Eliandir plops down beside the wolf whom has has been calling Radion. "This place is new and interesting, and I can't even find a moment to really appreciate it," he sighs, looking over the gems he's planning on cutting up into arrow heads. "It's too hot here. Even the enemies are fire." He then looks at one of his arrows carefully. "These wouldn't hold up to those fire monsters. They'd burn up." His face looks pained at the thought of his beloved arrows turning to ashes. The arrows he uses with the oil have metal shafts, but there are only so many of those and these creatures are obviously magic. What if they destroy the heads? He grips the arrow tightly with both hands and grits his teeth at such a horrible thought.
Raidion tilts his head curiously and wags his tail before playfully bowing, staring at the arrow. Eli tilts his head as well and remembers when he was a child, watching human children throwing sticks for their dogs. "You want this?" he asks.
BARK!
"If you don't bring this back, you're in trouble," he grumbles and throws the arrow.
BARK BARK!
Radion runs after the arrow, picks it up, and carries it back, placing it at Eliandir's feet.
The elf smiles and throws the arrow again, saying hae softly every time he throws it.
The encampment Ashlyn was in now was unlike any she'd ever seen. The smell of spiced meats and herbs wafted through the air between the small clay buildings, and she was keen on finding out where it came from. That grilled bird and spiky fruit she had had earlier were very good and she was interested to find out what other things the desert people eat(and drink). She finds a spot to hitch Waffles and pats his neck, "I bet you're hungry too huh?" She digs through her bag until she finds one of the two apples she brought, giving it to the horse. "I'll go see if I can find us something better," Waffles makes a noise as if to agree.
ReplyDeleteHeading further into the camp she passes Eli playing with his wolf. She walks over and waves hello as he turns to face her.
Thandwen smiles and thanks the masked person. He'd been very helpful in trading some of her own foodstuffs for a kettle of brown stew and another pineapple. Annoying the way the heat from the kettle made her skin feel raw, she carried it back to the party's camp.
ReplyDelete"Look what I got," she says, holding the kettle up. "Still hot, too."
Ashlyn turns around, smiling at the sound of Thandwen's voice, "Oh my gosh yes, you got one of those pointy things too!" As she gets closer she smells the stew. Her stomach rumbles, making her hunger very apparent. "Mmm, it smells spicy. What's in it?"
ReplyDeleteThandwen holds the fruit above her head with a sly grin. "This is for later, and might be all mine. As for what's in this, who knows? But it smells good."
ReplyDeleteAshlyn turns her head down, looking up at Thandwen with a frown, "but... but I want some too."
ReplyDeleteEliandir waves back at Ashlyn as he tries to fight back a pointless daydream about frolicking in the oasis. Raidon knocks him back down to earth, literally, as the large clumsy pup runs into him, knocking him over onto the sand.
ReplyDeleteHe coughs a bit and quickly sits up, hoping no one saw . Scooting closer to the fire and the pot, he sits on the ground and watches Ashlyn, Thandwen, and the juicy yellow pine cone.
Laughing, she drops a chaste kiss on the top of Ashlyn's head. "Well, you'll just have to convince me to share."
ReplyDeleteShe sets the kettle near their fire and scoops out a bowl. "Mmm, this smells so good."
Ashlyn's face flushes a deep red, and she smiles, "well, if I have to work for it I better get more than just the pine cone," she says confidently. She sits down with the two elves and makes herself a bowl of the delicious smelling stew, taking a spoonful of it she realizes too late it's still very hot. She lets it cool down a bit before taking another spoonful, turning to Eli and his wolf while she waits. "He reminds me of the fox I had when I was little."
ReplyDeleteGive it up... He blows out a puff of air and gets himself a bowl of the stew. He won't give any to Radion just yet. Eli is sure the wolf would burn his mouth badly and then he'd become even more pitiful.
ReplyDelete"You had a fox?" Eliandir says with a smile. "I used to play out in the woods a lot when I was little. I'd play with all kinds of animals. Bears, deer, foxes...not all together though. I don't think that would go very well," he chuckles softly at what a sight that would have been.
She giggles a little to herself, "Yeah, her name was Bandit. She was the only pet I really ever had. Well, I guess except for Waffles." She tastes some more of the stew, having let it cool down a bit more. The flavor was much more noticeable now that it didn't scorch her tongue. It was a combination of spicy and sweet, and was very aromatic. The meat and vegetables were hardy but not overpowering. It was probably one of the best things she had ever eaten. Snapping out of her food daze, she looks back at Eli, "I like bears. Not a huge fan of deer though, they're too shifty."
ReplyDelete"Waffles?" he almost whispers as he lifts the bowl slowly to his mouth to taste the stew. He isn't sure he's ever heard of such a thing as a waffle, even in Rinnenth. "Shifty? Well, I guess they can seem nervous? They are actually fairly nice if you can assure them everything will be fine. I always just ran through the woods with them."
ReplyDeleteAshlyn looks at him with a shocked look on her face, "you don't know what a waffle is? That's sad." She pauses to eat some more stew, "it's probably my favorite food, right after apple pie of course. It's like a crispy pancake that you cook with an iron. A lot of humans eat them."
ReplyDelete"Ahh I see. I do know what a pancake is. The humans I usually visited lived in the woods and didn't have much and even in Rinnenth I didn't leave the elven district as much as I should have. It was the only place with trees." He swallows a spoonful of stew before continuing. "When we return, I will have to find this waffle and try one."
ReplyDelete"Good, cause waffles are the best. The Inn I stay at has the best waffles in my opinion." She finishes off her bowl of stew, trying to decide whether she should fill it up again, or look for something else in the encampment. She still wanted to see what they drank out here in the desert for fun, whatever they have I bet it's good.
ReplyDelete