Hard Times for a Struggling God [Quest/O]

Kessler didn't have any particularly strong feelings about his latest request. Helping to pack up a bar was pretty standard after all, there was no reason to overexert himself and no real risk to his safety. It was a request that his Kami-sama would no doubt approve of, but Kessler himself felt uncertain about how good it would be for his future growth. Despite his nagging feeling of doubt in the back of his mind that his Kami-sama might have been a tad overprotective in pushing this request on him, he complied regardless. With a hearty breakfast to energize him, he made his way to the location in a steady jog with a rather carefree expression on. He had no reason to fear in broad daylight after all, he was in his element as a coward he had nothing that he needed to do at this hour to defend himself. Relaxing his guard was always a good thing and a pleasant surprise for the skiddish adventurer.

It was only when he arrived to find a pair of men discussing the situation that he slowed himself to a stop, doubt becoming uncertainty as he tried to make heads or tails of the development. One man crouching in despair and the other making attempts at a bro grab to reassure his friend. Truly this was a friendship Kessler came to this conclusion, but he wasn't sure if he should step into the world they were carving out for themselves. A weary smile touched his face as he began considering the extent of the disturbed man's despair; He was here to clean up a bar that was closing right? It seemed more like somebody had died, he wasn't exactly certain about how he should approach this sort of situation. It sort of seemed like they were having a moment, and he didn't want to intrude like a rude Neanderthal. He wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but he was at least sharper then a hammer.

Seeing the pair enter the building, he followed behind, growing more and more unsure about this request. Things seemed as if they had already been taken down or dissolved largely. He wasn't sure exactly how much work was left to be done. The few bottles seemed to be empty, the other man seemed to make that loud and clear as Kessler walked through the doorway. In the end, his unease gradually became exhaustion as he gestured towards the pair from afar with an armored hand. "Erm... I'm here to help pack things up but... I'm not really sure what's left?" He asked with a relative uncertainty as the pair seemed to go back and forth still about what had happened and about better times to come. Truly Kessler felt a little out of place between these two, for a moment he hesitated thinking that it might be easier to turn back around.

"Uh... If you want though, I can just head back." He commented, for a moment unknowingly threatening to leave all of this on Mal who seemed extremely deflated by the thought of packing things up. He looked over the room once more unsure of how intense this must be for Yama and how amused Mal was by the situation. "I mean, it looks like things've been cleared out a lot already. I'd hate to cut into your... mourning time?" He spoke, but his voice caught making it sound like a question since he was still unsure of how to take this setting before him. Trying to approach the pair slowly, Kessler wasn't someone experienced in bars or taverns, alcohol was an unknown to him. He wasn't someone who ever really participated in such a thing or had the time or money for it. He was very much a sheltered guy protected from that part of society by both his mother who needed his support to survive and his goddess who was very dotting and stern about how he lived his life.

Trying to sit at the bar, if they needed a hand, he'd try to offer it the best he could, but a request was a request, if in the end, he simply had to help make someone feel better, he'd give his all even at that! Or so he reaffirmed to himself as he turned around in his stool to lean against the counter still looking around the enigma that was a bar.

 

Deceiving indeed, not only was Kessler on the stronger side of the spectrum, he held the title of having the second most physical power among the new up and coming adventurers. He was one of the few, if not only, person who dared charged into the dungeon and fight monsters unarmed with only fists and martial techniques to bury his opponents. His meek and delicate demeanor was rather misleading in this respect, but even Kessler himself was someone who modestly downplayed his own accomplishments and attainments in the martial field. He certainly didn't look the part, nor act it, but Kessler's identity as a cheesy ally of justice like character was particularly well known among most of the people around town, whether or not that reputation preceded him though, he was just as unaware as Mal's misconceptions about him. If nothing else, Kessler had a naive and sheltered personality, there's no doubt the manipulations would have worked if things had played out differently, unfortunately he arrived at a time similar to Mal, and simply stood by watching his discussion with Yama uncertain about how he would introduce himself or come between their bro moment.

"Haha... Most of the heavy lifting huh?..." He murmured, his tone somewhat dry much like the weary laughter that followed. Unintentionally calling the man's bluff, Kessler was well aware of the truth, and wasn't sure if he should admit that he'd seen everything from the beginning or not. Naturally he didn't want to be rude to the man and force him to stay for a job he didn't want to, but at the same time it was a matter of integrity to at least make an effort for a job you were entrusted with. This was a morale dilemna that was difficult for Kessler who always tried to do the right thing 110% of the time. For a moment, even Kessler's eyes turned judgemental alongside Yama's. His blank eyes full of harsh judgement he unintentionally stared at the man from the opposite side, grilling him until he turned about and offered to help once more. With the moral quandry out of the way, Kessler was much more relieved to say the least. A wry chuckle coming from him with a bit more life in it as he nodded along. "Don't worry about it, with the both of us, things should go by pretty quick." He offered with an innocence and optimism that might as well have been filled with sunshine, rainbows and unicorns.

It was only when he was offered a drink that his expression became somewhat grim. Shaking his head, he tried to slowly push it away with a sheepish expression. "N-No, I couldn't drink something like that. It's not really a matter of age but, I have to keep my wits about me. I'll be joining the city watch tonight after all." He explained, knowing that being a guard with alcohol on his breath wouldn't be the best image for a person maintaining the city's security. Being called out as a 14 year old though made Kessler stiffen though, he grew a bit pale knowing that he was short, but he wasn't that short he tried to internally cry out. As if the question almost mad him vomit blood he seemed to hesitate before finally shaking his head with a weak laugh. "Haha... 14... That's-- That's a funny joke. Haha--" He laughed as if trying to assert it as such for his own sanity. "I'm already 19, It must be because of my dad's blood... That's it--" He reassured himself, at this point talking more to himself then to Mal scrambling to rebuild his confidence that was crumbling much more rapidly then normally with this unfortunate ordeal.

 

Kessler was one to fight for good and justice naturally, the various injuries that dotted his face here or there were practically iconic because of such fights, though he was naive, he wasn't someone who'd become someone else's bouncer or back up. There were a great deal of beliefs instilled in him by his Goddess, the only one in his familia, he was naturally the only one being watched over by his goddess, and thus she was much more attentive of his actions and set him down a proper path quite quickly. While he was an adventurer, he had a rather strict moral code that he endeavored to follow to the best of his abilities.

Many people who knew Kessler also appreciated his naive innocence though, as if it were a refreshing breath of fresh air it was one of the reasons many gathered to his side in times of need. Unknowingly it was also the reason many girls were intrigued by him, but he was unfortunately oblivious to their affections; feeling undeserving of their admiration or affection, he naively misplaced their feelings as some form of embarrassment or shyness. His innocence was both a great thing that sheltered him from these harsh situations but a terrible curse that made it hard for him to understand the flustered natures of those around him at times.

In the end though, Mal's surprise about his age made him grimace, a weary laugh coming from his lips as if it were something he felt shame over rather then joy for. No matter how young he looked or how long he maintained it, he didn't find usefulness in his appearance. He wanted to be someone who fought better and braver, he didn't give much thought to his non-existent social life and possible future relationships that he felt were impossible for someone like him. The value of his inheritance from his parents was lost on the boy who didn't find value in his appearance. Mal's reaction instead seemed to him as if he was being mocked making him chuckle back wearily with a faint cringe about his own 'misfortune'. For a moment he had to think about how exactly to explain such an 'unfortunate' twist of fate.

"It would've been better if I looked more like my dad." He confessed with a heavy sigh, the image of his father before he passed flashed through his mind. He was a man who fought with unique flare in his actions; theatrical thanks to his appearance that gave him the smooth appeal of a dashing villain or masked mystery man. "Instead, a lot of my features come from my mom..." He admitted remembering his dad's stories about his mother in her youth and how bloodthirsty and vicious she was as a petite war cat that rampaged like a living disaster. Both of his parents had rather colorful identities which made him feel that much smaller and insignificant. "She's around 60 now... Dad used to say she hasn't aged a day since he first met her." He said with a grim laugh knowing he probably wouldn't get any taller and whatever masculinity he acquired would probably still not do much to change his fair and boyish features.

Being offered the shot again though, he'd look down at the glass for a short while. It only took him a few seconds to shake his head back again, the only hesitation he really had was the feeling of letting the man down, but that passed quickly. His willpower and discipline was strong, much more so then a lot of adults no doubt. "My goddess would probably be disappointed in me, I can't do something like that." Instead, he tried to slide it back towards Mal, a bright and innocent smile on his face as he offered the shot back to him. "You can have mine too, that way it doesn't go to waste, the bar feels respect from the drink, and you get an extra one, right?" He tried to offer as an alternative not wanting to disappoint anyone.

 

For better or worse, Kessler was the exact type of person Mal pegged him to be. He didn't really understand why someone would hide the facts about themselves, didn't that just make more trouble? Wouldn't there just be more misunderstandings? Surely the world would be a better place if everyone were just a tad more honest with each other he thought in his heart of hearts, though the thought was perhaps the result of some type of mental illness, it could in some circles be as respectable as Mal saw it. Unlike the man who paid to play though, Kessler's road through life was perhaps more volatile, whenever there was an incident where one might pay in any sense of the word that wasn't monetary, he would sooner bulldoze his way through with force that lacked every semblance of grace or finesse. It was for this reason he often ended up with the face injuries he still sported every once in a while while maintaining his naivety. Every situation he encountered that would require him to turn a bit darker, he would instead resist with every fiber of his being and continue on down the path with injury instead.

Naturally he was oblivious to Mal's manipulations, even if he'd known, he probably wouldn't be able to understand, the depths of his innocence truly ran just that deep. If he'd known it might make him feel worse, but Kessler simply continued on with a bright and radiant grin, simply high on life, and happy about his progress through it. Once again, that unfortunate nature of his that seemed to vomit rainbows and sunshine was as strong as ever in the company of people who had black marks on their pasts, it was something that Kessler unfortunately was unaware of and couldn't turn off.

Hearing about 'kids' and being 'wed' got a reaction though, Kessler's cheeks grew pinker as thoughts crossed through his heads. If Mal was paying enough attention to Kessler's hands on the counter, he'd notice him briefly squeezing at the air a single time. The reason-- No doubt Mal who had been to seedy areas might understand why an innocent boy would make that kind of gesture at the thought of being wed. Whether it was his Goddess or the very aggressive mage he'd met in the last day or so, he'd come into contact with both of their chests causing him to drift off into space for a moment before arriving back on task with a jolt. Knowing he drifted off on something he shouldn't have, he let out weary and awkward laughter, though it was as plain on his face as a bright red sign in the forest-- He had a terrible poker face.

"W-Wed-- Haha... Right, right... That will happen to me someday-- Maybe." He murmured with laughter and smiles that was getting progressively weaker as he tried to shrink inwardly knowing he'd drifted off into something he shouldn't have. "That is good I guess... I don't really know a lot about that sort of thing though-- It kind of seems a little beyond me." He admitted with a faintly bitter expression knowing that he was around the proper age, but he'd never had any real experience with girls or free time since his mother needed him to work to survive and his Goddess needed his support since he was the only one in the Familia. It wasn't that he wasn't interested-- Not even that he wasn't ready-- It was a difficult field for him to break into though, one that he felt he was not prepared for in the slightest.

When Mal didn't refuse his efforts to pass the drink back, Kessler nodded back happy to make the offer once more. "Go ahead go ahead." He offered with a happy laugh seeing Mal so eager to impose even though he was so set on sharing a drink with him earlier. Kessler certainly wasn't one to touch that sort of thing, his Goddess would have a variety of worries and doubts because of it. Seeing that the man was done with the bottle though, Kessler reached for the remains to take care of it first. Setting it down on the counter, he leaned over to try and grab the other empties one by one setting them aside. "I'm not sure if we should throw out what could be reused though-- Do you think it matters?" He wondered quite unsure of it himself. It wasn't his things so he couldn't exactly make the decision about what to do, but at the same time if he could do a good service he wanted to be supportive.

Upon grabbing his upper arm though, he'd be grabbing Kessler's armored shoulder making him turn his head with a weary laugh knowing that not introducing himself had been rude. Despite the man grabbing him though, Kessler wasn't too bothered, as if it were a normal thing from the people who were in his life. "A-Ah, right. I'm Kessler Cole. You can call me Kess if you want." He offered with a nod trying to offer the man his armored hand for a shake.

 

Accepting the hand shake, Kessler nodded back with a laugh returning the casual hand shake with a reassured nod. Though Kessler's hand was armored, he didn't put much strength into the handshake, his cheery disposition making it clear that he was trying to be as friendly as possible much like Mal, they both seemed to share the same opinion about hand shakes. Though if Mal took close notice of Kessler's armored hands he might notice just how Kessler survived in the dungeons. There was occasionally a flake of black or red that doted them that looked like drawn dots in places that were harder to clean. For social situations though... However funny, Kessler inherited a great deal of charm from his father, oblivious to his own success with women, he still lacked the experience to really understand just how gifted his genetics were.

"N-No, I agree with you on that at least. Haha, It's better to be a bit more casual, it's a lot less... tense?" He spoke, questioning his word choice as if unsure if he nailed it properly. Kessler wasn't exactly the most well read or eloquent so he wasn't really certain how to put it. Instead he tried to grope his way through finding the right word before shaking it off along with the trouble his uncertainty brought. Getting back on track and thinking of the bottles though, Kessler exhaled a sad sigh seeing that they were being treated as fallen comrades or people who had fallen in the line of duty. It made Kessler flash a weary smile before nodding back. It wasn't until the sound of glass breaking though that Mal might come to understand Kessler's intentions. Rather then carrying out boxes full of bottles towards the end though, instead he only had a single box full of crystal dust. After pulverizing the bottles and shards, he made everything as small as possible to try and fit them all into the same box.

At Mal's question though, Kessler turned his head back to Mal giving a nod with a bright smile. "Yeah... It's best to keep similar stuff together, that way it's easier to unpack and find later." He said knowing that was how it was for him after he had to move into his goddess's house. He had to keep everything together just so he knew nothing was being stolen in truth though. It was only the talk of music that made Kessler flash a weary smile with a meek chuckle, a particularly aggressive bard suddenly came to his mind which almost made him shudder form discomfort. "Haha... You're a bard too then? I know another bard too." He admitted lifting another box on top of the glass dust making sure it was sealed as he began to carry them both out under his arm. Approaching Mal as he spoke, his gaze listed knowing that his bard friend would probably get along with Mal a lot more then he did for a variety of reasons. "She plays a lute though-- and she talks about 'love' and 'women' a lot... A lot more then you do even." He admitted with a dry laugh unfortunately understanding the innuendo purely because of how long he knew the other bard. An innuendo would come flying out of that woman's mouth the moment a woman walked past them after all, he ended up catching onto that sort of talk against his will.

Hearing Mal ask about his goddess though, Kessler couldn't help a warm laugh coming from his lips, as if remembering fondly or growing nostalgic at the question. "Kami-sama is Amaterasu, she's very beautiful though... It makes me a little worried sometimes though. I get overly conscious of it a lot." He admitted a little sheepishly as he walked past Mal, lifting his spare hand up to Mal's boxes to apply some force to keep the man afloat without much effort. Kessler's strength dwarfed the more fragile bard by an unfortunately wide margin even at this point. "She said she doesn't need anyone in her familia except me you know?... It's flattering but, I try hard not to disappoint her too much." He said with a shy laugh knowing just how much Amaterasu dotted on him, a hug with every greeting, an awkward closeness like a family member or something more that he didn't quite make sense of or acknowledge. Kessler lived a very quaint and affectionate life at home just the two of them oblivious to what a life might sound or seem like from the outside looking in.

 

Kessler followed Mal out setting the few boxes down before wiping his forehead with a soft sigh. Not even a wink out of breath, he straightened back out setting everything in a particular place that would make them easier to find. The trash of course was also separated from the things he expected Yama to want to keep. Glancing over one last time to be extra certain he turned back to Mal firing a bright grin of success as he turned back into the bar dusting his hands off. As if it hadn't occurred to him that the sound would have bothered anyone. Kessler was rather oblivious at times when it came to things that might not be accepted.

Mal's suspicions were no doubt right on though, Kessler's nature was to be stiff with people he didn't know. He usually and gradually warmed up though as he spent time with people, he was just easily tense around people who he didn't know well enough since he had to take time to judge others. It was these judgements that were important to Kessler who tried to determine people's characters before associating making him uneasy initially. Were it not for meeting another bard first, he might have some doubts about Mal, but he'd grown open minded since meeting the strange bard woman.

Hearing Mal's comment about his songs about innuendos and other things made him recall a particular song the other Bard would play outside of the dungeon's entrance while waiting for him. He could only flash a weary grin knowing that Mal probably had no idea the type of person that woman was even if her reputation was rather famous. Remembering her lyrics, his expression grew bitter, these two had the same kinds of songs like that? It would be a tragic storm if the two ever met, a catastrophe would no doubt occur. "You both have too much in common... Even just remembering her lyrics makes my stomach churn." He said with a meek laugh knowing that he should endeavor not to let this man meet his supporter unless they really do end up comparing notes. Though there was at least a bright side to Mal, one that made Kessler could at least appreciate. "Haa... Well, at least it's not so bad with you, she kind of seems to live solely for that one purpose, at least you seem to be multi-faceted." Kessler admitted knowing that that was at least something positive.

With Mal asking about his Goddess and certain things though, he could only reply a bit sheepishly. There were times when they were be far too close; sharing a chair, plate, sleeping in the same room, sometimes on the same couch. It was something he was overly conscious of sometimes but with all of the depraved songs he'd heard from bards all around, he wasn't exactly naive about what two people could do alone. His face lit up bright red whenever she grabbed his hand or jumped onto him though, he truly wasn't even prepared for things like that, thinking about more made him flush down to his neck as he replied with a tense expression. "W-We don't do anything w-weird or anything-- H-Hahahahaha..." He laughed clearly awkwardly, his voice clearly artificial and forced to a great extent. Though when Mal followed it up with having meaningful conversations, he laughed bitterly knowing that the man was hinting at things. He was naive, but not an idiot.

Shaking his head, he stepped back in after Mal starting to get another box together, he heaved a heavy sigh. "It could be worse though, my goddess takes good care of me. I just have to be sure not to let her down." He said with a contented laugh knowing that no matter what happens, they would at least stay strong as a family.

 

Kessler was someone who naturally could find positivity in even the most negative person, the reason however was perhaps not the nicest. While he was a kind and bright faced person, the core of his personality was incredibly judgemental and critical of others, while some might say it was a good trait since he used it to mentally segregate people into good and evil. Until he found a reason to fault someone, they would always be measured in that same positive light. Though he didn't think much about Mal's impression or internal competition with another bard, if he heard about it his expression would probably instantly become grim knowing just how far the one in his mind went. Humans, Other species, Goddesses were all targeted, Kessler often feared that even animals might not be safe from a bard he felt was in some ways deranged. Even so though, he continued grabbing a few boxes of the same weight as before, stacking them on top of each other as they continued working.

Mal's comment about them sleeping together though made him tense further. "Sleeping-- What?!?" His mind froze up temporarily but in the end, his face grew awed at the thought before becoming exceptionally bitter. He didn't say that! He very certainly didn't say they did that sort of thing he thought, in the same room perhaps, there were times where Kessler would sleep on the floor or table in her room. Sure, there might have been odd times in his head where she snuck up on him and ended up falling asleep at his side on the floor or couch, but that was different! That was definitely not what Mal was talking about-- Totally not, this line of thought only made the tensions in Kessler rise further. "N-No-- Nonononononono--" He started, suddenly dropping boxes to wave his hands in front of himself at Mal as if trying to despell these thoughts as quickly as possible, as if he might be able to strike them from the air with his sweeping hands, he didn't want these thoughts to be how people thought of him and his goddess, specially when nothing like that happened! At the very least, if she was able to proudly tell others, he might be able to accept it, but this wasn't such a situation at all!

"N-No!" He asserted finally reaching down to pick up his boxes jogging after Mal, his words coming out so rapidly that they blurred together in some cases as he tried to explain himself properly. "It's not like that at all! I mean, sometimes we sit really close, and she does really like leaning on me-- A-And sometimes we do sleep in the same place... And-- And sometimes even in a bed-- Rarely! Very rarely, bu... But we don't really-- We don't I mean, don't do things like that. Sometimes some things might-- Might touch I guess but she-- I mean we don't really do anything like that!" He spoke growing more flustered the more he tried to explain, seeming more and more guilty for his extreme efforts to set the record straight. Finally setting his things down, he couldn't help something of a childish pout in silence.

 

Kessler couldn't help a somewhat bitter feeling at being teased so much while Mal was patting his shoulders, he was being teased again, it was a familiar song and dance. His other bard companion treated him like this; "It's always the bards..." He murmured in his heart with a sour expression even as the man tried to cheer him up. The nickname made him continue pouting childishly though. Hearing Mal talk about not meeting other people who talk about love the way he did though, Kessler couldn't help a somewhat tired laugh as he shook his head back trying to downplay his own uniqueness. "I've never really had any kind of love like that... That and-- well, I never know when tragedy might strike and something happens to it." He murmured with a weary expression, there was a flash of dishonesty in his eyes as he spoke, but Kessler wasn't experienced in love or women largely because he was so critical of others. Unfortunately his ideas were ultimately far from heroic ones as well; he felt like even if he found love it might not last.

Though the talk about being a gift to women made Kessler's laugh grow a splash hostile, not so much towards Mal, but those people he seemed to reference. "Women should be protected and cherished, even if they're strong it shouldn't be an excuse to let them face the world alone." He spoke, his outlook perhaps poetic in some sense, but it was just more innocent idealistic feelings from the young man. Kessler couldn't help but grimace at the thought of people who seemed like scumbags. Such people didn't deserve to exist in his ideal world he thought, but he'd need to judge them all one at a time to be certain. Seeing Mal talking to Yama though, Kessler set his own boxes down dusting his hands off as he came back inside as well, glancing around knowing there wasn't a terrible load so it didn't seem like it'd take that much longer. Though hearing Mal say so made him a bit relieved that he might be able to have time to do something nice for his Goddess before he started in on night work.

Seeing Mal grabbing one of the last boxes, Kessler himself grabbed for the last one trying to carry it out under his arm. Hearing Mal's comment on him being hopeless though Kessler smiled even if it was meek, he knew Mal was right, probably righter then he'd ever realize until it was too late. "That's true... Probably, but I'll keep moving forward and doing the best I can til the end." He said with a bright laugh giving Mal a hand as they walked out the last couple of boxes. Kessler set his down softly wondering exactly where Yama would be taking it to, glancing towards Mal with a measure of uncertainty. "Is it alright like this? Will he need help unloading it?" Kessler asked unknowingly proposing more work for the Bard.

 

Kessler couldn't help flushing a bright red in reply to Mal's words about being with at least one woman. Kessler in truth had met a grand variety of women, some who needed protection, and others who saw fit to challenge him despite his superior physique. It made him grimace slightly at the possibility of 'choice' but deep down, he still struggled with his worth as a person for that sort of thing. He couldn't imagine what people looked for in others, his desires were naturally simple, but it didn't seem that way for others which made him that much more perplexed in trying to figure out how to be appealing. It didn't occur to him that the 'be yourself' route was working for him just from doing nothing.

Though the talk of someone called 'beatrice' made him shudder, not so much because he imagined the woman was strong enough to deter Mal, but the name itself wasn't flattering and didn't suit the image of a person who Kessler felt would be immaculate. Instead, he looked at Mal with an unintentional amount of pity because of this harsher judgement. Rather then dwelling on it though, he only let out a weary laugh, glad that it seemed the job was done early, he had time to spend with his Goddess, or a bit of time to try and get a bit stronger.

"I imagine I'll spend some time looking for my supporter friend and see if she's free enough to meet me in the dungeon later. A little bit of extra earning would let me get something nice for Kami-sama after all." He murmured out his thoughts and intentions for the rest of his day knowing he'd have to hurry back to join the watch regardless, but running around and working was nothing new for the energetic young man who still smiled brightly with an innocent hope. "Nobody can ever be sure when 'til the end' comes but I know mine won't come until I can make the world a little better." He admitted knowing that he couldn't allow himself to die until he brought about a change in the world. As long as he could make the world a better place, even if it wasn't his ideal world, if he died along the way and only managed to change a bit, he felt that wouldn't have been a waste of a life.

Though when Mal talked about seeing a man about a dog, it practically drew question marks out of Kessler's head. It was an awkward thing he thought to meet up with someone about, but he inevidably raised a hand nodding knowing he shouldn't keep someone who was busy. "Alright, alright. You take care then Mal, I'll see you around I'm sure." He offered with a bright grin, before turning on his heel to start heading off towards home to get ready for whatever the rest of his day might bring leaving Mal to take care of Yama as he counted his earnings along the way.

 

YANLUOWANG

gratefully ungrateful

All this work and effort that the two put into packing up all his things, even if it wasn't in the most organized manner, really helped Yama out a lot. He was greatly appreciative to them for his services. He'd give the two their pay with a smile, despite his overall depressing thoughts that sprawled through his mind. He saw a lot in the two that helped them, he wished they had worked more than they talked, but he didn't mind the two becoming acquainted with one another. As long as everything made it into its proper place, and sure enough it did.

Before carrying on down the road with his goods, he'd stop and take it all in. He remembered all the good times and all the bad that had taken place here. All the stories of the heroes' defeats and all their boasting claim to victory. The good times he shared with the members of his familia, to the harsh arguments that led to their separation. He had accomplished a lot here and failed a lot. The failure was all a part of owning a business, though. No successful businessman was ever known for doing something and it being a success right off the bat. No, it would take them a few tries to level things out and figure out what worked and what didn't. What was a good idea and what was a bad idea. It was trial and error, unfortunately, something like a bar shouldn't require a restart, but it was something that was out of his hands.

The lease of the building had been taken over by another person, that decided they should jack the price of the establishment way up and out of reach for anyone. It was clear that there was some sort of other successful competition that saw that Yama was doing rather well and had been doing so for well over eight years now. It was a rather petty move by the mysterious owner of the deed to this place. It was a rather sad attempt to stop him from trying to create a place where people could enjoy one another's company with something they had in common: the love of alcohol.

He'd pay the two mortals with what he was able to come up with, it wasn't anything too crazy. Although, it would be more than enough for the amount of time and effort they actually had to put into to all of this. It was just moving around a few things, after all. For a couple of adventurers, the work labor should have been little to none. However, he wouldn't pull their legs and gimp them on the pay because of it. He needed to keep his name high anyway, it wasn't his fault he wasn't able to pay that outrageous amount of the rent. He'd bow as they would start to depart.

@Hades
@Mal

♚ BERA ♚

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Hades had expected Yama to have been prepared around now. The soft clank of metal heels clicking as she walked brought her around the corner towards where Yama's bar had once been situated. In her hands, she had a bottle of alcohol, exactly what kind of booze or spirit was within was hard to tell, the label or indicator had been cleanly peeled and carved off of the bottle. Her steps were even, unrushed, but most of all she had a blank and empty gaze Yama would no doubt be able to pick out of a crowd as Hades' indifferent gaze.

As if a glance was enough to drop the temperature by around ten degrees, with her attention came a harsh chill that made it hard for some to stand being close to her, but she advanced regardless to watch Yama sifting through the left overs of his life as a bar manager. By Hades' side, a pair of black dogs could be seen. Both looked very similar to each other, with large black bodies, firm and sleek anatomy but there wasn't the faintest hint of color aside from an occasionally slightly lighter then black spot here or there on their bodies. Instead, their eyes were bright orange, flickering like flames they followed along with Hades dutifully not making a lick of noise outside of occasional panting.

"It looks like you're finally all packed up. I'll admit, when I first bought this place, I thought you'd do something irrational like barricade yourself inside or something just as unreasonable." Hades commented looking down on Yama, though her words were spoken monotonously making it difficult to feel her sarcasm, Yama would probably know her personality better then most. "It ended up being more boring then I'd anticipated, I'm not sure if that's good or unfortunate, I'd thought you'd put up more of a fight-- I can't say I'm not glad I'm wrong though I suppose."

However unfortunate, Hades was someone who would monologue endlessly if allowed, the vague contempt she seemed to have for most things was largely obvious, though she treated Yama somewhat gentler compared to others she was harsh on. The reason was the fact that Hades upon coming to this world had been rudely awakened by a truth she found difficult to accept initially. She'd thought, felt through most of her life that she was the one responsible for Hell, the underworld, that it was her design that kept things running smoothly. It was only when Gods and Goddesses began mingling that she discovered there were other designs and Tartarus wasn't the only hell. Yama was like her, a God of hell, only instead of the Tartarus she knew, his domain was the Yellow Springs of Naraku, a place Hades did not know or understand. It was for this reason that there was a sense of kinship and relate-ability.