Guest
11-29-2009, 03:03 PM
Coranda sits in a corner of the guild hall, skimming a favorite book of poetry. Random sheets of parchment are stacked on a low table beside her comfy chair, and quills, dried flowers, vials and a tome or two litter the area. A steaming mug and bowl are balanced on yet another table, with nibbled-on cookies and fruit slices on a plate.
The big table in the middle of the guild hall is stocked with a fresh-laid feast brought together by friends and family alike: bountiful salads, soothing soups and hearty stews, slow roasted turkeys (with a vegetarian loaf of tubers and spices carefully crafted in the image of a turkey to match), and all manner of side dishes catering to all manner of appetites. (Even Umu's, though that is thoughtfully laid in an alcove far from the rest of the dinner.)
Along one of the walls, a credenza holds an array of cookies, cakes, pies (mostly made by Stalkinghoof, naturally), candy, and creative fruit displays. An orcish cooking table, pulled out of storage for just this sort of occasion, holds an enormous cauldron of hot water for tea, as well as delicious-smelling kettles of mulled cider, sweet frostberry sangria, dark roasted coffee, and four types of hot chocolate.
The cooking pit in the kitchen is filled with wonderful smells, wafting through the open counter-space between the two rooms. Jars of snacks may be found in their usual spaces along walls, in cupboards, hung from rafters, stored under tables, suspended in the hallways and hidden in all manner of improbable niches, all fully stocked. Anywhere one might look for food, common or seasonal, it's there in spades.
Every chair is cleaned, every pillow is fluffed, and more tables in more sizes than one would think possible have mysteriously appeared. Blankets, fans, and other comfort items are piled in accessible heaps around the hall, just in case anyone might want them. Colorful tapestries hang in their customary places, and the walls, doors, and windows have been hung with inviting decorations. The double doors to the hall are open wide, a welcoming fire on the porch keeping the cold out and beckoning friends in.
In the window, the first rays of a brilliant sunset shine through, casting gentle golden light everywhere they strikes. Coranda looks up and smiles at the people in the room, asking:
"How is everyone this glorious afternoon?"
The big table in the middle of the guild hall is stocked with a fresh-laid feast brought together by friends and family alike: bountiful salads, soothing soups and hearty stews, slow roasted turkeys (with a vegetarian loaf of tubers and spices carefully crafted in the image of a turkey to match), and all manner of side dishes catering to all manner of appetites. (Even Umu's, though that is thoughtfully laid in an alcove far from the rest of the dinner.)
Along one of the walls, a credenza holds an array of cookies, cakes, pies (mostly made by Stalkinghoof, naturally), candy, and creative fruit displays. An orcish cooking table, pulled out of storage for just this sort of occasion, holds an enormous cauldron of hot water for tea, as well as delicious-smelling kettles of mulled cider, sweet frostberry sangria, dark roasted coffee, and four types of hot chocolate.
The cooking pit in the kitchen is filled with wonderful smells, wafting through the open counter-space between the two rooms. Jars of snacks may be found in their usual spaces along walls, in cupboards, hung from rafters, stored under tables, suspended in the hallways and hidden in all manner of improbable niches, all fully stocked. Anywhere one might look for food, common or seasonal, it's there in spades.
Every chair is cleaned, every pillow is fluffed, and more tables in more sizes than one would think possible have mysteriously appeared. Blankets, fans, and other comfort items are piled in accessible heaps around the hall, just in case anyone might want them. Colorful tapestries hang in their customary places, and the walls, doors, and windows have been hung with inviting decorations. The double doors to the hall are open wide, a welcoming fire on the porch keeping the cold out and beckoning friends in.
In the window, the first rays of a brilliant sunset shine through, casting gentle golden light everywhere they strikes. Coranda looks up and smiles at the people in the room, asking:
"How is everyone this glorious afternoon?"