Ah, he was drunk.

Valeska clocked it immediately despite his best (weak) efforts, and she smiled pleasantly as she swayed beneath the influence of delicious fermentation. Amaris zeroed in on a nearby chunk of stone and behaved as if it were the most wondrous thing on earth, shouting indiscriminately into the atmosphere as the smell of his own intoxication filled the air around them with each breath.

It is alright, she said, waiting until he was finished. Enjoy yourself! Why, next we shall get you to try a proper dose of ayahuasca root.

She clapped him on the back reassuringly with a feathered paw.

Amaranth spoke next, redirecting their son's feverish attention away from the very standard-issue rock and toward the matter at hand. Valeska, for one, was curious if the rock actually did have some unusual properties, one ear cocked as she listened to her mate while bending down to inspect it.

Her tongue snaked out and she gave it a lick.

Huh.

Just a rock.

Your mother is right, she said, sitting back up with a disheveled look. We have led Elysium for many moons, and it is now time to pass the burden - ah - joy - of responsibility on to the next generation.

There was no mention of Alder or Sreda; Narcissa had vanished, along with Dimitri, and Violet was perhaps about as qualified as Amaya to run any sort of operation (which was to say, not at all).

Yes. You, Amaris; you, Aelia, she said with grave ceremony, her voice dropping an octave for effect. She hiccuped and rallied again. High Priest and High Augur. Or, Priestess and Augur. However you want to do it. But we are on the cusp of our golden years, my children.

It'd also be nice to get away for a bit and not worry about the Respite.

It is about kinship - love - working together as one unit beneath a banner of truth.

She would still worry about the Respite.

Tell me your feelings.

And I shall dismiss them and you will lead Elysium anyway because your mother and I are tired and it's time you got real jobs.

But she didn't say any of that out loud.