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Chapter 104: The Alpha's Formal Supper

Nathanial was putting the final touches on some of the dishes he was making for supper, but he had to shake his head many times during his preparations because of what had happened. He had no idea that Nick's pheromones or whatever could be that powerful. His Mind Ward had virtually no effect, and everyone's innate defences and willpower just vanished in the face of Nick's arousal. Even Faelen and Conor -- the two most disciplined people he knew (other than Liam) -- succumbed. Hells, they seemed to be more vulnerable than anyone else. Even two completely straight guys -- Alpha McDougal and Den -- got blowjobs from underage boys. Micah seemed to enjoy himself, though; sucking off Den while Conor fucked him put a huge smile on his face and his tail never slowed down once. Neither adult was abusive at all, thankfully, or he probably would've gone berserk despite Geoff ploughing him.

Nathanial swallowed a fierce growl. Nick, and later Dirk, enjoyed the roughness of Alpha McDougal and obviously didn't mind the verbal abuse, but if he hadn't been in the thrall of Nick's magic he would've done...something bad to the Wolf. Sexual play or not, no one talked to Nick like that and got away with it.

Nathanial jumped when Faelen put his arm over his shoulder. The grey-furred Wolf looked at him in concern and asked, "What's got you so angry? You're making the whole kitchen rattle."

The Mage took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Half the cans in the pantry had almost fallen off the shelves and many other loose objects around the kitchen had bounced out of place too. He carefully put them back with his telekinesis while he took another breath. "Sorry. The alpha has just gotten me a little riled."

Dirk exchanged glances with his son. "I think this might be preferable to your usual anxiety..." He made sure to stress his doubt about that. "Might be. But I'm not sure why you're so upset at him. You freely admitted that Nick's pheromones were too powerful for any of us to resist; none of us -- no matter how much we enjoyed ourselves or wanted the sex we got -- wanted to have sex when and where we did." He chuckled and rubbed Faelen's ears. "Damn, Son, that was great, though. I'm really glad Sensei isn't the jealous type." He resumed working on one of the salads and addressed Nathanial again. "So, I don't know how you can be angry with him. What about Conor or Da? Why aren't you angry at them? You said they had sex with Micah for Zeus's sake. He's eleven!"

Nathanial growled. "He's eleven and half-Nymph. Nymphs are fully grown by his age and need sex to survive. He's not getting what he needs, not completely, from Nick, so I can't really be angry. He's also more likely to be at fault here than they are; if he didn't seduce them, they probably would've just jerked each other off or sixty-nined. I'm mad at the alpha because of what he was saying, not what he did. The fucking bastard was fucking trash-talking Nick. No, not trash-talking, but demeaning him in every way he could think of!" The two Wolves leaned back over the counter in alarm when Nathanial whirled and threw his santoku knife at the far wall. It sunk five centimetres into the wood panelling surrounding the door to the hallway.

Faelen met his father's eyes; Dirk looked pretty worried, though a little impressed by the throw. Nathanial bet they were afraid he was going to lose his mind again, but he was just really angry and not...whatever it was that happened when he got one of those blanks in his memory. He pulled the knife out of the doorframe with his telekinesis and began bringing it back while he cast Mending on the gouge in the wood.

Dirk reached out and grabbed the handle of the knife when it floated by. "Nathanial, you probably don't watch the same type of porn that we -- the, uh, kinkier guys -- watch. Alpha McDougal wasn't all that out of line. Nick probably expected to be talked to like that, and I certainly was." He stepped away from the Akita when the basilisk glare was turned on him, but he kept talking. "I really doubt that they'll be doing anything more, but if you're concerned, talk to Nick. I can mention this to Conor and have him raise your concerns with the alpha, too, just in case there is a replay of today at some point. I think Conor will make sure we never show up at your house until after Nicholas has had time to sate himself from now on, though."

Nathanial grimaced. "I need my knife." Dirk passed it over and Nathanial washed it off before continuing to work on the appetizers. He sighed, but his grimace remained fixed. "I'll talk to Nick, and I'd appreciate Conor's intervention. I think if I tried to bring this up with Alpha McDougal I'd end up feeding him to the Dark worms, whatever they're called. You may want to talk to him or Conor now; he's talking about Nick downstairs, and he's seriously pissing me and Micah off. I don't think anyone wants Micah pissed off, either."

Dirk nodded and ran downstairs. Faelen shook his head and said, "Alpha McDougal is in his sixties; you have to give him a bit of leeway, Nathanial. Spirits are still considered immature until our first century; he's probably no more mature than a Fur who's in his early twenties. Some of us are as grown-up as any other adult, like Conor, but others...ah, not so much. I've never seen him act like this at home in Ireland, though. He must be really relaxed, or something is affecting him strangely." He shrugged. "At least Alpha McDougal is mature enough to acknowledge some of his shortcomings; it's why Conor does almost all the diplomatic work." Faelen shook his head. "It must seem contradictory to think he's still 'young' in some ways, but old enough to have some pretty archaic ways of looking at things."

Nathanial was a little surprised by that. "But you and Geoff are fully grown, aren't you? How can he still be 'young'?" Nathanial remembered the first time he saw Dirk; he'd thought the Wolf was Faelen's older brother, and even Conor could pass for a college student. The alpha, though? Nathanial pondered that while Faelen answered his question.

"I'd guess we're pretty much done. We're probably finished our main growth, though there's a chance we have one more growth spurt left, but we can still grow a few more centimetres over the next several decades." He grinned lopsidedly. "Looking at our genitals and comparing them to our das', we'll probably grow a bit more there, too. But you'll probably find that out first paw when you notice Geoff filling you up more and more as time goes by." He became a little more serious again. "Our childhood pretty much matches up with you guys, right up until the end of puberty. At that point our growth slows right down and the tail end of puberty -- the part that lasts into a Fur's or Mage's early-to-mid-twenties -- continues till we're nearly a hundred. That includes our mental development. You guys have a lot of trouble assimilating new information as adults, especially stuff that conflicts with things you've already learned, but we're far more malleable that way, from what I understand. We learn as easily as we did, well, as I do now. Unfortunately, this adaptability includes a teen's tendency to thinking we're invincible -- Spirits can do some pretty reckless and dumb stuff even at the alpha's age -- and shooting our mouths off without thinking. I think that's where we got our reputation for volatility; by the time we outgrow our protracted youth, we're locked up in our respective clan-lands and don't come into contact with outsiders much."

Nathanial grinned back at him. "You guys do have a reputation for, uh, volatility. It's been remarked on by several people I've met. I guess I fit in with you pretty well. If I didn't know it was impossible, I'd think I was an Ancient One with a past life as a Spirit, but Mages and Spirits can't be Ancient Ones...present company eventually excluded. But if Alpha McDougal is still...immature, how did he become an alpha? Wouldn't the council have deemed him unfit?"

Faelen shrugged. "I wasn't around for that. I think I heard that he beat the crap out of his competition and being young isn't a disqualifying 'condition.' Usually our powers aren't developed enough to put us in contention for the title until we're older."

Nathanial's eyes widened. "Don't tell me that takes a century, too!" He couldn't imagine Conor, Dirk, or the alpha still being at half their eventual power, or whatever portion they still had to get.

Faelen shook his head. "It's hard to say. We never measured it or compared how strong someone was at twenty versus fifty or one hundred. It's one of those stupid 'develop at your own pace and discover for yourself' things. Ask Liam, he'd know better than I would, or even Poppy Faeden. It's pretty sad that I'd recommend a non-Spirit for information about the growth of Spirits over an actual Spirit."

Nathanial heartily agreed, but he'd already ripped into his friends about this subject. "I'd say disgraceful, not sad, but no matter what it is, that means you and Geoff still have a lot left to discover. I should start writing down what you guys can do, when you discovered it, and tips for future Spirits that you've found useful."

Faelen rubbed his nose sheepishly. "Tip One: Beware of anyone who can control pheromones -- Water and Mist Spirits are especially vulnerable to them."

That'd explain Conor giving in to Micah so easily and why Faelen seemed so...out of control. He'd never seen Faelen act like that, where he was almost mindlessly feral.

He pulled the roast quails out of the oven, and put ten more in. Twenty quail was a lot, but he expected six of them would go for lunches, and four more would be eaten tonight. He bet the alpha, Den, Dirk, and Geoff would have seconds. He put the cooked quail in the second oven and set it at its lowest setting to keep them warm.

The buzzer sounded, letting him know Dad was home.

---

Conor looked up when Dirk walked into the room, his ears perking as the muscular Wolf threw him his standard 'we need to talk' glance, and joined his bodyguard in the corner by the door to the washroom.

Dirk shook his head and jerked it toward Nick and the alpha. "Do what you need to do to put a stop to that. Nathanial is throwing cutlery and making the whole kitchen rattle, and from the looks of it, Micah is pretty close to losing it, too."

Conor growled, then sighed. "It's pissing me off too, but Nick actually seems to enjoy it."

Dirk shot his boss a dirty look and then shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose. I guess Geoff can fuck Nathanial on the dining room table in the middle of tea whenever he wants, then. Nathanial seems to enjoy it."

Conor returned the dirty look. "That has noth..." He stopped. "You're right. If it's upsetting everyone else it doesn't matter if they're having fun. But at the same time, what about freedom of expression?"

Dirk grimaced. "This isn't a democracy, Conor. It's Nathanial's house...and Garret's. Both of them would object, and, in fact, Nathanial has. Put a stop to it or he will."

Conor nodded. "Da! A word."

Dirk bobbed his head to his boss and went into the washroom, closing the door behind him.

Alpha McDougal grumbled but went to see what his son wanted. "If you're spouting more nonsense about the pup, don't bother. He's not complaining, so you shouldn't be either."

"You're upsetting everyone else, Da. Dirk just warned me that Nathanial is angry enough that he's losing control of his magic. Just treat Nicholas civilly and stop insulting him."

"He's enjoying it, Conor. Stop being such a pussy. Isn't doing what the other person likes acting civilly?"

The argument continued on in the same vein, just going around in circles for a few minutes, but the sound of the gate opening pretty much put an end to it.

Conor said, "Da, Garret's home, and I don't think anyone wants him to know what happened, including you. If you keep talking to Nicholas like that, he's going to find out. That'll get us kicked out damned fast and ensure no one from the clan will ever be able to stay here while visiting Nova Scotia. He may even report you to the Society, and I doubt the Society would care about pheromones."

The alpha grumbled but relented; he seemed to consider the subject closed and switched to another topic. "You sure the pup is safe? He's not Tainted at all? You said he can do a lot of magic similar to a Succubus, including the way he makes these pheromones, because of what she did, but he's safe?"

Conor sighed. "He's as safe as any young Spirit who can involuntarily control people. Our lore says we've had a few Spirits who had the same effect Nick has on others. No, he's not safe that way, but as far as the Taint goes, yes, he is. He's been given a clean bill of health by Liam-sensei."

"Fine, fine." The alpha looked past his son to the TV. "The match is back on. If you have anything else to say, wait for the next commercial." He walked back to the entertainment area and flopped on the couch. Nick moved from his seat on the floor by the coffee table to curl up next to the alpha's hindpaws, but looked up when the alpha prodded him with his toes. "Hey pup, your da is home, so lay off the..." He hesitated and looked over at Conor, missing Micah's fierce glare from his spot at the computer. "...uh, pet-play. I ain't your master; that was a one-time thing... Well..." He caught the warning look from Conor. "Yeah, it felt great, but you're off-limits -- your da said so -- and I'm not gay. I got a wife who likes my dick sometimes, and I like giving it to her." He muttered, "Who knew a big dick could be a curse?"

Nick looked heart-broken but just sat up and nodded. "Yes, sir." He stood up and brought his homework over to the homework table.

---

Nathanial brought his full attention back up to the kitchen, noting Dirk was just leaving the washroom to come upstairs, too.

Faelen glanced over at him. "So, everything is going okay? I assume you were peeking downstairs."

Nathanial nodded. "I don't think the alpha actually understands, or wants to understand, but he'll behave. The threat of Dad finding out was the deciding argument."

Nathanial began plating the foods that were ready and didn't need to be kept warm. The appetizers were set, the salads were almost ready, the soups just needed to be ladled out, the main course was done except for a side-dish, and the desert was just waiting for the custard fillings to set. He checked on them again. 'Screw it.' He pulled the custards out and cast a modified Chill spell on them. He made sure it wasn't too powerful and it went uniformly through the whole custard; having it work through the whole thing and not just hitting the surface was what he had to modify the spell for. The three custards would be ready in about two minutes.

Faelen finished up the salad Dirk had been working on just as his father walked into the kitchen, then began dishing it up alongside the other salad.

Dirk looked around. "Anything left for me to do, Nathanial?"

Nathanial shook his head. "I just need the soup and main course plated, but I can't do that until just before serving. The dessert is nearly finished, and then...well, just setting the table." He tapped his muzzle. "I guess people will have to get changed; this is a formal dinner. The food can't be dressier than the people eating it."

Garret had just walked into the kitchen with his shirt half-undone and his tie hanging loosely around his neck. At his son's words, the handsome Akita's head drooped, and he sighed before turning around morosely to head up to his room to get changed.

Nathanial laughed. "Don't I get a 'hello' and a hug first?"

Garret returned to the kitchen with a small smile. He put an arm around his son, who was starting to fill the cream puffs, and kissed the side of his muzzle. "Hello, Son. Dinner smells -- and looks -- great."

Nathanial twisted his head around and licked his father's nose. "Hi, Dad. It'll be done soon. Can you tell everyone else to get ready on your way upstairs?"

Garret nodded and went over to the intercom. "Hi, everyone. The chef told me to let everyone know that if they aren't properly dressed, they won't get any food. I assume he'll get changed in a minute or else he won't be eating, according to his own rules."

Nathanial looked down at his shorts and t-shirt and felt his face heating up. He looked over at Faelen. "You go get changed. I'm almost done here." He paused. "Well, this is all simple stuff; I can do that while I'm changing, too." The two teens waited at the top of the stairs to let the adult Spirits by. Nathanial felt his hackles rise when he looked at the alpha, but he forced himself to relax even before Faelen's paw reached his shoulder.

Several minutes later everyone sat at the table. Garret was at the head of the table and Nathanial sat at the foot. On Garret's right sat the alpha, Den, Geoff, and Faelen. On the left sat Conor, Dirk, Nicholas, and Micah. Nathanial would've preferred to have Geoff sit next to him, but rules were rules; bodyguards counted as 'wives' in this situation, he figured.

He levitated the first course, the appetizers, out as he began describing today's menu. "I'd like to welcome Alpha McDougal to our home and thank him for joining us for today's supper, or afternoon tea, as it were. Also welcome are Conor and Geoff McDougal, and Faeden, Dirk, and Faelen O'Conall." He began pouring a small amount of wine for the adults as he continued, after getting his father's approval for the choice, as was customary. "Today, we open with six appetizers. The fueilletes -- or stuffed pastries -- have three varieties: Swiss cheese and ham; tomato, basil, and onion; and bacon and mushroom. The next three are brochettes -- or skewered meats -- and are prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, smoked salmon-wrapped cream cheese and roasted red peppers, and cured ham-wrapped figs. Our second course is the soups, and we have two for you to choose from: chestnut soup or gingered carrot and butternut squash soup. The salads are next: Perigord salad and Roquefort salad. The main course is roasted quail on a bed of wild rice with raisins and walnuts, and a side salad of dried apricots, raisins, almonds, watercress, walnuts and ginger. The dressing, well, more of a glaze, is honey, lemon, and a small amount of garlic. It's pretty sweet but compliments and cuts through the nutty overtones of the meal thus far. For dessert are three varieties of cream puffs: one with a vanilla and hazelnut custard; the second is a lemon pecan custard; and the last is an experiment I'm quite pleased with -- a spiced pumpkin custard. Bon appetit, everyone!"

Alpha McDougal looked a little overwhelmed. He also looked uncomfortable with the formal atmosphere, as did Den, but they both seemed to relax after they ate one of the appetizers.

Faelen ate a ham and fig brochette and smiled. "I wasn't sure about this when you described it, Nathanial, but it's really good. The saltiness of the ham keeps the fig from being too sweet, and the ham and fig are both strong so one doesn't overpower the other."

Geoff and Alpha McDougal both quickly cleaned their plates and stared down at them morosely, though the alpha quickly found solace with the wine. He swirled his glass and sniffed it before taking a small mouthful. "Hmm, nice wine. It doesn't taste like any of the French ones I'm familiar with; is it local?"

Garret opened his mouth as he shook his head but paused, then spoke hesitantly, "Well...it depends on what you call 'local.' I don't think it is, but it is domestic. It's from BC, the Okanagan region to be specific, and that's on the far side of Canada. A nine hour flight on a commercial aircraft, so that's probably as close as New Delhi is to Cork."

Alpha McDougal and Den both looked very surprised; even Conor and Geoff did, to a lesser extent. Den shook his head. "That...can't be right. Canada is big, sure, but as far as Ireland to India?"

Garret nodded. "Roughly, sure. I'm only going by flight times, but I've flown from Halifax to Vancouver enough to know that it's almost forty-five hundred kilometres from city to city. I don't know if any of you were planning on a road trip, but it's easily a week-long drive just to get there, unless you really push it. That's why I can't call the wine 'local' even if it is Canadian. There are some small wineries in Nova Scotia that make some tolerable wines, but they do better non-grape wines. Dandelion wine, some berry wines, chokecherry wine, and others. I've tried a few and they're...pleasant and good for a change, but I prefer the grape wines."

Everyone had finished the appetizer course by now, and the adults had mostly finished their wine, so Nathanial sent out the dishes and asked for everyone's soup choices, then brought those out. Once everyone had a bowl Garret scooped up a spoonful, giving the silent cue that everyone could start the second course.

It remained oddly quiet, outside of the muffled clinking of spoons on the bowls, for several minutes. Nathanial hoped that meant people liked the food, but if that was the case and there was some chatter during the appetizers, did that mean they didn't like those?

Faelen smiled over at him. "The soup is good, Nathanial, don't worry. So were the appetizers. The soups are probably just different enough that everyone is concentrating on the flavours."

Geoff put his spoon down in his empty bowl and licked his chops. He mournfully looked at the nearly spotless white china before turning to his boyfriend. "It was great soup, Nathanial, and I don't really like soup. They don't have enough substance to them."

Alpha McDougal put his own spoon down in his empty bowl. "Chestnut soup. Huh, who'd have thought? Tasted good. Faeden was right so far about your cooking skills, but I was secretly hoping to try those spring rolls he was raving about. He couldn't even shut up about tofu of all things." Den grinned and shrugged.

Nathanial's stomach sank. He hadn't wanted to repeat a menu for a guest like that; it seemed...rude to make Den have the same meal both times he'd come over, but did he screw up by not letting the alpha confirm Den's report? He thought French food was closer to what the alpha would be used to and be fancier, more what the leader of the richest clan in the world would have on his trips to global clan meetings and international summits.

Nick looked at him reassuringly before glancing over at the alpha and licked almost seductively along his white muzzle. He returned his attention to his brother. "Calm down, Nathanial. The alpha has tasted what we can offer him; he'll be back for more... Lots more. You can cook him some Chinese food next time."

Nathanial could almost hear his brother continue, 'And I won't stop at a blow job when I get my paws on him again,' but he knew that he was just imagining it. Alpha McDougal harrumphed and took a sip of his wine. He looked a little discomfited, as did most of the adult Spirits. They all got Nick's meaning.

Luckily, either Garret didn't, or he blithely ignored it. He smiled at his eldest son. "I agree, Nathanial. The food is good, and as long as you're dating Geoff we'll have reason to visit each other. From the sounds of things I wager most of those visits will be here, so you'll have a lot of opportunity to impress everyone with your talents. I know I'm constantly surprised, pleasantly surprised, at your talents and techniques. You really know your stuff and put many professionals to shame."

Alpha McDougal carefully studied his empty soup bowl, but Nathanial could tell the inside of his ears were flushed. All the other adults faces became carefully blank, as did Faelen's. Geoff and Nick choked and struggled to stifle their laughter, but Micah burst out laughing. "Dad likes Nats's techniques!" He laughed for a bit before he could continue. "Geoff you're lucky! Dad thinks Nats is better than a pro!" He stopped laughing and humphed. "No fair. I want to show Dad my talents, too."

Garret stared at him, dumbfounded, while the entire table lost control. He shook his head in complete disbelief. "Gods, you guys are sick. Micah, there is no chance in all the hells that I'll have sex with you, or even Nathanial. I was talking about his cooking talents and techniques, not his erotic ones. I don't want to know about those."

Nathanial noticed a flicker of pain, shame, and uncertainty cross Conor's and Den's faces for a moment, as if they were thinking, 'don't be so sure.' He had to agree with them on that one; Dad hadn't planned on getting a blowjob from him in the shower, either...or raping him when Nathanial realized what was going on...but it happened.

Geoff and Faelen both stopped laughing at the same time and looked at him in concern. Geoff spoke first, though. "What's wrong, pup?"

Nathanial shook his head. "Nothing, just thinking back to my birthday." His father's face fell, guilt etched in every feature, before he looked at Micah with a measure of fear mingling with his guilt.

Nathanial dropped his spoon into his bowl; the clang made everyone jump in surprise and put a halt to any fearful or guilty thoughts plaguing them. The remains of the second course floated out as the third course came in. Nathanial forced a smile. "We have two salads for this course. As you can see, the Perigord salad has a base of endive and is topped with slices of hardboiled eggs, coarsely crushed chestnuts, tomato, radish, and quail gizzards. The dressing is a vinaigrette: olive oil, Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, and a splash of walnut oil. The second salad is a Roquefort salad. Its base is iceberg lettuce, and it's topped with walnuts and Roquefort cheese. The dressing is olive oil, wine vinegar, and, again, a splash of walnut oil. The salad is intentionally simple so you can properly appreciate the cheese and how the creaminess goes with the slightly bitter taste of the walnuts and the acidity of the vinegar." He met Geoff's and then the alpha's eyes. "Please, take your time with this one and think about the flavours and textures." He grinned at his boyfriend. "You don't have to be as conscious of them as Snow, but that's the idea."

Alpha McDougal hesitated before he asked, "Snow? That's the giant..." He coughed slightly. "...space dog I've heard about?"

Den snorted as he tried to muffle his laughter. "Ah, yes, sir." He snorted again and composed himself. "I was told, in no uncertain terms, that he isn't a space dog, though, if only because he still needs to breathe."

Nathanial grinned, remembering Snow's indignant reaction to being called a 'space dog;' he had been rather offended. The table fell silent again while everyone took his admonition seriously and contemplated the Zen of salad. 'What is the sound of one head crunching? Or something like that. Maybe it's one nut, instead of a head of lettuce, but there are lots of nuts in the salad so that doesn't work very well. Do nuts scream when they get crushed in your teeth?' Nathanial struggled to keep from laughing as his thoughts became sillier and sillier...or more disturbing if one went to the gutter.

The salad course was quite quiet; it passed with very little dialogue at all, and the plates were soon removed. Nick barely touched the Roquefort salad; he never cared much for most cheeses, other than hard cheeses like Edam or cheddar.

The main course came out and instantly drew everyone's attention. Den's nose wiggled excitedly and he even drooled slightly as he stared at the quail when the alpha's plate went by. As soon as his own plate was placed in front of him his paws twitched toward his fork and knife before he caught himself. The alpha was almost as bad, but then again, so were Geoff and Nick. Micah stared at the honey-glazed dried apricots, instead.

The alpha noticed Nick staring at his plate and quipped, "You do like a big piece of meat, don't you, boy? Your mouth's watering at the thought of getting your muzzle around that bird."

Garret and Conor shot him dirty looks, but Den chuckled and shook his head. Nick's hungry gaze moved from the quail to the giant Wolf. "I do, sir, and it is. I can't wait to shove it down my throat, feel that hot piece of meat sliding i--"

Garret cut him off angrily. "Nicholas Arthur Marks! Do I have to send you away from the table?"

Nick's head drooped. "No, sir. Sorry."

Nathanial glared at the alpha. "He's not the only one who's close to being sent to his room."

Conor chuckled, but Alpha McDougal glared at his son and then at Nathanial. He hesitated momentarily, where he seemed to be weighing several different things, before shrugging. "Sorry, Nathanial."

Garret picked up his fork and knife, so everyone quickly dug into their preferred dish. Micah squealed in delight after he took a mouthful of the sweet side dish, and began wriggling in happiness as he quickly polished it off. He poked at the quail with his fork, pouting, once the apricots were gone.

Nick, however, joined most of the other people in attacking the quail first. His eyes momentarily closed in bliss at the first mouthful, before he struggled to look aloof and cool around all the Wolves he admired and lusted after. He couldn't stop his tail from wagging and speeding up again after each mouthful, though.

Alpha McDougal growled happily as he polished off half the bird in short order. He paused and spoke to his grandson at that point. "So, Geoff, you ready for your match tonight?"

Geoff swallowed his mouthful of quail and rice before grinning eagerly. "Yes, Grandda. I'm as ready as ever. I was a little disappointed last match, though; football -- real football, not that American crap -- just doesn't get taken all that seriously here, not like at home. American football, and hockey, of course, is what everyone pays attention to. Mr. Gottfreid, the Phys. Ed. teacher and American football coach, said that I should join that team if..." He scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Heh. Well, if I wanted to get laid and have my pick of the girls, essentially." He turned and looked at Nathanial with naked lust in his eyes. "I don't have any problems getting laid, and I told him that."

Nathanial felt his face heating up and his tail beating a rapid tempo against his chair. Geoff was really horny today -- not that he minded; he just wished it was a day they had more free time in.

Alpha McDougal looked conflicted; he'd obviously prefer if Geoff did pick some girl, but -- if he was anything like Geoff -- he held 'fake' football in contempt. Nothing should compete with the 'beautiful game' and certainly shouldn't share the same name. Nathanial really didn't care for either of the sports, but he knew better than to say that to these soccer fanatics. The Earth Elemental ignored Geoff's comments and instead seemed to just keep going along the route he'd planned. "How about I make a wager with you, then. If you score the most goals in your league this year, I'll buy you and Nathanial tickets to the finals of UEFA in May. That means I'd need tickets for Faelen and one of my bodyguards, too, but...hells, if Faelen has the best save percentage I'll get a ticket for Lowell...ah, Liam...Sensei, whatever, too."

Nathanial had no idea what 'weefah' was, but Geoff was immediately on his hindpaws yelling, "Yes! Those tickets are as good as mine!" Even Faelen looked surprised and happy.

The alpha's eyes twinkled, and he raised his paws. "You're right, that is probably too easy for my grandson." Geoff froze and stared at his grandfather, who continued, "Perhaps I should add the requirement that your team needs to make it to the national finals?"

Garret sighed. "Don't bother buying tickets, then, Luke; Geoff and Faelen are the only reason we won the last game. I'm trying to whip the rest into shape, but Mr. Gottfreid is probably right -- if only because all the best athletes pick other sports. In other provinces soccer is given a lot more attention and draws more dedicated players. I think we may have a shot at making it to the finals of the provincial championship on the strength of these two and the passable skills of the team, but I haven't seen many other teams play to make a good judgement. The rural teams, when I played, were far stronger than the urban ones because they had fewer sports to pick from. The Cape Breton schools usually dominated the provincials."

Geoff was crestfallen. He picked his chair back up and sat down, and proceeded to pick at the carcass of his quail, leaving it half-eaten.

Alpha McDougal was running quick calculations in his head, and then shook it. "Don't give up yet, Geoff. I don't want it too easy for you; tickets to the European championships are something you need to earn. How about a compromise? You make it to the nationals, just make it, and have the highest average goals per game in your province, or if you don't make it to the nationals but have the highest average in the country, you still win. Do you want to make this wager?"

Geoff wasn't as excited as he was earlier, but he perked up noticeably. "Sure! I agree with Mr. Marks about the quality of my team, but I'm sure that if I can't drag them to the nationals, I can at least get the most goals."

Nathanial was a little more wary. "You said 'wager;' that implies a penalty, too. What happens if he doesn't win the bet?"

Geoff frowned. "Other than not going to the UEFA championships? Getting my dreams crushed and my soul dragged through the dirt? Not getting the tickets is pretty mean, Nathanial."

Micah cut in. "What's a 'wee fah'? Is it a little, um, fah? Fah... That means 'footrace' in Fey, right? Oh! Is it where you race leprechauns? A little fairy race!? Can Changelings compete? If I use magic I think I can go pretty fast." He wilted under the incredulous stares of all the Spirits and his father. Even Faelen, who Nathanial knew wasn't keen on soccer, stared in disbelief.

Nick sounded bored and indifferent. "It's the European championships for soccer. The best team in each country competes for the European title. It's like the Pan Am Games, but just for soccer."

"What's the Pan Am Games?"

Sighs rippled around the table, and Micah curled in on himself in shame. Garret answered this time, his voice laden with put-upon patience. "Pan-American Games, Micah. It's a smaller version of the Olympics and involves only the Americas. Teams -- or individuals, in the case of non-team sports -- within each province compete in provincial championships, the best team from each province compete against each other in the national championship, and then the best team in the country goes to the games to compete against all of the other countries. UEFA is a competition of the best soccer teams in Europe, which makes it the second highest profile soccer tournament in the world." He paused, thinking for a moment. "It'd be like going to Japan to see a...Pokémon? Yes, a Pokémon tournament at Nintendo's main office for all the best players in Asia." The comparison made every Spirit at the table wince in agony, but Micah lit up in glee.

Den looked like he was almost in physical pain and beseeched Garret, "Don't... No. Never, never compare football to Pokémon again. Ev-er."

Micah snorted and crossed his arms. "Yeah, Pokémon is a lot more fun and interesting. I learn lots of magic from it and get tons of ideas for making homunculi. I can even make copies of some Pokémon. Can't do that with soccer."

Nick shook his head and hid a grin. He obviously found Micah's goading hilarious -- actually, so did Nathanial. They were probably the only ones, though. Nathanial decided to head it off before people got too worked up. "So, I guess everyone is done with the main course? Should I throw out all these half-eaten quail?"

He was met with horrified stares and a sudden resumption of hasty eating, as if everyone expected their plates to float away. Den even held his plate with one paw to keep it where it was. Nathanial smirked and went back to his own slower consumption. He really did like the apricots, but the way Micah watched him eat each mouthful was pitiful and made it hard to enjoy them.

Nathanial sent a quick telepathic message, *I have more in the kitchen, Sprite. I was going to offer some of the leftovers to people who wanted more, and put some in your lunch for tomorrow, but you need to eat the rest of your supper.* Micah muffled a squeak of happiness and began eating his rice.

Alpha McDougal's scowl was back on. Nathanial had noticed it had been slipping a lot yesterday and today, but right now he looked the way he normally did in Ireland. Did that mean the Earth Elemental felt more like 'Luke' or 'Grandda' here, and like 'the alpha' when he was home? Like he could relax and be himself when he was away from the clan? If so, why was he in 'alpha mode' now?

"Geoff." The alpha's sudden intrusion into the silence made the named Wolf jump. "I was hoping to get your thoughts, maybe even yours and your boy's, on some ways we can try to get our clan members active. I'm not talking about physical activity, at least not just physically active, but getting their minds going, too. Get them productive. Feeling useful. We have some projects that get people involved in maintaining the clan, but I want to find some ways we can tap into more. Jobs we can do -- while staying hidden, if necessary -- that give a feeling of fulfilment, and that can either help other clans or make money."

Nathanial crossed his arms and tried to remember Conor's admonition of 'diplomacy.' "First, you need to look at education. You are in your sixties, so that means you haven't seen the inside of a classroom in...forty years? Or longer? A lot of what you've learned is grossly out of date. And you're still really young in Spirit terms. I'd love to have all of you who are over a hundred go back to public school, maybe on adult education courses, where you can get a high school diploma. That'd have you interact with the rest of the world, which has really changed in the last half-century."

The alpha held up his paw to stop Nathanial from going on, with a deeper than normal scowl. "Not now, pup! Later! Gods! Let me eat my dinner and enjoy my vacation. I haven't had one in over a decade! I think the last one I took was to go see Conor graduate from university."

Conor shifted uncomfortably. "Da, you were only there half a day; that's not a vacation. That was also eighteen years ago."

Alpha McDougal snorted. "I can do simple math, Son. Eighteen is greater than ten. I was officially off duty for that half-day, so that was a vacation. Now, I want no more talk of clan business. I have some dessert to eat, football to watch, and then my grandson's match to attend. My evening is booked."

Nathanial smiled. "You brought it up." He looked over the table and noticed everyone seemed to be done. "But let's get dessert started; we don't want the stars of Dalhousie Collegiate to be too stuffed to play at their best."

He sent out the empty plates and brought in the three trays of cream puffs. Everyone took one of their choice and began eating. Nathanial felt a glow of pride at the way the whole meal seemed to go over so well...and with no violence or real drama.

Micah devoured his pastry and turned to his eldest brother. "Can you help me make some cookies after this? I want to make something for later this evening and decorate them, too."

Nathanial glanced at the clock. Micah was old enough that the pup would just need guidance, so he could easily do his homework while he kept an eye on his brother. Hells, he was making a full five-course meal at Micah's age, but he didn't want to put anyone through that learning process. "Sure. You've done your homework? That takes priority. I need to do mine, so I'll just have it set up on the island while you bake. I also have other things to do before and after the match." He eyed Geoff, setting his boyfriend's tail into overdrive.

Micah laughed. "Can I...?" He trailed off under Nathanial's gaze and switched topics. "Yup, I'm done with my homework. I'll play with Nick for a bit until you let me know you're ready."

Garret sighed and shook his head. "Well, on that note, I think the meal is over. Thank you, Nathanial, for a great meal. You've really spoiled me this last month. Would it be all right if we--" He gestured to the adults. "--and Faelen, if he wants, took another puff and had it with our coffee while we watch some soccer? We can watch it up in the home theatre on the third floor; that way we won't be bothered by certain people's howls."

Nathanial nodded to his father, but added, "I cooked ten extra quail. Six are for lunches tomorrow, but there are four more for people who are still hungry. There's also more of everything else, too. I've set aside enough for lunch, so if people want, I can just bring out the food and some more dishes." That met with wide approval, so Nathanial did just that. "The meal is over, so there's no need to stand on formality." He was almost giddy with relief that the meal had gone so...smoothly. It was almost frightening how normal and nice it was. Did that mean something worse was going to happen later on tonight to make up for it?