1x1 with hollyglow and Consulting_Angel

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
He was in a lighter sleep phase, when he felt Jem next to him jolting up, the sudden movement also sort of woke him up as well. Ashton opened one eye, a little blearily, and looked up towards him. "What's happened?" he asked, somewhat drowsily. "Are you okay?"

Loralei Waverly
She squeezed Elsa's hand gently back, and then she also braced herself, making her posture more formal, as they walked towards and into the dining room. She resisted from looking around in awe, instead quietly looking at the interior, with a rather neutral expression. Then, she stood by the the seat that she had been pulled to by Elsa, only sitting when Elsa and Erek did. Loralei turned to look at Erek, struggling to not scowl at being called a maid again, and to not put Erek in his place. She did smile politely instead, and decided that it might be better to try and get his approval - even if it was a grudging one. "Loralei Waverly, your highness." She introduced herself, then she glanced towards the food as it was brought in, unable to really be able to tell exactly what it was called. Well, she knew what the roasted carrots were. The rest of it... not so much.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I looked at the food, and looked over at Loralei; she had a somewhat confused look on her face. Before Erek could notice, I nudged her lightly under the table to get her attention, then began cutting my steak so she could see how I did it. "So, Elsa," Erek began, "Why did you go after the prince in the first place? It certainly wasn't your job, and you didn't want to marry him, anyway." I tapped my foot irritably on the ground. "Well, let's see, shall we, Erek? Probably because we were attacked by pirates, I didn't have time to go back to the castle, and I'm not in the habit of letting my friends be kidnapped by pirates." Erek sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter. As soon as this business with Gwildor is settled, we'll go home."

Jem Laceburn

I squeezed Ashton's shoulders gently. "It's nothing, I was just surprised when food came. You want some now, or do you want to go back to sleep?" I was perched on the edge of the bed now, ready to leap into action to get the food if he wanted.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
Ashton's interest piqued at the sound of there being food. But he was still tired... then again, he didn't want the food to be less fresh than it currently was, and he didn't want Jem to feel as though he was going to have to wait much longer to eat. And he could go back to sleep afterwards anyway. "Yeah, let's... let's have some now." He decided, and he carefully sat up.

Loralei Waverly
Feeling the slight nudge, Loralei glanced towards Elsa, and took a surreptitious look to see what she was doing with her food. The meat looked like it had no business looking quite so tough, so she was grateful for the silent demonstration that she quickly picked up on, and she copied the same technique that Elsa was using. Loralei listened to the conversation, wanting to put in her own word, but figured that it would likely be better if she remained quiet until she was spoken to or asked a question.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

Glad to see that Loralei had picked up on my little demonstration, I glanced over at Erek. "Well, Erek..." I began softly. "What if you start a war?" He shook his head casually, apparently unconcerned. "Don't you worry, Elsa, it's all figured out." I sighed, feeling defeated, and took a spoonful of mashed potatoes. I was beginning to realize I was actually quite hungry, and each bite of food seemed like heaven. I lightly twined my ankle around Loralei's leg beneath the table, feeling safer when I was in contact with her.

Jem Laceburn

I bounced easily off the bed and grabbed the plate from thw ground, wrinkling my nose. "Well, highness. If this is how captives are treated, I might have to get myself captured by royalty more often. This is quite impressive." While I was sure it wasn't anything Ashton was used to, to me, it was a feast: slices of bread with thick layers of butter, cheese, tomatoes, and cured cuts of meat, all spread out across the plate. "Here you are," I added, handing the plate to Ashton.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
He glanced at the plate, and raised an eyebrow. It was questionable to him as to whether or not it was impressive, but then again, it was more than he had been expecting - if less than he was used to getting. But at least it was something. "Just wait until we capture you in Gwildor - you might even get to sit with the royal family." Ashton said, with a little smirk, and then he took the plate, with a slight frown. "Are they expecting us to argue over it?" he asked, and then he added, "Well, you can have the meat... I don't like that. But I will take the tomatoes. And we can split the bread and cheese evenly."

Loralei Waverly
Although she was a little hesitant to start eating - she wasn't entirely sure how her system would react to the meal - Loralei picked up one of the smaller chunks of steak that she'd cut, with her fork, and ate that. So far, it seemed that everything was going okay. She was quite concerned at the mention of a war. Sure, Erek had said that it was figured out, but how? She kept eating, a series of questions starting to form - some that she felt probably had obvious answers, and others that were probably not going to get an answer. She was more comforted when Elsa twined her ankle around her leg, and was quite pleased that they had a little secret between them.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Loralei start to eat. A part of my brain was still curious as to how her body would react to such foreign substances, and how she would like the food, but it was much easier to block those thoughts out with my foot hooked around her leg. I was beginning to realize that my habit of moving into an analytical mind was just that---a habit, designed to protect me from overwhelming feelings. As I wasn't getting anywhere with Erek, I was silent for most of the meal.

Jem Laceburn

"Oh, is that so, highness? Well, I look forward to it." I grinned back at Ashton, poking him lightly in the side. I nodded at his suggested division of the food. "Sounds good." Truthfully, I didn't really care all that much what food I got and what I didn't; I was more concerned about Ashton, since he was the one who was used to regular, large meals. It was a little difficult not to feel bitter about that, but Ashton hadn't chosen to be a prince, and I'd chosen to be a pirate, so I wasn't in a position to complain.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
"Yeah you will," Ashton responded, and he squirmed a little at the poke in the side, though he did also laugh quietly as well. He then moved the food around the plate, so that it was split between the two of them, each half of the plate having the propsed split of food that he had suggested. He knew that Jem likely didn't really care that much about the division of the food, but Ashton wanted to make sure that they were at least getting the same sort of amount. "Here we are, then," and he balanced the plate on the bed, since they didn't have anywhere that they could really sit at to eat - except, perhaps, the desk, but that only had one chair.

Loralei Waverly
It was rather quiet, and it made Loralei feel a little uncomfortable - and somewhat self-conscious, as if everyone in the room knew what she was, and was expecting for her to do something, even though no one was looking at her. She didn't want to speak, because she didn't even really know what 'proper' royalty and nobility spoke about. She doubted that asking about the weather would do anyone any good. So, she just ate. Admittedly, the food was really good, and she quite liked it, but she was concerned as to how her stomach would take it, so she ate fairly slowly, until she was sure that she was somewhat used to the strange food.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I managed to remain entirely unaware of Loralei's discomfort; I was quite comfortable with silence, and if I didn't have anything to say, I certainly wouldn't flounder around for words. I didn't see the point, frankly, and I generally figured people were free to have a conversation without me. If they chose not to, well, that was fine. Not my problem. Besides, I didn't want to have to talk to Erek. It felt even more exhausting than usual. But when he asked if we wanted dessert, after we finished dinner, I quickly shook my head and stood up, walking out of the room in silence, trusting Loralei to follow.

Jem Laceburn

As Ashton moved the food around on the plate, I studied his face. His gaze was focused intently on the plate, and I enjoyed watching him when he wasn't focused on me. It was different, somehow, watching someone when you weren't the first thing on their mind. I nodded. "Looks good," I murmured in response, taking a piece of bread and cramming it into my mouth in an undignified manner. I did not have the best table manners in the best of times, and given that we weren't even at a table right now, it just wasn't priority. Plus, I was hungry.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
Watching Jem eating, Ashton blinked, almost in complete disbelief. Then, he reminded himself, that not everyone was raised with the same lifestyle or even the same access to food that he had. That was still something that he felt that he probably had to fix before going back to Gwildor, but he chose to let it slide somewhat this time. "Hey, try doing this." Ashton then suggested, taking some of the cheese, and putting it on one half of a slice of bread, then he folded the bread over, to make something of a sandwich. Then, he ate it, in a more dignified way than Jem had been eating, despite being hungry.

Loralei Waverly
She finished most of the food on her plate, but all the different textures of the food, and just the unfamiliarity of it all made her get full quicker than she probably normally would have. Fortunately, though, she did not have to sit around waiting for too long, as she decided that she was finished at around the same time as the others. At the offer of dessert, Loralei also shook her head, but said, "No, thank you." And she also rose from her seat, figuring that it would be wise to follow Elsa, so she walked after her fairly quickly.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

As we arrived back in our room---I felt a little shiver thinking of it as 'our room', despite the fact that we were essentially being held captive, simply from the idea of a room that belonged to 'us', as a unit, inseperable---I turned to Loralei with a smile. "So. Human food. What do to think?" I asked, leaning against the door as I closed it. My voice was soft, as I wasn't entirely certain if any guards were near, and I didn't feel the need to broadcast the fact that Loralei wasn't used to human food, as that, of course, would raise the question of what food she was used to, and I definitely didn't want anyone going there.

Jem Laceburn

Feeling Ashton's eyes on me, I arched an eyebrow. I did at least have the decency to swallow before I talked. My manners were bad, not nonexistent. "No need to be passive-aggressive, highness. If you'd like me to improve my table manners, just say so." I did, however, do as he suggested, also folding a piece of meat into the sandwich. It was odd to be around someone who was surprised by my lack of manners. Most of my crew was as bad, if not worse, than I was, and I had grown used to it. I imagined that it was as jarring for Ashton to see the way I ate as it was for me to have someone who actually cared.