Dinner, Plans and Wolf

Joash and Foebe stepped into the Koten family dining room just as Chisaki finished laying out the last steaming dishes, Heimric hovering nearby with the air of a man still recovering from a verbal thrashing. The children were already seated, happily laughing and poking at one another with playful insults - well, the older two were. Isi, too young to really understand what was going on, kicked her legs beneath the table, waiting impatiently to be told she could eat.

Despite the food already in front of them, all three girls showed remarkable restraint. No one touched a thing.

They all perked up when the couple entered, but Hanabi beat Reika to speaking.

“Pretty people! You can sit there!”

She pointed enthusiastically to two seats beside each other on one side of the table. The table was set for seven - the two being offered, one at each end, and three along the opposite side. Hanabi had claimed a head seat, while Reika and Isi sat next to one another.

Foebe giggled.

“Why, thank you.”

They sat down, and Joash finally got a good look at the meal. He recognized the meat - kau - but not the vegetables. Whatever glaze coated the kau smelled incredible, and his stomach growled in anticipation.

Still, something made him pause. No one else had started eating.

Heimric and Chisaki finally took their seats, and the family closed their eyes. It wasn’t until Heimric spoke that Joash realized what was happening.

“Dear Lord,” Heimric said calmly, “we thank you for this food. May it be a blessing to our bodies. Amen.”

A chorus of amens followed. Joash and Foebe remained silent, processing the sudden introduction of a religious tradition, before the family immediately began eating.

The couple hurried to follow suit, earning a giggle from Hanabi before Reika could glare her into silence.

It was Joash’s first truly home-cooked meal in this world. Imperfect, a little rough around the edges - and absolutely delicious. Home-cooked food always hit differently.

As the meal progressed, Chisaki wiped her hands on a cloth and decided it was time for conversation.

“So, Foebe,” she said evenly, “why did you decide to visit Karawa for your honeymoon?”

Foebe smiled.

“It seemed like the closest equivalent to Timatatanga in this country.”

Chisaki nodded knowingly.

“The capital of Haeata? You’re probably right. Karawa is one of the bigger cities.”

Hanabi couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Did you really ride here on a ngeru?”

Foebe nodded, smiling brightly.

“We did.”

Hanabi’s eyes sparkled.

“Can I ride it too?”

Reika hissed sharply at her younger sister, but Foebe laughed.

“We’ll see, okay?”

Hanabi’s hopeful grin looked like it would take an act of God to erase. Chisaki hummed thoughtfully.

“So you really did come on a ngeru. Heimy told me, but it’s different hearing it from you.”

Foebe nodded.

“Her name’s Neko-chan.”

Joash finally gave voice to the question that had been nagging at him.

“What’s the big deal with ngerus? Are they sacred or something?”

The family blinked.

Foebe immediately added, gently,

“He’s not from this world. He doesn’t know.”

Understanding settled across their faces. Heimric opened his mouth to explain, but Reika beat him to it.

“Ngerus are extremely dangerous! And really rare! And they eat people!”

Hanabi chimed in without thinking.

“There’s, like… almost fewer of them than there were anaruhis before the-”

She stopped dead.

Too late.

Foebe’s eyes watered, though she managed to hold a small smile. Chisaki’s glare hit Hanabi like a physical force, and the girl slowly sank lower in her chair, trying very hard to disappear.

Heimric sighed deeply.

“I’m going to apologize for our daughter’s behavior,” he said evenly, “and now she’s going to apologize too.”

Hanabi trembled.

“I-I-I’m s-sorry…”

Foebe nodded, but beneath the table her fingers tightened around Joash’s hand. He squeezed back, understanding immediately - she hadn’t been prepared for that memory to surface again.

An awkward silence settled over the table, heavy and uninvited, and no one seemed quite sure how to chase it away.

Joash leaned closer to her and whispered, low enough that it couldn’t be heard over the clink of cutlery.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded subtly, her chest rising and falling as she took a slow, steadying breath. She gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go. A silent exhale followed, and a shaky smile found its way back onto her face as she returned to her meal.

“I-I’ve been meaning to ask,” she said after a moment, voice carefully steady, “is there anything you recommend that newcomers to Karawa do before the rains come?”

Chisaki latched onto the change of topic instantly.

“Yes! Especially for couples.”

She began counting on her fingers.

“There’s a lake with a lovely beach about forty minutes away on foot, though a ngeru could probably do it in two. There are quite a few good restaurants. There’s a festival coming up soon that tries to predict the autumn rains. It either gets washed out or becomes a huge success. There are plenty of shops for clothes and the like. And the landscape around here is beautiful to explore.”

Heimric nodded.

“The city itself is worth seeing, too. You could probably do it all in a single day, which is good since the rains should be coming soon.”

Foebe nodded thoughtfully.

“Is there a magic equipment shop?”

Heimric nodded again.

“Yeah. Opposite the guild. Though I thought anaruhis could only use the takune branch of atahu magic?”

Foebe smiled.

“Not for me. For my husband.”

Joash lowered his gaze, suddenly very aware of the attention. Chisaki hummed softly.

“Are you sure, Joash? I’m assuming you want to learn tuhi magic, but that’s a significant undertaking.”

He nodded.

“I’m sure.”

Chisaki smiled warmly.

“Then you should ask the owner of that shop to give you a lesson. He’s a master.”

Joash’s eyes widened.

“Someone who’s mastered tuhi lives here?”

“Of course. Most large cities have one or two. He’s a lonely sort, though. I’m sure he’d appreciate the company.”

Joash smiled.

“Thank you.”

The heavy atmosphere was gone, replaced by easy conversation as night slowly crept in.

Dinner eventually ended, and after a collective effort to clean up, Joash and Foebe retired to their room.

Foebe sat down on the bed with a sigh.

“They’re so nice.”

Joash nodded, smiling.

“They are.”

She smiled back at him.

“Are you just going to stand there?”

He chuckled and sat beside her. She leaned into him immediately, releasing a contented sigh.

“So,” she asked, “what do you want to do tomorrow?”

“Explore the city?”

“Sure. And we should visit the magic shop before it gets late.”

He rested his head against hers, careful of her ears.

“Thank you for asking about that.”

“Anytime.”

A brief pause passed before he spoke again.

“If I start taking lessons… what will you do?”

She smiled.

“I’ll go to the guild and see if there’s anything that needs blessing. I haven’t done any in a while.”

“Do you need to practice or something?”

She shook her head.

“No. But not using it makes me feel anxious.”

He chuckled.

“Is that supposed to happen?”

“Yeah. Downside of the ability.”

“Do other branches have that too?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t think tuhi does, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

He smiled.

“That’s good.”

Another quiet moment passed. Then she lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled mischievously.

“Hey. Kiss me.”

He didn’t hesitate. The warmth of her lips deepened into something softer, wetter, more certain. When they parted, the mood between them had shifted completely. Her smile - and the look in her eyes - told him everything.

Before he could move or speak, she raised a hand, cupping it around her pointed ear.

Listen.

So he did.

From somewhere above came the distant chaos of bedtime - Heimric struggling valiantly to herd an energetic Hanabi toward sleep, and Chisaki’s softer voice, likely singing Isi a lullaby. Joash opened his mouth to ask what he was meant to be listening for when, suddenly, the sound vanished.

He blinked.

Foebe was grinning.

He grinned back.

“You just blessed the room, didn’t you?”

She nodded.

“I blessed the walls. They now have purpose, to keep sound inside from leaking out, and sound outside from leaking in. It’s toggleable, too.”

He chuckled.

“Clever.”

Her grin didn’t fade.

“Now kiss me again.”

He did, and they let their thoughts drift away, comforted by the knowledge that they were safe together - even in a foreign country, far from anywhere either of them had once called home.