The Valinor Offensive: A Short Rest at Fort Valor

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin gave a quick nod to Jaeger as he took a deep breath. His eyes were drawn to Konane again as she asked him another question. His brows furrowed as he tried to recall if he knew the word she said. It certainly sounded familiar.

He lost focus for a second as Ve'ra remarked Sae's condition. "To be fair, there's more elf blood than hobgoblin ichor there." He said with a soft chuckle. "But soap and water is coming that you can use to clean up a little."

He turned back to Konane, having been thoroughly distracted to the point that he honestly couldn't recall an image to go with the name."It sounds familiar. Could you describe takoyaki for me?" He asked hoping that it was something he knew. He was most well versed in hand foods that were at Port towns during his walkabout.

It was shortly after Taliesin's question that a tray of small stoneware drinking vessels with 2 small sake jugs and a bountiful tray of various fish nigiri came floating down the stairs and landed upon the table. Another 15 seconds later a bucket, a large towel, a wash cloth, and a bar of soap floated down and were rested beside Jaeger.

[opius]

The table was growing crowded- more so now with the doctor's presence. He sat up a little, summoning some facade of energy to try and match his companions. It was easy to get lost in the conversation. "I don't know what any of those words are, but fried food has generally been pleasant on this... Extended summer tour of mine."

He sat up even straighter as the ghostly servants provided drinks. Much like Sae he found himself looking around, people-watching and taking in the general air of the room.

It felt less like a war council and more like a tavern. There was a kind of... irony? Dichotomy? He was caught on the word.

"... I think we did alright today."

[CautionCat]

"I will show you." Konane nodded, and wiggled her fingers with her fox fire, creating an image of the takoyaki.

"It is made with pastry batter, kind of like pancakes, but savory. It is filled with hunks of octopus, and drizzled with a glaze of sweet soy sauce."

She wiggled her fingers again to dismiss the image, and sighed with a smile. "Sometimes they put bonito on top... It is very good, and I only ever get to have any during festivals. Especially during Tsukimi, which is also my birthday." She wiggled in her seat, the stress of what happened just moments ago... seemed to just fade. It was surreal, but it was nice to be around everyone with good food, and good drink.

"Tsukimi is the... harvest moon festival. The first day of autumn." When the sake arrived, she took a cup, and poured herself a helping. Taking a sniff, it warmed her senses, and sipping it reminded her of home.

"Alastair, you may like this. It is much, much calmer than spicy water."

[redcoat]

Sae grinned a crooked grin as Ve'ra cleaned off her face- and a sound of surprise as the towel was tossed on her head. With a laugh she would take it off, heading closer to Jaeger to share his bucket and soap.

Dabbing lightly over a wound on her arm, she wrinkled her nose. "Taliesin has the right of it. More mine than the warlord's- Alistair got the brunt of his damage." Putting a finger through the hole in her shirt left by the warlord's blade as if to demonstrate, she gave up cleaning in detail. She pulled off her gloves, tucking them neatly into her belt in a clearly military style, and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt.

Giving up getting clean as a lost cause, she'd take her seat once more and get comfortable. "We did well today. And now it's on them to keep it up, and- did you say octopus? I haven't had octopus in a long time- it's more popular with Marini."

[uberwulfx]

Jaeger only had to wash his hands up to his elbows, which wouldn't take long. A little scrubbing and Sae was allowed to do as much or as little cleaning as she wanted to; Jaeger was finished his bread so he listened to the others.

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin looked at what Konane conjured, and then listened to her description. After a short moment he nodded. He opened his mouth to reply to Konane, but Alastair's words pulled him away and took priority. Taliesin felt something in it akin to behavior he attributed to Sae.

"We've done fantastic today. This was the first time we've been ambushed since our previous 2 Airship encounters. And we're getting better." He said hoping to buoy Alastair's mood some.

He looked to his side to make sure that Mirrai was there and to let her see that he was looking for her. With a small smile he looked back to Konane and finally respond. "I've had something like what you described - only it had more to it. There was something like onion, and then there was a tangy fermented root or vegetable. I liked it, but I didn't ask what it was at the time."

Following Konane's lead he reached out and poured himself a small sake. He immediately took a sip and set it down before selecting a salmon nigiri and popping it into his mouth.

[Ancelas]

Ve'ra noted Sae removing her gloves and rolling up her sleeves, and nodded slightly at the other elf. The markings left by the Palontir were not gone, but... they looked faded. Maybe.

She was content to listen and observe as Valor Company worked off their post-fight energy.

Mirrai remained where she had sat, present but quiet as she listened.

[opius]

Alastair nodded, face scrunching at the mention of octopus. "... Octo...pus. okay, right, keeping an open mind." He shifted, looking to Taliesin.

"That's definitely a metric we can quantify... So long as we don't start getting complacent, and keep having each other's backs, I think we're gonna be okay."

He sat up a little. "It was a smart idea to have the Glade here- who knows what would have happened to talks if the fracas broke out out there."

[CautionCat]

Konane took a piece of nigiri, popping the whole thing into her mouth as Alastair spoke. Oh.. this was good, surely, but nothing beat what she had in town. But it was quite good.

Clearing her mouth of food, she had another sip of sake, and looked to Alastair. "It is good to have a place of peace, to help bring everyone together to fight. And then... A fight as an example of what we are facing... Thank you, ruin."

She chuckled, and shook her head. "We are a true threat, now."

[redcoat]

Sae nodded, leaning against Ve'ra, but continuing to face the rest of the table. "It works out well politically. Them being out there, handling the rest of it while we take a step back is a good move, I think. Let them work together, because we won't be here forever to save their asses from the fire and keep them pointed in a sensible direction."

[§~Samwise~§]

Taliesin chuckled softly through the nigiri he was eating and shifted a little closer to Mirrai. He had a response to some of what Alastair had said, but Konane and Sae had already gotten in there before he could finish his bite.

"Octopus is a little chewy for bigger dishes, but if you like seafood you'll likely enjoy it." He said, finally addressing Alastair's trepidation. "If I remember right it was just tentacle chunks and not all parts." Hopefully that made it sound more palatable.

He leaned forward and moved his sake cup and an empty cup onto a plate before pouring sake into the empty cup. He then moved a variety of nigiri onto the plate and sat back down, inching closer to Mirrai. He offered her the new miniature cup of Sake and a choice of nigiri."We could've entreated within the Fort and had the same overall experience. But this is vastly more comfortable and serves other purposes as well."

[opius]

"I suppose it doesn't change much, but this place does feel more... Secure..." He wrinkled his nose as the mention of octopus chunks. "And, uh, there's... We do seafood where I'm from. But tentacle isn't exactly common."

As he watched the others eat, he resisted the urge to point out how undercooked the fish was. Clearly this was... By design, right? He carefully took a piece of nigiri and just kind of held it as the conversation continued.

"I guess the Lord's Alliance was fated to have a test run sooner than later. So far so good, it seems. With Jannica seeing what's happening first hand, it seems like everyone's finally on the same page." He glanced upwards.

"... We should plan our next move after today is done. Getting to Astor City will take a few days, so we'll get a breather at least, and I'm eager to explore the Storm light and see what she's capable of."

[CautionCat]

Konane nodded, and would pour Alastair a small bit of sake to try. "We plan what to do next, and go from there. For now, let us accept a job well done."

"Once we wrap up here, we all have a hot soak, and a good rest." She smiled, and watched Alastair inspect the nigiri.

"Give it a try, a small bite. I will eat the rest if you do not like it."

[redcoat]

"I'm excited for the Stormlight as well- I'm already planning on upgrades for her. So many bells and whistles..." Sae smiled to herself.

"I figure we get to Astor and get the lay of the land- things rarely go well when we try to plan more than one or two steps ahead of us. So, we deliver Valraven's message, meet with the Master Gunslinger and... see what happens next."

[Ancelas]

Her attention pulled back to the moment, Mirrai took the preferred cup of sake and frowned at the nigiri. She gingerly plucked one off the plate and sniffed it. Her nose wrinkled, but she took a nibble, then quickly placed it back on the dish and shook her head. That was most certainly not for her. The sake... was also different, but not bad.

Ve'ra leaned back against Sae. "With the Lords able to communicate now, you'll be a lot more mobile. Able to pick your battles as needed."