Awaking from her nap

[Lydia Nyght]

Ilúvënis woke from her nap and stretched. Her wolf pup was laying on the floor beside the sofa. She looked around and realized she was in a different room. She a man looking out the window. She also realized her mother wasn't around. Ilúvënis knew Emiliia wouldn't have left her with just anybody, and she trusted her Mommy. She shyly walked up to the man and gently tugged on his pants leg.

"Hello my name is Ilúvënis. What's your name?"

[Guest]

Manny turned around and looked down at the little angel at his feet. He knelt down to talk to her with a smile. "Hello princess, I am Manuel Costas, you may call me Uncle Manny. I am a friend of your mommy's. And I believe this is for you." He moved the curtain aside to show her the balcony where there was a little table set up for a tea party. There were sandwiches and fruit punch and some stuffed animals in some of the chairs.

[Lydia Nyght]

Her eyes widened and she jumped up and down.

"Thank you Uncle Manny. Will you join us?"

She gave him a grin. She was happy to have an uncle.

[Guest]

Manny chuckled. "It would be my pleasure M'Lady." He offered her his arm so he could escort her out onto the balcony. Then he held her chair for her before sitting across from her. "Shall I pour ma'am?" He winked as he smiled at her.

[Lydia Nyght]

Ilúvënis giggled, and took his arm and led him to the balcony. She was having fun.

"Please do Sir. "

She picked up the lpate of sandwhiches.

"Might I offer you a sandwhich Uncle Manny?"

[Guest]

He smiled as he poured some fruit punch from the teapot. "Why certainly Princess." He poured her cup and his and then set the pot down lifting his plate to the plate of sandwiches so she could place one upon it.

[Lydia Nyght]

Ilúvënis smiled at her Uncle Manny as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Hmmm this is good. So where did my Mommy go?"

Not that she was worried or anything. Uncle Manny made her feel safe.

[Guest]

Manny smiled at the young lady. "I am glad you like it. But don't speak with your mouthful now, it's not polite. Mommy is a few doors down with friends helping them take care of something." He took a drink from his tea cup.

[Lydia Nyght]

She swallowed her food as told.

"Yes Uncle Manny. So how do you know my Mommy?"

[Guest]

He smiled at her as he set his tea cup down. "She is a friend of the family, and in this family, that makes you family." He took a bite of his sandwich.

[Lydia Nyght]

Ilúvënis finished her sandwhich and took a sip of her tea. She looked thoughtful.

"Well if thats true, how many people are in this family?"

[Guest]

Manny chuckled. "Well, that is quite a list. Let me see here. We have Venis and Kahn, they have four kids each. So that's ten. Then Venis treats her employee's as family as well as their families, so that's another two-hundred and twelve, making two-hundred and twenty-two. Add to that Kahn's Ranger's and their families gives us another seventy-eight or so, we'll use seventy-eight which brings us to three-hundred."

Manny chuckled some more. "Then you figure that Venis' son Dre has a daughter, he had three other children, but they have gone. We will count them as well. So that's another four. Three-hundred and four. Then he has his birth father, who is with the three kids, and his step-mother. So that's two more. Three-hundred and six. Then there's Venis' best friend Gawain, and his wife Airtia. And I believe they have four children. One boy and three girls. So that's another six. So three hundred and twelve." He was beginning to think that this family had grown out of control.

"Then we have her other best friend, Lady Casandra. She has two children of her own. So another three makes three-hundred and fifteen. Then there are nine members of the Vampire Council. That makes three-hundred and twenty-four. Then there is you and your Mommy, plus her Daddy. Another three makes three-hundred and twenty-seven. Then you have several members of a place they all used to live and work called the Society of the Blood Rose. About fifty more people from there that Aunt Venis would consider close enough to call family. So now we're at three-hundred and seventy-seven. Then there's lady Tasha, and she had a mate as well so two more. Plus lady Seleen and her boyfriend Shuda is another two. Making three-hundred and seventy-nine." Was that everyone?

Manny gave the question some more thought. "I am sure that there is more. Lord Kahn's friends for example, the ones I don't know. And a few more here and there who I am forgetting somewhere. So let's say at least four-hundred people easily." He was suddenly very happy he did not have to give gifts to so many people at Christmas. Now he knew why Venis was always so busy during holiday's. She almost never forgot to get everyone at least a card if not a gift. That was a big family.

[Lydia Nyght]

Ilúvënis 's eyes grew great big.

WOW three-hundred and seventy-nine people in our family. and we have vampires too. Thats cool."

Ilúvënis was sooo happy to be considered apart such a big family.

All of a sudden shegot kind of a sad look on her face. She had been paddled once at school for reading a book on Gods in that orphange. Plus caned another time for reading a book about vampires. Both of which she was taught not to be true. Now she had found out that she had vampires in her family.

"Uncle Manny howcome some people don't believe in anything like vampires and Gods."

[Guest]

The look on Manny's face was one of sadness. He had to find away to explain to this pretty little girl how closed minded some people could be. "Well, honey, that's kind of hard to explain. Some people believe differently than others. It's part of being a grown up. The problem is, that sometimes we forget that our children have free will and minds of their own as well. So we try to teach them in our own opinions and tell them that it is gospel." Manny would have made a great father.

He took a deep breath and a drink from his tea cup. "But you see, everyone has the right to believe what they want to believe. So if you want to believe that there are no God's other than the one they tell you about in school, then that is your choice. No one can take that away from you. But if you choose to believe that the members of this family exist, than there is nothing they can say in school that will change that. You just have to learn what to listen to and what to let go in one ear and out the other. Maybe later I'll introduce you to someone who is a vampire and a God. Two of them. Ok?" He smiled and took another bite of his sandwich.

[Lydia Nyght]

She took another sip of her tea. She had a feeling her and Unlce Manny were gonna be life long friends.

"OK Uncle Manny, but what do if I do, and I get punished again. I don't want another spanking for speaking the truth." I now know there are such things, and I don't like being punished for so called fibbing when I'm not."

[Guest]

Manny smiled. An easy one. "Well, sweetpea, that one is easy. You just don't tell them that you know the truth. You just stay quiet. If they call on you tell them that you wish to let someone else have a turn. Sound good? Now that only applies to things like this. No using that to get out of things like math problems. You see how math can come in handy. Especially in this family." He laughed.

[Lydia Nyght]

Ilúvënis listened to her Uncle Manny's advice.

"I understand Unlce Manny. It's just that I'm proud to be apart of such a large family. And I do see what you mean about the math part."

Ilúvënis was getting a little cold.

"Uncle Manny I'm full can we go back inside now please."

[Guest]

Manny chuckled. "Absolutely sweetheart." He jumped up and pulled out her chair for her. "What would you like to do now?" Manny always had ways of entertaining young ones, there were so many at the keep. But he like to let them exercise some free will and be allowed to make choices. If something was a bad idea or the wrong thing, he let them know.

[Lydia Nyght]

Ilúvënis got a blank look one her face.

"Umm I don't know, what do you want to do?"

[Guest]

Manny chuckled. "How about we don some t-shirts and sit in the kitchen floor and paint for a bit. Does that sound fun?" He knew he had something she could put on so she wouldn't ruin her clothes.

[Lydia Nyght]

Ilúvënis giggled, and spread her little fairy wings, and took off flying around the room.

"Sounds good Uncle Manny."

[Guest]

Manny went over to the drawer and pulled out two t-shirts. He grabbed up some paper and some paints Shamus said he could let her use. Then he headed into the kitchen. He laid out the papers and got a cup of water for the brushes. Laid out the paints and then everything was ready. "Ok, all set up. Now why don't you come paint a pretty picture for your mommy." It wasn't so a much a question as a suggestion.

[Emilia]

Emilia came into the room just in time to see Ilúvënis fly around the room. Well aparently she had some things to learn about her new daughter. She walked further into the room, still in her white robes she opened her arms.

"Ilúvënis, I'm back, but you can paint your picture first."

She had heard Manny talking about paints.

[Lydia Nyght]

Ilúvënis heard her Mommies voice and fluttered in her mommies armsand gave her a big hug.

"MOMMY!!!!!! You're back. I rather spend time with you Mommy. Although I like Uncle Manny, he told me about our big family.

Ilúvënis was just glad her Mommy was back.

[Emilia]

She smiled at her daughter as she cought hold of her.

"You can tell me all about the wings later, no why don't we all paint a picture, maybe Manny has a shirt for me too."

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