The crackling fire in the parlor added it's usual ambiance and punctuation to a polite conversation, Stolas cracked open a bottle of sparkling wine and poured the contents into four crystal flutes.
"To Homestead!" Blitzo said, holding the glass in his bandaged hand. Stolas had made sure to carefully tend to his splinters and cuts, but in his worried state had tied the bandage slightly too tight. Blitzo didn't care to complain though, Stolas' heart, as it had seemed of late, was always in the right place.
"We're, really calling it that?" Loona said, trying to make the crystal glass sing as she leaned over the arm of the couch. Stolas giggled, he wasn't really sure what Blitzo meant by this so he cocked his head slightly, hoping to coax an answer from him.
Blitzo fiddled around in his pockets, producing a fountain pen from out of his jacket he started scrawling on some stationary he'd found in a nearby drawer, ostensibly some sort of cocktail napkin.
"Why not? We could build a nice little vacation home, or something..." Bltizo said, kneeling over a small table and drawing furiously. "A little bit of work and... tah-dah!" Blitzo said with a showy handwave.
"What the fuck is that?" Octavia said, leaning over Loona and looking at the crude drawing of a log cabin. "Is that, some kind of medieval weapon?" she added, squinting and tilting her head, Blitzo's art skills leaving lots to be desired.
Stolas smiled back at Blitzo, who was wearing a knowing expression of his enthusiasm outstripping his ability. "I think it's a great idea!" he said, raising his hands to his face and beaming with joy.
"You're going to need a bit more to work with..." Octavia said, tapping on the edge of her glass and tracing the image in her head.
Everyone arrived in Stolas' study, the walls were completely clad in books on any number of topics, some of which Blitzo could scarcely pronounce. An intricate chandelier clad in colored glass like a beautiful starscape lit the room.
A magnificent oak desk sat at the end of the room, red accents and carved designs like creeping vines adorned the sides of it, behind it a deep red leather chair with a slight layer of dust on the head of it created an imposing sight, even sans occupant.
Octavia walked to the chair and felt small as she sat down in it before removing a large sheet of paper from the drawer and several pencils.
Blitzo walked around the room, tracing the books with his hands. They only added to the authority the room conveyed, it filled him with an air of inadequacy.
Loona scoped out the room and found a large globe in the corner, hitting a button on the corner revealed a set of drinking glasses and liquors. "Score!" she exclaimed in a muted tone, downing her wine and pouring a shot of vodka for herself.
Stolas sat in front of the desk and playfully crossed his legs as he sat looking at Octavia in the chair, perhaps one day she'd grow into it.
Loona leaned over Octavia as she made quick lines on the page, remembering the hill that Stolas and Blitzo were sitting on earlier today.
"Shit, that's really nice, birdy." Loona said, placing her hand on Octavia's shoulder.
"Thanks." Octavia said, nuzzling up against Loona's hand.
Blitzo sat down in the other chair in front of the desk and pulled it closer to Stolas as the owl checked his bandaged hand, irritating Blitzo slightly.
"What do you think?" Octavia said, turning over the sketch and pushing it toward the front of the desk.
A simple log cabin stood against the verdant woods, nestled gently in a spot where the cliff rose up, Octavia's perspective gave it a cozy feeling.
"What is that, some kind of medieval-" Blitzo said before Stolas' finger shushed him.
"Is it possible?" Stolas said, looking over the design, his lack of practical knowledge half-showing through his optimism.
"Yeah, I think so..." Loona said, turning the sketch around to get a closer look at it, imagining how it would take shape as they built it.
Blitzo looked around the walls of the study for anything he could use, finding a book on historical construction and flipping through it for reference.
The night drew long as Blitzo played barman for the group, sipping drinks as they looked through books and gave Octavia ideas to sketch.
Loona and Stolas looked at some of the designs in the various books they'd pulled from the walls, Stolas taking notes down with Blitzo's pen. Laying down on the floor under the light of the chandelier, fabulous colors illuminating the pair as Loona flipped through the books on construction techniques and tools.
Octavia placed several drawings around the room, working like a woman possessed.
"Fill er' up?" Blitzo said, brandishing a bottle of vodka with a bow.
"Yeah, why not?" Octavia said, sliding her glass over as Blitzo attempted to peek at her work.
Out of reflex Octavia covered her drawings, she'd never really shown anyone her work at all, Stolas was often too interested in what she was doing and Stella rarely had anything to say about it, preferring to use it as a means to insult her father
.
"Sorry, I'm not really used to anyone seeing my work..." Octavia said, taking her drink in both hands as she sipped daintily from the narrow mouth of the glass.
"These are awesome." Blitzo said, raising up a sketch of a grand armchair adorned with owls on the armrests.
"I've always wanted to try sculpting, you know..." Octavia said, brushing her hair out of her arms in her usual self-disarming manner.
"Well, we'll see what those two come up with..." Blitzo said, putting a hand over Octavia's shoulder and pointing to Stolas and Loona, curled up with several books together. "I've got high hopes, Via!" Blitzo said, rubbing Octavia on the top of the head.
"Thanks dad..." Octavia said, freezing in shock as she realized the words that had come from her mouth. "Oh, sorry... Maybe I've had too much..." she added, pushing her drink a few inches away as she saw Loona and Stolas look up to her.
Octavia turned the chair around to bury her head in her hands. "Listen, just forget I said anything stupid..." she said meekly.
"It isn't stupid at all..." Octavia heard a voice say, realizing it was Loona she looked back up to meet her stare. "I don't like to say it, but Blitz is the only family I've ever known..." Loona said as Stolas looked to Blitzo in confusion.
"Loony... You don't have to say that..." Blitzo said, his eyes burning with the sting of tears that wanted desperately to well up.
"No, I did. This has been a wonderful time, for the first time in a long time..." Loona said, wagging her tail. "I've been so happy, dad."
Blitzo pointed at Stolas in an accusatory manner "You better not get on the dad train."
Stolas smiled, happy that even whilst slightly drunk, Octavia also felt like she had a family.
"Let's get back to this father-daughter-father-daughter project..." Loona said, taking a slug from her drink as Blitzo walked over to refill it, moaning in half adoration and embarrassment.
The study was gradually papered with sketches, Blitzo retiring to an armchair in the corner to read a book on Hell and Earth's native flora.
Loona got up and stretched out her back, having felt a stiffness in her back and trying to walk out a cramp, making her way towards an anxiously focused Octavia.
"How you holding up?" Loona said, dragging a hand across Octavia's hunched back.
"Might be a little crooked, but here's the basic idea." Octavia said, not looking up from her current work as she tapped a basic floorplan with the back end of her pencil.
"Yeah, but how are you?" Loona said, folding her arms over Octavia's back and resting her head over Octavia's.
"Sorry you had to save me back there, I know you're sensitive about Blitzo's whole, thing..." Octavia said, finally spinning the chair to face Loona as she sipped at her drink.
"I'll never say it again, but when he's good, he really is great." Loona said, staring in Blitzo's direction to call him out on his eye peeking out from above the book he was reading. "Your dad's pretty cool too..." she said, looking back at Stolas, reading a book on his belly and kicking his feet up in the air.
Octavia smiled back and shook the cramp out of her hand before Loona knelt before her and rubbed at her fingers.
"I guess this makes me a princess too?" Loona said, still getting milage out of razzing Octavia. "What do you think, dad?" she added, turning to Stolas as he shrugged his shoulders, unsure which side to play along with.
Loona and Octavia laid on the floor together, Loona still rubbing Octavia's hand as she gave context to her sketches.
"Hey, you guys should see this stuff." Loona exclaimed and gestured with her free hand as Stolas and Blitzo laid around the pair.
Octavia went through the details of the sketches, pointing out the little details and accents. In comparison to the forced subtleties of the designs around the manor, the work flowed naturally; there was a natural warmth and comfort to these designs.
Stolas' tells were obvious, he giggled and shook slightly when he liked what he saw. Context aside, this was something Blitzo was wholly familiar with from their first date.
Blitzo took everything in a kind of silent surprise, giving a scant few "oh"s and "ah"s and closing his eyes when he was excited by something he could imagine himself being in.
Loona read out her and Stolas' notes, she felt Stolas cuddle up against her as she listed off the more practical steps involved. The whole time Blitzo shined with a prideful smile, looking at Octavia and pointing at the notes when she turned to look at him.
The plan, as it was in it's youth was very rough. Octavia taped up the plans Loona had refined in more detail and framed them with her own drawings.
Loona and Stolas gave a little more detail on how the building techniques would work, Stolas noting down all the tools needed and taping it alongside the scattered network of designs.
Blitzo quickly jumped and taped up a drawing of something vaguely resembling a horse.
"I felt left out..." He said, taking a sip from the bottle of vodka, draining it and giving a coy smile.
"Never change, dad..." Loona said, lording over Octavia as she tried to console her.
Everyone sat down in the light at the front of the room. "Hey, Loona, fetch!" Octavia said, gesturing to the globe in the corner. Loona rolled her eyes and flipped Octavia off as she left and returned to sit beside her.
"How about a little game?" Blitzo said, fiddling with the empty vodka bottle and placing it on the floor.
"Oh, bottle fortune?" Stolas said, clapping his hands together as everyone stared in a wonder at Stolas' use of such an antiquated term for the game.
"You lead first, Hooty... Nope, still got nothing better..." Blitzo said, kissing Stolas and handing him the bottle.
Stolas spun the bottle and it sat facing Blitzo.
"Who's the cutest couple in the room?" Stolas said, leaning over in a taunting manner to look at Loona and Octavia.
"That ain't a question, Stolas..." Blitzo said, stroking at Stolas' outstretched hand. "Obviously it's those two..." he said, pointing at a growling Loona as she finished taking a swig from the bottle.
Blitzo spun the bottle, bouncing his eyebrows as it landed on Loona.
"Who's my favorite daughter?" Blitzo said, in genuine wonder.
"That's Via... She only drinks most of your booze..." Loona said, tossing up the bottle of whiskey she was drinking from to Blitzo before spinning the empty bottle and having it land on Octavia.
Loona's tail thumped on the floor in anticipation. "What's my best feature, like, why do you like me?" she said inquisitively.
"That's two questions, hand me that drink, Blitz..." Octavia said, taking a drink and looking up at the light in wonder.
"You're someone I don't need to pretend around, I always feel happy when I'm around you. As much as it tears my heart out at times, It's a... nice kind of tearing?" Octavia said, trailing off as she didn't know how to finish.
Octavia spun the bottle and sat back when it landed on a visibly nervous Stolas.
"Are you worried, about her coming back, I mean?" Octavia said, rolling the gradually lightening whiskey bottle over to him.
Stolas sat still as the bottle impacted his leg, the question seeming to shock him steady. He felt worried about this kind of question from Octavia, in his former state it would have cut him to pieces. Stolas paused as he gently brought the bottle to his beak and considered whether or not to take a drink as his blood ran cold.
"I'll be honest, Stella never made me feel happy... she always was out for looking for ways to tear me down. Not just get one over on me, just..." Stolas' voice broke slightly. "Just, tear me down..." he said, as Blitzo drew closer and took out his pocket square and stroked Stolas' face, preparing for him to start weeping.
Stolas pushed Blitzo's hand away before bringing it back and kissing his fingers. "No, I don't worry about that anymore." Stolas looked around the room and felt the warmth return to his body.
"Damn what they think, I'm in love..." Stolas said, gripping Blitzo as he drunkenly pulled him on top of his body and held him tightly.
Octavia thought back to her former outrage earlier having found the two together. She smiled a knowing smile to Loona and she imitated Stolas' move by pulling her over her body, she finally felt like she could relate to her present company, for however fleeting a moment.