Sylus adjusted his coat in the mirror, smoothing the collar with one hand while fixing his watch with the other. He always looks forward to spontaneous dates with you. His ears twitches slightly at the noise in the hallway.

Patter patter.

Tiny feet. Double impact. Two waddling toddlers in matching crow onesies comes barreling toward him like stormclouds with squeaky shoes.

“Daaa!” Verity cries, arms up. “Hold now!!” When he picks Verity up, Caligo whines, and holds her arms up too.

“Why you go date wifout us?” Caligo pouts, and pokes his cheeks for answers. “We want go.”

Verity nods and also pouts. “We wear fancy. See?”

Verity reached into her little crow pouch and pulled out a crumpled flower she must’ve stolen from the kitchen centerpiece. “This for Mama. We go now?”

“Yeah,” Caligo added, stuffing a sock into Sylus’s suit pocket. “This present too.”

Sylus tried to exhale slowly. “You two…”he sighs. “this is a date for just me and your mother. Uncle Luke and Kieran will be watching you both.”

His eyes land on you as you peek your head in.

Immediately, both toddlers twisted around in Sylus’s arms, clinging to him like baby bats.

“Mamaaa!” Verity wailed. “Daaaaa said nooooo!”

“We wanna gooooo!” Caligo echoed dramatically, clinging tighter. “We bring presents and everything!”

Sylus, impeccably dressed in a dark suit with a crumpled flower dangling from one shoulder and a sock poking out of his breast pocket, while two furious crows squirmed in his arms like little demons of injustice.

Sylus laughs. “Should we take them along, sweetie?”