"Flandre, don't badger your brother at the table," said Remilia.

"Well, when else do I see him when he's working on these big projects?" Flandre asked. "It's not fair that Meiling gets him to herself all night."

Meiling grinned at her. "We're not exactly playing pai sho down there, you know, it's hard work."

"Even so," Flandre insisted.

Gryphon gave her a sidelong glance. "You want to hang out, Flan?"

"Uh-huh!"

"OK then," said Gryphon. "The house rule is, we're done work at dinnertime. So tonight, after dinner, I'm all yours. Promise."

"I'll hold you to that~!" sang Flandre with a lilt in her voice.

"Flandre," said Remilia with a very mild note of caution.

"What?" Flandre replied, all wide-eyed innocence, and Meiling suppressed a laugh.

Remilia gave a long-suffering sigh. "Never mind, do as you like."

With a cry of "Yay!" Flandre nearly tipped her chair over, tilting it far enough to get her arms around Gryphon's neck. Unperturbed, he kept eating as though nothing strange was going on.

Sakuya sighed wistfully. "M'lady is so generous..."