Chapter 353: Mistakes made in a day.
Elias could not remember ever taking his cubs out for lunch before. He did eat with them, but in the safety of their home or around his wife, parents, grandparents or other relatives. But never alone. Perhaps, that was his first mistake today. The second was choosing an establishment so polished that even the walls seemed to glare at anyone who dared breathe too loudly.
He should have known that they were in the wrong place when the head waiter stared at the cubs stiffly, before leading them to a table draped in white linen. This establishment was the kind of place where forks were arranged like soldiers and silence was expected to reign.
Eli was already skeptical of his father’s sudden burst of paternal enthusiasm and Ali, who arrived with a milkshake already in hand, was very eager to start the lunch feast. She sat across from her father, swinging her legs in the kids chair.
Elias adjusted his posture, trying to look dignified, though his tails twitched nervously under the table as he ordered for what they would eat.
Before the food arrived, Eli leaned forward, voice calm but calming. "Lord Elias Veythar, what do you want?"
Elias blinked. "Lord Elias Veythar!"
Eli rolled his eyes. "Father. Fine, father, what do you want?"
"Can’t I simply take my children out for lunch? And why father? You call me papa. Papa feels more intimate."
Eli tilted his head, "I am suspicious, considering that you’ve never taken us out on your own before--let alone for a meal at a place like this. It feels like you are scheming, like mama does when her smile is wider than necessary."
The fox lord’s ears twitched. Suspicious? Him? What was suspicious about taking his own children for lunch? It was very normal. The abnormal thing happening here was that his cub was interrogating him.
Meanwhile, Ali was loudly slurping her milkshake through a straw. In an establishment like the one they were in, the sound echoed like a trumpet blast. Heads turned. A wolf noble at the next table raised an eyebrow. A hawk beast woman covered her mouth to hide a mocking laugh. An older cat beast man shook his head, as if it was the most absurd thing he had ever witnessed. Elias’s tails stiffened in mortification.
"We should have gone to the Piggly Wiggly, it is more child friendly." Eli said, in a voice that clearly said, ’I told you so.’ It was because he did say so when his father suddenly picked them up and declared he was taking them out for lunch.
Elias whispered to Ali instead, "Darling, perhaps sip more quietly."
Ali blinked at him, straw still in her mouth, then deliberately slurped louder. The walls seemed to tremble in disapproval imemdiately.
Elias pulled the milk shake away from her. "Your mother has just sent me a message that says your milkshake has too much sugar." He lied. To redirect the conversation, he quickly added, "Children. My cubs. My favorite children."
"We are only children papa." Ali pointed out.
Elias smiled. "Just like I am your only papa. And papa needs help. He needs you to convince your mama not to throw a big party."
Eli leaned back, smirking. "Ah, so that’s what this lunch is about."
Ali pulled a candy from her pocket. "But papa, everyone wants a big party! I want it, great grandma Jess wants it. She is going to wear a pink gown. Great grandpa Jesse said she is too old for pink and she chased him out of the house with mama’s pan."
Elias winced. He had no opinion on what gown or gowns his grandmother would wear. "Darling, focus on the party, not the dress. A big party will have too many guests, too much noise, too much expense. You will not eat enough food or cake. We should keep it small, intimate, so that you can eat more." He was sure that he had her support.
Ali tilted her head, eyes gleaming. "But if it’s small, then others will feel left out. And if they feel left out, they will talk about mama. They will say she is stingy. And aunt princess said if you are stingy, you lose face. I don’t want mama to lose her face, she has a very nice face. Isn’t mama’s face more important than saving a little money?"
Elias opened his mouth, then closed it. That....actually made some sense. Eli burst out laughing, enjoying his father’s dilemma. His sister was childish and silly, but wise in her own way.
"Papa," Eli said between chuckles, "you are being outmaneuvered by a five year old girl."
Elias’s tails drooped. He tried again, "But think of the chaos!"
Ali interrupted. "That’s what makes a party fun. Aunt Mija said mama’s office has too much chaos and she loves it. See, people love chaos."
Elias rubbed his temples. He was a master of arguments in the king’s court, in his office, but against his own cubs, he was hopeless.
The food arrived--delicate plates of roasted chicken, green bean salads, potato wedges, spaghetti and crystal glasses of sparkling juice. Elias tried to salvage his dignity, cutting the chicken with precision. Eli ate calmly, still smirking. Ali however, ate the way one expected a five year old to eat. She took big bites, chewed noisily and complained when she realized the green beans had been boiled, not fried!
Halfway through the meal, she excused herself to the bathroom.
That was the third mistake.
In the bathroom, Ali encountered the hawk beast woman who had laughed at the way she slurped her milk shake. The noble woman, with sharp eyes and sharper elbows, was very impatient. She shoved Ali aside while reaching for the sink.
Ali froze, then narrowed her eyes. She was her mother’s daughter after all. It was impossible for her to meet an injustice and not address it.
"You shoved me," she growled.
The hawk beast woman sniffed. "Watch where you are going, little girl."
Ali put her hands on her waist. "Apologize."
The woman laughed. "To a cub? Don’t be ridiculous. Go away little runt."
That was her mistake.