Fate: Ideal Balance

The family sat silently at the dining room table, forks clinking against the expensive plating. Paresh sat at the head of the table. It wasn’t often when he was home for dinner so the staff had prepared one of his favorite meals: spicy Indian curry, a special recipe that they had brought with them from India. Egret sat on his right cooing at Pidge, spoon feeding him mashed baby food. The baby giggled and smacked his tiny hands on his booster seat.

Hawk snapped. “Mom, can’t you do that somewhere else? It’s hard to eat with that thing making all that noise.”

Egret wiped Pidge’s chin with a napkin. “You didn’t mind when I fed Falcon at the table.”

“Well Falcon’s a dimwit. He barely made any noise then, and barely makes any noise now.”

Falcon, who was sitting across from Hawk, jumped awake, “Did someone say my name?”

Hawk rolled his eyes. “No, go back to sleep, dumbass.”

“Oh. Sure.” He sat back in his chair and started to nod off again.

“See?”

Egret nodded absently. “One of his many qualities.”

Hawk scoffed.

Egret glanced at Hawks plate. “Hawk you’ve barely touched your curry!”

“Not hungry,” he shrugged.

Robin chuckled under her breath.

Hawk glared at her. “What? Got something to say?”

“He hasn’t eaten anything because he can’t handle spicy food,” she said to her mother, ignoring Hawk’s glare shooting daggers at her.

Kestrel snorts, sending curry and rice up her nose. She squealed in pain, “Ow! Ow-ow-ow…”

“I can handle spicy food just fine!” He retorted.

Robin shot a glare at Hawk. “Prove it then.”

Hawk crossed his arms. “Nah, don’t feel like it.”

Kestrel chugs a glass of water. “Wait, you seriously can’t eat spicy food?” she laughed.

“Jesus… yes I can. I’m just not hungry right now!”

Egret piped in, “Children, please, if he doesn’t want to eat, he doesn’t have to.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“We’ll just make a special non-spicy plate for you next time.”

“Jesus fucking christ. You too, Mom?”

Paresh’s voice rumbled through the room, quieting the table, “Do not swear at the table.”

Everyone went back to eating, except for Hawk, who sat back in his chair with his arms crossed, pouting. Robin next to him, smirked.

“Bitch,” Hawk muttered.

“Slut,” she retorted, bringing a fork of curry to her mouth. He kicked her leg making her drop it back on her plate. A glare from Paresh kept them from escalating the argument.

The room was quiet again aside from the sounds of eating and Pidge’s gurgles.

“I will be leaving for a time again,” Paresh stated, his voice cutting through the silence.

The room erupted into various responses.

“Darling, again? But you were just away on a three year trip!”

“What!? Why can’t you just say no!?”

“What are they having you do this time? What did you even do last time!?”

“Fucking hell. Don’t they know you have a family?”

“Silence.” Paresh’s voice reverberated through the building. Once again, the room fell quiet. Even the staff in the corners, crept out through the kitchen door. “I do what I am told, and you will wait patiently for my return. My work is extremely important.”

Kestrel was brave enough to speak up, “Why don’t you ever tell what you’re doing? At least tell us where you’re going!”

“I cannot share the nuances of my work as it could lead to the wrong sources knowing my position.”

Kestrel sighed and continued eating.

“How long will you be gone this time?” Egret chimed in, her voice was saturated with misplaced hope.

“Another three years. Maybe more.”

“But… but you said we would have time together after this trip.” Her eyes grew foggy with tears.

“Put your tears away, woman. You will wait for me again and remain faithful.”

Egret nods and goes back to her task of feeding her youngest child.

Robin leaned with her elbow on the table, watching the whole scene unfold. “So, what made you two get married?”

“Why are you asking, sweetheart?” Her mother responded.

“Because I’m wondering who would want to marry him.”

Egret sat up and put a hand to her chest, offended. “Robin! Take that back this instant!”

“Yeah, Robin,” Hawk chimed in, “Rude.”

“Take your elbow off the table, Robin,” Paresh said nonchalantly, continuing to eat. “I married your mother for the power that dwells in her lineage. I knew that, with time, we could make strong magical children. Egret knows this.”

Egret glanced away from him, hurt in her eyes.

“So, you married her to make designer babies!?”

“In the broad sense of the term; yes.”

Hawk smirked. “Should’ve just stopped with your first then.”

Robin glared at him. “Of course you would say that.”

Hawk shrugged, “I’m perfect and a natural at magic. What else can I say.”

“This family is a nightmare.”

“Depends what perspective you look at it.”

Robin turned her anger from Hawk to Paresh. “Do you even know what you’re doing to Mother? Making her be a baby incubator for you? She had three miscarriages in ten years before Pidge was born!” Robin stands and throws her hands on the table. “You come home, fuck her, and then leave for years expecting it all to just work out by the time you get back!”

Egret winced and nervously glanced at her husband. “Robin, please, you don’t need to-”

“No, I don’t,” Robin snapped, “but I will, because this family is so dysfunctional and broken and it’s all because of him! No one ever talks about it, either because they don’t see it,” she looked pointedly at Hawk, “or they’re too afraid to see it.” She laughed, “I can’t be the only one who sees just how crazy each and every one of you are!”

“Robin,” Paresh growled, “Sit down.”

“No. I’m done. I’m going to my room.” She marched away from the table.

“Robin.” His voice cut through her, making her freeze in place. He didn’t expend any mana but it felt as though he had cast a spell on her… “Sit. Down.”

Seconds passed, feeling like minutes. Her palms felt sweaty but her throat was dry. She swallowed, forcing the knot in her throat down and turned back to the table to sit.

“I will speak with you in my study after dinner.”

She sat silently, staring at her half eaten plate of curry, dreading when Paresh would finish his meal. Her heart pounded in her ears, drowning out the taunts that Hawk was throwing at her.