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As I headed in I could hear Sara's Uncle Dave breaking up what I was sure would have been a stalemate to see who would make the first move on the food. “Hey Aunt Hime, they got coffee cake. A real bakery one too.”

Sara immediately protested. “That isn’t healthy Uncle Dave. You’re supposed to be backing me up on this, Grandpa has been feeding us nothing but junk food. He bought three dozen muffins in one trip. They didn’t even last one day.”

I muttered something about “Sure, don’t mention the bran ones I got special made.” Rosaria let out a guffle while The Itchiban elder glanced over at me.

Uncle Dave turned on his student. “I told you to watch your diet to make sure you were getting enough vitamins and protein. Not to tell other people what they can eat." He pointed from him to Sara. "Me teacher, you student.”

The eldest grandchild looked betrayed, then a little glum and embarrassed as she glanced around the room and realized everyone was looking in her direction.

I gave her an out. “Grab a sandwich kid. There’s some multigrain bread and plenty of fruit.”

The Witch looked away from the tray of chocolates in little paper cups towards my son as he stared back at her with his arms crossed. He had brought in several boxes of both imported and local sweets the night before and set them all out that morning. She gave him a grimace and a glare but still slipped over to give them a closer examination.

Since my lack of sleep was catching up with me I hit the coffee pot and added a healthy dose of cream and sugar. The stuff had become a necessity in my life over the years, but I had never grown to like the taste of it.

People drifted back and forth from the food to little groups. Hime was warmly greeted by the children, as was Brie. But the kids were subtly held back from going to greet either Otaru or Endora.

Instead, Charles drifted over to start a discussion with the head of the Ichiban, and Drew headed straight over to the Witch. Which I wasn’t entirely sure was the best idea.

“Hello, Miss Caine. So this self enhancement thing? From the sound of it, I can’t do it now that my brother has bitten me. Is that correct? Could you by any chance tell me what exactly could I have done with it before that?”

The Witch slowly turned her head to stare at him for a moment as if deciding if she was going to do something to him or just look away and ignore him. Instead, she called out. “Ami, attend me.”

Oh, I guess we’re starting. I set down the sandwich I had managed to get halfway through and eyed the coffee cake sadly. It was just so small, only enough to give twelve people a good-sized piece. I might only get one of the slices.

Ami looked to both of her parents, and at my son’s resigned nod, she headed over to her great grandmother. Who proceeded to discuss my brother like he was an exhibit.

“What we have here is a newly infected lesser arcane, or as your father likes to call them, an inner magician. His magic is too weak to allow him to project it to work spells or even participate in a ritual to any real extent.”

She gestured at my equally both offended and fascinated brother. “Instead he had the ability to train himself beyond normal physical and mental limits, but like most of the lessers, he was unaware of this potential and his abilities became largely fallow with age.”

The Witch looked at Drew with a tilt of her head. “Now that he is a lycanthrope, his potential for magic will be used by the curse so that there is no longer even the possibility of using his magical potential for anything else.”

She turned to look at me. “That is the cost of the curse, an immediate gain, but strictly limited possibilities. A fool’s bargain.”

Drew suddenly grinned. “Well, then it's a good thing I got a chance at this now. The other way sounds like a lot of work, and I’m retired. Instant good health, getting my leg back, no more insulin shots, and I don’t have to worry every time that I feel a little off that the cancer is coming back to kill me.”

He gave the now bemused looking Witch another big grin and a nod. “Thanks for letting me know Miss Caine, it’s always good to get a professional opinion.”

Otaru spoke up. “At your age, it was the better choice, but the curse is… generic. It takes all of your possibilities and forces it into a fixed path, regardless of how you may have developed with training into your strength and needs.”

He stared the Witch right in the eye. “Even a spell weaver can benefit from inner training as a foundation to build upon. Once she has that she can better determine her own path.”

The Witch gritted her teeth. “Ami is in horrible danger each moment she spends outside of my protection. I will not have her waste her time with… sports… when I could be teaching her to become a power upon this earth and the realms beyond it you withered old, man.”

Otaru grinned. Werewolves got nothing on that old man when it came to barring their teeth.

“What about your kids?”

Everyone in the room turned to look at me. Great. I got everyone's attention. “You taught them right? Or didn’t you teach them well enough to protect Ami and pass down your teachings?”

I took a deliberately unconcerned sip of my coffee while the Witch gave me an enraged then uncertain look.

“I taught them both well, but the elder rebelled against my teaching and sought her own path, which she keeps to herself. The other has sought bits and pieces of many traditions in hope that she can strike me down one day.”

Rosaria went stiff and kept her face carefully blank as Brie looked at her in surprise. Endora shook her head. “Each of them may have much to teach her, but I can’t trust them to know enough since neither has even taught others. I have no examples to judge their worth as teachers.”

She glanced over to Ami, who shook under her parents' concerned hands. Her own hand clenched into a fist by her side.

“Is the thought of learning under my hand so terrifying to you child?’

Ami nodded her head up and down rapidly. The Witch smiled.

“Good. For that means you have some degree of wit and perception.”

I cleared my throat. “Maybe you and your daughters should have a little talk in private Miss Caine. Come up with some sort of educational plan.”

“Charles? Can you show the three of them to the game room?”

My nephew looked over at me and pointed at himself with a betrayed look as the three witches began to gather together and stared at him expectantly.

Sorry Chuck, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to get into an elevator with those three, and I think Endora has had enough of your father.