Long Lost Leaves

[orithil]

Hedrim finding the rain relaxing moved closer to the camp away from the forest's edge. He looked around and then sat down on a rock so that he could see all the camp happenings.

[Mari]

Happily Ellysa asked Nami to look for some not too strong tasting fresh vegetables while she continued pounding the mochi, the white cakes.
She was glad Nami wanted to help, for she did not know what sort of vegetables were available in these foreign lands. Besides, making zoni was a community thing. The men would hunt for a bit of meat, the women would pound the cakes and cook it all up while the children gathered the vegetables.
Without noticing Ellysa started to hum the pounding song.

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl nodded. 'It is a great honor,' she said, 'that he chooses you for this.' That much she knew. Haldis would not have been selected for such teaching without reason, and Tabrîl could not begin to guess what that reason might be.

At that moment the rain grew heavier, and Tabrîl lifted her hood and pulled her cloak more tightly around her. The weather was not a problem to her, although it still amazed her at times that rain was so plentiful here.

[feawen]

Standing up, Nami smiled and darted off in search of vegetables. Nami seemed to remember seeing vegetables near where she had earlier hunted for rabbits. Reaching the clearing Nami quick eyes scaned the area, the leafy tops of carrots could just be seen in the moon light night. Bending down to pull the crunchie veg out of the ground Nami wondered about other vegetables in the area. She know of a very good spot but it was too far to travel to tonight and Ellysa seemed too excited to wait. As Nami begain placing the carrots in her pack, she frowned at one.
"Well your not a carrot!" She said aloud holding the carrot liking veg infront of her eyes, "Your a parsnip!" Scanning the ground Nami spyied a few more tastie parsnips. Pulling them out of the ground. Nami stood up and made her way back to the camp.
Nami was an excited little elf!

On entering the camp Nami handed her vegetables to Ellysa and waited for her next job.

[Willow Oran]

Haldis had pulled her hood up, but otherwise stood quite comfortably. This was not a cold rain, and it was not so wet under the trees anyway. Tabrîl seemed oddly affected by it though, and Haldis wnodered again just where she was from, "Is it much drier in your home?" she asked.

[Aikanáro]

'Drier? Not particularly,' Tabrîl answered. 'It is much the same as this.'

She supposed her reaction to the rain must not have gone unnoticed though, and she sighed. 'I have not always lived in that forest where I found you. For a long time the Kindi lived much further eastwards, and it did not rain so often upon the home we had there.' She fell silent then, unsure if she should have said this. 'But I do not mind the rain,' she added as an afterthought.

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf wandered off behind a few trees by the clearing to prepare the deer. He then took the pieces of fresh meat over to the fireplace, and soon the catch of the day was steaking crisply over the fires. The rain had turned into a light drizzle, and the air was still warm. Quickleaf shed off his cloak and sat down, leaning back to watch the skies above and taking in the delicious scent of the upcoming meal.

[Willow Oran]

"So you do dwell in the Greenwood," said Haldis, in a satisfied tone, "Your people must stay close to their homes indeed, for I have never heard tell of elves apart from those in the northern part of the forest. Our skin-changers roam far afield when the mood for news takes them and after they have told the Chieftain, their tales come quickly to the Galdorwyfs."

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl smirked. Let Haldis think she had gained some kind of information from her then, it mattered not. That part of the forest had been Kindi territory, and she would have had to tell them that anyway, had they strayed too close to her home.

'My people learned long ago the merits of being difficult to find,' she said quietly. 'I doubt any tales of us will come to you, save that our land is ours and we will tolerate no trespass. This your people may have learned, but little else.'

[Willow Oran]

"I have heard Dol Guldur was once an elven stronghold," Haldis said, thinking aloud, "Were those your lands nearby before or after the Elven King's people were driven to the northern caves? And does he know of you or think you dead?"

[Mari]

"Thank you, Nami!" Ellysa continued humming and after cutting up the parsnips, she added them to the soup that was already boiling.
"Now we just have to wait for 30 minutes or so for it to get done."

Ellysa stepped back from the pot and looked at Nami. "Isn't this lovely weather?"

[Aikanáro]

'I cannot say what another knows or does not know.' Tabrîl looked to Haldis, her utter confusion obvious. 'But the Kindi have no kings, we recognize none, and that place, Dol Guldur you call it? It is a place of evil. It was never ours.'

[Willow Oran]

"I did not say it was," said Haldis, "I spoke of the Silvan and Sindar who do not hide themselves so thoroughly. It was theirs a long time ago."

[Aikanáro]

'Then I do not know,' she answered flatly. Why Haldis thought the Silvan or the Sindar might have anything to do with her she was not sure, and their migrations, for whatever reason, she found to be of little interest.

'Perhaps if they had been better hidden it would still be theirs now,' she felt compelled to add, a little sharply, 'and not what it is.'

[Willow Oran]

"Perhaps so," Haldis said neutrally, then lapsed into silence and for a time they merely stood in the rain, watching the high spirits of their fellows.

[Mari]

Ellysa sniffed the air and looked in the pot. She tasted a bit and added a little bit of a powder she took from her pouch. She tasted again and nodded in approval. The zoni was done!
"Nami, it is finished! Here, have a taste." Ellysa held up the spoon for Nami to taste it.
"Will you go invite the people on that side for soup? I'll take this side."

Briskly she walked over to Carnehilion to invite him and then on to Ingwionis and A'mael.
"I made zoni, a traditional soup for the beginning of a new year. Will you join me and have some? It will bring you health in this new year!" she asked with a sweet smile.
She hadn't forgotten Ingwionis' reassuring words earlier.

[orithil]

Hedrim stretched and walked over to the pot of...well...some Hedrim thought to himself "er I'll have some of whatever that is..." Hedrim asked "looks good" He continued remembering manners.

[feawen]

Nami tastied the soup which was surpisingly good. Happly Nami hopped over to the others pointing them in the direction of soup.
Reaching Haldis and Tabril, Nami smiled happily at the two and asked, "Would anyone liked to join us for soup, which is very nice and Ellysa made it!"

[Acalewia]

Aelfwine couldn't understand Ellysa's reaction to the rain, but after a few momnts of watching her make the zoni, she remembered she was from the desert lands. Crossing over to her, she gave her a smile.
"I'll try some of it, Ellysa," Aelfwine inhaled. "It smells wonderful,"

[Mari]

"Thank you, Aelfwine! Please help yourself to some soup." Ellysa was happy everyone seemed to not mind her outburst too much. She hoped they would like the zoni.
She had finished inviting her side of the camp and joined Nami, just in time to overhear Nami inviting Tabril and Haldis.

"Will you join us too? Our warriors eat zoni with a special addition to it. They put in a very hot spice and challenge each other to see who can eat the hottest food. Maybe you would like to try that as well? I wonder if you can compare to the warriors I know..." she added in a tone that implied doubt.

From what she had seen from the reactions of the two elfs, they were proud warriors. No warrior she knew could resist a challenge. A small mischievous smile appeared on her face, her eyes looking bright with hope and joy.