Needless to say, the dinner table took an unsurprisingly somber turn in the wake of Arias' inflammatory remarks.
Underneath the table, Bianca was practically squeezing the life out of Anna's hand so that she wouldn't leap across the table and cause a scene.
For a few minutes, the only sound was that of spoons clattering within a bowl, and Arias' incessant chattering.
"So then, I had to tell the new guy; 'I don't care if you've got a weak stomach, I'm not cleaning that bathroom again! If you throw up then just make sure to mop that up too before you-"
"Arias."
"Yes, Uncle Mal?"
"Don't be funny."
"You were the one who brought up family technicalities first, I was just trying to play along a bit..." Arias pouted.
Groaning, Malachi manipulated the shadows and summoned the thickest folder any of them had ever laid eyes on.
"…Birthday invitations??" Arias gasped.
"Dude."