Casey looked at Astrid in surprise. "You really made this? It's so delicious!"
"Thank you, and yes, I made it," Astrid answered.
Even Thomas made a comment. "You can be a professional pastry chef with this level of skill."
"That's right! If you had your own bakery, I'd be there every day buying everything," Casey exclaimed enthusiastically. "But what do you call this? There's something sweet inside. What is it?"
"They're called sesame balls," Astrid answered. "I used red-bean paste as fillings. But savory fillings can also be used, like ground meat."
"It's the first I heard of this kind of snack. Did you, perhaps, invent it?" Thomas asked, as he took another sesame ball from the plate.
"Oh no. I just found it in an old recipe book," Astrid said. He didn't dare take credit for this.
"Aster knows a lot of unknown recipes and they all tasted delicious. He isn't just skilled at making snacks; he's an all-around great cook," Reas remarked, his voice tinged with pride.
Casey didn't doubt what Reas said. If Aster could turn something as unusual-looking as that round dough into such a delicious treat, his cooking skills must truly be exceptional.
"Now, I suddenly want to eat your cooking."
Although he said it jokingly, deep down, he was completely serious. How amazing it would be to eat Astrid's cooking?
"Well, if you're not that busy, you can stay for lunch," Astrid said, not really thinking much of it.
Although he didn't mean anything by it, for Casey and Thomas, it was a huge deal. To get an invitation like this meant another chance to get closer to their nephews. So, how could they refuse it?
Reas: I don't really care, so you decide.
Astrid: Hmm... I'm still not keen on treating him like he's our uncle.
Reas: Who is? Just do what's comfortable.
Astrid: Then, let's just be civil.
After that silent conversation, which only lasted for a few seconds in reality, Astrid finally spoke;
"Please, lift your head, ahm, Uncle Thomas, can we call you that?"
Thomas lifted his head with a bit of force when he heard the other call him 'uncle'. Although he knew it probably didn't mean anything and it was just the other making things less formal, it still made him happy. If they wanted to let him be their uncle, in the familial sense of the word, they would call him 'Uncle Tommy' instead. Just like how they addressed Cassius as 'Uncle Casey'.
But this was fine. He wouldn't be any more greedy than this.
"Thank you," he could only say, his voice sounding hoarse.
"So, will you be staying for lunch?" Astrid asked instead.
"Yes, we will!" Casey quickly said before he was interrupted again.
"Ah, can I arrange for Nicol to be brought here, so he could join us?" Thomas suddenly asked.
Astrid smiled, clearly liking that suggestion. "Sure."