Lunch at table XIII pt.1

Once he had returned from the Great Mansion, Shirei opened the door and reached his bed. After throwing himself onto the mattress, he remained silent and stared at the ceiling of the room. The house of Cragar's children was much smaller than the other buildings in the Lilies Park, probably because the god to whom it was dedicated was not one of the most renowned and was not supposed to have children. It was basically nothing more than a large room. Two beds were located on opposite sides, separated by two desks and two wardrobes. A single window, opposite the entrance door, illuminated the area without chandeliers. In the center, a modest carpet was positioned, which hid a secret trapdoor. That was the secret of their house, apparently small and insignificant. Before Shirei knew it, a little girl with the same black hair as him, emerged from the trapdoor. The demigoddess was dumbfounded for a few seconds, then shrugged and went to her bed.

"Nothing new..." she commented as she rummaged in the nightstand next to her bed.

The boy heard a slight noise coming from next to him and jumped up but, as soon as he identified the girl, he relaxed. "Hello, Dalia. I thought you were going to stay down a little longer."

"Do I ever skip meals?" She smiled slightly without stopping looking.

Shirei dropped his head onto the pillow. "Right."

"Don't worry... I just talked to some spirits, they were worried about something strange that happened last night."

Cragar's son stood up again, "It's important?"

"They say something happened at the beach cabin, a certain son of Tefine" Shirei remained silent, then Dalia quickly added, "It will be nothing, you'll see. If he is a son of the goddess of dreams, he will only have put someone to sleep, don't worry!"

The boy turned his purple eyes on his stepsister with a serious look. Although she looked like a fourteen-year-old, Dalia was much older than him, so the demigod couldn't understand how she could be so superficial and childish. "I'll go and take a look later anyway" he concluded.

"You're still the same, brother!"

Shirei sighed, "I'm going to wash off, the short run with that friend of yours made me sweat."

Dalia quickly walked around him and looked at him doubtfully with her blue eyes, "Have you met Marina?"

"Yes," he admitted, "She was the one teaching this morning."

"Damn, it's true! She even told me that," Dalia nodded twice, "So?"

"So what?"

"What do you think? She's nice, isn't she?"

Shirei thought about it for a moment, trying to understand what Cragar's daughter's intentions were, "I think so."

"Perfect! Then I can finally invite her to sleep here without worrying!"

Shirei started to reply but decided to let it go. He walked past the demigoddess and quickly entered the bathroom.

"Thank goodness you met, it was a shame to have to hide all this time!" The little girl exclaimed in a loud voice, so that her brother could hear her even beyond the wall.

Her response came faintly but, after all, Dalia knew perfectly well that Shirei was a boy of few words: "Aena's fault, if it hadn't been for Lyceum I would have been relegated to the basement for who knows how long."

Dalia grimaced, both of Cragar's sons seemed to be at loggerheads with the goddess of love.

Shirei came out of the bathroom with a towel around his neck, Dalia blushed and looked away immediately. Even though the two were half-brothers, seeing a boy without a shirt had a certain effect on her. Shirei was tall, slim, and his muscular body could only be a positive point. The sister's only thought was due to her brother's physique, ruined by a series of horizontal scars along the entire spine. Not even Cragar's son himself was certain how he had obtained them, just as he was unaware of the motivation that had driven him in the past to tattoo his entire left arm. The ink on his skin outlined strange spirals in a recurring pattern that started directly from his wrist.

Shirei saw his gloomy sister and smiled slightly, "Are we ready for lunch?"

The little girl quickly shook her head to chase away those thoughts, "Absolutely!"

"Perfect, let's go eat then."

Cragar's two sons smiled then, after Shirei had put on a new change of shirt, they headed towards the cafeteria.

Five minutes later, the pair made their way through the rows of noisy demigods. Shirei sat down at the table of Cragar's children and Dalia did the same, the two clearly feeling the wave of comments and whispers caused by their presence, but wisely choosing to ignore them. The outdoor canteen seemed too busy that day. It was always a lively and colorful place, with tables of various sizes and shapes arranged neatly. Each table was dedicated to a specific divine offspring, where demigods gathered with their brethren to eat. A rectangular table for the sons of Ien, circular for the descendants of Ucsor and so on. In the case of thirteenth house demigods, this could only mean a small, completely black table. Shirei glanced at the next table where she saw the food appear as if by magic, served in abundance and variety. Dishes of all kinds, from stews to the most succulent desserts, were arranged like a dream banquet. The inviting scent of the dishes hovered in the air, and it almost seemed as if the atmosphere was pervaded by the festive spirit desired by the deities themselves. At the end of the canteen, a long series of drink dispensers stood out which immediately attracted the demigod's attention.

"What would you like to drink?" He asked, standing up.

"Hot tea, please."

Shirei stared at her for a moment, unable to understand whether his hearing had betrayed him or whether his stepsister had really made that request.

Dalia noticed, "What is it?" Then she rolled her eyes, "I know I seem strange, but you know I've been used to this since I was little. If you can even find a cup, so much the better."