Post by Lady Hammer on Sept 19, 2007 12:29:44 GMT -5
PART TWO!
Sure enough, the thing was there, twitching like it carried a disease, which I didn’t doubt it did, and ruffling its few feathers.
“You’re so ugly,” I said to it, snatching a worn parchment from its talon. It was the confirmation from Lazarus and Rhett; they would be arriving. With a sigh, I watched as their messenger thing and Rori’s dove took off into the chilly afternoon sky, picking at each other as they parted ways. It was enough to make me laugh and divert my attention to a crisp breeze coming in from the east. I could feel the dampness of the air on my face, and sighed, before checking off other names on the guest list, coming finally to Aleth’s. No note from him.
That’s what I thought.
Finished with my task, I returned to the feast room, where I saw Athen stumbling along with plates of appetizers. Immediately, I rushed over to him before he dropped a plate of sandwich rolls – those were my favorite.
“Let me get that for you,” I said, taking another dish from his hands.
“Thanks!” He always came back happy and enthused, no matter how much I yelled at him… we set the dishes on the table and adjusted the tablecloth.
“Listen, I, um…”
“Could you put some candles on the table real quick while I get the centerpiece and wine?” He cut me off on purpose, I know, and he could tell that I was having trouble with an apology. I nodded.
“Sure.” As soon as the word left my mouth, he bolted like lightning out of the room, his boots squeaking on the red stone tiles. Was I a horrible sister, or was there always someone like me in every family?
I went back and forth between various closets full of decorations to find some scented candles, vanilla, cinnamon, and spiced apple, and I did my best to arrange them on the center table. I was no where near as good as Athen when it came to sprucing up a place, but I tried. Suddenly, just as I had put flame to the first candle, a happy disturbance filled the air, breaking my trance. A little girl ran down the entrance hall, eyes glowing as they set on me.
“Auntie Tizzy!” I laid my eyes on my niece, a strange toddler who was too pasty for her own good. She came bumbling after me, short, stiff, white-blonde hair slapping her face.
“Oh! Mariette, get back here! Auntie Tizzy’s busy!”
Mrs. Perfect and her less-than-perfect spawn had arrived. I quickly lit the remaining candles, waved my taper out, and hefted Mariette into my arms. She was an awfully strange child, and didn’t look like anyone in my family, or her father’s family, which brought a lot of discussion between the other siblings when she wasn’t around. The thing that creeped me out the most was not her pale complexion or how ridiculously adorable she looked in maroon, but her eyes. They differed by just a slight shade, and that’s what was so awkward. One eye was baby blue, and the other was bright turquoise. She was the only one I knew with eyes like that.
Regardless of how I felt about her, she was always dazzled to see me. I rocked her back and forth for a moment, and then looked up to see my sister.
“Hello, Adeska,” I replied, setting her child back down. Adeska grinned her pretty smile, perfect and the icon of every woman’s jealousy. I swear, if God and Goddess had made a flawless being, it would be Adeska. With hair that was long strands of gold, gleaming and straight, and eyes that were endless pools of sapphire, it’s no wonder that her and Centa got together. He was chiseled nicely, too.
“Hey, Tizzy! How’s everything going? You and Athen really did a great job with this room!” she said, hugging me. Soon, her giant husband walked in. He had to have some giant in him! He towered above us! He even towered above Lazarus, who, at six feet and going, looked down at everyone but Rhett and Aleth. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mariette ended up being a six foot tall mother of ten living out in the woods with a lumberjack.
“Hello, Tizena.” Centa had a sweet voice, too… Adeska was so lucky. He always did like to start things out formally, though, calling me by my full name. I didn’t understand it – he was part of the family now, he had nothing to be afraid of by simply calling me by my nickname.
“You guys are here early,” I said, placing a hand on my hip. I didn’t even think Athen had started on the food yet, save for the meat that mysteriously reappeared. Really, I didn’t think we’d be ready for another hour and a half.
“Allanis said we could come and help,” Adeska explained, holding Mariette’s pasty little hand. Of course the angel wanted to come and help.
“You’ll have to share the kitchen with Athen,” I told her, shrugging. And then, as if I had uttered the devil’s name, Athen started out of the kitchen, struggling with Allanis’s fall floral arrangement, while trying to keep several bottles of wine tucked under his arms.
“Athen!” Adeska cried with a smile, running to his rescue. He was lucky she came, otherwise, in his surprise, he would have dropped the wine, and that wouldn’t have pleased Allanis one bit. Mrs. Perfect grabbed some bottles from under his arms and placed them on the table. The baby brother sighed in relief.
“Adeska!” He didn’t even bother to arrange things nicely anymore, dropping the placement lopsided on the table before leaping into the older sister's arms. But I needed to stop badgering him; he had really come through after I yelled at him this morning.
“It’s been awhile!” Adeska replied, eyeing the little changes to the feast room. Athen smiled proudly.
“Nine months!” Him and Centa exchanged “hey’s” and handshakes, and then he kneeled down to Mariette and held her little hands. I felt sorry for that girl. She was only three years old, and had to remember the names of seven aunts and uncles, and then go to her father’s side and remember even more. Dear Lord, I can only imagine how horrid it will be for her when she has to remember cousins.
“Hi Mariette!” Athen cooed, waving around the girl’s hands and rubbing noses with her. I scoffed, rolling my eyes.
“Hi, Uncle Athen!” she said, shyly. As Athen and Mariette were playing around, Centa approached the table and examined the wine labels. Whether he was seriously interested or not, I couldn’t tell. There was a lot of silence though, as Adeska stood by the crackling fire, zoning out like she often did. It left only the sound of Athen playing rock-paper-scissors with Mariette, until Centa spoke to me.
“These are some expensive wines.”
“Wait till you hear how much it was to make the spiced cider." I laughed at my words.
“Your sister sure doesn’t hesitate to spend her money, does she?” he asked, fumbling with a bottle of pinot noir. I sighed heavily and slapped my arms against my sides. I had been sighing a lot, lately.
“Oh no, not at all…” At least he enjoyed my sarcasm. Then, Athen came over, carrying Mariette on his back.
“Sorry guys, but I have to get back to the kitchen. I’ll see you in a bit, Mariette!” he said, setting her down beside her father. When he turned back to the kitchen, Adeska followed him, with a skip in her step.
“I’m going to help! Centa, stay and keep Tizzy company, okay?” she asked, smiling like she always was. Did it really look like I needed company? Ever? Centa merely shrugged and nodded, picking up his daughter.
It was funny, how I always got volunteered for things without getting to voice my opinion. Since when was it my job to occupy Adeska’s husband? My siblings were bonding and enjoying a fun and fulfilling experience cooking together, and I might as well have been babysitting. I decided it wasn’t time to get difficult; I had done enough of that today. I led the two over to one of the fireplaces, and we stood there, silent, for the longest time.
Now, I never really knew too much about Adeska’s relationship with Centa, other than the fact they obviously loved each other enough to marry and procreate, but it always seemed like he could open up easier with me, despite how much of a conciliator Adeska was. Still, I could understand. Adeska seemed so perfect, you were afraid to disappoint her. Now me, on the other hand, I’m always disappointed, so it really never mattered.
The conversation that ensued when Adeska disappeared into the kitchen was surprisingly serious. I couldn’t bring myself to do anything but shut my mouth and listen, which under most circumstances was out of the question. I learned a lot about Centa then, and I had a lot more I was going to learn about him soon.
The man was extremely pain tolerant, which I’m sure anyone could guess at first glance. Centa had also been a masochist. He was the last person I had ever expected to be a self mutilator. Alongside Rori. Actually, Rori was so demented, I shouldn’t put it past her. Centa reminded me so much of Aleth, especially now that I knew Centa used to enjoy the sensation of pain. It made me worry about my brother. I hoped he didn’t do the same thing.
But he went on. When he first began telling me all of this, I thought he was just another whiny cutter, nothing that was too out of hand. Allanis finds them in bulk in her High Society. Then, we sat down by the fire and watched Mariette, who was entranced by the dancing flames, twirling with the rhythm of their crackling song. He continued with his story when he was sure the girl was no longer paying attention, and lifted up his long shirt.
Scars. The pale tissue glinted in the firelight. He had three thick, long scars across his stomach, and numerous little ones that were petty in comparison.
“Centa,” I said, breathlessly, “what happened? What did you do?”
“There’s more,” he said glumly. “See this one?” He pointed to the thick scar in the middle of his torso, and I nodded. “Goes all the way through, and you can see the scar where it came out of my back.” In a sick, twisted way, he was almost proud of this. He stared at my gawking face. “It happened during a raid when I was seventeen. Adeska was with me. Do you remember?”
I thought about it. Didn’t remember… I had been only twelve, then.
“Nope. That was when Lazarus accidentally put me in a coma. Remember?” Poor guy didn’t mean to do it, we were just rough-housing. But, thanks to that, I didn’t remember most of being twelve years old.
“There was a raid way back in a town by the outskirts of Suradia. I was stabbed in the stomach before anyone could get to me,” he paused to laugh, like there was something amusing in this revelation, “I scared the shit out of the guy. I looked up at him, grinned, spat a mouthful of blood at him, and grabbed onto the blade of his sword. See? I’ve got those scars, too,” he said, showing me his hands. I looked away, turning up my nose.
“Good God, Centa!” I said, frowning in disgust and glancing at Mariette, who was still staring into the fire. “Don’t you know it’s not good to talk about things like that in front of your children?” He could only smile, and looked at his daughter.
“She can’t hear me,” he said, sighing. “She’s somewhere else, right now. Listening to the people in the fire, listening to their stories.” How exactly were he and Adeska raising the girl?
“How’d you get all those other scars?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going. There had to be more emotions cooped up inside of him that he couldn’t tell Adeska. I learned that he had been a very demented teenager. At first, they only hooked up because she could stop him from losing it and harming himself. He said that on more than one occasion, she found him in a pool of his own blood. But as she slowly broke his nasty habit, they fell more in love.
“That’s an interesting story. You don’t find many love tales like that. I’ve heard meeting at work, meeting at public places, and the like. But nothing like you guys,” I mumbled, still in shock.
“Yeah.” His honey eyes suddenly gave me a worried flash. “Don’t tell…”
“I got it, I got it. I’m better than that, you know I won’t tell,” I told him. “You know I won’t tell…”
For awhile, we just sat there, enjoying the fire with Mariette, trying to grasp her strange sights within the flames.
“Hey, let me see the guest list,” Centa suddenly said. “I have some friends in Allanis’s little society that might have been invited.” I shrugged, showing him the poor condition of the list.
“Not a lot of other people were invited. Mostly just the family. And a Gabriella, a Cato—”
“He’s coming?” Centa asked.
“Nah, there was no check by his name.”
“Anyone else?”
“Phiothilus Heywood is going to be here, whoever the hell that is—” I stopped to see Centa rolling back with laughter.
“I know him!”
“I could tell… I don’t know anyone else on the list, and not many other people are coming. Corin and Nancelle, Kairo, Meghan, any of those names ring a bell?” I asked. The man sighed and shook his head. Silence ensued again until Adeska and Athen came out of the kitchen, carrying grape juice, rolls of bread, and more appetizers.
“We’re almost done!” Mrs. Perfect sang. “When the little band gets here, I’m sure we could start this thing, don’t you?”
“It depends if the guests show up,” Centa said.
“And if Allanis ever gets down here. I sure hope she hasn’t changed clothes again…” I replied, folding my arms. The table was rearranged again, one final time, as the rest of the appetizers and drinks were brought out with plates, cups, silverware, and napkins. Taking a step back to take it all in, I had to say I was rather impressed.
Adeska and Centa were having fun making napkin birds and cup towers, and Athen was giving Mariette piggy-back rides, when mischievous laughter rolled down the entrance hall. Two tall silhouettes came into the Hallenar House.
Lazarus and Rhett were here. I laughed inside, knowing that Rhett wasn’t going to have much fun at this party, since he wouldn’t have anyone to flirt with. Unless this “Phiothilus” guy turned out to be a girl. And Lazarus wouldn’t have an easy time either, since Adeska was present. She’d give him hell.
Maybe I should explain. Mrs. Perfect is a practitioner of earth magic and worships life. She loves nature and the things around her and respects the cycle of living things. I’ve heard she was teaching Mariette all the fascinating lore. Lazarus, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Adeska. He was the head of a dark-arts college, right up there with famous names like Lanz Miras. Lazarus had mastered pretty much every form of Chaos Magic named, but Necromancy was his forte. Puh, he knows nothing about Chaos until he’s been a vampire, and that’s where I end my say.
Lazarus pulled his black hood over his tufts of dark hair and gave me the smile that he’d only show a sibling. I grinned and gave him a hug, ready to admit that I had missed my big brother. Let me not neglect to say, yet again, that he was tall. Most of our family was. Rori was the tallest sister, and Aleth was the tallest brother, but I don’t know what the hell happened to Allanis’s genes. She’s definitely a few heads shorter than us.
I grabbed my brother’s hand to see what new rings of “great power and death” he had acquired since his last visit. As obscure as it was, I was still a little bit interested in the dark side of things.
“He got that one last week after we soul scavenged!” Rhett said, his nose in the air like it always was. I nodded and pursed my lips.
“I see.” Really, I didn’t. All of this magic nonsense… it was interesting, sure, but didn’t anyone believe in old fashioned swordplay, anymore? I dropped Lazarus’s hand, and then paid a look to my other brother. “I couldn’t help but notice that you haven’t replaced your eyes.” Last time I saw him, he was going on about how he was going to get surgery from this shady-looking guy who’d take out his blue eyes and give him daemon ones.
“The ladies like my blonde hair and blue eyes,” he smirked, raising his eyebrows and running his hands smoothly through his locks. “And anyway, the surgeon pissed Lazarus off the other day, so he ate his soul. This morning, actually.” I rolled my eyes.
“Just don’t bleed in the punch.” Lazarus and Rhett laughed, the younger throwing his hood over his head and following Lazarus around the table, grabbing an appetizer or two. I turned, watching them go about, and a cold breeze rushed through my hair.
“Heya Tizzy!”
Two hands grabbed onto my shoulders and swung me around in one fluid motion, and I was engulfed in a hug. Oh Dear God, the “other” one had arrived.
Sure enough, the thing was there, twitching like it carried a disease, which I didn’t doubt it did, and ruffling its few feathers.
“You’re so ugly,” I said to it, snatching a worn parchment from its talon. It was the confirmation from Lazarus and Rhett; they would be arriving. With a sigh, I watched as their messenger thing and Rori’s dove took off into the chilly afternoon sky, picking at each other as they parted ways. It was enough to make me laugh and divert my attention to a crisp breeze coming in from the east. I could feel the dampness of the air on my face, and sighed, before checking off other names on the guest list, coming finally to Aleth’s. No note from him.
That’s what I thought.
Finished with my task, I returned to the feast room, where I saw Athen stumbling along with plates of appetizers. Immediately, I rushed over to him before he dropped a plate of sandwich rolls – those were my favorite.
“Let me get that for you,” I said, taking another dish from his hands.
“Thanks!” He always came back happy and enthused, no matter how much I yelled at him… we set the dishes on the table and adjusted the tablecloth.
“Listen, I, um…”
“Could you put some candles on the table real quick while I get the centerpiece and wine?” He cut me off on purpose, I know, and he could tell that I was having trouble with an apology. I nodded.
“Sure.” As soon as the word left my mouth, he bolted like lightning out of the room, his boots squeaking on the red stone tiles. Was I a horrible sister, or was there always someone like me in every family?
I went back and forth between various closets full of decorations to find some scented candles, vanilla, cinnamon, and spiced apple, and I did my best to arrange them on the center table. I was no where near as good as Athen when it came to sprucing up a place, but I tried. Suddenly, just as I had put flame to the first candle, a happy disturbance filled the air, breaking my trance. A little girl ran down the entrance hall, eyes glowing as they set on me.
“Auntie Tizzy!” I laid my eyes on my niece, a strange toddler who was too pasty for her own good. She came bumbling after me, short, stiff, white-blonde hair slapping her face.
“Oh! Mariette, get back here! Auntie Tizzy’s busy!”
Mrs. Perfect and her less-than-perfect spawn had arrived. I quickly lit the remaining candles, waved my taper out, and hefted Mariette into my arms. She was an awfully strange child, and didn’t look like anyone in my family, or her father’s family, which brought a lot of discussion between the other siblings when she wasn’t around. The thing that creeped me out the most was not her pale complexion or how ridiculously adorable she looked in maroon, but her eyes. They differed by just a slight shade, and that’s what was so awkward. One eye was baby blue, and the other was bright turquoise. She was the only one I knew with eyes like that.
Regardless of how I felt about her, she was always dazzled to see me. I rocked her back and forth for a moment, and then looked up to see my sister.
“Hello, Adeska,” I replied, setting her child back down. Adeska grinned her pretty smile, perfect and the icon of every woman’s jealousy. I swear, if God and Goddess had made a flawless being, it would be Adeska. With hair that was long strands of gold, gleaming and straight, and eyes that were endless pools of sapphire, it’s no wonder that her and Centa got together. He was chiseled nicely, too.
“Hey, Tizzy! How’s everything going? You and Athen really did a great job with this room!” she said, hugging me. Soon, her giant husband walked in. He had to have some giant in him! He towered above us! He even towered above Lazarus, who, at six feet and going, looked down at everyone but Rhett and Aleth. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mariette ended up being a six foot tall mother of ten living out in the woods with a lumberjack.
“Hello, Tizena.” Centa had a sweet voice, too… Adeska was so lucky. He always did like to start things out formally, though, calling me by my full name. I didn’t understand it – he was part of the family now, he had nothing to be afraid of by simply calling me by my nickname.
“You guys are here early,” I said, placing a hand on my hip. I didn’t even think Athen had started on the food yet, save for the meat that mysteriously reappeared. Really, I didn’t think we’d be ready for another hour and a half.
“Allanis said we could come and help,” Adeska explained, holding Mariette’s pasty little hand. Of course the angel wanted to come and help.
“You’ll have to share the kitchen with Athen,” I told her, shrugging. And then, as if I had uttered the devil’s name, Athen started out of the kitchen, struggling with Allanis’s fall floral arrangement, while trying to keep several bottles of wine tucked under his arms.
“Athen!” Adeska cried with a smile, running to his rescue. He was lucky she came, otherwise, in his surprise, he would have dropped the wine, and that wouldn’t have pleased Allanis one bit. Mrs. Perfect grabbed some bottles from under his arms and placed them on the table. The baby brother sighed in relief.
“Adeska!” He didn’t even bother to arrange things nicely anymore, dropping the placement lopsided on the table before leaping into the older sister's arms. But I needed to stop badgering him; he had really come through after I yelled at him this morning.
“It’s been awhile!” Adeska replied, eyeing the little changes to the feast room. Athen smiled proudly.
“Nine months!” Him and Centa exchanged “hey’s” and handshakes, and then he kneeled down to Mariette and held her little hands. I felt sorry for that girl. She was only three years old, and had to remember the names of seven aunts and uncles, and then go to her father’s side and remember even more. Dear Lord, I can only imagine how horrid it will be for her when she has to remember cousins.
“Hi Mariette!” Athen cooed, waving around the girl’s hands and rubbing noses with her. I scoffed, rolling my eyes.
“Hi, Uncle Athen!” she said, shyly. As Athen and Mariette were playing around, Centa approached the table and examined the wine labels. Whether he was seriously interested or not, I couldn’t tell. There was a lot of silence though, as Adeska stood by the crackling fire, zoning out like she often did. It left only the sound of Athen playing rock-paper-scissors with Mariette, until Centa spoke to me.
“These are some expensive wines.”
“Wait till you hear how much it was to make the spiced cider." I laughed at my words.
“Your sister sure doesn’t hesitate to spend her money, does she?” he asked, fumbling with a bottle of pinot noir. I sighed heavily and slapped my arms against my sides. I had been sighing a lot, lately.
“Oh no, not at all…” At least he enjoyed my sarcasm. Then, Athen came over, carrying Mariette on his back.
“Sorry guys, but I have to get back to the kitchen. I’ll see you in a bit, Mariette!” he said, setting her down beside her father. When he turned back to the kitchen, Adeska followed him, with a skip in her step.
“I’m going to help! Centa, stay and keep Tizzy company, okay?” she asked, smiling like she always was. Did it really look like I needed company? Ever? Centa merely shrugged and nodded, picking up his daughter.
It was funny, how I always got volunteered for things without getting to voice my opinion. Since when was it my job to occupy Adeska’s husband? My siblings were bonding and enjoying a fun and fulfilling experience cooking together, and I might as well have been babysitting. I decided it wasn’t time to get difficult; I had done enough of that today. I led the two over to one of the fireplaces, and we stood there, silent, for the longest time.
Now, I never really knew too much about Adeska’s relationship with Centa, other than the fact they obviously loved each other enough to marry and procreate, but it always seemed like he could open up easier with me, despite how much of a conciliator Adeska was. Still, I could understand. Adeska seemed so perfect, you were afraid to disappoint her. Now me, on the other hand, I’m always disappointed, so it really never mattered.
The conversation that ensued when Adeska disappeared into the kitchen was surprisingly serious. I couldn’t bring myself to do anything but shut my mouth and listen, which under most circumstances was out of the question. I learned a lot about Centa then, and I had a lot more I was going to learn about him soon.
The man was extremely pain tolerant, which I’m sure anyone could guess at first glance. Centa had also been a masochist. He was the last person I had ever expected to be a self mutilator. Alongside Rori. Actually, Rori was so demented, I shouldn’t put it past her. Centa reminded me so much of Aleth, especially now that I knew Centa used to enjoy the sensation of pain. It made me worry about my brother. I hoped he didn’t do the same thing.
But he went on. When he first began telling me all of this, I thought he was just another whiny cutter, nothing that was too out of hand. Allanis finds them in bulk in her High Society. Then, we sat down by the fire and watched Mariette, who was entranced by the dancing flames, twirling with the rhythm of their crackling song. He continued with his story when he was sure the girl was no longer paying attention, and lifted up his long shirt.
Scars. The pale tissue glinted in the firelight. He had three thick, long scars across his stomach, and numerous little ones that were petty in comparison.
“Centa,” I said, breathlessly, “what happened? What did you do?”
“There’s more,” he said glumly. “See this one?” He pointed to the thick scar in the middle of his torso, and I nodded. “Goes all the way through, and you can see the scar where it came out of my back.” In a sick, twisted way, he was almost proud of this. He stared at my gawking face. “It happened during a raid when I was seventeen. Adeska was with me. Do you remember?”
I thought about it. Didn’t remember… I had been only twelve, then.
“Nope. That was when Lazarus accidentally put me in a coma. Remember?” Poor guy didn’t mean to do it, we were just rough-housing. But, thanks to that, I didn’t remember most of being twelve years old.
“There was a raid way back in a town by the outskirts of Suradia. I was stabbed in the stomach before anyone could get to me,” he paused to laugh, like there was something amusing in this revelation, “I scared the shit out of the guy. I looked up at him, grinned, spat a mouthful of blood at him, and grabbed onto the blade of his sword. See? I’ve got those scars, too,” he said, showing me his hands. I looked away, turning up my nose.
“Good God, Centa!” I said, frowning in disgust and glancing at Mariette, who was still staring into the fire. “Don’t you know it’s not good to talk about things like that in front of your children?” He could only smile, and looked at his daughter.
“She can’t hear me,” he said, sighing. “She’s somewhere else, right now. Listening to the people in the fire, listening to their stories.” How exactly were he and Adeska raising the girl?
“How’d you get all those other scars?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going. There had to be more emotions cooped up inside of him that he couldn’t tell Adeska. I learned that he had been a very demented teenager. At first, they only hooked up because she could stop him from losing it and harming himself. He said that on more than one occasion, she found him in a pool of his own blood. But as she slowly broke his nasty habit, they fell more in love.
“That’s an interesting story. You don’t find many love tales like that. I’ve heard meeting at work, meeting at public places, and the like. But nothing like you guys,” I mumbled, still in shock.
“Yeah.” His honey eyes suddenly gave me a worried flash. “Don’t tell…”
“I got it, I got it. I’m better than that, you know I won’t tell,” I told him. “You know I won’t tell…”
For awhile, we just sat there, enjoying the fire with Mariette, trying to grasp her strange sights within the flames.
“Hey, let me see the guest list,” Centa suddenly said. “I have some friends in Allanis’s little society that might have been invited.” I shrugged, showing him the poor condition of the list.
“Not a lot of other people were invited. Mostly just the family. And a Gabriella, a Cato—”
“He’s coming?” Centa asked.
“Nah, there was no check by his name.”
“Anyone else?”
“Phiothilus Heywood is going to be here, whoever the hell that is—” I stopped to see Centa rolling back with laughter.
“I know him!”
“I could tell… I don’t know anyone else on the list, and not many other people are coming. Corin and Nancelle, Kairo, Meghan, any of those names ring a bell?” I asked. The man sighed and shook his head. Silence ensued again until Adeska and Athen came out of the kitchen, carrying grape juice, rolls of bread, and more appetizers.
“We’re almost done!” Mrs. Perfect sang. “When the little band gets here, I’m sure we could start this thing, don’t you?”
“It depends if the guests show up,” Centa said.
“And if Allanis ever gets down here. I sure hope she hasn’t changed clothes again…” I replied, folding my arms. The table was rearranged again, one final time, as the rest of the appetizers and drinks were brought out with plates, cups, silverware, and napkins. Taking a step back to take it all in, I had to say I was rather impressed.
Adeska and Centa were having fun making napkin birds and cup towers, and Athen was giving Mariette piggy-back rides, when mischievous laughter rolled down the entrance hall. Two tall silhouettes came into the Hallenar House.
Lazarus and Rhett were here. I laughed inside, knowing that Rhett wasn’t going to have much fun at this party, since he wouldn’t have anyone to flirt with. Unless this “Phiothilus” guy turned out to be a girl. And Lazarus wouldn’t have an easy time either, since Adeska was present. She’d give him hell.
Maybe I should explain. Mrs. Perfect is a practitioner of earth magic and worships life. She loves nature and the things around her and respects the cycle of living things. I’ve heard she was teaching Mariette all the fascinating lore. Lazarus, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Adeska. He was the head of a dark-arts college, right up there with famous names like Lanz Miras. Lazarus had mastered pretty much every form of Chaos Magic named, but Necromancy was his forte. Puh, he knows nothing about Chaos until he’s been a vampire, and that’s where I end my say.
Lazarus pulled his black hood over his tufts of dark hair and gave me the smile that he’d only show a sibling. I grinned and gave him a hug, ready to admit that I had missed my big brother. Let me not neglect to say, yet again, that he was tall. Most of our family was. Rori was the tallest sister, and Aleth was the tallest brother, but I don’t know what the hell happened to Allanis’s genes. She’s definitely a few heads shorter than us.
I grabbed my brother’s hand to see what new rings of “great power and death” he had acquired since his last visit. As obscure as it was, I was still a little bit interested in the dark side of things.
“He got that one last week after we soul scavenged!” Rhett said, his nose in the air like it always was. I nodded and pursed my lips.
“I see.” Really, I didn’t. All of this magic nonsense… it was interesting, sure, but didn’t anyone believe in old fashioned swordplay, anymore? I dropped Lazarus’s hand, and then paid a look to my other brother. “I couldn’t help but notice that you haven’t replaced your eyes.” Last time I saw him, he was going on about how he was going to get surgery from this shady-looking guy who’d take out his blue eyes and give him daemon ones.
“The ladies like my blonde hair and blue eyes,” he smirked, raising his eyebrows and running his hands smoothly through his locks. “And anyway, the surgeon pissed Lazarus off the other day, so he ate his soul. This morning, actually.” I rolled my eyes.
“Just don’t bleed in the punch.” Lazarus and Rhett laughed, the younger throwing his hood over his head and following Lazarus around the table, grabbing an appetizer or two. I turned, watching them go about, and a cold breeze rushed through my hair.
“Heya Tizzy!”
Two hands grabbed onto my shoulders and swung me around in one fluid motion, and I was engulfed in a hug. Oh Dear God, the “other” one had arrived.
