Oryen, Garrett, and Damien all stepped out back, following Damien as he walked towards a firepit. It was to the right of the backdoor, near the grill and jacuzzi, and sported six lounge-style chairs all seated around it.

It looked like it was already filled up with wood.

"Would you like some beer?" a voice asked, startling Oryen a little.

He hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings, he rarely did as that was typically someone else's job who was better at it when he was commanding, and the girl had just appeared out of thin air.

"No thank you, Adrenna. I was wondering where you had gone. I'm glad to see you made it back fine. Thank you for filling the fire pit," the boy replied.

"Of course," she said, disappearing again as Oryen followed her movements back to the house.

He waited until she was inside and began speaking.

"You are quite respectful to your slave. It's commendable."

Damien glanced at him and rolled his eyes, sending a flame to the pit and starting the logs.

"Being kind to another person shouldn't be commendable; it should be expected."

'Not in the mood for talk, ok,' Oryen noted to himself.

He heard the sound of a beard brushing against a shirt intermittently, indicating the boy's father was probably nodding.

"Raised well, apparently," Oryen said with a chuckle.

"He's always been like this. Emily and I just refined it," Garrett responded to the praise.

"Well, it's nice to see anyway, in a person who has become such a large part of my daughter's life," Oryen replied. "Cigar?"

Damien looked up thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head.

"I'll have my own."

Oryen grinned.

'Bit skeptical. Smart.'

"Then I'd like to trouble you for one of those, if I may?" he asked, receiving a nod in turn.

A minute later, the Brinter slave had come back with a box in hand, carrying cigars. Most likely produced by Eleram, when Oryen visually inspected and smelt them he could tell the quality was mostly toward the upper-middle. It would taste alright, but it seemed they might have been improperly stored based on the lack of oil on the surface. Perhaps it would be a hot burn.

It was better than nothing, though.

After another minute or so, he finally heard Petrina coming in to land at the front.

No one spoke of the three men.

'Well, might as well try.'

"You know, Petrina had a plan for Alexa," Oryen started. "From the time she was born until she hit the age of thirty, she had a plan. You and your beautiful family here was never a part of it," he chuckled out.

"Till she was thirty?" Garrett asked, laughing a little. "That's more than half my life."

Oryen winked at the man and got a nod back. It seemed he was on board with lightening the situation after everything that had happened. Truly, a good Human who was able to judge others objectively.

"Yes, well, she always loved to be in control of things. From our home's layout, outfits, the food we served at parties... she has an image in her head for all her plans. I think the biggest one was always the plan she had for Alexa."

"It's too bad we ruined it," Damien scoffed out, getting comfortable in his chair while staring at the fire in front of them with his cigar hanging from his right hand.

"I suppose it is, and it isn't," Oryen said, not letting it stop him. "She never cared to be the warm mother that would be our girl's best friend. She had a schedule Alexa needed to keep to. Petrina wanted her to be an astounding mage; powerful enough to stand on her own and defend herself from anyone she might be paired with in the future. The rare moments she praised Alexa were always the times I saw my daughter smile the brightest, even more than when I would break her out for the day and be the fun parent. Alexa might have loved me more, but I know she respected my wife's words much more than my own. Whether you had come along or not, my little girl would have been in charge of her own destiny and strong in her own right. She has her mother in her."

"Well, then it's really too bad we stepped in," Damien responded again, still looking into the pit.

"I don't think so," Oryen replied, causing Damien to look over for a moment before turning back. "She may have been great, but to get there... would have, and already had, required more than a few sacrifices. She had no friends, was terrible in social situations, was stubborn, angry often... I'd never admit this to my wife, but when she mentioned Alexa would be going to stay with Vanessa, I was hoping she'd instill a little rebellious spirit into the girl. Help her change, if even a bit."

He paused and puffed from his cigar.

'Not hot yet, I like it.'

"So when I read that letter about her and you, I was surprised. It had seemed like nothing was changing based on all the previous messages from her, so I had worried she was making no real friends from school, making no changes. Staying in a clique, no doubt at the top, and going through school as her mother had. Looking back, that's probably why Petrina let her continue to stay out here, whether Alexa realized it or not. But that letter..."

Oryen stopped for a moment, turning his eyes over to Garrett.

"You should have seen my wife's face. Man was she pissed," he chuckled out, getting a laugh out of Garrett as well. "I thought she was going to hurt me. My poor books... she tears the edges when she's nervous and mad, she must have maimed at least ten that day. Anyway, so there I'm wondering now, what will my daughter look like when I come to see her finally, with this boy that has put her so off Petrina's plan... Surely it can't be that bad; she's Diamond already and attributes her success to you," he continued, gesturing to Damien. "I thought my first feeling when I saw her would be pride, respect, love... But, we get here, and I think my first feeling upon seeing her was one of regret and sadness," he said, pausing while listening in as Belinda finally went out to invite Petrina inside.

"I was sad because for the first time since she'd been born, I'd seen her smile at other people like she so very rarely smiled at us, but it was happening so openly and often."

Damien looked over at him, obviously holding back another biting remark, before turning to look back into the flames.

"I think I was most hurt though by the fact that if I hadn't gone along with my wife's selfish plan and allowed her to be a little more of a child, perhaps we would have been able to see that smile more. So, I'm thankful for the change you put her through," he said, Damien looking back over at him with a complicated expression, like he was unsure how to respond, "and whether or not you two do choose to stay together in the future, I believe she will live a much better life for it. Your family did a great job with my daughter where I couldn't."

For a minute or so, the only sound in the area was from the crackling of the fire and the sounds of crickets as the night deepened. The three sat quietly, smoking together while staring at the flame and Oryen watched as maybe just a little tension seemed to leave the boy's body.

"If only your wife less batshit crazy and more like you," Garrett said bluntly, causing Oryen to laugh as Damien's eyes widened.

"I've often wished that same thing," he said back, still chuckling. "But she's mine. And I love her. Believe it or not, she used to be worse. Sometimes I still can't believe I chose her all those years ag-"

"You picked her?" Damien asked, looking like he'd nearly choked as he sat up.

Oryen nodded with a big smile, proud of himself.

"Yep. I'd do it again, too. Even took her name. My family never cared for me much; third son with no real talent in magic. But she loved my voice, and I was the only one who could break through her walls. Somedays I regret it as I'm sure everyone does, but those are far and few in between, getting fewer by the year. She's, unfortunately, the woman who matches me perfectly."

Garrett laughed and nodded along as the outside air continued to get refreshed by a light breeze. He even saw Damien smile just a little bit as he reminisced.

"Well, speaking of my magical talent, how about that show you had prepared?" Oryen asked, causing Damien to look up.

"I'm not sure if now is the best of times," Damien responded.

"What better time than now when we have a few minutes to kill?" Oryen asked. "Your father is even here. Now's the best time you could choose."

He watched Damien glance over to his father, who was looking back with interest. After a brief moment, he sat up a little straighter and nodded.

Oryen smiled back, happy to get him to a place better than he had been. He might have embellished a few things, but ultimately, he hadn't lied to them.

"I'm not sure if you'll like it. It took quite some time to get it down to two spells, working with more than that kept making them fall apart before I could activate them..." Damien muttered, setting his cigar on the chair's arm while he leaned forward and crafted an intricate spell between his legs.

Oryen watched the spell come into being with his expectations raised, only to realize it was as simple a sound spell as you could get, albeit a little complicated. It would output a noise or string of noises at a certain volume for a specified amount of time until the spell had run its duration. It was handy for replaying a memory of sound, whether it be music, a speech, a previous conversation... Oryen had used it for all.

He didn't know what Damien was preparing, he couldn't hear what sounds were being placed into it, but his expectations had dimmed slightly. He'd hoped Damien had made something brand new from all the stories he'd heard about him, but that was apparently not what he would be treated to. From what he could tell by the mana fluctuations, it was something the boy had heard, though played a little louder and in parts, rather than an entirely new sound he'd made through trial and error.

"Alright, one of these is for the string instruments, one for the percussion and... well, any other sound I thought needed to be added in. I'm not sure... what all wind instruments were used, to be honest," he said, holding up two spells in front of them. "It runs about a minute and a half... I may have taken some creative liberties here and there. I think you'll both like it."

'So it is a song... Well, perhaps it will be new,' Oryen thought, hoping while nodding to Damien with a smile. 'Strings though... sounds like a bard inspired this?'

He resolved to pretend to like it no matter what it was. Maybe he wouldn't have to act, based on the word he'd used from his own language.

They watched the spell float slowly upward and eventually stop in front of the three of them, hovering above the fire pit.

"Violins'' Damien muttered, activating the first spell.

Instantly, Oryen was seized by a feeling of unease as a low, upbeat chorus of an instrument he'd never heard before began quietly, rapidly increasing in volume from all directions around him. This is not what he'd expected when he'd heard it was a song. It was as if there were twenty people all playing the same chords loudly as they could to overwhelm him with the mere cacophony they created together. The pace was rapid, and his heart was already moving to match it as nervous energy surged through his body with each loud note.

A deeper bellow joined in moments later, raising in pitch as if building for something to come. Oryen thought he'd seen Damien mutter something else under his breath, but was already too overwhelmed by the intro to focus on anything else.

He grinned wildly as the Violins he'd been listening to were seemingly joined by even more, increasing in volume instantly. A half-second later, his smile changed to surprise as his shoulders and upper-body jumped up, a sound as if hundreds of people had all slammed sheets of metal together all around him in perfect harmony.

Barely into the intro of the song, his mind still struggled to keep up as the pace of the song increased. He found his head darting from one side of the backyard to the next, chasing the different sounds as they danced around him. Everything rose in tone once again as the clashing sounds hit more often, the string instruments seemingly inviting them in with each rise and fall in their own pitch.

The moment he finally found himself understanding the timing for the call of the percussion, the entirety of the spell changed in pace once again. Two loud impacts of the string and percussion instruments came together following which, everything got darker as the string instruments delved into a booming, foreboding sound. Oryen struggled to stay seated, fighting the sensation of his body telling him to hide from what was coming.

The energetic, upbeat, exciting song came crashing down all around him as Oryen gripped his chair tight, breaking the wood they were crafted from. A booming sound thundered out all around him as the story changed, raw power rippling over his body as felt sweat bead down his face and goosebumps rise across his being all at the same time.

If it weren't for the pain in his hands at the shards of wood embedded in his skin, Oryen was sure he would have long ago passed out. The song continued the story of an epic battle and accomplishments of another, rising and falling in pair. Finally, after what felt like an eternity and seconds all in one, the masterpiece came to a close with the thundering rollout of all the deeper instruments. Oryen neither said anything or moved for minutes after it finished, even when the boy asked if he'd liked it.

He tried to process everything he'd just listened to, all he'd seen. His mind was a mess, and his skin was still riddled with goosebumps, the feeling of recently dried tears still present on his cheeks. Salvation came in the form of something he was quite used to dealing with: His wife. He heard her begin to yell and heard Alexa begin to shout as well. Focusing on that, he pulled himself away from his overwhelming thoughts and sent his wife advice, asking her to apologize. It was a hard thing for her to do, sure, but hopefully, she'd listen.

Gods knew how bad Oryen needed to preserve this relationship. Whether Alexa stayed with Damien or not, Oryen would never stop speaking with this child until the day one of them died.

He tried to send another message, only to find his voice blocked. Confused, he tried again, then listened in to what was happening, only to hear five words come back from the Fae and nothing else ever again from the room.

"She speaks her own words."

Oryen sighed, the regular sound of it finally breaking him out of his introspection. Looking left, Damien was gone. When he looked to his right, the young man was there, trying to get his father back into his chair.

Oryen coughed lightly to get his attention.

"Oh, you're back. I thought I'd broken you too," Damien said, startled. "Sorry if that was a surprise."

"No! No not at all," Oryen quickly replied. "It was... it was superb. I was just trying to help my wife through a minefield she'd created for herself. The song... it left me speechless."

"Oh, you were listening to them?" Damien asked, a little annoyance presence in his voice. "What advice did you give?"

"No! No my boy not during the music I swear to the God of Truth I was focused. I told her to apologize and perhaps she would get the opportunity to get her daughter back on plan when she came home. Not that I'd ever hope for that," he said, hands up as Damien glared, "only that perhaps that would give us all enough leeway for my wife to see things in a different light. Let the next one hundred years change her perspective on your relationship," Oryen said, admitting everything. "I'd want no one else as my son-in-law, I can swear that to the God of Truth myself now as well."

Damien's eyebrows lifted as his eyes opened wide, jaw dropping slightly. Oryen was surprised he'd said that himself, but it was entirely accurate. This was no longer even about his daughter's happiness. He'd never experienced something so genuinely awe-inspiring before in his hundreds of years pursuing this magic and would do whatever he could to convince Alexa to stay with this child.

His wife would come around, or he'd visit them alone if he had to.

Damien nodded after a few moments and smiled.

"I'm... sure it was the song, but I'm glad you can say that honestly, at least. Here's to changing your wife's opinion over the years," Damien said, holding up a cigar.

"Yes. I would be lying if I said it wasn't true, but even before the song, I held fewer objections to your family than positive impressions. However, that music. I... you must teach me how to make it. If you could play it again in fact-"

Oryen's words caught in his mouth as Damien's expression turned cold and detached in an instant. The boyish grin at his praise had turned into a hardened grimace as he marched for the backdoor, passing by without making eye contact as he dropped his cigar to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Alexa needs me," he spoke between grit teeth while striding away, disappearing into the house.

Oryen watched as he left then shook his head, understanding that no doubt his wife had done something horrendous. Talks had not ended amicably.

Looking around after a few seconds, he picked up and pitched the three cigars laying on the floor around each other into the fire pit and sent his own flame in after them, burning the wood and cigars to a crisp. Once it died down to a red glow with nothing left to burn, he turned to the right and looked at the still-passed-out man before him.

"I understand completely," he mumbled, bending down to pick the gentleman up and carry him on his shoulders inside the house, ignoring the unpleasant feeling of the first Human he'd ever allowed to touch his wings.

Damien made his way inside as the feeling in his chest continued to worsen, making a straight line for Alexa. When he opened the door for the lounge Vanessa was just walking out of the room on the other end with a stern look on her face, moving for the front of their home.

Studying to the couch, Alexa was huddled in a ball and shaking like a leaf as Emily and Kastra did their best to comfort her. He moved toward the couch and got behind the trio before gently inserting his arms in between Alexa and the other two. When they let go, he carefully lifted his girl up in a princess carry before he got her to his chest, then lifted her top end a little higher as he propped her on himself and placed her arms around his neck.

"I'm here, you're fine, I love you, my dear, let it out," he whispered into her ear as she settled into place.

Like many times before when he'd carried her to bed or helped her in situations similar when they were younger, the girl wrapped her arms and legs tightly around him and soaked his collar with her tears. He slowly scratched at her wings and whispered what he could while smiling down at Emily who had also been crying with the girl. After bending down to kiss his mom on her head, he reached over and grabbed Kastra's hand while heading for the door that would lead to the front room and ultimately, the staircase leading to their bedroom.

Before walking out, he turned around and looked at Emily again.

"Dad is passed-out out back. I... I showed him my music, and I think it was a bit much for him. Oryen is out there with him, but I'm not sure if he'll help him inside-"

"My ears are burning," Oryen said, entering the room with a smile and his father as the man once again surprised Damien. "I'll let you handle that while... Emily dear, would you mind showing me where to deposit this gentleman?"

Damien watched his mom frantically wipe her tears, seemingly confused and flabbergasted at the old, handsome Celestial carrying her husband who was drooling on the man's wings. Garrett seemed to be enjoying every second of being toted around by Oryen and Damien wasn't sure if he'd admit it if he woke up right now, or if he was already awake.

Not interested enough to find out, Damien and Kastra walked through the doorway and up the stairs to their room, ready for some much-needed sleep.