Isabella smiled graciously at Elann for the Benshira’s acceptance. Her breath had been nearly bated in that moment, held because she was unsure if Elann would accept. “Good,” Isabella said, nodding and looking back down onto her dwindling plate. “We’ll try to get out in the afternoon some time, after I get home from working.” Her eyes flicked up once more to meet Elann’s, she smiled and nodded again, cementing the plans.

There was a small lull in the conversation as Ryon and Aimee and Noah went reaching for the entrees in the middle of the table again. They were selective this time, only grabbing what they wanted seconds of. Viktor had yet to reach out for the entrees again, his own plate still relatively full compared to his children’s, mostly because his plate was stacked from the get-go. The lull was put to an end by Elann’s voice penetrating the quiet, calling out for Viktor’s attention with her questions.

Politely, he dabbed his mouth after swallowing what was in there. “This time of year I’m usually working two jobs. My main one is that of a shipwright in the day, and at night I help out at the docks, loading ships that will go out in the morning and unloading ships that are pulling in at night,” he explained. “Some days I’ll go out into the forest and aid the hunters, that’s mostly because I want to, not for the coin. I’d get bored if I didn’t work so much.” He grunted a laugh, stabbing at his plate and scooping up some of the fish on it.

Isabella didn’t reach for seconds, actually pushing her chair out and rising before taking her plate and moving back towards the counters. Nothing remained on her plate, all of it eaten, so she set it on the counter by the water basin then doubled back to the table in order to lean down over Viktor, planting a kiss on his temple. She rounded Aimee’s side of the table and did the same to Noah, lingering with her hand in his hair before setting a hand gingerly atop Elann’s head as well. 

“I’ve an early shift  in the morning, so I best get to bed. Since Ryon and I cooked, Aimee and Viktor, you two have to clean the kitchen before you go to bed,” she commanded gently.

Aimee nodded, looking at her mother as she chewed. Viktor did pretty much the same, nodding as he brought his cup of ale up to sip from. Noah, sitting beside Elann, watched his mother leave the kitchen before reaching for the pitchers in the middle, pouring himself what was his third cup of wine. He set the pitcher down and took a drag from his cup, setting it on the table before picking up his fork again. Although he had grabbed seconds, he turned his attention to Elann and drifted his fork playfully towards her plate, aiming to snatch up some of the fish she was regarding as a delicacy.