Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Spotify Playlist // Youtube Playlist

i. a cozy house

“Is everything alright, young master?” Hans asks.  Cale’s forehead seems to be furrowed in thought, and Hans wonders what troubles his charge to such a degree.  Despite all his various eccentricities, the current Cale is well-known amongst the Henituse household’s staff for being unusually polite and undemanding, especially compared to his younger self.

“…Not enough…” Cale mutters, eyeing the room critically.

Hans is fastidious and has great attention to detail when it comes to his work, so Cale’s statement admittedly leaves a small nick in his pride.  Nonetheless, Hans is a professional and he will take all critique into stride if it means he can become a better butler…!  “Is something lacking with the accommodations?” 

“…Not enough pillows,” Cale says with a decisive nod.  “And cushions.”

“Pardon me?”

Cale glances at Hans with the face he makes when something is annoying him.  Ah, the young master is so cruel at times…  “Pillows and cushions,” Cale repeats, “for Ohn, Hong, and Raon.  Children should have comfortable things to sit and sleep on.”

“Oh!”  Hans does not sag in relief—he is a professional! —but he does stand up straighter with a bright smile on his face.  “I will procure some more at once.  At first I thought you wanted more pillows and cushions for yourself, haha!”

(Cale ignores Hans, staying suspiciously silent.  But turning a blind eye towards your master’s obvious inclinations towards naps and inability to lie about them is also, at times, a servant’s duty.)

ii. the town of mirth

“…Bob-nim.”

Alver waves cheekily to his instructor.  “Haha, it seems I need to train more.  You spotted me so quickly.”

Choi Han nods.  “Yes.  We will train much harder at our next lesson.”  He manages to keep a straight face when Alver barely hides a wince at the threat promise.  Serves his student right for showing up in the Henituse territory unannounced.  “What brings you here?”

Alver’s mischievous smile is evident in the slight crinkle of his eyes even with a veil obscuring part of his face.  “Despite the reports arriving on my desk increasing in both quantity and quality compared to my days as a crown prince, it’s always best to see my country with my own eyes.”  He looks towards the city square, gaze softening when it lands on a small group of children playing together.

“Our children are doing well,” Choi Han says, answering Alver’s unasked question; it’s always obvious when the king is thinking about Ohn, Hong, and Raon.  “Cale-nim asked me to come with them to the city, but they ran off on their own for now.”

Alver glances back with an amused expression.  “Did my poor lonely instructor-nim get abandoned by his charges?”

Choi Han barely resists the urge to roll his eyes.  Truly, Alver has been a terrible influence over the years.  “They’ll come find me when it’s time to go home.  They’re getting older so they enjoy being unsupervised.”

It’s still strange for Choi Han to think about it.  Ohn, Hong, and Raon have all grown so much since they first met.  As someone who hasn’t visibly aged a day for the past century, seeing the children change so rapidly makes Choi Han feel a little apprehensive.  But more than anything, he’s grateful they’re all growing up well, and grateful he can be a part of that journey.

“It’s good to see so many cheerful faces,” Alver comments, continuing to scan the city crowds.  “Sometimes I have to leave my office prison to remind myself that dealing with all those annoying bastard nobles and ass-numbing paperwork is worth it.”  He grins at Choi Han.  “I’m doing well, right?  All my hard work pays off if Ohn, Hong, and Raon can grow up happily in a peaceful kingdom.”

“Please keep working hard,” Choi Han says seriously.  “Then Cale-nim and the children can go on more vacations.”

“Blatant favouritism as always,” Alver mutters, waving lazily as a farewell.  “I get no respect from the lot of you.”

iii. family

For a long time, Bassen only had his mother to rely on.  Then his mother married a Count who already had a son, so Bassen gained a father and brother.  Eventually, Bassen gained a sister too.

In hindsight, perhaps by the time Bassen became an adult, he should have become accustomed to the fact his family might continue growing larger.  It has been the recurring pattern of his life thus far, after all.  Instead, he ends up as surprised as the other Henituses when Cale officially introduces everyone to Ohn, Hong, and Raon.

It’s not that hard for Bassen to accept after the (very reasonable, in his opinion) surprise that his hyungnim’s two cats were actually Cats and he also found a dragon at some point in the past few years.  Lily, however, seems a little despondent after the news though she does her best to hide it, so Bassen quietly seeks her out to see what’s wrong.

“…Are we not good enough for orabeoni?” Lily asks, nervously twisting the hem of her shirt like she always did since she was an even younger child.

Ah.  Bassen understands now.

He thinks for a moment before answering, “Hyungnim is not the type of person to replace others.”

Lily flushes in embarrassment.  “O-Of course not!  But…”  She looks down at her shoes, her face a bit crestfallen.  “Orabeoni didn’t spend much time with us before, so it makes me a little sad that he’s so close to them.”

This, too, Bassen understands.  He still doesn’t know why his brother suddenly decided to reconnect with his family, but it doesn’t erase the many years when they barely acknowledged each other.  It’s also the first time Lily has new family members—accustomed to being the youngest as she is—so Bassen reasons the change is more difficult for her than him.

“I think it will be fun to get to know them,” Bassen says, unsure if it’s true but feeling like he should reassure his younger sister anyway.  “Ohn can be your… sister?  Which you didn’t have before.  Hong is the same age as you.  And Raon is younger than you so you can be his noona.”

Lily visibly cheers up at the possibilities.  “That’s true.  Hehe, I’m not the youngest any more!”

“There are three of them too,” Bassen points out, “just like hyungnim and us.”

Lily giggles quietly.  “I’m sure they get along and try to help each other.”  She looks around before leaning closer to whisper conspiratorially.  “Do you think they’d help us with orabeoni’s work too when he inherits father’s title?”

(Somewhere, Cale feels a chill on the back of his neck, but he ignores it…)

Bassen hums thoughtfully.  “Maybe…  There’s no harm in asking, I suppose?  Do you think any of them know how taxes work?”

“Pfft.  Who would try to tax a dragon?!”

iv. rainbow of magic

“Raon-nim is amazing,” Rosalyn says, sighing quietly as she continues practicing a difficult spell that the small black dragon mastered with ease.

Eruhaben looks at his unofficial second student.  “He is a dragon,” he says dryly, “despite his eccentric personality.”

If she were any other mage, Rosalyn’s statement would be said with either astonished admiration or self-deprecation.  But Rosalyn simply makes a statement of fact and burns with an undying ambition to strive for ever-higher heights.

Honestly, both of Eruhaben’s erstwhile protégés are incredibly troublesome.  One is an excitable child and the other is just as young and overly energetic in his eyes.

He’s still unsure why he decided to teach Raon more about magic in the first place, and therefore teach Rosalyn too by extension.  At least both of them are eager and quick to learn.

Somehow, Rosalyn seems to know what the elder dragon is thinking.  “Thank you, Eruhaben-nim,” she says with a respectful yet cheeky smile.  “I’m sure Raon-nim also enjoys spending time with you.”

“Hmph.”  Eruhaben looks away.  “The little rascal hardly gives me a choice in the matter.”

(That’s obviously bullshit because nothing and no one could force Eruhaben to do anything aside from maybe Lord Sheritt, but Rosalyn does not call out the golden dragon for his bluster.)

v. tranquil days

Violan looks amused at her frazzled husband.  It seems as if his head has time to be filled with unnecessary thoughts now that war preparations and anxiety over whether their eldest son may explode himself aren’t preoccupying most of his thoughts.  “Everything will be fine,” she says calmly.

“Haha of course…!” Deruth says while laughing nervously.  He seems normal for approximately four seconds before pacing around his office again, like he has been for the past hour at minimum.  “However, it is possible that something unplanned may happen.”

“I fear you may dig a trench in the floorboards if you keep circling around the carpet,” Violan says, raising an eyebrow.  Once her husband stops, she adds, “We have already consulted Cale and done our due diligence.”

Deruth looks up from his shoes dolefully, bringing to mind a sad dog.  “But they could still dislike their rooms…!”

Violan does not roll her eyes simply because of etiquette training, but she feels the strong urge nonetheless.  “Then we address that if they request any changes in their accommodations,” she says decisively.  “One would think you are preparing an intercontinental trade negotiation with this level of fretting, not adding three rooms to the estate for your grandchildren in case they want their own space whenever they visit.”

(Needless to say, Deruth’s worrying is pointless as Violan predicted.  The rooms are a hit with Ohn, Hong, and Raon.)

vi. village of beastlings

“Hyung, noona—we’re over here!” Lark calls out, waving excitedly to Choi Han and Rosalyn in the distance.  He squawks with much less excitement when both his friends roughly ruffle his hair the moment they’re within reach.

“How are the kids doing?” Rosalyn asks cheerfully, looking around Harris Village to try and spot the other Wolf Tribe members and their three playmates for the day.

Choi Han looks amused, pointing towards one of the nearby trees bordering the Dark Forest.  “I think what the kids are doing is mischief,” he says wryly.

“Ah.”  Lark quickly turns around to see Raon slowly levitating all of his cousins into the tree one by one according to Ohn and Hong’s enthusiastic instructions.  That wasn’t happening two minutes ago.  At least everyone seems to be having fun, unless Lark is gravely misunderstanding the emotions behind all the loud screaming.

Rosalyn starts laughing.  “Well, it’s nice to see that things are always lively around here.”

(Lark resists the urge to whine that it isn’t always that nice when one has to personally deal with all the liveliness, but it isn’t as if he would ask for things to be different anyway.)

vii. safe haven

It’s a little lonely sometimes in the Black Castle.

There’s no one to fault for that except Sheritt herself, really.  She chose this life after death for the chance to protect and raise her children.  For all the good it did when the White Star betrayed her.

Sheritt’s thoughts are interrupted by the Black Bone Dragon landing in front of the castle.  Despite spending most of his time further away in the Dark Forest, he has started to visit her once a week recently.  “No news from your family?” he asks, tilting his skeletal head.

Sheritt shakes her head.  “Raon must be off on another adventure,” she says with a wry smile, wondering what her son is up to.  Whenever he visits, he always has many exciting tales to tell of all the things his weak human has done, or the new snacks he has discovered with his siblings.

“…Does it bother you that you can’t go with them?”

“You’re full of questions today,” Sheritt says, arching an eyebrow but answering anyway.  “It did at first, but not any more.”  She smiles softly, remembering how Eruhaben and Raon worked so hard to make sure to move her entire castle to another continent so she was not left behind.  “I’m happy to watch over their home so they always have somewhere to return to.”

viii. afternoon rush

Cale looks incredibly offended.  “How dare you trick me into helping with your duties, Your Majesty.”  He looks even more offended when Alver doesn’t even spare a glance towards his dongsaeng.  What a cruel tyrant.

“Hyungnim,” Alver corrects immediately, still ignoring Cale.  “Also—less complaining, more paperwork.  I know you can forge my handwriting, you bastard.”

Cale isn’t sure how that particular skill was discovered when he was sure he kept it a secret, but he laments that it’s now being used to exploit him into doing unfair labour.  “I was farming with the children,” Cale complains, picking up a pen anyway to sign some document related to some nobleman’s taxes.  “How could you take me away from them.”

Alver still doesn’t look up, but the scratching of his pen sounds distinctly more annoyed.  “It is because of those sweet children that you have to help me this afternoon, my dear dongsaeng.  They will be very disappointed with me if I do not join the festivities next week.  Because you made me so busy in the first place by causing trouble in other territories—again, you meddling bastard—you have to help me finish all this work.”

“We shouldn’t have invited you,” Cale says, grumpily leafing through another stack of documents.  “The children would have gotten over it if you didn’t come.  We could loot cookies from someone else.”

Alver throws a balled up paper at Cale’s head.

ix. teatime meadows

Written on scattered pieces of paper in many different types of handwriting:

Necessary snacks and items for picnic with Ohn, Hong, Raon tomorrow (DO NOT forget!!)

• Apple pie in case Cale faints
• Ohn’s favourite dried fruit
• Cookies (all)
• Chocolate cake
• Lots of meat for Raon
• Poisonous plants for Hong ⭐ IMPORTANT Store separately and label clearly so Maes does not get sick again I WON’T EAT IT THIS TIME
• Blanket for naps (at least two)
• Clean handkerchiefs
• Empty bags for looting What would we loot at a picnic??

⭐ IMPORTANT!! ⭐

• Help Vicross clean the kitchen and prepare the food
• Make sure Choi Han does NOT go inside the kitchen or Vicross will be angry again
  I think we should sneak Choi Han into the kitchen
  No
• Make sure Choi Han does NOT go inside the kitchen or Vicross will be angry again

x. sunset breakfast

Vicross looks around his kitchen with a critical eye.  Everything must be in place before he begins his meal preparations, otherwise culinary catastrophe may ensue.  He still has not forgiven Choi Han for misplacing one of his knives after a disastrous attempt at peeling potatoes.

Thankfully, everything seems to be Correct this time.  The counters are spotless with clean cloths and towels resting on top of them in case messes need to be wiped.  Every utensil, cookware, and bakeware is in its appropriate shelf or drawer.  The ingredients are fresh and high quality and nothing is low in stock.  The Wolf children did not track any mud onto the floor.

All is well.

“Preparing dinner for the children?” Ron asks, entering the kitchen as silently as he usually does.

“Breakfast,” Vicross corrects, cutting fruits and plating them at preternatural speed while ignoring his father’s amusement at the sight.  He adds some of Ohn’s favourite dried fruit in the spread.

“It’s a little late for breakfast, isn’t it?”

“They all slept in.”  Vicross viciously cuts a loaf of freshly baked bread into neat slices before applying Hong’s favourite jam in an even coat.  The small kitten loves his bread and jam.  “Breakfast should be the first meal of the day.”  

“Even when the sun is setting instead of rising?” Ron asks, raising an amused eyebrow.

“Yes.”  Vicross deftly sears some bacon for Raon.  The dragon always insists on eating meat for breakfast because ‘a meal has to contain meat or else it is a snack’.  “I’ll make their other meals later.”

“I will help bring them their breakfast, then,” Ron says while quietly brewing a fresh teapot of lemon tea.

Vicross turns a blind eye.  It’s not like Ohn, Hong, and Raon will be the ones drinking his father’s lemon tea, since Vicross is making them mugs of hot cocoa.  

(Cale, however, deserves the lemon tea for letting his children sleep through breakfast and lunch.)

Chapter Text

Spotify Playlist // Youtube Playlist

xi. cake and presents

“What is our mission?!” Hilsman shouts towards the people under his command.

“To purchase gifts for Lady Ohn, Lord Hong, and Lord Raon, sir!” the various Henituse household guards shout in return.

Hilsman nods in satisfaction before whirling around to point at Hans with both hands.  “And what is your mission?!” 

Hans enthusiastically salutes with admirably angular precision.  “To work with Chef Vicross to create the very best dessert recipes possible for Lady Ohn, Lord Hong, and Lord Raon, sir!”

“Excellent!”  Hilsman raises one fist in an unnecessarily dramatic pose, eyes glistening with unshed but highly emotional tears.  “I am trusting all of you to expend every last bit of effort to ensure that we bring great happiness to our young charges!  I will hear no arguments or complaints from any of you!!”  He spins around then gestures grandly towards the Henituse estate’s gate.  “Now—go forth and fulfil THE DREAMS OF THE CHILDREN!!”

(“What the hell are they doing outside?” Cale mutters, cautiously hiding behind his curtains as if trying to ineffectually avoid a bomb while warily peering out his window.

“The young master need not pay attention to fools,” Ron says primly.)

xii. making friends

Choi Jeongsu cackles quietly, propping his chin on one hand while smiling mischievously at the ‘teenager’ next to him.  “Team Leader—how does it feel to be a kid again?”

Sui Khan shoots Choi Jeongsu an unimpressed look.  “Quite nice, I’ll have you know.  For one, my new dongsaengs are much cuter.  I think I’ll replace the previous ones.”

“You wouldn’t!”  Choi Jeongsu waits for Sui Khan to say he was joking, then coughs awkwardly when there’s only silence.  “Ahem…!  Well, it’s true that Ohn, Hong, and Raon are quite cute.  But how am I supposed to live up to such high standards?!”

“You won’t.”  Sui Khan ignores Choi Jeongsu’s fake sulking before adding, “Before making fun of me over my new age, shouldn’t you be more concerned with the fact that Cale still hasn’t called you hyung and none of his children do either?”

Choi Jeongsu thinks, then pales.  “Am I not brotherly enough for any of them?!”

Sui Khan shrugs.  “Maybe we have to bribe them all with more food.  That won over Cale in the first place.”

“We could.”  Choi Jeongsu smiles wickedly.  “Or we could just bribe the children.  It would be funnier to steal them from Cale for a bit, don’t you think?”

xiii. apple pie

Cale stares mournfully at the contents of his spatial pocket bag.  “Do I really have to eat them all?”

“Yes, Cale-nim,” Choi Han says cheerfully.  “The kids prepared all these apple pies for you in the hopes that you will recover quickly.  You have to eat—all of them!”

Cale shivers slightly, feeling a chill on the back of his neck.  For some reason, Choi Han seems rather intimidating at this moment.  “There must be hundreds of them,” Cale protests.  “It’s not physically possible for me to eat this many apple pies.”

Choi Han smiles brightly.  It’s painful to look at.  “I believe in you, Cale-nim!  Paiting!”

Cale’s pupils start shaking.  When did the kind and gentle and polite Choi Han become so… evil?  It must be Alver’s fault somehow.  With thoughts of hyung-directed vengeance in his mind, and deep love for his children in his heart, Cale woefully begins eating the first of many, many apple pies.

xiv. stories of snow

“What about this one?”  Mary points to one of the many bolts of cloth on the shelves, her current choice a deep burgundy wool.  

Ron eyes the fabric critically.  He clicks his tongue in mild disapproval, paying no heed to the hapless shop owner and assistants sweating nervously behind the counter.  “Perhaps a different one would be more suitable for our young master.”

If Mary were the type to openly frown, there would be one on her stoic face.  “Yes, I would like something very soft and warm…”

“It would be nice if the young master can enjoy the snow with everyone else this winter,” Ron agrees, subtly adjusting the pin on his lapel with the Henituse family’s crest.  He strategically waits a few moments for Mary’s stony silence to unnerve the shop’s employees—she’s simply contemplating desirable textile qualities, but only Ron knows that—before the shop owner nervously approaches the butler.

After a few minutes of ‘pleasant conversation’ and searching through the basket of remnants, Mary leaves the store with a small piece of bright red wool of the finest quality.  “This should be plenty of fabric to make Hong a small cape,” she says; though her voice is monotonous as always, it’s obvious she’s very pleased.  “It was kind of the shop to give this to us without asking for payment.”

Ron smiles benignly.  “Yes.  Very kind of them.”

(Later, Cale is confused why there are now rumours of him being afraid of the snow and needing only the softest and warmest of wools in the same colour as his hair.  But it’s true he dislikes the cold so he pays the gossip no mind…)

xv. a better tomorrow

The God of Death sighs, leaning back in his chair to stretch.  Busy, busy, busy—he’s tired of being so damn busy all the time!  He wants to retire!  When can he retire?!

The hard work is worth the effort, though.  Sure, Cale Henituse is still angry and trying to pretend the God of Death doesn’t exist, and a lot of the god’s employees keep trying to beat him up—but despite all of those minor hiccups, the spurned deity thinks everything turned out quite well in the end.  The current timeline is much happier with significantly more people left alive, so he has no regrets about the decisions he made.

It’s a good day.  Most worlds aren’t facing dire apocalypses that need immediate attention.  Choi Jeonggeon and his wretched broom are both nowhere in sight.  Peace at last.

The God of Death leafs through his most recent diary, smiling at the notes he wrote about three children in particular.  “Keep growing up well,” he says fondly.  “I don’t want you to meet me for a long, long time.”

xvi. nap time

Sometimes, it’s a little bit boring being a disembodied voice inside of Cale’s head.  The man is talented at ignoring the constant chattering most of the time, so the Ancient Powers often have to entertain themselves.  

Today’s topic of discussion while Cale and the children take a nap together: Which of Cale’s kids would they hypothetically give their abilities to?

“I think Hong and I would get along well,” the Glutton says.  “We both love to eat!  Maybe he would be able to eat even more poisonous things with my help and become even stronger!”

The other Ancient Powers quibble over the fact that Raon also loves to eat, and the Glutton’s silvery shield would look quite fetching with Ohn’s silver-grey fur, too.

“I don’t think I can pick,” the Crybaby admits.  “I want all of them to stay healthy.  If I could keep everyone safe, I would.”

There are no arguments on that front.  All the Ancient Powers believe that the three kids should be very healthy and live for a very long time.

“I think I would get along well with Ohn,” the Thief says.  “Our powers would mesh well together.  And since she’s learning from that scary butler, being able to communicate with the wind elementals would make it very easy for her to gather intelligence.”

The other Ancient Powers agree but say it’s a shame that the Thief can’t pick more than one person; both Cats would become much stronger with her powers, and all three children greatly value freedom just like her.

“I pick Raon,” the Dominating Aura says decisively, butting into the conversation suddenly without any warning.  “I like dragons.”

The other Ancient Powers demand further explanation but they’re rudely ignored.

“Only a dragon would be able to match my awesome destructive power!” the Cheapskate boasts.  “The great and mighty Raon would become even greater and mightier if he could purify dead mana!”

The other Ancient Powers viciously scold the Cheapskate for indirectly insulting Cale, Ohn, and Hong by implying that they’re not cool enough.  The Cheapskate rescinds his previous statement and says that all three children are cool and he would pick whoever gave him more money—then gets viciously scolded again.

“I admire Ohn’s strength while keeping Hong safe when they were both very young,” the Super Rock says.  “Her desire to protect others weaker than her is still strong.”

The younger Ancient Powers make fun of Super Rock for having such a boring old man response.

“It has to be Raon for me!” the Sky-Eating Water exclaims.  “I just have a good feeling about him!  I think we’re similar!”

The other Ancient Powers think about Raon promising to blow up everything whenever Cale is threatened…

“Hong looks the most like Cale!” Jour says cheerfully.  “I want him!  It’ll be like having a very cute grandson!”

The other Ancient Powers are slightly disappointed but not surprised by this very predictable answer.

(“Can I pick someone too?” the Blood-Drenched Rock asks.

“Absolutely not!” everyone else yells.)

xvii. midnight paws

“…”

“…”

Choi Han sighs.  “Did you see the children?” he asks, fidgeting with the hilt of his sword and determinedly staring at the kitchen wall to avoid glaring at Vicross.  Cale-nim recently scolded them both for fighting in the house all the time.

Vicross adjusts the hem of one of his white gloves.  “They snuck into the kitchens around an hour ago,” he says, clearly annoyed that he’s being talked to, and extra annoyed that he’s being talked to by this person in particular.  “I assume they were hungry again, since they ate the sandwiches that I prepared.”

“I’ll keep looking, then.”  Choi Han lets go of his sword and slowly slinks back into the shadows.  “If they pass through here again, tell them to go to bed.”

“Yes.  Now get out of my kitchen.”

“I am getting out of your kitchen.”

xviii. dessert mountain

Alver smiles brightly, one eyebrow twitching near imperceptibly in irritation.  “Hahaha, King Fredo you are quite generous!  This gift was quite unexpected!”

(Translation: I didn’t ask for your help, you bastard.  What are you up to now?)

Fredo smiles back with equal cheer, gesturing to the pile of pastries behind him with a flamboyant flourish.  “You are my dear friend and also the sworn brother of Cale Henituse.  It is my great joy to provide sweets for the three children you deeply care for.”

(Translation: It’s entertaining to annoy you and put you in my debt.  This is only fair after everything you and Cale Henituse have put me through over the years, wouldn’t you say?)

Alver’s smile doesn’t falter despite being clearly irritated.  As always, his composure is rather impressive for a human—well, mostly human—especially one who hasn’t even seen thirty summers yet.  “I will inform the kitchens that you have magnanimously brought additional desserts for Ohn, Hong, and Raon’s visit later this afternoon so that they can make the appropriate arrangements.”

(Translation: I had everything under control.  Are you trying to insinuate I can’t even prepare enough desserts for my beloved children without your help?)

“That sounds like an excellent plan!” Fredo says before gleefully adding: “I brought some of the cookies that Cale and Raon are partial to.  I hope Ohn and Hong also enjoy them!”

(Translation: I still have the better cookies in my kingdom, despite your pitiful attempts to poach that pâtissier from Endable after the White Star died, and I will not let you forget it~)

Alver makes a muted noise of rage.  He sounds like he’s being strangled and/or he wants to strangle a certain vampire.

Ah, it is always very fun doing good deeds for youngsters.

xix. awakening power

“When do you think Raon will enter his second growth phase?” Dodori wonders, kicking his legs idly.

Mila hums thoughtfully.  “Not for a while yet.  He’s still very young.”

Dodori nods, his curly pink hair bouncing with the excited movement.  “That’s true!  I’m sure I will grow up first!”  He turns to address the grey-haired dragon trying to take a nap nearby.  “What do you think?”

Rasheel tries to ignore the pink dragon until Mila starts clearing her throat ominously.  “I don’t think about it at all,” Rasheel grumbles, hugging one of his many pillows closer to his chest.  “What’s the hurry?!  Those two Cats keep trying to grow up too and it’s bothersome.  Kids shouldn’t rush to grow up this damn fast.”

Mila looks amused.  “It seems like you did put some thought into it despite your claims to the contrary.”

“Rasheel-nim is wise,” Dodori agrees sagely.  “My dongsaengs should enjoy their childhoods.”

Rasheel snorts.  “You’re a kid too.”

“No I’m not!”

xx. birthday

“Is everyone ready?” Cale whispers, looking at the crowd around him.

…Really, there are too many people crammed into the Super Rock Villa.  Calling it a ‘crowd’ seems like an understatement.  Cale wonders if he was too enthusiastic with the invitations.

“If you pretend to uninvite me again because you think there are too many people here, I’m making you my prime minister,” Alver threatens from somewhere behind Choi Han’s elbow.

It’s sometimes scary how easily the king can guess what Cale is thinking.  So Cale ignores him.

“We’re ready, Cale-nim!” Choi Han answers quietly, leaning backwards to give Cale slightly more space.  (If there’s any mumbling that sounds suspiciously like ‘instructor-nim can you please stop squashing me’, nobody pays any attention to it.)

Mary nods in agreement.  She looks a bit silly with a colourful hat perched on top of her black-cloaked head, but it’s technically her celebration too, so she decided to look more festive to fit in with the children.

Rosalyn also nods, escaping the crowd by hovering in the air along with Eruhaben and Sheritt.  Being magical seems convenient.

Everyone else is not quite so lucky.  The Henituses are huddled together in one corner.  Lark and the Wolf children are huddled in another corner.  Choi Jeongsu and Sui Khan are perched on top of a shelf.  There’s a comical bubble of space around both the Molrans that Hilsman and Hans attempted to retreat in but seem to regret.

Cale sighs.  This really is too many people… but his children will be happy that everyone is here to see them.  He should feel lucky that all their friends and allies in other kingdoms, continents, and worlds didn’t try to cram into his damn villa too, even though Bud wailed dramatically about it.  Cale had to promise that he would take Ohn, Hong, and Raon to visit everyone after today in order to soothe all the ruffled feathers.

They’re coming! a wind elemental says excitedly in Cale’s ear.

Everyone immediately hushes at Cale’s signal—even though Eruhaben’s magic would keep them all invisible and soundproofed—until Ohn, Hong, and Raon skip excitedly into the room with wide eyes at all the colourful decorations.  All the mages use sparkling spells in the air like confetti as everyone cheers together:

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!”