Encre's POV

He hands me a mug of steaming chocolate milk with a few marshmallows in it.

"So this is hot coco?"I ask

He nods as I enjoy the taste.

"Merci."I say

(Thank you.)

"Anytime!"He says

Then we hear crashing and banging noises in the distance. We quickly go to see what's causing it, finding just within the castle property gates a team pulling parts of the house apart.

"Dad! What are you doing to Encre's home?"Jasper asks, rushing over.

I go to him, watching the doors and windows get ripped out. My dad lands beside me and hugs me. I sip my hot coco as Jasper tries to get his attention, yanking him as he continues to give orders.

"Stop it, Dad! Stop wrecking the house!"He snaps at Fallacy.

"I'm reinforcing the house for their safety, not wrecking it."Fallacy says

"Reinforcing it? For what?"I ask

He turns around, seeing me and looking alarmed.

"Oh! Hello, Encre!"He says

I glance at the house.

"Oh right! I am having it reinforced to protect you both from the upcoming Blood Moon! It is a time when the moon overpowers us and we...get violent without control. I don't want you to get hurt during that time.."He says, placing his hand on my shoulder.

Jasper smacks his hand off of my shoulder.

"You aren't allowed to touch him, Dad."He says

I sigh, shaking my head.

Dad whispers to me and grins, saying that he is going to get Suave before flying off.

I continue sipping from my hot coco as Fallacy keeps trying and failing to touch me with Jasper watching.

"No touching Encre!"Jasper keeps snapping.

"Cut that out, Jasper!"Fallacy says

"No! I don't want you facing his brother's wrath!"Jasper says

"You have a brother?"He asks, glancing at me.

"Technically no but my dad did try to adopt a lot of people. I consider him my brother since he took on the role. And he's a blacksmith with a temper so Jasper is protecting you."I say

"He sent a message saying that he is coming after seeing the news headlines and depictions of you with Encre! He wants you to keep your hands off of him!"Jasper says

"Is there anything else I should know about this brother of yours?"He asks

"He was close to my father so if he knows about this, it is likely that my father does too. So they both might be coming."I say

"Oh joy. Two angry relatives?"He says

"I'm not looking forward to that either."I say

"I'll go warn Suave and Auntie!"Jasper says, flying off with his hot coco.

"How do you think they will do around Jasper?"He asks

"I think they'll be just fine with him...mostly."I say

"Should I be concerned?"He asks

"They are both very chaotic and may influence Jasper even more. Rufous may teach him to smelt stuff or send him running with tools or my father will just let him loose after riling him up. He has a way of riling people up."I say

"Oh great, so he is basically going to be put on a sugar rush with tools?"He asks, chuckling.

"It's a possibility."I say

He shakes his head, then sighs.

"Encre..I'm sorry...for the headlines and-"He begins

"It's alright. There have been worse lies. It doesn't hurt me."I say

"Does it bother your-?"He begins

"Classique? First, he isn't my lover. Second, he's fine. He doesn't care about it either."I tell him

I smile at him.

"I understand that you're trying to look out for me and I really appreciate it, but you shouldn't worry too much. I am going to be okay. Besides, you should look after yourself first."I say

His face turns a bright yellow as I finish my hot coco.

"Like right now! Your face is burning up yellow! You must be freezing!"I say, wrapping my scarf around his neck.

His face burns brighter and then he tucks his face into the scarf. He seemed better now, which makes me smile.

"So...did Jasper bother you about the papers?"He asks

"Bother isn't the word I'd use. He asked me about my beliefs but also reassured me about love. He understands what I told him and he doesn't believe the papers either. He told me that he doesn't think you're my type so you don't have to worry about him believing rumors."I say

"Oh...Okay..."He says, sounding surprised.

"You're all set now. The reinforcements are complete." A worker says

Fallacy nods, dismissing them. I see the sun start rising.

"Would you like to come to dinner?"He asks

"I think I'll have to pass. With my luck, if I say yes, they will arrive and just cause trouble. I don't want them to bother you more than they probably will."I say

He nods, understanding. He waves goodbye, then leaves with a tight grip on the scarf.

I smile, going inside. Then my dad quickly returns, pulling Suave inside and shutting the door with his wings. The door clicks with locks and he grins widely.

"Uumm...Do you have any idea why he just snatched me from the gardens?"He asks

"There's a good chance my father is coming soon. Or it was because Fallacy mentioned the Blood Moon as a reason for installing reinforcements to the house."I say

I see Dad eagerly going to the kitchen with his wings flapping a bit, looking like they are twitching and trying to stay folded.

"I see..."He says

My dad returns with dinner for Suave and smiles. Then he whispers to me.

"He also prepared the guest room for you."I say

He smiles at Dad, thanking him.

Soon after eating dinner together, we each go to sleep before the sun shines in. It's strange how I've adjusted to staying up at night but it's worth it to spend time with them. I wouldn't want to sleep through fun with Jasper after all.

But our rest doesn't last long.

CRASH! BOOM!x6

"What the heck?"Suave says, jumping from his room

I hear roars outside and glance out the window. I see lions made of pure magic and blue twinkling sparks looking like stars. Then three large rings zip past the window, looking like the magician's kind that get linked together.

"My father arrived..."I say, seeing the magic attacks going right towards the castle

"Oh! He certainly makes an entrance!"Suave says, laughing nervously.

I peek into Dad's room to find him still asleep with a mask over his eyes. I shake my head, knowing that he is a heavy sleeper and used to Father's shenanigans. I hear more booms and roars, backing out of the room.

"MERDE!"I snap

(SHIT!)

"What is it?"He asks

"He's going to the castle!"I say

"Shoot!"He says

We quickly unlock the door and rush out to the castle.

Father, please don't cause a mess! You're only going to get into a misunderstanding and trouble!

TBC