"I've lost contact with your family for a long time, but now I'm here." She had each kid sit on one of her arms as if they weighed nothing. "Grandad is fine, he's just grumpy, like Lith."
"Can we meet him? Pretty please?" The kids used the double puppy stare which turned out to be super effective on the Mother of all Phoenixes.
"How could I say no to these pretty faces? I'll be right back." Salaark put them down before opening a long-distance Warp Gate that shrunk to the size of a pinhole after her passage, to not let anyone see anything.
"Move your ass, old lizard. There are people waiting for you." Her voice sounded sweet, but her words had no warmth in them.
"I don't give a damn about birthday parties! I'm in the middle of an important exp-" Leegaain's voice was cut short and replaced by the sounds of a ferocious tussling.