“I’ve been really looking forward to the oven-baked dishes, since you can’t get them in the post town. And this one is so luxurious with all that dried milk on top of it,” Telia Mas said. She had previously been able to try gratin during Granny Jiba’s birthday celebration, and the unrestrained smile that she’d had on her face after taking a bite of it had been totally adorable.
As we all enjoyed the taste of the gratin together, a huge figure approached us. It was none other than Mida Ruu, who stood half a head taller than almost anyone else in the crowd.
“That sure looks tasty. I thought we had already taken a full loop around the plaza, but I don’t remember seeing that stuff.”
Those words had come not from Mida Ruu, but from the young man by his side. When she saw who had spoken, Telia Mas’s eyes widened a bit and she said, “Oh, it’s Lebi. And Kalgo too. You didn’t stick with Yumi?”
“She and Ben were talking to some other folks, so we split off since it didn’t seem like they were going to be moving anytime soon.”
The cheeks on both young men had gone red from drinking fruit wine, which might have been making them feel a bit more comfortable with the intense atmosphere of a banquet at the forest’s edge, as they had very bright smiles on their faces now.
Just as I was about to greet them, though, a voice called out, “Well, if it isn’t Asuta!” and Rau and Yamiru Lea stepped out from behind Mida Ruu’s massive frame.
“Looks like we’ve finally found you. So you two were with Mida Ruu?” I asked.
“Yup! Our guests from town were telling us all about the commotion Mida Ruu caused there!” Rau Lea said cheerfully, causing Mida Ruu’s cheeks to wobble a bit. That was probably a topic the young hunter would prefer to not come up much. But it was good that Lebi and Kalgo were laughing and enjoying themselves now, despite having been threatened by Mida Ruu in the past.
“You really are an ill-natured man. Is it that fun to tease Mida Ruu?” Yamiru Lea asked with a chilly glare as she stood there in her banquet attire.
“Hmm?” Rau Lea tilted his head questioningly. “I’m not trying to tease Mida Ruu or anything. He already atoned for those crimes, so there’s no need for him to feel bad about it now.”
“So then why did you dig that topic back up?”
“Because it was interesting! I’d have loved to see Mida Ruu lift an entire stall like that!”
Rau Lea must have been rather drunk by this point too. Though he had a handsome androgynous appearance, the young clan head was every bit as unrestrained as Dan Rutim. Glancing at him out of the corner of their eyes, Lebi and Kalgo both laughed.
“We got to hear some real interesting stuff too. I never would’ve figured that lady there and Mida Ruu were originally siblings,” one of them said.
“Yeah, and it was a real shock that Mida Ruu’s the younger one to boot!” the other added.
Yamiru Lea helped out with the Fa clan stalls on a daily basis, so naturally, Lebi and Kalgo were already quite familiar with her, and I could understand why they’d be shocked to find out that Mida Ruu, the one who had threatened their stalls in the past, was her younger brother.
“And Rau Lea, you two are gonna get married, right? The world here at the forest’s edge is surprisingly small, huh?!”
“Haven’t I already explained to you that that is just something my impulsive clan head has been saying without my approval?” Yamiru Lea grumbled.
“Aw, what’s the problem? A beautiful guy and girl like you two are a great match!”
Rau Lea had also come to the post town a number of times as a guard and during the revival festival, so it made sense that the boys knew him too. It was always interesting to get to see that kind of web of connections as you got to know people better.
After having been quietly listening to us for a while, Sheera Ruu then interjected, “Actually, Mida Ruu has become a member of my younger brother’s house. Half of the people running the stalls come from the Ruu clans, so it’s easy to find connections like those.”
“Oh, really?! Your younger brother is that handsome guy who was walking with Telia Mas’s group before, right? I’ve seen him around plenty too.”
“Yes, since Shin has acted as a guard many times, just like Rau Lea.”
“What about you, then? Are you connected to any of this stuff too?” Kalgo asked Darmu Ruu.
Since he wasn’t much of a speaker, Sheera Ruu blushed a bit as she smiled and replied for him, “Darmu is the older brother of Reina Ruu and her siblings. And now, he is my husband.”
“Wow! I’d heard you got married to one of their brothers, but this is the guy, huh?!”
“You really look like a good match. Sorry to be saying this so late, but congratulations.”
With smiles on their faces, both Lebi and Kalgo lifted up their bottles of fruit wine. Darmu Ruu furrowed his brow, looking rather troubled, but he eventually did the same and muttered, “Right.”
“Oh by the way, this dish was made in an oven and they just took it out. It’s being served over there at that table,” I said.
“Ah, then let’s go get some too!”
The energetic group loudly hurried off toward the table. After watching them leave, Sheera Ruu shot her husband a smile.
“Since we have the opportunity, should we speak with them a bit more? Rau Lea and Mida Ruu are there, so that should make it a bit easier for you to join in, right, Darmu?”
“Mida Ruu is one thing, but Rau Lea is really noisy when he’s been drinking.”
“It’s a banquet, so there’s nothing wrong with getting a little noisy right now, is there? And I’m sure those people from town wished to speak with you too.”
Sheera Ruu was a considerate person, so she probably felt a need to act as a bridge between the people of the forest’s edge and the townsfolk. I got the impression that she had even managed to get Shilly Rou to open up a bit at the previous banquet.
“Well, we’ll see you guys later. We’re still doing our lap around the plaza,” I told them, and Ai Fa and I walked away, leaving the group behind. As we headed toward the next stove, I shot Ai Fa a smile and said, “The members of the Ruu clans have all kinds of connections between them, huh? I guess it’s different for us in the Fa clan, since there’s only two of us.”
“Does that displease you somehow?”
“No, not at all,” I earnestly replied.
“Good,” Ai Fa said with a smile.
Just then, we happened to run into yet another group standing around chatting between the stoves, and I greeted them. “Hey there, Ludo Ruu. So you’ve been hanging out with Kamyua and everyone?”
“Asuta. Ai Fa. Hey there. I’ve been feeling pretty full, so we’re taking a bit of a break.”
The group of five consisted of Ludo Ruu, Rimee Ruu, Tara, Kamyua Yoshu, and Leito. Kamyua Yoshu was holding a bottle of fruit wine, but he didn’t look drunk in the least.
“Hello there, Ai Fa,” Kamyua Yoshu said. “I haven’t had a good chance to tell you this before now, but you truly do look beautiful. All of the women of the forest’s edge are pretty, but you’re on a whole other level.”
“It is against the customs of the forest’s edge to praise the appearances of women like that,” Ai replied.
“Ah, that’s right. Then I suppose I should keep those thoughts to myself.”
Kamyua Yoshu and Leito were both smiling. However, they pretty much always did, so it was hard to see any difference from how they usually were.
“Have you been enjoying the banquet too, Kamyua?”
“Of course! No matter where I look or who I speak with, it’s so fun I can hardly stand it. I don’t think I could possibly run out of ways to enjoy myself here in a single night.”
“I see. Glad to hear it.”