"You want a what?" Shalafae asked, hands on his hips.
Morrigana arched a brow without looking up from her bard crystal. "An ostentation of elves." She absently petted her cat, chewing her lip as she concentrated on the tale she created.
Her father narrowed his eyes at Elthanael after a long silence. "Would you care to explain?"
The elf was sprawled before the fire with a sketchbook. Dressed in silk robes, the golden Elthanael didn't look like the infamous assassin he was. "It's actually something your lady sister said. An off-hand comment about having a group of elven sex slaves, and your lady daughter decided to make a tale of it."
Shalafae approached and sat beside his daughter. "So how did 'ostentation' come into it?"
Morrigana broke away from her bard crystal with a chuckle. "What else would you call a group of elves?"
He arched an eyebrow, leaning back in the chair while he pondered. "Which one of you came up with ostentation?" The Sidhehan spared a sidelong glance at the elf as Elthanael rose. "Or was it some little storyteller twist?"
"Well, El was a little insulted when I suggested a leash of elves. My argument was that they're going to be on leashes, so why not call them that?"
Elthanael pulled out a chair and sat, propping his feet up on the table. "And she isn't making a tale about a big group, so she couldn't address them as a family or a congress."
Shalafae sighed. "Do I really want to know how you got to ostentation then?"
Morrigana laughed, scratching her cat behind the ears. "It certainly took a bit of debating to get there. But with all the frippery and lovely clothes, what else would elves be but an ostentation?"
The hybrid's second-in-command chuckled, hiding his smile behind his hand. "And, of course, we learned it from our ancestors." Morrigana added her own chuckle, turning her gaze away from her father.
Shalafae glared at his child, the heavily embroidered silk of his robe crinkling as he leaned forward. Elthanael and Morrigana both kept their gazes down. "And which one of you wants to try getting me on a leash?"
The family broke out in laughter, and the room was filled with love.
