Your mother informs you she is already aware of your father's plans, and has prepared accordingly.
Asher and Mourn groaned at their older sister's prodding, but ultimately they rolled over and scurried out of the house. The younger of the two, Mourn stuck his tongue out at Asherah and blew a raspberry before running out the house.
--
Soon, the stew is ready, and your mother enlists your and Kiyana's help with setting the table with your finest tablecloth and knitted coasters. As your mother brings out her cooking pot, you notice she has made the stew in the expensive painted ceramic that your father had brought back from Ghanbar for his wife, a few months ago.
She has rarely used it since, saving it for just such an occasion! As you see it in use for the first time, you are shocked to notice that parts of the painted ceramic are actually slightly glowing, due to the presence of a hot liquid inside! Incredible! What kind of dye had been used to accomplish this? What an amazing centerpiece for the table!
Your mother also takes out the softest, fluffiest bread in her cabinet. Your village has always traded for most food that isn't from the sea, which is shown in the quality of your meals. A large bass has also been prepared. It is cooked well enough, though you can see it is slightly uneven
Your mother is one of the better cooks of the village, and was actually taught by your father during their first year after their Medi-Soniarast (ceremony of unification). In his youth, Nahur was a renowned fisherman pined after by many young women.
Despite all this though, the skills of your people in the field of cooking pale in comparison to the quality of goods you trade for.
Fortunately, the mediocrely-prepared fish is mostly covered up by an abundance of spices that compliment each other fairly well and are not overdone. You remember when you first starting trading for spices with the Credi Islanders, there were a few times you and your siblings nearly choked on a serving of fish you thought was crusted with something, but was actually just utterly caked in spices. It is one of the funniest memories in recent years, but your mother always gets annoyed when anyone brings up her past mistake.
---
After a dozen minutes, you hear commotion outside. It seems everyone has returned for the feast! Out of the corner of your eye, you notice your mother returning with a strange glass bottle filled with a dark violet liquid... Where did she get that from? You've never seen that around the house before... Your mind starts to race with the exciting possibilities that maybe there is still somewhere in the house that your parents have hidden things from you!
Then again... that time you found a chest in your father's room, and had managed to open it by spending an hour unbinding all the ropes keeping it shut... The things inside were really interesting, but you hadn't had long to look before your father returned and put it away... after had been one of the few times your father had ever truly shouted at you. He kept saying something about how dangerous it had been, and that the things in the box were there for a reason, but you only remembered the worry in his eyes and the fear you felt...
Maybe if your parents wanted to keep something hidden, it was for the better that you let it be... then again... you are very curious about what it just might be!
---
As you all take your seats, the table is crammed with extra seats easily borrowed from your neighbors.
OOC: The following section was difficult to describe so I learned how to use HTML tables and made an illustration for you
You sit in the middle of the entrance-facing long end of the table. Next to you on your left is your brother Asher, and to your right is your brother Mourn. Across from you is your older sister Kiyana. To her left and your right is your mother, and to her right and your left is Joura.
From your perspective, your father sits at the rightmost short end of the table, while Senior Elder Ha-o-toko faces him from across the largest dimension of the table.
Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
| Joura | Kiyana | Mother | |
Guest | XXXXX | XXXXX | XXXXX | Father |
| Asher | [[YOU]] | Mourn | |
---
As dinner begins, your mother sits down last after pouring the unfamiliar liquid from that bottle. One for your father, and the other for the guest. None for the rest of you... Hmph!
You might have been a bit annoyed, but then the acrid smell hits you and you are no longer so interested. You don't know what it is, but it smells a bit like stinky grapes, not that you've ever smelled stinky grapes.
After you all sit down, your father, Nahur speaks up.
"
We welcome you to our village, Senior Elder Ha-o-toko. We hope you have found your accomodations satisfying. Today, we will eat with my family as a show of good will and future collaboration. Please, enjoy my Medina's cooking."
After your father speaks, Joura spends a few moments doing his best to translate for the foreign guest. When he is done, Senior Elder Ha-o-toko nods and responds to your father, though his words are in that same foreign language only Joura seems to have a grasp on.
After he is finished, Joura translates his words, "
I am happy to be here. I... no- the... the Yellow Feather tribe is pleased to... make relations with your village." the translation is tough, but Joura pulls through in the end. He clearly isn't yet fluent in the tongue used by the visitor, but he is making a valiant effort.
Nahur nods, and then gestures to his utensils, which the guest Elder picks up without hesitation. Nahur uses his knife to cut a large slice of the fish, and places it on his plate. Then, he nods to your mother, who catches on, slicing a large piece of fish and leaning over so Joura can help place it down on the elder's plate.
Nahur then speaks simply, "
My Medina will serve the rest. Let us eat, and talk after, once the children have retired for the evening". Joura translates and the Elder nods, seemingly agreeable.
With that, your mother begins to serve the rest of you, while your father and the elder eat in silence, watching each other intently but not overbearingly. Joura occasionally asks the Elder a question or two in the foreign tongue, to which he gets simple responses.
Is there anything you wish to do during the dinner proceedings? Or will you just enjoy your stew, bread and spicy fish?
OOC: Medina basically means wife, or the equivalent in your culture. Do not be confused that this is your mother's name