The Reunion of the Tarron Family

The group make their way to their seats, but they feel every set of eyes on them as they do.

They decide to stick close to each other with Amilia, Terra and Manai sitting on the left side, with Amilia on Terra's right. Kiera then takes a seat on the right side of the table with Kyuala on Kiera's left, and John is on Kyuala's left.

The group, who are all sat across from one another, still feel all eyes on them, but try to ignore it as Holvaeth clinks his chalice before standing up.

"I believe a toast is in order! It has been far, far too long since last we had all of our family, and some new friends, all here for a dinner. I know our family is far from the norm, but a normal family is often a boring one. You have all grown up to be the beautiful beacons of power that we knew you all would become, and I have no doubt that dear Erya will follow the example of her sisters."

"Let's just hope it isn't Terra's," Naura whispers to one of the other sisters before proudly chuckling to herself, but the sister doesn't give the same reaction.

"Now, your mother also wanted to say a few words, so I shall pass the toast to her."

As Holvaeth takes his seat, Myssera stands up whilst raising her chalice, "I... am so proud to see you all here. Seeing you here all today... It fills my heart with such warmth that only a mother can truly know. I admit that I haven't been the perfect mother, but I wouldn't change a moment if it meant you all blossomed into the beautiful women you currently are. I would also like to address our esteemed guests. We are currently in the presence of a group of heroes, our guests were involved in protecting the people of Reduna'z Gaze from that horrible, unholy attack. I do however, want to mention one of them specifically, John Doe. If it were not for you, not only would that devil have taken over the good people of Reduna'z Gaze, but all of Reduna'zriam, and there's no telling how much chaos she would have wrought upon us all. If I may speak for all of us here, thank you for heroic deeds, and we are all in your debt. I have also taken it upon myself to request a gift fit for a hero, but fret not, I also have gifts for the rest of the heroic party that saved us all."

Myssera then grabs a bell from table and gives it a quick ring. Just then, three servants walk into the throne room with boxes in hand. They head over to the group and give Terra, Amilia, Kyuala and Lani a box each. The group are surprised, but Terra is incredibly sceptical of this sudden generosity. Amilia however, is less sceptical as she almost immediately rips the box open to get her gift. Amilia then grabs said gift, and is shocked to see...

A frilly pink dress.

She looks at it for a few moments, turning it around and examining the present that she assumes is a joke. Kyuala is next to open up her gift to find a similar looking dress, but in a fiery orange which matches her hair, and is also quite confused.

Lani opens her much smaller box to find a much, much smaller dress than the others (obviously), but in a baby blue. She is a lot happier with her dress as she squeals with joy upon seeing it.

Terra is last to open her "gift," and does so hesitantly. She slowly pulls the ribbon before opening up the box and sees an emerald green dress. She quickly gets a flashback to her younger years as during any formal events, her mother would have her in a fancy green dress, as according to her mother, the colour made her eyes pop.

The girls all examine their dresses, all with differing expressions. However, John begins to worry about what his gift may be, so he jokes, "I sure hope you have a dress my size."

Myssera begins laughing, almost a little too much, but it's slightly hidden by the laughter of the other sisters. Naura doesn't laugh for a few seconds, but after seeing her sisters reaction, she quickly joins in as well to not seem like a fool.

Myssera finally stops her raucous laughter for long enough to say, "I can promise you that you shall not be wearing a dress, dear hero. Your gift shall take a bit longer, but I can assure you, it shall be worth the wait."

Myssera's tone irks both Kyuala and Terra, albeit for different reasons. Terra is incredibly suspicious of her mothers intentions, thinking she's trying to twist him to turn against her. Kyuala on the other hand, she is firm in her belief that Myssera is trying to sleep with her beloved.

Terra looks across at Kiera and the sisters share a look of suspicion as to why their mother is singling John out. Meanwhile, Kyuala looks at Amilia, and the two friends also share a similar gaze, almost validating Kyuala's concerns.

The girls wouldn't have long to quietly communicate however, as Myssera says her final piece, "Anyway, I have said quite enough, but I do have one final request of my dearest daughters. Our guests have already met Kiera, Manai, Naura, Erya and obviously Terra, but they do not know all of you. Please, introduce yourselves to our esteemed guests in order of age."

As Myssera takes a seat, the amazonian-esque, buxom blonde to her left stands up and faces the group, "I am Apollita, second eldest sister, and professor of history at The High University of Mulvenscroll. It is a privilege to meet you all."

As Apollita takes her seat, a brown-haired beauty that currently next to Erya stands up, "I am Diane, third eldest sister. I am the countess of the Nargrowe family. It is a pleasure to meet you four."

As Diane takes her seat, the sister on Naura's right stands up, "I am Bislea. I'm an avid practitioner of botany, and I often help the university as well as anyone who seeks information with plants."

The next sister stands up, "I am Virra, a master marksman! I am an experienced adventurer as well, helping to defeat some foul creatures that have attacked the poor people of the continent."

John is a little taken aback by the loud, obviously proud yet egotistical introduction to Virra. He doesn't get much more time to think about it as the sister closest to Kiera speaks, "It's an honour to meet you all. I'm Sydna, proud betrothed of Gilla Markana of Nillork. I'm the older twin between Kova and I."

As Sydna sits down, John notices another sister giving Sydna a look of unmistakeable contempt. The aforementioned sister then stands up, "Hello, I'm Kova, younger twin of Sydna... unfortunately," She says under her breath. Kova then continues, "I am an author. Romance stories are my forte, because what is more fantastic than a handsome man sweeping a beautiful woman off her feet?"

Sydna simply rolls her eyes as Naura enthusiastically agrees.

As Kova sits down with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin, the last unintroduced sister stands up, "Hi there! I'm Sofia! It's great to meet you all! I'm the second youngest of all the sisters, and I am a demonologist! Everything that you can learn about demons, I already know it! My favourite is half-marked's!"

The excitable Sofia then takes her seat, and finishes the introduction of the Tarron sisters.

Not long after Sofia takes her seat, Holvaeth then grabs his bell, and rings it. Servants then come piling in, all with platters in hand. One by one, they're placed down onto the table. As the last platter is placed, all the cloches are removed, and the smell of cooked vegetables escapes. Amilia is immediately repulsed, but is soon saved as Holvaeth comments, "I understand your preference for meat, my dear. I couldn't stomach vegetables for a while myself until I met my dear Myssera that is. I haven't gone full vegetarian however, so enjoy this grickhen to your hearts content."

Just then, a few more platters are brought out, and are placed next to the group plus Holvaeth getting a platter to himself. The cloches are removed and Amilia finds her eyes sparkling as she sees freshly cooked and already sliced grickhen, hurkey, and some byoar.

The catfolk's mouth salivates like a beast finding dinner. Immediately, her fork stabs into as much meat as she can get onto said fork before bringing it back to her plate. The others are quick to grab some pieces of their own before Amilia clears the platters.

After they've managed to wrestle some slices of meat away from Amilia's rapidly stabbing fork. The group finally have their plates ready, with some slightly hidden looks of disgust from the vegetarians at the table.

Holvaeth then raises his fork, "Alright! Let us dig in!"

Everyone then begins to happily tuck into their full plates with delighted noises escaping as they chew away.

A few minutes into the meal, the table is lively with conversation. Naura and Virra are laughing about their personal exploits, not-subtly trying to one-up each other in the mix of friendly conversation.

Apollita, Diane and Bislea are all talking amongst themselves about their spouses and children along with exchanging pictures with them noticing traits they definitely got from their respective mothers.

A bit down the table, Sydna and Kova practically avoid the others gaze like it would bring them death. Sydna talks to Kiera and Manai whilst Kova converses with Sofia who begins rambling on about her new findings.

The group are a little less talkative, but Terra tries to keep them engaged, "So, what do you all think? I know it can be intimidating meeting all of us at once, but I hope it wasn't overwhelming."

"I like them!" Lani says, "They're very pretty!"

"You like everyone, wings It's not exactly a fair judge of character," Amilia comments before scoffing down some more byoar.

"They seem like good people... mostly. Some are very loud though."

Terra chuckles at Kyuala's answer, "They definitely can be quite loud. You get used to it after a little bit."

Kiera then suddenly interjects, "Prepare your ears if you ask Sofia anything about demons. I love the girl to death, but she could talk the bark off a tree when it comes to her research."

"Virra isn't any better. Her exploits are seemingly endless, yet I never hear about any creature bigger than a cursed kalhna," Sydna adds.

"A cursed... Kalh-na?" John asks.

"Oh! A kalhna is a distant relative to the dreagle. They're usually around five or so feet, but when cursed, they can grow to at least ten, maybe fifteen feet."

"And what curses them?"

Sydna responds with, "Usually a fairly experienced witch can pull it off, but there's been rumours that all of the sudden rise in cursing... is because of the Cult of the Red Moon."

"The Cult of the Red Moon? I thought they were vanquished by the Knights of Solar?" Lani asks.

"And everyone thought that the Darksister of the Nyll had perished long ago, and look at how that ended up," Manai retorts.

John, not knowing what any of that meant, just says, "Yeah, those Knights of Solar... How bout those guys, huh?"

The elven sisters all giggle before Sydna comments, "Sorry for laughing, John. It's just... seeing a man so clueless is... cute."

Kyuala scowls slightly with a little grunt leaving her throat. Sydna notices this and quickly adds, "Don't worry, hun. I don't row on that side of the boat, if you catch my drift."

It takes Kyuala a few moments, but she eventually understands what Sydna meant. Her eyes then open a little wider as she stumbles on her words, "I apologize. I meant nothing by it. I just-"

"You have no need to apologize," Sydna says after a moment of laughter. "I understand the feeling when others compliment or flirt with your betrothed. I have to deal with it quite frequently unfortunately. One of few issues of being married to a head of a noble family."

"How is Gilla anyway? I heard there was some sort of issue?" Kiera asks.

Sydna sighs, "She is okay, but there was an incident. Her idiotic, narcissistic, pea-brained brother decided that he wasn't happy with the land he was given. So, he's been trying to muscle in on Gilla and I's land. I will say, he's in for a hell of a shock when I get back."

The others notice Sydna's serious tone, but they don't want press any further. Sydna then shakes out of her suppressed anger for the situation before saying, "Anyway, moving on from all that. Did anybody else notice Mother singling out, John? She was practically drooling over him."

"I knew she was flirting!" Kyuala says with gritted teeth.

"I'll admit, I thought I was misconstruing it at first, but seems I was unfortunately right," Kiera says.

"As was I," Manai adds.

Sydna gives a quick glance at her mother who's acting like the happiest mother in the world before looking back to the group, "It was disgusting is what it was, but not because of you, John. You are quite attractive for a man, and let's just say, if Mother's looks matched her personality, she would make a diseased ratfolk look like the most expensive whore in Dirhamsworth. Still, I can't believe she would even do that in front of Father. They've been married for nearly fifty damn years!"

Amilia's jaw finally stops moving as a piece of hurkey drops from her fingers, "Hold on princess, did you just say... fifty years?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, most visitors already know. Yes, our mother and father have been married for close to fifty years now."

Amilia's eyes open wide, "Holy shit. Fifty fucking years?"

Kiera chuckles, "We are elves after all, sweetheart. There has been many marriages that have lasted much longer."

"Still, fifty years? I'd get sick of the same dick after like... two. Has he been that size for the whole damn time?"

"Amilia!" Lani scolds, "That's a horrible thing to say."

"Oh, i'm sooo sorry, but he looks a grickhen or two away from docking in that damn harbour!"

The elves all begin to uncontrollably snicker and cover their mouths to muffle their laughter at Amilia's words. After drawing some quick, confused glances from the others, Sydna says through giggles, "She isn't exactly wrong."

Kiera then joins in, "Still, I just hope that Mother doesn't let him on top anytime soon."

Terra lets out a shocked gasp through her laughter, "Kiera! You're supposed to be innocent one out of us all!"

"Innocent one? Terra, you do know our eldest sister has children, right? She has grown from a little innocent matterpiller to a sex crazed cutterfly."

Terra covers her ears, trying to preserve the innocent memories of Kiera that she has. The others then begin to poke and prod at her, teasing more and more until they eventually relent.

A LITTLE LATER ON:

Desert has arrived, and the entire table digs in. The dessert itself is like a combination of caramel and ice cream, but with the consistency of cake mix shaped into perfect dome. John, is actually loving said desert, and everyone takes notice.

"I see you are also a man of good taste, John! This is also my favourite desert after a good, healthy meal!" Holvaeth says as his own spoon also dives into the mound of desert in front of him.

Sydna then comments, "To keep up with an orc, the man must have a healthy appetite."

Most of the table laughs, even Erya has a small chuckle, but Naura keeps silent.

A bit up the table, the loud adventurer of the Tarron family aka Virra asks, "So, John. You and your group are adventurers in Reduna'z, eh? Apart from the attack, what else have you all done?"

John clears his throat, "Well, we haven't been adventuring long. We did stop a gang called the Darkcross though, and we also killed a houndum."

"Yeah, in just two days. We spent more time fucking walking," Amilia adds

Virra laughs, "Yes, one of the major issues about adventuring. Luckily, I have managed to procure myself an autocart. They are definitely the future of road travel."

"An autocart?" Kova asks.

"You heard correctly, an autocart. It moves without any sort of horse or gurogan. You simply push a lever and it moves. You turn the wheel like a ship, and you can choose your direction. Then, you simply pull the lever back, and you come to a stop. You can also place an enchantment on your cart, and no one else can pilot but you. It's an adventurers best friend."

Kyuala leans over to John, "We definitely need to get one of those."

"Hell yeah, we do."

Myssera then clears her throat, "Anyway, we can talk about adventuring another time. As for now, let us enjoy our current surroundings. I can't imagine that you can have such luxuries in some forest, drenched by rain."

Myssera's little laugh at the end annoys Terra's, feeling like her words were a subtle jab at her. Terra keeps quiet however, knowing that saying anything right now, would just lead to a dogpile on her.

As they continue to eat their desserts, Lani actually has a question, "So, Kiera, Apollita, you two are professors at the High University, right? What is it like there?"

Apollita chuckles, "It's a wonderful place. The students there actually wish to learn. There is quite a few troublemakers, but most of them seem to take their education very seriously."

Kiera then follows up with, "Those... certain students mostly come from wealthy families, so their parents have a little more influence on their children's entry than the regular student who applies. They think they are high above the rest since they got in because of their parents and their wealth."

"Seems things aren't so different here after all." John comments to himself.

"As for the building itself, it is quite large. The biggest room is the library. I truly believe that you could get lost in there if you're not careful."

"Speaking of libraries..." Myssera cuts in, interrupting Apollita, "We have quite a library ourselves. It may not be some overly large waste of space for brats to swap saliva in, but we do have well over a thousand books."

Kiera and Apollita are a little offended by the comment by their mother, but don't respond.

"Speaking of our lovely home. I have a feeling our guests haven't had a proper tour yet. After dessert, I shall have Remar escort you around, it will give us a chance to set our next surprise for you all!" Holvaeth says with joy as he finished the last of his mountain of a dessert.

A few minutes later, everyone was more-or-less finished. The only person who had something left on their plate was Terra. She seemed visibly sceptical about everything, and the group could see it. Kiera, Manai and Sydna also noticed it, but they never asked her about why she had said look, assuming it was just because of being back home.

As the plates were being taken to the kitchen by the servants, Remar walked into the room and Holvaeth says, "Ahh, dear friend. Would you mind giving our esteemed guests a tour around the manor? I would hate for them to not have the full experience."

Remar bows his head, "As you wish, sir." Remar then turns to the group, "Please, follow me."

The group all get up, but all stop as they hear Holvaeth say, "Not you Terra. Your mother and I wish for you to stay. We have something to discuss... as a family."

Terra's face immediately turns from sceptical to wracked with worry. She looks at the group, and they see her expression, but after a moment, she just nods for them to go. The group then follow Remar, but aren't exactly quick about it. They get outside of the throne room, when suddenly...

The doors are closed.

This worries the group even more, but Remar reassures them, "Don't worry about Miss Terra. She can handle herself better than anyone in that room. If anything comes to blows, Terra will be just fine."

The group stops, and it's John who asks, "Why are you telling us this?"

Remar, who has also stopped, slightly turns to the group and says, "Because a Tarron family meeting usually ends up in a shouting match. I believe that with Terra being there, that Lady Myssera may end up using more makeup to cover up one eye, if you catch my drift. Anyway... shall we continue?"

The group hesitate for a moment, really debating about whether they should continue. Eventually, Amilia says, "I trust her. Let's just go see what's around this place."

The others are confused by Amilia's sudden bout of decisiveness, but just go along with it as they trust that Terra has some back-up in Kiera, Manai and Sydna.

BACK IN THE THRONE ROOM:

Terra is obviously uncomfortable being split up from her friends in a place that they don't know, but has faith that they'll be alright.

She then takes a breath before looking at the head of the table, "So, Father... We already know about your problem with the Giant Queen, but why have you gathered us all here?"