Grim Ruination, Birth of a Soul (On Hiatus)

The Imposter (1/2)

Susain groaned again in frustration.

An amused laugh waved over the two siblings in the room.

Both their heads turned to see an old woman in royal blue standing at the door way. She held a hand in front of her mouth to stifle her laughter, although it did little to hide it.

Susain smiled as the firelight from the hearth lit up the form of Yanavik, the mage of the Grimhul estate.

"Hey Yana." Susain said with a smile.

Gregory simply held up a hand as a greeting before setting it down.

"You two seem to be getting along well." Yanavik spoke through her laughter. "You both should come to the dinning room for dinner. I'm sure you're famished after the day's work." He looked to Gregory. "Especially you."

Gregory rolled his eyes as Yanavik and Susain dispersed from the room. Gregory, himself waited a moment before standing. He looked to the painting above the mantle. The colors seemed to be amplified by the firefight as the fire beneath it flickered.

He looked to himself, his younger self, standing alongside his father.

Gregory scoffed at the person he used to be before walking from the room, towards his much needed meal. Maybe that would clear his mind.

The meal was good, as it always is when Yanavik prepared meals. Which she mostly did. It was always either her or Susain. Their father never bothered to cook, as such, Gregory was never taught either. The only time he ever remembered making much of anything edible was a single time when he was much younger.

His father had taken him to the forest nearby to go hunting. They'd ended up killing a deer with a combination of a druidic rune- which caused vines to wrap around the creature- and a well placed arrow.

It was the first time Gregory had ever tasted the meat of a deer. Even if it was somewhat raw on the inside. Gregory had never cooked anything directly over an open flame so he could never tell if the meat would've been cooked well or not; he doubted his dad could either.

But those times were back in simpler times. Back when Gregory didn't have the weight of Vanderin laying on his shoulders. Back when his only issues were working at the forge. Back when his parents were still alive.

"So what is this exactly?" Gregory asked, staring down at the dish before him. It was different then what Yanavik normally made. It was a set of  8 cylindrical bits of fish and rice wrapped together with, strips of seaweed.

"Oh, it's called sushi. It's a dish from a continent up north: Tsuyoi." Yanavik grabbed one of the cylinders of rice and fish and took a bite, eating half of it in a single bite- not to say they were particularly large. "I came across a cookbook I'd nearly forgotten about in my study."

"Explains the difference in dishes." Gregory mumbled, grabbing a piece of sushi and taking a bite. The sushi was cold. Although he didn't know what to expect, no part of it even seemed cooked, not even the bit of fish in the center.

Since the raid of Vanderin, Yanavik had began cooking different dishes. Not that Gregory necessarily hated the change, a particular soup Yanavik had made with beef in it was particularly good.

"When will we have some food from this continent once in a while." Gregory mumbled, a bit louder then he'd intended.

Yanavik let out a semi-forced chuckle. "I understand you're frustrated with things being different this passed month. The loss of both the city and..." she stuttered for half a second. "And your father, has cause everyone, including myself, to act a bit strange. Unfortunately, the effects of the raid has not passed for everyone. Especially us." She gestured around the table to herself, Gregory, and Susain, who was watching both of them intently with a worried expression.