Game Night

It was exactly 7PM when they arrived in the mansion. Frey was clinging unto Angeal's arm as they walked inside.

"Oh! They're home," the old man exclaimed, making the other immortals come out from the other side of the lobby.

"Finally! We get to eat," Edwin exclaimed but the moment they saw Ivar and Devin come from behind them, the immortals and the old man bowed to greet their master in unison.

"Welcome home, master."

Devin waved his hand, signaling for them to stop bowing.

"It is a special day today. Forget about formalities for a while and enjoy the evening," he said, making everyone's eyes widen in surprise.

'Seriously!?'

They found it difficult to believe that their master had said so! Since he was aloof and he mostly reiterated his position, they thought that he would not want to disregard his rank.

Maybe this night is special after all?

"Thank you, master," everyone said in unison as they all made their way to the dining room.

Seeing that his granddaughter is wearing an oversized coat, the old man furrowed his brows then looked at her with worry.

"Were you cold, child? Oh... it is warmer here now. Take it off, dear," Gladios said worriedly, making the girl shook her head.

'Goodness... if grandfather worries seeing me like this, what more if he knew about the incident a while ago?'

Angeal tried her best to give her grandfather a smile then pointed upwards, indicating that she would change her clothes for a while. It was enough gesture for the old man to understand.

"Alright then," he said then gave his little girl a kiss on the forehead. "Off you go, child."

Pulling Frey with her, Angeal quickly went up towards her room then closed the door shut.

The moment Frey was assured that they were left alone inside her room, she heaved a heavy sigh then looked at her best friend with worry.

"Oh, I can't keep up with this acting shenanigans anymore! Are you alright?"

Angeal gave her a faint smile then held her hand as she mouthed, "I am fine."

The moment Angeal let go of her hands, she unbuttoned the buttons of Devin's coat and revealed her only wearing her bra then her pants, making Frey gasp.

"Those rascals!" Frey was already fuming in anger as she flailed her hands around. "Whoever did that to you they must be—"

Angeal furrowed her brows as she put her finger in front of her best friend's lips, shushing Frey.

'I don't want anyone to worry!'

Seeing Angeal like this, she rolled her eyes at her as she sat on the bed. Angeal opened her wardrobe then got a simple t-shirt to go along with her jeans and wore it. She got her phone from her pocket then typed.

"I don't want to worry the others. Keep it a secret. Especially from Arvid and Pops."

Hearing the robotic voice, Frey nodded then stood up to hold both of her shoulders.

"Okay then. Just promise me... promise me you won't make me worry this much," she said and agreed as she hugged her best friend again, making Angeal smile.

She was grateful to have a best friend that she could trust anything with. She thought to herself what if she hadn't met Frey before? She would have been so lonely as she grew up.

Frey broke their embrace then fixed her hair and gave her a smile.

"Let's not be too long. Let's go."

***

They had indulged, eating more than they'd thought possible.

They started eating the creamy mushroom soup that felt warm in their belly, which they'd needed on a night as cold as this. When the bowl had been in front of them, white wisps had etched themselves on the cold air, stretching out to caress their nostrils.

'Ah... this was a delicious start indeed!'

A hearty fish dish had followed. It laid on a silver platter in front of them, on top of which sat a fleshy pink strip of trout, garnished with dashings of green herbs. Furthermore, the fish course was supplemented by a side plate of mussels.

Their black shells lay open, the beige insides spilling out—sickening yet enticing.

"Uh," Arvid reacted as he took one mussel with his hand, making everyone look at him with expectant eyes.

Arvid had never eaten these before. He opened his mouth hesitantly then he let the mussel slide inside. It felt horrible on his tongue—slippery and nasty, but they tasted pleasantly of the ocean without an overwhelming aroma of fish.

Arvid's eyes widened in surprise as he put down the shell on his plate with satisfaction.

"Hey, it's good!"

Seeing his reaction, everyone chuckled as they continued on eating their food. Everyone was eating heartily as they conversed to each other with ease and fun.

After the seafood dishes had been cleared away, Martha snapped her fingers, making the main meal appear on their table.

On the table now appeared a full spit roasted pig, its skin a sizzling, mouth-watering golden brown, jaws prised around a forest green apple.

"Woah," Frey exclaimed as they saw how immortals enjoy their dinner party with a little bit of magic. "That was awesome," she complimented Martha, making the head housekeeper give her a wink of appreciation.

Cuts of the pork had been served with a refreshing apple sauce, easing the perfectly cooked meat down. It had been accompanied by potatoes that were diced up in a bowl with carrots, mushrooms and zucchini topped off with a healthy dash of pepper that stung the throat in the most pleasurable way.

"Wow, this is delicious," Edwin complimented as he ate his pork with delight.

Gwen took another spoonful then spoke after she chewed.

"The recipe here is old man Gladios'! He's such a great cook, I'll tell you that," Gwen complimented, making the old man chuckle.

"Oh, why thank you! I like it when people enjoy my food," he said and Angeal smiled as he wiped the corner of her grandfather's lips.

Seeing the sweet gesture, everyone smiled at the display of affection the sweet girl has for her grandfather. She loved him indeed!

After eating the food, then came the dessert. A slice of a cherry torte was placed on the table in front of everyone.

The pastry had been light, both in texture and color, with a thick dark brown crust, all of which contrasted with the beautiful cherry red sauce that poured out of it. The torte was topped by a thin layer of icing sugar as white as snow, but as sharp as salt.

Once everyone took a bite of it, their eyes had widened, even their quiet master found it delicious.

"Wow," everyone exclaimed as they took another bite of the dessert served to them.

"It was satisfying knowing that everyone enjoyed the dessert I baked. Thank you," Ava said, making everyone look at her.

"Yeah," Gwen chimed in as she took another spoonful then gave Ava a look of approval. "Consider yourself being lucky that you are good at baking," she added, making Ava curl her lips into a smile.

"Thank you," she thanked them as everyone continued eating their last dish in their dinner party.

After an hour and a half, everyone felt full the moment they cleared all of their plates. As everyone rested, they also had engaged in various conversations, with even their master chiming in every now and then.

These immortals have been staying in the mortal realm for a very long time... but they realized that they only had fun now.

Especially when Gladios and Angeal came to the mansion.

Soon after, Ivar got their attention when he clapped his hands as he stood up. All eyes were on him as they expectantly waited for what he was about to say.

"You thought the party is over," he started as his lips curved into a playful grin. "Well, it's not over yet because we're having a game night! Woohoo!"

When everyone heard him, everyone became excited as the dining room turned into a room full of enthusiasm.

Ivar faced Devin and gave him a smirk as he pointed at him with his dessert fork.

"And since you mentioned earlier to drop the formalities, automatically, you join the games!"

When he heard this, Devin raised an eyebrow at him as he scoffed.

"Ha?"

'I asked you to lighten up the mood for the girl... but not drag me into it, dimwit!'