It was rather entertaining to watch the expressions on the master smith’s face, Riune thought as the bird made his order. Riune sat with one elbow on the table, her chin in her paw, a smile on her face. It wasn’t just her imagination, she knew, that the bird looked uncomfortable in this sort of place. It wasn’t a five star restaurant or a fancy eatery for the likes of a master smith, but the food Shansee cooked was nothing to sniff at all the same, and Riune anticipated that he’d like it.
        “One seasoned rat it is, then,” Shansee said before turning to Riune. “Now, don’t tell me - rainbow trout, seasoned with garlic?”
        “You always remember my favorite,” Riune laughed, and Shansee flashed her a grin.
        “Of course I do. I make it my business to know everyone’s favorite meal. No matter how infrequently they request it. I’ll have those cooked up for you in no time.” With a wave of her paw, the proprietor strolled off to the kitchens to get started with cooking. Shansee made most of the food herself, and she was one of the best cooks Riune knew. Not that Riune knew most of the best cooks in the city, but she had a fair inkling which were more reputation than actual skill.
        Turning to the master smith, Riune grinned at him warmly. ”Thanks again fer offerin’ to take me here. It’s not often I get a proper meal. I’m Riune, by the way, Rivi for short.” She hoped he’d tell her his name without her having to admit she’d forgotten it. They’d done business before, if memory served, but Riune didn’t have much of a head for names.

@abyss OOC: Rylock is so adorable <3

    
    "It is nothing. It was all I could do to repay you for your kind actions.”

    For a moment, Riune remained silent, her smile remaining frozen on her face, but her eyes had a sad look to them as she inclined her head slightly. “Well, any dec’nt sod’ve done the same to help ye,” she said, keeping her tone light.

    When the smith gave his name, followed by his rather difficult-to-remember title, Riune leaned one elbow against the table and grinned slightly. “There’s a fancy bit o’ words, to be sure. Not sure I’ve ever met anyone of a noble ‘ouse before. Is yer whole house a family of master smiths?” the otter asked curiously. Holt Aventi had been made up of mostly fishers, a few boat makers, some simple cooks, but mostly those who spent their days on the water. Riune had often wondered if the big, noble houses were similar. Did every member of a noble house get to rule over something their own, like some plot of land or something? What made one animal noble and the other… “un-noble”? Riune had no idea, but she did find herself rather curious all the same.

@abyss OOC: I love his awkwardness lol

        It seemed to Riune that, unintentionally, she had asked a deeply personal question about the smith’s family. She could understand what he didn't say — his family was a family of soldiers, and they didn't have time for anyone with different dreams. While she'd never resented her own upbringing as a diver, Riune had known plenty of otters who had. Young kits left the holt all the time to “find themselves,” and the older fishers they left behind always resented it. It must be worse for noble families, Riune reflected. It was more than just a way of life to them. It was the fabric of their bloodline and history. That much even a commoner could understand, to some degree.

        Thinking that she'd best accept Rylock’s change of topic to avoid making him any sadder than she already had, Riune shrugged in response to his question and gave him a cheeky grin. “Wot gave me away, m’ rugged looks, or my riverdog drawl? Ha, no, I ain't from no noble family. Grew up in Shen Cove, west o’ here, as a member o’ Holt Aventi. Life was pretty simple fer us. Nearly ev’ry kit born to the holt grew up to be a swimmer, a fisher, a diver, and those wot weren’t did somethin’ to help those that were. S’just the way things are.” Riune toyed with the copper earring she wore with one toe, her expression distant as she thought of the home she hadn’t seen for years now. It had lost most of the feeling of home by the end. Though Riune supposed that was her own fault.

        Snapping out of her reverie, Riune fixed Rylock with a thoughtful look. “I always wonder, what sorts o’ things do nobility do fer a laugh? Whenever I see ‘em, they seem so… serious.” Here the otter made a face and wiggled her digits as one might if they were casting some weird magical spell.

@abyss OOC: Aw poor Rylock. He’s such a sweetheart. I’m already in love with him haha

        The sound of Rylock’s laugh was interesting, and Riune was glad that she’d managed to cheer him some. His words interested her more, however, and she listened intently as he offered his reply: "My family is based around the military. As such, our recreation is a lot more combat focused than others. We spent a lot of our free time hunting recreationally, having mock fights, or playing games that revolved around proper use of strategy. Other nobles would play cards, paint, or write in their free time. My family was different in the way we spent our recreational time."


        It was quite the picture, Riune thought. On one hand, lords and ladies sitting on their rear ends, playing card games or painting pretty pictures, and on the other fierce warriors battling it out, centering even their pleasure hours around warfare. She supposed that was how great countries grew and spread their influence — through fighting. But it was not Kohriander, God of the Sun, patron of battles, that Riune respected. It was Nehrune, Goddess of Mercy, she who felt compassion for the sick, the injured, the dying. The thought of dedicating her life to fighting wars was hard for Riune to comprehend.

        “Not sure how I’d fare livin’ the life of a noble,” the otter said finally as she leaned back against her palms and regarded the smith thoughtfully.

         “Seems as though it’d be a lot o’ work fer nothin’ much at all. Unless I s’pose fightin’ and strategizin’ and paintin’ makes much money these days.” Riune had to admit playing cards would be a useful skill, though. She’d certainly won a few meals off dockworkers with a number of card games, so there was something to be gained out of that hobby.
@abyss

        "I suppose it may seem so to many. The majority of my time was spent studying. Every now and then we would head out to a formal dance. For my family, we went dancing less than others despite the large number of invitations we got. My parents did not care for those of a lesser rank than us and so we avoided dances hosted by lower ranked nobles."

        
       "Ye didn’t go t’ parties ‘cause yer family thought them’s nobles weren’t noble enough?” Riune mused, her whiskers twitching slightly in amusement. “That there sounds like a recipe fer a bored otter. But I suppose things are different in our holts. Holt Aventi welcomed jus’ about anyone to our parties. We’d dance, play drums, and sing songs ‘bout the Sea Goddess all night long. Loud ‘n proud ‘til the dawn comes, as me mum always said.” At the mention of her mother, Riune felt her heart twist, and her smile faded for a moment. She recovered quickly, though, a smile replacing her pensive look with the ease of long practice.

          When Rylock asked her what she did for fun, the otter considered the question for a moment and then reached inside her sack. Tucked into the bottom of it was a lumpy bundle wrapped up in old cloth. Carefully unwrapping it, the otter revealed several delicately carved figurines. There was an otter with broad shoulders and a grin on its face, a deer with graceful legs and antlers carved from pale birch wood, and a fish with each scale carefully carved into the wood.

        “My only hobby,” she said as she offered the figurines to Rylock for a closer her. ”Been whittlin’ since I was a kit. Weren’t much else to do ‘sides swim an’ fish.”
@abyss

        Riune watched as the smith carefully examined the figurines and then set them on the table. His words of praise made her feel a spark of pride, and she smiled at him warmly. There were few things in her life that brought Riune genuinely joy, and carving her little figures was one of those things. She’d been handling a knife since her father put onto into her paw as a kit, and the hobby always reminded her of a happier time, yet it never seemed to make her sad. That’s partly why she valued it so much.

        "I value yer words more than most,” the otter said as she carefully wrapped up the figurines again and tucked them into her sack. “Yer a master at craftin’, after all, so yer good opinion’s definitely somethin’ worth havin’.”

        His follow up question was, of course, a natural one. Riune shrugged in response. ”Everythin’ I own goes into me sack. Don’t got no other place to put ‘em. And these ain’t painted yet, so they’re not fit to sell as trinkets at the market.” Occasionally, Riune did get interested buyers, mostly people who just liked pretty little things. But she usually had to paint them, which meant buying paints, which weren’t cheap by any means. She usually had to save for months just to buy paint for a few figurines, and it never ended up being a profitable investment, since she didn’t sell them for much. Still, she enjoyed the joy they brought to others, so she continued to make them, regardless.

        At that moment, Shansee came out with their order. She set plates of steaming meat in front of the otter and the falcon.

        "Let me know if I can get you anything else,” Shansee said with a smile.

        "Thanks,” Riune replied. She was eager to begin eating, but she held off for a moment, watching Rylock. What if the noble smith thought her table manners were terrible? What sort of manners did they have in noble houses? Thinking it out, Riune discovered she really had no idea.
@abyss OOC: I was just letting them conversate a bit first lol

        After a brief standoff where both creatures looked at each other, sizing one another off and analyzing the situation, Rylock took the lead and began picking at his food. He ate rather daintily, at least daintily compared to most creatures Riune knew. The otter watched him for a moment, unsure. She didn’t know anything about fine table manners or rules of etiquette. Truth be told, the word “etiquette” was not even a part of her vocabulary. But the otter figured she’d make a fool of herself no matter what she did, so she took up a fork and knife and began eating, a bit more slowly than she usually did.

        The fish tasted heavenly. Rainbow trout had less of a seawater taste than most of the fish she was used to cooking and eating when she couldn’t put off consuming some of her own wares for fear of starvation. The tinge of garlic and spice that Shansee added only helped to accentuate the flavor, and a smile formed quickly on Riune’s face as she forgot her preoccupation with manners and simply enjoyed the meal.

        “S’been awhile since I ‘ad some of Shansee’s cookin’. Never disappoints!” the otter said happily. Other creatures may have considered a meal poor compensation for stopping a riot. Others might have thought about squeezing more generosity out of a thankful, wealthy noble. But Riune was, in many ways, a simple and honest creature, and no thoughts crossed her mind at that moment except the enjoyment she had over eating a proper meal.

        “I s’pose ye must eat out a whole lot, travelin’ to sell yer wares. Ye’ve got to have a good taste fer food,” Riune said as she watched Rylock with interest, wondering how he was liking his food. She’d never tried Shansee’s seasoned rat, as she tended to prefer fish, but she’d heard it was good, and she hoped he liked it. But maybe he’d be used to much finer food. Fancy stuff. Well, she wouldn’t feel too comfortable eating in fancy places. Not that any of them would let her through the front door. She’d sold to a few of those types of establishments, and it was always back door transactions with them. Riune wasn’t bitter about that, she got how the world worked and she didn’t fight that. But she did admit to herself that she was curious about the experience the smith must’ve had eating in those restaurants, ordering the finest cuts and the finest fish she and the other fishers could catch.

@abyss OOC: Sorry about the delay, work’s been busy to say the least haha.