Blessed by Night

Naturally, Arias' comment made everyone stare at him oddly.

"Are you actually insinuating that you can make blessed?" Joanne asked.

Malachi didn't even need to hear him admit it.

This was where all of these additional blessed were coming from.

Of course the evil blessed supremacist would have had something to do with their spontaneous births

Arias was making a very punchable expression that boiled Morgan's blood.

With all of the smugness of a Cheshire Cat, he sat back down in his chair and picked up his spoon as if he was about to continue eating.

"Pardon my nonsensical tongue... Seems I'm just going out of my way to say so many unnecessary things today."

Bianca heated the soup in his bowl until it was literally boiling and far too dangerous to eat.

Even if such a thing wouldn't leave any persistent injuries, it certainly wouldn't tickle either.

"Start talking." Bianca demanded.

"Oh come now, you aren't expecting me to just start sharing government secrets with you all out of the blue, are you? I have to be more responsible than that given my position after all."

The glares in the room became even more ugly.

"It's that woman."

Arias finally lost his charismatic smirk when Mal had a quiet, but accurate realization.

"That secretary of yours. Carly, right? She has some kind of blessing that lets you make new blessed."

"...A lucky guess."

Malachi finally began putting together certain pieces and events from the day.

He thought that the people he could feel tailing him were all trailing his family.

But their real goal was protecting Carly, who went literally everywhere with them.

"So, how's it work?" Mal asked with genuine interest. "If you're not feeling talkative, I could always go find her myself."

Arias glared. "You wouldn't dare hurt her for a tiny bit of information."

"Of course I wouldn't, but I don't exactly need to hurt her to get an answer to everything I want to know. So are you gonna make me take that trip, or spare me the time?"

Despite all of the arguments and death battles the two of them had in the past, this was the first time that Arias ever looked like he actually waned to kill Malachi.

"...Carly's blessing comes from Hera."

Mal: "That unlikeable old hoe?"

Anna: "The bitch who can't keep her husband in check?"

Bianca: "Queen of the olympic gods?"

Nadine: "The eternal cuckquean?"

If Arias didn't hate the direction this dinner had turned to so much, he would have undoubtedly laughed and found such reactions amusing.

"Erm... Yes."

"I don't get it." Sei tilted her head. "How does a deity of matrimony produce a blessed capable of creating more of us?"

Arias sighed loudly as if he couldn't believe he was actually divulging such privileged information.

"You've just answered your own question, Mrs. Saint. Matrimony."

Carly St. Clair's blessing isn't very powerful on it's own.

Her durability, strength, speed, and telekinetic abilities are all average at best.

But her power is one that is invaluable in terms of supporting roles.

Wedding ceremonies initiated through her powers allow her to form a certain 'bridge' between the parties.

If a blessed and a human are to be wed, then the human will become a blessed; sharing their partners inherited powers, enhanced lifespan, strength, and durability.

The drawback of all of this is that if the one who the power originated from dies, the other person would also lose their powers.

In addition, in order for the ceremony to work, the pair must exchange a set of unbreakable vows.

The vows do not have to be specific to the couple's love, and they can also be any particular condition set by Carly.

If one party breaks any of the vows set, they immediately lose their powers.

However...

The real kicker is that this power is not limited to monogamous relationships.

If a human married two blessed, he would gain both of their abilities.

If a blessed married two other blessed, then that person would gain both of their abilities in addition to his or her own.

If those in a polyamorous relationship were to be wed, they would all share each other's abilities.

She is also able to 'ordain' certain people as ministers who are also capable of performing this ceremony; increasing the range and number of new blessed being created.

Their existence is kept just as big of a secret as Carly's is.

On top of everything else, but children produced from these unions aren't just enhanced as they had been beforehand, but they are nearly blessed themselves. Possessing at least two powers from each parent.

"Sweet mother of god..." With Morgan's mind thoroughly blown, he couldn't do anything but flop back into his chair with his eyes as large as a bass.

"That's where I know her from.." Luna whispered.

Arias seemed amused. "Oh? Finally remember her, do you?"

"What's this dick-biscuit taking about?" Anna asked.

Luna looked entirely embarrassed.

"...Carly's paperwork showed up on my desk on the same night Aisha brought Mal into my office.

Her abilities weren't listed, and there was a note attached that made it clear she would only divulge them in an in-person meeting...

But when I finally contacted her she didn't answer my calls."

Arias smiled even wider than before. "Yes, I really do have to thank mommy dearest for telling me about such a gem. It took a while to figure out exactly what she could do, but it was very worth it."

Mal all but sneered at the further mention of a sister whom he'd never spoken to, but already didn't like.

However, Joanne still felt as if Arias was omitting parts of the story.

"You wouldn't happen to be leaving anything out, would you? The fact that we have't seen a blessed with 60 different powers walking around by now must mean that there is some catch we haven't been told about."

Arias' eyes narrowed furthers his lips curled into a helpless smile. "...This is why I evaded you so harshly for all this time, Director Joanne. You're too damned sharp for my comfort."

'Sharp...?'

Unanimously, the entire Saint family got visuals of Joanne taking four hour naps, frequently forgetting to feed herself, her unwillingness to admit her desire to be coddled, and almost never wearing pants.

...They honestly couldn't believe someone like her had survived on their own for over forty years.

"Yes, yes, you're right..." Arias finally admitted. "Truthfully, there is one more condition. The couples have to at least be somewhat happy with each other or the union just sort of dissolves within a few month's time. Or less...

This makes finding multiple marriage partners somewhat difficult. The more different components we try to implement, the greater opportunity for friction, misunderstanding, jealousy, neglect, you know the like.

But then again, maybe you don't..." Arias muttered, remembering the nauseating reports of the Saint family's fluffy and tender relationship.

He couldn't say whether he was more disgusted or jealous.

While Mal was still reeling from the massive amount of information that was just dumped into his brain, Bianca and Joanne suddenly yelled telepathically in his mind.

Both of them seemed to have come to some grand conclusion at the exact same time.

'Babe / Hon!'

'W-What? You girls scared me.'

'Sorry, but this is important.' Bianca kept a cool demeanor on the outside while her mind was running at a thousand miles a minute.

'No matter what, you cannot mention anything about your N'Kai ability to connect people.' Joanne warned.

It took everything within Mal to keep himself composed and with a straight face once he realized what the girls were getting at.

The fluid that Mal produces in his body doesn't just make low breeds, but it also connects N'Kai to each other and gives them a heightened sense of community and empathy for one another.

It's not 'Easy Relationship Glue' but it certainly is something akin to lube in that it does make things slide into place much smoother.

Though it does require effort to maintain, ultimately the group's ability to feel what the other person needs helps ensure everything works in perfect harmony.

Mal could only imagine what Arias could accomplish with a bowl full of his fluids and a few thousand couples.

As if reality was somehow projecting his thoughts, a massive explosion suddenly occurred in the city below, and a great ball of fire rose up into the sky.