The manor's dining hall was all winter light and heavy oak, with fire snapping in the hearth like punctuation to the tension. The long table, usually too large for everyday meals, was filled; Ashwin and Robert bracketed the room in their quiet vigilance, Ruo practically vibrating with curiosity, and Connor sprawled in his chair pretending he wasn't rattled.
And at the head, casually cutting into the roast like he owned the place, sat Uno. The god of beginnings. The one who wasn't supposed to be there.
Elias sat stiff in his chair, halfway between Victor's steady presence on one side and the absurdity of Uno calmly buttering bread on the other. He blinked slowly, trying to make sense of it. "Okay," he said finally, gesturing vaguely with his fork. "I need someone to explain why the god of… everything… is currently eating mashed potatoes in Victor's dining room."
