23. Feast

With the arrival of the girls, they put the meat on the fire, got some beer and sat down. Isabella took the word:
- "Well, it's been rough, but we are doing fine, I guess." - she paused - "well, we are alive and progressing and together. This calls for a toast!" - they toasted, they drank and they relaxed on their seats.
- "Man, I was needing that, not gonna lie here" - said Mazanlold. It was probably the first time Richard ever saw him truly relax.
- "If you were needing, try to imagine me!" - said Caoilainn, drinking another gulp. She was wearing a simple and comfortable gray dress.
- "I'm with you" - said Richard - "honestly I feel anxious, but maybe we can leave this to tomorrow."
- "That's so true!" - said Isabella. She put her head over her hands - "what worries me is that Duke. I'm sure he was targeting us, I just don't know why."
- "Maybe he craves Anima Mundi. It would make sense and he wouldn't be the first one" - said Mazanlold, as he drank more.
- "Yes, but that magic" - said Caoilainn - "was far, very far from ordinary. I have never heard of anything like that."
- "Well, the only option we have is to push forward" - said Isabella - "but let's be sure to keep our eyes open and be even more protective and trusting of each other" - to their surprise it was Mazanlold who said:
- "Yeah, I drink to that" - Richard followed him:
- "Yeah, me too" - Caoilainn and Isabella blinked to each other as they held another toast.

After a good meal, Richard asked:
- "Did you prepare any desserts?" - Isabella said:
- "Well, we have some apples and only that."
- "Really? Tell me one thing, do you have some milk?" - he paused - "and more importantly, do you have cocoa in this world?"
- "Well" - Isabella touched her chin - "we don't have fresh milk, but we do have honey milk." - Caoilainn intervened:
- "But yes! We do have cocoa in our world! We have some powder here, it is fantastic!" - Richard asked:
- "Alright, that is nice. Please show me this honey milk" - Isabella took both ingredients and brought it to Richard. He took a good look at both. The milk was creamy, viscous and white, which made him say:
- "Honey milk! That has got no honey right?" - Isabella replied:
- "Exactly. It is called honey milk because of the viscosity."
- "That's fantastic! We call that condensed milk in my world!" - Richard got up from his chair - "Do you want to taste a delicacy from my world?!"
- "Yes!" - Caoilainn also stood up. The others consented. Richard took an apron, a pan and got to the stove. Caoilainn stayed very close to him, to learn. He said:
- "Caoilainn, please bring me some fat, can be butter or animal" - Caoilainn brought him animal fat.

Richard lit the stove and melted the fat a bit. Then, he cooked the condensed milk slowly until it got to a sulky texture, similar to a mousse. Then, he added the cocoa powder, mixed well, and turn off the stove. After letting the mixture cool down a bit, he served them in bowls. He sat down and said:
- "This is called 'brigadeiro' in my country. What do you think?" - they all tasted the dish. Caoilainn said:
- "This is amazing! What a taste! What a texture! I want to come to this Brazil you tell us about!" - Richard laughed:
- "Haha, glad that you liked it." - Mazanlold took the word:
- "I am not so fond of sweets" - he paused - "despite that, really good. A nice way to finish a meal, even if I have just a little." - then, they looked at Isabella. She silently had eaten her entire bowl. Richard asked:
- "Did you like it, Isabella?" - she got up and said:
- "Liked? I loved it! Please give me more!" - Caoilainn said:
- "Yeah, that's Isa's weakpoint!" - she laughed and received an angry look from Isabella. Richard said:
- "I am glad you all liked it, really glad. It's great to do something good for others, for a change" - Richard's smile was bright and genuine, an intensity they were not used too. This all made them happier. Isabella even took the opportunity to ask for two more servings prompting another joke from Caoilainn. They all laughed and enjoyed themselves.