Blackfang Reunion (Closed)

[Dyste]

OoC: Collab with Glaristant, Rohane Alista, and Legokiller

Iriyea’s Estate, Dyste

The estate of the former Duchess of Glaristant was one whose grandeur befit the tastes of its owner. On the outside, its massive acreage was dominated by a mix of ornate gardens and well preserved wilderness neatly bisected by a tributary of the Ryna river. Yet what truly drew the attention of visitors to the estate was the massive silver manor house which lay nestled in a cluster of outbuildings. Flanked on either side by a statue of Iriyea and Tyroth, the house took up several acres and was fronted by massive polished metal columns. The house appeared to have four floors, with crystal windows covering its exterior. Yet, the building’s exterior mattered little to two occupants of the building who frantically tried to finish prepping for the evening ahead. In the house’s expansive kitchen, a black and orange scaled tanager was frantically darting back and forth between counters. On one he worked on finishing a roast before switching to decorating a plate of pastries, all the while calling out, “Petra, how’s that stew coming along, love? Do you need a hand?”

“I don’t,” Petra replied, but she wasn’t looking at the stew, she was watching something in the oven, one hand on her protruding stomach. “Are you sure we brought enough meat? I mean, I invited Tynah, Rolven, you know how much she eats! And that’s before counting on that father of yours!”

“I hope, but honestly I can never tell with those two….” Rolven sighed as he moved to Petra’s side, resting his hand on hers. He admittedly was a bit worried about if they could handle the demands of their guest list, but at this stage there was little they could do given they had little time before their guests arrived, “Honestly, if worst comes to worst either Dad or I can whip up something up rather quickly if need be….”

“If you use magic to bring food that will make mine look bad, Rolven, I swear to every god in Mystria, I will kill you, or at least make you sleep on the couch for a month,” Petra warned, but she followed it with a groan as she slowly straightened up. “So don’t, please. I actually want you to sleep next to me, you know? You’re warm and also good if I pop suddenly.”

Rolven sighed and was about to reply as he heard the doors to the kitchen open, all the while a familiar voice called out, “I vould listen to zhat wife of your’s, mein little Rolve. Trust me vhen I say zhat she vill make good on zhat threat.” The pair could see a lamia with a lengthy copper scaled tail slither into the kitchen, her olive skinned upper half devoid of clothing barring a strained silver top. She gave a warm smile as she slithered to the counter and picked up a few dishes, all the while her golden eyes watched the two, “Jokes aside, I am happy zhat you two decided to hold zhe event here instead of Crescere, as it makes zhings far easier. Plus it means I can lend you a hand if needed.”

“I just cannot win with either of you two, can I? That said, I promise I will not upstage you, dear. After all, it would not do for you to be without your pillow.” Rolven said, shaking his head before letting out a slight chuckle.

“No, it wouldn’t,” Petra groaned. “Thanks, mom. I need to check on the stew again, and the pastries are almost done, and then we’ve got to make sure the baked chicken went right… how long do we have? Dinner was supposed to start around six in the evening, what time is it now?”

“5:45, Petra. You have about fifteen minutes until zhe rest of the family arrives. Seems like your father and some your sisters are already here.” Iriyea chuckled as she began to slither out of the kitchen, before calling back, “You best hurry as you know how zhose siblings of yours get.”

“Of course…..Knowing Dad and Tynah they have to arrive early….Damn, I was hoping we would have more time.”Rolven groaned as he picked up a few platters in his hands, while taking another with his tail, He walked towards the door at a frantic pace, stopping at its threshold as he looked back towards his wife, “Are you going to be fine in here for a few minutes, Pet?”

“Go, go, keep them entertained,” Petra replied. “You’ve only grabbed appetizers right? We’re not starting the proper dinner yet! The stew and chicken aren’t even done! Gods, why did I tell your mom not to hire any kitchen staff? Stupid, ugh,” she said, mostly to herself as she waved her husband out the door, moving between several counters in her effort to ensure all the food was cooking well.

“Ve are just grabbing zhe appetizers, Petra! And you did it because you vished to prove your skill in zhe kitchen!” Iriyea called back as Rolven exited the kitchen, cursing under his breath as he saw an increasingly full table in the dining room. Looking out, he could see several familiar faces at the long black oak table. The room itself was somewhat cozy despite its grandeur, being bathed in warm light from crystalline lamps overhead as portraits of Iriyea and her family stared down from the green colored walls. Iriyea and Rolven set about placing the appetizers on the table, all the while an ashen skinned fetchling and fair skinned lamia with a white tail passed out drinks.

Outside the Estate, the clouds darkened, as lightning coursed through the sky, thunder rumbling as a stray bolt fired straight to the ground with a crash, as among it, a towering figure emerged, the black-and-gold scaled Draconid letting out a laugh, “GHAHAHAHA! Ah, I missed doing that… my… sort of retirement leaves me with less opportunities for such a dramatic entrance. Would you not say, my daughter?”

Following Tyroth was another Draconid of the same scale pattern, only slightly smaller than the king. However, here it was she who bore the dragon-headed scepter and black and gold mantle of the ruler of Dyste rather than her father. “Certainly the world is lesser for it… but no matter, we are here for my brother’s wishes. I suppose I can take some time away from my duties for such an event. After all, who is to tell the Princess-Regent what she can or cannot do with her time?”

The two could hear a loud sigh coming from beside them, as a fair skinned woman with flowing red hair just slightly shorter than Tynah glared at them.The woman brushed the dust kicked up by the impact off her emerald green blouse, all the while adjusting her silver spectacles as she eyed the two “Grandfather, must you be so careless with your entrances? You know full well that Grandmother Iriyea or the groundstaff will not be happy to learn you created. Still, I suppose you wouldn’t be you without such behavior.” Her ruby lips formed into a smile as she moved to embrace the pair, “That said, I think she will make an exception for the King and Princess-Regent. At any rate it’s good to see you two, I trust that you have been well while Bradley and I were away?”

Bradley was behind her, in a dark suit himself, though tieless at least. He nodded to Tyroth and Tynah as he spoke. “Hello, you two. I heard you were on quite the adventure recently, Tynah. Any good trophies?”

“Ah, there you are Laoshia.” The red haired lady found herself embraced by the elegant black dressed priestess, with sleek bob hairstyle. The emberkin’s bright crimson eyes gazed upon the sight before she returned to Laoshia. “It’s quite wonderful to see you. Oh!” She then turned to Bradley. “Glad to see you Bradley.”

“I did indeed have quite the adventure in the Winter War, Bradely,” Tynah’s eyes lit up, “I punched a lich’s head off, then fought in the realm of the dead, and finally I went with Flora to fight Garyx herself! … ah, but I suppose that might be in the past for now… now my adventures seem to be on the field of diplomacy,” she grumbled a bit, trying to keep her composure. “It is… an interesting experience…”

Tyroth patted his daughter on the back, “Ah, Laoshia, I must apologize if I made a stir, but I would not think you would have recognized it was me if I did not arrive in such a way! Either way, I have been enjoying a chance to step back! Daisy invited me to her realm for a bit, and I got to spend time with Constance some more… it is quite a refreshing change of pace for me, indeed.”

“I doubt anyone would ever fail to recognize you, King Tyroth,” Bradley said with a smile, turning to Pyra, wrapping her up in a hug. “As for you… it’s good to see you again, Pyra! I wish you could’ve come by, before, well…” he sighed. “I hope you’re alright.”

“Grandfather, I doubt that would have been a problem, especially given how….distinctive you are! GAHAHAHA!” Laoisha laughed as she pulled Tyroth, Tynah, and Pyra in for a hug. She gave each a smile before moving back to Bradley’s side, “Erm….Yes, it’s good to see you all, especially you mom. My apologies for not visiting you sooner, but Bradley and I have been…preoccupied with our daughter’s little…mishap.”

“There isn’t a need to worry Bradley.” Pyra embraced him and soon her daughter as well. “The winter war is over, alongside other troublesome monsters that will no longer be an issue.” She then turned to Laoisha. “That said, I am glad you're as lively as ever.”

“Speaking of lively,” Tynah looked over her shoulder and saw dust clouds in the distance as a stampeding Bovinian with a massive stature came rushing in! Unlike most of the others, Tysteus didn’t bother dressing fancy for this event, instead coming with her usual red hide armor and white headband tied into her red hair, screeching to a halt before the others, “Hey, I ain’t late or anythin’, right? Kinda ran here from th’ranch once I got th’news. Petra’s havin’ a get-together with all of us, so there ain’t no way I’d be missin’ out on that!”

Bradley cleared his throat. “Right. They’re probably waiting on us inside, don’t you think? It’s already five to six, we shouldn’t dally,” he said, releasing Pyra from the hug and taking Laoisha’s hand. “And if I know Petra, and I do, she will be hopping mad if any of us are even a single minute late to her dinner. And none of us want that, do we?”

“Absolutely not! I would rather we not disappoint her, my uncle, or Grandmother Iriyea. After all, I would imagine they….especially Petra would be quite cross if we were to dally for too long.” Laoisha said as she heard the sound of the massive twin doors to the estate swing open. She looked up to see a smiling Iriyea at the door, beckoning the group to come in, “Are you lot going to come in? Or are you just going to stand out zhere all day and let zhis food go to waste?”

Tyroth rushed over faster than anyone could’ve expected the massive Draconid to be capable of in order to embrace Iriyea, “Oh, come now, Iri, I was clearly just waiting for a lovely invitation,” nuzzling her affectionately. “It would not be right without the proper reception.”

Iriyea returned the nuzzle, taking Tyroth’s hand in her own as she led him into the manor, “Oh you know zhat I am always willing to provide zhat for you, mein alskaire!”

“Yeah, yeah, c’mon, sis,” Tysteus stretched and smirked at Tynah. “Let’s get in, I wanna see our other sis already! Unless being queen is makin’ ya second-guess everythin’?” She laughed as she rushed in.

“Princess-Regent,” Tynah corrected her, “But if you believe that I have gotten soft, you have another thing coming, GHAHAHAHA!” She unfurled her wings as she followed the Bovinian.

“Guess we better follow suit, lest we get left behind. Honestly, one would think age would have slowed them down, but I guess not,” Laoisha said smiling as she wrapped her arm around Bradley’s.

Bradley gave his wife a small smile as they walked towards the entrance. “I think almost everyone in your family except myself and Petra are immune to age, honey. All the more reason I don’t want to let her down, though.”

Once inside, the group found themselves in a massive parlor filled floor to ceiling with countless tapestries, paintings, and weapons displays. Above they could see that the room was illuminated with a massive silver and crystal chandelier twice Tyroth’s size, that seemed to shimmer as the light refracted through the crystal. Iriyea for her part chuckled as she slithered past a statue of her and a younger Tyroth standing back to back, all the while giving the family a smile, “Forgive its grandiosity, but I needed somewhere to store mein various knick knacks.” After a few moments of passing through a similarly decorated hallway, she at last led the pair into the dining room where they could see a silver scaled with ethereal wings and two kitsune talking with Rolven. The tanager wore a blue gown with silver jewelry, all which shined with an unearthly glow, all the while a smile grew across her muzzle as she saw the rest of the guests, “Heh, we were beginning to wonder if you lot were going to show up. That said, it’s good to see you all….especially you Aunt Tynah! Haven’t seen you since we got back from defeating Blossos!”

“Oh you know that dad and Tynah are always fashionably late, Ky. Still wouldn’t have expected Laoisha and Tysteus to inherit that tendency.” the kitsune known as Ivrea remarked.

“Oh, c’mon, I got here as fast as I could, foxie,” Tysteus snorted. “I ain’t got super portal fancy stuff ta bring me ‘round everywhere. I just ran here!”

“Ah, Kyara!” Tynah embraced her favourite niece, “Oooh, I really wish you had told me about that, I would have loved to join you on that trip. You even brought along Constance but not me? … granted, that was around the same point I had gotten my new position here, and I was not exactly in the best of moods at the time…”

Tyroth, meanwhile, just admired the artwork with a smile; as Tynah had been wearing the legendary mantle, instead he was wearing his old adventurer’s cloak, the very same one depicted on the statue of him. In a way, it made him feel younger again.

“I’m sorry we didn’t Aunt Tynah, but I couldn’t very well risk you ending up getting hurt by that moronic demon lord given your new role. Besides, who would have kept mom company while she recovered from her time in the Boneyard! GAHAHAHA!” Kyara chuckled as she returned the embrace, seemingly quite pleased to see her favorite Aunt once more, “Still, I suppose I could always take you on an adventure in Dal Riata to make up for it…”

“You could learn it, Tysteus. If a goddesses and many mortals can do it, I am certain someone like you could.” Ivrea snickered as she moved to embrace her sister, “Still, it’s good to see you Big sis! You too, Tynah!”

Iriyea couldn’t help but giggle as she watched Tyroth take in the artwork, seemingly quite pleased with his reaction to the statue. Though she wouldn’t admit it, the piece was Iriyea’s favorite as it reminded her of better times. The years she and her bondmate had spent traveling the world easily ranked among her favorite, as there was little apart from adventuring or each other they had needed to fret over.

[Dyste]

The door to the kitchen banged open, Petra carrying a tray in each hand and walking, or perhaps waddling, to the table to set them down. She stopped for a moment when she was done, putting both hands on her lower back as she looked at the growing collection of Blackfangs and their spouses. “Hey, you actually showed up on time… well, I don’t see a few people yet, but they will get a piece of my mind later. Go ahead, dig in, I’ll be back with the main course in a bit,” she said, waving to the gathered family and turning to head back for the kitchen.

“Hey, there’s th’ lady of th’ hour!” Tysteus rushed over to give Petra a hug, “C’mon, don’t think ya can just get away from me that easily! How’s it goin, Petra? Rolvie’s not been too much of an idiot to ya, I hope?”

“Well now,” Tyroth grimaced as he looked over, “I can understand not saying hello to each and every one of your family immediately, but surely your father is an exception to that?” He grinned, “Especially given the wonderful news!”

Petra yelped slightly as Tysteus wrapped her up in a hug, lightly batting at the arms around her. “Ok! Jeez, I just don’t want things to burn! I’ll tell you about Rolven’s latest stunt later, Ty, you’re not gonna believe this one,” She groaned, shimmying until she could return Tysteus’ hug, looking at Tyroth as best she could. “And hello to you, too, dad. Did Rolven tell you yet? Twin boys! Could be really soon, too, I think. I hope, honestly, I can barely fricking move in the morning.”

“Right, right, sorry,” Tysteus said, “I’ll make sure to let ya get t’it, I didn’t send ya that food from th’ranch for nothing. But you’re gonna give me all th’details on Rolvie afterwards, ya hear?”

Tyroth chuckled, “Have you two considered names yet? I am hoping at least someone takes the ‘Ty-’ in this part of my family at some point, but no matter if it is not this name; I am bound to have more grandchildren soon enough, GHAHAHA!”

“We’re… debating names,” Petra replied diplomatically, giving Tysteus a nod and an eye roll. “Rolven, tell them what you want to name the kids, we can get their help.”

“Dad, you know that I cannot exactly use the Ty prefix without that ice drake of yours getting pissy about it. That said…..we have thought of a few names GAHAHA!” Rolven chuckled as he nodded at Petra’s reply, “Well, I was thinking we could name the boys Aiden and Conall, provided you do not have any better suggestions….”

“What’re ya talkin’ about, Rolvie,” Tysteus put her hand on the back of her neck, “I got away with th’ ‘Ty-’ at th’ start…”

“Maybe so, but nobody will look at someone like you and think you are our sister,” Tynah shook her head. “That said, Rolven, I think those are lovely name choices.”

“I concur for the most part,” Tyroth said, “But maybe at least have a middle name based on mine, then!”

“Hey, you didn’t even listen to my choices,” Petra complained. “I mean, yeah, they’re Alistinian in origin, but come on, at least pretend to be impartial!”

“I vould love to hear your suggestions, Petra. Besides it might be nice to have a grandkid who doesn’t have a Dystan or Glaristanti name for zhe change.” Iriyea chuckled, all the while giving Tyroth a playful nudge, “Come now, you just had another son who bore zhe Ty prefix, Tyr.”

“My my, can’t wait until I name my own child with the Ty prefix.” A laugher came from behind Tysteus as a marshmallow haired cow woman in sparkling gradient green to black dress approached. As usual for the well crafted jewelry wearer with a wild pattern of earrings and a necklace, the dress open up for her cleavage, and the golden eyes of the cow woman were hard to resist. “Of course Tys and I can add our own little spin. Isn’t that right dearie?”

“Ain’t that right,” Tysteus embraced the cow woman, “Right, everyone, I brought a date with me; Winky and I met during the Winter War. She may look like a soft cow, but she’s as tough as they come, except maybe for me, of course.”

“Ooh, love on the battlefield,” Tynah chuckled, “Reminds me of how I met Flora… right, I think I saw you during my visit to that realm, you have a connection to the shield-wielding girl, do you not? Regardless, I do welcome you to our ever-growing family.”

“No need to toy with such questions. I, Winkypoo, am Shield’s foster mom.” Winkypoo giggled. “And why thank you! I always wanted to meet the heroic Blackfang Royal Family and their many friends. Your reputation and tales go far as even the fiendish realms themselves. Alongside a few beated demons from your actions as well.”

“GAHAHAH!” Tyroth laughed, he liked this one already, “It is certainly good to be recognized for something other than just being the ruling family of three lands. If you are able to stay a while, I can regale you with stories from my past exploits!” Almost all the family members groaned, even Tynah seemed to be worried about that. “Regardless, I suppose you must be special to my dear divine bovine daughter, she’s usually not very open about her relationships with others…”

“D-dad,” Tysteus actually seemed flustered for once. “It’s, well… this one’s kinda special, y’know?”

Winkypoo patted Tysteus’ shoulder and smiled. All to show a golden ring on her left hand with a ruby gem embedded. “Indeed we are.” She smiled. “And perhaps one good story will do Lord Tyroth. Perhaps one of your recent deeds.”

“Ah, that is why,” Tyroth grinned, “I never thought my daughter with Daisy would ever find someone who she felt that strongly about.”

“It’s really nothin’” Tysteus protested; on her own finger she had a gem of alexandrite, “I just didn’t find th’right person ‘til now. Just like Rolvie didn’t find Petra ‘til ‘bout six years ago.”

“We’re quite a lucky match! I hope that we'll earn your blessing very soon.” Winkypoo winked at Tyroth.

“You have it already,” Tyroth smiled widely, “I only want to make sure my progeny are happy, after all. Just… make sure to also tell your mother when you get the chance to, she shall be overjoyed!”

“That was what I was gonna do after this,” Tysteus said, “I was gonna go see her with Winky, but then I got th’invite t’this, so I figured I’d show up here first to tell ya th’news!”

“Hahahaha…” Winkypoo let out a nervous laugh. “It’ll be interesting to see Tys’ mother! I heard she was quite a powerful warrior like my dearie herself and runs a ranch. So that’d be quite fun to see!” She muttered something before she hid it with a smile.

Tysteus patted her on the back, “C’mon, I’m sure she’ll like ya… she’s always tried t’give me, Richalle and Apis anything we needed, and wanted us t’be happy… I admit she can be really strong-willed, too… and have a bit of a temper… erm, I’ll sure we’ll be fine!”

“Heh, about time you found someone big sis! I was honestly beginning to wonder if you’d ever settle down.” Ivrea giggled, before giving her elder sister a friendly smile, “Jokes aside, I’m happy for you two. Seems like you will be great for each other…”

“Oh I guarantee you she will be overjoyed if what I have heard about her is true. Who knows she might even embarrass you two more than Dad here did.” Rolven chuckled as he set down a few more appetizers, Oh, Pet did you want to share suggestions for names?”

“You know she went back in the kitchen about three minutes ago right?” Brad spoke up. “I heard her muttering something about ignoring her, so I’d watch your back, Tyroth,” he added with a chuckle, checking the seats. “Is seating assigned or?”

The door to kitchen banged back open as Petra came back out, carrying another three platters and a scowl. She quickly set them down before stopping for a moment to catch her breath. “No, Brad, sit wherever,” she said. “I only sat Tyroth at the head of the table, seemed fitting.”

“Seems fine by me.” Laoisha said as she took a seat next to Kyara, reserving one for Brad, “I have to say… It looks like you outdid yourself this time, Petra.”

Rolven returned to the kitchen, grabbing a few more platters and proceeded to set them upon the table. He helped Petra set the the table, all the while occasionally looking back to make sure she was alright, “Of course she did. She had to make sure our offerings were fit for a gathering of Blackfangs after all.”

She rolled her eyes. “This isn’t anymore than I normally would do,” she replied. “And yet no one is eating anything! Come on, people, this is a dinner party, not a ‘stand in a circle and ignore the food’ party! Eat something!”

Tyroth took the spot at the head of the table as instructed, Tynah going for a spot on the side and Tysteus taking Winky to a spot nearby, “Come now, you heard our hostess, everyone! Feast on the wonderful meal she has provided us, as it is Dystan tradition to dine with your friends, family and loved ones!” He said as he took some prime rib and chowed down on it.

Bradley sat next to Laoisha, grabbing a plate and a steak, then a bowl of stew. “I intend to be rolled home, honey. Just a warning.”

“You better not honey, as I’ll need you to carry me back.” Laoisha giggled as she took a plate of steak, some prime rib, and a bit of stew

Kyara and Ivrea for their parts loaded up their plates with ribs and some some stew, all the while Ivrea took a mug of whiskey.

Petra slowly sat on Tyroth’s left side with a soft groan, not yet gathering food, instead leaning back and letting out a heavy breath. “Rolven,” she said, her eyes closed. “I’m sorry, but you’re going to need to bring out the rest of the food when it comes time to do it. My feet hurt so bad…”

“Take it easy, Petra and do not worry.” Rolven said, tending to her for a few moments, “I will make sure everything else is taken care of, Pet.”

“Rolven,” Tyroth said, surprisingly softly, “I understand Petra wishes to make this a good day for us, but please make sure she is not overexerting herself in these times.”

"I…know…dad. Believe me, when I say I am trying to make sure she does not." Rolven replied softly, giving his father a smile, "Hrm….everyone is here, right?"

“No,” Petra said, glaring at the door. “Your most illustrious sister the ‘queen’ hasn’t deigned to show her face yet, at the very least. Probably just as well,” she muttered at the end. “The stress might make me explode.”

“Really now,” Tynah folded her arms as she finished eating a plate full of burgers, “Even I have my doubts on her arrival. She can be incredibly stubborn about these things.”

“‘Stubborn’, sis?” Tysteus scoffed, digging into a massive salad, “She’s got a head as thick as adamantine. Ain’t no way she’ll admit she was wrong about things.”

"Mom….can admittedly be rather stubborn when it comes to matters such as these. Honestly, I would say there is a good chance she may not show today." Kyaras said, with a sigh as she downed a glass of whiskey, "I mean I did talk with her about attending, but she seemed rather noncommittal about it."

“She’ll be here,” Bradley muttered. “She better damn well be. She knows what happens if she isn’t.”

"She may be stubborn, but she is not one to flee from her obligations." Laoisha said coldly.

“Everyone,” Tyroth said, authoritatively but trying to keep his tone polite. “If Eyvel wishes to come today, we will let her. If she does not, please leave that matter to Iriyea and I; in spite of everything, we are still her parents and she will still listen to us, whether she chooses to follow our words or not.”

“Anyways,” Petra somewhat awkwardly trailed off. “We’re also missing Constance, who I definitely invited… and who probably forgot all about it,” she sighed. “She has to be the stupidest smart person I know…”

“Yeah, knowing her, she might’ve found some shiny object while looking through her viewing telescope and wanted t’find it,” Tysteus rolled her eyes. “She’s a good kid, but man is she clueless sometimes…”

Just as they made a comment on that matter, a portal opened for a fox woman to rush out as an army of floating exotic food and forks went after her! Yoko yelped as she held a slice of cake as a knife hit the wall itself! “Ugh such a pest!” Constance spoke up as she walked into the main hall. The elven mage herself wore little beyond makeup and a silver tiara on her head.

“Excuse me, but Ivrea needed a slice first and I reckon she desires it.” Yoko spoke up.

“S-Sure.” Constance snapped her finger as the instruments stopped and returned to the dish plates. As the first meal arrived at the table to reveal a roasted great fire hog from the plane of fire itself! All completed with an apple and a honey dew with spice. “My apologies but there was much to gather and I would’ve come sooner without any interruptions.”

"Sis….Can you please not endanger my wife? Particularly when she is fulfilling a request for me?" Ivrea sighed, escorting Yoko to a seat by her, "Sorry about that, cuddle fox. Didn't realize Connie would make such a mess of things…"

“Why of course she’d cause such trouble.” Yoko made a sly grin as she passed over the cake to Ivrea.

“Only if you do not command her to raid my home next time.” Constance pouted.

“How about,” Petra grinned, but her eyes were narrowing in the trademark way. “You ALL stop endangering my dinner party and show up on time?”

Tynah’s expression, having been stoic for some time, turned into a grin, “Oho, I think you two have done it now…”

“I mean, being late, that’s one thing, and rude enough!” Petra began to tirade. “But that was a fucking fork! What would you have done if you’d injured someone, huh? And you’re bringing these… whatever the fuck they are to my dinner party without even asking! And you, foxy,” she turned her eyes on Ivrea. “Why would you intentionally cause chaos on the day of the dinner? If you fuck up my party…”

"I didn't intentionally cause anything! All I did was ask Yoko to grab a slice of cake at some point. I didn't realize my sister would react so….idiotically to it." Ivrea said in an exasperated tone.

“You don’t know your sister very well then, do ya?” Tysteus grinned.

Constance shook her head and looked at the portal. “Then I shall depart at once. Given that my arrival was screwed over and this happened, my presence isn’t welcome.” She snapped her finger to call back the food and items away back to the party. “Enjoy your party! I won’t trouble you any further.” She began to step away.

“Constance Tyris Snowtear,” Tyroth said, standing up. “You were invited to this party, and you will stay to enjoy it. Do not disappoint your sister after all her hard work today. Just make sure next time to follow the instructions given by the hostess. Do you understand, my daughter?”

"Constance…..you know damn well that everyone here wants you to stay. It would be poor form, not to mention quite rude to leave at this point. As for you, Ivi…you owe Constance an apology for sending that fox of yours to raid her home. Such behavior is completely out of line, especially for a goddess." said a voice coming from the opposite end of the dining room. The guests looking towards could see Eyvel standing in the doorway, accompanied by Karla. She gave her parents and children a slight nod as she took her seat across from Iriyea, "My apologies for our tardiness, but a State Council meeting ran late."

Constance was flabbergasted when Tyroth spoke up and looked at Eyvel with both shock and horror. “F-Fine father!” She admitted as she sat down at one of the seats and became dead silent.

Petra turned her glare on the two newest arrivals. “And you didn’t think to inform anyone you could be late?” She humphed, returning to her seat. “You’re lucky dad didn’t eat all the ribs I prepared yet,” she added, groaning as she took a deep breath. “Just sit down and start eating, would you?”

“Oh, trust me, Eyvel, I certainly tried to, GHAHAHA!” Tyroth tried to lighten the mood a bit from the late arrivals of both Constance and Eyvel, though Tysteus still shot daggers with a stare at the Glaristanti queen. Tynah, on the other hand, seemed more sympathetic.

"Petra, I cannot tell in advance how long Council meetings will run anymore given I do not direct them. Honestly, at the rate those blowhards were moving I am lucky to be here at all." Eyvel responded coldly, her own golden eyes narrowing at Tysteus. She sighed, her expression softening as cast her gaze towards Tynah, Kyara, and Petra, "I suppose… I do owe you all an apology for being late. At any rate, let's dig in before Dad and Tynah devour everything, shall we?"

“Oh, of course,” The black-haired woman by Eyvel’s side, who could be mistaken for a human if it wasn’t for her larger stature, only a bit shorter than the likes of Tynah, said. “Sorry, but I couldn’t drag Ey out of that meeting fast enough.”

Petra rolled her eyes, finally getting some food for herself, though in surprisingly small portions even by her human standards. “Rolven,” she leaned over and spoke softly to him. “I know this is odd, but… can you go see if the kitchen has any pickles and peanut butter?...”

Bradley nudged his wife. “Hello Mother, it’s good to see you did, indeed, make it,” he smiled at Eyvel, though it was a small bit strained. “We apologize for not being at the council; we thought it best to make sure Petra wasn’t struggling too much.”

"It is good to see that you made it, mother. I was worried that you were not going to make it there for a bit. And my apologies for not being there to help things along, but as Bradley said we were needed here." Laoisha chuckled, giving her mother a feigned smile.

"Sure thing, dear." Rolven muttered, his eyes regarding Eyvel with barely concealed contempt before he turned towards the kitchen. Petra and Bradley could just barely hear him curse Eyvel under his breath, as he passed through the door. He returned a few moments later with a plate of neatly cut pickles slathered in peanut peanut butter. "Here you are, Pet." Rolven said, setting the plate before Petra as he did his best to ignore Eyvel.

"You two need not apologize, as you did not miss much. Honestly, it was more or less just the old windbags debating the new budget for the year. How tiresome it is…makes me almost miss the old days…" Eyvel said, reaching into her coat pocket to pull out a silver case and lighter.

“Thanks, hunk,” Petra teased Rolven a bit before eating the odd choice of dish, then looking around. “What? I had a craving, ok?”

“Oh, I understand perfectly,” Tynah smiled, “When I had Frenze’s egg, I was insistent on having roast duck with strawberry jam. It gives you cravings, I find.”

"No one is judging you, Petra. Between having Michael, Veske, and Kyara's eggs...Brasa knows I've had my share of odd cravings too. I think the oddest one was linnorm with cranberry sauce …" Eyvel remarked.

Bradley made a gagging sound, covering it up with a quick cough. “I’m sure no one minds. Laosiha here had some very odd cravings with Vesta especially. What was it…”

"I can't remember what the Immerian called it, but it was some sort of pickled fish. Sure…something I believe?" Laoisha replied, with a slight smile at Brad's reaction, "Oh I remember you absolutely hated that…."

“It’s the most foul thing I’ve ever smelled,” the man replied, hand to his mouth. “I am certain it’s the worst craving of all time.”

"Nah that would be the linnorm or the roast fish with marmalade, mein lark…er Karla insisted on having." Eyvel said, chuckling as she moved to light one of her cigars.

“Oh, c’mon now,” Karla folded her arms and pouted, “I heard my dad had the weirdest cravings when he was working on overnight projects at the Institute.”

"Hehe….well to be fair, its not all that surprising given he always was a little odd! GAHAHA!" Eyvel chuckle, patting Karla's back.

”No cigars,” Petra said, her infamous glare returning. “I’m pregnant, Eyvel! For Camille’s sake! Not to mention this is a nice dinner! If you’re smoking those damn things you won’t be able to taste the food, and I put a lot of effort into that!”

“Eyvel,” Tyroth folded his arms and gave her a stare, “I specifically remember telling you that you are not to smoke at the dinner table. Please have proper feasting etiquette,” he said as he wolfed down a full steak.

“Eyvel.” Pyra glared at her wife. “I told you once, and I’ll say it again: go outside when you smoke.”

“Yeah, sorry Ey, I’m not defending you here,” Karla shrugged. “Your dad literally wrote the rules on proper feasting etiquette, after all, you can’t really complain about that.”

“BAH! Fine….” Eyvel muttered as she put out the cigar, its remnants disappearing in a small red flash of light. She averted her eyes from her wives and father, taking some steak from a nearby platter as she grumbled under her breath.

Yoko whistled as she took a roast fish with marmalade to eat! “This is quite a lively family in Ivrea.”

Petra checked the time on her phone quickly before turning to Rolven. “Bring out the rest of the main dishes, please, dear? They’re going to start getting cold soon and the ribs out here are already more than half gone.”

“I am surprised that there’s even that many left,” Tysteus remarked. “Between those three,” she gestured to Tyroth, Tynah, and with some grimace, Eyvel, “I thought they’d be all gone!”

Petra laughed, then gave Tysteus a smile. “Thanks for coming, sis. I’m glad you’re here, this would be a lot more stressful without you… and dad, surprisingly?”

“C’mon,” Tysteus patted Petra on the back, “I wouldn’t miss it, sis! Especially not since I got ta announce my engagement an’ all here… and why wouldn’t Dad be helpful, he’s th’only person in th’whole world who can manage a family like this!”

“He’s also the one who causes the chaos half the time,” Petra pointed out. “... and no one ever even got to hear my name choices, did they? Too late now,” she sighed, eating another pickle covered in peanut butter. “You know, I think this could use some spice. Maybe I need to add salsa…”

“Um, Rolvie did actually ask ya t’share th’names earlier, but I guess y’were too busy at th’time,” Tysteus shrugged. “Sure, eat whatever ya want, sis, nothin’ wrong with that in feastin’ rules!”

“He did? Huh,” Petra replied. “Well… maybe I should… you know what, I’m gonna do it. Hey, wanna know what I want to name our kids, dad?”

“Well, of course I do, my daughter!” Tyroth smiled, finishing off a plate of burgers. “I am always curious on the names of my future grandchildren!”

“Dad, those were for everyone,” Petra sighed, rubbing her stomach. “I want to name the first born son Malik… it means ‘king’ in Alistinian,” she took a quick glance at Eyvel then looked away. “And for the second born… I want to name him Tyriq. Tariq is the usual name, it means ‘morning star’, but… I thought you’d like it more if it started with the Ty.”

“Well, of course I like it more with the ‘Ty-’, it is a tradition in my family, GHAHAHAHA!” Tyroth was grinning widely, seemingly no longer bothered by Constance’s or Eyvel’s behavior, “It is actually a pretty big deal for us, you see, because in Draconic, it means ‘Lord’ or ‘Sir’ or an equivalent, it is an honorific for royalty for Dystans in a way. That is why if not the first name, I always insist on a middle name with it, like say, ‘Rolven Tyrix’ or ‘Kyara Tyral’, even the cases when I seem to be the only one who uses them. Regardless, I think those are wonderful names.”

“Hehe….zhose be fairly solid names in mein opinion, Petra. Zho, I must admit zhat I prefer zhe Tyriq name over Malik since zhe latter is fairly common in Alista if I recall. Still….zhey are both good.” Iriyea giggled as she nudged Tyroth with her tail, “Oh you know zhat I vanted to have both Eyvel and Rolven have Ty in their first names, be it Tyven or Tyvel. Zhe only reason ve couldn’t was because of zhat Snowdrake of your’s/”

“I do rather like the Tyriq name, Pet. Seems rather fitting for one of our kids, though I would kind of prefer Connal over Malik. GAHAHAH!” Rolven chuckled

"You're just trying to get into dad's good graces," Petra replied. "Regardless, he refuses to drop Connal, I refuse to drop Malik."

“I know what to do,” Tynah said. “Just have a third child and name them Connal. I recall having a few names I wanted for my children lined up, and I just waited for it! It was a while before I was finally able to have little Rylah, GHAHAHA!”

“Rolven, come on….you know Malik is a better name for the grandson of a King than Connal. Besides, I think you owe Petra a little concession after what you put her through…..at least if what I heard from your report is true. Speaking of, we need to have a little chat about you leaving one of your subordinates behind….” Eyvel said, a smirk appearing across her muzzle as she glared towards Rolven.

“Cram it down your muzzle, Eyvel. Bahamut knows that you are in no position to lecture me on that, especially given that last time I checked I don’t report to you anymore.” Rolven growled, rolling his eyes.

Petra's eyes narrowed at Rolven as she gripped his leg under the table, hard. "Let's all be nice. And, Tynah, it's a nice thought, but… we can't count on having more children. It's a borderline miracle I got pregnant in the first place, we've been trying… a while," Petra smiled sadly at the eldest daughter.

“Tynah, I know you mean well….but you have to understand things are not so simple for us….Grr…” Rolven said, giving Petra a nod as he growled. He patted her thighs, giving her a reassuring smile as he spoke, “Dear, let us just enjoy the fact we’re having kids, eh? At the very least that alone is worth celebrating.”

Tyroth put his hand on Petra’s back; it looked absolutely massive compared to the Alistanian, “Petra, I will tell you this: I consider any new member of my family to be a blessing for me. That means both when you joined it, and also these two new gifts to us. Cherish them, and make sure they get to spend plenty of time with their dear old grandfather too; I have lots of time now to do so, after all.”

“It is truly a wonderful moment…” Constance sighed as she ate up her food.

“I am happy that you were able to achieve this wonderful gift Petra. I commend it.” Pyra smiled.

“Thank you, Pyra,” Petra gave her a smile, tilting slightly towards Tyroth. “And I know that, dad. I’m excited to get to introduce you, really, I am! I’m just relieved I finally have someone to introduce you to in the first place. Well, soon, you know what I mean.”

“It will be a wonderful day when they arrive, Petra. Truly, I think I speak for us all when I say I am happy you were blessed with such a gift.” Kyara said, smiling.

“Ain’t that th’truth,” Tysteus grinned. “It’ll just be like when ya got t’see lil’Kavra at the ranch, Petra, you were so excited to meet one of my side of the family. Now ya get t’do th’same for us!”

“Just remember these kids will be half human,” Petra warned, and Bradley nodded along. “They’re not going to be quite the little problem maker Kavra was until they’re a few years old.”

Bradley chipped in, finishing his stew and grabbing a fish dish. “Seeing as they’re Blackfangs, Petra, I expect your children will start being little monsters by the time they’re in their terrible twos… trust me, I’ve lived it.”

“Oh, come on,” Tynah huffed, “I am certain that not all of us turn out like that…”

"Sis….Let us be honest, you were and are the biggest handful of the Blackfang siblings barring Ivi over there. Bahamut knows you got into and caused the most trouble of us all. Still do!" Rolven chuckled

“Tynah, as your father,” Tyroth smiled, “I can say with absolute certainty that you were the worst of all your siblings as children. Thankfully that made everyone after you easier, GHAHAHAHA!”

"Oh come now, Vesta and Carmen were not that much of a handful." Laoisha retorted, "Compared to their cousins they were fairly well behaved at that age."

“At that age, compared to Tynah,” Brad sighed, and now he was the one sounding down. “I think they became more of a handful the older they got…”

"That…..I cannot argue with you there. We went wrong somewhere with them as they got older. I just…do not know where…" Laoisha muttered, her smile fading as she spoke.

Tyroth folded his arms and growled, his cheerful demeanor fading completely, “Ah, yes, that… I do have to wonder why nobody ever consulted me on the matters of the banishment of my great-grandchildren. If the matter was an issue of magic control, the Jarlsberg Institute has methods of controlling magical flow with items, to prevent such flareups. And for that matter, if exile was necessary, why not exile them here, to Dyste, where they could be around more members of their family?”

Pyra let out an exacerbated breath as a nerve was touched on this matter. “The issue is not magical control.” She stated firmly. “It’s a darker aspect of us Emberkins, children of Peri, that we all struggle on from our ancestors. As is the case with fallen angels, that part comes down to us as a vile urge to commit evil, and lash out. So such outburst… It could’ve burned down multiple buildings than just a cafe.”

"It's simple, they wanted to send a message to Laoisha and I. That message being, that the other great noble houses will not allow their interests to be further undermined. They know they cannot best me in the political arena or in the court of public opinion, so instead they target the House where they can. Be it scandals, finances, legislation, etc these detestable cravens will use any methods they can to reverse my policies." Eyvel muttered coldly, as contempt dripped from her voice. The other dinner guests could feel a cloud of disgust hanging over the room as Eyvel spoke, "It's despicable, but capitalizing on such a scandal is one of the few recourses they have. Honestly, had it not been for Laoisha and Bradley's pressure…and a few threats, Vesta likely would have received a far worse punishment."

"And you just allowed it to happen?!" Ivrea said, her eyes narrowing as she glared at her elder sister, "What in the abyss is wrong with you, Ey?! I get you had to contend with the other houses, bit surely as Queen you could have just overriden them!"

“An’ this is part of why I fuckin’ hate politics,” Tysteus groaned, “I don’t even get why ya even have those damn nobles in th’first place. Dyste ain’t got any an’we were better off for it. C’mon, people, can we just knock it off already an’just enjoy ourselves?”

Bradley ran his hand over his face, finally responding. "Sorry, Tysteus, but I have to defend our parenting, at least a bit. You want to know why we didn't send either of our daughters with rage issues to Dyste, Tyroth? Besides the fact that they're both half Rohanian, familiar with the culture and the place itself? Where Carmen was already attending university anyways, where Vesta had been going to school for five years? Where the majority of their friends live, and I can check on them easier? How about I didn't want them in a place where their rage problems might be exasperated?"

The Rohanian took a breath, but wasn't done, apparently, as he smacked his palms against the table. "And I'm just as sick of these fucking politics as you, Tysteus! They ruined my fucking family! I'm a businessman, damnit, not a politician; I want to be able to care for my daughters beyond sending them money and sometimes seeing Carmen when I have a business trip to Rohane Alista!"

Tyroth growled as he folded his arms, before Tynah spoke up, “Alright, if you wish to defend your parenting, I have to defend my Father’s judgment here. You are aware as a king, he is always willing to listen to the opinions of others. If you think he is wrong about something, he will listen to you. However, I do not appreciate that tone you took with him; he is the reason all of us are even here together, without Father this family would not exist. And he was merely wishing to know why he didn’t get to be involved in such a decision. That being said,” now she looked at Tyroth with annoyance, “... Father, you are not the ruler of Glaristant. You do not have any sort of say in how they run their nation. You can hate what they did all they want, but it is not up to you to say what they can or cannot do.”

Tyroth looked at Tynah with a glare, before sighing, “... I… suppose not, my daughter. My apologies. Bradley, I am sick of the politics myself; it is part of the reason I am stepping back myself. I only wish I did not have to make Tynah take these burdens, but she needs to learn.”

"As are we all, which is why mother and I have been doing what we can to dissolve the last of the nobility's power. Between the recent bills in the State Council and the recent Reduction bills, we are closer than ever to making them ceremonial. Yet with that being said, it is not something that can be done overnight like you seem to think." Laoisha said, her eyes flashing a brilliant red as she glared at Tysteus, "Do you think it doesn't weigh on me every night that I cannot have my daughters here? That I cannot spend time with them beyond video calls or the occasional visit to Rohane? It does more than you will ever know, but at the same time you and Grandfather sticking your muzzles into matters you have no experience in isn't helping. Same goes for you, Ivrea."

Eyvel for her part just sighed, taking a long drink from her glass of whiskey, "All of you, enough. There is no point trading fire over a matter that is already settled and cannot be changed. As much as I hate it, the other houses got to have their way on this matter. That said, you are damned fools if you believe that this will happen again. You can count on that. Now please…let us speak on matters which are more pleasant."

As the voices across the hall died down, they were replaced by the sound of tapping fingers. Petra was drumming against the table, brow furrowed and frown large. She glared at almost everyone before finally speaking. “All I asked. ALL I asked. Was that everyone behave themselves at my dinner. That we all play nice, enjoy the food I spent hours cooking without arguments and politics and being late. I cannot believe you,” she finished, slowly scooting back her chair and standing. “Any of you.”

Tysteus buried her head in her hands, “This is why I don’t meet all of ya like this… one or two is one thing, but we always fuckin’ fight when there’s so many. I want t’like y’all, but this really makes it hard… I only came since Petra asked.”

“It’s moronic.” Constance finally spoke up. “Why trouble ourselves with such rotten fruits that are beyond these walls? Instead let us speak of better tales. Surely, you’d love to hear about one of my stories of the great multiverse itself. It’s far more grand than squabbling nobles who can’t survive one moment in the Plane of Fire.”

“I mean, yeah!” Tysteus looked up, “That’s more th’kind of stuff I wanna talk about! Like how I beat down a linnorm th’other day that was gonna consume a whole town! That is what I like ‘bout this family.”

"About time! Honestly, I would prefer to talk about our adventures than politics." Kyara chuckled, her expression warming at the change of subject, "I have been dying to talk about the trip Hayley and I took out to the Astral Plane the other week."

Petra slowly sat down again, though the glare didn’t leave. “Only if I get to open with the stupid stunt Rolven pulled most recently. A few of you know, but most of you don’t, and you won’t believe this one.”

“Ooooooh!” Tynah’s expression, having been in a mostly foul mood, brightened up considerably, “And after that I need to tell you all about the time Flora and I went to a floating fortress to fight off an army of golems!”

“And perhaps next, I shall regale everyone about the story of the Mirage Desert-” Tyroth said before everyone groaned again, “It is a good story no matter how many times I tell it!”

“But we’ve all heard it at least ten times,” Bradley sighed. “I could regale you with adventures in the boardroom but I get the feeling I’m the only person in this entire dinner who would care.”

“Yes, Brad, you are,” Petra said, shaking her head. “Ok, so, base knowledge. You all heard about that time a few months ago when a bunch of like, super old and strong linnorms just started washing up dead on beaches and stuff right?”

“Oh yeah, I heard somethin’ bout that,” Tysteus said. “I thought maybe there was some sorta territory dispute.”

“Yeah, with a three thousand year old gold dragon,” Petra replied, getting animated as she waved her arms about. “I don’t know all the details, I know Rolven met him in some cave here in Dyste briefly, and then he went to Mt. Aegir. The pictures are classified, but let me tell you, holy shit, that was a Bahamut-sized dragon, I swear to the gods.”

“In fairness I do not think anyone here except Father has personally met Bahamut,” Tynah said, “So I cannot say for certain if the size comparison is true, but… that is certainly a rare sight. I do not even know if Aurix or Ornkepesk are that old…”

“I’m pretty confident about the size comparison, honestly,” Petra shrugged. “Anyways, apparently he was going a bit bonkers… I probably shouldn’t get into that too much, suffice to say there was a fight with Araya on the mountain, and our squad,” she leaned into Rolven here, “was involved, for the fat lot of good we did. Then the Warrior Trinity showed up and… things got weird, it’s not the point, Rolven probably can explain better than me. What is the point is he planeshifted, and then Rolven here teleported away with everyone. See where this is going?”

“The Warrior Trinity were there?” Tynah said. “Oh yes, I know them! Flora has been hanging with them a lot recently, and we accompanied them and their friends into the Ice Prison in the South Pole. That elf that likes to giggle might be an even better swordfighter than I am!”

“... let me guess,” Tysteus grinned. “... he left ya behind.”

“He fucking left me behind,” Petra confirmed. “He FORGOT me! On a battlefield! I had to take the boat all the way back to Glaristant! Three days with no shower and barely enough food! Camille have mercy on me, I nearly throttled him when I got home.”

"GAHAHA! See I told you our little brother was the bigger idiot! Pay up!" Eyvel laughed as she heard Petra's tale, all the while Rolven growled in annoyance. He downed a glass of whiskey before speaking, "Yes, it was stupid…colossally so. In my defense though, we had just suffered two deaths, were dealing with an unknown rift….Not to mention a beserk gold dragon and a wounded great wyrm. Forgive me, if I didn't account for everything given all that was going on."

Kyara snickered, giving Rolven a smirk, "That's all well and good, but you should have accounted for your wife first! She is the most important member of your team and person in your life after all."

"Gotta say, that little bit of idiocy takes the cake. I mean say what you will about me, but I would never just forget about my wife like that. Sorry brother, but there's no excuse for it!" Ivrea giggled

"Sorry Rolvie, but none of us are going to let you live this down. Oh this is going to be talked about for ages!" Eyvel chortled, all the while smirking at her brother.

Iriyea, for her part, had remained oddly silent as her children and grandchildren teased her eldest son. Her expression remained perfectly neutral, belying no hint of emotion as she listened intently. After a few moments, she at last gave a heavy sigh as she looked squarely at Rolven, her expression seemed pained as she spoke, in a disappointed tone, "Rolven…mein little wyrmling, I love you dearly…but you honestly are quite zhe idiot at times. Honestly, I could expect such obliviousness from Eyvel or Hayley, but not you. Did all zhose years of lessons and field experience teach you nothing?"

The lamia let her words linger in the air for a few moments, saying nothing as her son hung his head in shame. Yet as he looked up once more, expecting yet more scolding he saw that her expression was no longer one of disappointment! Instead, he could see Iriyea cracking a faint smirk as she looked towards Tyroth, "Zho…I suppose I cannot blame you entirely for making a mistake in zhe heat of battle. Bahamut knows zhat your father was prone to similar moments of idiocy vhen he was stressed. Still word of advice….Try not to do it again as I doubt Petra vill be so lenient next time."

Tyroth looked embarrassed, “Iri, come now, they do not need to know about those… ahem, I do agree with your mother here, Rolven. I understand that in the heat of battle, one needs to improvise and adapt, but it should never come at the expense of one’s party, especially not when one is your wife. So… please try and keep my dear daughter safe and happy, my son. For her sake and yours, GHAHAHA!”

"Ugh….I…I will keep that in mind, you two. Thanks…" Rolven said, sighing as he sat down with a look of embarrassment.

"He won't forget me again," Petra assured the family. "I'm retiring."

"What?....Are you…serious?" Rolven said, giving Petra a quizzical look, "I thought you were deadset against the idea of retirement, Pet."

"I mean, I know it doesn't mean much to most of you, but… I'm going to be thirty-eight in a couple of months, with two new children to look after, and my job is even more dangerous for me than you," Petra told Rolven, grabbing his hand. "I have to make myself really sick for half our missions anyways, and every time it takes a little longer to feel alright again… I thought more about it, and you're right. I want to be there for our sons, so I'm retiring. Kinda sad I never made captain, but my family matters more."

“Well, good on you, I say,” Tyroth patted Petra on the back, “One of the best decisions I made in the last while was…” he looked at Tynah for a moment, “... semi-retiring. I have to consider the right moment to make it official, since it will likely send waves throughout Mystria when it does happen, but… I once thought I was going to be king until I was 1000 years old, but… I am in my 800’s now, and I feel perhaps I have done enough. Besides, it means I shall be around more for my daughter and new grandsons!”

"Honestly, you have no idea how much it means to hear that, vorel. It is going to be a bit of a change, but it will be nice to have you home with the boys. That plus we will not have to worry about the side effects from those damned pills either." Rolven remarked, a small smile spreading across his muzzle as he took Petra's hand.

"I think sometime soon vould be best, mein alskaire…especially given zhat I vould love to have you involved in raising little Tylan. Besides, I think zhat Petra and Rolven vould appreciate having you around to spoil zhe kids as well." Iriyea said, a warm smile spreading across her lips as the top of her tail rested in Tyroth's lap. Looking down he could see a small polished black and gold box, sitting atop Iriyea's tail. She winked, mouthing to him, "Open it."

“Oh that’d be wonderful!” Constance grinned. “There is so much to explore and have an adventure father. For one is the tower that has a unique trick like the light of the stars, and a whole dimensional Bifrost to other worlds. It’d be quite exciting.”

“I would love to, Constance,” Tyroth smiled, “I will certainly be happy to adventure with my children again, it has been ages since I have been able to… oh, what’s this now?” Tyroth took the box from atop the tail, opening it up…

As he opened the box, Tyroth could see a shining platinum band in the shape of a coiled dragon. The head of the band bore two inlaid finely cut emeralds, imitating eyes which stared back at him. Engraved on the side, he could just barely make out the inscription, "For Tyroth, my eternal companion and greatest love. Will you accompany me on the greatest adventure of all?" Iriyea's eyes shimmered, all the while a warm smile spreading across her muzzle as she spoke, "I know zhat this maybe a bit out of zhe blue, alskaire….but I figured zhat with you retiring soon…there might be no better time to ask."

Tyroth stared at the ring for some time, turning it around to have a better look at the inscription. “Iri… I… I really have to wonder, did you have to wait this long to ask? Come now, I have been waiting for at least the last few centuries, I might have retired sooner if I knew that it would finally happen, GHAHAHAHA!” He embraced Iriyea, “... Nothing would make me happier.”

"I had been hesitant because I thought you vould say no because of your duties as King…or because of Sarisa. To know zhat…" Iriyea went silent as she was embraced by Tyroth, returning it with one of her own as she nuzzled against him. Tears streamed down her eyes, as she choked out, "Thank you….truly .it…You have no idea how long I have been waiting to hear you say that."

Tyroth nuzzled up with Iriyea, a few tears himself; even among his family, he really did try to remain looking strong, but he really couldn’t help himself today. “Well, I suppose then I should warn all of you; you are getting far more visits from us from now on! Just because we will both be retired it does not mean we will be relaxing at home all the time, far from it! You are not getting rid of us that easily, GHAHAHAHA!”

Petra stood and snuck off as best she could while everyone was distracted by the couple. When Tyroth finished laughing, she slowly opened the door of the kitchen, carrying something large in a closed plastic container with both hands, walking slowly and carefully to the table, before setting it down in front of the two. "I didn't put this together for this, but I knew it was coming, so…" She pulled the lid off the container, revealing a large key lime pie, two bowls of vanilla ice cream on the side. "I… I wanted you both to know… how much you mean to me. I didn't… I am so grateful to call you mom and dad," She started crying a little. "You're everything I always dreamed of, back in Alistara, when I didn't have anyone… I love you."

Tyroth picked up Petra gently and gave her as soft a hug as he could, “My daughter… I may have only known you for a few years, but in that time you have made me a very happy father. And I shall keep on being so… for all of my children. No matter what.”

Iriyea slithered towards the pair, her tail wrapping around them in the lamian version of a hug. Her arms embraced her daughter as she spoke, "Petra, no my daughter….though ve have not known you for a short time, you have nonetheless became an integral part of mein family. Vithout you, I am certain ve would not be near as happy. Truly, I am proud to call you my daughter."