Ares took a trip to the core area to go and pick up Yulo. He was allowed in by the elders manning the gates as his mug was memorised by everyone in the sect without question and that went double, if not triple, for the elders. Although Ares shouldn't have been here really, he had free reign to go basically wherever he pleased... Other than the treasury because who knows how much havoc he would wreak in there... Yulo happened to not be in the sect master's residence as of the time Ares visited so he didn't get to sneak a peek at his own future house, unfortunately. As for where Yulo was, there existed a sort of sect headquarters in which logistical elders slaved away to keep the sect up and running. The finances of the sect, as well as any other miscellaneous odd jobs, were all taken care of in this building. Apparently there were a few interesting characters that resided here but Ares was on a one track course to Yulo so he didn't spot any of them.

After a bit of searching Ares eventually found the man he was looking for... Or rather he was found by the man he was looking for. Yulo had foreseen this encounter and came to meet him head on. Ares didn't even have to explain himself because his future self had already done it. Convenient! As for how it all worked, what with Ares not saying it now leading to a different future than the one predicted, Ares decided not to question it. Yulo's magic was pretty incredible even when compared to other prophets and there was a reason he was considered one of the best, if not outright the best, of his generation. Anywho, Yulo had originally been hesitant to come along but, when he found out that Ares' food was actually really good thanks, once again, to his magic, he figured the trade was worth it. All he had to do was dig around in Bellona's magical future a bit and that was a menial task he could get over and done with quickly. Plus it aided his cultivation, even if not by much, so any chance to escape from the drudgery of his workload for a bit was more than welcome. As an aside, Rud was not present and thus not invited. There would be no food poisoning today. Supposedly, according to Yulo, he was practicing his new Echoes pressure trick that Ares invented.

By the time the two returned to Ares' house, the food was finally ready. Ares made sure to go call Skyzo and check if he was busy or not but Ares seemed to have arrived at the perfect moment. Skyzo'd just finished mocking up the art but not yet started the creation process so he could leave it on the side for now. He would be back as soon as he was done with his meal though, there was no question about that.

Now that Skyzo was out and about Calla made sure to gather all of her cubs and take a good ten or so pictures. She wasn't quite satisfied just yet but she didn't want to hold up anyone from their long-awaited meals. Calla relented and Ares was free to serve everyone their food. As for what everyone had...

The matriarchs: Ares had already served them their favourites yesterday so he just made them all a casserole to share today... Except for Calla who was more than happy to just eat more meat again. This silly woman could probably eat meat every day for the rest of her life if no one stopped her. Still, watching her chow down with gusto while wagging her grey tail was fulfilling so Ares couldn't bring himself to say no to her. Rather than tailor their mains, Ares opted to give them their favourite desserts today instead! After all, Ares had already promised Calla a rhubarb crumble today regardless. As for the others, Serene got a fresh fruit salad, Margaret some coffee bread pudding, and Rhea rich chocolate brownies. As they chewed away they seemed to come to an agreement to go visit the patisserie they mentioned last time at some point tomorrow before the start of the matches. If they could get some quality snacks to feast on while they watched the fights then what could possibly be better? Of course, naturally, Rhea was going to send Sadie on a mission to find alcohol too... But that was to be expected.

Terros and Mako: Weren't here yet but Ares had some stuff prepped for them. In particular Ares had made the floating rock the charcuterie board he was hankering for last time. It was mostly as thanks for the aid he was promising Ares back in the outside world but also because it wasn't exactly hard to make either. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Terros though. The good most definitely came with the bad as Ares had, completely unprompted, decided that Terros' favourite dessert, and the one Ares had giddily made for him with a devilish smile on his face all the while, was rocky road... Ares still had more than a few rock-food puns in store for the guy if it ever came down to that, including, but not limited to, brockoli, minestone soup, and stuffed peb-bell peppers. Why Terros supported this idiot was anyone's guess.

As for Mako, Ares had made him some black forest gateau to serve as an apology of sorts for duping him... Again... This guy was way too easy to mislead and far too trusting. Him being a good natured samaritan was not what Ares had expected considering everything he'd heard about the guy but an overly simple and somewhat aggressive elf was what he got. As far as duty bound comrades went, he was the perfect target to alleviate some of Ares' boredom on if and when Terros chose not to get in the way by alerting Mako to Ares shenanigans. Anyway, the gateau would hopefully shut Mako up and halt his whining when he returned. Of course there was some more bacon and lentil soup too. This guy had this stuff day in day out so he wasn't going to be dissatisfied with having more so soon. Actually he'd probably be quite pleased knowing Ares had made him a batch of the stuff. Again, if Ares was going to spend a long time with this clown he at least needed to keep him on somewhat good terms. If Ares just relentlessly bullied and teased Mako with no recompense he would probably get frustrated after a while. It had been some time since Ares needed to balance out the scales and prevent anyone from going mad over his antics but Mako fit the bill and needed some de-escalation after the continuous wild goose chases Ares had sent the poor guy on. Not that Mako wouldn't benefit from the pagoda in his own way, though. He'd also left willingly and of his own volition so, really, who's fault was it actually?... Definitely still Ares'...

Eagerton: Black truffle pasta with creamy mushroom sauce. Yeah, the posh guy liked the expensive stuff. He was incredibly lucky Ares happened to have some on hand because he'd been experimenting with them as of late. Ares didn't have much to spare but he did have enough for this one dish. Ares also provided some wine and, for some inexplicable reason, a candle that the crazy bastard wanted for the sake of mood lighting. Whatever. At least Eagerton ate in peace. He did pull out a napkin from who knows where, and he did stop occasionally to jot down various notes, but he didn't disturb anyone else so Ares paid him no mind. With pen and fork in hand, Eagerton was most definitely enjoying himself and so Ares had nothing else to do here other than walk away.

Edgerton: Squid ink pasta. The irony of both brothers liking black pasta dishes for their own highly thematic reasons was not lost on Ares. The poshness of truffles and the edgy-ness of black food for Edgerton... Ares could have seen this coming from a mile away if he'd thought about it for even a second. Still, if Ares was already making one pasta dish, adding another to the equation was quick and easy... Not that making pasta in the first place was 'easy'. Still, by hook or by crook Ares would manage. When he was hosting a banquet Ares was not to be trifled with!... Actually, Edgerton did also request a chocolate trifle but that was neither here nor there. Ares was not to be trifled with and his trifles were most certainly not trifling! It's also worth noting that, like his brother, Edgerton couldn't resist honing his craft at the dinner table. He was writing down lyrics for his new serenade... And if the amount of pages was any indication this was going to be a real snooze fest lasting anywhere upwards of ten minutes. To each their own and whatnot but surely this was excessive? Wouldn't being tied up and forced to listen to this guy's greatest hits on max volume be considered cruel and unusual punishment? It would definitely never end, at least... Ares didn't know if this guy was composing music or a rhythmic audiobook...

Yulo: Mystery dish. This one was more about the fun factor than anything else. Yulo knew it was coming, and he knew it tasted good, but he didn't know what it was specifically. See Ares felt bad for the guy always being spoiled on any and all upcoming events so Ares took matters into his own omnipotent hands. To put it simply, Ares' dish was some manner of soup mixed with disintegration magic. The magic amount used was light enough to feel like nothing more than a spicy kick but also enough to snuff out any of Yulo's attempts to peek into the dish before he tried it. He knew it existed and the taste was great, sure, but what was inside the murky blackness? No amount of foresight would ever tell him! And neither would Ares! For the rest of Yulo's life, this surprise dish would never be known to him or anyone else. What was truly in there? What contents littered this black creation? Your guess was as good as Yulo's! The all-knowing and all-seeing Yulo had met his match in this dish and he was quite content with the outcome. It tasted good and this was a rare experience. He knew it was coming but that didn't make it any less special and so he was grateful to Ares for the unique situation he was in.

Knowing everything took the unpredictability out of Yulo's life and often left him feeling somewhat bored. A dish like this was perfect to alleviate some of that boredom and, for once, his brain actually got a chance to think about something other than just picking the correct route through life over and over. Actually, one of his wives had done something similar years ago by hiding the dish from him. She blindfolded Yulo and made him eat the food none-the-wiser as to what he was chewing on. To this day he still didn't know what was in that dish either so this was somewhat nostalgic. What really threw Yulo for a loop, though, was the presence of a tiny umbrella in his drink that he hadn't known about even with his future-telling magic! Clearly Ares' disintegration was capable of fending off Yulo's foresight to some extent. It wasn't quite there yet but, one day, maybe he could actually surprise Yulo with relative ease. That would be nice! Bring a bit of spark back into his life and so on. Yulo wasn't too taken aback though, this was a fundamental pillar he was going up against after all. No amount of prodigious-ness was going to allow him to prevail over Ares and that was a nice change of pace. Being the uncontested top dog all day every day got a little old for Yulo who was lacking any challenge in his life.

Zhang: Steak and potatoes. Simple. It was a dish he regularly cooked for himself and there were no twists or turns here, he just really like the flavour. The steak was medium well and he was well and truly pleased with the high quality. Apparently, a long time ago, he'd been on his way back from grocery shopping to buy the ingredients for this exact dish when he came across Allie and decided to take her in. That was just one of many memories he had that were associated with steak though and going through them all would turn into a laundry list. The only other one of note was that he had steak recently when he met up with his wives again for the first time in a while. They knew it was definitely him and not an imposter the second he ordered his usual same old same old.

Verv: Vindaloo. A real thrill seeker this one. Ares wasn't even sure if the guy was enjoying the taste or the pain more but he seemed happy enough either way... Ares had come to the conclusion Verv was the kind of person who thrived in adversity and actively sought to make his life harder at every conceivable opportunity. If it wasn't a battle, Verv wasn't interested. Clearly that extended to his food choices too as he asked Ares at one point if he had any live lobsters he could fight to the death with before eating the thing. Not that it would have been much of a fight normally but, before Ares could even answer in the negative, Verv promised to wrestle against the fella using nothing but his pinkie finger to make it fair. For what it was worth, Scar let Ares know that Verv really did enjoy the taste of the curry regardless of the spice. There were spicier foods out there but Verv had a soft spot for this particular dish otherwise he wouldn't have asked Ares to make it. As per usual, there was a fully functioning 'human' under his bizarre berserk side... And Ares sincerely hoped things would stay as they were because one of Verv's many gigantic swords was placed a few inches away from him and leaning ominously against a wall. Ares feared the second he turned his back this madman would start swinging for the fences. Homerun? More like home-none by the time this guy was done. Thankfully Scar was due-diligently monitoring the beasty's rationality and sanity. Speaking of...

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Scar: Barbecued meat. Barbecued pork, beef, chicken, etc... You would think given his monk aesthetic he would opt for vegetarian dishes but apparently a craving for meat ran in the family. Ares happened to be pretty partial to the stuff too so he could see why... Actually, so was Bellona... She was also having some beef patties in burger buns. She didn't have burgers yesterday specifically so she could save them for today when Ares was whipping out his barbecue tools. Clever girl! Burgers and milkshake... She was having the time of her life today especially after clearing everything up. Ares had spoiled her rotten and even made some crinkle cut wedges and homemade barbecue sauce just for her. For the first time ever Ares saw a smile so radiant coming from her it even managed to trump Enyo's smiles in terms of how attention grabbing it was. She was practically wearing a spotlight that was how obvious it was she was in a good mood. Food was the way to this one's heart it seemed.

Anyway, back on the topic of Scar's food, he enjoyed a good mix of all the meats with some vegetables on the side. Supposedly he used to really enjoy having barbecues back home with Aster and the two frequently camped out at night at night after training while eating fresh off the grill. Scar was definitely the closest of the siblings to Aster, even if he did get beaten senseless by him more than anyone else too. Scar took after Aster in many ways but he wasn't quite as foolhardy and foolish. In that regard they were polar opposites but in just about everything else they were very similar. Even looks wise, although Ares somewhat trumped Scar in that specific aspect. Ares was the dead ringer of the family. As for who looked the most like Calla, that was probably Skyzo actually. Not that Ares really knew that because half his face was usually covered by the scarf. Even today Ares had missed an opportunity to get a peek as Skyzo had hidden well during the banquet and had eaten without anyone so much as seeing a hair on his head. As for what he ate...

Skyzo: Chow mein. No toppings and eaten with chopsticks. Plain but still made almost everyone else in the room drool in jealousy. There was just something about noodles that really had that effect in people. They were warm too and had fogged up the window Skyzo was eating next to, not that anyone saw that until after he was done anyway. The guy really went above and beyond to not get caught without the scarf. It wasn't even because he was like how Enyo used to be or anything, he just generally didn't like it. He got enough attention as is from his magic and so sometimes he just wanted a little me-time and some peace and quiet. The scarf helped him feel like he was all by his lonesome and in his own world so he stuck with it. As for his noodle preference, Aym, the man who taught Skyzo how to be an effective assassin, which would explain a lot of his idiosyncrasies on the subject, frequently took him out to this one noodle stand right before he sent Skyzo off to go kill a guy. It was similar to Scar's fondness for barbecue just reversed. Instead of eating after training, he ate before a big showdown. They acted as a sort of 'there are things worth living for in this world so I ought to try a little harder and make sure I come back safely so I can have them again' type encouragement.

Venus: Stir fry... Not really her 'favourite', but she demanded to have the same thing as Phobos did the day prior... From the same bowl... With the same cutlery... And the same glass he drank out of... This woman was a mess. Ares couldn't resist poking fun at Venus, though, by telling her why Phobos had this dish in the first place. When Venus found out he was doing it to learn for the sake of Palioxis she started aggressively chewing on her napkin, pulling it down while it was between her teeth, in frustration. Ares had gone to all the lengths she asked of him so getting to meses with her in this way was earned, damn it! To be fair to Venus, however, she was aware of Phobos' desire to become a chef. She was clearly invested in the tyke, even if it was worrying how she got her hands on that information in the first place. It's not like it was readily available so she would have had to to questionable things ot get that information no doubt. Ares didn't know if she felt love or lust towards him but even thinking about asking her that question made him feel dirty inside so he wisely chose to forego asking her. As Ares was walking away he could see the cogs in Venus' brain turning and he ran away immediately because he could smell danger in the air. This woman was going to ask him if he could teach her how to cook! The answer was a resounding hell no! Phobos was enough on his plate at the moment, thank you very much! Teaching someone who isn't very into it is a nightmare. Ares still remembered when he was teaching Aejaz how to make a banana split for Allie and, although he learned it in the end, trying to keep Aejaz focused was a herculean task, borderline Sisyphean even. Mythologically bad.

And that was about it. There were a few others here and there but they'd already had their favourites documented by Ares for future reference. They were all mostly just sharing some lasagne or casserole like the matriarchs. Appa was also merrily tearing through her Snappas without a care in the world. It had Ares to itself today! Well Bellona was there too but that was also a good thing in Appa's mind!

When all was said, done, and eaten, Mako and Terros showed up at Ares' door and it's safe to say Mako was not happy in the slightest. Mako called Ares 'a piece of shit' but was hesitant to get any more annoyed when heard about the food situation... He was not above being bribed with containers of good soup and some dessert on the side... Also Terros had already abandoned Mako to go and eat because he was starving so Mako didn't exactly want to stand around outside in the cold complaining with an empty stomach for too long. Ares guided him in and sat him down next to Terros before bringing their food out and asking them how it went. Mako got his ass kicked, is how it went. Even after only a single attempt on floor five, in which Mako was pushed up against a wall and beaten to death like a thug, he came to the immediate conclusion that floor was unbeatable for him. Which could only mean one thing... It wasn't him that was supposed to beat it... It was then that Terros spilled the beans and Mako came right back in a huff. Ares didn't mock Mako for failing because he was actually impressed he made it to the last floor that quickly. Although 'noodle arms' wouldn't be particularly impressive in a melee fight, maybe his pressure would be half decent after all? Useless against Ares, obviously, but good enough for personal use against others at least. Mako had gotten a fair bit out of his trip so he couldn't really complain, although he did keep side eyeing Ares every now and then.

Eventually it was time to wrap things up. Bellona was going to be challenging the pagoda tomorrow and starting her journey to floor five, Enyo and Aejaz were going to be fighting in a tournament match, and Ares was going to be getting murdered repeatedly on floor five of the pagoda! In all cases rest was preferable to make things go smoother so the banquet came to a close. Calla did one final round up of her litter and had them all take various poses until she was satisfied. She also snuck in a few extras at the end with herself in them by having Rhea take the pictures in her stead. Calla would be sure to show Aster these when she left to go back home after the tournament and share every little detail about Ares with him. Still she wasn't quite content with things just yet, there were two more goals she had yet to accomplish. One was minor, she wanted to give Ares her specialty hot chocolate, and the other... Well the other was both major and a secret... A certain thing Ares had forgotten about from a long time ago back when he was training with Sadie. Calla didn't know how much Ares knew about the 'revenant rune' that was of vital importance when creating a Training Field but she hoped it wasn't much so she could pull off her devious plan!

Ares, blissfully unaware of the devious machinations of his mother, bid everyone leaving goodbye and everyone staying a goodnight. He picked up a sleepy Appa and brought it to Bellona's bedroom where he laid Appa in the middle of the bed, it's favourite position as it could be hugged by someone on either side at the same time, and got in after. Bellona came in a little while later as she'd apparently been discussing with Enyo the idea of moving to Ares' bedroom permanently after tonight. She didn't give a definite answer so it looked like it wouldn't be happening anytime soon but a trial run was in the cards at least. Enyo would have to keep it in her pants for one night but that was a sacrifice she was willing to make in the name of progress! That aside, Bellona hopped into the bed and cuddled Appa while she chatted away with Ares about the pagoda and his experiences in it. All the information would be useful to her, plus she was just curious about his day in general. As he recounted his adventures it became apparent to him that Bellona would actually get to meet Candy herself so he asked Bellona to say hello to her in his stead.

Thwack

"Don't think about other women when you're with me, bastard!"

Ares decided that headbutt was fair but he still didn't retract his earlier request as that was equally fair! He also had to explain to Appa who Candy was now so he pre-empted the headbutts by shoving his palm against Bellona's head to stop her in her tracks which got a giggle out of the shade. Eventually, after Ares was done explaining to Appa the concept of having nine mothers... Which was a surprisingly easy task because the shade truly believed 'the more the merrier'... Ares moved onto Bellona's fortune that she'd had read by Yulo earlier during the banquet. Ares wasn't around at the time because he was busy handing everyone their food and schmoozing so now was as good a time as any to get caught up. Apparently the only thing Yulo said to Bellona was 'Nothing to something, something to nothing. The rules of others do not concern you; make your own so that you may come into your own. Even the fundamental champions will show due respect." No matter how you looked at it, even if he didn't clarify what it was exactly Bellona was going to discover, she was destined to become a real powerhouse if she could even command the respect of the top six cultivators in the world. No one would ever top the fundamentals, that was just not in the cards, but to come close was incredibly impressive in its own right so Bellona was relieved. She still had to work out what exactly her goal for the future was but, when she figured it out, the rest would all fall into place nicely. With her mind eased, Ares and Appa by her side, and her stomach full, Bellona fell asleep quite quickly after saying her goodnights. A head pat and cuddle for Appa, and a kiss with a hint of tongue for Ares. As per usual, she was bashful during the act but faced her shame head on and powered through it. Ares tried to tease her for being cute but she headbutt him again, hmphed, and fell asleep on the spot. Ares simply chuckled to himself before falling asleep as well with Appa hugged tightly in his arms. Today had been productive in many ways for Ares and tomorrow was looking equally as bright... If he ignored all the painful deaths he was going to suffer, anyway. Still, he was a revenant, getting used to death and pain was worth its weight in gold as he would no doubt experience it at least once or twice on his journey. It's not that Ares was weak or anything but, boy, could he be really careless. Having infinite lives in his back pocket would no doubt make him a bit more courageous than he should be in certain situations... He was still early on his journey, though. He hadn't even left the country yet! When his adventures started proper, maybe then would he start worrying about the dangers in his journey... Maybe.