Comments on Tending to the Mother in Vitalus - Events

"Oh, what a shame that would be," said Kinosa, and it would probably sound sincere to anyone who hasn't spent any time in the little troublemaker's company. Naros couldn't claim to be one of those people, so he sent her a pointed look that said '*behave*.' A look she once again ignored, but that wasn't surprising either. She sat well in sight of everyone and waited for her target to lay his load on the table, lest he notice the weight change, then proceeded to send the content of Mendras' newly deposited box back to the kitchen. Doing this blind meant she probably wasn't as accurate as she wanted, but if there was any leftover food in the box, it would serve her purpose just as well.

2025-03-22 20:17:57

As per Calliu’s directions, they made their way back to the Matriarch’s cavern, down the stairs to the ground floor, where most of the mining was taking place. They scooted and squeezed past carts, scaffolding and tents until they were directly under the Matriarch, except, there was no haedian there. Just a wooden desk with some white boxes scattered under it. “This is the right place…” Ethel placed her load on the small table and looked around. No one else seemed to be concerned with them being there and there were no other stray desks or tables anywhere. “Should we leave them here?” Ethel suggested. “In this chaos? Someone’s bound to take a bite after their shift.” Mendras said.

2025-03-22 18:57:27

If he concentrated, Naros could recognize the enticing smell of some spicy dish he'd once tasted in a Thedale market, as well as the sweetness of a dessert originating from a remote village in the Warrenfall Hights. He was a tad too far from the third box to discern a specific scent, but he had to assume it would be equally exotic; They really were going all out on the worldwide buffet. "Should we come back after we're done, or is there some kind of schedule?" he asked, nudging his box. "You can if you want, or we can find some other task for you if you're still up to it afterwards. The Mother doesn't *need* the food. It's more of a distraction, so there isn't a schedule or meal-time that we need to follow." answered Caillu. Naros nodded, grabbing his tantalizingly aromatic package by the strings holding it together, heading to The Matriarch's cavern once more. As an ex-merchant, he was used to resisting the allure of his merchandise, but he could understand how someone would succumb to the temptation. Meanwhile, Kinosa trotted behind the box-carrying trio as they made their way to the designated drop-off location, "I don't know if I should be offended that I wasn't offered to bring anything." she said with a frown. Naros rolled his eyes at her, putting the box down long enough to voice his opinion on the subject, "We both know you would have refused." he said good-naturedly. "Of course, I would have," she said with a scoff, "still stings..." she muttered under her breath. "Anyway," she added, louder, "I'm sure I'll find *other* ways to help." She couldn't help it; she just had to throw a sinister smile at the annoyingly perceptive runner when his lady friend and Whirl weren't looking. This was going to be *fun*.

2025-03-20 19:41:24

“Hey! Caillu!” Mendras hailed the haedian just as he was leaving the Matriarch’s cavern. “Oh! Has work run put for you already?” He asked when the group caught up to him. “Ah, no. Actually, I’d say we did carried more rubble than anyone else.” Ethel said. “But we were wondering what other jobs there are?” “Plenty, but it’s a good thing you’re here! Follow me.” Caillu lead them out the doors and continued to talk. “You may have seen us prepping *a lot* of food. Much of it is for all our hard working volunteers but, it is also for Mother as well.” “I guess you would be starving after being trapped in rock for centuries.” Mendras mused. He the thought hadn’t crossed his mind before. “Oh, no, she does not require sustenance. It’s more for her sanity. It’s also the best way we’ve found to help her deal with the pain.” He opened a set of double wide doors and allowed the group to step in first. Hot air wafted over them and with it came the smell of ripe fruits, roasted vegetables, baked sweets, fried meats and so, *so* much more. On one side of the room a makeshift kitchen had been set up. The wall was lined with furnaces and a bar piled with meats and fruit and vegetables. Chefs scurried to and from their stations, shouting to be heard above the boiling, frying, chopping and clinging of pans. And in the corner, one man slaved away at the mountain of dirty pots and pans, plates and utensils beside him. Moving past that were where crates, barrels and shelves of food and drink were stored. It was much calmer in this section, and cooler as well. Caillu stopped by a large table of recently cooked food being carefully placed in boxes, then wrapped up with a tag. Caillu picked one up and presented it to them. “This is for the Matriarch, *only*. We’ve been serving her recipes from all over the world. Its helps her take her mind off the mining and she learns more about the world above, how things have change over the years.” He grabbed three more wrapped boxes and placed them before them. “Deliver these to the haedian, directly in front of the Matriarch, the one by the table. And, please, *do not eat any of the food*. It’s laced with painkillers. If the smell is too enticing, you can stop by the other kitchen across the hall for a snack. Any questions?”

2025-03-19 12:51:25