Woods Near the Manor

Lilli felt a little relived when Xan reassured her that he was not angry. For some reason, she almost expected him not be, but instinctively, it was all she could think of. Curiously she studied his face, his obvious expression of concern as he listened. What did he think he heard? She could not recall anything out of the ordinary…although, there was that slit moment when she was hiding…No, it was nothing, a trick of the woods perhaps, or her own imagination. She sat silent, as he stood and listened as well. As she watched him, she had a sudden sensation that she was not alone, aside from Xan. A fleeting chill felt its way upon her left side that disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. She thought about it for a moment, but concluded that it must have just been the cool morning breeze…though it felt more like a presence.

“... My thoughts matter not. Were there true danger it would have befallen us already,”

Lilli nodded in agreement. Though she had no experience when it came to attacks, she concluded that if there was to be one, it would have happened by now. She turned her attention to the fire and the cauldron that bubbled above it, still curious as to what it contained. She let her thoughts drift for a moment, letting the calmness of her surroundings soothe her previous tense feelings. She began to think on what she had learned the day before, going over the moves in her head. She was curious as to what she would be learning today and was surprised to find she was actually a little excited about it, quite the contrary to her nervousness to the day before. Perhaps it was the success of yesterday’s lesson that gave her a little more boost to her confidence.

Her attention was brought back to the moment at the sound of Xan taking his place a few feet from her. Lilli openly chuckled at the mention of tree-branch bowls and watched as he opened the cauldron and lifted its contents into the borrowed bowls. She was slightly taken aback at the substance and marveled at the similarity to snow.

Carefully taking the bowl from Xan she peered at it with great curiosity, letting the aroma fill her. The warmth of the steam caressed her face ever so softly and it gave her an immediate feeling of comfort. She smiled at the sensation of it as she examined the contents of the bowl with her spoon. She had never seen quite a substance before and was a little hesitant. But the growing tightness of hunger within her middle set aside any reservations she had about the snowy sustenance. “I must admit I have never seen a food quite like this…what is it?” she asked, trying to not sound rude. Stirring the food a bit to hasten the cooling, she scooped a decent amount and carefully brought it to her lips. Giving it a slight test and deeming it cool enough to eat, she slipped the entire bite into her mouth.

For a moment Lilli had though perhaps she had missed her mouth for at first it felt as if she had taken a bite of warm air, but soon the taste finally caught up with her senses. For the most part, it was soft and not much different than rice, but with almost a sweetness to it. Lilli lifted her eyes to Xan with a slight smile. “It’s very good”. Finishing the first bite, she continued with the rest, reveling in its warmth as it quickly quelled her hunger. She was quite certain that whatever the substance was, it was definitely going to aid in her lesson.