Holly Jolly Follies

Serilda couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent Christmas out of the country. Or really any major holiday, for that matter. Her family did not travel much for the holidays, content to be home with loved ones and engaging in a small, intimate celebration with one another. However, this year was different than previous years. Mythal had reunited with his father after nearly two decades after Gren had died. What’s more, her fiance had also discovered even more family in the form of an adoptive brother that had quite literally shown up out of the blue searching for answers about the father he had never known. Serilda had always longed to be able to spend time with Mythal’s family the way he had been able to become a part of her own, and for the longest time it seemed that they would never have that chance. Now, they did, and Serilda planned on ensuring that her fiance got to celebrate with his family in a way he had never been able to before.

And apparently, that was happening in the form of a large, formal gala. Such things weren’t exactly to Mythal’s tastes, but he was getting used to them at this point and never had any complaints about seeing Serilda all dressed up. Still, when the invitation came from your future brother-in-law’s noble family, you made the R.S.V.P.. The du Wolffs had graciously invited not just Mythal and Serilda to the ball, but also their daughters, wolves, Serilda’s parents, and her siblings and their families. It was an exceptionally generous invitation, one that deeply conveyed to the Voidwalker just how seriously the Ashen Dread was taking her own son’s connection to his recently found adoptive family. Serilda’s parents had sent out their response immediately to notify Themesycia that they would be delighted to attend. Nearly all of her siblings had regretfully needed to decline, due to a prior engagement they’d already committed to for Christmas Eve, but they had sent along a letter of heartfelt thanks for the invitation, complete with a couple bottles of vintage Fioren wines and the sincere hope to make up for it with another engagement later down the line. Similarly, the girls would not be able to make it due to assignments with the Knights that neither of them would be able to get out of. Serilda was exceptionally sad that Grappa and Jellisha couldn’t make it, but was also extremely proud of them for taking their duties so seriously.

The plans had been made, and rather than having everyone do a ton of traveling, it was decided that everyone that planned on going would meet up at Mythal and Serilda’s house where one of them would be able to transport the entire group instantly the hundreds of miles to Bellum. Her parents had messaged her recently to say that they were only a few minutes out, with her brother in tow. Serilda was in the bathroom of the master bedroom making sure everything was ready for the trip. They had picked out a few gifts for the du Wolffs for the Christmas holiday, and had packed an overnight bag as Vandrad had warned them ahead of time that the festivities often ran quite late and that Themesycia would likely wind up insisting that they stay the night and spend some time in Bellum the next day. Serilda checked and double checked everything to make sure it was all ready to go and then collectively banished it all into the Void where she could retrieve it later at her own leisure, making travel much lighter.

Currenty, she was dressed in a periwinkle colored gown that was painted with faint gold splotches that looked almost like water color. A gold bodice designed to resemble dragon scales was wrapped around her waist, holding up her breasts, whose cleavage was ample but classily on display through the low V shaped front. The gown was sleeveless with gold lace on the shoulders, from the back of which draped long hanging sleeves that hung loose behind her arms rather than being fixed to them in any fashion. Her white hair hung loose for once, pulled back gently from her face by a couple braids, and from her neck hung a simple gold chain bearing a small gold pendant. With one last check in the mirror to make sure her make up was on right and everything was in place, she left the room and moved into the hallway to make her way downstairs where she was fairly certain Vandrad had just recently arrived.

Almost ready? she asked Victoria. The Seal also planned on attending, though this time she was not going to be spending the vacation inside Serilda’s head. Every once in a while the two of them needed a break from one another, and at this point there was no reason to hide the Conquoress, not after everything in the graveyard.

Yes, almost. It has been some time since I’ve felt inclined to do hair and make up. The process takes a bit longer than I recall. I’ll be down in a few minutes.

Well, that was good enough for Serilda. She got downstairs shortly after Vandrad had walked in, greeting him with a smile as she descended the staircase. “Good evening, Vandrad. And you as well, Santa.” Vandrad had not hesitated to inform them at the festival a couple weeks back that his mind had been saddled by the father of Chrismas, who was more than well aware of the world outside of Vandrad’s head, even if he couldn’t communicate to anyone else directly. Still, as awkward as it was to speak to the man currently sharing brain space with the prince, it felt more awkward and plenty rude to simply treat him like he was not there at all. The least she could do was greet him as well. She got to the bottom of the stairs and gave Vandrad a quick hug.

“You look nice,” she complimented him as she pulled back, a simple statement that was hardly any kind of flirtation so much as a mere point of fact. The four of them hadn’t really gone anywhere dressed up together before, which didn’t really seem to be something that Vandrad was big on, but he did look rather fetching in a suit. “Come on in. My parents and my brother will be here any minute, and we’re just about ready to go. Do you know how far out Mercury is?” The Silver Wolf mage hadn’t messaged Serilda or Mythal at all, but the younger woman was rarely late so Serilda wasn’t worried about having to wait for her very long.

As they made their way into the living room, Serilda called Xiuhcoatl over toward her. The beautiful wolf came trotting in happily from another room and sat obediently at her feet, looking up at her mistress with large, curious chocolate eyes. Never one to leave her faithful companion out of the festivities, Serilda knelt down and tied an elegant gold colored bow around the hound’s neck. Xiuh was pleased as she ever was by the attention and the frillery, her tail thumping happily against the floor until she was freed to do as she liked, which was to immediately greet Vandrad and beg for attention from him like a love starved puppy.

If she caught Vandrad’s slightly shaken gaze at her appearance, Serilda didn’t show it, her own expression remaining easy and casual as she came down the stairs. They greeted one another with Vandrad speaking on behalf of Father Christmas with words that likely weren’t true, but were well enough all the same. Vandrad hadn’t been the slightest bit pleased with his temporary room mate and hadn’t made any effort to hide it, so Serilda didn’t mind. With a small smirk over the moment the two gave one another a quick hug before the prince complimented her on her appearance for the night, an act that did catch the white haired woman off guard momentarily. “Oh,” she told him, the slightest of blushes rising to her cheeks at the rare accolade from a man that never doled out such words, and even then typically only did so to be cordial and princely. “Thank you very much.” Serilda really wasn’t sure what else to say, ultimately electing to react with a humble and gracious gratitude, classily accepting the compliment without bumbling around it one way or another.

After the moment passed, the prince stated that he wasn’t sure when Mercury would arrive as he was only really able to keep her on a timely schedule when it came to their training sessions together. Outside of that, the Silver Wolf mage was highly unpredictable. Vandrad seemed to take responsibility for that, however, acknowledging that he knew what she was like and yet still elected to leave her unsupervised. Another rare comment from the prince, this one in the form of humor. Serilda chuckled her appreciation lightly. “You’re a brave man, then. I don’t want to imagine the kind of things she gets up to with no one around to keep an eye on her.” Her smirk widened into a little grin, knowing Mercury well enough by now to understand that calling her a “wild card” was an understatement.

They moved further into the house where Serilda gave Xiuh a nice bow and let the wolf greet Vandrad with her usual enthusiasm and excitement when it came to people. The hound soaked up all the attention and pets with her pink tongue hanging loosely out of the side of her mouth, even as Mythal finally joined them, dressed in a nice three piece suit with pops of green and red in the form of his shirt and tie. Beside him was Lux, though it took her a breath to realize it was the Lightbringer due to his lack of an illusionary form. She blinked at him for a moment as he greeted Vandrad, using the time to recover and turn toward Mythal with a smile, giving him a quick kiss. “I love this suit, it looks fantastic on you,” she told him, reaching up to straighten the lapels, though that was really just an excuse to feel the material and touch her fiance.

Lux caught her attention a couple seconds later, calling her by name and adorning her with praise over her dressed up state. It was… well, honestly a little awkward. Lux had been acting differently ever since the fight with Faera, and Serilda honestly wasn’t sure what to make of it. He was making attempts to be nicer and more courteous to them, giving the couple privacy and being less invasive, less mean, less coarse, less… well, everything that they had come to associate with Lux. Even Victoria didn’t know what was happening with her brother, stating that the behavior could have been a ruse of some kind but also could have been a genuine effort to patch things up after everything that had gone down. There was no easy way of telling, unfortunately, so it had left the couple to their own devices to discern the Lightbringer’s sincerity. Serilda wasn’t entirely convinced, but so far he had at least been consistent. That, and there was some earnestness in the fact that he wasn’t exactly perfect about it. It was clearly a struggle, as the man often slipped up here and there before weirdly apologizing or pushing past it to correct his behaviors with better ones. So while Serilda wasn’t wholly willing to believe that he was being genuine and not trying to mislead them in some fashion, she was making it a point to at least acknowledge his efforts until such a time as she could be convinced one way or another.

“Thank you, Lux,” was her respectful reply, her tone neither overly warm nor overly cold. She did speak with a little more candor as she went on, however. “I have to say, if it weren’t for my Voidwalking I don’t think I’d have been able to tell that you don’t have a physical body. It’s very convincing, and the suit is flattering.” It was just as difficult for Serilda to compliment Lux as it had been for him to compliment her, the only difference was that Serilda was much better at letting the words flow off her tongue naturally without any semblance of hesitation or distaste. Any stranger watching them would never have suspected that the Lightbringer was on thin ice with the woman and his host.

Mythal drew her attention back with a kiss on her cheek that drew a smile back on her face even as he told her his thoughts on how pretty she looked. Glancing around, he asked about Mercury. “She’s not here yet, but I’m not too worried. She’s yet to be very late for any function we’ve all attended together.” Sure enough, they had only waited a few minutes more before the Silver Wolf mage came through the door and around the corner, greeting everyone with a widespread compliment to the group as a whole. Serilda was a bit surprised by how well the younger woman cleaned up, and with the classy look she had chosen. The bird on her shoulder was new, though. Xiuh trotted over to Mercury for more attention, causing the crow to caw in protest before the lavender haired woman introduced her odd new pet as Bandit, likening his demeanor and behaviors to the prince. Vandrad took it in stride, commenting that the bird had a bit of catching up to do in order to fill his shoes when it came to keeping Mercury on time.

It was then that Victoria came down, looking so astonishingly different that for a moment Serilda thought a stranger had let themselves into her house to gussie herself up. “Victoria..?” she asked, a bit flabbergasted despite herself.

The Seal smirked at her in light amusement. “Yes, it’s me.”

“How..? You’re so young looking…”

Victoria chuckled. “Naturally. This is my angelic form. My brothers and sisters and I all have two forms, one angelic and the other demonic, that we can choose to take when it suits us. It just so happens that I prefer the older visage of my demonic blood, and rarely tap into this look. However, I felt it appropriate to be a bit more presentable for tonight.”

“Well… you look great.” There was nothing else she could really say, and the truth was as plain as the lack of wrinkles on the old woman’s currently youthful state.

The group idled for a few minutes more before her parents arrived. Byron was clad in a white three piece suit with a blue shirt, blue dress shoes with white toes, and a red handkerchief popped out of his front jacket pocket. He looked about as stately as one would expect of a man of his station, his short white hair brushed back from his face and his moustache neatly trimmed. Her mother sported a dark blue skirt and vest over a white long sleeved shirt, with a ruby broach at her neck that secured her ruffled white afgan in place. A thick dark blue belt was wrapped around the exterior of her garment, and she wore dark panty hoes to bridge the gap between her skirt and her heels. Her own long white hair was tied into a loose bun that sat elegantly across one shoulder. Solomon looked fairly young, closer in age to Mercury though still a couple years younger. He wore black dress pants with a grey vest over a dark blue shirt. A charcoal colored tailored coat completed the ensemble, with a black bowtie that was crested with a small sapphire. His white hair had a slight silver sheen to it, and was a bit more shaggy, but no less presentable.

Serilda greeted her family with a small smile, giving each of them gentle kisses on the cheek that likely came across as more professional than familial. However, that was simply the nature of the Sinclair’s relationships with one another. They held a great deal of love and respect for each other, but that love was rarely expressed through deep emotion, nor through any physicality that might come across as warm rather than simply cordial. Simply put, they were not the type of family that engaged in much physical contact with one another, despite Serilda’s somewhat recent evolution into being a hugger. She took the time to introduce each of them to Vandrad and Mercury. The duke and duchess were already aware of the Seals, but seeing as how a formal introduction had never been done, Serilda extended the same courtesy with Victoria and Lux.

Once everyone was present and ready to go, it was Mercury that provided the means for getting to Bellum quickly and effortlessly through the use of a gun shaped piece of tech that the Silver Wolf mage withdrew from a clutch that was far too small to house the item without the use of magic. Soon a portal had opened and they found themselves hundreds of miles from home and at the front door of the du Wolff manor, where Vandrad knocked to alert those within that people had arrived. Serilda took a moment to glance about the area, taking in the view until the door opened to reveal the duchess in a rich and exceptionally Christmas themed gown that made her look like the star or angel atop a beautifully decorated tree. The prince’s mother was much more exotic than most people likely were ever prepared for. Thankfully, Serilda had taken the time since meeting Vandrad to refresh herself on her knowledge of the Ashen Dread’s exploits and accomplishments over the past few decades, so she wasn’t struck to silence by her almost eerily youthful beauty. After all, for a woman who had to be at least in her sixties, she looked exceptionally young.

Themesycia ushered everyone inside, greeting them one at a time as they came through the door. Serilda smiled and returned the woman’s firm handshake with a comfortably solid one of her own. “It’s an honor, your grace,” she told the duchess with earnest pleasure. “Thank you so much for this generous invitation.” Serilda left it at that for now, knowing that there would be more time later to exchange further pleasantries and getting to know one another. Instead, she stepped aside to let Mythal greet her, as well as the rest of her family and the Seals.

Byron and Miriam acknowledged Themesycia with brighter smiles than usual, exchanging their own handshakes even as the Bellum duchess expressed her pleasure in seeing them again. “Yes, it is wonderful to see you again, your grace. I do wish we had kept in better touch, but I think that is an issue that will rectify itself from here on out.” Byron was a man of little sentiment, but it was clear to Serilda that he held a high regard for the woman before them, whom the field marshal was momentarily scrambling to pinpoint when they could have met.

Miriam was equally as warm, though that was no surprise as she always had been the more informal of her parents. “Please feel free to disregard the formalities. Byron and Miriam is fine. As far as we are concerned, you are all family at this point. Funny how that came back around, isn’t it?” Her smile deepened with a slight hint of playfulness that only served to leave Serilda a bit more visibly confused and feeling like she was missing something.

True to his own upbringing, Solomon proved himself a gentleman, shaking Themesycia’s hand before giving her a slight bow, turning the limb over in his palm to place a cordial kiss upon the back of her own. “Thank you for having me here, your grace. I’m looking forward to spending a little time in Bellum and getting to know you and the rest of your family.” The young man gently released her hand and straightened himself out, clasping his hands loosely behind his back in a parade rest not unlike the stance that Serilda herself often made.

Toward the back of the line was Victoria, who walked with the air and grace of a divine eternal being. That being said, she greeted Themesycia on equal grounds with a knowing and respectful look that betrayed an understanding of the duchess’ origins none of the mortal could boast. She shook Themesycia’s hand with a small but deep smile. “Victoria,” The Seal told her by way of greeting, leaving the introduction at that for now, if only to ascertain if the duchess was able to deduce who and what she and her brother were. “I am most appreciative of your generosity in opening your home to us. I do hope you will have some time later to regale me with some stories. I have been most eager to make your acquaintance.” Naturally, the conqueress was excited by the prospect of getting to know the acclaimed warrior, though only Lux was likely aware of all the reasons for that, as well as the reasons why she seemed so respectful to the du Wolff matron despite her general disinterest in most mortals. With introductions and greetings out of the way, the duchess led everyone to the exquisite crystalline ballroom, excusing herself momentarily to collect the rest of her relatives.

As Xiuhcoatl sat obediently by her feet, Serilda took the time to raise a brow softly at her parents. “Did I know that you two had already met her before..?”

Byron chuckled lightly as Miram answered. “I don’t believe it ever came up, no. It has been a number of years since we last saw or spoke with her.”

Seeing the questioning look in his daughter’s eyes, her father explained. “A few years back, we were in discussion with one another over the possibility of arranging a meeting between you and Lord Vandrad here, which by the lack of surprise I assume he’s already been informed of.” The duke nodded in acknowledgement to the prince. “Before we could finalize anything, however, you and Hugo had started to become more serious, so nothing ever came of it.”

Well, needless to say Serilda was stunned. Her mouth was parted a bit in surprise as she looked to Vandrad for confirmation that he had, indeed, already been informed about this by his own mother. Then she gave a soft, genuine laugh. “Well, isn’t the world small?” she asked, musing over how slim the chances were that she had wound up being engaged to the prince’s adoptive brother instead.

Once everyone had gotten past the hilarity of what had almost been between Vandrad and Serilda, Mythal summoned Gren the wolf, complete with the enchanted collar that kept his size more manageable, and then the original Gren joined them. She greeted him with a smile and a firm hug when it was her turn to do so. “Thank you, Gren. It’s always so good to see you.” He gave some attention to Vandrad and Mercury next, the latter of which was unashamedly hitting on her “boyfriend” in front of both of his sons. Serilda just smirked and shook her head, electing not to read too much into it. Mercury was an oddball known for lavishing nicknames and titles upon people just to be playful, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected to see Mercury lavish the same, if not more, attention upon Gren. After that came his first introduction to Serilda’s parents and her youngest sibling, followed by remeeting Lux and Victoria.

The Voidwalker wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about even the light flirtation that was happening on the Conqueress’ front, but thankfully the subject was changed rather quickly in the form of Bandit thrusting himself onto Gren’s shoulder and pecking at him for attention. The older man laughed, petting the bird and greeting him by name, which meant that he had already been introduced to the feathery companion before. An interesting note, but yet another that Serilda didn’t put too much stock into for the time being.

The group was only milling about for another minute or so before Themesycia returned with the entire du Wolff clan. She made quick work of the introductions, pointing at each person and giving their names and relations in a simple fashion that was really the only way such a large set of greetings could be done. From there, everyone fanned out amongst one another and took the time to greet each person individually. It was a bit chaotic, but in a fun way. Serilda had to admit that the du Wolffs were a good looking family, and a simple observation was more than enough to tell her that they all were very excited to see Mercury again. Serilda even overheard a couple comments that were on the lewd side, hinting that Vandrad’s family was perhaps a lot more like Mercury than the prince. Byron and Miriam introduced themselves to everyone with polite but engaged interest, as did Solomon -- though Serilda did take note that her brother’s gaze and smile seemed to linger a little longer upon meeting Cecilia.

Before everyone could fully separate into smaller groups, Vandrad muttered something under his breath that Serilda could only assume was made to Santa. She wasn’t the only one who’d heard it, apparently, as Everance sought clarification over the muttered words and had the situation explained to her. Simon chuckled over the description of the lascivious spirit, apparently a man of similar tastes. It drew a chuckle from a few of those around, even from the remaining Sinclairs. However, Everance greeted the situation more like a puzzle to be solved. Everyone watched as she touched her nephew’s forehead, ascertaining the truth of the matter and offering to remove the spirit early. The prince was nearly floored from his relief, emphatically agreeing to his aunt’s help. The woman took a brief moment to form the spell, and soon enough Santa was no longer residing in Vandrad’s head.

Instead, he had been granted his own body. Serilda watched in wonder as snow and tinsel materialized in the spot where Everance had pointed until Santa took shape in a much different form than most had come to expect of him. He was easily seven feet tall, and just as ripped and buff as Gren was. Even Serilda couldn’t help but stare at him in wide eyed shock and appreciation. Hell, even Miriam looked a little shook, though she covered it quickly. Santa boomed his greeting to all, particularly the ladies, and expressed his appreciation forward Themesycia for her efforts. Vandrad was less enthused, having thought that her spell would do away with the father of Christmas for good. His aunt explained, however, that she had merely been able to remove Saint Nicholas. It wasn’t a broken curse, merely an altered one -- though he would still be gone upon the next day.

With the countdown still ticking on his time with everyone, Santa wasted no effort in turning almost immediately to Mercury, who hadn’t stopped looking at him like he’d just walked out of a wet dream. Paying no mind to Vandrad’s obvious chagrin over the jolly saint’s intentions, Mercury was already stepping forward to greet Santa with about as much enthusiasm as she did anyone else that she found attractive, only to have Everance intervene before Vandrad took it upon himself to physically keep the pair apart. She smoothly distracted the chiseled man with the offer to come spend time with her and Dudley over a glass of eggnog, even going so far as to stroke the man’s leg in a way that could only be interpreted as sensual. He agreed, allowing himself to be led off and away.

Not long after the chaos was done, a few people branched off to form smaller groups rather than congregate in one giant mass. Themesycia wasted no time in offering to buy Victoria a drink, which drew a deep smirk from the Seal. “And here I was hoping to offer the same to you.” With all the confidence and charisma of a woman who had been alive for literal eons, she offered the duchess her arm much like a gentleman would, electing to at least escort the woman to the bar. Serilda trusted Victoria enough not to start any trouble, and was actually quite sure that the two women would get along rather well due to their shared skillset and interests, so she didn’t bother making any remarks about it as they walked away. Smoothly latching on to a group of people his own age with an ease that was likely surprising from the young man that probably had come off as exceptionally shy or reserved thus far, Solomon inquired with Ophelia, Cecilia, and Bartrand to see if any of them were interested in getting a drink or something to eat.

That left Simon and Vandrad as the remaining du Wolffs amidst Byron, Miriam, Gren, Mythal, Lux, and herself. “This hall is stunning,” Serilda voiced primarily to Simon and Vandrad, taking a moment to look about the place. “I’ve never seen so much quartz in one area, let alone fashioned into the shape of a room.”

“Oh good, I was hoping I wasn’t the only one admiring the craftsmanship,” Byron stated with a chuckle. Naturally, the two Sinclairs that co-owned a precious gem company were eager to set their gaze about the room, taking in the artful structure with keen eyes. “It really is quite remarkable. I’d love to hear the process of how it was put together. Even with magic, I imagine it was quite the undertaking.”

Well, Simon was certainly… suave.

It wasn’t the first time a man had approached her with charm, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Noble men -- and women -- often took pride in their skills at being debonair and courtly, a great deal of them more than able to sweep others off their feet with mere words and glances. And Serilda had to admit that Simon seemed to be at the top of that game, putting others she’d met in the past to shame. However, while she was certainly pleased and grateful for the geniality, the Voidwalker was not a woman easily captivated by such mannerisms. Even if Simon was, admittedly, very attractive. She gave him an easy, friendly smile, the expression more on the gentle side as she was rarely very boisterous with her emotions. “Thank you, Lord du Wolff. That is very gracious of you,” was her humble response as she gave him an appropriate curtsy, bowing her head toward him respectfully.

Once Everance had lured Santa away, and Themesycia and Victoria had practically latched themselves to one another, Simon took it upon himself to serve as a host and elected to bring them toward where the food and tables were, expressing an interest in learning more about everyone from more than just distant research. Along the way, he satiated her and Byron’s interest in the architecture of the ballroom, explaining about their late father and his passion for gemstones. Byron chuckled lightly. “A sensible man,” was his only playful interjection, expressing his bias toward other people who respected and were passionate about the line of work that the Sinclair clan had built its wealth off of. According to Simon, his father has invested quite a bit of time and resources into having enough quartz mined to have not just the ballroom, but several other rooms in the manor fashioned out of the gem. Then, when that was done, he’d sold his remaining collection to fund the design of the rest of the island and its homes, and generously ensured that anyone who lived on his land would never have to worry about the roof over their heads.

“How thoughtful,” Miriam replied, genuinely moved. “And generous. He sounds like he was a passionate and selfless man.”

Byron nodded. “He was, or at least from what I can recall from the brief exposure I had with him so many years ago.”

Serilda glanced at her father with a raised brow as she picked up two plates from the buffet table, handing one to Mythal. “You knew him, too?” Apparently, the du Wolffs and Sinclairs had far more connections than she had been aware of before.

“Yes and no. I was formally introduced to him and did spend some time around him, but I was very young at the time, barely into my teenage years. I had accompanied my father as a member of the Fioren delegate to establish a more firm peace treaty between Fiore and Bellum, and Duke Bacchus was one of the more involved members of the Bellum delegate. That is actually how I originally met Lady Themesycia, and what prompted her to reach out to us a few years ago about you and Lord Vandrad potentially meeting. I recall that Duke Bacchus and my father got along quite well.”

Well, that certainly gave Serilda several more questions, though none of them were really pressing. That, and if she correctly understood the meeting of which he was speaking, it was an event that had not ended on any sort of peaceable terms, that had fallen apart in a rather violent fashion. Probably not good dinner conversation, but perhaps there would be time later to see what more she could learn of the history event from the people who had been there.

Having gathered her food, as well as a plate with some meat for Xiuh, Serilda helped the group effort of putting a few tables together and then took a seat, finding herself between Mythal and Simon. Before getting into her own food, she took the time to set the plate with Xiuh’s dinner on the ground beneath her chair where the hound always sat while Serilda was eating. Then, she started eating. Lux mostly followed the group though he elected not to sit at the table with them, choosing instead to loiter somewhat nearby and simply look around the place, expressing that he was far more interested in people watching than eating food he couldn’t really enjoy anyway. He didn’t seem to be causing any trouble, at least, so Mythal was content to let him linger.

Simon caught up with Mercury briefly, the Silver Wolf Ace claiming that she needed someone to save her from the prince’s abuse. The banter between her, Vandrad, and Simon elicited a chuckle from those around. When that was done, Simon turned his attention toward Serilda, bringing up her and Mythal’s engagement and expressing an interest in hearing their love story. Serilda chuckled, flashing Mythal a brief and knowing look. “Well, if I’m being honest we were a bit rocky when we first met. We got assigned on a job together escorting some cargo through Crocus. This was back when I was a mage with the Sabertooth guild, and Mythal was with Fairy Tail -- the guild that Vandrad is now a member of. The first job went alright, but it was pretty simple, and we just went our separate ways afterward.”

“The second job we worked together was a bit more… involved. We were hunting a slaver in Desierto and trying to reclaim the people he had kidnapped. We were stuck in the desert for about a week together and barely talked most of that time, as neither of us were overly chatty people. But once we found the suspect we were looking for, we had a disagreement about how to approach the situation, and once we had completed the mission we had a pretty big argument. We were pretty embarrassed once it was over, cause we both were acting petty and childish.”

Serilda chuckled again, smoothly recapping that fateful mission without giving any kind of insinuation as to just how far that argument had gone. After all, while both of her parents were now aware that she and Mythal were sleeping together and had accepted that they lived together, neither of them were aware of just how quickly their relationship had reached that point, and she had no intention of making things awkward for anyone at the table. What her parents didn’t know couldn’t hurt them. She shrugged. “The Magic Council was impressed with our results, though. They started going out of their way to request both of us together for certain jobs after that, particularly on jobs involving slavery. It took us a bit to figure out where we stood with one another, and we definitely had more intense arguments, but eventually we accepted that we work well together and chose to help each other outside of the special Council tasks. From there, it was just a lot of helping get one another through a lot of bad situations. We were both in denial for a while.”

She laughed lightly, thinking back on how awkwardly they had behaved around one another back then, tiptoing around the truth. Frankly, it had brought them both a lot of heartache before it got better and worked itself out, but Serilda wasn’t about to get into all of that right now, not unless Mythal elected to give more details or unless Simon asked a more specific question. Gren excused himself to get another drink, and shortly after Mercury did the same after realizing that her own bottle was lower than she’d realized it was before Gren had left. Not thinking much of it, Serilda reached down and took the empty plate from under her chair and set it down on the table. It was only after a couple minutes more of conversation that Vandrad excused himself as well, leaving Simon alone for the time being with Mythal and the Sinclairs.

Miriam smirked lightly, glancing briefly over toward the table where the younger nobles had taken up residence together and seemed to be getting along rather well. “Darling, I think we may be about to find ourselves spending a bit more time with Lord Simon, here.” Anyone who looked over wouldn’t miss the almost painfully obvious chemistry that was happening between Solomon and Cecilia even in the midst of the entire group interacting eagerly and equally with one another. The Sinclair duchess gave Simon a knowing and playful smirk. The conversation turned from there with the duke and duchess inquiring about Simon and both his daughters, interested in hearing more about all three of them as they hadn’t gotten the chance before to interact with Simon as often as they had with his sister.

Vandrad eventually came back with a new drink, which struck Serilda as odd. After all, Mercury was supposed to be getting a refill for him. Come to think of it, she’d been gone a while, as had Gren...

Simon seemed equally as amused about the way his daughter was hitting it off well with Serilda’s only brother, smirking to himself and admitting that Cecilia was typically a rather reserved woman, and as such her mannerisms at the moment were a bit more boisterous than usual. Or at least, outside of if she had been drinking. He concluded that they would all just have to wait and see where things led, expressing his openness with his daughter getting to know the youngest Sinclair a little better. From there, the conversation spun into Byron and Miriam asking a bit more about Simon and his daughters. The man admitted that he was a single father, as his fiance -- the girls’ mother -- had passed away from an illness when Ophelia and Cecilia were still very young. The admission was met with several gentle condolences before he went on, crediting his sisters with helping him raise the girls to the women they were now. Cecilia had been blind from birth, but apparently she had methods of subverting that which were convincing enough that may as well have had sight. Ophelia, on the other hand, was the greater rebel between the two. By his own admission there was very little that he didn’t let them get away with, so having a daughter that could still be identified as a rebel was fairly impressive.

It brought a few chuckles from the Sinclairs. “There’s always a rebel child,” Miriam teased with a slight smirk, casting a knowing glance at her husband.

“Yes, ours was always Scarlet.”

“It used to be,” Serilda retorted with a snort. “Have you checked in with Alicia lately? She hides it better than Scarlet did, but she way more of a rebel than Scarlet ever was.”

“Mm, yeah I’d have to agree with that one. I think she grew up watching Scarlet and learning from her mistakes, and learned to fly under the radar.”

Byron shook his head lightly in amusement. “Well, it will be hard for her to get too out of hand with Serilda signing her paychecks, I imagine. She always looked up to her fiercely, was always trailing around after her. She may have her moments, but she’s always taken her reputation seriously.”

Serilda nodded. “I’m not worried about her. She knows that slacking or playing around will reflect poorly on both of us, so she’s been doing very well so far. I am sure that will continue.”

Gren returned without Mercury, which spurred Vandrad to inquire as to the whereabouts of his partner. The older Ragnos man claimed ignorance, and Seri honestly couldn’t tell if he was lying or not. Unlike Mythal, she didn’t have the ability to just detect such things, and since she didn’t really have a reason to be suspicious she wasn’t really paying attention to her fiance to see if he had registered a lie. As such, she was the only one between the three of them that didn’t really seem to have caught on. After admitting he hadn’t been aware that she’d gotten up, Vandrad snorted his amusement at the realization that Mercury was, in fact, up to something and excused himself to go hunt her down. By the time he walked away, Serilda was chuckling lightly in her seat. “The more time I spend with Mercury, the more amazed I am at how quickly she can pull a fully realized scheme out of thin air and put it into motion before anyone else even realizes she’s gone. A shame she’s so attached to Silver Wolf. She’d make a great field agent.”

The group continued to chat for a few minutes before Vandrad finally returned with Mercury in tow, the lavender haired woman looking about as smug and pleased with herself as Vandrad did. The group chatted together for a while, sharing some drinks and desserts for a time before Simon seemed to catch a meaningful look from Themesycia from across the room and invited their guests to come join them in a more private lounge for a gift exchanging session. Eventually, everyone was rounded up in a more comfortable and intimate room a short walk down the hallway away from the ballroom. “You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Serilda remarked to Victoria playfully as the Seal found a comfortable spot to sit where she could observe the rest of the room.

“How could I not be with such fine company?” Victoria replied, openly smirking at Themesycia and making no effort to hide her flirtations with the woman. “It is refreshing to meet another woman that can boast so many riveting tales of battle. We have a lot in common.”

Shaking her head, Serilda found a space appropriate enough to materialize some of the things they had prepared for the night. A few carefully wrapped boxes appeared, alongside what looked to be a finely crafted mahogany box bearing the twisting dragon seal of the Sinclair family crest. From there, it was a casual and relaxed moment of everyone swapping gifts with one another. Since the majority of the du Wolffs were going to receive a joint gift from Mythal and the Sinclairs, Serilda had only brought individual gifts for those whom she already knew before tonight. She had other gifts at home that she still intended on giving Mythal tomorrow once they were back with the girls, but she had brought one of the gifts tonight: a very rare and expensive Midian whiskey that was almost impossible to find in Fiore. For her parents, she gave her mom a pair of sapphire earrings that had been custom crafted by a jeweler that Serilda knew, and her father received an antique statuette of their family crest that Serilda had found while digging into the Sinclair history a little deeper with Victoria. Solomon was given a set of lacrimas that he could integrate into his medical equipment at college, and the wolves received some treats in the form of venison jerky.

For Gren, she had gotten a pair of prime seating tickets to a show he’d been interested in seeing but had never gotten the chance before due to having to keep a low profile up until recently. Vandrad was given a set of lacrima enhanced training weights that had been enchanted to adjust themselves based on his training performance so they would always be at an optimal weight. Mercury had been one of the hardest individuals to shop for, if only because Serilda knew next to nothing about her. She’d wound up settling on a decently priced voucher that the Silver Wolf ace could use to cover the cost of a few high end materials at an exclusive supplier that specialized in tech and engineering goods based out of Bosco. Victoria had been easy enough to buy for, though the Seal seemed surprised to be included in the gift giving session. Still, she was greatly pleased at the books she received from Serilda that delved into more history and politics of places and people that she had yet to read into yet.

The hardest by far had been Lux, and not just because Serilda’s relationship to Mythal’s Seal was shaky at best. Even setting aside how obnoxious the Lightbringer had been up until recently, what exactly did one get for a being of light whose only real interests seemed to be being a malicious pain in the ass to everyone around him? But the truth was that she had to acknowledge his recent better behavior. Lux had done everything in his limited power to help save Mythal from Faera, and ever since his return he had been nicer, even if Serilda wasn’t convinced yet that there wasn’t an ulterior motive behind it. In the end, she had chosen to roll the dice and gifted him a small lacrima that she had personally filled with a bit of stardust during a brief foray into space where she could collect the purest particles of light before they could be filtered through Earthland’s atmosphere.

For the rest of the du Wolffs, Byron and Serilda worked together to present the contents of the mahogany box. Inside the lined box were a selection of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, and alexandrites that had been pulled from their mines. Each gem was flawless and uncut, which would allow its recipient the freedom to craft the gem as they desired. While they didn’t say so out loud, it was well known that the precious stones procured from the Sinclair mines were well known for their efficiency in being able to store and conduct a great deal of magic, and thus were valued for more than simply fashioning into a piece of jewelry or statement piece. The du Wolffs were allowed to choose which type of gem they wanted for themselves out of the collection that had been brought.

It was certainly the giving season. Presents were passed all around between near about everyone, and despite how quiet and casual the meeting was the whole session was a bit chaotic. Serilda’s parents and brother were extremely happy with the items that Mythal had provided them, particularly Solomon who was more than thrilled to receive such thoughtful items to help educate him toward his chosen career. Serilda was taken back by what he’d managed to get his hands on for her, unable to resist flipping the journal open immediately and briefly scanning a few of its pages to get an idea for the type of content that she might find within.

Of course, that was belayed after only a brief delve into the book, as there were still gifts to be given and received. Mercury must have picked up upon Serilda’s hobby of gardening, or at least the hobby she once had before she was so busy. The Silver Wolf ace had managed to get her hands on a great deal of floral seeds to be planted in her garden that would bloom flowers that one could only find far outside Fiore. Serilda was eager to read up on the best ways to grow and care for them, thanking Mercury with an almost childlike excitement in her eyes. Vandrad gifted her with an accounting of military tactics and organizational efforts of historic Bellum generals over the years, which the field marshal admired with respectful awe. It wasn’t very often that one was granted the opportunity to learn from the pasts of another nation’s military in such detail, and the look in her eyes as she thanked him betrayed that she was both extremely grateful for and aware of what kind of priceless item he had just given her.

Her present from Gren was a worn photograph of Mythal when he was a child that he explained was the only picture of its kind that had not been destroyed by the fire. He had carried it with him all this time, but wanted Serilda to have it now. The princess was greatly moved by the simple gift, and thanked Gren with a tight embrace. Following that, the du Wolff clan had a joint gift of their own for the Sinclairs that consisted of a collection of high end, custom built electronics from Everance and Dudley’s business. The gifts, they said, were both for the mining firm as well as the Rune Knights, in the hopes that the tech would improve operations and efficiency for both. It was a gift that was met with a deep gratitude from each Sinclair present, though Byron and Serilda, as the co-owners, were certainly at the forefront of thanks.

Serilda’s parents and Solomon had gotten her and Mythal equally thoughtful and useful gifts as they had the previous year. Victoria seemed extremely pleased with the unexpected gifts she had been given, particularly the sword that Mythal had given her. She held the ancient artifact with a keen eye, carefully inspecting its age and craftsmanship. The Seal could sense the history of the weapon’s blood, and she found herself oddly moved by the thoughtful present, taking the time to offer him a firm handshake of her gratitude. Once everything had started to die down and the mortals seemed ready to transition out of gift exchange mode, Victoria elected to draw the attention of all the room’s occupants to herself. “I am sorry to interrupt, but I have a gift of my own to give, and while it primarily concerns Serilda and Mythal, it will effect more than just the two of them.”

She waited until she was sure that everyone was paying attention. The gift she had was one that she had kept to herself, not even having notified Lux of what was about to happen. The Seal turned to face the Voidwalker. “You may wish to take a seat.”

Serilda frowned lightly. “Victoria, what are you…”

The Seal gently cut her off with a politely raised hand. “I promise I’m not doing anything nefarious, but this may still be a bit shocking, so.. Just trust me. Please.”

The field marshal looked briefly to Mythal, visibly confused before gently sitting down next to him on one of the sofas and watching the Seal with rapt attention. Victoria took a moment to collect herself and find the right place to start, which was a bit odd to witness for a being that was always so sure of herself. “I think, in order for this to make sense to everyone, I have to give a brief explanation of who exactly I am. My brother and I,” she nodded to Lux, “Are nephilim. I won’t get into the purpose for which we were created or why we are here, but we are rather intimately connected to Mythal and Serilda through their blood lines, and I specialize in blood magic and being able to read and sense the presence of blood.”

With that quick recap out of the way so that everyone would understand at least the basics of what they would need to know in order to understand how Victoria knew what she was about to reveal, the Conquoress turned back to the white haired woman on the couch. “A few weeks after our mission in the graveyard, I sensed a change in your blood. Rather, it would be more accurate to state that I sensed two new sources of blood within you.” The Voidwalker continued to frown, the dots not connecting in her head over a matter that she had lost hope in long ago. After a beat, when she realized Serilda wasn’t going to reach the conclusion, the Seal spelled it outright for her in a gentle tone. “Serilda… you’re pregnant. With twins.”

The news was so profound that the Voidwalker couldn’t do or say anything except stare at Victoria in disbelief. “That’s… that’s not possible,” she stammered, not immediately willing to accept that the one thing she’d wanted most, the thing that had always been robbed from her, had just been dumped in her lap. “I know Mythal’s curse was lifted, but that doesn’t make a difference. My doctors confirmed long before I met Mythal that I would never be able to..”

“I know, and that misdiagnosis was not their fault,” Victoria said, gently interrupting Serilda again before she could get too far ahead of herself. “I know your history, as we have discussed it before, so even I doubted what I was sensing at first, but I decided to look for clues and it wasn’t until I found your old wedding ring that I realized what had happened. The ring had an enchantment on it, a complex one that was exceedingly difficult to detect, but it was there: A powerful charm that prevents pregnancy in the wearer. I presume you never took the ring off for the duration of your prior marriage?” Serilda shook her head. “I am truly sorry that your abhorrent ex played such a cruel and cowardly trick upon you… but the fact of the matter remains that you were never truly barren. And now that Mythal’s curse has been lifted, and you are no longer being afflicted by that enchantment… you are, in fact, able to bear children. Check for yourself.”

With shaking hands, Serilda set her palms against her abdomen and looked within herself with her Void magic, rifling through the atoms of her body on a molecular level until she found them: two small clusters of cells that had never been there before, attached to her uterine walls clear as day. Serilda burst into tears, completely and utterly overwhelmed by the revelation that, as far as she was concerned, was a downright miracle. Despite the unsettling understanding about Hugo’s trickery that had come with the good news, something she would surely have to take some time to process later, at the moment the vile ploy was beyond Serilda’s mind. A bright smile spread across her face and she started laughing through the sobs as she turned to Mythal. “I am pregnant,” she told him, as if she really needed to clarify when her emotional state of elation was proof enough, but it was as though she needed to say it out loud to make it real. She leaned over and clung to him hard, holding him to share the moment with him and also use him as a source of trying to ground herself a little emotionally.

And Serilda hadn’t been the only one moved to tears. Both Byron and Miriam were openly crying, though the duke and duchess were more dignified about it, wiping the moisture away gently with handkerchiefs that they each had on them. Even Solomon looked a bit shook, in a good way, his body tense and rigid with joy over the news as he realized he’d been holding his breath. He let it out with a gentle sigh, smiling toward his sister and his future brother in law.

It didn’t take Serilda long to push herself onto her feet and approach VIctoria, pulling the Seal into a tight hug that caught the much older woman off guard. It only took her a moment to recover, smiling lightly and returning the embrace in a rare show of empathy. “Thank you, Victoria. Thank you so much.”

Victoria chuckled. “Don’t look at me. Mythal’s the one who knocked you up,” she teased, drawing a choked laugh from the field marshal. Serilda’s parents and Solomon all immediately moved over to congratulate the couple, with each member of the notoriously rigid family giving both of them firm hugs. It was an insanely emotional moment, one that Serilda was sure to remember for the rest of her long life as one of the happiest nights she’d ever lived.

Once everything had calmed down and the night was seeming to wind down to an end, Themesycia approached the Sinclair couples separately to invite them to an after party of sorts that the du Wolffs liked to host after large formal gatherings. Byron and Miriam, to their credit, did give it some earnest thought before ultimately declining, though that choice didn't seem to have anything to do with the seeming nature of the party itself. Rather, they expressed a desire in talking a walk with one another around the island, interested in having a romantic stroll under the Bellum night sky before ultimately retiring to whatever space Themesycia would have for them to sleep in. It hadn’t taken long for Cecilia to lure Solomon away for similar purposes, the pair of young adults eager to find a little alone time to get to know one another better.

When Themesycia brought it up to Serilda and Mythal, they didn't seem too caught off guard or apprehensive about the knowledge of it being a bit more liberal of a setting. Labeling the place as a dance club that 'didn't have any rules' was a bit open to interpretation, but the insinuation was there that it was a type of place where there would perhaps be a bit of adult content. And after all the time they'd spent with Ruzatz and Agatha, the thought of being present in an actively promiscuous setting wasn't exactly something that sent her into blushing fits of embarrassment or shock anymore. Turning to look toward Mythal, she gave a shrug. “I think it could be fun, personally. What do you think?" Mythal had never been against going to parties and social gatherings with Serilda, despite the fact that he didn't personally care for them, because he simply enjoyed spending the time with her. However, given the sudden and big change that they had just become aware of, she wasn't sure if he would prefer to wind down with her in a more secluded space with her.