Vitmori POV

It didn't take all too long when another knock came at the door, and I could tell there was force behind it despite how gentle they tried to be. "Great Mage, how may I be of service to you?" The distinct voice of the orcish maid from before sounded out.

Making my way over to the door, I unlocked it before opening it wide and greeting the large woman with a smile. "Hello again, I was just wondering if you had any tailors in your service? I find myself needing clothes to be made for tonight's feast."

The orcish maid looked vaguely surprised by the question before tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Well it's rather short notice, but I believe we should be able to put together something nice for you with little difficulty." She explained dutifully before gesturing for me to follow her.

Taking a step back, I just flashed another smile while shaking my head. "Oh no, not for me. I need new clothes for my son." I said simply before gesturing to the bed where Basmori sat with Freyli standing behind him, paws resting on his shoulders while she nuzzled the top of his head with her chin. "And if you could bring them here, he's a little shy after all and isn't ready to leave the room yet."

I could sense the pure confusion in the orcish maid's mind as she desperately tried to rack her memories on who was supposed to be in my room. All she could remember was the one cub from before and... Well there was still one cub, but it looked different; not to mention there was now a child and a rather large-looking wolf.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, taking a moment to try and find her words before just defaulting to being agreeable and lowering her head. "Very well, Great Mage. I'll see what arrangements can be made." She offered dutifully before standing tall again.

"Thanks, though if it's not too much trouble, could you also let Vivia know that I need to speak to her again if she has the time? Again, if it's not too much trouble." I asked as pleasantly as I could.

It wouldn't do for me to be too demanding when it comes to the elites of this household, especially when Vivia has me at a disadvantage; even though she doesn't seem to be planning on taking advantage of the fact that she knows I'm not exactly human. Besides, if she managed to see through me so easily, then who knows what she'd found out regarding Basmori while watching him sleep on my shoulders the whole time I was around her.

I sensed the orcish maid's vague surprise at my request and how polite I suddenly was about it, but she nodded once more and offered a toothy smile. "Of course, Great Mage, I'll see if she has any time to spare while I'm at it." She replied before turning and making her way down the hall again.

Going back over to Basmori, I look him up and down while thoughtfully stroking my chin. "Hmm... So what kind of clothes should you wear anyway? Nothing complicated I'd say, at least not for daily wear."

Basmori just quirked a brow curiously at me, his rounded ears perking at my question before he looked down at himself while wearing my poncho. He gently grabbed at the ratty piece of fabric before looking up at me again.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little as I gently ruffled his hair. "I appreciate you preferring to wear my poncho, and while I do agree it kinda suits you... You need to wear more, at the very least you should wear more layers and something nicer."

In response, Basmori slowly tilted his head at me again as he brought his arms around the poncho and himself, almost hugging it protectively.

"Well, besides the fact that it is too big for you, it's also mine." I mused before gently poking his cheek as I sat on the bed next to him. "Anyway, if you really want a poncho, we can have one made for you and more to your size. In any case, you're meant to wear other clothes beneath a poncho, it's essentially just a cloak or an overcoat, not an entire outfit."

Basmori just huffed as I continued to poke his cheek, vaguely annoyed but not at my doting in particular. He didn't know enough about clothes to argue against my reasoning, though he was at least mollified by the idea of getting his own poncho.

"I want something too!" Freyli mewled out with excitement, lunging up for my arm as her paws clung to my forearm; her forehead rubbing around my wrist and arm as her long feline tail lashed behind her.

I smiled as I brought my other hand around, gently picking her up before setting her down in my lap. "Well, I'm not sure what sort of clothes you can wear comfortably... But how about a ribbon? I'm sure you've seen those back in Sunspot Keep. We can get one and tie it into a nice bow around your neck, what do you think?"

Freyli let out a purring hum as she considered my suggestion, and I could feel her thoughts going back to the girls and children we saw wearing frilly clothes or the occasional dress. Surprisingly enough, her memories lingered on the view of an admittedly tomboyish and muscular-looking adventurer who wore a cute bow in a ponytail before Freyli seemed to be sold on the idea. "Okay! I want a green one." She said rather resolutely as she shifted around, placing her paws on my chest and gazing into my eyes before nodding to herself. "That green." She declared with a feline smile.

Basmori's rounded ears perked up when Freyli started mentioning colors, glancing between the ring around her ear before looking into my eyes and scooting closer to me.

Looking over at him, I gently ruffled his hair again. "You want something green too, hm? Sure... I'd say your poncho should be black, but your undershirt could be a nice green." I considered aloud, which earned a satisfied nod from Basmori.

Before we could talk about clothes anymore, a knock sounded at the door causing all eyes and ears to swivel towards the door. Freyli just hopped off my lap, anticipating my need to stand up as I made my way over to the door and unlocked it.

Opening the door, I'm greeted by the sight of three new maids along with the blue-haired maid from earlier, holding a cloth-wrapped bundle which I could tell was my blade. Standing at the front of the group was Vivia as she flashed a grin. "Good to see you again Mage Vito, you're certainly looking in much better shape than before. You clean up well."

I just flashed a smile as I rubbed the back of my head before looking myself over. "Yeah, a nice hot soak did wonders after the morning I had." I mused, taking a moment to open the second door before stepping back and gesturing for her and the maids to come inside.

Vivia did so, followed by the small entourage of maids as they all turned to look at me before almost simultaneously noticing Basmori, Freyli, and Legosi. The general sensations I got were that of surprise upon seeing Legosi just sleeping on the bed. They then noticed Basmori and generally thought of him as cute if not rather scruffy and wild-looking.

Freyli was a notable curiosity to the maids as she stood behind Basmori again, keeping her brother company as his nerves started getting the better of him, resting her paws on his shoulders while nuzzling her chin against the top of his head.

"So he's Basmori? The cub that fought at your side and was sleeping on your shoulders all morning?" She asked, and I could tell she had used that eye of hers to study him now that I knew what to look for. "He's strong for one so young. That wolf too is also quite exceptional." She mentioned before regarding Freyli. "That cub there is quite something, but she still has a ways to go."

"Thanks! I am still growing." Freyli piped up cheerfully enough from where she stood.

Now that got a reaction from everyone as Vivia glanced over at me with genuine surprise. "Wait, is she an awakened familiar?"

I just flashed a grin before shaking my head a little. "No, of course not. She's my daughter." I enthused while walking over to the bed and sitting at the edge of it. "And Basmori is my son; they're both beastkin shapeshifters, but only Basmori can freely change between shapes. Though even that is a very recent development."

Vivia listened to my brief explanation with clear interest, and while she had initially walked in planning on being composed and polite while in front of her staff, her curiosity won out and she had decided to drop the formality like we had discussed this morning. With a small smile on her face, she turned to look at one of the maids that followed her. "Bring me some tea, and some snacks." She instructed before glancing over at my kids. "Also bring some sweets and those dried beef sticks that Trelio likes to have with his ale." She ordered before making her way to the sitting area and beckoned me to join her; I could tell she also wanted Freyli and Basmori to join our talk but was polite enough to not outright ask my children to join us as she unstrapped the sheathed arming sword on her hip and set it on the coffee table.

While she did that, three of the maids from the entourage took their leave; though the blue-haired maid with my blade remained as she quietly glanced between me, my kids, and Vivia. I could tell she felt somewhat better about herself once she realized I was likely a married man and also had my kids in my room. Her bruised ego gradually recovered as it wasn't her looks that caused my seeming disinterest in her.

Vivia soon noticed that we weren't alone quite yet, quirking a brow curiously at the maid in question. "I'm assuming you have business here?" She stated more than asked, wanting to hurry the maid out so we could talk freely, if only for a little bit.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Y-yes Madame Vivia, I have the Great Mage's blade here, cleaned and freshly sharpened." She stated as she held up the bundle with both hands.

Vivia simply held out her hand, silently demanding the blade to be handed over, at which the maid quickly obliged as she placed it in Vivia's hand before stepping back. "Thank you, you are dismissed." She said simply, already looking away from the maid as she curiously eyed the bundle that contained my blade before gently placing it on the coffee table between us.

The blue-haired maid dutifully bowed before quickly making her exit as she shut the double doors behind her.

As the heavy thud of the double doors sounded out, Vivia smiled again as she regarded me before glancing over at my kids. "So, are they actually yours by blood or?" She asked rather bluntly as she leaned back against the plush couch and relaxed.

I just chuckled a bit before shaking my head. "No, but I was there when they were born and have known them ever since. I consider them mine in every respect." I explain with a smile.

"And their mother?" Vivia asked leadingly, clearly interested in what sort of relationships a man made of wood could have had.

"She's alive and well, she's actually in the capital as we speak, and I have plans to meet up with her once we arrive." I explained candidly as I mirrored her relaxed position, even though I couldn't actually enjoy the experience.

She nodded intently while glancing over at Basmori and Freyli as they waited, though at some point Basmori had shifted back into a cub and was quietly wrestling with Freyli as they rolled across the massive bed. Vivia's eyes practically sparkled with delight upon seeing Basmori as a cub before turning back to me. "So are you basically just on a trip to go visit momma?" She asked with a playful smile on her lips as she so casually crossed her left leg over her right.

I just chuckled softly at that before shaking my head. "Well yes, but actually no... I had business in the capital and had plans to meet up with her as she had gone ahead." I explain before looking over to my kids with a smile on my face. "Little did I know that they stowed away with me and didn't reveal themselves until we were a long way away from home."

'Ah, how mischievous." Vivia mused with a smile still on her face as she remembered when her twins were younger. Though after a moment she looked back at me and tilted her head ever so slightly. "What sort of business do you have in the capital? I take it you're not just an artist, right?"

I considered how to answer that for a moment before speaking up. "Well, you said I had the privilege of discretion, did you not?"

Vivia's brows raised for a moment before she simply sighed a bit and nodded. "I did, yes." She replied with vague disappointment.

I couldn't help but smile at how expressive she was being before speaking up again. "I'm still trying to get a read on you and yours; though depending on how things play out tonight, I'll gladly tell you about my business in the capital."

Now that did get her attention again as she slowly nodded. "I suppose that's fair enough."

I started sitting up again before leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees as I watched Vivia more closely. "Is it fair for me to assume that Trelio already knows what I am?"

Vivia flashes a little smile before nodding. "Of course, but only him, nobody else. After all, a marriage between equals does not survive the keeping of secrets." She said sincerely enough. "But despite knowing what you are, it doesn't make him any less impressed with your performance or any less thankful for what you've done for us."

She then ran her fingers through her hair before chuckling a bit. "We are of like mind, however, as he immediately realized you wouldn't be able to properly enjoy the feast that's being held in your honor. But we'll certainly make sure to celebrate with extra gusto so everyone else may enjoy it in your stead."

I just grinned in response to her words before chuckling as well. "I certainly appreciate the effort."

As a brief lull in the conversation came between us, her eyes wandered down to the bundle that contained my blade; after another moment she pointed to it while looking over at me. "Do you mind if I look over your blade? I would like to see the weapon that helped protect my home." She expressed rather sincerely.

"Feel free." I offered as a knock at the door sounded out.

Vivia gingerly took up the bundle again before speaking up. "Enter." She commanded casually as she began unwrapping the blade before holding it in the cloth as she examined it.

The mint green blade caught the light of the crystals which illuminated the room as her eyes methodically appraised the weapon with clear understanding and interest.

As Vivia looked over the blade, the three maids from earlier entered the room and went about setting up the table between us with a couple of trays with a variety of snacks and foodstuffs. Things like strips of some kind of meat, cookies of some sort, slices of fresh fruit, and what looked like some kind of fruit pie with dollops of whipped cream on each pre-cut slice.

Just looking over the spread as it is served, I get the vague impression that the maids are looking forward to cleaning up after Vivia and me; it seems that they would get to enjoy whatever leftovers were between us and were already picking out what sort of treats they wanted.

As the maids began pouring four cups of tea, Vivia spoke up as she looked up from my blade. "This is some very fine work, it's not often that you see viridiza be used as the primary ore in a blade, it's usually used in small amounts in the hilt or guard. It's an uncommon ore and rather conductive with mana, whoever forged this must have been in quite a mana-rich environment or ran their own mana through the blade throughout the forging process to get this sort of luster." She explained as she gently set the blade down on the table beside her own sword; a cup of tea soon being placed in her hands once they were free.

I nodded along even though I was not exactly sure about the particulars of smithing or even the ores of this world. Still, it was disheartening for me that I wasn't even using my blade to its full potential. All I know is that it is a very well-made blade that has been put through the rigors of open battle and survived the experience. "Well, it was her first real commission though I gave her the creative freedom to do whatever it was that she wanted and use whatever materials I had available." I explained with a proud smile. "From what I know, she worked on it alongside my son, he helped maintain the flames when he could but she handled the entire smithing process. She's also the one who made my daggers, arrows, and throwing knives, not to mention she's still in the process of making me a spear, however, she's taking her time with that one."

While we spoke and once the food and tea were all set up, one of the maids went over to the bed and invited Freyli and Basmori to join us in the sitting area. Basmori looked admittedly hesitant but followed after Freyli once she hopped off the bed and made her way over to the coffee table, hopping up onto it before laying down and curiously looking over the spread as her nose twitched with each little sniff.

Basmori for his part just sat next to me, at first attempting to loaf before looking up at me and sitting the way I did. It's just lucky that the poncho was so big on him as he wasn't particularly mindful of how the fabric settled around him, but he somehow managed to remain decent the entire time.

Once he was settled, a maid carefully offered him a cup of tea, though he just looked at her wide-eyed with curiosity, not sure how to handle himself. I stepped in, gently taking it from the maid before cooling it down with a little ice magic. With a smile, I showed Basmori how to hold the cup and what he was supposed to do with it to drink from it.

Vivia smiled warmly as she watched me and Basmori interact, curiously looking over Freyli as she gently used a claw to grab a strip of meat before starting to eat it. "So your son is skilled with fire and has an interest in smithing?" She asked before then going through the conversation in her head and quirking a brow. "And you said it was 'her' first real commission? Who was the smith that forged your blade and how old is she?"

Having handed the now-cooled tea back to Basmori, I watched as he decided to just quietly lap up the tea using his still rather feline tongue instead of outright sipping at the drink. I could tell he wasn't sure what to make of it but found it interesting since it was different from water.

"Hm? No no, Basmori here isn't particularly interested in smithing and all that, no he is following his mother's warrior path as a spartan." I explained before leaning back onto the couch once I was sure Basmori wouldn't drop his cup. "No, it was my other son, Hephtio who has a fascination with all things fire. He's even learning from one of the cooks in our community whenever he's not helping around the forge." I said while plucking up a piece of fruit that looks remarkably like a canteloupe and offered it to Freyli, the cub sniffing the fruit before taking an experimental nibble. "As for the smith who forged my blade, her name is Trisha and she's seventeen years old. You could say I'm her patron as I provided her with the workspace and equipment to perform her trade."

More and more questions seemed to pop up in Vivia's mind as she set her cup of tea down and took a piece of fruit for herself. "Wait, so how many children do you have?" She asked before taking a bite of what looked like a blue strawberry.

"Well, I personally have no blood-related children," I say outright before using my free hand to gently pat the top of Basmori's head. "But their mother had four children, they're actually quadruplets." I mentioned with a smile.

At that, Vivia and all the maids seem to wince at that revelation; Vivia's free hand going down to her stomach as she considered her children. "Poor thing, and I thought having twins was rough." She soon shook the thought from her mind as she took up her tea all over again and moved on from that subject. "Though to think that the woman who was responsible for a blade like yours was around the same age as my own children... Is she available for commissions?" She asked curiously before pressing forward with that line of thought. "I've been looking for a suitable smith to prepare a matching pair of blades for my children but haven't found anyone to my liking." She then flashed a smile before gesturing to my blade. "For her to have so much talent despite her youth, I would love for my kids to associate with her and hopefully become regulars of hers in the years to come."

My eyes widened at that, I could tell Trisha was good, but to think this elite woman would want to commission her after only one look at my blade. "I'll have to ask her." I say simply enough with a smile on my face. "While I may be her patron, it's up to her if she wants to take on the work."

Vivia nodded in understanding, sipping at her tea before setting it back down as she uncrossed her legs. "Understandable, though I look forward to hearing her answer."

Before the conversation can go any further, I sit up a bit and gesture over to Basmori. "Excuse me for interrupting the conversation, but can we get Basmori here some clothes? As we weren't expecting him to have his breakthrough today, I don't exactly have anything for him to wear."

Vivia's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered the whole reason I asked her to visit, her cheeks flushing in vague embarrassment as she offered a smile. "Ah, of course, I... I nearly forgot." She admitted honestly as she looked over Bamsori before tilting her head from side to side. "If it's alright with you, we could resize some of Larkis' childhood clothes to get something ready for tonight... It shouldn't be an issue to modify his old pants to accommodate Basmori's tail. Though if you like, we can also prepare some more changes of clothes for you to take so he can have some variety going forward." She offered.

"That sounds good, what do you think?" I asked Basmori while turning to look at him.

Basmori for his part was still quietly lapping at his tea, his chin damp with saliva and tea when he licked his lips thoughtfully before nodding.

"I want something too!" Freyli piped up, her face just covered with fruit juices as she enjoyed a second piece of the cantaloupe-looking fruit all on her own. "A ribbon, a green ribbon." She explained enthusiastically before hopping from the table and onto my lap when she then stood on her hind legs; with one front paw on my chest to keep herself upright, she then began eagerly patting my cheek with her other paw. "That green." She expressed rather resolutely before nuzzling her messy face against my cheek.

I couldn't help but smile, gently patting Freyli's head and accepting her affections as I looked at Vivia. "If it's not too much trouble, Freyli here has her heart set on a bow that matches my eyes."

This earned some 'awws' and sounds of adoration as they watched Freyli's display. Vivia nodded after a moment and flashed a cheerful smile. "I'm sure we can find one that matches before tonight, don't you worry sweetie." She cooed affectionately to Freyli before leaning back in her seat.

"Now then, Basmori, if we could just borrow you for a moment, we'll take your measurements real quick." One of the maids said as she held her hand out to him to help him out of his seat.

Basmori shot me an uncertain glance, though I just offered him a little nod. Taking a moment to gather himself, he took the woman's hand as she helped him off the couch while also setting his tea on the table. I did mentally suggest that he use his shadows to cover his middle region, and while he wasn't sure why that was important, he did as I asked as his shadowy wings flared out through the poncho before trailing down his body and covering himself.

As the maids got to work, I came to notice that the women Vivia surrounded herself with were around her age, and appeared to be mothers themselves. So they handled themselves remarkably well around me and Basmori, being professional the entire time even as his poncho came off so they could take his measurements.

They were in fact more impressed with the magical control he displayed than anything else as his poncho soon came back on and he rejoined my side. Freyli for her part just lounging on my lap as she casually groomed her face and ears.

Once the maids were done going over the numbers, they dismissed themselves, leaving me alone with Vivia and my kids as she sat up and looked me over. "Tell me about their mother, I'd love to hear about the woman you consider to be your most trusted partner. How'd you meet? And what sort of warrior is a spartan?"

I just smiled as I obliged her questions, and soon enough the minutes were ticking by as I came up with a story of half-truths, telling her how Basti stumbled across me on her way to die while I was isolated in my training and how I nursed her to health after she had given birth; before long I was telling her a parody of roman and spartan culture and history as I described them as a tribe of wandering shapeshifting warriors.

All the while Vivia listened with rapt attention as the kids helped themselves to the snacks on the table.