Lunch With The Father

Half an hour later, after we’ve gotten some of the debauchery out of us and cleaned ourselves up, we make our way over from Mia’s separate house. The main house on the property is better described as a mansion. It seems a gargantuan structure, but I also don’t have much of a reference of what is possible in abyssal architecture.

The three story building has the same style and design as Mia’s house, except that it’s three stories tall and a lot wider. The sharp edges remind me of Minecraft somewhat, the large clear windows allowing for a view inside that shows a luxurious interior. Balconies snake their way around the second and third stories, lined with a fancy black decorative fence. A pool on one side completes the luxury of the property.

“My father’s name is Alex by the way, no need to call him Mr Burgess. It’ll just be him at lunch, my mother is out and my grandfather’s busy. He also doesn’t know that we’re dating, he thinks we’re just friends.” Mia tells us both quickly. “Wait what?” “Don’t worry about it, just don’t tell him okay?” I nod after a second’s hesitation and Ivy does the same. We walk up to the front door and Mia knocks. After a few seconds, the door opens to reveal a fairly plain looking man, albeit not a weak looking one.

He looks to be in his late thirties or early forties. He has short brown hair and piercing brown eyes. His gaze is friendly, with a slight hint of wariness. He has a small amount of stubble on his chin, and a fairly clean appearance, with a lean but muscular body type and a confident posture. He looks fairly unassuming, but something tells me that I shouldn’t use observe on him.

“Hi dad, this is Gemma and Ivy.” Mia says, gesturing to each of us in turn. We wave awkwardly, and he extends his hand to me. I shake his hand and he speaks. “I’m Alex, it’s good to meet you Gemma.” “Lovely to meet you Alex.” I reply, giving him a friendly smile. “Hi Alex, nice to meet you!” Ivy says as she shakes his hand after me.

“Come in, lunch is just about ready.” He says, standing aside and letting us come through. Mia leads the way into the house and I take a quick look around. The interior is every bit as luxurious as the exterior would lead one to believe, furnished with expensive looking furniture and modern decor.

Alex leads us to the dining room and the three of us take a seat. Ivy and I sit on one side, Mia sits on the other, leaving the head of the table free for Alex. He disappears into the kitchen, before returning a few moments later with three plates of quesadillas.

“Mia told me that you’re an artificial spirit Ivy, so you don’t eat organic food. Is that right?” He asks, setting two of the plates down in front of Mia and I. “That is correct, Gemma made me a couple of days ago. I am unable to eat organic food as it rots inside me.” Alex sets the last plate down and takes his seat, whistling in something like admiration.

“That’s pretty advanced magic. Mia says that you’re a late bloomer, Gemma?” He asks, starting to eat. Mia and I take that as a sign that we can start eating too, and I pick up one of pieces and take a bite, noting the delicious flavour. “I am indeed. This is really good by the way, thank you.”

He smiles at the compliment. “You’re welcome. I hear you’re all in a guild too?” I nod in confirmation. “Yes, The Centurions is what we’re called. It’s the three of us plus one other person.” He hums for a moment in thought. “Fair enough. I’d like to meet them sometime too. Are you staying out of trouble?” His eyes seem to darken slightly and there is an unmistakable note of protectiveness of his daughter in his voice, his tone subtly threatening consequences if we put her in harm’s way.

“We’re doing our best! We don’t want to cause any trouble, we just want to keep to ourselves.” Mia replies smoothly, flashing her father an honest smile. Sincerity is oozing from her tone, and I find myself unsure of whether or not she could ever tell a direct lie. Alex takes another bite, grumbling softly to himself, something about a careless daughter taking unnecessary risks.

“We know that you’re concerned about keeping Mia safe and your family’s neutrality. We will keep her away from anything that could jeopardise either.” Ivy adds, her eloquence and earnestness really shining through. I let my feelings of gratitude wash through our mental connection and the simple happiness that I get in reply warms my heart.

“Well I’m glad she told you about that anyway. As long as you stay out of trouble, then we won’t have a problem.” He nods, looking up and staring down Ivy and I in turn. I nod, feeling slightly intimidated but still feeling confident either way. “On a more positive note, I hear you’re also responsible for my daughter taking her training more seriously.” Mia groans at his words and I chuckle.

“Daaaad!” “What? It’s a compliment, you’re improving and getting stronger, and I’m proud of you.” He says, taking another bite of his food. Mia shakes her head. “She’s a strong woman, currently the strongest in our guild. We’re all training together to get stronger though.” He smiles, evidently proud of her. “She’s stronger than she knows.” Mia blushes and I giggle at her embarrassment.

The rest of the meal goes fairly uneventfully, with the conversation devolving into pleasant small talk. Once we’re finished our food, we thank Alex for the meal and walk back to Mia’s house. “Not a bad guy. I kinda like him.” I remark as Mia opens the door and we step inside. She groans and I laugh at her reaction.

“What’s wrong?” Ivy asks. Mia sighs at the question, and I’m not sure whether it’s in resignation or frustration. We get inside, taking off our shoes, and sit down on the couch together. “He’s not a bad guy at all. He’s a pretty decent dad. He just…has his own ideas about what I should be doing with my life, and I never really wanted to do what he wanted me to do.”

“What does he want you to do?” I ask her, massaging her back gently. “He wants me to master my aeromancy so I can eventually take over the family business of the school. He’s a bit traditionalist, and he doesn’t think things can really ever change around here.” “Is that why you didn’t tell him that the three of us are in a relationship?” I ask, suddenly understanding why she said at one point that she has daddy issues.

Mia nods, slightly sheepish. “I don’t want either of you to think that I’m embarrassed by you, because I’m not. He’d pretty happily accept that I’m a lesbian and that you’re trans Gemma, he’s not that kind of traditionalist. I just never really felt safe enough to tell him those things, and he doesn’t want me to be in a relationship at this point in my life anyway.”

“I’m not sure how he would handle the news that we’re polyamorous, but I think he’d be happy to accept that too. It’s the fact that I’m 19 and he thinks that’s too young to be having sex or to be in a serious relationship. He wants me to do different things with my life than I want to do. He’s a good dad, but he can be a bit frustrating sometimes, if you follow.”

Ivy and I nod silently, listening to Mia vent. She sighs again and puts her arms around the both of us and brings us in tightly. “I love you both. Thank you for listening to me.” I nuzzle up next to her, kissing her cheek gently. Ivy kisses her forehead and smiles at her. “Always, my love. We’re here for you.” Mia smiles and kisses Ivy on the lips, before doing the same to me.

I’m loathe to ruin the moment, but I have to say what’s on my mind. “Mia, I want you to understand. One way or another, this path that we’re aiming to go down? It leads to us clashing with your father. I don’t know how or when, but if we try to change things in Sydney, if you start fighting for the change that we all want, then things are probably going to get ugly with him.”

Mia sighs again and nods. “I know. I just hope that when the time comes, I’ll be able to convince him not to do anything rash.” “We’ll be with you all the way.” Ivy reminds her. “You can count on us. Whatever happens, we’ll support you.” I add, kissing her on the forehead. She smiles and shakes her head. “You both are too good for me.”

We sit there in silence for a while, just cuddling and enjoying each other’s presence. Eventually, I speak up. “When were you going to hang out with Paige again?” “Oh right yeah.” Mia grabs her phone to check the time. “I still have an hour before I need to leave. Any idea how we can pass the time?” She teases, rubbing both mine and Ivy’s legs. “I have a few.”