The party was at a sort of standstill, mainly because of Steele’s reaction in learning that not only had one of the conspirators of his demise was out free, but was standing right before him. Had he learned that he had met with Eldora and especially Estelle earlier, then he would have likely killed him right at the spot. The trust within the family was shaky, but at the very least he got along with his sin siblings and they were trying to kill one another. Hendrix held no loyalty other than for himself and who he perceived as having the upper hand. Whoever the girl was that was defending that snake clearly didn’t know the man as much as she’d like to suggest. His anger wasn’t shot towards her, but rather a bit of pity. Mordecai, on the hand other, was much more civil, but his life hadn’t been on the line like the wolf’s had so that much was understandable.

“Don’t worry about it”, Hendrix sighed and looked to Marin, “Steele has absolutely every right to be upset with me. Hell, I was on the side that wanted to kill him just because we let Sol talk us into going against Father and him.” And there would be nothing he could do against him- physically he was weak while the warlord could easily snap him in half from the looks of it. My, had he grown up into an intimidating man. Perhaps if Sol was to face him this time, he would be wearier. “This is mostly why I didn’t want to come. The civil war amongst our families had yet to subside, perhaps it never would as long as people like Sol and the terrible twins that were Keres and Samyaza were around.

The stressful situation passed as Hendrix and Marin moved towards her goal and Steele, still crossed but otherwise fine would have to have words with his father at some point. Mordecai’s attention was on Calanthe as his arms folded tightly against his chest and tapped his foot. “Sol’s a pain in the ass. At least Father has more control over himself; Sol has a superiority complex and a bad temper. Just Abed wasn’t enough to be his playground and against Father’s wishes, sought to invade the mainland. It flopped horrifically and he was punished like a bad child. The whole war he started had been because he couldn’t handle being punished. Anyway, your sister doesn’t bother me in the least. Think Steele’s attention was more so on our dear brother.”

While Angela’s words were understandable, Dante decided to ‘help the situation’. While everyone was watching Calanthe perform, he slithered over to where Steele was. “Hey, can we speak for a moment?”

Steele, unsure of what he wanted, put Estelle down and sent her off while he followed the half elf away from the crowd. “What do you want?”

“Simple. Don’t think of Hendrix right now. You should be more concerned with Eldora.”

“Huh, why?”

“Well, she was very worried for you. She put on a strong face for Estelle and kept up with her duties, but I could tell she was deeply concerned.”

“Really? Why are you mentioning this to me?”

“Is she in your thoughts?”
“Yes, and…”

That was all Dante needed before he touched Steele’s arm and it wasn’t long before his plan was known by him. But by then it was too late. The power of suggestion was stronger now with his wife in his thoughts. “Damn you”, Steele gritted, pushing his brother away and the half-elf smiled widely. “Well, at least you won’t have to worry about the snake. Anyway, there’s a empty tent a few meters away. Enjoy!”

He waved him goodbye, leaving Steele feeling a bit woozy. His head was filled with…thoughts. Naughty thoughts and it wasn’t helping his case that his wife was near enough to. Dante passed by Eldora as the duo between sisters was coming to an end and he gave her a thumb’s up. “Have fun, sister.”

Not too much longer, Steele returned and took his wife by the hand and lead her away without a word. As Dante had said, there was a big tent and he led her into it. “Damn him and his sin. He spread it onto me. I normally am not affected but he made me think of you and he was able to make me…lustful.” Steele rubbed at his temples, trying to force it out from him, but her scent was enough to draw him back to her. Her presence and sound of her voice wouldn’t help matters. Dante would pay for this dearly.

Speaking of which, he came to Angela’s side and snickered. “Well, my brother’s stress will be sated soon enough. It’s good to be me sometimes.” Mordecai didn’t know what he meant but was assuming it wasn’t anything good. In any case, it seemed like it was time to dance. Hendrix didn’t want to, seeing that he had fifty left feet and had no talent for it anyhow and decided to oversee Marin’s obsession for sugary snacks to see that it didn’t get too crazy.

“Well, didn’t doubt your talents before, but now hearing them for myself I can see how great you are”, he said to Calanthe. The subtle spots of where her focus had been drawn at times to him hadn’t gone completely unnoticed by him and certainly not by the damn rabbit himself. He was sure to hear an ear full sooner or later. But it was much more like a push when Dante literally did so- pushing the two together. “Well, looks like you two are partners after all! Enjoy!” With that, he skipped away and his older brother was wishing death for him beneath his breath yet his hands were still on Calanthe before he noticed what that fool had done as far as positioning them onto her and vice versa.

Lotus watched as Dante took Steele away. There was a hint of amusement in her eyes. She knew her lover well and knew how he would break up the little fight. Sure enough, Steele came out and got Eldora.

“What do you mean?” Eldora had said to Dante before Steele came to get her. She could feel Dante’s magic all over Steele and willingly went with him. For Steele, this couldn’t have been pleasant and the couple liked to do things their way. The fact Dante had soiled that was… well, he would pay for it later. After going into the tent Eldora put her hands up to his face and cradled it. “I understand.” It would be difficult to control his rage if she could at all. Pulling him down to her Eldora kissed his lips. “Then give in and then we can make Dante regret it.”

Angela smirked up at Dante. “I wouldn’t have done that my dearest Dante. You know you’ll pay for it later.”

Calanthe blushed at Mordecai’s words. “It’s just a lot of practice I promise you.” She waved her hand at him before Dante shoved together. Mordecai’s hand was on her hip now and his scent was engulfing her more than it had in the tree trunk.

“UNCLE DANTE!” Estelle ran to her uncle and pulled him to dance with her. She got up on his feet as they danced. Calanthe had her hands positioned on him just right and she was shy a bit. Her eyes couldn’t meet his for a while but soon her gold eyes were looking into his green eyes.

“It would be wrong to waste the music.” Slowly she danced with him. They were close together and sensual as they moved around the make shift dance floor. Once Eldora and Steele were done they came back. It was clear to see they had done something. Steele was all scratched up and had some black and blue marks but Eldora was a lot worse.

Her blue eyes were glued right onto Dante. “You are a dead man Dante Norcross.” The wolf would go after him soon enough. She hadn’t been able to control his rage and due to that she was hurt a lot worse than normal.

Lotus was laughing at the scene as Steele was choking Dante. She went to go ask Steele not to kill Dante when she held her belly and let out a light cry. It was Angela who got up with a serious face. “I KNEW IT!” She ran over and put her hand on Lotus’s belly. “Steele let your brother go… Shiroi has chosen to come now of all times.”

“She’s early Angela… What if she isn’t alright?!” Lotus was panicking now.

“Not on my watch. DANTE NOW!” The goddess barked the orders. “We’ll be back soon I don’t plan on letting this take forever. Holly, keep the party going. Dante, I need you to assist me.” Soon they disappeared into a tent where Lotus was to give birth.

Calanthe had stopped to look. Her hands were on Mordecai’s now as she looked scared. If it wasn’t her mother delivering the baby she would have been terrified. Estelle took Mordecai’s sleeve and looked up at him. “Is Auntie Lotus going to be okay?” She had tears in her eyes mostly from being scared by Lotus’s cry.

It was always apparent that Dante had a much cooler head than the other sons of Xunatar, so it was only natural for him to break the tension even if for the moment by luring his brother away so that he could use his magic on him without worry or interruption. As much as he would likely pay for it later, there wouldn’t be bloodshed that came from Steele in this case, unlike had things been left unchecked. Aside from that, he was used to beatings so anything that his brother threw at him would be expected and he was prepared for the pain. He watched the two go off and it would be a good while before they were expected back.

“Perhaps”, he responded to Angela, waving it off as no big deal. “Had to do something, that big bad wolf isn’t known to let grudges die and he would have broken Hendrix in two. He’s killed our kind for lesser things, after all. I’ll take the burden over having our own blood spilled.” Peeking over to Calanthe’s and Mordecai’s way, he flashed a smile. “Sometimes you have to give them a bit of a push.” He then went along with Estelle to dance as the pair went along with the tune themselves. Mordecai wasn’t a terrible dancer, he at least knew enough to get a passing grade. “As fun as this is, I will be leaving at some point soon. The war seems to be dying down and soon the world will be as normal as it can.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling her this; it wouldn’t be like they would meet again anytime soon.

Dante was busy dancing with his niece when her parents came back and shooed her over to her aunt. “My, did a number on each other I see.” He admired they handiwork even when she threatened him and wasn’t fully aware of the situation until he was getting strangled by Steele. “Still have a bit of rage I see…”

Looks like everyone was enjoying his torment, which suited him finely in secret. Playing the fool had its perks, like keeping the peace even if he was known for being much smarter than how he acted. But everything dropped on a coin when Lotus began to go into labor. Steele released Dante, who then rushed over to Lotus and helped get her into the tent as Angela. The normally collected half demon held concern over both her and their daughter. Mordecai looked on and then his eyes fell onto Calanthe’s hand and gave it a slight squeeze. Despite the order to continue the party, not many were in the mood. The atmosphere was filled with worry and anticipation. His eyes then sought to Estelle. “With that Great Aunt of yours, I’m sure she will be alright.” Steele called for her to come to him and picked her up. This sort of thing was clearly not his strong suit, but his words seemed true enough for him. It would be a while of waiting before they heard a baby’s cry and a bit longer before Dante came out with a bundle in his arms. His voice was soft and speaking gibberish, which suggested to him that all was fine.

“Well, aside from some slight annoyment at fate from Lotus, all went well.” Peeking onto the latest Norcross born, one would understand his words. She carried the tuff of white hair and blue eyes that he held; clearly looking more like her father than mother. “So that makes three then?”, Steele said, putting Estelle down to see her cousin. “She was probably hoping that Shiroi would look more like her.”

“Oh, she’s adorable either way. She has the most beautiful parents in the land, after all.”, Dante while continuing to dote on his daughter. “And as usually, Father mentally sends her and me his congratulations with a light toast of wine.”

Cala’s eyes looked up at him a bit disappointed but she knew it was going to happen at some point. “That’s a shame. I was really hoping you would at least stay a little bit longer but I understand.” There was a chuckle from her lips. She was too used to drifters at this point. Even though it did sore her heart a bit she understand.

That was when things picked up once Steele and Eldora returned. All eyes were watching Dante get what had been coming to him until Lotus went into labor. It was a scary thing as most knew that Lotus wasn’t due yet for a few more weeks. Calanthe squeezed Mordecai’s hands back and gave him a light smile. “If you are sure.” Estelle pouted some and was quick to retreat into the safety of her father’s arms.

Estelle snuggled into him and everyone was waiting for what was sure to come. After all, Angela did say it wouldn’t take forever to have the baby arrive on her watch. Attitudes perked up once the cry was heard and smiles filled the area. Everything would be alright especially when Dante brought out Shiroi for everyone to see.

Estelle came over and got on her tiptoes and Eldora came from behind and put her hands gently on her daughter’s shoulders. “I’m glad that Steele and I don’t have that problem.” She chuckled a bit and winked up at her husband. “Poor Lotus having three little Dantes.”

“Yeah… Poor Auntie Lotus.” Estelle giggled and reached up and kissed the baby. “She’s pretty Uncle Dante. Her name is Shiroi?” Estelle’s big blues looked up at her uncle before looking at the baby once more.

The twins were right on time to cause mayhem as they pushed Estelle. “Get away dog breath you might infect her with your dog ways.” Casimir was sassy with her.

Estelle lost the smile on her face and eyed her cousin. “Estelle, he didn’t mean it honest.” Corbin who was trying to defuse the situation got in between the two of them. “He didn’t mean to call you Dog breath even if that’s what you are.” Idiots.

Estelle hit them both with a right and a left hook respectively knocking them to the ground. Like father, like daughter. She nodded with authority as she put her hands on her hips. “You are being too loud for the baby. Shame on you.” She wagged her finger at the twins who whined before running into the tent to hide near Lotus.

“MAMA!!!!” They cried as they hid in the tent.

Eldora sighed softly and chuckled. “She is just like Steele deep underneath.” Estelle went back to admire Shiroi some more while Calanthe brought Mordecai closer.

“Oh, she is adorable.” Shiroi let out a yawn and snuggled down into her father’s arms. “She is so content too… She is going to be a really good baby Dante.” Unlike those twins of his.

“She looks squishy,” it was Marin in the back. “She is pudgy?” She took little interest in the baby as Hendrix fought her over a piece of cake. Calanthe let a sigh out at her older sister and looked back up at Mordecai once more.

It was Marin who spoke up once again. “Listen, I don’t know a lot about people and relationships.” Her voice was loud and it couldn’t have been aimed at a better couple. “But… He looks at you and he sighs… You look at him and you sigh. How about instead of being apart you go together? It’s what I would do… if Hendrix wasn’t glued to me… or me to him.” Her voice got quiet and she looked away stubbornly. “At least you wouldn’t have to be alone and you like each other’s company…”

Cala looked up at Mordecai and blushed. "I wouldn't be against it… Really…" She began to panic though as she let go of his hand. "Not that… I would make you let me go…. With you." She rubbed the back of her neck and eventually the stress of the limelight got to her as she took off towards the southern part of the tents. Where her tent had been set up at. She fell face first into her cot as she hyperventilated and grumbled softly to herself. "Smooth… Very smooth."

It seemed like nearly everyone was enthralled by the little baby in Dante’s arms. Heavens knew that he doted heavily on her. Had the twins not been so…aggressive to him, they would have been shown in the same light. “Oh don’t listen to your Auntie Eldora. You are the bestest baby, yes you are!” He cradled his face against hers gently as Estelle looked at her new cousin. “Yes, but I like Shiro better.” At the very least, the boys seemed to care about their sister, or at least enough to guard her against their natural enemy. But of course, it played out as it usually did with them running for their mother. “Keep it down in there, she’s trying to sleep”, he whispered before going back to tending to Shiro. Steele could only shake his head as his brother made a fool of himself…well more than usual.

“She is, isn’t she? She’s gonna be a knockout when she gets bigger.” He gently rocked her in his arms while Mordecai still, after all this time, this couldn’t believe that the fool could love anyone more than himself. Old beliefs died hard, after all. But Shiro was a cute baby, that much he could admit.

“You hush up! My baby is not pudgy! She is beautiful!” He shielded his baby from those words Marin dared to spill at his bundle of joy. But it paled into comparison to what she spoke next. It wasn’t too hard to see who it was directed at and Mordecai thought of her as a fool like his brother. At least at first. He wasn’t completely oblivious to how Cala acted around him all this time. Of course, he wasn’t the sort of man that dealt with these sort of things. He had always been a loner and it had partially kept him allow and not have to worry about distractions. As much as she had been disappointed, it would mean that at least she would be kept alive versus getting involved with him and getting killed or worse.

His emerald orbs shifted from the loud mouth to her sister and could see that she had been heavily affected before she eventually took off. Terrific. Dante took a valuable moment away from his daughter to look up and sigh with a slight chuckle. “Dear Marin, aside from being so callous, you at least get it. That much is enough, I suppose.”

“What the hell is wrong you two?”, Mordecai snapped. “Now, now. I told you that she had a thing for you. But you didn’t listen or didn’t want to, I guess. I was being rather subtle about it, but the bluntness seems to draw out what she really thought of you.” With that, Dante headed towards the direction of the tent where Lotus was resting up with the twins. “I can say this without restraint, only you will be able to check on her. Afraid anyone else won’t do.”

He slinked inside to keep Shiro from the cold any further and Hendrix cut his eyes at Marin before snatching away the current dessert she was stuffing her face with. “You didn’t do that out of the kindness of your heart, did you?” Something was fishy about that timing of all things, and he knew it. Meanwhile, Mordecai still thought the two of them to be fools but it wasn’t to say that they could be right on some of the things. Well, this was going to be a pain either way, but he followed the way Calanthe had ventured off to and eventually found where she was staying. Standing outside the tent, he felt a bit awkward but his voice came out, piercing whatever silence there had been before. “Your sister, is a piece of work. That said, you can come with me if you want. You are a grown woman so I can’t very well stop you. Wherever I go, danger follows so if you think you can handle it, then we leave in the morning for Mamlak. I have some business to tend to there.”

It was an odd sight to see. Dante being so fatherly but it was true that if it weren’t for the twins being asses he would have done the same thing to him. He was made to be a father at least for Lotus’s children.

Marin tapped her foot lightly as she looked up at Dante. “All babies are pudgy. Even Calanthe was when she was born. That’s what they are, balls of living pudge. They grow out of it quickly. You’ve had two other babies how did you not notice. I’m a hermit and even I KNOW THAT.”

The small inventor tilted her head at Dante. “I just lack people skills. I’m a hermit, not a butterfly.” When Mordecai snapped Marin’s orange eyes drifted over to his for a moment. She didn’t answer but Dante instead filled him in. “He’s right, Calanthe probably won’t let anyone else talk to her.”

Marin had a look of shock on her face as Hendrix stole her cake. “HEY!” She tried to take it back from him but found herself too short. “I DO THINGS TO BE NICE ON OCCASION!” She made a face. “I also didn’t want to move out of my comfy seat and Cala was in the way of the baby.” It was said as a whisper as she climbed into Hendrix’s lap to get closer to the cake.

Once Mordecai got to Calanthe’s tent she muffled out a few words before popping her head out of the tent flap. Her eyes were slightly red from a few tears of embarrassment but otherwise, she looked fine. “You don’t know much about bards do you?” There were a few sniffles but they were mixed in with chuckles. “Especially Highland Bards. We follow kings and knights into battle and stay with them to write ballads. Danger is something I’m used to. Marin is right though… She just doesn’t know how to communicate it any other way… However, she lives in Mamlak so we could probably catch her gate back there.” There wasn’t any hesitation from her. She wanted to go with Mordecai. Something had lit a fire in her.

“Are you letting me come with you because of how I feel or because you want me to come?”

Hendrix kept his distance from his brothers- their maelstrom of a family was already a mess to deal with, but with their lovers and their family also involved, things were gonna be tricky. Real tricky. Marin didn’t make things any easier, but it was something he would have to get accustomed to. But in the meanwhile, he could at least keep her desserts away. “Uhuh, I guessed as much. Could have told her to move, right?” She was persistent though and eventually he just handed her the cake back when she climbed over him to get it. Besides, she and Dante were right he supposed, and even Mordecai seemed to have figured it out by now with the way he wandered off towards the direction Calanthe fleed to. His brother understood well of fighting and killing demons, but when it came to matters like this…well he was as dumb about it as much as Dante loved to play dumb.

“Hell of a family you have”, he replied as he let her enjoy her cake.

Meanwhile, Mordecai was greeted by words that were incomprehensibly followed by a certain redhead popping out from the tent. Heavens knew how she felt about this predicament, he hardly knew how he felt other than this was sure to end badly. He looked genuinely surprised but not towards her words; he knew that bards were the sort to accompany heroes and such through various dangers. What caught him off guard was that she was tenacious about it; it was a far cry from what he had been used to from her since the other night. Back then she was reserved and careful, but ever since they got back here, she was getting more daring and bold. It wasn’t a bad thing though, at least in his eyes.

Mordecai crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly away from her. The question had been turned onto him and he didn’t have an answer at first. If it had been up to him, he would have left before daybreak, but here they were.

“Honestly my line of work is a bit of a far cry from the typical battles others deal with. But I can already see that my words other than saying no won’t deter you.” He thought about it some more and sighed, “I’m letting you come with me; I wouldn’t want you to be placed in danger, but it can’t be helped. Perhaps there’s also a possibility that I could use the company.” He handed her a cloth for her face, seeing that she had been troubled not too long ago. “So she’s blunt and you’re not as much unless you find the courage like now. Guess it can’t be helped though, suppose we could use her help but if something happens to you, I will personally deliver you back to your mother. Does she know, anyway?” He came closer and sat close to the tent and reclined against it. Oh, she was trouble, but he wouldn’t refuse her request. He’d have to be more careful and make sure that she wouldn’t be caught in any crossfire in the near future. Usually, he wouldn’t have any problem what so ever in telling her no and be done with it. But she was admirable which he could secretly appreciate and besides, he was right in saying that she was an adult and he couldn’t do anything against it.

"Make sure that you have your things gathered and we can go with Marin and Hendrix. And to get away from the idiot brother before we catch whatever ails him."

Marin stared up at Hendrix. “Well, that would have only helped me. Poor girl needed a push herself.” And it got her out of the way. She was thoroughly chewing on a smidgen of the cake when Hendrix made a comment on her family. “Yeah, they are something else,” Marin spoke with a mouth full of food but appeared more content now.

Calanthe looked at the way Mordecai had his arms crossed and she tilted her head. She couldn’t get a good read on the demon hunter. As stubborn as it appeared he was Calanthe was pleased when he didn’t fight her anymore. She took the cloth and cleaned her face. “I won’t be in as much danger as you think I’ll be… But that’s best to show than to try and explain.” There was a small smile from her.

The bard was at times strong headed but there was also the other side to her. “I don’t like being called out like that… Even though I am used to preforming in front of crowds that doesn’t mean it is the same thing. She probably already knows.” There was no telling on how much Angela knew since she didn’t even show her full hand. It made moving around hard for the children she had but it was rewarding too.

It didn’t take long for the woman to pack her things. After all, most of them were already all together from the trip to the fort when Mordecai saved her. “I have everything.” She had the pack on her back now as she stood close to him. “If I know Marin she probably wants to leave just as much.”

Though there was no telling just how much she actually knew her sister Marin. Marin was an enigma who spent all of her time alone. Calanthe helped Mordecai up and they made their way back to the main festivities. That shy nature took Calanthe over again as they approached her older sister and Hendrix.

“Back for some more?” Marin waved her fork at the two.

“N-no.” Calanthe blushed a bit and looked up to Mordecai before looking back at her sister. “Could you bring us back to Mamlak with you?”

Marin put her fork down and pushed her chair back and forth as she rocked it. “Mmmm…” Orange eyes looked over at Hendrix. “Fine, but you can’t stay with me. Out you go as soon as we get there.” There was an affirmative nod towards Calanthe.

It wasn’t merely about the danger alone that he dealt with; there was also the lifestyle he chose. “My life is one big travel, I don’t stay in one place for too long and not many can deal with being on the move…” Then he stopped when he considered what her profession was; it wouldn’t be something taboo for someone like Calanthe and she seemed quite determined in wanting to go with him. She also fancied him which was another concern of his- he didn’t want distractions getting in the way of his mission or worse, something happening to her because she decided to come with him. But it seemed like there was no other option and he would have to make sure that she was out of harm’s way for the most part.

“Marin probably did it knowing all of that. She seems like a big pain to me.” The demon hunter wished he could have sewed her mouth together; in fact, he wished he could have done that to quite a few of his siblings as well. It didn’t matter though and Mordecai waited until she was finished packing. Well, let’s get this over with, he thought to himself, not wishing to deal with the mighty little pipsqueak that was her own flesh and blood. Letting her lead, the pair headed back off to where everyone else was. Things seemed to be dying down a bit but they could still spot Marin forcing cake down her throat.

While he wanted to call her out on that and threaten to make sure she wouldn’t have any more cake, they still required her assistance so he kept his mouth shut for the time being. “Must you start that again?”, Hendrix looked to her with a half sigh. That was a good question, but it didn’t take much effort to convince her that let them come along to Mamlak. Hendrix didn’t care too much, but at least she had accepted and Mordicai was glad to just be able to leave as soon as they got there.

“Deal. I don’t do too well tied to one place anyway. We will probably be around the city for a few days though before I move to my next gig”, he explained, swinging his bag on one of his shoulders.

“Until then, brother! You make sure you treat that girl right!” To his annoyance, Dante’s voice traveled from the tent he was staying in. “And if you need any assistance on that, I’ll be able to give you a demonstration!”

“One moment”, he breathed to Calanthe before he marched over and went inside the tent and a couple of thuds were heard, along with Dante’s cries for help and pain before he came back out. “Had to say some goodbyes of my own. Hey Dante! Pass on my farewells to Steele and the others!” Hearing a weak response, Mordecai grinned a bit before regrouping with the others.