Open For us.

[Tia'aria]

3rd of Spring, 513 AV

Tia'aria had never thought so hard about something in her life, let alone a meal she was to cook and serve. It was evening, the supper hour not long from now, and she stood in the kitchens of the Sanctuary with a Kelvic working in the background.

It was her first time cooking as part of a job and she could only say that she was incredibly excited to start, but her nervousness chewed at her confidence with incredibly sharp little teeth. She knew she would need to calm down before she did anything, but it was still hard to make her nerves do so when all they wanted to do was fray open and proclaim to the world, and the hungry mouths in it, that she wasn't able to do this.

She was, she had to remember that. She was able to do this. She had no reason to doubt herself. She was fine.

Rolling her head on her neck, Aria set to work with preparing the meal. Although she ate fruits and vegetables more than she ate meat, she had to respect the choices of the other Rivarian inhabitants with their culinary tastes. She and Cadra had gutted fish a half bell earlier and spent time getting to know eachother a little better during that and cleaning up afterwards, letting the fish rest on a plate as they cleaned. Aria learned Cadra was actually quite friendly and sociable with a sense of humour. She had laughed more than once at some of the comments Cadra had made, which did well in relieving her tension.

"I think it's hot enough now, Cadra," Aria called as she approached the hearth, knelt down, and prodded it with the poker, stirring up the flames a bit. She straightened and approached the counter again, where lay the ten gutted fish. She didn't even know what kind they were, just that they had been sold to her in the market in Riverfall and were caught that very day. Halibut, perhaps? She didn't know anything about species of fish.

She rolled the sleeves of her shirt up and began to season each fish individually before passing them over to Cadra to cook, allowing the more skilled chef to cook the actual meal while she just prepared it. First a light sprinkling of salt and then some thinly diced basil. Lemons had been cut and squeezed over the fish to add that last bit of flavour before Cadra quickly seared them over the fire before sliding them onto the plates lined up behind her with an ease Aria envied. Her nervousness faded as she seasoned the fish and then, after handing the last one over to Cadra, began to add side pieces to the plate to make them more filling. She had prepared the salad herself with fruit, mimicking a recipe used by her mother with fruit picked from the orchards. Several oranges, grapefruits, a small amount of honey, vinegar, and onion went into the dish. The onion was hard to cut. She seemed to be one of those people that succumbed to onions and teared up when they were cut into. Seasoning it with pepper and other little herbs grown in the gardens of Riverfall, Aria had made a passable salad, at least to herself. Cadra politely complimented it, but the Konti wasn't too sure if she would have told her if it were bad anyway, which had accounted for her previous nervousness. The salad didn't take long to make, the fish not so long either, and it was just about time for the evening meal.

Aria sighed and set her shoulders, lifting up the plates she would carry out of the kitchen to serve, and dutifully followed Cadra out, laying her plates on the table and returning for more until finally everything was set up. She had bought wine for the occasion, in case her cooking didn't work so well for them and she could placate their tastes with something professionally made and laid out the bottles on the table to be shared with the people she knew would attend.

By the time she returned with the wine, they were all there for the most part, called for by Cadra who sat there in her seat, grinning widely at the girl. The Konti placed her bottles and joined Cadra to sit beside her. Under the table, her hands fidgeted and showed her nerves.

oocKavala, if you don't like the way I've depicted Cadra or the layout of the kitchen/dining room, let me know.

[Vanator]

Vanator had adopted a habit, when his workload allowed, to arrive at the kitchen Within a little before dinner was ready. It was time he could spend with his daughter, who usually prepared the meals, sometimes with Kavala as well. But he certainly did not complain about serving as a taste-tester for the dishes being prepared.

Van had overlooked the fact that it was the new cook's first day. He knew Tia'aria, or knew of her at least. He had first seen the Konti in the chaotic streets of Riverfall when the bone-dogs were unleashed. Later, he learned Kavala had hired her at the Sanctuary. Only after stepping into the large chamber and heading to the kitchen did the sight of the Konti remind him.

"Hello Cadra." The Drykas moved to the young Kelvic first, who stopped working long enough for her father to kiss her forehead. "Hi!" She replied cheerfully before turning back to her preparations. Their relationship was growing, slowly. Kavala was a big help, offering advice that helped her brother understand Cadra as both a girl and a Kelvic, and as a victim of slavers. Gaining the trust of an estranged father, who was also a human like her captors, had taken most of the past two seasons for Cadra.

With a cursory glance at the meal being prepared, Van's attention turned to the newest resident. Though a Konti like Kavala, she looked very different. Younger, for certain, though it was difficult to pin an age on the women of Mura, Kavala seemed to barely age as Vanator himself began to wear the lines of his years. But she was still bore the scintillating scales, the gills at her slender neck, and the webbed hands that now worked to slice the pungent onion. Tia'aria's almond eyes glistened with tears as she finished the task, even as Vanator had to back a step away to avoid his own eyes from watering.

"Hi, Tia'aria, everything looks good!" Van chimed in, as Cadra and the Konti gathered the plates to set at the table. As Tia'aria set out the wine, the Drykas gathered wine glasses to set by each place setting. Aweston and Larik strolled in, and Vanator greeted them both with a toothy grin. The head groomer pointed at Van with mock accusation. "You, sir, left the tack room a mess!" Vanator crossed his arms over his chest, his face caught with mock surprise. "Me? I have no idea what you are talking about!" The fellow Drykas retorted. "Oh, and you did happen to be looking for that one specific brush from Endrykas that you insist you must have to groom Sirocco?" The adopted Denusk accused, eyebrow cocked. Vanator grimaced, though his smile bled through. "sit down you!" Grabbing up a roll, he flung it at the adopted Denusk, who dodged the bread, letting it bounce of of Larik's chest. The quick Kelvic caught it and shoved it into his mouth, taking a seat next to Aweston.

[Kavala]

The meal looked like it was well underway, at least the Denusk men were making it so, as Kavala strode into the room with Chalcedony aka "Chalce" in tow. The shy but beautiful redhead was in a quiet discussion with the healer over a bird in the mews that wasn't doing so well. They had ruled out medical reasons for the creatures unhappiness and Kavala was quietly promising Chalce that she'd come see if she could use her empathy on the creature after their meal to see if there was a deeper underlying reason for the birds discontent.

Chalce was withdrawn. She always wore an aura of sadness about her as she moved through the halls of The Sanctuary. Quiet, it was easy to forget she was in the room at times. Kavala had whispered that it was because her twin had perished and taken one of the massive wind eagles with her and that was why Chalcedony was so far from home, trying to heal a broken part of her soul. Rumored to be a morpher along with a falconer, the woman kept to herself and as the two seasons passed where she'd been with the Sanctuary, it was only now that she was starting to open up and vanish at the first sign of joy and tom foolery that often occurred at meals. Ignoring the men throwing food and making fools of themselves, Chalce sat down at the far end of the table, a portion unoccupied, and folded her hands in her lap. Kavala joined her, not offering to help finish any last minute things that needed to be done to the meal. Instead, she planned on offering to clean up instead, knowing how stressed Tia must be on her first day.

Kavala offered Van a smile, patted Aweston's shoulder lightly as she passed - mainly to distract him from staring at Chalce, which he often did - and gave Larik a kiss on the head before she sat down opposite of the falconer.

"So, whats for dinner?" She asked, as a way to break the ice and distract the boys from their rough housing at the table.

[Tia'aria]

She watched silently as the men fooled around, unsure of how to react. Her brothers had done something similar at meal times, but not to this effect. Their father didn't appreciate it, their mother didn't openly speak about it, and eventually the boys outgrew their need to tease and bicker. It had been a while since she had seen this.

She looked away, down at the table, and awaited the arrival of the last members of their group. A light colour blushed along her cheekbones at her nervousness. She glanced upwards as more filtered in, the arrival of Kavala and her companion relieving some of her tension. She exhaled to soothe herself and then nodded in greeting, not ignorant to the fact that the human woman separated herself and stayed apart from the raucous men. She smiled in greeting at the woman, Chalcedony, and responded to Kavala's question. "We have seared fish, I know not what species it is. Aside from it, an orange salad and wine." This was aside from the rolls and wine on the table. Hopefully, the meal would satisfy the others, especially the men. It might not have been enough, she realised with some trepidation.

She hesitated then. In her household, Alis'ana insisted on prayer before eating. She didn't know if it was the same here. She doubted the inhabitants shared the same loyalties she did, so she didn't know what to do about it. She looked next to her to Cadra and smiled slightly. "Do you pray before eating here?" She asked.

OOCOkay, so Loken, Dust, Riaris, you guys can still join up if you'd like, just thought I should move it along here.

[Vanator]

Vanator's eyes shifted to Kavala and the falconer as they neared the table, engrossed in conversation. The Drykas' mirth was tempered, though not extinguished, at the sight of Chalce. The Inartan woman seemed to wear a cloak of heaviness, ever since arriving at Sanctuary. Kavala had inferred the loss of a sibling as the Kalean's source of melancholy, and that mood seemed to spark an empathetic resonance with Vanator. While he had no qualms about offering comfort to the other residents when they were troubled, Van had never felt comfortable approaching the reclusive woman, such was the depth of her introversion. Regardless, his own mood reflected a reverence for Chalce's condition.

Returning Kavala's smile, Vanator gave a warning glance to the younger men, though he himself was the one to initiate the rough housing, now was the time to settle into the meal. Seeing Tia's nervousness, Vanator offered her an encouraging smile, having already 'sampled' the meal and assuring her it was quite palatable. He overheard the young Konti's question to Cadra, and he cleared his throat and spoke up. "I will pray over the meal."

Turning his eyes upwards, Vanator prayed To Caiyha and Laviku. "To the First Witch and the Sea King, we thank you for blessing us with the bounty of both the land and sea, allowing us to feed from that which are yours. Let it not go to waste." With that Van took a sip of wine. After taking a roll and passing the basket to Kavala, he gave her an impish grin. "When will we have honey? I want to learn how to make my own mead!"

[Kavala]

Kavala smiled. It was a good prayer. "We pray almost over everything here. Before we fight, before we build, even yes before we eat. The Gods are very welcome here, at least, most of them." Kavala said, looking thoughtful a moment.

She turned to her brother Vantator and laughed at his question. "Greedy are we? I have six hives, Van. And they are new hives at that. This summer we might not see any honey at all. But if we do, it will be towards the end. I will put the honey supers on them when they have expanded enough to need extra food stores. Right now, some of them are still working on one deep super and not even have expanded out enough to need a second deep. But regardless, if we do get honey, we should save it for medicine first and foremost. Next year in the fall is soon enough to brew mead." Kavala laughed.

Leave it to her brother to want to know when the drink would be free flowing. "If we want extra honey, we might be able to get some from the vineyards or orchards. They have well established bees." She added. Then, quietly, as an after thought, she started out-loud counting all the honey she'd really need to make most of the medicines that The Sanctuary utilized and dispensed on a regular basis.

Chalce smiled at Kavala, offered Vanator a look, then quietly said. "I'd like to help. There are certain medicines I'd be grateful to know how to mix up on my own to use for the birds. It's a good skill for falconers to have." She added, then turned when Tia served and dug delicately into her food.

Kavala was excited by the fish, glad Tia always kept it on the menu so frequently. She dug in as well, mimicking Chalce when a plate was put before her.

"This is really good!" She said, smiling at Tia.

[Tia'aria]

Tia looked upward during the prayer, her reverence for Caiyha and Laviku a special thing for her. She might not have understood much of what Vanator was saying, but the meaning still reverberated in her heart. Yes, she was grateful for the bounty of both the deities. Once finished, she reached for a bun of her own once Van and Kavala were done, unknowingly competing with one of the boys when he reached for one as well, and ended up with the one she wanted and something like a shy expression of mirth on her face. Still, she did not know these people, but she was becoming capable of liking them the more she watched their interactions with one another.

"I'd like join, too," she said in response to the discussion of honey, understanding its uses as a medicine and sweetener for tea and other foods. She had been excited to hear about the bees when she came to Sanctuary and this glittered in her eyes at the prospect of seeing the honey. May I?"

She returned to eating then, falling into silence that she would have found difficult to manage at home with her family or even at the Pearl House. She didn't know how to talk to her neighbours, the cat and the Drykas, although she was certain that they would have been kind and receptive to her attempts. To spare herself that worry of misunderstanding and miscommunication, she ate. The food wasn't that bad, she found, as she dug in. The flavour of the fish was subtle for her, the way she liked it, and the salad wasn't as hopeless as she had thought it might be given the nature of what foods went into it. She smiled at the compliments to the food, nodding her own thanks to Kavala, and chose to listen to the dinner conversation that would be proceeding around her, or, at least it would have if she were home. Did they do so here, she found herself wondering as she glanced around at them from under her eyelashes.

[Vanator]

Vanator chuckled, shrugged and nodded in understanding. Kavala had worked hard to establish the Sanctuary hives, and her brother saw how much effort actually went into beekeeping. The precious honey they would eventually produce would certainly go to the more important uses first, like medicines, and certainly foods! "Well, I supposed I can wait, I actually have to learn how to make mead first." He laughed again sheepishly.

Gold-flecked eyes drifted casually from the Inartan falconer to the Konti cook, as each timidly voiced their interest in employing the anticipated honey as well. The Denusk man wanted to befriend all the residents of Sanctuary, also feeling that was his responsibility to get to know everyone and support them. But both women were still only acquaintances of the Drykas armsmaster, their shy demeanor making it difficult for Vanator to breach. He was patient, however, willing to take as much time as necessary to gain their trust.

Van's attention turned back to the meal, heartily digging into the delicious fish that flaked eaisly at the tug of his fork. His eyes darted to Larik and Aweston, whose concentration seemed to be divided between scarfing down their meal and casting sidelong glances at Tia and Chalce. Vanator's gaze shifted to Cadra, giving her a grin before looking back to Tia. The Drykas mirrored Kavala's compliment. "It is delicious! Where did you learn to cook?" The averted eyes of the Konti chef indicated her reluctance to engage in conversation. Vanator simply introduced an opportunity for her to open up a bit.

[Kavala]

Kavala felt a certain sense of contentment, gathered around the table with her family and the new friends that she hoped would soon be her family as well. Tia was a mystery to her, one she would like to learn more about, but they needed more time together. Perhaps, one way to do so was to cook together more often, or at least ofter to help Tia clean up more.

She glanced at Vanator. It was hard, often, finding him little things to do and distractions. But in his comment, Kavala got an idea. His birthday wasn't until the winter, but she'd give him a gift regardless. A still for brewing, a brewing kit, and enough kegs of honey - if she could talk the orchard beekeeper out of them - for Vanator to learn brewing with. Perhaps she could find a text as well. No... Vanator needed more and more things to do with his life. He needed an all out sense of worth and to find a place in his world. He was doing fantastic as an Armsmaster for The Sanctuary, but it wasn't really a full time job. He drilled the employees, made sure they could fight, but what filled his empty spaces? She'd seen him develop something of a love for the sea. She'd also seen him relax in the confines of stone walls. That had been a huge start. Drykas men never really ever relaxed. They lived hard and died young. Kavala didn't want to see Vanators life go that way. Hard. Yes. Short? Never.

She'd put in a brewery, off the suite she had planned for him. It was easy enough. Especially underground. Kavala smiled, glanced up at Chalce, and nodded. She leaned closer and whispered her idea to the falconer. The redheads' eyes widened, she nodded, and then smiled, sparing Vanator a glance. At the same moment, Larik moved, attempting to steal a bit of fish from Cadra's plate. Chalce acted quickly, creating a sharp repremanding voice used with her birds that caused Larik to freeze in place then snatch his hand back. Chalce met Larik's eyes, and Kavala glanced away to keep from smiling.

Larik was protective of Chadra, but he wasn't always the nicest of kelvics. Growing up in slavery for most of his first year had left him with some bad habits. But it looked like Chadra was well on the way to correcting some of them, and indeed Kavala wondered if that's why Larik was staying mostly out of trouble these days. When he wasn't on patrol, he was in the mews a great deal. That had caused Cadra to loose her constant shadow and come out of her shell more besides. And she was just as welcome in the mews as Larik was, though the one time Chalce had taken her out to fly a kestrel she hadn't seemed to have as much fun as perhaps a young full blooded drykas would have.

Too measly distracted, was Kavala's niece.

Kavala turned, catching Vanator's question, which distracted HER from her current train of thought. Just where had Tia learned to cook? Good question. Kavala wanted to know too.

[Tia'aria]

She knew they were trying to bring her into further involvement with them, to bring her closer, but as her eyes followed the conversation back and forth, she found that she already did like it here enough. There was a sort of homely attachment to it, to seeing so many people at one table, eating and drinking and being merry. It was a comforting transition from the setting provided at the family home, to the Pearl House, to here. She found herself relaxing among them, although the antics of the adult males alarmed her briefly. Her brothers did not roughhouse with one another.

"Mother showed me," she responded to the question about where she had learned to cook, returning to the conversation and ending her gaping at the two Kelvic and the Inarta. She smiled, settling her uncertainty, which had arisen at being addressed, and cleared her throat. "Konti food, very good. Showed me and sister from very young. Lots of fish in it." That was more of an apology. There was hardly any time she cooked something aside from fish, although duck was sometimes included, if anybody caught some. She couldn't even remember ever having something like a cow, or a pig!
"I don't know much, but I can teach cooking too?"