Sura swallowed nervously before hesitantly asking me, "How many are they?"
"Just a few," I replied, intentionally downplaying the number to avoid overwhelming her.
"A few?" Sura repeated, her eyes widening, "Two or three?"
Raising an eyebrow, I corrected her, "Six and above."
"S-six..." Sura gulped once more, her voice trailing off before she continued, "....and above? How come you are only telling me now that you have such a large family?" she asked in disbelief.
With a mischievous smile, I realized that Sura didn't know much about my family, except the fact that I was staying with my mother since I hadn't shared many details with her. So, I suggested, "Why don't we meet them first, and I'll introduce them to you?" I knew it was best not to overwhelm her with the actual number of people waiting to meet her. Knowing Sura's temperament, revealing too much would only agitate her, leading to unnecessary delays.
Moreover, we needed to leave the place quickly because the gossip floating around was starting to scratch against my ears.
"Alright, let me go and inform Mrs Shani that we have to leave immediately," Sura said, courage lacing her voice as she slowly summoned the strength to speak without stammering.
I nodded in agreement and followed her, not wanting Sura to experience what Warrior Jean and I had gone through, albeit under vastly different circumstances.
….............
"Are you ready?" Orion asked Sura, observing her gulp nervously, as she seemed to be doing for the umpteenth time.
"Yes, I am," Sura replied with a nod, though her anxious demeanour didn't convince Orion at all. He sighed, feeling defeated, knowing she didn't even look ready to meet Gina, let alone his entire family.
Although he was taken aback by the discovery of the new caretaker, whom Hrok had entrusted with his position, Orion pushed those thoughts aside for now. He extended his right hand towards the door, looking at Sura's nervous expression, and calmly said, "Let's go in then," pushing the door open and announcing their presence to those inside.
"It seems you're all already awake," Orion remarked, his gaze sweeping across the group of women seated on the ground. Celeste, Grandma Ingrid, and Vivian were huddled together, immersed in what appeared to be a serious discussion.
Meanwhile, Reena, Fiona, Gina, Grandma Celia, Aunt Greta, and surprisingly, even Ayla was among them, chatting with each other while sharing a large bowl of fresh kalna fruits. The room fell silent as they halted their conversation when Orion entered the room.
"Orion!" Orion's presence was met with excitement as Gina rushed towards him, clinging to his left arm. She then boldly glanced at the other women before turning back to Orion with a question on her lips. However, her attention was quickly diverted to the young woman standing outside the door, her eyes wide open, observing them all.
"Brother, who's she?" Gina inquired, a sense of foreboding gripping her heart. Usually, she wouldn't bother asking, as the girl could be anyone. However, the fact that her brother had brought her to meet them alone made Gina furrow her brow deeply, intensifying the foreboding feeling. 'No, I don't believe she's his partner,' Gina suspiciously thought, 'She must be someone else.'
On the other hand, Sura felt the intensity of the young girl's glaring eyes and couldn't help but take a step back. She wished she could retreat further and escape the sudden spotlight in this large group of women she assumed to be Orion's family.
Honesty, if Sura had known that his family was so extensive, she might have reconsidered accompanying him here.
"Everyone..." Orion cleared his throat a few times, trying to capture their attention. They all fixed their gazes on him, especially his mother, who appeared to be deep in thought upon seeing Sura. Reena, on the other hand, kept shifting her gaze between Orion and Sura. Regardless, Orion continued, "This is Sura. She is my second partner after Mom."
The room suddenly erupted with whispers as Celeste immediately stood up to welcome her son's new partner. While she might have slowly given up on the idea of her son bringing an attractive partner home, considering the women he had impregnated, she was open-minded as long as the woman he chose had good character and behaviour.
However, that didn't deter her from fervently praying to Naka, hoping that such a possibility could become a reality. After all, which mother wouldn't want the very best for her child?
Meanwhile, witnessing his mother's swift approach, Orion immediately redirected his focus to Sura and introduced, "Sura, this is my family." He tried to hold back his mother, who promptly slapped his hand away and proceeded to walk towards Sura.
Celeste gazed at the nervous young woman before her and kindly inquired, "How are you, dear?" Paying no mind to her son's bothersome behaviour, she added, "What are you waiting for? Come inside so we can get to know you better."
Sura hesitated for a moment before finally nodding her head and stepping inside. As she entered and caught a better view of everyone in the hut, she couldn't help but feel taken aback by the sheer number of unattractive women present. Some of them had curvaceous figures, with buttocks even larger than hers and breasts with long, pointed nipples that grazed against their loose-fitting tulga.
Amidst the crowd, Sura recognized a couple of familiar faces. The village healer, Miss Greta, stood among them, as well as another girl she had encountered multiple times during her work on the farm.
Gazing back at the slender and strikingly beautiful young woman, Sura couldn't help but reflect upon the way Orion had introduced her. If she was his second partner, then the beautiful girl staring at her intently must be his first. 'What was her name again?' Sura pondered as Celeste guided her to the centre of the room, where all the women had gathered to have a conversation with her.
'Ah, yes... Reena,' Sura suddenly recalled as she found herself seated beside her. Knowing that Reena was one of the top workers on the farm and a strong candidate for promotion, Sura could easily understand the calibre of woman she would be interacting with, considering they shared the same partner.
