“What do you want to do? I guess the first thing we should do is go say hi to Donda Ruu and Lefreya,” I said.
“Yes, we should at least speak with them briefly.”
And so, we headed over to the large cloth mat where they all were seated. There were a bunch of people enjoying some food there, illuminated by the light of the roaring ritual flame. In the center of that ring of people sat Donda Ruu, Dari Sauti, Geol Zaza, Granny Jiba, Jiza Ruu, Lefreya, and Sanjura. The atmosphere between them was pretty heavy, but there were young men and women having fun all around them, which helped to relieve the sense of tension a bit.
“Donda Ruu, I wish to once again thank you for inviting us to this banquet,” Ai Fa said in a solemn tone as she placed one knee down atop the cloth.
“Indeed,” Donda Ruu replied in an even more serious tone than usual. “Though it is hardly as if we would ever not invite the Fa clan when we’re holding a banquet with townsfolk among the guests. If you’re finished cooking, go ahead and enjoy yourself however you please.”
“Thank you. Did you enjoy the shaska dishes?” I asked as I knelt down too. However, instead of responding, Donda Ruu silently turned toward his eldest son. Noticing that, Jiza Ruu tilted his head in confusion.
“What is the matter, leading clan head Donda? Is there some sort of issue?”
“No. I just figured that you might have something you wanted to say about that giba cutlet dish.”
Jiza Ruu fell silent, but next to him Dari Sauti laughed and said, “Right. You did seem pretty enthralled by that dish. I thought it was splendid too, Asuta.”
“Thank you. I’m very happy to hear that you all liked it.”
Jiza Ruu was one of the people who enjoyed giba cutlets the most. If he had liked the giba katsudon as well, that was great. However, he still wasn’t saying anything, leaving Dari Sauti to ask me a question with a big smile on his face.
“Hey Asuta, can that shaska be prepared without you?”
“Huh? Yeah, it can. The chefs of the Ruu and the clans that neighbor us learned how to cook it alongside me as I was figuring it out, so they should be able to make it anytime.”
“I see. In that case, I’d very much like to have it prepared for the clan head meeting. I’m sure it’ll surprise the heads of the other clans quite a bit.”
If I put in a request to Varkas or Polarth, I was sure that I would be able to purchase another big batch of shaska. However, there was something he had said that had caught my attention.
“Um, why did you ask if it could be made without me? I do intend to be at the clan head meeting.”
“Well, naturally, we’ll have to have you there. And that’s why you won’t be able to help out with dinner preparations, right?”
He was correct. The clan head meeting would stretch from fairly early in the day all the way into the evening. If I was going to be part of that meeting from the start, it would be very hard for me to find time to help with cooking.
“Since the Fa clan’s actions will be discussed, you should participate for the entirety of it, Asuta. And besides, there are only two members to the Fa clan, so you should be there by Ai Fa’s side regardless.”
“Yes, that was what I expected us to do as well,” Ai Fa chimed in. “I cannot imagine the women of the Suun settlement being able to prepare enough food for all of the clan heads, so I believe it would be good to invite chefs from the Ruu, Fou, and Deen to assist them.”
Dari Sauti gave a satisfied nod. “Yes, we should be sure to make arrangements for that. Geol Zaza, I would like you to ask Gulaf Zaza if he has any objections when you return to the northern settlement.”
“Hmph. I can’t think of anything he could possibly complain about with that. And I’m sure the other clan heads must be expecting delicious food too,” Geol Zaza replied cheerfully, his face already red from drinking as he glared around at the people seated on the big cloth with him. “By the way, we’re only going to get to talk to the same few people if we keep sitting here like this. This is supposed to be a friendship banquet, so isn’t it about time to get up and move around?”
“Really? It seems pretty convenient to me. We’ve been having all sorts of people coming over here to greet us,” Dari Sauti noted.
“Still, sitting in one place for this long isn’t my style.”
Lefreya, who had been silently watching us talk, then finally spoke up. “He is correct. I know that I might interfere with other people’s ability to enjoy this event if I start walking around, but even so...would it be possible for me to do one lap around the plaza?”
“Do as you please. I’ll have Jiza accompany you, just to be safe,” Donda Ruu said.
And so, half of the people in the center of the circle stood up and left, leaving just Donda Ruu, Dari Sauti, and Granny Jiba. Ai Fa and I also stood, but Granny Jiba’s clear gaze turned toward us at the same time, which stopped us from walking away.
“Oh, Asuta, thank you for the delicious food. I absolutely loved both of those dishes.”
“I appreciate it. Shaska’s easier to eat than poitan, so I’m glad to hear it was to your tastes.”
“Yes. I’m very grateful too.”
Granny Jiba’s voice was very gentle, but her intonation sounded a little different than usual somehow. I wondered about that a bit as I rose to my feet, only for Ai Fa to immediately whisper into my ear, “Asuta, are you perhaps a little worried about Granny Jiba’s condition?”
“Oh, yeah. She seems a little absent-minded. Is she tired because it’s been a while since she’s participated in a banquet?”
“Granny Jiba has regained a great deal of her strength, so I cannot imagine tonight being enough to tire her out. Let’s stop by again later to check on her,” Ai Fa replied, a deeply worried look on her face.
I briefly turned to look behind me one last time and saw Granny Jiba staring off into the distance with a relaxed smile, as if her eyes were seeing some far away place.