Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1993 11:53:14 EST From: The Dreamer Message-ID: <93047.115314ASG102@psuvm.psu.edu> Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [L&S] The Party! (Part 1: Preparations) In the kitchen of Luthor and Serene's new house: Luthor looked down at the mess he was making and frowned. People called this food? He thought he had seen most types before, but this was the strangest. It was a flat pie made mostly of crushed vegetables. "Now, what is this 'pepper-oni' stuff? Something made of a pepper plant?" he asked Serene with a childish look of complete confusion on his face. "No, it's something like sausage I guess. You know how 'Raelf speaks, I'm not always sure I understand what he is saying." Serene looked over Luthor's shoulder and shrugged, "It looks pretty close." "Serene, you know I don't eat meat. Does it have to have sausage?" "Well, he also said something about tiny fish." Both of their stomachs turned at the thought. "This is turning into a Halfling's nightmare. Couldn't I just whip up a nice whitecod fillet or some shark steaks?" Luthor had been eager to try cooking some of Generica's plentiful seafood. "I'll get some of the apple wine from my old estate and..." " 'Raelf swears by this 'pitza' stuff. He told me that we should serve it with Catamount Amber and the crowd would 'go nuts it', whatever that means." "If I wanted a party with beer guzzling 'nuts' people, I would have invited more Dwarves. We have to have wine at the party, it's tradition." Luthor noticed that he had started to whine, so he fell silent. He looked up to see Serene smiling at him. A moment later, they burst out laughing. "We'll have both," Serene suggested. Luthor nodded in agreement and hugged her tightly. "...and what's this I hear about 'contra-dancing'? What is that supposed to be? I wanted to have a traditional Elven minstrel group playing songs of home, hearth, and heart. Two kinds of food is one thing, but two types of music can't be playing at once." Luthor said trying to provoke Serene again. At that moment, a wonderful smell reached their senses. They both inhaled deeply and smiled. Luthor grabbed a cloth glove and took a steaming pan from the oven. On it was a strange looking disk of yellow, ornage, and red. After they let it cool off for a moment, Serene cut the pie into 'slices' as per 'Raelf's instructions. The two bit into the alien food. "Well, odd as it looks, it tastes wonderful," Luthor said while trying to sever a string of cheese that would not give up. Cheese and savory spices dripped appetizingly from Serene's slice. "So, how many musicians do you know who can play non-stop from one morning to the next? We'll get a good contra band *and* minstrels, and they can work out among themselves when to whip the crowd up and when to soothe them." She reached out to hug her new roommate. "If we did my own style of dancing, well, I wouldn't necessarily stay around, you know!" She cooled a taste of sauce on her little finger and gave it to Mista to suck on. "I think this will work out just right - we'll have elegant food just as it should be served in an elven household, and this stuff for those of us who haven't had those year-long courses on how to eat flakies without them exploding in a puff of crust and powdery things!" "Well, since we have some time together, I will teach you," Luthor looked into her gray eyes with a satisfied smile. His words held much more than a promise for lesson in table manners. The two were seated comfortably on their tree porch, munching on their experimental lunch, leaning their backs together, surveying their new scenery. Tomorrow they would welcome their friends and comrades to their new home, opening their doors and starting their new adventure. Already the portrait of Rachel held a place of honour in the main hall, Mista's cradle was snug in a corner of her mother's room, and islander scarves from Serene's youth festooned and cheered the corners. One of the rooms of the basement had my mutual agreement been outfitted as a guest room in hopes of welcoming a very special guest with a certain allergy to sunlight. Serene sighed, full and content. "So," she turned slightly toward Luthor, "do I get a dance, or is your card already full?" Together they chuckled and watched the tide come in. ----- Text by: Serene Uhtsong of the Mists Luthor Anside, ShadowMaker Thanks to: Mista, Fog Baby (moral support)