Chapter 417

“Come here, Fifs, you disaster, let poor Daphne go,” Jesse calls, holding his arms out for the baby in Daphne's arms. He's sitting on the floor in front of the couch now, a puzzle spread out before him, both Chase and Bella on either side of it, sorting through the pieces. Seraphina - called Fifi by those who love her best - wiggles in Daphne's arms, struggling to be put down, so Daphne places her back on the floor and she dashes immediately to Jesse, throwing herself in his lap.

"Hi, Daphne!" Rose calls, waving from her spot in front of the television where she's playing some dance game, her movements tracked by the device. Chase, the eldest after Jesse, is slumped over an armchair, playing a game on his phone. Daphne grins at the fact that he completely ignores her.

"This is...quite a scene," Daphne murmurs, looking around, kind of impressed. "What on earth are you all doing up after a late night?"

"Come sit," Jesse says, patting the spot next to him on the fourth side of the puzzle.

Daphne obeys as Jesse wraps his arms tight around his youngest sister, planting a solid kiss on her head while Daphne settles in.

"Unfortunately," Jesse says, smiling softly at Daphne as he rests his head against Seraphina's, "even if their parents stay up until two in the morning worrying about the state of the nation, the children still wake up at the crack of dawn, demanding sustenance."

"Sustenance!" Fifi shouts, throwing her fists in the air.

Jesse laughs but otherwise ignores her, keeping his attention Daphne.

"But why are you up?" Daphne asks, grinning at Jesse, charmed by it all. She doesn't have any siblings, so sitting in a house so cozy and warm and noisy with love? It's a welcome change. "You were up late worrying too."

"The demons demanded my presence," Jesse replies, raising one of his feet to give Chase a little kick that topples him over a bit. Chase growls, playful, and sends Jesse a wicked grin before leaping on his foot and pretending to attack it. "They like my scrambled eggs better than mom's. Because they have taste buds, you see."

"But isn't that a lot to ask of you?" Daphne asks softly, leaning against the couch with her portfolio still tucked under her arm. "You're one of them, after all. A sibling."

"Yeah, but mom and dad need a break," Jesse replies, equally soft, holding Daphne's gaze as he speaks honestly for once instead of cracking a joke. "Besides, I miss my buddies, and I can sleep at the Academy when I only have Rafe and Ariel to take care of." He grins, looking over his siblings with very clear affection.

Daphne laughs a little and he turns his smile back to her. "What do you have there?" he asks, lifting his chin at the portfolio under her arm. "Oh!" Daphne says, looking down at the neatly bundled papers and then hesitating before pulling them out and settling them on her lap.

"Gimme!" Bella says immediately, snatching the portfolio out of Daphne's hands.

"Oh, um!" Daphne gasps, hesitating.

"Bella," Jesse scolds, his voice low and slow. Bella stops instantly with her hand on the cover, grimacing and looking up at her big brother. "What do we say about important paperwork?"

Bella sighs, looking down, ashamed. "No sticky fingers."

"I washed mine!" Chase declares, reaching for the portfolio with his apparently clean hands.

Jesse raises an eyebrow at Daphne and she shrugs, thinking that it's just some preliminary ideas, it wouldn't really matter if they got smudged. Everyone leans forward - even Caleb, clearly eavesdropping from his place on the armchair - peering at the designs as Chase reverently opens the portfolio and quickly spreads them out.

"Oh, ew, girl stuff," Chase sighs, jumping to his feet and running across the room - though Daphne doesn't know where he's going or why.noveldrama

"Girl stuff!?" Rose gasps, turning immediately and abandoning her dance game as she falls to her knees and starts to sort through the sketches. Bella likewise leans in, curious.

"They're designs," Daphne says, unable to keep the pride from her voice. "Your mom asked me to think up some dresses and outfits for her. These are the ones I thought of this morning."

"Just this morning?" Jesse murmurs, raising his eyes to her. "Talk about getting no sleep."

“Hard work takes the time it takes, Sinclair," Daphne replies, mock-haughty and raising her eyes to his.

Immediately, he grins. "I wouldn't know, Baros."

Daphne just wrinkles her nose at him, just a little. Because she knows he's lying – that he pretends to be lazier than he is. Because how can he call himself lazy when he's clearly gotten up early to let his parents catch some sleep?

As Jesse smirks at her, Daphne just turns her head slightly to study this boy, who is constantly revealing himself to be more and more of a mystery.