1.4: Meeting the Clan

Whoever had built the clan's mansion way back when, had obviously intended to do some serious entertaining; the grand ballroom was huge. Elisa had seen softball fields that were smaller. It held an assembly of what must be nearly every gargoyle in the clan (excepting only the ones still in New Orleans on patrol duties), and several dozen human clan members as well.

If they had taken the time to shake hands or clasp forearms with every last one of them, Elisa figured they'd still be doing introductions by midnight. So Adam just named each clan member as he led the party past their ranks. "Not that we expect you to remember everyone's names from the first introduction," he said wryly just before introducing them to the clan's most elderly gargoyles, folks who appeared to be at least a full generation older than Hudson.

Hudson couldn't help commenting under his breath, "An' why does everyone need naming, anyway? I got along just fine without a name for over a century of living…"

One creaky old fellow who had just been introduced to them as Ignatius, overheard that and gave Hudson a keenly inquisitive look before saying bluntly, "Once all this cérémonie is over, youngster, we goin' to do some talkin'."

Adam and half the Manhattan clan stifled chuckles while Hudson gaped at Ignatius and echoed, "Youngster?"

Elisa had deliberately cultivated a good memory for names and faces in her work as a detective, but after the fiftieth or sixtieth passing introduction, even she was hopelessly confused as to who was who. So she just kept a smile fixed on her face, nodded politely when nodded to, and let her mind wander a little. She had noticed that about a quarter of the gargoyles in the room had feathered wings and recognizable animal characteristics, much like the gargoyles of the London Clan, and wondered if some free-spirited young gargoyles from that clan had glided across the English Channel a while before this clan had emigrated to America.

Over there was a gargoyle that resembled a black cat with bird's wings, and further back in the ranks was one that looked like a two-legged chestnut horse, and another one with a bull's head that reminded her of a smaller-scale version of New Olympus' Minotaur. There were even a couple gargoyles with feathered wings but very nearly human features, though their "hair" was made of feathers that generally matched the colors of their wings.

And evidently interbreeding with non-English gargoyles had mixed up the color genes for some of the English types, because she also saw a feathered man-type with light blue skin, a female cat-gargoyle with blazing orange-red fur, a yellow-green horse-type, another horse-type that was piebald red and white, and—oh Lord, don't let her start laughing; Elisa had just spotted a gargoyle that looked like a purple cow. And now that silly nursery rhyme about purple cows was resounding inside her permanently sleep-deprived skull…

So far, nearly every gargoyle that had been introduced to them had been standing next to a member of the opposite sex; mated pairs were introduced together. And from what Adam mentioned of the five gargoyles still out in town, four of those five were mated pairs as well. So when the party came to a cluster of females without any males around, Elisa knew instantly that here were some members of 'the competition'. (Though they had better not be any real competition; not if Goliath knew what was good for him!) Adam introduced them as Yvette, Marie and Isabel.

Yvette was a deep rose in color, with glider wings like Brooklyn and Angela had, and two stubby horns poking out of a long black mane that currently had magnolias entwined in it. She was also stacked like a brick shipyard, and Elisa thought for a moment that she looked for all the world like some hormone-crazed teenager's idea of a sexy demoness, out to tempt somebody out of his soul with pleasures of the flesh.

Marie was a much lighter shade of pink, with white bird wings, and instead of horns or a mane had downy white feathers covering her scalp. She strongly reminded Elisa of a classic representation of an angel, except for the feathered scalp, the very low-cut blouse and high-cut shorts, and the naked lust gleaming in her eyes as she and Yvette together gave the entire band of males a once-over-lightly.

Isabel had bird wings as well, but a head resembling a calico cat with a long curly mane, and the jet-black feathers of her wings complimented the black and brown mottling of her calico fur. She wasn't ogling the males of the Manhattan Clan quite as openly as the other two, but there was no mistaking the interest in her eyes either.

As she saw them looking the males over, Elisa almost stepped in and grabbed Goliath's arm in a possessive manner, to give them an unmistakable message of 'Hands off this one!' just like Angela was currently doing with Broadway's arm. But she restrained herself; Goliath had promised her that he would make it clear to them all that he and she were one, even before anyone came close enough to do sniff-tests for 'mated' scent-markers. The ball was in his court, and how well he handled it would be one of the first tests of their marriage.

Rebecca was hanging onto Brooklyn's arm and glaring at her rookery sisters just as Angela was, but Elisa could tell there was far more desperation and fear in her expression, whereas Angela was looking more annoyed than anything else. It was easy to understand why, because all three of the Trio were looking like they'd been hit with two-by-fours as they stared at the lovely females that were staring hungrily right back, and even Hudson seemed somewhat affected, standing taller and reflexively flaring his wings a bit.

Even Goliath twitched ever-so-slightly, and his tail was tensely coiled around his left leg as he led his clan in formally bowing to the ladies. Elisa eyed that tail, eyed the way Marie and Yvette were looking at him even more than the others, and reminded herself of something her mother had said once: "It's all right if they look, so long as they don't even think about touching." He had sworn to be hers till death did them part, and trust was such an integral part of their relationship...

Adam frowned as he looked around, and finally said, "Where is Martha? I said I wanted everyone present tonight."

"Someone looking for me?" a voice wafted in from another doorway, from which some delicious odors were wafting out. "I'm in the kitchen, of course; did you think this early Thanksgiving feast was going to cook itself?" The voice grew nearer, and a light gray, somewhat plump female with her blue mane tucked into a hair net stepped out long enough to wave at them all and say brightly, "I'm Martha, pleased to meet you, and dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes!" before dashing back to the kitchen again.

After that they were introduced to the youngest clan members, the twelve hatchlings. At only thirteen years old, equivalent in development to seven-year-old human children, they came swarming out of the rookery and into the ballroom en masse the moment they were called, and started dancing excitedly and shouting questions at the strangers. Their rookery keepers laughingly caught them by their tails one at a time, to get them to hold still long enough to be introduced.

The smallest one, a little blue fellow named Denis, seemed to instantly attach himself to Lexington's leg and had to be pried off. "It's all right," Lex hastily assured the rookery keeper, as he grinned at Denis and winked. "I used to assist in the rookery all the time, before I qualified to be a warrior, so I'm used to it. Hey, kid, has anyone taught you to play trenchers yet?"

"A new game?" Denis squealed, his eyes wide with delight.

"Well, I guess it's new to you folks anyway. Tell you what, you go play with your brothers and sisters tonight while I make up a board and pieces, and tomorrow night my brothers and I will show you how to play it. Okay?"

"Yayyy!"

To Be Continued…