Guess who's coming to breakfast?

"Ah, not as rusty as my singing," Mrs. Harrowden said with a rueful shrug. "Even just to hear an oud again would be lovely."

Lenyard cleared his throat. "So, uh, is Miss Sinsinger back in town too? Only she had offered to give me some lessons... but I know she's probably really busy..." He blushed even more fiercely than Aleyn usually did when he was embarrassed.

Aleyn smiled. "She's back, yeah. I'm sure if I remind her she can find some time for you."

Vedran nodded, wondering what kind of lessons Leynard meant, and how much it was just an excuse to hang around the attractive and very friendly Tiefling. "I suspect everyone could use some downtime, so the whole team should be in town for a while." barring any further emergencies, but that didn't bear mentioning.

"Well, that's good," Lystra said. "Aleyn, feel free to come help out around the shop if you get bored."

"Maybe," Aleyn replied, "but Miss Nettle gets first dibs on my spare time. She doesn't have a drove of siblings to work at her place when it's busy, after all."

Bretyn was still eyeing Vedran, but more appraisingly now. "So, was there any truth to the rumours about some odd goings-on at Parliament yesterday?" he asked him.

Aleyn hadn't told him too much about his family, and he was starting to wish he'd asked more questions instead of assuming they were like him or his mother and didn't pay too much attention to city politics. He raised his eyebrows at Bretyn. "I admit I haven't heard all the rumors... There did seem to be increased security, but nothing untoward happened during the session."

Aleyn turned and gave his brother a stern look. "No interviewing at the table, Bretyn," he said lightly. "Vedran's here for breakfast, not to give you an exclusive scoop."

Bretyn shrugged. "He can talk for himself, I assume. You don't usually go to Parliament, as far as I know," he said, turning back to Vedran. "Did your father ask for you to be there, or were you just taking a personal interest?"

He smiled to Aleyn, appreciative of the attempt and the heads up, if that was the intent, then looked back to the younger brother. His feelings about disseminating information were decidedly mixed, but he was certain, at the least, that it shouldn't be only his decision, and it was best to remain neutral for the moment. "I'm surprised anyone would think much of my attendance one way or another, honestly."

"Well, as a member of the Thunderbolts - even if, as you claim, one of the less-interesting ones, which I'm sure isn't true - your actions are more noteworthy than those of the average nobleman's son. Everyone knows if you or your colleagues show up somewhere, there's probably something interesting going on."

Aleyn glanced warily to Vedran to see if he wanted to fend this off, or needed an intervention. "We showed up to breakfast," he said, still taking a light tone but frowning more at his younger brother. "And so far the most interesting thing that's happened is Vedran and Mom bonding over Ahkasian music."

Vedran grinned. "You're assigning me a dangerous reputation, Bretyn! Though I do like to think my life is plenty interesting, I'm afraid that unless you're particularly interested in the troop withdrawal from Thantopolis, there isn't much to say about yesterday's session." He smiled first at Aleyn and then his mother. "As for breakfast this morning, I'm happy enough to have come just for the food, let alone the company. I gave up my own sad attempts to recreate this years ago."

Mrs. Harrowden beamed. "I'm glad you like it. It took me a few years before I figured out I could use a mixture of pickled lemon rind, cloves, and nutmeg to get something like the same taste as the black lime powder, which is impossible to find here."

"Oh, wow, now she's giving out secret family recipes," Lystra said, her eyes widening. "You really made an impression on her, I guess."

"I still don't think I could do it justice," he said modestly, "but thank you." For some reason, Aleyn's mother's approval made him more nervous than Bretyn's probing. Probably it was because he rembered all the things she's said she'd wanted for her son, and how relatively few Vedran felt he could provide.

Aleyn finished up his bowl of porridge and stood to go into the kitchen and get some more. "Do you want another bowl, Vedran?" He thought it might give them a chance to talk for a moment, in case Vedran wanted to escape - but he did also want another bowl of the comfort food.

"That would be great actually - should I just follow you, then?" he stood to do so, picking up the cue along with his bowl.

"Yeah, right through here." He led Vedran into the kitchen, where a pot of porridge was still on top of the stove - low, but not empty yet. "I'm sorry," he said under his breath. "I hope they're not making you too uncomfortable. We can go soon if you want."

"I'm fine." The events he'd had to attend in the past few months with Jacinthe, to make a show of the amicable nature of their breakup, now those had been terrible. He tried to sound reassuring. "Your mother makes me a little nervous but trust me - this is nothing."

"She's really being nice to you, I mean, nice for her - Lystra's not exaggerating. I'll have to find out later what you said to her on your visits that made her think so highly of you," Aleyn said with a smile, scooping some more of the warm porridge into his bowl. "Or maybe Bretyn's right and she can just tell how happy you make me."

"I think she was just happy that I came to talk to her, and kept her as informed as I could. I don't remember saying anything in particular..." He hesitated. "I was still fairly upset at the time though, and I don't remember it as clearly as I could."

"Ah, well, she might be Mom-ing at you then, if the last times you saw her you were kind of upset. Maybe she's happy to see you in a better frame of mind."

He smiled as he refilled his own bowl part way. "Well, that's a little easier to handle - mine does the same thing. She practically adopted Agy when she moved here the first time, and I think she worries about all my friends to some extent."

"I'd like to meet her sometime," Aleyn said with a smile, turning to head back to the table. "I'm sure it couldn't be scarier than this."

"I'm sure she'll love you," he agreed, following Aleyn back out to retake his seat, sitting quietly for a moment to pick up the threads of ongoing conversation.

There was some slight commotion as Teyra, the younger girl, had evidently tripped, or been pushed by her older sister, and had bumped her head. Lystra was now holding her on her lap, consoling her with a spoonful of jam. "So, Vedran," she said, looking up once her daughter had mostly stopped crying, "I hear you have a son, around her age? That must keep you busy, with your work and everything on top of being a parent."

"I'm lucky in that regard, as I have some fantastic help, but it can be a challenge, yes. He has a manifested dragonmark too, which adds some extra spice to the mix."

"Macen's a little younger than Teyra," Aleyn added. "But maybe it would be fun to have them play together sometime. He's an adorable kid. We might just want to keep him away from the masterpieces..." He gestured to the cabinet full of intricate pieces of glasswork, imagining what Macen could do to them.

Vedran followed Aleyn's wave to the cabinet, and his eyes widened. "Oh those are beautiful.... Yes, definitely keep him away from them. But I do like to make sure he has opportunities to meet and play with lots of other children."

"I'm sure we could arrange that," Lystra said. "Mom watches the girls most days while Tomas and I are working, although we're never that far away if anything comes up, just in the workshop. I can't imagine how hard it would be to travel away from them all the time... Anyway, it's probably better if you set up a time with her - I'm sure she'd be happy to have you and Macen over. Oh, and Aleyn too, I suppose," she added as an afterthought, giving her brother a grin that was remarkably like his.

"Whenever is convenient for you," Mrs. Harrowden nodded to Vedran.