"Oh, I am very happy to tell anyone who asks what wonderful people they are, but when there are so many other interesting things to learn about here."
He takes a look at Laesah's beads and holds his left wrist up to her, so she can see the two standard beads and the blue hummingbird bead on the leather string.
"Looks like you and I have some extras. I wonder what they mean."
"Where do you come from, originally?"
Maddox starts to answer, but sees Haunt and Much walk by the open door.
"I am- Perhaps we should follow? It looks like we are leaving for our next appointment."
Esi sees that you are all back together, marks her page with a bit of ribbon and puts her book away. “Well then, let’s meet some more of your neighbors,” she says, rising and going to the door at the south west corner of the intersection .
The nameplate reads, “Ignaci,” and the door is an explosion of colors and catch phrases. Neon lights may not exist in Golarion, but they have been conceptualized on this door.
“Step right up!”
“Fun for everyone!”
“BOGO 50%”
Even more marketing floats in front of you, in bright reds and blues and greens, as well as one line of what looks like random characters. What it lacks in taste, it tries to make up for in sheer volume.
Esi gives the door a solid rap and then steps off to the side. After a moment, the nameplate goes transparent and you see a set of eyes looking out at you, then just as quickly as they appeared they are gone.
“Newbies!” you hear shouted from the room, slightly muffled by the door. This is followed by half a minute of scraping sounds, easily identified as numerous locks, latches, chains being removed, and then the door swings open.
”Welcome! Exclaims a young man with a broad smile, bright blue eyes, lightly tanned skin, and stylishly unkempt, chestnut-brown hair. Music, somewhere between fanfare and a jingle, plays under him while he talks. ”I am Ignaci Canterells, and I’m so pleased to meet you. I am sure you are still acclimating, so we don’t need to go into the details, unless you insist, but I hope you find in me a friend, and eventually, and indispensable part of your time here at the academy. He has a hand over his heart, and a tone that indicates he knows he’s laying it on thick, and is having fun, but there’s also a surface truth to everything he says. ”For a modest fee, simply enough to recoup my materials and time, I am happy to make available most things alchemical. Tindertwigs, potions, helpful mutagens, and the like."
He leans in towards Haunt and in an exaggerated whisper for all to hear says, ”And, when the lovely Esi is not within earshot, I have many more things alchemical for you.” Ignaci pantomimes lobbing a bomb and makes an exposion motion with his hands, perfectly timed to a crescendo in the music. Esi looks on and grins, as if she’s in on the joke and doesn’t mind being part of the patter.
“It is good that you are here,” Ignaci concludes, slipping into an A- impression of Teacher Ot. ”It is even better if you brought money.” With that the music fades down and Ignaci raises his arms slightly and gives a quick bob of the head as a bow.
”You’ve been practicing, Ignaci.” Esi says with a laugh.
”Waiting for an audience to try it out on,” Ignaci replies. “I hope it’s just the right amount of too much. All of it is true, except for the bit about the bombs, of course.” He gives you all a wink, and then addresses you like a classmate, instead of a salesman.
“It is a pleasure to meet you all. How do you find our school so far?”
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ignaci."
Much steps forward and offers her paw to her fellow student.
"Nantambu and Magaambya are as exactly as strange as I expected, and also more wonderful than I could have imagined."
"We're going to eat now, but I would love to see your wares later. Will you join us?"
Haunt’s smile is a little uncertain. “Um, hi. Are you practicing your sales pitch, or for a performance? Or both? The school is very exciting! How long have you been here?”
Ignacio takes the extended hands with good cheer and says, ”Thank you! I’d love to lunch with you all. Please come get me when you are ready.”
“Um, hi. Are you practicing your sales pitch, or for a performance? Or both? The school is very exciting! How long have you been here?”
”A little of both, I suppose,” Ignacio replies with a smile. “Sales doesn’t come naturally to me, so it’s a bit of a performance. I’m leaning into it. Potions, on the other hand… those I get, and I’m happy for a good excuse to make some. To your other question, I’ve only been here a few months. Still an initiate, just like you all, but my cohort came in earlier and we’ve already begun our perquisite.”
Esi clears her throat slightly, gives Ignacio a friendly squeeze on the shoulder, and asks the group, “Any more questions for our resident charlatan, or shall we move on?”
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"You've been here for a few months already? Are you a part of A'mino's group? I am...uh, was, her roommate, I think..."
I am SO confused. Maybe I am just really hungry, Laesah thinks.
The anadi directs a puzzled look at Esi as she names Ignacio a 'charlatan'. She murmurs to Much.
"I don't think I'd take the term 'charlatan' lightly. Would you?"
Much's ears twitch in Laesah's direction and she gestures at her own great gnoll frame.
I have the luxury of not needing to be too precious with my honor. It takes a great deal more than words to hurt me.
Still, humans are strange. Alchemists even more so. Who can say?
And then to the larger group.
Esi, please lead the way. I'd wager your catfolk and your anadi are hungry as your gnoll. And I assume if Androids eat -forgive my ignorance!- then Maddox must be as well.
"You've been here for a few months already? Are you a part of A'mino's group? I am...uh, was, her roommate, I think..."
”A’mino?” Ignaci tilts his head at Laesah, perplexed, then his eyes spark and he snaps his fingeres. “Oh, the Song’o! I believe her cohort got her barely before yours?” He looks to Esi to confirm his memory, and she nods.
"Either way, roomates are a little unusual,” Ignaci says. “There’s more than enough space in the dorms for everyone to have their own rooms, but I can’t imagine the teachers would care much, as long as you don’t change…"
Esi raises her left hand, interrupting him, her right hand momentarily covering her eyes as she shakes her head and says, "Ignaci, stop. I can’t do this again. No roommates, please. Everyone will stay where they were assigned.”
Ignaci opens his mouth to say more, but he’s interrupted by gentle clucking and bwaking sounds coming from the corridor across the hall to the north, and a look of worry crosses his face and he whispers, Oh no, I didn’t realize she was in the halls… Esi, I’ll get the smelling salts. And with that he hastily disappears into his room.
You see the cause of his concern: A beautiful white chicken, walking down the hallway pecking at ants along the base of the wall, followed by a tawny-furred female gnoll, barely three-feet tall, and wearing the trappings of the school. The gnoll is completely engrossed in the progress of the chicken and seems unaware of you all. Esi has her back to the hall, so she’s a little slow to notice the newcomer.
Much calls out in Kholo.
Halo adik perempuan. Nama saya Much. Saya pikir saya sendirian di sini. Kalau tidak, aku akan menyambutmu sebelumnya. Maksudku tidak ada rasa tidak hormat.
The little gnoll shoots bolt upright at the sound of Much’s voice. If it’s possible for a creature with fur to turn pale, she does. Her eyes go wide, her nose twitches, and her voice comes out in a shuddering warble. “Anda menghormati saya, yang hebat. Saya dipanggil Anchor Root, dan saya tidak layak untuk perhatian Anda, tolong abaikan saya.” She bends at the knees and lifts her chin, showing her exposed neck. After a moment, she stands back up and looks down at her feet, unmoving and non speaking.
Esi looks over and very slowly, very calmly, says, “This is Anchor Root, of the Redridge clan, and someday she will be the Bonekeeper of her people. She is… sensitive, in many ways. Greetings, Anchor Root, this is our new cohort, and, hopefully, our new friends.”
Anchor Root may be the picture of fearful deference, but the chicken takes position between her and Much, scratching at the ground, puffing up her chest, and pecking the air.
Haunt leans over to whisper to Maddox.
"A chicken? Seems like kind of a poultry bodyguard if you ask me."
Haunt pats one of the little pockets on his vest, but leaves the small vial of cooking oil inside it.
Anchor Root looks up and blinks at Haunt, her eyes finally coming into focus. She puts a paw up in front of her face to cover her mouth as she giggles and says, "You're funny! I like you." Her chicken immediately calms down and goes back to hunting ants.
Ignaci rushes out of his room into the hallway holding a vial and says to Esi, "Ok, I've got it, where is she?"
"She's... fine?" Esi says, slightly amazed.
"Really, even with..." Ignaci whispers, and pantomimes a large scary person while jerking a thumb towards Much.
"Yes. Have we ever tried jokes when she is about to pass out?" Esi asks.
"I must have." Ignaci sounds slightly offended.
"Puns?" Esi probes.
"Ah... Probably not," Ignaci admits.
Esi shrugs her shoulders, and says, "Well, next time try puns."
Ignaci looks scandalized, "I think I'll let her pass out."
Ignaci hands the flask he was holding to Haunt. "Maybe you'll get some use out of this." He seems slightly crestfallen that he didn't get to use it. "Come get me when it's time for lunch."
Anchor Root is following her chicken down the hall, but has otherwise stopped paying attention to you all. She's still within earshot if you want to talk to her. Otherwise lunch is on offer, and there's still a bit of dorm to explore.
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"A chicken? Seems like kind of a poultry bodyguard if you ask me."
Maddox, unfamiliar with the societal behavior of leaning in to speak to someone quietly, mimics Haunt by leaning in closer to him to respond, but leans in a bit too far and is now extremely uncomfortable and very much in Haunt’s personal space, almost touching foreheads.
”How can a chicken be a body guard?”
He then immediately backs away from Haunt and listens to the exchange between Esi and Ignaci, before addressing Anchor Root without making eye contact.
”Hello. Would you like to join us for lunch?” He says awkwardly, again trying to parrot the polite exchange between Much and Ignaci. “And does your chicken have a name?”
Anchor Root answers Maddox's question as though she somehow hears him perfectly. Shes still nervous, but speaks with slightly more confidence."She throws herself between me and anything she thinks, that I this is a danger. Which is everything..." Anchor Root reaches into a pouch and pulls out a grub of some sort, which she feeds to the chicken. "Her name is Pelaksana, and Pelaksana is very brave."
She looks from Maddox to Much, and some of her terror returns. "Thank you for your invitation, but I think I should remain here. I am very tired from all this excitement."
Anchor Root bends her knee again, briefly shows Much her throat and walks back down the hall towards what you suspect is her room. Pelaksana gives the floor a mighty scratch, aims a particularly surly Bwalk! at the party and follows after her, snagging some ants along the way.
Esi smiles and says, "That is Anchor Root. She is... eccentric, even for here, but she is a treasure. Thank you for being kind to her. Usually when she meets new people it is more eventful."
She pats her stomach and continues, "And now I believe you want lunch, yes? I will go clean myself up and meet you back in the common area, then we can continue our tour with some food. Your washroom and toilets are down at the other end of the hall." She points off to the east to be clear.
She turns around and heads west, though you could stop her or Anchor Root, if you desired before they get too far away.
Maddox leans in again to whisper to Haunt. "Should we be concerned this place is covered in ants?" he asks very seriously, watching the chicken walk down the hall, pecking the floor.
Before following Esi towards the common area, Maddox looks at Ignaci's door and asks him, "Excuse me, could you explain what a "BOGO" is? And what does this mean?" He points at the one line on the door that looks like random characters.
Ignaci slips back into his salesman patter, and says, "BOGO means 'But One Get One.' It's a sales term, and in this case it means that if you buy one of my products, from a special set of qualifying offers, you can get the next one for half off. Limit one, for new customers only, some special conditions may apply."
And then, without breaking eye contact, he says, "As for the other thing, I have no idea what you are talking about."
Any further attempts to ask him about the line on the door are met with a similar statement.
Much pulls her eyes away from the chicken.
Ooh, I think can read that.
With her face locked in concentration (tongue thrust out to the side, one eye squeezed shut), Much puts her paw on her companions' shoulder for balance and she leans in to get a better look.
Much spends some time looking over the symbols and while she thinks there is some sort of pattern at work, she can't quite crack it.
Mumbling about it "not being the Ancient Kholo she had imagined," Much leans back from the inscription, ears turned down and abashedly accepts the social lifeline Laesah has given her.
”How can a chicken be a body guard?”
Haunt gets confused by Maddox's sudden invasion of his personal space and misunderstands the question. "Er, to get to the other side?"
Ignaci hands the flask he was holding to Haunt. "Maybe you'll get some use out of this." He seems slightly crestfallen that he didn't get to use it. "Come get me when it's time for lunch."
Haunt accepts the flash and tucks it into a loop on his belt. "Great, thanks! What is it?"
Maddox leans in again to whisper to Haunt. "Should we be concerned this place is covered in ants?" he asks very seriously, watching the chicken walk down the hall, pecking the floor.
Haunt shrugs. "Isn't everyplace covered in ants? I'd almost be worried about a place that didn't have ants, because then I'd wonder why it didn't have ants."
Haunt follows the others to see what this "washing up" thing is all about. On the way down the hall, he asks Much, "So why did she bare her neck to you like that? Is that a way your folk say hello? Sometimes when I meet another amurrun, we get into a staring contest to show who's toughest, is it something like that?"
Ignaci says, with no small measure of pride, "Those are smelling salts. I invented them with Anchor Root in mind. If someone is unconscious, wave those under their nose and odds are they are going to wake back up."
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Something like that, yes. It implies she's not a threat, or my equal. That last part is strange. At least at this school, her place is likely above mine.
Much shrugs.
Some Kholo give too much deference to physical stature. In my experience, it just means they haven't been bested by anything smaller than themselves. Fortunately, a badger made sure that I wouldn't suffer from that lack of experience."
Much smiles, and gestures to series of scars half hidden in her fur.
Haunt whistles, impressed, and nods knowingly. "Badgers are fierce little buggers."
Esi nods at Haunt, and says, "Fierce, indeed."
She rolls up her left sleeve to the elbow and shows Much three long scars, an obvious claw mark. "Quasit. Tiny, but evil and cunning. Fortunate that I was not alone." She gives you a tight grin, reliving a little shame at the memory. "Perhaps Anchor Root honors you for your wisdom, Much, and not your size. She is sensitive to more things than just fear."
She rolls her sleeve back down, and says, "That is everyone who is currently in the dorm, I think, and I believe lunch was called for. I am going to use the wash room before we go, and I suggest you do the same. Some of you must still have the road on you. Again, yours is to the east, and I will meet you in the common room."
With that, she turns and heads off, first west to the end of the hall, then turning south and out of sight.
Haunt licks his paws then wipes his face with them. "Ready!"
Maddox looks down at his neat sweater and trousers, and wonders if this is a black tie lunch. He has a moment of panic before remembering that is not a thing, and then looks up at Esi and says, "I am ready."
Esi meets you back in the common area with Ignaci in tow. She hands out umbrellas to each of you and says, “These you may keep. On days like today, the rain can be relentless. Now come, let us eat.”
She leads you out of the southern door of the dorm, past a lovely pond, ringed with low trees and filled with frogs, croaking gently in the rain. They don’t even bother to leap into the water as you pass. “Those frogs give Miriama no end of trouble,” Ignaci says to the group. “I’m not sure if it is affection or malice, but they barely move unless it is to leap on her.”
The dining hall is not far, and you are there after just a couple minutes walk.It is a large, kitchen‐warmed facility with handsome mosaics and plenty of seating. It’s pretty full, since you are arriving at the end of lunch.
Laesah, you notice A’mino sitting at a table with the Hatsi. She sees you and gives a quick wave and an exaggerated eyeroll at the man, who is so engrossed in his own storytelling he doesn’t even notice.
Esi sits you down at a long table out of the rain and settles you in, then says, “I’ll be right back. Lumusi will want to see you.” With that she walks off.
Ignaci grabs the plate that is in front of him and starts opening the wicker baskets in the center of the table. “Help yourselves,” he says. “Lunch is usually a bit more robust than dinner.” He serves himself some curried fish, piled over plain white rice, and grabs some hot flat bread from another basket. “Make sure you try the roti, it’s always excellent.”
He waits for you to serve yourselves before eating anything. In addition to the fish, there are vegetables with thin noodles, as well as mango and lychee. Each table has a couple glass containers in the center, one filled with an orange sauce, the other red. Ignaci points at the orange and says ”Mango sour,” then the red and simply says, ”hot” and makes another explosion pantomime with his hands.
As you dig in, Esi returns with a middle aged woman, who greets you with a wide, toothy grin, taking you all in through heavy-lidded eyes. Ignaci politely rises as the women return to the table.
“I am Lumusi Yao, head cook here at the Magaambya, and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she begins, her voice high and reedy, with a slight sing-song quality. “We are open for two meals a day here, lunch and dinner. You can find baskets with fruit, bread, and cheese in your common area every morning, to get something in you before your studies start. Can’t learn hungry.”
Lumusi reaches into her bag and pulls out a handful of glass beads, shaped like plantains, and hands one to each of you ”For your collection, and with my blessing. Tell me, before I go back to the kitchen, any foods you crave, or cannot eat?” She looks to Maddox and her smile widens. ”I have never served one of your people before. Have you any special needs or desires? I love to learn a new recipe.”
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The anadi youth follows in the centre of the ragtag group, eyes wide as she takes in everything, her hand firm on her braid in something much like a security blanket. She lets Esi and Ignaci's words wash over her.
“Those frogs give Miriama no end of trouble...I’m not sure if it is affection or malice, but they barely move unless it is to leap on her.”
"Do we know who Miriama is?" Laesah murmurs to Much.
Upon entry to the dining hall, Laesah spies A'mino and gives a nervous wave of her fingers in greeting. She smiles at the Song'o as she rolls her eyes, but quickly gets distracted by the sounds....and the SMELLS!
I had no idea that I was so hungry, Laesah thinks, blushing slightly at the obvious growling of her stomach. As she sits at the table that Esi chooses, she does her best to preserve her dignity as the gregarious alchemist shows off the foodstuffs on display. She makes careful note of the hot sauce, determined to steer clear of extra spice.
"I am Lumusi Yao, head cook here at the Magaambya, and it’s a pleasure to meet you..."
Laesah's eyes break away from the tantalising aromas from the curried fish as the kindly chef passes her a new bead for her growing strand. She puts it in her pocket with a mental note to remove her hair band to thread the new bead once away from the table. No one likes hair in their food, even if it is silk.
"Tell me, before I go back to the kitchen, any foods you crave, or cannot eat?"
Laesah twitches at the thought of cravings, takes a deep breath, then politely addresses the kindly lady.
"Excuse me, Madame Yao, I am Laesah. Doul. Laesah Doul. I..." here, her eyes glance around the room, "I've not seen any of my kind here, but I had heard of another anadi studying here. I was wondering...." She swallows.
Just ask! she screams at herself.
"Would it be possible to request some insects on the menu? Grubs or mealworms or jurtur fly larvae...just whatever could be found. Alive, preferably?"
Laesah's face feels like it has been painted with the hot sauce.
"Do we know who Miriama is?" Laesah murmurs to Much.
Right as Laesah finishes her question. A dark woman with wild braids poking out of a mauve cap approaches the table. Ignaci stands up politely and says "Oh, hi, Miriama." She shakes her left arm and three frogs fall out of her sleeve. Nonplussed, she sits down and says, "Hey! You're the new cohort? I foresaw your arrival in the morning innards. Real mixed omens with you lot. What happened to the one with all the extra bad juju?"
Ignaci sits back down and shrugs at you all. "We try not to argue with the morning innards," he says.
"Would it be possible to request some insects on the menu? Grubs or mealworms or jurtur fly larvae...just whatever could be found. Alive, preferably?"
Yao looks thrilled to have a request. "Of course, my sweet!" She exclaims, and puts a matronly hand on your shoulder. "Our other anadi guest, Tzeniwe, has made a similar request. The foragers already keeptheir eyes out, and the jungle provides, quite willingly. I should mention, we're always looking for foragers and other roles, if you find yourself with time and the need for work."
"Do we know who Miriama is?"
Much shrugs in a gesture of shared ignorance just as Ignaci rises.
"I should mention, we're always looking for foragers and other roles, if you find yourself with time and the need for work."
"I'm happy to eat almost anything. I'd also love to explore the surrounding jungle and help forage."
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Maddox meets Lumusi’s eye contact and for the first time since walking into the Magaambya this morning, doesn’t immediately look away. Her demographic, friendly persona, and proximity to the kitchen reminds him of Niana. “I require no special sustenance, but I thank you for your consideration. What we have here smells delicious. I am partial to ripe mango.” He pauses, and then asks, “Have you worked here long?”
He accepts the offer of the plantain bead and slips it onto his leather bracelet with the rest of the beads. Uncharacteristically, he smiles looking at the shining glass objects around his wrist as a budding sense of belonging washes over him.
After nodding politely at Miriama and nudging a frog off the seat in front of him, he sits down across from Esi and adds fish, noodles, mango, and roti to his plate. Curious about what Ignaci meant by “hot” he carefully places a hand on the red bottle and finds that it is actually cool to the touch. Thinking Ignaci might be mistaken, he sniffs the red liquid, shrugs, pours a sizable amount onto the mangos, and takes a bite.
Much, you know that these beads are for initiates of the school, and that broadly they serve as an identifier that the bearer belongs at the Magaambya. People outside the school in the city will immediately recognize that someone who carries the beads is a member of the school, and that will afford them some safety and respect (usually - not everyone loves the school).
Specifically, the individual beads show that you have access to different parts of the school, and for an initiate, show that you have been briefed on the terms of that area. Ot gave you a bead to show that you were a cohort of his. If you were in trouble, someone familiar with the school would know to call him in. This plantain bead shows that you should have access to the dining hall and have gone through the tutorial, so to speak. These are not, generally, secret, so if I'm not being clear, keep asking. Any student or teacher would tell you the basics.
Maddox swallows. And waits for what happens.
Maddox finds that it tastes really good! A little of this might be nice and really elevate a dish. Then the heat comes, and because of how much he's used, it's no longer nice. It's fire.
But maybe it's his confusion, or the nanites stepping in to fight off the assault, but besides some slightly watering eyes and a little sniffle as his nose runs a bit, there's no real outward reaction. From Maddox anyway...
Lumusi's eyes widen and she says "Oh, no no no, my sweet, be gentle with yourself." She touches a bracelet on her wrist and subvocalizes while looking concerned.
Mariama slaps the table and yells, "Persetan ya! Go on, Firebreather, get that pepper!" She grabs a roti, jams it into the pepper sauce and takes a huge bite. She doesn't fare quite as well as Maddox and starts lightly choking. Undeterred, she reaches out with her other hand, grabs a mango, drags it through the pepper sauce and shoves it in her mouth. Even with her mouth full of food and tears streaming down her face, you can see her grin and hear laughs in between the gasps of pain.
Esi looks concerned. "Mariama, no! You know some of these idiots idolize you." Sure enough, you can see students at other tables take notice of Mariama and start eating way too much pepper. At A'mino's table, Hatsi downs the sauce right out of the bottle in a misguided attempt to impress her and, after a beat, turns red and vomits.
Ignaci howls with laughter and then has revelation. "I'll be back - I have some potions in my room that can help sooth this, for the right price..." He stands up and charges off back to the dorm.
Haunt is overwhelmed by the sights and sounds and smells of the dining hall, and because he is not used to seeing anywhere near that many people in one place. As a result, he is quieter than usual for the first few minutes after they walk in, and his responses come a beat later than they should.
"Hey! You're the new cohort? I foresaw your arrival in the morning innards. Real mixed omens with you lot. What happened to the one with all the extra bad juju?"
"We try not to argue with the morning innards," he says.
"Innards? What kind of innards do you read? And if you check them every morning, you must go through a lot of ... whatever they come from, right? Unless they're troll innards, I guess. Is there a troll here who lets you check his innards every morning? And what do you mean, 'extra bad juju'? Does one of us have extra bad juju? Is it me? I took a bath last week." He sniffs under an armpit.
"Our other anadi guest, Tzeniwe, has made a similar request. The foragers already keep their eyes out, and the jungle provides, quite willingly. I should mention, we're always looking for foragers and other roles, if you find yourself with time and the need for work."
"Foraging? That sounds like fun. I'd like to volunteer too. What do we forage for? Besides bugs, I mean. Not that there's anything wrong with foraging for bugs. Bugs are useful for all kinds of things."
Haunt grabs a piece of fruit and is reaching out for the jar to join in the hot sauce fun when Hatsi vomits. The amurrun looks over to the other table and slowly pulls back his hand and eats the fruit uncondimented.
"Innards? What kind of innards do you read? And if you check them every morning, you must go through a lot of ... whatever they come from, right? Unless they're troll innards, I guess. Is there a troll here who lets you check his innards every morning?"
Esi fields your question, and says, "Miriama is one to take seriously, but not literally. If she says there's bad juju, she's probably right, but if she says she's reading her morning innards, maybe she's murdering frogs every morning, maybe she has a troll like you suggest, or maybe she's getting divine messages from the contents of her toilet. All are equally likely."
Miriama, still struggling with her food, gives a thumbs up at this assessment, grabs a frog, and prepares to dip it in the pepper sauce before Lumusi gently disarms her and sucks her teeth, "Child, you have caused enough mischief today. Cool milk is being delivered to all the tables to help sooth the students, and you, Miriama, will remain behind to clean up Hatsi and the rest of this mess. It appears lunch is ending a little early today."
Miriama looks like she has something to say to this, but is keeping it to herself. She wipes the food and various bodily fluids from face with her sleeve, muttering "Careful around the eyes."
Slightly less sweaty, she shoots a threatening glare to the frog and drags a thumb across her throat. It responds by leaping down her blouse, causing her to fall out of her chair with a yelp.
Lumusi ignores this, and continues to Haunt. "I'm told foraging is quite enjoyable, and they come back with all sorts of things. Mainly nuts, fruits, and bugs upon request, but also truffles and rare mushrooms if they can find them. Some progress to hunting or trading after that," she continues in her kindly sing-song meter, before a very slight edge enters her voice. So slight you might miss it and so slight that it is more frightening than if she'd started shouting. "And, of course, there's always plenty of cleaning to be done on the days when some maniac doesn't volunteer herself for the task through a bout of insanity."
"Noy jitat!" Miriama shouts. "That's not fair, but it was worth it. You rock, Firebreather! Well met!"
Esi pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "Thank you Head Cook Yao. As always, you have been most kind and accommodating." To you all she says, "I think we are ready to move on, yes?"
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"Of course, my sweet! Our other anadi guest, Tzeniwe, has made a similar request..."
TZENIWE?? Of course... Laesah allows herself to fall back into memories.
Within a dense canopy, the bulbous roots and branches of the adansonia (commonly known as the baobab) mark a place as effectively as a signpost to those resident to the Green. The baobab tree in full bloom provides ample supplies to the nest - shelter to weather stiff breezes, nectar to attract live food, vibrant camouflage to distract potential predators - but most important to a child like Laesah and her plethora of kin, it provides entertainment. The words of her many nest-mates echo amongst the leaves as she skitters and frolics.
"Laesah??"
The anadi shakes her head, brought back to Esi addressing her directly. Laesah carefully looks around at the chaos of the mess hall and the literal mess on many of the students. She then glances back to her untouched bowl of fish and rice.
"I think we are ready to move on, yes?"
"Um, a moment please," Laesah blushes. She then picks up the bowl and tips it back into her impossibly-wide mouth, swallowing the contents in one gulp. She sets the bowl down daintily, her face blushing yet again as she rises from her seat.
"Ok."
Haunt is so caught up in the conversation that he forgets to get any food at all until the trays start getting packed and taken back into the kitchen. He leaps from his seat and manages to grab a small plate and fill it with items snatched at random from whatever trays are last to be carted off. The amurrun eats as quickly as he can, but does not finish as quickly as Laesah does.
Much eats quickly, indiscriminately and with fastidious care that belies both her size and willingness to consume anything within her reach.
Upon swallowing, Maddox barely registers anything else happening around the table because he is in a tremendous amount of pain. He gives a quiet little cough, and sniffs as bright green liquid trickles out his nose and from his eyes. A flush crawls up his pallid cheeks, but instead of a human-like blush of red, Maddox’s entire face turns acid green. It is startling. His eyes widen slightly as Miriama and then the rest of the hall get crazy with the chili. Face still bright green and worried he caused this situation, he looks down at his plate and eats his meal quickly until it’s time to go to the next stop on their tour.
Yao watches you all annihilate your meals and gives an appreciative nod. "Knowing how to eat quickly is as important for a student as it is a soldier. And finishing your plate when the cook is watching is always an excellent idea."
The turns to Laesah and says, "Again, I thank you for the gift of your request. We are pleased to serve and these requests always give us opportunities to grow."
To Maddox, she says, "And I will make sure you have access to spicy meals, since you seem to enjoy them so much. But perhaps with a little more moderation in the future?"
With that, she reaches down, takes Mariama by the ear and walks off towards Hatsi.
Esi turns to you all and says, "OK! Off to our next stop. 'The Powderpile!'"
Along the way (it's a slightly longer walk north), Esi explains that "The Powderpile" is a nickname students use for the student supply store, due to its large collection of magical powders. The store is run by a diligent kobold named Xhokan, and, with apologies to Ignaci, is the much more official channel for buying common items you might need.
”Pigments, medicines, reagents of all kinds,” says Xhokan with an efficient rudeness. ”Right now it’s my job to meet you. We’ll find out later if it’s a pleasure. Here, take this and make a ball, then give it back to me.”
He hands each of you a four-inch wide disk of clay, still damp enough to be malleable, and looks at your expectantly.