Open [The Sanctuary] Giving Thanks [Feastday!]

[Sybel]

80th Day of Summer, 513 AV

Feastday was always an advent in Riverfall, the likes of which she’d never experienced before. Sybel had spent virtually all morning in the process of cooking. She’d nearly scalded the fish soup and burned the bread, but it was all well worth the effort. As soon as possible, Cadra shooed her away to safer pursuits, such as setting the table and displaying the first course. Sybel was still green to the art of cooking, always having choked down whatever she could come up with. She sliced the cheese with brutal efficiency before setting it near the center of the table. From there it was all uncorking wine bottles and plating hors d'oeuvres.

It felt good to work in the Sanctuary, to be part of the family. She had another in Yahebah, but it couldn’t compare to the warmth she felt amongst friends. Kavala was busy no doubt, making preparations elsewhere, but the hour to dinner crept nearer. The household would show up eventually. ”Sybel, can you help me for a minute?” Cadra’s soft voice floated from near the stove. ”Sure.”

The potatoes seemed to be done as her counterpart held one speared upon a fork. ”I’m going to go grab Larik for dinner. This is pretty much the last thing that needs finishing. Could you mix these and then put them out? The cream and butter are already on the stove, so all you have to do is strain the water and mash it all together in a dish. Add a little milk as you go along, but don’t mash them too much or they’ll be no good.” She nodded empathically.

Straining the water was the easy part. Sybel’s hands shook a bit, as the liquid was still clearly steaming but she managed not to hurt herself. The butter and cream marbled together delightfully. She added the two ingredients together and began to smash them vigorously - perhaps a little too vigorously. The potatoes gave her very little resistance which boded well, but she tipped the carafe a little too far when pouring the milk. ”Oh well,” she sighed, hoping to make up the difference with a bit more elbow grease.

Of course, the result was less than positive. They were a bit gluey by the end, all told. Shaking her head, she set them out on the table. ”Can’t even cook mashed potatoes…” It was all just a process, she supposed. By then, people began filtering in. Cadra sniffed at the result and just laughed. ”You did well, considering it was your first time.” Of course it wasn’t her first time, but she didn’t have to know that…

When all was said and done, the whole room smelled divine. ”A feast for the Gods, eh?” With a satisfied smile, Sybel assumed her seat at the table.

[Vanator]

His intent to check on the kennels had turned into a literal dog pile, the canines all too willing to rough house with Vanator. He loved the dogs, not only was each breed unique in their characteristics, but each individual hound had a distinct personality that he was learning. The bells had gotten away from him, and the Drykas shooed off the dogs with plenty of pats so he could go clean up for dinner. Word had reached him that Sybel had been in the kitchen with Cadra for quite a while, helping prepare a Feastday meal.

Slipping into the bath while it was empty, Vanator scrubbed off the dirt, sweat and dog slobber before returning to the room to dress. He donned a green cotton shirt and black breeches of the same fabric. Van had tried to kick off most of the dirt from his boots before entering Within, but they were still not clean. He really did need to get a second pair. Tugging on the boots, the Drykas ran his fingers through his hair to give the damp mane some order, then headed to dinner.

Van passed Aweston on the way, the Drykas groomer having cleaned up himself. Seemed everyone considered this dinner to be special, Sanctuary's own observance of Riverfall's festival. Vanator greeted the adopted Denusk in Pavi, offering his usual taunt about his affections for Chalce. The older Denusk hoped Aweston would not give up on the Inartan falconer. She had had a rough way to go in life, and like most of those living there, Sanctuary was a place where she was healing. Chalce deserved to be loved by someone.

The two men walked into the common room, the table spread already with food. A hand patted Larik on the back firmly before Van inhaled deeply of the savory aroma that lingered in the air, instinctively starting his mouth to water. "Great gods it smells good in here!" He exclaimed, giving Cadra and then Sybel a broad smile as he moved to stand next to the Benshiran's chair. Plucking an appetizer from the nearest plate, The Denusk popped it into his mouth. Once devoured, he pulled out the seat next to Sybel and sat. Leaning towards the woman, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Am I to understand that you helped cook dinner?" He asked, shooting his daughter a sly grin before looking back to Bel.

[Kavala]

Kavala was in surgery all day. It was days like this that she really needed additional healers to lean on and the truth was there weren't many around. Everyone always assumed that being one of Rak'keli's marked you just waved your hands, tapped the Goddess' power of healing and made everything come together.

But it rarely was that easy. Being an animal healer was hard work. Not only did you have to treat the animals for whatever injury and illness they had, but often the before or after care was something that needed tending to as well. In todays case, Kavala had a light load scheduled. She knew there would be a feastday celebration later in the evening, so the healer had planned accordingly. However, when the Kuvay'Nas scout had brought in his favorite mount, limping and in excruciating pain, Kavala knew her day was going to get busy. The horse had a slab fracture in its right front knee. Any other healer would have perhaps put the animal down, but Kavala took the big gelding directly into surgery. Good horses were hard to find, and harder still in the last year after the djed storm. And while her gnosis could cure the broken bone, mending the fracture immediately, there were bone chips from the initial injury that had to be removed. If they were left to float in the horse's knee, he would have pain with every step. Waving her magical hands couldn't remove them, only a sharp knife, a great deal of patience, and luck with small surgical forceps could really cure anything.

It took hours to prep the horse, get him down and rotated where she could work on his leg, and hours more to open his knee up, remove the bone fragments, and close the knee as well. While she had him knocked out for the surgery, she also filed his teeth down removing the sharp edges that made chewing hard for him, and trimmed his hooves. He had a slight hernia in his navel from when he was a foal, and no gnosis could cure that. She had to open up his abdominal cavity, replace the intestine segment, tucking it back up into his body cavity, and then repair the damage she'd done to his abdominal muscles cutting through his chest to tuck the intestine back in. Then she'd sat with him until he'd fully woken up, stood up, and managed to eat a bit.

Chalce had come to check on her a few times, but each time there was nothing the falconer could do to truthfully help. Kavala just worked and waited, resting and not feeling her best.

She, like Vanator, took a moment to clean up. She was too tired for a bath, so she just changed out of her surgical clothing, washed off the horse and blood smell, and planted herself at the feast table. Looking through the assorted offerings, her stomach protested. To a human, all the food looked good, was cooked well, and tasty. But to Kavala, her stomach told her immediately it wanted no part of the food. Even its smell turned her stomach slightly and she longed for some dried seaweed to chew on to just get through the feast.

The Konti thought it was best just to linger on an end chair, push food around her plate a bit, and enjoy the conversation everyone else was going to be throwing around the table. If nothing else the chat might distract her from how she really felt which was terrible.

Tasival, thankfully, came in with Chalce. And that gave Kavala an opportunity to keep herself busy feeding him, picking up the food he didn't want or did want, and offering him new things to taste the child probably hadn't had before. She was glad Chalce sat Tasival between the two of them, and gave everyone a soft thoughtful look before she sat down. The Falconer looked sad.

[Sybel]

Sybel flushed, blue eyes alight as he kissed her. ”You are to understand correctly,” she replied, lingering by his lips before abruptly drawing away. He had a way of making her forget there were others in the room, which on the whole was rather impolite. Especially as Kavala trailed in, eyeing the food with a dubious expression. She gave Van’s shoulder a squeeze before she was out of her chair once again, already sprung into action. Sybel subtly traveled up next to her friend before leaning in toward her adorable Akontak son.

At first, she gave him a stern expression. Before she began making her usual silly faces, of course. Sybel pulled at her cheeks and stuck out her tongue. The laughter of children was always so sincere, a comfort against an otherwise hostile world. ”Can I get you something? Something to chew on, maybe?” She whispered in Kavala’s ear, lingering for a response before turning to Chalce and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The Falconer looked so sad, bearing a face Sybel knew all too well.

Both women looked exhausted, which was really what she expected. Sybel was aware they'd been working all day. All she wanted was to make things easier on them. They were a family, after all. ”Let me get you a glass of wine,” she said to Chalce, brokering no argument as she moved to the kitchen. The Inarta opened her mouth to speak once, twice, and finally sank into her chair.

She selected a red and whatever else she needed before returning to the table. ”Anyone want to give a toast?” She asked the room, giving Vanator a pointed look, bottle in hand. Kavala was better suited in many ways, but she was also very tired. She let the question linger before folding into her chair.

Sybel had never really been part of something before. She had family, but they’d never eaten together in such a way. She remembered cold nights on the sand, her and Mijah sneaking a bottle of wine and watching the sheep wander. Those nights she’d been happy, but they were nothing compared to this.

She sought her lover’s hand beneath the table, smiling. Sybel felt truly content.

[Vanator]

Kavala had entered the Commons, trailed by Chalce and Tasival. Vanator instantly noted his sister's demeanor with a disappearing smile. She was fatigued, that much he knew from the updates the falconer delivered to him regarding the treatment of the wounded Akalak mount. The elder Denusk had seen Kavala's work enough to know medical treatment was messy and tedious, even with the aid of magic. The Konti's passion and divine mark would not allow the healer to cease until she had done everything in her power to heal a patient, regardless of the toll it exacted upon herself. He wished they could hire more healers, but those hired in at the Sanctuary tended to be wanderers who did not lay down roots, and soon left. Such lack of commitment had forced Vanator to be skeptical of all new hires, until they showed signs of commitment. That usually took the form of becoming like one of the family. Once the Denusk Ankal saw someone new fit it, his own investment in them increased. From the twist of her mouth and the expression in her light eyes, Vanator also surmised his sister did not feel well physically and did not feel like feasting at the moment.

Van offered Kavala an understanding smile as she took her seat, Sybel already up and tending to her as well as teasing his nephew. Vanator also flashed Chalce a grin, his eyes offering gratitude for her efforts to look out for the healer during the long surgery. The Inartan woman was quiet, always, especially around him. Not that they did not have a relationship. They had an unspoken understanding, mutual respect, and the knowledge that they both cared for the Sanctuary and those within it. She showed his sister and nephew affection, and that was sufficient for the Drykas. As far as her personal life and the reason for her persistent melancholy, Van honored her wish to keep that to herself.

Van made an overly exaggerated smiley face at Tasival across the table. "How's my little man today?" He asked, though the white haired boy was already distracted by the placesetting and seeing his mother after a day apart.

Sybel had fetched wine, assuring that all that wished a glass received one. Vanator's mirth was still dampened by concern for Kavala. But the Benshiran would not allow the festive atmosphere to wane, and with a squeeze of her lover's hand beneath the table, insisted on a toast. Van knew what that meant.

Lifting his glass, Vanator looked at each person seated around the table. A brief thought passed through his mind as he met each gaze, even that of the Akontak toddler, about how they had come to be here. Every one of them, including himself, really had no one outside of that circle. They were cast-offs, orphans, once lost, now found in something greater than themselves. Sanctuary and those that called it home. "This is not about a meal, or even a sanctioned holiday. This moment is about family. Not those that are far from us, physically or emotionally, not those that are lost and gone. Not even about those bound by blood. This is about this family. Us. Imperfect, diverse in appearance, language and background...but a family. All we have is each other. Together we make this wonderful place work, where the broken are healed, the lost find refuge, and both animal and sentient find compassion. Do not look lightly upon what you do here, or how much you mean to Kavala and I. You are our family." With that, Vanator lifted his glass a bit higher, then reached out to touch the rim of his glass with the glasses of those around him.