"I still can't believe you convinced us to carry the brunt of the load," Lucifer grumbled as he adjusted his grip on the basket he carried in each hand.

"I did all the cooking, so the least you can do is carry it," Lilith tossed back, twirling a glaze lily between her fingers as she skipped along, a basket full of utensils in her other hand.

"I imagine that Mountain Carver and Cloud Retainer will be quite shocked to see me of all adepti being treated like a pack horse," Rex chuckled.

"Speaking of them, what does Guizhong look like?" Lilith asked curiously.

"She is easy to spot. She has a distinctive hairstyle where the locks of hair on the sides and back are longer than the rest," Rex replied. "Her hair is a light gray like ashes, and it fades into a pastel blue."

"That's such a boring description!" Lilith pouted. "Can't you say something more romantic, like how beautiful her eyes are or the seductive shape of her bod- mrrph!" She garbled furiously as Lucifer slapped his hand over her mouth.

"That's enough out of you," he said, flicking her forehead. "Stop harassing Rex over his love life."

"It's not harassment, it's a legitimate question..." Lilith grumbled, rubbing her forehead. She then sighed. "I can't believe Venti's bad luck. A stray monster wandering into wind spirit territory just as we're about to leave? I think that Celestia is laughing at us."

"He should be able to come after an hour or two," Rex reassured her, patting the top of her head.

Lilith relaxed into the headpat, nodding. She then gasped, pointing towards the top. "I think I see them!" she shouted, suddenly racing forwards.

"Where the hell did her previous anxiety go," Lucifer groaned, not bothering to try and stop her. However, a sudden thought caused his face to pale. "Wait... Don't tell me-! Lilith, don't you dare even think about glomping on a stranger at first sight!"

"Oh dear," Rex groaned as Lilith ignored her brother's word and kept running.

She finally reached the top and quickly scanned the small group of surprised faces. Finally, she found the head of gray-and-blue hair she was looking for and ran forward. "You're an absolute keeper!" She shouted, launching herself into Guizhong's arms.

Guizhong giggled good-naturedly, swinging Lilith around in her arms as the smaller girl laughed childishly.

"Li~li~th~" a disarmingly sing-song voice rang out, and Lilith froze. She slowly turned around to see a furious Lucifer standing at the top of the stairway, tapping his foot on the ground.

"Whoops?" Lilith chuckled nervously, tightening her grip on Guizhong.

"What have I told you about proper introductions?" Lucifer sighed, rubbing the bridge of his eyes.

"HI! I'm Lilith!" Lilith said to Guizhong, looking up at the taller woman as her chin rested on her diaphragm.

"I am Guizhong, sweet child," Guizhong replied, smiling sweetly at the girl. Lilith smiled back, basking in the warm, kind aura the woman emanated. She sensed almost no darkness in her soul, and absolutely no animosity towards the twins. This made her love the woman even more, as she slightly tightened her grip.

"What are two mortal children doing at the gathering place of the adepti?" a strict-looking woman with glasses scoffed, crossing her arms. Lilith looked over at her and determined that, despite the displeasure and suspicious of seeing two strangers invade the meeting, she didn't have the type of malice they should avoid. "We must send them away before Rex Lapis arrives. The audacity of mortals these days..."

"Do not worry, they are with me," Rex Lapis' steady voice rang out as he made his way up the last few steps. He set the baskets he was carrying down, straightening with a slight groan as he popped a few spine bones back into place.

"Rexy! C'mon, those baskets aren't even that heavy. Stop acting like an old man; you're going to die an old bachelor if you keep that up!" Lilith giggled teasingly, pulling away from Guizhong and trotting over to Rex, heartily patting him on the back. The watching adepti gasped at the pure audacity of this mere mortal girl, treating their lord so casually.

"Child! Does one have any idea whom one is conversing with?!" the woman with glasses demanded furiously, bloodlust spilling into the air.

"I do!" Lilith replied with a sweet smile. "The question is... do you have any idea who you're talking to?" With that said, Lilith allowed her own bloodlust to leak out, sending a shiver down all of their spines.

"Lilith," Rex called out warningly, and Lilith immediately stopped.

"Old habits die hard," she chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry, Miss. When I get confronted, it's usually by bandits. I developed a bad habit of intimidating them away," she explained apologetically.

"Rex Lapis... Who are these children, exactly?" the woman with glasses asked Rex cautiously.

"Cloud Retainer, these are the twins Lilith and Lucifer... my elder siblings," Rex explained.

"Siblings?!" Cloud Retainer exclaimed incredulously.

"Elder?" Guizhong questioned, tilting her head to the side. She looked curiously at the two children who looked no more than fourteen years old.

"Not by blood, and our people age really slowly," Lucifer explained.

"Even though we look young, we're really over seven thousand years old," Lilith finished.

Guizhong and the rest of the adepti gasped in amazement. However, Guizhong was focusing on a different aspect of the twins' statements. "Wow, I wish I could look this young and cute like you guys!" she exclaimed, causing Cloud Retainer and the rest of the adepti to sigh at her antics.

"But if you looked like us, Rexy might get outed for romancing a minor," Lilith said plainly, causing Guizhong to flush a pretty peach color as Rex coughed awkwardly into his fist.

"Lily... read the room..." Lucifer groaned as Lilith just giggled.

"One still cannot grasp why these two are allowed to act so casually towards the Prime of the Adepti," Cloud Retainer grumbled.

"Lilith is my life's savior. She rescued me when I was but a few weeks old, vulnerable to the elements. She and her brother took me in and raised me as their own family. They have all the right to treat me as casually as they want," Rex replied, fondly resting a hand on each of the twin's shoulders.

"Rexyyyyy..." Lilith sniffed, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "We love you so muchhhhh!" she exclaimed, launching herself towards Rex and nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck.

Guizhong awwed at the adorable scene in front of her while Cloud Retainer just awkwardly looked to the side.

"One supposes that one can make an exception for your disrespect..." she huffed, adjusting her glasses.

"Now that all that stuff is over with... I brought food!" Lilith cheered, rushing over to her baskets of food and hauling all of them over her shoulder.

"Are you telling me that you could have easily carried all of them by yourself and instead forced us to do it?" Lucifer groaned, plopping onto a nearby rock.

"You guys need the exercise!" Lilith replied with a teasing grin. "Luci, you're always doing artsy stuff and only going outside to paint! Rexy, don't think that I don't notice you sipping tea while sitting on the grass when you say that you're going out to train!"

Guizhong giggled as Rex looked off to the side, crossing his arm with a huff.

"The adepti have elevated tastes. I doubt that an amateur's cooking can come close to meeting our stan- hm?" Cloud Retainer interrupted herself, sniffing the air. She flushed as an embarrassingly loud growl erupted from her stomach.

"Ehehehe, whoever was the one foolish enough to call my cooking that of an 'amateur'," Lilith smirked proudly. "I'll have you know that I've been experimenting with food for the better part of three thousand five hundred years. Nobody can hold a candle to these polished arts! Behold, the aptly named 'Adeptus' Temptation'!" she exclaimed with a flourish, somehow wrenching an entire pot out of a basket. She lifted the lid, releasing the bewitching aroma of spices and perfectly cooked meats and vegetables.

"She only named it that after getting the approval of two adepti, so it kind of went to her head," Lucifer explained to Guizhong and Cloud Retainer with an embarrassed shrug.

"This is the day that I prove my dish is worthy of its name!" Lilith declared, pointing at her brother. "Prepare to be proven wrong, like always!"

"The usual bet?" Lucifer challenged with a smirk.

"The usual bet," Lilith nodded with a matching smirk. Sparks flew between the two competitive siblings as Guizhong curiously approached the pot. "Oh, I'll get the plates out," Lilith offered, turning away.

"Aren't you just so sweet! I wish I could have a sister this cute," Guizhong giggled.

"I mean, a certain draconic brother of mine is prime bachelor real estate, the last I checked," Lilith said with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Lilith," Rex rumbled with a disapproving look, to which Lilith just winked and stuck her tongue out.

"Here, the first bowl of the day!" Lilith said, handing Guizhong the steaming plate along with some chopsticks. "And the second," she added, handing the same to Cloud Retainer, who reluctantly accepted. This girl didn't look like much, but if the Prime of the Adeptus claimed her to be his older sister... and his savior... it would be rude to refuse her offering. Especially if it smelt this good.

"One shall gratefully accept," Cloud Retainer with a slight incline of her head.

"Let's dig in!" Guizhong cheerfully declared, popping a broth-soaked mushroom into her mouth. Her eyes sparkled as a delighted, muffled squeak burst from her full mouth. She chewed furiously, taking more bites as fast as socially acceptable. Her cheeks still puffed up a bit, making her look like a gray-furred squirrel with stuffed cheeks.

Cloud Retainer, emboldened by her colleague's positive reaction, also took a small bite. Eyes widened, she quickly covered her mouth slightly with the tips of her fingers as she chewed, a smile threatening to twitch its way to her face. "It is... edible," she mumbled once she swallowed, then quickly took another bite.

Lilith enthusiastically distributed bowls to the other adepti, and all of them (even the Stove God) showered the beaming girl with words of praise. She shot a triumphant grin as her brother, holding up a peace sign. "It seems that I win the bet! Again."

"How is it that every time we bet on something, you win, and anything we don't bet on, it goes how I predict it?" Lucifer sighed.

"Lady Luck smiles upon me. Now! You know what that means~" Lilith giggled, holding her arms out in front of her.

"Yes yes, my princess," Lucifer chuckled, turning around and crouching down. Lilith hopped onto his back and he stood up, giving her a piggyback ride.

"The stakes of the bet remained the same, I see," Rex chuckled, watching his frolicking siblings with a soft smile and adoring eyes.

"A piggyback ride?" Guizhong asked, also gazing upon the siblings with glittering, soft eyes.

"To be more specific, it is the right to be pampered and treated like royalty for the day, and at night to be the one tucked in like a child. That last part is a bit unnecessary, since they sleep together and tuck each other in. I suppose that it is more of the idea of having a full day dedicated to just them," Rex explained with a fond smile.

"But Lucifer mentioned that Lilith usually wins their bets. Doesn't that mean that Lilith is pampered more than him?" Guizhong tilted her head, a bit confused with the favoritism towards the young female.

"That is true... but she is also the one who deserves a day for herself the most," Rex replied grimly. His eyes saddened as he looked at the twins. Lilith was seated on Lucifer's lap, happily being fed bites of Adeptus' Temptation. She swung her legs as she chewed, sparkles in her eyes. "Lucifer told me, once, that despite her happy face, she's the one with the most mental baggage. He never elaborated any more than that - " until recently, he added mentally, " - but seeing Lilith go out of her way to protect her loved ones and take care of us all, yet almost never accept help for herself... I have to agree."

"I've only just met her, but I also get that impression," Guizhong nodded. Her eyes sharpened as she shot a glare at Rex Lapis. "Speaking of only just meeting her..." she planted her hands on her hips, a pout on her cheeks. "Why didn't you introduce me to such a cute girl sooner?! You've been monopolizing her for thousands of years!" She pointed an indignant finger at Rex's bemused face. "You better have a good explanation, mister!"

"I - the twins explicitly asked me to not mention their existence to outsiders," Rex said, for some reason feeling like he did something wrong.

"And I'm an outsider?! I thought we were closer than that!" Guizhong ranted, her pout growing.

"I... hrm..." Rex stuttered, for once at a loss for words.

"Aw, it looks like trouble in paradise!" Lilith said, trotting over. She grasped Guizhong's hand and began tugging her away. "Fear not, for your trusty wingwoman will plead your case and patch things up, pronto!" she said, winking and tossing a two-fingered salute towards Rex.

"That statement makes me fear more," Rex sighed, deciding to relax with a nice cup of osmanthus wine instead of worry over the matter more.

A.N. One for chapter left for Book 1... I fr need to keep working on Book 2 so I have the whole thing ready to publish then work on Book 3... but college my dudes ;v;