Welcome to Gaia! ::

Vincent was preparing to have his fiancee over for dinner. It was the night they would formally announce their engagement to his family; since they had already done so with Elisabetta's grandmother, and that hadn't gone at all well. (The horrible old hag was well--horrible and old). His mother had helped him prepare the meal--they were having a turkey roast; mashed potatoes and gravy.

Thali had been craving turkey for days now, and tonight was the perfect excuse. She'd always loved Lissy; she thoroughly approved of the two love birds finally tying the knot. Sure they were young, but the elf could tell how her second oldest son felt about the girl. "So, when will she get here?" Thali asked, glancing at Vincent with a grin. "Sammi and Reiya are looking forward to seeing her."

"And you are too, knowing you, mom," Vinny teased. "She'll be here soon."

Kaleb opened the door. "Hey Lissy," he greeted with a smile. He hadn't felt like smiling this much in days, but the presence of his future sister in law seemed to help. "Nice to see you again. Vinny's waiting for you--he's in the kitchen--or, he was."

Vincent had come out into the hall to greet his fiancee. "You look beautiful," he said. "Dinner will be ready soon, mom's just putting the finishing touches on it now." He kissed her cheek. "I love you."

"Is that Lissy?" Thali called from the kitchen. "Lissy dear, I'll be right there. What would you like for dessert? Ice cream? Brownies?"

"Yeah, I do," Kaleb said with a grin. "I really do." He rubbed at his forehead awkwardly; a bandaid had been placed over his forehead slits as a precaution. "You get prettier every time I see you, too," he added with a smile.

"You alright?" Vinny asked, concerned. He'd noticed her grimace. "Not feeling well?"

"Ice cream with olives?" The pregnant elf asked cheerfully. "Sounds delicious!" She didn't seem to notice anything wrong with Lissy's request, though her sons did. Vincent gaped at his fiancee, before his eyes widened and realization struck. "Are you--?" he started.

"Olives and ice cream?" Kaleb repeated, making a face.

Nausea, cravings? "Oh," Vincent said, taking this in stride. "Well, I hope you feel better soon," in nine or so months, he thought silently. He was guessing what was wrong with his fiancee--and it matched up with recent events. She was already having cravings? She must have been further along than he figured.

"...No, it really sounds disgusting." Kaleb felt the need to inform his future sister in law. "I heard you're a model though. Maybe all models eat strange things?" He knew his former girlfriend hardly ate at all. He shook his head to clear the memories of her. "But seriously, if mom likes it, it can't be all bad."

"Oh, Lissy," Thali called. "You be a dear and keep the boys busy. I'll set the table."

"It does so," Kaleb said, crossing his arms. "Olives are disgusting in general, but with ice cream? Yuck. I mean, I could understand if you took two good things, like popcorn and ice cream, mom's done that a few times but that's because she's preg--" the teenager fell silent when he noticed his older brother's glare.

"Right, Sammi and Reiya. They've been waiting for you!" The liberality spawn continued cheerfully. "They're just down the--"

"Hey Lissy!" beamed Sammi as she excited her bedroom. "Oh, it's awesome to see you!" she continued, moving to hug her friend. "Reiya'll be out in a few moments," she added with a roll of her eyes. "She's picking an outfit. You'd think this was some kind of date!"

"It's delicious," Thali called from the kitchen. "Best dessert on Gaia. It's no wonder they have popcorn flavored ice cream now. I like having it for lunch, too. Especially kettle corn and chocolate ice cream--" The pregnant elf babbled before falling silent, seemingly reminding herself to focus on the meal she was working on.

Kaleb frowned slightly. "I was only saying that mom gets weird cravings when she's pregnant," he informed Vincent. "She does."

"You too! I love your dress!" Sammi chirped, "I heard you and Vinny are getting married!" she squealed. "It's so exciting! You'll have to let me help you pick out a dress!" The halfling paused and grinned. "Mom'll be a while in the kitchen anyway, you know how she is. Everything's got to be perfect." She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure a picture'd be fine."

"Brides maids?" Echoed a voice. Reiya had joined them; the half elf was grinning. "Of course we'll be your brides maids." She moved to pull Lissy into a hug. "I've missed you! Vinny told us he had a girl in mind before he proposed--I never thought it'd be you!"

"Now we'll really be sisters," Sammi added, before looking towards the kitchen. "Hey! Mom! Come out for a moment. Lissy wants a picture!"

"Dinner's done," was Thali's response, as she swept out of the kitchen, beaming at Lissy. "A picture, then?"

"Er... Well there was that one girl. I think Kaleb went on a blind date with her, didn't you, Kaleb? You said it was something like Adella or something? She was Vinny's friend. I don't think he talks to her much now. Then he was seeing that boy, I think. I'm so glad it's you though!"

Vinny frowned slightly at Lissy's glare, and moved to put his arm around her. He moved to nibble on her ear, and muttered, "You're the only one I've ever been interested in keeping." Aludra, that had been a fluke. The greed humility spawn had seen the other boy as a brother and a friend, and hadn't understood Aludra's advances. "Josh isn't here," he added apologetically. "I think he's checking up on his girlfriend. Do you want mom to summon Oliver? He's our shadow. Kind of like a pet thing."