After everyone had their fill of cake and party treats, the kids darted to the games. There were toys , a ring toss, a piñata, amidst other things. The adults watched for the most part, though occasionally Dregan, Zidane, and Vivi were coaxed to play. Orko, to make things more fun, conjured up prizes, like candy or small toys and such.
"Lets play Hide-n-Seek!" cheered Savander happily after a very close dart game. It was instantly agreed upon, and Val consented to be it. He sat down, closing his eyes and placing his hands over them, and began to count to twenty as the rest darted off.
"One, two, three, four - " Several of Vivi's sons darted around one side of the palace to hide there. " - Five, six, seven, eight - " Eiko hid herself behind a bush next to the castle, and Savander darted up a nearby tree. " - Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen - " another of Vivi's sons (Zentarou thought it was Nicara) darted down the steps heading to the boat dock, where a boat waited to ferry people across to the city, and ducked down. " - Fourteen, fifteen... sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty!" he finished in a rush. Val uncovered his eyes and hopped up. "Ready or not, hear I come!"
As the amused adults watched, Val quickly found Eiko - her horn pocked out over the top of the bushes - then Savander - who burst into giggles when Eiko was found. A little more searching ferreted out Nic by the dock (Zentarou was pleased he had recognized the scholarly mage). But after that nothing... until Vivi 'discreetly' inclined his head towards the far side of the palace, to which Val darted off.
"Isn't that cheating?" chuckled Freya.
"I didn't say where they were hiding, just gave a general area." That got a laugh.
Meanwhile, Cal had found a rather good hiding place in a corner of one of the towers. Bushes in front hid him from sight, and he figured if he crouched down and closed his glowing eyes he'd blend in with the dark shadows.
"Hehe, good luck finding me, little brother," he chuckled to himself as he curled over in a ball, his hands holding his hat down out of sight and shutting his eyes tight. He heard Val's nearly silent steps as he rounded the corner, and indeed the younger Black Mage might not have found Calan, for all they were a yard apart, except for the sudden sharp sting on the base of Cal's neck that startled him into yelping. "Ow!" He swatted at his neck.
"Found you, Cal," Val said as he pushed aside the bushes.
"Only because something bit me," Cal retorted as he climbed out of his hiding place, rubbing his neck. Val's eyes reflected concern.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Just my luck to get bit while hiding." Val peered at his brother's neck.
"Must've been a spider. There's cobwebs on your jacket." He dusted them off, then smiled. "How about you go hide again, since I found you when you yelped? I'll face the wall, and close my eyes and count to ten." Cal smiled.
"Okay." While Val counted, he darted around the far corner and re-hid, and so the game began anew until all but Sola had been found.
"I give up!" Val said at last to the adults seated at the table. He shouted louder, "Okay, Sola, all outs in free!" Much to his surprise, Sola crawled out from under the table, giggling.
"I win!"
"Good hiding place," complimented Turo.
"Wish I'd have thought of it," grumbled Cal ruefully, rubbing his neck. Vivi looked at him in concern.
"You okay, son?"
"Yeah. I think a spider or something bit me, that's all." Vivi took a fatherly look.
"I don't see any bumps or anything."
"I'm fine, I promise." Vivi looked intently at his eldest, then nodded.
"Okay, I believe you."
"Now what can we play?" asked Savander.
"Perhaps something indoors?" suggested Steiner, looking at the setting sun. "It is getting dark." Savander looked at his father.
"Does this mean we have to go home?" Dregan smiled.
"Nope. I told everyone at home that we'd be spending the night, and had your mother pack your nightclothes." Elfalon nodded from his place in Dregan's lap.
Yep. I've been keeping them safe for you, and your dragons, too.
"Then can we play light tag please please please?"
"Okay," Dregan chuckled.
"What's light tag?" asked Beatrix.
"A game Kest invented. He sometimes uses it to train my dodging and hiding skills, but it's also fun. And the more people the better!"
"All right! I'm in!" Zidane responded instantly.
"It sounds fun," agreed Garnet.
"Here's how it works: For every player, I create a sphere of light." A blue sphere appeared in Dregan's hand. "You throw it at an opponent. Hit or miss, it them reappears back in your hand. If you hit, the person is surrounded in a matching glow, their sphere vanishes, and they have to touch a specific place or item before their orb will appear, and you earn a point for the hit. The spheres keep a running tally, and at the end of the game everyone compares scores. The highest hit to tagged ratio wins." He demonstrated by throwing it at Steiner. The knight of Pluto glowed blue, and Dregan's sphere returned to his hand. He held it up. "Show score." A large yellow '1' appeared. "See?"
"Yeah! Lets go!" Zidane, leading the pack of youngsters, ran indoors. Garnet started to call for servant to take care of the table, but Zentarou beat her to it, touching the table and casting.
"Clean up." The table was cleared, the dishes and tablecloth clean and neatly stacked. He grinned. "I developed that one for my father, for his huge city wide feasts on holidays." They all laughed and followed the kids (and Zidane) indoors.