"It's nice. ...not thinking about other topics."Â
He'd nearly forgotten what it was like to relax without worry. Yes, there was the night with Mirke. And he'd spent plenty of days drinking or otherwise eating much more than he'd needed, but binge consumption was not relaxing. It was evading stress. Or trying to drown it out. What Jancis had done was take his mind off his problems. The little game had allowed for all of that.Â
He briefly wondered what food was selected by the cooks to arrive at the table. He hadn't taken the time to check if there was notice of the daily selections. Not that it mattered much. One thing he could be thankful for since waking up in the cottage was that his sense of taste had not become damaged in some way. And there was never a shortage of fresh vegetables from the Shroud.Â
Not a moment after he had thought of food, came the server with a tray. Set on the table were some utensils, plates, and of course the first course. Laid down was a warm dish with walnuts, chestnuts and a selection of local squash and mushrooms. Seasoned lightly, the natural flavors were allowed to mix, giving it an earthy, yet comforting appeal.
He noticed his mouth was watering from just the aroma. It was slightly embarrassing.Â
"Shall we put the game aside for a moment?" Sitting at the table in such a way, one might have assumed there was more to the relationship than two people in need of peaceful times.
He'd nearly forgotten what it was like to relax without worry. Yes, there was the night with Mirke. And he'd spent plenty of days drinking or otherwise eating much more than he'd needed, but binge consumption was not relaxing. It was evading stress. Or trying to drown it out. What Jancis had done was take his mind off his problems. The little game had allowed for all of that.Â
He briefly wondered what food was selected by the cooks to arrive at the table. He hadn't taken the time to check if there was notice of the daily selections. Not that it mattered much. One thing he could be thankful for since waking up in the cottage was that his sense of taste had not become damaged in some way. And there was never a shortage of fresh vegetables from the Shroud.Â
Not a moment after he had thought of food, came the server with a tray. Set on the table were some utensils, plates, and of course the first course. Laid down was a warm dish with walnuts, chestnuts and a selection of local squash and mushrooms. Seasoned lightly, the natural flavors were allowed to mix, giving it an earthy, yet comforting appeal.
He noticed his mouth was watering from just the aroma. It was slightly embarrassing.Â
"Shall we put the game aside for a moment?" Sitting at the table in such a way, one might have assumed there was more to the relationship than two people in need of peaceful times.
