Adrian Blackwood

Adrian was humming to himself as he bustled about his kitchen, finishing up some chores and making a second cup of coffee. Boston was taking a nap in a sunbeam, and Bran was moving himself around the kitchen, though there wasn't much to sweep. At least that was what was happening until he felt that familiar jolt of magic that meant that someone had crossed into his grove from somewhere else. For a moment the additional effects that came from it being his grove nearly drowned out the fact that it was a group of Blackwoods who had stepped onto his land. Traveling from Blackwood grove to Blackwood grove was a common trick, and one that Pam would approve of, considering how much it saved on fossil fuels and carbon emissions.

It must be some family bringing his extra orders, to make sure the shop didn't run short of inventory. "Thanks I'll take it from here," he began, opening his door to greet his delivery cousins or whatnot. And then he saw who was truly waiting for him.

"Aunt Muriel!" he said, quickly running down the stairs to embrace her slight frame with his. "What are you doing--"

"Oh, you can hug your Aunt Muriel, but as soon as it comes to--" His Aunt Lydia didn't get a chance to finish that sentence before Adrian was hugging her in return. "Look at you two!" he said, stepping back as if to examine them. "I can't believe you're both here. Is this a drop in, or are you here for the weekend or...?"

Lydia and Muriel exchanged glances with one another and then looked back to him. "You got it wrong, sweetheart," Lydia said.

"Oh," Adrian said, his shoulders slumping a bit. He would have loved a longer visit. "I understand, of course," he assured them. "You're the Old Wives, the forest needs you--"

"No," Muriel said, with a warm and wistful smile, though her eyes were tracking some moth or another winging on its way into the sky." We're not both staying over tonight. The three of us are."

"What?" Adrian asked, and then from behind Adrian's heart tree came the most beautiful woman in the world.

Adrian needed a second to take a deep breath. The woman in front of him never left the Blackwood. Ever. For any reason. It was impossible, yet there she was, smiling at him the same way she had a months ago when she walked him to the forest's edge and sent him off to catch his plane.

"Hi, Mom," he said, before wrapping his arms around her for the tightest hug yet.