The kitchen erupted into laughter, playful banter ensuing amongst them all. Julia passed around her tarts with a smile. Still warm but that only added to the gooey goodness of the apple cinnamon tart in itself. A resounding hit amongst everyone.
As Dorian wolfed down his in two bites, he grinned over to Julia. "If that's not on your opening menu for your bakery, you should really consider it. That was delicious, Julia."
"Bakery?" Nik iterated in question, his brows lifting as he looked in Julia's direction.
Julia blushed and glanced down at the floor. Nemia knew Julia wasn't really the bashful type, but in this instance, she was.
"Thank you, Dorian. It is already in the books." She glanced from the floor, smiling brilliantly now. Her cheeks still pink from the blush.
"You're going to open a bakery? That's awesome! Sign me up for more of this." Nik held up the last bite from his second tart to emphasis.
"As long as your paying for them." Julia giggled, grinning cheerfully.
"I agree, these are wonderful Julia." Ajax said with an encouraging smile.
"Mhmm!" Theo hummed his on agreement, his mouth full of the tart. Crumbs sprinkling around the corners of his lips.
"It is really good." Milli added in softly.
Lillian laughed softly, brushing some of those crumbs away before looking at Julia. "They are all right, you know. If all your pastries are even half as good as these, your bakery will shine so brightly. Where do you plan on setting up shop?"
"Oh, if it's still available, there was a spot open on the Stada Rebublicii." Julia's smile faultered slightly and a worry line creased her forehead.
"Go call them Julia." Nemia pressed her, encouraging her with a smile.
The worry line grew and her brows filirrowed together completely but she nodded her head. "Yeah,I.. I'll go do that now." She mumbled softly, then turned to walk out. Slow at first but just as she rounded the corner of the doorframe, Nemia heard her feet pick it up to a sprint.
Nemia smiled softly, turning her attention back to the rest of the family. Dorian's arm snaking it's way back around to wrap around her once more. Squeezing her softly. Glancing up at him, the smile softened on her lips significantly.
He returned her smile with one of his own before he looked across the table at his sister and nephews, then to Nik and Milli. "So, I know there are preparations to be made among other things. Though I think we could spare us a day at least. That being said, does anyone have anything they'd like to do. Prefer to see or anything."
He looked back to Lillian and her boys intently. "I would assume this is the first time in Romania for the two of you. Anything specific either of you would like to see?"
Theo and Ajax both looked to Lillian for a moment, Lillians lips pursed at them and she shook her head. Must be conversing amongst themselves. Nemia thought to herself.
A moment later, Ajax turned back to look at Dorian for a second before resting his eyes on Nemia. "Mom says it's rude to ask..."
"It is rude, Ajax." Lillian pressed, a warning layered in her voice.
Nemia's brows furrowed. "What's rude?"
Ajax slid away from Lillian. "Asking to see your wolf. I read a old book before about how God's that intervene in a werewolf's bloodline, are much larger than others. But finding a godly werewolf is much harder in today's day and age. Like... Impossiblely hard. You're a unicorn."
Theo giggled. "She's not a unicorn, she's a wolfy."
Bless him. The thought rang in Nemia's head as she bit back a small laugh.
Lillian looked at Ajax with shameful annoyance. "Ajax...." The warning was there but it done no good. Ajax rounded the table, putting distance between him and his mom while he closed the gap to get to Nemia.
Twisting to to her left, she came face to face with Ajax. A hopeful smile toying with the corners of his lips. "Well, can I see your wolf?"
"I'd like to see it too, honestly. Not really to see the wolf, just the transformation. I've never seen it happen right in front of me before." Milli spoke up, her eyes shining with curiosity.
'I would love to run.' Adira pressed in Nemia's mind.
Nemia glanced up one over to Dorian and then back to Ajax. "I don't mind, but she'll take off for a run if I do." She glanced over to Milli. "And of course, if I do it for them, I'm doing it for all that would like to see it. Though I don't find it as anything to extravagant."
Milli smiled and waved her hand to brush Nemia's comment away. "Oh I sure it's cool, at least in the eyes of a human that's interestes in this side of the world."
"I do suppose you're right about that." Nemia mused softly, smiling back at milli
Ajax lit up and Theo squealed excitedly from his mother's side. "Awesome!" Ajax bounced onto his toes. "See mom, she didn't find it rude."
Nemia frowned at Ajax then. "I was only okay with the it because it's you, you know. Others, though, very well could have. Your mom was right to caution you. If I would've been just about any other werewolf, that question could have easily offended me. Wolves don't just come out unnecessarily, usually.
Adira was back in her mind before she could even finish speaking to Ajax. 'I'll stay long enough for him to see me, and we won't go far or be gone long. Just let me stretch my legs.' Adira whimpered this time.
'I thought you'd want to stay close to Dorian?' Nemia stated with a question to Adira. Though Nemia doing the speaking, let Dorian in on the fact there was a discussion going on between her and Adira.
Adira snorted in her mind. 'Thats why we won't be gone long or far. But you could always tell him to chase us.' There was an odd sound, as if Adira laughed, that echoed through her mind.
'Enough out of you.' Nemia muttered to Adira, mentally shaking her head.
Lillian grumbled softly, but waved her hand in an outward motion. "He's going to do whatever he wants it seems. Just wait till Phenius gets here. Then these boys will get in line." She frowned.
"Oh c'mon mom. Don't be like that. It was just a simple question, aunt Nemia could've just told me no flat out if she wanted to." He sighed, shaking his head slightly.
Lillian raised her brows at Ajax. "She also could've whooped your tail end too. Didn't you listen to her, she's only okay by it because it's you. God's son, you've got to clean the gunk out of your ears." Lillian sighed, shaking her head.
"I may rescind my offer, if he keeps it up." Nemia warned, locking eyes with Lillian. She really wasn't going to, she just needed Ajax to believe she would to get him under control and apologize to Lillian.
"What? No!" Ajax huffed.
"Does that mean me too, Aunt Nemia?" Theo asked softly, his eyes widening into what resembled puppy dog eyes. She looked away from Theo, settling her gaze on Ajax. She couldn't bare to see Theo looking at her like that, unless she wanted to fail in the lesson she was trying to aid Lillian in getting through to Ajax.
Without looking at Theo, she replied a simple, "Yes, you too. Family is family and if one person messes up, the whole family is punished." She rose her brows at Ajax, stepping out of Dorian's grasp to place her hands on her hips.
Ajax looked between Nemia and his mother. Then, to his brother who Nemia heard has begun to sniffle. I'm a horrible person for this. She thought to herself, on the verge of having already just to stop Theo from crying from something she done.
Dorian's minds brushed against hers softly. 'You are far from horrible, Nemia. You are wonderful and thoughtful. What you're doing is shaping them to be better men, better people. Don't cave in just yet.' He said this even though she felt his own heart breaking at Theo's tears.
'Thank you.' The words pushed into Dorian's mind just as Ajax sighed and slumped his shoulders.
"I'm sorry..." He mumbled softly, casting his eyes to the ground.
"To who, me or your mother?" Nemia pushed back, not letting up on her dead stare.
"I uh.. both of you?" His eyes were wider now and flickered between Lillian and Nemia.
"Was that a question or a statement?" Lillian asked Ajax, drawing his attention to her.
Ajax tool a step back, distancing himself from the table and ducking his head down to stare at the ground. "Both of you. Statement, not a question." He kept his eyes glued to the floor.
"Well, I accept your apology." Nemia said with a soft tone before adding another layer of bass to it. "But Lillian deserves a better apology than that. She's your mother, you only get one of those. Treat her with the most respect you can for all of time."
Ajax looked back up at Nemia then, giving her a firm nod. He then walked back around the table to be next to Lillian again. Wrapping his arms around her neck to embrace her. "I'm sorry mom, I should have listened and respected you when you said not to ask. I just got excited and couldn't hold back. I'll do better next time, I promise."
Lillians arms wrapped around Ajax lovingly. "I know, you always get excited. You need to work on controlling those impulses. But for now, right now, it'll be okay. Thank you for apologizing, I do accept."
They squeezed each other one last time before breaking apart. Ajax turning to her. "C-can we see it now?" He asked with the hopeful twinkle resurfacing in his eyes.
"I don't see why not, so long as Mom is still okay with it." She glanced to Lillian who nodded her head softly.
"Since apologies have been made and lessons have been learnt." She glanced at Ajax, boring a hole into him with her stare. "I don't see why not."
"Alright then, let's get outside. I'd rather not damage anything else in this place." Nemia laughed softly, thinking of the melted paint in the bedroom shed first started off in here.
"Let's do it to it, then. Shall we?" Dorian clapped his hands and started signalling everyone to move it on out of the kitchen.