1813 Party Crashers (Part 1)
"It wasn't just me. Mom commissioned the tapestries and Dad had the paintings drawn after noticing how much the tower's decorations meant to you. I just put in the money and cooked a lot of food." Lith said, returning Solus' embrace.
"Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad." She hugged them as well, but this time she carefully controlled her strength. "Isn't it a bit overkill for just the ten of us? I mean, even if Granma brings a few people like the last time, it's still too much."
"No, dear. We invited all your friends." Elina replied as the door opened and from the Mansion's gate arrived Selia, Nalrond, Protector, and their kids.
Then, it was the turn of Kalla, Nyka, and Nok.
"Happy birthday, Solus. I hope you don't mind if I brought several plus ones." Salaark wore a comfortable emerald evening dress to give her swollen belly the space it needed.
"Happy birthday, Elphyn, Solus, or whatever you call yourself now." Sinmara looked stunning in her emerald green evening dress that brought out her flaming red hair and matched the color of her eyes.
"You have no idea how long I've waited for your invitation. It was rude of you to keep me hanging until now." The tall Phoenix of Darkness leaned forward to hug Solus, drowning her in the pleasant flowery smell of her hair.
Solus had to admit that Sinmara was really pretty as her eyes followed the cute little fleckless that went from her eyes to her nose. Then, she found herself staring at those on the generous bosom of the Phoenix's human form that such a position left exposed.
"Did we know each other in the past?" Solus asked, suddenly understanding Lith's reaction upon their first meeting.
'I guess I do like women as well.' She thought.
"Menadion had a lot of Phoenixes as her apprentices. There was a long queue, but it was worth the wait." Sinmara handed Solus a rectangular present that was clearly a painting, making her squirm with joy.
"Always nagging at your friends, dear sister. It's no surprise that no one wants you around." The most handsome man that Solus had ever seen walked through the door.
He looked to be in his early thirties, about 1.84 meters (6') tall, with wheat blonde hair and blue eyes as clear as the sky. His tight-fitting evening clothes emphasized the confident grace of his movements and toned body.
Solus' jaw fell to the floor, along with those of every woman in the room but his relatives.
"Who invited you here, Surtr?" Sinmara snarled more than spoke.
"Hey, I resent that!" Raaz, Senton, and Protector said before their eyes fell onto the woman who walked by Surtr's side and was easily his match.
Rethia looked to be in her early thirties as well, as tall as her husband thanks to the heels. She had hair of the same tinge of red as the setting sun and silver eyes that shone like stars.
She wore a silver evening dress that matched her eyes and emphasized her hair and her rosy skin.
The v neckline of her dress wasn't deep, but enough to show how shapely her figure was and draw the attention of anyone who appreciated female beauty. Her slender limbs moved with a grace that further amplified her beauty and her smile was so bright that it could breathe new life into a corpse.Want to see more chapters? Please visit panda novel .co.m
Lith hadn't stared at a woman like that ever since his first meeting with Nalear as a kid, but there was little he or anyone else could do. It was as if Faluel's grace had met Tyris' beauty, giving birth to an irresistible allure.
It took Lith a second too long and sheer willpower to stop ogling at her while the other men needed a few nudges from their respective companions. Surtr's charms had lost their effect once the women had noticed the stupid look on the face of their husbands.
"Mom invited me, dear sister." Surtr said while shaking Lith's hand. "After all, I knew Elphyn as well. I was also an apprentice of Menadion and I was eager to meet this famous couple that you often compare to our young selves."
The Dragon of Light turned toward Solus.
"Happy birthday, Elphyn. Or do you prefer if I call you Solus?" He asked.
"Thank you, and I prefer Solus. Elphyn is just a name to me." She replied.
"So it's to me." Surtr nodded. "Whatever you choose to call yourself, my present doesn't change. Feel free to open it now."
He handed her a thin rectangular package, clearly another of Threin's paintings. Solus removed the wrapping, revealing a picture of her mother working in the forge. Beside Menadion, there was a cradle where a small figure slept.
The title of the painting was "Lullaby."
"Thank you so much." Solus said, her eyes veiled with tears.
"No problem. Your mother kept working even when it was her turn to take care of you and soon the sound of her hammer became your cue to sleep." Rethia said with a laugh.
"I hope that you two are grateful enough to compensate us with a few of those delicacies that my terrible mother and my bossy sister give to our children but refuse to us." Surtr said while looking at the tables filled with ice cream and the other Earth sweets that Lith had recreated.
"They are just food and their ingredients are far from expensive. Why do they do that?" Lith asked.
"Because they like to spoil our kids and they want to rope us into the nest." Surtr replied with a grumble. "Where are my manners. Lith, Solus, allow me to introduce you to my better half, Rethia the Wind Griffon. Rethia, these are Lith and Solus."
"It's an honor." She gave them a perfect curtsy that required them sheer willpower to not stare into her cleavage.
"How long have you been together?" Solus asked.
"We married a little over one thousand years ago and we've been happy ever since." Just the thought of all the moments they had shared made Rethia spark with joy.
"What? I thought that Awakened had issues with long-term relationships." Lith failed hard to contain his surprise.
"That's because Awakened grow insensitive and egotistical with age." Surtr replied. "They want their space, their own time, to take care of their own experiments, and put everything else on hold.
"The trick to make it work is to put your own stuff on hold and recognize when your loved one needs you more than you need that particular piece of knowledge."
"I understand, but there is a crisis-" Lith felt guilty at those words.
Not only had he yet to help Solus with her own breathing technique, but he had even forgotten about her during that very same day in the gallery just because he had been too taken by his work with Aerth.
"There's always a crisis, a breakthrough, or any excuse that conveniently comes to mind. If you don't learn when to stop, no relationship will ever work." Rethia cut him short. "Another issue for Awakened is their children.
"At some point, they need to decide whether to Awaken them or not. Non-Awakened have a short life and seeing even an obnoxious brat die can break the most solid union, because it's still their obnoxious brat.
