Bright Family House, 7 August 1205
"Are the floors swept?" Cassius asked.
"Check," Renne replied as she ticked the item off her list.
"Table set?"
"Check."
"My finest wine out on the table?"
"Check."
"Food all cooked?"
"Check…" Renne trailed off as she looked over the tinfoil-wrapped trays. "…except for the food we ordered. That should be here soon."
"Good job! Now we just need to wait." Cassius then held his hand out for a high-five, which Renne gladly returned. The two of them plopped down at the dining table, satisfied about the cleanliness of the house and the fact preparations for the party were pretty much complete. Since Cassius had to live in his official residence at Leiston Fortress most of the time, and Renne was living on campus at Jenis Royal Academy, the Bright family house had been left to Estelle and Joshua to take care of.
Until they went missing a little over a month ago, that is.
Because their Bracer work took them all over Western Zemuria over the past couple of years, Estelle and Joshua were never home for their own birthdays. It was supposed to have been different this time around since their Calvard job was supposed to only last until mid-July. With the original plan in mind, Cassius and Renne had taken time out of their schedules to set up a joint birthday celebration for the two young Bracers that would take place on Estelle's birthday. They had invited all of Estelle and Joshua's childhood friends as well as everyone who helped them over the course of the foiled coup and subsequent crisis in Liberl. Aside from some Bracers who were understandably tied up with their own work, as well as Prince Olivert and Major Vander who were having their own problems in Erebonia, everyone else had wanted to come and had been eagerly looking forward to the party.
Their disappearance had changed all of that. Kevin and Ries had to drop out because they were overseeing the team that was researching the artifact which caused the whole mess in the first place, and Zin had to investigate the ruins they went missing in. Several Bracers had to cancel as well because they were suddenly tasked with looking into the disappearance of two of their own. Cassius and Renne had been contemplating calling the whole thing off until Princess Klaudia stepped in and "kindly suggested" that Cassius should go ahead with the party anyway.
"General, you and Renne worked so hard on this gathering. While I am as saddened by their absence as you are, this is no excuse to let your preparation go to waste," she had told him. "If anything, this event will be an excellent chance for us to gather and celebrate their growth over the years. Those of us who braved Liber Ark together are overdue for a reunion."
A knock on the door got Cassius and Renne's attention, and Renne won the race to the door. She was greeted with the sight of young brunette woman carrying several trays of food. It was Elissa, one of Estelle and Joshua's childhood friends.
"Hey, Elisa! Here, let me help you with those." Renne said as she took some of the trays and went to the kitchen, with Cassius taking the remaining trays and Elisa following closely behind. The sight of all the food on the table made for an appetizing selection, if only Estelle and Joshua were there to enjoy it with them. After putting the trays down, Elisa joined Cassius and Renne at the table.
"Mr. Cassius, Renne, I hope you don't mind me asking this, but how…how are you holding up?" Elisa asked, and Cassius knew exactly what she was hinting at.
"I'm okay. School and the Ruan Guild are keeping me busy," Renne replied with a smile, and Cassius could immediately tell it was forced no matter how well-practiced the smile was. He still didn't know whether it hurt him more to see Renne crying or forcing a smile to hide her sadness.
"I'm doing as well as I can manage. I try not to get distracted from work, but coming back home is a nice change of pace," Cassius put a reassuring hand on Renne's shoulder. "I got some leave days to burn, and I felt like I haven't seen Renne in ages. What about you, are you doing okay?"
"Yes, sir," Elissa politely nodded. "Is there anything I can help with before more guests arrive?"
"Can't think of anything, really," Cassius said. "Everything is pretty much set, so we can just take it easy until the party starts."
After a few minutes' worth of small talk, another knock sounded at the door. Cassius and Renne went to the door together and were greeted with two more guests. One of them, a teenage girl with long blonde hair, immediately rushed to Renne and wrapped her in a tight hug. Her name was Tita Russell, and she was the granddaughter of one of Liberl's top scientific minds as well as a brilliant aspiring engineer in her own right. Because her family was away often, she was something of an honorary little sister to Estelle and Joshua as well as Renne's closest friend.
"Renne, I'm so glad to see you again!" Tita said happily. "Are you having fun at Jenis?"
"Uh-huh," Renne nodded, hugging Tita back. "School is easy, and all the students are so nice."
"Oh! Want to see something I'm working on?" Tita let go and opened a large box at her feet, revealing two jugs of icy-cold lemonade. "It's an orbal cooler! It'll help keep your food cold and fresh during long trips!"
"That's amazing, Tita! Did you work on it all by yourself?" Renne asked, and Tita responded with several enthusiastic nods. She picked up the cooler again and headed to the kitchen with Renne.
"Guess these two are as close as ever. I was expecting them to explode into a giant crying mess," the second guest said. He was a young man in his mid-twenties, with red hair and a scar on his face. He wore a green vest over his dark shirt, a stone pendant, dark pants, and a pair of brown boots. His name was Agate Crosner, and he was a senior Bracer who had met Estelle and Joshua when they first started off in their own Bracer careers. "What about you, old man? You holding up okay?"
"I am, how about you?" Cassius asked Agate before leaning over to whisper into his ear. "Tita seems oddly chipper. Professor Russell told me she was crying herself to sleep for days after I…broke the news."
"Yeah, about that…Apparently, she's become a huge workaholic since then. Shortstuff's even looking into studying orbal engineering abroad. Seems like that's what she's been planning all along, but the whole episode with Estelle and Joshua lit up some kind of spark in her," Agate replied. "Anyway, I'm doing all right. Like I said before, Estelle and Joshua are tough cookies. They'll manage just fine."
"Yeah…yeah, they will." Cassius sighed as he led Agate inside. "Looks like Elissa and Tita are getting along just fine. Care for some brandy?"
"Yeah, that'll be great," Agate replied. "That flight from Zeiss was a pain in the ass."
Soon, Cassius and Agate found themselves slowly sipping their beverages on the porch outside, soaking up the late afternoon sun. The conversation ranged from Cassius' army work to the three former ringleaders of Agate's old delinquent gang who were doing well as Bracers in their own right. The chat was soothing to Cassius, as anything was better than sitting around in an empty house worrying about how Estelle and Joshua were doing in some Aidios-forsaken wasteland with no way out. Suddenly, a loud squawk from the sky caused Cassius to look up and notice a white falcon perched on his roof.
"Sieg? But that could only mean…" Cassius looked in the direction of the path that led to the front door and noticed two women walking towards the house, deep in conversation. The younger woman had short purple hair and wore a casual sundress with sandals, carrying herself with poise and grace. She was Klaudia von Auslese, one of Estelle's closest friends and the heir to Liberl's throne, therefore making her Cassius' future boss. The other woman had short green hair and wore a green dress shirt and black pants tucked into knee-high riding boots. She was Lieutenant-Colonel Julia Schwarz, Commanding Officer of the Royal Guard and Princess Klaudia's bodyguard. Unlike Klaudia, Julia look stiff and awkward, clearly not used to wearing civilian clothing. Cassius and Agate scrambled to the front door to greet them.
"General Bright, sir!" Julia came to attention and had her arm halfway up in a salute before she realized she wasn't in uniform. "Her Highness and I thank you for your gracious invitation."
"Come on, Julia, there's no need to be formal when we're both out of uniform." Cassius chuckled as he shook Julia's hand before bowing to the other woman. "Welcome to the Bright family house, Your Highness."
"Thank you very much for the invite, Cassius, and I am so glad you decided to go ahead with the party. It's what Estelle would want too, even if she's not here to celebrate with us. By the way, you should take your own advice, especially in the comfort of your own home." Princess Klaudia smiled warmly at Cassius before turning her attention to Agate. "It's been a while, Agate. I trust your Bracer work is keeping you busy?"
"Sure am, Kloe," Agate replied as the four made their way inside towards the dining room where Elisa, Tita, and Renne were happily chatting away.
"Kloe! Kloe's here!" Tita jumped up and rushed to hug the princess while Elisa's eyes went wide as dinner plates. Renne giggled at the sight of a teenager two years her senior hugging Princess Klaudia out of all people.
"Your…Your…Your Highness?" Elissa quickly stood up and curtseyed, utterly flabbergasted at the sight of the next queen of Liberl casually walking in.
"Please be at ease. We are all guests in Cassius' home, after all," Klaudia said. "You must be Elissa, correct? Please just call me Kloe while we're here. A friend of Estelle and Joshua is a friend of mine. How's the Abend Bar doing? It's been years since my last visit, but I still remember it fondly."
"You…you came to the Abend Bar, Your Highness…I mean, Kloe?" Elissa's blue eyes widened even more. She wondered how she should break the news to her parents that not only had she met the Crown Princess, but she had actually visited their family restaurant before. "It's…we're doing really well! We actually bought an orbal bike recently to help with deliveries!"
"You're making Elissa all nervous, Kloe!" Tita giggled a little as she spoke to the princess. "Oh, Elissa! Did you know Kloe is amazing at making tea and desserts?"
As more guests began to arrive, the house became livelier. First it was the Perzel siblings from the nearby farm, then it was some of Estelle and Joshua's old Sunday School classmates. Finally, then the Bracers Anelace Elfead and Scherazard Harvey arrived, both having a huge impact on Estelle and Joshua's own growth as Bracers. Once Cassius saw that all the guests arrived, the dinner started, and the group shared their memories of Estelle and Joshua as they ate.
"…Estelle managed to bring an entire wasp nest into the house. The three of us spent an entire week trying to hunt them down..."
"Joshua is so smart! He helped Estelle and the rest of us pull through Sunday School…"
"…Estelle was in such a panic when I told her there was a test she had to take. You should have seen the look on her face…"
"…Joshua looked absolutely stunning in a wig and a princess dress. I wish all of you had been there to witness it for yourselves."
"…Estelle is one hell of a rival, I'll tell you guys that. Plus she introduced me to sweet little Tita here..."
"Estelle and Joshua did so much for Renne. She couldn't have gotten into Jenis without their help..."
As the conversation went on, Cassius excused himself for a few minutes and headed to his office to find the stack of decorated envelopes on his desk. Before he left, he cast a glance at the two family portraits on the table. The first one was Estelle standing in the middle, flanked by Cassius and Lena who were each holding one of her tiny hands. It was the final picture of his wife when she was still alive. The second picture was taken after Renne found out she had been accepted into Jenis Royal Academy and it had her, Cassius, Estelle, and Joshua smiling widely while standing together. That day was the last time the family had gathered together before Estelle and Joshua went to Calvard…and subsequently went missing.
Aidios, thank you for the wonderful friends Estelle and Joshua have made over the years, Cassius prayed as he took one last glance at the pictures. Please bring them back soon.
"Everyone, I got some birthday cards from those who couldn't make it tonight," Cassius announced as he returned to the dining room. "Who wants to read them one-by-one?"
The room cheered, with some of them clearly fuelled by alcohol. Each guest got their own envelope, which they eagerly opened in turn, and everyone discussed the congratulatory messages and well-wishes for Estelle and Joshua's return. A knock suddenly came from the front door. Cassius and Renne opened the door and was greeted by a green-haired priest wearing a white jacket and a red-haired nun. It was Father Kevin Graham, a priest who went through great lengths to help Estelle and Joshua in the past, and his squire Ries Argent.
"Hey, Cassius. I'm not too late to the party, am I?" Kevin waved while Ries politely nodded. "Before you ask, I was kinda forced to take some time off. Guess the Boss Lady has a caring side, after all."
"That's because we found out you had barely slept for weeks." Ries glared at Kevin. "Dominion or not, there's no way you can properly function like this, especially when you travel to Calvard for your investigation."
"Of course you're not too late, Father Kevin," Cassius said as he welcomed them in. "Sister Ries, this is your first time here, right? Make yourself at home. We're just reading birthday cards for Estelle and Joshua as well as sharing stories."
"All right! Boy do I have some juicy stories from when we first met. But I'm not here just for pleasure. I got some good news too!" Kevin grinned as he and Ries greeted the others while finding their seats. "The church has approved my funding request for hiring some extra assistance. Don't worry, I'm not talking about Jaegers. It's actually someone a few of us know pretty well. First things first, though. Let's get on with the party!"
The party became livelier – and rowdier – after Kevin and Ries' arrival, with Schera leading the adult guests on several drinking games, where she handily won every single one. Not the one to be easily discouraged, Kevin tried to match her drink-to-drink, something Cassius suspected he would regret the next morning. Despite normally the one to rein in her boss' antics, Ries was busy helping herself to the wide selection of food and dashing any concerns Cassius and Renne had about leftovers.
The chatter was becoming increasingly animated and excited as the night went on, a welcoming far cry from the silence that permeated the house on most days. As midnight neared, Cassius stood up with a glass of brandy in hand and cleared his throat.
"May I have your attention, please? First of all, Renne and I would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming. Even if Estelle isn't here for her own birthday party, I'm sure she's here in spirit and would want us to have fun for her. Now, time for one last story.
"It was the first day of weapons training for the two of them as part of my curriculum to prepare them to become Bracers. After teaching some basic stances and strikes, I decided to end the day with a sparring session between the two. Joshua, being far more experienced at the time, always came out on top and even gave Estelle a few good hits.
"As for Estelle? She had bruises and scrapes all over her, but she never complained or cried. No, she just dusted herself off and went straight back into the fight every time Joshua knocked her into the ground. Still, she already had a competitive streak going on and wanted to teach her 'little brother' a lesson. After trading a few more blows and parries, Estelle suddenly feinted and caught Joshua off guard. She took the opening and gave him a solid whack on the nose.
"'That was fun, Joshua! Let's do it again some time!' was what Estelle said, but she immediately checked on him afterwards to make sure he was okay. In turn, Joshua looked Estelle over as well to make sure he didn't hurt her too badly. That, everyone, was only the start of a long road that led them to where they are today as Bracers and as a couple. Wherever they are now, I'm sure Estelle and Joshua are watching over each other just as Aidios is doing the same for them."
Cassius then raised his glass, and others followed suit. "Here's to Estelle and Joshua. Happy birthday, wherever you may be, and may you both return safe and sound!"
"Hear, hear!" Everyone cheered and emptied their cups or bottles. Afterwards, Cassius turned his attention to Kevin.
"Father Kevin, would you like to close with a word of prayer?"
"You read my mind, Cassius!" Kevin grinned and gave a thumbs-up before his expression became more solemn. "Now, let us bow our heads…"