The pesky twins

It was the vice-captain's first time witnessing Anthanasia display such fervor towards another person. The sight was so startling that he had to blink a couple of times to confirm it was indeed happening. 

Laurel had always suspected Hael and Anthanasia had a good rapport, but he never fathomed they would be this intimately connected. 

Though Trojas was an open-minded nation, people still held rather traditionalist views on how men and women should interact with each other. Times had certainly changed, and men and women could share close bonds without external feelings involved, but it was still a surprising sight to the older man who had always believed that Anthanasia was one of those traditional people. 

She kept her interactions with her male colleagues to a minimum and only associated herself with them when necessary. 

"What are you doing here?" She exclaimed, bringing Laurel out of his thoughts. 

"I had a day off and wanted to spend time with you." He said. 

The smile on her face grew. "So you were intending to keep your promise. How kind of you." She joked. 

Laurel was taken aback when he heard this. Was this truly the same Anthanasia who once believed that making jokes was beneath her?

Hael shook his head. "I always keep my word." 

Anthanasia's eyes then travelled to his shoulder, where a bird who hadn't spoken a word since she got here sat perched on it. 

"Hello Loki. It's nice to see you as well." She greeted him. 

Loki turned his head to face her, and the huntress could've sworn she saw his eyes narrow at her. "Why does this bird seem more and more human every time I see it?" she wondered. 

"Are you going somewhere?" Hael asked as he noticed the gear and hunting equipment she had on her person. 

Anthanasia looked down and realized that she was, in fact, on her way to another hunt. Her smile disappeared as she let out a sigh. 

"Yes, unfortunately, you caught me at a bad time. I've been requested to hunt a neryan beast in the mountains, " she said. 

A flash of disappointment appeared in Hael's eyes before disappearing. "I see. I should've checked with you beforehand." He said dejectedly. 

"No, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known I would be leaving. If only there were a way for us to communicate with each other quickly and efficiently in these situations…" She said. 

Laurel, who had been standing on the side, long abandoned, glanced between them, their faces dejected. It was like looking at two little children told they couldn't play together anymore. The sight made the vice-captain deeply uncomfortable, and he couldn't help speaking out. 

"Why don't you join Anthanasia on her mission then?" He suggested. 

Anthanasia's head shot up as she stared at the vice-captain with wide eyes. 

"What? But that's not allowed since Hael isn't a huntsman and cannot participate in missions." She said. 

A look of realization took over Laurel's face before an idea popped to mind. "Actually, there are certain exceptions where a non-member can participate in a mission as long as it's under the pretext of 'aiding' a hunter. Since Hael is technically still sponsored by the guild, Captain Elias wouldn't mind making an exception." He said. 

"Oh, you're right!" She exclaimed. She then turned to look at Hael, who had a puzzled expression. 

Her smile returned, and she couldn't help laughing at his innocent expression. 

"What do you say, Hael? Want to join me? It shouldn't take more than a day to hunt?" 

Hael contemplated whether or not he should join her. On one hand, he missed her presence and wished to spend time with her, and the thought of going up the mountains intrigued him. On the other hand, he didn't like being away from Ceremus for too long. It made him feel unsettled. He wanted nothing more than to return to the king and apologize for their strange incident. 

Despite not knowing the exact reasons, he knew Ceremus was upset with him and wanted to know why. 

As he struggled to make a choice, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud squeal. 

The group turned to look at where the sound came from, and the moment Anthanasia and Laurel's eyes landed on the source, their faces immediately drained of color. The vice-captain already brought a hand to his temples as he messaged the area that was already throbbing. 

The guild's most notorious twins stood frozen in a spot as their eyes widened with awe and shock. "I-Is that the infamous Ultimate Warrior?!" Helena shouted at the top of her lungs. 

Her loud shriek made Loki jump up, frazzling his pristine feathers. 

"It is! It really is!" Helia yelled as she jumped up and down. 

The other members who were walking by rolled their eyes as they quickly scurried out of the way, not wanting to be caught up in their shenanigans. 

Anthanasia let out a low groan as the two finally approached, and the vice-captain took it as his cue to leave. 

"So this is what the warrior looks like in person!" They said in unison, their eyes sparkling with excitement. 

Hael looked down at the sudden intruders and didn't know how to act. They were two bundles of raw energy jumping around him like he was a shiny new toy they had just discovered. For some reason, their antics reminded Hael of Ria; she always bounced around him whenever he was around. 

"Hael, meet the twins—Helia and Helena." Anthanasia introduced them. 

The young man nodded his head in greeting. "It's nice to meet you guys." He said softly. 

"Likewise!" Helena replied. Her gaze turned to Loki, who regarded them with weary eyes. 

"Is this your bird?" She asked. 

"Yes, this is Loki."

"We know! We met him the last time he came with Anthanasia. We had fun playing with him last time, but I don't think he likes us very much." Helia said as she reached out to touch Loki's head. 

The bird skillfully dodged her touch, nuzzling himself in the crook of Hael's neck instead. This act surprised Hael as he furrowed his brows. Loki wasn't usually one to avoid or shy away from people, yet it seemed like the bird wanted nothing to do with these girls. What kind of things did they get into last time? 

Anthanasia gave him an apologetic smile as she explained the previous incident. 

She had momentarily left the bird alone while she went to speak to the Captain, and when Anthanasia came back, she saw the girl harassing Loki as he flew away from them. She knew the twins didn't mean any harm, but it was still a horrifying sight to witness. 

"I see. They are a rather…lively bunch." He managed to say. 

The huntress sighed. "They're a bunch of rascals. No need to put it nicely for their sake." 

"Hey! That is not a very nice thing to say." Helia retorted. 

"Yeah, not to mention we're right here," Helena added. 

"That was the whole point. You guys were meant to hear it. Anyways, don't you have someplace to be?" She asked them. 

The two flinched when they heard this. They were very late and had been supposed to meet with Captain Elias ten minutes earlier. 

"R-Right, I guess we should get going," Helia said. 

The two girls prepared to exit when an evil smile appeared on Helia's face. She pulled on Anthanasia's arm, bringing her down to her level as she whispered into her ears. 

"Everyone says you and the warrior are romantically involved. Is that true?" 

Anthanasia's eyes widened at her words. "Of course not!" She exclaimed. "We're just friends."

Helia let out an evil cackle. "Right, silly me. Of course, you are not involved. How could a man that pretty wants to slum it up with such a bore like yourself?" She joked. 

Her comment resulted in a smack at the back of her head by the huntress. She already knew the minute Helia showed up that she would pull something like this. 

"You better watch that mouth of yours if you know what's good for you." She warned her. 

Helia stuck out her tongue in retaliation. "That is what you get for beating me black and blue during our last spar." 

"And you better believe I'll do it again. Now get out of my sight before I report you to the Captain." 

The twins didn't have to be told twice as they ran off, but not before saying their goodbyes to Hael and Loki. The huntress ran her fingers through her hair as she let out an exhausted breath. "I swear those girls…Just like a storm." 

The young man smiled as his eyes glimmered with amusement. 

"Shall we head out then?" He suggested. 

Anthanasia threw him a lazy smile. "Let's."