Vate was eager to call Stasia. He hadn't seen her--well, since the last time he'd seen her. Give or take a few days, and it had been around a week. "Hey Stasia," he said once he dialed her number and the phone on the other end had been picked up. He assumed it was Stasia, anyway; 'Zuba had moved and Nataya was having issues sleeping--well, sleeping too much. "Do you think you can come over? For Leyla's birthday. Howl might be coming too... Don't know where he's been staying." The dark elf sounded somewhat guilty. Clearly something had happened between he and his oldest son; but he wasn't too keen to discuss it.
"You know, just a little party. No need to inform Matthias or anyone. I thought it could be just the family. ...Our family." A table had been set with a small round cake. "He's probably busy taking care of Risa, anyway," the dark elf continued. "I heard she was ill." And any excuse to keep his daughter away from that fae was a good one, even if it meant one of his friends was ill. "I'll see you in a few."
"Daddy's not invited?" Leyla asked with a frown, glancing up at her father. "But Mommy is? Why isn't Daddy Matthias?" Though the infant was incredibly intelligent, she simply could not see why Matthias didn't live with them also. Vate often complained that he and Stasia were not yet married. Why didn't he and Matthias get married? They already had her. Wasn't that what people were supposed to do, after they had a baby? Get married?
