In order to give Team Wolf Pack plenty of time to rest and focus on their training, the House of Miracles officially closed its doors between the hours of 8 PM and 6 AM. During this time, Vahn would venture outside to treat the Regulars with less severe injuries.
Though it took a considerable amount of focus to restore lost limbs, treat diseases, and remove sequelae, most injuries could be treated without any special attention from Vahn. All he needed to do was place his hand atop someone's head, and, after a bit of theatrics with light-infused Shinsu, they would be fully healed.
As could be expected, Vahn's reputation among the common Regulars had increased drastically in a relatively short period of time. He had even regained his title of 'Godhand' thanks to the efforts of Khun, Gandr, Shibisu, and Nare.
Khun had coordinated with other businesses to spread his good name throughout the entirety of Paradise Bay. As for Gandr and Shibisu, the former enjoyed quite a bit of popularity, so much so that there were certain groups of Regulars who would take everything he said as an intrinsic truth. Shibisu was significantly less popular but this allowed him to easily infiltrate other people's social circles, gathering information and spreading rumors with remarkable ease. As for Nare, she had an easier time than the rest due to the fact she spent most of her time manning the front counter and working as 'mascot' for Vahn's clinic.
Taking advantage of her disarming and relatively cute appearance, Nare was able to gather and disseminate all kinds of information during the brief few minutes when she was cross-referencing a Regular's data with the information they had on file. By simply referring to Vahn as the Godhand to the people with more serious injuries, they would naturally spread the rumor to others.
At this point, most of the members of Team Wolf Pack had earned nicknames for themselves, Nare's being the 'Golden Cherub'. As for the others, they had earned provisional sobriquets such as 'Black Wolf Prince', 'Smiling Blue Demon', and 'Goddess of the Forge'. These obviously belonged to Gandr, Khun, and Phae, but there were also titles such as 'Gentle Giant', 'Violent Lizard', and 'Ghost-Pepper Princess' circulating around in regards to Aleksai, Anak, and, much to her chagrin, Endorsi…
—
While Vahn was busy strengthening his public image, effectively increasing his reserves of power, night had fallen within the Little Garden. This was the most relaxing part of the day for most of Team Wolf Pack, and, though it had lost a bit of its novelty after the first couple of nights, there were still a number of people who gathered beneath the canopy of the World Tree each evening.
Though reason would dictate that the World Tree's canopy would block out the view of the stars, the truth of the matter was that boughs of the massive crystalline tree would become transparent under the cover of night. This allowed the starlight to not only pass through them but, thanks to the crystalline structure of the branches and leaves, the stars seemed to multiply in number. This created the illusion that the night sky was alive, gently swaying in a natural rhythm as the canopy danced under the direction of the wind…
Despite rarely mentioning Rachel over the last two months, Baam couldn't help but think about her every time he looked up at the night sky. He wondered if she was happy being able to witness such a scene each night, but, at the same time, his heart was filled with doubt whenever he remembered that she had betrayed him 'just' to see the stars.
Baam couldn't deny that the stars were exceptionally beautiful, but he didn't think they were worth betraying others just to witness. When he learned they were just giant balls of burning gas floating around in empty space, not something that could simply be 'obtained', Baam felt even less certain about her actions. He couldn't understand why she felt compelled to throw away everything just to witness something that had no real impact on her life. It just didn't make any sense…
Turning his head to the side, Khun noticed the usual conflict in Baam's eyes, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he looked toward the heavens above and said, "If people could understand each other so easily, there wouldn't be any conflict in the world. We all do illogical things at times, so stop letting Rachel's decisions affect you. Even she probably doesn't understand why she was so obsessed with the stars…if I had to guess, she just wanted to be free…that's something most of us can understand, even if our views are fundamentally different from each other's…"
As the desire for freedom was something even he could understand, Baam nodded his head in response to Khun's words. Then, after a long period of silence, he asked, "Do you think it's possible to create a world where everyone is free…?"
Without even needing to think about it, Khun shook his head, disappointing Baam slightly as he answered, "There is no such thing as a perfect world, Baam. Rather, even if there were, most rational people wouldn't want to live in it…I certainly wouldn't. After all, it is our differences that allow us to move forward, grow as people, and have fun. If everyone was exactly the same, the world would be a very lonely and mundane place to live…"
Imagining a world filled with nothing but himself, Baam couldn't help but furrow his brows as an uneasy feeling welled up inside his chest. Such a world would be no different than living alone in a cave; so, while he still wanted to create a world where everyone could be happy, Baam was able to understand a bit of what Khun was trying to convey.
Seeing the slightly incredulous look on his naive companion's face, Khun couldn't help but chuckle as he placed his hands behind his head, smiling as he added, "Don't worry. So long as we continue trying our best to make the world a better place, it will gradually become one. We don't need to fix everything, Baam. We just need to become strong enough to prevent corrupt and malicious people from doing whatever they want…if we work together, I'm certain we can create a better system than the one that currently exists…"
Though he was having trouble understanding Khun's words, a glimmer of resolution could be seen within Baam's eyes the moment he heard the former mention 'working together'. This phrase was always very effective against him, and, though it made him feel a little manipulative at times, Khun didn't hesitate to throw it out whenever he was trying to allay Baam's concerns…
Feeling a little less uncertain about the future, Baam extended his hand towards the stars above, fingers spread as he lightly muttered, "You're right, Mr. Khun…so long as we work together, there isn't anything we can't do…" before clenching his hand into a fist. This caused the blue-haired man at his side to respond with a wry smile, but, rather than refute his own words, he simply extended his hand in much the same manner as Baam, muttering, "Together…" in a light tone…
—
Seeing Khun and Baam hold their hands up while lying next to each other, a sly smile spread across Endorsi's face as she mused, "Those two are totally gonna do it one of these days. I don't care what anyone else says. They're totally gay for each other."
Since he had already heard about Khun's plan to exploit the 'advantages' of being a woman, even Gandr couldn't really refute Endorsi's words. Instead, he just chose to ignore them, rolling his eyes before kicking back and enjoying the evening breeze. He knew this was probably a mistake but he just didn't feel like talking about the 'bromance' between Khun and Baam like they were some kind of exotic animal pairing.
Never one to take being ignored lightly, Endorsi squinted her eyes slightly, glaring at Gandr from the periphery of her vision. She was trying to give him a chance to make a move on her by taking the initiative to invite him out stargazing, but, rather than attend her, he was literally just staring up at the sky like an idiot. This wouldn't have bothered her as much if he was actually dense, but Gandr was easily the most perceptive person in their entire group…
After giving him a full minute to reconsider his decision, Endorsi exhaled audibly through her nose before walking over to where he was lying down. They were currently on the second-floor balcony so he was currently relaxing in a chaise lounge that was designed for sunbathing. It wasn't a piece of furniture that was meant to accommodate two people but this didn't stop Endorsi from taking a seat in his lap, her eyes glowing with a subtle yellow light as she placed her left hand on his chest and said, "You know I hate it when you ignore me…"
Before Endorsi could take things any further, Gandr promptly grabbed her wrist, a warning look in his eyes as he asked, "Have you made your resolve? I understand you feel pressured by the fact that Serra and Jung are joining the team, but I already told you I don't have any feelings for them…don't push yourself…"
Though she was annoyed by his opening statement, Endorsi's irritation waned a bit when she heard the concern in his final few words. She knew that Gandr was genuinely worried about her, and, after catching a glimpse of the little monster he kept sealed beneath his undergarments, she was equally as concerned for herself…
Shaking her head free of lascivious thoughts, Endorsi adopted a serious expression as she stated, "I want you to become my boyfriend. I know you don't want to start a relationship, but you're too big a prize for women to just ignore you. If we make things official, I can at least keep the other girls in our party at bay…come on…I know you like me…you said it yourself back then…"
Realizing there was actually a fair amount of truth within Endorsi's words, Gandr didn't immediately refute them. Instead, he adopted a contemplative expression, releasing his hold on her wrist before ultimately releasing a sigh and saying, "Fine…I'll become your boyfriend…" in a somewhat defeated tone.
Though she would have preferred him to be more excited about it, Endorsi still smiled radiantly in response to Gandr's words. Then, before he could change his mind, a 'dangerous' glimmer flashed across her eyes as she said, "Let me touch your tail." in a tone that made her enthusiasm apparent. She had only ever been allowed to proactively touch his ears in the past; so, while she had snuck a few touches in the past, the thought of being able to stroke and caress Gandr's tail freely made her more than a little excited.
Since he already expected her to make such a demand, Gandr just smiled wryly in response to his new girlfriend's request. Before he could answer her, however, she seemed to misunderstand the look on his face, a not-so-subtle blush developing across her's as she turned her eyes up at him and added, "You can also touch me…just be careful not to scratch me with your nails…"
Though her words were somewhat ambiguous, Endorsi's actions made it very clear what she was allowing him to touch by pulling up the front of her skirt. At the same time, a wave of abnormally powerful pheromones spread through the area, tickling Gandr's senses with a robust fragrance of fruit and the characteristic musk of a beautiful woman. He also felt a sudden rush of heat flow into his body, so, if Endorsi hadn't already awoken her [Champion of Lust], it was very obvious she was about to…
Rather than wait for Gandr to take the lead, an alluring smile spread across Endorsi's face as she adjusted her position, reaching between his legs to grab his tail. This also caused her to caress a certain part of his body, but, other than smiling even more alluringly, she made no comment on it. Instead, she began to rub his tail up and down, eyes glowing like moonlight against the backdrop of stars as she mused, "You look very cute right now…" in a sultry and seductive tone.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Violent Lizard xD…','I'm surprised they didn't start holding hands…','Gandr is about to get Ara Ara'd!? Where is Fenrir (O ^ O)!?')
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