Solo Family Dinner

[Jenni Twilight]

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-- Winter 55th, 513 AV --

The family sat in a large room, a long dark wooden table sitting as a centerpiece. Each of the many members of the Twilight house had a chair, made of a similar wood and embroidered cushions. Evenly spaced, they conveniently fit all around the table, awaiting the grand meal that was to come. In light of the Midwinter Festival, Altelo had arranged a large feast for them all… one of the biggest that season. Feasts, however, weren’t too unusual in this household… but with the recent quake they’d been a little more empathetic and tried to put money into restoration, rather than lavish meals. Today seemed to be an exception, and everyone was in their best, knowing that a several-course meal was to come.

Jenni sat near the end of the table closest to the doors of the kitchen… meaning that she was one of the closest to the approaching food. Altelo Twilight sat at that end as the patriarch, with Nosumo on his right… on her left. Surprisingly, she was only down one seat from that key spot. Though Altelo tried not to take seating so seriously, some of the members of the family were very picky about things… so the two’s friendliness as siblings had earned her father that place. To the Seeker’s right was Alyshi Twilight, an older woman who was one of the sticklers of tradition. Opposite her was one of the relatives Jenni was more friendly with… Kanami, who was sweet enough, though didn’t hold her scholarly preferences. However, Jenni couldn’t say anything negative about art… in fact, she quite liked her aunt’s pieces. Other members were scattered around, holding small conversations between themselves while they waited for the first course to arrive…. Out of five.

The young morpher curled a lock of hair behind one ear as she attempted to stare past Kanami to the far wall. The older woman and Alyshi were having an intense discussion about art versus business, and the business uses in art, and so on. It was a common argument between the two, and Jenni had heard it all. Meanwhile, her father was fussing with his knives and forks and spoons, leaning over the table to count everyone else’s, and see if they had the same numbers. Again, a usual activity. Everyone was dressed well – not their best – but still well. She was wearing her usual dress and slippers, with her necklace and bracelet on the side… it was what she wore to most family gatherings, though it wasn’t the most comfortable garment.

Her own eyes were directed at the large set of double doors at the nearest wall, where any moment… servants would come through with pots of soup. She knew it would be soup, since it was always soup at the beginning, at least in this House… and everyone had deep, white, ceramic soup bowls in front of them, and the furthest utensil to her left was a soup spoon. Those were dead giveaways. The only question was what kind of soup… it was different every time, though they were always delicious… Altelo had hired some of the best cooks he knew. Though the family had one steady employee who was a chef, a few others came in for the larger banquets, when more exquisite food was required… and just more.

Her expression was a dull one, until she saw the beginnings of an opening door. Her face brightened as a man dressed in a fine suit pushed his way out, a large pot of steaming soup on a trolley before him. A long ladle stuck out of it, ready to serve into the first bowl. This was Altelo’s, and he quietly thanked the man for the serving. The server then moved around the table clockwise, leaning over seated Twilights to ladle some of the hot liquid into their bowls. Because of this, the Seeker’s was second to last… though she was able to get a glance from others beside her what tonight’s was.

Before her was an orange soup, thick and chunky, with grated cheese on top. She leaned over it just a little and took a sniff. Was it… carrot? Yes, carrot and cheese soup. She liked that kind… hopefully this would be just as good, or better, than usual. Jenni eyed her uncle as the servant made his way out of the dining room, not going to start eating until… there. Altelo took a large spoonful of his own soup and began drinking, the signal for the rest of the family to dig it. The servings were small, as they had four more courses to go, but everyone was happy to begin eating what was sure to be a delicious meal.

The Seeker used her wide, round, spoon to mix the cheese and carrot together, before finally scooping out a serving of her own. Her right hand unconsciously rubbed the cloth napkin in her lap while she drunk quietly, careful not to slurp. Though most were eating, polite conversations dotted the table as people talked between mouthfuls… as you were supposed to do. ‘A word between every bite’ was the general rule, and though they weren’t technically biting anything… it still applied.

The soup itself was thick and warm, the cheese and carrots creating an excellent chunky texture. The chefs had added the right amount of seasoning too, meaning she didn’t have to add anything. Jenni smiled through her mouthful as it went down in a moment, returning quickly for another gulp. So much for the talking rule… she had nothing to talk about anyways, unless someone started up a conversation themselves… she preferred eating first, talking between courses… if there was any talking at all. It meant she could devour all the excellent food served first, and talk in large chunks like she liked to. However, some members of her family were sticklers for things… and there it was, her grandmother turning to her to speak or scold.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Jenni Twilight]

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“Jennifer…” the woman began, forcing the younger Twilight to look up and to her right. She didn’t exactly like the use of her full name, it didn’t sound… like her. If that made any sense. ”Mm? ” she replied with a small smile, not wanting to sound rude. At least her bowl of soup was nearly empty, and her tongue sated with the carroty taste. “How are things with the Seekers? I rarely get to talk to you, you’re always out at the Bharani library or holed up here with a book. ” The woman’s tone implied that this was a terrible thing.

Jenni nodded and finished her mouthful, holding up a hand to say she couldn’t talk. The biggest faux pas of the dinner table was talking with your mouth full. Once she’d swallowed and set down her spoon, she leaned back in her chair to eye her grandmother. “Fine, actually… I’m learning a lot, and the work is fun.” She was about to add that she liked being holed up with a book, but kept her mouth shut… that would just earn her a glare. Why was family so… picky? Responding with a question in kind, she continued. “How are the rice paddies going? After the quake…?” The agricultural sector had been hit hard by the earthquake, so her grandmother was quite peeved about it…the loss of money and all that. This was sure to start Alyshi off talking about something… and she could finish her soup.

“They’re getting better… the garden days are certainly helping the workers, but growth is…” the older lady wince, “minimal.” The Twilight sighed and began explaining numbers and factors and other important economic things as the Seeker zoned out. It was probably quite important to her grandmother, and would be in the future to her… but she couldn’t get herself to care right at this moment… dinner was technically a good time to talk business, but she’d rather talk history and exchange interesting facts. Soon enough, a little after the woman had finished her explanation, a few more servants came around and collects the dishes and cutlery. Next was probably salad… there was a small fork on the right side, usually used for salads. In the meanwhile, she was actually content to socialize with people.

“Jenni!” her aunt called from across the table. She looked up and smiled… someone she didn’t mind. Kanami was happy and more relaxed than Alyshi, and reflected the smile. A person from down the table groaned “Come on, bringing someone else in is cheating…” but the woman shushed them with a wave. “Sano and I were debating on what I should paint next. He wants me to paint the sea. Again.” The Twilight snorted as if she found the idea stupid. It was true that Sano did like Kanami’s ocean paintings… but her aunt had done a lot. Jenni pursed her lips in thought, mulling over the options for a moment. “The Bharani Library is beautiful, inside and out. Have you tried the Twuele yet? That’s a nice building. Or maybe some of the restoration efforts… that would be quite original..?” She was really just voicing her thoughts, but Kanami grinned widely. “See? Someone has some creativity,” she shot down the table to her husband. Sano just grumbled “You can never get enough of sea paintings…” but again he was quieted.

“Thanks for the ideas… I like the restorations… maybe I’ll paint a line, from a bunch of different scenes… though they aren’t as big as they were… but I can always paint from memory.” She shrugged and smiled, thanking the younger woman again. “What should I do first… the gardens, or one of those still destroyed buildings…” Kanami mused, but her attention was dragged away when someone called with a request for her ‘calligraphy services’. That brought a sharp but humorous retort, and the two squabbled and debated over the idea. Jenni herself returned to watching the kitchen doors… some salad would be nice after such a heavy soup.

Just in time the food came, though this run the food was separated into a multitude of dishes. These were placed gently before each Twilight. This one was a mix of various vegetables with a slightly creamy dressing, the portions tiny… it was more to fit between the soup and the main than be exactly filling. Again they waited for Altelo to begin, before starting on their own, the usual chatter resuming. Jenni dug in, eating smaller bits at a time to savor the excellent salad. There wasn’t much – any? – lettuce, which she approved of, and the textures went well together. Shimisa opened her mouth to try and mention something to the Seeker, but closed it again when she realized that the younger woman was quietly eating. That was good… the two didn’t get along well, considering Jenni’s parentage, or lack of one. Technically everyone was a little more relaxed on that (as Altelo wanted it to be) but Shimisa was as strict and even more judgmental than Alyshi.

On they ate, conversation growing as people slowly finished this course of the grand meal. Jenni was feeling a little full after the bowl of soup and plate of salad, though was interested to see what came for the main dish. What kind of meat? Would there be rice, or something else? Probably rice though. That was the usual base for main courses. Slowly and carefully she scraped up the rest of the salad and placed it in her mouth, eyeing the people around her to see if anyone else wanted a conversation… which she was up to, now that her portion was done.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Jenni Twilight]

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The type of conversation she was looking for was not the one that came. Setting down her fork, Jenni rested her hands in her lap… and felt something furry tickle her elbow. She glanced down, startled, and nearly swore out loud. Instead, she shut her eyes and clenched her jaws, cursing it mentally. Oh Eyris, please help me… why does he have to do this… She opened her eyes, glanced around to see no one had noticed, and looked down. There, tail standing high like a flag, stood Crook, rubbing against the chair leg. He wound his way around and through the wooden seat. She honestly hoped he didn’t interrupt anyone else, and get noticed… he was not supposed to be here. He’d probably smelled food, though.

Carefully, the Seeker reached her hand down and shoved him towards the door, in an attempt to make him leave. However, Crook took this as a cuddle, and rubbed his head along her hand, with a quiet purr. She took in a sharp breath, hoping no one noticed, and looked around again to double check. So far… everyone was talking. She wanted to order the cat out (like it would work) but knew that talking would simply draw more attention to herself. No… just… er… act normal, and pretend he wasn’t there. She tried to ignore the cat, but he rubbed more and more against her legs, and she was as stiff as a board. What if he moved onto someone else? If her Grandmother noticed… that would certainly end with a scolding.

Just as she’d feared, however, Alyshi was the first to notice. In fact, the woman’s hand stretched down, more subtle than Jenni had ever been, and scratched the feline’s ears. The woman nearly gaped, but managed to keep her face blank. Instead, she caught the older Twilight’s eye and raised her eyebrow just the slightest bit. The answer was a tiny smile, and Alyshi returned to her calm conversation. The Seeker waited, even more stressed now, for her Grandmother to finish speaking and focus on her. She’d smiled… wouldn’t she be annoyed? Animals were not allowed at the table, as she’d been taught since she first had Crook. And Alyshi was a stickler for rules… but also a lover of felines. She’d forgotten that.

Finally the waiting was over, and Alyshi turned to her granddaughter, expression as pleasant as ever. “He snuck in?” Jenni nodded. “Hm… we’ll have to take him out, then. Isn’t Sano allergic to cats or something? They certainly aren’t to his taste. If your cat goes around asking for pats from everyone…” She smiled just like they were having a normal conversation. “So… the question is how to get him out without drawing attention. Are you able to pull him onto your lap?” Again, the younger woman nodded. “Good… lean down and grab him, pretending to fix your shoe.” The Seeker frowned, not finding this much of a convincing act. If someone noticed she was leaning down, it wouldn’t be obvious she was fixing her shoe. However, she didn’t have any better ideas, so did as she was told.

She hunched over, head a little over the table as her hands scrounged blindly for Crook. She caught him and dragged him up, and was luckily not faced with any complaints. The cat liked being on people’s laps, enjoying the attention. He settled quite comfortably on top of her napkin and purred a little, though the sound was covered by Alyshi’s next comment, louder than their previous words. “Hmph, you should really get better shoes, if those keep coming off. Nicer shoes as well… what if you have to go to a party?” It sounded just like something her Grandmother would say, and Jenni couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows a little. That was what the plan was…. Smart. She hadn’t considered the older Twilight implying something like that.

With Crook settled on her lap, she glanced back at Alyshi, muttering “What now?” The woman glanced around thoughtfully. A server was just coming around, collecting the plates and forks. “Him… ask him to pick up your cat and shove him out the door. We’ll just hope wherever he came in is closed now.” With a plan in mind, the business-woman raised her hand a little, gaining the attention of the young man who was the server. She beckoned, and when he came by, whispered “Can you drop off your plates and come back?” The man nodded and set off for the kitchen, coming back with empty hands. “Miss Jenni has a cat on her lap… could you take him outside, please? He just slipped in.” The man’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but a quick glare from Alyshi brought him back to a plain, pleasant expression. “Of course.”

Carefully, he slipped his hands under the cat and lifted him out, as skilled at the maneuver as any cat owner. With Crook out of the way… Jenni breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re good..” she said under her breath, amazed. She hadn’t seen that side of her Grandmother, well…. Ever. It was an interesting experience. Interesting, but stressful. Her cat could make a real mess out of things, if she wasn’t careful. He thought he ruled the tower, and most of Lhavit as well. Cats were like that, she’d discovered. Incredibly, incredibly, possessive.

“Practice” Alyshi replied with a shrug, eyes elsewhere. How much practice had the woman gotten? Well, with the unstable political conditions that had come around after Aysel and Talora’s departures, there was probably a lot. Jenni knew that those older than her were wiser… (most of the time) but she’d never expected it to be this much. Her Grandmother was… amazing! “Thank you,” she gave as a delayed reply, fingers unintentionally rubbing her cloth napkin. She could feel a few hairs on it, but those would be washed off. With a longhaired cat, you had to be ready for shedding… as furry as Crook was, he left hairs all over the place.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Jenni Twilight]

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Jenni still felt a little worried about Crook returning, half expecting that flicking tail to brush her any moment. However, nothing came, and eventually she began to relax. The appetizer had come and gone. However… the main dish was taking a while in coming. Even Altelo was frowning a little. Normally there was five or ten chimes between each course, but now… it had been at least fifteen, and counting. There was still no sign of a server. However, no one was that hungry, especially as they’d eaten three small courses before. They weren’t full yet, though… and that was the general plan. Five courses was a filling meal, even with smaller-than-usual portions. Her Grandmother had returned to her usual attitude, pretending as if the near catastrophe with Crook had never happened. However… she could swear the older woman smiled at her sometimes, something that was more than simple politeness.

The chimes ticked on, and she grew ever more bored… sure, there was people to talk to, but most of them grew disinterested after a while, once there was little to chat about. She half wished Crook could come back so something interesting would happen… Or if she could leave the table and read until something actually happened. However, that would not be possible, since this was a family dinner, and one was supposed to socialize with family, not books. She wished she could tell them that books were more interesting… but that was probably a bad idea. It wasn’t intended to be an insult… but it would be taken as one. She just liked… learning. What was wrong with that? Learning new things, and sharing her knowledge. However, those who she could have had more educated conversations to her liking were far down the table, and shouting would have been necessary to gain their attention.

While she mentally grumbled about this, sign of relief came from the kitchen. Or… not relief. A server, with a worried expression, came out and bowed. With the lack of food, his arrival gained everyone’s attention. However, he bore no plates or bowls. “I apologize on behalf of the kitchen, but… there’s been a little bit of a crisis. Your next course is… er… not… ready…” He winced visibly, glancing around guiltily. However, someone in white poked their head out of the doors and scolded, loudly, “It would have been ready, all right, if someone had actually cooked the rice correctly!” This was a woman, who blinked when she remembered the diners. “My apologies,” she muttered quickly, before ducking back into the kitchen. She could be heard grumbling “The incompetence!” as she left.

The server – the same one who had taken Crook out – looked a little paler than before. “Yes… one of the… er… assistant chefs was cooking the rice for this dish. However, they, er… mixed up the portions of rice and water, then burned it… so there’s no rice, and only half of the main dish. We are.. working it out, however.” He didn’t sound so sure of that. He bowed again, fists clenched tightly, and practically ran out of the room. Of course, a chorus of comments and complaints soon erupted. Jenni could easily hear Alyshi grumble “Wasting rice like that! The nerve… with the quakes, there isn’t rice to waste!” The woman made an irritated noise and turned to discuss the dilemma with someone else.

The Seeker frowned, a little confused. So… they had no rice, which was probably a side bit to the meal. Meat and a side. The sides were mostly rice, sometimes pasta, and… potatoes? Potatoes worked. Her frown deepened. She was useless with cooking, but maybe she could figure something out. If only for the fun of it. Turning to Alyshi, she asked “What’s the fastest way to cook a potato?” Her Grandmother looked surprised at the question, turning away from her earlier conversation. “What?” she demanded, brows nit together in confusion. “What’s the fastest way to cook a potato?” Jenni repeated, not bothering to explain herself.

“How should I know? I’m not a cook!” No response. “Well… you could boil them? That takes about half a bell. Potatoes take a while to cook in general. What are you getting at…?” The Seeker was surprised no one had come up with her own ideas… they were quite obvious. “Boiling potatoes, right.” She nodded, musing to herself. If the chefs did boil potatoes, that would take half a bell, and their dinner would be ready by then. But an hour of waiting… people wouldn’t be pleased.

“What if we had dessert while they cooked the potatoes?” she asked herself, accidentally out loud.
“What? You don’t have desert before the main….!” Her Grandmother was paying attention.
“These are unusual circumstances.”
“Well… it would keep people happy…”
“Exactly…”
“I like this plan. Ask Altelo.” Jenni blinked. Alyshi was getting stranger and stranger by the second. However… she was right. It was a good plan, however odd. She nodded a little and leaned forward, catching their Patriarch’s attention.

“Altelo,” she called, raising one hand a little. “I was thinking… to work out the dishes, they could boil some potatoes on the side. Then while they’re doing that, we could eat dessert… so there isn’t too big a gap of waiting.” She shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious about her idea. It worked but it didn’t mean people were exactly going to approve. Especially with the whole controversial ‘dessert before main’ thing. However… her uncle didn’t wave it off outright. He too developed a frown, deep in thought, and eventually… he started nodding slowly. “I guess that would work… Better than nothing, I suppose. Any other ideas?” This last was directed to the people around him. They were just as clueless… few of them actually had any skill in cooking, and Jenni was only lucky that Alyshi knew about the whole boiling thing.

Altelo picked himself up from his chair and headed over to the kitchen doors, heading inside himself. The constant – if quiet – clamor that had been coming from it stopped as those inside noticed his presence. There was the small murmur of explanation, a few exclamations of surprise, then… silence. The Patriarch left and returned to his seat, smiling at Jenni with a pleased expression.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Jenni Twilight]

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“They liked the idea,” he commented with a smile, “Though… they were a little surprised. Mostly about the dessert thing.” Jenni found it funny how everyone was focusing on the dessert part of this solution. Really, her plan had been to find a quick replacement for the meal, and that had basically… popped out. Sadly, Alyshi had noticed, commented, and the thing grew. At least it worked. Some of the more relaxed members of the Twilight house would quite enjoy the change in plan, and two of the pickier were already persuaded… Altelo and her Grandmother.

The Patriarch stood again, this time waving down the attention of the rest of the family. “Because of our recent announcement, there has been a change in plans. To mix things up a bit, we’ve decided to have dessert first –“ there were a few audible gasps “- whilst the cooks fix up something for the main, to have afterwards.” His smile still comforting and pleasant, the man sat down to a new bubble of conversation. Jenni couldn’t help but grin, though… She wondered if anyone had noticed her quick chat to Altelo beforehand, and linked it to the new plan. Maybe… maybe not. No one mentioned anything, but she caught Kanami looking at her with raised eyebrows. The Seeker just diverted her attention.

Everyone quieted when the server returned, finally bearing food. The plates were small, with dark squares in the center. Chocolate? Maybe. Yes… peering over the table she could see that it was a small square of dark brown cake, covered with stripes of three colors. Once obtaining her own, she identified them as chocolate, raspberry, and caramel. Perfect. It felt odd to eat something so obviously dessert-like, but it seemed delicious non-the-less. Usually at banquets like this, they had a toast at the either the beginning, or over dessert. Since the first was skipped over, it seemed like it would be the latter instead…but… would it be the actual dessert, or the main?

A few people glanced over at their Patriarch, including herself. The man smiled, noting the change in attention, and decided “We shall welcome the new year over the main course.” Well… that answered things. Nodding to herself, Jenni waited patiently for her uncle to start before digging into the excellent cake.

It was thick and flavor-full, a mouthful of chocolate a burst to the senses. She liked chocolate, as much as it stained… but it wasn’t a common dish here in Lhavit. So this was certainly a treat, and one she was going to enjoy. It ended with her having to scrape the bottom of her plate to finish off everything, wanting to get just the last crumb… a quick glance around told her others were doing the same. She heard someone mutter down the table “Mmmph this is so good,” with a slightly full mouth, then get slapped lightly on the hand. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” was the humorous retort.

“I’m not! It’s so sticky!” That brought around a snort, and a few others threw in comments. It seemed like the far end of the table was the entertaining kind, to Jenni. However…. It held some of the relatives she didn’t like, as well. Namely the ones who had been closest to Weisur, and didn’t approve of her… parent situation. Luckily, things weren’t as bad as they had been when that Patriarch had been around… and for that the Seeker was thankful. Very, very thankful. Sure she was a Twilight, but she hadn’t been a proper Twilight.

Sighing quietly, she leaned back heavily in her chair, not entirely feeling like the main that was coming after such a filling dessert. Maybe she’d just not eat her portion, or give it away, or… something. Maybe there was a reason why dessert was always last on the list… it made you want the other food less. However, the plates disappeared quickly and easily, and the last course came. It was a nice roast, though Jenni wasn’t entirely sure yet what animal it was. Boiled potatoes sat on the side, looking a little plain compared to the other food. But… she didn’t care. It looked good, and she’d nearly forgotten dessert! However… the toast was in between her and the meal.

Altelo stood for the third time that meal and raised a glass. “Happy Midwinter! Enjoy yourselves tonight, wherever you go. And let’s hope for a good new year! After the quakes and all, I expect something good.” Everyone chorused agreements, raising and clinking glasses in unison. Jenni herself was smiling widely, pleased with the speech, however short it was. She couldn’t wait for the new year herself, honestly… it would hopefully be interesting. Though there was technically another forty days to go, it was family tradition to celebrate it on top of the Midwinter Feast… on top of whatever other celebration they had on the 92nd.

They all dug in, and finished the delicious – if slightly odd and eventful – meal.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Elysium]

Jenni Twilight

Experience
Leadership +2
Intelligence +1
Rhetoric +2
Stealth +1
Socialization +2

Lore
Relative: Alyshi Twilight
Relative: Kanami Twilight
How to Be Discreet
How to Resolve a Family Crisis
Lhavit: Midwinter Feast

Notes
This thread was pretty hilarious. It definitely lends some insight into the Twilight Family. I think Jenni earned some leadership and some intelligence in saving the meal. Good work! If you have any questions, please let me know.