Leila raised an eyebrow and eyed her mate. He was staring at a skeleton near Vur and Tafel. Leila lifted one wing and wrapped it around Grimmy’s body. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing in particular,” Grimmy said and chuckled, turning his gaze away from the group. He smiled at Ramon and Gloria. “How is it? Liking the wedding so far?”

“This is boring,” Ramon said. His eyes shifted towards the mountain of meat in the corner. “When can we eat?”

“We eat when it’s time to eat,” Grimmy said. “If we didn’t know the people getting married, we could eat the meat whenever we want, but we have to be polite since we do know them.”

Ramon made a face. “What does being polite even mean?”

“It means you stop yourself from doing the things you want to do to avoid inconveniencing other people,” Gloria said. She looked around at the crowd of people with clear wrinkles on her snout. Her lips were partially parted, the tips of her teeth peeking out.

Ramon picked his nose with his right claw and flicked away a booger, not caring where it landed. “But I don’t know these people,” he said. “Do I still have to be polite?”

“You have to be the most polite around people you don’t know,” Gloria said and rolled her eyes. “You should pay more attention to Tafel when she speaks.”

“I do pay attention,” Ramon said and snorted. “When she says meat, I’m all ears.”

Cheers filled the area, causing Ramon to flinch and swivel his head around. His gaze landed on the skeleton and the woman standing at the altar. The holy dragon’s eyes widened, and his body shuddered. “Is the skeleton trying to eat her tongue? This is a weird ritual!”

Kondra leaned over and used her paws to cover Gloria’s and Ramon’s eyes. “Don’t look.”

Ramon wriggled his head, creating a small gap for him to see out of while Gloria remained perfectly still. As the clapping and cheering died down, Kondra released the children’s faces. Then, she patted Ramon’s head. “The feast is going to start soon.”

Ramon’s head perked up, and he stepped back and forth on his front paws, nearly crushing a human who had happened to be seated nearby. Gloria stared at Ramon’s paws but didn’t say anything as the human whimpered and ran away, diving into the throng of skeletons. She raised her head and noticed a small line had opened up between the skeletons, parting them like an ocean of bones and suits. Vur and Tafel were walking over, and upon seeing Gloria notice them, Vur waved an arm. Gloria waved back before shooting a glare at the humans in the crowd who were gawking at her. They flinched before turning their heads away.

“Hi, Vur,” Gloria said. She glanced at Tafel. “Tafel.”

Tafel scratched her head. It wasn’t fair. Humans were the one that traumatized Gloria, yet she, a demon, was now being disliked by her own cousin-in-law. “How’ve you been, Gloria?”

“Good,” Gloria said and gave Tafel a curt nod.

Before Gloria could say anything else, Ramon’s head pushed hers to the side. “Is the fun starting now?” he asked, blinking his wide eyes at Vur. “It’s been so boring. Talk, talk, talk. Walk, walk, walk. It’s worse than going to Grandma Gren’s class!” A shiver ran down his spine, and he cupped his mouth with his front paws. He glanced behind himself without turning his head, and as expected, his grandmother was staring right at him. Luckily, she didn’t seem like she was going to punish him here. Ramon slowly exhaled. Thank goodness for politeness.

***

Gregory stared as a skeleton wearing a suit brought over a plate of food. The contents were covered by a metal dome-like covering, but deep down, Gregory prepared himself for the worst. First of all, the guests hadn’t even been given a table nor cutlery. They’d be lucky if the food was even edible! Gregory moved his arm and gripped his wife’s hand. If the food was inedible, then they’d leave this sham of a wedding immediately. At the moment the food arrived, Alice had also wandered over with the groom.

“Good afternoon, Uncle Greg,” Alice said, giving the old man a sweet smile that didn’t reach her eyes. If her surroundings had been darkened and a light source were positioned underneath her chin, she’d look like a wicked hag casting spells in a swamp. “I’m sorry we couldn’t meet earlier.”

Gregory stared at his niece. “Good afternoon, …Alice,” he said and narrowed his eyes. “I understand. You had very important guests to attend to.”

“That’s right,” Alice said and nodded, her head angling towards the dragons that were now seated in a semi-circle. Between them, there was a pile of meat. Their jaws widened, and their necks thrust forward, biting and lifting chunks out of the meat mountain. Their teeth crunched and gnashed, tearing red strips from the meat, flinging splashes of tiny blood droplets into the crowd. Alice nodded upon seeing her relatives’ horrified expressions. “Very important guests.”

Gregory made a face, and Alice reached her arm out to the side. She lifted the metal covering off of the plate, and steam rose into the air. She raised an eyebrow upon seeing the dish. Her expression returned to normal as she looked at her uncle. “It looks like your food is ready.” She placed the cover onto the tray and picked up the plate of glossy egg-fried rice before handing it to Gregory.

“Oh,” Gregory said and took a look at the plate. His eyes widened. Every piece of rice seemed to be coated with a golden glow. He could see the oils dripping down the individual grains. They seemed to sparkle in the light, and the whiffs of steam that entered his nostrils made him swallow down his saliva. “Um, thank you.” A light smile appeared on his face as he looked at his niece. “I see the majority of the budget has been spent on the chefs.”

Alice nodded. “I made sure to hire the best. He even knows how to cook for dragons.”

Gregory chuckled and scooped up a spoonful of rice. He raised it in Alice’s direction. “A toast, to my niece,” he said and bobbed the spoon into his mouth. His lips covered the utensil, and he pulled the spoon out. He chewed a few times before coughing, doing his best to keep his mouth shut, causing most of the air to come out of his nostrils. He coughed a few more times, looking up at Alice with tears in his eyes. “W-what … did you feed … me?” he asked and groaned.

“Hmm?” Alice raised an eyebrow, a small smile appearing on her face. “Whatever do you mean?”