"Yes." Raaz scratched his head in embarrassment while Trion almost snarled his answer.
Raaz hated having played such a minor role in Lith's upbringing whereas Trion hated the comparison. Not even death could completely extinguish the fires of sibling rivalry.
"Your brother is a special case, young man." Elina scolded him. "You gave us your fair share of trouble."
"But not as much as Tista." Aran grumbled.
"Hey, I was ill!"
"And how is that my fault?" He replied with the stubbornness of a child. "Our brother solved your problem so my point stands."
"You are so cool, Uncle Lith. When I grow up, I want to be like you." Falco said. He had blonde hair streaked black like Rena, but for some reason, Lith thought of Balkor every time he looked at the boy.
"Me too!" Lenart had black hair with silver streaks all over.
People often pointed out how similar he and Manohar the Second's human form looked like, sending a cold shiver down everyone's spine. The Kingdom would have loved another god of healing, the parents of the boys, however, didn't share the enthusiasm.
"When I get as old as Aunt Tista, I'll have surpassed you all." Teryon had auburn hair like Tista, with blue streaks that turned red at the tip of her hair.
She spoke with a confidence that annoyed the children's male side of the table plus one grown-up woman.
"Hey, why is 'grow up' when you talk about Lith and 'old' when you talk about me?" Tista was used to children's bantering but not to be the butt end of their jokes.
"Welcomed to my world." Trion grunted with a smirk on his face.
"Our world, you mean." Senton corrected him.
Misery always loves company.
"Because he's cool and you are not." The triplets replied as one without even trying.
"He's a Magus." Teryon shrugged.
"He's a great Dad." Lenart pointed at Elysia.
"He's the first mage of our bloodline and we take our family name from him." Falco pointed at the family insignia etched, drawn, or studded in many points of the Mansion.
"You are older and got nothing to show for it." They said in unison again.
"You little…" Tista jumped from her chair but had no way to rebuke their mean yet honest words without stooping down to their level.
"Don't worry. The first mile is always the hardest." Senton wanted but failed to laugh, feeling deep compassion for Tista. "Fair warning. It doesn't get better with time. You just get used to it."
"Preach, brother." Trion gave him a fist bump.
"Kids!" Rena blushed in embarrassment. "Stop grilling your aunt. These are not nice things to say."
"Why?" Teryon was honestly confused. "You taught us to always tell the truth, Mom. Do you want us to lie?"
"Absolutely not, baby girl."
"Then what's wrong with what we said?" The triplets' Dolby surround speech made it harder for Rena to find a polite answer.
"Tista is… I mean, everyone has a different path in life. Not everyone can do it and success doesn't guarantee happiness. I mean…"
"Well, thanks, Rena, I couldn't have said it better myself." Tista sneered. "You should become a lawyer. Mom, Dad! Say something."
Raaz quickly shoved food in his mouth so that when he spoke there was no way to understand a word he said.
"We are proud of all our children." Elina inwardly cursed her husband's ingenuity and went for a blanket statement before changing the topic. "Are you feeling better today, Solus?"
"Yes, Mom. Much better. Just this damn cough." Solus was crying from hilarity and her cough was the result of her failed attempts to stifle her laughter.
"With friends like this, who needs enemies?" Tista grumbled and accepted defeat.
"Uncle Lith, when will you take us on our trip to teach us magic?" The triplets asked in unison.
"When you are older and only if your parents give you permission." Lith replied.
Even though they were fraternal triplets, the kids often said the same things at the same time and each finished the sentence of the other. They had lots of interests in common and aside from the usual sibling rivalry about the pecking order, they rarely argued.
Sure, they could quarrel for hours about silly things like who was the oldest among them, who was the fastest, strongest, smartest, and so on, but if not for those disagreements one would think they shared a hive mind.
To be fair, everyone found their behavior adorable while Lith's paranoia often tingled.
'What if it's some kind of nascent mind link?' He would think sometimes while studying their deep orange cores that grew in unison like their owners.
"Also, if you are interested in becoming Forgemasters, you should learn the basics of smithing from your father." Lith pointed at Senton with a fork, making him choke on his food.
"Really?" The kids asked.
"Yes. Your father and I are partners. He gives shape to the thing I enchant. I couldn't work without him." Lith lied through his teeth.
"Wow! Dad, you are so cool!" The children turned their heads from Lith to Senton non-stop in awe.
"Also, working in a smithy is important to learn how to purify metals and respect fire. It can create but when mishandled, it destroys. I learned from Grampa Zekell as a kid and Senton was my senior in the smithy.
"He helped me craft my first metal Skinwalker armor." Aran and Leria already knew those things but had never heard them put in such a positive light.
They both shut up, although for different reasons. Aran was aware of Rena's arguments with Senton due to the gap in social standing while Leria felt guilty for not having thought about those things on her own.
'Probably Uncle Lith is trying to avoid making Mom and Dad argue more. He's making up for my mistakes.' Leria swallowed, holding the hems of her dress under the table.
It was none of her fault but as a child, the only way she had to take control over an impossible situation was to blame herself. The only thing she was right about was Lith's motive.
The triplets, like Fenrir, were approaching four years of age, when permanent memories and relationships would start to form. Lith didn't want Senton to suffer again, feeling isolated in his own family.
"Dad, can we work with you in the smithy? Please!" The triplets ran to his side of the table, pulling at his legs.
"Only if you behave and stop driving your mother crazy." He patted their heads with a smile but he felt a lump in his throat and his eyes were this close to mist.
Senton mouthed a silent 'thank you' to Lith who accepted it with a nod.
Another reason for his kind behavior was that now that Lith was a father, he was afraid of walking even one meter in Senton's shoes. The idea of someone else becoming Elysia's father figure filled him with murderous rage that he could repress only because the enemy existed solely in his head.
'I bet that Senton feels the same. He's just less powerful than me.' He thought, and he was right.
