899 There Is

After lunch, Mary Tarith came in person to collect the guests of honor and lead them to the prepared location for the family-exclusive birthday event.

She had put it in one of the upstairs suites, so it felt more like home, with the large living room and kitchen, while only Dave, Molly, Max's siblings, and a small assortment of the closest of the Tarith Reavers were in attendance.

Nico's father came in only a few seconds after Mary led them into the room, and the Matriarch of the Tarith Clan called the guests to attention.

"Welcome everyone, and Happy Birthday to our not-quite twin Commanders." She joked.

"They might come from very different families, but the two of them have been tied together from the very start. They first saw each other on the way home from the hospital the day that they were born, and they have been together since the Academy assigned them as roommates on the very first day."