* * *
Joe watched the Matriarch stare at him, the barest hint of a smile on her face; one so subtle that even Mona Lisa would struggle to know if she was actually smiling or not. She was obviously in deep thought when she finally smiled enough that Joe was fairly certain that she really was smiling, although, again, she would still give Mona Lisa a run for her money.
She reached out and slipped the cores into an incredibly small pouch that almost seed too small but she sohow found a way to make it fit after a bit of a struggle. She then bowed her head, and he replied in kind, bowing as deeply as she had, not wishing to offend her.
"So. My apprentices and I are quite hungry. Would it be acceptable if we were to order food? We usually have our debates with Kukurnal while eating, or our stomachs will end up eating through our backbones," Joe said with a chuckle.
The matriarch quickly bowed her head slightly in agreent and Kukurnal let no ti go to waste as he quickly waved for the barkeep before realizing they were still in blackness and growled at the matriarch's guard. The guard ignored him, but did look to the matriarch for permission before dismissing the cloak of blackness around them. Well… still more proof of cool magic! Nifty! Joe said, chuckling at his archaism copied from his grandfather. The mory of his grandfather soured his mood a bit but he pushed it away before continuing the conversation.
"Do you wish to join us for our al? It's probably not great fare compared to what you are used to, but if you wish good company and good discussion, I'm fine if you join."
The matriarch's eyes widened before grinning and nodding. The shocked response from the guards was telling, as both twitched and even one stepped forward to speak to her before a quick raise of her arm froze him in his tracks and she agreed to the sa order as all the others.
With the introduction done and the unwelco interruption of the dungeon monster fiasco, Kukurnal seed much more comfortable and began his normal rapid interrogation into whatever wide variety of topics he could think of. The matriarch, as before, remained silent for so ti before quickly jumping into the conversation when she was no longer able to remain silent and all three soon had a rousing discussion, although Joe felt he was being attacked by the other two as they continually pressed him for details, questioned his assumptions, or just rapidly bounced around topics.
Soon, the al ended and the matriarch had ward enough that Joe felt a bit of trepidation as he felt like he was having a al with two Kukurnals. He allowed for another few questions after the al but then called an end to the evening and asked for a reprieve, claiming exhaustion.
"It's been a lot of fun, thank you, but I'm really exhausted and my apprentices need much more sleep. Could we continue this later?"
"Tomorrow, then!" Kukurnal quickly agreed with excitent and a hard clap of his hands.
Stolen story; please report.
The Matriarch, however, seed to pull back in surprise and grew rapidly silent, her mind obviously roiling. Joe looked to Kukurnal, flicking his eyes to her, asking for guidance but Kukurnal only looked at him before also flicking his eyes and even nodding to her before suddenly stopping when he saw the Matriarch look up.
"It has been… wonderful. I thank you greatly."
"And I thank you. It was fun."
The Matriarch fell silent once more before sighing and shaking her head very subtly while standing to leave. Joe caught the sigh, although it was very subtle and hidden beneath the susurrus of her clothing as she stood. He felt his eyebrows clench towards one another in confusion.
"Is there… did you have a request for ?"
The Matriarch quickly look up and shook her head, her barely there smile once again adorning her face, "No. I did not have any request of you in coming. I only wished to et you."
"Then why the sigh?"
The Matriarch's full smile actually briefly showed itself before her face masked once again, "I truly enjoyed the ti and discussion."
"Well… good. We'll have another tomorrow."
"I…" she seed taken aback but said nothing but in that mont, realization struck Joe and he smiled brightly.
"Of course, you are completely welco to join us. As I said, I truly enjoyed it, but… I'm not sure Kukurnal is going to be happy. Now he has to fight with you for ti."
Kukurnal's eye's widened and he actually growled in faux anger, "I will guard my ti preciously. She will have a fight on her hands if she chooses to compete with a Priest of Knowledge over gaining knowledge."
Joe smiled and chuckled, "Well, considering she owns the land your temple resides on, I might be… circumspect."
This ti Kukurnal's fierce and angry defense rapidly changed to a corny fear as he looked around and Joe only snorted before smirking, "Ignore him. He thinks he's funny," Joe sniped Kukurnal before continuing, "In any case, you're more than welco. We usually do this for supper after every dungeon run. Those three chat with themselves," Joe nodded to his three apprentices, "while Kukurnal gets into crazy debates with .
"I suppose, as Matriarch, we might need to splurge for a private dining area? I guess? It'll probably make your guards more comfortable if they don't have to watch everywhere. I'll leave it to your choice, discretion, and ti. The offer is open whenever you wish. And don't feel worried to abuse it since Kukurnal is here, literally, every night anyway. Having a friend to team up on him might be nice," Joe tried to reduce the Matriarch's obvious embarrassnt, showing a true willingness and happiness to invite her.
He then stood and turned to his apprentices, all three of which had been very silent through the entire al, "Go up and get ready for bed. You probably are so bored having to be so quiet. I'll be there soon."
He then turned to the other two, finding Kukurnal now standing with the already standing Matriarch, "It was fun, really. Have a good evening and stay safe going ho."
Kukurnal waved, an odd alien wave he was not used to, but Joe didn't take the ti to make note of it, "Good evening, Joe."
"You, too, Kukurnal."
"Have a peaceful evening, Joe."
Joe smiled and the Matriarch and this ti bowed his head a bit more than last ti when she'd originally bowed, "It was a great honor to et the Matriarch of this city. It seems to the city has been blessed," Joe smiled brightly when he stood back up, then dropped the polished air and just gave an easy relaxed wave, "Bye!"
Joe turned and headed for the stairs, smirking. Mom would be so pissed at that. 'You did so good all evening, so proper and respectful, then have to ruin it all with that stupid wave!' Joe could even hear her voice, the comnt suffused with her essence and lancholy slipped over him once more. It had been just over six months, and hosickness settled lightly across his heart in a comfortable familiarity. Well, that's right on ti, at least… Joe sighed and slipped into his room.
Reviews
All reviews (0)