<4> "Oh, look, honey. Someone's lettin' off fireworks tonight." From the back of the small house approached a bulky human sporting long, red hair and bushy eyebrows with a clean shaven face. His blue eyes turned skyward, soon followed by a groan and an eyeroll. "Oh boy. Think she's on her way?" The other male human, this one with a shock of blonde hair and a thin beard, simply laughed. "No doubt. I give her three minutes. But you really shouldn't be surprised, Rowan. You gave her the fireweed in the first place, [i]and[/i] the fireworks." The red-haired male let out a hearty belly-laugh. "The fireweed? Sure. But [i]she[/i] bought the fireworks. I just... helped bring them overseas is all, and that was thanks to [i]your[/i] cousin, Barry." It was Barry's turn to laugh and give his husband a sharp smack on the rump. "Now now, no need to point fingers. But it [i]is[/i] your turn to take care of her." No sooner did the words leave his lips than a knock on the door rang out. "Fine, but you owe me." Rowan quickly returned the spank and ushered his husband away before peering through the peephole... only to find his niece desperately clutching her pack and armor in front of her. Even from the other side of the door, it was apparent that Summer absolutely reeked of fireweed. The skilled herbalist quickly opened the door and stepped to one side. "Get your butt in here. Sheesh, can't Lysia plan something small and subtle for a change?" Summer looked redder than a barn as she meekly stepped into the house, desperately trying to preserve her own modesty. "Not really her thing, but it's a nice idea. I'll tell her that next time." Rowan chuckled as he walked through the small house and pulled open a small dresser drawer. He quickly produced a set of spare, albeit undersized, clothes that he quickly tossed to her. "Anyone get caught?" "No, thank the Light," she remarked and dropped her armor to dress herself. Rowan had already turned away to give her some privacy, though the small, white tank top and denim shorts were only enough of an improvement to get her home. She had given him that emergency stash a few years prior, along with other smallish clothes she wouldn't miss, to hold onto for this exact scenario. "Thank you so much, Uncle Rowan. You... aren't gonna tell dad, are you?" Rowan slowly turned back around and offered her a smile before taking a seat in his recliner. "That old stick-in-the-mud never visits anyway. Why should I tell him?" Clear relief settled over her features, and a few moments later she was reasonably decent once more. "I can't thank you enough, Uncle." "Mmmh, I think you can," Barry suddenly chimed in as he entered from the other room. As if fearful for someone's life, the blonde-haired man scooped up her fallen armor and clutched it to his chest. "This is an absolute travesty, young lady. I spent more time on this armor than he does cultivating his plants," he rumbled and jerked his head toward Rowan. "You're not getting this back until I have it back to its original state. Understood?" As bad as Summer felt about having damaged her uncle-in-law's fine work, she knew as well as Rowan did that he thrived with repair work, and that his displeasure was mostly an act. She still tried to hide her smile as she bowed her head humbly. "Yes, Uncle. I'm so sorry." "You should be!" he insisted before sharply turning away and disappearing further into their home once more. Both Rowan and Summer exchanged slight smiles before the former spoke. "Must you leave already? You're welcome to stay if you like. I just got the guest bed cleaned up this morning." Summer contemplated the option for a brief moment, but quickly decided she'd rather be in her own bed sleeping off her high instead of being found out at her uncle's house. "Nah, I think I'm alright, but thank you!" Rowan smiled nonetheless and gave his niece a large bear hug. "Don't worry about a thing, kiddo. I bet your dad'll be too busy to even notice you arrive." The blood elf had just started to turn for the door, but stopped in her tracks at his words. "Busy with what?" Her uncle visibly flinched at this. "Shit, I've said too much. He might not even be busy at all, you know." "Busy with [i]what[/i]?" she repeated more insistently and planted her fists on her hips. Rowan shot a nervous look into his husband's room, but Barry didn't even notice him as he worked his magic on the tank-ini. The herbalist knew good and well that Summer wouldn't leave until she got the answer to her question. "Well... last I heard, he had a date tonight. That's all." Summer's eyes went wide at this. "Seriously? I've [i]never[/i] seen him on a date before." "Weeeeelllllll... maybe 'date' isn't the right word for it," Rowan admitted sheepishly. "More like... shoot, what do they call them now...." The words were on Summer's lips immediately, and without thinking she blurted, "Booty call?" "That's it," Rowan agreed with a snap of his fingers. "He said something in passing to me about it this morning. That's all, no big deal." Perhaps it was the haze of fireweed, but the filter that Summer normally had seemed to have disappeared as she considered her uncle's words. "With who? And how come I've never seen him with a date?" Rowan looked like a cornered mouse as he sunk himself back into his recliner. "He didn't say who exactly. I think it's a good lady friend of his who lives in another apartment. And... well, he told me once he wanted to keep that stuff away from you, Summer. He didn't want you to think anything silly like you were being replaced or getting a new mother or anything. I don't think his relationships are like that." The elf's hands slumped to her sides, and her weight shifted to lean against the door frame as she took her time to process his words. [i]Secret booty calls, huh? I guess it makes sense, he still has needs, but how come no life-mate? I guess he's a little rough around the edges, sure, but he's so sweet and... I guess I get it. I wish he'd told me though. Wait... why do I care? He can do whatever he likes in his free time, even if it involves fucking other ladies....[/i] Summer had gone quiet for several long moments during her reverie, and all Rowan could do was observe her curiously as her unfocused eyes stared off into space. It wasn't until her hand began to reach for her shorts did Rowan rocket up out of his chair. "Welp, you'd best be going then, Summer. No need for me to keep you! Have a good night!" Summer's head shook visibly to bring herself back to reality... right as Rowan's door closed a hair's breadth from her nose. Her cheeks burned red hot in embarrassment, and the blood elf was left with no other choice but to casually stagger her way back into Stormwind.