Because they're Arietta's friends, so naturally Mercuria felt they should come. ...I was surprised as well, at first. By now, they've started trying to sneak them into our base.

[He's just... going to sheepishly drink some more, to stifle the rambling exasperated-fond big brother complaints. It's surprisingly hard to get off this mental tangent now that he's on it.]

What were parties back home like for you, then?

[He urgently needs Felix to talk more to at least temporarily shut himself up.]