back is pretty much a giant ball of tension. Let me take care of that for you."
Words of protest were heavy on her tongue. He just left the Dungeon -- if anyone should be getting a massage, it should be him. Instead, Hestia found herself nodding mutely, enjoying the feeling of his powerful hands gently working the stress from her body.
Jericho smiled, "then hop on the bed. And, uh, let me get changed." Jericho said, letting go of her. Hestia instantly missed the feeling of his hands on her shoulders, but she hopped on the bed all the same. Jericho reached out to grab his underwear, the sound of the blanket dropping to the floor seemed incredibly loud.
He was naked behind her. Hestia's faced burned at the thought. She buried her face into her pillow to hide the evidence.
"Do your legs hurt again?" He asked, hopefully fully dressed. Hestia peeked out from her self imposed suffocation, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Though, she had little luck with her heart pounding in her chest.
"They do," Hestia admitted, closing her eyes. "I didn't get a break again. Or lunch," she admitted, almost wishing that she could take the words back as soon as she said them. She was complaining about standing around all day when Jericho had been fighting for his life. On the sixth floor. He-
Any trace of rational thought was blown away when she felt his hands on her feet. A soft breath escaped her, she clenched her pillow as he pressed down on the center of her foot. Jericho laughed when he heard it. "I guess the Massage Skill is the real deal," he said, sounding too amused for his own good.
"It isss," Hestia breathed, taking in deep breaths as she let herself relax for the first time today. Her child was safe, and hopefully, he learned a lesson from this.
"I guess I should be focusing on Strength and Dexterity. Maybe look into getting some oils," Jericho mused aloud, focusing on her heel.
"No, I don't need anything like that," she protested firmly, doing her absolute best not to imagine his oily hands on her feet. How would that feel? She couldn't imagine that it didn't feel good. No, great. Getting a normal foot rub felt good, add oils to the mix and the combination had to feel great.
"I actually made a fair bit today," Jericho responded, massaging her toes. "I can pay off my armor tomorrow. Might get a sharpening stone while I'm at it and some potions. The rest, Hestia, is going to be spent on you." Jericho decided, moving on to her other foot. A gasp stole her breath away before she could argue.
"What would you like?" Jericho asked, making sure every last bit of soreness was through expelled from her feet. Then his hands traveled up her leg, massaging her calf. For a moment, Hestia couldn't respond, the only thing she was aware of was his hands on her legs. And how good they felt.
"We should save it," Hestia protested, her heart rate starting to pick up even faster. Despite her words, she couldn't stop a dopey smile on her face that was thankfully hidden by the pillow. He wanted to buy her nice things. It was so sweet.
"But I want to spend it on my goddess," Jericho argued. He said goddess differently than he normally did, Hestia noted as she basked in the feeling of his hands massaging her calf. Lower. Hungry, even. It made her blood feel hot in her veins. Not the kind of hot that she felt when she was particularly embarrassed, but like her entire body was going to overheat. It seemed to pool in her lower gut, where her belly button was.
Hestia didn't...dislike it, she decided.