Chapter: 564 – A Wonderous Milieu

Tala and Rane welcomed each wave of guests as they arrived through the teleport receiving circles in their sanctum.

It was a Karweil family reunion, even if the ostensible patriarch and matriarch weren’t going to be present. Even if they had explicitly not been invited.

The Karweils actually came essentially in age order, which really helped Tala’s mental checklist.

-I’d have been fine either way.- Alat teased.

Of course, so would I, but it still helps. Tala pushed back on her alternate interface, already feeling a bit on edge at the upcoming social obligations.

-Fine, fine. I won’t let you stew, though.-

I know… thank you.

-Of course.-

They were all, yet again, coming straight into Tala and Rane’s sanctum, for ease rather than through any sort of intermediate step. They also had chosen not to use Makinaven’s robust teleportation amenities because it was more private, and it was a bit cheaper, all things considered.

Around the arrival area—in which there were a full four teleportation receiving circles created and recreated at Tala’s will—Tala and Rane had laid out tables with a fantastic spread of light foods and drinks.

Love people with food. It is a method as old as time.

Latna and Caln—along with his wife, Verla, and their children—arrived first, and even though they arrived on separate teleportation platforms, the siblings began arguing almost as soon as they appeared, seemingly picking up mid-spat where they had likely been before transport.

Tala sighed and willed the two to a different part of the sanctum to hash it out, allowing her and Rane to approach and greet Verla and the children a bit more peaceably.

Alat and Kit flexed their will in tandem to refresh the receiving circles, and thus, they were ready for the next arrivals.

Akli and Mita came with their spouses and young ones. As soon as these little ones arrived—adding to those already present—Terry flickered into being nearby, prompting Tala’s siblings, the older twins, to set the babies down for Terry to play with and chase.

Their husbands looked a little uncertain, but they contented themselves with following after, onto the large grass meadow nearby, and keeping an eye on things.

Verla simply smiled at the increasingly familiar sight before turning back to those around her.

Miro likewise arrived with his family; in his case that meant a pregnant wife and three children. Their arrival was the first painful reminder of this get-together that Tala hadn’t been invited to all the weddings over the last ten years.

Even so, she and Rane greeted the family with courtesy and gratitude for their attendance. After the initial exchange, the children immediately saw Terry’s play and set off to join in.

The terror bird flickered around the group, engaging all of them with relative ease, even while occasionally bumping the children to keep them from harm.

Illie, Nalac, Dagan, and Alva all came from their respective masters, all grinning widely upon arrival, only to wince briefly at their loss of now-familiar inscriptions before they recovered and hugged Tala and Rane. It was actually a bit funny how similar their expressions and reactions were upon arrival, even though they came in some few minutes apart.

Nea arrived with her husband, both still seeming so young to Tala’s eyes. Their first child arrived with them. Nea had let Tala know that she was pregnant again, even if her round belly proclaimed that fact quite loudly as well, but Tala wasn’t trying to calculate how obvious such things were, so she let it go.

Tala and Rane both congratulated them, asking how far along she was, how things were going, and generally just doing their best to be sociable and good hosts.

At this point, it was clear that Latna and Caln had settled down a bit, even if they were still frustrated with each other. So, Tala willed them back to the clearing with everyone else.

After a moment of irritation, they each sighed, shook their heads, and turned to speak with the other siblings already there.

Next, Osip arrived in a flourish, bowing as soon as he appeared. “The new graduate has arrived!”

That got a round of laughter and smiles, and even a bit of scattered clapping, as all those already there congratulated him on his success.

Finally, Fedir, Olen, and Sella all came in rapid succession, straight from the Academy too, though not as graduates.

That’s when the gathering truly began.

The first order of business, after officially welcoming everyone—and once again congratulating Osip—was to tell everyone to grab a bite to eat and prepare for shopping.

There was mild confusion as they all drew closer for Tala to explain further.

She was going to give every child five silver pieces and every adult twenty silver to spend in the Makinaven market, or save it if they so wished. The only requirement for the kids was that their parents had to approve of how they used the funds.

Once it was clarified that those who were at the Academy were to be counted as adults, Sella gave Tala a leaping hug in glee. Tala moved with the impact to keep the nearly fifteen year old from hurting herself on Tala’s magically hardened and resilient body.

She spun her sister, laughing a bit before setting her down. “You’re welcome, I suppose.”

Sella just beamed back at her oldest sister.

With that explained, everyone dug into the food, trying to ensure they wouldn’t have to spend any of their funds on filling food unless they wanted to.

Five minutes later, Tala clapped her hands, sending the sound to every ear while keeping it from being too loud for anyone. “Alright. Your coins are in your pockets or pouches.”

Everyone looked down, checking their pouches or pockets and finding her words to be true.

“Now, anything that you purchase, which will not teleport with you, will be sent to where you reside through the caravans. For you Academy students, it will go to Marliweather to await your graduation, at which point it will either be picked up by you, or sent to where you find a master. Are we understood?”

Everyone nodded, though some a bit more hesitantly than others.

“Good. Go!” She clapped her hands again and willed everyone to the superficial, where the Makinaven market awaited.

They arrived with only mild disorientation, but seemed to quickly take in the market that surrounded them.

Only Terry, Rane, and Tala remained in the suddenly empty receiving area.

Tala sagged just a bit, already feeling exhausted by the socialization required of her.

Rane came over and gave her a big hug. “So far so good. This idea really is generous of you.”

As she pulled back after the hug, she hip-bumped him. “Generous of us. You agreed, and it’s your money too.”

He shrugged. “Maybe so, but it was your idea, and you made it happen.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

She shrugged in turn. “I want this visit to be memorable for them. Who knows where Fedir will find a master. It might be in someplace like Marliweather, and we won’t get another chance like this. I doubt most will ever come to another forest city. It’s a unique experience for them, and I want it to be a good one, one that they’ll never forget.”

“Of course.” He smiled, kissing her. “Shall we?”

“One moment.” She turned to look at Terry. “Most of the kids will be with their parents, but can you watch out for the few older ones?”

Her oldest nieces and nephews weren’t quite ten, but they might be allowed to wander off on their own. Terry would help make that a safer choice.

He threw his head back and trilled in agreement before vanishing, having willed himself after the children.

Rane chuckled. “He does so like kids.”

Tala pulled in a long breath before letting it out again in a long exhale, tears briefly welling in her eyes, unexpectedly.

He noticed, turned, and embraced her again. “Oh, my love. I’m sorry. I—”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not your fault. You were just talking. It just comes on sometimes.” She pulled back, forcing a smile across her lips. “Really. I’ll be fine.”