Phoenicia watched as a servant placed a couple of trays in front of them.
They mumbled their thanks as he left.
She scooped a spoonful of brown slime and brought it halfway up to her mouth before she noticed something.
"Something wrong?"
She said to Grant's shocked expression. He shook his head and replied in a much lighter tone.
"Nothing, nothing. Why would you ask?"
He said giving an unconvincing smile
She sighed internally and put the spoon down.
"What is it now Grant? Just say it before you go off again."
He looked uncertain for a moment and pointed at her tray.
"What is that?"
He emphasized the 'is' while speaking in a disgusted tone.
Phoenicia was confused as she looked at her tray. Try as she might, she couldn't figure out what was wrong.
"What about it?"
He gestured around their trays.
"Everything, what kind of monstrosity is this."
"Food?"
She said shaking her head in confusion.
"That's food?! It looks disgusting!"
She frowned.
'I actually quite like this lunch, thank you.'
"How is it disgusting?"
"Are you kidding? It looks like a slug went out and committed bloody murder because it was jealous of the other slug's sheen."
'Oh, it's on.'
"You used to eat this kind of thing every day, remember?"
His complexion somehow turned even more ghastly than before.
"What?"
"Yeah."
She started eating the food on her plate.
"Actually..."
She paused and looked as if she was remembering something.
"I'm pretty sure it was you that got me to eat this exact same setup."
"Really?"
He looked to the people around him. Most of them were nodding, some even seemed to have fond memories of such an event.
Suddenly a guffaw broke the atmosphere.
"Hahahahaha! He's not wrong!"
Their grandfather sat nearby. His plate was a magnificent spread befitting of a king. Various candles glowed elegantly in the darkness. The man himself paused to sip a glass of wine.
"The lot your father has the family eat is disgusting. You'd think that a family with as much prestige and strength as us would have some decent food!"
Almost everyone frowned at the old man. Grant was the almost.
His eyes gleamed with a light that she hadn't seen in years.
"Can I have some?"
"Get your own! That's what I do."
"But I'm already here."
"Exactly, so go eat your food. You shouldn't waste good slop."
As Grant was begging his grandfather, the patriarch motioned to a couple of people nearby.
A glint appeared in their eyes as they understood what the patriarch wanted.
"Come on, please? I'd rather die than eat this sl-uh!"
Grant was suddenly grabbed by one of the guys.
"Guess you're dying then."
Richmond calmly slurped some of his slime through a straw.
"You are eating this slop. Boys."
He snapped his fingers as the second person started scooping the food into his mouth.
And so it was that everyone was treated to the sight of Grant struggling and screaming, while two people forced unidentifiable slime down his throat.
Phoenicia smiled as she sipped her drink.
And promptly frowned again as a thought occurred to her.
'D**n, this... and this atmosphere... We really need a new decorator.'