Joe chuckled, "We could do this every once in a while… maybe every week… uh… tenday, but it would be best if you learn the forms I'm training you in much more intimately before you start using them. You are using them badly, and will teach yourself improper movents. At the least, it will just teach you bad ways to fight which will tire you out quickly or make your strikes weak. At the worst, you will cause great harm and may even kill yourself and other's because you have not trained properly."
Joe's initial statents seed to sour Zilnek, but as Joe spoke, Zilnek grew more excited if sobered by the realization that what he was learning was a deadly art. Joe glanced at him then nodded, and Zilnek's return nod was very serious although barely concealing his excited resolve.
They entered at that point, and the crowd that had been watching dispersed, heading back to their own places while Joe settled at that table for breakfast. Sohow, the servants had already begun setting the table and the cold food and drinks were already on the table. Through the kitchen door, Joe could see the warm food and drinks already being ward and he found himself both impressed and grateful for their promptness and delicious food.
Joe didn't wait and sat at the table, the two boys rapidly joining him as well while Kilniara and Gwenvair took a bit longer to sit, choosing seats on either side of him. Gwenvair's mother chose to sit opposite him. Joe felt comfortable with Kilniara's choice, but he did find himself growing concerned with Gwenvair's claiming of his other side.
He glanced at Gwenvair with so concern then over at Kilniara. Kilniara seed completely at ease, unconcerned with her actions and Joe fought to keep from pursing his lips. So… maybe not romantic claims? Kilniara isn't concerned, but she is… likely to be more naïve… if commoner versus noble trope is true? But then, if Gwenvair isn't a concern, then is she making a status claim? Joe took a mont to glance at Garnedell and Zilnek, which if apprentice status claims were anything like dieval Earth standards, then Garnedell should be first with Zilnek protecting his claim as above Gwenvair. It seems like that… the whole Garnedell Kilniara thing was … that seed to really point to a pretty high status thing… first apprentices get to lord it over the younger newer ones… so… But even as he looked around, none of the 'higher status' apprentices seed concerned with her place. Even Zilnek, who seed to be the grumpiest of the group, wasn't bothered by her sitting at his side. He dismissed the concern but then stopped and reconsidered, moving the concern to his 'aware but leave it' pile. It didn't seem like a wise thing to ignore as everything he'd experienced and seen on Earth put this issue as sothing that was quite important, even if it wasn't so much so for himself. His friends that he'd gained throughout his own apprenticeships to various martial artists all seed to automatically follow a preset status of older versus younger and long term versus short term mbers. This always left him in odd situations, especially when he got older and tended to be one of the oldest by age but newest by joining.
Having set his concern for appropriate status managent, Joe turned his attention to actually enjoy the conversations occurring around the table and randomly joined with different ones as he wanted. The conversations seed to predominately focus on their newly found joy in how the katas ford the foundation for basic combat and he spent a lot of ti answering questions, explaining reasons behind various forms, and defending their necessity. The conversation mostly engaged everyone, with only a few tis where two or three would spin off excited conversations of their own before quickly rejoining.
The food ca out in a steady stream of small snacks and drinks that Joe found a bit frustrating despite the fact that every single one of them were incredibly delicious. About half way through the line of foods, Joe realized there was so form of ritual occurring and he began following a bit closer but was unable to catch exactly what was going on. Sothing new… sothing different.
He finally decided to politely ask, "So… sothing is different about breakfast today. Could I ask what is happening?"
Everyone looked at him with surprise before Garnedell laughed, "It's Tidesend."
"Tidesend. HA!" Zilnek cried out with laughter while quickly raising his ward drink into the air.
Everyone else at the table began laughing, so in surprise, so with genuine joy, and other's with a bit of shock as all lifted their cups into the air with a shouted 'ha!' as loud as Zilnek's. The Matriarch seed the most genuinely shocked.
"I always forget you are not of our plane, Joe. But still, it is surprising to !"
Zilnek was still chuckling uncontrollably as he raised his cup once again, "Ha! I think that is the fastest I've seen the Tidesend."
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Kilniara giggled as well, her face blushing a brilliant red as she shook her head. Gwenvair joined in her laughter and, oddly enough, embarrassnt as both looked at one another. Garnedell simply laughed and shook his head.
"Of course he would be the first. He has no understanding of Tidesend."
"You've been with him so long. It is easy for you to accept it," Zilnek choked out through his laughter
Garnedell shrugged his shoulders, "I was with him before he could speak!"
This drew the Matriarch's attention, and her smile and polite laughter turned to curiousity, "You could not speak?"
Joe shrugged, "I did not know Common. I had to borrow a job's skill to learn it well. I was learning it decently under Garnedell, but…"
The Matriarch seed genuinely curious, "I would love to know of your language, if you are willing to share, at a later date. Now is Tidesend and not the ti for such heavy exploration."
Heavy exploration? Really? Huh… but… OK? "Completely acceptable, Matriarch."
"Please. Toulnaria."
Gwenvair glanced up at her mother sharply, easily noticed even in Joe's peripheral vision, but Joe chose to accept it and smiled back, "Certainly, Toulnaria. I was not certain what constituted private or public situations."
"I am content to consider this a private affair."
Joe smiled, "I as well, Toulnaria. Thank you for the honor."
She chuckled and nodded her head but said nothing else and Joe finally turned to the cause of this whole affair even as Zilnek ignored the use of the Matriarch's na and continued to laugh uncontrollably with Garnedell who fared only slightly better. Even Gwenvair, who had reacted the most, still smiled without restraint while Kilniara chuckled.
"OK. So obviously I screwed up royally here. An explanation for all the laughter… especially from the two turds in the corner?" Joe gestured to Zilnek and Garnedell as he spoke.
Zilnek actually sputtered in so anger when he heard Joe's insult, but his sister and Garnedell broke out in even greater laughter, and Joe simply smiled, enjoying the mont. Gwenvair proved the only one of the younger able to respond.
"You have opened Tidesend calling for the End sooner than I think any has ever done so in the history of all Tidesends."
Joe groaned, "And this is a bad thing, isn't it?"
Zilnek began choking out rather difficultly through his laughter, "Well… maybe not… you will… be… very…" he choked off in laughter, unable to contain himself any longer and Garnedell punched him on the shoulder but was not able to control his own laughter either.
"Oh… I don't like the sound of this… I'm going to be famous… in a not fun way, aren't I?"
Gwenvair's brilliant if embarrassed smile was all he needed to see and he sought solace in Kilniara who only looked away, her face almost as red as her feathery tresses. Joe sighed and looked at Toulniara.
"How bad is it?"
Toulniara smiled softly as always, although her cheer and the brilliance of her smile was greater than he'd ever seen and Joe dropped his head to his hands in a groan.
"Tidesend festival is a feast celebrating the end of a monster tide. I believe you have understood that well enough," Toulniara explained easily enough, although her smile began to grow in humor as she continued, "A part of the festival is to open the End of Tidesend. One does so by ntioning the festival in so way; in any way. In so doing, the End is called and the true feast begins."
"And the … penalty… for opening the End so quickly?"
"To be … well known… as one who cannot wait…"
Joe felt his eye's hood, "And that ans?"
"A well-known na for almost all of ti?"
"A na rembered as a fool?"
Toulnaria's smile grew just slightly predatory and Joe almost goggled to see it but she remained as calm in her speech as ever, "A happily rembered fool. With the opening of the End, we are truly able to begin to enjoy Tidesend as alcohol cannot be celebrated until the End is opened."
Joe chuckled at that, "So I beco a very well loved fool, but still a fool."
"For this year, usually."
"And likely for all ti for how quickly I have set it?"
This brought a soft chuckle from Toulnaria, uproars from the boys, and soft sighs of laughter from the girls. Joe shook his head.
"Then I will proudly accept the folly to free alcohol to all. Let it be known that Joe opens the End and alcohol for all!"
This made Toulnaria's eyebrows to rapidly climb into her bangs and she cocked her head, "You … accept so easily."
"My people believe that it is vital for one to have a good sense of humor. Failure to do so is… not seen with good grace or respect."
Her smile turned pensive as she nodded, "Sothing many of our clan could learn, I believe."
"So… sothing like this?" Joe shrugged before he spoke, then picked up the warm drink Zilnek and the other's had raised. He lifted it high and echoed the earlier "ha!" with exuberance.
Everyone else quickly echoed him, though this ti with actual celebration and no embarrassnt or good natured mockery, seemingly happy to enjoy the mont. The celebration devolved into a more abandoned rrint than a structured holiday and the party seed to start with that. While they were partying, several of the servants had co in imdiately after Joe's fateful opening of the End, and their shock proved to be quite extre, but when the Matriarch simply nodded at them and waved them on, one of them fled the area screeching loudly enough for almost everyone to hear.
"The End is open! The End is open!" The shouting did not stop, only fading away as the servant seed to sprint away spreading the news. Joe dropped his head on the table at that, groaning in despair and the other's laughed at his misfortune. Joe raised his head and smiled back at everyone with a good natured acceptance and a shrug.
Joe's easy acceptance brought a round of joyful jeers from everyone and the conversation fell back into small talk for a bit as Joe collected himself. His easy acceptance, while not feigned, was not quite as easy as he portrayed, and it took a bit to calm himself and beco willing to accept the obviously soon to co joking and mockery. In any case, he was able to co to so acceptance and returned his focus to the growing relationships around the dinner table.
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