Schwertleite is starting to think that she may have made a terrible mistake.
And everything was going so well before, too!
First things first, actually finding this place didn't turn out to be so hard.
Turns out? That Hildr they mentioned? She was one of Odin's former bodyguards, just like Rossweisse.
Schwertleite thought that name sounded familiar, and it was because she had heard of it before. Hildr was one of the rare few non-Walkures to become a Valkyrie and even ascend further to be chosen by Lord Odin to become his bodyguard.
As a result, even long after she left Odin's service, the other squad members still somewhat look up to her and gossip about what she's up to now.
And that would turn out to be…working here.
The 'Romp Through the Shieldwall.' As a Hostess.
Schwertleite didn't get it. Is there supposed to be a joke here that she's missing?
Regardless, finding out where this place was didn't turn out to be too much of a bother; what did, though, was actually trying to reach the place.
She couldn't just suddenly leave, and neither could those three, it turns out.
Schwertleite swears, everyone gossips and talks so much shit all the time that they forget being a Valkyrie is a job.
So when those three tried to sneak out, and the Valkyrie Squad Captain Brynhildr caught them…
Terrifyingly powerful as Brynhildr is, the only other aspect of her that rivals her power is her professionalism. As such, well, she didn't take their attempts at excuses all that well.
Now, off the job or out of earshot would have been a different matter, but in this case, they weren't getting off the hook.
The Captain is practically forcing those three to work themselves to the bone, even now, doing menial labor tasks and such as she watches, which suits Schwertleite just fine.
It dissuaded her from even thinking about attempting the same thing. Of course, if three fully-grown and realized Valkyrie couldn't get around the Captain's magic, what chance did she have as a Valkyrie-in-training?
That sucks, but still, it give her time after she was relieved of her training and duties for the day, something that would usually be far tighter otherwise, as the times Valkyrie-in-Training and full blown Valkyrie squad members are let off the job aren't far apart.
She knows it's to prepare them for the real job, all that other blah blah blah, but it still couldn't be more annoying in this case!
Anyhow. She felt she had made it in good time, but next came the tricky part.
Finding her.
Getting in without tripping the detection barrier wasn't difficult at all. The magic was pretty old, showing clear neglect, so it was an easy job.
Without anyone showing up there, and presumably to tell her what exactly she was looking at…well, that's where the real tricky part came in.
Schwertleite just ended up sliding up each curtain, starting from those closest to her and going down the line.
She didn't swing them open!
Well, not all of them, anyhow. Just the first one.
She wasn't going to make that mistake again.
When she first came here, she didn't understand the fuss, beyond the fact that couples came here.
Then, when she flung open that first curtain, and all she saw was big hairy man ass pistoning down between the legs of some girl from Alfheim on a table, she figured it out pretty quick.
Thankfully, those two seemed too absorbed in their…date…to notice what she had done, so she was able to throw the curtain back in place and swiftly walk to the next.
Where at, she merely pulled it to the side a little and peeked in.
Now, as she stands under a golden gaze increasingly glowing with the fury of the sun, she'd honestly say she'd prefer the big hairy ass to this.
Seriously, who is this guy with Rossweisse, and why does it feel his glare alone will turn her to ash!?
"I asked you a question." He abruptly snapped, as she just continued to gaze, a cold shiver running up her back, "I'm expecting an answer, or I'll assume the worst."
Geez, this guy…!
Quickly now, Schwertleite gulped and stepped forward, closing the curtain behind her so nothing they said would leak out.
Or do. Like being turned into paste. Hopefully, though, it won't come to that.
After all, she is here for a very good reason!
His gaze snapped between her and the curtain as she did, and he raised an eyebrow in askance.
Then, his eyes started to shift-
Danger screamed throughout her entire body, and almost on reflex, she held up her hands in surrender. "W-Wait! Don't! Do whatever that is! Okay!? I don't want any trouble!"
His eyes narrow but halt mid-shift, reverting to normal-looking eyes a moment later.
"Uh-huh." The guy huffs, clearly not buying it entirely, "You are a little young to be just any voyeur, I guess..."
Voyeur? She is not a voyeur!
His eyes trail up and down her form now that she's revealed, but notably, not in a perverted way, despite the way the Valkyrie uniform is designed; it's purely observational.
Realization glints in those eyes before he smirks, "You're a Valkyrie, huh?" He asks, already knowing the answer, obviously, yet she nods along, quickly confirming it regardless, "So then, a voyeur, plus a valkyrie…" he muses aloud, "what would that be, a Voyalkyrie?"
Now, hold on!
…Is what she would like to say, not just think.
But the further along she stands her, the more and more she feels something pricking at the edges of her senses, growing stronger.
A divine presence. Here.
Sure, Walkure are Half-Gods, but they only get the classification by a technicality. They don't truly possess any divine powers like, say, an actual Norse God, like Lord Odin or Lord Thor.
She knows the 'scent' of divine power well. She's been in the presence of Lord Odin and was there when Lady Freyja came to visit Valhalla.
Now, not the same 'scent,' but something almost adjacent to it, is growing right before her.
Coming straight from him.
This guy, he looks Eastern; they weren't wrong about that, he doesn't look from here at all…
Yet this power, is he a…?
All of a sudden, he sighs and shrugs, "Man, it's no fun if you don't react, Voyalkyrie."
She felt her eyebrow twitch and watched as his gaze caught it, and his smirk grew a fraction larger.
"Alright then, Voyalkyrie," she's not- "go on. Explain yourself. This is the second time I'm reminding you to do so; if I have to do a third, well…" he points to his eyes, "I'll force an explanation out of you."
Schwertleite isn't sure how he intends to do that and would really rather not find out.
Gritting her teeth, with indignation at the insult and fear at the clear threat, she forces out a breath, "I came…to warn you. To warn her." She specified, gaze falling pointedly on Rossweise, or where she thinks she is anyways, as she couldn't see her anymore beyond her unmoving legs from under and passed the bench.
The guy's gaze shifted, his head turning back to look down at the girl who fell between his legs barely even a minute or so ago, before turning back to her.
"Did you now?" He asked, curiosity piqued, yet she could tell he still didn't fully buy it.
That's okay; this guy probably doesn't even know, but Rossweisse would.
Schwertleite nodded, resolute, "A few members from the Valkyrie Squad, they caught wind of her being here, they're going to come after work. Come crash…all of this." She waves toward them.
His gaze immediately sharpened.
Ah, now she's got his full attention.
Yet, the next words she hears aren't his.
"...Who? Who are they?"
Even the guy is caught off guard as he perks up and turns back toward the voice.
Rossweisse's legs finally move as she stands up, gently pulling the guy's other slightly glowing hand off her head as she does so.
Wait, glowing?
Rossweisse nods at him, flashing him a small, grateful smile, seemingly thankful, before she looks over him and toward her.
Is it wrong that her heart skips a beat a little when her eyes fall on her, and recognition fills them?
"Wait a minute, you…?" Rossweisse starts, in slight disbelief, "We've met before, haven't we? I-It's been a little while, but you…" Her eyes glimmer, and she perks up. "Schwertleite, right?"
Schwertleite feels like she might faint.
"You couldn't use offensive magic," Rossweisse continued, "so you specialized in support magic, but to fight, you also learned Norse-style magic fencing, am I correct?"
Schwertleite nodded. Rapidly. Several times.
Meanwhile, the guy looked between the two of them, a deadpan look on his face as if he wanted to interrupt and say, 'Really? You two are doing this now?'
Rossweisse smiled, pleased. "How's that been going for you?"
"P-Pretty good!" Schwertleite swiftly confirmed, "But then again, of course it did. Y-You recommended it for me after all…" she went on, growing far quieter with each word.
Rossweisse blinked at her, unable to hear her by the end.
The guy also blinked, and then he smiled.
He had heard her, somehow, she knew it!
Stupid god bullshit senses! That is a thing, isn't it?
Whatever!
"A-Anyway!" Schwertleite coughed, clearing her throat and getting away from…all that, before she started getting flustered, "The squad members that were on their way here…"
Rossweisse's gaze sharpened. "Right, yes. Do you know who they are?"
She nodded, eager to get a move on, "I got their names but pretty much nothing else." She answered, sounding a little ashamed or disappointed in herself now that she's saying that out loud.
After all, she did have some time, maybe she could have-
"That's fine!" The voice of her former senior Valkyrie cuts through her thoughts, "The names are more than enough." She gives a reassuring smile.
Schwertleite couldn't help but send her a small smile back herself, "Well, alright…Ortlinde, Grimgerde, and Helmwige, that's the three."
With each name, Rossweisse's expression fell and fell, until her smile was replaced a near dead and tired stare.
"I see," Rossweisse responded after a moment, her voice simmering with suppressed rage, so much so that Schwertleite flinched, and the guy looked up toward her former senior, concern clearly visible across his face.
"Rose…?" The guy asked quietly, and Rossweisse merely sighed.
"I don't think I ever really got into the details, and I won't, for now, but…" She began with a grimace. "To put it plainly? Out of most of the Valkyrie Squad, those three were probably the worst when it came to, well…"
Schwertleite saw fit to finish her senior's words for her, "Everything. Like, literally everything. They're insufferable bitches, somehow each in their own unique way."
Rose flashed her an uneasy smile. "That is one way to put it, yes."
"Huh." The guy blinked. "So, like Norse Mean Girls, then?" He…observed?
Honestly, Schwertleite wasn't sure what he was yapping about now, and judging by the eyebrow raise her senior flashed him, she didn't know either.
"Sure?" Her senior eventually, tentatively, agreed with him, which the guy smiled at, and gave her a thumbs up.
"Alright then!" He began, wrapping his arms around Rossweisse's waist.
"E-Eh? Nori-EEEP!" Her senior squeaked, actually squeaked, as the guy, Nori, stood up, bringing her with him.
He got off the bench, carrying Rossweisse with him, before turning completely toward her and setting down the older silver-haired girl.
"A bunch of bullies then, ya?" He continued, stretching arms, right then left, in that order, "I can take care of 'em easy. Just give me 10- no, 5 minutes. If that. I'll extract an apology from them for you, then we can be on our way to whatever we wanna do next." He eyed Rossweisse, giving her a happy-looking grin, yet underneath it all…
The room suddenly felt suffocatingly hot.
And not in a lewd way, either!
She means that literally.
Abruptly, that same 'scent' of divine power thickened to an all-time high; she could feel the neglected magic around them, in this little quartered off area, in the curtain, begin to buckle as if being bent.
If this keeps up? In seconds, the entire array of spells around them would collapse, and then-
"Noriaki." Her senior's voice cut through it all once more, albeit this time, far more harshly and scoldingly.
Schwertleite then found herself gasping for breath, coughing and hacking on her knees.
When…when did she fall to her knees!?
She looked up and found her senior glaring up at Nori-or Noriaki now, she guessed.
In Rossweisse's hand was a magic circle of her own design and make, spinning and glowing its vibrant purple hue, but unfortunately, Schwertleite didn't have the luxury to stare and goggle at the craftsmanship. Not right now.
Around Noriaki? Now she could see it. A golden divine glow, like a mist of honey venting off his form and into the air, pure divine power released unbridled.
So he is a God, then!?
Of course, her senior would go and bag herself a God, wouldn't she?
Out of everyone back in that stupid squad, Schwertleite can say for certain that Rossweisse deserves such a guy in her corner.
Still, she wonders what exactly he's the God of?
Banishing the thought for now, Noriaki continues looking down at Rossweisse, his smile never even slipping.
"...Yes?" He answers her slowly, like he isn't doing anything in particular and is confused by her tone.
"Watch it," Rossweisse warns, her glare turning into one of concern, "if you keep this up, you'll bring the entire building down."
"Hmm, will I?" Noriaki hums, uncaring, "Gonna have to be honest with ya, Rose. I don't care about the building."
What!? This guy…!
Rossweisse looked rightfully appalled, "E-Eh!? But the fines…the fees!"
Yeah! Wait.
Did she just say something about fines?
"Meh. I can pay for it." Noriaki waved her off.
Why is that the thing these two are focused on!?
"Besides," he continued, before her senior could bring up something more important, hopefully, "the way I see it? The only way those girls could have found we were here is if someone told them. And unless it was that random Dad playing with his son outside, it can only be one other person whom we met, and who would even have the connection likely to pull something like this anyway."
"Hildr…" Rose slumped slightly as she murmured her name, disappointment clear in her voice.
"The Hostess." Noriaki nods, "Yeah, exactly. So. Fuck this place. If what the Voyalkyre over there said is true," for real, she's not- "then I don't wanna pay a dime. And I especially won't be leaving a tip for such a petty bitch."
Rossweisse let out a long, low sigh, "I understand, Nori…but there are other people that work here, other than her. Destroying the place is just going to inconvenience everyone…and barely at that." She waved her hand. "It's not like it'd take very much magic to restore the place anyway."
There we go! A reasonable concern!
Noriaki blinked at her, "...Wait, if wouldn't do much, then whats this talk about fines?"
Rossweisse gave a pained grimace. "For destroying property," she elaborates further, "I remember hearing about them all the time from Lord Thor, how they put even him in debt for a time."
…Okay, maybe the fines were more reasonable a concern, sheesh.
Noriaki's blink once more was far longer and was followed up with his eyes widening slightly.
It took a few seconds, but his misty aura of divine power radiating from him slowly evaporated away as he crossed his arms, giving her a small pout, "...Alright, fine. I won't torch the place.
Her magic circle spun out soon afterward, and the older silver-haired girl flashed him a grateful smile. "Thank you."
"I'm still gonna beat the tar out of those bullies." He added shortly thereafter.
Rossweisse holds up a finger to him, "Actually, please…allow me to handle them?"
Noriaki perks up. "Wait, really?" He looks at her pointedly. "Are you sure?"
Reaching up, tenderly, Rossweisse puts her hand against his cheek, and gives him a resolute nod and smile, "I'm sure. I don't know how exactly I want go about handling them yet, but…" her smile turns a tad bit more machevious, "I have a few ideas, I think!"
Noriaki smiled back at her, yet for some reason, Schwertleite couldn't help but notice that it seemed more…strained? Wait, no, worried?
Why would he be worried about a smile?
"Well…ah, alright then!" Noriaki reached up, grasping her hand with his, "I'll be right here, by your side, if you need anything."
Rossweisse merely smiles back at him, her face flushing an adorable shade of pink.
Really, Schwertleite couldn't be gladder that after leaving, her former senior wound up in a place far better around here.
Truly, she deserves it.
Schwertleite didn't notice, but all of a sudden, she found herself smiling at the scene.
"Oh, ya." Noriaki suddenly looked over Rossweisse's shoulder at her and raised an eyebrow. "Almost forgot you were here, Voyalkyre. You doing alright over there?"
That is, of course, until she got pointed out by him!
With a huff, Schwertleite got back up on her feet. "Just…peachy."
Noriaki then proceeded to flash her a thumbs-up. "Neat." His gaze flickered back down to Rossweisse, who was staring at him expectantly, prompting him to give an exaggerated sigh. "Oh yeah. Also, sorry for blasting you with my divine aura earlier. I got a little… excited? Yeah, let's call it that."
Schwertleite grumbled to herself. Such nonchalance. A God, even if his words and the 'scent' of his aura didn't give it away. How troublesome.
Well, she can't truly fault him for it since it was for Rossweisse and all, but still, how troublesome.
"It's fine, I suppose." She waved him off.
"Good, now then," he pauses, clicking his tongue while looking at her, "You just gonna stand there, or…?"
Schwertleite blinked.
Oh yeah, what is she going to do now?
Logically? She should just leave. Her entrance was bad enough; give the two lovebirds their time to do whatever.
There's also the risk that if she stays and gets spotted by those three, work would suddenly become a living hell.
Literally.
Unless her senior plans to kill them.
But somehow, Schwertleite doesn't expect she'll go that far.
Though Schwertleite certainly wouldn't mind, and somehow, she didn't think her godly boyfriend would care either.
Yet, despite all the risk?
Schwertleite can't help but feel like running away.
She looked back toward her senior's godly boyfriend, her mind made up and resolute.
"I'd like to stay, please."
Noriaki narrowed his eyes back at her, but ultimately, he merely sighed, looking toward Rossweisse, "Well, it's Rose's show for now. So, you think the Voyalkyre here would be able to help?"
Somehow, someway, she will find a way to get this god back for him tainting her with such a vulgar nickname!
It doesn't help that her senior isn't even trying to defend her either, as the older silver-haired girl doesn't even comment as she looks her way, humming in thought.
After a moment, Rossweisse's eyes sparkle, and she smiles.
"Actually…yes, yes, she could."
Schwertleite shivers.
Okay. Now she's starting to understand why her boyfriend looked a little worried earlier!
Just what does her senior have in mind for her former squadmates?