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The smell of cinnamon and warm bread permeated the entire cabin, the kitchen warmed by the running oven and a cool breeze blowing through the open windows.
Kassiani saw this scene almost every day and yet, she still took the time to breathe it in, a smile settled solidly on her face.
The pounding of steps from the hallway leading out of the kitchen alerted her to Amari’s presence, before the girl herself even entered the room.
“Kass! They’re coming today, right?” Amari asked, as she skidded to a stop, before using the momentum to come bounding over to Kassiani, almost wriggling with her barely contained excitement.
Kassiani laughed and placed a hand on Amari’s slim shoulder, stopping her in place, and waited until the girl met her blue eyes with her own dark grey.
“Yes, you little rascal, they’re coming today. Llyr messaged me this morning saying that they’ll arrive just before lunch,” she confirmed, shifting her grasp on her daughter until her arm was over Amari’s shoulders.
Amari whooped, her usually reserved countenance falling away in the face of her excitement. She took a moment to give a quick hug to Kassiani before bounding back in the direction of the bedrooms, undoubtedly going to go and bother Rue.
Kassiani used the arm that had previously been around Amari to tuck a honeyed curl behind her headband after it had come loose in all the jostling.
Once she heard the din of muffled voices in the direction of her and Rue’s bedroom, Kassiani turned her fond, knowing smile towards what she had been doing before her teenage daughter had come to pester her.
The fruits she had been cutting sat before her on a wooden chopping board, knife placed carefully beside it. Kassiani, Rue and Amari had been preparing for this day for weeks, it had seemed like, and the food prep was the last of it.
Kassiani’s fruit-chopping efforts were interrupted once again, but this time it was both her daughter and her wife appearing in the opening of the hallway. Rue was being dragged into the kitchen by Amari, a gentle smile on her rosy-cheeked face.
Rue’s curly red hair was only half-tied back, as if Amari had barged in in the middle of her getting ready, but it seemed that their daughter had at least deigned to allow her the dignity of getting dressed as she was wearing her favourite green dress.
“Working hard, are we?” Rue teased, the words curling over Kassiani in a rush of warmth.
No matter how many times she saw Rue, or heard her voice, it would still be the greatest pleasure to experience it again. Now that Amari had joined the family, her laugh and the rare but exceedingly warm hugs had joined those experiences at the top of Kassiani’s list of favourite things.
The young woman placed the knife down once more and swept around the counter to wrap both of her girls in an all encompassing hug.
“Have to bring out the best for our friends,” she confirmed, giving them one last squeeze before backing off to return to the counter.
The preparation was for the arrival of Wulfric and Llyr, who were bringing along their own charges, Amari’s closest friends. They were coming to the farm to celebrate the newly announced adoption of Remy, who was Amari’s cousin, and to spend some time together after Llyr’s extended business trip, which Auden had joined them for.
They were a strange bunch, Kassiani would admit. She, who lived on a remote and fully self-sufficient farm with her wife, and her adopted daughter, then there was Llyr, an incredibly talented and notoriously reclusive scientist with his own charge, or perhaps ward, she thought, Kassiani had forgotten what label Llyr had stuck on their relationship with Auden. Finally they came to Wulfric, who like her, was ex-military but was also ex-special forces, and he was unmarried and lived alone save for his son, the recently adopted Remy.
The kids, they had meant through a series of coincidences that even Llyr was at a loss to follow, and eventually they had gotten to the point where Amari had lived with her and Rue for about 4 years now.
Amari jumped up and down, wisps of her raven black hair flying everywhere after escaping from the tight braid it had been bound in.
“Rue said that you knew that Remy was going to be adopted before I did,” she blurted out, her face torn between looking confused and a little bit amused.
Kassiani could not stop the immediate bark of laughter, leaning over and bracing her hands on the counter as the words registered.
Rue was looking both exasperated and proud, which was understandable. It had taken Amari months to be comfortable with questioning them, so everytime she did so, it was a reminder of how far they had come.
“Well, when Llyr took in Auden, we knew that they wouldn’t have the same type of relationship that we do,” Kassiani started, leaning her back against the lip of the counter.
Amari nodded, settling down and leaning into Rue’s open arms, clearly anticipating a story. She also understood why Kassiani did not need to explain what she had just said.
Auden had lived with his own parents far longer than either Remy or Amari, and had the clearest memories of them, and Llyr was not about to take their place, especially with the loss of them occurring so recently, so they settled for a weird mix of familial relations between them.
“Wulfric, and Remy, on the other hand, had a much more complex relationship. Especially at the start.”
At that, all of them winced. Remy had been extremely reluctant to trust them at the beginning, lashing out and drawing away as much as he could, but then he and Wulfric had formed an unlikely bond through something Kassiani was not entirely sure she wanted to know about.
After that it had not gotten miraculously better, but somehow Remy had wormed his way into Wulfric’s heart and beneath his stoic facade, and that in turn worked wonders in getting Remy to open up.
Llyr had been the one to start it after that, placing down 100 bucks on the coffee table the one night they had managed to get together by themselves.
Their only proclamation had been a very confident, “Two years.”
Wulfric had groaned and slammed his head back into the couch cushions, downing what had been a very concerning amount of whiskey from the bottle they had brought out at the start of the evening.
Kassiani doubted he even remembered that evening. What she remembered though, was slamming down another note and countering with, “Three years.”
As always though, Llyr had been right.
It was almost two years to the day, and here they were. Celebrating the official adoption of Remy into Wulfric’s household.
Kassiani brought herself back to the present with a quick shake of her head to draw herself out of her memories.
“Anyways… Llyr placed a bet, and I followed. I’m sure you can guess the rest of that,” she admitted, chuckling a little when she saw Rue’s good natured exasperation, and Amari’s plain amusement.
All of them knew how likely it was to win a bet against Llyr.
Amari looked satisfied with that answer, nodding once before squirming out of Rue’s arms and once again dashing off into the rest of the house without another word.
Rue stumbled now that she was no longer testing on Amari, and Kassiani leant forward to catch her hands in a gentle grip. Guiding her forward until she could press a gentle kiss against Rue’s forehead.
“Love you, Kassi,” Rue murmured, tucking her head under Kassiani’s chin, and wrapping her arms around the woman’s waist.
“I love you too, my darling Rue.”
They stayed in the kitchen for as long as they could before Rue left to hunt down Amari and get her into more acceptable clothing than the plain blue pyjamas she was wearing, and Kassiani got back to preparing for the arrival of their friends.
***
Llyr and Auden were the first to arrive. Amari had spotted them coming up the meandering path that led from the road to the farmhouse, and bolted for the door. The red ribbons in her hair had fluttered behind her as she sprinted towards her best friend.
Auden noticed Amari within seconds, his floppy golden hair falling into his face as he let out a joyful cry.
“Amari!” he yelled, eyes crinkled up with the force of his smile, arms opening to catch her in a tight hug.
The two teenagers were wrapped around each, so entangled that they could not discern where one started and the other ended. Auden’s golden hair mingled with the raven darkness of Amari’s.
Kassiani caught up with them and took Llyr’s extended hand to pull them into a spine-cracking hug, using the extra inch of height she had over them to lift them up, and gently jostle them.
Llyr reluctantly accepted the shaking with the resigned air of one who had experienced this far too much.
“Hello, my dear Kassiani,” they greeted, the formal words belying the fondness in their tone.
Llyr stepped back once she had let them go, straightening their clothing, which consisted of semi formal pants, and a white turtle coat, covered by a darker grey coat.
Regardless of the scenario, Llyr was always dressed up. They excused it as trying to draw attention away from their face, or more accurately their eye patch.
Kassiani beckoned Llyr further up the path, walking towards the farmhouse and letting her friend trail behind.
They left the kids walking behind them, arms still linked, and heads bowed together as they whispered in excited voices.
When they got to the house, Rue was standing at the door, hands clasped together and a smile on her face. As soon as her eyes laid on Llyr she was sweeping forwards and wrapping them into a warm hug.
“It’s great to see you, Llyr,” she murmured, leaning back to press a quick kiss to their cheek before heading past Kassiani to greet Auden.
Auden and Amari only paused for a moment, giving Rue a quick greeting before Amari dragged the blue-eyed boy inside, excitement bleeding from every move she made.
Llyr gave a small but genuine smile in Rue’s direction and then followed Kassiani through the farmhouse, and into the living room.
It was a wide open space, with wooden walls and a wooden floor, an L-shaped couch and two armchairs taking up most of the space, all placed before a brick fireplace.
Kassiani sprawled down onto the large couch, while Llyr settled themselves elegantly on one of the armchairs.
“So, I take it Wulfric will be here soon?” Kassiani asked, tilting her head to make eye contact with Llyr.
Llyr lifted a single thin-boned hand to brush aside their frost-white bangs, tucking the pale strands of hair behind their ear, and revealing the simple black eyepatch placed over their left eye.
“As I’m sure you know, our friend doesn’t often deign to inform me of his plans,” they commented, lounging in the armchair as if it were their throne.
Kassiani huffed a disbelieving laugh.
“You expect me to believe you don’t know exactly when he’s arriving?”
The scepticism was extremely clear in her voice, and the amusement even more so.
Llyr sighed, tossing their head with an exasperated roll of their eye, before conceding.
“Fine. Wulfric and little darling Remy will be joining us in about…” they took a moment to check the delicate watch attached to their wrist, “maybe 20 minutes at most?”
Kassiani nodded, satisfied with the answer, and stretched her arms out along the back of the couch.
They say in silence for a couple of minutes, the only sound being Rue humming in the kitchen, the playful noise leaking through the walls.
A sudden bang startled Kassiani, and she flinched forwards, half-standing before she realised what had been the cause.
The slamming of Amari’s bedroom door was what had interrupted the quiet, and soon enough it was followed by Auden and Amari stepping into the living room.
Auden had his right hand linked with Amari’s left, and he was a step ahead of her. When he saw Kassiani still half frozen off the couch, he winced apologetically and gave her a sheepish smile.
“Sorry,” he apologised, free hand raising to scratch at the back of his neck awkwardly.
Llyr gave a quiet chuckle and waved a hand dismissively, then gestured to the free spot on the couch next to Kassiani.
Amari took the hint and dragged Auden by their linked hands to the couch, and when he was seated, she leaned into his side with a pleased hum.
Kassiani shifted so she was facing them, and cast a warm gaze at Amari.
“Are you happy now that Auden’s here?” she asked, the knowing tone giving away the question as rhetorical.
Amari nodded profusely, wriggling deeper into Auden’s side and resting her head on his shoulder with a satisfied sigh.
The soft discussion between Kassiani and Llyr faded off into silence.
The room remained quiet, the only sounds being the soft rustle of clothing and the occasional murmur, right until there was a solid knock on the front door.
Amari and Auden both jerked up, nearly tumbling off the couch in their haste to get to the door, twin cries of “Remy!” on their lips.
Amari reached the wooden door first and pulled it open, revealing Remy and Wulfric, both of whom looked as if they had just woken up.
Wulfric stepped through the entryway, tugging Remy forward with the gentle hand on the back of his neck, and then using it to softly shove him into Auden and Amari’s open arms.
Remy hooked an arm around both of their necks, dragging both his friend and his cousin even closer than they had been.
“I missed you,” the young boy murmured, pressing his smile into Auden’s shoulder from where he had buried his head.
Wulfric quirked a quick grin at the exchange between the children before shrugging off the oversized canvas coat he was wearing and revealing the faded band shirt beneath.
Kassiani grabbed her friend by the elbow and yanked him into a bone cracking hug, rubbing her cheek against his disheveled brown hair obnoxiously.
Llyr stepped up behind them, placing a gentle hand on either of their backs.
“Hello Wulfric, it’s great to see you,” they remarked, as if their meeting had just been them running into each other at the local grocery store, and not a month long premeditated get together.
Wulfric tossed a dirty look at Llyr, but still reached out and curled a hand around their pale wrist to give it a quick, but undoubtedly fond squeeze.
The scuffing of shoes on the wooden floor interrupted the brief moment, and Remy shuffled into view, his small hand clasping onto the hem of Wulfric’s shirt and giving a quick nod to the other adults.
“Hello, darling boy,” Llyr said softly, bending down slightly so they did not tower over Remy, who while was not extremely short, still did not come anywhere close to Llyr’s impressive height.
Kassiani extended her fist for a fist bump, and grinned stupidly when Remy returned it hesitantly before greeting Llyr with a soft, “Hi, Llyr.”
Amari leant over Remy’s shoulder, pressing her temple against his with an ease long learned.
With them standing right next to each other, they would be easy to mistake for siblings, or even twins, with their dark shining hair, and grey-scaled eyes.
Auden provided a glowing contrast to them, the gold to their silver. When he stood next to them they seemed to fit into each other so well, it was difficult to tell they had ever been apart.
“We should go sit down,” Auden spoke into the lull, his words dragging everyone out of the contented silence they had drifted into.
Amari shook herself off, backing off Remy and Auden just enough to grab their hands and pull them into the lounge.
Just as they had done earlier, Amari and Auden curled together on the couch, but this time bracketing Remy between them.
Wulfric dropped down onto the opposite side of the couch, lifting his socked feet to rest on the wooden coffee table in the centre of the lounge, while Llyr and Kassiani returned to their previous seats.
Kassiani dug in her pocket for a moment, letting out a soft, triumphant, “Aha!” and then revealing what she had gotten out.
There were a couple of crumpled and wrinkled bills of money, which Kassiani took great pleasure in passing to Llyr.
Wulfric did not miss the interaction, sharp hazel eyes tracking Kassiani’s move, and Llyr subtle, yet unbearably smug, smirk.
“Do I even want to know what that bet was about?” Wulfric asked suspiciously, his shoulders hunching as his gaze flicked between his friends.
Llyr waved a hand dismissively, and gave a casual shrug before answering.
“Kassiani and I disagreed on when you would finally adopt your little shadow,” they admitted, no shame present on their face, only the slightest flicker of amusement at Kassiani's expense.
“Oh, I should have known,” Wulfric sighed, swearing softly, disgruntlement clear in his expression, and in the way he dragged a rough hand down his face.
Kassiani shrugged, her hands spread out as if she were going to try and calm Wulfric like a wild animal.
“You really should have,” she admitted, lowering her hands after Wulfric’s vicious glare had subsided.
It was well known between the three of them that any event in their life had likely been bet upon at some point, even the more serious ones. It was a strange way to cast a better light on sometimes horrible situations.
Wulfric muttered something indistinguishable, and likely disparaging but let it go without further fuss.
“Despite what you two dafty’s* think, I’m not entirely emotionally incompetent,” he said, pointedly ignoring the soft snort that emerged from somewhere within the tangle of children on his left.
*scottish insult (synonym for idiot)
“Well, Wolfy, I’m very sure you can’t blame us,” Kassiani told him, heaving herself out of chair with too much effort for it to be anything but purposefully dramatic.
“I’m going to go grab Rue, and y’all can join us in the kitchen for dinner in about fifteen minutes.”
Amari peaked her head over the back of the couch, quickly followed by Remy and Auden, all of them giving Kassiani solemn looks before nodding seriously, and reburying themselves in the couch cushions.
Llyr nodded and blew a quick kiss at Kassiani before leaning to start a conversation with Wulfric, who had reached out a hand to gently rest it on Remy’s leg from where it was poking out from beneath Auden.
Kassiani paused right before the kitchen where she could hear Rue humming an old but jaunty tune, and looked back at her family. All of them gathered together, safe and whole.
She thanked every god she knew of for this blessing, because she did not know what she would do if she did not have Rue at her side, helping her care for Amari, or Llyr and Auden rambling on about their experiments, and Wulfric back home from his tour in the military, finally safe from all the threats he had faced, with innocent, but wickedly smart and kind Remy at his side.
Kassiani stepped into the kitchen, pushing the morbid thoughts back.
They were all safe, and they would stay that way if she had anything to say about it.