Party time!

.

Naitachel's jaw dropped, and he froze in the doorway, looking around with wide golden eyes, as stunned, thrilled, and astonished as an archeologist would be at the discovery of El Dorado... or a child first finding Disney World. He scanned every beaming face, all the pictures and decorations, the curiosities and oddities calling seductively to his curiosity, the photos demanding his attention, the food summoning his palate... and his eyes became damply scarlet at the corners, threatening to tear up...

"I... but... for me?" he tried asking, voice catching in his throat, thick with emotion, radiating his joy and love to his family with almost sun-like intensity. "You... need not go to such lengths... any of you... but... Heavens, this is--this is utterly splendid!"

.

Soraya beamed brightly at Naitachel, rather proud that she (and the others) had managed to keep this much a secret from him. It was rather difficult to pull off such a surprise when the surprisee in question was an empath, a curious-natured one at that.

Michael smiled impishly at Nari a moment. "I know, I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but I never got the chance, not without risking Uncle Nait overhearing," he apologized. "My mom would have killed me if I'd ruined her surprise."

"Welcome home," the redhead in question smiled, making her way across the room to hug "Natashel," tightly and kiss him on the cheek. "Yes, this is all for you, and we did it because we /wanted/ to, not because there was a /need/," she said. "Now banish any of those self-immolating thoughts about the work we may or may not have gone through for it and simply enjoy," she said, before moving aside to allow access to others.

Tommen wrapped his uncle in a tight hug next in an uncommon display of emotion. "We've missed you," he said with one last squeeze, before being pushed out of the way by a bouncing Bri.

"Do you like the drawings? I did them!" she informed him, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing tightly. "You can keep them, if you want," she said. It was indeed a great honor to be bestowed with one of her artworks.

Lisa smiled and drew Brianna away from Nait to give him a few moments of breathing room. She was sure he'd need it, given their overwhelming numbers and their enthusiasm at welcoming the seraph back into their midst. "Yeah, thanks for finally showing up," she grinned. "We've been hoping for an excuse to have a party with all the fixins. I've been fiending for some popcorn like you wouldn't believe," she winked, before her features softened. "Glad you're back safe and sound," she finished, with absolute sincerity. Not only was her family complete again, but her Uncle was also smiling once more.

Michael had drawn back toward the wall, next to Nari. "So... are we going to hug the wall all night, or are we going to get some food?" he asked her. "I don't think the pizza's going to last very long if we don't get to it, say, now." Likely Min and Matty would make quick work of it, after all.

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Radu, sensing Nari's hesitance, moves toward her with an empty plate. "Come child. Choose what you will. There is food enough and you are most welcomed to join us in our celebration."

.

Soraya wrote:

"Now banish any of those self-immolating thoughts about the work we may or may not have gone through for it and simply enjoy," she said, before moving aside to allow access to others.

Naitachel laughed, and with a shrug, surrendered to Soraya's advice--starting with making a round of hugs. <Have I self-immolated before? I have no burn-scars, I think...> he chuckled silently.

The warmth and happiness in the room lifted the Seraph's spirits immensely, placing his joy and enthusiasm almost on Brianna's level. He gave solemn Tommen a squeeze, pounded Mircea's back, ruffled Matthias's hair, kissed Lisa and Jina on the cheeks, swung Brianna around gleefully... and he wasn't even near done with that, for any of them... as there was still Min and Radu and Michael and Vlad and Soraya... descendants of old retainers and friends to meet...

"It is so good to simply be back!" the Seraph caroled happily. "I missed you all so very much! Yes, Brianna, your drawings are lovely, and I will be most honored to keep them! I shall certainly treasure them! And Lisa, surely you did not wait ALL these years on that on my behalf, though I shall be quite happy to help us all make up for lost time! I can see even here from what you have all brought out that I have much to catch up on--if you would all indulge me with a bit of patience, my experiences still very much in... how did someone call it?... the Dark Ages?"

Then someone is pressing a plate of food on the overjoyed Seraph, complete with a sampling of everything lest he get too distracted by other things to taste it all before it vanished into other mouths... Of course, his eyes are first drawn to the drawings--and the photos... of times past that he missed out on.

Insatiable curiosity, indeed.

Michael appraised Nari's plate before taking his own heap-fuls of, well, everything. He loaded up on pizza, popcorn, S'Mores, chips, french fries, and a generous helping of chocolates and candies. "Where did Nait go?" he asked Nari, choosing to play dumb. "He's right there. Yeah, he's surrounded by people, but he didn't go anywhere..." He grinned at her and winked before tugging gently on her arm. "That wall's too cold for me. Let's go over here, where it's warmer," he suggested, moving to an area not quite in the center of activity, but still not removed from it, either. He meant to make sure that Nari partook in these festivities rather than shrank into the wall. She'd need to get used to the gang, after all, if she was going to stick around.

When he finally had her settled, he began heaping portions of his food onto her own plate, tsking himself over the fact that he had taken entirely too much. "You don't mind helping me with this, do you?" he asked absently as he worked, before sighing and looking up at her with a bit more of a serious expression.

"Okay, to tell the truth, Uncle Nait got separated from us, unwillingly, for a /long/ time," he told her quietly. "There was... someone evil who kept him away, and we'd been looking for him since. That's actually the reason we came to LA in the first place. It's sort of a big deal that we've finally found him. So, of course my mom decided to throw a party."

-----------------------------


Soraya smiled, her eyes suspiciously bright at the sight of Naitachel's joy. She had almost forgotten what it was like to see such a pure happiness emanate freely from the seraph, not to mention the return of Radu's own smile. Perhaps spurred on by the sight of their love retrieved, she unconsciously wound her arms around her own love, Vlad, and hugged him tightly.

"We will endeavor to teach you as much as we can regarding the changes the world has undergone since your departure," she assured Naitachel with a laugh, just as Brianna lifted her digital camera and took a picture framing Naitachel with Radu, albeit in a rather candid pose.

Radu rolled his eyes, embarrassed at having been caught in so intimate a moment for posterity. "I don't suppose you'd consider deleting that one?" He held Nait's hand fast in his own, as if the realization he could lose him had just dawned once again.

Jina and Matty got into a popcorn fight, tossing small kernals at one anther in a corner as Mircea sampled the pizza tentatively. "I miss Georgie's cooking," he grumbled as usual, prompting laughter from Min.

Vlad moved to Soraya's side, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You should sit down, love. Come. I'll find you a seat to watch the festivities from."

.

The flash of the camera made Naitachel hop backward a pace, raising a large sleeve and a wing shifting in his robes instinctively in self-defense. But on lowering his arm, he realized it was harmless, and curiosity won over, making him lean over Brianna's shoulder to peer at the camera. Only Radu's grip on his hand seemed to be keeping him from bounding all over the place tonight...

"Deleting...? But whatever do you mean?" the Seraph asked, intrigued. This whole photograph concept was new and very alluring.

That firm but cool hand on his own, however... it reassured Naitachel through discovering these daunting new concepts and technologies. So long as his mate was there, he knew all was well, safe, comfortable, harmless. In return, the Seraph silently wrapped his warm feathered tail about Radu's ankles, a familiar and comforting gesture, though for anyone watching it would simply appear as if the train of his robes was tangled there.

A glance about caught Jina and Matty's mirth, Michael caring for a much calmer Nari, Mircea poking his pizza...

<Is it good?> the Seraph asked Radu's brother, curious--especially as some was on Nait's own plate, waiting for him to try.

...Vlad escorting Soraya to a chair. Naitachel couldn't help his lips quirking at that--as he was one of the few in on that secret at the moment.

Oops.

A flick of golden eyes to Radu, and Naitachel smiled fondly at him. The Seraph truly could never keep anything from his mate--as Radu was by far the stronger telepath, and often picked up things from the open and honest angel by sheer accident, not even with an effort. And it was easier to do so with physical contact...

It wouldn't surprise Naitachel if Radu had figured it out on his own, anyway. Oh well. But they could try to keep the rest from knowing until Vlad and Soraya felt ready to announce it.

Soraya laughed as Vlad guided her to a seat. "I intend to partake in the festivities, not merely watch them," she informed him, "especially after all the work that went into this." Still, she accepted the offered chair, hoping that it would help settle her stomach, even with the assault of food smells on her nostrils. She reached for a nearby glass containing some water and she drank from it, hoping to at least remain hydrated as she addressed him again, this time quietly

<You know, if you keep behaving this way, our secret will hardly remain secret> she teased.


-------------------

"Where are we from?" Michael blinked a moment, unsure of how to answer that question. "Well, all over, really," he shrugged. "We've moved around a lot. Though besides Bri, we were all born overseas in various parts of Europe. She was born in New York." In New York in the 1920's, but that was neither here nor there.

Michael took a bite of his food and grinned at Nari, realizing he hadn't made the greater introductions.

"Well, let's see... you know my Mom and Dad, right?" he said, indicating them, "and Lisa and her twin, Jina," he said picking them out easily from each other, though to others it might be difficult to tell the two apart, "My dad's sisters." He then indicated the younger one, "that's Matthias, my dad's brother, and Min, who's also my dad's brother... so my aunts and uncles," he stated, indicating the obvious.

"Then you know Radu, my dad's uncle, and Nait, Radu's mate... And that's Mircea, Radu's brother and my dad's other uncle," he said pointing out the vampire scowling into his pizza, hoping he wouldn't offend KC or his mom's cooking. Michael looked around hoping to find anyone he'd missed. "Oh, and there's Tom, my older brother, and you know Brianna, my little sister. Then that's KC," he said indicating another redhead who was busy making a plateful herself. "She's a friend," he said simply.

He /thought/ he had gotten around to everyone, at least everyone in the room at the moment. "And you, you're Nari. Welcome to the insanity that is the Princes. We grow on you after awhile," he grinned, biting into his pizza. "I hope, at least," he said around his mouthful of food. "But if you're really interested, I can show you some of the pictures they put up of us. I think there's one of my Uncle Min during the disco era around here somewhere," he grinned.

---------------------

"No, I like it!" Brianna protested as Radu requested she delete it. She grinned and showed the outcome to Naitachel. "See? You look good in it," she beamed proudly before running off and snapping a picture of Min and Lisa, then of Matthias and Jina as they threw food at each other.

<I'll simply tell them I worry you'll overtire with all the work you've done,> Vlad assured her, letting her keep the secret until she was ready. Though, given the way Uncle Radu's eyes were twinkling when he looked at them and the finger he placed upon his lips, he was fairly certain that his uncle already knew, though it seemed he intended to keep the secret as well.

****

<It is... different,> Mircea replied, taking another nibble. It wasn't Georgiana's cooking by any means, but it wasn't inedible either. Giving the slightest of nods to Naitachel, he took another, slightly larger bite, indicating it was, at the very least, safe to eat. He would comment on it no further.

***

"Very well, dear one," Radu laughed at Brianna's protests. "Only, pray, give a warning next time."

.

The Seraph blushed warmly at the sight of the picture, a somewhat intimate moment (well, to someone from the medieval era, holding hands was almost indecent) caught in time, though he supposed it would be good to look back on during bad times. Not that it mattered, as Brianna whisked it off with her when she ran off to take photos of others. So he chuckled, and offered Radu a shrug and smile.

Mircea's reluctance and yet Nari's and Michael's approval of the food known as "pizza" made Naitachel shift his attention to the odd foods on his own plate, and reach his free hand to give them a try. A bite of the pizza made him blink, thoughtful, though he had to agree more with Nari and Michael on it--gooey cheese really made it quite good, and olives and vegetables added further flavor. Then again, he hadn't had anything to eat while pinned to the wall, so the Seraph had a wonderful appreciation for the simple culinary joys.

<Different, yet different in a good way, Mircea,> he told his brother-in-law, amused. <Pleasant flavors, and rather fun--I imagine children enjoy it a great deal.>

The... sandwich-like thing known as "s'mores" was likewise--gooey and nicely flavored with chocolate and that odd white fluff, accented with the pleasant crunch of the graham cracker.

But then he tried popping in his mouth a puff or two of that food called "popcorn"... and golden eyes almost closed with bliss. "Mmmmmm..."

Radu smiled as he watched everyone, from Nari relaxing to Naitachel enjoying all that was prepared for him. He poured Nari a cup of tea, handing it to her carefully. "It's hot yet, " he cautioned her, not wanting to risk harming her. He quickly gathered a few more things for Naitachel to sample, certain he'd missed out on far too much during his time in captivity.

"It's pleasant enough," Mircea reluctantly agreed at last. "And the children are all quite fond of it. It's just not..." He bit his tongue, realizing that Soraya and KC could possibly be insulted were he to continue. Instead, he repeated, "It's pleasant enough."

Michael had opened his mouth to respond to Nari, but was promptly preempted by his great Uncle's emergence with the tea. Truly, he was always one step ahead, and Michael merely grinned at the girl sheepishly and shrugged. "Yeah, moving around did help keep people from seeing that we don't age. It makes for some awkward conversation when you run into someone you knew 50 years prior and you have to think fast about why you look just the same whereas they've grown a beer gut and lost all their hair." He grinned.

"Hey, looks like they've broken out some of the good stuff, too," Michael observed, before getting up to get himself a glass. "Brandy," he offered her with a raised eyebrow.

He watched, then as Nari called Brianna over and apologized to her.

"It's okay," the young vampire answered, though a bit shyly. "I didn't mean to scare you... I don't like being scary," she said in a trembling voice. "But it's not your fault that I am."

Michael sighed, and put his arms around his sister briefly. "You're not scary... you're pretty cute, actually," he soothed as he hugged her. "Now Uncles Min and Mircea, /they're/ scary," he said, to which Brianna gave him a tentative smile.

"Say cheese!" Brianna then said, taking an off-center, rather blurry picture of Nari and Michael, blinding them both before dashing off again. Michael frowned after her a moment, realizing just to what extent his little sister managed to push aside the hurt she must feel regularly before sitting next to Nari.

"She'll be fine," he assured her. "She has this eternal optimism and sunny spirit. It can be annoying sometimes, actually," he grinned, "but it helps when this stuff happens... and it really wasn't your fault."



----

Soraya merely shook her head in response to Vlad and sighed. He was right, it felt nice to sit, but she could hardly remain so much longer, given how much they had planned for the evening.

"I will take that as high praise from you," Soraya responded to Mircea over the din of the others. "It seems that your three critiques of food are either the condemning, 'I miss Georgiana's cooking,' or the indifferent, 'It is interesting,' or the high praise, 'It is pleasant enough,'" she teased the vampire from her seat before Brianna came bounding up.

"Say cheese!" the girl said, snapping a quick picture of her parents before looking at the results on the small LCD screen with a frown.

"Mommy, you look green," she stated, which drew a startled laugh from the redhead.

"No need to worry, my love," Soraya answered, standing now and placing a kiss atop Brianna's head. "I am just a little under the weather, that is all."

"Are you sure?" Brianna looked up at her mother searchingly a moment, then shrugged. "Let's go get something to eat!" She suggested then, "Maybe it'll make you feel better... Uncle Min always said ice cream was good to settle the stomach!"

The mere idea of food made Soraya pale even further as bile rose to her throat. "Perhaps you can go with your father to get a plate," she suggested instead. "I have to... uh... check on something." Without waiting for her daughter's answer, the redhead dashed toward the lavatories again.

"Is she okay?" Brianna asked Vlad worriedly.

"Oh yes," Vlad answered with a laugh. "Her stomach just disagrees with her at a moment." Winking at his little one, he took her by the hand and led her to the treats. "What will you have, my love?"

"Thank you Radu," Nari said shyly, accepting the cup of tea from the tall man. Of course, everyone was taller than her. Now, if only there was some honey for the tea...

Nari frowned after Brianna some, seeing the hurt that the young girl tried to hide. Blinded by the flash, she leaned against Michael, blinking her eyes rapidly to try to clear them. "I can see that..." Nari smiled again, then looked at the glass of brandy that he'd offered her right before she'd apologized to Brianna. "I'm only sixteen... I've never had anything to drink before."

"Nor should you yet," Radu added softly, smiling as he reached to the center of the table for the honey jar and handing it to Nari. "Let us not corrupt her just yet, Michael." Quirking a brow at the petite girl, he asked, "Is there anything else you'd care for?"

Naitachel patted Brianna's shoulder as the child passed on her quest for photographs--offering his soothing influence to aid her buoyant nature. He'd felt that flash of pain, too...

"Mircea, please remember you described King Louis the XIV of France's spread much the same as you just described this 'pizza' concoction?" the Seraph chuckled. "Soraya is right. You needs must expand your vocabulary on the culinary arts, or admit that someone, at some point, may finally have achieved the same skill as Misses Georgiana. None could ever replace such a wonderful lady, but I am certain she would scold you for being unfair to fellow cooks of her caliber."

He couldn't help but glance after Soraya's exit--and winced as he felt her upset stomach take control. No, the poor thing was certainly starting to feel the effects again... and to openly assist with calming and soothing her stomach would reveal the reason why, with it.

Michael merely blinked and shrugged, smiling impishly. "Hey, if I /hadn't/ offered, you would have said I was being rude," he laughed at both Radu and Nari. "I can't win with you two!" he protested, palms raised. He chuckled as Radu handed Nari the requested honey. Even for Radu, he certainly was going out of his way to make her comfortable.

<Hey, don't take /all/ my game, Uncle Radu. I gotta have some way of impressing the girl, too> he laughed silently at his uncle.

"I could get you some more food, if you want," Michael offered aloud, noting Nari had already eaten a good portion of the food he'd piled on her plate for her.


-------------------

Brianna allowed Vlad to lead her to the table, though she looked after her mother briefly a few more moments, in thought. "I want popcorn. And pizza. And s'mores. And some veggies with ranch dressing," Brianna told her father, peering at the tabletop in thought. "And pop," she decided. "And some ice cream with sprinkles," she added with a tone of finality. For such a small thing, she certainly could eat, a trait she shared with Michael.

"Uncle Nait, did you have ice cream too?" she asked more loudly as she handed her father three plates, one for her and one for Vlad, with an extra. "That one's for Mommy," she confided quietly to her father.

Radu smiled at Michael, moving to give them both space, rejoining Naitachel.

Vlad piled up his daughter's plate as requested, unable to believe she could really eat so much. At her announcement, he nodded, accepting the bowl. "I'll make sure she gets it."