A beautiful woman appeared, guided by that gentle voice. It was Valessia, Selena's mother. This was the first time I saw her completely.
My eyes instinctively turned to her. She was stunning — about 1.85 meters tall, as tall as Serapynhe. She wore a sweet, completely white dress, adorned with delicate red flower details, along with beautiful white flats.
Her incredibly curvy figure stood out beneath the fabric of the dress. From her head flowed a long, thick cascade of red hair that draped down her back.
Around her, a gentle and welcoming aura seemed to envelop her. She was completely unlike any woman I had ever seen before.
She seemed… ethereal. Untouchable, even though she was flesh and blood.
— Girls, how are you? It's a pleasure, young man — she said with a soft voice.
Suddenly, she began to greet us kindly, embracing Flávia and Selena in a warm, double hug.
Then she gently hugged me. Her voice was so welcoming and beautiful that, even in the presence of so much beauty, I felt no desire — only comfort.
— It's a pleasure, ma'am — I tried to respond gently, though I wasn't very good at it.
— It's a true pleasure to meet you. What a sweet young man you are — she said, placing her hands on my face and looking deeply into my eyes.
There was something deep in her rosy eyes. I couldn't say what it was exactly, but there was something comforting there. A lived feeling, as if she could see right through me.
Flávia and Selena, by my side, seemed a bit surprised.
— Have you ever seen Bruno like this?
— No… even when he's feeling affectionate, he never lets his guard down like that...
Valessia then caressed my face delicately before turning her gaze back to Flávia and Selena.
— You look lovely today. Don't tell me I interrupted something important — she said, covering her mouth sweetly.
— How could it be like that? We're extremely happy to have you with us — Flávia responded, all cheerful.
— Really? But you didn't even think of inviting me — Valessia replied with mock sadness and a hint of shyness.
— It was kind of last minute, mom... — said Selena in her usual soft manner.
— Yes, auntie! Why don't you join us and sit down? — suggested Flávia, her expression glowing — clearly with ulterior motives.
Valessia smiled radiantly and sat down with us. And Flávia's ulterior motive was soon revealed.
With a slight movement of her hands, a basket full of treats appeared between her fingers. Flávia's eyes lit up instantly.
— You never come without food, do you, auntie? — Flávia said excitedly.
— Not even in her dreams — she added with a giggle.
— It's the least I could do, right? — Valessia replied as she opened the basket and began pulling out various delicacies made from spiritual fruits. Some I even recognized.
Solvia tea, a blue fruit that looked like a melon but tasted like orange — truly curious. Rubraflor candies, the "spiritual strawberries" of Tenebris. Lacrimal cake, made from a grape-like fruit with blue, teardrop-shaped clusters. Noctiris, a sweet little fruit somewhere between grape and blackberry. And Sangriflor jelly, which, from a human perspective, I would compare to raspberry jam.
There were also various red breads, made from spiritual yeast, refined blood, vital nectar from bees, and powdered cloud.
It was with this bread that Flávia had prepared toast for me.
— Eat, eat! — Valessia said enthusiastically as she laid out clean plates and utensils.
— Lacrimal cake?! — Flávia exclaimed, grabbing a slice and eating it, almost crying with joy.
Selena, meanwhile, eagerly went for the Rubraflor sweets.
I just watched, unsure if I should eat anything. But then a sweet voice called me:
— Eat, Bruno. Are you shy, or do you not like my cooking? — Valessia asked with a touch of mock scolding.
— At least have some tea — she said, handing me a cup.
— Thank you — I replied, taking the cup and sipping.
— It's made with peel, you know — she said, noticing my expression.
— Yes... I liked it. It's delicious — I said, trying to sound convincing.
But only I knew what I was really thinking: Damn… orange peel tea again? I hate tea! When I was a kid, they gave me orange peel jelly and tea... those were the two things I hated most in my life.
Even so, I didn't want to hurt Valessia's feelings. So I tried to drink at a normal pace. Shouldn't be too hard…
But it was torture. Peels! Oh, peels! I hate them!, I thought, keeping a neutral expression.
Glup.
I couldn't take it. I downed the whole cup in one gulp, just to get it over with.
Valessia saw me and smiled brightly, thinking I had loved it.
— Did you like it? Would you like more?
— No, ma'am... but if possible, I'd like to try that Sangriflor jelly.
— Of course! You're truly a sweetheart — she said, serving me a slice of red bread with the jelly.
As I took a bite, the taste was far better than ordinary raspberry jam. The sweetness coated my lips, and in the end, a slight wine-like flavor filled my mouth — the result of the fermentation method.
— This is amazing! — I said, my eyes gleaming.
It was much better than the one Flávia had made for me before.
Valessia looked at me tenderly, resting her face on her hand.
— I'm glad you liked it. Sangriflor isn't a very valued fruit, even though it tastes wonderful — she said, gently sighing as she ate a piece of cake.
My eyes wandered across the three of them.
Selena was eating the sweets like an excited child. Flávia devoured slices of cake, little tears of happiness running down her cheeks. And Valessia ate her piece with elegant poise.
What a wonderful moment..., I thought, sighing happily.
Valessia looked at me carefully.
— Have you always been like this? — she asked suddenly.
— Like what? — I replied, confused.
— So present? So intense? You savor every second. Between each bite, your eyes move between us three… and you seem to enjoy the moment.
— I'm not really sure how to answer that… but I guess not. It's something recent. I never used to stop and observe what was happening around me...
— Maybe I've changed — I finished, not going too deep.
— That's good. It's good to change. Your new way of enjoying everything makes you more... beautiful. If you were older, I might consider competing with Selena and Flávia — she said, playfully winking.
Older, huh…, I thought to myself, though I didn't show it.
— Oh, my mother is trying to steal Bruno! — said Selena, after snatching a sweet from Flávia's plate. Flávia glared at her, one eyebrow raised.
— Looks like she's not the only one stealing... — muttered Flávia, protecting her treats and pretending to defend me from afar, with a fluffy piece of cake still in her mouth.
— I'm here, struggling to keep him secret and hidden... and when I finally show him to the people I trust most, they try to steal him!
Hmph, Flávia huffed in fake indignation.
— Looks like I'll have to hide him deep under the beds! — she concluded, with a bit of whipped cream on her cheek.
— Hide me? You almost stabbed my hand with a fork, little bat, just for bread and jelly!
— Love aside… auntie Valessia's bread with jelly is on a whole other level — she replied.
— Little bat? — Valessia said, laughing and looking at Flávia, who tried to cover her eyes shyly.
— Why that nickname?
— Oh... actually, they both have nicknames. Flávia is "little bat," and Selena is "Selapinha." When it snowed last month, they were both wearing bat and frog slippers.
I showed Valessia the photos I had taken that day.
— Just look at them! How cute are these slippers? — Valessia said, clearly delighted, like she had just found a treasure.
She continued looking through all the photos, whether they were of Selena or Flávia.
— Look at Flávia drooling… how adorable! Oh my goodness… Selena sleeping so peacefully!
— Bruno! How could you betray us like this?! You said you wouldn't show those to anyone! — Flávia and Selena complained in unison.
— Just wait… something's coming for you tonight! — Flávia warned, pointing a finger at me confidently.
— Depending on how it goes, I might remind you that you purr when you sleep — I said. Hearing that, Flávia instantly wilted, while Valessia and I laughed like co-conspirators.
— It's true… Flávia used to purr when she was little. I didn't imagine she still did. And little Selena… as a baby, she used to breathe with these tiny little whistles. It was the cutest thing — Valessia reminisced fondly.
— Actually… they both still do — I revealed.
— How adorable... they're still just as sweet as ever — Valessia said in her warm, maternal tone, looking at the two girls with affection.