It all started when the first letter arrived from home and only escalated with each consecutive reply. Thomas couldn't remember the last time such a frenzy has occurred, but he supposed that his eldest brother awakening a child was something worthy of a celebration. His parents were beyond thrilled, as well as their staff and closest friends. However, judging by the steadily increasing pictures included with the letters, the child themselves looked less than thrilled but their new family. He had to laugh at the chubby cheeks and pointed ears they sported, it was uncanny how much they already looked like their father. Thomas was sure that they'd be plump, giddy, and running the roost in no time.
He gave a sigh and placed yet another picture safely back into it's envelope, before reaching for a second letter that had come tied with the one before it. It was in a nice lavender envelope and embellished with a familiar seal, the one his eldest brother used, and he opened it expecting nothing less than a thousand passages of gloating and air-headed pseudo-inspirational anecdotes. However, after a thorough read through and a dozen or so skims, the Elf found himself leaning back in his chair, exasperated.
"Gracious Nine, they've all imbued stones?" He gasped, shaking his head. "How many children is that? Let's see..."
He set the letter aside and held his hands out to count. Six brothers, three sisters, for a total of nine siblings, that was... At least nine infants. His shoulders hunched and he grasped the letter again, his fingers quickly scanning for the paragraph that detailed how many stones each sibling had imbued, before he sunk back in the chair again. Nine infants, unless one of his siblings managed to have a single stone grant them twins, he was going to be the uncle of nine infants. And it was so sudden, too! What on Earth made them decide to do this all together? Was someone ill? Or was it a spur of the moment group choice? He couldn't gather any sort of reason from the letters!
"I almost have the nerve to ask them if they've gone insane." He mumbled, before chuckling. "... Nine babies, honestly. It's a good thing we've got the resources because it's going to take quite a bit of money to raise this lot. I wonder how mother and father are handling the news..."
He rolled his eyes. They were probably popping bottles of champagne and dancing. They'd always wanted grandchildren, and now they were getting nine of them in such a short amount of time. It was probably the equivalent to a second Gifting Day for them. He laughed at the thought of them waking up at the crack of dawn and racing to the living room like Freshlings just to coo and coddle the new babies. Aristocrats acting like excited children, quite a humorous idea.
The Elf allowed himself to linger a while in his chair, the letter gently laid over his chest, before he rose to write his reply. However, as his hands trailed along his desk, he found himself lost in thought. Nine, while the most divine number of them all, was still uneven, wasn't it? It was almost awkward to say, in terms of how many nieces, nephews, or grandchildren you had. In such a case, ten seemed like a nicer, more rounded number... He furrowed his brow, puckered his lips, and rolled his eyes at himself. He was so weak, wasn't he?
"Dear Ezekiel, congratulations on the awakening of your little one." He mused, wiggling his pen in thought. "Please extend my regards to our brothers and sisters for their successful imbues as well. I look forward to the piles of letters and pictures of their children in the weeks to come. ... Just as I hope you'll look forward to photographs of my child, who's stone I plan on imbuing shortly after I finish sending this letter off to you. Do tell mother and father that they'll have, not nine, but ten grandchildren to fuss over soon. I'm sure the news will bring them joy."
He embellished the letter a bit more and finished it with a smile, before placing it safely in a cream colored envelope. It would be delivered as soon as he could get his boots on and then it was off to make good on his word at the stone bank in town. With good fortune, he'd soon have a heir or two of his own to coo over and show off to all of Above and Below.
He gave a sigh and placed yet another picture safely back into it's envelope, before reaching for a second letter that had come tied with the one before it. It was in a nice lavender envelope and embellished with a familiar seal, the one his eldest brother used, and he opened it expecting nothing less than a thousand passages of gloating and air-headed pseudo-inspirational anecdotes. However, after a thorough read through and a dozen or so skims, the Elf found himself leaning back in his chair, exasperated.
"Gracious Nine, they've all imbued stones?" He gasped, shaking his head. "How many children is that? Let's see..."
He set the letter aside and held his hands out to count. Six brothers, three sisters, for a total of nine siblings, that was... At least nine infants. His shoulders hunched and he grasped the letter again, his fingers quickly scanning for the paragraph that detailed how many stones each sibling had imbued, before he sunk back in the chair again. Nine infants, unless one of his siblings managed to have a single stone grant them twins, he was going to be the uncle of nine infants. And it was so sudden, too! What on Earth made them decide to do this all together? Was someone ill? Or was it a spur of the moment group choice? He couldn't gather any sort of reason from the letters!
"I almost have the nerve to ask them if they've gone insane." He mumbled, before chuckling. "... Nine babies, honestly. It's a good thing we've got the resources because it's going to take quite a bit of money to raise this lot. I wonder how mother and father are handling the news..."
He rolled his eyes. They were probably popping bottles of champagne and dancing. They'd always wanted grandchildren, and now they were getting nine of them in such a short amount of time. It was probably the equivalent to a second Gifting Day for them. He laughed at the thought of them waking up at the crack of dawn and racing to the living room like Freshlings just to coo and coddle the new babies. Aristocrats acting like excited children, quite a humorous idea.
The Elf allowed himself to linger a while in his chair, the letter gently laid over his chest, before he rose to write his reply. However, as his hands trailed along his desk, he found himself lost in thought. Nine, while the most divine number of them all, was still uneven, wasn't it? It was almost awkward to say, in terms of how many nieces, nephews, or grandchildren you had. In such a case, ten seemed like a nicer, more rounded number... He furrowed his brow, puckered his lips, and rolled his eyes at himself. He was so weak, wasn't he?
"Dear Ezekiel, congratulations on the awakening of your little one." He mused, wiggling his pen in thought. "Please extend my regards to our brothers and sisters for their successful imbues as well. I look forward to the piles of letters and pictures of their children in the weeks to come. ... Just as I hope you'll look forward to photographs of my child, who's stone I plan on imbuing shortly after I finish sending this letter off to you. Do tell mother and father that they'll have, not nine, but ten grandchildren to fuss over soon. I'm sure the news will bring them joy."
He embellished the letter a bit more and finished it with a smile, before placing it safely in a cream colored envelope. It would be delivered as soon as he could get his boots on and then it was off to make good on his word at the stone bank in town. With good fortune, he'd soon have a heir or two of his own to coo over and show off to all of Above and Below.
