AN: I hope you enjoyed the last chapter…'cus this one is even longer. So many characters to write about! Let's hope I can keep your attention the whole way through.
Romina78: Oh, yes, something is starting to happen…but, Clarion, she's just a crazy lady with a completely untrue prophecy, right? And yes ExM is for Emil and Marta…I should put them in at some point…like at the end somewhere. I'll figure it out. They just don't have a lot to do with the story.
Chapter 6: Extravaganza-Part 3
She'd taken to observing her surroundings as she spoke politely to people; holding light conversation became easier the more she willed herself to do it, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Her eyes, as soon as they could, caught sight of a rather gorgeous looking youth who seemed to be around her age. Her eyes kept returning to him hoping that he would see her and reward her with a smile—she was the birthday girl, she told herself, when she chided herself for being so fickle. Truly, she'd not seen a lovelier looking person that entire day. His emerald eyes sparkled whenever the light hit them at just the right angle and the more she studied his features, the more she realized just how unbelievably even they were—was it possible to have a perfect face? His long vibrant dark purple hair was slicked back and fell into a waterfall of luscious spirally curls near the ends. Something about the way his hair fell reminded her of someone, but she couldn't remember who.
Then he looked at her; she thought she would melt far into the floor. He smiled and her ears began to burn as if they were far too close to a candle. The way he waved at her, however, suggested that he knew her, but that was impossible. Surely, she'd remember such an exquisite looking creature. He was waving her over now and he called out her name. Did he really know her? Then again, it wasn't completely out the question that he might know her on sight being as this was Altamira. But she was almost certain she'd not met him before.
She didn't keep the youth waiting and made her way through the crowd towards him.
"I've been looking all over for you," he said at once when she was close enough to hear without having to shout.
Leona found herself speechless. Me?
"Truly the most beautiful woman here."
She had to find her voice or else she'd simply be standing there gawking. His smile turned into an equally as becoming grin. Martel, give me strength… "Um…do I know you?"
Then his face fell. "Oh, I'm truly hurt!" he said with mirthful drama. "I'm Eros not to be confused with Zephyr my twin." He took up her hand and raised it to his lips. "Either way, it is an honor seeing you again, my budding rose." And he kissed the back of her hand gently.
Sorry, but I don't remember you at all. Why can't I remember you? "Th-thank you. I-It's a pleasure meeting you."
"Ah, you're so formal. Dance with me. Maybe I can jog your memory. Perhaps that confused look will turn to a knowing one."
She didn't have a chance to tell him if she was really in the mood to dance; besides, it sounded more like an order. She felt as if she was being swept off her feet. The music had changed to something a bit faster, but it was still in the vein of ballroom dancing. Eros was equally as well versed in dancing as her first dance partner that afternoon. This time felt a little different, however. Now she felt as if all eyes were on them and this time she could have sworn she was about a half inch closer to him than she needed to be. She smelled his alluring cologne and his sweet smelling hair; the scents seemed to work well together, neither overwhelming the other. Was that on purpose, she wondered?
"Hmm…Let's see," he said after awhile. Even his thoughtful face took her breath away. "I was—still am—pretty good at annoying the snot out of people and when you bring Zeph into it, it's near unbearable. I do apologize for any ill-feelings you might have harbored towards us—it is simply our way."
"Wait a minute…!" Leona said when her mind made a startling conclusion. "You're those obnoxious red-headed twins."
"Red-headed?" he asked in momentary confusion. He raised an eyebrow (another winning expression). "I've never been that before, but, you know, it seems to work out for Dad. I know; you're probably mixing us up with Cecil and Cathe—they're red-headed and the way they do everything together, you'd think they were twins too."
"Cecil and Cathe…" Leona said slowly. She'd heard the names before. Lucas had mentioned them. "You mean Lucas' sisters?"
"That would be them. I'm quite impressed." He hadn't said it in belittling tones as she imagined Lucas would have. "But they're nothing like us, I assure you. Not the smartest people in the world, but they're fun to be around."
"I think I got it now," Leona said unable to stop herself smiling at her achievement. It was all beginning to make sense now.
He smiled as well and just like that she was enraptured by him yet again—why was he so gorgeous? She hoped he continued being this person as opposed to the headache inducing twins she hated with a passion once upon a time. The melody eventually ended and Eros was taking her further back into the room.
"Let's go meet up with everyone else," he suggested. "I would hate to be responsible for making the birthday girl late to her dinner."
"There's going to be a dinner?" Leona asked. That was news to her. No one told her anything.
"Oh," he said covering his mouth. "Pretend like I didn't say that. The thought of suffering my mother's wrath…"
"You don't have to worry!" Leona said quickly, "I'll just feign surprise, alright? No one has to get hurt." Then she sighed. "I just wish this wasn't so secretive. You wouldn't happen to know anything else that's going to happen today, would you?"
"Oh, no, I think I've said enough. Besides, I can't wait to see the look of surprise on that beautiful face of yours."
She supposed Eros hadn't revealed all that much. Her father always cooked some sort of feast on her birthday anyway. As they were reaching the back of the room, she spotted another youth who looked a lot like the one who still held her arm leading her. He must have been the twin brother Eros had referred to earlier, Zephyr.
Even if they dressed similarly and looked exactly the same (aside from a different hairstyle since this one wore his in a long braid), there was something different about this one.
"So that's where you've been—hogging the birthday girl all to yourself. Well played," Zeph said upon them reaching him.
He smiled just the same as Eros, but there was something missing, that something which caused her to melt. His eyes sparkled as well, but she was not nearly as impressed. Her fickleness had reached new heights. Now she was comparing the physical appearance of people who theoretically looked the same. He took her other hand and kissed her gently in almost the same way, but he did not end his sentence in "budding rose". She smiled and greeted him. Then she found that she was being escorted by not one, but two boys. If she was worried about garnering too much attention, she was definitely doing so now, but at that moment, she felt like a queen being taken to her castle.
They left her side to open the double doors which led into the smaller room that Zelos had been talking about and she was presented with a room filled with people she vaguely remembered including those who she had met earlier—Zelos and Lucas. The smell of savory food hit her nose hard and her stomach remembered that she hadn't eaten anything all day. They'd been talking amongst themselves, some already sitting down, some still standing, but when she entered the room, all conversation stopped and it immediately made her nervous. Sometimes being the center of attention was nerve-wracking. For a brief moment, she wished she was anywhere but there. She wanted to hide in some corner.
Then she noticed their expressions before her father and mother walked up to her—they were all so very welcoming. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad getting to know them.
"Alright, the birthday girl's here—now we can all eat!" a man said excitedly. He was a brunette with spiky hair not dissimilar from Lucas' hairstyle.
He received a passing look of annoyance from her father and some laughter from the others.
"You're still an idiot, Lloyd," Uncle Genis said aloud which engendered more laughter even from her father as well.
She knew that voice from anywhere. It was her uncle. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't know him. Her mother told her that he was there when she was born as well. He always had such long hair, though his bangs seemed more tamed now than she'd seen it before. He wore his ample hair in a ponytail. He had an easy smile and for the most part he always seemed in a good mood. He was able to talk to her mom in a ways that she wouldn't dare—then again, he probably knew her far better than her.
There was also her Aunt Presea; an odd woman with bright pink hair. She was a nice lady, but even Leona sensed her strangeness. She spoke softly and with a near monotone, but they often had long pleasant conversations.
Her eyes swept over the group once again and sadly she could not name everyone there. She spotted the red head that Eros had mentioned along with her sister. They didn't exactly have bright red hair, it was more of a darker, maroon color. One of them wore a decidedly masculine outfit, but she was undeniably pretty even with her scruffy looking hair that fell down to midback; her eyes were a striking gold-hazel. Her sister wore far more feminine clothes, a pink dress punctuated with white ruffles about her sleeves and billowing skirt; her hair was the same color, but not nearly as scruffy. She wore it short and it suited her small face well.
Leona wore a smile on her face as her father finished his approach along with her mother.
"I hope you've been enjoying yourself," her father said firstly to her. "We thought you might like something a little more personal."
"It smells wonderful. Did you really cook all this?" she asked unable to hold the surprise from her tone.
Now that she looked at the spread, it was much larger than anything she'd seen her father do before.
"Some of it," he said with a smile, "But I had some help too."
This was when the dark haired woman with side swept bangs stepped towards her as well. "Yep, your old man and I did the bulk of it."
"And me," Zelos said raising his hand, "If it weren't for me, I have no idea how they could have pulled it off," he said airily. He'd found his way between the two and wrapped his arms around both of them.
Her uncle had both of his hands up as he shook his head. "What he means is, he did about less than 1% of the work," he clarified which only received a feigned hurt look from Zelos.
Leona was secretly glad her mother had not announced that she too had helped—her taste buds would be saved this day.
"Make sure you try the sweet potato pie," the blonde woman nearby said cheerfully, "If Cecil doesn't get to it first."
"The apple pie as well," Aunt Presea said in a tone that Leona had learned to interpret as some measure of joy. "I have an apple tree in the backyard that I made it from. Priya very much enjoys it."
Priya, another familiar name, Leona thought.
"And the super ultimate pumpkin pie," the spikey haired man from earlier added.
"Wait, why is it super ultimate?" Uncle Genis asked intrigued.
"Because it has a secret ingredient," the man said clearly proud of this fact.
"Cinnamon!" the blonde woman cried out.
"It's supposed to be a secret!" the spikey haired man said momentarily flabbergasted.
"Oh, sorry," she said with a good natured laugh.
"Actually, cinnamon is a pretty staple ingredient to put into that," her father informed the other.
Leona wondered if there was any actual cake to be eaten. Seemed as if everyone had gone out of their way to make pies for the occasion—maybe it was part of the surprise. She thought for a moment that she'd have to sit through the sudden flurry of conversation about who brought what to the table, but her mother eventually stepped in.
"Alright!" her mother said clapping her hands together and getting everyone's attention. "Let's all find a seat and get this dinner started before kingdom come!"
Now there was an even harder question she had to answer before she could comfortably begin the dinner—who would she sit with? Her parents seemed the obvious answer, but Lucas, the to-die-for twins, Cecil, Cathe, and who she assumed was either Ludovic or Linus was there as well who seemed interested in her joining them instead. The adults seemed to naturally sit together and she decided it might seem odd if she sat between them. Besides, she had claimed that she was turning a new leaf and would make an effort at making friends. As to which of the youths she sat with, that was answered swiftly as the twins dragged her off to naturally sit between them, an action that no one seemed surprised with.
The table they all sat down at was an elongated table with a white table cloth covering its mahogany material. The food itself was situated at the back in a buffet style. Her father didn't usually set it up like this, but given the volume of food, it was probably better that way. She cringed at the thought of having to shout across the table to pass the salt.
Leona found that she couldn't exactly try a little of everything. There was simply too much. Luckily there were so many people there to eat as well. She understood now why her parents had cleverly kept her from eating that morning. This seemed like it could keep her full for days and days. Still, she got her usual proportions and went back to her chosen seat. Eventually she was joined by everyone else.
"Well, I think it's high time we all introduced ourselves to Leona—if you haven't already," Lucas said aloud.
Did he have to rub it in so hard that she was so ignorant to everyone's names? But no one's spirits seemed dampened by this.
"I'm Cecilia, but you can call me Cecil," the long, crimson haired girl said with a toothy grin. Leona noted that her plate was packed far more abundantly than hers and she seemed unashamed about this. "Also, Mom was right about the sweet potato pie…"
"A pleasure to meet you. My name's Catherine, but you can call me Cathe," the girl with the shorter red hair declared.
Leona had a sneaking suspicion as to who the quiet brunette boy was that sat next Lucas. Long bangs obscured his eyes and she could barely make out his face.
He smiled nervously at her. "Um…I'm Ludovic," he said simply. He was soft spoken and barely heard over the noise the adults were making. He looked younger than Lucas and appeared wiry when compared to his fairly muscled brother, but something seemed quite endearing about the boy.
Zephyr and Eros needed no introduction. Somehow she could already tell them apart with ease. Then again, they did wear distinctly different hairstyles. She went down the list of children in her mind and realized that she was missing someone—Linus.
"What about Linus?" Leona asked at once. She was hoping to impress the somewhat cynical Lucas.
He seemed unaffected by her use of his name, but he readily gave her an answer. "He'll probably be a bit late. He's a busy man, you know."
"He is?" Leona asked. "What does he do?"
"Busy people stuff," Lucas said with obvious sarcasm.
"Give it a rest, already," Zephyr said, "You think you can hold your tongue for at least one day?" he asked wearily to Lucas. "Besides, don't think I didn't miss the fact that you were here quite early today."
Lucas looked away from him with a "hmph". "Mind your business. If you really must know, I left early to make it here on time—the roads are pretty unpredictable."
"Riiight," Eros said in a tone that suggested that he did not believe him at all. "Tell us anything."
For once, Leona was glad to having their teasing abilities on her side. Lucas needed a taste of his own medicine.
"Left poor Ludovic all by himself at home," Zephyr continued. "What could be all the rush for, huh, Lucas?"
It was then that Leona heard the sound of a baby drifting past her ears. She looked towards the source and saw that Aunt Presea was holding a small baby in her lap as she fed the baby. Leona was momentarily confused; she hadn't heard a baby the whole time. No one else looked surprised at this sudden intrusion. She had to dig a little deep in her mind to remember that Uncle Genis had mentioned something about having his first baby and that they were deciding on a name. Well, the baby was born and they must have already had a name by now.
"Who's the baby?" Leona asked intrigued by this development.
This time Cecil answered her. "That's Priya. Presea likes to carry her on her back in tied cloth—I swear that baby is unnaturally quiet. You wouldn't know she was there if you weren't looking."
She watched the softly giggling child for a moment and then returned her eyes to her plate.
"So, I guess everyone had to walk to get here," Leona said momentarily, "I had no idea you guys had to do that."
"Actually, that was just Lucas," Cathe said, "But it made sense—a Rheaird can fit a maximum of two people at once, but you can squeeze on two more."
"Eventually, we'll have to make do with carriages to get to places," Cecil added. "They use mana and every year the amount of mana in the world, at least what is accessible, gets weaker and weaker. Dad explained it. At some point, there will only be a minimal of it left in the world once the flow of mana from the great tree is fully redirected to that gate—what did he call it?"
"Ginnungagap," Lucas said as if it were common knowledge. "Then the world withers away and dies."
"Really?" Leona asked surprised by this. She'd remembered her father telling her all these things, but he must have conveniently left out this detail.
"Well, he's not wrong," Zeph said, "But it's not anything instant—it'll take a very long time before that ever happens. Well past any of our lifetimes."
Leona felt only a little relieved. Even if it didn't happen in her lifetime, it would happen at some time and all those alive then would have no choice but to die—it was a depressing thought."
"Enough talk about death, already," Cecil said abruptly. "We're supposed to be in birthday-mode, remember?"
"As long as there's food, I doubt there's anything that could get you down," Lucas said with a grin towards his sister.
"And that's why I adore your birthday parties," Cecil said looking at Leona, "Never-ending supply of food."
Leona noticed that Lucas' plate had been packed even more than Cecil's and he was unapologetic about it. In fact, he practically inhaled it. Zeph's and Eros' plate was a bit more modest but not by much. Even Ludovic's portions were on par with his brother's. She looked down at her scant food and wondered if she should get far more. She'd eat until she was full, she concluded, but not too full. She still had to save room for the pies and she was certain there would be a cake later.
"And by the way, Leona, I love your dress," Cathe said. "I remember seeing that in a catalog –love at first sight. We must have the same taste."
Just like that, they started an embarrassingly long conversation about dresses and fashion that hardly anyone but the two of them could keep up with. Lucas was surprisingly not completely unknowing and even Ludovic added a few comments. The only one clearly disinterested from the whole thing was Cecil who avoided dresses like the plague. Zeph and Eros were decidedly well-informed.
Everyone went for seconds including Leona. It wasn't until the third plate that she took part in the dessert—the sweet potato pie that the blonde woman had made was already missing quite a few slices. Leona got a small one for herself. Even if no one would say it outright, there was definitely going to be a cake.
The adults were louder than they were for the most part—they seemed to have stories for days and Leona found herself listening to some of them though she didn't fully understand all of it.
"Yep, definitely a family reunion," Lucas said whose attention had briefly turned to his parents who were telling some story about something Ludovic did in school.
Cecil went for another plate, Leona couldn't remember which number it was. She was a slender teen, Leona noted as she came back with a plate full of deserts (the last of the sweet potato pie) and fairly tall as well. She gave off an air or authority even if she had never once ordered her around. She wore a grin on her face when she caught Leona watching her. She set her plate on the table, but she did not sit down. Leona wondered if she had done something wrong. Soon, however, Cecil's eyes were no longer on her, but on the unsuspecting Lucas whose attention was on Zeph.
All in a startling second, Cecil climbed atop the table with one smooth motion. In the next second, she had her sword drawn—it was a dagger that quickly grew longer in the same manner as Lucas' weapon—and she had it pointed towards Lucas who was caught completely off guard. Leona wasn't sure who wouldn't be, in that situation. She was too shocked for words at this point.
"I challenge you to a fight!" Cecil shouted for everyone clearly to hear. Her voice was slightly deeper than that of a young woman; it was still yet smooth at least for now.
"Are you crazy?" Lucas said back immediately, "This isn't the time or place!"
"I can challenge whoever I please, whenever I please. What's the matter, don't want to be embarrassed in front of your girlfriend?"
Lucas colored slightly. "If you don't get down from that table right now—" Lucas began, standing up so quickly that he very nearly tipped over the chair he'd been sitting in.
Leona was too caught up with their conversation to see when the spikey haired man from before stepped in. Everyone, in fact, had stopped eating to watch the spectacle before them, Leona realized. She supposed it was only naturally that someone with authority would then defuse the situation. She realized that he must be their father, Lloyd.
"That's enough, Cecil," the man said evenly, "Step down from there and talk to me—you too, Lucas."
Cecil gave Lucas one last look before finally hopping down from the table with a single leap and standing before her father. With an exasperated sigh, Lucas made his way over as well.
"Now, Cecil, I told you about randomly telling people to fight you—if they say 'no', then that's the end of it. We were invited here today to celebrate not to fight each other. Now tell me what's going on."
Cecil was frowning by now. "I thought it'd be a good time to kick his a—…umm, I mean butt right now."
"But why?" Lloyd asked slightly confused with her answer.
"Because I felt like it," Cecil announced proudly.
"Dad, this isn't going anywhere," Lucas said exasperatedly, "She's crazy, we all know this by now."
"Lucas," Lloyd said wearily.
"Why don't you do what you always do and ask her to apologize?"
"I was getting to that," Lloyd said not in the slightest bit put off. "Cecil, apologize to Lucas."
Cecil crossed her arms and grimaced disdainfully.
"You don't want me to repeat myself," said Lloyd in darkening tones. "Contrary to what Lucas thinks about you, you know what you did wrong."
"Why don't you let me start?" Lucas asked, showing, in Leona's opinion, rare maturity.
"If you feel as if you have something to apologize for…" Lloyd said to the youth.
"Well, something I did must have ticked you off," Lucas said to Cecil, "Though, I have no idea what. Whatever it is, I'm sorry it came to leaping on tables. Rest assured I'd be glad to continue this elsewhere later on."
"Good," Cecil said back haughtily. "Then I suppose I'm sorry as well for causing an unnecessary scene." Leona was unprepared when she looked to her. "And to you."
When Cecil looked at her directly like that, it sent shivers down her back. She didn't think she should be scared of the young woman, but she did demand a certain amount of respect. All she could manage to do was nod towards her.
"That's what I like to hear," Lloyd said, his serious face breaking into a bright smile. "Cecil, I've told you this before, but I guess repeating myself won't hurt you. When I'm not around, your big brother is in charge and you have to show him respect, alright? And he will do the same to you. Now, you know the drill, hug and make up."
Cecil looked absolutely miserable when he said this and Lucas only shrugged already resigned to his "cruel" fate. He grinned at his miserable sister and opened his arms wide to her.
"You should have told me you wanted a hug from your ol' brother," he said in a bright teasing tone.
"Wha…?" Cecil said at a loss of words.
"Surely you knew this was how it would end, right?"
Cecil still looked at him in a confused manner.
"You know, Cecil, I think there's a key point that you're missing. Just c'mere already."
With a sigh, she came towards the other with her eyes looking anywhere but him. When they did actually hug, Leona could practically feel the tension in the room evaporate. They both looked sheepish afterwards, but Cecil even more so.
"See, that wasn't so bad!" Lloyd said in jovial tones. "Now go and enjoy the rest of your food."
Cecil and Lucas returned to the seats eventually and Leona could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Leona couldn't remember the last time she'd been chastised by either of her parents, but when she had been, it certainly didn't involve hugs. Then again, she didn't have siblings either. There was more relationships to keep intact, more personalities to keep in check. That was decidedly a skill in itself and it was the kind of environment that Lucas was used to. She glanced across the table at Lucas and he didn't seem the least bit upset. In fact, he seemed to get a kick out of the whole thing especially at the expense of Cecil's annoyance. At least everyone's mood had been salvaged, but she couldn't understand Cecil.
Perhaps it was as Lucas had told her; she was simply…stupid. But what of Ludovic? He hadn't done anything that would make her think such a thing about him. Then again, he hadn't done much of anything besides keep to himself. Even so, she could tell that he was in a good mood. She could at least see the shy smile on his face. Something about his good mood made her feel likewise though she could not figure out why.
The dinner didn't last for too much longer. Soon it came to a close and in a semi-ceremonial kind of way, she was brought to a table filled with gifts of almost every size. She was quite surprised by it all; she hadn't noticed the table at all, cleverly hidden by a curtain.
This was perhaps the most embarrassing part of any of her birthdays: opening the presents in front of everyone, so much so that she had actually practiced doing it on her free time. She now knew the most efficient method of opening any kind of gift and she even practiced the thanks she'd give to those who'd given her something. Shielded with this knowledge, the entire affair became less of a headache. Her parents usually stood beside her during this time, but they'd opted to stand with everyone else. She was by herself, she realized, and for a moment she had stage fright standing there before the pile of gifts. Then she turned to all the people who she probably should have known far better by this time and they were all smiles. They were all there for her to celebrate her birthday. It was something that resonated with her. She felt compelled to say a few words. Immediately she thought of something short and sweet when she stepped forward a little.
"I know I've been a little terrible about getting to know everyone, but I've decided today to turn a new leaf. Please bear with me and thank you all so much for coming," she finished with a respectful bow.
"That's alright, honey, and we look forward to getting to know you better too," the same dark haired woman with side swept bangs from before responded cheerily. The others readily agreed with her.
With this, she turned to the table and picked up the present that was wrapped in her favorite color—baby blue. She read the tag aloud: "Lloyd". She knew at least who this person was and she looked towards him and smiled. Then she very quickly found where the tape had been placed and removed the wrapping paper from there. In a few seconds, she was holding a wooden box that had clearly been smoothed out and shined. Upon its top was a leaf carved and then painted in a bright green—it was a cute little box. She opened it and inside was a glimmering piece of what could be emerald but it was too cloudy. It was placed in a small golden frame and was attached to a linked chain. She took it out of the box and held it up for all to see. She had just the thing to say for something that resembled jewelry.
"It's beautiful," Leona said hoping she had put in her tone just the right amount of awe. Everyone wanted to know that she appreciated the gifts that they gave her.
She looked up from the odd piece of jewelry when she saw the man she knew had given it to her. Could she really expect a man to know much about fashionable necklaces? He had kind hazel brown eyes and an even kinder smile. She could tell then why people could so easily look up to him.
"I made it myself, the box included. Who knows where life may take you or if you'll suddenly run into that annoying monster that suddenly poisons you?"
"Poisons…me?" Leona asked.
"Yeah, it happens all the time. This charm will protect you from it. Maybe it will come in handy for you one day."
"Oh…" she said uncertain about his explanation. "Thank you, sir."
"And you don't have to wear the gaudy thing around your neck—you just have to have it on you. It's like a good luck charm only better."
Good, I don't have to wear it…
"My have you grown. It feels like just yesterday when Regal told me that Raine was actually carrying—and you can bet they kept that secret for as long as physically possible."
She smiled a little, "That sounds like them."
"I heard you're quite the little genius in school." Then he placed a flat palm on her crown. "Keep it up. I'm sure you'll go far."
Now she was beginning to blush as she looked down to the floor. "Thank you, sir."
"Alright, I'm done embarrassing you," he said with a knowing smile.
He moved a little ways from her, but he was still nearby as she placed the necklace back into the box and then onto the table. Perhaps this was a ceremony the way he had decided to stand there—it didn't seem like a thing he'd think to do himself. Leona turned to the table again and picked up a red present: "Cecilia and Cathe". After quickly opening the present she had to open up another box inside to find a perfume named Sakura Blossoms. This time her smile came easily to her face.
"Oh, my gosh, I've always wanted this," Leona said opening the cap and then smelling some of it. She adored the scent and now she could smell like that whenever she wanted. "Thank you, I really appreciate this," she said to the two girls who waved at her.
They approached her as well. Cathe was more approachable than Cecil. She was a girly girl and she had spoken to her at length about fashion. Despite living in a place that Leona now pictured only having tons of treacherous poisonous monsters and out in some unknown corner of the world, Cathe was surprisingly in the know.
"Looks like we look at the same catalogs and I remember seeing that perfume and thinking of you. It suits you well and Cecil agreed!"
"I'll cherish this gift and wear it almost every day," Leona said with a smile.
Cathe was clearly pleased and Leona found her mood infectious. The two young women walked to where their father stood. The next present she opened was from Uncle Genis and Aunt Presea and this one was a bit bigger than the rest. It turned out to be a simple red sundress with a bow on the back. Leona thought the dress was perfect for wearing to school. The two of them walked forward as well.
"I'm glad that you are pleased," Aunt Presea said in a near monotone, "I was going to give you a…bowl, but Genis talked me out of it."
"A bowl?" Leona asked hoping her aunt would explain.
"A bowl is very versatile. You could use it for cooking, planting flowers, holding marbles, and even as a decoration."
"I see. Actually, that makes a lot of sense," Leona said thoughtfully, "But I really like this dress too. I can't wait to put it on."
Her aunt smiled at her.
"Man, I remember the day my sister was having you," Uncle Genis said reminiscing. "And my poor hand losing circulation—but it was well worth it. Raine had still wanted to work and she probably would have had you in the school had I not happened to be so close by to whisk her off to the hospital. It was me, Regal and my sis who was there when you made your first cry." He laughed then. "I couldn't tell who'd actually been through labor—your father was just as shot as she was."
Leona had to smile at this—that sounded like her father, her doting father who she was certain she had wrapped around her finger. The couple went to stand where the growing group nearby was forming.
Then she went for yet another box. This one was yellow and rectangular; it was from Colette. She opened it and found two chopsticks. It was made of a deep brown wood, smoothed and shined. On its end was a teardrop shaped ruby hanging. They wouldn't work well for eating utensils.
"It's for your hair," Colette said who'd walked up to her now.
Leona finally knew the woman's name now. The woman who Lloyd was married to.
"I think it would look beautiful in your hair. In fact, I think it would go well with that red dress you got."
"You'll have to show me how to put it on," Leona said looking down at the chopsticks again, "But it would look rather comely in my hair. Thank you."
"I remember when I came to visit your mother when she was still pregnant with you. We had a girl's day out and your mother was practically glowing! I'd never seen her look so radiant before and it was all because of you. I used to sing to you sometimes back then and your mother said it would calm you down whenever you got a little rowdy."
My mother…radiant? I would have liked to see that.
Colette joined the others and Leona went for yet another gift. This one was wrapped in black wrapping paper. It was the only one of that color and it came from Zephyr and Eros. This one she was actually interested in opening. What could the handsome duo have decided on giving her? When the wrapping paper was sufficiently removed she opened a box to find a much smaller box in a white cardboard box. Intrigued, she opened and found multiple packets. She couldn't tell what it was. When she lifted it up, however, she noticed her father suddenly lose color in his face and her mother looked a bit shocked. The dark haired woman with the sideswept bangs immediately became angry and Leona personally thought it was comical when she bashed a fist overtop Zelos' head.
"What have you been teaching these kids!" she shouted.
"Ow!" Zelos cried out. "Hey, I'm completely innocent here! Eros asked what he should get her and I said give her something that's useful and celebrates her coming of age—just like you said!"
This didn't seem to help matters as the woman gave him yet another fist. "What happened to my sweet little boys! You've corrupted my sweet little babies!"
"Ack! They're not 'little' boys anymore—
Zelos didn't even get to finish his sentence before receiving yet another whack to the head.
All the while, Leona was utterly confused. "What is it?" she asked almost to herself.
But while their parents were distracted, the twins decided to approach her on their own accord. Eros picked up her hand and kissed it once again. Leona couldn't deny that she was strangely more energetic by his mere touch.
"Your brother and I both agreed," Zeph began, "You are the most breath-taking female we've ever laid eyes on."
"Oh…th-thank you."
"As such," Eros continued—he got her attention in a snap, "we thought this gift appropriate. I thought only of you when I wrapped it and it gives you far more protection than that silly bauble Lloyd gave you…if you know what I mean."
Leona was confused by all of this.
"Oh, my budding rose, you'll understand soon enough. Now we shall run for our lives while we still can."
And in fact they did jet off just as their mother gave chase. Leona watched the scene in confused wonderment until they disappeared out the door of the room. She looked down at the box again and was now becoming increasingly intrigued by it. What forbidden mystery item had been given to her? Would anyone explain? Her parents had approached her then in light of the ruckus from before. Her mother took the small box into her hands.
"Actually, honey, it's quite practical. I'd say it would be smart to keep a few on your person. It's just as Lloyd said it: Who knows where life may take you? Even if you're not sexually active, it's good to be safe. Sometimes one thing just leads to another."
Her father seemed ready to faint. Leave it to her mother to be practical and fully functioning even while others weren't.
"B-but Raine…" her father had managed.
Leona thought she understood now what those were in her mother's hand even as she took out three packets and handed it to her. They were condoms. She'd just never seen them before nor touched one. She had, however, read about it. What the twins had said to her made more sense and she began to blush profusely. Had they just proclaimed…?
"Keep them with you and when you can, thank those knucklehead twins….and be careful around them, alright?"
"I understand," Leona said truthfully.
Leona watched her mother drag her father who seemed on the verge of having some sort of heart attack back a few yards to wait their turn in the gift exchange. This time when she picked a gift it was from Ludovic and it was a decidedly small box, smaller than all the rest. She unwrapped it with no trouble, opened the box and beheld a small glass pink tulip with a clip in the back. Leona watched as the shy boy walked forth slowly and stood in front of her looking down at his feet. He was a full head shorter than her.
"I know you don't like people going into your garden—I didn't go in, but I saw a lot of tulips. They were pretty and…I know it's a lot of work keeping them up. And whenever you look at the tulips, your eyes get all…soft. It's the first time I'd ever seen you so…vulnerable…so I made this for you. It's not much…I hope you like it."
"Oh, Ludovic, I love it. I think I'll wear it with that red dress along with the chopstick hairpieces. Thank you, this is so thoughtful!"
"I'm…glad," he said simply with his small, feminine voice and walked over to the others.
By then, the dark haired lady had walked in with a sufficiently scolded set of twins. Though they looked a bit sullen, their faces brightened when they looked at her and she looked away a bit embarrassed. The twins went over to the larger group. Now there were two gifts left, but five people standing there—perhaps her parents had decided to share a gift? But then why would Lucas decide to share with Zelos and the dark haired woman? Maybe it was because Zelos was his godfather, she vaguely remembered him mentioning before. Either way, she took the smallest gift on the table then and unwrapped it. The givers were Zelos and Sheena. Finally she knew the woman's name.
Inside the box was a gold chain necklace and a small golden plate with her name: Leona Bryant etched elegantly into it. She actually had never received a piece of jewelry with her own name on it. This one was simple and very easy to match with a great number of her dresses. Zelos and Sheena had walked up to her.
"Surprisingly enough, Zelos came up with the idea. It's sweet, isn't it?" Sheena said with a smile. "Don't let him tell ya he did it himself, but he did have the finest jewelry shop make it and I think it came out well. I decided on the chain and the material it would be made of."
"This is a wonderful addition to my collection," Leona said modestly with a nod. "In fact…" she said as she unclipped the necklace. "I think I'll wear it now."
"Oh, let me," Sheena said. "Now turn around."
Leona felt as Sheena expertly clipped it on and it fell around her neck perfectly. It went well with the dress she had on now.
Zelos had been quiet until now. "Your father is such a softie. I knew Raine was pregnant even before he told me. He was all mood swingy, anxious, and just in general nauseous all the time—and he couldn't hide it as well as Raine. You'd have thought he was the one having the baby. I know it's rude to laugh at someone else's misery, but that was hilarious. What I mean to say is, you have two of the most loving parents I've ever seen so of course they'd have a precious child like you. And you've grown up into a fine young woman."
Leona couldn't help but smile at this. It all sounded like the complete truth. She imagined her father was a complete wreck during those nine months. It wasn't something that saddened her. To her it was proof to the kind of love her father and her mother had for her.
The two of them joined the other people. Now Leona picked up the last present and read the name aloud: Lucas. It was just from him and not her parents. Her mind briefly wondered what her parents had given her, but she was soon focusing on the present at hand which was surprisingly light yet rather large. This one was wrapped like a fortress, however, and she spent the longest on this one. She threw the waiting Lucas an annoyed look who only grinned mischievously at her. He must have studied how she liked to open her gifts and rudely taped it up far too securely. He'd never done so before.
Finally it was open and out peeked the cutest looking kitten she'd ever seen. Even though its fur was baby blue, it still took her a moment to realize it was a stuffed animal. Its eyes were a golden hazel and its form majestic—an exact replica of a standing kitten. She lifted it from the box as it were a real kitten and it had quite a bit of weight to it for a stuffed animal. She hugged it to her chest and she immediately fell in love with its softness, it was heavenly. Where oh where could Lucas have bought such a thing? It seemed expensive.
"This is…" For once she couldn't think of any of her stock phrases to use that would do it justice. She didn't have any stuffed animals; she'd never wanted one…until now. "It's…"
Her eyes were closed as her hand ran down the back of the creature, its fur running smoothly under her hand. Lucas had approached her by then.
"I…made it myself. Finding all the material, sewing it all together—it took a nice chunk of time. I hope…you like it. I know it's your favorite color."
Leona opened her eyes then and looked at Lucas fully. "This must have been a lot of work, Lucas. This is…I can't describe it, but I love it." Her hand was still petting it. "I had no idea you could sew."
There was a slight blush on his face that he did not even attempt to hide. "Yeah, I do it from time to time when I'm bored. I'm glad you like it."
"Oh, don't let his modesty fool you," Cecil said standing away from the crowd and crossing her arms. She held a cheeky smirk. "When it comes to sewing, he's a guru and he does it all the time not just when he's bored because he enjoys doin' it. He spent months on that thing and pulled all-nighters too—
"Hey, that's enough!" Lucas said to her waving his hand at her. His cheeks were very red by then.
"I think that's wonderful!" Leona said.
"Y-you do?" Lucas asked.
"And here I thought you spent your days killing monsters and listening to music."
"W-wow, really?" he asked a little surprised. "Did I…give off that impression?" Then he shook his head. "Well, either way, I think my job is done. As long as you like it."
"I appreciate the time and effort you put into this…I will treasure it always."
Leona watched him walked away. Her opinion of him was beginning to change once again. She barely wanted to put the kitten down and then decided not to as her parents walked to her now. They stood a little ways from her and turned so they were looking at both her and the others.
"Everyone, we'd like to make an announcement," Raine said proudly. "We're not going to hide this for months and months like last time. I suppose it's a little late in the game, but I would like to say that I'm pregnant once again. It's been three weeks already."
She couldn't stop herself before she was shouting with joy. "So I'm finally going to have a sibling?!"
"Yes, Leona, your very own sister or brother," Raine said looking at her now with a smile.
Then everyone was asking her tons of questions, but Leona's question had already been answered. This was the best present she'd ever received.