Day 13: The feast

[voidtreckermods]

Preparations

Preparations for the feast start early in the morning. The smell of cooking is everywhere, people hurry back and forth with arms full of plates or chairs or other such things. The citizens of Culin’e’ai and their helpers are encouraged to rest and recover, especially those who were fighting to the end.

However the people of Um'i'les are a practical bunch and so they will not turn down help if it is offered. They understand the wish to keep busy. Bunting needs to be hung, tables set in one of the large halls and torches lit in the great courtyard.

Those with a love of cooking could try and get into one of the many kitchens of the city, it will take patience or stubbornness to convince cooks to let them help though.

Remarkably the weather has stayed dry for the day, the sun even makes an appearance just before noon. The food is all being laid out in one of the great halls, pies, breads, soups, a whole pig. There is a lot of food, made by as many in the city that volunteered to help cook.

The feast itself is outside in a courtyard, there is not a hall large enough for everyone! Bunting has been hung, there are braziers set around with blankets available for anyone injured, ill or just feeling the cold. There is a small dais at one end and once everyone has gathered a bearded man steps up.

Obligatory speech

"Citizens of Culin’e’ai and Um'i'les and those of lands far from here. Today is a day for celebration, a day of victory. Goblins shall no longer plague our lands and de..."

An old woman, hunched over and clutching her cloak around her has made her way to the front.

"Terrible. Terrible that Um'i'les burned. So sad. All the children dead on the road. The people burned in their houses. Mourn them!" Her voice was not strong, but it was high, piercing.

The man looked uncomfortable and confused. "You are confused. No one burned, except the goblins. The children are safe. They are here."

The woman looked almost affronted, looking around at the faces of the citizens of both cities. "No. They should be dead, I saw. I saw... It's never been wrong..."

A young man has pushed through the crowd and puts his arm around her shoulder, leading her off to the side to sit at one of the braziers, she mumbles to herself about fire.

The man on the dais takes a moment to recover. "Ah... Let us remember those of us who have fallen, not just these last few days but in the past wars with the goblin nations. Let us thank those who fought, both of Culin’e’ai and our visitors who arrived with fortuitous timing. Please eat and drink and be alive."

There's applause and the feast begins.

Feasting

There is a lot of food and drink. Barrels of whisky are brought out and glasses are kept topped up. For those that don't want whisky and the many children there is a berry drink that is sweet and refreshing.

The dais is taken over by musicians. There is no set order to music, anyone with an instrument or a voice can take the stage to entertain the crowds. For despite the harshness of the land, or perhaps because of it. The people of Culin’e’ai and Um'i'les know how to celebrate. Groups of young people start a dance and will pull anyone who looks physically able up to dance with them.

Celebrations go on into the night, though the hall everyone's been staying is kept quiet for those who wish to go and rest.

Departure

Early the next morning the train emblem on everyone's Safety Control Apparatus glows with the colours of the void, hopefully they manage to duck out of the way of any citizens before reading the message. Leave by the Northern gate, the Voidtrecker express is waiting.

The guards at the gate let them through with a wave. Just over a small hill, out of sight of the city is the train. Doors open and ready. Once everyone is on board it sets off, flying up high above Culin’e’ai before there is the ever familiar shuddering and the view out the windows returns to the ever changing colours of the void.

Comments

[myblueskies]

Preperations

It has been a very difficult couple of days and so once Romeo had returned to the city and made sure his friends were safe he slept. Slept for a very long time! By the time he woke up the preperations were well underway but that didn't mean he didn't try and help.

He could be found with bunting, trying to string it up. Or laying a table. He's still tired but he's used to working hard and he wanted to help! He didn't like sitting around.

Feast

Romeo is quite used to parties and celebrations, there had been a lot of festivals in the heavens and even on the Near Shore, that he had attended.

He eats a lot of food, sitting and listening to the music as he does so. The berry juice is tasty, in fact all the food is tasty! He makes sure to try and see all his friends, to make sure they are alright.

He even tries some dancing. It's different dancing to what he know before but he likes it, skipping around and forgetting half the moves. It's fun though!

evie - ota

[blueberryprincess]

[Preparations ]

If anyone is surprised that Evie made her way into the kitchen to help, they obviously don't know her very well. She's happy to be in there, asking about what they're making, listening attentively when they explain how something has to be done. Soon enough, she's in there with the rest, helping as best as she can and having a great time doing so.

"Can you hand me that bread knife, please?" Yes, she's talking to the closest person. Someone baked bread (not evie) and it needs to be cut into portions, but someone is between her and the knife and she'd rather not reach for it, thank you very much.

Later on, she can be found rapidly chopping various herbs for things, placing them in bowls for the other cooks to use in the soups and other food items.

Eventually, she's told to take a small break, sitting on a stool nearby and sipping at a mug of hot tea someone handed her.

[The Feast. ]

Evie's glad to sit down and eat something good. She's in clean clothes, washed and scrubbed of the last few days. Injuries patched up with fresh bandages and Evie once again let the children put her hair up into complicated braid, complete with bits of metal jewelry and tiny flowers decorating the long, black twists.

It had been the routine Evie had with the kids, something to distract them when they were scared and trying to settle in for the night. They'd braid hair, Evie teaching some of the smaller ones how and soon enough, the kids started getting very creative with it.

Evie was going to miss it.

She was also going to miss the food. It was delicious, and she might have tried her best to memorize recipes as she made them so she could make them on the train.

Reaching for the cup someone just set down for her, she takes a sip and immediately winces. Whatever it is, it burns and tastes horrifying and goes down harshly, Evie coughing a few times and clearing her throat. She'd just tried her first sip of whiskey and hated it, thanks.

"Oh, Lucifer, that was gross," she says quietly, so as to not offend the people nearby.


[Departure. ]

Evie was happy to get on the train, even if she was going to miss the kids. But she actually missed the Voidtrain and the routine of it. So she was okay to depart, glad to be able to leave the place they'd helped, hoping they stayed as safe as they deserved to be.

The second she's on the train, there's a quick spell uttered under her breath, the words 'beware, forswear,' coming out before some other string of words that rhymed, and then her hair shifts, going back to the blue and black it was before they got onto the train.

That was better.

OTA

[hibana_incursa]

[Feasting:]


Gwen's glad to be clean again. Glad she doesn't smell like she's been walking for one million days, sweating and fighting and wearing the same clothes for far too long.

The only problem she has now is she's in a light, off-white dress with purple trim around the wrist cuffs and the hem around her feet.

And god help her if the food isn't the most delicious. It wasn't the salmon they were trying to live off of, and she'd peeked into the kitchen long enough to see they weren't using anything she had an issue with.

So she's happy to eat, happy with the berry juice and just...happy. They'd be going back to the train soon, and she'd see Peter soon.

There's a moment where she rolls her injured shoulder, peeking in the neck of her dress to check bandages, and then she continues on eating and talking with the people around her.

[Departure: ]

Now they were all on the train, or at least part of the way boarded. It was taking some time, and Gwen was feeling impatient from it. She wanted to check on people to make sure they were okay. Did anyone she cared for get hurt? Did anyone she didn't care for get hurt? Either way, she was hoping for a big, fat no.

Stepping forward, she's brushed past my someone impatient to get on the train and, with a faint hiss through her teeth as they bump into her injured arm, she shakes her head and tries to wave their concern off.

"It's fine. I'll be fine in a few hours, I'm sure of it." Never mind that goblin poison apparently really hates her. Toying with the arrowhead she kept around her neck, she sighs as the pain subsides some, waiting again for her turn to get on board.