[Flame]

As Banji clambered up into her mother’s arms, Griffin shot her a grumpy look, clearly untaken with the idea of sharing his mother’s attention. He squirmed against her, struggling to get a firmer handhold around Vega’s neck, his little arms wrapped all the way around and squeezing rather less-than-gently, even for a boy of his age. His eyes were baleful as they glared over at his older sister, but he was smart enough not to pick a fight that he couldn’t win. After all, Banji was bigger, and therefore could quite easily gain the upper hand in a struggle, but he had the ‘coddle card’. Being the youngest, he could still count on mommy and daddy to step in for him should things start looking ugly. Sometimes it paid off to be the smallest.

Astarael, currently perched in his father’s lap, reached over to rest two pudgy little hands on the desk, peering curiously at the piles of paperwork scattered across the polished surface. ”What’cha doin’?” he asked, golden eyes riveted on the scribbling pen, despite the fact that he had no idea what all those unintelligible words and numbers meant. Had he not been scolded for it before, he would have made a grab for the pen, or perhaps the paper-weight nearby, but obedient (for once), he kept his hands to himself, not keen on losing his spot on Vidown’s lap.

Vega, on the other hand, had her arms quite full with squirming three-year-olds, but being used to this kind of behavior, she simply shifted her grip to one a little more firm, and gently pried the siblings apart. Maybe for once, they could avoid tears for more than a few minutes (usually, it was Griff who was the first to turn on the taps, as he used the ability as a weapon against his older siblings). Vega chuckled at her daughter’s less-than-subtle suggestion, knowing full well what Banji wanted. ”Alright sweetheart, but only if you can persuade daddy to give up his oh-so-exciting paperwork for a while and come play outside with us.” It was a lovely day out today, and it would be nice to get out of the confines of the house for a little while and enjoy what time they could get together as a family. By means of encouragement, she nudged Vidown’s chair with a foot, as her hands were rather tied up. He spent so much time working: it would be nice to have just one day to enjoy, free of the constant worry about providing for the family.