Once Ceraunius arrived in the kitchen, Noin and Ryana were just getting started with their efforts, still yawning as they prepared ingredients.
"Oh my, what's the matter with you two?" Ceraunius said with a light chuckle, managing to ignore the yawn completely. He was wearing his adventuring gear, and smelled freshly washed, a rather nice smell to the two.
"Huh? Oh, Ceraunius, uh… Uhm, well… Hey, did you use your own soap? It smells different than last night."
"Soap? Oh, yeah, last night I used a scented soap, it helps to calm Gamelia and I down a bit. It lets us sleep a little better, without the need of becoming one."
"Becoming one… OH!" Noin expressed and then went back to chopping up fresh vegetables.
"Pfft, you're all so funny when it comes to discussing the love between lovers." Ceraunius smiled. "It's nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. That only makes it more embarrassing." He added.
"I'm not embarrassed." Ryana protested, despite the mild blush she wore on her cheeks. "Rather, what are you doing here, it's not your turn to make breakfast?"
"About that, since I'm leaving today with my wife, I figured it would be a good idea to leave everyone with a meal, and some additional things, ones you can take with you to the dungeon." He smiled. "I can also give you a few tips if you like. Otherwise, if you don't want me to help, I can go. I think Ryuu needs a little talking to anyway, probably still just as red as Alise's hair." He chuckled.
"Why would she be that red?"
"I think she misunderstood what warming up meant… Elves sure are just like how Zeus said they were, the most perverted race."
"Pfft, don't be too hard on her, she's still young." Noin said with a small smirk seeing the target of the discussion right behind Ceraunius, along with Astraea.
"I won't, I find that a balance in all things is often best. In her case a light touch guiding her in the right direction is for the best."
"H-h-hard…. L-l-light t-t-touch…. HAND HOLDING!!!! EEP!" Ryuu started squeaking behind Ceraunius.
He turned around with a kind smile, and simply patted Ryuu's head with a couple plops, and then a short rub.
"You're just too funny, Ryuu. Holding hands with your lover is just the start." Ceraunius laughed. "With how embarrassed you are like that, I'm curious what else you think would be steamy." He added, removing his hand from her head.
Ryuu just stood there, putting her hands on her head and crouching down to the floor, having a mild panic attack as her brain went a mile a second until she realized that Ceraunius' hand didn't feel lewd to her.
"Little Cera, I should thank you for this morning." Lady Astraea giggled, with a hand curled into a loose fist covering her smiling lips. "It'd been so long since I got the chance to hug my child like that. She's so adorable, squeaking like that."
"I'm not sure if I should say you're welcome, or not… I didn't really do anything, I think it was all her." Ceraunius smiled. "After all, when she realized that her thoughts were too much for her to bear, where did she go to seek comfort?" He added, pointing right at Astraea. "You, because you've proven yourself worthy to be trusted in such a way." He chuckled, seeing Ryuu tremble with a child-like embarrassment.
"So, are you helping with breakfast?" Astraea asked.
"If those two will let me." He smiled.
Ryuu jumped up with a smile. "Ceraunius is going to cook for us again!?" She was excited, knowing what it was like before… Then she paused as everyone had arrived, and just barely been managing to keep their laughter in until this very moment.
"I guess I should help out. Can't very well disappoint my little sister now can I?" He chuckled, giving her a couple more headpats before going into the kitchen. "Now then, here we go. The secret to cooking good food… Is to treat it like a battle you must win! A battle you fight with loved ones at your side. And to treat each ingredient the way it wants to be prepared. So…" He started explaining, with a whole lot of extremely interested young women practically staring at what he was doing. "Alright, here we go…"
What came next was a flurry of movements they could scarcely perceive, all except for Gamelia and Astraea, the latter being incredibly curious at how he did everything.
And like always, eventually the food was finished, but there was something odd, a few stacks of leaf wrapped items off to the side.
"Hey, Ceraunius, if this is breakfast, then what is all of that?"
"Oh, those are rations. They're the one thing I know for a fact I cook far better than Zald."
"How do you know that?"
He gave a knowing smirk, and chuckled. "I remember the day he said it himself…: "Hey boy! Keep this up, and you'll be better than me" He said to me, then he tried one of these rations and then "Boy, these are better than mine…" He uttered." Ceraunius smiled.
"That must have felt good." Ryana said, grabbing one of the rations with a curious look.
"It is one of my proudest moments in my life. More than any level up." He said putting the ration Ryana had grabbed back into the stack.
"Huh? When did you?"
"If you eat that now, you won't be able to eat breakfast. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"Nope, definitely not!!!"
"Good, then let everyone eat."
Breakfast was had, the ladies had a bath after the meal, and Ceraunius cleaned the dishes. He didn't mind, it was therapeutic, and good dexterity and agility training… Well, only if one knew how to do it. It was this action which proved the difference between Zeus and Hera familias from everyone else. The reason why, at a time where the average was what the current high end was, they were a cut above the rest. The truest cream of the crop so to speak… They lived, and breathed improving themselves, with every single action they took.
Gamelia and the girls were finished in the bath, which resulted in Noin and Ryana being a little embarrassed once they realized what they had accidentally said earlier… The scentless soap meant they liked Ceraunius' natural smell.
"Lady Astraea, Sisters, stay safe, we'll make our return shortly. Cera." Gamelia smiled.
Ceraunius gathered power and created a handful of bolts, each chose the Astraea member of their choice.
"We don't know if anyone will be bold enough to attack you. Use these against any enemy you can not deal with. Unleash the power of the sky, its fury, and might upon the foolish ones who'd dare to harm justice." He said with a focused glance at each and every member, and finally Astraea, before both turned and disappeared in a bolt of lightning dancing through the sky.
""That's one way to travel…""
…