The dining hall was immense. Almost as big as the throne room was, and just as beautiful. The smell of grapes, citrus and spice flew all around the room as soon as the doors were opened. The table was also gargantuan, likely able to fit a full 16 people maybe up to twenty if you cram, and it was draped in a gold lined linen tablecloth, which hid the dark almond wood legs. The swats at the table were also almond, and lined with gold. There were unique azure decorations on each chair, different animals and people spotting each one. The walls in this room protrayed still lifes of farmers reaping wheat and other crops, herding cows and fishing. Very appropriate for a dining hall. This room had few windows, mostly all at the top of the roof, which was quite far from the floor, likely so the smells wouldn't escape. The table was barren though. The breakfast had not yet been served.
Efraim nodded in acknowledgment to Ehlaea, and was about to write more when they noticed someone approaching. The warrior, perhaps? They couldn’t quite recall. She looked like a warrior, at least. Efraim had never seen anyone like her, though, that was the case for many of the others in this group. Before they could do anything, though, the guard at the door to the dining hall got their attention. They flinched, startled by the sound somewhat. They just nodded to the warrior woman and went into the hall with the others. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the art on the walls. These were older paintings, not done by their father, but they still liked to study them.
Ehlaea watched Efraim, then noticed the warrior woman approaching, nodding politely at the woman’s approach. She then casually turned when the guards announced that it was time to head into the Dining Hall, completely unfazed by the suddenness of the announcement.
Without a word, she walked into the Dining Hall, nodding at the two guards standing at the doors. Then, the smell hit her. The fruits and spices were delightful, and it seemed to complement the architecture quite well. A pity the food wasn’t served yet, but she didn’t mind the suspense created by the beautiful smells.
Ash nearly jumped when the palace guard spoke up and began escorting the group to the dining room. Upon seeing the splendor and the setting of the table, she paused for a moment to fix her dreaded hair net before catching up with the others. She took a seat next to Tilila and gave a polite smile to the one across from her, who seemed more interested in the decor surrounding them.
As they sat down, the doors of the dining hall burst open and around two dozen servants, draped in golden jewelry and elaborately decorated linen skirts, and carrying platters of exotic dishes, from Indian roasted peacocks to Ethiopian giraffe meat, from Italian plums to Chaldean pomegranates, with breads and drinks a plenty. Behind them, the Pharaoh, in all his gold and ivory glory entered, arms spread open invitingly, a wide smile on his face. Behind him walked his somber sister, in a robe of near transparent linen, only accesorized by a small pouch at her waist, with a much less open posture. All these factors made her appear rather ghost-like. Nonetheless, the Pharaoh began to speak, and all must listen when the Pharaoh speaks " Good morning my champions! This morning, we feast, to set off in good spirits!" he looked around at the scene and smiled "It seems you all have been acquainting yourselves" he chuckled. Neni behind him looked up with a straight face unlike her brother. She seemed to hold no similarity to him, her sharp, fragile features contrasting his squared, strong ones; even the golden headress she wore the day before was not present. Then he gestured to his sister to sit among them, but before doing so, he placed a small item in her hands, not visible to the others. "Eat quick and eat well, we leave in just half of an hour." He finished, and began to leave "I bid you a farewell, and may the gods be with you" at this, the doors closed again, all the servants had left, and the tables were full of food.
. . .
Neni sat down near Ehlaea, seeing that she seemed to be a quiet one in the bunch. She didn't want to introduce herself. She scooted her chair a bit farther, for good measure. She wanted to be associated to all of these people as little as possible. She sighed as her brother left the room, putting the item in her pouch. She wasn't really hungry today, so this was just pretense for what was to come for her.
Ehlaea sat quietly on her own, still savoring the smells when the doors opened again. She watched, intrigued, as the servants set out the food, then listened to and watched the Pharaoh.
When Neni came over to sit down, Ehlaea gave a polite nod in greeting, but otherwise left Neni alone. She didn’t seem to want to socialize, which Ehlaea honestly didn’t mind. It left plenty of quiet time for her to ponder what the Pharaoh had given Neni.
After a moment though, Ehlaea got some food, keeping mostly to what she knew, but also trying a few exotic things. Then, she ate in silence, content to simply listen to her surroundings.
( @knightinadream and @Mojack , no rush, but before we can continue we'll need your responses)
Emirhan smiled at them all. He wanted to say something else to his new companions, but his jaw hung as the guards had approached them. His lips closed, but they pursed into a smile. Following along behind the others, he kept looking around. He did the same when sitting down in one of the seats. Everything is magnificent. Pure art. His amazement mingled with excitement. He wasn't sure if he could eat or not.
Sitting up straight, he did his best. He ate as much (though little) as possible. Today is only the beginning. Emirhan gazed up from his food to get a glimpse of everyone. He didn't say a word, only smiling softly before returning back to his food.
As they were being seated, Tilila approached the artist again "My apologies, I was about to introduce myself. I am Tilila, the warrior of the expedition." She sat down and smiled at Ashera as she sat down beside her. " I am ecstatic to be expediting with all of you"
Even when the food was brought to the table, Tilila did not get up to eat. She was still fasting. It was her way of showing her ancestors both her faith in them, and her strength of will. She did however notice the strange stillness of Neni, the princess. It was suspicious, but not something she was too worried about. After all, she should be the most trustworthy of all of them, right?
Ash smiled back and nodded. “I am also very eager for this journey. I am Ashera, the healer. But please, you all may call me Ash.” she said, introducing herself as well. She did notice how tense the Princess was acting but now wasn't the time for such a personal conversation. Maybe once they had been traveling together for a while…
((sorry! been a little busy lately but ig it’s to be expected with it being the end of the year and all. anyways here’s my response!))
The display was something else. Adonias had attended parties in his time, a few - some he wasn’t exactly invited for. So he wasn’t a stranger to grandeur. It was just different this time, considering he was supposed to be here and actually, officially, called here as well.
And the fact that he’d be departing within the hour.
Adonias sat down and ate his fill, simply content with the energy that it gave him for the day. A careful eye would note how Adonias looked around, not moving his head - just his eyes - and investigated his surroundings, seeing how others were acting. Noting all their behaviour, whatever he could gander. Even if he didn’t say anything of it now, it helped him build a better image of his companions.
Putting their scroll away, Efraim turned their attention away from the walls and sat down at the table with the others. Their face was expressionless as the food was brought in; they had seen such displays before. They paused to glance up at the Pharoh and then at the warrior woman. Offering her a smile, they nodded and brought out the introduction they showed to Ehlaea earlier, though of course, the second half of it was irrelevent.
Their gaze turned back to the food, not getting up to eat either. A lot of these foods did not look kosher, especially the meat. After a moment or two, they reached over and grabbed a bit of bread, cheese, and fruit, and filled their cup with water. This should be enough. They prayed a blessing over their meal, then began to eat. Occasionally, curiosity came over them and they glanced up to watch the others.
Tilila nodded at Efraim's written introduction. The name was Hebrew, so he was likely an Israelite. She had finished introducing herself to everyone, so she simply observed everyone else. A group of such drastically different people. A Lydian prince, an Egyptian priestess and princess, a Hebrew artist, a Gaulish healer, a Carthaginian spy, and a Greek sorceress. And of course, her, a Lybian warrior. She smiled at the thought. She really couldn't wait for what was expecting them on the road ahead. She thanked her ancestors and the spirits of nature for guiding her life to this pivotal moment.
Actually, she realized, she hadn't introduced herself to the sorceress (whoops, my bad, I forgot). The sorceress was sitting next to the Princess, both in silence, so she decided she would try and kill two birds with one stone with an introduction. She got up to head towards them and began with a bow "Good morning ladies, Princess" she said referring to Neni "and Sorceress" she referred to the other one, who she presumed was Greek, simply by her clothing style. "I am the Warrior, Tilila" she looked up now "And I have known many sorcerers in my tribe, but I've never met a foreign one before! What is Greek magic like?" She asked enthusiastically
(You’re good, lol)
Ehlaea was leisurely eating when she heard approaching footsteps. She had been enjoying the silence, but apparently that moment was ending. One of the others came over, introducing herself as the Warrior.
Ehlaea gave Tilila a polite nod, hesitating a moment at the woman’s enthusiasm. She wasn’t used to people asking what her magic was like. It was a daunting question to answer.
“I… am Ehlaea. I… I am an oracle,”she said shyly.
She didn’t know what else to say about her magic. She had never known any other sorcerers, so she had nothing to compare it to. Also, she wasn’t even sure how to describe it anyway.
"An ora…cle?" She said it strangely, as the word was entirely new to her. She did notice the discomfort of the sorceress, and she felt bad, but her curiosity got the best of her "I've never heard of an oracle sorcerer. My tribes sorcerers are astrologers and spirit communers. They use the stars or the spirits to prophesize, and do miracles. Is that anything like oracle magic?"
Ehlaea had a bad feeling when Tilila asked what an oracle was. There would be more questions to answer, and more enthusiasm. True to her suspicions, there was. Though, the description of the other sorcerers was intriguing.
“Similar. I… I see possible futures. It’s vague and it works best at night, but… that is what it is,”she replied.
Hopefully Tilila didn’t question her about the rest of her abilities. Ehlaea wasn’t sure if she was feeling up to explaining everything she could do. It was just so strange, talking about her magic.
" Interesting. Thank you! It was nice meeting you Ehlaea." She bowed and made her way back to her chair.
Exactly half an hour after their mealtime had begun, enough time for them to enjoy their meal, another group of guards marched in. They could tell they were different guards because they had blue and white striped headdresses, as well as swords and shields in their hands. They stood at the sides of the open doors, except for one, who walked over and stood by Princess Neni's side, and one of them announced "The Great House of Horus (an honorary title of the Pharaoh) has ordered your presence at the dock." with these words, the guards turned and waited "We will escort you there."
Ehlaea nodded in response, then watched Tilila leave. She inwardly berated herself for acting like a frightened child. It did no one good if she was too busy being anxious and shy to serve the mission.
With a quiet sigh, Ehlaea finished her meal and tried not to think of the incident anymore. It nagged at her though.
When the guards entered the hall, almost all thoughts of her behavior left and she focused on the announcement. She stood, subtly taking a deep breath to calm the rest of her nerves, and headed to stand by the guards.
Emirhan looked over at the guards. Quietly, he set his eating utensil down. His foot lightly tapped against the floor as he listened. Their mission is about to begin. It is unbelievable, but he is looking forward to it.
Once the one guard was finished speaking, he did his best to finish his food at a reasonable pace. He had to force his leg to stop bouncing as he ate. Such a habit is difficult for him to control, especially when he is excited about something.
When Emirhan did finish, he neatly placed the eating utensil to the side then sat back in the chair. In the corner of his eye, he saw Ehlaea standing by guards. "Oh…" He rose up from the chair then went to over stand, waiting to be escorted to the dock.
