Mother and I began to plate the food and ferry it over to the large table, Jahi getting up to help and taking Mother's place when she saw the pregnant woman trying to maneuver around the kitchen.
The Marquess returned with a few bottles of aged wines, uncorking the first and pouring everyone a glass as she watched Jahi and I like a hawk, making sure she would get the food she was 'owed'.
It was amusing seeing her and Jahi fighting over who received which plate, the two Demoness' bickering over whether or not the steaks were the sa size or not, all of which earned them glares from the Countess and Leone.
Anput was doing the sa, switching her plates with mine to get herself the 'bigger portions', which made roll my eyes as I witnessed the antics of the three warriors of the family, while the mages seed to be more reserved and willing to take whatever was given to them.
Mother flinched slightly as she saw nonchalantly cut my palm and spill the blood into Leone's wine glass, mixing it together before handing the Vampire her drink, which she accepted with a smile.
Healing myself, I looked over the crowded table and grinned, the warm atmosphere and bickering just right for everything that I rembered regarding this family of ours, and I was about to sit down when Cali appeared beside in a burst of pink mist, her smile hungry as she looked towards the wine.
"Pour a glass, will you my love~? I haven't had wine that fine in millennia..."
The Marquess frowned as I glanced at her, before shrugging her shoulders and giving the go ahead.
I poured out the rich purple liquid into a glass that Cali summoned for herself, and the Arch Fiend lounged contentedly on one of the nearby tables, sipping on her wine as she watched us dig in.
When she noticed the glances thrown towards her, the pink skinned Fiend grinned as she spoke between small sips, purring slightly at each.
"What~? I know you all will have questions about , so why not do it over dinner like civilized people, hmm~? Believe it or not, I am a rather civilized woman, despite my... quirks."
That made raise a brow, though she was looking towards the Marquess mainly, likely seeking the approval of the strongest in the room first.
"I would rather not sour my palate by dining with a Fiend, Sla'Caligo."
Chuckling, Cali swirled the wine in her glass around a few tis before replying "I would like to think I'd sweeten it, my Lady~! I could show you why I think I'm sweet if you'd like..."
The Countess placed her glass on the table and glared at the Arch Fiend, who just laughed before getting up and refilling her wine.
"Fine, fine~ We should talk soon though~! There is much to discuss..."
With that, she disappeared in a puff of mist, just like how she appeared monts earlier.
Everyone stared at the table for a few monts in silence before beginning to eat, washing away the interaction with Cali by using the wine.
Twirling my fork around, I coiled up the spaghetti noodles I had made and took a bite of the chicken alfredo, nodding to myself as I washed it down with the smooth, rich flavor of a blackberry wine.
Jahi was sitting beside , as was Mother, and they both started with the steaks, which had a beautiful pink center that was oozing juices as they took their bites, both looking towards with satisfaction in their eyes.
"This is really good, Kat. You have a knack for cooking, maybe even more so then Julie!"
I gave the Countess a happy smile, while Mother nodded as she said "I would definitely agree. This is excellent, dear."
Mother's warm, gentle smile and the way she ruffled my ears made my heart lt, and I felt like a broken record as I continued to repeat to myself that I would never take this for granted ever again.
Having lost it once was terrible; I never wanted to lose this warmth ever again, and I wanted to do everything I could to protect it going forwards.
Jahi bead at as she devoured her steak, mopping up the juices with the rolls that Mother had made as I worked on the rest, the Demoness' appreciation flooding our newly restored bond.
Anput and Leone nodded in agreent, while the Marquess was silent, focusing more on her food than anything else as she moved from her steak to the chicken breasts.
The kitchen remained silent as we all ate our fill, leaving only the wine on the table as we relaxed and sat back, sipping on the blackberry alcohol as we resud our earlier conversations.
"Lady Fenryas will likely be training all of us for two weeks before letting us free for a bit, and she'll be expecting us back by tomorrow around noon. So... sorry Ria, Julie, but we'll need to be going again. If you want, I'd suggest visiting in two weeks ti, since that will be when we should be allowed to do anything else..."
The Marquess' tone was filled with slight dread as she said that, earning herself a reassuring pat from the Countess who just nodded, while Mother looked at with mild worry - neither of us wanted to separate, but we would need to.
"After that happens, I would suggest a few days break from anything physically demanding, so go to the Academy and take a look around the libraries, et with the Professors, and maybe see if the Empress and her other wives will be available for so more personal teachings. As for you all planning on draining my wallet so more-"
She glared at Jahi as she said that, the Countess giving her daughter a half glare as well, which made Jahi smile wryly as she scratched her cheek.
"That's fine, but I would like to see so returns on that investnt in so way or another. Be it armor, weapons, enchanted gear, potions, materials, or just plain old coin. Preferably you'd display the skills that you've begun to hone, but... it's your pick. To start, I'll send you back with 10 Platinums to utilize, but I wouldn't try to rely on for your money all the ti. Put your skills to use and make coin that way; actually, you'd be surprised with how often people would prefer to trade instead of buy and sell, especially amongst the upper level rchants."
I nodded at that, understanding the theory that went with it; trading a high level armor piece for a bunch of materials you need would certainly be preferable to haggling the coin amount, which can get really specific as you try and squeeze the most out of your 'rival' in that situation...
"Anyways, just prepare yourselves for a more strict lifestyle going forwards; every last second that you can use will be managed into what you should be doing, and each second will matter. It's a cruel way to live, but... well, the worlds getting a lot crueler, so get used to it. For now though, rest, and enjoy the last few hours you have of 'freedom'."
She got up, prompting both Mother and the Countess to get up as well as they walked to her side, the tall Demoness' eyes unwilling as she said "After tonight, you'll be in hell for two weeks minimum. So... good luck to us all, I guess."
We all nodded as we watched them leave, and I stood up and started to get the plates and utensils in order, while Anput and Jahi split the remainder of the wine, finishing it off.
Leone joined , and we all eventually departed from the kitchen as well, returning to bed as we whispered quietly to one another, losing ourselves once more to lust.
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