Honeymoon in Nachtur!

"I'm just slightly relieved that really is some kind of bag of holding of some kind... and terribly curious to know what *else* is in it!"

"I, uh, may have over-packed," Ardith admitted sheepishly, pulling out a leather and wood contraption that she began assembling into a table.

"I spent two summers with Besnik's family outside Aethrennar, so I'm kind of wary when it comes to these things. The first trip all I brought were clothes. It, ah, it was not exactly comfortable."

Vedran grinned. "Oh, you should see the things we all have Roscoe carry for us. I'm pretty sure Agyness has half a library stored. No furniture though - I always wanted one of those portable campsites, but couldn't afford it with my adventuring budget."

"Well, I guess you could get one now, if you still want one," Aleyn said to him, coming to sit down beside Ardith.

"I suppose I could! I guess we'll see what we end up doing after this, though. I don't know how much we're going to be on the road." He sat with the other two, giving Ardith some space to work. "Would you like any help with setting things up?"

Ardith paused, pulling out a covered basket from which delicious scents were wafting.

"Oh, actually, I *did* bring an instant campsite. I just didn't want you both to think I didn't appreciate your efforts."

Vedran chuckled at that. "Well, we can see our comfortable out efforts turn out to be, but at least we won't have to set this one up more than once." he peered aroundhe shoulder. "But for now, lets see what's in the basket. Mrs. Harrowden is an incredible cook."

"She'd tell you she's just so-so," Aleyn said with a smile, peering into the basket once Ardith opened its lid. "And explain how she can't find a lot of the right ingredients in Highmark. But this does smell amazing." With Ardith and Vedran's assistance he helped lay out the various covered dishes before opening them. There was a tray of roasted chicken topped with thin slices of lemon, a large dish of rice mixed with finely-chopped vegetables, a small jar of pickled cauliflower, a pot of soft, spreadable cheese, and some thin crispy bread to put it on. Plus, of course, the pastries and bottle of wine Ardith had mentioned. She had also thought to pack plates and utensils, making for a very civilized meal under the circumstances. "Fortunately all of this is okay cold too," Aleyn added as he dug into the food, "in case we can't finish it all right now."

"That's what your mom said," Ardith replied with a smile. "She was very insistent."

She paused, a little unsure.

"Not that I mind; my mom is the same way. Its just...it can be overwhelming. If I hadn't had to hurry I think she would have sent me with twice this."

"Oh... sorry. I know Mom can be a little intimidating," Aleyn said apologetically. "I hope she wasn't too bad when you visited her. I do think she likes you, really. She just shows it in her own way. That includes stuffing you - and us too - with food."

"It's the Ahkasic way," Vedran grinned. "Though I am beginning to understand why your brother-in-law is so quiet, let alone Cyril." He smiled sympathetically at Ardith. "If you want overwhelming, let him bring you to a family meal sometime. Well. Hopefully someday we can all go to one. She can't dominate all of us together. Probably."

Ardith gave a skeptical look.

"To be honest, I'd like to see Mrs. Harrowden go up against, oh, half the parliament. My gold's on her for sure," she said with a grin.

"As long as we can keep her and my father far apart, I'll be happy," Vedran said, his expression mirroring his feeling about the matter.

Aleyn looked alarmed at that thought too. "Maybe," he said instead of what he was actually thinking, "once we have a house with a big enough dining room, we can have all my family over for dinner there someday. It might be nice to turn the tables on them. Although my mother would probably insist on seeing in the kitchen, if not taking over."

"That would have to be a pretty big dining room," Ardith commented, considering.
"Though I suppose we should try to get some of your mother's recipes. If that's what you like, someone in our house should learn how to cook Ahkasian."

"Well, I wouldn't complain," Aleyn said brightly. "But I'm not picky, really. We ate lots of different things at home, moreso when my father was alive - now that Mom does all the cooking, she defaults to the things she knows best. But honestly, ask Vedran - I'll eat just about anything."

"It's true! Well, anything but mushrooms, after the Elemental Chaos." Vedran smiled, taking a plate from Aleyn and piling a little bit more of his favourites once the other two were served. "And I can actually cook some Ahkasic things. And yes, they are even edible, I promise!"

"Mushrooms and seaweed," Aleyn amended, between bites of chicken. "I had enough of those to last a lifetime."

"And I believe Roscoe mentioned something at the wedding about pemmican?" Ardith said with a teasing grin.

"That stuff is actually pretty good for trail food," Vedran started, then added when he saw Aleyn's face, "but maybe not after you haven't had anything else for weeks."

"Still better than the mushrooms," he muttered, consoling himself with a hearty mouthful of the rice and vegetables. "This is great, though. Thank you so much for braving my mother in order to bring it here." He reached over to take Ardith's hand for a moment, smiling before letting it go so that she could continue eating. "You handled her really well at the wedding, too - the thing about your, uh, hips, in particular. Sometimes she says outrageous things just to see what kind of reaction people will give her, and you did just fine. And hopefully it's all true, too," he added with a chuckle.