NOVPUBTaira's ten days back at home felt more like ten seconds.
He was lucky enough to make up for lost time with Yukiko and his wives. Since the girls insisted he take a break from instructing, Lucia carried on even now that he was back and allowed him to get some well-needed rest.
Aside from an occasional check-in with Aveena, Taira had nothing to focus his mind on. And it was a nicer change of pace than what he'd anticipated.
But as always, reality would consistently crash back into him cruelly and without patience whenever he wasn't anticipating it.
Ayame kicked open a set of doors and strode into the room aggressively.
"Where's my bastard son-in-la... Well, hello."
Ayame ducked underneath a flying sai and continued to stare like a lecher.
Inadu screamed as she covered herself beneath the blankets. Vermeil hurled a sai at Ayame that was easily caught.
Taira, Keran, and Enyo emerged from the bathroom underdressed and alarmed.
When they saw Ayame standing around getting a full view of the group, their alarm just rose into agitation.
"You know, daughter, I thought you were faking when you walked around here like you were still in total marital bliss after all of these years... but now I definitely see the possibility."
Keran's fur bristled. "Mother... what are you doing here?"
"For those two." Ayame pointed at Taira and Vermeil, who were both still visibly undressed and teeming with a post-coital glow.
"What do you mean these two?" Vermeil raised a brow as she pulled a robe over Inadu and herself. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
Knowing she was sometimes forgetful, Vermeil paused and looked at the rest of her lovers for confirmation. "...Am I?"
The group shook their heads, and she let out a sigh of relief.
"The delegation from the humans arrives today. I want you both to be there when we receive it."
Taira hissed as he crossed the room to put on a pair of pants- much to the dismay of Ayame.
"I believe I told you I wasn't interested."
Ayame lifted her gaze from below Taira's waist and stared at him in frustration. "Your pettiness, while occasionally amusing, is not attractive in this moment."
Keran hurled a book at her mother and she ducked. She then proceeded to continue her attempts to solicit Taira as if nothing had ever even happened.
"I've offered you my sincere apologies for our little spat a thousand times over. The decent thing for you to do would be to forgive me."
Taira paused just as he pulled on his pants.
He blinked a couple of times before his nose crinkled and he began snickering.
"The hell's so funny?"
Taira tried to regain control of himself. "I'm sorry. It's just that hearing something like you talk about decency will never not be funny."
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'SOMETHING LIKE ME' YOU BASTARD!?"
Ayame lunged across the room like an animal and nearly took Taira's head off his shoulders. He slipped just beyond her grasp at every turn.
Lucia wandered into her bedroom after a morning of trying and expected to enjoy a bit of tender loving time with her family but found some unexpected surprises waiting for her instead.
"What's all this stuff in the hallway..?" She asked as she wandered into the room.
When she noticed Ayame standing in the room pinned against the wall, she felt like some of her questions were answered, but not all of them.
"Stuff..?"
Keran and the others wandered out into the hall to take a peek at whatever Lucia had seen.
Sitting neatly outside was a literal mountain of children's toys. All riding cutely in a little red wagon.
"..." Everyone slowly turned to stare at Ayame.
For once, the werewolf queen seemed particularly bashful.
*Ahem* "I just... had Leopold pick up a few things that he thought children might like. For the little one."
Keran had no idea how to feel. "You didn't even get me all of this stuff when I was a kid."
"I got you a betrothed and a sword, that was all you really wanted."
Keran briefly recalled her pubescent groping sessions with Taira.
...It was actually a pretty fair trade now that she thought about it.
Ayame rubbed the back of her head as she looked away. "Plus, I... may be trying not to repeat past behaviors."
Keran found herself developing a small smile. "Oh, mom..."
Ayame retched to dispel any possible sweet atmosphere. "E-Enough of all this mushy stuff, we don't have time for it!"
She turned back towards Taira and Vermeil with her usual hard demeanor displayed. Whatever sentimental scene they thought they'd witnessed was clearly just an illusion. And a very good one at that.
"Look, are you two coming or not? I won't beg you, but... as your child's grandmother, I think it's only fitting that you do me favors when I ask for them."
"...." Taira and Vermeil were painfully unamused.
-
It was unseasonably warm that day. As if the entire continent was heating up over the tense atmosphere soon to come.
When was the last time something like this had been attempted? Thousands of years? Hundreds of thousands?
One thing was for sure, and that was that this was an event that had placed the entire city on edge.
A fleet of seven red and gold cartridges wheeled along an empty street.
At their head were a battalion of griffins, royal, powerful, and majestic alike.
The streets, while empty, were not unwatched.
Everywhere that one looked, they could find people peeking outside of their homes and businesses while watching the carriages make their way towards the castle.
A 'welcoming' procession was already waiting in front of the castle gates. Over 200 of Tayar's fiercest beastmen, dark elves, and undead all standing in the exact same place.
Judging by the glow in most of their eyes, they were not so thrilled to be playing host on this day.
The feeling was almost entirely mutual.
Leopold waited at the end of the procession with his daughters, Kohaku and Kuro.
The lead Griffin stopped just shy of their faces. It screeched loudly in their ears to intimidate them.
They didn't move.
Finally, the door to the lead carriage opened and a cheerful, blue-eyed man waltzed out.
"Oh me, oh my... What a pretty place..!"
