Chapter One: Birthdays

Gentle snowflakes fell from the heavens in the almost surreal silence of the cold darkened night. Even the almost ever present and constant wind from the frigid icy tundra had fallen silent for a time. The only light came from a pair of torches flanking either side of the large gate as they burned through the night. Their flames painted the freshly fallen snow in a warm orange hue as they flickered and caused the shadows of the night to dance around. It was freezing outside, as it was most nights in the frozen tundras of the North, but it didn't seem to bother Dimmetri Ioena in the least. He stood there on the edge of the flames light, staring up into the empty void of the night sky above watching as the snowflakes gently fell around him. A thick cloud of vapor escaped from his chilled nose, engulfing his face in a moment of warmth before it dissipated away into the night air. A light feeling of relief and contempt had washed over him as he allowed all the worries and troubles of life to slip away into the darkness of night. He had managed to find this rare moment of peace in his solitude, as he stood alone and closed his eyes for a moment. A faint smile appeared on his chilled lips as he enjoyed the moment for just a minute longer if he could. He was only broken away from this trance by the sound of approaching footsteps crunching through the snow as a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind.

"You're going to catch a cold if you stand out here for to long like that, Mr. Ioena."

The voice sounded as sweet and heavenly as the first time Dimmetri remembered hearing it. It made his smile grow even more as he gently nodded and grasped the pair of hands collapsed together over his chest. Her skin was almost just as cold as the night as he felt the weight of her body press against his back. Dimmetri didn't even need to look to know the loving embrace of his wife from behind him as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I think if I was ever going to catch a cold, it'd be because of these cold ass hands of yours" he replied with a small chuckle before turning to face her.

Iris Ioena-Lohnwood was absolutely stunningly beautiful. In the flickering lights of the nearby torches, Dimmetri could see the gorgeous purple hue or her skin and her long, dark purple hair ran over one of her eyes and down to her chest. Her almost hypnotizing blue eyes seemed to almost glow white in the reflection of the flames as they stared back into him. He couldn't help but smile even more as he ran his hands along her sides and pulled her body into his own a little more. She was wearing his favorite dress, the one that drove him absolutely crazy for her. It was a long, sleeveless silk dress that hugged her body nicely and highlighted her assets to him. It, like everything else about her, was also purple but sparkled in the light of the flames as she knowingly smiled back at him. She knew exactly what she was doing to him as she draped her arms over his shoulders again and leaned in to kiss him.

If anyone looked like they should have been freezing that night, it would have definitely been her. The dress was thin and had a long slit up the side that revealed her long slender legs right up to her thigh. She was wearing a pair of black heels as well that openly exposed her feet. As cold as she should have been however, she looked to be almost completely comfortable in the freezing cold. Even as the wind picked back up a little and blew the hair away from her face, Dimmetri couldn't feel the slightest hint of a shiver from her body. By the gods, she was smoking hot. He must have been staring a little too long as he heard her speak up with an almost sing-song melody in her voice.

"Why are you smiling so much?" she asked him.

"What, am I not allowed to appreciate a woman as sexy as you?" he said with a small chuckle in his voice.

"Look mister. I'll have you know I am a very happily married woman to this absolutely amazing, asshole of a husband of mine." She replied back to him.

Dimmetri could see the sly smile on her face as she looked up into his eyes almost challengingly. The look was absolutely adorable and sexy all at the same time and all he could do was roll his eyes a little as his smile grew even bigger. She knew him all too well and knew how his mind worked, even better than he did at times. She could tell what he was thinking before he even thought it himself and she could read him like a book. Dimmetri could never understand how or why, but she had fallen for him just as hard as he did for her, even through all his faults. He knew he had many faults too, and though some were harder to admit to at times then others, she still loved him all the same. She was one of the few people that could not only take him at his worst, but deal it right back to him as well. They both had a dark sense of humor at times and the dirtiest of minds. She of course was a lot more elegant about it than he was, and was much better with subtleties then he ever would be too. He couldn't count the amount of times he'd seen her make rude or sexual gestures towards him without anyone else around them even noticing. Her mind was just as dirty and messed up as his and he absolutely loved her for it.

"Well this asshole of a husband, loves you very much" Dimmetri replied, deciding to let her win this round of their never ending social combat with one another.

Pleased with her supposed victory, Iris leaned into Dimmetri's arms and placed her lips gently on his once more. Oh she was intoxicating. If they didn't already have prior plans together he'd probably take her back home by that point. She must have read his mind again as she broke her lips away from the kiss first and placed her forehead gently against his.

"Come on, they sent me out here to come get you" she said with a smile as she placed her hand on his chest and pushed him away a little with a smile on her lips.

Dimmetri looked past her, at the tall towering walls built behind her and the large wooden doors that were cracked open just wide enough to let someone through. Standing in the entrance, Dimmetri could just make out the small form of the Harrigan guard peering out the gate in their direction. He smiled and waved a little in their direction as the guard made a gesture towards them as if he was checking a watch. Dimmetri let out a sigh and nodded as he held up his index finger indicating they'd be over shortly.

"I see Marcus is in a good mood?" Dimmetri laughed as he looked back down at Iris.

"Mmm, I brought him along to help me carry your ass back inside in case you froze to death out here" Iris teased.

Dimmetri let out a sigh but smiled as she took his hand and began leading him back inside through the towering gates.

"Happy Birthday!"

The crowd inside the main hall of the InnBetween erupted into a chorus of cheers and laughter as Iris led Dimmetri down the steps and inside the Great Hall. Dimmetri would only just wave to the crowd of people before turning his hand and flipping them all the bird. That only made the crowd cheer even louder as Iris led down over to their usual spot. It was packed that night, even by the tavern's normal standards where it would be difficult for one to even walk around without bumping shoulders with someone else. However that night everyone seemed to be there, including their friends from far off places and realms. The crowd engulfed the couple as they began to make their way through slowly towards their seats. Hands clasped Dimmetri's shoulders and arms as others tried to put a drink in his hand. Dimmetri didn't exactly like being the center of attention in such a large crowd but he had reluctantly agreed to keep with tradition of having his birthday in one of the only places he'd ever call home.

Dimmetri was halfway through the archway leading into the staged side of the hall when he began to feel a series of wailing punches fall in rapid succession on his arm. He recoiled a bit and flinched as he looked to see a short, red headed woman, being seemingly all too happy to be wailing on his arm.

"Hold still, I think I missed one. Now I have to start all over again" the woman said with a devilish smile as she looked up at Dimmetri and readied to strike him again.

The woman was considerably shorter than Dimmetri with freckled skin and long dark red hair that was tied in a braided ponytail on the back of her head. She was wearing a brown leather jacket over a simple white tunic and a pair of dark colored jeans. She had similar facial features as Dimmetri and they both had the same rare colored blue eyes that no one else they ever met before had like theirs. They didn't quite glow like Irises eyes, but they both had abnormally bright blue eyes with hints of green and red in them. She looked up at Dimmetri with a determined smile on her face as she looked ready to wail on his arm once more.

"Hey you little runt," Dimmetri replied as he took up an equal stance towards her with a challenging look in his eyes "Don't think I'm gonna let you hand out punches without throwing a few more back your way."

"But these are special punches though. Birthday punches. By law you have to take them" the woman replied with a devilish grin

"Bitch, your birthday was yesterday. You deserve these hands just as much then. Don't think I forgot the worst day of my life" Dimmetri fired back.

The woman was clearly about to step forward into a swing when a hand appeared in front of hers and stopped her forward motion.

"Now now dear. Is that any way siblings should treat one another? Especially on such a special day for you both?"

Dimmetri looked over to see that the man who had stopped the fight was tall and skinny with a fair skin complexion that was even lighter than Dimmetri's. He had on a pair of small circular glasses over his yellow colored eyes and his white hair was wild and messy.

"Holy shit, Ezra! You exist!" Dimmetri cried as he dropped his fists and quickly embraced his brother in law.

Ezra's body immediately tensed up, clearly uncomfortable with the contact but Dimmetri didn't care. He hugged the other man tightly and even tried to lift his feet off the ground before the other man began to panic and struggle against Dimmetri's grasp.

"Dimmetri put me down! Put me down, put me down, put me down!" the man cried out loudly.

The crowd around them did nothing to help but instead cheered on the debauchery. It took Iris to step in and handle the situation as she placed her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Now now, I know we haven't seen him in years, but really Dimmetri you must put his elegance down safely. We wouldn't want to harm the hairs on his graces head now would we?" Iris said with sarcasm in her voice.

Dimmetri gave the man one last squeezing hug before he did as his wife said and put the other man down before stepping back. Ezra Lunabread cleared his throat as he stepped back, almost retreating behind the redheaded woman as he adjusted his ascot around his neck.

"Yes yes, message received. I know I haven't been around in quite some time. My apologies" Ezra replied looking slightly bashful "Work has been, very busy as you know as of late and I got a bit…too wrapped up in it"

"Mhmmm" the red headed woman nodded, turning to stand beside her husband with a nod as she looked up at him "But he's on vacation now and will not work while he's away now will he?"

"Y-yes dear" Ezra sheepishly answered as the others laughed at the man's expense.

"So how have you been, Pea?" Dimmetri asked as he looked down at his very own sister.

"Ugh I hate that you still call me that, but if you must know I too have been busy moving in and refurbishing our new house all on my own" she replied.

"Sorry again dear" Ezra said slumping his shoulders some

"It's okay baby, you've been busy literally running an entire plane of existence" she said as she patted his shoulder and comforted her husband.

"Oh so you're all moved in Raz?" Iris asked.

"For the most part. Still gotta finish repainting some of the rooms. Yo, douchebag, are you free to help with that?" Dimmetri's sister replied as she looked up at him.

"Gotcha kiddo" Dimmetri replied as he offered her a fist bump.

Razgriz Ioena-Lunabread smiled as she raised her fist up and this time met her brothers instead of punching him again. The two always had the same love hate relationship their entire lives together. Though Razgriz was roughly ten years younger than Dimmetri, the two had relied on each other a lot growing up, causing a strong unbreakable bond between them. That didn't mean they didn't enjoy being at each others throats most of the time though, but they'd always be there for one another no matter what.

"Well that's good. The three of us will have to come by and see it some time soon, especially with Ezra back home now." Iris said with a smile as she hung on her husband's arms a little.

"For sure! And speaking of, where is the little shit?" Raz asked, looking around.

Just then there was a commotion in the crowd as people stirred and heavy, thunderous footsteps could be heard as they approached. Suddenly, a small girl with purple hair riding on the back of a dragon burst through the crowd. The girl looked to be no older than ten years old with a rosy cheeks and a big smile on her fair skin. Her eyes were blue like Dimmetri and Razgriz but didn't have the same hints of green and red in them but instead were wide and filled with childlike wonder and joy. Her ears were brought back gently into a point and held her braided purple hair behind them. Below her was no less than an actual, bonafide dragon. It was clearly still just a baby itself but was still large enough for the girl to ride. It had blue scales with large yellow eyes like the moon and two wings folded up on its back. A large tail swung back and forth like a battering ram behind it, smacking into people's legs as its tongue hung out of its mouth like a dog.

"Violet Ioena, what did we tell you about riding Amerera around inside?" Iris asked, scolding the young girl.

"But but but but Moooooooom! There's so many people here and Amerera was making sure I didn't get lost,'' the girl replied.

Iris crossed her arms under her chest with an unamused look on her face as she tapped her foot impatiently. Both the girl and the dragon lowered their heads a bit before Violet climbed off her mount and stood beside her.

"Oh come on I, they were just being responsible and sticking together" Raz said as a matter of factly.

"Yeah honey, Violet was being a good girl and making sure she didn't get lost," Dimmetri added.

Iris's gaze sharpened on the two siblings before she pointed a finger in her husband's face.

"Listen mister, just because it's your birthday doesn't mean I won't fight you" Iris threatened in a low voice.

"I'm… failing to see a downside to this" Dimmetri replied with a smirk.

He received a slap to his chest from his wife as Razgriz let out a painful groan and Ezra forced away his look to the ceiling above.

"Why would you want to fight mommy, daddy?" Violet asked, looking confused.

"Weeeell-"Dimmetri started before Iris punched him in the chest.

"Dimma Iglesias Matthew Mark Edwardo Timothy Richtophen Ingelhiem Ioena, don't you dare!" Iris said turning slightly red in front of their daughter as she stared hard into his eyes with a look that read 'Don't'

Dimmetri just laughed at the use of his full real name, causing Iris to get even more frustrated with him. Not only for the obvious reasoning but also because she realized she had been baited easily into one of his traps as he paid her back earlier.

"Oh your going to get it later mister" she whispered angrily

"Looking forward to it," Dimmetri replied.

It was Iris's turn to pound her fists on Dimmetri as she stuck his chest over and over again as a voice echoed out in a distinct laughter over the crowd.

"Oh ho ho ho, as lively as ever in your growing age now aren't we there twerp?"

They turned to see a tall, well built man with gray white hair and a beard. His eyes were green and surrounded by wrinkles showing his advanced age over the others. A long scar came over his left eye which also had lost some of its pigmentation. He wore a fine red velvet suit that almost looked to be black when the light wasn't directly on it. He had a warm smile and a kindness in his eyes when he spotted the small Violet charging towards him past her parents.

"Uncle Wyatt!" Violet cried as she jumped up into the man's arms as he knelt down and threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh ho ho ho, my look how big you've gotten little V. You'll be as big as your dad soon enough" Wyatt smiled as he hugged her.

"She's almost as big as Raz already" Dimmetri smiled as the bombardment of elbows and fists continued on him with a jab to his ribs from his sister.

"Is that so? Say, Have you been a good girl this year?" Wyatt asked.

"Yes!" Violet replied quickly and nodded.

"Oh I believe you, so here's a little something for you" Wyatt said as he pulled out a small wooden bow with a rubber string and handed it to Violet.

"Thank you Uncle Wyatt!" Violet replied enthusiastically as she hugged the man once more and quickly took the bow over to Amerera to show her the new toy.

"She gets a gift on my birthday?" Dimmertri asked in a lower voice as he watched his daughter pretend like she was hunting with the bow and Amerera.

"My presence is your gift" the man replied as he went in for a hug with Dimmetri.

"Can I get a refund on that?" Dimmetri asked even as he went in for the hug with the large man.

After everyone else hugged Wyatt the small group eventually retreated over to their favorite corner booth over by the stage that the other patrons had purposely left open for them. Drinks were brought over by one of the bartenders and a toast was made not only to Dimmetri but also Raz for her birthday the day prior. Afterwards they sat and drank for a bit, catching up a little as Violet and Amerera disappeared off into the crowd once more.

"I know he's on his honeymoon and all but I wish Ozeag was here too. It's not often we all get together like this. Sort of sucks he ain't around. You would have loved to meet his wife" Dimmetri said to Wyatt as before he took a swig of the drink in his hand.

"Oh?" Wyatt asked

"Mhmm, he ended up marrying another Lunabread," Dimmetri replied.

"Not another one?" Wyatt rolled his eyes.

"I'm right here you know? That's my cousin you're talking about" Ezra said speaking up.

The three men laughed as Wyatt reached over Dimmetri and patted Ezra on the leg.

"You know I'm only pulling your chain." Wyatt laughed as Ezra just nodded in acknowledgement that he knew.

"Anyways, you're another year older huh? How old does that make you" Wyatt asked Dimmetri

"Forty three" Dimmetri said as he raised his glass up some

"Ah, still a spring chicken" Wyatt laughed

"Oh shut up, old man," Dimmetri replied, shaking his head.

"So you're technically the second youngest then? Cause it if memory suits me right it goes; Razgriz, You, Ozeag, Myself, Ezra, then…" Wyatt said looking upwards trying to remember before he looked over at Iris who was nursing a cup of tea.

She just simply sipped away at her tea paying them no mind as she ignored them.

"Between her and Ezra, really robbing the cradle huh?" Wyatt whispered.

"Okay ew, it sounds wrong when you put it that way. Drow of her kind and… Ezra's people age differently than the rest of us. They are still technically around our age if you convert the years a bit. But that's not a problem anymore, remember?" Dimmetri said the last part into his cup as he brought it to his lips.

"Mmmm and how is that working out for you so far?" Wyatt asked in a hush voice.

"Time will tell," Dimmetri replied.

"You haven't told her?" Wyatt asked sounding surprised

"No no, she knows. She just doesn't need to know the exact details" Dimmetri replied, nearly choking on his drink.

"You're a braver man than I" Wyatt shook his head.

"I just took what you taught me and put it to good use… and then some" said Dimmetri "Also you're wrong"

"Hmm?"

"I'm the third youngest." Dimmetri said correcting Wyatt's earlier assessment

"Third?" Wyatt asked

"Really? Come on old man you're starting to scare me a little here. Destin. Destin is younger than me and you didn't even include him." Dimmetri replied

"Oh, I only meant people who are here" Wyatt tried to recover

"Ozeag isn't here" Dimmetri corrected him.

Wyatt didn't reply but hid behind his glass and took another swig.

"Speaking of my partner in crime, where is he?" Raz asked, butting in on the conversation.

Dimmetri was about to shrug when suddenly it got very quiet in the tavern and the lights began to go out or dim. A cart was rolled out from the kitchen with a large cake on it with candles lit as none other than Destin himself wheeled it out. He was wearing an apron over the same leather jacket that Raz had and Dimmetri could see the two purple flowers on his lapel as well as the piece of obsidian and the wolf claw hanging from a rope necklace around his neck. His mustache had been recently trimmed and his wild brown eyes were locked on Dimmetri as he queued up the entire hall to sing.

"Happy Birthday to you!"

Dimmetri let out a heavy sigh as he looked around, clearly everyone else was in on it except him, including Iris, Raz, and Wyatt. Dimmetri just shook his head as everyone continued to sing. Violet quickly made her way over as the cart drew nearer and hopped up onto Dimmetri's lap with her big wide eyes locked onto the cake. Still shaking his head, Dimmetri looked at the cake as it was brought to the table and noticed the words 'Happy Birthday Dimme and Raz' expertly written in frosting on one of the tiers. Dimmetri looked over to his sister who looked equally as surprised as he did, seeing her name also added to the cake. They siblings looked at one another for a moment before laughing and standing up in front of everyone as the room fell silent once again.

"Holy shit, I think I just heard my own thoughts" Dimmetri joked

"I think I heard them too, it's so quiet," Raz added.

The room erupted into laughter and it took some time before it grew quiet once more. The two siblings looked at one another, unsure what to say really if anything at all. Instead, they both just shrugged simultaneously at one another before leaning in and began blowing out the candles. The cheers were a bit slower to start after the crowd was clearly expecting more out of them, but the chorus grew once more. The lights were relit and made brighter as a band that had assembled up on the stage began to play and was just barely audible over the lively sounds of the night.

"Happy Birthday to my favorite pair of moronic siblings" Destin said with glee as he rounded the cake and made himself room between Raz and Dimmetri as he placed his arms up over their shoulders.

"Ah and there's our idiotic bard, I was beginning to think we'd finally scared you away" Dimmetri chuckled.

"Pleeeaase. As if there was anything the two of you could do now that would scare me away. Nope, fortunately for you both, you will continue to be graced with my elegance for many more years to come" the man pronounced boldly as his voice moved up and down fluidly in tone and with a lot of emphasis and exaggeration.

"How did we get so lucky?" Raz mocked as she leaned forward on her elbow with her head in her hand, her eyes rolling in their sockets.

This sparked a laughter among the group. They had all grown used to the Ioena's twisted sense of humor and jabbing remarks. It even had rubbed off a bit on some of them as it almost became a necessity at times to keep up with the two siblings. While they laughed and took the time to properly greet one another in their own ways, the cake was being cut up by the staff and handed to the two siblings first before it was distributed around amongst the Great Hall. The sound of cheers and celebration continued to echo throughout the night as the small group of close friends and family celebrated on their own in the corner.

"Ugh, I feel like it's honestly been too long since we've all been able to get together like this. I mean seriously I see plenty of Dimmetri and all but you, Lunabreads. It's not like you live on another plane! Heck, I mean Dimmetri even lives on another plane and I see him more than I see the two of you who live just over in Colk!" Destin scolded after he had finished his third plate of the cake and was washing it down with a pint of ale.

"Well they are important people now don't you know? Ezra is essentially running the North now that Papa has stepped down and Raz sits at home eating chocolate covered fruits all day" Wyatt boomed out in a roaring laughter.

"Hey! I do a lot more than eat chocolate fruits all day!" Razgriz shouted back in reply as she nearly slammed her own drink down on the table.

"Oh, don't even get me started on you mister, 'Oh I'm a big shot God now. I don't have time to visit my friends'" Destin added as he jabbed a finger into Wyatt's chest.

"Wh- I- Look, I am a God, er man! I run Tytaura's biggest shipping and mail delivery service. I can't even afford to take even personal time for myself let alone make time to come see you clowns all the time." Wyatt spat out nearly spilling his ale.

"Pa-lease! We all know the company essentially runs itself these days! I'm sure you can make time to see your friends or even make a cameo in your old stomping grounds from time to time. I was starting to forget what your face even looked like!" Destin replied back squinting hard now at the large man sitting beside him.

Wyatt had his hands up as if trying to calm the much smaller man's temper and looked around at the others for any sort of help or back up. After the short conversation they had earlier in the night, Ezra and Raz really had nothing to say as they already received the guilt trip multiple times from multiple people that night. Iris wasn't paying much attention as she was holding the tired looking Violet whose head was bobbing around on her mothers shoulder. That left Dimmetri, the one person that considered Wyatt his oldest true friend and even his mentor. Wyatt had taught him the ways of being an adventurer in the cold and unforgiving frozen wasteland of the North and took pride in being the one who taught the infamous "Boogeyman of the North" most of what he knew. Surely of anyone he would have his back.

Dimmetri looked up at Wyatt, and with a slight draw of the corner of his lip, shrugged with his palms facing upwards. Wyatt felt an instant sense of betrayal and his mouth hung open slightly in astonishment. Though he really shouldn't have been so surprised. Not only was Destin correct, which Wyatt hated to admit, but he also shouldn't have expected any difference in a response to his plea for help from his pupil. It was after all Dimmetri's stubbornness and quick witted, wise ass remarks that made Wyatt want to teach him in the first place. With a long defeated sigh, Wyatt bowed his head and solemnly nodded that he understood and he too got the message loud and clear.

"Sorry pal, he got you on this one" Dimmetri added, adding insult to injury.

Destin nodded with a smirk shown under his mustache. He didn't often win in any arguments and discussions that the Ioena twins had any part in but for once in a rare occasion he had one of them on his side while the other was unable to comment. He reached his hand out and patted Wyatt on the shoulder with a wry smile.

"It's okay big guy, you already promised you'd make it by for Winters Crest too right?" Destin asked

"Yeah, I'll make sure I'll be there" Wyatt replied, sounding defeated with his shoulders slumped.

"Good! Oh and make sure you bring that perky little mechanic friend of yours. She's a riot!" Destin smiled and nodded with his arms folded over his chest.

"Mellow? But… yeah fine alright" Wyatt was going to protest but his will had already been broken and easily caved.

The others began to laugh at the man's misfortune. While the conversation was steered into a different direction by Wyatt, Raz looked over to her brother and gave him a slight nod to follow her. A bit confused by the notion, Dimmetri got up from his seat with his drink in his hand and looked to his wife to make sure she knew he was stepping away for a moment before he followed his sister. Raz led them outside upstairs and down the familiar hall towards the apartment the two had once called home and where Mama and Papa still lived. Using a key that the two of them both still had, Raz unlocked the door quietly before they made their way inside. The fireplace in the living room was still lit but was quickly fading away. On the couch, two older gnomish couple sat leaning against one another, covered in a blanket and presumably fast asleep. Holding a hushed finger to her mouth, Raz continued to lead Dimmetri through the apartment and down the hall towards their old room. Raz opened the door again quietly and stepped aside letting Dimmetri go in first. The room hadn't changed much since the last time Dimmetri had seen it. There was still two beds on either side of the room while the room itself was divided in two halves with different colored paint marking both sides. The side of the room Dimmetri had claimed territory over when they were kids was painted in a light gray color. The bed sheets were made of thick and heavy furs and dyed in a red hue. Raz's side of the room had red wallpaper instead of paint and her bed sheets were yellow. The room wasn't terribly big but there was enough space at the foot of the beds for the two to walk by and Dimmetri noticed the pair of luggage placed on Razgriz's bed as they passed towards the small balcony outside the room.

"You and Ez sleeping here?" Dimmetri asked in a hushed whisper.

"Mhmmm" Raz confirmed as she reached for the door handle to the balcony and slowly popped it open before the two headed out.

It was still snowing out, though it had turned into more of a light flurry by now and Dimmetri could just make out the tips of the Black Tooth mountains far off in the distance beyond the Inns walls. Dimmetri could hear a pair of voices from below them but it was just a few members of the wait staff talking between one another one their way home from their shifts. The night was otherwise still and quiet, the noise from the Great Hall inside magically suppressed for everyone else's benefit.

Dimmetri stood by the railing and watched as his sister dusted off the cushioned seat before raising an open palm towards the cushion. The air around her hand visibly distorted a little and a yellow light emanated from her hand. Dimmetri saw before his very own eyes as the moisture from the snow on the cushion quickly faded away as wisps of steam rose up from it. A few moments later Raz turned, and sat down in the chair. Dimmetri sipped away at the remains of the drink in his hand as Raz caught his gaze.

"Oh, sorry" she said a bit sheepishly.

Dimmetri only shrugged as if to say it was no big deal as he polished off what was left in his cup. He was still wondering why his sister had called him out there when he saw her open up her leather jacket and produce a bottle of whiskey from inside. She held it up with a sly smile and Dimmetri instantly recognized it as one of the more expensive bottles sold at the inn, being made in a very limited quantity from a one time batch. Raz took a corkscrew out from inside her jacket as well and opened the bottle before offering it up towards Dimmetri. He took the bottle with a smile of his own and poured half of it into his cup before he handed the other half back to her. She took it back and the two clanged them together before they held their drinks up towards the moon just barely visible through the clouds.

"Happy Birthday Grace" Razgriz said quietly

"Happy Birthday Big Sis" Dimmetri added.