Extract Genetics Don't Math

[Mikael Nightray]

Visiting his grandmothers was always a whole affair. He almost preferred to visit the other set of grandparents that he sort of had except he knew less about his mother's aunt and uncle compared to Halmi and Bella - what everyone calls his grandmothers because they just can't be simple and be called Grandma or Grandmother like everybody else. Ah. That must be why he sometimes preferred his father's grandparents. Of course, it was going to be even more of an affair now because he was bringing Elio with him to this family reunion. Was it too late to back out? Probably. Because one, he'd already told Elio - he was not dealing with his boyfriend asking if Mikael did not want his grandmother to meet him. Two, he was pretty sure his mother had already told his grandmothers that he would be bringing his boyfriend - they would be insufferable if he postponed this meeting more than he'd already had. He was due to leave as soon as Elio arrived at the Manor.

When Elio walked through the floo, Mikael was there to greet him with a kiss, put two items in his empty hands - expensive wine and expensive tea - and then marched him back to the floo before he - Mikael, not Elio - could change his mind. He led his boyfriend through the reception area of the inn his grandmothers owned, giving the receptionist - Aunt Talia - a nod before heading straight to the area that said Staff Only. And within moments, he and Elio were inside of the family area and he was whisked away from his boyfriend's side to be encased in hugs and greetings of varying degrees of whatever his grandmothers preferred. "Halmi. Bella," he greeted. "The others should be here shortly," he knew his parents would be flooing with the younger kids. He didn't know when Jai and Tiziano would be arriving, but probably sometime during the day. He doubted any would like to upset Bella by cancelling. "Elio. My boyfriend," he gestured towards the Gryffindor that had been fortunate enough to be left alone. Though not for very long.​

 

[Shiloh Denton]

Shiloh was, by definition, a fusser. She’d been one all of her life, but she could barely hold a candle to her Grace. Her majesty. The Queen. She wasn’t a real queen of course, but it was the joke most people at the inn made. Shiloh of course as always was in charge of guest operations, making sure everyone had what they needed, left in a better mood than they arrived, etc, but dear Grace was awarded the position of beverages. Tea and cookies, as Shiloh liked to say. Not a single person in this building got a tea or cake that didn’t have the official Grace seal of approval - which is what they were working on when Talia alerted them that Mikael and Co. had arrived. The women looked between each other excitedly, and Grace, in all of her Italian finery looked very much more put together than Shiloh in her overalls rolled at the calf. She was sure the boyfriend… Elio? Would be incredibly confused.

She was right, she realised, when she pulled Mikael into a hug and smothered his face with kisses as she complained that he didn’t come to visit nearly often enough. As she looked up to see this Elio boy, she noted the confusion on his face and the two expensive bottles in his hands. She clocked they were from Mikael immediately, since she knew herself she had never been a gifter, and Elio would not have known the brand of wines, or teas, she and Grace liked to drink. She let Mikael go, (Grace took over) and walked over to Elio. “I’ve heard not at all enough about you, love,” she said, smiling at him. She looked over at Mikael. “Darling, did you not tell him?” The poor boy looked as if he had been expecting two significantly older ladies. Shiloh should take offense. She was only 49.​

 

[Mikael Nightray]

Mikael turned his head just a fraction as Halmi asked him a question, though it was hard to turn his head with cheeks smooshed by Bella's hands. What she was inspecting him for, he had no clue. Never did, never will. He'd given up understanding the elderly. "Tell him what," Mikael didn't really think there was anything he needed to tell his boyfriend aside from You will be meeting my grandmothers, dress nice. Sure, it was probably off that his grandmothers were hardly Asian, but it wasn't like it was some big secret that neither of his parents had living biological parents. His dad was raised by his aunt and grandparents. His mother was, as far as they all knew, raised by Halmi and Bella. They didn't know why his mother was raised separately from Uncle Conan, but that's just how it's always been. "I told him I was bringing him to meet you."​

 

[Eurydice Nightray]

Unlike her brothers, Eury loved to visit Halmi and Bella. They always had such nice snacks for her, and they were always willing to sit and have tea with her, and sometimes she could even coax them into letting her read cards for them. So it wasn't really surprising when Eury had run on ahead when her parents had said she could use the floo on her own this time around. She was a teenager now anyway - an independent young lady - so she was perfectly capable of using the floo on her own to visit her beloved grandmothers. She greeted Aunt Talia as she passed the reception and made a beeline for the family room, catching sight of Kael-nii and Elio-nii already being greeted by her grandmothers. "Halmi! Bella!" Eury ran towards Bella because frankly, Kael-nii looked like he needed rescuing more than Elio-nii did. And Kael-nii could always be the one to rescue Elio-nii. "I missed you," she said with a grin as she wrapped her arms around Bella's waist. ​