90th of Fall 511 AV
The smell of cooking food was enough to make anybody's mouth water. Stomachs growled, furtive eyes flashed towards the kitchen, and murmured conversations diverted to food every so often before being caught and the topic changed. Tia'aria could hear them, just barely, and smiled. Tia'ora chuckled at her expression, something their mother did not soon after.
The three women were doing as most women liked to do for the men in their family: cook. While Aria and Ora were new to the culinary arts, their mother had been around enough kitchens to show them how to prepare meals and desserts. Desserts especially, as Alis'ana enjoyed sweets more than she would care to admit.
It was a moment to bond with eachother the three girls reveled in, speaking in hushed Kontinese and laughing every so often. Their conversations often went in the direction of boys, or brothers, and antics that their friends would pursue. It often stunned Aria the social life Ora lived even at her young age. Ora's friends were often vivacious and flirtatious, and even as young as Ora appeared she could be quite the curious little flirt if she wanted something. No real person with any common sense would take advantage of a girl, Aria knew this, yet she was still shocked at Ora's bravery. Aria was much more subdued than her little sister and far less flirtatious. She was the wallflower, their mother had remarked once. Pretty, but introverted. It was the truth, too.
"Look, do you see the colour of the meat when you cut into it?" Ana asked her eldest daughter, shifting aside so the girl could peer at the sliced meat still in the skillet. It was a faint shade of pink. "What does it look like?"
"Well, it still has blood in it!" Aria exclaimed, wrinkling her nose. She disliked the sight of a bloodied hunk of meat. She preferred grains, vegetables, and fruit to meat any day. She even disliked eggs for that she could never tell if they were fertilised or not. The one time she had found a chick in her eggs she had sworn to never crack and cook one again. To her mother's amusement. "I can see red. Not much, but it's red."
Ana nodded and gestured for Ora to come closer. The girls weren't cooking the meat yet Ana insisted on showing them what to look for to know when it was done. Aria returned to the counter where Ora had stood, lifted a knife already dripping, and continued to cut the fruit they would serve with the meat as something to sweeten the taste of it afterwards. An apple in her right hand, already cored and washed, was soon being mutilated by the knife that had similarly cut through four other ripe apples. Ora's station next to her was where the pears were being cut.
Ora returned after looking at the meat as Aria had and they worked in a peaceful silence afterwards. The Akontak was nine years old but incredibly bright and capable in her own right. Ana wouldn't let her youngest come to harm and it was only with the agreement that Ora would take all precautions to keep herself unharmed that she was allowed to wield the knife.
"So, do you like any boys Aria?" Ora asked slyly as they chopped through fruit. Tia'aria tightened her mouth, to keep from smiling or scowling she didn't even know, and kept her silence. Her muteness made Ora laugh, bright and merrily. "Aria has a boyfriend, Aria has a boyfriend!" She trilled.
"I do not!" Aria shouted back, horrified. Ora howled with laughter. "Stop being childish!"
Ora stuck out her tongue and Aria heard laughter. Their mother, standing at the stove, amused by the expression on her eldest's face, only served to increase Aria's horror.
The smell of cooking food was enough to make anybody's mouth water. Stomachs growled, furtive eyes flashed towards the kitchen, and murmured conversations diverted to food every so often before being caught and the topic changed. Tia'aria could hear them, just barely, and smiled. Tia'ora chuckled at her expression, something their mother did not soon after.
The three women were doing as most women liked to do for the men in their family: cook. While Aria and Ora were new to the culinary arts, their mother had been around enough kitchens to show them how to prepare meals and desserts. Desserts especially, as Alis'ana enjoyed sweets more than she would care to admit.
It was a moment to bond with eachother the three girls reveled in, speaking in hushed Kontinese and laughing every so often. Their conversations often went in the direction of boys, or brothers, and antics that their friends would pursue. It often stunned Aria the social life Ora lived even at her young age. Ora's friends were often vivacious and flirtatious, and even as young as Ora appeared she could be quite the curious little flirt if she wanted something. No real person with any common sense would take advantage of a girl, Aria knew this, yet she was still shocked at Ora's bravery. Aria was much more subdued than her little sister and far less flirtatious. She was the wallflower, their mother had remarked once. Pretty, but introverted. It was the truth, too.
"Look, do you see the colour of the meat when you cut into it?" Ana asked her eldest daughter, shifting aside so the girl could peer at the sliced meat still in the skillet. It was a faint shade of pink. "What does it look like?"
"Well, it still has blood in it!" Aria exclaimed, wrinkling her nose. She disliked the sight of a bloodied hunk of meat. She preferred grains, vegetables, and fruit to meat any day. She even disliked eggs for that she could never tell if they were fertilised or not. The one time she had found a chick in her eggs she had sworn to never crack and cook one again. To her mother's amusement. "I can see red. Not much, but it's red."
Ana nodded and gestured for Ora to come closer. The girls weren't cooking the meat yet Ana insisted on showing them what to look for to know when it was done. Aria returned to the counter where Ora had stood, lifted a knife already dripping, and continued to cut the fruit they would serve with the meat as something to sweeten the taste of it afterwards. An apple in her right hand, already cored and washed, was soon being mutilated by the knife that had similarly cut through four other ripe apples. Ora's station next to her was where the pears were being cut.
Ora returned after looking at the meat as Aria had and they worked in a peaceful silence afterwards. The Akontak was nine years old but incredibly bright and capable in her own right. Ana wouldn't let her youngest come to harm and it was only with the agreement that Ora would take all precautions to keep herself unharmed that she was allowed to wield the knife.
"So, do you like any boys Aria?" Ora asked slyly as they chopped through fruit. Tia'aria tightened her mouth, to keep from smiling or scowling she didn't even know, and kept her silence. Her muteness made Ora laugh, bright and merrily. "Aria has a boyfriend, Aria has a boyfriend!" She trilled.
"I do not!" Aria shouted back, horrified. Ora howled with laughter. "Stop being childish!"
Ora stuck out her tongue and Aria heard laughter. Their mother, standing at the stove, amused by the expression on her eldest's face, only served to increase Aria's horror.
