With most of the food having left the table and finding itself nesting nicely in the stomachs of the family, it was finally time to eat the dessert. Strawberry paste was somewhat of a delicacy in Kudu. The berry wasn't that common in the gardens of the town, however there were a few families which grew it in fair quantities, sacrificing their garden space for the crop in order to trade it for other items.
These families definitely had a more comfortable living environment than most, however they had to sacrifice their garden for that, which most people cherish quite a lot.
The garden is a place of relaxation outside of their home, where they can take off their clothes and bask in the warm sunlight while it's still there, because unfortunately due to where Kudu is situated, it only gets a few hours of sunlight during the warm season, which was vastly shorter than the cold season, hence the need for so much firewood.
In fact, a third of the land within the walls of Kudu consisted of tall, thin trees. According to the legend passed down from one Chief to the next, the ground on which the town was situated had good soil, and with mist covering the town so thickly every morning, it was always well hydrated. This mist however was a curse during the cold season, hence the need for so much firewood.
Lori picked up a stone spoon, an uncommon utensil in the town, and scooped up a fairly sizable amount of the paste. His mouth watered in anticipation, and the excitement couldn't be hidden in his eyes.
Stone utensils had to be smoothened quite thoroughly in order to not injure the mouths of those who owned them. Not everyone saw them as necessary though, and many preferred to use wooden utensils, stating that they weren't as heavy nor did they get as cold during the cold season.
This was a good point, however everyone knew that stone utensils lasted a lot longer and were far easier to clean.
The moment the spoon hit his tongue, an intense taste overwhelmed him. Liro only had the opportunity to eat this fantastic, creamy delicacy maybe once a year at best, since it was quite tedious to make and it just wasn't worth the resources to make the meal often, since it required many hours of preparation and many ingredients that were quite rare in Kudu.
"How is it?" Asked his mother.
Liro nodded rigorously, "It's amazing mom, swear it tastes better each and every year!"
Just as she felt when her son first started eating his meal, his mother felt a certain rush of proudness within, she was glad that he enjoyed it so much. She had made up her mind on another similar matter, she definitely had to make a recipe book for him so he couldn't lose the recipes. After all, who could expect a child to memorize everything in a short time? It just didn't happen often.
----
After dinner, Liro's father left immediately for bed, leaving him and his mother to clean up. It didn't take long thankfully, since there wasn't so much food that they couldn't finish everything, however Liro's stomach was definitely quite full and happy with the recent event.
His mother went off to bed before him as she was likely the most tired out of the three of them since she had to prepare the meal and also help clean up afterwards. She didn't trust her son to wash the dishes properly, let alone wash all of them at all.
Liro was about to head off to bed as well, however when he heard the neighbours cheering, a thought popped into his mind. The invitation. He had grabbed it from his father's study- a room he rarely used- and put it in his room. Liro figured that the Chief's party couldn't have ended so soon, and he was curious to see how it was compared to the lovely dinner his mother had just served.
His parents hadn't checked up on him at night for a few years, so he figured he might be able to sneak out of his window. He didn't want to leave through his front door, as it was quite noisy and was right next to their bedroom.
Looking down at himself, he wasn't quite dressed well enough, however. His home was warm, and it was sure to be quite cold outside, not to mention his pants were quite unfitting for the party which he planned on attending. He took them off, deciding on a longer and more formal pair which he hadn't worn yet. It was sewn together by him with the help of his mother during his final lesson on clothmaking, and Liro thought it would pass as being good enough. It also did provide a certain warmth when worn, and wasn't uncomfortable. Finally, he put on a thin coat. He was ready to go.
Opening his window, he clambered through. The air was fairly cold outside, a stark contrast to his warm home heated by their fireplace. He closed it behind him, not wanting his room to lose its warmth while he was out.
The Chief's home wasn't too far from his house, after all the two families were friends with each other for the longest time. Liro only had a few more houses to pass by until it was in sight when he was stopped rather abruptly by a strong arm from behind.
"What are you doing alone in this darkness?" A voice called to him from behind.
Liro turned around to see his Uncle Flem. Liro jumped in surprise. His Uncle worked from before sunrise to sunset, and had a habit of being in bed just thereafter, so Liro didn't expect him to be out and about. That would be the case usually, however this was the night of the party, and it wasn't so unusual that he was roaming the area.
"Promise you won't tell my mom and dad?" Liro asked, lifting his shoulders and tucking his chin into his chest. He didn't want them to know that he was going out like this without their permission. Luckily all his neighbours were still in their homes celebrating, so he figured he didn't have to worry about anyone too familiar noticing him. Clearly, he was mistaken.
"I'll decide whether or not to tell your mom after you tell me why you're out past your bedtime. I know it's a night of celebration and all, but you're young, you need the rest..." said Flem, crossing his arms over his chest. He towered quite high over Liro. After all he was a grown man standing in front of a child, and it intimidated Liro a fair bit, even if the man was his family.
Liro shuffled from one leg to the other, side to side awkwardly before pulling back his coat, reaching into his pants pocket, and pulled out the folded letter of invitation. Handing it over to Flem, Liro felt a bit guilty over stealing the invitation, even if his father hadn't noticed.
"I see. What reason do you have going to the Chief's party alone, may I ask? I understand that there will be lots of good food and entertainment with the guests that have already arrived, however I can't see how a young boy like you could enjoy the company of so many grown ups." He raised one of his eyebrows, interested in Liro's little adventure.
"Is it not a good enough reason to go just for the food?" Liro asked.
"I know my sister well, there's no way your mother didn't stuff you full of food earlier. In fact, your stomach seems to be sticking out a bit...I guess you did eat quite a bit." He said, pointing at Liro's stomach. Liro couldn't lie, it was a bit big at the moment, although only due to the tremendous meal he managed to finish not too long ago.
"I'm sure I could fit a bit more in here." He said whilst patting his stomach, grinning from ear to ear. Liro really did intend to go just for the food and drinks. Since it was a rare occasion, he wanted to experience all it had to offer.
"Alright fine, just don't go causing trouble, and don't stay there too long. You know how much your parents will worry if they wake up the next morning with you missing, only to find out that had decided to fall asleep on the Chief's floor from all the food you ate...without their permission." Flem said the last part with more emphasis, letting Liro know he didn't fully approve of his little adventure without even asking his parents if he could do so.
Liro nodded vigorously, taking his Uncle's warning seriously since he knew that his parents would be very mad if said situation actually happened. His Uncle walked off without another word, leaving Liro to continue on his short trip to the party.